Team Chevy leads Engine Manufacturer, Driver points heading to Music City DETROIT (August 3, 2022) – The championship chase in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES is heating up as it heads south to Nashville for the second-year Big Machine Music City Grand Prix. Chevrolet arrives at the downtown Nashville street festival four races from winning its seventh Engine Manufacturer Championship in 11 seasons. The Nashville street circuit is one of the most unique in North America. It’s 2.17 miles in length with 11 turns but with three distinct sections. Most notable is the long run on the Korean War Veterans Memorial Bridge that goes over the Cumberland River. On either end of the bridge are traditional sections of narrow city streets with concrete walls on each side. Needless to say, it presents a very different engineering challenge for teams during the 3 p.m. ET race Sunday (NBC, Peacock, INDYCAR Radio). “It’s good to go back to Nashville,” said Rob Buckner, Chevrolet Program Manager for the NTT INDYCAR SERIES. “I think everyone was stunned and really happy with the crowds and the excitement around town for last year’s event. Based on what we’re hearing it will be more of the same for this year’s race, which is great for everyone involved in INDYCAR. “From a competition perspective, calling Nashville a unique circuit is a huge understatement!” Buckner added. “The tight and twisty sections on either side of the river plus the long runs over the bridge can present a lot of different options on the amount of downforce you can run. There have been lots of time spent looking at last year’s data to see where we can improve. Our street course record this year has been excellent and it would be great to close out the year’s final street circuit with another win.”

Nashville is the fifth street race for INDYCAR, and Chevrolet has won three of the previous four: Scott McLaughlin (St. Petersburg), Josef Newgarden (Long Beach) and Will Power (Detroit). Since rejoining INDYCAR in 2012 with its 2.2-liter, twin-turbo V6 engine, Chevrolet power has won 32 of 61 street races to date. Chevrolet drivers hold three of the top four positions in the Drivers Championship. Team Penske’s Will Power, No. 12 Verizon 5G Chevrolet, leads with one victory this year and seven podium finishes. Nashville resident Josef Newgarden, No. 2 PPG Chevrolet for Team Penske, is third with a series-high four wins this year. Arrow McLaren SP’s Pato O’Ward in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet sits fifth with a pair of wins this year. On the way to the green flag, the field for the Big Machine Music City Grand Prix will follow a red Corvette Stingray, which will serve as Official Pace Car. And while at the Nashville street festival, Team Chevy fans can enjoy all that the Chevrolet display has to offer. Included in the display activities will be a series of Q&A sessions Friday and Saturday with some of Chevrolet’s star drivers. Friday· 12:30 p.m.: Arrow McLaren SP – Pato O’Ward, Felix Rosenqvist· 2 p.m.: Team Penske – Josef Newgarden, Scott McLaughlin, Will Power· 2:15 p.m.: AJ Foyt Racing – Dalton Kellett, Kyle Kirkwood    Saturday· 1:00 p.m.: Juncos Hollinger Racing – Callum IIott· 1:45 p.m.: Ed Carpenter Racing – Rinus VeeKay and Conor Daly The Chevrolet Motorsports Display opens at 9:30 a.m. Friday, 9 a.m. Saturday and 8 a.m. Sunday. Numerous Chevrolet vehicles will be on display including Corvette Stingray Z51, Camaro ZL1, Silverado 1500 ZR2 and Silverado HD LTZ, Tahoe, Blazer Premier, Equinox RS and a Chevrolet IndyCar showcar. Fans also can register to receive a 2022 Chevrolet Racing T-shirt. Chevrolet and the NTT INDYCAR Series continue the 2022 season with a return to Nashville for the Big Machine Music City Grand Prix at 3:15 p.m. ET on Sunday, August 7. The race will air live starting at 3 p.m. ET on NBC, the Peacock streaming service, IndyCar Radio Network affiliates and SiriusXM IndyCar Nation (Channel 160). Live timing and scoring will be available at racecontrol.indycar.com. BY THE NUMBERS: Chevrolet in INDYCAR· 1: Chevrolet’s position in the INDYCAR Engine Manufacturer standings after 13 races· 2: Consecutive front-row starts in the Indianapolis 500 for Rinus Veekay of Ed Carpenter Racing· 3: Consecutive street circuit wins by Team Chevy so far in 2022 – Scott McLaughlin (St. Petersburg), Josef Newgarden (Long Beach) and Will Power (Belle Isle)· 4: Consecutive victories by Chevrolet to open the 2022 NTT INDYCAR SERIES. Team Penske’s Scott McLaughlin won the pole and race at St. Petersburg. Penske teammate Josef Newgarden won at Texas and Long Beach, and Pato O’Ward was victorious at Barber Motorsport Park for Arrow McLaren SP· 6: Different Chevrolet drivers to win races dating to the start of 2020. Scott McLaughlin was the most recent at St. Petersburg· 6: Number of Manufacturer Championships in the NTT INDYCAR Series since 2012· 6: Number of Team Chevy Driver/Entrant championships since 2012· 14: Consecutive seasons with at least one win by Will Power, including past 11 with Chevrolet. He won at Belle Isle in 2022· 26: Wins by Will Power since 2012. All have come with Chevrolet, giving him the most of any driver with same manufacturer· 41: Pole starts by Will Power since 2012 in a Chevrolet-powered car, most of any driver· 104: Chevrolet victories in NTT INDYCAR SERIES since 2012· 113: Earned poles by Chevrolet since 2012· 178: NTT INDYCAR SERIES races as V6 engine supplier since 2012 return to INDYCAR

After a strong run at the Prairie Dirt Classic, Gundaker has confidence he can challenge for his first World of Outlaws win at the USA Nationals

By Nick Graziano

NEW RICHMOND, WI (Aug. 3, 2022) – Gordy Gundaker’s evolution on the World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Model Series tour has become more apparent every race.

The Rookie of the Year contender, from St. Charles, MO, started the year struggling to find his way into the top-15. But the second half of the season has been a different story.

He’s had one finish outside the top-15 and in total has collected three top fives and six top 10s – including his 10th-place finish in the star-studded Prairie Dirt Classic, building momentum for the crown jewel USA Nationals at Cedar Lake Speedway, Aug. 4-6.

“I feel like at the beginning of the year we really struggled,” Gundaker said. “A lot of the stuff, just new racetracks, new race car, all that stuff. Then, I feel like the last month and a half we really kind of hit a stride with winning Heat Races and qualifying up front. That makes your life a lot easier when you get in the Feature and start up front, the first three-rows. I think we’re going to have a really good second half of the year here. Got some racetracks coming up that I really like.”

Before joining the World of Outlaws tour full time this season, Gundaker was a veteran on the DIRTcar Summer Nationals Late Model tour, picking up four victories. It was nicknamed “The Hell Tour” for its grueling week-long stretch of racing for two months, but mainly stayed in the Midwest. So, joining the more than 60-race World of Outlaws schedule across the country meant visiting several new tracks with varying kinds of surfaces.

That created a challenge in finding the comfortability he needed in his car at each track. But Gundaker stated he believes his team has hit on something. Now, they can roll into each race needing small adjustments, rather than big swings.

“Everybody has their own sweet spot,” he said. “We’ve been working really, really hard and we finally got it to where I like it, make it maneuverable. Now, like I said, just making small adjustments.”

Once Gundaker found the comfort he was looking for in his Longhorn Chassis #11 Late Model, confidence poured in with it.

“If you show up to the racetrack not confident, you’re already defeated before you get there,” Gundaker said. “When we roll in now, I feel confident. You qualify up front, like I said, that just sets you up for the whole night. When you do that, you have confidence in your race team and in yourself. It’s really easy to get down on yourself. Running up front in these races is hard as it is. It’s easy to kick yourself when things aren’t going good. We’ve been doing better lately so that makes my confidence go up. The guys are pumped when we get to the racetrack, so it makes it a lot easier.”

He’s found that confidence in time for the back-to-back weekends of World of Outlaws CASE Late Model crown jewel events. He ended the Prairie Dirt Classic on a positive note, racing toward the front of the pack and besting Series champions like Shane Clanton and Josh Richards. Now, his focus is on the $50,000-to-win USA Nationals at Cedar Lake.

The 3/8-mile Wisconsin track is one of his favorites, despite not having the results he’d like there. However, he made the field for the USA Nationals last year and said he believes this year he’ll have a car capable of competing for the win.

“I really, really love going up there,” Gundaker said. “The atmosphere kind of drives you at that place too, because you’re just trying to put on a show, but you feed off the energy of those people. I’m really confident going into next week. I feel like we can get up front and battle for a win there and make some money.”

Gundaker currently sits seventh in World of Outlaws CASE Late Model points, more than 400 points back from the points lead and about 300 points out of competing with Tanner English and Max Blair for the Rookie of the Year title. Despite that, he’s happy with his progress this year and hopes his upward trend will lead to his first World of Outlaws victory.

“Obviously, I knew it was going to be tough coming into this year,” he said. “But at the same time, I expect a lot out of myself. And that is something I’ve always strived for. I think the only way to be good or to be great, really, is you have to expect a lot out of yourself. I wish we would have more top threes, top fives, and stuff like that but it’s also our first year running this tour. And we’ve done a lot better lately. Now, we just have to find a way to get up there and we’re eventually going to knock one or two of these down.”

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (August 3, 2022) – Progressive American Flat Track is thrilled to announce that racing legend Jeff Stanton will serve as the Grand Marshal for the Progressive Black Hills Half-Mile presented by Saddlemen at Black Hills Speedway in Rapid City, South Dakota, on Saturday, August 6. Stanton is a six-time Supercross/Motocross champion who stood as a dominant force in sport in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s. Synonymous with the powerful American Honda efforts of the era, Stanton continued his long association with the Red Riders long after he retired as a racer at the conclusion of the 1994 season. Stanton was inducted into the Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 2000 and was awarded the Mickey Thompson Award of Excellence of 2008. “It’s an honor to be a part of this,” said Stanton. “I love dirt track racing. I’ve loved it for years. One of my good buddies is Scottie Parker, and we’ve been friends since we were both racing and winning championships the same years. He followed me and I followed him. Every weekend I had off I’d go watch the races. It’s just a down-to-earth group of guys who love racing motorcycles. At the end of the day, we all have the same passion. “I’ve never been to the Sturgis. I love the Black Hills – my wife and I have been there a bunch. It’s just a beautiful area, and to be able to be a part of the event is going to be awesome. I’m excited.” The Progressive Black Hills Half-Mile marks Progressive AFT’s return to the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally for the first time since 2019. Visit https://store.americanflattrack.com/ebooking/ticket/view/id/3696/ to reserve your tickets today. Gates will open for fans at 5:30 p.m. ET/2:30 p.m. PT with Opening Ceremonies scheduled to begin at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT ahead of the day’s Main Event program. You can catch the livestream of all the weekend’s racing activities on FansChoice.tv. FansChoice.tvprovides free-to-view livestreaming of Practice and Qualifying. FansChoice.tv subscribers will then be able to watch the drama unfold from Opening Ceremonies through the Semis, Main Events, and podium celebrations. FansChoice.tv offers two subscription options, granting unlimited access to premium AFT content. Monthly subscriptions start at just $7.99, while a six-month subscription is available for $44.99. The Progressive Black Hills Half-Mile presented by Saddlemen will premiere on FS1 on Sunday, August 14, at 11:00 a.m. ET/8:00 a.m. PT, including exclusive features, cutting-edge aerial drone and onboard footage, and expert commentary. For more information on Progressive AFT visit https://www.americanflattrack.com. To score the latest gear for the Progressive American Flat Track fan, visit our official merchandise store at https://store.americanflattrack.com.

Garcia, Taylor looking to build on team’s eight previous Road America wins DETROIT (Aug. 3, 2022) – Corvette Racing is going from the shortest track on the IMSA schedule to the longest when the team and the rest of the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship return to spacious Road America for the IMSA Fastlane SportsCar Weekend.

The 4.048-mile, 14-turn road course is one of the most revered on the IMSA calendar with high speeds, big braking zones and heavy g-loads under cornering. It also is one of Corvette Racing’s most successful venues with eight victories for the program and 14 IMSA wins for Chevrolet as a manufacturer. In the two-hour, 40-minute race, Antonio Garcia and Jordan Taylor will continue their push for their third straight IMSA Drivers Championship in the No. 3 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R.  After seven races, the pairing have one win on the season – at Sebring – and sit second in the Drivers Championship in the new GT Daytona (GTD) PRO category.

CORVETTE RACING MEDIA INFORMATION Corvette Racing media information is updated and available ahead of this weekend’s IMSA Fastlane SportsCar Weekend at Road America. Materials include: · IMSA race advance and quotes· Corvette Racing Road America stats and figures· Corvette Racing racecar comparisons· Corvette Racing Fast Facts· Driver biographies

Garcia and Taylor were GT Le Mans (GTLM) winners at the circuit in 2020 – the first year of the C8.R. With the class discontinued for 2022, this is the first time for Corvette Racing in GTD PRO at Road America. There are a number of differences – more weight and less power, for example – but the biggest change will be the GTD-spec tire from Michelin on the Corvette instead of the “confidential” Michelins that were designed specifically for the C8.R over the course of two-plus years.Road America is usually notorious for eating up tires with high levels of degradation. Despite a lack of overall pace throughout the season, the No. 3 Corvette has remained in championship contention due in large part to its tire management, engineering strategy and crew execution.   Road America and the Corvette brand have a lengthy history dating back nearly 60 years. Chevrolet routinely used the track to test and validate the performance of early-generation Corvettes with that tradition continuing into the present day. Road America was the site of the first on-track running of the Corvette C8.R in 2018, and the mid-engine Corvette continues to write new chapters each weekend. Chevrolet Motorsports Display On-Site at Road AmericaIn addition to the many series and events on the racetrack at Road America, fans will have plenty to see and experience from Chevrolet. The Chevrolet Motorsports Display will be full of Chevy vehicles that spectators can learn more about throughout the weekend. The Chevrolet Motorsports Display opens at 8 a.m. Friday and Saturday plus 7:30 a.m. Sunday and is located in the Fan Midway in the Road America main paddock. Numerous Chevrolet vehicles and other highlights include: • The 2023 Corvette Z06 convertible• Additional Chevrolet products such as Blazer RS, Silverado ZR2, TrailBlazer Activ, Camaro 2SS and Colorado ZR2 • A Corvette Racing C8.R showcar• An opportunity to receive a 2022 Corvette Racing t-shirt  The IMSA Fastlane SportsCar Weekend from Road America is scheduled for 10:40 a.m. CT on Sunday, August 7. The race will stream live on Peacock and air same-day beginning at noon ET on USA. IMSA Radio will broadcast all on-track sessions beginning with Friday afternoon’s practice at IMSA.com. The race call Saturday also will be available on XM 207 and SiriusXM Online 992.

ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “This will be a little different Road America than we’re used to with the GTD Corvette and the cars are racing now – both GTD and GTD PRO. You have to think about attacking the track in different ways given weight, power and other differences that are part of the GTD configuration versus GTLM. We also don’t know about tire degradation, which was quite severe there in past years. We don’t know how it will be this year on this tire but it can open up several different strategies for the race and can play a big role in the outcome. So we’ll see. One thing that hasn’t changed is how enjoyable it is to drive around Road America and in the area. It’s a highlight visit every year, but hopefully this year that includes a good result or win for us.”

JORDAN TAYLOR, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “Road America will be an interesting one for us. Knowing where our car’s strengths and weaknesses are, this could be a tricky one for us from a pace point of view. From a tire degradation point of view, that has been our strength this season. Hopefully that will suit us. We have some ideas in the works for car development for that race, so I think we’ll go there with a little bit of a stronger package and hopefully be contending up front. We’ve been to simulator since Lime Rock, so we’ve done some running with some big swings of changes to see what comes alive. That’s been the tough thing this season with just one car on track each weekend. You don’t have the opportunities to take big risks on setups. That’s where the simulator has brought big value to us.”

2022 WeatherTech SportsCar Championship – GTD PRO (After seven of 11 Events)Driver Standings1. Mathieu Jaminet/Matt Campbell – 2,4412. Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor – 2,2263. Ben Barnicoat – 2,1814. Alex Riberas/Ross Gunn – 2,1705. Connor De Phillippi/John Edwards – 1,946 Team Standings1. No. 9 Pfaff Motorsports – 2.4412. No. 3 Corvette Racing – 2,2263. No. 14 VasserSullivan – 2,1814. No. 23 Heart of Racing Team – 2,1705. No. 25 BMW Team RLL – 1,946 Manufacturer Standings1. Porsche – 2,4412. Aston Martin – 2,2403. Chevrolet – 2,2364. Lexus – 2,2115. BMW – 2,031 CORVETTE RACING AT ROAD AMERICA: By the Numbers• 1: As in one team, one manufacturer and one model of car for 23 years: Corvette Racing, Chevrolet and the Chevrolet Corvette.• 4: Generations of Corvette Racing entries at Road America since 2002 – Corvette C5-R (2002-2004), Corvette C6.R (2005-13), Corvette C7.R (2016-19) and Corvette C8.R (2020-21). This year’s race is the first at the track for the GTD-spec, mid-engine racing Corvette.• 4: Number of cars Tommy Milner passed in the final 15 minutes of the 2016 Road America race. He and Oliver Gavin went on to win in class and capture the GTLM Drivers Championship.• 8: Number of victories at Road America for Corvette Racing, the most of any entrant in IMSA.• 8: Pole positions at Road America for Corvette Racing by four different drivers.• 10: Number of drivers who have won races at Road America for Corvette Racing – Gavin (four); Olivier Beretta (three); Johnny O’Connell (two); and Kelly Collins, Ron Fellows, Antonio Garcia, Jan Magnussen, Milner, Andy Pilgrim and Jordan Taylor (one each).• 12: Fastest race laps for Corvette Racing drivers at Road America. That includes the last three seasons: Tommy Milner (2019 and 2021) and Antonio Garcia (2020)• 14: Manufacturer Championships for Chevrolet and Corvette Racing since 2001• 14: Number of IMSA victories at Road America for Chevrolet, the second-most of any manufacturer in IMSA• 21: Number of Road America events for Corvette Racing counting this year’s IMSA race.• 26: Tracks at which Corvette Racing has won races – Baltimore, Charlotte Motor Speedway, COTA, Canadian Tire Motorsport Park/Mosport, Daytona, Detroit, Houston, Laguna Seca, Le Mans, Lime Rock, Long Beach, Miami, Mid-Ohio, Monza, Portland, Road America, Road Atlanta, Sebring, Sonoma, St. Petersburg, Texas, Trois Rivieres, Utah, VIR, Washington DC and Watkins Glen• 32: Number of drivers for Corvette Racing since 1999• 122: Victories worldwide for Corvette Racing – 113 in North America, eight at Le Mans and one in the FIA WEC• 261: Event starts by Corvette Racing since 1999• 12,148.10: Number of racing miles completed by Corvette Racing in its 20 previous trips to Road America. That represents 2,993 laps or more than 102 trips across Lake Michigan.• 345,914.02: Total number of racing miles completed by Corvette Racing since its inception. To put that in perspective, Corvette Racing is more than halfway to the distance traveled by Apollo 13 – the longest manned spaceflight in history: 622,268 miles. That means Corvette Racing has raced to the moon and more than halfway back! Corvette Racing at Road America (wins in bold)2002No. 3 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O’Connell/Oliver Gavin – 2nd in GTS (Fellows pole; Gavin fastest race lap)No. 4 Corvette C5-R: Andy Pilgrim/Kelly Collins – 1st in GTS 2003No. 3 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O’Connell – 2nd in GTSNo. 4 Corvette C5-R: Oliver Gavin/Kelly Collins – 5th in GTS (Gavin pole, fastest race lap) 2004No. 3 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O’Connell – 2nd in GTSNo. 4 Corvette C5-R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin – 1st in GTS (Beretta pole, fastest race lap) 2005No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O’Connell – 2nd in GT1No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin – 1st in GT1 (Gavin pole, Beretta fastest race lap) 2006No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O’Connell – 1st in GT1No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin – 2nd in GT1 (Gavin fastest race lap) 2007No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Johnny O’Connell – 2nd in GT1 (Magnussen pole, fastest race lap)No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin – 1st in GT1 2008No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Johnny O’Connell/Jan Magnussen – 1st in GT1No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin – 3rd in GT1 (Gavin pole, fastest race lap) 2009No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Johnny O’Connell – 3rd in GT2No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin – 6th in GT2 2010No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Johnny O’Connell – 4th in GT2No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Oliver Gavin/Jan Magnussen – 3rd in GT2 (Gavin pole, fastest race lap) 2011No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Tommy Milner – 14th in GTNo. 4 Corvette C6.R: Oliver Gavin/Jan Magnussen – 5th in GT 2012No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 6th in GTNo. 4 Corvette C6.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 4th in GT 2013No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 2nd in GTNo. 4 Corvette C6.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 3rd in GT 2014No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 6th in GTLMNo. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 7th in GTLM 2015No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 4th in GTLMNo. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 7th in GTLM 2016No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 6th in GTLMNo. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 1st in GTLM (5th to 1st in final 15 minutes) 2017No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 4th in GTLMNo. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 5th in GTLM 2018No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 3rd in GTLM (Garcia fastest race lap)No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 2nd in GTLM 2019No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 4th in GTLMNo. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 6th in GTLM (Gavin pole, Milner fastest race lap) 2020No. 3 Corvette C8.R: Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor – 1st in GTLM (Garcia fastest race lap)No. 4 Corvette C8.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 2nd in GTLM 2021No. 3 Corvette C8.R: Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor – 2nd in GTLM (Taylor pole)No. 4 Corvette C8.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 3rd in GTLM (Milner fastest race lap)

YORBA LINDA, Calif. (Aug. 03, 2022) – Robert Hight and the Automobile Club of Southern California Chevrolet Camaro SS’s dominance through the first half of the 2022 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series schedule, which now includes six wins, two runner-up finishes, and three No. 1 qualifying positions, has earned the three-time champions a spot in the NHRA Countdown to the Championship, NHRA’s six race playoffs. Hight and Erica Enders in Pro Stock are the first two drivers to clinch their spot. “Clinching a spot in the Countdown this far out, its big, especially after last year where we struggled all season long. This Auto Club Chevy team worked hard over the winter,” Hight said. “They came up with good combination and it’s been working for us but there’s still more in it. We’ve capitalized when we’ve needed to, we just need to stay steady to go into the Countdown No. 1. That could be big. I’ve lost the championship by 19 points so every point counts especially when they reset after the U.S. Nationals. We want to be No. 1 to get that 20-point advantage.” Hight and the Auto Club team officially earned their spot after the DESNO NHRA Sonoma Nationals before they went on to win the Flav-R-Pac NHRA Northwest Nationals in Seattle this past weekend. There are three races left in the 2022 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series regular season, the Menards NHRA Nationals, the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals and the Dodge Power Brokers U.S. Nationals, before the six race Countdown to the Championship begins with the Pep Boys NHRA Nationals and concludes with the Auto Club NHRA Finals at the historic Auto Club Raceway at Pomona.

CONCORD, NC – August 2, 2022 – For the fifth time in their young, yet storied careers, Bobby Pierce and Nick Hoffman have conquered the Hell Tour.

Pierce, the 25-year-old from Oakwood, IL, won seven Features on the DIRTcar Summer Nationals Late Model trail this year with 15 top-fives and only two finishes outside the top-10. With a total of 1306 points, Pierce captured the title by 179 points over the tour’s top rookie competitor, Payton Freeman.

Hoffman, the 30-year-old, originally from Belleville, IL, now residing in Mooresville, NC, backed up a videogame-like run to the DIRTcar Summit Racing Equipment Modified Nationals title last year with another dominant season this summer, winning 12 times in 17 starts – only two finishes outside of the top-five – and holding a 426-point lead over runner-up Kyle Steffens.

Though the stats offer a quick glance at their sustained dominance, they do not show the week-in, week-out grind it took to produce those numbers.

BOBBY PIERCE

“It’s pretty crazy when you think about it,” said Pierce, reflecting on his fifth Late Model title – second-most of any driver behind six-time champion Billy Moyer. “I’ve got to give a huge thanks to everyone that’s helped me along the way.”

Growing up in the pit areas of Illinois’ most famed race places, Pierce had a front-row seat to a first-class dirt track racing education from his earliest beginnings, watching father Bob Pierce tear up some of the same ovals Bobby himself dominates today. Bob, a two-time Summer Nationals Late Model champion, has been crew chief for each of his son’s 47 career wins on the circuit, and gets a great deal of credit for all the success the team has enjoyed thus far.

“I couldn’t do it without my dad, starting me at an early age and really building my talent,” Bobby said.

Together, the father-son duo play vital roles in the operations for Pierce Platinum Race Cars back at the shop – the chassis brand that became the framework on which Bobby has now compiled the third-most Feature wins of any driver in Summer Nationals history.

“I love helping my dad along the way,” Pierce said. “He helps me, and I help him try and make the cars look good. He gives me a good car a lot of the time, especially at these Illinois tracks.”

NICK HOFFMAN

Since rejoining the Summit Modified championship chase in 2019, Hoffman has amassed 56 Feature wins in 111 races. That means he’s won slightly over half of all Summit Modified races contested in the last four years.

What’s his secret? Hoffman said it starts with a good crew. He and lone full-time crew member Mason Beadles traveled up-and-down the road this summer, miles from home, and are headed back to The Old North State with another big check in-hand.

“I couldn’t have done it without him, he’s the best crew guy in the pit area in Modified or Late Model racing,” Hoffman said. “Not even with just the car – when you’re on the Hell Tour and you have issues with your haulers, any of that type of stuff… Generators are always an issue on the hot summer days, and he’s one of those guys that can fix anything for me.”

Hoffman’s also won the DIRTcar UMP Modified national points title each of the last three years, going for a fourth by season’s end. The wins he gathers on the Summit Modified tour accounts for a big chunk of his win total each season.

“It’s a lot of fun to be able to come out here and do this many races in this short a span of time,” Hoffman said. “It leads me into trying to race for this national title, which, at the end of the day, we’re here to do.”

Though his reign of dominance across the UMP Modified world has continued for yet another season, so has his hunger for a new challenge. Hoffman, owner and founder of top Modified chassis brand Elite Chassis, has again turned his attention to Late Models a few times this year, piloting a house car for Cowpens, SC’s Barry Wright Race Cars. It’s a path he hopes will lead to a full-time Late Model career.

“The Late Model side is where I want to be racing full-time,” Hoffman said. “My chassis business sustains itself with the customers I have racing all across the country. I feel like me, as a Modified driver, I could just come in and run 10 or 20 races a year and have fun running big races for money, and then I can go run 60-80 Late Model races. That’s what I’m really focused on.”

He’s enjoyed the success he’s had thus far, driving for several Late Model car owners over the past few years, and proudly displays his Modified accomplishments with an eye toward that same level of success in a DIRTcar Late Model.

“I’ve had a lot of fun racing with Barry here in the last two weeks,” Hoffman said. “This is what I’m focused on – some type of Late Model ride, whether it’s with Barry and this ends up being a full-time deal, or whoever else comes along.”

For updates on the 2023 DIRTcar Summer Nationals Late Model tour and the DIRTcar Summit Racing Equipment Modified tour, follow the Summer Nationals social channels.

EVENT RECAP: Round 5

Going into Round 5 in St. Louis was very exciting with competitions from 2 other series under Dan’s belt. RAD DAN has been very active in both of his Supra’s this year. He has made his way to Klutch Kickers in Florida and then Link ECU Summer Showdown in addition to the Formula Drift series. Driving with a variety of drivers and a wide range of horsepower has put his skills to the test leading to learning more and more about our car setup and how we can become more versatile in competition. Formula Drift, Round 5 in St. Louis presents a very unique track layout that the majority of teams find very challenging. We learned a lot at this round and gained valuable data that we can apply to this track next year. We are looking forward to the banked track of Evergreen Speedway for Formula Drift Seattle on August 5-6!

Derani seeking repeat of 2021; a Cadillac DPi-V.R has won 2 of past 3 IMSA races

DETROIT (Aug. 2, 2022) – Pipo Derani had “a fantastic weekend; perfect to be honest” last August in co-driving the No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac DPi-V.R to victory at Road America. The reigning IMSA champion would welcome a repeat this weekend in the IMSA Fastlane SportsCar Weekend on the 4.048-mile, 14-turn road course in Wisconsin.

“Road America is a fantastic racetrack,” said Derani, who also won in a DPi in 2017. “Last year, it was a fantastic win for us starting from the pole after a wet qualifying. It was a race that we had pressure from the beginning to the end.” Dry conditions with ambient temperatures pushing 90 degrees Fahrenheit are forecast for practice, qualifications and the 2-hour, 40-minute race Aug. 7 (11:40 a.m. ET on Peacock and IMSA Radio, noon on USA).  “It’s very fast, very technical as well and presents a big challenge for the teams to be able to do a perfect setup,” added Derani, who co-drove to third place in the most recent IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship race at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park. “It hasn’t been an easy season for us, but hopefully in the last two races of the year we can show a little bit better results and get a win.” Cadillac Racing has registered two podium finishes in each of the past two years at Road America, with Derani co-driving to third place after the No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac DPi-V.R qualified seventh in 2020, and Renger van der Zande co-driving to third place in 2021 and second in 2020.

Cadillac Racing  media resources Road America guide:Storylines. team/driver notes, statistics, more Zoom transcript: Pipo Derani and Sebastien Bourdais 2022 media guide:Historical statistics, why we race, tech transfers, more Cadillac LMDh testing:What they’re saying about latest on-track car development

Van der Zande and Sebastien Bourdais have hit their stride in the No. 01 V-Performance Academy Cadillac DPi-V.R, winning two of the past three races and placing third in the other. “We’ve been running at the front, winning races, feeling strong,” Bourdais said. “Renger put on an incredible performance at Mosport (July 3) in really challenging conditions. He kind of went for it especially in traffic, which was really awesome. Looking forward to trying to repeat that at Road America. “It’s a beautiful racetrack. I only managed to win there once in Champ Car days, but I have a lot of really good memories. It’s one of those places that is extremely rewarding if you get the lap right. It’s one of those cases where it feels really brilliant when you put a lap together, and hopefully we can do that in qualifying and have a great race day.” Olivier Pla, who joined Derani in the Action Express Racing team in early June at Detroit, concurred. “It is a high commitment track, but at the same time it’s very technical,” said Pla, who will make his fourth IMSA start at Road America. “It is a little bit bumpy and has some fast corners, which makes for a good show on TV and for the fans. During the racing, there will be a lot of overtaking and traffic management will be key. “Two of my favorite corners are the Carousel, which is a long right hander that’s very fast and very long, and the famous Kink, which is flat, and you need to have a perfect line. I’m looking forward to this event. Last year, Action Express won the race. So, we have one target this time also.” Cadillac Racing is tied for the lead in the Manufacturer Championship standings as it seeks its fourth title since the inception of the DPi class in 2017.Cadillac DPi roster for IMSA Fastlane SportsCar WeekendNo. 01 V-Performance Academy Cadillac DPi-V.R (Cadillac Racing)Renger van der Zande, Sebastien BourdaisVan der Zande and Bourdais co-drove the No. 01 Cadillac DPi-V.R to the victory at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park on July 3, on the Belle Isle street circuit June 4 and the streets of Long Beach on April 9 – starting from the pole in the latter two. … CTMP was the 18th IMSA victory for van der Zande and 10th for Bourdais. … Bourdais set the qualifying lap record time at Long Beach and Belle Isle. He also set the lap record time in earning the pole for the March 19 Twelve Hours of Sebring and for the May 15 Grand Prix at Mid-Ohio. … Bourdais is a four-time INDYCAR champion. … Bourdais and van der Zande competed in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in June.Entry: Three wins, four poles, third in standingsCar chief-Phil BinksLead engineer-John HennekRace strategist-Peter BaronNo. 02 Cadillac Accessories Cadillac DPi-V.R (Cadillac Racing)Earl Bamber, Alex LynnFirst-year entry in expanded Cadillac Racing DPi program. … Bamber and Lynn co-drove to a runner-up finish on the streets of Long Beach on April 9 after starting second. They placed third June 4 on the Belle Isle street circuit… They, along with Neel Jani, co-drove to victory March 19 in the Twelve Hours of Sebring. … Bamber salutes his home country with a silver fern design on the sides of his helmet — a quasi-national emblem used for various official New Zealand symbol. … Bamber recently moved to Nashville. “Good barbeque,” he said. … Lynn competed in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in June. … Both have tested the new Cadillac racing LMDh car.Team: One win, one runner-up finish, one other podium finishCar chief-Jamie CoatesLead engineer-Danielle ShephardRace strategist-Michael Harvey

No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac DPi-V.R (Action Express Racing)Pipo Derani, Olivier Pla, Mike ConwayDerani co-drove to victory from the pole in the 2021 race at Road America. … Pla made his debut in the No. 31 Cadillac on June 4 at Detroit. … He and Derani co-drove to third place at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park on July 3. … Derani and Tristan Nunez co-drove to third place on the Laguna Seca road course after starting sixth. They followed with a third-place finish May 15 at Mid-Ohio. … Derani and Nunez, joined by Mike Conway, started second and finished third in the March 19 Twelve Hours of Sebring. … The three-driver team started seventh and finished fourth in the Rolex 24 At Daytona to open the season. … Derani and Felipe Nasr were the 2021 IMSA DPi Driver Champions and Whelen Engineering/Action Express Racing was the Team Champion. … Derani and Pla were teammates for the second consecutive year for the 24 Hours of Le Mans in June.Team: Three podium finishesCar chief-Bill KeulerTechnical director/lead engineer-Iain WattRace strategist-Tim KeeneNo. 5 Mustang Sampling Cadillac DPi-V.R (JDC-Miller MotorSports)Tristan Vautier, Richard Westbrook, Loic DuvalVautier and Westbrook co-drove to third place on the streets of Long Beach on April 9 after starting fifth. Vautier and Westbrook, joined by Loic Duval, drove to second place in the March 19 Twelve Hours of Sebring and opened the ’22 season by starting second and finishing third at the Rolex 24 At Daytona. … Westbrook is a London-trained chef. … Vautier and Westbrook competed in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in June, with Westbrook earning a podium finish.Team: Three podium finishesCar chief-Josh KerriganLead engineer-Rick CameronRace strategist-John Church

Cadillac Racing at Road America 2021-2017 2021: First (No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac DPi-V.R) start first – Pipo Derani, Felipe Nasr         Third (No. 01 Cadillac DPi-V.R) start fourth – Renger van der Zande, Kevin Magnussen         Sixth (No. 5 Mustang Sampling Cadillac DPi-V.R) start fifth – Tristan Vautier, Loic Duval2020: Second (No. 10 Konica Minolta Cadillac DPi-V.R) start fifth – Renger van der Zande, Ryan Briscoe         Third (No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac DPi-V.R) start seventh – Pipo Derani, Felipe Nasr          Fourth (No. 5 Mustang Sampling Cadillac DPi-V.R) start sixth – Joao Barbosa, Sebastien Bourdais          Seventh (No. 85 JDC-Miller Motorsports Cadillac DPi-V.R) start eighth – Tristan Vautier, Chris Miller2019: Fourth (No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac DPi-V.R) start sixth – Pipo Derani, Felipe Nasr         Fifth (No. 10 Konica Minolta Cadillac DPi-V.R) start 10th – Renger van der Zande, Jordan Taylor         Sixth (No. 5 Mustang Sampling Cadillac DPi-V.R) start seventh – Joao Barbosa, Felipe Albuquerque         Eighth (No. 85 JDC-Miller Motorsports Cadillac DPi-V.R) start eighth – Tristan Vautier, Misha Goikhberg         Ninth (No. 84 JDC-Miller Motorsports Cadillac DPi-V.R) start fifth – Simon Trummer, Stephen Simpson2018: Third (No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac DPi-V.R) start eighth — Felipe Nasr, Eric Curran         Fourth (No. 10 Konica Minolta Cadillac DPi-V.R) start third – Renger van der Zande, Jordan Taylor         Seventh (No. 5 Mustang Sampling Cadillac DPi-V.R) start sixth – Joao Barbosa, Felipe Albuquerque2017: Second (No. 10 Konica Minolta Cadillac DPi-V.R) start first – Ricky Taylor, Jordan Taylor         Fourth (No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac DPi-V.R) start sixth – Dane Cameron, Eric Curran         Sixth (No. 5 Mustang Sampling Cadillac DPi-V.R) start 11th – Christian Fittipaldi, Joao Barbosa Visit the Cadillac display in midway Spectators can view the 2023 Escalade-V at the Cadillac display in the midway from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 7:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Sunday. The 2023 Escalade-V — the industry’s most powerful full-size SUV that goes on sale late this summer – expands the V-Series lineup. Now in its fourth generation, Cadillac’s V-Series represents ultimate performance, the epitome of Cadillac’s engineering capability, with unrivaled sophistication and comfort for everyday driving. In adding Escalade-V to the lineup, the V-Series family continues to expand, while consistently combining power, luxury, thoughtful technology and athletic refinement for the discerning enthusiast.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (August 2, 2022) – This weekend, Progressive American Flat Track will play a starring role in the 82nd Sturgis Motorcycle Rally with the Progressive Black Hills Half-Mile presented by Saddlemen at Black Hills Speedway in Rapid City, South Dakota, on Saturday, August 6. The visit will mark the first time since 2019 that the series has joined the massive event, which sees some 500,000 motorcycling enthusiasts make the annual trek to Sturgis, South Dakota. The fans in attendance on Saturday evening will be treated to a red-hot Mission SuperTwins presented by S&S Cycle title fight. Led by archrivals Jared Mees (No. 1 Indian Motorcycle/Progressive Insurance FTR750) and Briar Bauman (No. 3 Indian Motorcycle/Progressive Insurance FTR750), the separation at the top is a mere three points (188-185). Defending champion and current points leader Mees has won at Black Hills Speedway on three prior occasions (‘15, ‘17, and ‘18). Should he win here again this year, he’ll be just one Half-Mile win short of equaling the legendary Scott Parker for most all-time (35) and with the season-ending Mission Volusia Half-Mile Finale still in play. However, Bauman is the series’ most recent winner at the venue, having taken top honors in 2019. This weekend’s race also represents the second round of the Progressive Triple Crown, which will pay the premier-class rider who scores the highest points tally across a specified combination of Short Track, Half-Mile, and Miles a $25,000 prize. Estenson Racing Yamaha aces JD Beach (No. 95 Estenson Racing Yamaha MT-07 DT) and Dallas Daniels (No. 32 Estenson Racing Yamaha MT-07 DT) currently hold the advantage after going 1-2 at its first round, the Mission Laconia Short Track, back in June. And the two roll into Rapid City with momentum on their side after Beach reigned supreme in last weekend’s SC2 Peoria TT with Daniels joining him on the box. In fact, Bauman and Mees currently rank 5-6 in the Progressive Triple Crown standings, respectively, trailing not only Beach and Daniels, but also Jarod Vanderkooi (No. 20 Mission Roof Systems Indian FTR750) and Bronson Bauman (No. 37 Latus Motors Racing Harley-Davidson XG750R). Bauman, in particular, is likely to receive significant support from a big contingent of Harley fans at Sturgis. And those fans are bound to have some serious rooting interest in the return of Jeffrey Carver Jr. (No. 23 Dodge Brothers Racing/Happy Trails Racing Harley-Davidson XR750), who finished as runner-up to Bauman here in 2019. And yes, you read that correctly; Carver will pilot a Harley-Davidson XR750. Is it possible he could add a sixth decade to the iconic machine’s historic wins list after previously taking it to what was presumed to be its final victory back in 2017? Mission Production Twins presented by Vance & Hines Jesse Janisch (No. 33 Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson XG750R) comes in riding high after stringing together the two best weekends of his professional career at the Mission Port Royal Half-Mile and SC2 Peoria TT. In fact, it’s been since the Mission New York Short Track one month ago today that Janisch has landed anywhere other than #1 in the results, be it practice, qualifying, Semi, or Main Event. The last rider to hold that position other than Janisch is defending class champion Cory Texter (No. 1 G&G Racing/Yamaha Racing Yamaha MT-07), who is currently engaged in a hard-fought battle to secure a third and final Mission Production Twins crown. Texter could use a big weekend in Rapid City to even the odds a bit and set the stage for a highly entertaining run down the stretch. Dan Bromley (No. 62 Memphis Shades/Corbin Seats/Vinson Construction Yamaha MT-07) could have a huge say as well. While he’s not in title contention himself after running a partial schedule earlier this year, Bromley is shaping up to be a serious spoiler. Consider that he’s either finished ahead of both Texter and Janisch or between the two in all four of his ‘22 starts (all podium finishes for that matter). Despite the mammoth gap from 2nd to 3rd in the championship chase, several other riders have shown the capacity to battle for wins on any given week. That group includes Nick Armstrong (No. 60 Competitive Racing Frames/Lessley Brothers Yamaha MT-07), Billy Ross (No. 109 Mission Foods/Roof Systems Harley-Davidson XG750R), Cameron Smith(No. 34 Thee Cathy Gray/Al Barker Yamaha MT-07), and Johnny Lewis (No. 10 Moto Anatomy X Powered by Royal Enfield 650). Parts Unlimited AFT Singles presented by KICKER The four-race run of domination by Kody Kopp (No. 12 Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 450 SX-FFE) finally came to an end in Peoria. But now it’s up to his Parts Unlimited AFT Singles presented by KICKER rivals to demonstrate that it wasn’t just a TT-specific temporary halt of form. While Kopp is expected to be a major force again this weekend, last weekend’s 1-2 was an encouraging performance from two-time championship runner-up Max Whale (No. 18 Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 450 SX-FFE) and this year’s second-ranked Morgen Mischler (No. 13 American Honda/Progressive Insurance CRF450R). Should either rider catch fire now, they each have the potential to rip off a series of wins of their own and change the narrative, at least to some degree. Some other fast riders are just looking to get their first win, either of the year, such as Trevor Brunner (No. 21 Estenson Racing Yamaha YZ450F), or of their career, like Trent Lowe (No. 48 Mission Foods/Al Lamb’s Dallas Honda CRF450R) and rookie Chase Saathoff (No. 106 American Honda/Progressive Insurance CRF450R). And don’t forget about the class’ most recent winner here, Chad Cose (No. 49 1st Impressions Race Team/Voodoo Ranger Honda CRF450R), who earned his first-career Parts Unlimited AFT Singles victory at the track back in 2019. The Progressive Black Hills Half-Mile will host Round 5 of 7 for Royal Enfield’s crowd-pleasing BUILD. TRAIN. RACE. program which serves to highlight and celebrate women and motorcycle culture in North America. The question remains the same: Can anyone stop Jaycee Jones (No. 33 Royal Enfield/S&S Cycle Royal Enfield INT650)? Jones is on a serious roll, having built up a big title advantage on the strength of three consecutive wins heading into this weekend’s race in Rapid City. Along with a multitude of Sturgis-related activities, there will be plenty to keep fans entertained off the track at Black Hills Speedway as well, including numerous vendors. Six-time AMA Supercross/Motocross Champion and AMA Motorcycle Hall of Famer Jeff Stantonwill serve as the event’s Grand Marshal, while Riki Rachtman is certain to be a popular figure with the Sturgis fans as he returns to provide additional color from the pits for this weekend’s broadcast. Visit https://store.americanflattrack.com/ebooking/ticket/view/id/3696/ to reserve your tickets today. General Admission Grandstand tickets start at just $25 with kids 12 and under free when accompanied by an adult. Premium General Admission Grandstand tickets are available for $50 and offer outstanding views from the most centrally located seating along the front stretch of the racetrack. Paddock Access Upgrades are also available for purchase, which provide all-day access to the pits where fans can scope out the world’s fastest dirt track motorcycles and get up close and personal with the stars of the sport. Gates will open for fans at 5:30 p.m. ET/2:30 p.m. PT with Opening Ceremonies scheduled to begin at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT ahead of the day’s Main Event program. You can catch the livestream of all the weekend’s racing activities on FansChoice.tv. FansChoice.tvprovides free-to-view livestreaming of Practice and Qualifying. FansChoice.tv subscribers will then be able to watch the drama unfold from Opening Ceremonies through the Semis, Main Events, and podium celebrations. FansChoice.tv offers two subscription options, granting unlimited access to premium AFT content. Monthly subscriptions start at just $7.99, while a six-month subscription is available for $44.99. The Progressive Black Hills Half-Mile presented by Saddlemen will premiere on FS1 on Sunday, August 14, at 12:00 p.m. ET/9:00 a.m. PT, including exclusive features, cutting-edge aerial drone and onboard footage, and expert commentary. For more information on Progressive AFT visit https://www.americanflattrack.com. To score the latest gear for the Progressive American Flat Track fan, visit our official merchandise store at https://store.americanflattrack.com.

More than $50,000 is on the line between two CASE Construction Features

NEW RICHMOND, WI – AUGUST 2, 2022– A trip to Wisconsin is on the horizon for the final time in 2022, as the World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Model Series heads to Cedar Lake Speedway in New Richmond, WI, for the 35th Annual USA Nationals, Aug. 4-6. 

Three nights of high-octane action start with a regular World of Outlaws points-paying show on Thursday, Aug. 4 – 30-laps for $6,000-to-win. 

Then, on Friday, Aug. 5, the battle for the USA Nationals title begins as the World of Outlaws will run double Heat Races and a dash. Those races will set the lineups for the 100-lap, $50,000-to-win finale on Saturday, Aug. 6.

If you can’t make it to the track, you can watch all the action live on DIRTVIsion – either online or by downloading the DIRTVision App.

Here are the top storylines this weekend:  

ROOKIE HEAT: The battle for World of Outlaws CASE Late Models Rookie of the Year has caught fire as the calendar turns to August. 

Tanner English’s third-place finish at the Prairie Dirt Classic has vaulted over Max Blair for the lead in that battle — now two points ahead of Blair. 

However, Cedar Lake plays into Blair’s hands this weekend. The Centerville, PA driver finished sixth in last year’s USA Nationals finale, while English hasn’t competed in the event. 

Last weekend at Fairbury, both drivers also cut into Dennis Erb Jr’s points lead. English is 168 points behind the Carpentersville, IL driver, while Blair is 170 points behind. 

BACK HOME AT CEDAR LAKE: While Cedar Lake is in Wisconsin, it’s the closest track on the schedule to Brent Larson’s Lake Elmo, MN home. It’s also a track where the “B1 Bomber” has years of experience. 

Larson is a five-time champion in the track’s Late Model division and sits seventh on the all-time wins list with 28 wins. 

If he can capture that Cedar Lake magic again this weekend, it’ll be his first World of Outlaws CASE Late Model Series win. 

TRACK OF CHAMPIONS: Some of the best drivers in dirt Late Model racing will travel to Cedar Lake this weekend—where many World of Outlaws CASE Late Model champions have succeeded. 

In the 34 USA Nationals events run, former Series champions have won 16.

Josh Richards and Brandon Sheppard are both on that list. “Kid Rocket” won his two events in 2011 and 2016, while “The Rocket Shepp” scored his USA Nationals triumph in 2018. 

WISCONSIN WARRIOR: The World of Outlaws CASE Late Models have raced four times in Wisconsin this season, and no driver has earned more money than 2018 Series champion Mike Marlar. 

The Winfield, TN driver has two wins in the Badger State, collecting $60,000 between Mississippi Thunder Speedway and Red Cedar Speedway. 

He’s also rolling into the weekend with momentum, as Marlar hasn’t finished outside the top three in his last seven Series starts.  

His best finish at the USA Nationals is second in 2017. 

THURSDAY NIGHT WINGER: One driver that loves traveling to Cedar Lake is Ashton Winger. 

The Hampton, GA driver has won the first World of Outlaws CASE Late Models Feature of the season at the track in each of the last two seasons—including a thrilling finish with Chase Junghans to open last year’s USA Nationals. 

Half of Winger’s four World of Outlaws wins are at the New Richmond, WI facility, and he’s looking to make it three consecutive years that he finds Victory Lane at the track. 

MONEY ON MY MIND: USA Nationals is the second straight $50,000 payday on the World of Outlaws CASE Late Models schedule after last weekend’s Prairie Dirt Classic. 

The two drivers in Late Model racing who’ve earned more money than any other drivers this season, Jonathan Davenport and Chris Madden, are both expected to race for Cedar Lake glory. 

Davenport is a two-time event-winner, including last year’s triumph, where he held off Brandon Overton.  If the Eldora Million winner can strike again, it’ll be his fourth World of Outlaws victory of the season. 

Madden, who already has four $50,000 victories this season, won the event in 2019. If “Smokey” takes home his second USA Nationals victory, it’ll be his second Series win of 2022 and the 34th of his career.

WHEN AND WHERE

Thursday-Saturday Aug. 4-6 at Cedar Lake Speedway in New Richmond, WI

ABOUT THE TRACK

Cedar Lake Speedway is a 3/8-mile high-banked speedway

ONLINE –
Cedar Lake Speedway: www.cedarlakespeedway.com

PREVIOUS WINNERS

2021 – Ashton Winger on Aug. 6, Jonathan Davenport on Aug. 7
2020 – Ashton Winger on July 3; Brandon Sheppard on July 4; Brandon Overton on Aug. 8
2019 – Jonathan Davenport on Aug. 1; Chris Madden on Aug. 3
2018 – Brandon Sheppard on Aug. 4 & 6
2017 – Chris Madden on Aug. 4; Don O’Neal on Aug. 5
2016 – Josh Richards on Aug. 4; Jason Feger on Aug. 5; Josh Richards on Aug. 6
2015 – Shane Clanton on July 31;Jonathan Davenport on Aug. 1
2014 – Jimmy Mars on July 31;Jimmy Owens on Aug. 2
2013 – Brandon Sheppard on Aug. 1, Tim McCreadie on Aug. 3 
2012 – Darrell Lanigan on Aug. 4
2011 – Josh Richards on Aug. 6
2010 – Scott Bloomquist on Aug. 7
2005 – Dale McDowell on Aug. 6
1989 – Billy Moyer on June 10, Aug. 11, Aug. 12; Donnie Moran on Aug. 10
1988 – Billy Moyer on June 10, Aug. 18, Aug. 19, Aug. 20; Rick Egersdorf on June 11

TRACK RECORD

12.972 set by Jason Rauen 

On the Internet
World of Outlaws CASE Late Models Series
Twitter – Twitter.com/WoOLateModels – @WoOLateModels
Instagram – Instagram.com/WoOLateModels – @woolatemodels
Facebook – Facebook.com/WorldofOutlawsLateModelSeries
YouTube – Youtube.com/WorldofOutlaws
DIRTVision – DIRTVision.com – Platinum annual FAST PASS for $299 or monthly FAST PASS for $39/month

Around the Turn: The Most Powerful Late Models on the Planet return to the Northeast for a triple header, starting at Williams Grove Speedway in Mechanicsburg, PA on Friday, Aug. 19, followed by Sharon Speedway in Hartford, OH Saturday, Aug. 20, and Tri-City Raceway Park in Franklin, PA on Sunday, Aug. 21. For tickets, CLICK HERE.

 
FEATURE WINNERS: (15 Drivers)
Rank- Driver- Hometown-Wins

1. Dennis Erb Jr., Carpentersville, IL-4
2. Jonathan Davenport, Blairsville, GA-3
   Brandon Sheppard, New Berlin, IL-3
3. Dale McDowell, Chickamauga, GA- 2
   Max Blair, Centerville, PA-2
   Bobby Pierce, Oakwood, IL-2
   Mike Marlar, Winfield, TN-2
4. Ashton Winger, Hampton, GA-1
   Brandon Overton, Evans, GA-1
   Chris Madden, Gray Court, SC-1
   Michael Brown, Lancaster, SC-1
   Tyler Erb, New Waverly, TX-1
   Ricky Weiss, Headingley, MB-1
   Jared Miley, Pittsburgh, PA-1
   Ryan Gustin, Marshalltown, IA-1
   Shane Clanton, Zebulon, GA-1

HEAT RACE WINNERS (44 Drivers)
Rank- Driver- Hometown-Wins

1. Brandon Sheppard- New Berlin, IL-9
2. Dennis Erb Jr., Carpentersville, IL-8
3. Chris Madden-Gray Court, SC-7
   Max Blair, Centerville, PA-7
   Mike Marlar, Winfield, TN-7
4. Dale McDowell-Chickamauga, GA-6
   Ryan Gustin, Marshalltown, IA-6
5. Devin Moran-Dresden, OH-4
   Jonathan Davenport, Blairsville, GA-4
6. Tyler Erb, New Waverly, TX-3
   Gordy Gundaker, St. Charles, MO-3
   Shane Clanton, Zebulon, GA-3
7. Darrell Lanigan, Union, KY-2
   Brandon Overton, Evans, GA-2
   Ricky Thornton Jr., Chandler, AZ-2
   Kyle Strickler, Mooresville, NC-2
   Kyle Hammer, Clinton, IL-2
   Ricky Weiss, Headingly, MB-2
   Rick Eckert, York, PA-2
   Bobby Pierce, Oakwood, IL-2
   Shannon Babb, Moweaqua, IL-2
   Tanner English, Benton, KY-2
8. Ashton Winger, Hampton, GA-1
   Ross Robinson, Georgetown, DE-1
   Mark Whitener, Middleburg, FL-1
   Frank Heckenast, Jr., Frankfort, IL-1
   Michael Brown, Lancaster, SC-1
   Daulton Wilson, Fayetteville, NC-1
   Ross Bailes, Clover, SC-1
   Josh Rice, Verona, KY-1
   Hudson O’Neal, Martinsville, IN-1
   Stormy Scott, Las Cruces, NM-1
   Chad Simpson, Mt. Vernon, IA-1
   Cade Dillard, Robeline, LA-1
   Spencer Hughes, Meridian, MS-1
   Jeff Rine, Danville, PA-1
   Gregg Satterlee, Indiana, PA-1
   Rick Eckert, York, PA-1
   Josh Richards, Houston, OH-1
   Kyle Bronson, Brandon, FL-1
   Ryan Unzicker, El Paso, IL-1
   Billy Moyer Jr., Batesville, AR-1
   Daryn Klein, Trenton, IL-1
   Logan Martin, West Plains, MO-1
   Jason Feger, Bloomington, IL-1
   Tyler Bruening, Decorah, IA-1
   Garrett Smith, Eatonton, GA-1
   Kyle Larson, Elk Grove, CA-1

LAST CHANCE SHOWDOWN WINNERS (39 Drivers)
Rank- Driver- Hometown-Wins

1. Max Blair, Centerville, PA-3
2. Cade Dillard-Robeline, LA-2
   Devin Moran, Dresden, OH-2
   Boom Briggs, Bear Lake, PA-2
   Kyle Hammer, Clinton, IL-2
   Brent Larson, Lake Elmo, MN-2
   Shane Clanton, Zebulon, GA-2
   Jake Timm, Winona, MN-2
   Josh Richards, Shinnston, WV-2
   Tanner English, Benton, KY-2
3. Hudson O’Neal- Martinsville, IN-1
   Logan Martin, Plains, MO-1
   Tyler Bruening, Decorah, IA-1
   Chris Simpson, Oxford, IA-1
   Spencer Hughes, Meridian, MS-1
   Mike Norris, Sarver, PA-1
   Chase Osterhoff, Kankakee, IL-1
   Tyler Erb, New Waverly, TX-1
   Anthony Sanders, Spartanburg, SC-1
   Banjo Duke, Sumter, SC-1
   Steve Casebolt, Richmond, IN-1
   Austyn Mills, Cincinnati, OH-1
   Frank Heckenast Jr., Frankfort, IL-1
   Andy Bond, Coolville, OH-1
   Garrett Alberson, Las Cruces, NM-1
   Chase Junghans, Manhattan, KS-1
   Shannon Babb, Moweaqua, IL-1
   Dennis Erb Jr., Carpentersville, IL-1
   Shaun Jones, Shermansdale, PA-1
   Ryan Montgomery, Fairmont, WV-1
   Chad Myers, Hempstead, MD-1
   Mason Zeigler, Chalk Hill, PA-1
   John Garvin, Sarver, PA-1
   Johnny Scott, Las Cruces, NM-1
   Trevor Gundaker, St. Charles, MO-1
   Stormy Scott, Las Cruces, NM-1
   Brad Seng, Grand Forks, ND-1
   Chad Mahder, Bloomer, WI-1
   Chris Ferguson, Mt. Holly, NC-1
   Mckay Wenger, Fairbury, IL-1
   Jonathan Davenport, Blairsville, GA-1

PODIUM FINISHES (32 Drivers)
Rank – Driver, Hometown – Podiums

1. Dennis Erb Jr., Carpentersville, IL-10
2. Mike Marlar, Winfield, TN-7
3. Max Blair, Centerville, PA-5
   Brandon Sheppard, New Berlin, IL-5
4. Dale McDowell, Chickamauga, GA-4
   Josh Richards, Houston, OH-4
   Bobby Pierce, Oakwood, IL-4
   Shane Clanton, Zebulon, GA-4
   Jonathan Davenport, Blairsville, GA-4
5. Chris Madden, Gray Court, SC-3
   Ryan Gustin, Marshalltown, IA-3
   Tyler Erb, New Waverly, TX-3
   Ricky Weiss, Headingly, MB-3
6. Devin Moran, Dresden, OH-2
   Darrell Lanigan, Union, KY-2
   Kyle Bronson, Brandon, FL-2
   Tanner English, Benton, KY-2
7. Kyle Larson, Elk Grove, CA-1
   Brandon Overton, Evans, GA-1
   Ashton Winger, Hampton, GA-1
   Chase Junghans, Manhattan, KS-1
   Michael Brown, Lancaster, SC-1
   Ross Bailes, Clover, SC-1
   Daulton Wilson, Fayetteville, NC-1
   Josh Rice, Verona, KY-1
   Stormy Scott-Las Cruces, NM-1
   Jared Miley, Pittsburgh, PA-1
   Gregg Satterlee, Indiana, PA-1
   Billy Moyer Jr., Batesville, AR-1
   Frank Heckenast Jr., Frankfort, IL-1
   Jason Feger, Bloomington, IL-1
   Shannon Babb, Moweaqua, IL-1

FOX FACTORY HARD CHARGER (19 Drivers)
Rank – Driver, Hometown – H.C.

1. Tanner English, Benton, KY-5
2. Gordy Gundaker, St. Charles, MO-3
3. Brent Larson, Lake Elmo, MN-2
4. Hudson O’Neal, Martinsville, IN-1
   Brandon Sheppard, New Berlin, IL-1
   Max Blair, Centerville, PA-1
   Devin Moran, Dresden, OH-1
   Carson Ferguson, Concord, NC-1
   Tyler Bruening, Decorah, IA-1
   Jimmy Owens, Newport, TN-1
   Ross Bailes, Clover, SC-1
   Garrett Alberson, Las Cruces, NM-1
   Chase Junghans, Manhattan, KS-1
   Josh Richards, Shinnston, WV-1
   Kyle Hammer, Clinton, IL-1
   Jordan Bauer, St. Jacob, IL-1
   Ryan Unzicker, El Paso, IL-1
   Ryan Gustin, Marshalltown, IA-1
   Jimmy Mars, Menomonie, WI-1
   Chris Simpson, Oxford, IA-1

QUICK TIMES (16 Drivers)
Rank – Driver, Hometown – QTs

1. Shane Clanton, Zebulon, GA-4
2. Chris Madden, Gray Court, SC-2
   Brandon Sheppard, New Berlin, IL-2
   Ricky Weiss, Headingly, MB-2
   Dennis Erb Jr., Carpentersville, IL-2
   Max Blair, Centerville, PA-2
3. Kyle Hammer, Clinton, IL-1
   Dale McDowell, Chickamauga, GA-1
   Brandon Overton, Evans, GA-1
   Trent Ivey, Union, SC-1
   Josh Rice, Verona, KY-1
   Bobby Pierce, Oakwood, IL-1
   Mike Marlar, Winfield, TN-1
   Ryan Gustin, Marshalltown, IA-1
   Kyle Larson, Elk Grove, CA-1
   Logan Martin, West Plains, MO-1
   Tanner English, Benton, KY-1
   Tyler Bruening, Decorah, IA-1
   Ashton Winger, Hampton, GA-1

CASE FEATURE LAP LEADERS (26 Drivers)
Rank – Driver, Hometown – Laps Led

1. Brandon Sheppard, New Berlin, IL-161
2. Max Blair, Centerville, PA-123
3. Dennis Erb Jr., Carpentersville, IL-119
4. Tyler Erb, New Waverly, TX-99
5. Bobby Pierce, Oakwood, IL-80
6. Shane Clanton, Zebulon, GA-66
7. Dale McDowell, Chickamauga, GA-65
8. Mike Marlar, Winfield, TN-60
9. Jonathan Davenport, Blairsville, GA-59
10. Ricky Weiss, Headingley, MB-54
11. Ashton Winger, Hampton, GA-39
12. Chris Madden, Gray Court, SC-31
13. Billy Moyer Jr., Batesville, AR-28
14. Jason Feger, Bloomington, IL-27
15. Shannon Babb, Moweaqua, IL-27
16. Brandon Overton, Evans, GA-25
17. Kyle Hammer, Clinton, IL-24
18. Michael Brown, Lancaster, SC-22
19. Jared Miley, Pittsburgh, PA-20
    Rick Eckert, York, PA-20
20. Ryan Gustin, Marshalltown, IA-16
21. Kyle Strickler, Mooresville, NC-15
22. Tyler Bruening, Decorah, IA-14
23. Devin Moran, Dresden, OH-11
24. Cade Dillard, Robeline, LA-10
25. Spencer Hughes, Meridian, MS-1

2022 World of Outlaws Late Model Schedule & Winners

No./ Day, Date / Track / Location / Winner (Total Wins)
1. Thursday, Jan. 20 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / Dale McDowell (1)
2. Friday, Jan. 21/Volusia Speedway Park/Barberville, FL/Ashton Winger (1)
3. Wednesday, Feb. 16/Volusia Speedway Park, Barberville, FL/Brandon Overton (1)
4. Thursday, Feb. 17/Volusia Speedway Park, Barberville, FL/Dale McDowell (2)
5. Friday, Feb. 18/Volusia Speedway Park, Barberville, FL/Dennis Erb Jr. (1)
6. Saturday, Feb. 19/Volusia Speedway Park, Barberville, FL/Chris Madden (1)
7. Friday, March 25/Cherokee Speedway, Gaffney, SC/Michael Brown (1)
8. Saturday, March 26/Cherokee Speedway, Gaffney, SC/Max Blair (1)
9. Friday, April 22/Atomic Speedway, Waverly, OH/Tyler Erb (1)
10. x, April 23/Atomic Speedway, Waverly, OH/ Brandon Sheppard (1)
11. Friday, April 29/ Bristol Motor Speedway, Bristol, TN/Jonathan Davenport (1)
12. Saturday, April 30/Bristol Motor Speedway, Bristol, TN/Ricky Weiss (1)
13. Thursday, May 5/Mississippi Thunder Speedway, Fountain City, WI/Bobby Pierce (1)
14. Friday, May 6/Mississippi Thunder Speedway, Fountain City, WI/Jonathan Davenport (2)
15. Saturday, May 7/Mississippi Thunder Speedway, Fountain City, WI/Mike Marlar(1)
16. Thursday, May 19/Bloomsburg Fair Raceway/Bloomsburg, PA/Max Blair (2)
17. Friday, May 20/Marion Center Raceway/Marion Center, PA/Dennis Erb Jr. (2)
18. Saturday, May 21/Port Royal Speedway/Port Royal, PA/Jared Miley (1)
19. Saturday, May 29/Sharon Speedway, Hartford, OH/Ryan Gustin (1)
20. Friday, June 3/Tri-City Speedway, Granite City, IL/Bobby Pierce (2)
21. Friday, June 24/Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55, Pevely, MO/ Dennis Erb Jr. (3)
22. Saturday, June 25/Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55, Pevely, MO/Dennis Erb Jr. (4)
23. Sunday, June 26/Jacksonville Speedway, Jacksonville, IL/Brandon Sheppard (2)
24. Friday, July 15/River Cities Speedway/ Grand Forks, ND/ Shane Clanton (1)
25. Sunday, July 16/Red Cedar Speedway/ Menomonie, WI/Mike Marlar(2)
26. Monday, July 25/Boone Speedway/Boone, IA/Jonathan Davenport(3)
27. Saturday, July 30/Fairbury Speedway/Fairbury, IL/Brandon Sheppard(3)

Nashville, TENNESSEE – August 2, 2022 – The Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli TA2 feature race on Saturday, August 6, is the exciting second running of the Music City Grand Prix in Nashville. Undoubtedly one of the best additions of the Trans Am Series of the last few years, the race around the streets of the famous city is truly spectacular. The Franklin Road Apparel Trans Am team is operated by Showtime Motorsports and the home team outfit have done amazingly well to establish themselves as one of the leading players on the circuit this year. Team principal Ken Thwaits holds a fantastic P2 in the Drivers’ Championship in the TA Class with 176 points but with no TA race at Nashville, he’ll be jumping behind the wheel of his Cope Racing TA2 car. Alongside him will be regular TA2 pilot Cameron Lawrence. Cameron is also having a fantastic season, his first with the Franklin Road Apparel team, and his No. 6 car is in P8 out of 63 starters in the TA2 Championship with 119 points. We spoke to Ken ahead of the 20-mile journey from their Franklin Headquarters down the road to Nashville and he was even more enthusiastic than usual about the upcoming action, “It’s definitely one of the best weekends of the year, if not the best and I’m not being biased! There’s something extra thrilling about a real street race both for the drivers and the fans and the course here works really well.” He went on, “I’d like to think we’ve made significant progress as a team since we were here last year. We’ve won with Paul Menard in TA and I’m battling two former Champions in Tomy Drissi and Amy Ruman to try and secure a finish right behind Chris Dyson in the Championship. It doesn’t get much better than that!” Naturally at their home race, Franklin Road will have a significant presence onsite and Ken said he was looking forward to welcoming fans, “Franklin Road will be there and we’ll be selling the branded Trans Am Apparel that’s proving so popular so please feel free to come over and say hi! We are also offering special in-store promotions during race week, so Trans Am fans should make the trip to Franklin Road for some of the best shopping around.” Billed as the Big Machine Vodka Spiked Coolers TA2 feature, there are two practice sessions for the TA2 racers on Friday, August 5 at 10:15 a.m. and 1:45 p.m. Qualifying is in two groups from 9:10 a.m. on Saturday, August 6 with the feature race over 46 laps of the 2.17-mile circuit at 12:30 p.m. Fans can buy tickets via this link: https://musiccitygp.com/tickets Highlights will be screened on CBS Sports Network following the event. Check local listings for details. The race will also be screened live on the Trans Am App and on YouTube. In a further boost to Showtime and Franklin Road, the Tennessee based team have been named title sponsors for both the TA and TA2 races at Watkins Glen, former home of the Formula One United States Grand Prix. The upstate New York track is regarded by many in the sport as the spiritual home of Motorsports in North America and the annual Trans Am visit to ‘The Glen’ has a special place in the hearts of fans, teams and drivers. The Franklin Road Trans Am races at Watkins Glen are from September 7 to 11. Franklin Road Apparel is available online and you should check the collection out here: https://www.franklinroad.com/search/trans+am/ Visit the team’s website for Showtime Motorsports showtimemotorsports.net. Learn more about the Showtime Motorsports team partner, Road Apparel, at franklinroad.com and keep up to date with the Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli at gotransam.com. #GoTransAm Check out the Showtime Motorsports Facebook: facebook.com/showtimemotorsp/ and @ShowtimeMotorsp on Instagram.

BURLINGTON, WA (Aug. 2, 2022) – The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series will kick off September with more big money on the line at the second annual Sage Fruit Skagit Nationals.One driver will have the chance to take home more than $40,000 between the three nights of racing (Thursday to Saturday, Sept. 1-3) with Thursday and Friday’s events paying $10,000 to win and Saturday’s finale paying $25,000 to win.The event will also commence the fall West Coast Swing for the Series, making its first stop in Washington before venturing south to California.Tickets: https://bit.ly/3zGUV7JSAGE FRUIT SKAGIT NATIONALS – Thursday to Saturday, Sept. 1-3 Track: Skagit Speedway Location: Burlington, WA To Win: $10,000 (Thursday & Friday), $25,000 (Saturday) Track Record: 10.718 sec. set by Daryn Pittman on Aug. 8, 2013 2021 Winner: Carson MacedoNotables: Carson Macedo, of Lemoore, CA, won the inaugural Sage Fruit Skagit Nationals last year. It was also his first win at the 3/10-mile track, having to wrangle the victory away from previous Skagit winners James McFadden and Logan Schuchart.McFadden won with Kasey Kahne Racing at Skagit last year, but this year he’ll have a new task of trying to win with Roth Motorsports. Since switching to the California-based team – which still has tight connections with KKR – McFadden has been unable to find Victory Lane again. But with his past success at Skagit, it could be the track that turns his season around in the final stages of the season.While Schuchart has won this year, he and his Shark Racing team are still looking for the magic they once had of collecting multiple wins throughout a season. West Coast tracks have always suited the Pennsylvania native well, winning up and down the coast, and he’ll be poised to keep that streak going when the West Coast Swing starts at Skagit.Kasey Kahne, of Enumclaw, WA, returns home to try and claim his first World of Outlaws victory during the Skagit Nationals. He finished eighth in the event last year while driving for Roth Motorsports. Swapping with McFadden, Kahne has been behind the wheel of his own KKR #9 machine this year, earning a best finish of third so far.If you can’t make it to the track, you can watch all the action live on DIRTVision – either online on by downloading the DIRTVIsion App.

Bennett Transportation & Logistics to serve as primary partner for Hill’s first NASCAR Cup Series career start at Michigan International Speedway with support from RCR partners Alsco Uniforms, Global Industrial, United Rentals and Realtree WELCOME, N.C. (August 2, 2022) – Richard Childress Racing announced today that NASCAR Xfinity Series driver Austin Hill will make his NASCAR Cup Series debut this weekend at Michigan International Speedway. Hill will pilot the No. 33 Chevrolet with primary sponsorship from Bennett Transportation & Logistics. Hill’s first-ever Cup Series start will also be backed by RCR partners Alsco Uniforms, United Rentals, Global Industrial and Realtree on his Chevrolet Camaro ZL1. “As a kid growing up in this sport, getting the chance to run a NASCAR Cup Series car is the ultimate dream, especially with a team like Richard Childress Racing that has so much history and success,” said Hill, who currently competes full-time in the Xfinity Series for RCR in the No. 21 Chevrolet. “I’m so thankful that Richard Childress and everyone at RCR have so much faith in me. It will be a learning weekend, for sure, but I’ve had success at Michigan International Speedway in the past and can’t wait to take on the track’s wide, sweeping corners in a NASCAR Cup Series Chevrolet.” Hill, 28, won a NASCAR Truck Series race at MIS in 2019. The 2022 Xfinity Series Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender will pull double-duty at Michigan, competing in both the Xfinity Series and Cup Series races. In Xfinity Series competition, Hill has two wins so far this season (Daytona International Speedway, Atlanta Motor Speedway-2) as well as eight top fives, 12 top 10s and 223 laps led. “Austin Hill has shown talent in every Series he’s raced in during his career, so I couldn’t be more excited to have him behind the wheel of a Cup Series car,” said Richard Childress, Chairman and CEO of Richard Childress Racing. “He’s having a strong season in the Xfinity Series, and I know he will be just as competitive and eager to learn behind the wheel of a Cup Series car.” Prior to his full-time season in the Xfinity Series, Hill spent four full-time seasons in the Truck Series, where he tallied eight wins, 27 top fives and 54 top-10 finishes. Hill also won the 2020 Truck Series regular season championship. Bennett Family of Companies, a McDonough, Ga.-based company, will be the primary partner on the No. 33 Chevrolet for Hill’s Cup Series debut. Bennett made its NASCAR debut with Hill and the No. 21 Xfinity Series team in the season-opener at Daytona International Speedway and partnered with RCR on the No. 3 Chevrolet and driver Austin Dillon at the Cup Series race at Circuit of the Americas earlier this season. “We are elated to be the primary sponsor for Austin Hill’s Cup Series debut, not only because of Austin’s competitive nature, but because we believe in the advancement of drivers in their careers, just like Richard Childress does,” said Lynette Mathis, Vice President of the Bennett Family of Companies. “At Bennett, truck drivers level-up their skills through increasingly challenging specialized freight opportunities throughout their careers. Our company revolves around family, and both Austin Hill and Richard Childress take that same approach to their race team. Their focus on innovation and their commitment to safety and service is second to none, and we can’t wait to cheer them along in the NASCAR Cup Series along with our 5,800+ owner/operators, agents, and employees.” United Rentals, the world’s largest equipment rental provider, continues their support of Austin Hill as he makes his Cup Series debut in the No. 33 Chevrolet.  “United Rentals has been a proud supporter of Austin Hill since 2017, and we are excited to see him take this next step in his racing career,” said Craig Schmidt, Vice President, National Accounts at United Rentals. “We will be cheering him on every step of the way, while enjoying this unique opportunity to spend time with our customers.”  Global Industrial, a value-added industrial distributor with a roll-up-your-sleeves approach and a “We Can Supply That®” mentality, joins United Rentals, Alsco Uniforms and Realtree as enhanced partners on the No. 33 Chevrolet at Michigan. “We’ve enjoyed the business and branding opportunities our partnership with Richard Childress Racing and Austin Hill have provided this season, both on and off the track,” said Klaus Werner, Sr. Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer of Global Industrial. “We look forward to supporting Austin in this exciting new step in his career. He has been a great ambassador for Global Industrial and we know that will extend to the Cup Series.” The 2022 season marks the sixth season for Alsco as a partner with Richard Childress Racing. Alsco Uniforms is a fifth-generation family-owned-and-operated uniform company founded in 1889 and is the official uniform laundry supplier for the RCR pit crew and its many employees. “We’ve enjoyed our partnership with Richard Childress Racing over the years and sharing key moments in their history while supplying each week, clean uniforms, first aid, floor mats and restroom supplies,” said Ben Fox, Director of Sales and Marketing at Alsco Uniforms. “We are thrilled to be a part of another exciting first for RCR as they welcome Austin Hill into the Cup Series.” Realtree, the creator and marketer of the world’s most versatile camo patterns, joins a dynamic lineup of partners supporting Hill’s Cup Series debut at Michigan. “Our roots with Richard Childress Racing run deep, and we appreciate Austin Hill’s passion for both racing and the outdoors,” said Tyler Jordan, Realtree strategic business coordinator. “We know that Hill will represent the Realtree brand well and congratulate him on the fantastic next step in his career that Richard Childress is providing.” Catch Hill’s Cup Series debut in the FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway on Sunday, August 7. The race airs live on USA at 3 p.m. ET.

Pipo Derani, co-driver of the No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac DPi-V.R, and Sebastien Bourdais, co-driver of the No. 01 V-Performance Academy Cadillac DPi-V.R, met with the media August 1 via Zoom conference to preview the IMSA Fastlane SportsCar Weekend at Road America. Derani co-drove to victory in the 2021 race. Bourdais and co-driver Renger van der Zande have won three times this season. Full transcript by individual driver:

Reigning IMSA DPi champion Pipo Derani, co-driver with Olivier Pla, of the No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac DPi-V.R: YOU’VE HAD SUCCESS AT ROAD AMERICA. WHAT ARE YOU MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO THIS WEEK THERE?“I think Road America is perhaps one of the nicest tracks for any racing driver. It’s very fast, very technical as well and presents a big challenge for the teams to be able to do a perfect setup. I would love to try to get a third win (2021, 2017 in DPi). It hasn’t been an easy season for us, but hopefully in the last two races of the year we can show a little bit better results and get a win.”

WHAT DOES BEING CHAMPION ONE YEAR AND WHERE YOU ARE NOW SAY ABOUT THE COMPETITIVENESS OF THE SERIES?“It’s been a reality check to what motorsport is. You have ups and downs during your career. Coming in this year as the champ and having such a difficult year — changing teammates in the middle of the season – it hasn’t been easy. Nevertheless, it’s always a pleasure. You are in one of the most competitive championships in the world; IMSA right now being extremely competitive. Heading to the last two races without a single chance of winning the championship but I think it shows how the championship is so competitive you can’t have any weak link in the team whatsoever.

Cadillac Racing  media resources Road America guide: Storylines. team/driver notes, statistics, more 2022 media guide: Historical statistics, why we race, tech transfer, more Cadillac LMDh test: What they’re saying about latest on-track car development 2021-2017 results

“Once you go and fight against teams that are with the same lineup for two, three years, they are working well together it’s just hard for you to overcome that. So, going into the last few races of the year we have Olivier onboard in the Whelen Engineering Cadillac. I think he’s got up to speed quite well and I’m hoping that we can together put some strong results on the board. Hopefully, we can be in the mix for a win either at Road America or Road Atlanta to finish the year on a strong note. But, again, it shows that in motorsport it doesn’t matter what you do the year before or the last race. As they say, you’re as good as your last race. It’s a constant battle every weekend for you to be at the top because it’s definitely not a given. You should not take it for granted but should always be working hard.” WHAT’S THE MISSING INGREDIENT THIS YEAR?“To be honest, it’s such a competitive championship first of all. We’re going against pairings that have been working together for a while, and then we welcomed Tristan (Nunez) at the beginning of the year. That’s already in itself a difficult situation when you have to learn a new teammate, to work with someone new and this person has to learn how the team operates. So it takes little bit of time to adapt, and then not only that we had a change in the middle of the season. You repeat the whole process again. When Olivier joined at Detroit, obviously not a very easy track to join and get to learn a new team. It’s just a situation where you’re in a very competitive championship and instead of focusing on details you’re focusing on the driver who’s in the car is getting up to speed quickly. That, in itself, you’re starting on the back foot already. In such a competitive championship, this can’t happen. We’re definitely not missing speed; we’ve been close to a couple of pole positions this year that just didn’t materialize for maybe just a little bit of time. We led more than 50 percent of the Twelve Hours of Sebring. It’s details that make a huge difference when it counts at the very end to have a strong result that we missed. I would say that down not being fully in sync with one another, especially on the driver front. We’re working hard on that. I hope we can have a strong finish to the season. It hasn’t been easy, but Olivier has been up to speed especially in the last two races. From now on it’s a bit of fine-tuning to be back at where we should be. Obviously had going into the last two races of the season. There are only two shots at showing that we were able to do that, but I think if we put everything together there’s no reason why we shouldn’t be where we belong.” HOW DO YOU MANAGE TRAFFIC AT ROAD AMERICA?“It’s a track that the difference in speed is perhaps a bit higher than the others. If you take Mid-Ohio or even Laguna, the difference between a GT or a P3 to a DPi is not as big as for example Road America. That makes it very interesting as well for us approaching them at speeds that are even shocking for us inside the car. In general, you have quite a lot of space to overtake, especially with the straights. But then you have very tricky corner, which is the Carousel. If you get a GT or a P3 there, it’s a massive difference and you end up losing a lot of time. As the racing progresses, perhaps you can get a little bit luck and get the other guys on the straight. If you’re not that lucky and you get them right before the Carousel, then you’re stuck for a long, long time. That makes it interesting for everyone watching. Not quite as fun for us inside the car, but it’s part of multi-class racing and that’s why we keep coming back.”Sebastien Bourdais, co-driver with Renger van der Zande of the No. 01 V-Performance Academy Cadillac DPi-V.R:TALK ABOUT THE MOMENTUM YOU GUYS HAVE AND WHAT YOU’RE LOOKING FORWARD TO THIS WEEK.“We’ve had a very interesting season with three wins and quite a lot of misfortune. We’ve had a really fast 01 Cadillac and Chip Ganassi Racing has given us some great cars, but unfortunately, we’ve fallen out of too many races to really be in the championship hunt. We’re going to need some help from the 60 and the 10 to run into issues for us to stay in contention and hope for something in the last race at Petit. Nevertheless, it’s been a fun season. We’ve been running at the front, winning races, feeling strong. Renger put on an incredible performance at Mosport in really challenging conditions. He kind of went for it especially in traffic, which was really awesome. Looking forward to trying to repeat that at Road America. It’s a beautiful racetrack. I only managed to win there once in Champ Car days, but I have a lot of really good memories. It’s one of those places that is extremely rewarding if you get the lap right. It’s one of those cases where it feels really brilliant when you put a lap together and hopefully we can do that in qualifying and have a great race day.”

GIVEN THE WAY THE SEASON STARTED FOR YOU, ARE YOU SURPRISED TO BE GIVEN A SHOT AT THE CHAMPIONSHIP AT THIS POINT?“From the get-go we were really quick. We’ve had the pace all year long. It’s not been the problem of pace; it’s been a question of completing the races without tripping over something or having issues. It’s a shame that we’ve had so many. When you have three blank results out of a 10-race championship, it’s very unlikely you’re going to end up winning. We knew that basically after Daytona and Sebring that we were going to need to have a perfect season from there on out. Unfortunately, we had another miscue at Laguna, and at that point it was like you pretty much have to be winning or second and need your opposition to have some serious issues, which hasn’t really happened with the 60. Basically, when we’ve won they’ve finished second or third. I’m not the kind of guy who wishes anything bad on anyone; that’s not what I’m saying. At this point, either they are running into some issues in the last two events or it’s pretty much game over with the advantage in points that they have. We don’t really have our destiny on our hands, but we’re going to keep on pushing and going for wins which we have all season. Hopefully, we’re still in it going into Road Atlanta and then it’s a 10-hour race as the championship-decider, which we’ve seen crazier things happen.” WHAT ARE YOUR FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF THE CADILLAC LMDH CAR IN TESTING?“It’s been really exciting; the beginning of a new era. The car is really exciting to drive. The new powerplant, power units and everything that we have with the new regulations it’s a different package, a different balance between downforce, grip level and power. It’s quite cool and I was really excited to get in the car and quite pleased to see what the car was delivering. It’s quite amazing. You sit in a new car like that, in a completely different environment than what was done before, and obviously you have all the electronics and everything that you have to run through. The car was really well born. It just hit the track, we had not done any setup work and it was already quite fun to drive and the lap times were already quite interesting. I think we’re all quite excited and looking forward to the future. I was kind of expecting it to be quite different from the DPi and it’s really not all that different at least in terms of feel. Just looking forward to more progress and more miles in that car.” IS IT SIMILAR IN HAVING HELPED DEVELOP THE FORD GT AND THE PEUGEOT, BEING AT THE GROUND LEVEL?“Every new car is different, but I feel like there are some many more tools these days. Like the car runs complete with gearbox and engine and really pushes avenues to hit the ground running. The car hits the track and it’s already in the window. I’ve been part of development phases especially with Peugeot. That was really rough and raw and had to work a lot and make a ton of changes. This was completely different. The car was close and it felt right and it was a ton of fun and I’m looking forward to getting back in it.” HOW DO YOU MANAGE TRAFFIC WITH ALL FIVE CLASSES RUNNING?“It’s tough. Overall, we all kind of understand what needs to happen in order to have a successful interaction. I think the biggest problem us as far as the DPis is when some GT guy decides to block us – very late sometimes in braking zones. Most times it turns into chaos and disasters and it’s just super risky for everybody when you start to move down in the braking zone and shut the door and the DPi lunging in there. Everything else, it’s mostly timing and a bit of luck. You can have a great stint and a great average and things look really good and because you caught traffic at places where it didn’t impact you as far as lap time, and sometimes you keep on getting them at the wrong time. It’s not what anybody is doing; it’s just the luck of the draw. The biggest thing for us is for those other (classes) is to be predictable and drive. It’s much easier when everybody just keeps their heads down and just drives to the best of their ability and be predictable.”

Motor City Homecoming Weekend Celebrates the Ford Techs Who Keep Cars on the Road
 

• 153 Ford and Lincoln 20-Year Senior Master Technicians will be in attendance for the August 7 race at Michigan International Speedway.
• The name of each 20-Year Senior Master Tech will be on the special-edition paint scheme for the No. 21 Ford Mustang.
• Ford uses motorsports sponsorships in NASCAR and NHRA to reward current technicians and promote career opportunities in the automotive technician field.
• Special weekend highlights Ford’s 22-year partnership with Wood Brothers Racing.

DEARBORN, Mich. Aug. 1, 2022 – Ford and Wood Brothers Racing are thrilled to welcome 153 Ford and Lincoln Senior Master Technicians as special guests at the upcoming Firekeepers 400 at Michigan International Speedway. The race is the capstone to the Motor City Homecoming weekend that is celebrating techs who reached the 20-year Senior Master status mark in 2019 or 2020.

The 20-year Senior Master Technicians will be honored by having their names on the sides of the No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford Mustang driven by Harrison Burton. This will be the first time since 2019 that the technicians are able to attend the race that recognizes their loyalty to Ford.

Ford Service Engineering Operations (Ford SEO) partners with Ford Motorcraft to reward automotive technicians who have dedicated themselves to providing excellent service at Ford and Lincoln dealerships across the U.S. To achieve Ford Senior Master Tech status, technicians complete over 600 hours of training and must have five years of service at a Ford dealership. To maintain their Senior Master status, these technicians have taken all new required training and two electives per year, for the last 20 years.

Motor City Homecoming weekend begins with a welcome dinner hosted by Ford Motor Company executives. There is also an exclusive recognition ceremony at Ford Field. To finish the weekend, the techs see their names on the No. 21 Ford Mustang competing in the NASCAR Cup Series race at MIS.

“We are so excited to bring back this memorable experience for our 20-year Senior Master Technicians,” said Elizabeth Tarquinto, Manager of Technical Service Operations, Ford Customer Service Division (FCSD). “The partnerships we have with Motorcraft/Quick Lane Racing and the legendary Wood Brothers Team make this very special. We thrive as a company thanks to the tremendous service that our technicians provide.” 

FCSD – best known to fans for its Motorcraft and Quick Lane brands – uses its NASCAR and NHRA racing programs to reward technicians at various levels of their career with VIP hospitality events.

Additionally, FCSD uses its NHRA racing program to actively recruit the next generation of automotive technicians. As a co-sponsor of the NHRA’s Youth & Education Services program, Ford dealerships meet and inform more than 30,000 students from across the country about the career opportunities afforded to technicians. The program resumes Labor Day weekend at the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series race in Indianapolis.

“Technicians are critically important to our dealerships, so we’re using our highly-visible racing programs to do two things, reward the techs we have and promote our need for more techs,” said Gina Scappaticci, Dealer and Distributor Engagement Manager for FCSD. “To retain the techs we have, we provide access to continuous training, set achievable goals, and offer rewards, like racing hospitality events, when those goals are met. At YES Program recruiting events, we express to students that becoming a technician has long-term viability as a career. We share how we actively help young techs receive the training they’ll need to service gas, diesel and electric vehicles.”

Ford estimates there is a need for over 80,000 automotive technicians annually across the industry. It has collaborated with the NHRA’s YES Program dating back to 2018. In 2022, there are 13 YES events, including six that will take place this fall. Students who attend have a full morning of activity, hearing a special message from Motorcraft/Quick Lane Funny Car driver, and third generation Ford dealer, Bob Tasca III. Students also meet with local Ford dealerships to discuss immediate opportunities and the technician career path.

Ford offers many avenues for entry into a career as a Ford/Lincoln technician through NewFordTech.com. High school students interested in becoming Ford or Lincoln automotive technicians have opportunities to continue their education at over 75 post-secondary training locations throughout the country, including the Ford Automotive Student Service Educational Training (ASSET) program and Ford Accelerated Credentials Training (FACT) program.
Information on the comprehensive programs Ford offers can be found at NewFordTech.com.

MARYVILLE, TN– AUG. 1 – For the first time since April, the World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Model Series will return to the Southeast for a Labor Day Weekend doubleheader. 

First, the Series will make its 11th overall trip to Smoky Mountain Speedway in Maryville, TN, on Friday, Sept. 2. Then it will head further south to the Peach State for a return to Lavonia Speedway in Lavonia, GA, on Saturday, Sept. 3.

The Southeast doubleheader will be the final two events of the summer, with each race paying $10,000-to-win. If one driver can sweep the weekend, they’ll head into Fall with a $20,000 weekend payday. 

SMOKY MOUNTAIN SHOWDOWN – Friday, Sept. 2
Track: Smoky Mountain Speedway
To Win: $10,000
Location: Maryville, TN
Latest Winner: Chris Madden

Notables: The World of Outlaws CASE Late Models will make their third and final Tennessee stop in 2022 and only appearance on the high-banked 4/10-mile track this season.

Gray Court, SC driver Chris Madden earned the win in last year’s Tennessee Tip-off—his second triumph at the track in World of Outlaws competition. 

Shane Clanton, the 2015 Series champion, is the only current full-time World of Outlaws driver with a Series win at the track. That win came in 2013. 

WORLD OF OUTLAWS @ LAVONIA – Saturday, Sept. 3
Track: Lavonia Speedway
To Win: $10,000
Location: Lavonia, GA
Latest Winner: Ben Watkins

Notables: The Most Powerful Late Models on the Planet make a Labor Day weekend stop at the 3/8-mile semi-banked oval for the third consecutive year and sixth overall.

South Carolina driver Ben Watkins scored his first career Series victory in 2021, besting last season’s Rookie of the Year Tyler Bruening to the checkered flag. 

So far this year, 2022 Rookie of the Year contender Max Blair and Ryan Gustin have thrived on 3/8-mile tracks. Blair won at Cherokee Speedway and Bloomsburg Fair Raceway, while Gustin scored his first Series victory this year at Sharon Speedway.

Schatz Sweeps Qualifying, Heat Race, Dash, and Feature for Second Win of 2022

WEEDSPORT, NY – July 31, 2022 – After 42 races away, Donny Schatz finally made his long-awaited return to Victory Lane with the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series on Sunday night.

Recording a perfect night at New York’s Weedsport Speedway, the 10-time Series champion banked his 304th career win and his second of the 2022 season aboard the Tony Stewart/Curb-Agajanian Racing, Ford Performance, Carquest Auto Parts #15.

The box score will show a clean sweep of the evening for the Fargo, ND native, but it was no easy task come Feature time as a hard-charging David Gravel and Logan Schuchart made their presence felt in the final laps of the Empire State Challenge. On the 29th circuit with the white flag waving, the entire top-three were separated by only 0.911-seconds and it was truly anyone’s to take.

It was a 44-year-old champion of the sport vs. a 30-year-old proven Weedsport ace and a 29-year-old rising star within the Series. By the time the checkered flag waved, it was Schatz’s veteran prowess and mental fortitude paying off against the young guns.

“In my 26 years, I was always taught to worry about what is in front of you, and not what was behind you,” Schatz said on his mindset. “As long as I’m doing things rights, then it’s their job to pass me so I’m not going to change what I’m doing for what hasn’t impacted me yet.

Every race is made for winning, but we just haven’t been there. I don’t know if we were the best car at the end tonight, but we were able to get out front and stay there and battled through lap traffic. It’s been a tough learning curve these last few years with all the changes going on, but I feel like we’re getting a better handle on it.”

The victory now gives Schatz three wins in six starts at Weedsport Speedway, one of the quirkiest surfaces on the schedule with The Greatest Show on Dirt.

“You hear fans talk about how unique this place, but I wish you could see it from our perspective,” Schatz said on the layout. “It’s just different. You have to be on your game 110% of the time and that makes it a ton of fun to race. I’m glad we could pick up another win here.”

Earning the KSE Hard Charger Award with his ninth-to-second run, David Gravel was only 0.480-seconds away from making it three consecutive wins at Weedsport Speedway on Sunday. The Big Game Motorsports #2 was operating in the caution-free 30-lap finale as he quickly made it to fifth on Lap five, third on Lap 14, and then second on Lap 20.

The Watertown, CT native was 2.284-seconds behind the #15 when he drove by Brock Zearfoss for second, but promptly whittled that advantage down to nothing as he made it to Schatz’s rear bumper in the final laps. With lappers clogging the high lane and Gravel’s distinctive line boxed in a corner, he ran out of options and settled for a stellar runner-up result to continue cutting away at the championship lead.

“I know I was gaining down the straightaways, but it didn’t pay off in the corners with where I needed to get going,” Gravel noted. “It was a really good weekend in all, though. This is great momentum for us leading into the Ironman 55 and Knoxville Nationals. I’m excited for the rest of the season, this team is feeling good.”

Ending a 15-race absence from the podium, Logan Schuchart scored his first top-three outing in more than a month as he offered a spectacular showing in the late stages at Weedsport. The Hanover, PA native found an eccentric method to attack the track and cut his gap from 3.4 seconds to nothing in the last eight laps as he made it a three-way battle for the lead at the end. Were it not for lap traffic on the final circuit, the Shark Racing, DuraMAX Oil, Drydene Performance Products #1S may have been able to sneak out a stunner for win #2 of the season.

“I think a little iRacing helped out tonight,” Schuchart joked on the frontstretch. “I could sail it off in there into turn one with a lot of speed and bounce it off the cushion in turn two, and I think I made a ton of speed that way. I thought I had a good shot to maybe surprise Donny and David, but the lapper hurt my momentum when I needed it most. It feels good to be back up here on the podium, and we did it by passing some great cars. This definitely gets the confidence up ahead of Ironman and Knoxville.”

Brock Zearfoss earned his third top-five finish of the season with a fourth-place effort aboard the Moose’s LZ Bar & Grill #3Z, while James McFadden finished fifth to score his 13th top-five result in the Roth Motorsports #83.

Closing out the top-10 at Weedsport was Larry Wight (Phoenix, NY) with a career-best sixth-place finish, championship leader Brad Sweet (Grass Valley, CA) in the seventh spot, top rookie contender Spencer Bayston (Lebanon, IN) in eighth for the third-straight race, Danny Varin (Sharon Springs, NY) in ninth to make it three top-10s in four career starts, and Sheldon Haudenschild (Wooster, OH) with a 10th-place drive from 15th.

NOS NOTEBOOK (WEEDSPORT SPEEDWAY, 7/31/22)

Sunday’s win snapped a 42-race drought since Donny Schatz’s season-opening victory at Volusia (FL) Speedway Park on February 10, 2022. The Fargo, ND native is now at 304 career wins with the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series.

With a 15th victory, New York is officially the sixth winningest state of Schatz’s World of Outlaws career behind Pennsylvania (36), Ohio (29), Iowa (24), North Dakota (23), and California (20). Weedsport Speedway also become the 39th track that Schatz has conquered on at least three occasions in World of Outlaws competition.

Schatz topped My Place Hotels Qualifying for the second time in two weeks, bumping his total to 109 career QuickTimes with the World of Outlaws. At 13.555 seconds around Weedsport, the Tony Stewart/Curb-Agajanian Racing #15 was almost four-tenths faster (0.371) than the field.

Schatz (503rd career) and Allen (44th career) extended their numbers in the heat win department, while Larry Wight of Phoenix, NY won his first-career Heat Race with the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series.

UP NEXT (Fri-Sat) – The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series returns to Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 in Pevely, MO next weekend on Friday and Saturday, August 5-6. The Greatest Show on Dirt will be joined by the Xtreme Outlaw Midget Series for two nights of epic action at the annual Ironman 55. Fans can BUY TICKETS HERE, or watch every lap LIVE on DIRTVision.

NOS Energy Drink Feature Results (30 Laps) – 1. 15-Donny Schatz (1); 2. 2-David Gravel (9); 3. 1S-Logan Schuchart (7); 4. 3Z-Brock Zearfoss (2); 5. 83-James McFadden (3); 6. 99-Larry Wight (4); 7. 49-Brad Sweet (8); 8. 5-Spencer Bayston (12); 9. 01-Danny Varin (6); 10. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild (15); 11. 10-Paulie Colagiovanni (11); 12. 41-Carson Macedo (10); 13. 11K-Kraig Kinser (20); 14. 98-Joe Trenca (18); 15. 9-Kasey Kahne (14); 16. 1A-Jacob Allen (5); 17. 7S-Robbie Price (17); 18. 7NY-Matt Farnham (21); 19. 20G-Noah Gass (13); 20. 5H-Chris Hile (16); 21. 79-Jordan Thomas (19); 22. 2X-Dave Axton (22); 23. 41R-Dalton Rombough (24); 24. 6-Bill Rose (25); 25. 28F-Davie Franek (23).

NEW Championship Standings (After 45/77 Races) – 1. Brad Sweet (6,084); 2. David Gravel (-36); 3. Carson Macedo (-114); 4. Sheldon Haudenschild (-130); 5. Donny Schatz (-172); 6. Logan Schuchart (-184); 7. Spencer Bayston (-334); 8. James McFadden (-348); 9. Jacob Allen (-532); 10. Brock Zearfoss (-650).

KENT, WA (July 31, 2022) — Rookie Pro Stock driver Camrie Caruso wrapped up the Western Swing with a quarterfinal finish at the NHRA Northwest Nationals today from Pacific Raceways outside of Seattle. The 24-year-old driver powered her Tequila Comisario Chevrolet Camaro past Cristian Cuadra in the first round before losing an incredibly close match-up with Troy “TJ” Coughlin Jr. It was the sixth time this season Caruso, who has Titan Racing Engine power under the hood, has raced to at least the quarterfinals in her young career.

Tequila Comisario Chevrolet Camaro, photo by Auto Imagery

“It was good to get another first round win,” said Caruso. “We have our confidence back and I feel like we have our race car back. We fixed a few things and we are in a good place. We are back to making solid progress. We are going to be good and we’ll keep getting better over these last two regular season races.” 

In the opening round facing Cuadra for the third time in her career Caruso was giving up lane choice but not confidence. The rookie driver from Denver, North Carolina, knew her team had used the information gathered from their three qualifying runs to put the Tequila Comisario Camaro in a great position to win. As both cars staged it was Cuadra jumping the start for a redlight disqualification as Caruso launched and made her quickest run of the weekend. The 6.610 second pass was one of the quickest runs of the first round and improved her head-to-head record with Cuadra to 3-0 on the season.

Camrie Caruso after first round win, photo by Auto Imagery

In the quarterfinals racing Coughlin for the first time, Caruso was looking to advance to her second career semifinal for marketing partners GESI, Powerbuilt Tools, NGK Spark Plugs, VP Racing Lubricants and Sand Haulers of America. Caruso took a starting line advantage again and was driving away from Coughlin before his Camaro pulled up beside her at halftrack and never trailed the rest of the quarter mile. He took the win by .0075 seconds or approximately two feet at the finish line. Caruso posted another solid run of 6.535 seconds in the heat of the day in her losing effort.

“TJ is a great racer and I don’t want to take anything away from him, but we could have won that race,” said Caruso. “We have a great team and I feel like we can beat anyone we race. I do want to congratulate him on his first Pro Stock win today.”

As Caruso wrapped up her first Western Swing for primary marketing partners Tequila Comisario and NGK Shop Squad the rookie driver drew attention to  www.shopsquadonline.com where automotive professionals can register for this unique program. Using code RACE22 pros can sign up for a chance to win a Solo Stove with NGK conducting one drawing per month. There will be two more races for Caruso to move up in the points and give the rookie driver her best shot at the world championship.

“In Topeka we need to have a really good race and then we need to take advantage of points and a half at the U.S. Nationals. We have time to move up,” said Caruso. “I am excited for these next two races and especially the Countdown.

Tequila Comisario will adorn Caruso’s race car for two more races along with NGK’s Shop Squad program for professional technicians. Caruso has a firm hold on a Top Ten position leaving Pacific Raceways sitting in eighth place four rounds ahead of the drivers in eleventh place.

Qualifying Results

Q1: 6.670 sec, 203.31 mph; Qual. 9

Q2: 6.695 sec, 195.34 mph; Qual. 12

Q3: 6.694 sec, 207.08 mph; Qual. 12

Bonus Points: 0

Race Results

First Round

Camrie Caruso, Denver, NC, Tequila Comisario Chevrolet Camaro, 6.610, 207.50 mph def. Cristian Cuadra, Leon, Mexico, Corral Boots Ford Mustang, DQ-redlight

Second Round

Troy Coughlin, Delaware, Ohio, JEGS Chevrolet Camaro, 6.619, 209.23 mph def. Camrie Caruso, Denver, NC, Tequila Comisario Chevrolet Camaro, 6.635, 207.72 mph

Camping World Drag Racing Series Top Ten – Pro Stock

1. Erica Enders            1078

2. Aaron Stanfield      975

3. Kyle Koretsky          723

4. Greg Anderson       676

5. Dallas Glenn           614

6. Mason McGaha      572

7. Troy Coughlin Jr      571

8. Camrie Caruso        539

9. Matt Hartford         521

10. Bo Butner             475

Elite Motorsports Racing Recap

NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series KENT, Wash. (July 31, 2022) – In an all-Elite Motorsports final, teammates Troy Coughlin Jr. and Erica Enders faced off against each other at the Flav-R-Pac NHRA Northwest Nationals in Seattle today. Coughlin emerged victorious with a Margin Of Victory of only .0001-seconds to earn his first win in the highly-competitive Pro Stock category.  “I think we’re going to see a lot more of this,” said team owner Richard Freeman. “We’ve got the best drivers, in my opinion, of the group. And TJ (Coughlin) really wanted it. He struggled the first part of the year, but it’s coming around and we’re proud of him.” It was a positive week for all of the Elite Motorsports team. Six of its talented Pro Stock drivers were qualified in the Top Ten going into race day on Sunday.  In the first round of Pro Stock competition, Elite teammates Bo Butner (No. 9 qualifier) and Fernando Cuadra Jr. (No. 8 qualifier) faced off against each other. Although Butner cut a phenomenal .004-second light in his Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage Chevrolet Camaro, F. Cuadra Jr. earned the win in his Corral Boots Ford Mustang with a run of 6.636-seconds at 208.10 MPH, his fastest pass of the weekend. Cristian Cuadra faced rising star Camrie Caruso. While both drivers went red, Cuadra left earlier than Caruso, giving her a first-round victory. In another Elite matchup, Fernando Cuadra Sr. faced Coughlin. F. Cuadra Sr. had the starting line advantage, but Coughlin was able to chase him down for the win thanks to a pass of 6.598 at 209.36. Aaron Stanfield defeated Mason McGaha despite M. McGaha’s starting line advantage, while Enders powered her Melling Performance/Elite Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro to a blistering pass of 6.593 at 208.97, the lowest elapsed time of the event, to defeat Chris McGaha.  The second round of competition began with a series of red lights. Kyle Koretsky dropped the hammer too early giving Stanfield the win and advancing him to the semifinals in his Janac Brothers/JC3 Energy Chevrolet Camaro. In the next pair, Cuadra Jr. went red against Greg Anderson. Coughlin took out Camrie Caruso in his JEGS.com/EliteMotorsports Chevrolet Camaro with a margin of just seven-thousandths at the stripe. In the final Round Two matchup, Enders defeated Dallas Glenn with a powerful run of 6.954 at 209.72, consistent with her previous first-round performance. Three of the four drivers in the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series Pro Stock semifinals were Elite teammates – Enders faced Stanfield for the seventh time this season. In qualifying, they were separated by only one-thousandth of a second. Enders defeated Stanfield with a pass of 6.649 at 208.71. Coughlin powered past Anderson with a pass of 6.659 at 208.36 propelling him into the finals where he defeated Enders. “This is something else,” said Coughlin. “It’s absolutely humbling. I’ve been surrounded by some wonderful people with great equipment so we are definitely really blessed. I just can’t wait to keep going! This win is so special. Coming out here to Seattle and Pacific Raceways, it’s a wonderful place to race and the fans are amazing. We’re lucky to be here. I’ll never forget this.” The next stop on the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series schedule is the Menards NHRA Nationals Presented By PetArmor at Heartland Motorsports Park in Topeka, Kan. August 12-14.

Sportsman Summary TOPEKA, Kan. (July 31, 2022) – In an action-packed NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series doubleheader, the Patterson Elite team had a great showing. In the first of two back-to-back events at Heartland Motorsports Park in Topeka, Kan., the Top Sportsman category featured an all-Patterson Elite customer final with Allen Firestone getting the win over Macy Higgins. This is the 10th NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series Wally for the talented driver from Velma, Okla. In Competition Eliminator, standout driver Mike DePalma snagged a runner-up finish in a final round appearance against Scott Linder who earned his first NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event victory. In the second event of this competitive doubleheader, Jay Storey powered his Copo Camaro to a semifinal appearance, while Todd Patterson earned a runner-up finish in Super Stock. In Competition Eliminator, Royce Lee Freeman powered through to the semifinals.

Photos

Troy Coughlin Jr. heats up the tires of his JEGS.com/ Elite Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro in Seattle. Photo credit: Auto ImageryAaron Stanfield prepares for launch in his Janac Brothers/JC3 Energy Chevrolet Camaro. Photo credit: Auto Imagery

Fernando Cuadra Jr. launches a smokey burnout in his Corral Boots Ford Mustang. Photo credit: Auto ImageryErica Enders is busy in the pits preparing her Melling Performance/Elite Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro. Photo credit: Auto Imagery

Allan Firestone lines up in Topeka. Photo credit: Aydan PattersonMacy Higgins in Top Sportsman. Photo credit: Aydan Patterson

Todd Patterson earned a runner-up finish in Topeka. Photo credit: Alex OwensMike DePalma earned a runner-up finish in Comp Eliminator. Photo credit: Alex Owens

NASCAR CUP SERIES

IMS ROAD COURSE

VERIZON 200 AT THE BRICKYARD

TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE NOTES AND QUOTES

JULY 31, 2022

TOP TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL TOP-20 RACE RESULTS:

POS.   DRIVER

1st      TYLER REDDICK, NO. 8 3CHI CAMARO ZL1 

7th      AJ ALLMENDINGER, NO. 16 GOLD FISH CASINO CAMARO ZL1

13th    RICKY STENHOUSE JR., NO. 47 KROGER / GO-GURT CAMARO ZL1

15th    ERIK JONES, NO. 43 FOCUSFACTOR CAMARO ZL1

16th    CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CAMARO ZL1

18th    COREY LAJOIE, NO. 7 FRATERNAL ORDER OF EAGLES CAMARO ZL1

19th    JUSTIN HALEY, NO. 31 LEAFFILTER GUTTER PROTECTION CAMARO ZL1

TOP FIVE UNOFFICIAL RACE RESULTS: 

POS.  DRIVER

1st      Tyler Reddick (Chevrolet)

2nd     Austin Cindric (Ford)

3rd      Harrison Burton (Ford)

4th      Todd Gilliland (Ford)

5th      Bubba Wallace (Toyota)

The NASCAR Cup Series season continues next Sunday, August 7, at the Michigan International Speedway with the FireKeepers Casino 400 at 3 p.m. ET. Live coverage can be found on the USA Network, the NBCSports Gold App, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE NOTES AND QUOTES:

TYLER REDDICK, NO. 8 3CHI CAMARO ZL1 – Race Winner

What a drive for Tyler Reddick today, the dominant driver here at Indy, his son Beau coming in for a hug, and the crew sprinting up pit road to get to Tyler to celebrate. Second win of the year for this race team and a win at Indianapolis. I’ve got to know your thoughts when you saw the 1; he went through the access road. Were you as shocked as everyone else to see him all of a sudden passing you for the lead?

“I was like, uh-oh. But that was a scenario that had been talked about. If you get bottled up, what do you do? Take the access road.

I couldn’t believe he got ahead of me. I was kind of waiting to see if he was going to have a penalty because I didn’t want to move him out of the way and make his race worse than what it was. Yeah, I was really surprised by that; but hey, we made it work. Hats off to Ross (Chastain) for trying to do that, but really glad it didn’t end up working out because I’d have been pretty pissed off.”

You made the announcement you’re moving from RCR. How did this team rally to get back to this point where you could come together and win races again?

“Well, we just know what we’re capable of, and we did that at Road America. Certainly it was a little bump in the road, but we went out and won a race fair and square a couple weeks ago. And if we change nothing, we keep working really, really hard, we find a way back to Victory Lane.

Just really glad to be able to do it here in Indianapolis. This is one really special place to race, and really excited to kiss the bricks here in a little bit and really excited we got 3CHI their win in their hometown.”

AJ ALLMENDINGER, NO. 16 GOLD FISH CASINO SLOTS CAMARO ZL1 – Finished 7th

When did you really start to feel the effects of that? 

“It was hot from the start of the race until I figured out that I still had the cooling shirt (turned) on, which made it even hotter in the car. But yeah, I was doing okay but with 20 to go, I ran out of water and the helmet blow was starting to feel hot as well. So, just riding around under yellow just makes it worse. During green I was okay, but you get heat-soaked in the car under yellow and those last few laps were pretty brutal.”

How was it with the restarts and the heat for you?

“Once you get green, you suck it up and we had a shot to win the race – so that is all that mattered. The way turn one is here – when you are on the outside front row on one of those late race restarts, you are just going to get run into. We saw it with Chase (Elliott) on the restart before and we saw it with Chase Briscoe last year. You just get shoved off the racetrack so I figured I was going to get shoved off the racetrack into (turn) one. I tried to make the best of it and felt like we did. But at the end of the day, we gave ourselves a shot to win two in a row and that is pretty badass.”

ERIK JONES, NO. 43 FOCUSFACTOR CAMARO ZL1 – Finished 15th

“We struggled today with our FOCUSfactor Chevy. Road courses have definitely been an area where we need to work and we thought we’d be a little better this weekend. Just didn’t qualify well, started at the back and fought the handling most of race. The guys stayed after it, we used the car up and salvaged a 15th-place finish. We’ll take it and move on to Michigan. I think we’ll have a good race next weekend and I’m looking forward to going home and racing in front of family and friends.”

JUSTIN HALEY, NO. 31 LEAFFILTER GUTTER PROTECTION CAMARO ZL1 – Finished 19th 

“Not the best day for us at Indy. We had some damage after an incident in turn one and ultimately couldn’t get the speed back in our No. 31 LeafFilter Gutter Protection Chevy. Just too much damage to be able to compete for anything other than where we finished. We will move on to Michigan.”

ROSS CHASTAIN, NO. 1 WORLDWIDE EXPRESS CAMARO ZL1 – Finished 27th

You were looking for a spot there at the end. What were you thinking, taking the access road and getting off course there?

“Just trying not to be in the corners there in Turn 1. I thought we were four wide, and couldn’t go any farther right, and decided to take the NASCAR access lane out there.”

Was that something you and the team had talked about earlier, like that’s a great option and it may not cost us anything?

“No, no, just pure reaction there for our Worldwide Express Chevy. I took it in practice on exit, overshooting Turn 1. You know where they’re at and in 12 you have to go around the loop there, and there is around the pole. Just wanted to not get hit and merged back on where I merged.”

TY DILLON, NO. 42 FERRIS CAMARO ZL1 – Finished 34th 

You got majorly surprised it looked like. What did you feel? 

“All I saw was a blue flash and that’s about the hardest I’ve been hit by anything. First, I’m just grateful to God that I’m OK and these cars are safe enough to take a shot like that.

We were having a good run with our No. 42 Ferris Camaro ZL1 and I was just blindsided, really. I’m all good. It’s been a tough year, but I’m never going to quit. We’re going to keep getting better. We’ve been running good, just things are happening. You’ll have days like that, you’ll have times like that. You just never give up and go onto the next one.”

TEAM CHEVY RACE QUICK NOTES

Stage One:

·       Tyler Reddick – the series’ most recent road course winner – captured his second career NASCAR Cup Series pole win at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. 

·       Reddick led the first 12 laps of the 15-lap Stage One, with Crew Chief Randall Burnett bringing the No. 8 3CHI Camaro ZL1 down pit road for their first scheduled stop with three laps to go in the stage. 

·       William Byron led Chevrolet to the end of Stage One in the third position. Team Chevy Stage One Top-10 Results: 

3rd      William Byron, No. 24 Acronis Camaro ZL1

5th      Chase Elliott, No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Camaro ZL1

7th      Kyle Larson, No. 5 HendrickCars.com Camaro ZL1

Stage Two: 

·       The 20-lap Stage Two saw three different lead changes, with pole sitter Tyler Reddick leading the second most laps (12) to that point of the race. 

·       Chase Elliott recorded his second top-five stage finish of the day in Stage Two, driving his No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Camaro ZL1 to a fourth-place finish. 

·       Team Chevy Stage Two: Top-10 Results

4th      Chase Elliott, No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Camaro ZL1

5th      Ty Dillon, No. 42 Ferris Camaro ZL1

9th      Erik Jones, No. 43 FOCUSfactor Camaro ZL1 

Post-Race Notes: 

Tyler Reddick goes back-to-back in NASCAR Cup Series road course wins, capturing his second NCS win of 2022 in the Verizon 200 at the Brickyard at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course.

• The win is Reddick’s second career victory in 96 NASCAR Cup Series starts. 
• Reddick is now the sixth repeat winner of 2022. 
• Reddick’s victory marks Chevrolet’s 10th-consecutive NASCAR Cup Series road course win since the manufacturer’s milestone 800th NCS win at Circuit of The Americas in May 2021. 
• With 22 NASCAR Cup Series races complete, the Camaro ZL1 now sits at a manufacturer-leading 13 wins this season. 
• The winningest brand in NASCAR, Chevrolet now has 827 all-time NASCAR Cup Series victories.