LaFARGVILLE, NY – Today is a day of celebration. Not just 410 Sprint Car Day. Today marks the long-awaited return of the Super DIRTcar Series in the Northeast.For the first time in 518 days – due to the pandemic – the Series run a points-paying race to kick off the 2021 season at Can-Am Speedway for the $7,500-to-win, 100-lap, Thunder in the Thousand Islands 100The 100-lap Feature will separate one driver from the 26-car starting lineup. There is no shortage of storylines going into this highly anticipated race.If you can’t make it to the track, every Super DIRTcar Series race will be broadcast live on DIRTVision. Here are the top storylines to follow:The Championship Begins: The biggest names in dirt modified racing are bringing their Big Blocks to bear at Can-Am. Mat Williamson, Matt Sheppard, Larry Wight, Billy Decker, Jimmy Phelps, and the list goes on are locked into a season-long championship battle and it all starts with the $7,500-to-win Thunder in the Thousand Islands 100.All 17 full-time Series are slated to be in the house with 20-plus others making their intentions known. Plus, there may be a few more surprises dropping by the LaFargville, NY race track. Max McLaughlin, who won the Big Gator championship at the DIRTcar Nationals over Billy Decker is set to go for the $7,500 grand prize. Other big names like four-time NAPA Super DIRT Week champion and NASCAR Truck Series driver Stewart Friesen, recent first-time Series winner Michael Maresca, Can-Am ringers like Billy Dunn, Tim Fuller, Pat Ward, and more are slated to go for the $7,500 winner’s share. The Bandit and The Bat: Watch for Jimmy Phelps and Peter Britten to make some noise as both drivers have made the switch to Bicknell chassis and have shown early success and speed with them. Phelps and Britten are experienced, confident drivers who know how to take the long view of a Super DIRTcar Series season. Phelps came away with a pair of top-10s at Volusia but he’s coming off a huge night at Fulton Speedway last October sweeping both the Super DIRTcar Series Feature and the DIRTcar 358 Modified Series Feature. Britten put together a superb DIRTcar Nationals in his new Bicknell, picking up two top-fives and four top-10s in four races. Batman has finished outside the top-10 in his last two Series starts at Can-Am. Rookies in Victory Lane?: DIRTcar Sportsman Modified Series champion Kevin Root has made the move into Big Blocks in a big way. He’s behind the wheel of the fabled #4* which has been filled by Brett Hearn and Tim McCreadie in the past. Root has won everything there is to win in the DIRTcar Sportsman Modified division including Land of Legends Raceway and Brewerton Speedway track championships plus DIRTcar Sportsman Modified Series regional and overall championships. Chris Hile is finally ready to begin his first full-time year in the Series. With over 50 starts to his name including two top fives and 14 top 10s. Plus driver Olden Dwyer from Vermont is also a rookie this season. While not a rookie on the Series (yet) the Land of Legends Raceway runner Robbie Johnston will make the tow to Can-Am. He was the 2020 DIRTcar Big Block Modified Rookie of the Year, making most of his starts against a stacked Canandaigua field throughout 2020 as well as participating in DIRTcar OktoberFAST.TicketsSpectator Information & Pricing: GA Gate will open at 2:30pmGA Pricing for this Special Event: 18+: $305-17: $15Under 5: FreeMore info at RaceCanAm.com. DIRTVisionIf you can’t make it to the track then be sure to pick up your DIRTvision FAST PASS for all the Super DIRTcar Series, World of Outlaws, and DIRTcar Racing action live.Follow us!Follow the Super DIRTcar Series on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and at SuperDIRTcar.com for news, notes, photos, videos, and more.The Nasty TrackCan-Am Speedway is a 5/8-mile clay oval in LaFargville, NY, just a few miles from the Canadian border as the name implies. The track sanctions three Hoosier Racing Tire Weekly Championship divisions: DIRTcar 358 Modifieds, DIRTcar Sportsman Modifieds, and DIRTcar Pro Stocks. The legendary “Hurricane” Steve Paine currently holds the record for the most Series wins at Can-Am with three. Matt Sheppard, who has two Series wins there, has the Series track record with a 19.084 sec. Lap.In addition to the 100-lap Super DIRTcar Series Feature there will also be a DIRTcar Sportsman Modifed and Pro Stock Feature all of which will be on DIRTVision. Super DIRTcar Series Winners at Can-Am Speedway7/19/88 – Doug Hoffman7/18/89 – Brett Hearn7/17/90 – Pat O’Brien7/23/91 – Steve Paine7/21/92 – Doug Hoffman7/21/93 – Steve Paine7/20/94 – Alan Johnson8/30/95 – Danny O’Brien7/18/96 – Bob McCreadie7/17/97 – Steve Paine7/16/98 – Pat Ward7/22/99 – Billy Decker7/20/00 – Danny Johnson7/24/02 – Tim McCreadie9/6/03 – Tim McCreadie7/28/04 – Gary Tomkins8/18/07 – Tim Fuller8/18/07 – Steve Paine8/16/08 – Gary Tomkins8/21/09 – Matt Sheppard4/13/19 – Matt Sheppard10/9/20 – Anthony Perrego All-Time Can-Am Speedway WinnersPat O’Brien 73Billy Dunn 51Doug Carlyle 37Danny O’Brien 36Bob McCreadie 35Marcel LaFrance 33Frankie Caprara 32Tim Fuller 28Rick Wilson 27Lee Gill 27Tony Corcoran 24PHOTO: Rebecca Eisle

The Super DIRTcar Series 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) and NAPA Auto Parts. Contingency sponsors include: ARP (Automotive Racing Products), ASI Race Wear, Bicknell Racing Products, Billy Whittaker Cars & Trux, Cometic Gasket, COMP Cams, Drydene, Fox Factory, MSD, and Wrisco (Exclusive Racing Aluminum); along with manufacturer sponsors, including: FireAde, Intercomp, and Racing Electronics.

MIGHTIER THAN THE SWORD: at BristolFormer NASCAR veteran dominates throughout the night for $5,000 victory BRISTOL, TN – April 9, 2021 – He’s been one of the fastest UMP Modifieds at Bristol Motor Speedway all weekend, and now he’s got the hardware to show it. David Stremme wheeled his Lethal Chassis #35 to Victory Lane Friday night on the first race night of the World of Outlaws Bristol Bash in dominating fashion, leading all 20 laps en route to a $5,000 victory over Kyle Hammer and Ryan Ayers. “I tell people when you walk in here, you gotta look around,” Stremme said. “To win here is pretty cool. Just to win at anything anymore is hard.” It was hard to miss the Stremmes on the DIRTVision cameras through the night. David showed the way around the dirt-covered half-mile, setting Quick Time in Qualifying and made the winning pass on Hammer in Heat 3. His wife Ashley then worked her usual magic in the redraw and pulled the pole for the Feature. At the drop of the green, Stremme wasted zero time making his presence felt, wrestling the lead away from Hammer on the low side as they rounded Turns 1-2. From that point forward, it was all Stremme’s race out front, as he piloted his #35 machine around the fast, high-banked track. “I think the track crew did a great job. I feel for the amount of cars we have here, it was in a lot better shape than I thought it would be,” Stremme said. “You could move around quite a bit, and that’s all you can ask for.” As a former NASCAR star on its concrete surface, Stremme has gotten to know Bristol’s high banks well since the start of his motorsports career. While the banking has been cut down to 19 degrees on the dirt, he said he’s been able to recognize the similarities between the two configurations and use it to his advantage. “It still has the same characteristics – each corner is different. Obviously, I’m able to use that, and there is stuff there that I felt I could still do, whether it was in a [NASCAR] Cup car or Xfinity car,” Stremme said. Hammer was solid up front all night long in his Elite Chassis #45. Initially, he lost second to Taylor Cook on Lap 7, after a restart, but regained the spot when Cook ran into issues and dropped out with five laps left. Even with the solid runner-up, Hammer still wants to be better for Saturday’s finale. “Definitely learned we need to be a little stiffer on the right-front,” Hammer said. “At these speeds, these things really upset our cars.” Ayers had a great showing in his Lethal Chassis #6, coming all the way from 11th to finish third. With a wreck on the initial start and a great run down low on Lap 1 to get by cars, Ayers was already in fifth as he crossed the line to complete the first circuit. After gaining two more spots before the home stretch, Ayers was forced to play some tough defense for a moment, as a hungry Nick Hoffman was putting the pressure on from behind for the third spot. Hoffman ultimately slipped on the high side in the end but showed Ayers a better line in the process. “The first 13 or 14 laps, I was right around the bottom,” Ayers said. “Nick showed me the top with about four or five [laps] to go, and I moved up. It was a lot better.” The DIRTcar UMP Modifieds are back in action Saturday night, April 10, for the $10,000-to-win Bristol Bash finale alongside the World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Model Series – catch all of the action live at the track or on DIRTVision presented by Drydene! Feature (20 Laps) 1. 35-David Stremme [1][$5,000]; 2. 45-Kyle Hammer [6][$2,500]; 3. 6A-Ryan Ayers [11][$1,700]; 4. 2-Nick Hoffman [8][$1,400]; 5. 3W-Dylan Woodling [10][$1,200]; 6. 10Y-Trent Young [5][$1,000]; 7. OOD-David Reutimann [13][$800]; 8. 8A-Austin Holcombe [15][$700]; 9. O5-Dave Wietholder [22][$600]; 10. 67-Garret Stewart [21][$550]; 11. 7-Evan Taylor [24][$500]; 12. 97-Mitch Thomas [23][$500]; 13. 44-KC Burdette [17][$500]; 14. 21-Taylor Cook [7][$500]; 15. 1S-Brian Shaw [12][$500]; 16. 11-Troy Loomis [16][$500]; 17. 72-Todd Neiheiser [14][$500]; 18. 17N-Dillon Nusbaum [18][$500]; 19. 45S-Nick Stroupe [19][$500]; 20. 2ND-Jake Leitzman [20][$500]; 21. 99W-Chris Arnold [3][$500]; 22. 21A-Nick Allen [2][$500]; 23. 8-Kyle Strickler [4][$500]; 24. 95-Michael Altobelli [9][$500] Hard Charger: O5-Dave Wietholder[+13]

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.

The Rocketman wins his 78th World of Outlaws FeatureBRISTOL, TN – April 9, 2021– When it comes to the World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Models, there aren’t many accomplishments left for Josh Richards. But during Friday’s portion of the Bristol Bash, he added another notch to his belt.The four-time champion won the first World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Model race at Bristol Motor Speedway, and the $10,000 check to go with it.The win may not have happened without a little luck, even though Richards drew the outside pole for the Feature.Tennessee driver Jimmy Owens looked to be on a path toward home state glory, before heartbreak hit the Ramirez Motorsports machine. His left rear wheel came off the car, handing the lead to Richards.The all-time winningest driver led the rest of the way, for his 78th Series victory.Richards said he’s not sure if the Clint Bowyer Racing team had enough for Owens. He said the race into Turn 1 was very important on the initial green flag.“On that first corner running wide-open with hard tires [the pass] wasn’t going to happen,” Richards said. “I hate it for those guys tearing stuff up, but most of all I’m glad [Owens] is ok.”Out of all of his wins, the Shinnston, WV native puts Bristol toward the top of his list.“The first one is going to be the best for sure but this one’s up there, it’s pretty cool to win the first one here,” Richards said.Finishing second to Richards was Chris Madden, who was reeling in the 14 toward the end of the race. The Gray Court, SC driver said the last caution didn’t help his chances of finding Victory Lane.“I definitely think I had him before that caution, actually we were door to door,” Madden said. “I definitely had a good car on long runs for sure and I think that’ll be a key factor [Saturday] night.”Three-time and defending champion Brandon Sheppard finished third and also said his car was better on longer runs.“I think we have a really good race car, it’s just one of those deals that you really need to start up front here because it makes for a lot easier night,” Sheppard said.“I think for the big race on [Saturday] as long as it stays green for a little while I think we’ll have something.”Sheppard leaves night one of the Bristol Bash as the new Series point leader. Kyle Strickler did not finish the event, after running over Owens’s left rear wheel and flipping over in Turn 4.The distance between Sheppard and Stricker is 18 points going into Saturday’s portion of the Bristol Bash. Chris Madden moved up the most spots in the standings. He sits third just 74 points behind Sheppard.Rick Eckert crossed the line fourth, and Brandon Overton charged from his 20th starting position to finish fifth.The World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Models return to Bristol Motor Speedway Saturday April 10, for night two of the Bristol Bash. The Most Powerful Late Models on The Planet will run another 40-lap Feature, this time paying $25,000-to-win.For tickets, visit BristolMotorSpeedway.com.If you can’t make it to the track, 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. 14-Josh Richards [2][$10,000]; 2. 44-Chris Madden [3][$6,000]; 3. 1-Brandon Sheppard [5][$3,500]; 4. OE-Rick Eckert [4][$2,800]; 5. 76-Brandon Overton [20][$2,500]; 6. 19R-Ryan Gustin [6][$2,300]; 7. 29V-Darrell Lanigan [11][$2,200]; 8. 40B-Kyle Bronson [16][$2,100]; 9. 20RT-Ricky Thornton [18][$2,050]; 10. 9-Devin Moran [14][$2,000]; 11. 49-Jonathan Davenport [13][$1,600]; 12. 16-Tyler Bruening [17][$1,400]; 13. 28-Dennis Erb [24][$1,200]; 14. O-Scott Bloomquist [7][$1,100]; 15. 79-Ross Bailes [21][$1,050]; 16. 7-Ricky Weiss [12][$1,000]; 17. 25-Shane Clanton [10][$1,000]; 18. 99B-Boom Briggs [22][$1,000]; 19. 6JR-Parker Martin [9][$1,000]; 20. 777-Jared Landers [15][$1,000]; 21. B1-Brent Larson [25][$110]; 22. 97-Cade Dillard [8][$1,000]; 23. 20-Jimmy Owens [1][$1,000]; 24. 8-Kyle Strickler [23][$1,000]; 25. 7R-Ross Robinson [19][$1,000] Hard Charger: 76-Brandon Overton[+15]Qualifying Flight-A –1. 14-Josh Richards, 15.475; 2. OE-Rick Eckert, 15.506; 3. 19R-Ryan Gustin, 15.646; 4. 97-Cade Dillard, 15.653; 5. 6JR-Parker Martin, 15.708; 6. 777-Jared Landers, 15.728; 7. 20RT-Ricky Thornton, 15.816; 8. 29V-Darrell Lanigan, 15.838; 9. 49-Jonathan Davenport, 15.885; 10. 79-Ross Bailes, 15.935; 11. B1-Brent Larson, 15.939; 12. 28-Dennis Erb, 16.026; 13. 16-Tyler Bruening, 16.041; 14. 2-Joey Coulter, 16.218; 15. 1G-Ryan King, 16.481Qualifying Flight-B-1. 8-Kyle Strickler, 15.083; 2. O-Scott Bloomquist, 15.35; 3. 20-Jimmy Owens, 15.394; 4. 44-Chris Madden, 15.398; 5. 1-Brandon Sheppard, 15.471; 6. 76-Brandon Overton, 15.485; 7. 9-Devin Moran, 15.545; 8. 7-Ricky Weiss, 15.636; 9. 7R-Ross Robinson, 15.652; 10. 40B-Kyle Bronson, 15.699; 11. 25-Shane Clanton, 15.808; 12. F9-Frank Ingram, 15.866; 13. 99B-Boom Briggs, 15.882; 14. 6-Blake Spencer, 16.077

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.

Championship Hopefuls Schatz, Schuchart & Gravel Hampered by Feature Trouble

KOKOMO, IN – April 9, 2021 – Brad Sweet seemed unstoppable on his four-race winning streak, that is until his own teammate James McFadden stepped up to deny him.

Making his 100th career World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series start on Saturday night at Kokomo Speedway, McFadden led the final 30 laps aboard his Karavan Trailers #9 and paved the path for a Kasey Kahne Racing 1-2 finish with Sweet behind him in the NAPA Auto Parts #49.

A drama-filled 40-lapper at the Kokomo, IN 1/4-mile saw David Gravel command the opening 10 laps before spinning from second with two to go, saw Donny Schatz and Logan Schuchart suffer mechanical issues, saw Tyler Courtney’s career-best run of third shattered with a flat right rear, and saw Sheldon Haudenschild roar from 21st-to-5th in the closing stages.

For McFadden, the Alice Springs, NT, AUS native banked $10,000 with his first victory of the season in only his sixth start since coming overseas to relieve Kasey Kahne of full-time duties back in March. It’s the third career victory for the 31-year-old they call J-Mac.

“I’m just pumped to be here right now, man,” an elated McFadden said in victory lane. “I gotta thank Kasey [Kahne] and this whole KKR team; it’s a pleasure to drive this car. I’m glad I can do it justice and put in victory lane. It’s good to get one on that NAPA car. He’s been laying it on us, so hopefully we can get on our little roll now.”

Nearly perfect on the night, McFadden’s Kokomo quest began with the Slick Woody’s QuickTime Award (11.243 seconds) and continued with a win in the opening Team Drydene Heat Race. He was stopped by Gravel in the DIRTVision Fast Pass Dash, but earned the outside pole position with 40 laps on tap.

Aboard the Big Game Motorsports, THE SHOWDOWN #2, Gravel paced the opening 10 circuits of Feature action before lap traffic allowed McFadden to capitalize. Moving up a lane as Gravel became mired on the bottom behind back markers, McFadden quickly swooped right by Gravel on Lap 11 and never looked back.

Hampered by six cautions, Saturday’s feature saw a Lap 2 mechanical issue for Donny Schatz (5th), Lap 21 problem for Logan Schuchart (16th), Lap 26 trouble for Tim Kaeding (17th), Lap 30 red flag for Carson Short (14th), Lap 37 spin for Jason Sides (13th), and a shocking Lap 38 infield tire incident for David Gravel (2nd).

In the end, McFadden survived a green-white-checkered restart and ran off to a 1.059-second advantage at the checkered flag.

“The track was surprisingly tough tonight, it just changed around a bunch,” McFadden noted. “I was running the top to get around David, but it go so dirty that I felt like I needed to get to the bottom. We got through lap traffic really well, and I think that was big. Being in victory lane six races in is pretty awesome.”

Chasing McFadden to the stripe was his Kasey Kahne Racing w/ Mike Curb teammate, Brad Sweet. The Big Cat rallied from 12th on lap one to finish in second, extending his career-best streak of consecutive podium finishes to a whopping nine races.

“I just shot myself in the foot during qualifying tonight,” Sweet said on getting behind the eight-ball. “Once we got to third in the Feature I think the track just moved down and we ran out of options. I tried the top on the green-white-checkered, but felt like I was gonna give up second and had to come back down. That’s what you have to do sometimes: get the best finish you possibly can. Tonight is a great testament to our team. It’s fun to be disappointed with second.”

Finishing third and landing on the podium for the first time in his World of Outlaws career was Justin Peck. The Monrovia, IN native drove from 11th-to-third aboard the Tom Buch owned #13 and kept his early-season hot streak alive; ahead of his return to Haubstadt tomorrow where he’s excelled in the past.

“Our team morale is pretty high right now, so it makes working with these guys super easy,” Peck noted on their success. “We’ve got everything hooked up right now. It’s great to be on the podium, but obviously we want to be a little better. That KKR team is just outstanding right now. We’ve got a little bit to clean up on our end.”

Coming home a season-high fourth at Kokomo was Australia’s Ian Madsen in the McGhee #11. Rounding out the top five was Sheldon Haudenschild with KSE Hard Charger honors thanks to his magnificent 21st-to-fifth bid in the NOS Energy Drink, Stenhouse Jr. Marshall Racing #17; which gives him eight-straight top five finishes.

Closing out the top ten was Jason Johnson Racing’s Carson Macedo, Bloomington, IN native Kraig Kinser, Kokomo’s own hometown hero Parker Price-Miller, Indianapolis superstar Tyler Courtney with a solid recovery, and Aaron Reutzel in the Roth Motorsports ride.

UP NEXT – The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series wrap up the Hoosier State doubleheader on Saturday, April 10 with a trip down to Haubstadt, IN’s Tri-State Speedway.

NOS Energy Drink Feature (40 Laps) – 1. 9-James McFadden [2][$10,000]; 2. 49-Brad Sweet [10][$6,000]; 3. 13-Justin Peck [11][$3,500]; 4. 11-Ian Madsen [8][$2,800]; 5. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild [21][$2,500]; 6. 41-Carson Macedo [6][$2,300]; 7. 11K-Kraig Kinser [22][$2,200]; 8. 19-Parker Price-Miller [4][$2,100]; 9. 7BC-Tyler Courtney [9][$2,050]; 10. 83-Aaron Reutzel [12][$2,000]; 11. 26-Cory Eliason [16][$1,600]; 12. 2-David Gravel [1][$1,400]; 13. 3Z-Brock Zearfoss [15][$1,200]; 14. 7S-Jason Sides [3][$1,100]; 15. 55-Hunter Schuerenberg [5][$1,050]; 16. 15H-Sam Hafertepe [24][$1,000]; 17. 2C-Wayne Johnson [25][$]; 18. 3-Ayrton Gennetten [19][$1,000]; 19. 10-Zeb Wise [17][$1,000]; 20. 1A-Jacob Allen [18][$1,000]; 21. 24-Rico Abreu [23][$1,000]; 22. 1S-Logan Schuchart [20][$1,000]; 23. 21-Carson Short [14][$1,000]; 24. 14-Tim Kaeding [13][$1,000]; 25. 15-Donny Schatz [7][$1,000]. Lap Leaders: David Gravel 1-10, James McFadden 11-40. KSE Hard Charger Award: 17-Sheldon Haudenschild[+16]

NEW Championship Standings (12/83 Races) – 1. Brad Sweet (1,744); 2. Sheldon Haudenschild (-78); 3. Logan Schuchart (-86); 4. David Gravel (-100); 5. Carson Macedo (-124); 6. Aaron Reutzel (-138); 7. Donny Schatz (-166); 8. Kraig Kinser (-208); 9. Giovanni Scelzi (-272); 10. Brock Zearfoss (-284).

JOSEF NEWGARDEN TOPS CHARTS AFTER TWO-DAY NTT INDYCAR SERIES TEST AT INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAYTwo-time Series’ Champion led the field of 32 cars testing with scorching lap of 226.819 m.p.h.
INDIANAPOLIS (April 9, 2021) – Josef Newgardern, in the cockpit of the No. 2 Shell Fuel Awards Team Penske Chevy, ran 130 laps of the two-day open test at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in preparation for theAT 105^th running of the Indianapolis 500. Despite losing over five hours on Thursday to rain, Newgarden and his team maximized the time wisely to leave with the No. 2 burning brightly at the top of the scoring pilon. 
Five of the top-nine drivers on the speed chart were Chevy powered.
The only incident came 11 minutes into testing on Thursday when 2020 Rookie-of-the-Year Rinus Veekay met the Turn One wall He suffered a broken finger on his left hand, but after being fitted with the appropriate brace, the driver of the No.21 Sonax Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet has been cleared to drive at the season opener on April 18, 2021 at Barber Motorsports Park, Leeds Alabama.  DRIVER QUOTES:JOSEF NEWGARDEN . NO.2 SHELL FUEL REWARDS TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET — POST TWO-DAY INDYCAR OPEN TEST AT INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY: “It’s just nice to be back…its nice to have a couple of days to work even though the first day was as completed as we would have liked. It’s just  nice to be back here with four cars and having Scott join the program, we are going to be able to make a lot of headway quick with the amount of resources we have. I think the Shell Fuel Rwards Chevy is beautiful and I’m loving driving it so far. We need to learn as much as we can and then carry that momentum into May when the real work begins.”
SCOTT MCLAUGHLIN, NO. 3 SHELL PENNZOIL TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET – POST TWO-DAY INDYCAR OPEN TEST AT INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY: “Once we get laps, I think we…when you  roll up to the gate for the first time it’s amazing.  But not now because of the rain. Rolled out for the first time we had a good lap but massive help with the tow. Then we focused on doing some stuff with what I learned from that tow. We’ve been good, the tires have been really strong and we’ve been consistent. Rick Mears has been great. Just been there for me to lean on. He simplifies the  more technical stuff for me Tells me great stories on preparing for it. Yeah, its been great so far.”
SIMON PAGENAUD, NO.22 MENARDS TEM PENSKE CHEVROLET – POST TWO-DAY INDYCAR OPEN TEST AT INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY: “Yeah great great to studious day for us. We  just went through different aero configuration on the racecar but overall it’s always such a it’s good to be back could be back in the Speedway. Obviously it is  place a phenomenal place for racing and for our team. It is our number one priority to win here so Chevy power seem strong and I was very very excited you to finish the day in the Menards No; 22 today so we could shape. So far program is a is on time for what we wanted to do.” MAX CHILTON, NO.59 CARLIN CHEVROLET – POST TW0-DAY INDYCAR OPEN TEST AT INDIANAPOLIS: “A really positive day at IMS. The Carlin team has worked harder than ever this past winter. I can definitely see the change in the car, especially if you look at the no-tows, so that’s a really good sign of speed. I could sense we’d be quick right away. We still have to work on running in traffic, but we’ve got plenty of time in May to work on that. My new engineer Luke [Mason] and I are working together really well, and I think the whole Carlin team is coming together. So overall, a positive day at the Speedway.”
 JUAN PABLO MONTOYA – NO. 86 ARROW MCLAREN SP CHEVROLET –  – POST TWO-DAY INDYCAR OPEN TEST AT INDIANAPOLIS: : “Today was a good day and we learned a lot. It was great to be back in the car with Arrow McLaren SP and very useful for me to start getting back into traffic before the actual Month of May. I still have a lot to do personally to get better, but the test was a great opportunity to bond with the engineers and team. We have good speed in the car but still a lot to learn.” PATO O’WARD – NO. 5 ARROW MCLAREN SP CHEVROLET –  – POST TWO-DAY INDYCAR OPEN TEST AT INDIANAPOLIS:: “I think we had a solid test. We tested a lot of different things that should help us when we come back for the 105th Running of the Indianapolis 500. The No. 5 Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet feels good and I think we’ve made improvements over where we were last year in the race. It was good to get :500 weekend is normally like. I think we should have a good starting point to be competitive this May.”  FELIX ROSENQVIST – NO. 7 VUSE ARROW MCLAREN SP CHEVROLET –  – POST TWO-DAY INDYCAR OPEN TEST AT INDIANAPOLIS:: “I thought today was good, we got a lot of laps done and had a pretty good car for most of the day. We fell off a little bit at the end, running in traffic with a little too much understeer, but we got to try a lot of good things with the team. These test days really let the team get into gear a little bit better. We are going to be back here pretty soon and it was nice to get on track in :Indianapolis again.” POST TEST TRANSCRIPTS:
Juan Pablo MontoyaArrow McLaren SPJosef NewgardenPenske RacingPress Conference
THE MODERATOR: Good afternoon, everybody. We have Juan Pablo Montoya standing by and we expect to have Josef Newgarden, as well. Juan Pablo finished third on the speed chart, pretty successful day with Arrow McLaren SP.How was your day today, Juan Pablo?JUAN PABLO MONTOYA: It was good. I think yesterday was a little shocking getting back in the car. Today was good. We worked through a lot of things. We found a lot of good things and a lot of bad things, like you always do.It was nice to get back a little bit in the draft. A lot to catch up again, learn, understand again what you need to do, the timing. But everything just starts coming back.It’s funny, getting up to speed yesterday was, Ooh. Today you don’t even think about it. This afternoon even better. The first few runs with traffic is like, Ooh. Then you start relaxing, getting in the flow of things. We did some pit stops at the end.Everyone at Arrow McLaren SP has been doing a very good job. It was fun so far. I think this test was very, very useful.
THE MODERATOR: Yesterday you never really had to do a rookie orientation, refresher program. You had to go through that yesterday, didn’t you?JUAN PABLO MONTOYA: Yes. I was joking to the engineers, said I’m going to run 214.9, 215.1. My second lap was 215.1, then 214.9, 215.2. I’m going, We need to be below 215 (laughter).THE MODERATOR: You have to go slow before you can go fast.If you have a question for the two-time Indy 500 champion, go ahead.
Q.I wanted to ask, appeared to be that your car could go pretty much anywhere on the track. When you dropped back, you were able to slice back through the field. Is that because the aerodynamics, the aero changes, are so good, or because your particular car, the 86, is so strong at the moment?JUAN PABLO MONTOYA: I felt okay. I didn’t feel as good as you said. It’s great that it looks like that. I did pass few cars and everything, I could move, I could change, I felt pretty decent at parts.The thing is, remember, every run you do, you change something. You don’t keep the same car, keep doing things. You always trying to improve the feeling, improve the car to maybe be more consistent in clean air, more consistent in the draft, things like that.As you go through those things, there’s some runs that you go out there, you’re just in the way, and you hate it. I said like three times today, Hell, I’m not doing this. Actually the word wasn’t ‘hell’ but I’m using the polite word. I said, I’m not doing this and I bailed.One of them actually bailed and really scared the hell out of me in three and four. I lifted and I didn’t even do turn one. I went in the deceleration lane. I’m not doing this (laughter).
Q.Do you feel as well as being fast that your car was actually handling quite well in traffic? Could you kind of like run directly behind someone or do you still need quite a lot of clean air?JUAN PABLO MONTOYA: You always need a lot of clean air. Even before this, even the old cars, you need a lot of clean air. With these cars, I think for me personally you still notice the difference.It’s a shame, yeah, I mean, that we didn’t — some people tried the ‘push to pass’, they did the other test. But it would make racing quite more wild, I think. I know some people don’t want wild.
THE MODERATOR: Also joining us here in the Zoom room, we welcome in the two-time NTT INDYCAR Series champion, Josef Newgarden, as well.Josef, tell us about your day. Quickest in that session, 226.819 miles per hour.JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Yeah, it was a pretty good day.JUAN PABLO MONTOYA: Are you driving?JOSEF NEWGARDEN: No, not yet. I’m still in the parking lot. Where are you?JUAN PABLO MONTOYA: I’m in the garage working. We got meetings and things. We love meetings.JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Are you trying a new approach this year?JUAN PABLO MONTOYA: No, I’m trying to avoid the meetings, but they still make me go.JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Yeah, it was a pretty good day. I was happy enough with the car. I think we still need some work, for sure.But just to get an initial read on where we’re at, obviously there’s a lot of new parts, differences to the last couple years. So we’re just trying to assess what we need to really work on now these last couple weeks before we get back here in May.Pretty happy. I felt the Shell Fuel Rewards car looked good. Had some decent speed, which is always nice to see, but doesn’t mean much when it comes to race day. We’ll see how we shake out as we get to the meat of things in the month of May.
THE MODERATOR: We’ll continue with questions.
Q.Juan, wondering how this year’s car compares to 2015 and 2000?JUAN PABLO MONTOYA: How does it compare? How does the car compare? This is engineer right here (laughter).They’re a little harder to drive, I think. I think the difference between clear air and dirty air is a little bigger. I think the changes from what INDYCAR did, from what everybody says, it’s a little harder as before, but not that bad. Put it that way.Q.What about an extra hundred horsepower?JUAN PABLO MONTOYA: After running today, I would be a big fan of that ‘push to pass’, to be honest.
Q.Josef, how was the Chevy today?JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Good. I think Chevy has done a great job, as evidenced with Juan as well. I think the McLaren boys are quick. I think we feel pretty good about things.I think they’ve definitely made improvements, and we needed to in the off-season. We all did. Us as a team, I think Chevrolet, we all got together and looked where we were weakest. I think there was a little bit to go around on all sides. They’ve really stepped up.We put in a lot of effort. I think we found some good stuff. It’s getting hard nowadays. These gains you’re looking to find are so small. I think they’ve managed to find a decent chunk, which is impressive with how far along we are. Very encouraged with Chevrolet.
Q.With the aero changes they were working on in the off-season, bringing them in for the 500 to increase passing, did you notice a difference between last year’s aero package compared to this year’s?JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Yes, definitely. It’s easier to follow. It’s still tough. You’ll still get a big front wash in traffic. 10 cars back, it’s always going to be difficult. But I think they’ve made the ability to follow better. That balance separation between clean air and dirty air is definitely reduced.Some of them are tricky to drive, some of these parts. I think you’re seeing some split camps here along pit lane. Not everybody is running the same stuff. That’s been interesting to watch. There’s more downforce on the car. I think the balance shift in traffic is less.Yeah, the ability that we’re going to have to race compared to last year will be better.
Q.Any restaurant recommendations for Nashville?JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Man, there’s plenty. If you’re into coffee, Barista Parlor. Hot chicken, Hattie Bs. The Southern is very good. There’s a lot of good spots. Those are a few.
Q.Juan, this is your first time with the Aeroscreen now. How long did it take you to get used to it? Your thoughts on it so far?JUAN PABLO MONTOYA: It wasn’t too bad to get used to it. I thought it would be a little more intrusive. It’s definitely a pain in the butt to get in and out of the car, and it’s a lot hotter. I know like here it hasn’t been that bad in the oval. I did a test in Laguna. In a road course, you don’t get a lot of air. That was kind of shocking.Yeah, I mean, it’s kind of weird because, like, you’re really in a little bubble. It feels a little bit once you’re driving like a sports car.But you’re with a closed visor, I still don’t get why you have to run — I don’t think you have to. I think you probably do, but I’m used to sports cars. Same thing you’re with the visor open so you get a little more air.It’s good. It’s fine. I think from the safety point of view, it’s a great thing. It’s a matter of getting used to it more than anything else.
Q.Some of the guys last year talked about it was harder to find a limit with the open cockpit. Did you find it harder to find a limit in your car today?JUAN PABLO MONTOYA: No, because I come from a sports car and a closed cockpit car. For me, it’s the same thing. It doesn’t really change that much. I think for the guys that are used to the open cockpit, might be a little harder.I’ve driven a lot of closed cars. Last four years, I’ve mainly been driving sports cars, P2 cars. Feels about the same.
Q.Josef, how much did you notice any differences in the car today from the test last October?JOSEF NEWGARDEN: When were we here? I thought it was the beginning of November.
Q.When you tested these configurations.JOSEF NEWGARDEN: It’s identical to the final config that we ran in November. From then it’s the same. Literally the last that config that we ran is what you can put on the car, at least the maximum amount. It’s pretty similar to what we tested, I mean, the same.
Q.The weather conditions play a role today with traffic?JOSEF NEWGARDEN: I mean, I think it was a pretty easy day. It was pretty ideal conditions. Not too hot. Certainly not too cold. A little bit windy. That was probably the most difficult part about the day, was the wind, the movement of the car. Pretty standard for this place. You’re always kind of fighting that depending where it’s coming from. It’s always playing a factor.Weather wasn’t an issue. It was a pretty easy day, for the most part, to be honest.
Q.I noticed the turn two trap speed chart, seems like the guys at the top of the speed chart were good there. Is that one of the more important corners to get right at this track?JOSEF NEWGARDEN: I think that was probably the most difficult corner as far as wind today. For most of the day you had a tailwind going into two, you had the side wind on the track. It could catch you out. It was difficult in traffic to get it right. Someone was having a big tow, it was one of the tougher corners to get right. That’s probably why you saw the cars that were quick and good, they were typically pretty good through two, as well.
Q.I know yesterday probably had to be a little bit of a frustrating day. What kind of energy and excitement do you get from a day like this where you have eight, nine cars running in packs? Does a day like this on the track really invigorate you to get this season started here?JUAN PABLO MONTOYA: For me personally, I think it’s definitely a huge thing. I know yesterday we didn’t run as much as we could. In a way, I’m pretty happy it worked out that way. We did the refresher. We did installation up in the morning. I had a look at everything the other guys were doing, just to relax with the guys and everything. It wasn’t too bad.At the end of the day we managed to get the refresher done. It was good. It was good because it still feels like this place is fast. When you do it often, you lose the appreciation of how fast you go. It was nice to get a night’s sleep on it. Yesterday when I was done, I was like, This place is quick. Today it was like, Aah, it’s normal. So it was nice.
JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Yeah, obviously for someone like Juan, this test is great. Even for all of us that have been regulars here, this is a great test to have, to give a warmup for the month of May. It felt like the month of May, to be honest with you, typical day to start out.Yeah, pretty happy we got this peek into the future.THE MODERATOR: We want to say thank you to Juan Pablo Montoya for stopping by. Appreciate you doing so after a couple busy days. The month of May will be here before we know it.We’ll continue with Josef Newgarden.
Q.A couple of the engineers and a few of the other drivers were conjecturing that with the package the way it is, it’s going to be two cars, the second-place car will kind of have an advantage. They think anything further back than two cars you might have five cars running in a pack, but the fifth-place car and fourth-place car don’t have much of a shot. Does it feel that way to you?JOSEF NEWGARDEN: I mean, certainly last year that was the case. I think you have a better opportunity this year looking at the amount of downforce we have, the balance shift in and out of traffic. I think you have a better opportunity to fight for the win in the third or fourth car in line.I think more than that, you are a quick car during the race, you somehow find yourself in the back, I think you have a better opportunity of making your way forward. Those two elements will automatically help the show. But you don’t want to have it so easy where we’re packed up the entire field the entire time. I think that’s something that you would want to avoid.It’s a balancing act. I think it will be a lot better than last year as far as the ability to race up front. Time will tell. But I think you’ll have a better show.
Q.In Happy Hour we saw some pretty good passing and some dicing around out there. Some of the drivers said the dicing was a little bit by design. When you have these test sessions, do you go in with the mindset of trying different things to see how they work so when you’re back here when it matters you’ll know what it’s going to do?JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Yeah, I mean, definitely. We’re constantly trying to assess everything. Today we were spot checking some qualifying stuff early on. We got into race running, just tried to focus on how our cars were in race traffic.At the end of the day that’s going to be probably the most important thing. Yeah, when we’re out there running, it’s for real. There’s people that drop back every now and then. That’s not real passes. As far as the way we’re running in line, we’re trying to simulate it as much as the race.It’s very much the real deal what people are seeing.
Q.Considering you’re one of the more we’ll say older statesmen now at Penske Racing. These days you’ve just had at Indy, how valuable are they for someone like Scott McLaughlin?JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Tremendously. Scott has been so much fun to be around because he’s truly a rookie in INDYCAR. Everything that he does is like the coolest thing ever. So to see that perspective again after having been here myself for 10 years, it’s just really fun. It’s really fun to see that through his eyes.But it’s a very valuable day. He’s soaking everything up. Every moment he’s getting better. He’s doing a really good job trying to take time, ask a lot of questions, pay attention to every detail. He’s really switched on. He’s a smart race car driver. He’s doing all the right things to figure out how to be good in this category.I think you can come to expect that. I think he will be very competitive this year. So, yeah, valuable day for him, for sure.
Q.For Roger, what do you think this means to him, building up to what could be a great month of May this year by comparison to what we had last year?JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Certainly, Roger has a lot of pride in this place, and he should. This is an amazing facility. He is a very deserving captain to lead this ship. I think we’re all pretty happy that he’s at the helm of it.He’s beaming to be out here every day. He’s always excited, excited for what we’re doing as a team, but more excited for what the Speedway is doing. There’s no one that wants fans here more than Roger, I can tell you that. I think if we get a semi-filled up crowd, he’s going to be a very happy man. We’re all going to be very happy.This place was built for fans. That’s what this track is all about. We get to the month of May, have some people in the stands, it’s going to be good for everybody.
Q.To Barber, how important is it to get points on the board early on and kick-start the season in the most positive way?JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Yeah, it’s always important. I always tell people, I tell the team, Let’s get on the board today. We don’t need to win the race, but we need to score some points, have a good showing, set ourselves up for a good year.That’s what we try to do. That’s what we’re going to try to do next weekend.
Q.Did you get a feel for how the Chevy and Honda balance power is at the moment? I realize it’s difficult in these conditions to judge. We all know what happened last year. You guys were powerful but didn’t have the fuel economy.JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Yeah, it’s hard to say. It looks a lot more even this year, is what I would say at the moment. Someone could obviously be miles ahead by the time we get to the month of May. It’s possible. But I would say it looks a lot more even right now than where we were at last year.We’re all excited about that. I think Chevrolet has done a great job. It’s going to provide an interesting show for everybody.
Q.Did you check out how far you could go on a tank of fuel, turbo boost level, fuel rich level?JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Yeah, we didn’t do a lot of economy stuff today. We just did it — I didn’t run through any mixtures. I think there’s still some questions to be answered in the month of May. We were trying to check off some bigger team item stuff.Chevy has more manpower than just us at Team Penske. Not sure what they’re up to. We’re going to debrief with them after a test like this. We’re pushing. I think we’re going to be in a good spot looking at the initial information.THE MODERATOR: Thank you, Josef Newgarden.
Ed CarpenterEd Carpenter RacingPress ConferenceTHE MODERATOR: Good afternoon, everyone. Thanks, everybody, for tuning in, Zooming in, if you will, after the first half of the day, day one of the Indy 500 open test. Certainly an interesting day for Ed Carpenter Racing, Conor Daly, P1 in the 47 car, top speed of 222.714 miles an hour. Ed second quick in the 20 machine. His Rookie of the Year from last year, Rinus VeeKay, with an interesting day as well.We’ll begin things with Ed. How would you describe day one today for the IMS Indy 500 open test?ED CARPENTER: Not the way we had exactly hoped it would go. You never want to lose one of your three cars kind of in the first 10 minutes of the session. That was a bit of a bumpy way to start the test.We do have three cars, so Conor and I carried on. We were able to get a little bit of work done. By the time Rinus’ yellow and cleanup was done, we had about 90 minutes of track activity, but probably only 45, 50 minutes of that by the time you get installs done.We were able to get a couple changes in really just to establish a baseline. There’s a lot to do now tomorrow, a lot of new parts to test. We were able to test some of them last fall. There’s a lot to work through to be ready for when we come back for Indy 500 prep.
THE MODERATOR: How is Rinus doing?ED CARPENTER: I think he’s okay. Disappointed. Obviously not the way he wanted to start either. It’s easy to be upset about things like that. The conditions were a little tricky with the wind. It’s an inexperience thing still. He’s got a year under his belt, but it was a truncated year.He did so well at Indy last year, but got a little bit ahead of himself today. Didn’t quite have a feel for his balance, got a little bit too aggressive in one.I know he’ll bounce back. He’s shown that he can bounce back from unfortunate circumstances in the past. I know he’ll be ready when he gets back out there.
THE MODERATOR: We’ll open for questions.Q.Is there anything you could really take away from today, given it was kind of a truncated day for you guys? If you can get the car back on the road for Rinus tomorrow, do you expect him to run, given that he’s injured his finger?ED CARPENTER: It’s my understanding that he’s cleared. I know the guys took that car back to the shop. If we can get that car together, it’s possible he runs tomorrow.I don’t know that we would pull out his backup, just because it will be the race car for Barber, St. Pete and Texas. It’s all a little tight to going racing, the risk, potentially another excursion.If the guys can get that other car back together, possibly. I don’t really know. I was focusing on what I was doing with my car, debriefing with Conor. A lot of guys had gone back to the shop to evaluate all that, see where they were.I’m waiting to hear from Tim Broyles, our team manager, on that. One of the good things about being a driver today, I don’t have to worry about everything, I can focus on what we have going on track and what we have to accomplish tomorrow yet with my run plan.
THE MODERATOR: How much did the weather play a factor in what you had planned today?ED CARPENTER: The day was definitely short. Felt like May watching the radar already. Yeah, I mean, we certainly had a lot more we wanted to do. We really just did a baseline, made one small adjustment to kind of adapt for conditions. Have a lot to do yet.Essentially we each just got a baseline run in. I only did nine laps. Happy the car has had some pace, we were able to get a good draft. At the same time it doesn’t really mean anything after just a brief period of running, and not everybody out there yet.
Q.I know you were planning on two full days. Do you feel like one full day, as long as we don’t get any more weather, will be enough to accomplish everything? Will you be able to squeeze everything in to tomorrow that you would have hoped for over two days?ED CARPENTER: We’ll do the best we can. You would always take more time if you could get it. At the end of the day, for the most part, everyone is going to have the same opportunity to have the same amount of track time.Don’t worry about it too much. Weather and changing schedules is something we’ve all gotten quite adept at over the past year. Looks like it’s going to be a better weather day tomorrow. The six hours will go quick.Some of the things we wanted to do, it would have been nice to have our session, lunch break, go back out and do some longer changeover types of things that we may have to scrap till we come back.If we can be efficient, we can still get through everything we wanted to, at least the big items.
Q.You had a handful of changes to the car as far as the aerodynamics are concerned. You’ve had a little bit of time to look at those things. How important is the setup two days to getting like you feel like you’re really ready to go once we get to May?ED CARPENTER: Well, certainly if you come out of this test and have success and are able to get a good baseline, it will springboard you into a quick week of practice leading into qualifying.In a perfect world, we would feel really happy with our cars, how they’re running in traffic. With the speed we have out of our Chevy engines, worst-case scenario, we have a good idea of what we need to improve on coming out of this test coming back.Either way we’ll have things we want to improve on. Hopefully we come out of it with good speed and feeling good about how the cars are handling in traffic. We’ll fine-tune it for practice leading into qualifying and the race.
Q.We have an oval event before Indy this year with Texas. How relevant is that going to be in terms of what you do with your setup leading into the month of May, as well?ED CARPENTER: I mean, setups are quite different from Texas to Indy. I think probably — I mean, I like that we have an oval before. It’s nice to be able to get two races under our belt for me.But compared to when Indy was the first oval, especially having three in a row with Barber, St. Pete and Texas, it presents a little bit of a challenge with car rotation and spares potentially and things like that. We’ve known the schedule for a long time and have a good plan. I don’t think it’s that big of a deal.
Q.Were you able to do enough running in traffic to get a sense if there’s any improvement with the changes made to the cars?ED CARPENTER: No, not yet. I got a one-car tow, but it was about seven seconds out, so not really a good enough read to start to fully establish that.We had some of the parts on, not all of them. There are a lot of different configurations out there. Definitely need more time. There’s really no group that formed in the short amount of time we had. Still plenty to learn. But I’m sure we’ll get through that tomorrow.
THE MODERATOR: Ed, what is the rest of your night looking like? On dad duty?ED CARPENTER: Yeah, Ryder has a class here till 7:30. I’ll be watching that, maybe answering some emails. We’re supposed to have a team owners call at 7, but that got pushed till 8 because cars are on track later. Wait for him till 7:30, go home and get some dinner, get the boys a shower, I might take one myself, rinse and repeat.
THE MODERATOR: Nothing confirmed yet about when we’re going to start back up tomorrow morning. For those of you joining us, we’ll pass that information along as soon as we get it.
Ed, thanks so much. Have a great evening. Tell everybody we said hi.ED CARPENTER: Will do. Thanks.

NASCAR CUP SERIES MARTINSVILLE SPEEDWAY BLUE-EMU MAXIMUM PAIN RELIEF 500 TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT APRIL 9, 2021 WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 LIBERTY UNIVERSITY CAMARO ZL1 1LE, Press Conference Transcript:  ON SHORT TRACKS, YOU’RE EITHER TOP-10 OR OUTSIDE THE TOP-20. WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE TWO?“That’s a good question. We’ve had some really good short track races, but yeah, then we’ve had some issues with brakes and mechanical things. Trying to make sure that we make all that stuff last and make it to the end of the race is really important. So, I think that’s a big emphasis for us. I feel like some of that is how your car is driving, but also just technique and making sure that I’m taking care of my stuff throughout the early part of the race so I can have something good at the end. I think that’s all it is. When we’ve had good handling stuff, then we’ve done well. But you can’t try to crutch it too much with brakes and stuff if you’re not handling well.”  SOME CHATTER NOW THAT MORE AND MORE PEOPLE ARE GETTING VACCINATED, WHEN WOULD NASCAR ALLOW POTENTIALLY MORE PEOPLE IN THE GARAGE; WOULD DRIVERS START DOING MEET-AND-GREETS AGAIN. DO YOU HAVE ANY SORT OF STANDARD FOR WHAT WOULD MAKE YOU FEEL COMFORTABLE OR DO YOU JUST DO WHAT YOU’RE TOLD TO DO?“Yeah, I’ll just roll with whatever is comfortable with how we approach it. I feel fairly comfortable as is right now. I think the protocols and things are working well. Yeah, I think it’s going to be a gradual thing. But I think you see all sports right now getting more and more fans around; having them in masks, but being able to have them around. So, I’m good with it if people have masks on. I think it’s working towards the right direction.” SPECIFIC TO MARTINSVILLE, LAST YEAR YOU WERE 8TH IN THE SPRING AND 35TH IN THE FALL. WHAT WAS THE DIFFERENCE IN THOSE TWO RACES FOR YOU?“The fall, there was a lot of stuff going on. We had a mechanical issue there at the end that cost us finishing that race. But I thought we were OK; I thought we were honestly that eighth to tenth range. I don’t think we were going to run in the top-five. But the spring, I thought we could run the top-five, but we had to go to the back three or four times for issues. I think, honestly, the spring I was pretty happy about. I know we’ve got a little bit of a different setup this time. I feel like we’re going to be really fast, so it’s just a matter of making it to the end of the race with a shot at it.” IF YOU HAD TO PIN-POINT ONE THING THAT MAKES MARTINSVILLE UNIQUE AND DIFFICULT, WHAT WOULD IT BE?“Just the rhythm. You have to adapt to kind of how the rubber lays down. It’s just a very difficult rhythm place. A little bit off is a lot; you can go a lap down pretty easily. It’s just kind of a rhythm place. You have to find that. It makes it easy if you have a decent car and you can find that rhythm.” BACK IN DECEMBER, YOU TALKED ABOUT WANTING THE NO. 24 TEAM TO BECOME A CONSISTENT THREAT WHERE EACH TRACK WASN’T A WEAKNESS FOR YOU AND YOU WEREN’T JUST A ONE-TIME WINNER EACH YEAR. WITH THE PERFORMANCE YOU’VE HAD THROUGH SEVEN RACES, HOW CLOSE DO YOU FEEL YOU AND YOUR TEAM ARE TO BEING AT THAT LEVEL?“I think it’s going according to plan. I think honestly, we started the year and things were off to a really bad start; we had some bad luck and it really forced us to hone in on just executing a clean race. We did that and we won. And then honestly from there, we just tried to execute really clean races and try to get this team executing on a high level to where we can start to push some of the details, like pit road, restarts and things like that that we can start to be aggressive with. We put together a really good five races in a row here and yeah, I feel like we are in that category now of being able to contend every week. We just have to make the next step to lead some more laps. It’s been a couple of weeks since we’ve done that, so that’s important to us.” DRIVERS HAVE SAID MARTINSVILLE IS BOTH FUN AND QUITE DIFFICULT TO RACE THERE. WHAT CHARACTERISTICS OF THIS RACE TRACK STAND OUT TO YOU THE MOST?“I think just the way you have to run the curb. Obviously, you try to be as low to it as you can without touching it too much. It’s tricky – you have to get in the corner a certain way. Running the curb is hard and it’s tough to get drive off, too. It’s really kind of one of those standard short tracks, but I like the rhythm of it. It’s one of my favorites because it’s got good grip, but it’s a challenge. And you can pass; usually it’s not a huge issue to pass, you just have to set guys up the right way. I like it. Somebody mentioned how a lot of champions win at Martinsville – I think it’s just because it’s an experience place. It’s a really tough place.” BEING NO WORSE THAN EIGHTH SINCE YOU WON AT HOMESTEAD, HOW HAS YOUR MENTALITY OR CONFIDENCE CHANGED IN HOW YOU APPROACH GOING TO THE RACETRACK EACH WEEKEND?“I think we approach it the same, but I think there’s definitely a little more confidence that we can think outside the box a little bit. We’re not just trying to string together one good run to kind of get back on track. Yeah, I think for us, it’s kind of that slow climb of trying to go from I feel like we’re that top-seven to eight team right now, but try to make that next step to be a top-five team. It’s kind of an evolution, but I think we’re getting there. It’s awesome to run as well as we have every week and have specific things to work on; not have to worry about big stuff, we can just worry about small stuff to try and get better. I think we’re on the right track.” IN THE WEEKEND RELEASE FROM HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS, YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT THE GRASS THAT’S BEEN TAKEN OUT AT MARTINSVILLE. HOW BIG OF A THING IS THAT FOR DRIVERS? IS THAT ACTUALLY NOTICABLE AND SOMETHING YOU’RE GOING TO HAVE TO ADJUST TO?“Yeah, I mean I think in turns three and four, for sure. One and two, I’ve never really noticed the grass; but three and four, there was a separation between the grass and when the concrete started. So now, it’s not there and that was kind of a reference for where the center of the corner was. I think honestly, that’s going to be different. I’m interested to see how that is on the pace laps. But yeah, I think you’ll adapt and find new marks. It does kind of change things.”

Arnold sets overall fast time, Stremme second in practice sessions BRISTOL, TN – April 8, 2021 – The DIRTcar UMP Modifieds have officially taken their first look at the dirt-covered Bristol Motor Speedway in preparation for this weekend’s inaugural World of Outlaws Bristol Bash. Chris Arnold, of Matoaca, VA, recorded the fastest lap of 17.154 in Thursday night’s practice session, logging 18 laps in total. Arnold turned that lap in the third session, besting David Stremme who ranked second quick at 17.176. Ryan Ayers, of Concord, NC, clocked in third quick at 17.198; Nick Hoffman, of Mooresville, NC, was fourth overall at 17.409; and Taylor Cook, of Stanley, NC, rounded out the top-five at 17.439. The UMP Modifieds will compete this Friday and Saturday night, April 9-10, alongside the World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Model Series, with complete racing programs and a 20-lap Feature on both nights. $5,000 goes to Friday night’s winner while the big $10,000 grand prize goes home with the Feature winner on Saturday. Tickets are available online at BristolMotorSpeedway.com; DIRTVision presented by Drydene will have live race coverage throughout the weekend. Hoffman, the two-time and defending DIRTcar UMP Modified national points champion, made his first laps around the half-mile and was amazed at the feeling in the seat, combining the straightaway speeds and high degree of banking. “The straightaways are pretty long. I feel like you can take a drink and do whatever down the straightaways, and then you get to the corner and it’s elbows up,” Hoffman said. Hoffman was one of nine drivers to log at least 20 laps over each of the six sessions. Overall, he considered it a solid night, but knows where he needs to make improvements for his first competitive night on Friday. “The racecar’s really good; I’ve got a ton of grip. But I think I have too much grip for this place. I’m just too tight, gotta get better as far as steering,” Hoffman said. For this special event, Hoffman has put together an equally special package for the racetrack. As the owner and founder of Elite Chassis, Hoffman restored the very first Elite frame he assembled during the 2012 season, strapped in a Chevrolet SB2 engine and brought it to Bristol. So far, so good. “I felt like the car drove great from the beginning. No bugs, didn’t have anything stupid happen, motor ran great. No real issues, just gotta get it to turn a little bit better,” Hoffman said. As a two-time national champion of the division, Hoffman has won at numerous tracks across the country, but only a select few compare in size and speed to Bristol. One track that immediately comes to Hoffman’s mind is the half-mile of Eldora Speedway, where he won back in 2012 on the very first night out driving his new Elite Chassis brand. “Eldora’s pretty round and sweeping. It’s decently banked, but it isn’t like this. It’s pretty round and forgiving. Here, you’re going straight at such high speed and just running into that banking. That’s the biggest thing that’s so much different,” Hoffman said. With those differences in speed and banking comes a big physical challenge in the cockpit – one which Hoffman doesn’t normally see during the regular season. “Right now, it’s everything you can get,” he said. “I feel like I’m in pretty decent shape, I’m not going to fall out of the seat I don’t think, but it’s way more physically demanding than anywhere else we’ve gone.” Hoffman says the keys to victory will be laying down a good lap in qualifying and getting out in clean air to control the race. He’s done exactly that many times before, and he’s confident he can do it again. Don’t miss the DIRTcar UMP Modifieds in action at the Bristol Motor Speedway for the inaugural Bristol Bash this Friday at Saturday night, April 9-10. If you can’t make it to the track, catch every bit of racing live on DIRTVision presented by Drydene. DIRTcar UMP Modified Bristol Bash Practice Night Leaderboard1. Chris Arnold (Matoaca, VA) – 17.154 2. David Stremme (Mooresville, NC) – 17.176 3. Ryan Ayers (Concord, NC) – 17.198 4. Nick Hoffman (Mooresville, NC) – 17.409 5. Taylor Cook (Stanley, NC) – 17.439 6. Dylan Woodling (Warsaw, IN) – 17.441 7. Michael Altobelli (Saxton, PA) – 17.448 8. Nick Allen (Wheatfield, IN) – 17.485 9. Kyle Hammer (Clinton, IL) – 17.488 10. Jonathan Taylor (Saltsburg, PA) – 17.504 11. Garret Stewart (Leesburg, FL) – 17.509 12. Mitch Thomas (Oakland, MD) – 17.627 13. Austin Holcombe (Elm City, NC) – 17.632 14. Evan Taylor (Saltsburg, PA) – 17.649 15. Jordan Wever (Bloomington, IN) – 17.722 16. Trent Young (Crofton, KY) – 17.726 17. Jake Leitzman (Paragon, IN) – 17.758 18. David Reutimann (Sherrills Ford, NC) – 17.784 19. Hunt Gossum (Mayfield, KY) – 17.868 20. Todd Neiheiser (Panama City, FL) – 17.890 21. Dave Wietholder (Liberty, IL) – 17.894 22. Kyle Steffens (St. Charles, MO) – 17.913 23. Brian Shaw (Robinson, IL) – 17.999 24. Troy Loomis (Sherrills Ford, NC) – 18.004 25. Bill Griffith (Van Buren, OH) – 18.156 26. Dillon Nusbaum (Columbia City, IN) – 18.183 27. Lance Grady Jr. (Doswell, VA) – 19.160 28. Jason Sage (Glen Allen, VA) – 20.793

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.

TEAM CHEVY ADVANCE BLUE-EMU MAXIMUM PAIN RELIEF 500 MARTINSVILLE SPEEDWAY RIDGEWAY, VIRGINIA APRIL 10, 2021

RACE #8 – MARTINSVILLE SPEEDWAYThe challenging Martinsville Speedway, which has hosted two NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) races per season since 1950, is the site this week for the Blue-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 500 and NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) Cook Out 250.
Chase Elliott won the last NASCAR Cup Series race on .526-mile paperclip on November 1, 2020, on the way to wrapping up his first NCS Driver Championship. Starting eighth based on metric qualifying in his No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, Elliott led 236 of the 500 laps. Elliott, who made his NCS debut at Martinsville Speedway in the sixth race of the 2015 season, has four top-five and six top-10 finishes in 11 races at the track.
Career Chevrolet driver Jimmie Johnson is the last driver to win from the pole or No. 1 starting position — in April 2013, the eighth of his nine victories at the track. Kurt Busch leads active drivers with 41 starts and 19,883 laps completed. Busch, No. 1 GEARWRENCH Camaro ZL1 1LE, has won at the track in 2014 and 2002 (from the 36th starting position) and has 10 short track victories in his NCS career.
Justin Allgaier, No. 7 Walmart Fight Hunger Camaro SS, will lead the Chevrolet contingent to the green flag in the Cook Out 250 from the outside of the front row. Allgaier, who won at Atlanta two weeks ago, was runner-up in the October 2020 race at Martinsville. AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 Ellsworth Advisors Camaro SS, who won the NXC race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and is fourth in the Driver Standings, will start third.
FS1 will telecast the NASCAR Cup Series’ 500-lap/263-mile Blue-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 500 at 7:30 p.m. EDT Saturday, April 10. 
57 WINS AND COUNTINGChevrolet leads all manufacturers with 57 victories at Martinsville Speedway, including 25 by Hendrick Motorsports – Jeff Gordon and Johnson with nine; Darrell Waltrip with four; and Geoff Bodine, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Elliott with one each. Chevrolet has 797 NASCAR Cup Series wins to lead all manufacturers.
FOUR IN THE TOP-10Kyle Larson, driver of the No. 5 Camaro ZL1 1LE, is fourth in the NCS Driver Standings. William Byron, No. 24 Camaro ZL1 LE, is sixth and Chase Elliott, No. 9 Camaro ZL1 1LE, is ninth. Austin Dillon, No. 3 Camaro ZL1 1LE, is tied for 10th.
Larson and Byron have secured their spots in the 10-race Playoff run after winning already this season. Byron, who has scored five top-eight finishes in a row, was runner-up in the October 2019 race at Martinsville.
ON THE WAY TO THE GREENWith no practice or qualifying for the race, the starting lineup is determined by NASCAR’s metrics system that was introduced to the series last year and incorporates results from both individual races and season-long results. Here are Team Chevy’s Top-20 starters: 3rd      William Byron, No. 24 Liberty University Camaro ZL1 1LE5th      Chase Elliott, No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Camaro ZL1 1LE6th      Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 Kroger/Crest Camaro ZL1 1LE11th    Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Camping World Camaro ZL1 1LE13th    Tyler Reddick, No. 8 Childress Vineyards Camaro ZL1 1LE17th    Ryan Preece, No. 37 Louisiana Hot Sauce Camaro ZL1 1LE18th    Austin Dillon, No. 3 American Ethanol Camaro ZL1 1LE19th    Kyle Larson, No. 5 HendrickCars.com Camaro ZL1 1LE20th    Alex Bowman, No. 48 Ally Camaro ZL1 1LE
BOWTIE BULLETS·       Chevrolet leads all manufacturers with 698 laps led – 197 more than its closest competitor.
·       Chevrolet leads all manufacturers with 32 top-10 finishes – 10 more than its closest competitor.
·       In addition to its 57 NCS wins at Martinsville, Chevrolet has amassed 264 top-five and 503 top-10 finishes. Chevrolet drivers have led 27,656 laps.
·       Justin Haley will pull double duty this weekend, driving the No. 7 Camaro SS in the NXS race and the No. 77 Camaro ZL1 1LE in the NCS race. Haley made his NXS debut at Martinsville Speedway in 2020.
·       Kyle Larson paces all drivers with 379 laps led in the seven races. He’s also the leader in fastest laps (237) and quality passes (446).
·       Kyle Larson (9.5) and Willian Byron (10.7) are in the top-five of average running position.
·       Career Chevrolet driver Jeff Gordon is the all-time leader with 38 top-10 finishes in 47 races at Martinsville.
·       Austin Dillon, No. 3 Camaro ZL1 1LE, has completed all but two of the 1,694 laps.
·       Chase Elliott (Daytona Road Course), William Byron (Homestead-Miami Speedway) and Kyle Larson (Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Atlanta Motor Speedway 2) have stage wins.
TUNE INFS1 will telecast the NASCAR Cup Series 500-lap/263-mile Blue-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 500 live at 7:30 p.m. EDT Saturday, April 10. FS1 will telecast the NASCAR Xfinity Series 250-lap/131.5-mile Cook Out 250 at 8 p.m. EDT Friday, April 9. Live coverage can also be found on MRN and Sirius XM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.
QUOTABLE QUOTES KYLE LARSON, NO. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 4th IN STANDINGSLARSON ON MARTINSVILLE’S CHALLENGES: “Martinsville is probably one of my worst tracks – it’s been the toughest for me to figure out since there are so many challenges there. It’s a different style than what I grew up racing. You’re hard on the brakes and you need to be consistent with that while hitting your marks lap after lap. It’s such a challenge to do all that and keep up with the changing lines throughout the race. Hopefully, someday I can win a Martinsville clock.”
CLIFF DANIELS, CREW CHIEF, NO. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM CAMARO ZL1 1LEDANIELS ON WORKING WITH LARSON AT MARTINSVILLE’S WET WEATHER TIRE TEST LAST WEEK: “Testing was cool, and it’s always good to have more time with Kyle. It helps our team continue the rhythm we’re in – just being able to cut laps around the place with him in one of our cars is always helpful. NASCAR has some good rain tire options if they choose to use them in the future.”
DANIELS ON FINISHING TENTH WITH JIMMIE JOHNSON IN 2020: “We led a lot of laps early but didn’t keep up with the track as well as we should have. We were just an adjustment behind. We got up front, we led laps, and we knew the car was fast, but we didn’t want to over-adjust so we made small adjustments. After looking back at our notes, the track really tightened up throughout the race. Our teammates got aggressive with their changes and we were just a step behind.”
WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 LIBERTY UNIVERSITY CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 6th IN STANDINGSBYRON ON THE CHALLENGES OF RACING AT MARTINSVILLE:“Martinsville Speedway is always difficult no matter how many times you’ve raced there. You have to balance the entry of the corner to how you turn in the middle, all while not allowing the guy behind you to get underneath you on the exit of the corner. You want to be aggressive enough to make up ground but also not overly aggressive that you lose track position early on. It’s a track that requires patience and the knowledge of when to push it and when to save. It’s a challenge for sure but I enjoy it. It makes it tough on the drivers to get around there.”  BYRON ON ADJUSTING TO THE REMOVAL OF THE INFIELD GRASS AT MARTINSVILLE:“I’m interested to see what it’s like with the grass removed but I don’t think it will change much on the racetrack. The only thing I think that will be different is your visual cues. You’ll have to get use to looking at the concrete at the start of the race and set new marks for yourself in the corners. That’s always critical there. It will make the first couple laps interesting but once you figure those marks out, it will get easier as the race goes.”  CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 9th IN STANDINGS“Last year’s win at Martinsville was huge for us. It’s great to know that we’ve had some good runs at there, but you always have to keep in mind that your past success doesn’t equal success in the future. It never has and I don’t think it ever will – that’s just racing. So, I think for us, we will have some good information from last year and I look forward to getting to Martinsville this weekend and seeing what we can do.” AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 AMERICAN ETHANOL CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 11th IN STANDINGS“I really like Martinsville Speedway. It is one of those places where you go through so many emotions during the course the race. Someone might bump you and that give-and-take can get frustrating. It’s a short little paper clip, with hard-braking corners. We’ve had some solid runs there, and I think that we can go back and do it again. We’d love to have a good run at Martinsville Speedway.”
RICKY STENHOUSE JR., NO. 47 KROGER/CREST CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 14th IN STANDINGS“I think short track racing at Martinsville Speedway with the lights is going to be awesome. NASCAR Cup Series cars, an especially our No. 47 Kroger/Crest Chevrolet, look better under the lights and we know fans love seeing the sparks fly. Martinsville always has a lot of contact and beating and banging so going into it expecting that I think is half the battle. Martinsville is not typically my favorite track, but we’re on a really strong momentum swing right now with strong runs at Bristol and Atlanta so I’m looking forward to racing after a week off and keeping that going.”
ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 48 ALLY CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 16th IN STANDINGSBOWMAN ON GETTING BACK ON TRACK AFTER THE WEEKEND OFF: “It was nice to have a weekend off last week. A week off is nice, but I am ready to get to Martinsville this weekend. We had two top-10 finishes at the track last season and I think we have a good notebook to lean on for Saturday night’s race. Hendrick Motorsports has been strong at Martinsville in the past and I feel like our teams can lean on each other a bit for this weekend’s race.”
GREG IVES, CREW CHIEF, NO. 48 ALLY CAMARO ZL1 1LE“Anytime you have night races, you prepare a little bit differently depending on the track grip. There were times when you would start the race during the day and then it would end at night, but this is a true night race. Now we just have to worry about if the track is going to rubber up or not. I think it is generally going to be a clean track and hopefully we can get another groove in there. You might see some fender banging to make the pass. You might have some tempers flare, but it’s just short track racing.”
RYAN PREECE, NO. 37 LOUISIANA HOT SAUCE CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 18th IN STANDINGS“I’m looking forward to racing at Martinsville Speedway under the lights this Saturday night. We’ve got a new look on our No. 37 Louisiana Hot Sauce Chevrolet, and I’m lucky enough to be running the Modified race on Thursday night and get plenty of laps in before the NASCAR Cup Series hits the track on Saturday. Martinsville is one of my favorite tracks, we’ve had some strong runs there in the Cup Series and I’ve been fortunate enough to get a win in the Modified Series there so I feel good about it, and feel like we are heading the right direction to come out with a strong run.”
DANIEL SUAREZ, NO. 99 CAMPING WORLD CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 20th IN STANDINGS“I love going to Martinsville. It’s just a different atmosphere and they have things so unique to them – the trophy, the style of track, etc. Martinsville is cool because it’s one of the old-school tracks that we go to. I drive back and forth from home and it’s a unique place. It reminds me kind of like a Late Model race, where it’s just a different environment from the big tracks we usually go to.” 
ERIK JONES, NO. 43 PETTY’S GARAGE CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 22nd in STANDINGSWHAT CAN YOU EXPECT FROM A NIGHT RACE AT MARTINSVILLE?“I think the Martinsville Speedway is going to be good for our Richard Petty Motorsports team. I look at last year and how we ran there in the fall race, which ended at night, and when the sun went down was when the team was at its best. Between that race, and the way Richard Petty Motorsports has run the last few years at Martinsville (Speedway), I feel good about going into the weekend.
“It is going to be a cool race. It is the first true night race at the Martinsville Speedway for the NASCAR Cup Series, which is going to be fun. I think we are all looking forward to the race, and what it is going to look like. I am excited to get there.”
TYLER REDDICK, NO. 8 CHILDRESS VINEYARDS CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 25th IN STANDINGSLAST YEAR WAS YOUR FIRST TIME RACING AT MARTINSVILLE SPEEDWAY SINCE 2016. WHAT ARE SOME THINGS YOU LEARNED THAT WILL BE HELPFUL FOR THIS WEEKEND? “One thing I think that really stood out not just to me, but a lot of the drivers was how hot that June Martinsville race was. Everyone is so used to it being cold at Martinsville that the heat really took everyone by surprise. So, I’m definitely taking my hydration seriously this week to avoid being overheated this time around. We also saw the track change a lot during both races, and we needed to do a better job of keeping up with it. That’ll be a major focus this time for us. This track is one of my crew chief’s favorites so I’m confident we’ll have a good plan for our No. 8 Childress Vineyards Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE on Saturday night.”
COREY LAJOIE, NO. 7 ARK.IO CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 29th IN STANDINGS“Really looking forward to getting to Martinsville this weekend. Statistically, it’s turned into one of my better tracks, but also one of my favorites to drive. It’s awesome to have Travis and Ark.io back on the Chevy Camaro this weekend as he continues to support my racing career. This race is the first true short track race of the year, so I’m excited to see what Ryan Sparks and my team at Spire Motorsports can accomplish at the paper clip this weekend!”

Richard Childress Racing at Martinsville Speedway… In 177 NASCAR Cup Series starts at Martinsville Speedway, Richard Childress Racing has earned four pole awards and posted seven victories with drivers Dale Earnhardt (five times), Ricky Rudd (1983) and Kevin Harvick (2011). RCR Chevrolet teams have earned 30 top-five and 63 top-10 finishes at Martinsville dating back to the team’s first start there on April 10, 1972. Richard Childress, a former driver in NASCAR’s top division, contributed four of those top-10 finishes from 1976-1978.  With the NASCAR Xfinity Series returning to Martinsville Speedway in 2020 after a 14-year hiatus from the Virginia short track, the Welcome N.C. organization has only three NASCAR Xfinity Series starts at the half-mile paperclip. In 2006, Kevin Harvick scored the victory, followed by a runner-up finish from Clint Bowyer. Collectively, Harvick and Bowyer combined to lead 207 out of the 250 laps en route to a 1-2 finish for RCR. Catch the Action… The NASCAR Xfinity Series Cook Out 250 will be televised live Friday, April 9, beginning at 8 p.m. ET on FS1 and will be broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.  The NASCAR Cup Series Blue-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 500 will be televised live Saturday, April 10, beginning at 7:30 p.m. ET on FS1 and will be broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

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Austin Dillon and the No. 3 American Ethanol Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE at Martinsville Speedway… In 14 NASCAR Cup Series starts at Martinsville Speedway, Dillon earned his best finish of fourth in April 2016 at the half-mile short track after starting deep in the field from the 29th spot. He also has a fifth-place finish at the track (April 2017). He has made four appearances at the track in the NASCAR Truck Series, earning his best finish of third in October 2011. Delivering Performance on and Off the Racetrack… Dillon races on Sunoco Green E15 fuel made with 15 percent American Ethanol. Ethanol is the most effective and least expensive source of octane available and it also burns cleaner and cooler than gasoline. All those factors mean that ethanol helps drive peak engine performance whether you’re in a racecar or on your way to the grocery store. And, ethanol helps keep our air cleaner and our environment healthier by reducing toxic and greenhouse gas emissions. Learn more about why ethanol is the smart choice for your engine, your wallet and our environment at americanethanolracing.com. TV Time… Dillon is scheduled to serve as a guest analyst for FOX Sports 1’s coverage of this weekend’s NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Martinsville Speedway. Tune in beginning at 8 p.m. ET on Friday, April 9 on FS1. AUSTIN DILLON QUOTE:How do you feel about short tracks like Martinsville Speedway?“I really like Martinsville Speedway. It is one of those places where you go through so many emotions during the course the race. Someone might bump you and that give-and-take can get frustrating. It’s a short little paper clip, with hard-braking corners. We’ve had some solid runs there, and I think that we can go back and do it again. We’d love to have a good run at Martinsville Speedway.”

Tyler Reddick and the No. 8 Childress Vineyards Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE at Martinsville Speedway… Tyler Reddick has two NASCAR Cup Series starts at Martinsville Speedway, with his best finish of 16th coming during last year’s spring event. Reddick also has six NASCAR Truck Series starts at the track in which he collected two top-five and three top-10 finishes. About Childress Vineyards… Childress Vineyards is a premier winery located at the southern gateway of the Yadkin Valley in Lexington, North Carolina. Owned by Richard Childress, NASCAR team owner and Hall of Fame member, Childress Vineyards produces award-winning wines with the expertise of Winemaker Mark Frizsolowski. Open daily for tours, tastings, and lunch in the Bistro. Information about Childress Vineyards can be found on Facebook at facebook.com/childresswines/, on Twitter at @ChildressWines and on Instagram at Instagram.com/childresswines. TYLER REDDICK QUOTES: Last year was your first time racing at Martinsville Speedway since 2016. What are some things you learned that will be helpful for this weekend?“One thing I think that really stood out not just to me, but a lot of the drivers was how hot that June Martinsville race was. Everyone is so used to it being cold at Martinsville that the heat really took everyone by surprise. So I’m definitely taking my hydration seriously this week to avoid being overheated this time around. We also saw the track change a lot during both races, and we needed to do a better job of keeping up with it. That’ll be a major focus this time for us. This track is one of my crew chief’s favorites so I’m confident we’ll have a good plan for our No. 8 Childress Vineyards Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE on Saturday night.” We just wrapped up the only off-weekend for about four months. What do you and the No. 8 team need to do over the next stretch of races to get in a better spot to contend for a Playoff position?“Well, we can really take two ways to get there. We can win and lock ourselves in that way or we need to run top five and top 10 from here on out. That’s a tall ask for sure, but I have faith in my team. You have to be relevant to win races, and for us that means finding ways to get track position early in the race and get some stage points and a good finish. We also need to work on minimizing mistakes that took us out of Playoff contention last year and put solid races together from start to finish. Unfortunately, without qualifying it gets a little tougher since we start farther back than we maybe would if we had a chance to qualify. It’s hard to then know what we have at these tracks until we get up near some decent cars and by then it’s normally late in the race. Hopefully, we’ll turn a corner this week at Martinsville and put together a good race to kick of this big stretch of races with.”

Myatt Snider and the No. 2 TaxSlayer Chevrolet Camaro at Martinsville Speedway… Snider has one career NASCAR Xfinity Series start at Martinsville Speedway, which came at the end of the 2020 season. The Charlotte, N.C. native has also competed in three NASCAR Truck Series race at the paperclip half-mile, earning a third-place result in the 2018 fall race and a pair of sixth-place efforts in the 2018 and 2019 spring races respectively. About TaxSlayer… TaxSlayer makes online tax filing accessible for millions of Americans, with an easy-to-use platform and unlimited support at a fraction of the cost of the competition. Trusted for over 50 years, the Augusta-based tech company successfully completed more than 10 million federal and state e-filed tax returns in 2020 and processed $15 billion in refunds. TaxSlayer achieved a 4.5/5 TrustScore on consumer review site Trustpilot, with 87% of its customers rating the tax filing platform Great or Excellent. For more information, visit www.TaxSlayer.com. MYATT SNIDER QUOTES:You’ve raced quite a few times at Martinsville Speedway throughout your career. Do you enjoy going to the Virginia short track? “Racing at Martinsville is always a personal one for me. I’ve competed in a bunch of late model races there, got really close to a couple Truck Series wins there and it’s a track that has a lot of importance to me. I’ve run so many races there before that it semi feels like a home race for me personally. It’s important to me to get the clock this Friday night.”  What is your game plan heading into Martinsville Speedway?“Martinsville is quite the crazy race, because you never are that far away from another car. You can get out and build a good lead, but that’s really difficult to do since everyone is so close together. It can be a frustrating place for drivers, since you can’t get away and focus on what you are doing. There is always someone there to bump you out of the way or mess you up. That is what I think makes Martinsville one of the best tracks though. It forces you to be on your toes all the time and think as a driver which is what makes the racing product so good.”

Who is Back and Who is New?The Super DIRTcar Series is back underway with 17 drivers fighting for a $123,000 point fundWEEDSPORT, NY – Big Blocks are being tuned to perfection across the Northeast. The first whiffs of VP Racing Fuel are hitting noses and brand new Hoosier Racing Tires are getting loaded up in preparation for the Super DIRTcar Series tour to begin this Saturday, April 10, at Can-Am Speedway. Seventeen elite drivers are going full-time championship points chasing in 2021. Twenty-seven races stand between the best of the best in Northeast dirt modified racing with races in New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Tennessee, North Carolina, Quebec, and Ontario. These 17 drivers will fight over a $123,000 point fund with $40,000 going to the champion. Mat Williamson, the longest-term defending champion [no champion in 2020] on record, finally begins his title defense. Despite the delay, the Canadian-born driver and his #88 Buzz Chew team are primed for the points opener at Can-Am Speedway. Williamson has separated himself as driver by not only winning big-money signature races like the Billy Whittaker Cars 200 at NAPA Super DIRT Week, but he’s also a champion. He knows how to play the long game in both races and seasons. Matt Sheppard is a seven-time Super DIRTcar Series champion. He wins. He podiums. And, most importantly, he finishes. Sheppard, from Waterloo, NY, is a ferocious competitor, who demands the best from himself, his equipment, and his peers at every race. He is keen on claiming this his eighth Super DIRTcar Series championship in the #9S this year. While the DIRTcar Nationals in February was an up-and-down affair for Sheppard, it’s difficult to draw a bead on the season based on his performance there. Especially when the #9S team likes to try new ideas at Volusia – a non-points event for the Series.While Anthony Perrego took the win at Can-Am last year during DIRTcar OktoberFAST presented by DIRTVision, Sheppard has the last Thunder in the Thousand Islands 100 win at the La Fargeville, NY track when he opened 2019 in Victory Lane two years ago. With two huge points opportunities coming up back-to-back at Bristol, Sheppard knows it’s important to go there full throttle. Billy Decker defines speed and confidence on track. He’s won three Series championships but remains hungry for a fourth. His Gypsum Racing #91 Big Block is always at the top of the boards. Decker was held winless at this year’s DIRTcar Nationals but he piled on the podiums nonetheless to be second on points behind Max Mclaughlin. He’ll be after career Series win number 71 at Can-Am this Saturday to start his quest for a fourth championship.This year is another busy year for the HBR pilot Jimmy Phelps as he once again tackles the Series full-time while promoting Weedsport Speedway. Phelps’ #98H had a strong 2020, which included an OktoberFAST win at Fulton Speedway. Phelps, The Baldwinsville Bandit, is currently tied for sixteenth on the all-time wins list alongside Kenny Brightbill and Gary Tomkins. Phoenix, NY’s Larry Wight, also known as Lightning, is tied with Dave Lape on the all-time wins list with eleven, including a coveted $50,000 win at Oswego Speedway’s NAPA Super DIRT Week in 2018. The crimson #99L can often be found pushing the envelope of the high side at most tracks, thrilling fans, and passing drivers. Wight has accomplished a lot in his young career but a Super DIRTcar Series championship still eludes him. Pride of Ransomville, NY, Erick Rudolph, nearly won the Series championship in 2018, giving Matt Sheppard the biggest run for his money in a few years as the points came down to the World Finals at The Dirt Track at Charlotte. With eight career Series wins to his name, he wants to push that number to double digits in 2021. Rudolph showcases his skills weekly at Ransomville Speedway in his DIRTcar 358 Modified where he meets the likes of Mat Williamson and Pete Bicknell every Friday. The third-generation driver is not only adding to his family’s legacy but building his own storied career. He had three top-10s in four starts at the DIRTcar Nationals, a slow start by his standards. But there’s a good chance the calm, cool, and collected driver of the #25R will find his way to the front at Can-Am.Mike Mahaney and his #35 Huttig-owned Big Block Modified have become a great match over the last couple years. Mahaney was contending at every single DIRTcar OktoberFAST event last October. His momentum coming into 2021 is stronger than ever. Although Mahaney has weekly Feature wins and track championships under his belt, he’s still chasing that first career Super DIRTcar Series win. The #111 of Demetrios Drellos has become a well-known threat on the Super DIRTcar Series. Drellos, from Queensbury, NY, is not only a Super DIRTcar Series Feature winner but he’s now coming into the championship conversation. With a continued focus on speed in Time Trials, Drellos has the makings of a serious contender. Jack Lehner, from Saratoga Springs, NY, is working hard to build his race team from the ground up. Lehner, a regular front runner at Albany-Saratoga Speedway, is looking to take the next step with his #2H Big Block in the Series. In 34 starts, Lehner has picked up three top-10s and one top-five. The blue #2H first entered race fans’ radars when he won the Last Chance Showdown at Oswego Speedway to make the 2018 Billy Whittaker Cars 200. Peter Britten, the driver of the #21A, gained a lot of momentum for the 2021 season after a recent chassis manufacturer switch. Britten now has a Bicknell beneath him for the first time in his career. The veteran driver will hit a milestone 200 Super DIRTcar Series starts in 2021.The Queensland, Australia driver cuts his teeth weekly at Lebanon Valley Speedway and Albany-Saratoga where the fields include many other Series stars. He’s poised for a strong 2021 season. The Hile Driver, Chris Hile, had to postpone his rookie season on the tour last year – due to the pandemic, but he is looking forward to putting his team to the test in 2021. Hile has always been a high-level competitor when entering one-off events. Race fans should be excited to see how the #5H handles a full-season with the stats he’s collected, so far.Hile has hammered down two top-five finishes, 14 top-10’s, and over 50 starts in Series racing.  Dave Rauscher, known as The Big Show, has become a fan favorite to root for with his hard-working attitude every race day and gleaming smile. He’ll be aiming to turn the show of passion into results this year and park his #48too in Victory Lane.Kevin Root has proven himself to be one of the top rookies to watch in 2021. Root, a multiple-time DIRTcar Sportsman Modified champion, will take on the Super DIRTcar Series full-time in the famed #4*. Some of the best drivers, like Tim McCreadie and Brett Hearn, have been behind the wheel of Vinney Salerno’s Big Blocks. Root is ready to take the spotlight in his rookie year and keep the #4*’s winning ways alive.Marcus Dinkins is back in 2021 for another full-time effort in the Series. Dinkins, from Watkins Glen, NY, showed promise in Volusia at the DIRTcar Nationals with strong qualifying efforts and competing in every feature lap. The #17 is looking to continue improving in the new season. Long-time racer and builder of the original Bridgeport Speedway Rusty Smith is back on the tour after taking most of 2020 off during the pandemic. With some new chassis lined up, Smith is looking for his first top-10 in Series competition. The 2017 Rookie of the Year Brandon Walters, from Sydney, NY, returns to the Series in 2021 and is also looking to crack the top-10 for the first time. He has 28 Series starts. Brandon has been itching to get back on the Series, especially with, newly DIRTcar sanctioned, Thunder Mountain Speedway – which he calls his home – one of the 27 events on the 2021 Super DIRTcar Series schedule (Tuesday, Aug. 3).Olden Dwyer will be a new face on the full-time circuit this year. The Shaftsbury, VT driver has two Super DIRTcar Series starts and has earned one top-10, which came at his hometrack, Lebanon Valley Speedway, in 2015. He’ll take on the stars of the Series behind the wheel of his #88JR Big Block.For the full 2021 Super DIRTcar Series schedule, CLICK HERE.If you can’t make it to the track, you can 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.PHOTO: Joe Grabianowski

The Super DIRTcar Series 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) and NAPA Auto Parts. Contingency sponsors include: ARP (Automotive Racing Products), ASI Race Wear, Bicknell Racing Products, Billy Whittaker Cars & Trux, Cometic Gasket, COMP Cams, Drydene, Fox Factory, MSD, and Wrisco (Exclusive Racing Aluminum); along with manufacturer sponsors, including: FireAde, Intercomp, and Racing Electronics.

KILLED IT, AGAIN: Kilgore Dominates Street Stock League at Eldora for Second Career Win April 7, 2021 – The Extreme Savage Racing pilot has done it again. Carl Kilgore took hold of the Chevy Performance Street Stock League field Wednesday night and flat-out dominated it, winning his Heat Race and leading all 20 laps of the Feature to score his second career DIRTcar eSports victory and first of the season. “It’s a blast around this joint because I love bangin’ the boards,” Kilgore said. And “bang the boards” he did, as Kilgore, of Greenville, MS, stuck to the high line throughout the Feature and held off some very tough customers behind him in last week’s winner (and teammate) Keith Hackney and Jesse Wall. The high pressure from the competition behind him reached a fever pitch in the home stretch, as two attempts at a green-white-checkered finish were presented to the field. Wall and Hackney gave it all they had, but in the end, Kilgore prevailed. “We made a mistake on that first one, but luckily we had a caution and was able to re-rack ‘em,” Kilgore said. “We hit our marks for the last two laps and that was all she wrote.” The Chevy Performance Street Stock League is back in action next Wednesday night, April 14, at the Fairbury Speedway – catch all the action live on DIRTVision. Feature (25 Laps) (2 Green-White-Checkered finishes) – 1. 021 – Carl Kilgore [1]; 2. 069 – Keith Hackney [3];  3. 026 – Blade Kearns [4]; 4. 2 – Jesse Wall [2]; 5. 8 – Tyler Jackson [7]; 6. 53 – Aidan Skraha [12]; 7. 077 – Holden English [8]; 8. 546 – Randy Axner [6]; 9. 39 – Jim Reavis [16]; 10. 30 – Justin Henson [21]; 11. 17 – Brett Rowles [10]; 12. 48 – Grant Parr [22]; 13. 18 – Chase Gilreath [9]; 14. 71 – Daniel Stiffler [17]; 15. 44 – Cody McElreath [20]; 16. 121 – Edward Farness [13]; 17. 6 – Mitch Erickson [24]; 18. 717 – Bobby Rafferty [15]; 19. 23 – Brayden McMahan [14]; 20. 46 – Jonathan Nause [23]; 21. 13 – Payton Gries [18]; 22. 93 – Steve Miskolczi [5]; 23. 260 – Sage Luther [11]; 24. 04 – Josh Dennison [19] BIG BLOCK KING: Seay Nets Fifth Career Tour Victory, Second with Big Blocks in Marathon at Williams Grove With his fifth career Feature victory Wednesday night, Evan Seay is now the all-time winningest driver in DIRTcar eSports Tour history. Seay, of Chesnee, SC, took the lead on Lap 1 of the Feature and never looked back, leading all 50 laps en route to his second Tour win in-a-row – this time, with the VP Racing Fuels Big Block Modifieds. “Coming out on top will definitely help us gain back some of those points we lost with that okay finish at Weedsport,” Seay said. “Hopefully, we can make all the races and get this points title.” Indeed, Seay had an “okay” 8th-place finish in the season opener with the Big Blocks at Weedsport Speedway on March 24 after an early-race incident knocked him to the back of the field. But he completed the charge back to the top-10 and salvaged the evening before losing too many points in the standings. The next week, he put it all together and won from the second row in the Summit Racing Equipment UMP Modified Feature at Bristol Motor Speedway. This week, in a similar fashion, Seay held off all chargers from behind to win yet another $250 top prize. Several caution flags turned the race into quite the marathon event, running just a few minutes shy of the time limit by checkered fall. This forced Seay to be on top of his restart game. DIRTcar eSports Tour Season 2 champion Kendal Tucker, of Mt. Airy, NC, ran up front throughout the race and was able to slip underneath Dylan Houser, of Ocala, FL, on the final restart in the closing laps to claim another runner-up finish. While they aren’t chasing points titles in Season 3, both drivers looked hungrier than ever for good points finishes with their relentless chase of each other in the back half of the race. The DIRTcar eSports Tour resumes racing next Wednesday night, April 14, with a stop at The Dirt Track at Charlotte, racing the Drydene Pro Late Models – catch all the action live on DIRTVision. Feature (50 Laps) – 1. 33 – Evan Seay [1]; 2. 00 – Kendal Tucker [4]; 3. 2 – Dylan Houser [5]; 4. 033 – Richard Murtaugh Jr. [12]; 5. 115 – Boddie Parker [14]; 6. 48 – Dylan Yeager [6]; 7. 12 – Alex Bergeron [3]; 8. 32 – Tyler Schell [9]; 9. 000 – Kevin Dedmon [7]; 10. 85 – Hunter Heck [16]; 11. 17 – Brett Rowles [15]; 12. 717 – Bobby Rafferty [18]; 13. 30 – Keith Hackney [22]; 14. 28 – Jamie Massey [17]; 15. 41 – Logan Rumsey [8]; 16. 35 – Thomas Brandon [24]; 17 – Randall Carter [11]; 18. 29 – Billy Richardson [21]; 331 – Dustin Hall [10]; 20. 127 – Blake Matjoulis [2]; 21. 114 – Joe Garcia [20]; 22. 69 – Mason Hammel [19]; 23. 1 – Jesse Enterkin [13]; 24. 82 – Eric Schroeter [23]

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 PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT APRIL 7, 2021
RYAN PREECE, NO. 37 LOUISIANA HOT SAUCE CAMARO ZL1 1LE, Teleconference transcript: YOU’VE GOT A LOT GOING ON THIS WEEKEND WITH RUNNING DOUBLE-DUTY WITH BOTH THE NASCAR WHELEN MODIFIED TOUR AND THE NASCAR CUP RACE AT MARTINSVILLE. WE JUST CAME BACK FROM A DIRT RACE AT BRISTOL AND NOW TALKING LOOSELY ABOUT A STREET COURSE RACE. HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT STREET COURSE RACING FOR NASCAR?“I’m for whatever we need to do, I guess. At the end of the day, we’re all doing pretty much what we’re supposed to do and that’s competing. I’m a huge fan of short track. And I did go to South Boston this weekend. I thought that place, it would be cool to see if they can hold a Cup race because there are two pit roads there. But as far as street courses go, I like road racing. It’s not something that I come from. It’s not my background but I think it would be interesting for sure.”
A WIN THE OTHER NIGHT, AND IF YOU WIN TOMORROW NIGHT, DOES IT MATTER A WHOLE LOT FOR SATURDAY? ARE YOU MORE EXCITED AND A BETTER PERSON TO BE AROUND? OR NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS THURSDAY, ARE YOU IN THE SAME MENTAL STATE FOR SATURDAY?“I think winning is always a good boost for morale, right? I think my wife would tell you I’m a happier person to be around when I do win. I just said that the other day. Even after South Boston you’re just happier, right? You won. I mean it’s just seat time is seat time, whether it’s in a truck or Xfinity or a Modified, a Sprint Car, a Midget, whatever it is, when you keep racing and you’re running good; it just kind of gets you in that mindset and keeps things rolling, so to speak. So, I guess to answer your question, I’m going to attack Saturday like I would attack tomorrow. And as the race plays out, and what you have that day, you kind of have to manage whatever you have going on. But every race, I always have my expectations.”
IT’S CERTAINLY A TALE OF TWO SEASONS LAST YEAR AND THIS YEAR. DO YOU DRIVE DIFFERENTLY BEING 18th IN POINTS AS OPPOSED TO LAST YEAR BEING 30th IN POINTS AND IN MORE OF A LEVEL OF DESPERATION?“Well, and it’s crazy to think, we’ve had two runs this year that I felt like probably could have been another two Top 10’s or Top 5’s that kind of slipped away from us. But I feel like we could even be higher in points. But as far as driving differently, I don’t drive any different. I didn’t wake up this year and say man, I’m going to hustle this thing. Me, as a racer, no matter what car it is, I get in it and attack it the same. So, I feel like communication has gotten better. I’m not a believer in good luck or bad luck. I’ve always believed that you kind of make your own luck, until last year. There were just a lot of things that were out of my control, out of our control which, I’m not putting blame on anything. It’s just this year, certainly, we started on the right foot. And it’s kind of helped us really stay where we are. And I feel like there are some tracks; I know statistically, Martinsville isn’t as exciting, or Richmond, as I would like it to be as a short track racer; but I feel like optimistic with what we’ve got going, that we can go to Martinsville and have a strong run and then go to Richmond and improve on what we’ve done there. And then obviously Talladega is a superspeedway and those can go either way, but I feel like everything is going well for us right now and hopefully we can keep it going that way.”
YOUR ORGANIZATION HAS HAD TIE-INS WITH HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS. HOW MUCH DOES THAT HELP OR HOW MUCH DOES THAT IMPACT THINGS ON YOUR SIDE?“I want to say we use their engines, but we do build our own cars. So, I can’t honestly tell you how much we use from them because JTG in itself, they do a lot of their own research. Wind tunnel time, everything, is strictly through our organization. So, for really, for what everybody over there at JTG Daugherty does, for what we have…..Ricky (Stenhouse, Jr.) has put together some really good runs these past four weeks and last week. We brought two really solid cars for that dirt race. Unfortunately, we overheated, and something happened with the motor at lap 25 or 30, but we had a really good race car there. But yeah, as far as Hendrick and that affiliation, I mean, we get great horsepower and I know we use their SIM tools, so it’s been good.”
YOU’VE HAD A VERY STRONG START TO THE YEAR. YOU GUYS HAVE BEEN COMPETITIVE. HAS THAT CHANGED ANYTHING WITH YOUR SECURITY WITH THE TEAM FOR THE DURATION OF THE SEASON ON SPONSORSHIP OR ANYTHING?“I attack every week like it’s my last, I guess. Me, as a race car driver, I’m just showing up at every single race giving it 150 percent and let it kind of be what it’s going to be.”
THIS IS YOUR SECOND YEAR WORKING WITH RICKY STENHOUSE, JR. WHAT HAS THAT RELATIONSHIP BEEN LIKE AND HAVE YOU TAKEN ANY LESSONS FROM HIM ON THE TRACK?“I like he and Brian Pattie (crew chief) work really well together. How long have they been working together, period? Last year was my first working with Trent (Owens, crew chief) and I felt like we had a lot of good runs that unfortunately, statistically, when you look on a piece of paper, weren’t as good. But if you actually look back at those races, we had our shining moments. So, I feel like had those shining moments again. Two of those races, Las Vegas, I felt like we could have ended up with a Top 10 but we just had a slow stop that last green flag run and it cost us some spots; and then Bristol, with our overheating issues, those were two really good days that were in the making and unfortunately, we didn’t have anything to show it. So, I do feel like Ricky and Brian had brought a little bit of speed over for those superspeedways and the 1.5-mile program. So, everybody over at the team has been doing a great job and really, you’ve got to have flawless races. You can’t have any loose ends. If everybody does their job, we can have those good days.”
HOW VITAL HAS IT BEEN FOR YOU AND THE NO. 37 TEAM BECAUSE YOUR STARTING POSITION IS UP FROM LIKE 25th, TO 15th AND YOU’LL START IN ROW 9 THIS WEEKEND. HOW IMPORTANT IS A STARTING POSITION FOR YOU?“Track position is huge. It’s so hard to pass. Ricky’s got some great position to start this race. We’re starting 17th. For me, that’s 10 to 12 spots further ahead than I was last year. So, I feel really optimistic about Martinsville with the short track package we’re bringing. Hopefully we can fire off the race and move forward and then keep that track position all day. But it definitely plays a huge role in how your day is going to work.”
YOU’VE HAD SOME GREAT STARTS TO THE SEASON. WHAT HAS BEEN THE THING THAT’S HELPED YOU GET THOSE GOOD RESULTS IN THE FIRST SEVEN RACES?“It’s a combination of things. The Daytona 500 finish was a good jump-start for us. It got us track position for the Road Course at Daytona, which plays another huge part; and just showing up closer. When you show-up close and you don’t have start sticking wrenches in it, it just allows you to have good pit stops and allow everything to flow. And that’s what it comes down to. So, at the end of the day, everything is just kind of been going our way and we’ve just got to keep it going that way and keep putting good runs together.”
AS A MODIFIED GUY BEING INVOLVED IN THE SERIES FOR A LONG TIME, WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO HAVE BOTH THE TOUR AND NASCAR AT MARTINSVILLE THIS WEEKEND?“It’s cool. Modifieds have a lot of roots and have big roots at Martinsville. So, having them there, I know it’s a really great racing track. I think it’s going to be two grooves for the Modifieds. It’ll probably widen out there, some. And, sharing that stage kind of being that first start to the weekend for all the racing there, is awesome. And being under the lights in all three series will be cool also.” YOU GOT TO TEST THERE NOT TOO LONG AGO. WHAT STANDS OUT TO YOU THE MOST?“We went there to shake things down. I didn’t really need to test. It’s more of just a new chassis that we’re running this year in the Modifieds. And I kind of wanted to be one step ahead instead of one step behind. So, I feel really confident with the package we’re bringing and hopefully like I said earlier, we can go there and win the race and bring home a clock.”
WE OFTEN HEAR ABOUT EXPERIENCE AND TRACK TIME AND LAP IN CARS BEING KEY. WITH ALL THE LIMITED PRACTICE TIME IN THE SERIES, HOW MUCH HAS THAT IMPACTED DRIVERS? OR, HAS SIMULATIONAND IRACING LEVELED THE PLAYING FIELD TO WHERE TRACK TIME DOESN’T MATTER?“I don’t get SIM time, to be honest with you. I don’t get to go in a simulator like some of these other teams do. We don’t have that luxury at the end of the day. When we say SIMs and SIM tools, it’s what teams are setting the race cars up off of. So, without testing I think there is a gap, for sure, from guys in the early or mid 2000’s, where if you weren’t racing, you were off somewhere testing and putting those laps in. My generation from whatever year testing was banned, we don’t do that. We jump in a race car and we go. So, learning what that feel that you want or having the ability to go test and try different things and find that balance that you like, you’re doing that at the races now. You’re just kind of showing up with something and hoping it sticks and hoping it’s in the right direction. And then, you just kind of follow that. So, it’s a lot more difficult than it used to be. But that’s kind of what we’re all dealing with. Everybody is in the same boat and some can find those feels quicker than others. So, it’s a process. I feel like it’s a process that Trent and I have definitely been working at and getting closer to where I feel like we need to be. I feel like there are places where I do shine, which happens to be the 750 hp tracks where we’ll run good; at road courses or the one-miles or places like that. But the 1.5-miles is where it’s strictly momentum-based and being in the throttle and really not having much room for error when it comes to being loose or tight, we’ve just got to be a little bit closer and that’s something we work at each and every week.”

April 7, 2021

After a week off for the annual Easter break, Matt DiBenedetto and the No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane team head to the Wood Brothers’ home track, Martinsville Speedway, for Saturday night’s Blue Emu Maximum Pain Relief 500.

It will be the team’s 120^th Cup Series start at Martinsville and the third there since DiBenedetto took the wheel of the No. 21 Mustang.

Last year, DiBenedetto finished seventh in the spring at Martinsville and 10^th in the fall, and he’s looking to continue that success in this year’s race under the lights on the half-mile oval.

“Short-track racing is my favorite, and it’s even cooler that it will be a Saturday-night race,” DiBenedetto said. “We finished top 10 both races last year, so obviously this is one we look forward to a little extra.”

Saturday’s race will be the first since the passing of the team’s matriarch Bernece Wood on March 30. The Motorcraft/Quick Lane Mustang will carry a special decal in memory of Mrs. Wood, who spent many a Sunday afternoon back in the day in the infield of the track.

“It was one of her favorite tracks,” Eddie Wood said. “She liked the short tracks like Martinsville, Bowman Gray Stadium and Starkey Speedway, which were tracks my Dad liked as well. They were kind of his specialty.”

Wood remembers his mom, and other drivers’ wives, bringing picnic dinners to Martinsville. “There would be plenty of food for us and for everybody around us,” he said.

DiBenedetto said he also will be thinking about Mrs. Wood as he returns to Martinsville Saturday night. 
 
“Our hearts will be heavy this race with the passing of Bernece,” he said. “I really want to get that 100th win for her and the whole family, but the first goal is to go there and have a good clean night and execute.”

There will no practice or qualifying before Saturday’s race. DiBenedetto will start 22^nd in a line-up set by NASCAR using statistics from prior races. The 500-lap race will have Stage breaks at 130 and 260 laps.
 
The green flag is set to fly just after 7:30 p.m., with TV coverage on FOX Sports 1.
 

One driver could walk away with $30,000 at the Dairyland Showdown, May 7-8FOUNTAIN CITY, WI– APRIL 7, 2021 – The World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Models Series will make its highly anticipated debut at Mississippi Thunder Speedway in Fountain City, WI, May 7-8.The Dairyland Showdown doubleheader at the high-banked 3/8-mile track is the first of five trips to the Badger State for the Late Models in 2021.Speedway officials are making sure it’s an inaugural event to remember. One driver could take home $30,000 if they reach Victory Lane both nights – continuing the Series’ stretch of big paying races.Friday night’s show (May 7) will pay $10,000 to the winner and $1,000 to start in the 40-lap Feature. Then, Saturday night’s (May 8) 60-lap main event will award $20,000 to the winning.Saturday’s Feature also pays big money throughout the top-10, including $10,000 for second, $7,000 for third, $5,000 for fifth, and $2,500 for tenth. Drivers who start Saturday’s Feature will get $1,250.The best Late Model drivers in the country will gather at the Wisconsin track both nights to try and claim the big purses. The event will be another chance for three-time defending champion Brandon Sheppard to close in on history as he looks to tied four-time Series champion Josh Richards for the most championships and surpass him for the most Series wins (77).However, he’ll have to compete against the likes of Rookie of the Year contender Kyle Strickler – who has led the points throughout the early stage of the year – his 2020 championship rival Ricky Weiss, fellow three-time champion Darrell Lanigan – who is also chasing the same feats as Sheppard – and several regional standouts.The USRA Modifieds will also join the card on both nights.For tickets to the Dairyland Showdown, May 7-8, CLICK HERE.If you’re unable to make it to the track can watch all of the action live on DIRTVision with the annual Platinum FAST PASS subscription for $299/year or the monthly FAST PASS subscription for $39/month.

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

Phelps senses excitement among Northeast tracks and fans, and talks about the impact of the 2020 pandemic on Weedsport SpeedwayBy Nick GrazianoThis is the second part in a two-part feature on Jimmy Phelps, the driver and promoter (Click here for Part I)WEEDSPORT, NY – APRIL 7, 2021 – Jimmy Phelps became accustomed to wearing two hats for the past eight years. One as a driver. The other, a promoter. Last year’s blip in racing didn’t allow him to wear either for the majority of 2020.The pandemic put a hold on his season behind the wheel of the Heinke Baldwin Racing #98 Big Block with the Super DIRTcar Series and put a hold on a full schedule of racing planned at Weedsport Speedway, which Phelps has been the promoter of since 2013.“When you do this for so long you still kind of need to do it. That was the racing side,” Phelps said. “On the track side, it was hard pulling into the [Weedsport Speedway] and seeing it sitting there ready to go and really not knowing when we’re going to allow people to come back in.“That was the hard part because everyone has worked really hard to turn Weedsport into an attraction and the reward you get from that is watching people have a good time there. For that not being able to happen was a really hard time. That was probably as hard of a hurdle we knew we were going to face, whether it be financially or what have you. Just knowing that the people weren’t going to be there enjoying the place was tough to swallow.”With restrictions in New York easing at the moment and fans allowed to return to race tracks, Phelps is eager to get people back in the stands and host big events, such as the Super DIRTcar Series (May 30, July 25, and Sept. 11-12) and the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series (July 31).He’s obviously not the only promoter excited to see fans back in the stands, too. The Super DIRTcar Series is set to kick off its 2021 season Saturday, April 10, at Can-Am Speedway in La Fargeville, NY with limited fans – which Phelps will be competing in as he chases the Series championship. In general, tracks are more confident about the year, Phelps said, but they’re also ready for any possible negative turn.“When the meat and potatoes of the season start getting to that point in time, I think everyone is pretty confident that we’re going to start seeing regulations and things relax where we can proceed as normal,” Phelps said. “When we were heading in another direction last year, everyone was worried about getting themselves out too far and we might continue to shut down further. We’re full speed ahead now, knowing we might still face some adversity in the first month or two. I think when we get into the summer we’ll be in good shape.”While the pandemic’s full impact on Weedsport Speedway has yet to be seen, there was definitely a big hit, according to Phelps.“The grass keeps growing. The paint keeps fading. So, the work still needs to be done,” he said. “There’re costs there and when you can’t open the gates there’s no way to recoup. The biggest thing is getting the staff back into a rhythm and have our team back in place.“From a property standpoint, we’re still in really good shape. The place remained intact. It’s as beautiful as ever. Then, through the off-season we were able to secure, for the most part, the partnerships we had for marketing and sponsors. It could’ve been worse. We’re hoping the fans really come out. I think everyone is hungry for some racing. I’m expecting that when things do get to a point where things open up, I think we’re going to see a lot of happy race fans.”Coping with the loss of a full race season, as a driver and promoter, was tough. However, Phelps managed to deal with it better than he would’ve 20 years ago, he said.It wasn’t all bad.“I’ve got a lot of other things going on in my life I didn’t have 10 years ago,” he said. “There was some good that came from it. I was able to spend some time with family and get caught up on things around the home and focus on some other stuff for a short period of time.”Weedsport Speedway did still manage to get national attention during the year, too. The track launched on iRacing during the racing simulation’s surge in popularity throughout the pandemic. It instantly became a fan favorite upon its release, giving race fans around the world the chance to virtually take laps around the unique D-shaped speedway.What that means for the real track, Phelps admitted he’s not sure. But it couldn’t hurt.“It was pretty neat to see those handfuls of years in the making and finally see it released,” Phelps said. “The cool part was that it got released in the midst of this huge boom for iRacing. iRacing became such a household name that it wasn’t pre-COVID. For it to hit then when it had a lot of eyes on it was even better. It was worth the wait type of deal.”The track was also able to be a part of the Super DIRTcar Series’ weeklong OktoberFAST event last year. Fans weren’t allowed at the 3/8-mile speedway, but they were able to watch the race from home on DIRTVision – a preview of every Super DIRTcar Series race being broadcast live on DIRTVision starting this year.That helped take the edge off before winter, Phelps said. It gave race teams and race tracks something to be excited about going into the end of the year.That excitement has led to him dusting off his two hats and putting them back on for 2021. The driver will be going after his first Super DIRTcar Series championship. The promoter will be getting Weedsport Speedway ready for a successful 2021. Both hats, equally stressful to wear, according to Phelps. But also equally rewarding.“The promoter, there’s so many unknowns and so many things out of your control and so many moving pieces,” Phelps said. “With the race car, you have a core group of guys and you travel up and down the road. You get to a point where everyone knows their job. If you go out and execute and do everything correctly, you’re going to have a successful night. With the track, there’s just a lot of things going on. We’ve got a great team, so it’s not a personnel thing. But there’s a lot of things going on. We’ve got weather, got different circumstances.“In our situation, we’re in the heart of Syracuse, NY. There’s just a lot to do. There’s a lot for fans to spend their entertainment dollar on. So, you really really have to work hard for a long period of time, preparing for each event, making sure you get the most out of it from a participation standpoint, then hope everything falls your way when it comes to weather, and so on and so forth. You have to hope the track stays good. There’s a lot of things that are out of your control. A little more stress on that front and a little more anxiety. But at the same time, it’s still pretty rewarding. There’s a feeling that you get winning a race that could never be replaced. There’s also a certain adrenaline rush you also get from looking up in the grandstands seeing a ton of people who are super excited to be there. I think that’s what ultimately keeps you doing both.”For the full 2021 Super DIRTcar Series schedule, CLICK HERE.If you can’t make it to the track, you can watch all the action live on DIRTVision with the annual Platinum FAST PASS subscription for $299/year or the monthly FAST PASS subscription for $39/month.

The Super DIRTcar Series 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) and NAPA Auto Parts. Contingency sponsors include: ARP (Automotive Racing Products), ASI Race Wear, Bicknell Racing Products, Billy Whittaker Cars & Trux, Cometic Gasket, COMP Cams, Drydene, Fox Factory, MSD, and Wrisco (Exclusive Racing Aluminum); along with manufacturer sponsors, including: FireAde, Intercomp, and Racing Electronics.

Phelps, the driver, is aiming for his first Super DIRTcar Series championship in 2021 BY Nick GrazianoLA FARGEVILLE, NY – APRIL 6, 2021 – Jimmy Phelps had his Heinke Baldwin Racing team revamped with new Bicknell Chassis at the end of 2019, ready to go after the Super DIRTcar Series championship in 2020. Then, a pandemic hit.Instead of a full year cleaning dirt off his #98H Big Block, it sat idly under the roof of the team’s shop in Weedsport, NY – just outside Weedsport Speedway, which Phelps also promotes.Now, with restrictions on fans attending events in New York lifting and the April 10 Super DIRTcar Series season-opening event at Can-Am Speedway ahead, Phelps is anxious to pick up where he left off at the beginning of 2020 and go after his first Series championship.“This year we’re excited about our package and our equipment,” said Phelps, of Baldwinsville, NY. “We’ve got a great group of guys who have been together for quite a while. We know we’re capable. We just need to get it all to fall in line. It’s a tough deal. There’s a tone of guys now running at that level. We’re hoping we’re one of them and we can put it all together.”In 15 years of full-time racing with the Super DIRTcar Series, Phelps has finished second in points three times – most recently in 2012 – and has collected 21 victories. His most recent win came at Fulton Speedway during OktoberFAST last year.While no fans were allowed at racetracks in New York throughout the year, the Super DIRTcar Series managed to put together the six-race OktoberFAST event. No fans were allowed in the stands, but they could watch all the action on DIRTVision – an early preview of every Super DIRTcar Series race being broadcast on the streaming service in 2021. The event not only helped give some life to the Series again but helped drivers like Phelps find some normalcy again.“That helped us get back into a rhythm,” Phelps said about OktoberFAST. “Helped get our brains back into race season. We were able to race enough at the end of the year that it seemed almost normal. That got us going again. Then, going to Florida (in February for the 50th DIRTcar Nationals) and just being able to race and get everybody working together and moving ahead.”With the switch to Bicknell Chassis at the end of 2019, Phelps said the team has already gone through its “changing phase.” The few races he ran last year allowed him to get comfortable in the new car and the addition of coil-over shocks; a part he said they were late to the game with utilizing. The extra downtime allowed the team to organize the trailer, the shop and get things in place to be more efficient. It also gave them a bit more time with family, Phelps added.All of that has made him and the team hungry to get the season going. They got an early start during the DIRTcar Nationals at Volusia Speedway Park in February, claiming two top-10 finishes in the four-race non-points event. It was enough of a tease to light his competitive spark and put his efforts into conquering the more than 30-race Super DIRTcar Series 2021 schedule.“We’ve done this now for a long, long time,” Phelps said. “We’ve had years where we’re close and we’ve had years where we were struggling. But we’ve never been able to win the championship. Obviously, that’s goal number one. To do that, you’ve got to win some races. Finish consistently toward the front. You have to eliminate failures. We know we have to focus on that as a goal to try and achieve that end goal. That’s the plan, as it is every year.”With a return to normalcy this year, Phelps will get to open the throttle of his Big Block and open the gates to Weedsport Speedway all season long. He talks about the challenges last year presented for the track and himself as a promoter in Part II.For the full 2021 Super DIRTcar Series season schedule and tickets to the events, CLICK HERE.If you can’t make it to the track, you can watch all the action live on DIRTVision with the annual Platinum FAST PASS subscription for $299/year or the monthly FAST PASS subscription for $39/month.

The Super DIRTcar Series 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) and NAPA Auto Parts. Contingency sponsors include: ARP (Automotive Racing Products), ASI Race Wear, Bicknell Racing Products, Billy Whittaker Cars & Trux, Cometic Gasket, COMP Cams, Drydene, Fox Factory, MSD, and Wrisco (Exclusive Racing Aluminum); along with manufacturer sponsors, including: FireAde, Intercomp, and Racing Electronics.

Brad Sweet’s Road to the Record Books Runs Through the Hoosier State NextKOKOMO, IN – April 5, 2021 – March Madness is over, now Indiana welcomes The Greatest Show on Dirt.This weekend, the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series makes its first appearance of the season in the Hoosier State with trips to Kokomo Speedway in Kokomo, IN on Friday, April 9 and Tri-State Speedway in Haubstadt, IN on Saturday, April 10.KOKOMO TICKETS (4/9) TRI-STATE TICKETS (4/10)Known for the unpredictability and intense racing, these Midwest bullrings offer some of the most exciting and memorable moments on tour. Last year, Sheldon Haudenschild beat Donny Schatz in an instant classic at Kokomo, while Carson Short and Carson Macedo split Tri-State triumphs.Fans who can’t make it to the track can catch all of the action on DIRTVision with the annual Platinum FAST PASS subscription for $299/year or the monthly FAST PASS subscription for $39/month.Let’s get you caught up on what to watch for ahead of this weekend’s doubleheader:HISTORY IN THE MAKING: With a weekend sweep at Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55, Brad Sweet of Grass Valley, CA became the ninth driver in World of Outlaws history to record a four-race win streak. He joins an iconic list of legends to achieve said feat including Steve Kinser, Sammy Swindell, Doug Wolfgang, Mark Kinser, Danny Lasoski, Jason Meyers, Donny Schatz, and Daryn Pittman.Only Steve, Sammy, Jason & Donny have won five-straight, which Brad could do on Friday night at Kokomo. A sixth-straight win at Tri-State would put him in a club with the three winningest drivers in Series history: Steve, Sammy & Donny. The all-time record Sweet is chasing is an absurd nine consecutive win streak set by Steve Kinser in June of 1981.WELCOME TO SPRINT CARS: Alex Bowman Racing will make its World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series debut this weekend with 2019 USAC National Sprint Car champion C.J. Leary behind the wheel of the #55. A two-time NASCAR Cup Series winner, Bowman himself has never competed in the Winged Sprint Car ranks, but has turned a few practice laps and is scheduled to run his first race this summer.As for now, the #55 program is built around Greenfield, IN native C.J. Leary driving and Joe Gaerte as crew chief. Gaerte’s career included 1989 Rookie of the Year honors and 10 World of Outlaws wins before he became a renowned engine builder and mechanic, most recently serving at Kyle Larson Racing. Along with Kokomo and Tri-State, ABR is currently scheduled to compete at Attica’s Brad Doty Classic on July 13, Eldora’s King’s Royal on July 14-17, Eldora’s Four-Crown Nationals on September 24, and Charlotte’s World Finals on November 4-6.ALL STARS VS. OUTLAWS: With the All Star Circuit of Champions on a bye week, several of their top drivers will make the trip to compete against the World of Outlaws at Kokomo and Tri-State. Leading the charge is Monrovia, IN native Justin Peck, who outside of Brad Sweet is arguably the hottest sprint car driver in the country. Aboard the Tom Buch owned #13, Peck has topped weekly action at Port Royal Speedway, Williams Grove Speedway, and won the All Stars opener at Attica Raceway Park last weekend.Cory Eliason and Rudeen Racing picked up six top-tens through the first nine World of Outlaws races and they’ll be back this weekend. Tyler Courtney of Indianapolis, IN, who finished ninth at Volusia in February, races at two familiar tracks this weekend in the Clauson-Marshall Racing, NOS Energy Drink #7BC. Also expected to compete is Zeb Wise of Angola, IN in the Wise-Priddy Racing #10, Hunter Schuerenberg of Sikeston, MO in the Vermeer Motorsports #55, and Ian Madsen of St. Mary’s, NSW, AUS in the McGhee #11.HOOSIERS AT HOME: For Kraig Kinser of Bloomington, IN and Parker Price-Miller of Kokomo, IN, this weekend represents the first two of four Indiana dates on the World of Outlaws calendar. It’s a chance for them to not only race close to home and cut back on their windshield time, but its a golden opportunity to defend their home turf with friends and family in attendance.Ironically enough, PPM, has been strong at Tri-State and struggled at his home track in Kokomo; whereas Kinser has been excellent at Kokomo and faced challenges at Tri-State. The Haubstadt 1/4-mile is home to Price-Miller’s first career World of Outlaws win in 2017, and the Kokomo 1/4-mile is where Kinser found victory lane in both 2005 and 2012.NON-WING TERRITORY: In a world full of Outlaws, Indiana is still largely ruled by the non-wing contingent. Each year at Kokomo and primarily Tri-State, those wingless warriors cover up their cockpit and go to battle with The Greatest Show on Dirt. The perfect example came just last year when Carson Short of Marion, IL stunned the Outlaws by leading all 30 laps and beating Haudenschild, Gravel, Macedo and Sweet. In comparison to Short’s 114 career USAC National Sprint Car Series starts, he won at Haubstadt in only his 11th try with the Outlaws.Other non-wing runners expected to come play with wings this weekend are Clinton Boyles of Greenwood, MO, a former POWRi WAR Champion; Robert Ballou of Rocklin, CA, the 2015 USAC National Sprint Car champion; Paul Nienhiser of Chapin, IL, who has four Outlaw top tens, but is now full-time USAC; Jadon Rogers of Worthington, IN, the reigning USAC Rookie of the Year; and of course C.J. Leary, a former USAC National champion driving for Alex Bowman.STEADY DOES IT: If it weren’t for the otherworldly dominance of Brad Sweet, his fellow Outlaws behind him would be sitting in a much better position. Nonetheless, their consistency to kickstart the 2021 campaign will be vital as the Series heads the down stretch of a grueling and unpredictable 83-race schedule.Logan Schuchart and the Shark Racing, Drydene Performance Products #1S have finished top-ten in all 11 races, a career-best which has propelled the Hanover, PA native to second in the standings. Meanwhile, Sheldon Haudenschild is on his own record run of seven straight top-five finishes in the Stenhouse Jr. Marshall Racing, NOS Energy Drink #17, and he enters as the defending winner at Kokomo. David Gravel in the Big Game Motorsports #2 and Aaron Reutzel in the Roth Motorsports #83 each have 10 top-ten finishes this season.This Week at a Glance – When and WhereFriday, April 9 at Kokomo Speedway in Kokomo, IN Saturday, April 10 at Tri-State Speedway in Haubstadt, INOn 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 visits Lawton Speedway (OK) on Friday, April 16, before heading south to Devil’s Bowl Speedway (TX) on Saturday, April 17.NOS ENERGY DRINK FEATURE WINNERS (6 Drivers): 4 wins – Brad Sweet, Kasey Kahne Racing w/ Mike Curb #9 2 wins – Sheldon Haudenschild, Stenhouse Jr. Marshall Racing #17 1 win – Logan Schuchart, Shark Racing #1S 1 win – Carson Macedo, Jason Johnson Racing #41 1 win – Aaron Reutzel, Roth Motorsports #83 1 win – David Gravel, Big Game Motorsports #2FEATURE LAPS LED (11 Drivers): 156 laps – Brad Sweet 47 laps – Aaron Reutzel 45 laps – Donny Schatz 27 laps – David Gravel 26 laps – Logan Schuchart 25 laps – Sam Hafertepe Jr. 17 laps – Sheldon Haudenschild 10 laps – Jacob Allen 5 laps – Carson Macedo 1 lap – Kasey Kahne & Kraig KinserSLICK WOODY’S QUICKTIME AWARDS (9 Drivers): 2 QuickTimes – David Gravel & Brad Sweet 1 QuickTimes – James McFadden, Aaron Reutzel, Logan Schuchart, Cory Eliason, Sheldon Haudenschild, Danny Dietrich, Sam Hafertepe Jr.DRYDENE HEAT RACE WINNERS (16 Drivers) 4 Heat Wins – Logan Schuchart & Aaron Reutzel 3 Heat Wins – Carson Macedo, Sheldon Haudenschild, David Gravel 2 Heat Wins – Donny Schatz, Jacob Allen, Brock Zearfoss, Kasey Kahne, James McFadden, Kraig Kinser, Sam Hafertepe Jr. 1 Heat Win –  Brad Sweet, Gio Scelzi, Jason Sides, Danny DietrichPODIUM FINISHES (14 Drivers): 9 Podiums – Brad Sweet 4 Podiums – Logan Schuchart & Sheldon Haudenschild 2 Podiums – Carson Macedo, Donny Schatz, Aaron Reutzel, Cory Eliason, Gio Scelzi 1 Podium – Kraig Kinser, James McFadden, Brent Marks, David Gravel, Danny Dietrich, 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)Photo – Trent Gower

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

SHEPPARD, STRICKLER, BLOOMQUIST AND MORE TAKE ON THE “LAST GREAT COLOSSEUM”BRISTOL, TN– April 5, 2021 – Since the release of the 2021 World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Models schedule, the Bristol Bash, April 8-10, has been one of the most anticipated events on the calendar.It’s the first time in history “The Most Powerful Late Models on The Planet” take on the famed half-mile, known as the “Last Great Colosseum.”Friday, April 9, the Series will run a 40-lap Feature, paying $10,000 to win. Then, they’ll run another 40 laps on Saturday, April 10, with the winner collecting $25,000.Teams will also have a practice session on Thursday April 8.The DIRTcar UMP Modifieds will accompany the World of Outlaws Late Models on all three nights.Kyle Strickler enters Bristol top of the point standings, leading three-time defending champion Brandon Sheppard by 24 points. He remains the only repeat winner after the first nine races of the season.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.Fans can also watch a special pre-race show Thursday night FREE on DIRTVision from 6pm to 9pm (ET). It’ll also be free on Facebook Live and Youtube Live.The show will be hosted by Matt Yocum and Ashley Stremme with pit reporting from Georgia Henneberry.Here are the top stories to follow this weekend:Cutting The Deficit: Entering the Illini 100 last weekend, Kyle Strickler had a 66-point lead over three-time defending champion Brandon Sheppard. Now it’s down to 24 points after Sheppard’s two top-five runs, and a 13th- and 16th-place finish by Strickler.While Strickler has more wins (2), Sheppard enters Bristol with the most top-10 finishes of all drivers in the first nine races (6).The last time Strickler, of Sinking Spring, PA, had a top-10 finish, was in February during the DIRTcar Nationals. If that trend continues, there could be a new points leader by the end of the weekend.Waiting For Lift Off: Despite the two top-five finishes at Farmer City Raceway, Brandon Sheppard is still struggling to get his first World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Feature win of the season. This is the longest he’s gone without a win to start the season in his career. His longest streak previous was four races during his rookie season in 2017.While he did win at Cherokee Speedway this season, that was a special event and didn’t count as an official Series victory.The New Berlin, IL will look to win big at Bristol this weekend. Along with breaking his winless streak and earning him a historic win at the iconic track, he would also claim his 70th career World of Outlaws victory – then putting him only seven wins behind the all-time win record.He and his Rocket1 Racing team should have a good idea of what it takes to get around the half-mile track after making 156 laps during a test session in March. He was second fastest overall behind Ricky Weiss. Both of them ran laps in the 15.2 second bracket – four seconds faster than the NASCAR Cup cars– with an average speed of 125mph.The Need For Speed: The bad news for Ricky Weiss is that he’s been struggling of late with his Sniper chassis. The good news is he knows he has a fast car at Bristol Motor Speedway.During the March test, the Headly, MB driver was fastest overall with a 15.266 second lap.Weiss is fifth in the standings, 96 points back of Strickler. A couple of good finishes this weekend could put him within striking distance of the top spot.The Quest for a Second Win: Friday and Saturday won’t be the first Late Model races on Bristol’s dirt surface this year.The speedway held two races during Bristol Dirt Nationals last month, won by Chris Ferguson and Jonathan Davenport.Davenport will look to capture that glory again this weekend and take home the iconic gladiator sword trophy with the Outlaws. He has one top-five finish with the Series this season, finishing third at the “Tennessee Tip-off” at Smoky Mountain Speedway in March.Southern Comfort Zone: It’s a home state weekend for 2004 Series champion Scott Bloomquist, of Moorseburg, TN, and Jimmy Owens, of Newport, TN.“Black Sunshine” already has two wins at the track. They both happened the last time dirt was on the speedway in 2001.Owens hopes to keep his momentum rolling with the World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Models. He won a twin 25-lap Feature last month at Cherokee Speedway, as part of the Rock Gault Memorial. However, like Sheppard’s win, it didn’t count as an official World of Outlaws victory. He and Bloomquist will be on the hunt for their first official Series win of 2021.This Week at a GlanceWhen and WhereApril 8-10, Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, TNAbout the Track Bristol Motor Speedway is a 1/2 mile high-banked oval. Online: https://www.bristolmotorspeedway.comOn the Internet World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Models Series Twitter – Twitter.com/WoOLateModels – @WoOLateModels Instagram – Instagram.com/WoOLateModels – @woolatemodels Facebook – Facebook.com/WorldofOutlawsLateModelSeries YouTube – Youtube.com/WorldofOutlaws DIRTVision – DIRTVision.com – Platinum annual FAST PASS for $299 or monthly FAST PASS for $39/monthAround the Turn: The World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Model Series on Friday, April 23, will visit Richmond Raceway, before moving east to Brushcreek Motorsports Complex April 24.Visit www.richmond-raceway.net or www.brushcreekmotorsports.com to buy tickets for either event.Feature Winners: (7 Drivers) Rank- Driver- Hometown-WinsKyle Strickler, Sinking Springs, PA-2Kyle Bronson, Brandon, FL-1 Devin Moran, Dresden, OH-1 Brandon Overton, Evans, GA-1 Chris Madden, Grey Court, SC-1 Mike Spatola, Manhattan, IL-1 Bobby Pierce, Oakwood, IL-1DRYDENE HEAT RACE WINNERS (25 Drivers) Rank- Driver- Hometown-WinsChris Madden, Grey Court, SC-3 Kyle Bronson, Brandon, FL-3 Tim McCreadie, Watertown, NY-3 Bobby Pierce, Oakwood, IL-3Kyle Strickler, Sinking Spring, PA-2 Devin Moran, Dresden, OH- 2 Tyler Bruening, Decorah, IA-2Dale Mcdowell, Chickamauga, GA- 1 Cade Dillard, Robeline, LA-1 Darell Lanigan, Union, KY-1 Parker Martin, Milledgeville, GA-1 Ross Bailes, Clover, SC- 1 Brandon Overton, Evans, Ga-1 Brent Larson, Lake Elmo, MN-1 Mike Marlar, Winfield, TN-1 Hudson O’Neal, Martinsville, IN-1 Ricky Thornton Jr., Chandler, AZ-1 Jonathan Davenport, Blairsville, GA-1 Scott Bloomquist, Mooresburg, TN-1 Brian Shirley, Chatham, IL-1 Ryan Unzicker, El Paso, IL-1 Taylor Scheffler, Waukesha, WI- 1 Mike Spatola, Manhattan, IL-1 Shannon Babb, Moweaqua, IL- 1 Kevin Weaver, Gibson City, IL-1Last Chance Showdown Winners (15 drivers) Rank- Driver- Hometown-WinsRicky Weiss, Headingly, MB -2 Dale Mcdowell, Chickamauga, GA-2 Brandon Sheppard, New Berlin, IL-2Ross Robinson, Clover, SC- 1 Boom Briggs, Bear Lake, PA-1 Brent Larson, Lake Elmo, MN-1 Scott Bloomquist, Mooresburg, TN-1 Chase Junghans, Manhattan, KS-1 Brandon Overton, Evans, GA- 1 Dennis Erb, Jr., Carpentersville, IL-1 Mike Norris, Sarver, PA- 1 Stacy Boles, Clinton, TN-1 Kyle Strickler, Silver Springs, PA-1 Rick Eckert, York, PA-1 Kyle Bronson, Brandon, FL-1PODIUM FINISHES (17 drivers) Rank – Driver, Hometown – PodiumsKyle Strickler, Sinking Spring, PA – 3 Bobby Pierce, Oakwood, IL-3Devin Moran, Dresden, OH – 2 Kyle Bronson, Brandon, FL – 2 Cade Dillard, Robeline, LA – 2 Scott Bloomquist, Mooresburg, TN – 1 Darrell Lanigan, Union, KY – 1 Hudson O’Neal, Martinsville, IN – 1 Ricky Thornton, Jr., Chandler, AZ – 1 Dale McDowell, Chickamauga, GA – 1 Brandon Overton, Evans, GA – 1 Chris Madden, Grey Court, SC-1 Mike Marlar, Winfield, TN-1 Jonathan Davenport, Blairsville, GA-1 Ryan Unzicker, El Paso, IL-1 Mike Spatola, Manhattan, IL-1 Brandon Sheppard, New Berlin, IL-1HARD CHARGER (4 drivers) Rank – Driver, Hometown – H.C.Brandon Sheppard, New Berlin, IL – 3Ricky Weiss, Headingly, MB – 2 Chase Junghans, Manhattan, KS – 2Boom Briggs, Bear Lake, PA – 1SLICK WOODY’S QUICK TIME Award (8 drivers) Rank – Driver, Hometown – QTsKyle Bronson, Brandon, FL – 1 Kyle Strickler, Sinking Spring, PA – 1 Brandon Overton, Evans, GA – 1 Devin Moran, Dresden, OH – 1 Bobby Pierce, Oakwood, IL – 1 Donald McIntosh, Dawsonville, GA- 1 Taylor Scheffler, Waukesha, WI- 1 Dennis Erb Jr., Carpentersville, IL-12021 World of Outlaws Late Model Schedule & WinnersNo./ Day, Date / Track / Location / Winner (Total Wins) 1. Thursday, Jan. 14 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / Kyle Bronson (1) 2. Saturday, Jan. 16 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / Kyle Strickler (1) 3. Wednesday, Feb. 10 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / Kyle Strickler (2) 4. Thursday, Feb. 11 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / Devin Moran (1) 5. Friday, Feb. 12 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / Brandon Overton (1) 6. Saturday, March 6/ Smoky Mountain Speedway/ Maryville, TN/ Chris Madden (1). 7. Friday, March 26 / Cherokee Speedway / Gaffney, SC / Jimmy Owens/Brandon Sheppard 8. Friday, April 2/Farmer City Raceway/Farmer City, IL/ Mike Spatola(1) 9.Saturday April 3/ Farmer City Raceway/Farmer City, IL/Bobby Pierce(1)

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.

Saturday, April 10, at Can-Am Speedway set for Super DIRTcar Series season-opener LA FARGEVILLE, NY – April 5, 2021 – The Super DIRTcar Series is set for a triumphant return in 2021 and fans can watch the entire 30-plus race season, which includes the Series’ debut at Bristol Motor Speedway and Super DIRT Week, live on DIRTVision.After COVID put a halt on racing in the Northeast and Canada for a year, the ground-pounding, Earth-shaking, window-rattling Beasts of the Northeast will kick off their 2021 season Saturday, April 10, at Can-Am Speedway.Race fans can watch the event and every Super DIRTcar Series race throughout the year with either DIRTVision’s annual Platinum FAST PASS subscription for $299/year or the monthly FAST PASS subscription for $39/month – which both include the World of Outlaws Sprint Cars and Late Models, Summer Nationals, weekly racing from iconic tracks and more.The Super DIRTcar Series on DIRTVision will be a viewing experience like never before. Fans will be treated to the same level of high-quality broadcast they come to expect from the World of Outlaws, with a pit reporter, news ticker, enhanced graphics and multiple cameras – including a drone – for a wide range of coverage. Fans will also recognize The Voice Shane Andrews in the booth, calling the races.The new partnership has Series drivers excited to showcase the sport on a bigger stage.“I think it’s great for the division as a whole,” defending Super DIRTcar Series champion Mat Williamson said. “It will be available nationally and we can showcase what we do to everyone around the world.”Not only will DIRTVision put the Series in a new light, but it’ll also be a beneficial tool for drivers, according to Williamson.“We definitely have tried to use it to our advantage having the race live on TV in the trailer when you go to certain places that you can’t see the track from the pits,” he said. “That’s huge being able to keep up with changing track conditions and without skipping out on working on the car to walk up and see what the track is doing.”Williamson is one of 17 elite drivers running the full tour in 2021, which also includes seven-time champion Matt Sheppard and three-time champion Billy Decker.After Saturday’s $7,500-to-win Thunder in the 1000 Islands at Can-Am Speedway, the Super DIRTcar Series will make its highly anticipated debut at Bristol Motor Speedway, April 22-24, for the World of Outlaws Bristol Throwdown. The best Big Block drivers in the world will gather at the World’s Fastest Half-Mile for three days of action. There will be a special three-hour DIRTVision broadcast on Thursday, April 22, during the practice night (6pm to 9pm ET) and Friday and Saturday, April 23-24, will each feature a $10,000-to-win event.The Series will then journey throughout the Northeast for the remainder of the year – venturing to tracks like Bridgeport Motorsports Park, Weedsport Speedway, Ohsweken Speedway and more – before landing in Oswego, NY for the prestigious NAPA Auto Parts 49th Super DIRT Week, Oct. 6-10. For the full Super DIRTcar Series schedule, CLICK HERE.If you can’t make it to the track, get your DIRTVision subscription today by CLICKING HERE.

The Super DIRTcar Series 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) and NAPA Auto Parts. Contingency sponsors include: ARP (Automotive Racing Products), ASI Race Wear, Bicknell Racing Products, Billy Whittaker Cars & Trux, Cometic Gasket, COMP Cams, Drydene, Fox Factory, MSD, and Wrisco (Exclusive Racing Aluminum); along with manufacturer sponsors, including: FireAde, Intercomp, and Racing Electronics.

The Big Cat Sweeps I-55 for Fourth Consecutive WinSweet Survives Scelzi & Haudenschild to Lead All 40 Laps at PevelyPEVELY, MO – April 3, 2021 – Brad Sweetsaid “winning gives you more confidence.” With that theory, you’d think he has every ounce of confidence in the world. Because he just doesn’t lose of late.On Saturday, he led all 40 laps at Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 to sweep the weekend and extend his career-best winning streak to four consecutive features with the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series. It’s his fifth win of the year through 11 races aboard the Kasey Kahne Racing, NAPA Auto Parts #49.The two-time and defending Series champion still has an underdog-like mentality and it’s driving him to victory lane on a nightly basis.”I feel like everyone still kind of thinks of us as the underdog, so maybe they’ll give us some credit now,” Sweet said with a smirk. “We feel really good right now. Winning give you more confidence. I’m in a good place as a race car driver, the car is handling great, and this crew is doing an amazing job. We came from ninth last night and did it from the pole tonight, so we’ve won from both spectrums.”Earning the pole position following his win in the DIRTVision Fast Pass Dash, the odds were already stacked against Sweet, as no pole-sitter had won all year with the World of Outlaws. He and the KKR #49 crew were motivated to snap that streak and extend their own, though.The Grass Valley, CA native led the opening lap and never relinquished command, extending another streak to 62 consecutive feature laps led. His Saturday night sweep wasn’t without challenge, though, as Gio Scelzi and Sheldon Haudenschild both kept him honest.Scelzi had a shot through the opening stages and got close on Lap nine with the aid of lap traffic, but the savviness of Sweet’s finesse though the back-markers was too much to bare. When Scelzi faltered, Haudenschild rose to second and came within six-tenths of Sweet’s #49, but again his moves in traffic separated himself from the rest.A Lap 25 red flag for Tucker Klaasmeyer was the only stoppage of the race and set up a double-file restart, but it could do no harm in slowing Sweet’s roll.He cruised around the cushion just inches off the wall and then dipped low, slid through the middle, and made all the right moves through the last 15 laps to run off with a victory by 1.937-seconds. It was the 63rd of his World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series career.”We were off at the end last night, but tonight we made a small change and it was much better,” Sweet noted on his setup. “I felt like I had more grip and could move around in traffic with more ease. That’s the key to winning these; even when you win, you have to come back better the next night. It’s been through 11 races, but it’s an 83-race schedule. We want to enjoy these, but our heads are down and we’re looking to win a lot more of these.”Extending his own record streak, Sheldon Haudenschild finished second to earn a career-best seventh-straight top five finish in his Stenhouse Jr. Marshall Racing, NOS Energy Drink #17.”Brad was just on top of this weekend,” Haudenschild spoke on challenging Sweet. “They’re the guys to beat right now and we’re chasing them as hard we can. The car was really good, but we’ll keep working on it to try and get better. We’ve got some good tracks coming up, so I’m looking forward to that.”Rounding out the podium with his second top-three finish of the year was Gio Scelzi in the KCP Racing #18. After going second-quick, they recovered from an engine change to deliver another strong finish.”I ran as hard as I could for 40 laps,” Scelzi said on chasing Sweet. “He just makes such good moves through traffic, he’s hard to keep up with. We were a third-place car and a third-place driver tonight. It’s honestly relieving though. We were good in qualifying, good in the heat, and good in the feature. Feels like forever since Ive been here on the podium at Volusia.”Logan Schuchart scored his 11th top-ten finish in 11 races by virtue of a fourth-place run for his Shark Racing, Drydene Performance Products #1S. Following him was James McFadden with his second top-five of the year in the Kasey Kahne Racing, Karavan Trailers #9.Closing out the top ten at I-55 was Slick Woody’s QuickTime qualifier David Gravel, Kraig Kinser continuing his hot start, Carson Macedo with another consistent finish, Aaron Reutzel racking up another top-ten, and Jason Sides with his first top-ten of the season.UP NEXT – The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars will face an Indiana doubleheader next weekend. The Greatest Show on Dirt heads to Kokomo Speedway on Friday, April 9 and then Tri-State Speedway on Saturday, April 10.NOS Energy Drink Feature (40 Laps) – 1. 49-Brad Sweet (1); 2. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild (4); 3. 18-Giovanni Scelzi (2); 4. 1S-Logan Schuchart (7); 5. 9-James McFadden (15); 6. 2-David Gravel (5); 7. 11K-Kraig Kinser (8); 8. 41-Carson Macedo (10); 9. 83-Aaron Reutzel (3); 10. 7S-Jason Sides (6); 11. 15-Donny Schatz (17); 12. 19-Parker Price-Miller (18); 13. 24-Rico Abreu (13); 14. 21-Brian Brown (14); 15. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr. (9); 16. 3Z-Brock Zearfoss (24); 17. 73-Scotty Thiel (11); 18. 1A-Jacob Allen (12); 19. 35-Zach Hampton (16); 20. 21S-Carson Short (23); 21. 33M-Mason Daniel (22); 22. 2C-Wayne Johnson (20); 23. 3-Ayrton Gennetten (19); 24. 27-Tucker Klaasmeyer (21).NEW Championship Standings (11/83 Races): 1. Brad Sweet (-); 2. Logan Schuchart (-46); 3. Sheldon Haudenschild (-72); 4. David Gravel (-80); 5. Carson Macedo (-116); 6. Donny Schatz (-122); 7. Aaron Reutzel (-122); 8. Kraig Kinser (-198); 9. Giovanni Scelzi (-216); 10. Brock Zearfoss (-262).Photo – Trent Gower

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