CONCORD, NC – The DIRTcar Northeast divisional ladder is now complete with the addition of the DIRTcar 4 Cylinder class joining DIRTcar Big Blocks, 358 Modifieds, Sportsman Modifieds, and Pro Stocks. DIRTcar Racing recently announced the expansion to track promoters and it was well-received as over 10 tracks have brought the sanctioning to their existing 4 cylinder division. A $2,550 point fund will be offered through the Hoosier Racing Tires Weekly Championship Points. From May 14 through Sept. 6, points will be earned in each 4 Cylinder Feature held at the participating tracks. Just like the other four DIRTcar Northeast divisions, a driver’s top 16 finishes will be tallied and the top 10 overall will share from the point fund. The first overall champion will collect $500. The only requirement for 4 Cylinder teams to earn the points is to obtain a DIRTcar membership, which is an $80 cost. The membership comes with the same benefits as all other DIRTcar divisions, including aa $50,000 supplementary insurance policy. Teams have until July 19 to get their membership and be included in the points.  “When we first introduced the possibility of 4 Cylinder sanctioning it went over very well with the promoters,” said DIRTcar Northeast Director Dean Reynolds. “Just about every sanctioned track has a 4 cylinder division so let’s give the teams something to shoot for as well with a little added PR.“Because 4 cylinder rules are diverse across the northeast we will simply go with home track rules,” Reynolds continued. “But our goal is to have a common, uniformed rules package down the road to see if we could increase numbers and improve safety.”The Hoosier Racing Tires Weekly Championship Points have become an important part of DIRTcar sanctioned weekly shows in the northeast. The total weekly point fund is now $48,000 for 2021. The points are also showcased in the Hoosier Racing Tires Weekly Championship on DIRTcar.com.Tracks participating in the program are Airborne Speedway, Albany-Saratoga Speedway, Bear Ridge Speedway, Brewerton Speedway, Can-Am Speedway, Freedom Motorsports Park, Genesee Speedway, Glen Ridge Motorsports Park, Mohawk International Raceway, and Ransomville Speedway. The new program will be on hold in Canada as current COVID restrictions have opening dates delayed in Ontario and Quebec. Follow DIRTcar Northeast on Twitter and Facebook and be sure to bookmark DIRTcar.com for news, race reports, and more. PHOTO: Jacy Norgaard

DIRTcar Racing is brought to fans by many important sponsors and partners, including: DIRTVision (Official Live Broadcast Partner), Hoosier Racing Tire (Official Tire), SIS Insurance (Official Insurance Provider), VP Racing Fuels (Official Racing Fuel), Chevy Performance Parts, iRacing (Official Online Racing Game), Arizona Sport Shirts/Gotta Race, and NAPA Auto Parts (SDS). Contingency sponsors include: ARP (Automotive Racing Products), ASI Race Wear (SDS), Bassett, Bicknell Racing Products, Billy Whittaker Cars & Trux (SDS), Cometic Gasket (SDS), COMP Cams, Drydene, Fast Shafts, Fox Factory (SDS), Arizona Sport Shirts/Gotta Race, Jerovetz Motorsports Shock Service, KSE Racing Products, MSD, Quarter Master, Schoenfeld Headers, Summit Racing Equipment, and Wrisco (Exclusive Racing Aluminum) (SDS); along with manufacturer sponsors, including: Beyea Headers, FireAde, Intercomp, K1 Race Gear, Racing Electronics and Velocita USA.

CHARLOTTE, NC (May 16, 2021) — Three rounds of racing today showed that the ROKiT Bandero Premium Tequila Toyota Camry Funny Car and driver Alexis DeJoria will be a tough team to handle as the NHRA season ramps up. The 11th NGK NTK NHRA Four-Wide Nationals highlighted the strength of DeJoria’s race car and also showcased her skill behind the wheel.

“We had a very positive day today. What a turnaround from last race,” said DeJoria. “Our ROKiT/Bandero Toyota Camry was consistent. We qualified number two. We were the best of the opening round and won the first two quads. Any time you see a win light come on, it’s an ego booster. We were just on it today.” 

The experienced driver made the most of two days of qualifying posting impressive times including the quickest run of Friday night that earned her three qualifying bonus points and the provisional No. 1 spot. On Saturday she was bumped back one position but entered race day as the No. 2 Funny Car on the property and a favorite to go rounds.

DeJoria and the ROKiT Bandero Tequila team did not disappoint as the blasted down the track in the first round winning their quad and lighting up the scoreboard with an impressive 3.903 second run. It was the second quickest run of the event and brought the near capacity crowd at zMAX Dragway to their feet.

In the second round quad DeJoria was matched up with a very tough trio of drivers including Bob Tasca III, Matt Hagan and Cruz Pedregon. Once again DeJoria showed an aggressive attitude jumping off the starting line just behind Hagan and then racing to victory posting the quickest run of her round. The win moved DeJoria into the first final quad of her career at the four-wide national events.

The final quad featured her Toyota teammate J.R. Todd, John Force and Pedregon. It was a line-up of heavy hitters and DeJoria held her own to close out her race day. DeJoria, Todd and Force left the starting line with nearly identical reaction times and all three Funny Cars were storming down their respective lanes. DeJoria’s race car was mixing up cylinders throughout the run and uncharacteristically slowed to 4.057 seconds, her second slowest elapsed time of the weekend.

“I honestly felt like it was going to be our day, but in the finals, unfortunately we dropped a cylinder at the step,” said DeJoria. ”Then more down track and that was it for the day. My reaction times are coming around. We’re just figuring things out and I know we’re going to win a race very soon. We’re going to stay and test here tomorrow at zMAX and get both cars on point. We’re going to bring the back-up car we ran in Atlanta out and make sure it’s all good. You never know when you’re going to need to pull that second car out and it needs to be just as good as the first one. In Houston, we need to do the same thing as we did here – good runs in qualifying and staying consistent.”

The success on the track moved DeJoria up to sixth in the Funny Car point standings and also moved her closer to the fifth and fourth place Funny Cars. The team will head to Houston Raceway Park for the NHRA SpringNationals set to kick-off Friday, May 21.

Qualifying Results

Q1: 3.930 sec, 301.74 mph; Qual. 1

Q2: 4.085 sec, 272.83 mph; Qual. 2

Q3: 3.949 sec, 318.54 mph; Qual. 2 

Bonus Points: +3 (Quickest of Q1)

Race Results

First Round
Driver                                    Qual       R/T         ET           MPH 
Alexis DeJoria                   2              .107        3.903     325.45 (W)

Bob Tasca III                       7              .084        3.955     329.50 (W)

Blake Alexander                10           .110        9.579     71.56

Robert Hight                      15           .080        4.351     271.13

Second Round
Driver                                    Qual       R/T         ET           MPH 
Alexis DeJoria                       2              .090        3.929     320.13 (W)

Cruz Pedregon                      6              .094        3.971     319.52 (W)

Bob Tasca III                          7              .091        4.559     189.84 

Matt Hagan                           11           .055        4.036     307.51

Final Quad
Driver                                    Qual       R/T         ET           MPH 
John Force                             1              .065        3.916     328.78 (W)

J.R. Todd                                4              .063        3.944     327.82 (R/U)

Cruz Pedregon                     6              .121        3.934     326.87

Alexis DeJoria                       2              .064        4.057     309.49

Camping World Funny Car Top Ten

1.          Bob Tasca III, 360

2.          J.R. Todd, 343

3.          John Force, 329

4.          Matt Hagan, 259

5.          Ron Capps, 235

6.          Alexis DeJoria, 228

7.          Tim Wilkerson, 218

8.          Cruz Pedregon, 216

9.          Robert Hight, 215

10.       Blake Alexander, 150

CHARLOTTE, NC (May 16, 2021) — Tim Wilkerson and the Levi, Ray & Shoup Summit Racing Shelby Mustang felt like they had a race car and tune up to go rounds on Sunday at the 11^th NHRA Four-Wide Nationals at zMAX Dragway. The winner of the 2016 Four-Wide Nationals was confident his qualifying performance positioned him for a long day at the track today.

During the three qualifying sessions leading up to race day Wilkerson was right in the mix with a tough Funny Car field. On Friday night his Ford Mustang Funny Car struggled like the rest of the field on a cool and green race track but he bounced back with a strong run to open up qualifying on Saturday. The Levi, Ray & Shoup Summit Racing Mustang made the third quickest run of the session landing in the No. 4 qualifying spot and solidly positioning itself in the show.

“That first run on Saturday showed what we are used to seeing from this race car,” said Wilkerson. “We have a strong tune-up that will run quick with the rest of the guys. I was feeling good after that run and I knew we could be competitive with elapsed times like that.”

The team closed out qualifying with 4.105 second pass and slipped back one spot in the qualifying order heading into Sunday as the No. 5 Funny Car. Wilkerson would start his pursuit of his second Charlotte Four-Wide Nationals win racing against No. 4 J.R. Todd, No. 12 Jim Campbell and No. 13 Terry Haddock. 

In the opening round Wilkerson was in lane two and right in front of him matt Hagan advanced to the second round with a 3.93 second pass. Before the first round the team examined all the lanes and felt good about their lane selection. When the Mustang Funny Car took off Wilkerson immediately knew it was in trouble. The Goodyear slicks overpowered the track and the veteran driver tried to give his 11,000 horsepower race car a quick feathering of the throttle to get it to hook back up but it was too late.

“I don’t know why the car did what it did,” said Wilkerson. “It is kind of irritating. I am going through the diagnostics now. It felt like when we launched we went right over a patch of ice. You can look at the run on the computer and you see a lot of tire chatter. All out other runs were nice and smooth. We are going to look at a couple things and see if we can figure this out. We have a good race car. We looked at how we ran on Saturday and we felt really confident. We felt that if it just went down the track we would go on to the next round. It didn’t go down the track. (Car chief) Richard (Hartman) really liked that lane and (Matt) Hagan ran 3.93 seconds right in front of us. I felt really good that we were going to make a good run and go on to the second round.”

The team will head to Houston in seventh place in the NHRA Funny Car point standings.

Qualifying Results

Q1: 8.615 sec, 51.30 mph; Qual. 13

Q2: 3.952 sec, 320.05 mph; Qual. 4

Q3: 4.105 sec, 249.12 mph; Qual. 5

Bonus Points:  +1 (3^rd quickest of Q2)

Race Results

First Round
Driver                          Qual    R/T      ET        MPH 
Tim Wilkerson                  5              .123        4.397     220.37

J.R. Todd                              4              .063        3.952     325.53 (W)

Terry Haddock                   13           .133        4.095     305.63 (W)          

Jim Campbell                     12           .089        4.194     303.16

Camping World Funny Car Top Ten

1.          Bob Tasca III, 360

2.          J.R. Todd, 343

3.          John Force, 329

4.          Matt Hagan, 259

5.          Ron Capps, 235

6.          Alexis DeJoria, 228

7.          Tim Wilkerson, 218

8.          Cruz Pedregon, 216

9.          Robert Hight, 215

10.       Blake Alexander, 150

Written by Ainsley JacobsThe third event of the 2021 Holley NMRA Ford Nationals drag racing series took place just outside of St. Louis, Missouri, at World Wide Technology Raceway over the weekend of May 15-17, 2021, with the 16th Annual NMRA/NMCA Super Bowl of Street-Legal Drag Racing Presented by HPJ Performance. An iffy weather forecast presented challenges to the schedule, but the bulk of the event was able to be completed. Sadly, on Sunday afternoon, the rain returned and prevailed to the point where the race had to be called. Some classes were able to be run to completion, but the remaining final rounds that weren’t wrapped up will be contested at the next event, the Inaugural NMRA Ford Performance Nationals at Summit Motorsports Park in Norwalk, Ohio, over the weekend of June 10-13, 2021. From the vendor midway to the UPR Products Car Show, exciting on-track action and tons of new personal bests and records, the event was a highlight of the NMRA tour and only further fueled the fire of the critical season championship points chases that are already in full swing. In the combined NMRA VP Racing Madditives/NMCA Mickey Thompson Street Outlaw class, Tony Hobson of Lake St. Louis, Missouri, clinched the qualifying advantage when he ran 4.279 at 167.07 mph in his ProCharged ’90 Mustang for the number one position. Hobson held strong throughout eliminations and put Nicky Notch’s ’79 Mustang on the trailer in the semi-finals. Newcomer to the NMCA series, Randy Matlock of Missouri, had a bye and was eligible to race his LS-powered ’92 Mustang in the rain-postponed finals, but the two men will have to wait to run one against another until the NMRA and NMCA meet up again in Martin, Michigan, and a winner can be determined.

NMRA Edelbrock Renegade joined forces with the NMCA Edelbrock Xtreme Street class, and reigning NMRA champion Joel Greathouse outran the rest of the field in qualifying with his 4.522 at 155.15 mph time slip. Greathouse and his KBX Performance-backed ’93 Mustang, which is owned by Jeremy Wolf, scored four round wins in a row to race in the finals against the number three qualified driver, Martin Connelley, who had done the same with his ’90 Mustang. The all-NMRA final round for the two drivers, both from Kentucky, was ultimately postponed due to rain and will instead be run at the following event in the series tour in Norwalk, Ohio. For the third time in as many races this season, Samantha Moore was the number one qualified driver in JDM Engineering Limited Street. The lady from Brighton, Michigan, coaxed a quick 8.212 at 167.09 mph pass from her supercharged ’14 Mustang. Moore didn’t make it to the finals, but the number two and four qualified drivers, Chad Wendel and 2020 champion Bill Putnam, respectively, did the deed with their ’07 and ’94 models. Although it was set to be an exciting final, the results will have to wait as rain put a hold to the final round fun for the day. In G-Force Racing Transmissions Coyote Stock, Pennsylvania-based hotshoe Nathan Stymiest earned the number one spot when his ’92 Mustang buzzed the clocks with a 9.640 at 138.64 mph pass. Stymiest bowed out during the elimination rounds, but Randy Soper who had qualified second with his ’04 Mustang Mach 1 and Kevin McMullin who had qualified sixth in his ’94 Mustang both hustled hard enough to enjoy trips to the finals. Their journeys, however, were cut short by the weather and the two men will have to wait it out to see who gets the Edelbrock Victor trophy at the next NMRA race on their calendars to be held in Ohio. Mark Anderson was the quickest qualifier in Richmond Gear Factory Stock, his 10.101 at 130.63 mph trip besting the rest of the pack. Anderson, who hails from Downs, Illinois, advanced to the semi-finals where he defeated Derek Grove. Meanwhile, Justin Fogelsonger of Mont Alto, Pennsylvania, had qualified third and had a bye into the finals. The two were ready to put their ’86 Mustangs against one another for all the marbles, but the weather had other plans and the outcome will be determined at the next NMRA race in Norwalk, Ohio, instead. ARP Open Comp’s drivers were all gunning for the top spot in qualifying, and Ronnie Haislip of Nolensville, Tennessee, earned the honors with a .002-second reaction time in his ’67 Mustang. The finals, however, hosted James Johnson Jr and Larry Geddes. Geddes’s ’90 Mustang had been running quicker than ever this weekend, but he slowed from his 10.55-second dial in to run 10.724 at 104.19 mph in the finals which enabled Johnson of Westland, Michigan, and his ’91 Mustang to take the win when the pair ran 10.229 at 131.48 mph on a 10.20 goal. Index racing is alive and well in Exedy Racing Clutch Modular Muscle, and Lee Goetz cut a near-perfect light of 0.001-seconds in qualifying to have his name slotted into the number one spot. As always, eliminations whittled the field down to the fiercest of the pack, with the familiar faces of Adam Cox of Kentucky and Charlie “The Professor” McCulloch of Georgia rounding out the finals. In a rare slip, McCulloch fouled the start with his ’04 Cobra and lit the win light in Cox’s lane so that his ’99 Mustang could run out the back to victory with a 10.074 at 134.03 mph pass on an original dial in of 10.01-seconds. Randy Rosner had the best reaction time during HP Tuners Super Stang qualifying, just 0.007-seconds away from a perfect light. In the finals, the class win went to Carleton, Michigan resident Andy Ransford and his ’06 Mustang when Ransford ran close to his 13.45-second dial in with a 13.559 at 101.23 mph time slip. In the other lane, Kevin McKenna’s ’14 Mustang GT rolled the beams and its driver headed back to pack up and return to Indiana as the runner up. Last year’s champion, Bob Dill from Templeton, Pennsylvania, outgunned the rest of the Detroit Locker Truck & Lightning field in qualifying with his ’01 Ford F-150 and an 0.008-second light to qualify number one for the third race in a row. However, it the two drivers right behind him, Johnny “Lightning” Wiker and Mike Roup, who raced in the final round of eliminations. Wiker wanted the win with his ’99 Lightning, but his 8.700 at 157.93 mph pass on an 8.54 dial in wasn’t enough to hold off Roup’s run of 11.282 at 118.67 mph on an 11.23 dial in. Roup turned the win lights on in his lane, and Wiker was deemed the runner up. Just 0.003-seconds off his 11.75 index, Lloyd Mikeska was the number one qualifier in RacePagesDigital.com Ford Muscle at the start of eliminations. He earned two round wins before going out in the semi-finals, while Danny Towe and Clyde Dunphy both were still in the show. In the finals, Georgia-based Towe took a trip to the winner’s circle in his ’70 Mustang when he ran 11.866 at 97.59 mph on his 11.75 dial in and Dunphy settled for second. Competitors in QA1 True Street cruised 30-miles around the Illinois area, from Madison to Collinsville and back before making three back-to-back passes down the dragstrip. Winning the class outright was Greg Edwards and his ’02 Chevy Camaro on a three-run average of 8.147-seconds while Tony Karamitsos and his ’69 Camaro earned the runner up honors with an 8.245-second average. Finishing first for the 9-second group was Randy Thomas and his ’10 Ford Shelby GT500, right on the money with a 9.004-second average. Additional winners included Keith Seymore (10-second), Ernie Keppler (11-second), Del Holbrook (12-second), Rodney Ward (13-second), Amanda Jordan (14-second) and Chris Gaff (15-second). The 2021 Holley NMRA Ford Nationals drag racing series continues at the Inaugural NMRA Ford Performance Nationals at Summit Motorsports Park in Norwalk, Ohio, on June 10-13 and both the NMRA and the NMCA will return to World Wide Technology Raceway in 2022 on May 12-15 for another epic installment of the NMRA/NMCA Super Bowl of Street-Legal Drag Racing. For more information and advance tickets, visit NMRAdigital.com.

Eversley, Smithson race to third-place finish
LA Honda World rally to top 10 after on-track incident

LEXINGTON, Ohio. (May 15, 2021) It was another podium finish in the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge series for the Atlanta Speedwerks team, with the #94 Honda Civic Type R TCR of Ryan Eversley and Scott Smithson finishing third today in the Mid-Ohio 120 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.

Eversley entered the weekend in second place in the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge point standings, following second and seventh-place finishes in the opening two rounds of the championship.

Today’s third place for Eversley, alongside new co-driver Smithson, solidifies the long-time Honda racer as a championship contender in 2021.

Eversley and Smithson’s Atlanta Speedwerks teammate, Brian Henderson set the fastest time in TCR qualifying in the #84 Honda Civic Type R TCR but unfortunately lost the time following post-qualifying tech inspection. Starting in the 15th spot, Henderson and co-driver Robert Noaker pushed through a broken front splitter to finish 11th at the flag.

The LA Honda World entry of Mat Pombo and Mike LaMarra started on the front row, and looked set for a top-five finish in their #73 Civic Type R TCR, before being forced off track with less than an hour left in the race. The incident required an extra stop for repairs, but the #73 team rallied to cross the line eighth after the two-hour race.

The VGMC entry of Victor Gonzalez and Ruben Iglesias started the race 14th and brought their #88 Honda Civic Type R TCR car home in the 13th position.

Mid-Ohio 120 Honda TCR Race Results
3rd – #94 Ryan Eversley and Scott Smithson, Atlanta Speedwerks Honda Civic Type R TCR
8th – #73 Mat Pombo and Mike LaMarra, LA Honda World Honda Civic Type R TCR
11th – #84 Robert Noaker and Brian Henderson, Atlanta Speedwerks Honda Civic Type R TCR
13th – #88 Victor Gonzalez and Ruben Iglesias, VGMC Racing Honda Civic Type R TCR

Quotes
Ryan Eversley (#94 Atlanta Speedwerks Honda Civic Type R TCR), finished third: “I was thinking about the [championship] points at the start of my stint, because I think we were around eighth when I took over and it’s so hard to pass here. Plus the TCR field is really balanced at the moment. So, I had to make sure I didn’t run into anyone and get a penalty while still staying near the #77 that we’re battling in the points. When I got to the Audi I was able to get by, and then I got to the back of the Hyundai and waited for him to make a mistake in order to get by. And then at the end we got traffic that allowed me to get up and onto the podium. I had to be really patient through the stint, which is never easy for a driver! But our Honda rotated through the corners so well today, I was able to keep the tires under us and we were one of the fastest cars, even at the very end of the race. I think we could have been even higher up if we had more time and less GS traffic. But, I’m really happy for our team and for Scott [Smithson], it’s his first podium in IMSA. To be the top Honda, and on the podium at Mid-Ohio, is always great.”

Scott Smithson (#94 Atlanta Speedwerks Honda Civic Type R TCR), finished third: “It feels really good to get this result. Honestly, it’s been a lot for me to take in all at once—coming from SRO and having just one season there. Driver changes are new to me, IMSA is new to me, Mid-Ohio is new to me, so there’s been a lot to learn, but it’s been awesome. The car felt great. I still have to clean up some race craft stuff on my end, but Ryan [Eversley] was able to bring it home and fantastic to be on the podium.”

Next
The MICHELIN Pilot Challenge next travels to Watkins Glen International June 24-26 for the four-hour Tioga Downs 240. The race can be streamed live on TrackPass on NBC Sports Gold.

HPD has three ready-to-race Civic models for touring car competition. The line starts with the affordable and reliable Civic Si TCA race car, then leads to the Civic Type R TC racer that puts legendary Type R performance on track, and culminates with the no-compromise, championship-winning Civic Type R TCR race car. Our unparalleled trackside support at every level from HPD engineers is a unique benefit that no other manufacturer can offer. Find out more about these cars and our touring programs at: https://hpd.honda.com/Motorsports/Touring

Honda Racing social media content and videos from Daytona are available on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/HondaRacingHPD) and on Twitter at (https://twitter.com/HondaRacing_HPD).  Produced by CoForce Digital Media, YouTube video packages can be found at: https://www.youtube.com/HondaRacingHPDTV.  

Romain Grosjean finishes second for Honda on the IMS road course
Alex Palou continues strong run of results with third-place finish
Practice for Indianapolis 500 begins on Tuesday

SPEEDWAY, Ind. (May 15, 2021) – Starting from the pole, Honda’s Romain Grosjean led a race-high 44 laps in today’s GMR Grand Prix of Indianapolis, but was unable to hold off a strong closing run from Rinus VeeKay and finished second at the GMR Grand Prix of Indianapolis.

The result was Grosjean’s best finish in three starts this season for Dale Coyne Racing with RWR, and the Formula One veteran was joined on the podium by fellow Honda driver Alex Palou, who now has a third-place finish to go with his win at the season opening Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama.

Behind, the lead trio, Graham Rahal recorded a strong result after contact on the opening lap damaged the right-side bodywork of his Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda. After going “off-sequence” with an early pit stop during the resulting caution period, Rahal was able to combine speed with fuel economy to climb from 24th to finish fifth.

GMR Grand Prix of Indianapolis Honda Race Results
2nd Romain Grosjean-R Dale Coyne Racing with RWR Honda
3rd Alex Palou Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
5th Graham Rahal Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda
7th Alexander Rossi Andretti Autosport Honda
9th Scott Dixon Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
10th Marcus Ericsson Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
12th Ryan Hunter-Reay Andretti Autosport Honda
13th Colton Herta Andretti Autosport Honda
14th Ed Jones Dale Coyne Racing with Vasser-Sullivan Honda
16th Takuma Sato Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda
18th James Hinchcliffe Andretti Autosport Honda
23rd Jack Harvey Meyer Shank Racing Honda
24th Jimmie Johnson-R Chip Ganassi Racing Honda

NTT INDYCAR SERIES Manufacturers’ Championship (unofficial, after 5 rounds)
Honda 408 pts
Chevrolet 405

NTT INDYCAR SERIES Drivers’ Championship (unofficial, after 5 rounds)

1. Scott Dixon, Chip Ganassi Racing Honda 176 points [1 win]
2. Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing Honda 163 [1 race win]
3. Josef Newgarden, Team Penske Chevrolet 148
4. Pato O’Ward, Arrow McLaren SP 146 [1 race win]
5. Graham Rahal, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing 137

Quotes
Romain Groshean (Dale Coyne Racing with RWR Honda) Started first, finished second: “The support I’ve received from the fans here [after moving from Formula One to INDYCAR in the off-season] has been incredible. Today, we had a great race. The team did a super job, we just got a bit unlucky with some slower cars and traffic. But P2 for just my third race in an Indy car is not too bad! This is why I came here.”

Alex Palou (Chip Ganassi Racing Honda) Started fourth, finished third: “It was a good day, after a tough weekend, to be honest. We grabbed a podium, and learned a lot during the race. It was a bit exciting fighting with [Josef] Newgarden there, he was pushing us hard. But the team did an amazing job and we came away with a third-place finish.”

Graham Rahal (Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda) Started 11th, finished fifth: “To finish fifth, particularly after the contact at the start, was a big deal for us. Honda, the power was good, and also the mileage was there for us to make our [fuel] strategy. So definitely a solid day, and I think we’ve got a good shot going into the [Indianapolis] 500.”

Wayne Gross (Manager of Trackside Support & IndyCar Project Leader, Honda Performance Development) on today’s race: “We had a good shot at the victory today, but things didn’t quite fall our way. Still, it was great to see both Romain [Grosjean] and Alex [Palou] on the podium. Scott [Dixon] and Alex are still at the top of the Drivers’ Championship, while the manufacturers’ race is tightening up, as we thought it would. Thanks to everyone at HPD and our partner teams for their continued hard work, and now it’s time to focus all our efforts on claiming our 14th Indianapolis 500 victory.”

Fast Facts
The “Month of May” begins this weekend at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway with the GMR Grand Prix. Held on the IMS infield road course, Saturday’s 85-lap race will kick off three weeks of on-track activities leading up to the 105th running of the Indianapolis 500 on May 30.

Honda continues to hold the early-season lead in the 2021 INDYCAR Manufacturers’ Championship, with three victories in the first four races this season. After four of 16 races, Honda holds a 14-point advantage (332-318) over rival Chevrolet. The company is seeking its fourth consecutive NTT INDYCAR SERIES Manufacturers’ Championship in 2021.

Next
Activities at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway continue this week, but move to the historic 2.5-mile oval with four days of practice, starting Tuesday, followed by qualifying next weekend for the 105th running of the Indianapolis 500 on May 30.

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CHEVROLET RACING IN NTT INDYCAR SERIES GMR GRAND PRIX INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY ROAD COURSE MAY 15, 2021 Chevrolet prevails on Indy road course, wins second race in a rowRinus VeeKay, 20, earns first victory, follows Pato O’Ward, 21, to Victory CircleINDIANAPOLIS (May 15, 2021) – For the second NTT INDYCAR SERIES race in a row, Chevrolet’s young talent celebrated in Victory Circle. Rinus VeeKay, competing in his 19th race, earned his first victory by prevailing in the GMR Grand Prix on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course. VeeKay, who started seventh in the No. 21 Sonax/Autogeek Chevrolet, won by 4.9510 seconds over pole winner Romain Grosjean. VeeKay, 20, of The Netherlands, is the sixth-youngest winner in INDYCAR history. His victory follows Pato O’Ward’s initial Series win two weeks ago at Texas Motor Speedway in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren SP entry powered by the 2.2-liter, twin-turbocharged, direct injected Chevrolet V6 engine. O’Ward turned 22 on May 6.  Chevrolet last won two consecutive races to close the 2020 season, and has 91 victories in 154 races since returning to NTT INDYCAR SERIES manufacturer competition in 2012. “I knew we had the car; we were so fast. I’m so happy for the team, so thankful. I couldn’t have done it without them. A perfect day. It’s amazing,” said VeeKay, who delivered the first victory for Ed Carpenter Racing since July 10, 2016, when Josef Newgarden won at Iowa Speedway. “Getting my first podium here last year and now winning, it’s a dream.” Newgarden, a winner on the 2.439-mile/14-turn road course in 2020, finished fourth in the No. 2 Snap-on Team Penske Chevrolet. Simon Pagenaud placed sixth in the No. 22 Menards Team Penske Chevrolet and first-year Series driver Scott McLaughlin finished eighth in the No. 3 PPG Team Penske Chevrolet. VeeKay, who earned his first NTT P1 Award on the IMS road course last October and finished then a career-best third, took the lead for good on Lap 65 of the 85-lap race when Grosjean pitted for the final time. VeeKay led twice for a total of 33 laps. “I’m proud of him; he drove a great race,” team owner/driver Ed Carpenter said. “We were getting good mileage with the Chevrolet engine. The team has done a great job.” Following six practice sessions next week on the 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval, Chevrolet drivers will aim to claim the NTT P1 Award for the 105th Running of the Indianapolis 500. A Chevrolet has started on the pole six times since 2012. NBC and NBCSN will telecast qualifications Saturday, May 22, and Sunday, May 23. NBC will telecast “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” at 11 a.m. ET Sunday, May 30. TEAM CHEVY FINISHERS:1.   Rinus VeeKay, No. 21 Sonax/Autogeek Ed Carpenter Racing4.   Josef Newgarden, No. 2 Snap-on Team Penske6.  Simon Pagenaud, No. 22 Menards Team Penske8.   Scott McLaughlin, No. 3 PPG Team Penske11. Will Power, No. 12 Verizon 5G Team Penske15. Pato O’Ward, No. 5 Arrow McLaren SP17. Felix Rosenqvist, No. 7 Vuse Arrow McLaren SP19. Sebastien Bourdais, No. 14 ROKiT/AJ Foyt Racing20. Dalton Kellett, No. 4 K-Line Insulators/AJ Foyt Racing21. Juan Pablo Montoya, No. 86 Lucas Oil Arrow McLaren SP22. Charlie Kimball, No. 11 Tresiba/AJ Foyt Racing25. Conor Daly, No. 20 MannKind Ed Carpenter RacingDRIVER QUOTES:TEAM CHEVY DRIVER RINUS VEEKAY, NO. 21 SONAX ED CARPENTER RACING CHEVEROLET, CAPTURES CAREER-FIRST WIN IN GMR GRAND PRIX ON ROAD COURSE AT INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY. QUICK WINNER’S QUOTE: WINNING AT INDIANAPOLIS. AT THE BEGINNING OF THE DAY, DID YOU THINK THIS COULD HAPPEN?“I actually thought it, yeah. We had an awesome start to the weekend. I knew we had the car; we were so fast. I’m so happy for the team, so thankful. I couldn’t have done it without them. A perfect day. It’s amazing, and thank you to all the friends coming out. Getting my first podium here last year and now winning, it’s a dream.” OVER THE FINAL FEW LAPS, WERE YOU EVER FAZED BY THE RAIN OR THEM TELLING YOU TO SAVE FUEL OR ANY OF THAT?“I was not concerned about the fuel. I just hoped the rain was not going to get worse. I’m standing in Victory Lane.” THE JOURNEY TO GET HERE AND HOW MUCH YOUR MOM AND DAD HAVE SUPPORTED YOU. WHAT DOES THAT MEAN TO YOU?“It’s amazing. It’s great to have them here. It’s hard to get them overseas, but it’s a dream come true not just for me but for the team, it’s for the family, everyone at home. I’m extremely grateful. My parents sacrificed everything to get me up here. I’m extremely happy.” JOSEF NEWGARDEN, NO. 2 SNAP-ON TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET, FINISHED 4TH: “I was happy with the car yesterday (in qualifications) and I was happy with it today, too. I felt like we just got beat on pace today. We didn’t have the speed. We hung in there and finishing fourth is a decent day with this Snap-on car. Team Chevy won the race and that’s positive for all of us. We’ve had good Chevy engines to start this month, so I’m feeling positive going into the ‘500’.’’  SIMON PAGENAUD, NO. 22 MENARDS TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET FINISHED 6TH): “Finished sixth today at the GMR Grand Prix. Really happy. Massive performance improvement on the Menards Chevy today. Looking forward into the season I think we’re in a really good place. Sixth was really good today. Our group is obviously excited about what’s coming up, the Indianapolis 500, which is the No. 1 goal this year.” SCOTT MCLAUGHLIN, NO. 3 PPG TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET (FINISHED 8TH): “Not a bad day for the PPG Chevy. We were probably a top-six car. Unfortunately, we got caught up with some backmarkers and lost a couple of spots in the pit sequence toward the end. Still, very solid for us. I feel we wanted to be in the top eight in the championship heading into the Indy 500 and that’s where we’re at. Hopefully, we can have a big week next week preparing for the biggest race of my life and come out strong. Very proud of everyone; we completed every lap and to finish in three top 10s now in a row is a cool thing.”  WILL POWER, NO. 12 VERIZON 5G CHEVROLET, (FINISHED 11TH):“We obviously started from behind a bit with mishap in qualifying yesterday. The pace out there today was so strong that it was very difficult to make up many positions, especially when you trying to get into the top 10 or top five. I thought the pace of the Verizon 5G Chevy was good today, and if we have a better qualifying session I think we have a solid points day. Now we’ll take a couple days to prepare and get ready to start work on winning the Indianapolis 500.” SEBASTIEN BOURDAIS, NO. 14 ROKIT AJ FOYT RACING CHEVROLET (FINISHED19th): “Disappointing weekend for the No. 14 ROKiT Chevrolet. Didn’t have the qualifying we wanted and started 20th. On top of it, got fouled up at the start. I picked the outside and that’s where all the chaos ended up, so I lost a bunch of positions. Pace wasn’t great but wasn’t really bad during the race, and toward the end we’re fighting for 15th, 16th, 17th. I made a small mistake coming across the pit exit line and got a drive-thru, which put us right back where we started. Onwards and upwards. Hopefully we got that out of the way and can get a better day for the ‘500’.’’ DALTON KELLETT, NO. 4 K-LINE INSULATORS AJ FOYT RACING (FINISHED 20th): “The first race of the Month of May is wrapped up and P20 for the K-Line Chevy. It’s not exactly where we wanted to end up. As the stint went on and the track rubbered up, we were dealing with more and more understeer. We just used our tools and tried to keep on top of the tires. Consistency was better and we’re making moves from where we started, so that was good. It’s always an exciting race here. Once we got clear air I was running by myself and trying to be consistent. I think we’ve learned some valuable stuff and looking forward to coming back in a couple days and going the other way.” CHARLIE KIMBALL, NO. 11 TRESIBA AJ FOYTA RACING CHEVROLET (FINISHED 22nd): “Kind of a tough day for the No. 11 Tresiba Chevrolet, but we accomplished all our goals. Not the result we wanted, but at the same time we ran almost all the laps, we had three really clean pit stops and this is a crew that hasn’t worked together until this weekend and hadn’t done any over-the-wall stops until warmup this morning. So the fact that they were able to get three really good stops during the race is was a really good thing. It lays a very solid foundation as we head into the week of practice for the Indianapolis 500. I’m looking forward to continue working with Sebastien (Bourdais) and Dalton (Kellett).” RINUS VEEKAY RACE WINNER PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPTTHE MODERATOR: We are joined here in the Dex Imaging Media Center by our race winner, driver of the No. 21 Chevy for Ed Carpenter Racing. Welcome, Rinus. Congratulations.RINUS VEEKAY: Thank you very much.THE MODERATOR: You are now the third new winner of the year. You started off with a broken finger during testing, and now you are winner and in Victory Lane. Tell us about your day and how excited you are.RINUS VEEKAY: It was an amazing day. To start with this morning, we started in the warmup fastest lap time. Of course, doesn’t say too much, but the car felt amazing, very good on the long run, even though we only did blacks. But then we went to the reds, learned from last year because we had many races here, that the reds were very good in the long run, and yeah, just start was great, had a great ability to pass other cars, and strategy was amazing by the team. So everything was just on it.Amazing day, and definitely one I will remember for the rest of my life.THE MODERATOR: We have been joined by race steward Arie Luyendyk here in the media center, close friend of Rinus’s family. A couple more nuggets about today’s win. Rinus has now won at all four levels of the Road to Indy and now in INDYCAR. The last team win was in Iowa July 10th of 2016 with Josef Newgarden and you’ve now become the sixth youngest winner in history at age 20 years, eight months and three days. Yes, we look that kind of stuff up.We will take some questions from here in the media center and then we’ll go to Zoom.Q. Kate mentioned you’re the first driver to win on all four levels of the Road to Indy. What has it meant to you to have that defined path and the scholarships to make it to INDYCAR, from U.S. F2000 to INDYCAR?RINUS VEEKAY: It’s amazing. Of course my first-ever test in U.S. F2000 in that new car was here. That was the Chris Griffis test in 2016. So yeah, just amazing to have so much experience on this track in a long time and go through all the ladder systems and win races and know how to race here.It was an awesome race, and just feels amazing, and I’m very grateful for what the Road to Indy has done to me.Q. Your first top 5 was here in this race last July, your first pole was here in October, your first podium was here in October, and now your first victory is here today. This has got to be your favorite road course, right, favorite course?RINUS VEEKAY: Oh, yeah, I like this track, especially when you have a good car. It’s always more fun.But yeah, just — you know, this is a track that really suits me. Got to be quick, but you can also attack and pass, and there’s many, many opportunities to move forward. That’s exactly what I could do today, so I’m very happy. Really have to thank the team. I’m very grateful for all the sponsors and very excited to start driving with Dale Coyne next week.Q. And also the heritage of this race team is so deeply rooted in this facility with Ed Carpenter and Tony George and the fact that for years they’ve been chasing victories, came close to winning Indy 500s. They’ve won Indy 500 poles. Now here you give the team their first victory at the speedway on the road course. How do you process all that?RINUS VEEKAY: Yeah, it’s crazy. It’s just great for the team. Everyone is so happy. They were already like super motivated, but I’m pretty sure now for the 500 everyone is just going to be next-level motivated. I know we have a good 500 car, good oval car, and yeah, I think we can really, really do well, and I’m just excited to get going.I also want to thank my private sponsors, JUMBO and Basic-Fit. They’ve made everything possible for me, and of course Ed Carpenter Racing. They are the greatest team out there.Q. And also last year you became the fastest teenager in Indy 500 history. I guess next week the next goal is to become the fastest 20-year old in Indy 500 history?RINUS VEEKAY: That’s my goal. Yeah, we’re working on it. I feel super confident. First race win is there, and it takes a lot of pressure off, to be honest. Now I can just drive the 500, and yeah. You know, I don’t have to show that I can win because I’ve done it.Now it’s just going to be focusing on the best possible result, and yeah, I want to thank Ed Carpenter Racing for everything they’ve done for me so far, and yeah, Chevy for the great engines. Indy 500 coming up, lots of power, lots of speed. I’m sure we’ll be good.Q. When did you see today that victory was possible? Was it basically beating — when Romain was coming out of the pit stop and you were ahead of him? Was that when it became very clear to you?RINUS VEEKAY: Yes, definitely. It felt like I could drive away from him. I heard I had a very, very nice gap to him, so I kind of took it easy, tried to save a little bit of tires, even though it was hard to keep them going, but yeah, we got there, saved some fuel at the end, and everything was awesome, like perfect down to the millimeter for the team. Yeah, very happy with them.I don’t know how many times in a row they have given me a great strategy.Q. There was a little bit of drizzle off and on it seemed like today. How much jeopardy was there out there on the track, or what was the sense of this thing could go to rain?RINUS VEEKAY: I wasn’t really sure. I just tried to get the best laps down as possible. I could see the rain on the aeroscreen, but it didn’t seem like it would give a big impact. So kind of took it a little easy on the brake zones, but yeah, corner grip felt just how it should be.No, I’m very happy it stayed dry at least. But the race is over and I’m very happy with it.Q. Romain basically pointed out you were born after he first started racing. Obviously Arie — was Arie a big-time idol growing up? Give us a little background on how far you’ve come so fast.RINUS VEEKAY: Yeah, Arie was a big idol of me. Still is. His dad made my dad’s gearboxes in Formula 4, so a long family connection, and it’s great how fast I’ve been able to — well, first make that step to racing in the U.S. and then move up throughout the ladder system to win my first INDYCAR race.Q. If my memory serves me right, in 2016 you were introduced as the first confirmed driver for the new U.S. F2000 car in 2017. Does it almost feel right that your first victory came here, where you were first introduced to the American motorsports market?RINUS VEEKAY: Oh, definitely. Well, I would take a win anywhere, to be honest, but this is one of the best places to do it. Yeah, I’m just super grateful for all the opportunities I’ve had. I’ve won a race in an INDYCAR.Q. I know you’ve talked a lot about the excitement of moving to Speedway, making this town your home. Does that make this win and being able to have fans around here and interact with your fans like I know you really enjoy doing, does that make this win any sweeter than a first win would have been anywhere else?RINUS VEEKAY: Oh, yeah, it’s definitely an awesome way to win. We had our first real driver parade and driver intro. It was awesome to just greet the fans before the race and see everyone super excited. It’s definitely more surreal to win when there’s fans around.I live in — like right next door, so every day I wake up, open the curtains and I see the grandstands of the racetrack. Definitely the closest I get to a home race. Also for the team, and yeah, just the perfect day on the perfect place on earth.Q. I know we’ve said that this team has been waiting for a win now for nearly five years. Could you sense how much this meant not only to Ed but the folks in the crew around you, many of which have been around here since 2016 and even a good time before that?RINUS VEEKAY: Yeah, it means a lot to the team. Everyone knew at the team that they could win a race, that we could win a race. But we just had to show it. Today was finally the day, and everyone in the world can see that Ed Carpenter Racing with Rinus VeeKay are race winners.Q. Ed told me post-race that he felt like this was maybe your first real complete race of your INDYCAR career now for about a year and a half. What did you feel like you put together to be able to come through with a mistake-free, clean, perfect race?RINUS VEEKAY: Well, I think pace was really, really big today. We had awesome pace, which really helped make the strategy work. Passing was easy because of the pace.Every time someone came in my path I could attack and go for it, and yeah, that really put a few cars between me and Romain at the end, which gave me a lot of comfort.Yeah, definitely a nice way to win with a little bit of margin, and I could kind of breathe at the end, so that was very nice.Q. Now you’ve won this one; how about we take the one after this, as well? Maybe win that one, as well?RINUS VEEKAY: Yeah, I’m very keen to try to sweep the month of May. That’s of course my goal. Yeah, the mentality and everyone’s confidence is super high at the team, so I think we can definitely go for that win. We’ve had an awesome car last year, and Ed Carpenter Racing has showed the last few years that they have the car to win the 500.Yeah, very excited to go drive with Bitcoin during the Indy 500 on the car, and yeah, very excited to try to win the race.Q. The move you made to split the middle on Jimmie Johnson and Alex Palou there seemed like it was pretty pivotal. Could you take us through that, why it was important to make that move there, and did you have any concerns that you might not get through?RINUS VEEKAY: Well, I saw they were coming out of pit lane, but I knew they were teammates, so they have cold tires. I had just kind of the peak on my tires on the reds, so I knew I had to get by and kind of get a gap.Alex defended on the back straight. Jimmie drove the normal line. There was just about one car width space between them and I went for it. I knew there were a lot of marbles on track, so didn’t want to get the tires too dirty, so I stuck it between there, and I know Jimmie is a smart driver, same for Alex, and yeah, kind of hoped they would see me, and they did. I was very happy that I could stick that move, and definitely gave me a big adrenaline kick.Q. Moves like that, it seems like you’re getting a reputation for being that kind of risk taker and having that kind of daring in your game. Do you like having that reputation?RINUS VEEKAY: Oh, yeah, definitely, as long as it’s clean, which it is. I like passing. As spectacular as possible would be nice. No, it’s very nice, and I’m very, very happy that I’ve got the car to do it with. Definitely makes passing a whole lot easier.Q. They were talking to the broadcast about your parents being over here and how they’ve been living with you in Speedway and I guess you’re coming over here to live in the motor home the next couple weeks and they’re going to stay in your place. What’s that been like with the living arrangements at your place and what it’s like having them here for the whole month?RINUS VEEKAY: It’s great to have them over. Of course it’s big to have them here. It’s a lot to take in, but also they were worked as hard as me to get where we are now, so it’s great that they can, yeah, just get in, like soak in this whole experience with me, and yeah, it’s awesome to win when they are here. I am very much looking forward to dinner, and especially the dessert. No, it’s amazing to have them here, and I love them, so it’s amazing.THE MODERATOR: When Alex Palou won at Barber he allowed himself a “bad food” kind of dinner and he was going to seek some fried chicken. What is it you’ll be seeking tonight?RINUS VEEKAY: Cheesecake. Oh, yeah. I told them on the radio, it’s a deal I have with my trainer, when I get a podium I can eat a cheesecake, so I’m very excited, and I think I kind of deserve one.THE MODERATOR: Like a piece of cheesecake or a whole cheesecake?RINUS VEEKAY: I see him do this, so I think it’s a whole one, but I will just go for a piece before I — yeah, well, have a little bit worse night.Q. After St. Pete’s race, a lot of drivers had some complaints about the physical conditions after the race, and today we had a long stint with green flag. Do you think that the physical conditions today was something to complain, also, or not?RINUS VEEKAY: No, actually not. You know, I wanted the race to end earlier, but I had a different reason.But no, physically I felt good. I think St. Petersburg was the hardest race with the temperatures.I live together with my personal trainer; we wake up every day to prepare for days like this, and this really shows how much it pays off. Very happy with it, and for me, the harder the better.Q. You’re the first Dutch winner in INDYCAR. I was wondering what does it mean to you, and do you think your success is going to help further popularize INDYCAR in the Netherlands?RINUS VEEKAY: Oh, definitely, I think so. It’s big to win. Of course I kind of had to show that I could win. That was kind of a pressure. But now that I’ve done it, I think I would like to continue doing it, but yeah, Dutch fans love Dutch success, so I think because of this, more fans are going to follow me. I’ve showed that I can win, and yeah, I can do it more often. Very happy and very happy that so many Dutch people are following me already.Q. I think Arie Luyendyk is in the room with you there if I’m correct. Has he said anything to you or any interactions?RINUS VEEKAY: Yeah, I talked to him and I was very happy for me. I got many, many thumbs up, so yeah. Great day for the Dutch people.Q. I want to ask you, through the first five races, four of the five winners have been in the INDYCAR youth movement, so to say. Can you talk about how successful the younger drivers have been so far? I know it’s a short sample size, but four of the five racers have been in that Indy youth movement.RINUS VEEKAY: Yeah, it’s crazy. I’m the third new winner, third new INDYCAR winner of 2021. I thought last year was crazy. This year is crazier.But I’m very happy. It’s really showed how high the level is, and new generation is coming, so just very happy and, yeah, great podium, too, with Alex, who has become a good friend of mine, and Romain, who of course brings a huge, huge audience from F1 over to INDYCAR.Q. Rinus, we’ve talked about Arie a few times today, but can you expand upon what he’s done for your career to get you to this point and where do you think he’s been the most beneficial or what he’s taught you the most that’s helped you be a winner now?RINUS VEEKAY: Well, Arie has been around for a very long time. I actually met him at the Indy 500 in 2016 here in Indianapolis at the Union Jack’s Pub in a meet-and-greet.No, it’s great to have Arie here, and yeah, he has given me a lot of tips but also very good guidance about watch out for any rule changes and him being an official or steward, he gives me good tips and many reminders that really help me out. Yeah, just little, little tips and a lot of good atmosphere he gives to me so I can win the race.Q. I’m curious what goes through a driver’s mindset when you take over the lead, final stint, and do the nerves go up, heart rate go up? Do you have to play games in your head? Do you feel any vibration around the track? Does anything in the mindset change from the previous stints?RINUS VEEKAY: Yeah, I knew I could win the race, so didn’t want to think too much about it. I kind of wandered off sometimes about, okay, you’re going to be a race winner. Oh, I’m not. I just want to kind to take it easy. But yeah, just big goal was don’t make mistakes. I had a good, comfortable gap, and yeah, I knew the tires were going to go a little bit there at the end, so wanted to do everything to kind of save the rears, but yeah, did everything I could, and yeah, very grateful for everyone around helping me, especially the team Ed Carpenter Racing.Q. How confident are you going into the latter part of the month of May and if you are able to win the 500 do you want VeeKay or van Kalmthout on the trophy?RINUS VEEKAY: Let’s do both.I am very, very excited to get going for the 500. Yeah, Ed Carpenter Racing makes very, very good Indy 500 cars, and everyone is super motivated. It’s the biggest race of the year for them. But to finish off the Indy Grand Prix just before with a win is a big, big confidence boost for everyone at the team.Q. You had said on the race broadcast that your family had sacrificed everything to get you up here. Aside from this win, is there one key moment in your journey that stands out the most?RINUS VEEKAY: It’s this one, yeah, definitely. I’ve never cried when I won a race, but I have done today. So did my parents. Yeah, it’s just amazing.Their lives have evolved around me for a very long time to make this possible for me, and I’m extremely grateful. Yeah, I’ve finally done it. It just feels surreal.I think I will kind of get the feeling more once I wake up tomorrow morning, but no, it’s just great that they can be here and enjoy this moment with me.Q. How much momentum does this give you going into next week for testing and then obviously for qualifying at the weekend?RINUS VEEKAY: Yeah, this is definitely a very good way to end up the streak of road courses, and now getting into oval mode. Yeah, it’s definitely going to be big for the team.Everyone is going to be super motivated. They know we can win the race. We already knew, but now we did, and I think everyone will be — yeah, will be just giving it their all. I knew they always do, but yeah, we can win the Indy 500, and I’ll do everything I can to make it happen.Q. What milk have you decided to go for if you win the 500?RINUS VEEKAY: I decided to go for whole milk. I actually wanted buttermilk, but that wasn’t an option. I saw the photo of Simon pouring milk on his face, and I think the whole milk gives the nice thick layer of milk, which I like.Q. At Laguna Seca when I interviewed you for Indy Lights, you said something to me. You said that you wanted to be the next Max Verstappen of INDYCAR. You’ve already gotten Rookie of the Year and you had your first race win now, and I want to know do you think you’re getting closer to that performance level that he has, but also the orange army?RINUS VEEKAY: Yeah, definitely. I could already see many VeeKay fans here, but I think this is definitely a big step forward. Yeah, I kind of proved myself today, so I think Dutch people are always very proud of their countrymen, and yeah, I think this is the best thing I could do today to get the Dutch army bigger than ever.Q. I think you’re the first driver to win at every level of the Road to Indy and then in INDYCAR, as well. Just wondered kind of your reflections on the Road to Indy and how much that’s helped you to get into the position you are today because obviously the scholarship system is not common around the world, it’s something quite — at least relatively unique to America in the stature that it is. I wonder your kind of reflections on that?RINUS VEEKAY: Yeah, it’s definitely unique that there’s a scholarship system. It really prepares you. You’re always driving before the INDYCAR in the same weekends, and you see the INDYCARs going and you can see the races in real life but you can also race on the tracks you’re going to race in an INDYCAR. I have done many passes, many laps on this track before in all sorts of cars, and it definitely prepared me. I knew everything that could happen in every corner, every scenario, just because of the Road to Indy. So very grateful that I had the opportunity to do that and be successful in the Road to Indy, and yeah, show that if you can win the Road to Indy, you can win an INDYCAR race.THE MODERATOR: Thanks, Rinus, for joining us today. Congratulations on your first career INDYCAR win and I’d like to give a special thanks to all the international media that joined us today.RINUS VEEKAY: Thank you very much. See you at the next one.

Filipe Albuquerque, Wayne Taylor Racing qualifies second for Acura Sports Car Challenge at Mid-Ohio
Dane Cameron to start third in his Meyer Shank Racing ARX-05
Jeff Kingsley to start eighth in Acura NSX GT3 Evo for Compass Racing

LEXINGTON, Ohio (May 15, 2021) – Rolex 24 at Daytona winner Filipe Albuquerque secured a front-row start for Acura today at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course for Sunday’s Acura Sports Car Challenge at Mid-Ohio, Presented by the TLX Type S. Albuquerque qualified second fastest in the Konica Minolta Wayne Taylor Racing Acura ARX-05 he shares with Ricky Taylor.

The 15-minute session, to set the starting field for this weekend’s endurance classic, saw Dane Cameron also have a strong run, posting the third-fastest time in his Sirius XM Meyer Shank Racing Acura prototype. His co-driver in Sunday’s two-hour, 40-minute race will again be Olivier Pla.

In the production-based GTD category, Jeff Kingsley qualified his Compass Racing Acura NSX GT3 Evo eighth in the team’s IMSA debut with Acura, where he will partner with two-time defending series champion Mario Farnbacher. Another 2013 debutant, Till Bechtolscheimer, will start 10th in his Gradient Racing Acura, co-driven by Marc Miller; while John Potter qualified 13th in his Magnus with Archangel NSX he shares with Andy Lally.

Acura Sports Car Challenge at Mid-Ohio, Presented by the TLX Type S Qualifying Results
2nd overall – #10 Ricky Taylor & Filipe Albuquerque, Wayne Taylor Racing Acura ARX-05 DPi
3rd overall – #60 Olivier Pla & Dane Cameron, Meyer Shank Racing Acura ARX-05 DPi
8th GTD – #76 Mario Farnbacher & Jeff Kingsley, Compass Racing Acura NSX GT3 Evo
10th GTD – #66 Mark Miller & Till Bechtolscheimer, Gradient Racing Acura NSX GT3 Evo
13th GTD – #44 Andy Lally & John Potter, Magnus with Archangel Acura NSX GT3 Evo

Quotes
Filipe Albuquerque (#10 Wayne Taylor Racing ARX-05) qualified 2nd: “I’m not going to lie, I’d prefer to be on pole! But starting on the first row is great. Starting on the outside is not ideal here at Mid-Ohio, but we’ve seen that all the prototypes are very close on lap times. I was really happy with the car, it was super close, and shows how competitive this field is. It’s just a little bit wounding on my ego [to wind up second].”

Mario Farnbacher (#76 Compass Racing Acura NSX GT3 Evo) on today’s GTD qualifying, the first for Compass Racing with Acura: “First of all, so happy to be back in the IMSA paddock with an Acura NSX. Considering that this program came together really, really quickly, its good. Obviously, we still have a lot of work to do, but we’re improving each session, so we’re definitely going in the right direction. I’m pretty happy with qualifying, now let’s see what we can do in the race tomorrow”

Fast Facts
Acura is undefeated at Mid-Ohio since returning to prototype competition in 2018. Helio Castroneves and Ricky Taylor won for Acura Team Penske in 2018 and 2020; teammates Dane Cameron and Juan Pablo Montoya won for Acura in 2019.

The new Acura TLX Type S is making its public debut in the Acura Fan Zone Display area. Building on a lineage of driver-focused refinement, the all-new TLX Type S is the most powerful Acura sedan ever. The TLX Type S features a dual-scroll turbo V-6 engine that delivers 355 horsepower, sent to all four wheels via rear-biased Super Handling All-Wheel Drive for blistering acceleration and confident handling. 

Two additional GTD teams join the Acura lineup at Mid-Ohio: Compass Racing and Gradient Racing. Gradient Racing returns for a second year of IMSA Sprint Cup competition with the #66 Unit Nutrition Acura NSX GT3 Evo for drivers Marc Miller and Till Bechtolscheimer. Already a successful Acura team in SRO World Challenge America competition, Compass Racing will now also field an NSX GT3 Evo in IMSA for drivers Mario Farnbacher and Jeff Kingsley.

American Honda operates a dozen corporate, manufacturing and R&D facilities in central Ohio, all within a short drive of Mid-Ohio and employing more than 10,000 associates. Many are expected to be on hand this weekend, as Acura teams and drivers seek to extend their string of success in DPi, and add another “double win” with a class victory in the production-based GTD category in the Acura NSX GT3 Evo.

Where to Watch The Acura Sports Car Challenge at Mid-Ohio
Race day television coverage from Mid-Ohio begins at 2:30 p.m. ET Sunday on the NBC Sports Network. Complete, flag-to-flag race coverage also will be available on the NBC Gold Track Pass and the NBC Sports App.

Fans can listen to audio commentary via IMSA.com, RadioLeMans.com and XM Radio channel 392; and follow the race live via in-car cameras, IMSA Radio and timing & scoring available worldwide on IMSA.com and the IMSA mobile device App.

Acura Motorsports social media content and video links from the Acura Sports Car Challenge at Mid-Ohio can be found on Instagram (www.instagram.com/hondaracing_hpd), Twitter (twitter.com/HondaRacing_HPD) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/HondaRacingHPD). Additional features and long-form videos can be found on the Honda Racing/HPD YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/HondaRacingHPDTV).

CONCORD, N.C. (May 14, 2021) – Brittany Force and her Flav-R-Pac Top Fuel dragster team made their presence known with a stellar run Friday night of the NGK NTK NHRA Four-Wide Nationals at zMAX Dragway to land in the provisional No. 1 qualifying position. Robert Hight and the Auto Club Chevy Camaro are currently No. 4 while John Force and the PEAK / BlueDEF Camaro are in the No. 16 spot with two qualifying sessions left. Making quite the entrance, Brittany Force and her David Grubnic and Mac Savage led Flav-R-Pac dragster team set the track low elapsed time record when they blasted their way to a 3.662-second pass at 333.08 mph. “I’m just pumped after a run like that. That’s a hell of a run,” Force said. “The four-wide race can be tough and tricky, and I just have to keep my focus. (Crew chief David) Grubnic said we were going to have a killer run, and Grubnic, Mac Savage and all of my guys, I’m just so proud of them. “Now we can do what we want because we feel pretty safe, we’re locked in the show,” Force continued. “Now we can really push the car or play around with it and get us set up for race day. We’re locked in, we’re solid so it lets us relax a little bit tonight going into tomorrow. No matter how we run tomorrow we’ll be good to go for race day.” The Funny Car category only saw one car make a full pass down the track. The John Force Racing Chevy Camaro Funny Cars were caught in the mix of tire smoke and shake due to challenging tack conditions. Robert Hight and the Auto Club of Southern California team managed to make it 60-feet before shaking the tires and coasting to a 7.366-second pass and land in the No. 4 position. “Not what we were looking for but that’s why we have two more runs tomorrow,” Hight said. “Jimmy Prock and Chris Cunningham will get it worked out. That’s what they do. We’ll get what we need for race day and get the job done for Auto Club and Chevy and all our sponsors.” John Force and the PEAK / BlueDEF Chevy team had trouble from the hit, going up in tire smoke at the starting line. They would eventually cross the finish line after 14.300 seconds. They’ll start Saturday from the No. 16 position. “Well Brittany and Flav-R-Pac did well, got themselves in the top spot. Funny Cars had some issues. Tough night but it’s good to be here in Charlotte at zMAX with Bruton Smith,” Force said. “Weather looks good for tomorrow, we have two more chances, we’ll get in the show for PEAK and BlueDEF, Chevrolet, Cornwell Tools, ParkerStore and all our sponsors. Let’s see how tomorrow goes but I know we’ll be good.” Qualifying at the NGK NTK NHRA Four-Wide Nationals at zMAX Dragway continues with two sessions on Saturday at 2 and 5:30 p.m. ET. Eliminations on Sunday will take place at noon ET. Television coverage for qualifying will be on FOX Sports 1 (FS1) beginning Saturday at 3 p.m. ET and continuing on Sunday at 11 a.m. ET. Live eliminations coverage will begin Sunday at noon on FOX Broadcasting Network.

Romain Grosjean takes first INDYCAR SERIES pole
Jack Harvey qualifies third for Honda and Meyer Shank Racing
Alex Palou qualifies fourth as Honda drivers claim three of the top four starting positions

SPEEDWAY, Ind. (May 14, 2021) – Romain Grojean captured the pole today in qualifying on the road course at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, as Honda drivers claimed three of the top four starting positions for Saturday’s GRM Grand Prix of Indianapolis.

A veteran for Formula One competition but in his rookie NTT INDYCAR SERIES season, Grosjean edged two-time series champion Josef Newgarden in a thrilling final qualifying round on the 2.439-mile IMS road circuit. It also was the first pole of the season for the Dale Coyne with RWR team. At the end of three “knockout” qualifying rounds, Honda drivers claimed three of the top four starting spots for Saturday’s 85-lap race, with Jack Harvey qualifying third for Meyer Shank Racing and Alex Palou – already a winner this year at the Honda Grand Prix of Alabama – qualifying fourth for Chip Ganassi Racing.

GMR Grand Prix of Indianapolis Qualifying Results
1st Romain Grosjean-R Dale Coyne Racing with RWR Honda
3rd Jack Harvey Meyer Shank Racing Honda
4th Alex Palou Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
8th Colton Herta Andretti Autosport Honda
9th Ed Jones Dale Coyne Racing with Vasser-Sullivan Honda
11th Graham Rahal Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda
14th Alexander Rossi Andretti Autosport Honda
15th Marcus Ericsson Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
16th Scott Dixon Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
17th Takuma Sato Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda
19th Ryan Hunter-Reay Andretti Autosport Honda
22nd James Hinchcliffe Andretti Autosport Honda
23rd Jimmie Johnson-R Chip Ganassi Racing Honda

Quotes
Romain Groshean (Dale Coyne Racing with RWR Honda) Pole Qualifier, 1st NTT INDYCAR SERIES career pole: “We were struggling a bit earlier today, but my engineer [Olivier Boisson] made some really good changes over the [practice session] runs. Then we put on the Reds [softer compound, alternate Firestone tires on], and the car felt so good, amazing. Those last few laps [of qualifying] each time, I was ‘on it’. What a day for us!”

Jack Harvey (Meyer Shank Racing Honda) Qualified Third: “We’re always excited to come to the Indianapolis road course, but what’s allowed this weekend to go well for us so far is really good preparation and focus from everyone on the Meyer Shank Racing/Honda team. That was an incredible lap by Romain [Grosjean, to claim pole], but that’s what we love about the NTT INDYCAR SERIES. We have a small team like Dale Coyne with RWR taking the pole, and our still relatively new team starting third. We all can come and compete [on equal terms]. I’m not sure how many other series in the world have that. We’re really close, and I hope that positivity can help drive us forward tomorrow.”

Fast Facts
Honda drivers have now claimed the pole position for two of the three road and street course races held this season. In addition to Grosjean’s qualifying run today, Colton Herta claimed the pole for Honda and Andretti Autosport at the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg in April.

The “Month of May” begins this weekend at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway with the GMR Grand Prix. Held on the IMS infield road course, Saturday’s 85-lap race will kick off three weeks of on-track activities leading up to the 105th running of the Indianapolis 500 on May 30.

Honda continues to hold the early-season lead in the 2021 INDYCAR Manufacturers’ Championship, with three victories in the first four races this season. After four of 16 races, Honda holds a 14-point advantage (332-318) over rival Chevrolet. The company is seeking its fourth consecutive NTT INDYCAR SERIES Manufacturers’ Championship in 2021.

CHEVROLET IN NTT INDYCAR SERIES GMR GRAND PRIX INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY ROAD COURSE INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA QUALIFYING RECAP MAY 14,2021  TEAM CHEVY DRIVERS CAPTURE THREE OF FIRESTONE FAST SIXJOSEF NEWGARDEN NABBED FRONT ROW STARTING POSITION FOR SATURDAY’S 85-LAP RACE INDIANAPOLIS (May 14, 2021)In one of the most interesting and exciting knockout qualifying sessions for the GMR Grand Prix of Indianapolis, the Firestone Fast Six was one of the most surprising this season in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES season. Two-time Series’ champion Josef Newgarden powered his No. 2 Snap On Team Penske Chevrolet to the outside of the front row next to surprise pole winner former F1 driver and INDYCAR rookie Romain Grosjean. Adding to the excitement of two Rookie-of-the-Year contenders in the FAST SIX, Team Chevy’s and Team Penske’s Scott McLaughlin put the No.3 PPG Chevrolet in the fifth starting position. Continuing the trend of excitement was Conor Daly. No. 20 U.S. Air Force Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet scoring the sixth starting spot.  Jack Harvey and Alex Palou rounded out the Fast Six. Live coverage of the 100-lap race starts at 2:30 pm ET Saturday afternoon  on NBC and the INDYCAR Radio Network.        TEAM CHEVY QUALIFIERS:2.     Josef Newgarden, No. 2 Snap OnTeam Penske5.     Scott McLaughlin, No. 3 PPG Team Penske6.     Conor Daly, No. 20 U.S. Air Force Ed Carpenter Racing7.     Rinus VeeKay, No. 21 Sonax/Autogeek Ed Carpenter Racing10.   Simon Pagenaud, No. 22 Menards Team Penske12.   Will Power, No. 12 Verizon 5G Team Penske13.   Felix Rosenqvist, No. 7 Arrow McLaren SP18.   Pato O’Ward, No. 5 Arrow McLaren SP20.   Sebastien Bourdais, No. 14 ROKiT AJ Foyt Racing      21.   Charlie Kimball, No. 11 Tresiba AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet24     Dalton Kellett, No. 4 K-Line Insulators USA AJ Foyt Racing25.   Juan Pablo Montoya, No. 86 Arrow McLaren SP DRIVER QUOTES:JOSEF NEWGARDEN, NO. 2 SNAP-ON TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET – QUALIFIED 2nd“I had Tim Cindric in my ear like always, he was telling me where we were at. I did a pretty good lap to be honest with you, I wasn’t dissatisfied with it, I think I was within a tenth of what was ultimately possible so we just got beat, Grosjean did a great job. I’ve been very happy with our pace, it’s a lot of work to finish second, it’s kind of funny to be disappointed with that, but I think we’ve got a good vantage point for tomorrow and we can focus on the main thing which is trying to get through this race and win, I mean winning at the end of the day is what’s most important so we’ve got to put our best foot forward for tomorrow.” SURPRISED ABOUT GROSJEAN ON POLE:“I mean look, Grosjean’s a great driver, I’m not surprised that he’s adapted super well, much like Scott McLaughlin, like he’s done a stellar job, he’s right on the pace but you can jump in any car in this series and have a shot at winning, you really can and I think that’s the great thing about what IndyCar is right now is that there’s so much parity, so much competition, you don’t know who’s going to win each weekend. It’s tough on us, we’d love to have an advantage and know we’ve got a little more cushion every weekend but it’s not guaranteed. But ultimately we’ve put in a lot of work here, I think it’s the camaraderie at Team Penske that makes us successful, great partners like Snap-On and Team Chevy. So we think we have what we need to get on top of these people tomorrow but it’s no easy task beating anybody nowadays.” SCOTT MCLAUGHLIN, NO. 3 PPG TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET – QUALIFIED 5THDID YOU EXPECT TO MAKE THE FAST SIX THIS QUICKLY?“It was a goal of ours this weekend. To be honest with you, we really wanted to push that top-10. We’ve been close before, especially at St. Pete. But I’m really proud of the effort from the PPG Chevy team there on the No. 3 car. We were methodical all day. We just like slowly chipped away at it and we had a really good car for qualifying. So, it’s amazing for Romaine Grosjean and the sport for him to come back and get the pole so soon. It’s a privilege to be in the rookie class with him and I’m excited to race him tomorrow.” WHAT’S BEEN THE BIGGEST KEY OF YOUR ACCLIMATION IN GETTING UP THERE WHERE NOW YOU’RE RUNNING WITH THE FRONT GUYS?“It’s nice and we’re right up front with the pit box too; we can have pit allocation in the right spot. For me, we’ve just been slowly chipping away at it with baby steps. I’m learning the car every time. I didn’t quite get the lap in the Fast Six, but it takes a little bit of time to bring the Adrenalin down. That’s what I found just then. You get so excited. You’re in the Fast Six, you’re in the Fast Six; and then you’ve got to settle yourself down and get your mind back on the job. Once I get my mind set right and a few other things, we’ll be good.” WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT IT BEING THE MONTH OF MAY, WE’RE AT INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY, AND YOU’RE GOING TO RACE IN THE INDY 500?“Yeah, it’s amazing. I’m really privileged to be here and driving for the Captain, as well. Our Shell Pennzoil car is going to be fast, I think, across the month. I’ve just got to do right job and listen to the right people and I’ve got Rocket Rick Mears in my corner, so I’m just going to listen to a legend of the sport and enjoy it and suck it all in. I’m just like a sponge right now. It’s a bit surreal. But when you walk out of this.” CONOR DALY, NO. 20 U.S. AIR FORCE CHEVROLET – QUALIFIED 6thYOU SHOULD BE HAPPY WITH STARTING P6 TOMORROW AFTERNOON“Honestly, it feels like a win compared to how this win has gone so far. The last time I was in a car I was upside down and almost on fire. So, we’re really, really excited, especially for our new partner with MannKind and Needlefreeinsulin.com. It’s their first INDYCAR race so, to make the Fast Six is awesome. This field is so incredibly competitive. I’m just super thankful for the work that this team has done because it’s been difficult to get this car how I like it. It really, really has. And we’ve made some changes to get there, and we’ve just got to finish the weekend off now. So, that’s the goal.”YOUR LAST TIME IN A RACE CAR YOU WERE UPSIDE DOWN, SO THIS SHOULD FEEL A LITTLE BIT BETTER TO BE RIGHT SIDE UP“Ha, let me tell you, it’s a lot better to be right side up. This is my home track. I love seeing people here again. It’s such a great crowd, it looks like, today. I’m just super, super grateful to see our fans back here and Roger Penske and the Speedway have done such a great job. It will be a good race tomorrow.” WILL POWER, NO. 12 VERIZON 5G TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET – QUALIFIED 12TH:“I had a very loose car. We were going to be fine, but it stalled. I was having trouble with the clutch and stall because we could’ve driven back into the pits and been fine but unfortunately we caused a red and then you can’t continue. But at least we’re 12th, that’s better than 20th at St. Petersburg, so yeah.” FRUSTRATION: “Yeah, just so crazy how the car can change so much from session to session and it’s the second race on a road course that we’ve had. I think we would’ve been okay in that session had I not made a mistake, so I’m very frustrated with myself.” BEING SO CLOSE:“When it’s that loose, it’s so hard, you’ve got to be so on top of the car and the rear just doesn’t ever bite and you just keep having big moments. My mistake, not happy with myself.” PATO O’WARD, NO. 5 ARROW MCLAREN SP CHEVROLET,QUALIFIED 18TH:“We’ve been off-pace ever since the first practice. We rolled out of the gates weak and we just don’t have pace. I don’t know why. We just have to check why. We were solid here every time we have come and just this time around is just trash. So, we’ll see. It’s going to be a long race tomorrow and we just have to try to fix her up for a long run and see what we’ve got, honestly.” ARE THERE STRATEGY OPTIONS FOR TOMORROW’S RACE?“Yeah, there should be different strategy choices that we can go through. It doesn’t seem like it is going to be just the option of fuel saving and going long so. Hopefully we’ll have a good strategy. We’ll make up traffic position in the undercuts or the overcuts and hopefully that puts us better than where we start. If we get a top 7 finish or so tomorrow, that should be pretty solid.” POST QUALIFYING TRANSCRIPT:THE MODERATOR: We’ve also been joined by Josef Newgarden, driver of the No. 2 Snap-on Team Penske Chevrolet.You started second at the Harvest GP and won the race last year…JOSEF NEWGARDEN: It’s a tremendous amount of work to qualify second. Obviously you don’t want to get pipped right at the very end. Romain does a great job, super top shelf talent, so not surprised to see him getting on pretty well with the car.I think that’s the great thing about this series: you can jump in almost any car in the grid and have a shot at competing for a win or for a pole, which makes it tough on all of us. You lose a 10th or two here, make a small mistake, I nearly didn’t make it into the Fast Six because I made a mistake into turn one in Q2, had a small lockup. It nearly kicked me out of the Fast Six. It’s that tight for everybody.It will be a tough race tomorrow. We’re excited. I think we have a fast car. Tomorrow is what is really going to matter, too. We’re going to keep our heads down and focus on our race car now. Q. Or do you think because it’s up to him to set the pace, he’s going to have a natural advantage anyway?JOSEF NEWGARDEN: No, I mean, look, we haven’t talked about it, but he’s seen a couple starts now. I think he’s going to be just fine rolling into this.Look, the idea of the start, too, is to obviously for the polesitter, he sets the pace. He wants to maintain his advantage, which he has the right to do. I think for the rest of us, for me, I want to get through the start. I’ve seen enough starts here gone bad in turn one. Let’s get through the start and then we can start hammering on each other, figuring out where the pace is, our strengths and weaknesses.He’ll be just fine. He’s seen a couple, knows the rules. He’s plenty experienced. I’m sure we’ll get through okay and get racing. Q. Last year you said one of the reasons you got your first win at this course was because your car was the most consistent from reds to blacks. Is that what you found so far this weekend?JOSEF NEWGARDEN: It seems that way. It’s been very consistent across the board, all conditions. When it was cooler in the morning, when it warmed up in the afternoon, it’s kind of maintained its performance. Yeah, I’m hoping that is a value for us tomorrow.It’s hard to say. We need to get through the warmup, kind of see how the tires behave. There’s just small intricacies to them, right? You lose a couple 10ths a lap around this place, it can mean a lot over a long distance.Yeah, I think that’s our advantage, is that we’ve had a very consistent car. We’re going to try to put it to use tomorrow. Q. Josef, do you think fans really realize how close this series is now, the difference between you guys on a road course infinitesimal almost? What do you attribute that to?JOSEF NEWGARDEN: A lot of it’s down to the evolution of the series. We’ve had this chassis for a long time. I think we’re going on 10 years for the same car. Obviously it’s gone through some iterations with safety development, aero development. But really the mechanical package has not changed.I think what you’re seeing is up and down the grid there’s no real advantages any more. A lot of the engineers have circulated in the paddock, and so have the drivers. You’re seeing teams that pretty much have the same stuff. There’s no real large gains to be made.Even us at Team Penske with all the resource and might that we have, we have to rely on our camaraderie and our instincts and our talent amongst the drivers to get the most out of a weekend. It’s really not an advantage that’s putting us ahead of the pack, it’s the way we work together.Yeah, I think it’s tremendously exciting. I think people do recognize how close INDYCAR is right now. Just a small slipup can put you to the back. I think Alonso was a great example. He came to Indy in 2017 for the first time. Had a good car, qualified up front, raced up front. Came back two years later, didn’t make the race.You can have polar opposite results. You can come in and be very good, come back and not have a very good result. That’s how tight it is. The details really matter. I think it’s very fun as a driver to get the most out of that. It really puts the emphasis on you working with the team, getting the most out of yourself and the most out of the team around you. That’s really fun because that’s the environment I think we grew up wanting to be in, is a place where we make a difference.I love that about the INDYCAR SERIES. I hope people recognize that. Q. Josef, you have some former winners and fast guys starting in the back. How cognizant are you going to be of those guys coming up through the field? There’s some big names shuffled out through the rest of the field.JOSEF NEWGARDEN: As you know, a race can get turned on its head pretty quickly. You can be leading one minute, a bad yellow comes out, you can be put to the back. Anything is possible nowadays.We’re going to try to guard ourselves from the unknowns, which is very hard to do. Sometimes you can’t do much about it. The race just doesn’t work out your way.Yeah, it’s a mixed-up grid. I was really surprised where some people qualified. I think that will make it exciting for the show. If there’s an interesting caution thrown somewhere, you may see a really mixed-up race. They’re all important. We got a good vantage point for the start. We’re going to try to focus on our race and have a good day tomorrow. Q. Josef, obviously you’re starting up front. What do you think you need to do tomorrow to get the win? Just execute everything well?JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Yeah, I think so. Just a good, clean day. Normally the first ingredient, getting through any messes.It’s impossible to say these days. These races turn into all different directions half the time. But if it’s a clean day, I think tire degradation is important here. Fuel conservation can be important. I think tomorrow will be different, seeing that we have bigger windows. Just depends on the way yellows fall or don’t fall.But yeah, keeping a clean, cool head and executing. Executing at the end of the day is what’s most important. Q. Josef, yourself and Alex Palou are the only drivers in the top six with an INDYCAR win. What are the fans witnessing here this season in INDYCAR?JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Are you talking for this year? A win for this year? Q. Yes.JOSEF NEWGARDEN: I haven’t gotten one. Q. Every driver in the top six, yourself and Alex are the only ones with a win in INDYCAR.JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Oh, I understand. You’re saying at any point.Look, I saw the Fast Six. I was surprised by the grid order. It’s getting impossible to predict how these are going to go, especially in qualifying. You can have an impressive run up to qualifying, feel good in practice, get into qualifying and all of a sudden it goes completely different, either positive or negative. It can go a good way, too.Yeah, you’re just seeing parity is what you’re seeing. There’s a youth movement. There’s some experienced guys that are coming in, guys like Grosjean and Scott McLaughlin. Having Jimmie, it’s a very diverse field. You have people from all walks. So I think it’s really unique to watch right now.I think it’s just as competitive as it’s always been, if not the most competitive we’ve ever had it. It’s always hard to say that. Everyone wants to say it’s the golden era when they’re in. I’ve not seen it more competitive in my time than what it is right now. Q. Josef, you obviously had a rough start to the season in Barber. You’ve had a strong car since then. Do you feel like you’ve sufficiently come back from the bad opening race at this point?JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Yeah, I mean, we tried to obviously just jump back on the horse immediately after Barber, so to speak. It was not obviously the start we dreamed of. It was kind of an unusual start for us.But, yeah, I think we had good cars. We had a good car in Barber. That was the most disappointing thing about that day, I think we had a really good race car. We never got to prove that out.Life goes on. Moved on to the next event, had a good car again. We’ve tried to methodically work back into our rhythm, which you have to do. You have to have a very resilient team. I know my guys specifically on the 2 car are very resilient. We focus forward.Whenever we hit a bump, we brush it off and move on. That’s what we did from that point onwards. I feel very positive about where we’re at. We’ve had a good cadence going into the month of May. I hope that rings true for tomorrow, but more so for the 500, which is going to be very important for all of us. Q. Josef, after last year and all the restrictions, coming here with no fans, nobody in Gasoline Alley, how cool was it today to have to fight through fans to get in and out of Gasoline Alley?JOSEF NEWGARDEN: It was nice. It’s not what it used to be. We’re not fully back to that point. But just to have a little of the energy back at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway I think is phenomenal. This place is made for fans. It’s made by the fans.It takes a little more time for us to move around, but I think that’s the way it should be. It’s great to have that energy. You cannot replicate this place, especially on race day for the 500 without fans.I’m excited that everyone has put in so much effort from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, from Roger and the entire team, everyone at INDYCAR. I think what people don’t realize is that this series and this track has gone above and beyond to figure out a way to bring fans back this year, and last year. Didn’t happen last year, but the amount of effort that was put in behind the scenes to make it happen is really commendable.I’m super happy to see people back. I hope they’re happy enough with what we’ve been able to do for this year, continuing the tradition. As soon as we can have everyone back at full capacity, there’s no one that wants that here more than Roger and the entire team.THE MODERATOR: Thank you, Josef. We’ll see you tomorrow for the GMR Grand Prix.

Larson takes a huge step forward The Minnesota driver hopes to keep the momentum rolling after second-place finish CONCORD, NC – MAY 14, 2021 – Brandon Sheppard and Tyler Bruening were locked in a heated battle for the lead at Mississippi Thunder Speedway when an expected moment brought fans to the edge of their seats. Brent Larson squeezed underneath the two drivers, stealing the top spot.He led 16 laps and finished second— his career best World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Models finish.  While the run surprised people watching at the track and at home on DIRTVision, it wasn’t a shock for him. It’s something the Lake Elmo, MN driver believes was a long time coming.  “For me it was kind of like finally. It wasn’t like heck yeah that’s awesome,” Larson said. “I was really happy for the people that put so much effort into it.” While it meant a lot to get on the podium, it meant more because the Wisconsin track is less than two hours from his home. “It was cool to be around home and have my in-laws there, my daughter and my son there, my wife on sticks, and my crew that’s there week in and week out,” Larson said. “For them to be there and see how happy and excited they were, was probably a bigger deal for me than finishing second.”  One of the biggest contributors to Larson’s recent success is hiring a new crew member. Donnie Birdwell moved from Florida to join the team. It helps take some of the load off Larson in the shop.  “He’s been a great addition to my team, and he’s able to catch everything that takes time,” Larson said. “He’s not a wizard on setup, but most drivers at this level know what they’re after. It’s more about having somebody that can help drive the truck, get things maintained, and keep the car going.” Even though Birdwell’s been a big help, it’s still a family-run operation. Larson’s wife Melanie is the team’s tire specialist, and both of his kids also help.   “My kids have been around it since they were born,” Larson said. “My son when he was three or four years old was learning how to break down tires, and air stuff up. If you look at my Facebook, there’s even pictures through the years of him tearing down engines since he was a little guy. It’s the life they’ve always known.” Helping Dad isn’t the only thing his son Matthew is working on right now. Just like his father, he’ll be getting behind the wheel.  “We’re in the middle of putting a car together for [Matthew] right now,” Larson said. “He saved up a lot of money last summer, his grandpa matched him, and he bought a Super Stock. That’s the class I started in.”  Even though Larson’s helping Matthew get his Super Stock ready, his focus is still on the Late Model. His goal for the rest of 2021 is to stay consistent.   “I feel like I want to string three or four good weekends together before I have a bad one,” Larson said. “I want to crack off a few more podiums, and we really want to win a race. That’s everybody’s goal that’s in a spot that hasn’t won one. I really want to win a World of Outlaws race.” Larson’s quest for his first victory continues at Port Royal Speedway, May 21-22, when the World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Models battle in the Huey Wilcoxon, and Billy Vacek Memorials.  If you can’t make it either night watch all the action live on DIRTVision with the annual Platinum FAST PASS subscription for $299/year or the monthly FAST PASS subscription for $39/month.

The World of Outlaws Morton Buildings® Late Model Series is brought to fans across the country by many important sponsors and partners, including: DIRTVision (Official Live Broadcast Partner), Drydene (Official Motor Oil), Hoosier Racing Tire (Official Tire), iRacing (Official Online Racing Game), Morton Buildings (Official Building), SIS Insurance (Official Insurance Provider) VP Racing Fuels (Official Racing Fuel); in addition to contingency sponsors, including: Arizona Sport Shirts/Gotta Race, ARP (Automotive Racing Products), Cometic Gasket, COMP Cams, MSD, Penske Racing Shocks, Quarter Master, Slick Woody’s (Quick Time Award), and Wrisco (Exclusive Racing Aluminum); along with manufacturer sponsors, including: Capital Race Cars, FireAde, Integra Shocks, Intercomp, K1 Race Gear, Racing Electronics, Reliable Painting, and Rocket Chassis.Founded in 1978, the World of Outlaws®, based in Concord, NC, is the premier national touring series for dirt track racing in North America, featuring the most powerful cars on dirt, the World of Outlaws NOS® Energy Drink Sprint Car Series and the World of Outlaws Morton Buildings® Late Model Series. Annually, the two series race nearly 140 times at tracks across the United States and Canada. CBS Sports Network is the official broadcast partner of the World of Outlaws. DIRTVision® also broadcasts World of Outlaws events over the Internet to fans around the world. Learn more about the World of Outlaws.

Richard Childress Racing at Dover International Speedway… Richard Childress Racing is no stranger to Victory Lane at Dover International Speedway, with four NASCAR Cup Series wins and three NASCAR Xfinity Series wins at the track affectionately known as the Monster Mile. The Welcome, N.C. organization has also captured 24 top-five and 58 top-10 finishes in the Cup Series at the concrete oval.  Catch the Action… The NASCAR Xfinity Series’ Dover 200 at Dover International Speedway will be televised live Saturday, May 15, beginning at 1:30 p.m. ET on FS1 and will be broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.  The NASCAR Cup Series’ Dover 400 at Dover International Speedway will be televised live Sunday, May 16, beginning at 2 p.m. ET on FS1 and will be broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.  ‌  ‌  ‌Austin Dillon and the No. 3 Huk Fishing Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE at Dover International Speedway… Dillon has 15 previous NASCAR Cup Series starts to his credit at Dover International Speedway, earning his best finish of seventh in October 2018 and finishing ninth in his most recent appearance at the track in August 2020. In eight previous NASCAR Xfinity Series appearances at the track, Dillon’s best finish is fourth in May 2015, and he is the June 2013 Xfinity Series pole sitter at the Monster Mile. The 2011 NASCAR Truck Series champion has two starts at the track in the Truck Series, earning his best finish of fourth in the May 2011 event. He also finished ninth at the track in a NASCAR K&N Pro Series East race. Welcome, Huk… Huk is the fastest-growing fishing brand with an authentic passion for its products and lifestyle. Based in Charleston, S.C., at the confluence of three major rivers and a stone’s throw from the Atlantic Ocean, Huk’s product developers enjoy a dizzying array of angling opportunities that help shape and mold its purpose-built fishing brand. Huk is a fast-growing brand with wide-reaching appeal that resonates with RCR’s fan base. Huk serves as the Official Gaiter of Richard Childress Racing. For more information, visit www.hukgear.com. AUSTIN DILLON QUOTES:Does Dover drive like a giant Bristol, or not so much?“Not so much. There’s a lot of aero stuff that comes into play at Dover because you’re going so fast. You see different lines come into play as the rubber builds up. It’s always fun on a long run when you can run way up by the fence and find speed. I’m looking forward to it.” How hard is that when you pick up rubber during the cautions?“Yeah it’s just a process that we go through every week that we have to try and balance our car around. It can get difficult at times, but Dover is a place where it’s fun.”Tyler Reddick and the No. 8 Cat Linkage Pins Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE at Dover International Speedway… Reddick has two previous NASCAR Cup Series starts at Dover International Speedway, with his best finish of 13th coming last year. Reddick has five NASCAR Xfinity Series starts at the Monster Mile, earning his best finish of third in the series during the spring 2019 race under the direction of crew chief, Randall Burnett. Reddick also has one NASCAR Truck Series win at Dover from 2015. About Cat Linkage Pins and Bearings… Don’t let one of your smallest parts become your weakest link. Cat® linkage pins and bearings keep your machine and your work moving, all day, every day. Unlike competitive options, Cat linkage pins and bearings are designed with the machine to strict Caterpillar specifications. That means every joint is a perfect fit delivering precise productivity, longer life and lower operating cost. Celebrating Cat Owner’s Club… Commemorating Cat customers by featuring 2 Cat Owner’s Club members on the car. Help us spotlight Cat customers Contech, Inc. from Broken Arrow, Oklahoma and Plavchak Construction Co., Inc from Elizabeth, Pennsylvania. If you are a Cat Customer, you to can join the Cat Owner’s Club at cat.com/OwnersClub. TYLER REDDICK QUOTE: What are your expectations heading into Dover this weekend now that you have a couple of Cup starts there?“To be honest, I really don’t know. As much as teams maybe want to look back at Bristol to make things better at Dover, I don’t know how much you really can. We just didn’t get it right for the doubleheader at Dover last year. We were decent in the first race but didn’t make the right adjustments for Day 2 and went the wrong way. That was low-downforce race last year, which we have again this year, so we’ll see how it goes. I’m hoping that some of the gains we made that made us really good at Bristol in the fall last year will apply to Dover for us this time around. I really like Dover and have had some good success there in the Trucks and Xfinity cars. Mistakes have just been made here and there along the way at Dover, but I’m hoping that narrative changes this weekend. I do love the track, and I love going up there. It’s a fast concrete oval, and it’s really demanding.”Myatt Snider and the No. 2 TaxSlayer Chevrolet Camaro at Dover International Raceway… Snider has two career NASCAR Xfinity Series starts at Dover International Speedway, both coming in the doubleheader weekend in 2020. The 26-year-old has also competed in one NASCAR Truck Series event at the Monster Mile. About TaxSlayer… TaxSlayer makes online tax filing accessible for millions of Americans, with an easy-to-use platform and unlimited support at a fraction of the cost of the competition. Trusted for over 50 years, the Augusta-based tech company successfully completed more than 10 million federal and state e-filed tax returns in 2020 and processed $15 billion in refunds. TaxSlayer achieved a 4.5/5 TrustScore on consumer review site Trustpilot, with 87% of its customers rating the tax filing platform Great or Excellent. For more information, visit www.TaxSlayer.com. MYATT SNIDER QUOTE:Dover is a unique, concrete high-banked oval. How have you prepared to go there this weekend? “Dover is unlike any track that we go to. Even though Bristol is also a concrete high-banked oval, there really aren’t a ton of comparisons when it comes to the driver perspective. The track surface typically allows you to have a couple different lanes, which is helpful. Andy Street (crew chief) and I have been working on the sim and watching film to prepare the best we can for Saturday’s race and I’m looking forward to slaying it.”

BRADFORD, VT — Nestled in the heart of Vermont’s Green Mountains is the historic Bear Ridge Speedway. While the quarter-mile dirt oval is celebrating 54 consecutive years of auto racing, this Saturday, in the beautiful hamlet of Bradford, will be a history-making event for the husband/wife promoting duo of Butch and April Elms.The DIRTcar Sportsman Series will venture to their famed Bear Ridge Speedway in the Series’ first trip to Vermont. The second leg of the East Region will bring a host of outside stars to battle the hometrack faithful looking for the $1,400 top prize being offered from the more than $7,000 total purse.Jason Gray, of East Thetford, VT, is looking forward to the challenge and can be looked at as a favorite to keep the money in his home state, having claimed the track championship in 2020.“It’s a huge achievement for the track to have a Series race being a small track in Vermont,” Gray said. “It’s a much smaller track than what you see in New York. The guys from New York will have fun because it’s a bullring but it will be a challenge because our clay is different from theirs. The track surface is different than what anyone is used to. The track stays hard and slick with no rubber. It’s going to be a great race.”Gray comes into the event at his home turf sitting ninth on the East Region points which puts him in a good position looking for the East Region crown and bragging rights.The Vermont faithful doesn’t stop at Gray. Fellow competitors Jordan Fornwalt and Richie Simmons were not only top five in Bear Ridge points last year but come into the event this Saturday in the top five in the East Region as well. “I will be chasing the track championship at Bear Ridge, traveling a little, and following the DIRTcar Sportsman Modified: East Region,” Gray said of his 2021 racing plans. “I think it’s going to be a good series. I was excited to run it last year but obviously, we couldn’t. There’s a lot of good racers in the east that don’t travel much but a lot of guys get to see the talent while on the tour.”Racing is a family affair for Gray. His grandfather, father, uncle, and sister have all been in racing and the family traces its racing origins to the early 1960s. But he will face stiff competition from outside Vermont’s borders. The list of outsiders will be strong and looking for the “Green Mountain Money.” Johnny “The Jet” Scarborough won the opening East event two Saturdays ago at the Airborne Speedway. The Vermont native will be making the trip as well as David Boisclair and Justin Severance who finished on the podium on May 1.  Top DIRTcar Sportsman drivers Andrew Buff and Jamie Begor plan on making the trip and for Buff, it could mean redemption as he made contact with a lapped car in the closing stages while leading at Airborne Speedway. To add to the excitement, Lebanon Valley Speedway promoter Howie Commander gave his Sportsman the night off and is offering $300 and $200 to the top two highest finishing Lebanon regulars.The DIRTcar Sportsman Modified Series: East Region racing starts with Time Trials, which set the Heat Races, Last Chance Showdowns, and of course the 42-lap $1,400-to-win Feature.  That plus the DIRTcar Sportsman Coupes, Late Models, Street Stocks, and 4-Cylinder divisions will make for an action-packed night.      Be sure to bookmark DIRTcar.com and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

DIRTcar Racing is brought to fans by many important sponsors and partners, including: DIRTVision (Official Live Broadcast Partner), Hoosier Racing Tire (Official Tire), SIS Insurance (Official Insurance Provider), VP Racing Fuels (Official Racing Fuel), Chevy Performance Parts, iRacing (Official Online Racing Game), Arizona Sport Shirts/Gotta Race, and NAPA Auto Parts (SDS). Contingency sponsors include: ARP (Automotive Racing Products), ASI Race Wear (SDS), Bassett, Bicknell Racing Products, Billy Whittaker Cars & Trux (SDS), Cometic Gasket (SDS), COMP Cams, Drydene, Fast Shafts, Fox Factory (SDS), Arizona Sport Shirts/Gotta Race, Jerovetz Motorsports Shock Service, KSE Racing Products, MSD, Quarter Master, Schoenfeld Headers, Summit Racing Equipment, and Wrisco (Exclusive Racing Aluminum) (SDS); along with manufacturer sponsors, including: Beyea Headers, FireAde, Intercomp, K1 Race Gear, Racing Electronics and Velocita USA.

FairburySheppard, Pierce, Shirley and more of DIRTcar’s biggest names scheduled to compete FARMER CITY, IL – May 13, 2021 – With the highest-paying weekend of the 2021 MARS Racing Seriesseason on deck this weekend, the brightest stars are scheduled to come out and compete. $25,000 in total winner’s shares is on the line as the Midwest’s biggest DIRTcar-sanctioned MARS Late Model names visit two of Illinois’ most popular dirt tracks – Farmer City Raceway and Fairbury Speedway. The fifth annual Farmer City 74 kicks the weekend off Friday night, May 14, with a $10,000-to-win Feature for the MARS Late Models, joined by DIRTcar UMP Modifieds, Pro Late Models and Stock Cars. Grandstand gates at 1pm; adult general admission tickets are $25, children 12-and-under are free. Pit gates open at noon; pit passes are $40 for adults, $20 for children 12-and-under. Hot Laps are scheduled for 6:30pm. From there, the Series heads 45 minutes northward on Saturday, May 15, for a $15,000-to-win Spring Showcase spectacular at Fairbury Speedway alongside the UMP Modifieds. Grandstand gates open at 2pm; adult general admission tickets are $25, children 12-and-under are free with paying adult. Pit gates open at noon; pit passes are $40 for adults, $15 for children 12-and-under with paying adult. Here are the storylines to follow and drivers to watch for this weekend… BACK TO THE B5 – Brandon Sheppard will make his first MARS starts of the season and blow the dust off his family-owned #B5, marking his first weekend stretch of racing this year not piloting the Mark Richards-owned Rocket Chassis house car. Fairbury and Farmer City are Sheppard’s old playgrounds. He grew up racing around the banked quarter-mile facilities before joining the national Late Model tour ranks, providing him with more than enough experience to get the job done on the black-dirt bullrings at a moment’s notice. Sheppard won MARS’ most recent stop at Fairbury last year, besting a loaded field of national, regional and local talent that hosted over 50 cars in the pits. OPERATION: DEFENSE – Bobby Pierce holds a lot of recent merit at these two facilities. Pierce, of Oakwood, IL, won the inaugural Farmer City 74 in 2017, as well as the preliminary night last year, scoring $5,000 in a dominant performance that saw him lap the field up to eighth place with a seven-plus-second lead before a yellow halted that progress in traffic. Two days later, he won the MARS-sanctioned FALS Super Nationals at Fairbury, besting all 33 other cars on the property for a $10,000 paycheck against his biggest DIRTcar Late Model rivals. Two big wins against the World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Model Series in April has propelled him to an eighth-place spot in the current DIRTcar national points standings. CHAMP OUT FRONT – The defending MARS champion, Brian Shirley, of Chatham, IL, had a solid outing with the Series last weekend at LaSalle with two runner-up finishes in two days. He led most of Saturday’s Thaw Brawl finale before giving up the lead just after the halfway point, showing the Bob Cullen Racing team’s consistency early in the season. While he fell just short of his second victory in the event, Shirley did retain the points lead and carries it coming into this weekend, just five points ahead of season-opening Feature winner Ryan Unzicker. Shirley had wins at both Farmer City and Fairbury last year with the DIRTcar Summer Nationals and placed third and ninth, respectively, in the final MARS visits to the two venues. WINNER WINNER – With one MARS Feature win already under his belt this year, Ryan Unzicker heads into the weekend second in the standings, five points back of Shirley. The El Paso, IL-native also has a Feature win at Fairbury that came in the season opener two weeks ago for the track’s FALS Cup weekly series against a host of strong DIRTcar Late Model talent expected to be in the field this weekend, including Mike Spatola, Jason Feger and McKay Wenger. Unzicker placed sixth in both the Farmer City 74 and a special summer edition of the Spring Showcase last year. HUSTLER ON THE HIGHWAY – Jason Feger made it a night to remember in last year’s running of the Farmer City 74 (named after the highway that runs just north of the track), passing former event winner Shannon Babb for the lead around halfway and holding he and Pierce off for the win. Feger, of Bloomington, IL, has two third-place finishes in weekly action at both tracks so far this year, and will be a threat to defend his event title this weekend. He and his MB Customs chassis ran fifth in both MARS events last weekend at LaSalle, placing him fifth in the standings and 17th overall in DIRTcar Late Model national points.

DIRTcar Racing is brought to fans by many important sponsors and partners, including: DIRTVision (Official Live Broadcast Partner), Hoosier Racing Tire (Official Tire), SIS Insurance (Official Insurance Provider), VP Racing Fuels (Official Racing Fuel), Chevy Performance Parts, iRacing (Official Online Racing Game), Arizona Sport Shirts/Gotta Race, and NAPA Auto Parts (SDS). Contingency sponsors include: ARP (Automotive Racing Products), ASI Race Wear (SDS), Bassett Racing Wheel, Bell Helmets, Beyea Custom Headers, Bicknell Racing Products (SDS), Billy Whittaker Cars & Trux (SDS), Cometic Gasket (SDS), COMP Cams, Drydene, Fast Shafts, Fox Factory, Jerovetz Motorsports Shock Service, K1 Race Gear, KSE Racing Products, MSD, Mulit FireX, Quarter Master, Schoenfeld Headers, Summit Racing Equipment, Velocita USA, Wrisco (Exclusive Racing Aluminum), and Xceldyne. Along with manufacturer sponsors, including: FireAde, Intercomp, and Racing Electronics.

TEAM CHEVY ADVANCE DRYDENE 400 DOVER INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY DOVER, DELAWARE MAY 16, 2021 RACE #13 – DOVER INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAYTeam Chevy drivers will seek to extend recent and historic success as Dover International Speedway plays host to the NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) and NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) this weekend. Chevrolet has 41 NCS victories to lead all manufacturers at the 1-mile concrete oval that features 24 degrees of banking in the turns. The Drydene 400 on Sunday, May 16, will be the 103rd NCS race at Dover, which has held two NCS races every year since 1971. Kyle Larson, coming off a runner-up finish at Darlington Raceway in the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, paces active drivers with an average finish of 7.4 in 12 starts. That includes a win and third place in 2019 and a pair of second-place finishes. Reigning NCS champion Chase Elliott won at the track in 2018 and has recorded seven top-10 finishes in 10 starts. Career Chevrolet driver Jimmie Johnson is the all-time leader with 11 victories at the track. Chevrolet drivers won six races in a row from June 2013 to October 2015. Chevrolet remains atop the NXS Manufacturer Standings through nine races heading into the Drydene 200 on Saturday, May 14. Justin Allgaier, who drove the No. 7 JR Motorsports Camaro SS to victory lane last weekend at Darlington Raceway, won the opener of the August 2020 doubleheader at Dover. He also captured the win at the venue in 2018. Heading into the Series’ 10th race on the 2021 schedule, Team Chevy drivers occupy the fourth through ninth spots in the standings. BYRON EXTENDS CUP RECORDWith his fourth-place finish last weekend at Darlington Raceway, William Byron, 23, became the youngest driver in NASCAR Cup Series history to record 10 consecutive top-10 finishes. The impressive streak makes Byron just the fourth driver in Hendrick Motorsports’ history to record 10 or more consecutive top-10 finishes for the organization in NASCAR’s premier series. Byron’s streak started with his win at Homestead-Miami Speedway in February and is the longest by a Hendrick Motorsports’ driver since Jeff Gordon in 2007. Byron remains third in the Driver Standings. His Hendrick Motorsports teammate, Kyle Larson, who was runner-up at Darlington, moved up three spots to sixth. Reigning NCS champion Chase Elliott is eighth heading into the Dover race weekend.  CREED TOPS THE FIELDReigning NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) champion Sheldon Creed earned his first victory of the season and first at Darlington Raceway in the No. 2 GMS Racing Chevrolet Silverado. With his recent win, the California-native secures his spot in the 2021 NCWTS Playoffs and his chance to defend the championship title. NCWTS Chevrolet drivers will return to action May 22 at Circuit of the Americas. ON THE WAY TO THE GREENWith no practice or qualifying for the race, the starting lineup is determined by NASCAR’s metrics system that was introduced to the series last year and incorporates results from both individual races and season-long results. Team Chevy’s top-20 starters:3rd      William Byron, No. 24 Axalta Camaro ZL1 1LE 4th       Kyle Larson, No. 5 NationsGuard Camaro ZL1 1LE8th       Chase Elliott, No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Camaro ZL1 1LE 12th     Tyler Reddick, No. 8 CAT Linkage Pins Camaro ZL1 1LE14th     Austin Dillon, No. 3 Huk Performance Fishing Camaro ZL1 1LE 16th     Alex Bowman, No. 48 Ally Camaro ZL1 1LE 19th     Ross Chastain, No. 42 Moose Fraternity Camaro ZL1 1LE BOWTIE BULLETS.·       Chevrolet has 798 NASCAR Cup Series wins to lead all manufacturers.  ·       Chevrolet leads all manufacturers with 50 top-10 finishes this season. ·       In addition to its 41 wins at Dover International Speedway, Chevrolet has amassed 205 top-five and 389 top-10 finishes.  ·       On Oct. 7, 2018, Chase Elliott became the youngest race winner at Dover (22 years, 10 months, 9 days). ·       Career Chevrolet driver Jimmie Johnson is the last driver to win at Dover from the pole or first starting position (Sept. 26, 2010). ·       Jimmie Johnson is the all-time leader with 3,113 laps led at Dover. ·       Kurt Busch has the most starts at Dover among active drivers with 41. ·       Kurt Busch (September 2000) and Ross Chastain (June 2017) made their first NCS start at Dover. ·       Austin Dillon has completed 99.88% of race laps (3,341 of 3,345). ·       Hendrick Motorsports leads all organizations with 20 wins among six drivers at Dover. ·       Chase Elliott (Daytona Road Course), William Byron (Homestead-Miami Speedway) and Kyle Larson (Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Atlanta Motor Speedway 2, Kansas Speedway) have scored stage wins. TUNE INFS1 will telecast the NASCAR Cup Series Drydene 400 live at 2 p.m. ET Sunday, May 16. Live coverage can also be found on MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90. FS1 will telecast the NASCAR Xfinity Series Drydene 200 at 1:30 p.m. ET Saturday, May 15.  QUOTABLE QUOTESWILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 AXALTA CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 3rd IN STANDINGSBYRON ON HIS OUTLOOK OF RACING AT DOVER: “Dover is just a tough, tough place. There are drastic shifts in the track and you have to be able to pick up on those trends early in a run. I feel like we have a good package prepared for Dover, though. It goes back to the Chad Knaus days with Jimmie (Johnson) while incorporating in some of Chase (Elliott’s) feedback with his success there. We’ve had really fast cars there and I feel like we’re able to take those setup notes and morph it into something that fits all of our driving styles. I think, because of that, we’ll be strong there again. I feel like there is no reason why we wouldn’t be. It’s going to be about making your car turn in the right spots and not get it too loose, because once it’s too loose, it’s just a real handful.” RUDY FUGLE, CREW CHIEF, NO. 24 AXALTA CAMARO ZL1 1LE FUGLE ON RACING AT DOVER: “I think Dover is pretty unique. It’s got its own characteristics and they kind of apply to everything, no matter what you’re racing there. I think a lot of those characteristics and those thoughts can be applied to a Cup car, and I can use all these great notes from Hendrick Motorsports. Obviously, they’ve had a lot of success here in the past, so you add those things together and, hopefully, get a winning race car.” KYLE LARSON, NO. 5 NATIONSGUARD CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 6th IN STANDINGSLARSON ON SUCCESS AT DOVER: “Dover has always been a good track for me. I’ve led a lot of laps and finished in the top-10 a lot of times there. I’m definitely excited to race at Dover this weekend, and definitely excited to drive a Hendrick Motorsports car there. They’ve run well there for a long time now. It’s a fast track and you have to keep up with the changing track conditions during a run. It’s aggressive, so I like it.” CLIFF DANIELS, CREW CHIEF, NO. 5 NATIONSGUARD CAMARO ZL1 1LEDANIELS ON WORKING WITH JOHNSON AT DOVER AND NOW LARSON: “There are a few things that Jimmie really looked for in a car at Dover. Comparing their driving styles, there are some things we can tweak for Kyle. Hendrick Motorsports has a great history at Dover. Assuming we do our homework correctly, we can run well there Sunday.” CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 8th IN STANDINGSELLIOTT ON SUCCESS AT DOVER: “Last year was unfortunate. We got caught up in a wreck pretty early and were done for the day, but we have had some good runs at the track in the past. Hendrick has had fast cars at Dover, too, and I know I’ve said it before but I think Jimmie (Johnson) is one of the biggest reasons for that success. He was so good at Dover and gave all of us such a good baseline to start each race weekend. We look forward to getting back this weekend and, hopefully, having a good run.” ALAN GUSTAFSON, CREW CHIEF, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CAMARO ZL1 1LEGUSTAFSON ON RACING AT DOVER: “I always look forward to going to Dover. I have always liked the track and like racing there. Outside of our win, we have a pretty good track record at Dover, so we are looking forward to seeing what we have for Sunday.” AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 HUK PERFORMANCE FISHING CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 12th IN STANDINGSDOES DOVER DRIVE LIKE A GIANT BRISTOL OR NOT SO MUCH?“Not so much. There’s a lot of aero stuff that comes into play at Dover because you’re going so fast. You see different lines come into play as the rubber builds up. It’s always fun on a long run when you can run way up by the fence and find speed. I’m looking forward to it.” HOW HARD IS THAT WHEN YOU PICK UP RUBBER DURING THE CAUTIONS? “Yeah, it’s just a process that we go through every week that we have to try and balance our car around. It can get difficult at times, but Dover is a place where it’s fun.” ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 48 ALLY CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 14th IN STANDINGSBOWMAN ON WHY HE LOVES RACING AT DOVER: “This weekend, we are going to a track that has previously been pretty good for our team. Dover is one of my favorite places to go because it is a physically demanding race. It is demanding on both the driver and the car, so you really have to make sure that you take care of your stuff all day. We haven’t had the best of luck the past few weeks, but this Ally team is going into this week with a positive mindset and looking for a reset.” GREG IVES, CREW CHIEF, NO. 48 ALLY CAMARO ZL1 1LEIVES ON STARTING FRESH AT DOVER: “Dover is a great place to get to with our Ally Chevrolet. We have some good notes to go off of, especially from last season. We are looking to go to Dover and continue to march forward. We are starting 16th, which is further back than we would have wanted but we have come from the back before. We have to go into this weekend with a positive mindset and put that last few weeks behind us.” TYLER REDDICK, NO. 8 CAT LINKAGE PINS CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 16th IN STANDINGS“As much as teams maybe want to look back at Bristol to make things better at Dover, I don’t know how much you really can. We just didn’t get it right for the doubleheader at Dover last year. We were decent in the first race but didn’t make the right adjustments for Day 2 and went the wrong way. That was low-downforce race last year, which we have again this year, so we’ll see how it goes. I’m hoping that some of the gains we made that made us really good at Bristol in the fall last year will apply to Dover for us this time around. I really like Dover and have had some good success there in the Trucks and Xfinity cars. Mistakes have just been made here and there along the way at Dover, but I’m hoping that narrative changes this weekend. I do love the track, and I love going up there. It’s a fast concrete oval, and it’s really demanding.” DANIEL SUAREZ, NO. 99 COMMSCOPE CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 23rd IN STANDINGSWHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON DOVER?“Actually, Dover is one of my favorite tracks that we go to. It’s so much fun and the feeling you get inside the car is pretty incredible. It’s also been one of my best tracks, statistically. My expectations are really high for this weekend because I have run so well in the past there.” ERIK JONES, NO. 43 MEDALLION BANK CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 27th IN STANDINGSWHAT ARE THE CHALLENGES THAT COME WITH RACING AT DOVER?“Dover (International Speedway) is a tough a place for a lot of reasons. Physically, it is probably one of the tougher races of the season for the driver. It is fast and rough. The track bounces you and throws you all around in the car, so that is always tough on your body. To get your car driving well is always hard, as well. The transitions into the corners are really big and it is kind of like falling off a cliff when you drive down into turns one and three. It is always a little bit of a difficult time to get your car really doing what you want it to do. It’s definitely physically one of the toughest races of the year.” COREY LAJOIE, NO. 7 DRYDENE PERFORMANCE PRODUCTS CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 30th IN STANDINGS“Dover is one of the most unique tracks we go to on the schedule. We’re taking the 750 hp package back like we had last weekend, which will make the groove get wider to the second and third lane as you try to put the power down. The big transition from the banking to the straightaways always play into who can manage that best throughout the day. We had a solid car last week at Darlington and we’ll bring a setup similar this week. Dover is a place where I’ve been in Victory Lane (in a K&N car), so I always have more confidence rolling into the Monster Mile. I’m really excited to have Drydene back on the car for the Drydene 400 weekend. They’ve been a great supporter of mine for the past couple years of my career, so it’s awesome to continue that relationship and grow it with Spire Motorsports.”

AUSTIN, TX (May 14, 2021) —  The NHRA Carolina Four-Wide Nationals are Alexis DeJoria’s second shot this season driving the ROKiT Bandero Premium Tequila Toyota Camry Funny Car in one of drag racing’s most unique events. With over 40,000 horsepower on the starting line the round by round competitors almost equal an entire starting grid of most NASCAR races as soon as they hit the throttle pedal. That kind of raw power is what draws thousands of fans to zMAX Dragway and has led to a sellout crowd for Saturday’s final day of qualifying. It is also what fires up self-described adrenaline junkie DeJoria to suit up and strap in for a 320 mph ride throughout the season.

“There is nothing like sitting on the starting line with a Funny Car on either side of you,” said DeJoria. “When we are all doing burnouts before a run it is an amazing sound and you feel the ground move. Four nitro Funny Cars or Top Fuel dragster racing at the same time is one of the coolest things we get to do.”

Earlier this season at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway DeJoria qualified No. 3 and made a strong first round run. In the second quad a broken blower belt stole her chance to advance to the final quad and an opportunity to pick up her first four-wide nationals win. In 2014 at zMAX Dragway DeJoria raced in the final quad ultimately finishing third. The format of being first or second to the finish line has its advantages and disadvantages for the ultra-competitive racer who calls Austin, Texas home.

“The first couple of rounds of a four-wide race are wild because you just have to be either the first or second race car to the finish line to go to the next round,” said DeJoria. “If you smoke the tires you really have to take a chance about getting back on the throttle because someone else could be in trouble too. Getting off the starting line clean and building some momentum down track a lot of times is the key to victory at the four-wide.”

DeJoria’s ROKiT Bandero Premium Tequila Funny Car team is led by the only driver to have won in both Funny Car and Top Fuel at the zMAX Dragway Four-Wide Nationals, Del Worsham. The two-time world champion is recognized as one of the best drivers and tuners in the sport. Worsham, along with Nicky Bonifante, has set-up DeJoria’s Funny Car to be one of the quickest race cars on the property week in and week out. 

“I can’t really put into words what Del and Nicky mean to our program,” said DeJoria. “They work so well together and the hours and hours they put into the race car to get it just right are impressive. Every time I strap in I know I have a race car that can go low or get a round win. As a driver that gives you a lot of confidence.”

This season DeJoria has qualified No. 2 and No. 3 at the events with two days of qualifying and has advanced to the second round in both events. Two weeks ago at the Southern Nationals an issue with the Funny Car body riding low on the chassis disrupted DeJoria’s staging process in the first round. The team evaluated and corrected the positioning. They are focused on putting the final race at Atlanta Dragway behind them.

“It was a frustrating turn of events for sure and we were able to go back and figure out what the issue was at the end of the race day,” explained DeJoria. “I am looking forward to getting to zMAX Dragway and making three great qualifying runs and then seeing three win lights on Sunday. We will be racing the next two weeks back-to-back and I am looking forward to getting into a solid racing groove.”

Qualifying for the 11^th NHRA Carolina Four-Wide Nationals will begin Friday, May 14 and continues with two additional rounds on Saturday, May 15. Final eliminations will begin at noon on Sunday and will be broadcast on FS1.

PosseSweet, Schatz, Marks & Macri Highlight Four-Car War at Drydene Gettysburg ClashABBOTTSTOWN, PA – May 12, 2021 – The Pennsylvania Posse hasn’t had too many opportunities to let Brad Sweet know how they feel about him. So rightfully, when he finally scored his first-career Lincoln Speedway win on Wednesday night by beating two of their proud Posse pilots, they let the jeers and sneers rain down on The Big Cat.Sweet loved it. He soaked up every jab as he stood in victory lane for the ninth time this season.You see, this two-time World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series champion is a west-coaster; he grew up on the bullrings of California near his Grass Valley home. And for years since he joined The Greatest Show on Dirt, Central Pennsylvania was his ultimate kryptonite. Not on this night, though.Leading the final seven laps at Lincoln, Sweet capitalized on the lap traffic madness when Danny Dietrich spooked race leader Brent Marks and slowed him up, allowing the Kasey Kahne Racing, NAPA Auto Parts #49 to sneak by. He survived the closing laps and held on to narrowly secure the title at the 2021 Gettysburg Clash pres. by Drydene Performance Products.”This is a fun little rivalry, I’m glad I could get the Outlaws another win,” Sweet said on the battle with the PA Posse. “I’m hearing quite a bit of booing up there, which I think is cool. That’s what this is all about, really. It’s about these huge crowds we get and putting on a show for the fans. We appreciate it whether they’re cheering or booing.”Before Sweet celebrated in the infield, a wild 35-lapper ensued at the Abbottstown, PA 3/8-mile.Donny Schatz, the 10-time Series champion, led the field to green after winning the DIRTVision Fast Pass Dash over PA Posse legend, Lance Dewease. Schatz paced the opening 11 circuits aboard his Tony Stewart/Curb-Agajanian Racing #15 before Sweet entered the picture and ripped the top to lead Lap 12.That didn’t last long as Schatz came back with a slide job into turn one and resumed command on Lap 13. While the Fargo, ND native controlled the top spot, Sweet brought 12th-starting Brent Marks of Myerstown, PA along with him as they mounted a challenge for the lead past the halfway point.On Lap 24, Marks perfected the bottom off turns one and two to drive by Sweet down the backstretch, and soon after stole the lead from Schatz on Lap 25. The duo of Marks and Schatz continued to race side-by-side down the stretch until the polarizing Lap 28 half-spin by lapper Danny Dietrich changed the outlook of the race.In an effort to avoid Dietrich, Marks and Schatz were both forced to take evasive action. The end result? It allowed Sweet and Anthony Macri of Dillsburg, PA to drive by them on Lap 29 of 35. The move shuffled Marks back fourth, but he came roaring back with a vengeance as he passed Schatz, then Macri, and set his sights on Sweet.The #19M closed on the #49 lap-after-lap, but eventually ran out of time as Sweet took the checkered flag over Marks by 0.251-seconds.”I think Brent had the car to beat,” Sweet admitted. “We had the car to run second, but was better than us at moving around and going through traffic. It’s still one of the best cars I’ve ever had here, but we need to recognize there’s room to grow. A win is win, though, especially in Central Pennsylvania. We had a bad weekend at Eldora, so to rebound with a win gives us some confidence going to Williams Grove.”Brent Marks settled for second-place honors as the highest-finishing PA Posse driver at Lincoln.”He [Dietrich] just got all crossed up in front of me, and I had to check up and get over the cushion to get around him,” Marks said on the lap traffic incident. “It’s disappointing, but still a really great run for us. It’s a lot of fun to be up here battling guys like Brad and Donny like that. This car has been awesome lately. These World of Outlaws raced are never over until they’re over.”Following Sweet and Marks at the Gettysburg Clash was Anthony Macri with his second-career World of Outlaws podium aboard the #39M.”I just took advantage on that situation the best I could,” Macri mentioned on bolting to second late in the going. “We’ll take this and look forward to Williams Grove.”David Gravel ended up fourth aboard the Big Game Motorsports #2 and Donny Schatz faded to finish fifth in the mid-week show.Rounding out the top-1o was Carson Macedo, Sheldon Haudenschild, James McFadden, Aaron Reutzel & TJ Stutts.UP NEXT – The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series will take one day off before resuming the rivalry with the PA Posse on Friday and Saturday night with the Morgan Cup taking place at Williams Grove Speedway.NOS Energy Drink Feature (35 Laps) – 1. 49-Brad Sweet [2][$10,000]; 2. 19M-Brent Marks [12][$6,000]; 3. 39M-Anthony Macri [4][$3,500]; 4. 2-David Gravel [9][$2,800]; 5. 15-Donny Schatz [1][$2,500]; 6. 41-Carson Macedo [8][$2,300]; 7. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild [11][$2,200]; 8. 9-James McFadden [5][$2,100]; 9. 83-Aaron Reutzel [7][$2,050]; 10. 11-TJ Stutts [15][$2,000]; 11. 15H-Sam Hafertepe [13][$1,600]; 12. 11K-Kraig Kinser [17][$1,400]; 13. 87-Alan Krimes [25][$200]; 14. 5-Paul McMahan [6][$1,100]; 15. 1S-Logan Schuchart [22][$1,050]; 16. 51-Freddie Rahmer [14][$1,000]; 17. 55K-Robbie Kendall [21][$1,000]; 18. 99M-Kyle Moody [19][$1,000]; 19. 3Z-Brock Zearfoss [24][$1,000]; 20. 5E-Tim Wagaman [26][$]; 21. 8-Devon Borden [10][$1,000]; 22. 48-Danny Dietrich [20][$1,000]; 23. 18-Giovanni Scelzi [23][$1,000]; 24. 1A-Jacob Allen [18][$1,000]; 25. 69K-Lance Dewease [3][$1,000]; 26. 1X-Chad Trout [16][$1,000]. Lap Leaders: Donny Schatz 1-11; 13-24; Brad Sweet 12, 29-35; Brent Marks 25-28. KSE Hard Charger Award:87-Alan Krimes[+12]NEW Championship Standings (21/83 Races): 1. Brad Sweet (2,992); 2. David Gravel (-70); 3. Carson Macedo (-122); 4. Sheldon Haudenschild (-154); 5. Aaron Reutzel (-168); 6. Donny Schatz (-170); 7. Logan Schuchart (-208); 8. Kraig Kinser (-376); 9. Brock Zearfoss (-444); 10. James McFadden (-546).Photo – Trent Gower

The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink® Sprint Car Series is brought to fans across the country by many important sponsors and partners, including: DIRTVision (Official Live Broadcast Partner), Drydene (Official Motor Oil), Hoosier Racing Tire (Official Tire), iRacing (Official Online Racing Game), Morton Buildings (Official Building), NOS Energy (Official Energy Product), SIS Insurance (Official Insurance Provider) and VP Racing Fuels (Official Racing Fuel); contingency sponsors include ARP (Automotive Racing Products), Cometic Gasket, COMP Cams, KSE Racing Products (Hard Charger Award), MSD and Slick Woody’s (Quick Time Award); manufacturer sponsors include FireAde, Intercomp, K1 Race Gear, and Racing Electronics.Founded in 1978, the World of Outlaws®, based in Concord, NC, is the premier national touring series for dirt track racing in North America, featuring the most powerful cars on dirt, the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series and the World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Model Series. Annually, the two series race nearly 140 times at tracks across the United States and Canada. CBS Sports Network is the official broadcast partner of the World of Outlaws. DIRTVision® also broadcasts all World of Outlaws events over the Internet to fans around the world. Learn more about the World of Outlaws.

Tucker pads large points lead, looks to seal second straight title in two weeks’ time May 12, 2021 – White flag. Big slide job in Turns 1-2 by Alex Bergeron. Kendal Tucker crosses underneath him with the lead as they exit Turn 2. Then, big contact.   Both drivers dove for the inside of Turn 3 at Kokomo Speedway, neither willing to give an inch as they rounded the final corners before the finish line. Some contact was made, then some more, and even more still as they crossed underneath the checkered flag in Wednesday night’s NOS Energy Drink 360 Sprint Car Feature.   The iRacing simulation showed Bergeron as the winner, but DIRTcar eSports officials determined, in post-race review, that Bergeron was at fault in the incident for initiating the contact with Tucker. Therefore, Bergeron was handed a two-spot post-race penalty, and officially scored in third place.   This handed the $250 Feature win over to Tucker and moved original third-place Dylan Houser into second.   The last-lap fireworks succeeded a very entertaining 30 laps around the virtual quarter-mile, filled with several clean slide jobs for the lead as Houser and Bergeron tried to wrestle the lead from polesitter Tucker, who led all but the final lap.   Houser was the first to do so on Lap 25, launching a big slider in Turns 3-4 that Tucker quickly turned underneath to regain the position. Bergeron threw one the very next corner, which Tucker answered immediately, driving right back by him on the inside to take the spot back.   Tucker led the race through the white flag before Bergeron threw the slide job at him again in Turn 1 before the final-corner melee that decided the race, ultimately handing Tucker his second Tour Feature victory of Season 3.   The DIRTcar eSports Tour is back in action next Wednesday night, May 19, for Round #9, featuring the 358 Small-Block Modifieds at USA International Speedway. Catch all the action live on DIRTVisionpresented by Drydene.   NOS Energy Drink Feature (30 Laps) –  1. 00-Kendal Tucker [1]; 2. 2-Dylan Houser [10]; 3. 12-Alex Bergeron [2]; 4. 33-Evan Seay [3]; 5. 85-Tyler Schell [4]; 6. 115-Boddie Parker [11]; 7. 48-Dylan Yeager [20]; 8. 1-Jesse Enterkin [8]; 9. 17-Brett Rowles [13]; 10. 331-Dustin Hall [9]; 11. 461-Cole Dewease [15]; 12. 46-Jonathan Nause [18]; 13. 43-Terrell Wheeler [17]; 14. 033-Richard Murtaugh Jr. [5]; 15. 29-Billy Richardson [7]; 16. 14-Brett Wright [19]; 17. 17-Sam Reakes [6]; 18. 5-Jacob Karklin [16]; 19. 13-Matt Remick [21]; 20. 38-Ryan Carlisi [12]; 21. 82-Eric Schroeter [14]   CLAP BACK: Kilgore Breaks Jackson’s Street Stock Hot Streak with Win at Eldora   Another chapter in the growing book of Carl Kilgore vs. Tyler Jackson has just been scribed.   After a sour finish last Wednesday night at Limaland, Kilgore, of Greenville, MS, stepped back up to the plate at Eldora Speedway and made sure he wouldn’t be denied two weeks in-a-row, leading all 20 laps en route to his third Chevy Performance Street Stock victory of the season over Keith Hackney and Tyler Jackson.   A track reset before the warmup session had several drivers rethinking their strategy, but overall made for a great race in the end and allowed drivers multiple grooves to race.   “That was a hell of a race,” Kilgore said. “I was skeptical about the reset, but it turned out well. It really worked into a great racetrack.”   While Kilgore led the entire distance, he did encounter several slide job attempts for the top spot, but denied them quickly.   “We were trying to keep our nose clean for the first half, then when we had that caution at Lap 15, it was go-time,” Kilgore said.   A late caution flag restacked the field and put a hard-charging points leader in Tyler Jackson, of Rockford, IL, right on Kilgore’s rear bumper for the restart. Both got a great launch, but Kilgore maintained the spot out front as fellow Team No Love member Hackney made the move under Jackson for second as they scrambled into Turns 1-2.   While Jackson was able to take the spot back on the high side by the time they crossed under the white flag, his successful slide job in Turns 1-2 was countered by Kilgore down low as he retook the lead.   Hackney, of Calhoun, GA, threw a slide job of his own from third on Jackson in Turn 3 and was able to cut Jackson off as they reached Turn 4, swiping the runner-up spot away at the line as teammate Kilgore drove away with the $100 Feature win.   The win is one of importance for Kilgore, having come into the race 58 points back of Jackson in the championship standings. The win will cut into Jackson’s lead by 10 points as the season begins the final stretch next week.   The Chevy Performance Street Stock League is back in action next Wednesday night, May 19, for Round #9 of competition at Williams Grove Speedway. Catch all the action live on DIRTVision presented by Drydene.   Chevy Performance Feature (20 Laps) – 1. 021-Carl Kilgore [1]; 2. 69-Keith Hackney [3]; 3. 25-Tyler Jackson [4]; 4. 121-Edward Farness [5]; 5. 17-Brett Rowles [8]; 6. 546-Randy Axner [10]; 7. 077-Holden English [11]; 8. 73-Scott Reid [12]; 9. 93-Steve Miskolczi [21]; 10. 026-Sage Luther [18]; 11. 002-Clifford Bellomy [19]; 12. 26-Sean Stevens [14]; 13. 21-Jim Reavis [9]; 14. 23-Brayden McMahan [13]; 15. 71-Daniel Stiffler [16]; 16. 260-Blade Kearns [7]; 17. 46-Jonathan Nause [22]; 18. 53-Aidan Skraha [2]; 19. 18-Justin Henson [23]; 20. 0-Jordan Gage [6]; 21. 97-Butch Baker [20]; 22. 111-Jaron Valley [24]; 23. 225-Nathan Lemons [15]; 24. 92-Payton Gries [17] DIRTcar Racing is brought to fans by many important sponsors and partners, including: DIRTVision (Official Live Broadcast Partner), Hoosier Racing Tire (Official Tire), SIS Insurance (Official Insurance Provider), VP Racing Fuels (Official Racing Fuel), Chevy Performance Parts, iRacing (Official Online Racing Game), Arizona Sport Shirts/Gotta Race, and NAPA Auto Parts (SDS). Contingency sponsors include: ARP (Automotive Racing Products), ASI Race Wear (SDS), Bassett Racing Wheel, Bell Helmets, Beyea Custom Headers, Bicknell Racing Products (SDS), Billy Whittaker Cars & Trux (SDS), Cometic Gasket (SDS), COMP Cams, Drydene, Fast Shafts, Fox Factory, Jerovetz Motorsports Shock Service, K1 Race Gear, KSE Racing Products, MSD, Mulit FireX, Quarter Master, Schoenfeld Headers, Summit Racing Equipment, Velocita USA, Wrisco (Exclusive Racing Aluminum), and Xceldyne. Along with manufacturer sponsors, including: FireAde, Intercomp, and Racing Electronics. Tucker pads large points lead, looks to seal second straight title in two weeks’ time May 12, 2021 – White flag. Big slide job in Turns 1-2 by Alex Bergeron. Kendal Tucker crosses underneath him with the lead as they exit Turn 2. Then, big contact. Both drivers dove for the inside of Turn 3 at Kokomo Speedway, neither willing to give an inch as they rounded the final corners before the finish line. Some contact was made, then some more, and even more still as they crossed underneath the checkered flag in Wednesday night’s NOS Energy Drink 360 Sprint Car Feature. The iRacing simulation showed Bergeron as the winner, but DIRTcar eSports officials determined, in post-race review, that Bergeron was at fault in the incident for initiating the contact with Tucker. Therefore, Bergeron was handed a two-spot post-race penalty, and officially scored in third place. This handed the $250 Feature win over to Tucker and moved original third-place Dylan Houser into second. The last-lap fireworks succeeded a very entertaining 30 laps around the virtual quarter-mile, filled with several clean slide jobs for the lead as Houser and Bergeron tried to wrestle the lead from polesitter Tucker, who led all but the final lap. Houser was the first to do so on Lap 25, launching a big slider in Turns 3-4 that Tucker quickly turned underneath to regain the position. Bergeron threw one the very next corner, which Tucker answered immediately, driving right back by him on the inside to take the spot back. Tucker led the race through the white flag before Bergeron threw the slide job at him again in Turn 1 before the final-corner melee that decided the race, ultimately handing Tucker his second Tour Feature victory of Season 3. The DIRTcar eSports Tour is back in action next Wednesday night, May 19, for Round #9, featuring the 358 Small-Block Modifieds at USA International Speedway. Catch all the action live on DIRTVisionpresented by Drydene. NOS Energy Drink Feature (30 Laps) –  1. 00-Kendal Tucker [1]; 2. 2-Dylan Houser [10]; 3. 12-Alex Bergeron [2]; 4. 33-Evan Seay [3]; 5. 85-Tyler Schell [4]; 6. 115-Boddie Parker [11]; 7. 48-Dylan Yeager [20]; 8. 1-Jesse Enterkin [8]; 9. 17-Brett Rowles [13]; 10. 331-Dustin Hall [9]; 11. 461-Cole Dewease [15]; 12. 46-Jonathan Nause [18]; 13. 43-Terrell Wheeler [17]; 14. 033-Richard Murtaugh Jr. [5]; 15. 29-Billy Richardson [7]; 16. 14-Brett Wright [19]; 17. 17-Sam Reakes [6]; 18. 5-Jacob Karklin [16]; 19. 13-Matt Remick [21]; 20. 38-Ryan Carlisi [12]; 21. 82-Eric Schroeter [14] CLAP BACK: Kilgore Breaks Jackson’s Street Stock Hot Streak with Win at Eldora Another chapter in the growing book of Carl Kilgore vs. Tyler Jackson has just been scribed. After a sour finish last Wednesday night at Limaland, Kilgore, of Greenville, MS, stepped back up to the plate at Eldora Speedway and made sure he wouldn’t be denied two weeks in-a-row, leading all 20 laps en route to his third Chevy Performance Street Stock victory of the season over Keith Hackney and Tyler Jackson. A track reset before the warmup session had several drivers rethinking their strategy, but overall made for a great race in the end and allowed drivers multiple grooves to race. “That was a hell of a race,” Kilgore said. “I was skeptical about the reset, but it turned out well. It really worked into a great racetrack.” While Kilgore led the entire distance, he did encounter several slide job attempts for the top spot, but denied them quickly. “We were trying to keep our nose clean for the first half, then when we had that caution at Lap 15, it was go-time,” Kilgore said. A late caution flag restacked the field and put a hard-charging points leader in Tyler Jackson, of Rockford, IL, right on Kilgore’s rear bumper for the restart. Both got a great launch, but Kilgore maintained the spot out front as fellow Team No Love member Hackney made the move under Jackson for second as they scrambled into Turns 1-2. While Jackson was able to take the spot back on the high side by the time they crossed under the white flag, his successful slide job in Turns 1-2 was countered by Kilgore down low as he retook the lead. Hackney, of Calhoun, GA, threw a slide job of his own from third on Jackson in Turn 3 and was able to cut Jackson off as they reached Turn 4, swiping the runner-up spot away at the line as teammate Kilgore drove away with the $100 Feature win. The win is one of importance for Kilgore, having come into the race 58 points back of Jackson in the championship standings. The win will cut into Jackson’s lead by 10 points as the season begins the final stretch next week. The Chevy Performance Street Stock League is back in action next Wednesday night, May 19, for Round #9 of competition at Williams Grove Speedway. Catch all the action live on DIRTVision presented by Drydene. Chevy Performance Feature (20 Laps) – 1. 021-Carl Kilgore [1]; 2. 69-Keith Hackney [3]; 3. 25-Tyler Jackson [4]; 4. 121-Edward Farness [5]; 5. 17-Brett Rowles [8]; 6. 546-Randy Axner [10]; 7. 077-Holden English [11]; 8. 73-Scott Reid [12]; 9. 93-Steve Miskolczi [21]; 10. 026-Sage Luther [18]; 11. 002-Clifford Bellomy [19]; 12. 26-Sean Stevens [14]; 13. 21-Jim Reavis [9]; 14. 23-Brayden McMahan [13]; 15. 71-Daniel Stiffler [16]; 16. 260-Blade Kearns [7]; 17. 46-Jonathan Nause [22]; 18. 53-Aidan Skraha [2]; 19. 18-Justin Henson [23]; 20. 0-Jordan Gage [6]; 21. 97-Butch Baker [20]; 22. 111-Jaron Valley [24]; 23. 225-Nathan Lemons [15]; 24. 92-Payton Gries [17]

DIRTcar Racing is brought to fans by many important sponsors and partners, including: DIRTVision (Official Live Broadcast Partner), Hoosier Racing Tire (Official Tire), SIS Insurance (Official Insurance Provider), VP Racing Fuels (Official Racing Fuel), Chevy Performance Parts, iRacing (Official Online Racing Game), Arizona Sport Shirts/Gotta Race, and NAPA Auto Parts (SDS). Contingency sponsors include: ARP (Automotive Racing Products), ASI Race Wear (SDS), Bassett Racing Wheel, Bell Helmets, Beyea Custom Headers, Bicknell Racing Products (SDS), Billy Whittaker Cars & Trux (SDS), Cometic Gasket (SDS), COMP Cams, Drydene, Fast Shafts, Fox Factory, Jerovetz Motorsports Shock Service, K1 Race Gear, KSE Racing Products, MSD, Mulit FireX, Quarter Master, Schoenfeld Headers, Summit Racing Equipment, Velocita USA, Wrisco (Exclusive Racing Aluminum), and Xceldyne. Along with manufacturer sponsors, including: FireAde, Intercomp, and Racing Electronics.

EVENT RECAP: Round 1  DOWNLOADS: PHOTOS + VIDEO * all 2021 galleries can be accessed here *  We are back and stronger than ever! This year we welcome our new tire partner, GT Radial. With a new tire, came a lot of testing, which is exactly what Team RAD focussed on during the off season. RAD DAN has entered this race season more confident than ever in his car setup. With that, he qualified 6th out of the 32 drivers at Round 1! This was a great accomplishment for the entire team. As Dan was in the burnout box for Top 32 battles, he already felt a difference in the cars power. He did what he could to get everything out of the car in his lead run with Adam LZ but the engine was having major issues by the end of his lead lap as well as his chase lap, giving Adam the win. We are working with our partners and reviewing data to resovle the issue. We will be ready to compete with our spare motor for Round 2 in Orlando, FL next weekend! Thank you to each our that took part in bringing the car together another year. We are thrilled to be competing across the country representing your brands in the funnest way we know how.