NASCAR CUP SERIES RICHMOND RACEWAY TOYOTA OWNERS 400 TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT APRIL 14, 2021 CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CAMARO ZL1 1LE, Teleconference Transcript: LOOKING AHEAD TO TALLADEGA, HOW DO YOU HANDLE WORKING WITH TEAMMATES AND MANUFACTURERS?“That’s a good question. I feel like it’s always a topic of conversation and it’s always a really tough conversation. But I feel like this has been going on for the last couple of years, I would say, give or take; way more than it did my first couple of years. And as things have gone on, the dynamic has certainly progressed. I think everyone has a better understanding. And ultimately, amongst our teams a Hendrick Motorsports, I feel like we have found ourselves in just a good position of understanding what’s important when it comes to helping each other. To me, the high spots of that are getting on and off pit road good, together, and efficiently. And then, restarts and lane choice from that standpoint. Outside of that, the race has to evolve naturally, right? Like we really try hard not to hurt one another. But it’s also hard to expect someone to hurt themselves and to go out of their way to try to help you. I feel like we have a good understanding of that, and we really just focus on putting emphasis at Hendrick Motorsports, and Chevrolet, too, as we have evolved into just the pit cycle and doing that together and taking time because those things, that in particular, I feel like is going to put you in the best position after that and potentially at the end of the race. So, that’s where our focus has been. That’s where my focus is at. And I feel like reasonably, we’ve done a good job of that and gotten better at it as time has gone on and focusing on those these and just not playing so many games of expecting too much from one another, but just focusing on those high spots.” DO YOU HAVE ANY CONCERNS ABOUT NOT HAVE WON IN THE FIRST EIGHT RACES?“No, I’m not concerned with it. I would love to win, for sure, before now; but at the same time, I feel like we have a great team. I feel like I’m in a good place. I don’t feel any different today than I did approaching the end of the season last year. So, we just have to continue to push and work hard to focus on what makes us go fast and what makes me comfortable behind the wheel. And just focus on us. I feel like that’s something we’ve always done a really good job of at the No. 9 team in particular. Alan (Gustafson, crew chief) have a good relationship and I think we understand what I need behind the wheel to go fast. We just have to achieve that and get it the next few races. We’ve had pace at certain times this year that I feel like was good enough to contend for a win. We’ve also had races where we were really bad and didn’t have pace. But that’s racing and that’s part of it, right? Those tough days and slow races push you to want to be better. So, I guess to answer your question, no, I’m not concerned with it. We all want to win but I feel no different today than I did at the end of last year and the results were just fine then. So, I know we can achieve it. I know we can go out there and accomplish our goals. And we believe that as a team and really outside of that, it really just doesn’t matter.” HAVE YOU ENJOYED HAVING THREE SHORT TRACKS ON THE SCHEDULE IN A ROW?“Well, there’s only two short tracks on the schedule. And they never fall in order. So, Martinsville is it.” WHAT ABOUT BRISTOL?“Well, that is a good point. I guess the dirt throws that one for a bit of a loop. Yeah, I mean you know, Bristol is such an off thing. That’s really hard, right, because we don’t go back to the dirt. So, I think it’s been good. I think our cars and our series suits well for short track racing. Martinsville, I thought, was a good race. I wish I was part of it a little closer, but I thought it was a good show. Martin and Denny raced really hard for the win; I don’t know what else you could ask for really, if you’re a fan. They were side-by-side for ten laps, it seemed like, which I thought was really cool. So yeah, I think it’s a good thing. I’ve always been a fan of it and I’d love to see more. Hopefully we can get there one day.” RICHMOND IS A LITTLE BIT LONGER THAN THOSE TWO AND THE CONFIGURATION IS A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT. HOW MUCH DIFFERENT IS THE DRIVING AT RICHMOND?“The driving at Richmond is honestly very straight forward. I think that’s what makes Richmond really hard is because it’s just not a super challenging place, I don’t think, for the drivers to run the proper line. But what makes it really hard there is to just be different. And everyone is doing the exact same thing. Obviously, you have to have your car balance really good there and it has to be perfect. You’re riding that really razor thin edge much like you do at Martinsville. But it’s definitely a challenge. And I think the reason it’s a challenge is that everyone is just doing the same thing. Martinsville is different where guys really attack that race track differently. Whereas at Richmond, I feel like everyone is just in the exact same boat and it’s hard to be different. I think that’s what makes that place tough.” WITH EVERYTHING THAT’S HAPPENED DURING THE PANDEMIC, EVERYBODY HAS HAD TO DO THINGS IN A DIFFERENT WAY. WHEN THE SPORT GOES BACK TO A NEW NORMAL, WHAT ARE THE THINGS OR PROCESSES THAT WILL STILL CARRY OVER LIKE THE GOOD OLD DAYS?“That’s a great question. Honestly, from our preparation standpoint, really not a lot changed. We went about our race prep really similar to what we did in the past. Our post-race work was really similar. I don’t necessarily think a lot changed from my competitive-side or from the competition aspect; but certainly, from the logistic side of things and the scheduling side; which this is above me and not my call, but I definitely think there are a lot of lessons and a lot of good to take from what was a bad situation and still is, and just how they’re doing things. I feel like NASCAR became more efficient in the past year than it’s ever been. And, especially than it’s been in the last 10 to 15 years; I feel like we just learned that there’s just a lot of things that we don’t have to have to still put on a great show on Sundays. And man, I think we’d be making a really big mistake to not learn from those lessons and to not carry some of that stuff forward. The leadership is as different and is as confident and open to trying new things at NASCAR than, I don’t want to say than it’s ever been because I wasn’t around for a lot of it, but man, they’re doing things way different now and trying things that I don’t think any of us would have ever expected 10 or 15 years ago, right? I think they’re looking at all of it and I think they should. But that’s up to them and whatnot and again, that’s not my call and I don’t want it to be my call. But I do think there are a lot of great lessons that we can take from this on just how to be more efficient as a sport moving and to make it a little more economical and make use of everyone’s time wisely on the road, and still put on a really good race on Sundays or Saturday nights. Again, I think there is a lot of good to take from what’s been a tough year.” AS THE SPORT LOOKS TO OPEN UP MORE AS EARLY AS NEXT MONTH, AS A COMPETITOR WITH MUCH AT STAKE, DOES THAT IMPACT ANY DECISION ON WHETHER TO GET VACCINATED OR NOT, OR HAVE YOU ALREADY TAKEN CARE OF THAT? HOW DO YOU VIEW THAT?“Well, I view it very personally as I think a lot of people probably will. I, myself, view it personally. I don’t share my medical records with the public. I don’t tell you guys when I go to the doctor. Not out of disrespect, but that’s just that I’m kind of a personal guy, I guess, when it comes to my health. I’m making decisions about my health on my own terms; and I will respect everyone else’s decisions just the same as I hope to get the privacy and respect of mine.” WHAT HAVE YOU HEARD FROM WILLIAM BYRON AND ALEX BOWMAN ABOUT THEIR EXPERIENCES IN BEING ABLE TO DRIVE THE NEXT GEN CAR THAT HAVE PIQUED YOUR INTEREST ABOUT THE CAR COMPARES TO WHAT YOU ARE CURRENTLY DRIVING?“To be honest, we haven’t talked about it a ton. I’ve been kind of hesitant just with the whole situation and whatnot, on the car, and guys driving it just because I still think there’s a lot of questions that aren’t answered. You don’t want to pick up something. Say it’s a certain thing with the steering. There was talk about that a while back and that it was way off and they’re working on it and trying to get it better. But that might be a comment that you might get from one of them a while back before it was proper. So, I’ve just been really careful about asking and really getting involved with that car just yet because again, I just think there are things that they’re still working out. And honestly, I kind of want it to be worked out first before I really dive in and start to pick apart the small things that can make a big difference. We’re always hunting the really small fine details and you just want to make sure all those details are what we’re going to have next year. And that’s really kind of been where my head is at with it.” WITH THE NEW THINGS ON THE NEW CAR LIKE THE INDEPENDENT REAR SUSPENSION AND SEQUENTIAL SHIFTER, WHAT ASPECTS ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO THE MOST TO EXPERIENCE YOURSELF?“I think it’s really hard just to pick out one thing, right? I don’t think the sequential shifting is going to make that big of a difference like you guys would never know we have an H pattern shifter in our cars. Like, you would just never know that looking from the outside with the way the transmissions are. We might miss a shift on occasion just because of that. But for the most part, the transmissions are really nice, and they like to live in gear, and they want to go in gear. It doesn’t really seem to slow down the shifting process. I feel like we get the thing in gear really fast. So, I don’t really see that changing the look of things a whole lot. But certainly, the independent rear suspension and the aerodynamic factors of that car, I think, could definitely change how the racing looks. But I think you have to look at it as a whole. I think it’s really hard just to say hey, that one thing is going to be super-different and I’m super-excited about that. I think the whole thing is a package and it’s a package deal. That whole car is one unit. And it’s going to be very different. And I think you have to look at it as a unit and see how it is different as a whole because again, to your point, there are some things that are very far removed from what we’ve had, what NASCAR has had, for a long time. So, I’m very curious to see how it works and curious to drive one and see how the racing is.” INAUDIBLE – QUESTION ABOUT MAKING IT TO VICTORY LANE“We’re trying hard. We’re always trying hard; whether we win or finish last, we’re trying hard. So, it’s always a fight. Martinsville was a really strong fight by our team, honestly. We had a long day just in kind of how the strategy worked out. I feel like we passed a lot of cars, which was good. We got up there towards the front there at the end. We definitely weren’t as good as Martin and Ryan, but I thought we were probably mixed in with that group behind them, which is not what you’re looking for, but it’s certainly solid and something you can build off of. That’s an important race for the Fall. I hope we can go back and build on that. Certainly, looking to Richmond, that’s been a struggled track for me. I would love to go there and try to get a win. That would be a big one if we could go do that, just knowing how bad we’ve struggled there in the past. It reminds me of Martinsville and our struggles there and kind of progressing and trying to get better. Hopefully Richmond is another step in the right direction, and we can contend up there.” ASIDE FROM WINNING, WHAT IS THE BIGGEST GOAL DURING THE OPENING PART OF A LONG 36-RACE SCHEDULE?‘Honestly, you said it. Winning. I think winning early is a good thing. You have to win early. No, we didn’t last year. But I definitely think it helps. That, to me, is the most important thing; really, the whole year. With the way the points format is, it’s a long regular season to the Playoff run and to when it starts. You can have wins in the bank when that starts. It doesn’t guarantee you a shot to Phoenix, but it sure does hedge your bet and having those points as those rounds reset and go forward. I think that’s the most important thing. Obviously, getting good points and having solid finishes to get yourself in a good position for the regular season championship thing, whatever they call it; I don’t know what the proper term is for it, but it awards a bunch of points if you have a good result there. So, winning and getting yourself good points for the end of the regular season to help carry you to the Playoffs; those Playoff points, however you get them, are the most important thing.” THERE IS TALK ABOUT THE POSSIBILITY OF NASCAR ADDING A STREET COURSE TO THE SCHEDULE IN THE FUTURE. WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THAT?“I don’t see anything wrong with it. Again, I’m honestly super excited that this leadership group at NASCAR is branching out and trying new things. Hey, I’m about it. If we go have a street course and it goes terrible, then that’s honestly fine with me because we were trying something different and we weren’t just stuck in the ways that we’ve been doing it for however many years just because that’s how it’s been done. So, I think sometimes we try these new things and we all just have this expectation of something that we don’t know whether it’s reasonable or not, but we have these high expectations. But in reality, I think we should really just be happy that we’re trying something different; and just take pride in that, and just leave it there, whether it goes good or bad. So, I’m all about it and hopefully they can pull it off somewhere and I hope it’s a good race. And if it is great or if not, then try something else.” HOW DO YOU THINK THE BRISTOL DIRT RACE PLAYED OUT AND WHAT DO YOU FEEL COULD HAVE BEEN DONE BETTER MOVING FORWARD TO NEXT SEASON?“Such a weird event, you know. The dirt category is small, right, with just that one race. So, it’s not like you go back there in the Fall, which makes it tough; but they say they’re going back there to do it again next year. I think this new car is going to bring a whole new set of challenges in how they can logistically make that work again. I felt like the only bad thing; really, I thought it was a pretty good show for the conditions and what they had to work with. It looked like an old short track race from the 80’s or something, which I thought was cool. I didn’t really think it was much of a dirt race like you typically see. And the reason for that is what we saw in the Truck event with how they cool these cars and the windshields; they just can’t have a tacky track, which is what dirt racing typically has. You see a track that has moisture to it ends up kind of progressing drier and drier as the race goes along. Whereas we started and we were kind of already on the dry side of the spectrum. So, I would love to see it where we could have more of that transition like normal dirt racing has. But just the way these cars are built and the windshields in them and stuff, that’s very difficult. So, all things considered, I think they did a really good job managing that. There were no disasters. They tried to get that Truck race going and they had to stop it. But nothing bad happened. And I thought our race went as smooth as it could have. But this new car is going to bring a new set of challenges that I don’t think anybody really knows about yet. So, we’ll see.” IS THERE ANY SENSE OF PRESSURE AS THE REIGNING CHAMPION IN TRYING TO GET BACK TO VICTORY LANE? HAS YOUR LIFE REALLY CHANGED MUCH SINCE WINNING THE TITLE?“To be real honest, my life really hasn’t changed a whole lot like day to day. I can’t say it’s really much different. We’re still very driven to want to go win and compete at a high level. That would be that way whether we had won last year or not. I’m thankful for that. I feel like we have a group that is very driven and not just content with last year’s result. We want to continue to push and get better and that’s where our head is at. Of course, we want to go win. That’s always the goal. But you’re going to have struggles and you’re going to have those bad days. We’ve had a few of them so far this year. But I feel like we have a very strong team. I feel like I have the best group in the garage to go to work with. I feel like they believe in me and I believe in them. They let me do my thing and I let them do theirs. I feel like our relationship is good. I think we all have confidence that we can go compete at a high level and compete for race wins and as long as we believe that, then everything else is really irrelevant. So, I feel very good about that. I feel like we’re in a good place. And we’ve just got to keep pushing and keep pushing ahead. It doesn’t mean it’s going to be easy. Nothing is ever easy. But I feel like we go and compete to win races and do the high level. So, that’s what we’re working on.”

Batavia, OH (April 14, 2021) – The Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series is back in action this weekend in the Mid-Atlantic, at Hagerstown Speedway on Saturday, April 17th and Port Royal Speedway on Sunday, April 18th. The Red Nininger Tribute at Hagerstown Speedway will see a full program for the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series, accompanied by the Pure Stock division. Hagerstown Speedway is a true 1/2 mile track with straight-aways over 900 feet long and 70 feet wide, with 90 feet wide turns. The pit gate will open at 2:00PM with the general admission gate opening at 5:00PM, hot laps begin at 7:00PM. For tickets and more information, visit: www.hagerstownspeedway.com or call (301) 582-0640. Better known as “The Speed Palace”, Port Royal Speedway will host the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series on Sunday, April 18th for the River Valley 40. The immaculate half-mile oval will feature a full program for the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series, highlighted by a 50-lap, $10,000-to-win main event. The Limited Late Models will compete for $1,500-to-win. Both pit and general admission gates are set to open at 2:00PM, with hot laps slated for 5:15PM. For more information, visit: www.portroyalspeedway.com. For those unable to make it out in person, both races will be streamed live, beginning with hot laps, on MAVTVPlus.com. Unlimited. Exclusive. On-Demand. Live.  Following his victory at Atomic Speedway, Hudson O’Neal leads the current Lucas Oil Championship Standings and will be sporting the Midwest Sheet Metal Orange Spoiler at Hagerstown Speedway. “To say the least, it’s always been a dream to be in this position and to be able to take advantage of it with a really good race car. I ran pretty good at Port Royal last year and have had success at Hagerstown as well, so I feel pretty good going into the weekend.”  Trailing O’Neal in the championship hunt – by a total of just 125 points – are Devin Moran, Tim McCreadie, Kyle Bronson, and Brandon Sheppard to complete the top five. To view the complete Lucas Oil Championship Standings, please visit: https://lucasdirt.com/points/2021-points.  Track Information:Hagerstown SpeedwayPhone Number: 301-582-0640Location: 15112 National Pike, Hagerstown, MD 21740Directions: I-81 to exit 6-B, then 5.3 miles west on US 40 (NSR)Website: www.hagerstownspeedway.com Tire Rule for Hagerstown Speedway April 17th:Left Rear/Fronts – Hoosier Rib (28.5) 1300, (28.5) 1425Right Rear – Hoosier (29.0) 1300 NRM, (29.0) 1300 NRMW, (29.0) 1425 NRM, (29.0) 1425 NRMW*Must use the same set of 4 tires for Time Trials, Heat Races, and B-Mains.*For the A-Main, competitors may use 3 new tires.*Flat tire must be replaced with a used tire of the same compound and construction to retain starting position. Port Royal SpeedwayPhone Number: 717-527-2303Location: 308 W. 8th St., Port Royal, PA 17082Directions: two miles south of US Rt. 322 just off of PA Rt. 75 in Port Royal. Pit entrance on Fourth St., General Admission on Sixth and Eighth St.Website: www.portroyalspeedway.com Tire Rule for Port Royal Speedway April 18th:Left Rear/Fronts – Hoosier Rib (28.5) 1300, (28.5) 1425Right Rear – Hoosier (29.0) 1300 NRM, (29.0) 1300 NRMW, (29.0) 1425 NRM, (29.0) 1425 NRMW*Must use the same set of 4 tires for Time Trials, Heat Races, and B-Mains.*For the A-Main, competitors may use 3 new tires.*Flat tire must be replaced with a used tire of the same compound and construction to retain starting position. Red Nininger Tribute Purse: $15,000 to win- 1. $15,000, 2. $6,500, 3. $3,500, 4. $3,000, 5. $2,500, 6. $2,400, 7. $2,300, 8. $2,200, 9. $2,100, 10. $2,000, 11. $1,600, 12. $1,400, 13. $1,300, 14. $1,200, 15. $1,050, 16. $1,000, 17. $1,000, 18. $1,000, 19. $1,000, 20. $1,000, 21. $1,000, 22. $1,000, 23. $1,000, 24. $1,000. = $57,050 River Valley 40 Purse:$10,000 to win- 1. $10,000, 2. $5,500, 3. $3,500, 4. $2,700, 5. $2,500, 6. $2,300, 7. $2,200, 8. $2,100, 9. $2,050, 10. $2,000, 11. $1,600, 12. $1,400, 13. $1,200, 14. $1,000, 15. $950, 16. $925, 17. $900, 18. $875, 19. $850, 20. $825, 21. $800, 22. $800, 23. $800, 24. $800. = $48,575

About Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt SeriesFounded in 2005, the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series showcases the talents of the top dirt late model drivers from across the country. In 2021, the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series will sanction 59 events across 18 states, including some of the biggest marquee events in the industry, providing dirt slinging, sideways, door-to-door racing action lap after lap.  The series receives national exposure through a television package filmed, produced and edited by Lucas Oil Production Studios. Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series events will broadcast on four networks including CBS, NBC Sports, CBS Sports Network and the MAVTV Motorsports Network.   The in your face excitement of the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series is second to none in motorsports. For more information, including the latest news, tour schedule, driver information, and more, visit the official website at: www.LucasDirt.com.

CHEVROLET RACING IN NTT INDYCAR SERIES INDY GP OF ALABAMA – APRIL 17-18 BARBER MOTORSPORTS PARK LEEDS. ALABAMA APRIL 14, 2021
RACE 1 OF 2021 NTT INDYCAR SERIES:DETROIT (April 14, 2021) – Chevrolet teams and drivers, buoyed by strong on-track test outings and off-track preparations, enter the 2021 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season with high expectations for continued success. Since rejoining INDYCAR manufacturer competition in 2012, Chevrolet has amassed an impressive 89 victories and 99 earned poles in 149 races on the way to securing six Engine Manufacturer Championships and seven Driver/Owner Championships. Team Penske and Ed Carpenter Racing have contributed to the achievements since 2012. Chevrolet scored seven wins and 11 poles during the 2020 season truncated because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Eleven cars powered by Chevrolet’s 2.2-liter, twin-turbocharged, direct-injected V6 engine will seek to take the checkered flag in the opening Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama powered by AmFirst on April 18 at Barber Motorsports Park. “As Chevrolet enters its 10th consecutive year of NTT INDYCAR SERIES engine manufacturer competition, we want to thank our partners and teams for the major accomplishments through the years,” said Rob Buckner, Chevrolet INDYCAR program manager. “That dedication to a collaborative effort resulted in maximizing available off-season testing in preparation of for the 2021 season. With a talented lineup of drivers and skilled teams backed by Chevy power, we look forward to achieving more milestones this season.” Chevrolet has won six of the past eight races on the 2.38-mile, 17-turn road course in Birmingham, Alabama. The event was canceled in 2020 because of COVID-19. Two-time NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion Josef Newgarden, driver of the No. 2 Hitachi Team Penske Chevrolet, is the only three-time winner. “I think we’ve got a good opportunity to come out pretty strong this year,” said Newgarden, who won from the pole in 2018 along with victories in 2015 and ’17. “I think we’ve done a lot of good work this off-season. I’m very encouraged about everywhere we’re going, to be honest, Barber included. I can’t wait to get going this weekend.” Newgarden, runner-up in the 2020 championship standings, also posted top-five finishes in 2019 and 2016 on the natural-terrain course that features 80 feet of elevation change. Teammates Will Power, No. 12 Verizon 5G Team Penske Chevrolet, and Simon Pagenaud, No. 22 Menards Team Penske Chevrolet, have also notched victories. Team Penske will field a fourth full-season Chevrolet entry driven by three-time Australian SuperCar champion Scott McLaughlin, who made his Series debut in the 2020 finale. “This track requires a lot of commitment, a lot of bravery and a lot of commitment to the aerodynamics of the car,” he said of Barber Motorsports Park. “That’s something I’m getting used to right now. Having a couple test days puts me in good stead knowing what I’ve got and what I will have chassis-wise when we hit the track on Saturday morning.” Felix Rosenqvist, who edged Pato O’Ward for the victory at Road America last season, has joined Arrow McLaren SP as O’Ward’s teammate in the No. 7 Vuse Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet. Dalton Kellett, No. 4 K-Line Insulators USA Chevrolet, returns to A.J. Foyt Enterprises after competing in eight races in 2020. He will be joined for the full season by four-time Indy car champion Sebastien Bourdais, No. 14 ROKiT Chevrolet. Veteran Conor Daly will drive the No. 20 U.S. Air Force Chevrolet for Ed Carpenter Racing in road/street course events, with the team namesake taking the wheel on ovals. Daly will also drive in the Indianapolis 500 for the team. Rinus VeeKay, the 2020 NTT INDYCAR SERIES Rookie of the Year, returns to Ed Carpenter Racing in the No. 21 Sonax/Autogeek Chevrolet. NBC will telecast the 90-lap/214-mile race at 3 p.m. ET April 18. The race will also be broadcast live on INDYCAR Radio Network affiliates, Sirius 211, XM 205, Indycar.com, and on the INDYCAR Mobile app powered by NTT DATA. Practice, live qualifications and the race day warm-up will stream on Peacock Premium.
Team Chevy will be represented by:A.J. Foyt EnterprisesDalton Kellett, No. 4 K-Line Insulators USASebastien Bourdais, No. 14 ROKiT
Arrow McLaren SPPato O’Ward, No. 5 Arrow McLaren SPFelix Rosenqvist, No. 7 Vuse Arrow McLaren SP
CarlinMax Chilton, No. 59 Carlin
Ed Carpenter RacingConor Daly, No. 20 U.S. Air ForceRinus VeeKay, No. 21 Sonax/Autogeek
Team PenskeJosef Newgarden, No. 2 Hitachi Team PenskeScott McLaughlin, No. 3 PPG Team PenskeWill Power, No. 12 Verizon 5G Team PenskeSimon Pagenaud, No. 22 Menards Team PenskeHISTORICAL 2012 TO PRESENT – CHEVROLET V6 TWIN TURBOCHARGED DIRECT INJECTED 2.2-LITER ENGINE SUPPLIER IN INDYCAR:2012 – 11 wins   *First win as IndyCar V6 2.2 liter engine supplier (3/25/2012) – Helio Castroneves, Streets of St. Petersburg *First Chevrolet IndyCar V6 IZOD IndyCar Series Manufacturer Championship *First Chevrolet IndyCar V6 Driver Championship – Ryan Hunter-Reay (also won Oval Track Championship) *First Chevrolet IndyCar V6 Road Course Championship – Will Power2013 – 10 wins *First Chevrolet IndyCar V6 Indianapolis 500 win – Tony Kanaan  *Second Consecutive IZOD IndyCar Series Manufacturer Championship *Repeat IZOD IndyCar Series Road Course Championship – Will Power 2014 – 12 wins *Second Verizon IndyCar Series Driver Championship – Will Power *Third Consecutive Verizon IndyCar Series Manufacturer Championship 2015 – 10 wins *Third Verizon IndyCar Series Driver Championship – Scott Dixon  *Fourth Consecutive Verizon IndyCar Series Manufacturer Championship  *Second Chevrolet IndyCar V6 Indianapolis 500 win – Juan Pablo Montoya2016 – 14 wins   *Fourth Verizon IndyCar Series Driver Championship — Simon Pagenaud   *Fifth Consecutive Verizon IndyCar Series Manufacturer Championship2017 – 10 wins   *Fifth Verizon IndyCar Series Driver Championship – Josef Newgarden   *Sixth Consecutive Verizon IndyCar Series Manufacturer Championship 2018 – 6 wins   *Third Chevrolet IndyCar V6 Indianapolis 500 win – Will Power2019 – 9 wins   *Fourth Chevrolet IndyCar V6 Indianapolis 500 win – Simon Pagenaud   *Sixth NTT IndyCar Series Driver Championship – Josef Newgarden2020 – 7 wins    * Simon Pagenaud (Iowa1), Josef Newgarden (Iowa2, St. Louis2, Indianapolis road course1 October, St. Petersburg), Will Power (Mid-Ohio1, Indianapolis road course October2) TOTAL V6 WINS: 89 wins, 99 poles (And 5 pole starts based on entrant points for total of 104) in 149 races

LAS VEGAS (April 14, 2021) – The last time Brittany Force visited The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, she took home a Wally. Force and her Flav-R-Pac Top Fuel dragster team will look to repeat their result April 16-18 at the DENSO Spark Plugs NHRA Four-Wide Nationals. In the fall of 2019, Force crossed off a bucket list victory when she raced to the thousand-foot mark in only 3.652-seconds, a track record, at 334.73 mph to defeat three-time and reigning world champion Steve Torrence in the finals for the 10th win of her career. Force also set the national speed record during qualifying of the event when her dragster hit 338.17 mph adding to the national elapsed time record of 3.623-seconds she set at Maple Grove Raceway in Reading, Pennsylvania earlier that year. “Vegas was our last win together in 2019. Vegas is one of my favorite tracks on the circuit and winning at your favorite track is something that can’t be beat,” said Force. “I’m excited to head to Vegas and start qualifying this Flav-R-Pac dragster. Our focus will be Saturday’s qualifying, especially that Q2 run setting us up for race day. We’re looking for more wins this season and ending the season with a championship.” Force will be competing to be the first John Force Racing driver to claim a four-wide victory at the track she holds near to her heart. However, the 9-year veteran is no stranger to four-wide success. In 2016, Force became the first woman to win in the four-wide format at zMAX Dragway in Charlotte and in the spring of 2019, she was runner-up at The Strip to Mike Salinas who recorded his first win. Coming off a year-long hiatus, Force and her David Grubnic and Mac Savage tuned dragster had a successful test session at Palm Beach International Raceway running low of the session with an impressive 3.670-second pass at 331.04 mph. They came out to the season opening Gatornationals at Gainesville Raceway in March and proved their test was no fluke as they consistently ran in the top five quickest of the qualifying sessions. The consistency continued on race day with a 3.727 pass at 331.94 mph, but Force would take the first-round loss on a holeshot with a reaction time of .072-seconds to her competitor’s .034. “Gainesville was the first race of the NHRA 2021 season. It was a good to be back with my team, on a racetrack, finding our routine again after a year away. We qualified 5th but unfortunately had an early exist on race day in round one,” said Force. “We have an amazing team with Grubnic returning as crew chief along with Mac. Our same team carried over from when we last completed February of 2020. I think that speaks for itself. It proves how dedicated this team is, they stood by JFR through our difficult decision to step out last season. I’m proud to be returning with every single one of them.” Before John Force Racing made the tough decision to sit out the 2020 season, Force had landed in the No. 1 qualifying position at both the Winternationals in Pomona, Calif. and the NHRA Arizona Nationals in Phoenix. Qualifying at the DENSO Spark Plugs NHRA Four-Wide Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway begins Friday at 4:15 p.m. and continues Saturday with runs at 1:45 and 4:15 p.m. Eliminations take place Sunday at noon. Fans can catch the action on FOX Sports 1 (FS1) Friday at 7 p.m. ET and Sunday at 8 p.m. ET.

April 14, 2021

For Matt DiBenedetto and the No. 21 Menards/Libman team, a third-straight short-track race is just what he says they need to continue climbing up the Cup Series standings.

DiBenedetto said he finds lots of positives heading into Sunday’s Toyota Owners 400 at the three-quarter-mile Richmond Raceway.

“The biggest thing I’m excited about is it’s a short track,” he said. “Our Menards/Libman Mustangs have been the strongest on the short tracks.”

He’s also looking forward to putting to use some of the information he and his Wood Brothers team gathered last fall at Richmond.

“We tried some things and learned a lot,” said DiBenedetto, who is set to start 16^th on Sunday. “I feel really confident as far as coming up with a set-up that gives me what I need out of the car.”

Then there’s the alliance between the Wood Brothers and Team Penske, which won the most recent Cup race at Richmond with its No. 2 team and driver Brad Keselowski.

“Brad was really fast in that race,” DiBenedetto said. “Our alliance with Team Penske is really helpful. We can learn a lot from that.”

After a disappointing start to the 2021 season, which saw the No. 21 team finish outside the top 30 in the first two races, there’s been a steady climb. DiBenedetto and the team have climbed 15 spots in the points standings to 22nd, largely on the strength of five consecutive finishes between 11^th and 16^th.

“We’ve been able to come up in the standings even with some crazy circumstances thrown at us,” he said. “We’ve overcome tons of adversity and put together some OK finishes, even though our finishes are still not reflective of how good a race team we have.”

DiBenedetto said it’s important to remember that even though he and his team have had some bad luck this year, other drivers and teams have had more misfortunes.

“It just shows how tough this sport can be,” he said.

Sunday’s 400-lap, 300-mile race is set to get the green flag just after 3 p.m. Eastern Time, with no pre-race practice or qualifying. There will be Stage breaks and Laps 80 and 235. FOX will carry the TV broadcast. 
 

LAS VEGAS (April 14, 2021) – Following a runner-up finish at the season-opening NHRA Gatornationals, Robert Hight and the Automobile Club of Southern California Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car team are sitting No. 2 in the NHRA Camping World Series points. The strong start has the 3-time world champion optimistic heading into the DENSO Spark Plugs NHRA Four-Wide Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway April 16-18. After qualifying fourth at the Gatornationals, Hight and the Auto Club team continued their consistent weekend on race day. Hight defeated Bob Bode, team-owner John Force and long-time rival Bob Tasca III before facing J.R. Todd in the 81st final round of his career. It was a pedal fest as Hight and Todd went up in smoke at the hit. Todd was able to hook back up and finish with a 5.184-second pass at 286.38 mph while Hight and the Auto Club Camaro ran 6.591-seconds at 144.41 mph. “We had a good start to the season at the Gatornationals. It was good to be back in the seat, be with the team and Jimmy Prock and Chris Cunningham. We had some gremlins, but we had some luck on our side too,” Hight said. “It’s a good weekend when you get to the final, but we beat ourselves so it’s time to do some polishing and get this Auto Club Chevy running the way we know how.” Hight has won the spring event at The Strip three times in 2007, 2011 and 2012 but not since the race went to a four-wide format in 2018. He has also won the fall event in Las Vegas in 2009 and 2015. While Hight hasn’t had four-wide success in the West, he has had two victories at the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals held in the spring at zMAX Dragway in Charlotte. “Racing in Las Vegas is always a good time. I’ve had some success there but I’m looking to add a Four-Wide Nationals victory to my list,” Hight said. “There’s a lot more going on when it’s four-wide but as long as you stay focused on what you’re doing and don’t worry about who’s next to you, it’s just like any other race. Whoever is in those other lanes, I’m not treating it any differently. The fans are the ones who really benefit from racing four-wide. Over 40,000 horsepower, the ground really shakes.” Hight has qualified No. 1 at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway a total of seven times, four in the spring and three in the fall. He’ll be chasing his first No. 1 in the four-wide format at the venue, something he has done three times at the Charlotte four-wide event, most recently in 2019 when he also finished runner-up.   Qualifying at the Denso Spark Plugs NHRA Four-Wide Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway begins Friday at 4:15 p.m. and continues Saturday with runs at 1:45 and 4:15 p.m. Eliminations take place Sunday at noon. Fans can catch the action on FOX Sports 1 (FS1) Friday at 7 p.m. ET and Sunday at 8 p.m. ET.

Inside Line Promotions – HANFORD, Calif. (April 13, 2021) – Dominic Scelzi charged from 10^th to second place last Saturday during the Dave Helm 410 Winged Sprintcar Classic hosted by Keller Auto Speedway.

The stout performance marked the fifth consecutive podium performance for Scelzi, who now has seven podiums in his last 10 races.

“This is definitely the best start to a year I’ve had,” he said. “I feel like we’re hitting on all eight cylinders. I feel like as a race team we’re building on every night since we started this year.”

The night featured a twin heat race format with Scelzi maneuvering from sixth to third place in his first heat race before he finished fourth in his second heat race.

“I felt like we’ve been really good the last month,” he said. “We went there with the goal to try to learn something. The track had a little more grip than usual. We were trying some stuff to make us better when the track is fast. We were pretty good during the first heat race and tried something for the second heat race. It was the wrong move.”

The heat race runs ranked Scelzi 10^th in points to narrowly miss the dash and line up on the outside of the fifth row for the main event.

“We tried something different for the main event,” he said. “On the outside row it’s really hard to start, especially that far back. We fell back and I got to the bottom. I was able to run my own race. A lot of guys moved to the top and we were really good around the bottom. We worked our way to second late and were extremely fast at the end of the race. We weren’t exactly where we needed to be, but we were good enough to go from 10 ^th to second.”

Scelzi is set to make his season debut at Ocean Speedway in Watsonville, Calif., this Friday.

“We haven’t been on super short tracks this year so I’m looking forward to this weekend,” he said. “I’m hoping Watsonville will have a little more grip than what I’ve seen the last two weekends. We’ve had success at that track in the past so I’m excited to make our season debut there this weekend.”

QUICK RESULTS –

April 10 – Keller Auto Speedway in Hanford, Calif. – Heat race #1: 3 (6); Heat race: 2: 4 (3); Feature: 2 (10).

SEASON STATS –

12 races, 4 wins, 8 top fives, 11 top 10s, 11 top 15s, 11 top 20s

UP NEXT –

Friday at Ocean Speedway in Watsonville, Calif.

MEDIA LINKS –

Website: http://www.GaryScelziMotorsports.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/DominicScelzi41

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Scelzi41

Rookie In Red: Bruening eager to make most of full-time World Of Outlaws tour attempt

The Decorah, IA driver is tied for fourth in points after 10 races  

CONCORD, NC – April 13, 2021 – As the World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Models swing through the month of April, another driver has joined the Series full-time. 

Tyler Bruening is the latest addition to the 2021 tour, signing on after maintaining a top-five points position throughout the early stage of the year.

Joining the full World of Outlaws tour for the first time is something that gives the Decorah, IA driver a sense of accomplishment.  

“It’s a dream come true,” Bruening said. “When we first started, we never dreamed of making it this far.”

Running the full Series schedule wasn’t originally part of his plans in 2021. But after a few good runs, Bruening and his team had to take a closer look. 

“It’s just gone so well, and we’ve been running so strong that we really had to re-think what our plans were for this year,” he said. “That’s when we decided to jump on board.” 

The Bruening team has the opportunity to take a different approach when they enter the racetrack. They’re the only ones with a true teammate on tour. 

The Skyline Motorsports team consists of Bruening, and 2015 Series Champion Shane Clanton. Bruening understands the importance of having “The Georgia Bulldog” next to him in the pit area every night.  

“A lot of times we go to tracks I’ve never been to, so that’s when it really comes into effect,” Bruening said. “He’s been all over the world, so it helps out a bunch.” 

He’s also getting advice from Clanton on what to do inside the car, like keeping an eye on track conditions throughout the night. 

“It’s really helped me progress by taking away that learning curve, so it’s been a huge advantage for us and we’re just trying to use it the best we can,” Bruening said. 

As the World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Models get into the meat of its 2021 schedule, there’s a few tracks the Hawkeye State driver looks forward to visiting. That includes a couple close-to-home races next month.

“We’ve got Boone [Speedway] coming up here in a couple of weeks, and [Mississippi Thunder Speedway] is one that’s up around the house,” Bruening said. 

“I haven’t really raced [Mississippi Thunder] much but I’m excited to race around home. It’s just so my family and friends that normally watch on TV can come see us in person and experience the race firsthand.” 

While any driver that runs the Series wants to win a championship, Bruening has a goal of staying consistent. 

“Last year was pretty up and down for us,” he said. “We had pretty good speed all year, I just feel like we had bad luck.

“I really just want to be consistent and rack up those top-10s, be competitive and finish strong throughout the season.” 

After 10 races this season, he’s finished in the top-10 five times. Through his career with the Series, Bruening has made 35 starts and collected two top-fives and 11 top-10s in total. He’s still on the search for his first win, though.

Bruening is currently tied for fourth in the points standings with Kyle Bronson, 72 points behind three-time and defending champion Brandon Sheppard. He’s also in the hunt for Rookie of the Year, trailing Kyle Strickler by 50 points. 

You can see Bruening and the rest of the World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Models at Richmond Raceway in Richmond, KY April 23, and Brushcreek Motorsports Complex in Peebles, OH April 24. 

WHAT TO WATCH FOR: Birthplace of Series – Devil’s Bowl – Paying $20,000-To-Win on Saturday NightLAWTON, OK – April 13, 2021 – There’s no slowing down for the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series.After an exciting weekend on Indiana’s bullrings, The Greatest Show on Dirt is heading south for a weekend at Lawton (OK) Speedway on Friday, April 16 and Devil’s Bowl (TX) Speedway on Saturday, April 17.LAWTON TICKETS (4/16) DEVIL’S BOWL TICKETS (4/17)Let’s catch you up on the storylines to follow entering this weekend:BIGGER PAYDAY: On Saturday at Devil’s Bowl, the World of Outlaws will race for $20,000-to-win, the highest-payday of the season to this point. It’s the first of back-to-back weekends with more money on the line as the NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars battle for $25,000-to-win at Bristol Motor Speedway on Saturday, April 24.In total, 12 events this season offer a more than $20,000 grand prize. That group is highlighted by a pair of $175,000-to-win King’s Royals at Eldora, the 60th Knoxville Nationals paying $150,000-to-win, the National Open at Williams Grove worth $75,000-to-win, and the $50,000-to-win Jackson Nationals, among many more high-paying shows.ADVERSITY HITS: After entering last weekend all on career-best streaks, Brad Sweet, Sheldon Haudenschild, and Logan Schuchart each left Indiana with their streaks snapped. Sweet’s run of nine-straight podium finishes? Gone. Haudenschild’s stretch of eight-straight top fives? Toast. Schuchart’s perfect 11-for-11 span of top tens? No more.Even David Gravel found his own slice of adversity at Kokomo when he clipped an infield tire running second and ended up with a 12th-place finish. Those four, who sit 1-2-3-4 in the championship standings with 70 races remaining will look to get back on trackMACEDO’S MOMENTUM: Much like basketball, it’s been a game of runs for Carson Macedo on the World of Outlaws trail in 2021. He started with a four-race spurt of 5th, 6th, 1st, 3rd to obtain the championship lead for the first time in his career. Then, a four-race swing through the south was full of struggles with runs of 21st, 7th, 13th, 11th.Now, he’s on a five-race streak of top tens and he’s back in contention tied for fourth in the standings. Since going to Missouri, the Jason Johnson Racing #41 has results of 5th, 5th, 8th, 6th, 1st. He enters Lawton and Devil’s Bowl fresh off a thrilling second win of the season at Tri-State Speedway.THE RISE OF THE #9: You can’t help but wonder where James McFadden would fall in the championship standings if he had been here from the start. Due to the birth of his first child, he stayed down under and misses the first six races of the season. Since arriving in the United States in March, he’s been on fire and the results prove it.The Alice Springs, NT, AUS native has a worst finish of 11th and average finish of 5.7 through his first seven starts in 2021. Last weekend especially, the Kasey Kahne Racing #9 found a rhythm on Indiana bullrings as he won for the first time this year at Kokomo and ran a close second at Tri-State. He’ll head to Lawton and Devil’s Bowl with a chip on his shoulder following that last-lap loss in Haubstadt.SCHATZ’S STRUGGLES: For the first time since 2002, Donny Schatz has finished outside the top-ten in five consecutive World of Outlaws races. That’s a stretch of 1,357 races for the 10x Series champion.Over the last five races, the Tony Stewart/Curb-Agajanian Racing #15 has finished 11th a lap down at Lake Ozark, suffered a DNF while leading at I-55, ran 11th again at I-55, accepted another DNF on Lap 2 at Kokomo, and finished 16th-from-21st at Tri-State. A win this weekend at Lawton and Devil’s Bowl would get the monkey off his back with his first win of the season.BACK ON HOME TURF: For Wayne Johnson of Oklahoma City, OK and Aaron Reutzel of Clute, TX, this is their final chance of the season to race in their home states.Johnson, who drives the Two-C Racing #2C, owns several regional victories at Lawton Speedway and ran 14th with the World of Outlaws one year ago. He’s chasing his first top-ten of the season since he ran ninth at Magnolia (MS).Reutzel, pilot of the Roth Motorsports #83, has an ASCS National 360 Sprint Car win to his credit at Devil’s Bowl in 2017. Outside of his one DNF at Magnolia, Reutzel has been top-ten in every single feature this year and currently sits sixth in the standings.PAST RESULTS: Lawton and Devil’s Bowl are two of eight tracks that were on the inaugural World of Outlaws schedule in 1978 and still host races today in 2021. No full-time Outlaws have won at Lawton with the Series thanks to Daryn Pittman’s emotional home-state triumph last year.At Devil’s Bowl, Schatz, Sweet and Schuchart are the only full-timers with winning experience on the half-mile against the World of Outlaws.This Week at a Glance – When and WhereFriday, April 16 at Lawton Speedway in Lawton, OK Saturday, April 17 at Devil’s Bowl Speedway in Mesquite, TXOn the Internet World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Models Series Twitter – @WorldofOutlaws Instagram – @WoOSprint Facebook – Facebook.com/WorldofOutlawsSprintCarSeries YouTube – Youtube.com/WorldofOutlaws DIRTVision – DIRTVision.com – Platinum annual FAST PASS for $299 or monthly FAST PASS for $39/monthAround the Turn: The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series prepare for a three-day show of epic proportions with the Bristol Throwdown coming up on April 22-24 at Bristol Motor Speedway.NOS ENERGY DRINK FEATURE WINNERS (7 Drivers): 5 wins – Brad Sweet, Kasey Kahne Racing w/ Mike Curb #49 2 wins – Sheldon Haudenschild, Stenhouse Jr. Marshall Racing #17 2 wins – Carson Macedo, Jason Johnson Racing #41 1 win – Logan Schuchart, Shark Racing #1S 1 win – Aaron Reutzel, Roth Motorsports #83 1 win – David Gravel, Big Game Motorsports #2 1 win – James McFadden, Kasey Kahne Racing w/ Mike Curb #9FEATURE LAPS LED (13 Drivers): 156 laps – Brad Sweet 51 laps – Aaron Reutzel 45 laps – Donny Schatz 37 laps – David Gravel 31 laps – James McFadden 27 laps – Sheldon Haudenschild 26 laps – Logan Schuchart 25 laps – Sam Hafertepe Jr. 19 laps – Tyler Courtney 11 laps – Carson Macedo 10 laps – Jacob Allen 1 lap – Kasey Kahne & Kraig KinserSLICK WOODY’S QUICKTIME AWARDS (9 Drivers): 2 QuickTimes – David Gravel, Brad Sweet, James McFadden, Cory Eliason. 1 QuickTimes – Aaron Reutzel, Logan Schuchart, Sheldon Haudenschild, Danny Dietrich, Sam Hafertepe Jr.DRYDENE HEAT RACE WINNERS (18 Drivers) 5 Heat Wins – Aaron Reutzel 4 Heat Wins – Logan Schuchart, David Gravel, Carson Macedo 3 Heat Wins – Sheldon Haudenschild, James McFadden 2 Heat Wins – Donny Schatz, Jacob Allen, Brock Zearfoss, Kasey Kahne, Kraig Kinser, Jason Sides, Ian Madsen, Sam Hafertepe Jr. 1 Heat Win –  Brad Sweet, Gio Scelzi, Danny Dietrich, Hunter SchuerenbergPODIUM FINISHES (16 Drivers): 10 Podiums – Brad Sweet 4 Podiums – Logan Schuchart & Sheldon Haudenschild 3 Podiums – Carson Macedo & James McFadden 2 Podiums – Donny Schatz, Aaron Reutzel, Cory Eliason, Gio Scelzi 1 Podium – Kraig Kinser, Brent Marks, David Gravel, Danny Dietrich, Tyler Courtney, Justin Peck, Sam Hafertepe Jr.2021 World of Outlaws Sprint Car Schedule & WinnersNo. / Day, Date / Track / Location / Winner (Total Wins) 1. Fri, Feb. 5 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / Brad Sweet (1) 2. Sun, Feb. 7 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / Logan Schuchart (1) 3. Fri, March 5 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / Carson Macedo (1) 4. Sat, March 6 / East Bay Raceway Park / Tampa, FL / Aaron Reutzel (1) 5. Fri, March 12 / Magnolia Motor Speedway / Columbus, MS / Sheldon Haudenschild (1) 6. Sat, March 13 / The Rev / Monroe, LA / David Gravel (1) 7. Fri, March 19 / Cotton Bowl Speedway / Paige, TX / Sheldon Haudenschild (2) 8. Sat, March 20 / Cotton Bowl Speedway / Paige, TX / Brad Sweet (2) 9. Sat, March 27 / Lake Ozark Speedway / Eldon, MO / Brad Sweet (3) 10. Fri, April 2 / I-55 Raceway / Pevely, MO / Brad Sweet (4) 11. Sat, April 3 / I-55 Raceway / Pevely, MO / Brad Sweet (5) 12. Fri, April 9 / Kokomo Speedway / Kokomo, IN / James McFadden (1) 13. Sat, April 10 / Tri-State Speedway / Haubstadt, IN / Carson Macedo (2)

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.

LAS VEGAS (April 13) — After a dazzling runner-up finish at the NHRA season-opener one month ago in Florida, second-ranked Pro Stock driver Troy Coughlin Jr. arrives at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway for this weekend’s Denso Spark Plugs NHRA Four-Wide Nationals looking for some firsts, while reminiscing on another “first” he accomplished at this track in 2009. It was 12 years ago when a teenaged Coughlin earned his first national event title in Las Vegas, driving the JEGS.com dragster to victory in Super Comp. Now he’s back as the driver of the JEGS.com Elite Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro looking for both his first Pro Stock win, his first time ranked No. 1 in any professional class — which a victory would deliver — while competing in his first four-wide drag race in the factory hot rod category.

“We are tuned-up and ready to roll,” Coughlin said. “Luck was on our side in Gainesville and we gained a lot of momentum by starting so well. There is no limit to what we can accomplish and there’s plenty of goals to set our sights on this weekend in Las Vegas. “I certainly remember that win in 2009. I was pretty much in shock and could barely talk when I got interviewed at the top end. I’m still a person that keeps everything inside. I celebrate in my mind and heart. I know I don’t show much outward emotion, but believe me I’m excited when we do well. I just don’t have the perfect thing to say come to mind right away like my uncles. They’re all so smooth on camera. I’m just different.” Whether he pulls off a cartwheel or two in the winner’s circle this weekend or just politely takes the trophy and shares it with his teammates as has become his norm, Coughlin knows the effort his crew at Elite Motorsports puts in to make him fast.

“It’s incredible to me to see the amount of work the guys do every day to make these cars quicker,” Coughlin said. “I remember when we had our own program at JEGS and I’d get to work at 7 a.m. and the guys were already there working on the motor and the chassis and then at 7 p.m. when I was leaving they’d still be right there grinding away. These guys are exactly the same way. Their dedication is unmatched but it’s what it takes to win all the world championships they’ve collected. “I’m doing everything I can to rise to their level of intensity. While they’re making music in the dyno room, I’m constantly watching film of our runs and analyzing data. I’ll hit the practice tree for hours and make runs in my head over and over. I always see ways I can improve and I think it should always be that way. There is no ceiling for knowledge.”

The JEGS.com/Elite Motorsports crew is led by veteran racer and crew chief Mark Ingersoll. “We all enjoyed the extra time we’ve had between races but we’re anxious to get back after it this weekend,” Coughlin said.

CHEVROLET RACING IN NTT INDYCAR SERIES INDY GP OF ALABAMA BARBER MOTORSPORTS PARK LEEDS. ALABAMA TEAM CHEVY DRIVER ZOOM CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT TEAM PENSKE DRIVERS PRE BARBER QUOTES APRIL 12, 2021
TEAM PENSKE DRIVERS SCOTT MCLAUGHLIN, JOSEF NEWGARDEN, SIMON PAGENAUD AND WILL POWER met with media to discuss upcoming NTT INDYCAR SERIES season opening race at Barber Motorsports Park:
What have you done to prepare for a track like Barber, which can be a tricky circuit? SIMON PAGENAUD: — Barber10 years ago, it was my first ever INDYCAR race. Lots of great memories. Obviously a great win in 2016. Battle with Graham Rahal. A great track, really technical, high commitment. Really need to bring a lot of confidence to the game. It’s a brilliant oval track for those reasons.  
Scott, what have you done to prepare for a track like Barber, which can be a tricky circuit?  SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: I’m feeling as prepared as I can be right now. I said to my wife last night, Whatever happens this week, I feel like I’ve done a lot of hard work, worked on my fitness. It’s going to be a very physical week, tough track on the body.  Worked with the team to get an understanding. This track requires a lot of commitment, a lot of bravery, and a lot of commitment to the aero, aerodynamics of the car. That’s something I’m getting used to right now.  Bit by bit I’ve got used to it across the run. Having a couple test days here puts me in good stead knowing what I’ve got and what I will have chassis-wise when we hit the track on Saturday morning.  Yeah, look, I’m happy where we’re at. Really excited for the challenge. It’s going to be an up-and-down year. I’m really excited for all the obstacles, what’s going to come across in my rookie season.  
Q. Obviously it’s going to be a pretty quick couple of races at the start of the season. For Simon and Scott, how confident are you guys going into the season? Also you’ve come off the back of a really good test at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. How much confidence does that give you going into the month of May?  SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: Look, it’s going to be an exciting year. Yeah, absolutely had a great test at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Nice to also do some laps around there. I’ve got three great teammates to lean on, not only in terms of driving style but setup-wise, trusting what the car is going to be like at qualifying trim, race trim, understanding that. That was really nice to lean on all three of the guys. All three of them were fantastic with me, helping me build up, get acquainted.  For me, I don’t really know what to expect. I think we’ve done some really good work as a team in the off-season. From what I understand the team’s in a positive spot, but you don’t know with testing right now sort of where everyone’s at. I don’t think we’ll know until qualifying at Barber.  That’s my best answer to that sort of thing.  For me right now, it’s about doing as many laps as I can, getting as much understanding under my belt, leaning on my three great teammates as much as I can.  
SIMON PAGENAUD: Clearly we focused a lot on the Indianapolis 500. Last year was not what we expected. We wanted to come back and really show the resilience of Team Penske. As you saw the test, the drivers felt, we were very pleased with the improvement. Everybody worked so hard this winter. We found speed.  It’s obviously just the beginning of testing at Indy, but it felt very good. That’s clearly a very enjoyable thing to say as it’s also my number one goal.  Now when it comes to the full championship, also like Scott said, made big improvements on the race car, making it more consistently able to go get the last little bit of lap time. I don’t know where we’re going to stack up exactly, but I know that we’ve done everything we can to run up front and be there for the championship in the end.  It’s going to be a long season. You are going to have to score points and always be top five to fight for the championship.  
Simon, obviously we have condensed schedules again this year. Last year you didn’t know that going into it. Do you have to prepare a little differently now this year knowing that you’re only running Saturday and Sunday at Barber, everything is condensed? Does that change how you prepare in the off-season and week-to-week? SIMON PAGENAUD: The big advantage is this year we knew that the schedule was going to change. We knew in advance. That really helped my team and myself to prepare and understand how the weekend was going to roll.  At the end of the day it’s about knowing how to tackle each practice for qualifying and then the race. I think we have right now a very good outlook on everything.  Super excited about this format, quite frankly. I think we have a two-day weekend in Barber. St. Pete is different, three-day weekend. Texas is two races. The next four races are back-to-back. It’s going to be intense. But I know we’re ready. I can’t wait to get going.  
Simon, Team Penske has been three cars in the past. What advantages do you see in getting a fourth car full-time this year?SIMON PAGENAUD: You know, I know it’s very simple actually to understand. It’s two and two. Two and two make work a lot easier. When it’s three, two guys might like the same thing, one guy might not. When it’s two and two, there’s more chances that two guys are going to like the same things and two others are going to like the exact same stuff for their cars or their style.  As four, it also has a better flow, better energy within the team also. It’s the same with the engineers. Jonathan Diuguid is with Scott McLaughlin. He used to lead the sports car program. Jonathan was also Helio’s engineer in the past. Lots of experience there.  I think all those four engineers working together are really a fantastic group. Four awesome drivers, four awesome engineers. Obviously there’s a lot more engineers in the background that really makes for a super team.  
With the new aero package for the superspeedways this year, as I understand it you have more options as a team or a driver in terms of your setup. What has been your experience? I can ask both of you this question. What has been your experience so far? Has it made it confusing or has it made it better for you as a driver in that you have these more options? SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: For me, it’s probably — I was speaking to Will Power about this, knowing that it’s one of my first times on a superspeedway, on the oval, having no experience on really anything else. Going in, it’s all brand-new.  The feeling? I didn’t have any old feelings of old cars and stuff. I was probably able to get acquainted almost easier because some of the older guys, in some ways they’re so used to different feelings.  I think it’s a good option of having the option of putting the balance boards on or taking them off or whatever. It’s going to be interesting what the racing is like.  I think we found in Indianapolis, yeah, depends on your setup. It was difficult to pass three or four back in the train. But I think it certainly looks better than last year.  Yeah, look, I’m learning every lap I do really, especially at the ovals.  SIMON PAGENAUD: I felt like INDYCAR did a great job allowing us more options. It was important to make sure the show was going to be awesome. Especially if we get some fans in the grandstand, it would be fantastic to come back and put on the best show ever.  The balance board, the more aerodynamics, also they fill up the hole on the side of the floor, and you can definitely add onto the front wing to help run in traffic. It was a big improvement.  I really enjoyed being able to run in traffic without big surprises in the aerodynamics of the car. I think with more testing, a lot more cars will figure it out and drivers.  So overall I think it’s very, very positive.  
‘Push to pass’ was tested at the Indy oval recently. There’s been some mixed feelings as to whether or not INDYCAR should allow ‘push to pass’ on ovals. In the past they never have. Like to get your thought as to having that option? I asked Juan Montoya last week. He was very much in favor of having it on the ovals. I’ve heard other drivers say they weren’t so sure. I’d like to hear your opinion.  SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: Well, for me, I think anything that makes racing better is a good thing. If INDYCAR think the racing is going to be better with a ‘push to pass’ option potentially. But I think you’ll find if that gets brought in, it will be a very strategic move how you use them. You probably will save them for a long time, hopefully have enough fuel to use it, or gas as you say over here.  I think, yeah, it’s going to be interesting. It’s hard for me to tell because I haven’t been in a race situation. I think you got to back INDYCAR officials in anything that makes the racing better. Hopefully that will work.  
SIMON PAGENAUD: Yeah, I think it’s very situational. Quite frankly, we don’t really have — drivers, it doesn’t really matter. We’re coming in, the rules are the rules. What INDYCAR decides is for us to use. I’m very much backing them up because they’ve made great choices in the racing in general.  Would I have liked to have the ‘push to pass’ in 2019? Probably not. Would I have liked to have it last year? Absolutely. It depends on the situation. It’s very hard to have one determined opinion on that.  I think for the racing, it would be great. For the fans, it would be fantastic. But it all depends how it’s gone in place.  I look forward, in any case, to changes. It shuffles the cards and it’s good for racing.  
Scott, this month here you’re kind of running the gamut of all the different types of courses that INDYCAR hits. You get the Indy 500 test, now you got a dedicated road course followed immediately by a street course and then a high-speed oval at Texas. Is that difficult to prepare for, to think about all the different types of racing that’s coming up in quick succession? SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: Look, any time I get laps in these cars, it’s better. It’s wild, but this is exactly why I came to America for. I came to race nearly every weekend on all different disciplines I haven’t done before.  It’s definitely a difficult thing to prepare for for everyone. I think we’re all sort of working out times to get on the simulator, when do you give up preparing for this race this weekend and then start thinking about the next race in a week’s time.  But thankfully for the start of season when it’s crazy, all these tracks I’ve been to before. I know what I need. We’ve got a solid plan in place. We can sort of hit the ground running at each track.  So, yeah, I think probably this one this week is probably the one track that definitely I need to work harder. St. Pete I feel, having known that track, I know our balance there, it’s going to be okay. Then Texas, it’s an oval. I’ve just got to work my way around it.  It’s exciting. Like I said, I came to America to race most weekends. This is a dream for me really.  Scott, obviously last year was sort of an interesting one for you going from the Bathurst 1000 straight over to America to make your INDYCAR debut. What is it like this weekend? You’ve had a fair bit of buildup. Does it feel like you’re having your debut all over in some ways? SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: It certainly feels like a bit of a reset button, I guess. I definitely feel a lot more prepared. I have an understanding of the car a lot more than I did when I was sort of rolling into St. Pete. That can only be beneficial for me.  I came into St. Pete with a thought of what the car was like in sort of February, March. Got to October, it was all full on. That week was full on for me. I was jetlagged, whatever. I’m not making excuses, but at the same time like I said, I feel as prepared as I can be right now.  The only thing right now I lack is experience. I feel like I’ve got, like I said, great teammates to lean on. I’ve got a great engineer, as Simon said, who has a huge amount of experience. I’m just leaning on everyone really and soaking everything up like a sponge.  It’s business time now. I really need to get into it.  
Following up on that ‘push to pass’ question before. Up until now it’s been allowed to be used as a defense mechanism as well as offense. Some drivers think that’s a good thing. Others feel it defeats the purpose of having it. I’d like to get your opinion on that.  SIMON PAGENAUD: That’s a loaded question (laughter). You never get everybody to agree on that one.  It is what it is. Again, like I said earlier, I think it depends what INDYCAR decides to do, and we have to oblige by the rules. We’re an entertainment show, so at the end of the day it’s about making sure we put on a fantastic show.  As we saw last year, racing without fans is not racing. They have a huge part of — they are a huge part of what we do, so we have to think about that, making sure that the fans enjoy the racing. That is what INDYCAR is doing.  Whatever the drivers think doesn’t really matter as much. But no matter what, it would be a great show. It has been without it. It will be with it, if we have it. So I personally have zero opinion on it. I don’t personally like gimmicks in racing, but honestly it completely depends on the situation and how it’s implemented.  
Q. Scott, can you tell me a little bit about the helmet design you’re going to be running at the Indianapolis 500. Is that a tribute to Rick Mears? SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: Yeah. It’s just basically the same helmet design that Helio has run in previous years. Obviously what Rick was synonymous for with the yellow submarine.  I love tradition, I love history. I think it was a cool tribute. I couldn’t fit McLaughlin down the side, it would wrap around my visor as well. I had to subs substitute for Scott.  I thought it was pretty cool, quite on the back. It’s just a tribute to the 500, the people that have run it before, and hopefully a legacy we can start with myself and Pennzoil. I’m tremendously excited to run that car. I feel very lucky and privileged. Excited to see what we can do with it.  
I’d like to get your thoughts on INDYCAR going to Nashville for the Music City Grand Prix later this year.  SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: I’ve never been to Nashville before, so the more America I can see, the better. Very excited. I heard Nashville is a wild city. I’m really excited for the street track there, around the stadium where the Titans play, too, is cool.  Sounds to me, Josef is the Nashville king or Nashville mayor, he’s pretty pumped by it. He said it’s an awesome city and awesome vibe. Yeah, super pumped. Any track that goes over a bridge, man, is pretty bad ass, so I’m excited for that.  SIMON PAGENAUD: Can you play any instrument?  SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: No. Depending how many drinks I’ve had.  SIMON PAGENAUD: I want to see it. I want to see it (laughter).  Pretty exciting when we get to that market. It looks like a really interesting layout, for sure, going over the bridge. I’m sure those photos will go around the world and be very iconic after a while. I am really looking forward to it.It’s a town of festivities and we’re bringing the show. Very excited to get to know the town. I’ve actually never been to Nashville either. As you know, I look forward to finding some good restaurants.  
We’re joined by Will Power, Josef Newgarden. Will, as a two-time winner and four-time pole winner at Barber, it’s been a couple years since we have been to Barber, so how excited are you to get back to racing?  WILL POWER: Yeah, I’m super excited to get back in the car. Yeah, very excited. Josef is going to be very amused at this (laughter). Yeah, I think we’ve had two test days at Barber, so I reckon we’ve got the car pretty well sorted.  I know it’s going to be super competitive. It’s going to be very, very competitive. So many good guys and teams this year. Certainly have to put everything together to make sure that we’re in the game.  But just really happy to get back to racing. It’s been quite a long off-season.  
We’re also joined by Josef Newgarden, who is the most successful driver in the history of INDYCAR Series at Barber with three wins. Josef, what is it about Barber that kind of suits you? JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Yeah, I’m pretty excited, too, like Will said. I think we’ve got a good opportunity to come out pretty strong this year. I think we’ve done a lot of good work this off-season. I’m very encouraged about everywhere we’re going, to be honest. Barber included.  I can’t wait to get going this weekend. It’s been a while since we got to do our normal jobs. I’m excited to get back with the boys and get working.  Excited we’ve got four cars. I think we’ve got some of the best people as always. We’ve been bolstered this year with adding Scott, his engineer J.D., and a couple others. Very, very excited to get going.  
Going to be a pretty frantic start to the season. How beneficial is it to you guys to have Scott kind of added for a fourth car this season?  JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Yeah, I think it’s tremendously beneficial. I think we’re going to find a lot of benefits from it. Last time we were four cars, we worked really well together when Helio was in the mix. Having the resources that come with an extra car at Team Penske has, in my opinion, been quite useful. I think probably more useful now with the shortened track time.  We still have to be better at showing up with a car that’s going to work out of the box. But I think just having that extra car with the workload demand across the weekend will be very, very beneficial.  It will be fun. It’s also fun to just see a pure rookie kind of going at it. He’s obviously super talented, going to have a good car on him. But it’s fun to watch how excited he is for every little thing, which I think makes it exciting to go to the track.  
I wanted to ask, obviously we always expect Penske and Ganassi drivers to contend for titles. Who do you reckon are going to be the new contenders for titles, people outside that group that are going to fight for titles? Do you expect to see Colton or Pato or Felix battling for the championship this year? WILL POWER: Yeah, I think McLaren is going to certainly be strong this year, with Pato, they’ve added Felix, who has a lot of experience in INDYCAR now. I think those guys are going to be pretty strong.  Obviously Colton was already a threat last year, so more so this year.  (Loss of audio.)  JOSEF NEWGARDEN: As Will was saying, all of these guys are going to be very good. Is he back?  WILL POWER: Was I just talking and nothing happening?  JOSEF NEWGARDEN: You froze, yeah.  WILL POWER: I thought everyone was so engrossed in what I was saying, they were just like frozen, looking like, Oh, my God (laughter). Just an amazing, amazing reply. Then it just stopped. Oh, I’m frozen, okay. I should stop.  
Do you want to finish your statement, Will?  WILL POWER: I have no clue where it stopped.  Oh, yeah, just basically you add after Herta Penske and Ganassi and you’ve got a very fierce championship. I think you’re going to see many different winners this year. It will probably be a year of consistency that will win it.  
Josef, anyone else? Do you see maybe Rinus VeeKay with a year of experience under his belt being a threat? JOSEF NEWGARDEN: I don’t think you can count him out. Yeah, I don’t know. I think time will tell. I wouldn’t necessarily put him in the list right now. I think we probably need a little bit more evidence of that.  Like Will said, I think Colton and Pato are probably the strongest newcomers to join the mix, and are definitely already threats in the championship. That’s only going to get probably better.  We’ve got to see how Scott takes to it. Scott has an opportunity I think to be very strong in his first year, which could be unique to other rookies. I think he’s going to have a good opportunity. We’ll see how it takes to it.  
WILL POWER: Yeah. I mean, I liken Scott to Wickens. I believe he can have a year like that just from experience in top-level motorsports.  
The new aero package this year, on ovals you have had a chance to test it at Indy. I’d like to get your opinion with the options you now have compared to before in terms of setups. Also you tested the ‘push to pass’ on the oval. Should that work into the mix? Is that not necessary?  JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Well, I mean, I guess I’ll speak to the ‘push to pass’ because I was at the test.  I was certainly not a big believer that’s something we need at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. I want the racing to be as difficult as possible at Indy. I want opportunities for the front group to be able to race, to put on a good show.  You can’t have everything. It’s really, really difficult to find a good balance where you have the most difficult cars to drive, the drivers can really showcase their talent behind the wheel and work with the team to make a faster car. Also to create an environment where the race is thrilling.  I think you can have both of them. Honestly at Indy we’ve had that for the last 10 years. I think it’s been very difficult races and also very thrilling races. I think we’re talking about adding horsepower. I would rather just add pure horsepower to the car, which is what we all want. We just want more power for the cars.  I think the ‘push to pass’ situation where you create this big speed disparity between cars is more of a risky proposition, putting it in the hands of the some of the field of 33 would make me a little bit nervous, not because it’s going to be more difficult, just because I think it would be more risky for no reason.  Adding more horsepower is great, but probably not in a ‘push to pass’ format I think at Indy.  
Will, Honda versus Chevy, road course versus oval. Have you seen any trends? Your photo shop skills are getting as good as NASCAR. Will you be doing more of that in the future? WILL POWER: Yeah, the Honda versus Chevy, I think Barber probably is favored a little bit more to Honda because the way their engine seems to have more torque than ours. I think actually at the Speedway this year we’ll be pretty strong. I think Chevy’s made a really good gain.  Yeah, it’s very close. I mean, both honestly are very close. But the field is so stacked now that any little advantage really makes a difference. If one manufacturer is just weighted a little bit more on the torque side, torque of the engine, for somewhere like Barber where it’s just pure power because there’s so much grip, it kind of stacks the field one way. Yeah, it’s super close.  And my videos, yeah, I can keep doing them. Josef is actually using my guide to what to do, how far I should go. Is this okay to post? Any post that you don’t agree with, you should really message him because nothing to do with me, it’s his decision (laughter).  Yourself and Simon have spoken fairly highly of Scott McLaughlin leading into his first full year in INDYCAR. What sort of separates him from perhaps other rookies that we’ve seen over the last few years? What has your advice been to him ahead of his first full season? WILL POWER: Yeah, I mean, the difference is that Scott has a significant amount of experience at a very high level because the Super Car Championship in Australia is very competitive, very professional. It’s on par with INDYCAR.  He’s been through all the stuff that rookies go through. You’ve seen that in his testing. He hasn’t thrown it off. I don’t think he’s even been off the track. Yeah, he’s very methodical about his approach. I think experience is going to help him significantly over a rookie that had only done junior categories.  
Will, obviously in the Road to Indy you’re helping out or mentoring Myles Rowe, but also there’s some young Australians. How cool is that as an Australian to see guys like Alex Peroni and Cam Shields come over here and try and make it? WILL POWER: Yeah, no, I’ve certainly helped Cameron Shields a lot in trying to make sure he continues. Obviously Myles is in a great program and has had a lot of laps in the car now. I’m hoping he’ll be super strong.  But, yeah, I actually don’t know Alex Peroni very well, but I’ve kind of followed him a little bit with what he’s done in Europe. I think he’ll be really quick.  Yeah, it’s great to see, especially Cameron Shields, he’s from Toowoomba, and he is very quick. I really believe he can get all the way to INDYCAR.  I’ve got to give it to him because he has absolutely zero money or funding and he stuck it out for the last few years here by just meeting the right people, getting in the right situation and performing when he needs to.  Yeah, I hope he gets a full season this year. I think he’s in a good car. We’ll see what happens there.  
How excited are you to be affiliated with Paretta Autosport for the Indianapolis 500? How impressed were you with Simona’s time over the weekend?  JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Very excited. They’re certainly a great addition to our group. It’s fun to have another car with Simona, too. I think Simona is a top-shelf talent. I think a lot of us feel that way about her in INDYCAR. It was almost a shame that she got cut short with her timeline in INDYCAR. When she left, she never probably had the best opportunity to compete at a high level. She was already doing that.  I think she’s going to be fantastic. She took to things pretty quickly, almost like she never left. With Paretta, the entire team, they’ve been absorbing the way work. We’ve had a lot of the different women at the track with us trying to understand our philosophies, the way we go about racing.  It’s going to be exciting. They’re a really fun program. I think they’re going to be covered pretty well in the 500. There’s a lot of interest in their specific group. I think they’ll have a good opportunity to compete at a high level.  
Will, a couple years ago you were involved with trying to get INDYCAR back to Australia. Any update on that? Any movement in that area? Is that a dead horse? WILL POWER: I don’t think that will ever happen. I don’t think it will ever happen (laughter).  I shouldn’t say never, but not in the time that I’m in INDYCAR. Let’s say it’s definitely not going to happen in the next five years. I think Roger’s focus is going to be on North America, not really going anywhere else. I don’t know that for a fact. I think he’ll try to grow that before he thinks about going anywhere else.  
The Music City Grand Prix in your hometown of Nashville. What can everyone expect from that new race coming up this year? JOSEF NEWGARDEN: I think you could expect a good party, a really good party. I think it’s very positive. When I think of street course racing in INDYCAR, I think of thrilling racing for all the purists out there. But I think of an entertaining show, certainly a bit of a party, which caters to everybody. That’s what you want. You want that atmosphere where everyone can show up and have a good time regardless of how much of a racing fan you are.  I think Nashville is going to do that probably better than anywhere. I’m very excited for it. I think it will be a great event. I know all the drivers in the paddock are excited for that one to come around.  
Will, with Scott on the team, both from the same part of the world, do you have any secret language you can talk to each other your teammates won’t understand? WILL POWER: We certainly do, but probably nothing I can mention on here. If you’ve ever been to Australia, you probably understand they like to throw swear words around a lot (laughter).  JOSEF NEWGARDEN: They like to use their language at restaurants, I’ve noticed, when we go there (smiling). People love it.  WILL POWER: Yeah, no, we certainly have our own language, which isn’t good language, I would say (laughter).  
About ChevroletFounded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is now one of the world’s largest car brands, available in 75 countries with nearly 4 million cars and trucks sold in 2019. Chevrolet models include electric and fuel-efficient vehicles that feature engaging performance, design that makes the heart beat, passive and active safety features and easy-to-use technology, all at a value. More information on Chevrolet models can be found www.chevrolet.com.

February 2021, the shortest month of the year! January went by pretty quick for us this year, and with another month rolling around we are still in deep with multiple builds here at the SB Motorsport HQ.

This wasn’t without our – out of workshop trips to partners though! Early on in the month we headed to our awesome Wrap & Vinyl sponsor, @FLSLTD. Where we had some patch work completed on the race van. This was a result in installing the side window, so the guys replaced the logos we had to cut off the side.

February was a month of snow in the UK, and as we don’t get snow that often, it was a big deal to most. This was also the week we collected the freshly painted #LSXR35 shell back from @BoltonBodyWorks.

The #SB350z is also near completion, with the @Garrettmotion G25-660 turbo mounted. Next step is the radiator & intercooler.

We started our LSX engine rebuild, which will be installed into the #S13V8 for this year. At the end of last year, we decided to completely strip and rebuild this fire breathing V8, to make sure 2021 saw nothing but reliability for the car.

The last few days of Feb were our busiest, with the rebuild and Version 3 of the GT-R. A newly painted shell, subframes, steering arms and suspension ready to go on, all in the first few days.

March 2021. With what seemed to be a very quick February, we rolled into the third month of the year primarily focusing on the rebuild of the #LSXR35.  The bare shell quickly became a rolling shell within a few weeks. Documenting every nut and bolt being fastened onto the car. Filming the progress of the build as it happens.

The front & rear subframes installed, @RadiumEngineering Fuel Cell in place, wiring harness and steering column all fitted.

Now it was time to test fit the new Version 3 @LibertyWalkSilhouette bodykit for the first time. Reportedly the only kit to be shipped to Europe!

This is shaping up to be our best, or even coolest version yet! Keep watching our socials to keep track of the progress. @SBMotorsport @BaggsyBoyUK

March was also the month we announced that we have partnered up with @FunkMotorsport in our 2021 race program. Their quality products ready for the #S13V8 and the rebuilt LSXR engine install. With the delay of our #PS13V8 coming back from Oman, we decided to make a few upgrades to the S13 to make it a competitive beast for the UK drift championships.

This included moving the whole cooling system to the rear of the car to work more efficiently, and a custom exhaust using all @VibrantPerformance parts.

To end off the month, Baggsy collected his new race trailer from Fleet Livery Solutions LTD, who have been wrapping the Brian James Transporter in the 2019/2020 GT-R Baggsy livery. Another show piece from Ash and the guys at @FLSLTD!

Baggsy – “Both February and March were great months for us, and I’m super excited to show you what has been happening in the lead up to this years event season.” “And… my new GT-R Version 3” www.baggsyboy.com www.sbmotorsport.com

NHRA^® Team Report

NHRA Four-Wide Nationals – Las Vegas

Pre-Race Report

With one of his strongest starts to a season, Cruz Pedregon and team are third in the NHRA Funny Car standings and ready to get back on the track this week in Las Vegas in front of a sold-out crowd.

“We’ve got good data and the confidence of going to the semis our first time out with this new team that will give us the momentum we need to do well at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway,” Cruz says. “John Collins has had cars he’s tuned in the final rounds at both of the previous Vegas four-wides, so we’re eager to give it our best shot.”

The Snap-on Dodge^® piloted by Cruz is already seeing consecutive 3.9 runs, a tribute to the hard work being done to get it right early in the season and stay in the groove. 

Cruz is one of only five Funny Car drivers who’ve won a championship and five majors — the Winternationals, Gatornationals, Englishtown, U.S. Nationals, and the World Finals and one of only seven Funny Car drivers who’ve won four majors and a championship. “It feels really good to be a contender again,” says Cruz. 

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With the threat of rain looming and the forecast showing Saturday as almost a guaranteed washout, race officials pushed hard to get two rounds of qualifying completed on Friday. However, the day’s events ran so smoothly that the schedule actually completed early, and a third session was run on Friday as well. Saturday morning broke with skies clearer than expected, so qualifying continued until afternoon showers ultimately forced race officials to call the day a wash. By Sunday, though, the sunshine had returned and eliminations were contested without interruption so that the rightful winners of each category were able to enjoy their celebrations in the winner’s circle. Fans showed up in droves to watch one of the last events in Atlanta Dragway’s storied history and enjoyed the on-track action as well as the UPR Products car show, manufacturer’s midway, swap meet, and so much more.

Joining forces with the NMCA contestants, Alan Felts topped the qualifying list of NMRA VP Racing Madditives/NMCA Mickey Thompson Street Outlaw with his 4.290 at 168.09 mph run behind the wheel of his turbocharged ’91 Mustang. Felts went out in the semi-finals, while the finals paired the number-three qualified driver, Steve Halprin, against the number-five driver, John Urist, for a rematch of the same showdown at the previous event. The men staged, but Urist’s Hellion-turbocharged ’15 Mustang pushed through the beams and triggered a foul to gift the win to Halprin, who cruised to an easy victory in his ’02 Mustang. NMRA Edelbrock Renegade ran in conjunction with NMCA Edelbrock Xtreme Street, and a 4.573 at 152.95mph pass from the Buick-powered Fox Mustang driven by Dave Fiscus was the quickest of them all. Eric Bardekoff put his ’16 Mustang into the number-two position, while last season’s NMRA champion, Joel Greathouse, was eighth. Fiscus wasn’t able to advance past round two, but Bardekoff and Greathouse both worked their way to the finals. Greathouse had the starting-line advantage, but it was Bardekoff’s blast of 4.538 at 154.86 mph that enabled him to drive around the champ to earn the win while Greathouse settled for second with his 4.579 at 152.73 mph run. Repeating her number-one qualifying performance from the previous race in Florida, Samantha Moore took the lead once again in JDM Engineering Limited Street this time going 8.319 at 164.29 mph pass in his supercharged ’14 Mustang. She red-lighted in round two, so the final round was open for the 2020 season champion and number-two qualifier Bill Putnam to face off against Stacey Roby who qualified fifth. Roby had trouble with his ProCharged S197 Mustang and wasn’t able to make a pass. Putnam enjoyed earning more points toward defending his title behind the wheel of his UPR Products-backed ’94 Mustang.

The G-Force Racing Transmissions Coyote Stock wheelie exhibitions were in full swing, but Randy Soper stole the show in qualifying when his ’04 Mustang covered the quarter-mile in just 9.815 seconds at 137.67 mph. In eliminations, it came down to Nathan Stymiest who had qualified second and Tim Matherly who was ninth. The two left the line hard, but Matherly had the advantage all down the track and it was his ’03 Mustang that crossed the finish in front, posting a winning 9.887 at 136.14 mph number on the scoreboard over the 9.985 at 136.06 mph belonging to Stymiest’s ’92 Mustang. Justin Fogelsonger was the number-one qualified driver in Richmond Gear Factory Stock when he earned a 10.295 at 128.93 mph time slip with his Coyote-powered ’86 Mustang, and he scored two round wins in eliminations to earn a seat in the finals against last year’s champion, John Leslie Jr and his ’89 Mustang. Although Leslie had qualified behind Fogelsonger in third, he had his game face on at the starting line and treed the other driver by three-hundredths of a second to take the win for the weekend on a holeshot, going 10.291 at 130.10 mph over Fogelsonger’s quicker 10.281 at 128.87 mph run. The always competitive ARP Open Comp class had three drivers cut 0.001-second reaction times in qualifying; Eddie Colwell, Brent Blacker, and Charles Atkinson occupied the top three spots as a result. Five fierce rounds of eliminations whittled down the pack to just two men — Greg Cole and Dennis Corn — both piloting ’88 Ford Mustangs with low 9-second dial-ins. With close reaction times, the win was up for grabs but, in a double-breakout scenario, it was ultimately Cole who got to celebrate his success in the winner’s circle.

Tons of drivers came out to compete in Exedy Racing Clutch Modular Muscle and Dean Snow with his ’04 Ford Mustang was the number-one qualifier courtesy of a stellar 0.002-second reaction time. Snow exited before the finals, but Susan Roush-McClenaghan and Jason Henson held strong. Henson captured the better reaction time, but Roush-McClenaghan had him at the stripe where it mattered most when she ran 9.327 at 137.81 mph on her ’10 Mustang’s dial-in, while he went 12.064 at 109.36 mph on the 12.08 estimate for his ’03 Mustang. Roush-McClenaghan was deemed the winner while Henson went home as the runner-up. Chis Parisi proved he was the quickest off the line in Fastest Street CarSuper Stang qualifying, leaving just 0.003 seconds after the green illuminated. That put his ’20 Ford Mustang in the number-one spot. Parisi’s prowess paid off in the finals when he defeated Marvin Knack by running 12.196 at 108.13 mph on his 12.05 dial-in to Knack’s 11.910 at 116.52 mph on a dial-in of 11.84 for his ’11 Mustang. Bob Dill’s 0.005-second light during qualifying earned him the top spot in Detroit Locker Truck & Lightning with his ’01 Ford F-150 for the second race in a row. However, it was Dave Cole and Randy Conway who stayed in the eliminations game all the way through to the finals. Fielding ’84 and ’85 model Ford trucks, respectively, Conway went 10.192 at 124.24 mph on his 10.16 dial-in, but it wasn’t enough to hold off the nearly dead-on onslaught of Cole, whose 11.341 at 116.58 mph pass on his 11.34 dial-in made him victorious. Running on an 11.75 index and going 0.004-seconds over gave Lloyd Mikeska the advantage in RacePagesDigital.com Ford Muscle when eliminations began as the top qualified driver. However, he went out in round one, while Danny Towe and Chris Parisi both advanced into the finals. There, Towe aimed for an 11.75 and Parisi was going for a 12.00-second run, but both men went under and it was Towe whose 11.741 at 106.93 mph pass illuminated the win light in his lane to take home the top honors. Cars cruised 30-miles of Commerce, Georgia, roads and then made three back-to-back passes down the track for the last time in QA1 True Streetcompetition at Atlanta Dragway. Scott Oshinski took the win with an 8.77-second average in his TorqStorm-supercharged ’72 Oldsmobile Cutlass with Bill Unkel not far behind clocking a 9.055-second average to claim the runner-up honors. Additional winners include Eddie Fleeman (9-second), David Bleigh (10-second), Ben Bramlett (11-second), Dale Aldridge (12-second), Lonnie Sinclair (13-second), Mark Smith (14-second), and Jayton Dugger (15-second). Sunday’s Bracket Open category hosted six rounds of eliminations. Ultimately, it came down to Gary Youngblood Jr. and Michael Garner, both driving Fox Mustang entries. Garner was close to his 6.63-second dial-in when he went 6.643 at 103.03 mph, but Youngblood bested him with a 7.063-second at 94.99 mph pass on a 7.06 dial-in. The 2021 Holley NMRA Ford Nationals drag racing series will continue at the 16th Annual NMRA/NMCA Super Bowl of Street-Legal Drag Racing Presented by HPJ Performance at World Wide Technology Raceway near St. Louis, Missouri, on May 13-16. For more information and advance tickets, visit NMRAdigital.com/STL

April 11, 2021

Matt DiBenedetto and the Motorcraft/Quick Lane team rallied from a mid-race incident that resulted in significant damage to the No. 21 Mustang and came home with a 12th place finish in Sunday’s Blue Emu 500 at Martinsville Speedway.

DiBenedetto started the 500-lap race from 22nd place on Saturday night, and had moved to 15th place when rain halted the race after just 42 circuits.
 
When rain continued into the night, the race was postponed until 4 p.m. on Sunday. When the action resumed, DiBenedetto and the Motorcraft/Quick Lane team showed good speed and were running 13th at the end of the first 130-lap Stage.

In Stage Two, he continued to run just outside the top 10 until the closing laps when he was unable to avoid spinning drivers ahead of him. The contact crumpled the right front fender of the Motorcraft/Quick Lane Mustang, with damage also to the splitter and the front sway bar connection.

Quick work by the Motorcraft/Quick Lane crew led by Jonathan Hassler, filling in for Greg Erwin who contracted COVID-19, allowed DiBenedetto to rejoin the race in 26th place, just one lap down. 

He drove his way into the free pass position and rejoined the lead lap when Kyle Busch and Chris Buescher spun as they raced beside him with 178 laps remaining in the race.

Back on the lead lap, he continued to work his way forward, and was able to avoid several accidents. He also steered clear of significant damage when 11 drivers piled up on the backstretch with 114 laps remaining, bringing out the red flag.

When the green flag was displayed again, DiBenedetto was able to move from 16th place to 12th at the checkered flag. It was his fourth straight top-15 finish.

“Our Motorcraft/Quick Lane Mustang was pretty good to start with,” DiBenedetto said. “It had a lot of potential. It could have been a pretty big day for us.”

Then came the damage.
 
“When Ryan Newman spun in front of me, I just didn’t have anywhere to go,” he said.

But what might have been a disappointing day turned into one to be proud of.

“To come from getting all that damage and losing a lap to getting the lucky dog [free pass] and getting back on the lead lap and finishing 12th was pretty impressive,” DiBenedetto said. “Nobody on the team gave up. Everyone just kept grinding away at it, and we wound up with a decent finish.”

Part of that success included DiBenedetto dodging numerous crashes, many of which occurred just ahead of or beside him.

“It went on the whole day,” he said. “I’m tired. We evaded enough for 10 races.” 

Next up for DiBenedetto and the No. 21 team is a Sunday afternoon 400-lapper at Richmond Raceway. 
 

Austin Dillon and the No. 3 American Ethanol Chevrolet Team Post Solid Performance at Martinsville Speedway Despite Adversity-Filled Day

14th

18th

12th

“It was a marathon this weekend at Martinsville Speedway in the American Ethanol Chevrolet. We faced a lot of adversity. The entire right side of our Chevy was gone by the end of the race. There was just a lot of beating and banging out there today. We got our car handling pretty well but were held on pit road for a lap as a penalty for pitting outside the box. We lost our track position but did a good job of trying to work our way back to the front. The handling of our Chevy just wasn’t what it needed to be once it got dark outside. The track changed too much. We’ll go get them at Richmond Raceway on Sunday.” -Austin Dillon

Tyler Reddick and No. 8 Childress Vineyards Chevrolet Team Leverage Long Run Speed for Eighth-Place Finish at Martinsville Speedway

8th

13th

21st

“Today was a good day for our No. 8 Childress Vineyards Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, but we definitely had to fight for it. I learned a lot about racing at Martinsville Speedway over the course of the weekend. We fired off strong Saturday night and were able to work our way up a handful of spots after having to start from the rear of the field due to an unapproved adjustment. Then the rain came through and postponed the race, but that also gave our team a good chance to talk about what we had and what we needed to work on. Once we got back going today, I had really good long run speed and was able to use that to capitalize on some good runs to get into the top 10 and grab stage points at the end of Stage 2. I needed more center turn and to be a little looser during that span of short runs that came in the middle of Stage 3 when we had all those back-to-back yellows while being shuffled back a little bit due to our pit cycle. Luckily, the final run of the race was a longer one that allowed us to bring home a top-10 finish. Overall, this was a good weekend for our team and I’m looking forward to carrying this momentum into next weekend’s race at Richmond.” -Tyler Reddick

Wins Bristol Bash Finale Hammer scores back-to-back runner-up finishes, Arnold recovers from Friday to finish third BRISTOL, TN – April 11, 2021 – Most drivers would agree – driving just one car around Bristol Motor Speedway in a day is hard enough. Kyle Strickler drove two on Sunday afternoon and came out $10,000 richer. Strickler, of Mooresville, NC, jumped out of his PCC Motorsports Late Model after competing with the World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Model Series, immediately strapped into his Longhorn by Loenbro #8 UMP Modified and flat-out dominated the Feature, leading all 20 laps of the World of Outlaws Bristol Bash finale. “The Modified is so much fun to me. After having a rough weekend with the Late Model, it was very refreshing to have a bunch of fun in the Modified,” Strickler said. While it was a trying weekend for him in the Late Model, his Modified program was far more set up to his liking. This, and his familiarity in the seat of the Modified significantly helped him in the Feature. “The Late Model side of it is so finnicky and all of your adjustments are fine-tuned and so touchy,” Strickler said. “The Modifieds – you’re going so much slower; they slip and slide around and there’s so much less grip that they don’t dart around as much.” In short, Strickler ran a flawless race. None of his competitors had any strong challenges for him, even on a Lap 4 restart after a caution that took Friday night’s Feature winner, David Stremme, and Dave Wietholder out of the race when they collided in Turn 4. With outside polesitter Kyle Hammer keeping him in-sight behind him, Strickler reached the rear of the field with only a handful of laps remaining. After mainly running the preferred low groove to that point, The Highside Tickler put his nicknamesake on full display and maneuvered around the slower traffic. “I could rip the top in the Late Model, and I tried it there at the end in the Modified and it really helped me get through lapped traffic,” Strickler said. Strickler’s always preferred the bigger, faster tracks. With several UMP Modified victories in his career at other high-profile half-miles at Volusia Speedway Park and Eldora Speedway, it comes as no surprise he excelled in the high speeds of Bristol. “I think a lot of it is just me liking these big racetracks, and just all fun, no stress, jump in the Modified and have a blast,” Strickler said. “Your finishes are usually directly related to your mood or how you’re feeling about one car or the other.” Despite his best efforts, Hammer was unable to catch Strickler in the final laps. “Down the straightaways I could kinda see him just getting closer and closer each time,” Hammer said. “Toward the middle, once we got opened up and our tires really kicked in, I feel like we had a better car, just couldn’t do much at that point.” However, Hammer did take home the honors of the highest average-finishing driver with two runner-up results on the weekend. Overall, a great showing for the young Illinoisan. Chris Arnold crossed the stripe in third, completing an up-and-down weekend for he and his crew. Starting third in Friday’s Feature, Arnold caught a piece of a wreck heading into Turn 1 on the first lap and was forced to retire. But a great run Sunday showed exactly what the Virginian team is capable of. “I think we had one of the fastest cars like [Hammer] and Strickler all weekend,” Arnold said. “I think [Friday] night, we would’ve been pretty good. I wish I had moved up to the top from Lap 1 and I think both of us probably would have been right there with Strickler.” Like Hammer, Arnold agreed once Strickler got out front, the chances of catching and passing him were slim. “You’ve got to use every type of advantage you have against him, and at this point, it would have been going to the top sooner than he did,” Arnold said. Six drivers recorded top-10 finishes in both Features over the weekend – Kyle Hammer, Ryan Ayers, Nick Hoffman, Dylan Woodling, Trent Young and David Reutimann. Hoffman, the two-time and defending national UMP Modified champion, came back from a broken rocker arm in Qualifying Sunday, qualifying fo the Feature through his Heat Race to finish 7th. The World of Outlaws and DIRTcar Racing action from Bristol Motor Speedway isn’t over just yet – don’t miss the World of Outlaws Bristol Throwdown, April 22-24, featuring the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series and Super DIRTcar Series Big Block Modifieds. If you can’t be at the track, catch all the action live on DIRTVision presented by Drydene. Feature (20 Laps) 1. 8-Kyle Strickler [1][$10,000]; 2. 45-Kyle Hammer [2][$5,000]; 3. 99W-Chris Arnold [3][$3,000]; 4. 6A-Ryan Ayers [5][$2,500]; 5. OOD-David Reutimann [6][$2,000]; 6. 3W-Dylan Woodling [7][$1,700]; 7. 2-Nick Hoffman [14][$1,500]; 8. 10Y-Trent Young [8][$1,200]; 9. 8S-Kyle Steffans [11][$1,100]; 10. 21A-Nick Allen [9][$1,000]; 11. 72-Todd Neiheiser [12][$1,000]; 12. 29J-Jordan Wever [18][$1,000]; 13. 67-Garret Stewart [13][$1,000]; 14. 1S-Brian Shaw [16][$1,000]; 15. 95-Michael Altobelli [21][$1,000]; 16. 45S-Nick Stroupe [20][$1,000]; 17. 97-Mitch Thomas [22][$1,000]; 18. 8A-Austin Holcombe [17][$1,000]; 19. 5-Jonathan Taylor [24][$1,000]; 20. 11-Troy Loomis [23][$1,000]; 21. 44-KC Burdette [15][$1,000]; 22. 2ND-Jake Leitzman [19][$1,000]; 23. O5-Dave Wietholder [4][$1,000]; 24. 35-David Stremme [10][$1,000] Hard Charger: 2-Nick Hoffman[+7]

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.

NASCAR CUP SERIES MARTINSVILLE SPEEDWAY BLUE-EMU MAXIMUM PAIN RELIEF 500 TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE NOTES AND QUOTES APRIL 11, 2021

TOP TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL RACE RESULTS:POS.   DRIVER2nd     CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CAMARO ZL1 1LE4th      WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 LIBERTY UNIVERSITY CAMARO ZL1 1LE5th      KYLE LARSON, NO. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM CAMARO ZL1 1LE 8th      TYLER REDDICK, NO. 8 CHILDRESS VINEYARDS CAMARO ZL1 1LE14th    AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 AMERICAN ETHANOL CAMARO ZL1 1LE15th    RICKY STENHOUSE JR., NO. 47 KROGER/CREST CAMARO ZL1 1LE TOP FIVE UNOFFICIAL RACE RESULTS: POS.  DRIVER1st      Martin Truex Jr. (Toyota)2nd     Chase Elliott (Chevrolet)3rd      Denny Hamlin (Toyota)4th      William Byron (Chevrolet)5th      Kyle Larson (Chevrolet) 
The NASCAR Cup Series season continues next weekend at Richmond Raceway for the Toyota Owners 400 on Sunday, April 18, at 3 P.M. ET. Live coverage can be found on FOX, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90. TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE NOTES AND QUOTES:CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 2nd YOU WERE COMING ON STRONG THERE AT THE END, CHASE. DID THE CAR GET BETTER OR WAS THAT JUST CIRCUMSTANCE?“I really felt like we were not perfect, for sure, all day. But we did make it better I think as the day went on. The run was kind of that right distance for me there at the end to maximize it. I felt like if it was any longer than that, I was probably going to fade again kind of like I had been all day.”
“I really appreciate the effort. We worked really hard today to get back to second. I felt like every strategy call and circumstance just kind of went the other direction for us. We had a couple of good restarts there at the end; had a good pit stop and made a good last adjustment just for a short run. But definitely need to be better. Our NAPA team has been working hard. We’ve had a very eventful year I feel like, so it’s nice to just have a solid day. We got some stage points and got a good finish. We’ll try to go get them next week.” WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 LIBERTY UNIVERSITY CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 4th “It was a hard-fought day for us. We had handling issues early on and then once we got back further in the pack – it was just crazy. We had fresh tires and the speed but had to manage traffic. Once we got track position back we were making up ground but got held up a couple times which hurt us. Overall though we had a fast Liberty University Chevy. It was a good day and we learned a lot. On to Richmond next weekend.”  KYLE LARSON, NO. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 5th“Yeah, definitely the restarts were crazy. I didn’t have the best balance on the restarts and that made it even a little crazier for me because I was kind of on defense, I felt like, most of the time. Even when I was on offense, I was kind of on-edge. But after we would get 15 to 20 laps in, I actually felt really good. I felt like we were probably a fourth-place car on the long runs, so I was happy about that. To get a top-five here at probably, by far, my worst race track feels like a win.” TYLER REDDICK, NO. 8 CHILDRESS VINEYARDS CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 8th “Today was a good day for our No. 8 Childress Vineyards Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, but we definitely had to fight for it. I learned a lot about racing at Martinsville Speedway over the course of the weekend. We fired off strong Saturday night and were able to work our way up a handful of spots after having to start from the rear of the field due to an unapproved adjustment. Then the rain came through and postponed the race, but that also gave our team a good chance to talk about what we had and what we needed to work on. Once we got back going today, I had really good long run speed and was able to use that to capitalize on some good runs to get into the top 10 and grab stage points at the end of Stage 2. I needed more center turn and to be a little looser during that span of short runs that came in the middle of Stage 3 when we had all those back-to-back yellows while being shuffled back a little bit due to our pit cycle, but luckily the final run of the race was a longer one that allowed us to bring home a top-10 finish. Overall, this was a good weekend for our team and I’m looking forward to carrying this momentum into next weekend’s race at Richmond.” AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 AMERICAN ETHANOL CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 14th “It was a marathon this weekend at Martinsville Speedway in the American Ethanol Chevrolet. We faced a lot of adversity. The entire right side of our Chevy was gone by the end of the race. There was just a lot of beating and banging out there today. We got our car handling pretty well, but were held on pit road for a lap as a penalty for pitting outside the box. We lost our track position but did a good job of trying to work our way back to the front. The handling of our Chevy just wasn’t what it needed to be once it got dark outside. The track changed too much. We’ll go get them at Richmond Raceway on Sunday.” RICKY STENHOUSE JR., NO. 47 KROGER/CREST CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 15th “It wasn’t pretty, but we were able to salvage a decent day at Martinsville Speedway for our No. 47 Kroger/Crest Chevy. We really struggled to get the right balance throughout the majority of the race, but Brian (Pattie, crew chief) made some strategy calls to keep us in a position where we could maintain our track position and stay on the lead lap, and ultimately race in the top-15 for the majority of the end of the race and miss the big wreck that took out our teammate. We were really fast at Richmond Raceway last year and I’m looking forward to getting there next week and keeping our momentum going.” ERIK JONES, NO. 43 PETTY’S GARAGE CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 30th “It just wasn’t the day we really wanted for the No. 43 Petty’s Garage Camaro ZL1 1LE. It was just up-and-down trying to find a balance to get the car where it could roll the center and not be too free. I finally felt we kind of got the car where we wanted to be towards the end. We had those string of cautions and got caught up in one of the later wrecks. We really didn’t have too much damage, but I had either an axle or a gear issue that ended our day there. I wish we could have seen where we would have ended up. I think we probably could have drove up towards the top-15, maybe even the back of the top-10. We learned a lot though and I think we can take it to the race coming back to Martinsville Speedway in the fall.” DANIEL SUAREZ, NO. 99 CAMPING WORLD CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Sidelined by damage sustained in an accident on lap 385; Finished 32ndTHANKFULLY, YOU GOT OUT AND YOU’RE OK. DANIEL, WHAT DID YOU SEE FROM YOUR PERSPECTIVE THAT LED TO THAT?“First of all, I saw a couple of cars on fire, so luckily nobody got hurt. I was a bit surprised that the safety people took a long time to get to my car. I tried to make sure everything was good to stop the fire, but for some reason, they just weren’t stopping the fire. In that wreck, there wasn’t really anything I could do. I was trying to slam on the brakes to try to slow down, but it was a parking lot in there. I couldn’t do anything about it. The No. 24 car (William Byron) put us in that position; he pushed me out of the way. I had a few laps older tires than everyone else.” “But overall, we have to keep working. This weekend, overall, wasn’t great. We came from the back several times. We had a fast car, but we made bad adjustments. It just wasn’t a clean weekend.” ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 48 ALLY CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Sidelined by damage sustained in an accident on lap 385; Finished 34th ALEX BOWMAN WAS ONE OF THE FASTEST CARS TODAY. THEN, HE HAD A LOOSE WHEEL AND RIGHT AFTER THAT IS THE CARNAGE YOU JUST SAW. HOW DO YOU DESCRIBE WHAT HAPPENED HERE IN THE LAST TWENTY MINUTES?“It’s very frustrating. I hate it for everybody at Hendrick Motorsports; everybody at Ally and Chevrolet that gives us so much support. Everybody works so hard to give us what we need and we had such a good race car today; such a fast Ally Camaro. I had a loose right-front wheel and that’s just part of racing; things are going to happen. Our pit crew is phenomenal every week. I make mistakes, people make mistakes, it happens. It put us behind the eight ball there and then they all crashed in front of me. I stopped and the guys behind me didn’t stop. It was one of those deals.” “I hate it. I feel like we had a car capable of winning, which says a lot because I drive this place completely wrong. I’m so bad here. Greg (Ives, Crew Chief), everybody on this No. 48 team have their work cut out for them to make a car work for me and they did that this week. It was phenomenal; couldn’t ask anything more of it, but not much to show for it.” CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CAMARO ZL1 1LE, SECOND-PLACE PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT: THE MODERATOR: We are joined now by today’s runner-up, Chase Elliott.Chase, walk us through your second-place finish today.
CHASE ELLIOTT: Yeah, really, really hard-fought second actually for us. We were not great, but had some, I guess our strong suit was kind of early on in the run, then really faded hard, too hard there latter part of a run.
But we never got one of those super long runs, which is probably a good thing for us because we were struggling on that end. But, yeah, proud we could fight back. We had a long day with strategy not going our way, restart lane choice at times was tough. I’m glad we were able to get back in the fight there and give ourselves a chance.
THE MODERATOR: We’re going to open the floor for questions.Q.Chase, does this do anything for you for October when you look ahead, this being such a pivotal race?CHASE ELLIOTT: Yeah, for sure. I mean, I think this is an important race. They’re all important, but for sure, when you get down to that Round of 8, if you’re still alive in that deal, a win at any of those tracks gives you an opportunity. Of course, definitely.
As long as it’s where it’s at in the final 10, it will always be an important race.
Q.You just said on FOX Sports, you described this as an eventful year so far. How challenging has the season been for you guys so far, now being your third top five of the year after coming off a championship?CHASE ELLIOTT: Yeah, I mean, like I said, every week I feel like it’s been one thing or another, a bad run or just whatever. Just nice to have just a smooth day, no damage. We didn’t break anything. Everything was just smooth. It was uneventful. That’s the days you have to have to compete for wins ultimately. Some of that is in your hands, some of it’s not.Truly nice to have an uneventful day, so to speak, just get a solid finish. Got some solid stage points. It was definitely a step in the right direction for us.
Q.With today’s solid performance, Truex gets his second win of the season, how important is it going to be moving forward to get multiple wins? Do you think kind of where we’re at in points, what you’ve got right now, is going to be okay? Is it still pivotal to get multiples?CHASE ELLIOTT: I mean, I definitely think winning is a crucial part to the Playoffs. It doesn’t guarantee you as you go along. It sure does hedge your bet and having a successful Playoff run if you have wins in the bank.
I want to be on that side of the fence when that rolls around rather than in the opposite position.
Q.What do you feel you were missing there at the end in relation to the Joe Gibbs Racing duo?CHASE ELLIOTT: Just rear grip for me was kind of the story of my day. That was also the problem there at the end. Just didn’t have the drive I needed to get up off the corner like I wanted and to be able to really get the power down early.Yeah, solid day, but just came up short.
Q.Can you talk about the rocky start you’ve had to the season? How much momentum and confidence does this give you towards Richmond and beyond?CHASE ELLIOTT: Like I said earlier, just nice to have an uneventful day, so to speak. Just have some nice stage points, have a nice finish, those things are always nice. I feel like we had a mistake-free day, which is what you have to have, so it was good.
THE MODERATOR: Thanks for joining us, Chase. Good luck at Richmond.
CHASE ELLIOTT: Cool. Thanks.

Moran Wins $25K at The Bristol Bash  The Dresden, OH driver passes his father in career World Of Outlaws Wins BRISTOL, TN – APRIL 11, 2021 – Devin Moran keeps adding unique trophies to his collection in 2021. On Sunday, he earned Bristol Motor Speedway’s iconic sword, to go with his Big Gator from February’s DIRTcar Nationals.   The Dresden, OH driver passed Ricky Weiss in traffic with 10 laps to go to win his second World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Models Feature of the season.  It’s a special win, Moran said, especially with the $25,000 check he walked away with. “We’re definitely going to take this in for what it is,” Moran said. “To come back and be able to pass Ricky [Weiss] for the win was pretty cool.”  The win is Moran’s sixth World of Outlaws win of his career. That now gives him one more than his father Donnie, who’s last win was in 2008.    Despite starting second, the win wasn’t easy for “The Mailman.” He dropped back a few positions on an early re-start, and needed to crawl his way back.  Figuring out the restarts was one of the hardest parts of the 40-lap race, Moran stated. “On the restart when I was in fourth [Lap 11], I saw Chris [Madden] really charged hard into one to get by Ricky [Weiss], and it let me get back underneath Chris,” he said.  Moran bided his time until Weiss caught traffic. He made his move with 10 laps to go, darting to the top of the track and clearing Weiss on the front stretch.  He knew that move was his one shot to go after the lead once Weiss caught slower cars.   “[Weiss] caught lap traffic too quick for himself,” Moran said. “I was biding my time and I feel like he had to use up his tires more than I did. Once I got to him, I could take advantage and move out of the rubber.”  Ricky Weiss finished second after leading the first 30 laps of the race. He wasn’t surprised that Moran was able to use the outside line to get by.  “Anytime you can watch the leader and see what they’re doing it’s easier to judge off the car in front of you,” Weiss said. “I couldn’t seem to get by Parker [Martin] at the end. He slipped up a little bit which made me check-up, and it was all over from there.”  Weiss’s second place finish didn’t come without hard work from his team. The crew had to change the rear-end on the car in an hour window between the Heat Race and Feature. Despite having to make that change, Weiss was still confident in his car.  “I was more than confident, it wasn’t like we were changing bolts while I was getting in,” Weiss said. “I had more than enough confidence to sit on the pole.” Ross Bailes had a strong third place finish in the 40-lap Feature. He said a better starting spot may have helped in the end.  “I think I needed to start on the front row, we drew fourth and it put us back as far as it possibly could,” Bailes said. “Devin did a really good job getting through lap traffic and it was just his day.”  Ricky Thornton Jr. charged from 21st to finish fourth. He was another driver that used the outside lane to his advantage.  “I watched Jonathan Davenport get to the top in [Turns] three and four and I look up and he was like ten cars ahead of me,” Thornton said. “That’s when I thought maybe it was time to move up.”  Brandon Overton rounded out the top five. Three-time and defending champion Brandon Sheppard finished 13th, gaining two points on Kyle Strickler, who finished 14th.  Sheppard now leads Strickler by 20 points in the standings.  UP NEXT: The World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Models are heading to Richmond Raceway in Richmond, KY Friday April 23. On Saturday April 24, they’ll travel to Brushcreek Motorsports Complex in Peebles, OH.  Visit www.richmond-raceway.net or www.brushcreekmotorsports.com to buy tickets for either event. 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.   Morton Buildings Feature (40 Laps)- 1. 9-Devin Moran [2][$25,000]; 2. 7-Ricky Weiss [1][$10,000]; 3. 79-Ross Bailes [4][$5,000]; 4. 20RT-Ricky Thornton [20][$4,000]; 5. 76-Brandon Overton [5][$3,500]; 6. 44-Chris Madden [6][$3,000]; 7. 40B-Kyle Bronson [9][$2,800]; 8. 49-Jonathan Davenport [17][$2,700]; 9. 16-Tyler Bruening [16][$2,600]; 10. OE-Rick Eckert [3][$2,500]; 11. 20-Jimmy Owens [12][$2,000]; 12. 19R-Ryan Gustin [15][$1,800]; 13. 1-Brandon Sheppard [18][$1,600]; 14. 8-Kyle Strickler [19][$1,500]; 15. 25-Shane Clanton [14][$1,400]; 16. 28-Dennis Erb [21][$1,300]; 17. F9-Frank Ingram [8][$1,200]; 18. 29V-Darrell Lanigan [10][$1,200]; 19. O-Scott Bloomquist [24][$1,200]; 20. 1G-Ryan King [22][$1,200]; 21. B1-Brent Larson [26][$220]; 22. 6JR-Parker Martin [7][$1,200]; 23. 99B-Boom Briggs [25][$220]; 24. 14-Josh Richards [11][$1,200]; 25. 6-Blake Spencer [27][$220]; 26. 777-Jared Landers [13][$1,200]; 27. 97-Cade Dillard [23][$1,200] Hard Charger: 20RT-Ricky Thornton[+16] Qualifying Flight-A-1. 40B-Kyle Bronson, 16.048; 2. 9-Devin Moran, 16.066; 3. 6JR-Parker Martin, 16.084; 4. 14-Josh Richards, 16.118; 5. 79-Ross Bailes, 16.119; 6. 44-Chris Madden, 16.158; 7. 28-Dennis Erb, 16.337; 8. 19R-Ryan Gustin, 16.357; 9. 8-Kyle Strickler, 16.395; 10. 20RT-Ricky Thornton, 16.433; 11. 777-Jared Landers, 16.644; 12. 7R-Ross Robinson, 16.673; 13. 2-Joey Coulter, 16.916; 14. O-Scott Bloomquist, NT; 15. 97-Cade Dillard, NT  Qualifying Flight-B-1. 76-Brandon Overton, 15.966; 2. 20-Jimmy Owens, 16.033; 3. OE-Rick Eckert, 16.046; 4. 7-Ricky Weiss, 16.066; 5. 29V-Darrell Lanigan, 16.113; 6. F9-Frank Ingram, 16.338; 7. 25-Shane Clanton, 16.366; 8. 49-Jonathan Davenport, 16.384; 9. 1-Brandon Sheppard, 16.39; 10. 16-Tyler Bruening, 16.446; 11. 1G-Ryan King, 16.629; 12. 99B-Boom Briggs, 16.786; 13. B1-Brent Larson, 17.565; 14. 6-Blake Spencer, 17.84

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.

Myatt Snider And The TaxSlayer Chevrolet Team Fight Hard For 15th-Place Finish at Martinsville Speedway

15th

9th

7th

“Today was one of those days where you had to fight for every spot on the track. We had high hopes coming into this weekend and I definitely thought we had a chance at the win with my experience at Martinsville. Our TaxSlayer Chevrolet Camaro fired off pretty neutral at the start this afternoon and we steadily made our way back to the front, running consistently inside the top-10. We had ourselves in a solid position for the end. Unfortunately on our last stop of the day, we had to pit twice to tighten some loose lug nuts which forced us to restart in 33rd. I worked my way forward as much as possible, but the center wouldn’t rotate as well and we ran out of laps. My RCR team is one of the best and I wouldn’t want to be doing this every week with anyone else. We will regroup during the off week and go get it in Talladega.”  -Myatt Snider