YPSILANTI, MI (June 14, 2022) —- Shawn Langdon will return to the blue and white CMR Construction and Roofing Top Fuel dragster this weekend at the Thunder Valley Nationals. Since early 2021 CMR has expanded their relationship with Kalitta Motorsports and throughout the 2022 season they are highlighting their 20^thanniversary and strategic partnership with a primary sponsorship presence on Langdon’s CMR Toyota Top Fuel dragster. The nationally known and award-winning business has utilized the business relationship to expand their footprint and host guests at NHRA national events across the country. Langdon is looking forward to putting on a good show for the guests and executive who attend the Thunder Valley Nationals

“This will be a busy and exciting weekend with the CMR Construction and Roofing team in Bristol,” said Langdon. “They always bring a ton of guests and love to be at the races. CMR CEO Steve and Chandra Soule have been amazing to work with since this relationship started in 2021. Bristol is a track with a lot of history and I would love to add to that with some win lights in this CMR Top Fuel dragster.”

Austin Dillon and the No. 3 True Velocity Chevrolet Team Race to Solid 11th-Place Finish at Sonoma Raceway

11th

13th

15th

“It feels great to earn an 11th-place Finish in the True Velocity Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 this weekend at Sonoma Raceway. This team has worked hard, and I have worked hard personally, on improving our road course performances. We qualified 13th on Saturday and came into Sunday’s race knowing that we had a strong car and a solid plan. We maintained our position throughout  Stage 1. We tried to play the pit strategy a few times and got caught on the wrong side of a caution flag. During the final stage, we were making a green-flag stop right as the caution came out. It put us back about seven spots, but we had newer tires than the guys in front of us which gave me a little more leverage. I’m proud of the effort that everyone has put in. It was fun racing in the top 10 and seeing the improvements we’ve made. We’ll take an 11th-place finish and take the off weekend to regroup for Nashville.” -Austin Dillon

Tyler Reddick and the No. 8 Lenovo Chevrolet Team Show Resilience at Sonoma Raceway

35th

5th

14th

“Our Lenovo Chevy was strong this weekend at Sonoma Raceway. We started the race fifth and spent most of Stages 1 and 2 in and around the top five. We were running fourth with three laps remaining in Stage 2 when we made a green-flag stop. Unfortunately, we were caught speeding on pit road and had to restart at the tail end of the field to start Stage 3. We got mirrored back in traffic. Everyone was bunching up and another car ended up making contact with us. It destroyed our left-rear and we had to go to the garage for repairs. We made it back out, but finished 14 laps down in 35th. It’s definitely disappointing to get a finish like that after running so strong today.” -Tyler Reddick

Team Chevy Scores Eighth NCS Victory of 2022 ·       The win is Suarez’s first-career victory in 195 starts in the NASCAR Cup Series. ·       It also marks the third NASCAR Cup Series triumph for Trackhouse Racing in 2022. ·       With his victory, Suarez secures a spot into the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series Playoff Field. ·       Suarez’s triumph is also the eighth of the season for the Camaro ZL1 and the 13th victory for Team Chevy at Sonoma Raceway, both of which are manufacturer-leading feats. ·       The winningest brand in NASCAR, Chevrolet now has 822 all-time NASCAR Cup Series victories. SONOMA, Calif. (June 22, 2022) – Daniel Suarez has been on the horizon of his first-career win in the NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) all season and a trip out west checked off that monumental feat in his career. In 195 starts in NASCAR’s premier series, Daniel Suarez drove his No. 99 Onx Homes/Renu Camaro ZL1 across the line first, capturing his first-career NCS win in the Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway. “It’s a crazy day. I have so many thoughts in my head right now,” said Suarez. “I mean, it’s been a rough road. It’s been a rough journey in the Cup Series. These guys believe in me – Trackhouse Racing, Justin Marks, Ty Norris. Everyone that helped me to get to this point. Alot of people in Mexico: Jay Morales, Carlos Slim. My family, they never give up on me. A lot of people did, but they didn’t (tearing up).” The feat came after Saurez took the green from the eighth-starting position. Piloting his Chevrolet-powered machine to a top-five finish in Stage Two, track position and a strong performance on pit road setup the No. 99 Trackhouse Racing team to start up front for the final stage. The 30-year-old Chevro driver went on to lead a race-high 47 laps en route to the victory at the 1.99-mile Northern California circuit. The win marks the third win for Trackhouse Racing in NASCAR’s premier series, all of which have been captured this season. The victory makes Suarez the sixth different Chevrolet driver to win in the series thus far this season; joining Trackhouse Racing teammate, Ross Chastain, and Hendrick Motorsports’ Kyle Larson, Alex Bowman, William Byron and Chase Elliott on the elite list that have secured a spot in the 2022 NCS Playoff field.  With 16 points-paying races in the books for the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season, the Camaro ZL1 has recorded eight wins, giving Chevrolet an impressive winning percentage of 50 percent. The trip to victory lane also marks Chevrolet’s 13th triumph at Sonoma Raceway and the 822nd all-time in NASCAR’s premier series to lead all manufacturers. Ross Chastain (7th), Chase Elliott (8th) and William Byron (9th) rounded out the Team Chevy top-10, giving the bowtie brand four top-10 finishes.  Heading into the off week for the series, the NASCAR Cup Series will be back in action at Nashville Superspeedway with the Ally 400 on Sunday, June 26, at 5 p.m. ET. Live coverage can be found on NBC, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

DANIEL SUAREZ, NO. 99 ONX HOMES/RENU CAMARO ZL1 – Press Conference Transcript:THE MODERATOR: We are now joined by today’s winner, Daniel Suarez, driver of the No. 99 Trackhouse Chevrolet. Take us through what went through your mind when you crossed the finish line on the last lap and became the first driver from Mexico to win in the NASCAR Cup Series. DANIEL SUAREZ: I didn’t know what to do. It was special. Man, I’ve been working very hard for this moment, not just myself, but my entire team. I am very lucky to have people around me in the team, but outside the team. My family always supporting me, my beautiful girlfriend Julia that she work very hard in the last few months keeping me up and letting me know that I was doing the right things. We just need to have a clean day. That’s what we had today. So today just felt special. I told her this morning that today felt good. We did it in front of a few hundred Mexicans and Daniel’s Amigos. It was just a special day. I have always seen California as my second home. To be able to get the first victory here is quite special. THE MODERATOR: Questions, please. Q- What was the mindset knowing you had pretty much control of this race hoping there were no cautions? DANIEL SUAREZ: I mean, honestly, I didn’t care who was behind me. I was just trying to do my race, trying to control what I can control. I knew that Buescher was very strong in the short run. Probably a little bit better than me. But in the middle part of the run I was better than him. In the long run I felt like I was better than him. It was able to play out pretty good right there near the end. I knew if I stay up front for the first five to seven laps, I was going to be able to control the race. Obviously the last 10, five laps, I was just trying to take care of my tires in case we had a restart. If we had a restart at that point, I knew we were not going to come for tires. It was going to be a track position race. I was trying to save a little bit, even though my car was already a little tired at the time, but everyone else was tired as well. It worked out great. It was good. My team, my crew chief, everyone did what they had to do. They called the pit stops, everything work out where they were supposed to. We were able to maximize the potential of our car. Q- Justin and Travis were talking about your confidence, that they never doubted you would be here. They felt like you never doubted it. What kept you confident? DANIEL SUAREZ: You know, it has cost me a lot to get to this point. A lot of people doesn’t know that, but it has cost me a lot to get to this country first 10 years ago, and to get to this point, fighting. I come from a very humble family. Every step of my life has cost me a lot. I knew that it’s important to remember that if I was able to come all the way here, I wasn’t going to give up here. My confidence was high. But obviously knowing that you haven’t won yet, there is a little bit of doubt. But I knew that I was fast. I knew that I could race with them, with the guys that are winning. But I haven’t showed that first victory. I told my team, you know, the last five weeks we have had very fast race cars, but things happen. The jack broke last week. A few weeks ago the (indiscernible) broke. In Charlotte we were the fastest car and we were missing something on pit road every single time. It was hard to stay on track. But at the end my team, everyone, stayed together. We keep pushing. I told them that bad luck doesn’t last forever, and tough people do. We keep working very hard and here we are. Q- You said on Thursday you felt good about this weekend. What was it coming in here about why you felt so good? What was going through your head throughout the weekend? DANIEL SUAREZ: I grew up racing go-karts, road course stuff. I never raced big cars in road course, but I raced go-karts a lot all over the world. Road course for me is fun. It’s something different. It’s something we don’t do every day. In years past I been always strong but never very strong. In COTA it just felt special. In COTA we were the car to beat, we were the best car. Unfortunately my car had issues. I made sure in the radio in the middle of the race, if I can’t win the race, I want my teammate to win the race. I felt he was probably a good second best car. He was able to win the race. I was able to dominate the first stage with a car that was a rocket. We came here with the confidence that it’s another road course. We had a good car, but we didn’t have the best car today. I felt like we were able to make the right calls, maximize what we got, and the result shows for that. Q- What was going through your mind when you came around the final turn here? Once you crossed it, what did you think? DANIEL SUAREZ: I was asking for my piñata. I was asking the team to bring the piñata with me. I wanted to break it (smiling). It just felt right, man. It’s been a long journey, a lot of sacrifices, a lot of hard work. To finally be able to get the first one. I have told this to many people. The first one always costs a lot. Once you get the first one, be ready because we’re going to get some more. Q- What does this mean for Mexico and what does it mean it was one of the races where you had Daniel’s Amigos here? DANIEL SUAREZ: That’s special. That was very, very special. In the very last caution I was already slow on the caution. I was able to see in corner one on the right there was Daniel’s Amigos group there. All of them were cheering, the fans, all of them were excited. That fuels me. That’s energy for me. I knew that I wasn’t going to let them down. I was going to push and I was going to do everything in my power to make this happen. Just felt right. This morning I spent an hour and a half with them. Just felt right. I woke up this morning and I was ready to go. Yesterday we had a long race in the Trucks and I was tired. But it just felt right. California like my second home. The people here are amazing to me. They support me a lot. I just can’t describe how thankful I am for being able to win the first one here in front of my people. Q- For Mexico? DANIEL SUAREZ: For Mexico the same. I don’t get to race in my country. There is a lot of races that feel like home. This is one of them. Texas is one of them. There is a lot, Auto Club, Vegas, Phoenix. There is a lot of racetracks, they feel like home. Just very thankful being a kid coming from Mexico trying to live the NASCAR dream in the U.S. Q- Do you keep in touch with anyone that you met in previous Daniel’s Amigos groups? Did you see any revisits, familiar faces? DANIEL SUAREZ: Yeah, couple. It’s hard to keep track of everyone, of course. There is a couple, I remember them from here, from last time here. Yeah, that’s always very special. The cool part is that they come this week, and the ones that are new, I’m going to see them next year. That’s something very special to me. Those are the faces I remember. The faces I remember from last year. I’m sure I’m going to see a lot of faces next year that I just met today. That’s very special. I just can’t describe how happy I am to be able to get this win, the first one, in California in front of all of them. Q- You have some of the earliest alumni from the Drive for Diversity program at Trackhouse. What does this win mean to you and what do you think it means for NASCAR moving forward? DANIEL SUAREZ: Yeah, I mean, that’s very special. A lot of people doesn’t know this, but one of my engineers, he’s from Mexico City. Unfortunately he got sick, he couldn’t come to this weekend. He’s at home. He called me crying. He works extremely hard. He is a big part of today’s win. His name is Jose Velasco. He’s a huge part of this team. We’ve been working together for two years. Part of my pit crew are from diversity, as well. Myself. If it wasn’t for the Drive for Diversity, I don’t think I would be sitting here right now. Back in 2013 and ’14 they saved my butt. I was about to come back to Mexico. They gave me an opportunity to keep racing in 2013. That kept me alive. I was able to win races that year and keep the momentum going. Before that it was very, very tough. So it’s been quite a journey. But those tough moments and those ups and downs is what makes this moment so special. Q- With the final restart 23 laps to go, are you nervous? I was hearing from Justin your radio was silent. DANIEL SUAREZ: I was just trying to stay calm. I knew that it was a big stake on the line, but I was trying to stay calm. I was silent. I wanted to do my thing. I didn’t want too much noise on the radio. I knew what I had to do. I felt like I was controlling well what I could control. If the caution was coming out, welcome, try to go again. I was just trying to stay calm. I would say after the white flag is when I got out of control. I just start crying inside the helmet, just thinking about. Especially because I had a big gap. If it wasn’t a big gap, I would be focused. Since I had a big gap, I was just thinking about every single moment that has cost me to be here. It’s been a different journey. Every NASCAR driver has had a tough journey. Everyone has a different journey. But my journey is definitely the most different of everyone else, leaving my family, my country, and just coming to a different culture, different language. Thinking of all those things, it makes today very, very special. Q- What was inside the piñata? DANIEL SUAREZ: A lot of chocolate. A lot of chocolate. Next time we have to organize that better. Next time I need a bat so can I break it. Actually we had one. I don’t know. It was missing somewhere. It was good. Just felt good. Very, very thankful to all my team for today. Q- What kind of momentum does this give for you and the No. 99 team 10 races to the Playoffs? DANIEL SUAREZ: Yeah, it feels good. My team has been working very hard. But to be able to finally get the first one, I feel like that is going to make us feel more relaxed. Now we’re going to do things more calm. I told my team, Hey, let’s say calm. Let’s do our thing. We’re capable of winning races. But one thing is to say it, another thing is to do it. Today we did it. So now we’re going to be able to (indiscernible) and do things more relaxed. That way victories and success is going to be able to find us much easier. Q- Have you ever punched a piñata before? DANIEL SUAREZ: I have. I have. But I have punched a piñata after I smash it with a stick. This time nobody gave me a stick so I had to punch it. Man, a few weeks ago or a month and a half ago when they gave me that taco piñata, I knew we were going to break it soon. I was keeping it in my lounge, getting ready to break it. Today finally we smashed that thing. Q- When was the last time you punched one? DANIEL SUAREZ: I was a kid, man. Probably my grandma’s house in front of all my cousins. I couldn’t see because I had my eyes taped. I was knocking out the piñata. Eventually when you break it, it’s not broken 100%, you just start smashing it to get all the candy. It’s been at least 15 years. Q- Off weekend coming up. Are you celebrating? DANIEL SUAREZ: Believe it or not I’m going to Mexico tomorrow. I have that already plan for a few weeks. My girlfriend is going to Brazil to visit her family, her father, after two years and a half that she hasn’t see him. Yeah, she going to celebrate in Brazil, I’m going to celebrate in Mexico. I can’t wait to see my mom, my dad, my sister to give them a big hug. They’ve been with me on this journey since the beginning. My mom already called me, she was crying. It’s special. I’m going to see the people I like to see, I love to see. Just try to enjoy the moment. Like I said, very few people knows how much work, sacrifice, tears, sweat this has cost me. So we have to enjoy it. After a few days, we’re going to keep working because we want more. Q- 10 or 11 years ago you’re living in Upstate New York watching cartoons to learn English. Are you dreaming of this moment? Is this moment a thought? Could you have conceived what happened today? DANIEL SUAREZ: I was always dreaming about winning in the Cup Series. I knew it was going to be a tough journey. At the time I was scared not to be able to compete because I didn’t speak English. At the time I didn’t have money to buy myself classes to speak English, so I had to in a way learn by myself by watching movies and watching cartoons and reading. It was quite a journey. I remember one day waking up and being scared that the language barrier was going to keep me away from my goal, which was being a winner, a championship winner in the NASCAR Cup Series. I didn’t want that to happen. I started working extremely hard to learn English. It’s been quite a journey. That’s why I felt like my story is very similar to many, many Mexicans, Latinos, out there coming to this country, trying to find a goal or trying to find their dream. If I was able to make it happen, everyone out there can make it happen. So just feel very, very proud to be an example for many of them. Q- Do you think this team can make a deep Playoff run? Are you a championship team? DANIEL SUAREZ: I think we are. I think we are. The beautiful part is that we get stronger as we go. If you were asking me that question three months ago, I was going to tell you, man, we have work to do. We have the potential, but we have work to do. Two months ago I was starting to believe more. A month ago I would say, Heck, yeah. Right now, of course we are here. We just keep getting stronger. I guarantee you in a month from now we’re going to be stronger than right now. We’re going to keep working. Today was amazing. We did a lot of things right. But we believed that our car could have been a little bit better. So when you look at the big picture and always try to see yourself as what I could have done better or different, that’s when you become a great team. I feel like we’re on our way there. Q- Thursday you talked about diversity. Does this win spur more Mexicans and Latinos to take up driving? One lesser thought. Ross smashes pumpkins and you’re smashing piñatas. Do the other teams have to step their game? DANIEL SUAREZ: They’ll have to step their game. We talk about diversity, how important it is. I personally feel extremely, extremely lucky and fortunate to be that driver that the whole Hispanic community can connect with. I feel extremely, extremely lucky. I feel so fortunate. I feel like I have an entire country and community behind me. All the people wearing red shirts today, those are my people. Some of them, they have exactly the same journey that I have. Coming from Mexico, not knowing the language, trying to find an opportunity, having goals, just trying to find that dream or trying to make that dream happen. These are my people. I feel extremely lucky to be the one that can represent all of them. Hopefully the success that we have had, that we’re having, can fuel them as well to continue to push in whatever they want to do, that is racing, mechanic, engineering, business, whatever that may be, to continue to fuel them to know that they can do it. They just have to work hard and put in the table what they have to do. JUSTIN MARKS, FOUNDER AND OWNER, TRACKHOUSE RACING – Press Conference Transcript:THE MODERATOR: We are now joined by today’s winners, owner of the No. 99 Chevrolet for Trackhouse Racing, Justin Marks, and crew chief Travis Mack.We’ll go right into questions for Justin first as he has to leave. Q- Justin, I guess Suarez said last year this was his best opportunity. Now he’s finally put it into Victory Lane. How does that feel for you as a car owner? JUSTIN MARKS: Yeah, it’s hard to put it into words. When Ty Norris and I first started talking about this, I came to Ty, I’ve got this idea. What I said first and foremost is I believe with this new car it’s truly going to be about the people, the people are going to make this car go.The way they changed the model of the sport a little bit is you have to invest in your people and keep them motivated, and put talented people in positions, lift them up, empower them. I just believe that.I think we’re doing that right now because we have a great culture at Trackhouse. Daniel checked a lot of boxes for us right away. He’s an experienced Cup driver. He is a winner. When he’s been in positions to win, he’s won with his Xfinity championship and Truck.He had a chip on his shoulder. He wanted to prove to the world he belonged in the Cup Series. 2020 was a difficult year for him.He checked all the boxes for us and I knew he had a tremendous amount of potential, that he was a winner at this level. I told him from day one, This is your team, this 99 team is your team. You come to me and tell me anything and everything that you need. We’re going to put that behind you.Travis to my left here is a big part of that. He’s been a big believer in this project. It’s really nice to see all that work over the last couple of years be at a place where everybody is rewarded for it. Q- You say you saw the potential in him. Do you ever feel like he felt that he was never going to meet that potential? JUSTIN MARKS: Did I feel like he thought that? Yes. JUSTIN MARKS: Not for one second. Not for one second ever. I have almost never met a more determined, focused, hard-working race car driver in my 20 years in this sport.Every single morning he wakes up and says, I am going to be the best version of myself I can be today, I’m going to do all the work I can possibly do today to win this race this weekend.I think Travis will say the same thing. It’s amazing how consistent he is, how that continues, that fire continues to burn so bright even after stringing numerous tough races in a row together. Tough month last year. He’s just very, very impressive in that regard. Q- Have you talked to Armando? JUSTIN MARKS: I haven’t talked to him. But he was on the phone. You can always count on Ty Norris having him on the phone in Victory Lane. I’ll talk to him tomorrow. Q- Is there any surprises so far with this team with Daniel and with Ross, Trackhouse, the accomplishments that you guys have had so far? JUSTIN MARKS: What I tell people is I’m not surprised that we’re a winning race team because I wouldn’t have started this project if I didn’t think, truly believe, that the opportunity existed to build a new race team in this sport that could win. It’s just happened really quickly. That’s been the surprise, is how quickly it’s happened.To me it kind of makes sense, too. We’ve got such great people that work so hard. The promise of this car is being delivered every single weekend. We have talks in the race, in the team, I have talks with myself. It’s like, Is this a moment in time or is Trackhouse arrived? I think we’ve arrived because we fundamentally invest in the things that I believe are going to be…Literally Pitbull texting me right now.Congrats. I can’t say that word. I’m taking a couple tequila shots right now. History in the making. See you soon. Step on the gas and haul ass.Anyway, it’s happened very, very quickly. When you have this many people together working, supporting each other, focused, and are talented, these are the things that can happen. Q- Tell the truth, were you nervous on the final lap? JUSTIN MARKS: Of course. I have a long way to go before I get comfortable at the ends of these races when we’re leading. My colleagues have been doing this for a long time. I sort of operate under the assumption that a late caution always comes out and these races can devolve into total chaos. I sort of was half expecting that today.But some days it’s just your time, it’s just your day. Everything lined up perfectly. Everybody on the 99 team did an awesome job. Great strategy, Travis ran a great strategy, Daniel drove a career race. Q- Was the radio silent? JUSTIN MARKS: It’s actually funny. The 99 radio is typically the opposite of silent. I think there were five words said the last half hour of that race. 10 to go, you didn’t hear anything for eight minutes, then it was five to go, then there was a bunch of screaming. Q- This one is huge not only for Daniel but also Mexico. The team has been about unification, diversity. What does this mean? JUSTIN MARKS: I mean, it’s big for all that. Trackhouse is a race team that anybody and everybody can be a fan of. We’ve made investments in the minority community with Pitbull’s schools, our great (indiscernible) night program, our STEM stuff.To me this is sort of a representation of what America stands for. It’s a place you can come with big dreams and you can work hard to achieve those dreams. I always say that Daniel is one of one. A Mexican race car driver moving to America, can’t speak the language, to be a NASCAR Cup Series winner, that shows the amazing place we live.Not only him, but Jose our lead engineer from Mexico, wasn’t here today, probably is killing him that he’s not here today. Truly an elite talent. It’s really great to be able to write those stories. Q- Justin, Suarez is four points ahead of Cindric and 11 points of Kurt Busch. There’s 10 races left. Do you feel comfortable he’s in the Playoffs or is it going to be a scrap?JUSTIN MARKS: I haven’t really thought about that yet to be honest. How many races are left? Eight? 10. JUSTIN MARKS: I don’t know. I saw you ask Denny that question. I thought about it, not in our context, but just in general, is this going to be a season.I don’t really feel like it’s gonna. Anything can happen. I don’t really feel like it’s going to be that way. I don’t think we think about that until there’s 16 winners and a race or more left. THE MODERATOR: Justin, thank you so much. JUSTIN MARKS: Thanks, everybody. TRAVIS MACK, CREW CHIEF, NO. 99 ONX HOMES/RENU CAMARO ZL1 – Press Conference Transcript:THE MODERATOR: We’ll continue with questions for Travis. Q- Travis, what does this one mean for you being involved with a guy that’s got their first win? TRAVIS MACK: This is huge. Just taking it all in today. Really excited for Justin and Daniel, just really excited for all these team guys. I’m the lucky guy that gets to sit on top of the box and watch it all happen.I’ve just had so much belief in Daniel and his capability of winning a race. We really believe in each other. You take two guys who have never won a Cup race, put us together, we’re both very, very hungry to win races. This is what you get. Q- The last few laps can be crash, caution, green-white-checkered, are you sitting there thinking stay green? Are you praying? TRAVIS MACK: I was so calm. Felt so confident coming in today. I think I stayed up studying last night till 12:30 West Coast time, that’s 3:30 East Coast time. I just felt so confident coming into today that we could get this done today.Everything that has happened to us this year has led up to this moment. It’s taught us what we need to do, what we don’t need to do, and just execute this race the best we could. That’s what we did. Q- Probably the biggest story is Trackhouse being the surprise of the year. Have you been surprised at the success? TRAVIS MACK: Not really. This is what I do every year. Even last year, having the conversations with Justin, I think I was number two hire at Trackhouse, it was very exciting.The first time I met with him, I was doubting if I should leave the Hendrick family, what I needed to do. I was really comfortable at Junior Motorsports. After I met with Justin, talked to him on the phone, I was so confident in what he was building.I told him, You just give us the tools and you do you and I’m going to build us a great race team. We’re going to go to Daytona and get the pole. That’s how confident I was. I told him that. I think he believed in that. We believe in each other.We went down there, had a top 10 effort. I wasn’t happy because we weren’t on the pole because I told him we would get the pole.I was confident to get this win for Daniel and I’m excited to get it in Sonoma. Q- Can you speak to the culture at Trackhouse right now? Two wins for Ross, one for Daniel. What is it like working there? Why is it working so well? TRAVIS MACK: Just having fun. I’ve never been at a place that has had so much fun. We’re building fast race cars. Everybody is enjoying work. It’s just a great place to be right now. Team chemistry is amazing between the 1 and the 99. It really feels like one team building two cars, confident in each other and our capabilities of winning races, bringing the best cars to the racetrack every week. Q- You said you have confidence in Daniel. Why? TRAVIS MACK: First time I met with Daniel, I think a lot of crew chiefs in the past kind of doubted his capabilities. Around the garage you hear he shouldn’t be in the ride, this or that.Once I met with him, I could see the drive in his face, in his eyes. Once we started becoming friends and talking to each other, I could see how hard he was working. He wanted this so bad. I was the same way.Coming up as a crew chief, people doubted me being a crew chief. Not being an engineer, coming up through the mechanic, car chief role, there’s not many of us that has done that in the Cup Series. So people doubted me. They doubted him.They put us together and I think we’re a great team. Q- In the last part of this race, we saw teams that are at the front of the field with new names. Did that make the strategy any more difficult or is it just another car to you guys? TRAVIS MACK: No, I think we played a perfect strategy. I didn’t feel like we had the best car coming into today. I think the 5 car was really good. 9 car was really good on long runs. So was the 4. All we had to do was execute. I knew we had a top five car. If everything worked out perfectly, made no mistakes on pit road, executed the race perfectly, we could have a day like we did today. Q- Of all the victories, you mentioned a long journey, the engineer, where would you say this one ranks? TRAVIS MACK: Yeah, I’m not an engineer. There’s not many of us that aren’t engineers in the sport today, especially with this car.I trust my engineers on my team. I have really great engineers. Jose Velasco, Dustin and Troy. Those guys just work so hard. They make me look really good. I try to do the things, I’m dealing with the driver, the pit crew, the team, just trying to keep our team upbeat, moving the right direction, organized, prepared to come into the race weekends.Coming up through the ranks at Hendrick, being a car chief, working so hard for this first win. This was actually my first win with Jeff Gordon. I believe in ’04 Sonoma was my first win on a Cup team. It’s very excited to get my very first win as a crew chief in Sonoma. THE MODERATOR: Travis, congratulations and thank you. TRAVIS MACK: Thank you.

(6/13/2022) Sacramento, CA… The NARC Fujitsu General Sprint Cars begin their northern journey to Dirt Cup this weekend on Friday, June 17th at Chico’s Silver Dollar Speedway for night one of Road to Dirt Cup followed by night number two on Saturday, June 18th at Cottage Grove Speedway.

The two nights signal the beginning of a highly anticipated week of racing that will culminate with the 50th Annual Super Dirt Cup at Washington’s Skagit Speedway on June 23rd through the 25th.

The Chico visit will be the second and final appearance for NARC of 2022 at Silver Dollar Speedway, and Saturday’s Battle at the Bullring will be the series’ first trip to Cottage Grove Speedway in more than a decade. Cottage Grove will award $5,000 to the winner.

With some lucrative bonuses on the line, drivers will be eager to park in victory lane this weekend. There are six 410ci events composing the week of Dirt Cup– Chico and Cottage Grove this weekend, the Dirt Cup tune up at Skagit on Monday (not a NARC sanctioned event), and the three nights of Dirt Cup. If a driver can win three of the six, they’ll earn an extra $10,000. Winning four of the six nets $25,000. And claiming five of the six will award a driver with $50,000!

On Friday in Chico B Mods and Hobby Stocks will join NARC. Saturday at Cottage Grove three IMCA divisions will run alongside NARC, Modifieds, SportMods, and Stock Cars.

Championship Chase

A pair of top-fives this past weekend kept Dominic Scelzi atop the standings with a healthy 44 point advantage. The driver closest to him, Willie Croft, has been on one of the best stretches of his NARC career with six straight top-five results heading into the Road to Dirt Cup. Croft will look to cut into Scelzi’s lead this weekend.

Bud Kaeding, who has only missed the top-10 once this year, sits third in points, 26 markers behind Croft.

Then it’s Justin Sanders in fourth, seven points behind Kaeding, and Mitchell Faccinto, 14 behind Sanders, completing the top-five.

Who to Watch

Aromas native Justin Sanders is a threat at any track he shows up at, and that will especially be the case this weekend. Sanders has top-two finishes in three of his last four NARC races in Chico including a pair of wins, and he’s a former winner with the Western Sprint Tour at Cottage Grove Speedway.

2017 series champion, Bud Kaeding, has quietly put together a solid season thus far and should be in the running to earn his first win of the season. The Campbell native owns a pair of NARC wins in Chico. He’s also one of few with some 410 laps at Cottage Grove, picking up top-fives with NARC there in 2009 and 2010.

Mitchell Faccinto will be another to keep an eye on this weekend as he continues to pursue his first series title. The Tarlton Motorsports wheelman from Hanford doesn’t own a NARC win in Chico, but he did already claim the prestigious Silver Cup finale at the quarter-mile this year. He’s also a former winner at Cottage Grove Speedway, topping a 2019 Western Sprint Tour show.

Many of the Pacific Northwest natives who competed during the Fastest Four Days in Motorsports also plan to race at least at Cottage Grove this weekend if not tackle both nights. Former winners at Cottage Grove Speedway– Trey Starks, Tanner Holmes, and Tyler Thompson will be a few of the Oregon and Washington drivers on The Road to Dirt Cup.

Other drivers expected to compete include Benicia’s Billy Aton, Fresno’s Dominic Scelzi, Colfax’s Willie Croft,, Clovis’ Corey Day, Tanner & Blake Carrick out of Lincoln, Sebastopol’s Joel Myers Jr., Roseville’s Colby Copeland, Fremont’s Shane Golobic, Redding’s Max Mittry, Idaho’s Logan Forler, Hanford’s D.J. Netto, and more.

Fan & Competitor Info

The NARC-King of the West Hoosier Tire Format on both nights will feature ARP Fast-Time Qualifying, 10-lap Heat Races, a six-lap Sunnyvalley Bacon Trophy Dash, a Kaeding Performance Semi if necessary, and a 30-lap Fujitsu Feature.

On Friday at Silver Dollar Speedway the pit gate will open at 1:00 P.M. with the front gate opening at 4:00 P.M. Racing will begin around 6:00 P.M.

On Saturday at Cottage Grove Speedway the pit gate will open at 12:00 P.M. with the front gate set to follow at 3:00 P.M. Hot laps are slated to start at 4:30 P.M. with racing beginning around 6:00 P.M.

Adult General Admission tickets at Silver Dollar Speedway will be $20. Seniors (ages 60+) and kids (ages 12-15) will be admitted for $15. Kids 11 and under will be admitted for just $5. Tickets can be purchased at the gate or via the following link: https://www.eventsprout.com/event/silver-dollar-speedway-2022.

Adult General Admission tickets at Cottage Grove Speedway will be $20. Seniors, Military, and juniors (ages 13-17) will be admitted for $15. Kids (ages 6-12) will be admitted for just $5. Kids 5 and under are free. Tickets can be purchased at the gate or via the following link: https://www.myracepass.com/events/398217/tickets/.

Silver Dollar Speedway is located on the Silver Dollar Fairgrounds at 2343 Fair St, Chico, CA 95928. For more information visit silverdollarspeedway.com or call (530) 891-6535.

Cottage Grove Speedway is located at 2150 North Douglas St, Cottage Grove, OR 97424. For more information visit cottagegrovespeedway.com or call 541-942-7561.

Both nights of the Road to Dirt Cup can be viewed live on floracing.com along with the entire NARC Fujitsu General Sprint Car tour.

2022 NARC King of the West Fujitsu 410 Sprint Car Series
Championship Points Standings (After ten events in 23-race series – 6/12/22)

1. Dominic Scelzi, Fresno – 1150
2. Willie Croft, Colfax – 1106
3. Bud Kaeding, Campbell – 1080
4. Justin Sanders, Aromas – 1073
5. Mitchell Faccinto, Hanford – 1059
6. Max Mittry, Redding (R) – 1046
7. Billy Aton, Benicia – 982
8. Shane Golobic, Elk Grove – 977
9. Joel Myers Jr, Sebastopol – 900
10. Logan Forler, Boise, ID – 895
11. Corey Day, Salinas – 649
12. Chase Johnson, Penngrove – 620
13. Tanner Holmes, Jacksonville, OR (R) –  604
14. Colby Copeland, Rocklin – 562
15. Tim Kaeding, San Jose – 497
16. Geoffrey Strole, Hanford – 467
17. DJ Netto, Hanford – 433
18. Michael Faccinto, Hanford – 411
19. Garen Linder, Central Point, OR – 408
20. Landon Brooks, Yuba City – 407

NASCAR CUP SERIES

SONOMA RACEWAY

TOYOTA / SAVE MART 350

TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE NOTES & QUOTES

JUNE 12, 2022

TOP TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL RACE RESULTS:

POS.   DRIVER

1st      DANIEL SUAREZ, NO. 99 ONX HOMES / RENU CAMARO ZL1

7th      ROSS CHASTAIN, NO. 1 WORLDWIDE EXPRESS CAMARO ZL1

8th      CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CAMARO ZL1

9th      WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 RAPTORTOUGH.COM CAMARO ZL1

11th    AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 TRUE VELOCITY CAMARO ZL1

12th    JUSTIN HALEY, NO. 31 LEAFFILTER GUTTER PROTECTION CAMARO ZL1

15th    KYLE LARSON, NO. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM CAMARO ZL1

16th    ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 48 ALLY/BETTER TOGETHER CAMARO ZL1

19th    AJ ALLMENDINGER, NO. 16 GOLD FISH CASINO SLOTS CAMARO ZL1

22nd   ERIK JONES, NO. 43 FOCUSFACTOR CAMARO ZL1

23rd   TY DILLON, NO. 42 ALLEGIANT CAMARO ZL1

25th    RICKY STENHOUSE JR., NO. 47 KROGER / COTTONELLE CAMARO ZL1

TOP FIVE UNOFFICIAL RACE RESULTS: 

POS.  DRIVER

1.        Daniel Suarez (Chevrolet)

2.        Chris Buescher (Ford)

3.        Michael McDowell (Ford)

4.        Kevin Harvick (Ford)

5.        Austin Cindric (Ford)

Heading into the off week for the series, the NASCAR Cup Series will be back in action at Nashville Superspeedway with the Ally 400 on Sunday, June 26, at 5 p.m. ET. Live coverage can be found on NBC, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90. 

TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE NOTES AND QUOTES:

DANIEL SUAREZ, NO. 99 ONX HOMES / RENU CAMARO ZL1 – Finished 1st

THIS HAS ALREADY BEEN QUITE THE CELEBRATION. DANIEL SUAREZ, SINCE YOU WON YOUR XFINITY SERIES CHAMPIONSHIP, IT HAS BEEN A LONG ROAD HERE IN THE CUP SERIES, DIFFERENT TEAMS, A LOT OF HEARTBREAK. HOW DO YOU PUT INTO WORDS THE RACE YOU HAD TODAY?

“It’s crazy day. I have so many thoughts in my head right now. I mean, it’s been a rough road. It’s been a rough journey in the Cup Series. These guys believing in me – Trackhouse Racing, Justin Marks, Ty Norris. Everyone that helped me get to this point. A lot of people in Mexico: Jay Morales, Carlos Slim. My family, they never give up on me. A lot of people did, but they didn’t.

Just very happy we were able to make it work.” 

I MENTIONED DIFFERENT TEAMS. TRACKHOUSE, SEEMED LIKE MAGIC FROM THE MOMENT YOU STARTED TOGETHER. WHAT HAS BEEN DIFFERENT ABOUT THIS TEAM FOR YOU?

“Their energy. They believe in me since day one. They believe in me. All the people, all the resources to make it happen.

We have Daniel’s Amigos over there. (Expletive) yeah.”

TALK TO THOSE DANIEL’S AMIGOS OVER THERE AND ALL THE DANIEL’S AMIGO’S WATCHING ON TV. TELL THEM IN SPANISH WHAT YOU’RE FEELING JUST NOW. 

“(Answer in Spanish.) This is the first one of many.”

ROSS CHASTAIN, NO. 1 WORLDWIDE EXPRESS CAMARO ZL1 – Finished 7th

OF COURSE YOUR TEAMMATE HAS BEEN WAITING HIS TURN SO PATIENTLY. WHAT DOES THIS MOMENT MEAN FOR YOU WATCHING ON AS THE TEAMMATE?

“Yeah, it’s Team Trackhouse all the way. I’m so happy for this group. Man, so good. The people behind the scenes that put in the time and effort to help us drivers. They’re just total team support. To be this new and special of a group, this is not supposed to happen. Another two fast Chevy’s and I couldn’t be prouder of Daniel (Suarez). I know what he is feeling right now and gosh, he’s so good. I’m so proud of him and so happy for him.”

WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 RAPTORTOUGH.COM CAMARO ZL1 – Finished 9th

“Ended up ninth here at Sonoma. Good run for our team. Fought hard all day and got the balance right and the second half of the race was good. Happy with that and going into the off week with some good momentum.”

ERIK JONES, NO. 43 FOCUSFACTOR CAMARO ZL1 – Finished 22nd

“We just missed the mark this weekend with our FOCUSfactor Chevy. We made some adjustments after practice that didn’t really help us in qualifying. We put ourselves in a hole with where we qualified and decided to make additional changes to better our car for the race. Unfortunately, those changes didn’t help much and we fought the handling all day. We’ll go back to the shop and take the time to look over the notes and data to see where we can improve before we go to Road America in a couple of weeks.” 

TYLER REDDICK, NO. 8 LENOVO CAMARO ZL1 – Finished 35th

“Our Lenovo Chevy was strong this weekend at Sonoma Raceway. We started the race fifth and spent most of Stages 1 and 2 in and around the top five. We were running fourth with three laps remaining in Stage 2 when we made a green-flag stop. Unfortunately, we were caught speeding on pit road and had to restart at the tail end of the field to start Stage 3. We got mirrored back in traffic. Everyone was bunching up and another car ended up making contact with us. It destroyed our left-rear and we had to go to the garage for repairs. We made it back out, but finished 14 laps down in 35th. It’s definitely disappointing to get a finish like that after running so strong today.”

TEAM CHEVY – RACE QUICK NOTES

Stage One: 

·       A Chevrolet front row led the field to the green in today’s Toyota / Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway, with Kyle Larson capturing a series-leading fourth pole at the track; joined by Hendrick Motorsports teammate Chase Elliott on the front row. 

·       Varying pit strategies in the closing laps of Stage One, Cliff Daniels kept the No. 5 HendrickCars.comCamaro ZL1 out until the end of the stage. 

·       Defending race winner, Kyle Larson, led all 25 laps of Stage One, giving Larson his second stage win of 2022. 

·       Team Chevy Top-10 of Stage One: Kyle Larson (Stage Winner), Justin Haley (4th), Josh Bilicki (7th) and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (9th).

Stage Two: 

·       Chase Elliott, who pitted prior to the conclusion of the Stage One, capitalized on track position, leading the field to the green from the pole position. 

·       Leading 26 laps of the 30-lap Stage Two, Alan Gustafson brought the No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Camaro ZL1 down pit road in the closing laps of the stage, with a long stop causing Elliott to lose track position. Issued a penalty for pitting outside the box, Elliott was forced to restart at the rear of the field to start the Final Stage. 

·       Team Chevy Top-10 of Stage Two: Daniel Suarez (4th) and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (9th).

Post-Race Fast Facts: 

·       Suarez’s triumph is also the eighth of the season for the Camaro ZL1 and the 13th victory for Chevrolet at Sonoma Raceway, both of which are manufacturer-leading feats. 

·       The win is Suarez’s first-career victory in 195 starts in the NASCAR Cup Series. 

·       It also marks the third NASCAR Cup Series triumph for Trackhouse Racing in 2022. 

·       With his victory, Suarez secures a spot into the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series Playoff Field. 

·       The winningest brand in NASCAR, Chevrolet now has 822 all-time NASCAR Cup Series victories.

June 12, 2022

Harrison Burton and the No. 21 DEX Imaging team entered Sunday’s Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway with the goal of earning Stage points and scoring a good finish, as they did earlier this year at Circuit of the Americas.

They wound up with a mixed bag as they scored Stage points in both Stages but took the checkered flag in 28^th place.

Burton, who started the race from 26^th place, ran inside the top 25 for much of the first Stage, then stayed on the track when others pitted near the end of that 25-lap segment. He moved up to sixth place and finished the Stage there, earning five points.

After making his pit stop, he rejoined the race in 33^rd place. The DEX Imaging team employed the same strategy in Stage Two, ending that segment in seventh place and collecting four more points.
 
Burton lined up 24^th for the start of final segment of the race and made his final pit stop early, with 36 laps remaining.
 
When the caution flag flew with 27 laps remaining, and other drivers made their pit stops, Burton moved up to 15^th place for the ensuing restart.
 
He ran inside the top 25 for much of the remainder of the race, which saw just two yellow flags for incidents on the track, one of them coming in the final segment. In the closing laps, Burton lost several spots to drivers who made later stops for fresh rubber and wound up 28^th, which gave him a total of 18 points earned for the day.
 
Next up for Burton and the No. 21 team is the Ally 400 at Nashville Superspeedway on June 26.

NASCAR CUP SERIES

SONOMA RACEWAY

TOYOTA / SAVE MART 350

TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE NOTES & QUOTES

JUNE 12, 2022

TOP TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL RACE RESULTS:

POS.   DRIVER

1st      DANIEL SUAREZ, NO. 99 ONX HOMES / RENU CAMARO ZL1

7th      ROSS CHASTAIN, NO. 1 WORLDWIDE EXPRESS CAMARO ZL1

8th      CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CAMARO ZL1

9th      WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 RAPTORTOUGH.COM CAMARO ZL1

11th    AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 TRUE VELOCITY CAMARO ZL1

12th    JUSTIN HALEY, NO. 31 LEAFFILTER GUTTER PROTECTION CAMARO ZL1

15th    KYLE LARSON, NO. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM CAMARO ZL1

16th    ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 48 ALLY/BETTER TOGETHER CAMARO ZL1

19th    AJ ALLMENDINGER, NO. 16 GOLD FISH CASINO SLOTS CAMARO ZL1

22nd   ERIK JONES, NO. 43 FOCUSFACTOR CAMARO ZL1

23rd   TY DILLON, NO. 42 ALLEGIANT CAMARO ZL1

25th    RICKY STENHOUSE JR., NO. 47 KROGER / COTTONELLE CAMARO ZL1

TOP FIVE UNOFFICIAL RACE RESULTS: 

POS.  DRIVER

1.        Daniel Suarez (Chevrolet)

2.        Chris Buescher (Ford)

3.        Michael McDowell (Ford)

4.        Kevin Harvick (Ford)

5.        Austin Cindric (Ford)

Heading into the off week for the series, the NASCAR Cup Series will be back in action at Nashville Superspeedway with the Ally 400 on Sunday, June 26, at 5 p.m. ET. Live coverage can be found on NBC, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90. 

TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE NOTES AND QUOTES:

DANIEL SUAREZ, NO. 99 ONX HOMES / RENU CAMARO ZL1 – Finished 1st

THIS HAS ALREADY BEEN QUITE THE CELEBRATION. DANIEL SUAREZ, SINCE YOU WON YOUR XFINITY SERIES CHAMPIONSHIP, IT HAS BEEN A LONG ROAD HERE IN THE CUP SERIES, DIFFERENT TEAMS, A LOT OF HEARTBREAK. HOW DO YOU PUT INTO WORDS THE RACE YOU HAD TODAY?

“It’s crazy day. I have so many thoughts in my head right now. I mean, it’s been a rough road. It’s been a rough journey in the Cup Series. These guys believing in me – Trackhouse Racing, Justin Marks, Ty Norris. Everyone that helped me get to this point. A lot of people in Mexico: Jay Morales, Carlos Slim. My family, they never give up on me. A lot of people did, but they didn’t.

Just very happy we were able to make it work.” 

I MENTIONED DIFFERENT TEAMS. TRACKHOUSE, SEEMED LIKE MAGIC FROM THE MOMENT YOU STARTED TOGETHER. WHAT HAS BEEN DIFFERENT ABOUT THIS TEAM FOR YOU?

“Their energy. They believe in me since day one. They believe in me. All the people, all the resources to make it happen.

We have Daniel’s Amigos over there. (Expletive) yeah.”

TALK TO THOSE DANIEL’S AMIGOS OVER THERE AND ALL THE DANIEL’S AMIGO’S WATCHING ON TV. TELL THEM IN SPANISH WHAT YOU’RE FEELING JUST NOW. 

“(Answer in Spanish.) This is the first one of many.”

WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 RAPTORTOUGH.COM CAMARO ZL1 – Finished 9th

“Ended up ninth here at Sonoma. Good run for our team. Fought hard all day and got the balance right and the second half of the race was good. Happy with that and going into the off week with some good momentum.”

TYLER REDDICK, NO. 8 LENOVO CAMARO ZL1 – Finished 35th

“Our Lenovo Chevy was strong this weekend at Sonoma Raceway. We started the race fifth and spent most of Stages 1 and 2 in and around the top five. We were running fourth with three laps remaining in Stage 2 when we made a green-flag stop. Unfortunately, we were caught speeding on pit road and had to restart at the tail end of the field to start Stage 3. We got mirrored back in traffic. Everyone was bunching up and another car ended up making contact with us. It destroyed our left-rear and we had to go to the garage for repairs. We made it back out, but finished 14 laps down in 35th. It’s definitely disappointing to get a finish like that after running so strong today.”

TEAM CHEVY – RACE QUICK NOTES

Stage One: 

·       A Chevrolet front row led the field to the green in today’s Toyota / Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway, with Kyle Larson capturing a series-leading fourth pole at the track; joined by Hendrick Motorsports teammate Chase Elliott on the front row.  

·       Varying pit strategies in the closing laps of Stage One, Cliff Daniels kept the No. 5 HendrickCars.comCamaro ZL1 out until the end of the stage. 

·       Defending race winner, Kyle Larson, led all 25 laps of Stage One, giving Larson his second stage win of 2022. 

·       Team Chevy Top-10 of Stage One: Kyle Larson (Stage Winner), Justin Haley (4th), Josh Bilicki (7th) and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (9th).

Stage Two: 

·       Chase Elliott, who pitted prior to the conclusion of the Stage One, capitalized on track position, leading the field to the green from the pole position. 

·       Leading 26 laps of the 30-lap Stage Two, Alan Gustafson brought the No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Camaro ZL1 down pit road in the closing laps of the stage, with a long stop causing Elliott to lose track position. Issued a penalty for pitting outside the box, Elliott was forced to restart at the rear of the field to start the Final Stage. 

·       Team Chevy Top-10 of Stage Two: Daniel Suarez (4th) and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (9th).

Post-Race Fast Facts: 

·       Suarez’s triumph is also the eighth of the season for the Camaro ZL1 and the 13th victory for Chevrolet at Sonoma Raceway, both of which are manufacturer-leading feats. 

·       The win is Suarez’s first-career victory in 195 starts in the NASCAR Cup Series. 

·       It also marks the third NASCAR Cup Series triumph for Trackhouse Racing in 2022. 

·       With his victory, Suarez secures a spot into the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series Playoff Field. 

·       The winningest brand in NASCAR, Chevrolet now has 822 all-time NASCAR Cup Series victories.

NASCAR CUP SERIES

SONOMA RACEWAY

TOYOTA / SAVE MART 350

TEAM CHEVY RACE WINNER QUOTE & NOTES

JUNE 12, 2022

DANIEL SUAREZ TAKES FIRST-CAREER NASCAR CUP SERIES WIN AT SONOMA 

Team Chevy Scores Eighth NCS Victory of 2022

Behind the wheel of his No. 99 Onx Homes/Renu Camaro ZL1, Daniel Suarez scored his first-career NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) win at Sonoma Raceway. 

·       The win is Suarez’s first-career victory in 195 starts in the NASCAR Cup Series. 

·       It also marks the third NASCAR Cup Series triumph for Trackhouse Racing in 2022. 

·       With his victory, Suarez secures a spot into the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series Playoff Field. 

·       Suarez’s triumph is also the eighth of the season for the Camaro ZL1 and the 13th victory for Team Chevy at Sonoma Raceway, both of which are manufacturer-leading feats. 

·       The winningest brand in NASCAR, Chevrolet now has 822 all-time NASCAR Cup Series victories.

DANIEL SUAREZ, NO. 99 ONX HOMES/RENU CAMARO ZL1, Race Winner Quick Quote: 

Q. This has already been quite the celebration. Daniel Suarez, since you won your Xfinity Series championship, it has been a long road here in the Cup Series, different teams, a lot of heartbreak. How do you put into words the race you had today?

DANIEL SUAREZ: It’s a crazy day. I have so many thoughts in my head right now. I mean, it’s been a rough road. It’s been a rough journey in the Cup Series.

These guys believe in me – Trackhouse Racing, Justin Marks, Ty Norris. Everyone that helped me to get to this point. Alot of people in Mexico: Jay Morales, Carlos Slim. My family, they never give up on me. A lot of people did, but they didn’t (tearing up).

Just very happy we were able to make it work.

Q. I mentioned different teams. Trackhouse, seemed like magic from the moment you started together. What has been different about this team for you?

DANIEL SUAREZ: Their energy. They believed in me since day one. They believe in me. All the people, all the resources to make it happen.

We have Daniel’s Amigos over there. (Expletive) yeah.

Q. Talk to those Daniel’s Amigos over there and all the Daniel’s Amigos watching on TV. Tell them in Spanish what you’re feeling just now.

DANIEL SUAREZ: (Answer in Spanish.) This is the first one of many.

CHEVROLET RACING IN NTT INDYCAR SERIES

SONSIO GRAND PRIX AT ROAD AMERICA

ROAD AMERICA

ELKHART LAKE, WISCONSIN

TEAM CHEVY POST RACE REPORT

JUNE 12, 2022

JOSEF NEWGARDEN TAKES CHEVROLET TO VICTORY LANE AT ROAD AMERICA

WINS $1 MILLION PEOPLEREADY FORCE FOR GOOD CHARITY WITH ONE WIN ON EACH STREET COURSE, OVAL AND NATURAL ROAD COURSE

ELKHART LAKE, WISC (JUNE 12, 2022) – Josef Newgarden put Chevrolet in Victory Lane for the Sonsio Grand Prix at Road America presented by AMR at Road America. It is the two-time NTT INDYCAR Series Champion’s third win of season.

By capturing his victories on one of each different kind of track – street course (Long Beach), oval (Texas Motor Speedway) and today on Road America, a 4.048-mile, 14-turn natural road course – the $1 million PeopleReady Force for Good for charity and his team today. 

The $1 million will be split between Newgarden and Team Penske, and the two charities of Newgarden’s choice – Wags and Walks of Nashville and SeriousFun Children’s Network.

This is his 22nd career INDYCAR victory and his second at Road America – all behind the wheel of a Chevrolet powered INDY car.

Newgarden started on the outside of the front row. He led a total 28 of the 55-lap race taking the lead for the first time on a pitstop exchange on lap 25. He never relinquished the point for the remainder of the race except during pitstop cycles and differing race strategies.

Felix Rosenqvist, No. 7 VUSE Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet finished sixth, and Scott McLaughlin finished seventh to give Team Chevy three of the top-seven. Chevrolet leads the Manufacturer Standings by 60 points. 677-617.

Will Power, No. 12 Verizon 5G Team Penske Chevrolet, came into the weekend leading the points, but contact from another car on lap seven in turn five sent him to pit lane for repairs. He rallied to finish 19th, one lap down and sits second in the standings only 27 points down to the leader.

Marcus Ericsson and Alexander Rossi completed the podium.

Race nine of the 17-race NTT INDYCAR Series season will be Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course July 1 – 3, 2022.

CHEVROLET DRIVER QUOTES

JOSEF NEWGARDEN, NO. 2 PPG TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET – Finished 1st

WERE YOU THINKING ABOUT THOSE RACES THAT DIDN’T WORK OUT ON LATE RESTARTS? HOW DETERMINED WERE YOU TO NOT LET THAT HAPPEN AGAIN TODAY?

“I was just trying to stay focused on what I had to do. Just an unbelievable job by everyone at Team Penske. Great to have PPG on board with us. We’ve had a lot of success with this car and Team Chevy. Team Chevy’s bringing it with this engine. Just so proud to be here and People’s Choice. I keep forgetting about this million bucks.”

YOU’VE GOT A MILLION DOLLAR CHECK COMING HERE IN A SECOND!

“I just kept forgetting about it. To finally get it done and to most importantly give that money to charity. Half that money is going to charity with SeriousFun Children’s Network and Wags and Walks Nashville. I hope they are happy about that. That’s a lot of money coming their way.”

HOW TOUGH OF AN ACCOMPLISHMENT IS THAT TO GET IT DONE ON AN OVAL, A STREET COURSE AND A ROAD COURSE ALL IN ONE SEASON, MUCH LESS THE FIRST HALF OF THE SEASON?

“That’s what makes Indy Car so tough. It’s impossible to predict what’s going to happen. I thought we had it all locked up in Detroit. It was going to be easy from the front row and it was anything but easy. It went completely different than we predicted. That’s just what makes this series so difficult, and it makes it fun to be in. You’ve got to be on your toes at all times. You can go in with a plan, but you’re probably going to have to change your plan 90 percent of the time once the race starts to unfold. To be able to hit all these disciplines with this team is just, for me, it’s the best series in the world. I just love driving Indy Car.”

FELIX ROSENQVIST, NO. 7 VUSE ARROW MCLAREN SP CHEVROLET – Finished 6th

“Pretty interesting race. We were a bit weak on the start and on the restarts, especially on the reds. We just couldn’t really make anything happen. We pitted early and then it kind of became a fuel race. We needed to save a lot on every stint after pitting so early. We ended up getting pretty good track position and our pace was better than expected while making our fuel number. We were able to lead the race but didn’t really have anything for the lead drivers at the end. We did the best we could. The No. 7 team did a great job on pit stops and we have moved higher in the championship.”

SCOTT MCLAUGHLIN, NO.3 SONSIO TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET – Finished 7th

“Overall, pretty good day for the Sonsio Chevy. We started eighth and finished seventh. Nearly got sixth on the line. We’ve been chasing set up all weekend, but solid points day for us in seventh. We will just keep building from there. Onto Mid-Ohio. We have a couple of weeks off, we’ll be ok.”

CALLUM ILOTT, NO. 77 JUNCOS HOLLIGER RACING CHEVROLET – Finished 11th

“It was a pretty good race finishing P11. It was a crazy race, we just kept it clean and kept it cool. A couple of things slowed us down in the beginning and then we got our momentum. To be fair, the pace was good. I probably could have pushed it a bit more in some areas. Honestly, P11 is a good result for us and good points especially since I have been out of the car. We did a good job putting everything back together after qualifying. Thanks to all the guys at Juncos Hollinger and Team Chevy.”

CONOR DALY, NO. 20 BITNILE ED CARPENTER RACING CHEVROLET – Finished 14th

“We had great pace today, especially on the reds. Both Meyer Shank Racing cars drove us off the road today at two different times, it’s a real shame to see experienced veterans drive like that. Simon (Pagenaud) knocking us off blatantly on the last restart was really tough because we were in 12th and that was my goal. We had a good day, great pace, but sometimes these things happen in racing.”

RINUS VEEKAY, NO. 21 DIRECT SUPPLY ED CARPENTER RACING CHEVROLET – Finished 17th

“P17 was everything we had, really. It was very tough. I struggled with the balance of the car all day. For me, it was a race to keep the car on track and that’s not a great race! It was a great call all the end to go to red tires, I passed many guys. I am looking forward to a few weeks off and coming back with great car for Mid-Ohio.”

WILL POWER, NO. 12 VERIZON 5G TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET – Finished 19th

STILL SECOND IN THE CHAMPIONSHIPSHIP, BUT WHAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN. YOU ALREADY HAD A LONG WAY TO GO FROM THERE, BUT WE HEARD YOU AFTER THE CONTACT WITH DEVLIN DEFRANCESCO IT WAS “WAIT UNTIL I SEE HIM.” HAVE YOU SEEN HIM AND YOU’VE HAD A LITTLE BIT OF TIME SINCE THEN, HOW ARE YOU FEELING ABOUT THIS?

“Yeah, no I haven’t seen him. I mean, we had a fast car it’s just I kind of wondered if we changed tires when we were doing the wing. We didn’t want to go down a lap obviously. That made our day a lot harder. Yeah, nothing I could do about that one. That is Indy Car. Not the best day, you have them. Just move on to the next one.”

THIS DOES SEEM TO ALIGN WITH THE NEW MENTALITY THAT YOU’VE HAD OVER THE LAST YEAR OR SO. YOU’RE TAKING THIS BETTER THAN A LOT OF PEOPLE WOULD AT THIS POINT.

“Man, you can’t really do much about it. He is a young guy and he’s made some big moves this year that resulted in some incidents. It was good on the team for at least, I got ran off on the last lap there so maybe we could have finished a little bit higher. We had plenty of push to pass, couldn’t do much about it. We’ll see if we can get the Verizon 5G Chevy to victory lane again this year. Anytime we get a victory in this series it’s so big, because it’s so hard. There’s a different winner every week. Except for Newgarden, obviously congrats to him. He won the charity prize and yeah, he’s won three races. He’s on a good run.” 

KYLE KIRKWOOD, NO. 14 ROKIT AJ FOYT RACING CHEVROLET – Finished 20th

“Finished up here in Road America. Weekend is over. We didn’t have the exact race like we would have liked to have. For some reason, we lost pace from final practice yesterday to the race. We started 24th and finished 20th, so we gained a few positions. Finished with the car, came back with no battle wounds. So, that’s positive. We are going to look forward to Mid-Ohio.”

SIMONA DE SILVESTRO, NO. 16 PARETTA AUTOSPORT CHEVROLET – Finished 21st

“I think it was really important to finish this race. We had so much going on with me getting back in the car, getting to know the team again and working with my engineer. But we finished and I think we can be pretty happy because things started to come together at the end. It’s something to build on.”

DALTON KELLETT, NO. 4 K-LINE AJ FOYT RACING CHEVROLET – Finished 23rd

“Not the weekend we wanted here at Road America. I don’t think we had the pace overall in the race to make a lot of headway. We kept our nose clean and was able to make up a couple of spots. Coming to the final restart, on my end I don’t think I had a great restart for those last couple of laps. Gave up a couple spots there. That’s how it goes sometimes. Lesson learned. Aggression and timing, I don’t think I really timed the run coming through 14. That cost me those couple spots. Overall, we are still kind of struggling on pace on blacks. Reds felt better. We’ve got a little work to do and have some time to think about it before the next Indy road course race.”

TATIANA CALDERON, NO. 11 ROKIT AJ FOYT RACING CHEVROLET – Finished 25th

“We just finished Road America and unfortunately it was not our day in many ways. We had some penalties, some fuel miscommunication and we had to restart the engine a couple of times on pit lane. So yeah, tough day for everyone. I just want to thank the whole AJ Foyt racing team. It’s been a couple of busy weeks, so hopefully we can regroup and go back Mid-Ohio. I’m looking forward to it.”

PATO O’WARD, NO. 5 ARROW MCLAREN SP CHEVROLET – Finished 26th

“We had a failure, which will put an end to anyone’s race. We weren’t having the smoothest of days anyway. We made some mistakes in the pits that cost us positions and we didn’t really have much pace to attack. Just not our day today.”

Josef Newgarden

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: Congratulations, Josef Newgarden. The second win here at Road America. Third win of the season, 23rd of your career. Now ties the great Tommy Milton for 19th on the all-time list. Most importantly today the People Ready Force For Good Challenge, $1 million. Half goes to your favorite charity. A spectacular day.

Tell us about it a little bit.

JOSEF NEWGARDEN: It was a great day. Great, great day. Felt really good going into it. Felt like we had a car to win today. It was just about executing.

My team really put me in position on that first stop. Rossi was not going to be easy to beat today. I felt like he was very strong. I felt like we were a little bit better than him, but he was by no means going to be simple to go by.

That first stop is really what set the tone for us. Once we got in position, it was about getting through the lap markers, the alternate strategy quicker than him, building a gap, maintaining it. I felt like our PPG car was hooked up and had it from Team Chevy on the power side pretty much as always this year.

Really comfy. To be able to win this million bucks, give half of it to charity, is very cool. Very, very cool. I’m sure our recipients are going to be thrilled with that.

THE MODERATOR: On the Zoom joining us are your friends that are going to be the recipients.

JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Fantastic.

THE MODERATOR: Kathryn Hurley is the founder of the Nashville chapter of Wags & Walks.

Kathryn, say hello.

KATHRYN HURLEY: Hi.

JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Kathryn.

KATHRYN HURLEY: Hi. We are absolutely thrilled. Congratulations, Josef. I mean, you know what we’re going to do this year with all the dogs here in Nashville. That was bigger than me winning the Super Bowl for the Detroit Lions. We are absolutely so, so thrilled.

It’s going to impact literally thousands of dogs here in Nashville and allow us to build an amazing adoption center. Congratulations to you, Ashley and your little one at home.

JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Thank you.

For people don’t know, our dog Axel was adopted through Wags & Walks. Kathryn really started the charge in Nashville. Wags & Walks started in L.A. Kathryn started the Nashville chapter for it. They’ve been doing an amazing job. They work with a lot of great people in Nashville. They save all sorts of dogs. All sorts. You should hear some of these heartbreaking stories that these guys through to find these dogs homes. We need more of that.

We’re very happy to be able to get some money to this group because they’ve done a lot for us and for a lot of people in Nashville. Very thrilled.

Thank you, Kathryn, for all your work.

KATHRYN HURLEY: Thank you so much. Congratulations again.

THE MODERATOR: Thank you for joining us. By the way, the $10,000 for each and every race continues through the rest of the season. You may not be done.

JOSEF NEWGARDEN: We’ll work on it more.

KATHRYN HURLEY: The good news continues.

THE MODERATOR: Blake Maher is the CEO from the (indiscernible).

BLAKE MAHER: Congratulations, Josef, on a big win for you and your whole team. Couldn’t be more grateful for the win today and all you do for SeriousFun, a true champion for us.

(Loss of audio.)

JOSEF NEWGARDEN: We want to help these groups as much as we can. To have something like this challenge I think fires you up more competitively, that you want to get it done for them. You know it’s just a bonus and a plus for these two groups.

Yeah, not quite as emotional. I just know how impactful it is, so I get really competitive and want to make it happen.

THE MODERATOR: Tremendous day. So congratulations many times over.

Questions.

Q. What type of dog is Axel?

JOSEF NEWGARDEN: He’s a mutt. He has a lot of different breeds. He’s a smart little fellow. Cute, adorable. 30 pounds. He’s a lot of things. He’s got Shepard in him. All sorts of stuff. I couldn’t even tell you.

Q. You said on the TV interview you had forgotten about the $1 million prize. How can you forget about something like that?

JOSEF NEWGARDEN: I do forget about it at points. Like, I didn’t think about it coming into this weekend. I totally forgot that that was a thing. There’s a point you get reminded about it. You’re like, Oh, yeah, that’s right.

But for me, it’s not something you really dwell on because it doesn’t matter ultimately at the end of the day. I’m not going to try to win this race because this is on the line. You never approach any race that way.

I want to win the race because I want to win the race. It’s a great little bonus. It’s not a little bonus, that’s a big bonus. It’s just one of those things that kind of comes with it.

It’s not motivating for me that I have to do something extra because of this. I’m putting my best effort forward every weekend. I know if we can just focus on our job, get the job done, at times I get reminded, This is also going to come with it. That’s very, very cool obviously.

THE MODERATOR: Blake, do you have anything else to say? We lost you there.

BLAKE MAHER: Josef, I just wanted to make sure you heard our congratulations. We’re so excited for you and the team. Thank you for being a champion for SeriousFun, whether you’re at camp, welcoming kids to the racetrack, your ping-pong tournament. This, of course, is such a huge feather in your cap. We’re so proud to work with you and thankful for all you do for all the kids at the camps around the world.

JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Thank you, Blake. We’re so fortunate to have people like you and SeriousFun Children’s Network. Keep up the great work as always.

BLAKE MAHER: Hope to see you soon. Take care.

THE MODERATOR: Blake, thanks. You’ve been a great friend for INDYCAR in the past and for years to come.

More questions.

Q. It seemed like the first pit stop was the key to the race. You were able to beat Rossi out. From that point on it seemed like every time…

JOSEF NEWGARDEN: It was going to be that point or another point. Truthfully I was hoping for an all green start, no cautions, because I felt that’s where we could find the exposure in Rossi’s game.

I was kind of biding my time but felt like I had the straight speed advantage with him. I felt like my Chevy was much quicker than him on the straights. I was going to wait for an opportunity.

All the yellows really took away that potential. We were running most of the laps under caution, so the reds weren’t going to drop off as much. We needed to make the difference somewhere else. We came in right on his tail. I made sure, Look, I’m going to give my team ample opportunity, get as close as I can to Rossi on the pits.

If it wasn’t going to happen on the pit stop, it was going to be an out lap or a back end of a stint (indiscernible). The pit stop is what ended up being the pivotal point for us. If that wasn’t the point, I think we could have made that point somewhere else today.

Q. Pit selection seemed to work in your favor. I believe you were the last pit out.

JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Yeah, yeah. We were first out, if you will, first box, which always helps. You got a clear out. You don’t have to worry about typically a lot of the mess going on in the middle or wherever you’re located at.

It does pay to start up front.

(Loss of audio.)

Q. Obviously the difference on a late restart this year versus last year was considerable. Can you forget that stuff?

JOSEF NEWGARDEN: I don’t really think about it. If you want to talk about last year, it’s not anything anyone did wrong. It’s a part that failed that I think was a $50 part. No one has ever seen it fail. It’s not like it was a prep issue.

I couldn’t have affected anything. I or the team couldn’t have affected anything to make it different. Had no thought about it. I was just focused on today.

The thing I focus on is we’re in position. You don’t have many opportunities to be in position to close. I just want to close. That’s where my head was at today, yep.

Q. With the two late restarts there at the very end, were you surprised on both cases how much you were able to gap Rossi going up the hill with the green flag there?

JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Not after watching him. I kind of knew where the strength and weakness was. I felt like we had a good advantage on him in certain areas. We tried to exploit that as best as possible.

It was two really good starts, great attack mode from Team Chevy. All of that contributes to being able to push the gap. I was hopeful we could do that, but I can’t say I was surprised. I felt like we had that potential. I knew if we just do our job, we can do that, and was happy to see it kind of come to fruition.

Q. You get a good cut of it the bonus. After buying some baby stuff for the newborn, what is the first dumb thing you’re going to buy with the money?

JOSEF NEWGARDEN: I don’t know. I don’t know. Probably a bunch of McDonald’s. Probably over a hundred dollars worth of McDonald’s at least. That’s probably stop one. After that, I don’t know. We’ll have to see.

Q. Will had a line in the interview that it’s hard to get wins except for Josef, he’s got multiple. How hard is it to win now compared to earlier in your career? What do they mean now?

JOSEF NEWGARDEN: It’s extremely difficult. It’s hard to win a pole. Hard to win a race. The landscape is not constant these days. I think 10 years ago you used to have sort of consistent trends. When a team would find a performance edge, they would typically carry that edge across the entire year.

Whereas now I think people find these little edges on each other like every weekend. It’s going up and down all the time.

You see a McLaren strong at one track, Andretti strong at another, Ganassi pops up, ECR pops up, we’re in the mix. Then a Shank pops up. It’s never ending.

We say every year it’s the closest competition we ever had. Somehow it keeps getting tighter. It must be just the development of this car has really hit a fine point. You’re just constantly tuning little things now, millimeters of changes.

The driving style is getting tighter, with simulators, all this stuff you can analyze. It’s impossible to hide something from the competition.

Yeah, it is very difficult to win these races consistently. To be able to put multiple on the board, it’s a job well done to everybody in the 2 group.

Q. Three wins is like what drivers are looking for, if you want to win the championship, you have to win three races. Do you feel like you’ve got the momentum in the championship or is that still with Marcus after the 500 win?

JOSEF NEWGARDEN: It’s been a little bit too up and down for us. Kind of feast or famine. I think we genuinely had the potential for four or five wins up to this point. So we’ve done three of the potential five, let’s say. The other ones that we weren’t winning, we were finishing too far back.

We’ve got to up our consistency. It’s a little abnormal for us. I feel like we’re a fairly consistent group. So I’m not going to lose sleep on why that was happening. Sometimes you get in these little micro trends where we didn’t have the consistency we needed.

Number one, we need to clean that up. We need to win a couple more races before the year is out because of the way the first part of the season went. We definitely have wins on the board. But definitely more than wins, consistency is going to rule the day this year, for sure.

Q. (No microphone.)

JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Yeah, I mean, I felt good coming into the season. I felt good about last year. I remember we were getting hounded, up to this point last year we were getting hounded on why we hadn’t won a race.

For me it was funny because I’m like, You guys must not be inside our internal network and seeing. We’re just totally fine, totally fine. There’s not a problem with the team. We’re where we need to be. Just wasn’t clicking off for some reason.

I felt that way going into this season and I feel that way now. I think we’re in a good spot. We have to clean up the consistency. For one reason or another that didn’t happen up to this point. I know if we keep doing our normal thing, that will come.

We just need to keep on a good track here till the finish. Feel very positive about our group. I mean, we don’t have anything negative going on. Honestly, there’s nothing that I could be complaining about. We got a really strong team, everything is in a good place, great partnerships with Tammy Chevy and everyone else. Yeah, feel good about it.

Q. (Question about the late caution.)

JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Yeah, I mean, I think I cooked my stuff a little bit too much on that second stint. I was aggressive with traffic. That’s where I think I got the gap, was I was more aggressive than he was cutting through either a lap marker or an alternate strategy. So that ripped a really nice gap for us.

After that it was more just trying to manage it. I kept watching my gap to him. I was trying to study where he was strong and where I was weak. I just kind of focused on tire management after that point.

I could tell he was very good in the beginning through 75% of the stint. I think we had the edge in the last 25%. Look, we have a good gap here, got more overtake, let’s just try to manage tires. That was my game plan as I got to middle to finish. I think that worked well for us.

I was surprised. We didn’t get to see what was going to happen in the first stint because of all the yellows. That’s where I thought I was going to find the exposure for him. I was a little bit worried, we missed that opportunity, but let’s see what happens on the primaries. It worked out. I think we had a fast car all around.

Q. Can you explain how restarts work here.

JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Yeah, typically in INDYCAR now the rule is there’s a restart zone that’s designated. Typically it’s around the final corner, sometimes sort of encompassing the entire final corner, sometimes it’s a bit more.

In our case, it’s kind of 13 to 14, that lead-up into 14 is the restart zone. So the procedure for us is the pace car lets us get temperature, does a pretty quick lap, then slows us down. By the time we get to the carrousel, packs us up. As we get to turn 12, he tries to get away. We let him get away to where we can start 13 to 14. That’s our process.

Q. (No microphone.)

JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Rossi was as tight as he could be to me when I got on the gas. He definitely wasn’t getting jacked up, to use your words. It’s just the point. INDYCAR sort of designates the restart area or zone that you can start in. We know that. That’s what I did today.

Q. From our point of view once you got the lead, it seemed like you were pretty comfortable. Was it that comfortable to you? Anything you think you could have done better?

JOSEF NEWGARDEN: I would say it was only fairly comfortable today. I didn’t feel like we were lights out better than anybody. But I felt like we were just as good. I felt we were kind of toe-to-toe with Rossi today. It was just about managing the tires the best.

I think raw pace on the primaries, we were probably similar. It was a matter of when you wanted to push them.

Yeah, what can we learn? There’s always a lot of little stuff. We’re going to go back and analyze the sectors, look at straights versus corners, mechanical changes that we made. We’re going to analyze all of it and see where we can optimize for next year.

At this point the broad strokes are very good for this track, these conditions. Now that I’m also saying that, we’re going to come back next year and it’s going to be a completely new challenge, they’re going to resurface this place. We are still going to analyze and learn what we can from this season, but pretty open book next year.

Q. This track could be quite a bit different. Do you think that’s a good thing? Do you think it needs it or rather it stay like it is?

JOSEF NEWGARDEN: I’m indifferent. If it’s up to me…

Indianapolis 500 winner Marcus Ericsson returns to the NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship lead with second-place finish at Road America
Alexander Rossi scores second successive podium with third-place finish
Honda drivers claim four of the top-five finishing positions with Romain Grosjean and Colton Herta

ELKHART LAKE, Wis. (June 12, 2022) – Last month’s Indianapolis 500 winner Marcus Ericsson led the way for Honda today in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES Sonsio Grand Prix of Road America, with a second-place finish vaulting him back into the championship points lead after eight of 17 races.

Starting fourth, Ericsson ran in the lead group throughout the first two stints of the 55-lap, 220-mile race. When a late-race caution flag led to a restart with just three laps remaining, second-running Alexander Rossi made a lunge for the lead, but had to abort the attempt and Ericsson used the opportunity to grab second, finishing three seconds behind winner Josef Newgarden. With today’s result, Ericsson has a 27-point lead in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES Drivers’ Championship over Will Power, who finished 19th.

Rossi, the pole qualifier on Saturday, recovered to finish third, with his Honda-powered Andretti Autosport teammates Romain Grosjean and Colton Herta finishing fourth and fifth, respectively.

Also of note, Graham Rahal rebounded from a disappointing 22nd in qualifying to finish eighth today, with his Rahal Letterman Lanigan teammate Christian Lundegaard leading the rookie contingent with an 11th-place finish.

Sonsio Grand Prix at Road America Honda Results
2nd Marcus Ericsson Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
3rd Alexander Rossi Andretti Autosport Honda
4th Romain Grosjean Andretti Autosport Honda
5th Colton Herta Andretti Autosport Honda
8th Graham Rahal Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda
9th Scott Dixon Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
11th Christian Lundegaard-R Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda
12th Simon Pagenaud Meyer Shank Racing Honda
13th Jack Harvey Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda
15th Takuma Sato Dale Coyne Racing with RWR Honda
16th David Malukas-R Dale Coyne Racing with HMD Honda
18th Devlin DeFrancesco-R Andretti Autosport Honda
22nd Helio Castroneves Meyer Shank Racing Honda
24th Jimmie Johnson Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
27th Alex Palou Chip Ganassi Racing Honda [did not finish – contact]
R – Rookie

Quotes
Marcus Ericsson (#8 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda) finished second, moves into the Drivers’ Championship points lead after 8 of 17 races: “It was a really good race, and we were strong throughout the weekend. Honda, HPD, and everyone on the #8 Chip Ganassi Racing team did an awesome job this weekend, they gave me a really good race car today. Finishing second is great for the championship. I am sorry about the [early race] contact with Alex [Palou]. From my point of view, we were side-by-side and it was a nice racing move. But you never want to have contact with a teammate, and I’m super sorry Alex was damaged there.”

Alexander Rossi (#27 Andretti Autosport Honda) pole qualifier, finished third: “We went for the lead on that last restart, and it kind of cost us [dropping from second to third], but ultimately a good day for us. It took us until the last stint to get the balance right in the car, and then we could make up ground on Josef [Newgarden]. It’s always disappointing when you start on pole, but don’t win the race, but it’s been a good couple of races for us [with podium finishes at both Detroit and Road Amerca]. We’ll take to positives from that and move on to Mid-Ohio.”

Rebecca Johnson (Senior Manager, Director of Production, Honda Performance Development) on today’s Honda podium finishes at Road America: “While we can’t be fully satisfied with missing out on the race win, it was good to seen Marcus [Ericsson] move back to the championship points lead with a strong second-place finish and Andretti Autosport had their best result – across the board – today with [Alexander] Rossi, Romain [Grosjean] and Colton [Herta] all scoring top-five finishes. The Rahal Letterman Lanigan organization today demonstrated they are improving, with Graham [Rahal] coming from 22nd on the grid to finish eighth; and Christian Lundegaard again leading the rookie field with an 11th-place result. After five consecutive weekends at Indianapolis, Detroit and now here in Wisconsin, it will be nice for the HPD race team to get a brief, but well-deserved break, before resuming the season at our “home” circuit, the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, on the Independence Day weekend.”

Fast Fact
Honda Indy car drivers have scored eight victories at Road America, most recently in last year’s NTT INDYCAR SERIES race, won by eventual series champion Alex Palou in his Chip Ganassi Racing Honda.

Next
The NTT INDYCAR SERIES is back racing at the Midwestern “home circuit” for American Honda, the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, for the Honda Indy 200 presented by the all-new 2023 Civic Type R, on July 1-3.

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

CHEVROLET RACING IN NTT INDYCAR SERIES

SONSIO GRAND PRIX AT ROAD AMERICA

ROAD AMERICA

ELKHART LAKE, WISCONSIN

TEAM CHEVY JOSEF NEWGARDEN

WINNER QUICK QUOTE

JUNE 12, 2022

JOSEF NEWGARDEN TAKES CHEVROLET TO VICTORY LANE AT ROAD AMERICA

WINS $1 MILLION PEOPLEREADY FORCE FOR GOOD CHARITY WITH ONE WIN ON EACH STREET COURSE, OVAL AND NATURAL ROAD COURSE

ELKHART LAKE, WISC (JUNE 12, 2022) – Josef Newgarden put Chevrolet in Victory Lane for the Sonsio Grand Prix at Road America presented by AMR at Road America. It is the two-time NTT INDYCAR Series Champion’s third win of season.

By capturing his victories on one of each different kind of track – street course (Long Beach), oval (Texas Motor Speedway and today on Road America, a 4.048-mile, 14-turn natural road course – the $1 million PeopleReady Force for Good for charity and his team today. 

The $1 million will be split between Newgarden and Team Penske, and the two charities of Newgarden’s choice – Wags and Walks of Nashville and SeriousFun Children’s Network.

This is his 22nd career INDYCAR victory and his second at Road America – all behind the wheel of a Chevrolet-powered car.

WINNER’S QUOTE:

WERE YOU THINKING ABOUT THOSE RACES THAT DIDN’T WORK OUT ON LATE RESTARTS? HOW DETERMINED WERE YOU TO NOT LET THAT HAPPEN AGAIN TODAY?

“I was just trying to stay focused on what I had to do. Just an unbelievable job by everyone at Team Penske. Great to have PPG on board with us. We’ve had a lot of success with this car and Team Chevy. Team Chevy’s bringing it with this engine. Just so proud to be here and People’s Choice. I keep forgetting about this million bucks.”

YOU’VE GOT A MILLION DOLLAR CHECK COMING HERE IN A SECOND!

“I just kept forgetting about it. To finally get it done and to most importantly give that money to charity. Half that money is going to charity with SeriousFun Children’s Network and Wags and Walks Nashville. I hope they are happy about that. That’s a lot of money coming their way.”

HOW TOUGH OF AN ACCOMPLISHMENT IS THAT TO GET IT DONE ON AN OVAL, A STREET COURSE AND A ROAD COURSE ALL IN ONE SEASON, MUCH LESS THE FIRST HALF OF THE SEASON?

“That’s what makes Indy Car so tough. It’s impossible to predict what’s going to happen. I thought we had it all locked up in Detroit. It was going to be easy from the front row and it was anything but easy. It went completely different than we predicted. That’s just what makes this series so difficult, and it makes it fun to be in. You’ve got to be on your toes at all times. You can go in with a plan, but you’re probably going to have to change your plan 90 percent of the time once the

Both Corvettes retire early in final GTE Pro race at 24 Hours

LE MANS, France (June 12, 2022) – Corvette Racing’s GTE Pro run at the 24 Hours of Le Mans ended with retirements of both Chevrolet Corvette C8.Rs on Sunday. Alexander Sims in the No. 64 Corvette was fighting to regain the class lead just before the 18-hour mark when a prototype competitor moved into him on the Mulsanne Straight. The contact, with Sims on the far-left with two LMP2 cars going by, pitched the Corvette hard left into the guardrail nose-first. Sims exited the car unassisted and was fine upon his return to the paddock. He, along with FIA World Endurance Championship teammates Tommy Milner and Nick Tandy, took turns leading in the pole-winning Corvette. Sims earlier set the fastest GTE Pro lap of the race. Only moments earlier, Corvette Racing had retired the No. 63 Corvette due to significant mechanical damage –  seen and unseen – at the rear of the car. It was unclear if this was a continuation from an earlier suspension issue in the race’s first six hours. Every effort was made to get the car back into the race, but due to safety concerns for the team’s drivers and fellow competitors, the decision was made to retire. “This isn’t how we wanted our Le Mans race to end,” said Laura Klauser, GM Sports Car Racing Program Manager. “We’re all proud of the dedication of everyone on the Corvette Racing team to give us the absolute best chance for our ninth class victory. At the end of the day, we’re all proud to be part of the One Team effort that is Corvette Racing. We’re glad Alexander is OK and that the C8.R kept him safe. Our focus now is on our two full-season efforts in the WEC and also the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.”

CORVETTE RACING AU MANS: Sans parolesLes deux Corvettes abandonnent dans la course des GTE Pro aux 24 Heures LE MANS, le 12 juin 2022 – La course du Corvette Racing aux 24 Heures du Mans s’est terminée par l’abandon des deux Chevrolet Corvette C8.R dimanche matin. Alexander Sims, au volant de la Corvette n°64, se battait pour reprendre la tête de la catégorie GTE Pro juste avant la 18e heure lorsqu’un concurrent prototype l’a percuté sur la ligne droite des Hunaudières. Le contact, alors que Sims se trouvait à l’extrême gauche et que deux voitures LMP2 le dépassaient, a envoyé la Corvette de front dans les rails. Sims est sorti de la voiture sans assistance et se sentait bien à son retour dans le paddock. Avec ses coéquipiers du Championnat du monde d’Endurance, Tommy Milner et Nick Tandy, il s’est relayé en tête de la Corvette qui a remporté la pole. Sims avait auparavant réalisé le tour le plus rapide de la course en GTE Pro. Quelques instants plus tôt, Corvette Racing avait retiré la Corvette n° 63 en raison d’importants dégâts mécaniques – visibles et invisibles – à l’arrière de la voiture. Il n’était pas clair s’il s’agissait de la suite d’un problème de suspension survenu au cours des six premières heures de la course. Tout a été fait pour que la voiture reprenne la course, mais pour des raisons de sécurité pour les pilotes et les autres concurrents, la décision a été prise de retirer la voiture. “Ce n’est pas comme ça que nous voulions que notre course au Mans se termine,” disait Laura Klauser, GM Sports Car Racing Program Manager. “Nous sommes tous fiers de l’engagement de tous les membres du team Corvette Racing pour nous donner les meilleures chances de remporter notre neuvième victoire de catégorie . En fin de compte, nous sommes tous fiers de faire partie de l’effort de l’équipe unique qu’est Corvette Racing. Nous sommes heureux qu’Alexander aille bien et que la C8.R l’ait bien protégé. Désormais, nous nous concentrons sur nos deux efforts en WEC et aussi dans le championnat IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar”.

Danny Lasoski gets first World of Outlaws win as a crew chief

KNOXVILLE, IA – June 11, 2022 – Fifty-nine times Brian Brown has now triumphed in a 410 Sprint Car at Knoxville Raceway. But this one might be his most special in a long time.

“That’s Knoxville,” Brown said with assertion in Victory Lane. “Chalk that one up on the board for Knoxville.”

Brown’s jubilation in Victory Lane as he emerged from his car victorious in the Brownells Big Guns Bash and the weight of this win can best be illustrated with a few stats: his sixth career World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series Feature win, first in Outlaws action since June 14, 2019 – ending a 90-race drought with The Greatest Show on Dirt.

But one accolade he earned Saturday night that stands out above the rest has to do with one man that helped get him into the winner’s circle – Sprint Car Hall-of-Famer Danny Lasoski.

Lasoski, the 2001 World of Outlaws champion, has 122 victories with the Series in his career, and now has one as a crew chief to match.

“My whole career, I’ve been a really, really big fan of Brian Brown’s,” Lasoski said. “I helped him get his start with my dad, and there’s nothing that makes me more proud to be a part of this team with Casey’s, FVP and all these partners here that make this happen.”

“Danny has been great since he’s come on board,” Brown, of Higginsville, MO, said. “But, me and Danny are just a small piece of this whole puzzle.”

Together, they figured out the right combination to beat one of the most stacked fields of 410 Sprint Cars assembled anywhere in the country so far this year. Forty-seven cars came back to the Marion County Fairgrounds Saturday night, and Brown topped them all, much to the pleasure of his fans and dismay of his doubters.

“Everybody always says, ‘Oh Brian can’t beat the Outlaws,’ or he can’t do this, or he can’t do that,” Brown said in Victory Lane. “But we just beat the Outlaws tonight and that’s very special to our team.”

To pull off the win, Brown had to knock-off one of the Outlaws’ very best – the three-time and defending Series champion Brad Sweet. He and his NAPA Auto Parts #49 led the opening 14 circuits around the historic half-mile before Brown got a big run on him, using the high side of Turns 3-4. They crossed the stripe and bolted into Turn 1, where Brown decided to pull the trigger.

“You kinda build a sixth sense about where guys are,” Sweet said when asked if he was surprised by Brown’s close presence. “I knew I wasn’t getting off the corners like I needed to, so you just knew he was going to have a run.”

A big slide job through the wide, sweeping corner sent the local crowd into a frenzy as they watched their favorite begin to pull away down the backstretch. According to Brown, it wasn’t the first time the Knoxville faithful had seen the maneuver this year.

“That move that I [used to] get by Brad there – I used that a couple weeks ago,” Brown said. “It pays to run here and run with [the Outlaws].”

A red flag brought the action to a halt with seven laps to go, which restacked the field and erased Brown’s lead. On the restart, Sweet tried to get back by Brown in the low groove, but Brown was too fast on the top. He led the remaining seven laps, unchallenged after that point, and collected $10,000 for his 59th career victory at Knoxville, tying him for third-most all-time with seven-time track champion Terry McCarl.

“It’s a dream come true to beat the Outlaws,” Brown said, dedicating the win to former car owner Lonny Parsons, who passed away recently.

Sweet held off a hungry Spencer Bayston in the closing laps to bag his 10th podium of the season – the most by any driver. Though he came up one spot short of his second win of the season, he recognized where he could have been better for the next time he’ll be here in August for the 61st running of the NOS Energy Drink Knoxville Nationals.

“The line I wanted to run, I felt like I needed to move off of it sooner,” Sweet said. “I think the top got a little faster. I knew Brian was gonna be really fast on the top of the racetrack, so I’m a little disappointed in maybe a couple of the decisions I made as a driver.

“Any time you come to Knoxville, you’re thinking about the Nationals, so to leave here in June with a really nice balance is definitely a plus.”

Bayston crossed the stripe in third, bagging his third podium of the season behind the wheel of the CJB Motorsports #5. Ten-time Series champion Donny Schatz came home in fourth after starting 10th, while Jason Johnson Racing pilot Carson Macedo rounded out the top-five.

UP NEXT

The Outlaws will get a few days off before getting back into action next Friday-Saturday night, June 17-18, at Beaver Dam Raceway in Beaver Dam, WI. If you can’t be at the track, DIRTVision has you covered with a FAST PASS subscription to watch The Greatest Show on Dirt.

ABBREVIATED RESULTS (view full results)

NOS Energy Drink Feature (25 Laps)

1. 21-Brian Brown [4][$10,000]; 2. 49-Brad Sweet [1][$6,000]; 3. 5-Spencer Bayston [3][$3,500]; 4. 15-Donny Schatz [10][$2,800]; 5. 41-Carson Macedo [6][$2,500]; 6. 1S-Logan Schuchart [12][$2,300]; 7. 2-David Gravel [7][$2,200]; 8. 39M-Anthony Macri [8][$2,100]; 9. 8-Aaron Reutzel [11][$2,050]; 10. 24-Rico Abreu [18][$2,000]; 11. 18-Giovanni Scelzi [5][$1,600]; 12. 83-James McFadden [20][$1,400]; 13. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild [24][$1,200]; 14. 9-Kasey Kahne [9][$1,100]; 15. 3Z-Brock Zearfoss [2][$1,050]; 16. 3-Ayrton Gennetten [14][$1,000]; 17. 15H-Sam Hafertepe [22][$1,000]; 18. O9-Matt Juhl [17][$1,000]; 19. 7S-Robbie Price [25][$1,000]; 20. 76-Nathan Mills [19][$1,000]; 21. 83JR-Kerry Madsen [21][$1,000]; 22. 19-Brent Marks [13][$1,000]; 23. 7W-Dustin Selvage [15][$1,000]; 24. 2J-Lynton Jeffrey [16][$1,000]; 25. 1A-Jacob Allen [23][]

Lap Leaders: Brad Sweet 1-14, Brian Brown 15-25

KSE Hard Charger Award: 17-Sheldon Haudenschild[+11]

(6/11/2022 – Alex Nieten) Placerville, CA… At just 16-years old, Corey Day continues to write his name in the West Coast racing history books.

The sprint car prodigy is hitting marks with the NARC Fujitsu General Sprint Cars that even his most talented California predecessors didn’t reach. A hard-fought battle in just his second start in the potent Works Limited No. 57 at Saturday’s Dave Bradway Jr. Memorial resulted in Day picking up his fifth career Fujitsu Feature victory in just his 19th career series start. Drivers like Kyle Larson, Brad Sweet, and Carson Macedo didn’t manage to reach that feat in their stints with NARC. In fact, none of them even won more than twice in their first 19 appearances.

Day also cemented his name next to perhaps the greatest driver in the history of the California circuit. His Placerville Speedway Bradway triumph came a day after he claimed the Pombo-Sargent Classic. The only other driver to win the two prestigious events that have more than three decades of history in the same year? None other than Brent Kaeding.

“Happy is an understatement,” Day said of his emotion in victory lane. “I can’t say enough about Paul Silva, Doug, Hayden, Kevin Kozlowski and everyone on this car for the opportunity. These guys work their tails off, and I’m the lucky guy that gets to drive it.”

Leading the field to green was Dominic Scelzi and Mitchell Faccinto. The race’s initial start was halted twice, first for a tangle between Billy Aton and Logan Forler and then for a violently flipping Chase Johnson on the second attempt. All drivers were unharmed.

After one more early yellow for a spinning Jake Morgan, the race was finally able to establish a bit of a green flag run.

Scelzi led the lap four restart, and Day quickly jumped into the runner-up spot and began to pursue the reigning series champion. On lap eight Day showed Scelzi a nose, but “The Dominator” shut the door in the next corner. Day proved he could put the Finley Farms sponsored No. 57 anywhere he wanted, heading to the high line and pouncing.

On lap nine Scelzi missed the bottom on the exit of turn four, and Day rocketed around his outside to snag the lead. Day pulled slightly ahead of Scelzi until a lap 13 caution for a spinning Max Mittry bunched the field together.

Day and Scelzi nearly touched on the restart after an attempted Scelzi slider but Day held on. The yellow flew yet again on lap 15 for an issue between Ing and Aton. Both of their nights were done.

The ensuing restart provided some of the race’s wildest moments. Scelzi jumped ahead (a jump that was deemed early by officials) and took the top spot back. In turn three Day launched a slider and cleared the No. 41, but Scelzi powered underneath him with a crossover as Tanner Carrick rolled the bottom perfectly to make it three wide for the lead down the front stretch.

Scelzi came out ahead, but when the yellow flew on lap 16 for C.J. Humphreys and John Clark slowing, Scelzi was docked two spots for jumping the previous restart. The penalty gifted the lead back to Day who had fallen to third, but with Scelzi’s penalty and the lineup revering to the previous lap before the yellow, Day leaped ahead of Scelzi and Carrick.

“I had to clean up my restarts,” Day said of what might’ve prevented him from ever falling to third. “I got a gift there on that double file when Tanner and Dominic got by me. After that I really had to clean them up. I had to get down in the grip there off (turn) four and kind of mess them up by running the opposite line that I was running and get them in the dirty air.”

Day did exactly that as, after the timely caution gave him the lead, the teenager went effectively unchallenged the remainder of the way.

A pair of yellows forced Day to show he could do better on restarts, and he did so as none of his competitors were able to mount a serious run at the top spot.

Day went on to win comfortably by 3.271 seconds over Tanner Carrick.

It all worked out, and we’re here in victory lane,” Day said with a smile.

Carrick’s runner up result in the CVC Concrete/Arai Helmets No. 83T matched his career best result with NARC. Though he was happy with the podium effort, Carrick hoped a longer green flag run might’ve given him a shot at an inaugural series win.

“I didn’t need the yellows,” Carrick said. “I got the yellows at the wrong time, and that kind of hurt me, especially on the long run. We got really good. I don’t know if their stuff was going away or what, but we were getting really good on the long runs. Short runs, I struggled. I couldn’t get going until about 10 laps in.”

A quiet charge from seventh led Shane Golobic to take the final spot on the podium, the 53rd top-three of his NARC career. The pilot of the NOS Energy Drink/Elk Grove Ford No. 17W found himself wishing he’d managed the first three quarters of the race differently to give himself a chance to win.

“I put together 30 really bad laps,” Golobic explained. “The last 10 laps I kind of got up on the wheel a little bit and got going. I just made a lot of bad decisions early and put ourselves in a bad spot multiple times. So, it was good to get back going there at the end.”

Completing the top-10 was Willie Croft, Dominic Scelzi, Mitchell Faccinto, Sean Becker, Bud Kaeding, Shane Hopkins, and Kalib Henry.

FUJITSU GENERAL USA FEATURE (40 laps): 1. Corey Day 57 2. Tanner Carrick 83T 3. Shane Golobic 17W 4. Willie Croft 29 5. Dominic Scelzi 41 6. Mitchell Faccinto 21 7. Sean Becker 5V 8. Bud Kaeding 69 9. Shane Hopkins 51 10. Kalib Henry 17 11. Logan Forler 2L 12. Max Mittry 2XM 13. Jake Morgan 45 14. Koen Shaw 88 15. Colby Wiesz 8 16. Nick Parker 15 17. John Clark 12J 18. Justin Bradway 20 19. C.J. Humphreys 85 20. Kyle Hirst 42X 21. Justin Sanders 2X 22. Ryan Robinson 56 23. Michael Ing 21M 24. Billy Aton 26 25. Stephen Ingraham 93 26. Chase Johnson 24

HOOSIER TIRE LAP LEADERS: Scelzi 1-8, 15 Day 9-14, 16-40

SWIFT METAL FINISHING HARDCHARGER: Colby Wiesz 25th to 15th

CARWASH MIKE AVILLA/ARP FAST QUALIFIER (26 cars): Willie Croft 10.637 seconds

BROWN AND MILLER RACING SOLUTIONS HEAT ONE (10 laps): Faccinto, Day, Croft, Clark, Becker, Robinson, Humphreys, Morgan, Bradway

KIMO’s TROPICAL CAR WASH HEAT TWO (10 laps): Scelzi, Ing, Carrick, Henry, Kaeding, Forler, Aton, Wiesz, Ingraham

DIRT.TRAVEL CLUB HEAT THREE (10 laps): Hirst, Golobic, Hopkins, Sanders, Johnson, Parker, Mittry, Shaw

SUNNYVALLEY “POWERED BY BACON” TROPHY DASH (6 laps): Scelzi, Faccinto, Day, Hirst, Carrick, Croft

Ballou and Swanson Led First 15 Laps Before Dramatics UnfoldedELDON, MO – June 11, 2022 – After several close calls through the first three races, Brady Bacon finally sealed the deal on Saturday night at Lake Ozark Speedway to score his first win with the Xtreme Outlaw Sprint Car Series presented by Low-E Insulation.”The Macho Man” rolled from seventh as the green flag waved at the Eldon, MO track and quickly picked his way into the top-five. From there, it was a methodical line on the low side that allowed the #98 entry to drive by the trio of Matt Westfall, Robert Ballou, and eventually leader Jake Swanson on the 16th of 30 laps.The Broken Arrow, OK native survived a pair of restarts, one with a hard-charging CJ Leary on his tail, to get the job done and take down Saturday’s $6,000 top prize. He had a chance at a potential $16,000 payday at Lake Ozark – needing another win in the POWRi 410 Winged Feature – but fell short of the Design Source Flooring sweep bonus with a second-place run following his non-wing win.It’s been a rollercoaster ride to Xtreme Outlaw victory lane for the four-time USAC National Sprint Car Series champion, who has been a threat to win in each of the four races in 2022. He was high point man before a violent flip on night one, then finished a close second-place on night two, and was leading the third event before spinning from command.However, tonight, “The Baconator” was not to be denied. He controlled the final 15 laps of the Low-E Insulation Feature and snagged his third overall win of the season in the process. Behind him, the dramatics did not disappoint.A part of Bacon’s drive to the lead was Jake Swanson’s unfortunate luck as his right rear tire began to delaminate. Things only heated up on Lap 24 when Robert Ballou made contact with Swanson’s #21AZ in turn three and moved him out of the way for position. The tide quickly turned in the next corner Swanson returned the favor to Ballou, bringing both cars to a stop, and taking away two winning contenders.CJ Leary, the hard-charging championship leader, was placed into second-from-13th following the wreck and appeared to be Bacon’s biggest threat for the Lake Ozark glory. The Greenfield, IN native was searching for his third Xtreme Outlaw win in four races but ultimately fell short after providing a brief bid against Bacon on the final restart.Ultimately, Matt Westfall of Pleasant Hill, OH earned the runner-up finish as he snuck by Leary after a close encounter with the wall. For Westfall, it continues his success at Lake Ozark as he follows a fourth in April with a second in June to up his Xtreme Outlaw career-best result.Leary officially brought the Bill Michael Motorsports #77M home with a third-from-13th effort and extended his Xtreme Outlaw championship advantage due to Ballou’s misfortune. To start the inaugural season with the new Series, Leary has finished first, fourth, first, and third as the most consistent car on tour.Shane Cockrum rallied from a work area trip early on and unofficially drove the Amati Racing #66 all the way from 18th-to-fourth. His stellar rally from the tail brings the Benton, IL native up to second in the Xtreme Outlaw standings with only eight races remaining in pursuit of the inaugural $20,000 title. Alex Bright, who made the long haul from Collegeville, PA, earned his first Xtreme Outlaw top-five finish.Rounding out the top-10 at Lake Ozark was Kory Schudy of Springfield, MO in sixth-from-14th, Jack Wagner of Lone Jack, MO in seventh-from-17th, Mario Clouser of Auburn, IL in eighth after a trip to the work area, Anthony Nicholson of Bartlett, TN in ninth-from-20th, and Steven Russell of Rochester, IL with TJ Forged Hard Charger Honors for his 22nd-to-1oth run.UP NEXT – The Xtreme Outlaw Sprint Car Series presented by Low-E Insulation returns to racing in two weeks with the St. Louis Firecracker Faceoff on Friday and Saturday, June 24-25. The Series will join the World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Model Series and Summit Racing DIRTcar Summer Nationals for the two-night affair at Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 in Pevely, MO. Fans can BUY TICKETS HERE or watch LIVE on DIRTVision.Low-E Insulation Feature Results (30 Laps): 1.98-Brady Bacon (7); 2. 33M-Matt Westfall (3); 3. 77M-CJ Leary (13); 4. 66-Shane Cockrum (8); 5. 20-Alex Bright (5); 6. 28-Kory Schudy (14); 7. 77-Jack Wagner (17); 8. 6-Mario Clouser (4); 9. 16-Anthony Nicholson (20); 10. 1JR-Steven Russell (22); 11. 11W-Wyatt Burks (18); 12. 44-Wesley Smith (15); 13. 74-Xavier Doney (9); 14. 12-Robert Ballou (1); 15. 17GP-Kyle Shipley (10); 16. 4-Braydon Cromwell (21); 17. 21AZ-Jake Swanson (2); 18. 24-Landon Simson (16); 19. 2B-Chad Boespflug (6); 20. 91-Riley Kreisel (11); 21. 9-Cody Baker (12); 22. 32-Garrett Aitken (19). Lap Leaders: Ballou 1-6; Swanson 7-15; Bacon 16-30. TJ Forged Hard Charger: Russel +12.

The Xtreme Outlaw Series is brought to fans by important sponsors and partners, including: DIRTVision (Official Live Broadcast Partner), Low-E Insulation (Presenting sponsor of the non-wing Sprint Car Series), Toyota (Presenting sponsor of the Midgets Series), Racing Electronics (Official Radio Supplier) and SIS Insurance (Official Insurance Provider). Other partners include:  DRC Chassis, K1 Race Gear, Pace Dyno Services, TJ Forged and Whitz Racing Products.

No. 64 Corvette remains in contention into final 12 hours

LE MANS, France (June 12, 2022) – Corvette Racing’s No. 64 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R made it back into podium position at the halfway mark of the 24 Hours of Le Mans after an up-and-down, roller-coaster ride in the second quarter of the race. Nick Tandy was aboard the No. 64 Corvette that ran second in GTE Pro after a couple of early-race setbacks, including an unscheduled stop to change front brakes just shy of the seventh hour. Alexander Sims, driving with Tandy and Tommy Milner, had the class’s fastest race lap in his second time through the rotation. Four cars were on the lead lap in the class. Unfortunately, the No. 63 C8.R wasn’t one of those following a lengthy stay in the garage to repair a broken left-rear suspension. Just past halfway, Nicky Catsburg switched over to Antonio Garcia, who was at the wheel when the Corvette suffered its major issue. Corvette Racing’s next update will come after the 18-hour mark.

ALEXANDER SIMS, NO. 64 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “Things are good at the moment. The car feels nice and is hooked up. The tires stayed very nicely throughout the two stints. The feedback I was getting from the engineers is that the pace was sensible. The gap to the leader is still quite substantial but we’re still in this race. After a couple of hiccups, it could be better but it also could be a lot worse.”Staying in contention: “The first thing is to not have any major hiccups, any penalties, any contact or anything like that. That in itself is always a huge challenge. We’re pushing flat-out. We know we’re on the back foot so we have to take some risks. But at the same time, we have to stay in this race. Any contact and that’s probably it. We’ve got a bit of step to make already, which might be doable. We’ll see… we have to be smart.”

CORVETTE RACING AU MANS: A la mi-courseLa Corvette n°64 est toujours en lice pour les 12 dernières heures LE MANS, le 12 juin 2022 – La Chevrolet Corvette C8.R Mobil 1/SiriusXM n° 64 du Corvette Racing est remontée dans le top trois à la mi-course des 24 Heures du Mans après avoir connu des hauts et des bas dans le deuxième quart de la course. Nick Tandy était au volant de la Corvette n°64 qui occupait la deuxième place en GTE Pro après quelques déboires en début de course, dont un arrêt non programmé pour changer les freins avant juste avant la septième heure. Alexander Sims, qui roule avec Tandy et Tommy Milner, a réalisé le meilleur tour de course de la catégorie lors de son deuxième passage dans la rotation. Quatre voitures étaient dans le tour de tête de la catégorie. Malheureusement, la C8.R n°63 n’en faisait pas partie après un long passage au box pour réparer une suspension arrière gauche cassée. Juste après la mi-course, Nicky Catsburg a cédé sa place à Antonio Garcia, qui était au volant lorsque la Corvette a connu son principal problème. ALEXANDER SIMS, MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R n°64: « Les choses vont bien en ce moment. La voiture est agréable et bien réglée. Les pneus sont restés très bien tout au long des deux relais. Le feedback que j’ai reçu des ingénieurs est que le rythme était raisonnable. L’écart avec le leader est encore assez important mais nous sommes toujours dans cette course. Après quelques contretemps, ça pourrait être mieux mais ça pourrait aussi être bien pire. »Rester en lice: « La première chose est de ne pas avoir de gros pépins, de pénalités, de contacts ou autres. Cela représente déjà un énorme défi en soi. Nous poussons à fond. Nous savons que nous sommes sur la défensive, donc nous devons prendre des risques. Mais en même temps, nous devons rester dans cette course. Le moindre contact et c’est probablement fini. Nous avons déjà un petit pas à faire, ce qui pourrait être faisable. On verra… nous devons être intelligents. »

June 11, 2022

Harrison Burton and the No. 21 DEX Imaging team are set to start Sunday’s Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway from 26th place.

His lap at 90.323 miles per hour over the winding road course represents a pick-up from practice.

Burton was 20^th in Saturday’s practice session, posting a best lap at 89.408 mph on the fourth of the 14 laps he ran.

He was fifth best among drivers who ran 10 consecutive laps. He averaged 88.605 mph on Laps 2-11 of his practice run.
 
Sunday’s 110-lap, 218.9-mile race is scheduled to get the green flag just after 1 p.m. (4 p.m. Eastern Time). FOX Sports 1 will carry the live coverage.
 
Stage breaks are set for Laps 25 and 55. 

NASCAR CUP SERIES

SONOMA RACEWAY

TOYOTA / SAVE MART 350

JUNE 11, 2022

Chevrolet Sweeps Front Row, Puts Five Drivers in Top-10

·       Kyle Larson’s pole win marks his fourth pole at Sonoma Raceway; and his 12th-career pole in his NASCAR Cup Series career.

·       His four pole wins at Sonoma Raceway is the most among active drivers; and second to Career Chevrolet driver Jeff Gordon (five poles) for the most all-time in the series’ history at Sonoma Raceway. 

·       The pole win is the third for the Camaro ZL1 in 2022; the 18th at Sonoma Raceway; and 726th all-time for Chevrolet in the NASCAR Cup Series.

·       Chevrolet drivers took five of the top-10 spots in qualifying, including a sweep of the front row: Chase Elliott (2nd), Tyler Reddick (5th), Ross Chastain (7th) and Daniel Suarez (8th). 

SONOMA, Calif. (June 11, 2022) – For the third time this season, a Camaro ZL1 will lead the field to the green in Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) Toyota / Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway. After topping the overall speed chart in the series’ practice session, the speed of the No. 5 HendrickCars.comCamaro ZL1 carried over to qualifying, with Kyle Larson putting down a lap of 77.776 seconds, at 92.111 mph, to capture a series-leading fourth pole win at Sonoma Raceway and his 12th-career pole in NASCAR’s premier series. The most among active drivers at Sonoma Raceway, Larson also now sits second on the all-time pole win list in the series’ history at the track, behind Career Chevrolet driver Jeff Gordon (five poles). 

“It was a good lap,” said Larson. “I was a bit surprised that I ran that lap because I feel like I gave up a lot of time in turns four and seven. If I had those two corners back, I feel like I could have gone quite a bit faster. We just have a really good No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevy. Thank you to everyone on our team and everybody back at the shop and the engine shop. I’m excited about it.”

The feat marks 18th pole win for Chevrolet at Sonoma Raceway and its 726th all-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, extending its lead over all manufacturers. Larson’s pole win was celebrated by Hendrick Motorsports teammate, Chase Elliott, who qualified second to give Chevrolet a front row sweep. “For Chase (Elliott) to lap down the lap that he did, I feel like that shows how strong he is because he was really good in race trim, too,” said Larson on his teammate’s qualifying run. 

Chevrolet drivers took five of the top-10 for the starting lineup for tomorrow’s 110-lap race. Joining Larson and Elliott in the top-10 includes Tyler Reddick, No. 8 Lenovo Camaro ZL1, in fifth; Ross Chastain, No. 1 Worldwide Express Camaro ZL1, in seventh; and Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Onx Homes/Renu Camaro ZL1 rounding out the Team Chevy top-10 in eighth. 

FS1 will telecast the NASCAR Cup Series Toyota / Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway live at 4 p.m. ET tomorrow, Sunday, June 12. Live coverage of the 110-lap race can also be found on MRN and Sirius XM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

KYLE LARSON, NO. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM CAMARO ZL1, Pole Win Press Conference Transcript: 

NO SURPRISE YOU’RE ON THE POLE AGAIN. WALK US THROUGH QUALIFYING FROM YOUR PERSPECTIVE.

“Really, really neat to get another pole here. I think that’s five-consecutive I heard. It’s cool. My car was really good in qualifying trim. I felt like I could have gone quite a bit faster there. On my good lap, I made a pretty big mistake there in turn four. So, I was surprised I ran the lap that I did because it was such a big mistake. 

Good to get another pole and I look forward to the race.”

YOU’VE WON FIVE POLES IN A ROW HERE AT SONOMA RACEWAY. HOW NEAT IS IT TO DO THAT AND HOW MUCH MOMENTUM WILL THAT GIVE YOU GOING INTO TOMORROW? 

“It gives you confidence in your car, especially for the short run stuff. I feel like we need to work on it a fair bit for race trim stuff. I feel like Chase (Elliott) was really good and Kyle Busch was probably pretty good; at least the guys around me. I just have to look at some data tonight and try and get a little better; and do a better job once the tires start to lose grip.”

INAUDIBLE

“I’m not really sure exactly what the strategy is for the race yet and how all of that plays out. I know Cliff (Daniels, crew chief) and my engineers probably have a good idea what the strategy is going to be. We’ll talk about that some more tomorrow and try to be prepared for the race.”

DO YOU PREFER THIS LAYOUT OVER THE CAROUSEL; OR DOES IT REALLY MATTER TO YOU?

“I think every driver has their different preferences. I think for me, the other layout works better for me and my driving style. I really struggle in turn seven here. The way that the track was before, turn seven was a little bit different and I felt like that lended itself a little bit better to me. The carousel, being a more traditional, left-hander, was better for me, too. 

But it doesn’t matter. We’ve been able to be fast on both layouts, so hopefully tomorrow we can win on this layout.”

OFF WEEK NEXT WEEK. PLANS FOR YOU AND ANY UPDATE ON OWEN’S RACING AFTER HIS INCIDENT?

“I’m going to not be racing. I’m really excited about that to spend time with the family and just hangout. 

For Owen, I had to go pickup a new chassis, spindles, radius rods, body parts, wings – basically everything. His car will be ready to go for Tuesday at Millbridge.”

YOU ARE THE REIGNING WINNER AT SONOMA RACEWAY, BUT IT’S A BRAND NEW CAR AND IT’S A DIFFERENT LAYOUT. IS THERE ANYTHING YOU CAN CARRYOVER FROM LAST YEAR THAT WILL HELP YOU THIS WEEKEND OR IS IT COMPLETELY DIFFERENT?

“I don’t think so. My car felt really, really good last year. Our car was just really good compared to the field everywhere we went last year. This year, things are a little bit tougher. Cars are more equal and they seem to be more of a handful here this year than last year’s car. I don’t think there’s much I can take from that, maybe just a little bit of technique and stuff you use to pass people and stuff like that. The cars don’t really drive that similar. There are some areas where it feels normal and then there are other areas where I seem to be struggling a little bit more, which I’m sure everybody is.”

DID YOU FEEL THE CONCRETE THEY PUT DOWN COMING OFF OF TURN FOUR, REMOVING THE CURB COMING OUT OF FOUR – HOW WAS IT? 

“Now that it’s not there, I don’t know why we ever had a curb there. It’s so much nicer without it and you kind of use up the same amount of track as you did before. So, it’s just less aggressive on your car, your body and your head bouncing off the head rest.

I love how they did that. It’s got some good grip out there, which is nice. It’s a pretty straight and forward corner.”

HOW DOES COTA HELP YOU FOR THIS WEEKEND? HOW DOES THE CAR HERE FEEL IN RELATION TO COTA?

“That would be a better question for Cliff (Daniels, crew chief). I’m sure the setup is way different, maybe it’s not. The two tracks are totally different – the grip level in them, the elevation, the corners, braking, speed, everything is way different. So, there’s not a whole lot that I can take from it. But like I said, I don’t know what’s different with our car, but I’m sure there’s a fair amount different, as well.”

THIS IS YOUR HOME TRACK. DOES THAT GIVE YOU ANY KIND OF BOOST? 

“Once I’m in the car, no I don’t really think about any of that. But I’m sure during the race or before the race starts, I’ll definitely glance around the crowd and see many blue No. 5 shirts there are out there. I know I think in this section right behind us in the grandstands, it’s supposed to be the ‘Kyle Larson section’. I heard there’s supposed to be like thousands of fans with blue shirts, so that should be really cool. I always feel the support when I come home; and now that I’ve had some success, it’s just exploded. It’s been neat and like I said, seeing those stands, hopefully it’s really blue and that will be cool to see.”

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (June 11, 2022) – JD Beach (No. 95 Estenson Racing Yamaha MT-07 DT) scored a milestone victory as the 2022 Progressive American Flat Track season resumed with Saturday’s Progressive Laconia Short Track presented by MOMS at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, New Hampshire. Faced with an extraordinarily technical surface, passing was at a premium on the day, making the start all that more important. Beach earned the top pick of starting positions with his performance in the lead-up to the Mission SuperTwins presented by S&S Cycle Main Event but appeared to throw that pivotal advantage away by slipping down to third in the race’s opening corner. However, the versatile Beach somehow slashed past both Briar Bauman (No. 3 Indian Motorcycle/Progressive Insurance FTR750) and Jared Mees (No. 1 Indian Motorcycle/Progressive Insurance FTR750) in less than a quarter mile to reassert his dominance before it could ever be questioned. He was effectively perfect from that point forward, never providing another rider with any real hope of stealing away the victory. While Yamaha had gone nearly a half-century between oval wins prior to the Mission Red Mile I triumph of Beach’s Estenson Yamaha teammate, Dallas Daniels (No. 32 Estenson Racing Yamaha MT-07 DT), it took just two weeks to add another. The triumph also happened to be the first oval win of Beach’s Progressive AFT career to go along with his four prior TT victories. And as a result of today’s points haul, Beach now holds the early advantage in the recently announced Progressive Triple Crown. He said, “I felt great. Thanks to the whole team – this track has been rough. It’s been a long day, but we squeaked out a win. It feels amazing to finally win on an oval. We’ve still got a lot of races to go, but I’m looking forward to it.” Speaking of Daniels, the rookie might have been able to give Beach a run if not for a poor start that saw he and Mees shuffled back into an early scrap for sixth. Despite the general difficulties with overtaking at the venue, Daniels systematically made his way forward, ultimately charging all the way up to second at the checkered flag. It was a rewarding 1-2 for Estenson Yamaha who backed up their Mile excellence with an even more convincing outing at a Short Track. After being overtaken by Daniels, Jarod Vanderkooi (No. 20 Mission Roof Systems Indian FTR750) followed the rising star up the order. With less than two minutes remaining, he made his way past the aforementioned Bauman and ‘19 Laconia ST winner Bronson Bauman (No. 37 Latus Motors Racing Harley-Davidson XG750R) to claim the final spot on the box. Bronson ultimately finished fourth with Briar fifth after the Baumans waged a brother-vs-brother duel for the runner-up spot for more than half the contest. Reigning champion Mees never did find his typical front-running form, ultimately coming home in sixth position. Despite suffering his worst finish of the season, Mees continues to lead the title fight. However, Daniels is now just 15 points back (122-107) while Briar and Beach remain significant factors as well with 100 and 98 points, respectively. Davis Fisher (No. 67 Bob Lanphere’s BMC Racing Indian FTR750), Jesse Janisch (No. 33 Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson XG750R), Brandon Robinson (No. 44 Mission Roof Systems Indian FTR750), and Dan Bromley (No. 62 Vinson Construction/Viper Air Yamaha MT-07) completed the top ten. Also notable is Sammy Halbert (No. 69 Mission Roof Systems Indian FTR750), who made his return to racing following his terrifying crash and subsequent injury at last year’s Charlotte Half-Mile. Halbert ran as high as fourth early before eventually fading back to eleventh. Mission Production Twins presented by Vance & Hines Billy “the Kid” Ross (No. 109 Roof Systems/JRi Shocks Harley-Davidson XG750R) earned his first career Progressive AFT victory in dramatic, come-from-behind fashion in Saturday’s thrilling Mission Production Twins presented by Vance & Hines Main Event. For just over six minutes, the race seemed all but certain to go to championship leader Jesse Janisch (No. 33 Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson XG750R), a one-time TT ace added Half-Mile and Mile victories to his résumé in recent weeks. However, the combination of a couple small mistakes on an unforgiving track and heavy traffic saw Janisch’s hard-earned gap eaten away, allowing the 17-year-old Ross to close back to within striking distance just as they approached the final two laps. Ross proceeded to pounce when Janisch made a minor miscue with just over a lap to go and then successfully defended the position to the checkered flag. The victory wasn’t just the first of Ross’ young career, it was his first Mission Production Twins result better than tenth and the first top-five of his pro career full stop. “I can’t even take it all in yet,” Ross said. “I feel like it’s been coming for a couple races now, but I’m just glad it happened here. I almost settled in behind Jesse, but then he made a little bobble and I was like, ‘Okay, I’ve got to take advantage.’ It was a fun race.” A few seconds back, the “partially-retired” Dan Bromley (No. 62 Vinson Construction/Viper Air Yamaha MT-07) showed he’s still got his chops with a strong ride to third. As a result, Bromley stands two-for-two in podiums per attempt this year following his runner-up at the season opener in Volusia. Cory Texter (No. 1 G&G Racing/Yamaha Racing Yamaha MT-07) once again salvaged a decent result out of a less-than-perfect round. The defending class champ executed successive passes on sixth-placed Cole Zabala (No. 51 Memphis Shades/Corbin/Vinson Yamaha MT-07) and fifth-placed Johnny Lewis (No. 10 Moto Anatomy X Powered by Royal Enfield 650) to minimize the day’s damage with a fourth-place finish. Meanwhile, it was a second consecutive tough outing for former points leader Nick Armstrong (No. 60 Competitive Racing Frames/Lessley Brothers Yamaha MT-07), who ended up 13th. As a result, Janisch has expanded his points lead from one to six (112-106) over Texter, while Armstrong now sits a distant third at 87. Parts Unlimited AFT Singles presented by KICKER Parts Unlimited AFT Singles presented by KICKER title leader Kody Kopp (No. 12 Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 450 SX-FFE) was in a class of his own all day long at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. The prodigious Kopp was fastest in every practice and qualifying session, won his Semi and the Al Lamb’s Dallas Honda Challenge going away, and then stamped his authority through multiple starts and stops in a three-time red-flagged Main Event. The field was gifted a pair of late Hail Marys, first when the charging Gage Smith (No. 113 BigR Racing/L&R Racing Honda CRF450R) crashed with a minute-and-a-half remaining on the clock, and then again when Michael Inderbitzin (No. 54 1st Impressions Services of Florida Honda CRF450R) had an incident shortly after the restart. While the red flags deleted Kopp’s six-second advantage, they may have actually done him a favor by clearing out the possibility of encountering trouble in traffic in his final sprint to the flag. The victory was Kopp’s third of ‘22. That, combined with an eighth on the part of title rival Morgen Mischler (No. 13 American Honda/Progressive Insurance CRF450R), and the DNS of the injured Max Whale (No. 18 Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 450 SX-FFE), allowed Kopp to rip his championship advantage open to 18 points over Mischler, and 41 over teammate Whale. Despite his strong championship position, the 17-year-old Kopp remains focused on the here and now. He said, “It’s too early to think about that. We’re just playing it race-by-race. I can’t believe the opportunity this team has given me. It’s been so great for myself and my family.” Behind Kopp, Trent Lowe (No. 48 Mission Foods/Al Lamb’s Dallas Honda CRF450R) narrowly edged rookie Chase Saathoff (No. 106 American Honda/Progressive Insurance CRF450R) for second at the stripe by 0.019 seconds. It was an impressive performance for both riders with Lowe securing his second podium in the most recent three races. Saathoff, meanwhile, earned his first-career Progressive AFT podium in third despite having to start from the back of the field after forcing the race’s first red flag. Trevor Brunner (No. 21 Estenson Racing Yamaha YZ450F) took fourth ahead of Mission Red Mile II winner Dalton Gauthier (No. 79 American Honda/Progressive Insurance CRF450R), who rounded out the top five. The Progressive Laconia Short Track presented by MOMS will premiere on FS1 on Saturday, June 18, at 12:00 p.m. ET/9:00 a.m, PT, including exclusive features, cutting-edge aerial drone and onboard footage, and expert commentary. Next Up: Progressive AFT will now head to the demanding Mission Lima Half-Mile at the Allen County Fairgrounds in Lima, Ohio, on Saturday June 25. Gates will open for fans at 3:00 p.m. ET/12:00 p.m. PT with Opening Ceremonies scheduled to begin at 6:00 p.m. ET/3:00 p.m. PT ahead of the evening’s Main Event program. Visit https://store.americanflattrack.com/ebooking/ticket/view/id/3765 to reserve your tickets today. You can catch the livestream of all the weekend’s racing activities on FansChoice.tv. FansChoice.tv provides free-to-view livestreaming of Practice and Qualifying. FansChoice.tvsubscribers will then be able to watch the drama unfold from Opening Ceremonies through the Semis, Main Events, and podium celebrations. FansChoice.tv offers two subscription options, granting unlimited access to premium AFT content. Monthly subscriptions start at just $7.99, while a six-month subscription is available for $44.99. For more information on Progressive AFT visit https://www.americanflattrack.com. To score the latest gear for the Progressive American Flat Track fan, visit our official merchandise store at https://store.americanflattrack.com.

Chevrolet Sweeps Front Row, Puts Five Drivers in Top-10

·       Kyle Larson’s pole win marks his fourth pole at Sonoma Raceway; and his 12th-career pole in his NASCAR Cup Series career.

·       His four pole wins at Sonoma Raceway is the most among active drivers; and second to Career Chevrolet driver Jeff Gordon (five poles) for the most all-time in the series’ history at Sonoma Raceway.  

·       The pole win is the third for the Camaro ZL1 in 2022; the 18th at Sonoma Raceway; and 726th all-time for Chevrolet in the NASCAR Cup Series.

·       Chevrolet drivers took five of the top-10 spots in qualifying, including a sweep of the front row: Chase Elliott (2nd), Tyler Reddick (5th), Ross Chastain (7th) and Daniel Suarez (8th).  

KYLE LARSON, NO. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM CAMARO ZL1, Pole Win Quick Quote: 

“It was a good lap. I was a bit surprised that I ran that lap because I feel like I gave up a lot of time in turns four and seven. If I had those two corners back, I feel like I could have gone quite a bit faster. We just have a really good No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevy. Thank you to everyone on our team and everybody back at the shop and the engine shop. I’m excited about it.

For Chase (Elliott) to lap down the lap that he did, I feel like that shows how strong he is because he was really good in race trim, too. I have to figure some things out on my end. I think my car is capable of racing good, I just have to get a little bit better on the long runs. Hopefully we’ll have a good shot at the win.”