No. 64 C8.R on-board stream, MotorTrend coverage highlight 2022 Le Mans return

LE MANS, France (June 8, 2022) – Corvette Racing and the mid-engine Chevrolet Corvette C8.R are back at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in search of the program’s ninth class victory at the historic French enduro. The race also will be made available to viewers and listeners in the United States and around the world on multiple platforms. MotorTrend Network will provide full coverage of Le Mans on Saturday and Sunday with full, live coverage for viewers in the U.S. On the MotorTrend+ app and online service, content will be available from each of the free practice and qualifying sessions, which start Wednesday, plus Thursday’s Hyperpole session. As an added bonus for Chevrolet and Corvette fans, MotorTrend+ will stream multiple on-boards during the event – including the No. 64 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Corvette C8.R of Tommy Milner, Nick Tandy and Alexander Sims. Live coverage isn’t limited to video. Radio Le Mans will broadcast every on-track session for the 24 Hours of Le Mans with many of the voices that Corvette Racing fans will recognize from previous Le Mans events. Fans can view live timing and scoring and other content on the 24 Hours of Le Mans app and the race’s official web site. MotorTrend+ Le Mans U.S. Video Coverage Schedule (all times ET)Wednesday· Free Practice 1: 7:45 a.m.· Qualifying: 12:45 p.m.· Free Practice 2: 3:45 p.m. Thursday· Free Practice 3: 8:45 a.m.· Hyperpole: 1:45 p.m.· Free Practice 4: 3:45 p.m. Saturday-Sunday· Warmup: 4:10 a.m.· Pre-Race and race: 9:00 a.m. (Eurosport feed); 9:30 a.m. (World feed)· No. 64 Corvette on-board: 9:45 a.m.

RACE ADDED: Charleston Speedway Hosts Late Models, Modifieds July 5

Both tours will now contest 32 races

CHARLESTON, IL – June 7, 2022 – For the first time since 2017, DIRTcar Late Models are going racing at Charleston Speedway.

The DIRTcar Summer Nationals Late Models will grace the banks of the three-eighths-mile oval in the inaugural Graves 40 to kick off Illinois-Indiana Week (Week #4) on Tuesday, July 5, accompanied by the DIRTcar Summit Racing Equipment Modified Nationals. This brings both tours back to an even 32 races for the 2022 schedule.

The Hell Tour has visited the venue four times in its 37-year history with Bob Pierce (2002), Rodney Melvin (2009), Brian Shirley (2010) and Billy Moyer Jr. (2017) all collecting wins.

The $5,000-to-win Late Model event, originally scheduled for May 21 as part of the MARS Racing Series, was rained out and has since taken on the new date under the Summer Nationals banner. MARS Series Director Tony Izzo will still have a hand in putting on the event, taking on the promotional duties under his Sixteens Race Promotions brand.

The Graves 40 event title honors the entire Graves family who supported Charleston Speedway for over 40 years as racers, car builders, announcers and track staff.

If you can’t be at the track, stream every lap from Charleston and the rest of the 2022 DIRTcar Summer Nationals live on DIRTVision.

Leary, Ballou, Cockrum, Short & Swanson Lead Series into Friday-SaturdayELDON, MO – June 7, 2022 – After two months off, the Xtreme Outlaw Sprint Car Series presented by Low-E Insulation returns to action this weekend with a doubleheader at Eldon, MO’s Lake Ozark Speedway.Held in conjunction with the POWRi Lucas Oil WAR Sprint League, the “410 Nationals” on Friday and Saturday, June 10-11 will offer the standard $5,000-to-win and $6,000-to-win Xtreme Outlaw purses for teams with all Feature cars receiving $600-to-start. Remember, the top-10 in Xtreme Outlaw points will also receive tow money and courtesy pit passes from the Series.This weekend’s doubleheader at Lake Ozark marks the first of five races in June, the busiest month thus far for the young Xtreme Outlaw Series. The Sprint Cars will return to Missouri on Friday & Saturday, June 24-25 for the St. Louis Firecracker Faceoff alongside the World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Models and DIRTcar Summer Nationals at Pevely’s Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55. The Xtreme Outlaw Midgets presented by Toyota will also venture to Jacksonville, IL on Sunday, June 26 for the Series’ third event and first since debuting at Millbridge (NC) in May.LAKE OZARK TICKETS (Fri-Sat)Here’s what to watch for this weekend on DIRTVision.com:LEARY’S LEADING: Through the first three races in Series history, CJ Leary has established himself as the early favorite for the inaugural championship worth $20,000. He dominated the Xtreme Outlaw Sprint Car Series debut at Volusia (FL) in February and backed that up with another exciting score in April during his first appearance at Lake Ozark (MO). This weekend, the Bill Michael Motorsports #77M returns to the Eldon, MO 1/3-mile with sights set on a third and potentially fourth triumph.In the grand scheme of things, Leary (Greenfield, IN) is one of the hottest Non-Wing Sprint Car drivers in the entire country, let alone in the Xtreme Outlaw Series. The 26-year-old leads the nation with six victories including the No Way Out 40 at Paragon (IN), BOSS at Montpelier (IN), USAC at Terre Haute (IN), and BC’s Indiana Double at Kokomo (IN), and his two out-of-state Xtreme Outlaw triumphs.THE MAD MAN: If the trends and numbers have anything to say about it, Robert Ballou is due for a win. In the first three Xtreme Outlaw Sprint Car events, Ballou finished fourth, then third, and then second. He’ll try to get that overdue victory this Friday night when he returns to Lake Ozark Speedway, where he charged from 17th-to-2nd in April and led throughout the closing stages.The Rocklin, CA native is already a two-time victory in 2022 with both wins coming under the USAC National Sprint Car Series banner at I-70 (MO) and Terre Haute (IN). He’ll certainly be one to watch this weekend as he hopes to join Leary and Thomas Meseraull as a winner with the Xtreme Outlaw Sprint Car Series presented by Low-E Insulation and cut down into Leary’s +36 point lead.HANGING AROUND: Behind Leary (676) and Ballou (640) is a trio of patient, but stealthy gassers keeping their name in the early-season title fight with the Xtreme Outlaw Sprint Car Series and looking to make up some ground this weekend.Shane Cockrum (-77) of Benton, IL earned his first podium finish in the Series’ most recent trip to Lake Ozark aboard the Amati Racing #66. Carson Short (-114) of Marion, IL led the first-ever lap in Xtreme Outlaw history and backed that up with two top-10 results before a flip at LOS ended his bid to make it three-for-three. Jake Swanson (-130) of Anaheim, CA has been s steady frontrunner in the #21AZ and much like Short’s Lake Ozark flip, would be much closer to the top of the standings if not for his DNF at Volusia while running third.LONG HAUL: Sitting seventh in the current Xtreme Outlaw standings, Alex Bright of Collegeville, PA is showing the utmost commitment to the new series with his long haul this weekend. He and the Hummer Motorsports #20 will cover more than 1,000 miles one way on their 15-hour trip from Collegeville, PA to Eldon, MO.Had it not been for a crash while running inside the top-five at Lake Ozark in April, Bright would likely be sitting third in the points right behind Leary and Ballou after his back-to-back strong runs at Volusia. The 31-year-old ace enters this weekend with three wins already under his belt in 2022, those all coming with the USAC East Coast Series at Bloomsburg (PA), Delaware (DE), and Williams Grove (PA).SHOW-ME STRONG: Lake Ozark’s doubleheader marks the first of four consecutive Xtreme Outlaw events in Missouri this month as the St. Louis Firecracker Faceoff follows at Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 on June 24-25.A whole contingent of Missouri natives will be in attendance this weekend hoping to defend home turf at Lake Ozark as they’ve done countless times before with the POWRi WAR Sprint League. Among the previous local non-wing winners in Eldon are the likes of Kory Schudy (Springfield, MO), Wesley Smith (Nixa, MO), Jack Wagner (Lone Jack, MO), and Riley Kreisel (Warsaw, MO).A BATTLE WITH WAR: Friday and Saturday’s trip to Lake Ozark will mark the second and third events held in conjunction with the POWRi Lucas Oil WAR Sprint League. The Belleville, IL-based organization has already completed four races in 2022 with four different winners – CJ Leary, Kory Schudy, Riley Kreisel, and Wesley Smith – finding their way to victory lane.Entering this weekend, Kory Schudy leads the POWRi WAR standings with Jack Wagner, Anthony Nicholson, Steven Russell, and Riley Kreisel (Warsaw, MO) rounding out the current top-five.THIS WEEK AT A GLANCEFriday & Saturday, June 10-11 at Lake Ozark Speedway in Eldon, MOON THE INTERNET Xtreme Outlaw Sprint Car Series presented by Low-E Insulation Twitter – @Xtreme_Outlaw Instagram – @XtremeOutlaw Facebook – Facebook.com/XtremeOutlawSeries.WRG YouTube – Youtube.com/WorldofOutlaws DIRTVision – DIRTVision.com – Platinum annual FAST PASS for $299 or monthly FAST PASS for $39/monthCURRENT CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS (3/13 Nights): 1. 77-CJ Leary (676 PTS); 2. 12-Robert Ballou (-36 PTS); 3. 66-Shane Cockrum (-77 PTS); 4. 21-Carson Short (-114 PTS); 5. 21AZ-Jake Swanson (-130 PTS); 6. 69-Brady Bacon (-135 PTS); 7. 20-Alex Bright (-139 PTS); 8. 6-Mario Clouser (-148 PTS); 9. 44-Wesley Smith (-153 PTS); 10. 33M-Matt Westfall (-163 PTS).LOW-E INSULATION FEATURE WINNERS (2 Drivers): 2 wins – CJ Leary (Greenfield, IN) / Michael Motorsports #77 1 win – Thomas Meseraull (San Jose, CA) / Sean Michael #20MFEATURE LAPS LED (5 Drivers): 40 Laps – CJ Leary 30 Laps – Thomas Meseraull 10 Laps – Brady Bacon 4 Laps – Robert Ballou 1 Lap – Carson ShortWHITZ RACING QUICKTIME AWARDS (3 Drivers): 1 QuickTime – Robert Ballou, Thomas Meseraull, Brady BaconHEAT RACE WINNERS (10 Drivers): 2 Heat Wins – CJ Leary, Shane Cockrum 1 Heat Win – Justin Grant, Robert Ballou, Dustin Clark, Shane Cottle, Cole Bodine, Jake Swanson, Alex Bright, Jack WagnerK1 RACE GEAR LAST CHANCE SHOWDOWN WINNERS (5 Drivers): 1 LCS Win – Thomas Meseraull, Wesley Smith, Charles Davis Jr, Brandon Mattox, Robert BallouTJ FORGED HARD CHARGER AWARDS (3 Drivers): 1 Hard Charger – Carson Short, Chase Stockon, Robert BallouPODIUM FINISHES (7 Drivers): 2 Podiums – CJ Leary, Robert Ballou, 1 Podium – Carson Short, Chase Stockon, Thomas Meseraull, Brady Bacon, Shane CockrumTOP 10 FINISHES (20 Drivers): 3 Top 10s – CJ Leary, Robert Ballou 2 Top 10s – Carson Short, Shane Cottle, Charles Davis Jr, Alex Bright, Shane Cockrum, Jake Swanson, 1 Top 10 – Chase Stockon, Dustin Clark, Mitchel Moles, Thomas Meseraull, Brady Bacon, Justin Grant, Matt Westfall, Jason McDougal, Wesley Smith, Jack Wagner, Kory Schudy, Isaac Chapple2022 XTREME OUTLAW SPRINT CAR SCHEDULE & WINNERS: No. / Day, Date / Track / Location / Winner (Total Wins) 1. Mon, Feb. 14 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / CJ Leary (1) 2. Tues, Feb. 15 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / Thomas Meseraull (1) 3. Sat, April 9 / Lake Ozark Speedway / Eldon, MO / CJ Leary (2) 4. Fri, June 10 / Lake Ozark Speedway / Eldon, MO 5. Sat, June 11 / Lake Ozark Speedway / Eldon, MO 6. Fri, June 24 / Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 / Pevely, MO 7. Sat, June 25 / Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 / Pevely, MO 8. Fri, Sept. 9 / Jacksonville Speedway / Jacksonville, IL 9. Sat, Sept. 10 / Spoon River Speedway / Canton, IL 10. Fri, Oct. 7 / Atomic Speedway / Waverly, OH 11. Sat, Oct. 8 / Atomic Speedway / Waverly, OH 12. TBA 13. TBA

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (June 7, 2022) – The 2022 Progressive American Flat Trackseason will go straight from the high-speed drafting wars of its first Miles to the intense, bar-to-bar battles of its first Short Track with the Progressive Laconia Short Track presented by MOMS Motorsports at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, New Hampshire, on Saturday, June 11. The round will mark just the second occasion in which Progressive AFT has served as a premiere attraction of the fabled Laconia Motorcycle Week. The historic rally began as a gypsy tour in 1916 and is celebrating its 99th running this year with a huge number of motorcycle-themed activities featured all throughout the surrounding areas from June 11 to June 19. Jared Mees (No. 1 Indian Motorcycle/Progressive Insurance FTR750) enters the weekend as both the reigning Mission SuperTwins presented by S&S Cycle champion and its current points leader.  Mees was presented with a mighty challenge at the Red Mile and still ended up on the top of the podium. It’s not likely to get any easier at the mentally and physically demanding 0.25-mile Progressive Laconia Short Track. Mees could only muster 15th-place when the series visited back in 2019 due to mechanical issues, a result he has yet to do worse than ever since. While he’ll be looking to make amends in his second opportunity at the venue, there will be no shortage of adversaries hoping to chip away at his early-season points lead. That group is headlined by two-time premier-class champion Briar Bauman (No. 3 Indian Motorcycle/Progressive Insurance FTR750), who is in need of a bounce-back effort following a relatively quiet weekend in Kentucky. And there’s no reason to think the Estenson Yamahas of Dallas Daniels (No. 32 Estenson Racing Yamaha MT-07 DT) and JD Beach (No. 95 Estenson Racing Yamaha MT-07 DT) won’t be in the mix once again. The teammates have established themselves as constant presences near the front of the pack as they rapidly develop into both podium regulars and genuine championship contenders. It’s safe to say no rider looks back as fondly on the ‘19 visit to New Hampshire as Bronson Bauman (No. 37 Latus Motors Racing Harley-Davidson XG750R), who took a hard-earned maiden victory on that occasion. Bauman has flashed the strength and speed to vie for top positions early in ‘22 and will do everything in his power to return Harley-Davidson to the top of the box this weekend. A number of privateer Indians could factor into the fight as well, most notably Davis Fisher(No. 67 Bob Lanphere’s BMC Racing Indian FTR750), Brandon Robinson (No. 44 Mission Roof Systems Indian FTR750), and Jarod Vanderkooi (No. 20 Mission Roof Systems Indian FTR750). And it’s becoming less and less of a surprise whenever a rider from the support class charges into contention via the Mission Production Twins Challenge. Mission Production Twins presented by Vance & Hines Jesse Janisch (No. 33 Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson XG750R) has pulled off a successful career reinvention. Once regarded primarily as a TT specialist in singles competition, the Wisconsin native is now rightly viewed as a week-to-week threat and serious title fighter in the Mission Production Twins presented by Vance & Hines class. Ever since getting the call by Vance & Hines to fill in as an injury sub during the middle of last season, Janisch has been on point. And that form has only continued to improve to the point where he enters the Progressive Laconia Short Track as the winner of two of the last three rounds and the new championship leader. However, only one point separates him from defending class champion Cory Texter (No. 1 G&G Racing/Yamaha Racing Yamaha MT-07), who continues to salvage strong results on his bad days. One expects more good days are coming soon as Texter attempts to close out a decorated career by adding a third Mission Production Twins title to his name. And despite encountering some misfortune last time out, Nick Armstrong (No. 60 Competitive Racing Frames/Lessley Brothers Yamaha MT-07) continues to show staying power. Armstrong remains well within striking distance in what’s taking shape as a three-rider championship chase. Several others still have the potential to have their say, both week-to-week and over the long haul, chief among Ben Lowe (No. 25 Mission Foods/Roof Systems Yamaha MT-07), Ryan Varnes (No. 68 Schaeffer’s Motorsports/Rausch Fuel & Oil KTM 890 Duke), and Johnny Lewis (No. 10 Moto Anatomy X Powered by Royal Enfield 650). One other rider to watch out for this weekend is Dan Bromley (No. 62 Vinson Construction/Viper Air Yamaha MT-07), who finished third in the championship a year ago and finished as runner-up in his only outing to date this season. Parts Unlimited AFT Singles presented by KICKER The ‘22 Parts Unlimited AFT Singles presented by KICKER season is living up to its advance billing as a titanic showdown between the factory-backed KTM and American Honda outfits. Collectively, they’ve combined to score all five wins and 14 of a possible 15 podium positions. That has done nothing to lessen the class’ renowned drama or unpredictability, however, as Kody Kopp (No. 12 Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 450 SX-FFE), Morgen Mischler (No. 13 American Honda/Progressive Insurance CRF450R), and Dalton Gauthier (No. 79 American Honda/Progressive Insurance CRF450R) have all stood atop the podium. As is the nature of the class, another dozen or so riders are more than capable of springing a surprise on any given weekend, led by the likes of Trent Lowe (No. 48 Mission Foods/Al Lamb’s Dallas Honda CRF450R), Trevor Brunner (No. 21 Estenson Racing Yamaha YZ450F), Chase Saathoff (No. 106 American Honda/Progressive Insurance CRF450R), and Chad Cose (No. 49 1st Impressions Race Team/Voodoo Ranger Honda CRF450R). There will be plenty to keep fans entertained off the track as well, including numerous vendors, food trucks, beverage options, the Kids Zone, and the live music of the acoustic rock duo D-Comp, featuring Demetri Papanicolau on vocals and Nate Comp on guitar. Visit https://store.americanflattrack.com/ebooking/ticket/view/id/3692/ to reserve your tickets today. General Admission – Standing Room Only tickets are available for $40 (kids 12 and under free when accompanied by an adult), while General Admission Grandstand ticketsare available for just $10 more. Paddock Access Upgrades are also available for purchase, which provide all-day access to the pits where fans can scope out the world’s fastest dirt track motorcycles and get up close and personal with the stars of the sport. Gates will open for fans at 12:30 p.m. local time with practice starting at 1:30 p.m. ET/10:30 a.m. PT with Opening Ceremonies scheduled to begin at 4:00 p.m. ET/1:00 p.m. PT ahead of the day’s Main Event program. You can catch the livestream of all the weekend’s racing activities on FansChoice.tv. FansChoice.tv provides free-to-view livestreaming of Practice and Qualifying. FansChoice.tv subscribers will then be able to watch the drama unfold from Opening Ceremonies through the Semis, Main Events, and podium celebrations. FansChoice.tv offers two subscription options, granting unlimited access to premium AFT content. Monthly subscriptions start at just $7.99, while a six-month subscription is available for $44.99. The Progressive 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. 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. How to Watch: FOX Sports and FansChoice.tv are the official homes for coverage of Progressive American Flat Track. For the 2022 season, all races will premiere in one-hour telecasts on FS1 during highly desirable weekend time slots. The complete schedule can be viewed at https://www.americanflattrack.com/events-foxsports. FansChoice.tv provides livestreaming coverage of every Progressive AFT round at http://www.FansChoice.tv.

• 1: As in one team, one manufacturer and one model of car for 21 appearances at Le Mans: Corvette Racing, Chevrolet and the Chevrolet Corvette.• 3: Generations of Corvette Racing entries since 2000 – Corvette C5-R (2000-04), Corvette C6.R (2005-13), Corvette C7.R (2014-2019) and Corvette C8.R (2021).• 3: Number of wins for the Corvette C5-R – 2001, 2002, 2004.• 4: Number of wins for the Corvette C6.R – 2005, 2006, 2009, 2011.• 7: Number of Le Mans victories for Corvette Racing’s lineup.Antonio Garcia: 3     Tommy Milner: 2       Jordan Taylor: 1        Nick Tandy: 1• 8: Class victories for Corvette Racing at Le Mans – all since 2001.• 9: Number of drivers who have won races at Le Mans for Corvette Racing – Olivier Beretta, Ron Fellows, Antonio Garcia, Oliver Gavin, Jan Magnussen, Tommy Milner, Johnny O’Connell, Scott Pruett and Jordan Taylor.• 14: Manufacturer Championships for Chevrolet and Corvette Racing since 2001.• 23: Number of drivers to compete for Corvette Racing at Le Mans. That number grew in 2021 with Nick Tandy, Nicky Catsburg and Alexander Sims joining the lineup.• 25: Tracks at which Corvette Racing has won races – Baltimore, Charlotte Motor Speedway, COTA, Canadian Tire Motorsport Park/Mosport, Daytona, Detroit, Houston, Laguna Seca, Le Mans, Lime Rock, Long Beach, Miami, Mid-Ohio, Portland, Road America, Road Atlanta, Sebring, Sonoma, St. Petersburg, Texas, Trois Rivieres, Utah, VIR, Washington DC and Watkins Glen.• 121: Victories worldwide for Corvette Racing – 113 in North America and eight at Le Mans.• 256: Event starts by Corvette Racing since 1999.• 27,557.8: Approximate freight weight in pounds (12,500 kgs!!) sent by Corvette Racing to Le Mans by air and by sea! The first shipment left Detroit in April via rail and sea, and the last left in early-May by air.• 104,343.44: Number of racing miles completed by Corvette Racing in its 21 previous trips to Le Mans. That represents 12,376 laps… or more than four full trips around the Earth at its equator. The two Corvettes combined to go over the 100,000-mile mark in the 2021 race.• 340,225.78: Total number of racing miles completed by Corvette Racing since its inception. To put that in perspective, Corvette Racing is more than halfway to the distance traveled by Apollo 13 – the longest manned spaceflight in history: 622,268 miles. That means Corvette Racing has raced to the moon and part of the way back!

Every Lap Matters Ahead of 61st NOS Energy Drink Knoxville Nationals in AugustKNOXVILLE, IA – June 6, 2022 – The Greatest Show on Dirt heads for The Sprint Car Capital of the World this weekend.Iowa’s Knoxville Raceway will host a doubleheader this Friday and Saturday, June 10-11 as the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series comes to town for the annual Brownells Big Guns Bash. It’s a thrilling two nights at the Marion County Fairgrounds with the local legends facing the best of the best as they invade the Black Zook Clay.BUY TICKETS HERE (Fri-Sat)Here’s what to watch for this weekend on DIRTVision.com:BLACK ZOOK EXPERIENCE: When it comes to the World of Outlaws at Knoxville, three full-time stars stand out above the rest – Donny Schatz, David Gravel, and Brad Sweet.Donny Schatz is ranked eighth on the track’s All-Time Wins List with 17 of his 27 Knoxville wins coming with the World of Outlaws, and 10 of those being the Knoxville Nationals. The 10-time Series champion finished 3rd, 3rd & 2nd at the track last August, and heads into this weekend eyeing a second win of the year in the Tony Stewart/Curb-Agajanian Racing #15.David Gravel has been especially hot at Knoxville Raceway in the past few years, winning HALF (7 of 14) starts since August 2019. This weekend, the Watertown, CT native will be going for this third World of Outlaws win of the season and his third Knoxville Raceway win in the Big Game Motorsports #2.Brad Sweet hasn’t won at Knoxville since June 2019, but he’s been consistent with 10 top-10 finishes and an average result of 7.7 in 14 starts since then. The Big Cat will be going for his second World of Outlaws win of the season and the eighth of his career at Knoxville Raceway this weekend in the Kasey Kahne Racing #49.TEAM KNOXVILLE: There’s the PA Posse out east and the Golden State Gang out west, but in the heart of the country lies Team Knoxville – a group of loyal locals committed to weekly action at The Sprint Car Capital of the World. Leading that contingent against the World of Outlaws is Brian Brown of Higginsville, MO, who goes for his 59th Knoxville Raceway 410 win this weekend in hopes of tying Terry McCarl for third on the all-time win list at the track.Currently on top of the Knoxville season standings is Austin McCarl of Altoona, IA in the Country Builders #88. He’s a six-time 410 victor at the track, including once this year, and looks to top his career-best of second with the Series. Austin and younger brother Carson McCarl are both trying to join their father “T-Mac” as a World of Outlaws winner.Other names to look for this weekend include Justin Henderson (23 total Knoxville wins), Davey Reskin (reigning track champ), Lynton Jeffrey (last week’s winner), Matt Juhl (Outlaw career-best of 3rd), Ayrton Gennetten (led World of Outlaws race last year). Also keep your eye on the likes of Sawyer & Tasker Phillips, Riley Gordon, J.J. Hickle, Josh Higday, and Chris Martin, among others.SHOOTING FOR SIX: The two most recent winners in World of Outlaws competition are also the two winningest drivers with the Series in 2022. Both Carson Macedo and Sheldon Haudenschild own five wins apiece thus far, and head for The Sprint Car Capital of the World this weekend with a chance at winning for the sixth time.Carson Macedo, who topped Friday’s Feature at River Cities, has already won once at Knoxville earlier this season in weekly competition. The Lemoore, CA native also brings in momentum from last year’s June doubleheader with the World of Outlaws, a weekend he swept aboard the Jason Johnson Racing #41. Later this year, he’ll have a chance to become JJR’s third different Knoxville Nationals champion in six runnings.Sheldon Haudenschild has been on a hot streak of late, winning three of four Features before his streak ended with a 13th-place result at River Cities. The Wooster, OH native has yet to beat the World of Outlaws at Knoxville, but he did score his first win at the track last year during a local show. His father, Jac Haudenschild, was a nine-time winner with the Series at the Marion County Fairgrounds, and Sheldon gets his next chance this weekend in the NOS Energy Drink #17.TOYOTA HISTORY: Aaron Reutzel and Ridge & Sons Racing made history last week at Knoxville Raceway by winning the first-ever 410 Winged Sprint Car race with a Toyota Development Racing engine under the hood of their Mobil 1 #8. The Clute, TX native already claimed Toyota’s best finish with the World of Outlaws earlier this year when he took the TRD machine to third-place at Volusia (FL) during the season opener.A six-time winner in both World of Outlaws competition and Knoxville Raceway action (4 with 410, 2 with 360), Reutzel will eye his seventh score with the Series and at the track this weekend.ON THE GASS: In his 25th Feature start with the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series last Friday, 18-year-old Noah Gass of Mounds, OK recorded his first-career top-10 finish. The moment of jubilation for the Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year contender was amplified as he also earned his first KSE Hard Charger Award thanks to the 17th-to-10th bid at River Cities.It’s been a massive learning curve for the youngster and his crew of Cody Cordell & Robby McQuinn, but they’re rolling with the punches quite well. The teenager is committed to giving this his all and is beginning to prove he’ll be one to closely watch as he progresses over the coming months and years.CHASING THE FIRST: Several full-time World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series stars will be chasing their first 410 victory at Iowa’s Knoxville Raceway this weekend at the Brownell’s Big Guns Bash.Spencer Bayston has finished as high as second with the All Star Circuit of Champions and also ran fifth with the World of Outlaws at the track in 2020. The Lebanon, IN native is looking for his second win of the season in the CJB Motorsports #5.James McFadden is a two-time ASCS National Tour winner at Knoxville with a 360 under the hood, but he’s yet to tame the black book clay with a 410. The Roth Motorsports #83 pilot has an opportunity to change that this weekend and score the 99th World of Outlaws win for Hall of Fame car owner Dennis Roth.Jacob Allen once started on the pole of a Hard Knox night at the Knoxville Nationals but hasn’t faired as well in the results department with a career-best of 12th through 16 starts at the 1/2-mile. He’s already a two-time World of Outlaws winner in 2022 and hopes to nail down that first Knoxville top-10 this weekend.In his most recent appearance, Brock Zearfoss recorded his Knoxville career-best, a fourth-place during last year’s Hard Knox program. The driver of the Moose’s LZ Bar & Grill #3Z is fresh off his fifth top-10 of the season at River Cities last week.EVERY LAP MATTERS: In preparation for the 61st NOS Energy Drink Knoxville Nationals presented by Casey’s General Stores, a driver and team can never have enough laps at Knoxville Raceway. Local teams spend all season dialing in their setups, while the invaders take every single chance they get to hit the Black Zook Clay and find the speed they need.With the exception of last year’s champion Kyle Larson (who didn’t race in June), the last three Knoxville Nationals winners before him (Gravel ’19, Sweet ’18, Schatz ’17) were winning contenders in the World of Outlaws early-summer tune-up and finished within the top-five.THIS WEEK AT A GLANCEFriday & Saturday, June 10-11 at Knoxville Raceway in Knoxville, IAOn the Internet World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series Twitter – @WorldofOutlaws Instagram – @WoOSprint Facebook – Facebook.com/WorldofOutlawsSprintCarSeries YouTube – Youtube.com/WorldofOutlaws DIRTVision – DIRTVision.com – Platinum annual FAST PASS for $299 or monthly FAST PASS for $39/monthCURRENT CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS (24/77 Nights): 1. 49-Brad Sweet (3,328 PTS); 2. 2-David Gravel (-52 PTS); 3. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild (-56 PTS); 4. 41-Carson Macedo (-62 PTS); 5. 1S-Logan Schuchart (-88 PTS); 6. 15-Donny Schatz (-148 PTS); 7. 83-James McFadden (-172 PTS); 8. 5-Spencer Bayston (-184 PTS); 9. 1A-Jacob Allen (-250 PTS); 10. 3Z-Brock Zearfoss (-384 PTS).NOS ENERGY DRINK FEATURE WINNERS (11 Drivers): 5 wins – Sheldon Haudenschild, Stenhouse Jr. / Marshall Racing #17 5 wins – Carson Macedo, Jason Johnson Racing #41 2 wins – David Gravel, Big Game Motorsports #2 2 wins – Jacob Allen, Shark Racing #1A 2 wins – Kyle Larson, Kevin Kozlowski/Paul Silva #57 2 wins – Brent Marks, Murray-Marks Motorsports #19 2 wins – Giovanni Scelzi, KCP Racing #18 1 win – Brad Sweet, Kasey Kahne Racing #49 1 win – Logan Schuchart, Shark Racing #1S 1 win – Spencer Bayston, CJB Motorsports #5 1 win – Donny Schatz, Tony Stewart/Curb-Agajanian Racing #15FEATURE LAPS LED (22 Drivers): 107 laps – Carson Macedo 81 laps – Brad Sweet 79 laps – Sheldon Haudenschild 71 laps – David Gravel 64 laps – Jacob Allen 61 laps – Kyle Larson 55 laps – Giovanni Scelzi 49 laps – Spencer Bayston 41 laps – Logan Schuchart 29 laps – Brent Marks 26 laps – Sam Hafertepe Jr. 25 laps – Donny Schatz 15 laps – Justin Peck 13 laps – Cory Eliason 9 laps – Dominic Scelzi, Brady Bacon 8 laps – James McFadden, Anthony Macri 3 laps – Brock Zearfoss, Brian Brown 1 lap – Corey Day, Aaron ReutzelSLICK WOODY’S QUICKTIME AWARDS (15 Drivers): 4 QuickTimes – Carson Macedo 3 QuickTimes – David Gravel 2 QuickTimes – Sheldon Haudenschild, Jacob Allen, Rico Abreu, Giovanni Scelzi* 1 QuickTime – Brad Sweet, Logan Schuchart, Spencer Bayston, James McFadden, Aaron Reutzel, Cory Eliason, Sam Hafertepe Jr, Justin Peck, Buddy Kofoid * Denotes New Track RecordHEAT RACE WINNERS (26 Drivers): 10 Heat Wins – David Gravel 8 Heat Wins – Brad Sweet, Carson Macedo, Jacob Allen 6 Heat Wins – Sheldon Haudenschild 5 Heat Wins – Logan Schuchart, James McFadden, Rico Abreu 4 Heat Wins – Giovanni Scelzi 3 Heat Wins – Donny Schatz, Kraig Kinser, Aaron Reutzel 2 Heat Wins – Spencer Bayston, Brock Zearfoss, Tyler Courtney, Cory Eliason, Kerry Madsen 1 Heat Win – Kasey Kahne, Sam Hafertepe Jr, Dominic Scelzi, Corey Day, Justin Peck, Anthony Macri, Justin Whittall, Ian Madsen, Parker Price-MillerDIRTVISION FAST PASS DASH APPEARANCES (35 Drivers): 16 Dashes – David Gravel 14 Dashes – Brad Sweet, Carson Macedo, Spencer Bayston, Jacob Allen 11 Dashes – Sheldon Haudenschild, Logan Schuchart, 8 Dashes – Donny Schatz, James McFadden 7 Dashes – Rico Abreu 6 Dashes – Kraig Kinser 5 Dashes – Kyle Larson, Cory Eliason, Giovanni Scelzi 4 Dashes – Aaron Reutzel 3 Dashes – Brock Zearfoss, Brent Marks, Tyler Courtney, Kerry Madsen 2 Dashes – Kasey Kahne, Dominic Scelzi, Corey Day, Anthony Macri 1 Dash – Sam Hafertepe Jr, Colby Copeland, Tanner Carrick, DJ Netto, Brian Brown, Brady Bacon, Justin Peck, Matt Campbell, Justin Whittall, Ian Madsen, Cole Duncan, Parker Price-MillerMICROLITE LAST CHANCE SHOWDOWN WINS (15 Drivers): 3 LCS Wins – Sheldon Haudenschild, James McFadden 2 LCS Wins – Logan Schuchart, Ayrton Gennetten 1 LCS Win – Spencer Bayston, Donny Schatz, Brock Zearfoss, Anthony Macri, Mitchell Faccinto, Sam Hafertepe Jr, Kerry Madsen, Brent Marks, DJ Foos, Christopher Bell, Austin PierceKSE HARD CHARGER AWARDS (11 Drivers): 4 Hard Chargers – Logan Schuchart 3 Hard Chargers – Sheldon Haudenschild 2 Hard Chargers – Carson Macedo, James McFadden, 1 Hard Chargers – David Gravel, Donny Schatz, Brock Zearfoss, Noah Gass, Jason Sides, Rico Abreu, Tanner Thorson, Alan Krimes, Devon Borden, Anthony Macri, Greg Wilson, Travis Philo, Kyle LarsonPODIUM FINISHES (20 Drivers): 9 Podiums – Brad Sweet 8 Podiums – Sheldon Haudenschild, Carson Macedo 7 Podiums – Kyle Larson 6 Podiums – David Gravel 5 Podiums – Logan Schuchart, Donny Schatz 3 Podiums – James McFadden, Jacob Allen, Giovanni Scelzi, Brent Marks 2 Podiums – Spencer Bayston, Aaron Reutzel, Corey Day 1 Podium – Kraig Kinser, Cory Eliason, Sam Hafertepe Jr, Brian Brown, Justin Peck, Rico AbreuTOP 10 FINISHES (39 Drivers): 21 Top 10s – Brad Sweet 20 Top 10s – David Gravel 18 Top 10s – Sheldon Haudenschild, Logan Schuchart 17 Top 10s – Carson Macedo 16 Top 10s – Donny Schatz 15 Top 10s – Spencer Bayston 14 Top 10s – James McFadden 13 Top 10s – Jacob Allen 12 Top 10s – Giovanni Scelzi 10 Top 10s – Rico Abreu 8 Top 10s – Kyle Larson 7 Top 10s – Cory Eliason 5 Top 10s – Brock Zearfoss, Brent Marks 4 Top 10s – Aaron Reutzel, Tyler Courtney, Anthony Macri 3 Top 10s – Kerry Madsen 2 Top 10s – Kraig Kinser, Kasey Kahne, Dominic Scelzi, Corey Day, Justin Peck, Sam Hafertepe Jr. 1 Top 10 – Noah Gass, Shane Golobic, DJ Netto, Brian Brown, Hunter Schuerenberg, Carson Short, Tanner Thorson, Danny Dietrich, Lance Dewease, Greg Wilson, Cole Duncan, Cale Thomas, Cole Macedo, Mark Dobmeier2022 WORLD OF OUTLAWS SPRINT CAR SCHEDULE & WINNERS: No. / Day, Date / Track / Location / Winner (Total Wins) 1. Thur, Feb. 10 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / Donny Schatz (1) 2. Fri, Feb. 11 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / Sheldon Haudenschild (1) 3. Sat, Feb. 12 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / David Gravel (1) 4. Fri, March 4 / Cotton Bowl Speedway / Paige, TX / Sheldon Haudenschild (2) 5. Sat, March 5 / Cotton Bowl Speedway / Paige, TX / Carson Macedo (1) 6. Fri, March 11 / Thunderbowl Raceway / Tulare, CA / Giovanni Scelzi (1) 7. Sat, March 12 / Thunderbowl Raceway / Tulare, CA / Kyle Larson (1) 8. Fri, March 18 / Merced Speedway / Merced, CA / Carson Macedo (2) 9. Fri, March 25 / Bakersfield Speedway / Bakersfield, CA / Giovanni Scelzi (2) 10. Sat, March 26 / Perris Auto Speedway / Perris, CA / David Gravel (2) 11. Tues, March 29 / Vado Speedway Park / Vado, NM / Brad Sweet (1) 12. Sat, April 2 / Devil’s Bowl Speedway / Mesquite, TX / Brent Marks (1) 13. Sat, April 9 / Lake Ozark Speedway / Eldon, MO / Jacob Allen (1) 14. Fri, April 15 / Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 / Pevely, MO / Carson Macedo (3) 15. Sat, April 23 / Tri-State Speedway / Haubstadt, IN / Carson Macedo (4) 16. Fri, April 29 / Bristol Motor Speedway / Bristol, TN / Logan Schuchart (1) 17. Sat, April 30 / Bristol Motor Speedway / Bristol, TN / Spencer Bayston (1) 18. Wed, May 11 / Lincoln Speedway / Abbottstown, PA / Jacob Allen (2) 19. Sat, May 14 / Williams Grove Speedway / Mechanicsburg, PA / Brent Marks (2) 20. Tues, May 17 / Bridgeport Motorsports Park / Swedesboro, NJ / Sheldon Haudenschild (3) 21. Fri, May 20 / Attica Raceway Park / Attica, OH / Kyle Larson (2) 22. Sat, May 28 / Atomic Speedway / Waverly, OH / Sheldon Haudenschild (4) 23. Mon, May 30 / Lawrenceburg Speedway / Lawrenceburg, IN / Sheldon Haudenschild (5) 24. Fri, June 3 / River Cities Speedway / Grand Forks, ND / Carson Macedo (5)

Overton, Davenport, Erb, Sheppard, Madden, and more return to “The House That Earl Built.”ROSSBURG, OH – June 6, 2022–Eldora Speedway is the biggest stage in Dirt Late Model racing. However, this season boasts the most-anticipated event in more than 20 years.  For only the second time in the track’s illustrious history, the Eldora Million returns to the Rossburg, OH facility—a life-changing opportunity for one DIRTcar Late Model competitor.  Drivers begin their quest on Wednesday, June 8, with Qualifying, Heat Races, and twin 25-lap $12,000-to-win split-field Features. Those races will set the six Heat Race lineups for Thursday, June 9, as drivers battle their way into the 101-lap, $1,002,022-to-win Feature.  While the Eldora Million is the main entrée for the week at “The House that Earl Built,” there’s still room left over for dessert.  The 28th Dirt Late Model Dream is also on tap for the DIRTcar Late Models June 10-11, following the same traditional Eldora format leading up to Saturday’s $128,000-to-win 100-lap Feature.  TICKETS: https://bit.ly/3M4EXrR Here are some of the Storylines Entering This week’s event at Eldora:Big Sexy is Back: Brandon Overton dominated Eldora Speedway in its four crown jewel events last season, including three wins (2 Dirt Late Model Dreams and 51st World 100) and a third. The Evans, GA driver, made more than $300,000 at the track last year and has the chance to eclipse that number with an Eldora Million victory.  This season, “Big Sexy” has seven victories to his credit, including one at Volusia Speedway Park during DIRTcar Nationals.  Overton hopes to have his Longhorn Chassis dialed for the second straight year after winning a Feature on all four nights in June during last year’s “Double-Dreams.” Superman’s Planet: The only man to beat Overton in an Eldora Crown Jewel last season was 50th World 100 winner Jonathan Davenport—his fifth crown jewel win at the Ohio facility.  The Blairsville, GA driver has five wins this season, including two $50,000 triumphs (All-Tech, West Virginia) and three others at Bristol, Mississippi Thunder, and Brownstown.  He also finished second at Eldora during an event earlier this season.  Illinois Outlaw: World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Model Series points leader Dennis Erb Jr. enters the week at Eldora on a run of consistency throughout the season.  The 2016 Dirt Late Model Dream winner has five wins in 2022 on all different types of tracks. (Volusia, East Bay, Spoon River, Marion Center, Clarksville).  The dynamic duo of Erb and Crew Chief Heather Lyne has hit on something so far in 2022, and the right combination could lead to a million-dollar victory later this week. B-Shepp Looks to Cash-in: It’s been three years since current Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series points leader Brandon Sheppard has tasted victory lane in an Eldora Crown Jewel—the 2019 Dirt Late Model Dream.   The New Berlin, IL driver enters the weekend with eight victories this season on all types of tracks, including his last win at Spoon River during Illinois Speedweeks the previous month.  Sheppard led the first 60 laps of last year’s 27th Dirt Late Model Dream before Overton passed him for the win.  He’ll be looking for redemption and the million-dollar check once the checkered flag flies Thursday night. Smoke on the Water: Chris Madden has won a lot of big races in his career, but a crown jewel win at Eldora has eluded the Gray Court, SC driver.  However, there’s one thing different about this year’s traditional June trip to Western, OH. Madden is on fire entering the weekend, off to the best start in his career.  “Smokey” is the leading money winner this season, as three of his seven wins are worth $50,000. Madden has taken a few weeks off to prepare for this week’s events, not appearing since mid-May at The Dirt Track at Charlotte. It may be one of the keys for “Smokey” to finally break through with a win at “The Big E.”  Breaking the Curse: Dresden, OH driver Devin Moran, is another driver hoping for a breakthrough at Eldora.  The Moran name is forever attached to the Eldora Million, as his father Donnie won the inaugural event in 2001.  Since then, Devin Moran hasn’t been able to win at “The House that Earl Built.”  This season, the “Mailman” got off to a hot start with three wins and a “Big Gator” trophy and has momentum after wins at Hilltop Speedway and West Virginia Motor Speedway. Fergy Time: When the Summer months arrive, crown jewel season is upon us for Dirt Late Models.  Chris Ferguson struck first this season, grabbing the biggest win of his career at the Show-Me 100 at Lucas Oil Speedway.  Add that to his win at Bristol Motor Speedway earlier this year, and the Mt. Holly, NC driver, has proven he’s a threat to take home the Million this season.  Ferguson scored two top-fives last year at Eldora, a third in the 26th Dirt Late Model Dream, and a fifth in the 50th World 100. Voodoo Child’s Slight Return: If there’s one driver at Eldora Speedway that can bring fans to their feet and perhaps tear the house down, it’s Scott Bloomquist.  The 12-time Eldora crown jewel winner (8 Dreams, 4 World’s) would love nothing more than to cap off his historic career with a victory in Thursday’s Eldora Million.  While he hasn’t won since 2020 at Thunder Mountain Speedway, the “Voodoo Child” has put several good runs together, including four top-fives between The Dirt Track at Charlotte and Bristol Motor Speedway.  Bloomquist has thrived in his career when the lights are the brightest, and there’s no bigger stage than Thursday at Eldora. Mac Daddy Million: Dale McDowell’s comeback story from his cancer diagnosis has been in the front of many fans’ minds in 2022—especially after scoring a win at Sunshine Nationals at Volusia Speedway Park in January. He also scored another victory at Volusia in February and a win at Bristol Motor Speedway in March.  Now, the “Mac Daddy” has his sights on another half-mile, one he’s been successful at in the past few years.  In the last nine June races at Eldora, McDowell has nine straight top-10s and an average finish of fourth.  We’ll see if the Chickamauga, GA driver and his brother Shane can earn another triumph at “The House that Earl Built” worth a million dollars.  Those drivers only begin the list of competitors hoping to find Eldora glory this week at “The Big E” and etch their name into Dirt Late Model history.   Follow live coverage and updates leading up to the iconic week on all of DIRTcar’s social media channels and DIRTcar.com.

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

Fan activities such as open pit walk, autograph sessions, drivers’ parade return

LE MANS, France (June 6, 2022) – For the first time since 2019, the 24 Hours of Le Mans is fully open to spectators with popular activities such as public scrutineering, pit walks, autograph sessions and the parade of drivers returning to the event. With these and other fan engagements returning, Le Mans is bound to attract a significant number of new spectators – many of whom will go into the event wide-eyed and somewhat overwhelmed by the scope and amount of things to do. The six drivers from Corvette Racing can help, however. Each has their own perspective on the reopening of the event and recommendations for newcomers to the 24 Hours…

ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 63 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “Going back to Le Mans with fans being here this year is something we all wanted. Obviously it’s one of the biggest races of the year. Missing a large portion of the fans last year was very unusual for everybody. So it’s great to see them all back at Le Mans.”Recommendations for first-time fans at Le Mans: “I only have the driver’s view of Le Mans, other than 2015 (the No. 63 Corvette didn’t start). I walked around the track a little bit on Saturday but that was it. The amount of opportunities where you see interactions between fans and drivers are huge. I’ve never seen longer autograph sessions than what you have at Le Mans. That’s on top of scrutineering where you are signing all the time and seeing people everywhere. Those are two of the good things. So scrutineering downtown and the autograph session before practice… then there are the pit walks where you can see the whole team working on the cars. This year is back to normal, which will be great. As a race fan, I will definitely do the experience more than once after I retire in some years!”

JORDAN TAYLOR, NO. 63 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “My first time going, events like the autograph session, scrutineering and the parade were huge events around the race itself. As a kid watching from America, you’d get online and look at the pictures from those things and wonder what it would be like in person. When you’re there, you understand the magnitude of the event and how special it is… not just for motorsport but for the city and how everyone embraces it. Not being able to connect with fans as much as we have in the past was tough. But it’s nice to get back to that normal and makes all the traditions come full-circle.Recommendations for first-time fans at Le Mans: “I think you have to do the parade. That’s where you get the energy of the whole city that embraces the event. You see how massive it is and all the traditions that go with it. At the race itself, somehow getting around most of the track gives the perspective of how big the circuit is in itself. It reminds you of the history of the event and guys going around with tiny seatbelts, basically no headlights and things like that. You can get an idea of how crazy it is when you go down Mulsanne and there are no lights or anything. Think about what those guys in the 60s and 70s were doing at 220 mph and old-style headlights. You feel so alone out there. It’s something you don’t see anywhere else in the world.”

NICKY CATSBURG, NO. 63 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “Having the parade and public scrutineering back is big. Drivers always joke that there are some sides of it which give us more work and more time to be away from where we want to be on track. But I think we all love it. The Le Mans parade is a parade unlike anything else. You go through the city with so much history and so many great fans. Of course Jordan will steal the show so I can’t wait to be next to him and watching him do what he does with the fans. And what would our sport and Le Mans be without fans? So I’m super happy that Le Mans is going to be back to normal in a way and we can all enjoy the massive amount of fans that are down there. Le Mans and Nürburgring 24 are events that driven by the fans being there, and we’ve missed that the last couple of years. I can’t wait.”Recommendations for first-time fans at Le Mans: “I’d do the parade. You also have these little streets around Arnage and in some of the small towns that are just full of fans eating food and drinking beer. The atmosphere is so, so cool even though you are half-a-kilometer from the track. That is something I really like about Le Mans. You can see the whole area is breathing the event for that week. So I would soak up some of that. At the track, I would recommend that my friends just go walk. Go for a huge hike and leave for a couple of hours. Go around the track and to spots where it might not be so crowded. You can really see the crazy speed differences and approaching speeds into the corners. You get to see the event from a different point of view than just sitting around in a hospitality room looking at a TV screen. That’s definitely something I would do.”

TOMMY MILNER, NO. 64 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “It’s a big deal for the race and all the fans, sponsors and competitors to get back to normal. While the last two years with the world situation as it is, the bare-bones required people have been there to make the event happen. What makes the event special, as we see with any marquee sporting event, is the atmosphere and ambiance. It’s all the extra stuff and energies that come together and make these events as special as they are. When you don’t have all those ingredients, there definitely is a different feel to the race. We had some fans last year, which was great. It adds to the event and makes it feel as special as the race always has been. We’re all looking forward to getting to back to a normal Le Mans.”Recommendations for first-time fans at Le Mans: “I’ve never experienced things from the fan side, but there are some awesome things around the event. The parade is always great. The fans look like they’re always having a great time. Some may enjoy just sitting back, having a beer and enjoying the atmosphere that way. The best thing I’d tell someone is to find another fan who has been there multiple times and ask their opinion on what their favorite thing to do on the weekend, where to go, where to watch the race. You’ll definitely get different opinions the more you talk to people. When I do have friends that come to the track, I can show them the cars up close and talk to them what we experience as drivers. But the best advice I can give anyone is to find and talk with other fans. I’ve always found sports car fans to be super approachable. They’re all obviously knowledgeable and very much fans of the race. Even at big events like Le Mans, you have people there that understand what’s happening in the race and have a good perspective on how best to enjoy themselves.”

NICK TANDY, NO. 64 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “Even comparing Le Mans to other sporting events I’ve been to, Le Mans is one of the top ones in the world. It’s been different the last couple of years. Yes, we are a racing team and we go to concentrate on our racing. That’s what we’ve focused on the last couple of years. When I first went to Le Mans, I wasn’t prepared for the scale and amount of people that watch and follow it. People make a holiday out of it. It’s just incredible. For our sport as a whole, it’s great that we have our showpiece back in its normal slot, back open and back where people can see the cars during scrutineering in the city. I’ve not seen a lot of friends and family that are always in the same spots for the driver parade each year. That’s part of the week. It’s great for everyone that we’re back to how it should be. I hope it goes smoothly so everyone can enjoy what we’re doing.”Recommendations for first-time fans at Le Mans: “Learning from other people’s experiences from the times they’ve been there is helpful. When you’re open to moving around, that’s ideal. I know people who have made friends in France that are now life-long friends back in the UK. They don’t live near each other but they meet at places like this and have similar vested interests. People go there for the social side of it, meeting and talking and sharing the same passions is just as much of a draw as seeing the cars, the drivers and action on-track. One of the draws of a 24-hour race is that you don’t have to sit there for an hour-and-a-half to follow it. You can dip in and out. You can go around to different parts of the track. You can go and have dinner in one village and then have breakfast in another to meet other people to get involved with what’s going on. I’ve always said that if I wasn’t driving at Le Mans, I’d definitely go there with friends to have a good time and enjoy the event.”

ALEXANDER SIMS, NO. 64 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “To me, this is what Le Mans is about. The size of the event is enormous. I’ll always remember the first Le Mans I did, I had been in single-seaters to that point and was around Formula One. I knew of Le Mans but it wasn’t until I went there and realized the scale of the event and how it completely surpassed any F1 weekend I had been to. It’s still the same with the times I’ve been to Le Mans. Even last year with limited fans, you still had the sensation of it being an awesome event with loads of people that are coming from around Europe and across the world. Having done the drivers’ parade, it’s just madness! Fans are standing five- and six-people deep during the parade and well before it! It’s bonkers and you realize how big an event this is. To be a part of that is really cool and an amazing experience of life, much less in motorsport. It’s unrivaled.”Recommendations for first-time fans at Le Mans: “The things that stand out are the driver parade in town… and I’ve never done it, but my wife has ridden the Ferris wheel. She went up at night and said it was really cool seeing the cars buzz around underneath you. It really gives you a sense of the enormity of the occasion. Those are two really cool things to do to soak up some of the atmosphere of Le Mans.”

(6/6/2022) Sacramento, CA… This weekend a pair of big events will jumpstart a loaded June schedule for the NARC Fujitsu General Sprint Cars. On Friday, June 10th Watsonville’s Ocean Speedway hosts the 34th Annual Pombo-Sargent Classic, and the next night Saturday, June 11th the 31st Annual Dave Bradway Jr. Memorial will take place at Placerville Speedway.

The races are the first two of seven slated June events for NARC that will see the series appear in three different states. It’s the series’ first of two 2022 visits to Ocean Speedway and the lone trip to Placerville Speedway.

Both nights pay tribute to legends of California racing history. The duo of Al Pombo and Marshall Sargent were super-modified rivals who won many races in the mid-20th century, often needing to battle each other for victory in their heyday. Dave Bradway Jr. was a rising star of West Coast sprint car racing until he sadly lost his life in a racing accident in 1987. Bradway was a multi-time NARC feature winner, won the 1984 track championship at Baylands Raceway Park, and had many more accomplishments in his career that was cut short.

Courtesy of generous support from C&H Motor Parts, the 40-lap Bradway Memorial Fujitsu Feature will award $5,000 to win. Contributions from other supporters have also boosted the pay of Carwash Mike Avilla Fast Time, the Hardcharger award, lap money, heat races and more.

With racers wishing to honor fellow racers in the best way, winning the two events have become some of the most coveted on the NARC circuit with each’s win list featuring some of the sport’s best names.

On Friday at Ocean Speedway NARC will be joined by IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport Mods, and the Western Midget Racing Midgets.

Saturday will be a complete night of sprint car action as the Sprint Car Challenge Tour 360 sprints will accompany NARC in Placerville

Championship Chase

Fresno’s Dominic Scelzi continues to lead the way in his quest for back-to-back NARC titles. The Dominator is yet to miss the podium through eight races in 2022, but he does have a few competitors not too far behind ready to pounce should he slip up.

Courtesy of four consecutive top-fives including his first series win since 2018, Colfax’s Willie Croft has jumped to second in the standings.

Completing the top-five in points is a trio of consistent drivers in Hanford’s Mitchell Faccinto, Campbell’s Bud Kaeding, and Aromas’ Justin Sanders. Sanders may be the hottest of the three after not missing the podium during the Pacific Northwest swing as he continues to rebound from a tough Peter Murphy Classic weekend.

The drivers situated second through fifth in the standings are currently separated by a mere 14 points.

Who to Watch

The bullrings will provide a prime opportunity for Fremont’s Shane Golobic to snag his first series win of the year of perhaps even sweep the weekend. The Matt Wood Racing driver has earned four of his 13 career wins and 14 of his 52 career podiums at Ocean Speedway. Golobic is a one-time series winner at Placerville, and he’s been very consistent with 11 top-fives in 17 attempts. He’s also the most recent World of Outlaws winner on the red clay oval.

When quarter miles are on the calendar Justin Sanders is always a name to pencil in as a favorite. Ocean Speedway is his home track, and his dozens of victories at the Santa Cruz county facility are highlighted a pair of NARC triumphs. Sanders also owns two series wins at Placerville, meaning four of his 11 career victories have come at the bullrings.

Ryan Robinson returns to the seat of the Mike Phulps No. 56 this weekend and should compete for his first series victory. Last year the Foresthill native set the 410 track record at Ocean Speedway in the Phulps machine, and he finished runner-up in NARC’s August Watsonville appearance. He also finished a respectable seventh in the 2021 edition of the Bradway at Placerville.

Other drivers expected to compete at least one night include Sebastopol’s Joel Myers Jr., Redding’s Max Mittry, Benicia’s Billy Aton, Idaho’s Logan Forler, Clovis’ Corey Day, Penngrove’s Chase Johnson, and many more.

Fan & Competitor Info

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

The NARC-King of the West Hoosier Tire Format on Saturday at Placerville Speedway will feature Carwash Mike Avilla Fast-Time Qualifying, 10-lap Heat Races, a six-lap Sunnyvalley Bacon Trophy Dash, a Kaeding Performance Semi, and the 40-lap Fujitsu Feature.

The Placerville Speedway pit gate will open at 2:00 P.M. with the front gate following at 3:00 P.M. Racing will begin around 6:00 P.M.

On Saturday in Placerville Adult GA tickets will be $40. Seniors (ages 62+), military, and juniors (ages 12-17) can purchase tickets for $35. Kids (ages 6-11) are just $20, and kids 5 and under are free. Tickets can be purchased at the gate or via the following link: https://www.eventsprout.com/event/king-of-the-west.

Ocean Speedway is located on the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds at 2601 E Lake Ave Watsonville, CA 95076. For more information visit oceanspeedway.com or call (831) 688-7223.

Placerville Speedway is located at the El Dorado County Fairgrounds in Placerville, CA. For tickets and other information, visit www.placervillespeedway.com

The Pombo-Sargent Classic and Dave Bradway Jr. Memorial can be viewed live on floracing.com along with the entire NARC Fujitsu General Sprint Car schedule.

The Northern Auto Racing Club would like to thank Pacific Highway Rental, Jess & Tami Gallagher, Gary Scelzi Motorsports, Roseville Precision, the Bradway Family, Chicks in Crisis, the Mike Murphy Family, and the many lap sponsors for their generous support of the Dave Bradway Jr. Memorial and helping make the night all the more special for the competitors.

• Matt Hagan powered his Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Funny Car from No. 1 qualifier to the winner’s circle at the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) New England Nationals to earn Tony Stewart Racing’s (TSR) third Wally trophy of their first season together.
• Hagan drove the Dodge Power Brokers machine from his third No. 1 qualifier position this year to a sixth final round appearance in eight NHRA events this season to collect his fourth win in five years at New England Dragway.
• Hagan’s 42^nd career win keeps him as Funny Car championship leader with a 41-point advantage over Robert Hight as both competitors now have three wins apiece this season
• Cruz Pedregon qualified his Snap-on Tools Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat in the top five for a seventh time this season and drove from his No. 4 starting spot to a quarterfinal appearance to maintain his fifth-place position in the Funny Car championship standings. 
• TSR’s Dodge Power Brokers Top Fuel dragster pilot Leah Pruett qualified 11^th, advanced to the quarterfinals at the New England Nationals, and sits just outside the top-ten in the points standings.

June 5, 2022, Epping, New Hampshire — Tony Stewart Racing took home their third Wally trophy of the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Camping World Drag Racing Series season after Funny Car driver Matt Hagan powered his Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat from the No. 1 qualifier position to a fourth win in five years at New England Dragway.

“We’re very proud to see Matt Hagan drive the Dodge Power Brokers Funny Car to the winner’s circle at the New England Nationals and earn a third Wally this season,” said Tim Kuniskis, Dodge Brand Chief Executive Officer – Stellantis. “It’s a pleasure to see Matt and Tony Stewart Racing continue to embody Dodge//SRT performance and highlight what Dodge Power Brokers and Direct Connection can do for enthusiasts and their rides.”

“It was just a great weekend,” said Hagan who earned his 42^nd career Funny Car victory with his team’s performance at the New England Nationals. “I can’t say enough about Dickie (Venables, crew chief). Nothing really needs to be said – our Dodge Power Brokers Charger SRT Hellcat speaks for itself. Mike Knutson, Alex Conaway, all the boys wrenching on the car, they just do a great job. It’s one of those things I don’t even think about anymore because each and every one of those guys has earned my trust with my life. So when I crawl in the car, I don’t think about anything other than just leaving the starting line.

Hagan qualified atop the eliminations ladder for a second consecutive event and a third time this season with a 3.878 second run at 332.51 mph, then turned on the win lights against No. 14 seed Dale Creasy Jr, had a bye run in the quarterfinals, and defeated No. 10 seed J.R. Todd to advance to his sixth final elimination round of the year.

For a third time in eight events Hagan lined up his 11,000-horsepower Dodge Power Brokers Charger SRT Hellcat against Robert Hight in a final, then wasted no time powering to a 3.922 sec./ 327.98 mph lap to capture the first victory over his nemesis this year. Hagan’s third win of the season helps him maintain the lead in the Funny Car championship standings with 41-point advantage over Hight who sits in second place with three wins of his own.

Fellow Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat driver Cruz Pedregon continued his streak of solid qualifying performances with another top-five starting position, his seventh in eight events, by taking his Snap-on Tools Funny Car for a 3.901 second lap at 324.28 mph to earn the No. 4 spot on the eliminations ladder.

He faced off against No. 11 seed Bob Tasca III in the opening round and posted a 3.948 sec. pass at 323.74 mph to beat his opponent and advance to the quarterfinals to race No. 10 seed J.R. Todd. Pedregon had the starting line advantage and maintained the lead to half-track when a loss of traction ruined his run and gave his opponent the opportunity to get past him.

In Top Fuel action, Dodge Power Brokers dragster pilot Leah Pruett and her TSR crew were seeking a strong performance at the New England Nationals to help break a string of early exits that have plagued the team since the start of the season. They overcame some qualifying challenges with traction issues on the first lap and then a stuck throttle at the end of the burnout in the second session that forced Pruett to continue down the track and abandon the run. Her third qualifying run was drama free with a solid 3.780 second pass at 323.50 mph to put the Dodge Power Brokers dragster 11th on the Top Fuel eliminations ladder and set up a first round matchup against No. 6 seed Tony Schumacher.

The Dodge//SRT HEMI®-powered machine had a solid opening round run with a 3.796-second/ 322.11 mph elapsed time to defeat Schumacher and give her lane choice in the quarterfinals against No. 3 seed Mike Salinas. However, Pruett had an uncharacteristically late launch against her opponent (a 0.125-second reaction time to a 0.081-sec. start) and her 3.807/321.27 run wasn’t enough to contend for the win against Salinas’ 3.746 sec./328.62 mph effort. Despite the difficult start to the season, Pruett sits just outside the top-ten in the Top Fuel standings in an 11^th place tie with Antron Brown.

The NHRA will race again next weekend at the traditional Father’s Day weekend event, the Thunder Valley Nationals on June 17-19 at Bristol Dragway in Tennessee, for the ninth

of 22 national events this season.

ADDITIONAL NOTES and QUOTES:

Leah Pruett, Dodge Power Brokers Top Fuel Dragster 

(No. 11 Qualifier – 3.780 seconds at 323.50 mph)

Round 1: (0.061-second reaction time, 3.796 seconds at 322.11 mph) defeats No. 6 Tony Schumacher (0.083/3.980/266.32)

Round 2: (0.125/3.807/321.27) loss to No. 3 Mike Salinas (0.081/3.746/328.62)

“The great stuff that’s come out of this weekend is the progress of the team and the car under the cards we were dealt. The guys are doing a phenomenal job with the parts and pieces. I’ve been working really hard on my focus game and reaction time, and there’s a huge outlier between round one and round two for me – I was just behind the entire time. It was an uncharacteristic thing given the tools I’ve been using in my toolbox. Frustrating, no doubt, but we have a big handful of races coming up and a very intense faith and backing. I’ll be carrying this pretty heavily for a while until I’m able to prove again and again on Sundays.

“I can do two things – I can let it eat me up, or work on it, improve it, get over it and show the world the potential that this team has. We’ve been doing that. It’s just heartbreaking when it doesn’t come and it’s at your own cost, but that’s a true reflection of how bad you want it. It is hard to maintain consistency when there are a lot of different changes. This one’s on me, but we’re a mature group and we have a mature mindset about it and we’ll continue on.”

Matt Hagan, Dodge Power Brokers Charger SRT Hellcat Funny Car  

(No. 1 Qualifier – 3.878 seconds at 332.51 mph)

Round 1: (0.083-second reaction time, 4.097 seconds at 261.83 mph) defeats No. 14 Dale Creasy Jr. (0.083/10.284/88.72)

Round 2: (0.087/3.948/323.27) Bye run

Round 3: (0.062/3.963/325.69) defeats No. 10 J.R. Todd (0.054/3.981/321.58)

Round 4: (0.040/3.922/327.980 defeats Robert Hight (0.059/6.232/110.15)

“I think it’s going to be a dogfight all year between Robert Hight and us. You can’t leave out Ron Capps, John Force, J.R. Todd and all the other guys out there. It’s a dogfight out there and I love it. I was so up on the wheel there and was like, ‘Come on, come on.’ Hight is a bad dude out there and he’s hard to get around and he’s had our number three times already this year. I have a lot of respect for Robert Hight and what he does. He drives the same type of style I do and that’s no BS – just drive your racecar. That’s what we did today. This Dodge Power Brokers team – I love you to death and trust you with my life. I wouldn’t trade you for anyone.”

Cruz Pedregon, Pedregon Racing Snap-on® Tools Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat

(No. 4 Qualifier – 3.901 seconds at 324.28 mph)

Round 1: (0.073-second reaction time, 3.948 seconds at 323.74 mph) defeats No. 11 Bob Tasca III (0.104/ 4.839/161.56)

Round 2: (0.052/4.670/182.03) loss to No. 10 J.R. Todd (0.068/4.019/318.24)

“A great event for the Snap-on Tools Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Funny Car team. We qualified in the NO. 4 position with a 3.90 at 324 mph, then went on to post the second quickest run of the very first round at 3.94 to dispose of Bob Tasca. Then the second round we went off against J.R. Todd where we lost traction after having the lead for a bit. A quarterfinal finish and other strong effort even if it isn’t quite what we wanted, but we’re still right in the hunt. I think we’ll maintain our fifth spot in the points. We’re just right on the cusp of really breaking through. We’re making some really good runs, our qualifying efforts prove that we’re fast. We have the speed. We just need to keep maintain that consistency throughout the event.”

NHRA CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS STANDINGS:

Following the NHRA New England Nationals at New England Dragway

FUNNY CAR (season wins in parentheses)

1.  Matt Hagan (Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat): 797 (3)

2.  Robert Hight: 756 (3)

3.  Ron Capps: 634(1)

4.  John Force: 507

5.  Cruz Pedregon (Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat): 452

6.  J.R. Todd: 331

7.  Bob Tasca III: 386

8.  Alexis DeJoria: 362

9.  Chad Green: 321

10. Tim Wilkerson: 311

TOP FUEL (season wins in parentheses)

1. Brittany Force: 668 (3)

2. Mike Salinas: 638 (3)

3. Steve Torrence: 569 

4. Justin Ashley: 561 (1)

5. Austin Prock: 425

6. Clay Millican: 396

7. Josh Hart: 376 

8. Doug Kalitta: 373

9. Shawn Langdon: 341

10. Tony Schumacher: 329

11. Leah Pruett (Dodge Power Brokers): 294

11. Antron Brown: 294

DodgeGarage: Digital Hub for Drag Racing News

Fans can follow all the NHRA action this season at DodgeGarage, the one-stop portal for Dodge//SRT and Mopar drag-racing news. The site includes daily updates and access to an online racing HQ, news, events, galleries, available downloads and merchandise. For more information, visit www.dodgegarage.com.

@DodgeMoparMotorsports on Instagram

The @DodgeMoparMotorsports Instagram channel continues to share content capturing Dodge//SRT Mopar drivers on the track. Fans can see action from the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series and NHRA Sportsman grassroots racers, competing in classes such as Factory Stock Showdown, Stock and Super Stock, as well as additional motorsports series.

Dodge//SRT

For more than 100 years, the Dodge brand has carried on the spirit of brothers John and Horace Dodge. Their influence continues today as Dodge shifts into high gear with muscle cars and SUVs that deliver unrivaled performance in each of the segments where they compete.

Dodge drives forward as a pure performance brand, offering SRT versions of every model across the lineup. For the 2022 model year, Dodge delivers the drag-strip dominating 807-horsepower Dodge Challenger SRT Super Stock, the 797-horsepower Dodge Charger SRT Redeye, the most powerful and fastest mass-produced sedan in the world, and the Dodge Durango SRT 392, America’s fastest, most powerful and most capable three-row SUV. Combined, these three muscle cars make Dodge the industry’s most powerful brand, offering more horsepower than any other American brand across its entire lineup.

In 2020, Dodge was named the “#1 Brand in Initial Quality,” making it the first domestic brand ever to rank No. 1 in the J.D. PowerInitial Quality Study (IQS). In 2021, Dodge brand ranked No. 1 in the J.D. Power APEAL Study (mass market) — making it the only domestic brand ever to do so two years in a row.

Dodge is part of the portfolio of brands offered by leading global automaker and mobility provider Stellantis. For more information regarding Stellantis (NYSE: STLA), please visit www.stellantis.com.

June 5, 2022

Harrison Burton and the No. 21 Ford/DAV team entered Sunday’s inaugural Enjoy Illinois 300 at World Wide Technology at Gateway bolstered by their best practice and qualifying sessions of the season but wound up 25^th at the finish.

Burton started ninth and held that spot for the first 10 laps, then dropped back a bit before ending the first 45-lap Stage in 14^th place.

He was running solidly in the top 20 during the second Stage before being swept up in a crash involving Chase Elliott. Contact with Elliott’s spinning car broke the splitter on the Ford/DAV Mustang and put Burton and the team at a big disadvantage for the remainder of the race. 

He ended the second Stage in 29^th place.
 
The Ford/DAV crew continued to work on the No. 21 Mustang on pit stops during the third and final Stage, and Burton had worked his way to 18^th place when the race’s ninth caution flag flew for a spin by Cole Custer.
 
A dust-up on the restart led to Burton dropping to the rear of the lead-lap drivers as the race went to an Overtime run to the checkered flag.
 
Crew chief Brian Wilson elected to pit for fresh rubber and Burton was able to make up five positions, from 30^th to 25^th, on the final two laps as Burton’s fellow Ford driver Joey Logano drove his Team Penske Mustang to victory. It was Ford’s 715^th triumph in NASCAR’s Cup Series.
 
Burton and the team now head to Sonoma Raceway for next Sunday’s 350-kilometer run on the California road course.
 

CHEVROLET RACING IN NTT INDYCAR SERIES

CHEVROLET DETROIT GRAND PRIX PRESENTED BY LEAR

RACEWAY ON BELLE ISLE

DETROIT, MICHIGAN

TEAM CHEVY RACE RECAP

JUNE 5, 2022

WILL POWER WINS LAST RACE ON BELLE ISLE

VICTORY IN CHEVROLET DETROIT GRAND PRIX IS 100^THFOR CHEVY’S 2.2 LITER TWIN TURBO DIRECT INJECTED V6 ENGINE

DETROIT – After a major disappointment on Belle Isle in 2021, Will Power stormed back today to capture the victory in the final Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix on the Island before the event moves downtown in 2023. 

The victory for the 2014 NTT INDYCAR Series Champion is the 100^th win for the Chevrolet 2.2 liter twin turbo direct injected V6 purpose built INDYCAR engine. 

It is the first victory for Power in 2022. The 2018 Indianapolis 500 winner is the only driver to win a race every season with Chevrolet power since the Bowtie Brand returned to INDYCAR competition in 2012-all behind the wheel of the No. 12 Verizon 5G Team Penske Chevrolet. 

It was the 41^st career win for Power, his 26^th for Chevrolet, his third on Belle Isle and the fifth win of the 2022 season for Team Chevy in the NTT INDYCAR Series.

Leading a race-high 55 laps, Power took the checkered flag just 1.0027 seconds ahead of second place Alexander Rossi. The victory put Power back in the points lead by three points. 

Pole winner Josef Newgarden finished fourth driving the No. 2 Hitachi Chevrolet, with last year’s Race 2 winner Pato O’Ward, No. 5 Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet finished fifth to give Team Chevy three of the top-five finishers in today’s 70-lap race.

The remaining Chevrolet-powered drivers finished as follows:

Felix Rosenqvist                          10^th

Conor Daly                                  12^th

Rinus VeeKay                              16^th

Scott McLaughlin                         19^th

Dalton Kellett                                20^th

Santino Ferrucci                          21^st

Tatiana Calderon                         23^rd

Kyle Kirkwood                              24^th (Accident)

Chevrolet leads the manufacturers championship battle 595 points to 542 for the competition.

Next on the calendar for Chevrolet in the NTT INDYCAR Series is June 10-12, 2022 at Road America, Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin.  

TEAM CHEVY QUOTES

WILL POWER, NO. 12 VERIZON CHEVROLET, TEAM PENSKE, WINNER:

“Getting Chevrolet’s 100th win in their backyard. So proud to get number 100 for these guys, it’s great. I think I’ve got 26 of those 100. That’s what they said. Yeah, very cool to have a partner like Chevy. I’ve been with them since 2012. Yeah, we’ve certainly had a lot of fun together. Won a championship, won an Indy 500, and a ride in the game this year again.

“I cannot thank them enough. They work really hard. Certainly improved over last year. Better drivability, better engine all around.

I’m really proud to get the hundredth.”

JOSEF NEWGARDEN, NO. 2 HITACHI CHEVROLET, TEAM PENSKE,FINISHED 4^TH:

“Its hard to not get annoyed. When we need a race to go all green, it doesn’t go all green. We needed that last year. We basically ran Power’s strategy last year, but that was not the race to do it. Today would have been the day, but we tried not to do it because of what happened last year. I don’t know what to tell you. We ran a good race, just strategy-wise it didn’t work out. On a day like today, the track had less grip in the beginning, so reds aren’t favored so early. You don’t want to run the risk of yellows because that is what happened to us last year. I don’t know. We ran a good race, it just wasn’t the race to run today.  I don’t think you can blame anybody on that, its just typical INDYCAR and you just can’t predict these things. It is good to see Team Chevy get the win. I am happy for Team Penske and happy for Will (Power), but its just a little annoying.”

PATO O’WARD, NO. 5 McLAREN CHEVROLET, ARROW McLAREN SP, FINISHED 5^TH :

WHERE WAS YOUR RACE LOST IN TERMS OF A VICTORY TODAY?

“Strategy probably. I think we ran a really good race and I think we ended right behind Josef (Newgarden) and he started quite a ways further than us. In that aspect, we did almost the best we could have. In our strategy, Josef was the leader and we were the best car on reds.  At the end of it we were really, really strong and I think that is what allowed us to gain position on Helio (Castroneves) and Simon (Pagenaud) and Sato. I think it was just to roll the dice and see what works out. (Will) Power was on Josef’s strategy last year and it didn’t work for them last year, but it worked for them this year. I am surprised it was a full green race, but I am really happy with the solid points we got today. I think we maximized and we are going into Road America with good position and right there with the leaders in the championship.”

YOU DON’T HAVE A LONG HISTORY AT BELLE ISLE BUT YOU DO HAVE A WIN HERE. ARE YOU SAD TO SEE IT GO?

“I am very sad to see it go. I know everybody is excited to go to downtown Detroit, but this place has a nice place in my heart and I have really enjoyed racing here.”

FELIX ROSENQVIST, NO. 7 VUSE McLAREN CHEVROLET, ARROW McLAREN RACING SP, FINISHED 10^TH:

YOU PASSED A LOT OF CARS TO GET THERE, THAT WAS HUGE

“That was good fun and that was one of those back to the go kart days, with a lot of passing, a lot of good racing, and our Arrow McLaren cars were quick all weekend. I had a little screw up in qualifying that put us in the back of the grid. I knew it was going to be a long day but we made the most out of it. We could have been better if we had a bit of a deal where we got stuck behind (Connor) Daly for a lot of laps, and some other guys. But we executed well today and good pit stops, no big mistakes and we kept going forward and passed when we could. Yeah, good fun.”

NICE LITTLE RUN WITH FOURTH AT INDIANAPOLIS AND PASSED 15 TO GET 10^TH TODAY

“Yeah, three top tens in a row and I think we are on a good roll and if we can finish top ten, we will be in good shape for the rest of the year. We have some good stuff coming for the other road courses and I am pumped to go to Road America where we have struggled on previously, but we have some good updates coming. So, I think we will be up there.”

CONOR DALY, NO. 20 BITNILE CHEVROLET, ED CARPENTER RACING, FINISHED 12^TH:

“I really thought the whole race we were quite fast! When they said I finished 12th, I was a little surprised. These races are really interesting the way they work out strategically. I think we were one of the fastest cars on track for the entire last stint which is great for us. We did what we could to make something happen, but there were no yellows and that made it tough. In the end, I am happy with our pace and another strong finish. Finishing in the Top 12 in this series is really solid. Good momentum still, on to the next one!”

RINUS VEEKAY, NO. 21 BITCOIN RACING TEAM WITH BITNILE CHEVROLET, ED CARPENTER RACING, FINISHED 16^TH:

 “I’m obviously very disappointed in the way that the race ended. We were going to have a Top 10 finish, but instead we didn’t make it to the checkered flag. Road America is the perfect place to turn our season around, I love that track and will aim for a much better result.”

SCOTT MCLAUGHLIN, NO. 3 GALLAGHER INSURANCE CHEVROLET, TEAM PENSKE, FINISHED 19^TH: 

“Unfortunately, a tough day for us but at least one Team Penske car did win for Team Chevy in the final Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix.  That was the main goal for everyone. But yes, disappointing for us in the Gallagher Chevy. We were thereabouts all weekend and I just made one mistake that just absolutely destroyed us. I am really disappointed but the great thing about back-to-back weekends is that we have another go next week. We will reload and get going.”

DALTON KELLETT, NO. 4 K-LINE INSULATORS CHEVROLET, AJ FOYT RACING, FINISHED 20^TH:

“Alright, so that is the last race on Belle Isle and it felt great to be out there with the No. 4 K-Line crew this weekend.  During the race the guys were on it and we had good stops. We were on the two-stop strategy and that seemed to work out for us. We made some passes on track and got some spots on a good out lap, so I am happy how everything shook out for us. We are looking to learn what we can from here and our previous road courses before we go into Road America.”

SANTINO FERRUCCI IN FIOR CALLUM ILOTT, NO. 77 DYNAMIC EDGE CHEVROLET, JUNCOS HOLLINGER RACING, FINISHED 21^ST:

“Yeah, it was a very interesting day for us here at Juncos Hollinger Racing. Car was really fast, just hard to hold onto the steering wheel and I am blistered up. But very happy with the opportunity and hopefully we get to run for this team sometime again soon.”

TATIANA CALDERON, NO. 11 ROKIT CHEVROLET, AJ FOYT RACING, FINISHED 23^RD :

“Well, we finished the race which I think was a positive. I was gaining confidence throughout the race. Unfortunately, in my first two stints, I locked up and had a flat spot early on. But I think the pace was good at times and no yellows, which I think was very surprising for Detroit. That was a good workout as well and I am looking forward to getting back in the car at Road America. I want to thank everyone at AJ Foyt Racing and the No. 11 Rokit Chevrolet crew for all their hard work.”

KYLE KIRKWOOD, NO. 14 ROKIT CHEVROLET, AJ FOYT RACING. FINISHED 24^TH:

“My hand has been bothering me since Practice 2 yesterday and I almost didn’t race now but my wreck, fortunately didn’t come from my hand. It came from a mistake on cold tires and I feel really bad for the 14 guys because we were on for a top 10 finish there and we had pretty good pace.  Super disappointing and yeah, we missed a lot of time in practice due to the wreck and fighting an injury these last couple of days. But yeah, that mistake was just due to cold tires and not my hand.”

WILL YOU BE GOOD TO GO AND HAS THE INJURY GOTTEN ANY WORSE?

“It was definitely worse today than it was yesterday in qualifying. Tomorrow I will go see a specialist and I will let you guys know later this week.”

Will Power – Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: Congratulations to Will Power. Win number three at the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear. Now ties with Scott Dixon and Helio Castroneves for most wins on the island, wrapping up the island era as we head to the streets of Detroit next year.

First win of the season. 41st career win. Fifth all time. Now one behind Michael Andretti for fourth all time. Sixth different winner this year. You also take over the points lead, you’re three up on Marcus Ericsson.

Congratulations, A. How did you do all that on reds at the end? How difficult was that? How satisfying at the end of the day?

WILL POWER: Yeah, obviously very satisfying. Redemption from last year. Yeah, the last stint, it was good because it had such a gap. On the out lap, it was really nice. You can do a bit of damage on the cold tires. I was really cognizant of not slipping the tire too much. Then just got in a rhythm and drove it really straight, really straight. Can be very quick that way. Just a certain way you can drive when tires are like that.

The fact that the track had rubbered so much looked after them. They never, like, dropped and I was like, Oh, my God. I just looked after them in case there was a battle at the end. If I had to go hard at the end, I think I could have.

THE MODERATOR: Getting Chevrolet’s 100th win in their backyard. How proud are you to get number 100 for these guys?

WILL POWER: Yeah, great. I think I’ve got 26 of those 100. That’s what they said. Yeah, very cool to have a partner like Chevy. I’ve been with them since 2012. Yeah, we’ve certainly had a lot of fun together. Won a championship, won an Indy 500, and a ride in the game this year again.

I cannot thank them enough. They work really hard. Certainly improved over last year. Better drivability, better engine all around.

Yeah, really proud to get the hundredth.

THE MODERATOR: Another championship for them when it’s all said and done.

WILL POWER: That would be amazing. That’s the goal.

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. Facetiously, do y’all’s mirrors have ‘objects closer than they appear’ on them? How close did Alexander Rossi look there on the last lap especially?

WILL POWER: Yeah, that was the first glimpse I got, I think. I had it on my dash where I can see the time behind and in front. I was getting updated every lap.

We held the gap, the same gap for a while. When I got stuck behind Harvey, I just kind of managed that gap. Yeah, the lap car in INDYCAR is a real deal and it’s a problem (laughter).

Jimmie Johnson, when you follow him, he’s amazing. Like, he’s as fast as you ever see him go when you’re coming, trying to get past him. I’m not joking. He actually drives really well then.

Q. Were you in that zone again today? What is that like?

WILL POWER: It’s hard to get to that place. I used to be there a lot often when I was younger. But, yeah, it’s just one of those zones where everything’s clicking so well, you’re 100% in the middle, it’s that flow state. You can’t make a mistake. You don’t make a mistake. Just so much space there to play with it, you could say, like manipulate it, play with it.

Hard to explain. But I would get in that state for qualifying often, pump out some pretty ridiculous laps. That was today. That was the race for me. In a really good spot.

Q. Were you surprised there were no cautions today?

WILL POWER: Yes, I was surprised. But then, you know, we have races like that. Such a good field, like there’s no bad drivers. There’s no drivers that shouldn’t be there. I mean, they’re all good. It doesn’t surprise me it was a mistake-free race.

As you’ve seen, what is it, seven races, six different winners? That’s just the norm for INDYCAR now. The Fast Six is a different group every time, differ polesitter. There’s no series like this in the world.

If you were to compare this to Formula 1, there’s really two guys that are going to battle it out in Formula 1 right now. You’re comparing to the best, biggest series in the world.

In INDYCAR try guess who will win the next race or who will be on pole, win the championship. Just try guess. You couldn’t. It’s impossible. I mean, there’s so many good guys.

We need to get it out there. This product is so good. The racing is so good. It’s so unpredictable. A different winner every week. The racing is great.

Q. Could you go into detail what you did with the reds. Some drivers started complaining about them going away after two, three laps. You kept them on for 20.

WILL POWER: Yeah, no, we were aware of that. I think the fact the track rubbered up is why we left it till the last stint. We had a good gap, so you could come out, you didn’t have to battle someone on your out lap, and you could look after them, slowly get them up to temp without slipping them too much, then drive the car real straight.

Yeah, I was very aware of all that. Then aware of the time behind. I kept keeping the same gap for quite a while. We’re pretty good here if nothing happens. Coming up on a group of cars was a bit of a worry. You get the turbulent air, this car moves around more.

I never feel like I’m going to win until the very last maybe two laps or something because, as you know, last year, I think I’m going to win this. No, you’re not. There’s been a few of them over the last few years of my career.

Until you cross the checkered, till you get that, you’re not home.

Q. You mentioned a mental shift, maybe how you’re approaching races differently. Have you done something differently or maybe the different place you feel you’re in this year compared to the last couple?

WILL POWER: Yes, I am definitely, as far as in the race goes, I certainly perfected that sort of mental place you need to be in, decision making and such. But that was there last year. It’s just that I had a lot of unfortunate things happen last year that really put me out of contention in some big races, in some races where I was top three for sure. It wasn’t obvious.

It looks like a big change, but it’s not a big change. I’ve had years of this. I’m so experienced at it, so I know it so well. I understand the game so well. I’m just executing as you should at my experience level. You’re getting everything right, like all the details.

Obviously qualifying, hmm, a bit disappointed with that. I never qualify well here. I was 19th last year, so… I race well. Yeah, yeah.

Q. You mentioned you feel like you’re racing the best you ever have in your career. Is that due to that mental approach? How do you feel you’re different than you were in ’14 when you won a championship?

WILL POWER: When I used to qualify on pole very often and start the very front very often, you’re not racing in the pack very often. Now rarely am I right at the front for qualifying. Sometimes. No one is consistently at the front anymore. It’s just too tough. So you’re racing around other cars, you get very good at that, too. You get very good at restarts, good at judging where you should be. That’s something I missed out early on in my career because I was so fast, I was in the front, I was always leading.

So, yeah, obviously fast. INDYCAR rules, as they are, rewards often qualifying badly. That’s no joke, it does. You can really go off the guys in front of you. That’s not always the case, but it’s the beauty of INDYCAR, you can come from 16th and win, you can come from 19th at Barber and finish fourth. Did I get on the podium there?

THE MODERATOR: Fourth.

WILL POWER: Actually, you’re having a lot of fun doing that, yeah.

Q. Do you feel like you’re having the most fun you’ve ever had in your career?

WILL POWER: I’m not disappointed with bad results anymore. It is what it is. That’s one thing that has changed with me. I really don’t care. I don’t have to put anything more up on the board. I could stop right now. I don’t have to. So I haven’t got that pressure. I just don’t care anymore. I’m just enjoying it.

I massively care about my craft. I want to do it absolutely properly. But I don’t care for a bad result because it is a part of the game. That’s one thing that has changed me because I’ve learnt that’s not fair. Yes, it is. I’m extremely lucky to be doing what I’m doing, just extremely lucky, just fortunate that I’m in this position to race cars and get paid for it. It’s insane. Compared to what you could be doing… It can always be worse, no matter. It just can. Just lucky.

Q. How physical was the event this afternoon?

WILL POWER: Wasn’t physical for me. I was just fine. Yeah, I didn’t find it physical at all.

Q. In terms of the continuity you have going into the rest of the season, how much confidence does that give you going into Road America and beyond?

WILL POWER: It’s different every weekend. But we have been really strong at pretty much everywhere except Indy this year.

Yeah, yep, I think the team, the engine is really good. I think the team is good. It has been. Everything is just flying nicely for us now.

Yeah, we want to be competitive for the rest of the year. We want to be in the championship hunt. That’s the goal.

THE MODERATOR: This attitude you have about not finishing well, not caring, does any of that play into being a dad?

WILL POWER: Honestly, I just think it’s just getting older. You know you’re not going to be around. Once you’ve been on this earth for 40 years, Well, that went pretty quick. So the next 20 of being able to do stuff is going to go real fast. So who cares. Enjoy it. Enjoy it. That’s it. It gets faster and faster. It’s ridiculous, the years. I couldn’t remember my last win last year. Somebody asked me when was the win last year. I couldn’t remember.

THE MODERATOR: Being a dad is part of that, though.

WILL POWER: Absolutely. Best thing ever. I want four of them. Wife doesn’t. I love it, man. She does the hard yards. I don’t really do the hard yards. I just get to enjoy the kid.

Q. After the start of the season you had, how important was it to get back up with the championship standings after what happened at Indy?

WILL POWER: I was really happy in Indy to finish 15th, just starting how I did. Falling back to 30th. I just said in my head, Just keep digging. Every point matters. That’s kind of what I’ve been doing. Every point matters.

I finished 15th. That’s not bad. A couple legit championship contenders had bad days. We’re still in it. We were only 24 behind after that. Had a good day there, be looking real good.

You’re going to have that all year, these ups and downs. The straighter you can keep that line, the better it is.

Q. Coming up to Road America, you’ve had wins, podiums. How happy are you that’s the next venue INDYCAR is heading to?

WILL POWER: Yeah, I’m looking forward to it. I’m looking forward to a bunch of these races coming up. Doesn’t mean you’re going to have a good day. Yeah, know the track, all the tracks. Yeah, going to do all the work necessary to be competitive.

Q. Going through the field like you did, you were only one of nine drivers to start on the black tires. How much fun was it being able to go around everyone on the reds?

WILL POWER: That was fun. I have to thank my engineer. He did a great job. He put a setup on that was all him. It was all his setup. In warmup I said, Yeah, I think this thing is real good.

I was very focused on getting all the guys on plaques, which was two. I got Kirkwood and I got Dixon. After that just picked them off. Got to Newgarden. Oh, we’re actually in the lead here. Then, Let’s go. Took off.

Q. Were you ever worried about having a repeat of what happened with Josef after a late yellow?

WILL POWER: That was a possibility. That was the risk we took. We started 16th. If that was happening, I was going to be happy to hang on to a top five or something, get good points.

Didn’t get the yellow. Looked after the reds. It paid off. It was a risk worth taking.

Q. How did it feel to finally be able to go in the fountain this time?

WILL POWER: Getting in the fountain was really rewarding. I can’t believe it actually happened because I knew it was the last race, what are the chances. I lost the chance last year. I thought the chance of it happening again is pretty slim, especially after qualifying.

You can never give up. Never give up.

Q. Did you hear us rooting for you?

WILL POWER: Yeah.

Q. We were shouting, Take a swim.

WILL POWER: Well, I took a swim.

Q. After all the shenanigans of last year, did you go into this year at the start of the season having this race a little more important than others on the calendar?

WILL POWER: It was a race on my mind, no question. I wanted to get that one, yep. Not that you were able to do any more work for this race because it was so close after the 500, you’re exhausted. You get to do the simulator.

Yeah, it’s funny how things work out. That’s why you don’t sweat it on the bad days because they do come back. You just relax and let it come to you. It feels like it’s the way life rolls. Never is perfect. It just isn’t. It’s not built for humans to have perfection.

Q. How soon after the race last year were you starting to think about this race this year?

WILL POWER: I think in the off-season I’ll, like, flag a race in my head, I want to win that race. Often it happens. It’s crazy, but it does. I know it’s just planting that seed in your subconscious. Just unfolds as it should, yeah.

I can’t remember if I was thinking of this one in the off-season. Maybe.

Q. Earlier you talked about turbulence passing cars. Am I crazy to ask you being held up by Jack Harvey, did that help?

WILL POWER: Yeah, that was hurting the car. I was aware of that. He ain’t going to give me any help. But I knew I could get Ferrucci to help me out. He was pretty good at the beginning of the race. Ferrucci backed off, which opened it up for Harvey a little bit to pull the gap.

I was thinking if I could get Santino to let Jack go, let us both go, he’s going to take off and give us more of an air gap, and that happened.

Q. (No microphone.)

WILL POWER: The blue flag means zero in this series. It’s ridiculous they even put it out. We’ve been pushing, all the drivers, have been pushing. Should mean something. At least with 25% of the race to go it should mean something.

Q. You mentioned you feel like you were in a similar mental place last year and this year. Is there a specific time in the recent past where you feel you changed your approach to racing?

WILL POWER: If you go back and look at let’s say the last two years, you will find that there are some pretty ridiculous things that have happened that were out of my control. Like I can’t really — I don’t know why they happened. Is it an attitude? Is it a vibe you give off? Some of the mistakes we made like in pits or things have gone wrong? I don’t know.

You get more relaxed as you get older. Yeah, there’s not a massive shift mentally. I mean, yes, certainly this year — let’s just leave it. I’ll tell you after I retire (laughter). I don’t give much away.

Q. You signed a new two-year deal starting this year. You mentioned not knowing how much longer you’re going to be doing this. Any sort of freedom when you enter a contract knowing this might be potentially the last couple years?

WILL POWER: I’d say there’s freedom in not caring — not having to add to anything you’ve done. That’s the feeling I have. I could stop now and be satisfied with what I’ve done.

Yeah, anything else you add on to that is a bonus. There’s freedom. You don’t have the pressure of I’m only two years into my career and I have to try to make a living out of it. You know what I mean?

It doesn’t matter. I could stop now and it would be okay. But I’m still performing at a really high level, probably better than I ever have. So just enjoying that. Trying to extract the most out of it is the enjoying part of it.

Q. On the strategy you did today, at the beginning the blacks seemed to work better. I would like to know what were the rationals for you leaving the reds till the end? Was it decided before the race or on the fly?

WILL POWER: It was talked about before the race but it was decided on the fly because the further we went, the more rubber went down and the more chance that the reds would last. That was the thinking behind that. That was the reason.

The later you did it, the better chance you were going to have to holding onto them.

Q. It was a green flag race but we have McLoughlin speeding, coming back to the race. Any fears after yellow flag coming?

WILL POWER: There was definitely fear of a yellow at the end because that would have been really tough. Yeah, it didn’t happen, so… I was pretty surprised to have a full green race here.

Q. How good does it feel winning Detroit this year knowing what happened to you last year? Of all those tracks we have ahead on the championship, which is the track you feel most excited to race? Which do you feel it’s going to help you for fighting the championship this year?

WILL POWER: Yeah, I was really excited to obviously win this race after last year. Had my eye on it for quite a while.

And the tracks coming up? They’re all good. I mean, it’s so hard to know where you’ll be strong or where you’ll be weak because the series is so tough now. Everyone is so good. It’s very mixed up week after week. You just got to try to be consistent.

I don’t see any tracks — well, I would say Indy road course I’m usually pretty good. Can be hit-or-miss sometimes. Yeah, all the tracks, looking forward to them all coming up. I have won at most of them, but some I won a long time ago.

THE MODERATOR: The People Ready Force For Good Challenge, $10,000 split today amongst you and the team, your favorite charity, which I believe is Speedway Children’s Charities, is that correct?

WILL POWER: Yes. Speedway? It should be Charlotte.

THE MODERATOR: Tell us a little bit about that, the charity.

WILL POWER: Why I picked that charity?

THE MODERATOR: Exactly.

WILL POWER: I really have a lot of empathy for kids after I had my own kid. I want to help them in any way I possibly can. That’s why I chose that charity.

THE MODERATOR: The name again?

WILL POWER: Actually, yeah, the Speedway Children’s Charity. I believe so. I told them to get a charity that was for kids, and they told me there was a Speedway charity.

THE MODERATOR: Thank you.

Austin Dillon and the No. 3 Get Bioethanol Chevrolet Team Earn 15th-Place Finish at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway

15th

29th

16th

“This No. 3 Get Bioethanol team never gave up today at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway. We started the race much further back in the field than we had hoped after qualifying didn’t go as well as expected, and that made the day challenging with how aero-dependent this track is. We just struggled in dirty air all day. We made a big adjustment to tighten the handling of our Chevy late in the race, and it really helped. In hindsight, if we would have made our car tighter earlier, we could have had a different day. It was great to be able to bring NASCAR to St. Louis, and especially to do so while celebrating 20 Million NASCAR Miles on Sunoco Green e15 with everyone at Growth Energy.”-Austin Dillon

Tyler Reddick and the No. 8 3CHI Chevrolet Team Look Strong at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway En Route to 16th-Place Finish

16th

4th

12th

“The speed is there in our 3CHI Chevrolet and we were able to showcase it today, especially early in the race when we ran up front and were able to contend for the lead at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway. It was a crazy day for this RCR team. We overcame a spin on the track, and also made a mistake on pit road that caused NASCAR to issue us a penalty. We fought back from one lap down to finish 16th, which is saying a lot since we were as far back as 30th during portions of the race. We contend with the guys that win these races every week, and it’s just a matter of putting the whole thing together over an entire race. Once we start doing that, we’ll get it done.”  -Tyler Reddick

NASCAR CUP SERIES

WORLD WIDE TECHNOLOGY RACEWAY

ENJOY ILLINOIS 300

TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE NOTES & QUOTES

JUNE 5, 2022

TOP TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL TOP-20 RACE RESULTS:

POS.   DRIVER

7th      ERIK JONES, NO. 43 BOMMARITO AUTOMOTIVE GROUP CAMARO ZL1

8th      ROSS CHASTAIN, NO. 1 MOOSE FRATERNITY CAMARO ZL1

10th    AJ ALLMENDINGER, NO. 16 GOLD FISH CASINO SLOTS CAMARO ZL1

12th    KYLE LARSON, NO. 5 VALVOLINE CAMARO ZL1

13th    ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 48 ALLY CAMARO ZL1

14th    JUSTIN HALEY, NO. 31 LEAFFILTER GUTTER PROTECTION CAMARO ZL1

15th    AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 GET BIOETHANOL CAMARO ZL1

16th    TYLER REDDICK, NO. 8 3CHI CAMARO ZL1

19th    WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 RAPTORTOUGH.COM CAMARO ZL1

TOP FIVE UNOFFICIAL RACE RESULTS: 

POS.  DRIVER

1st      Joey Logano (Ford)

2nd     Kyle Busch (Toyota)

3rd      Kurt Busch (Toyota)

4th      Ryan Blaney (Ford)

5th      Aric Almirola (Ford)

The NASCAR Cup Series season continues next Sunday, June 12, at Sonoma Raceway with the Toyota / Save Mart 350 at 4:00 p.m. ET. Live coverage can be found on FS1, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE NOTES AND QUOTES:

ERIK JONES, NO. 43 BOMMARITO AUTOMOTIVE GROUP CAMARO ZL1 – Finished 7th

“Our day was up all day. We lost some spots there at the end with just the restarts and getting tighter. We kind of struggled with that during the day. It was a good day for us. We needed a top-10 run and we got that today with the No. 43 Bommarito Automotive Group Chevy. 

I’m happy with that. Obviously, we want to be a bit better. I think we have some things we can work on to get up there and be a little bit faster than some of those guys. We’ll keep going, but it was a solid day for us.”

ROSS CHASTAIN, NO. 1 MOOSE FRATERNITY CAMARO ZL1 – Finished 8th

THE BIG STORY WAS ROSS CHASTAIN EARLIER ON. YOU AND THE NO. 11 (DENNY HAMLIN) AND YOU AND THE NO. 9 (CHASE ELLIOTT). TAKE US BACK FROM YOUR PERSPECTIVE. 

“It was just terrible driving. It’s one thing to do it once, but I just kept driving into guys. At this level, I’m supposed to be better than that. It’s just a shame for Moose Fraternity, Advent Health, Jockey, Worldwide Express. I have all these people believing in me with Justin Marks and Pitbull putting me in this car. They deserve better.”

WILL YOU GO TALK TO THEM? 

“I will, yeah. I owe half of the field an apology. Words aren’t going to fix it, so I’ll have to pay for it on the track. I almost did today and I deserve everything that they do. I can’t believe I continued to make those same mistakes; overdrive the corners and drive into guys. I had time under caution to get reset; and we’d go green and I would drive into somebody. Terrible.”

WHAT WOULD YOU SAY TO THEM RIGHT NOW? 

“It’s completely unacceptable that I did that. For the No. 11, No. 9, No. 34, so many guys. I was just way off on my driving today. Running into people is not acceptable at this level. I cannot believe, standing here right now, that I just made so many mistakes back-to-back. It’s one thing for one, but I just absolutely drove over my head today. It’s unacceptable.”

AJ ALLMENDINGER, NO. 16 GOLD FISH CASINO SLOTS CAMARO ZL1 – Finished 10th

“I’m really happy with today. I didn’t know what to expect with no practice or qualifying and the car having to be fixed. The team made the car better all day. Ultimately, we needed a little bit of track position, but we were really good at the end there. I’m proud of the effort from start to finish to get a top-10 to cap off a great weekend.”

JUSTIN HALEY, NO. 31 LEAFFILTER GUTTER PROTECTION CAMARO ZL1 – Finished 14th

“We weren’t the best all day, but we had a good strategy at the end to recover for a good points day. I’m proud of everyone for the hard work to put us back into the top-15.”

AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 GET BIOETHANOL CAMARO ZL1 – Finished 15th

“Today was hard, but this No. 3 Get Bioethanol team never gave up. We started the race much further back in the field than we had hoped after qualifying didn’t go as well as expected, and that made the day challenging with how aero-dependent this track is. We just struggled in dirty air all day. We made a big adjustment to tighten the handling of our Chevy late in the race, and it really helped. In hindsight, if we would have made our car tighter earlier, we could have had a different day. It was great to be able to bring NASCAR to St. Louis, and especially to do so while celebrating 20 Million NASCAR Miles on e15.”

TEAM CHEVY – RACE QUICK NOTES

Stage One:

·       The 45-lap Stage One went caution-free, with three Chevrolet drivers taking top-10 finishing spots in the stage. 

·       Tyler Reddick led Chevrolet in the third, accompanied by Ross Chastain (5th) and Chase Elliott (9th) to round out the Team Chevy top-10.

Stage Two:

·       Following the first round of pit stops during the stage break, Chase Elliott was forced to bring his Camaro ZL1 back down pit road for a loose left rear tire, putting Elliott to the rear of the field for the restart. 

·       When a caution flew with 11 laps to go in the stage, Cliff Daniels (Crew Chief) opted to keep Kyle Larson out, giving the No. 5 Valvoline Camaro ZL1 a front row restart position. 

·       Larson held onto a fourth-place finish in the stage to lead Chevrolet. Daniel Suarez finished seventh and Erik Jones rounded out the Team Chevy top-10 in ninth.

Final Stage/ Post-Race Notes:

·       Erik Jones led Chevrolet to three top-10 finishes in the NASCAR Cup Series inaugural race at World Wide Technology Raceway. 

·       Erik Jones crossed the finish line in seventh-place in his No. 43 Bommarito Automotive Group Camaro ZL1. Ross Chastain, No. 1 Moose Fraternity Camaro ZL1 was eight; and AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 Gold Fish Casino Slots Camaro ZL1, rounded out the top-10. 

EPPING, NH (June 5, 2022) —- Rookie Pro Stock driver Camrie Caruso continued to add experience just six races into her young career during the NHRA New England Nationals from New England Dragway. The 24-year-old driver from Denver, North Carolina, returned to racing action after a six-week layoff driving the Sand Haulers of America Chevrolet Camaro for the second race in a row. In her last appearance at the SpringNationals the third-generation driver raced to her first career final round following her first career No. 1 qualifying effort.

Caruso continued to show that Houston was not a fluke when it comes to the performance of her Titan Racing Engine powered Camaro Pro Stock race car. In qualifying the rookie powered to the No. 4 spot right off the hauler and kept her performance numbers at the top of the field throughout the weekend. Her run during the second qualifying session was the third quickest of the class and earned her an important qualifying bonus point.

Sand Haulers of America Chevrolet Camaro, photo by Auto Imagery/Gary Nastase

While Caruso was making consistent runs in a surprising turn of events five-time Pro Stock world champion Greg Anderson was struggling in qualifying and headed into eliminations as the No. 12 qualifier as Caruso’s first round opponent. The opening round match-up would be the second time the rookie and winningest driver in Pro Stock history squared off. In Houston Caruso defeated Anderson in the semifinals on a holeshot to start her career 1-0 against the 99-time Pro Stock winner.

In the first round Caruso had lane choice and was eager to move her career record to 2-0 against Anderson. Unfortunately, Anderson was ready for Caruso and took a starting line reaction time advantage and was able to hold off the hard-charging rookie at the finish line. The margin of victory was just over four hundredths of a second with Anderson’s 6.535 nosing out Caruso’s 6.537 second pass.

“It was good to get back on the track after the long break,” said Caruso. “The guys on the team are still on top of their game. It was good to get back in this Sand Haulers of America Camaro and get back into a rhythm.  We were in the simulator a whole bunch and I need to spend more time there. We did some testing last week. We did what we could to stay on top of things.”

Camrie Caruso, photo by Auto Imagery/Gary Nastase

The support Caruso receives from associate sponsors GESI, Right Trailers, Powerbuilt Tools, NGK Spark Plugs and VP Racing Lubricants motivates Caruso to continue to improve. The first year Pro Stock driver has not taken her early success lightly and continues to work on every level of her craft.

.

“I don’t have to worry about my car ever,” said Caruso. “The guys give me a race car that I can be 100% confident in every run. Now we just need to fine tune everything together. We gave it our all today. I like to be in the car a whole bunch and not have breaks. I am excited for the seven races in ten weeks.”

In two weeks Caruso will join her Pro Stock competitors at the famed Bristol Dragway for the Thunder Valley Nationals. The rookie driver sits seventh in the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series Pro Stock point standings.  

Qualifying Results

Q1: 6.547 sec, 209.59 mph; Qual. 4

Q2: 6.552 sec, 209.69 mph; Qual. 6

Q3: 9.986 sec, 90.57 mph; Qual 6

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

Race Results

First Round

Greg Anderson, Mooresville, NC, HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro, 6.535, 210.37 mph def. Camrie Caruso, Denver, NC, Sand Haulers of America Chevrolet Camaro, 6.537, 211.06 mph 

Camping World Drag Racing Series Top Ten – Pro Stock

1. Erica Enders                               592

2. Aaron Stanfield                          484

3. Kyle Koretsky                             405

4. Dallas Glenn                               366

5. Mason McGaha                         352

6. Greg Anderson                          343

7. Camrie Caruso                           307

8. Bo Butner                                   274

9. Deric Kramer                              270

10. Troy Coughlin Jr                       255

 About Camrie Caruso/Caruso Family Racing
Camrie Caruso is a third-generation driver with Caruso Family Racing. The 24-year-old Pro Stock rookie is following the career path of her father, former Pro Mod racer Marc Caruso and her grandfather, “Papa Joe” Caruso, who competed in Super Gas, Top Sportsman, and Pro Mod. Racing a Chevrolet Camaro with power provided by Titan Racing Engines Caruso will race the full NHRA Camping World Series schedule as she chases Rookie of the Year honors and her first world championship. She first got behind the wheel of a race car when she was eight years old competing in the NHRA Junior Dragster League. She has continued to move up through the NHRA competition classes for over a decade rising to Top Alcohol Dragster as well as Elite Top Dragster and Pro Outlaw 632 in the PDRA. Caruso has a Finance degree as well as a Marketing degree from SUNY Empire State College. In 2018 she was recognized by Drag Illustrated magazine as a 30 Under 30, drag racing personality. When she is not at the track, she is handling the marketing for Titan Racing Engines.

EPPING, NH (June 5, 2022) — Josh Hart’s first appearance at the New England Nationals did not go as planned for the two-time Top Fuel national event winner. In qualifying Hart and his R+L Carriers Top Fuel team came off the trailer with a strong run Friday night to give the team some much needed positive momentum heading into the weekend. Hart made the fourth quickest runs in both Q1 and Q2. Hart had the fifth quickest run of Q3 to further give the team much needed positive data. Those three runs set up the driver from Ocala, Florida, who also receives support from TechNet on his Top Fuel operation, for a first round match-up with No. 12 qualifier Shawn Langdon.

R+L Carriers Top Fuel dragster, photo by Auto Imagery/Gary Nastase

Hart’s three qualifying passes were all consistent runs in the 3.70s spanning 3.745 seconds to 3.731 seconds to 3.771 seconds with a top speed of 328.94 mph. Crew chief Ron Douglas was feeling confident going into the first round on race day. Over the first seven races the team has battled a variety of gremlins and continued to forge ahead maintaining their position in the Top Ten.

The opening round race against Langdon, who has also been struggling for consistency this season, was a prime opportunity for Hart to continue his move up the point standings. Each 11,000-horsepower land rocket rolled up to the starting line as the second pair of Top Fuel dragsters. The Christmas Tree flashed and both cars launched hard with Hart’s R+L Carriers Top Fuel race car immediately smoking the tires. Hart lifted and attempted to pedal his dragster to regain power, but his engine let go blasting the supercharger loose and ending Hart’s race day. Langdon was in the left lane on a smooth run to get the win light.

Josh Hart with Epping fans, photo by Auto Imagery/Gary Nastase

“We had a clutch issue that cost us in the first round,” said Hart. “When it smoked the tires that early I tried to pedal it to see if we could get back into the race but that didn’t work out. I am excited with how we qualified and ran on Friday and Saturday. That is more of a reflection of what this R+L Carriers team is capable of race to race. I hate not having a longer day but we are not going to look backwards. There is more positive momentum over here and I am ready to get to Bristol in a couple weeks.”

The R+L Carriers team will be back on track in two weeks at the Thunder Valley Nationals from Bristol Dragway. Eight races into the season Hart is sitting seventh in the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series Top Fuel point standings.

Qualifying Results

Q1: 3.745 sec, 326.00 mph; Qual. 4

Q2: 3.731 sec, 328.94 mph; Qual 4

Q3: 3.771 sec, 330.39 mph; Qual. 5

Bonus Points: 0

Race Results

First Round

Shawn Langdon, Danville, Ind., DHL Toyota dragster, 3.762, 327.74 mphdef. Josh Hart, Ocala, Fla., R+L Carriers dragster, No time def. 

Camping World Drag Racing Series Top Ten – Top Fuel

1. Brittany Force                          668

2. Mike Salinas                            638

3. Steve Torrence                        569

4. Justin Ashley                            561

5. Austin Prock                             425

6. Clay Millican                            396

7. Josh Hart                                 376

8. Doug Kalitta                             373

9. Shawn Langdon                       341

10. Tony Schumacher                  329

CHEVROLET RACING IN NTT INDYCAR SERIES

CHEVROLET DETROIT GRAND PRIX PRESENTED BY LEAR

RACEWAY ON BELLE ISLE

DETROIT, MICHIGAN

TEAM CHEVY 100TH WIN

JUNE 5, 2022

A POWER-FUL WIN FOR TEAM CHEVY!

Will Power’s Win in Detroit is 100th INDYCAR Victory for Chevrolet Since 2012

DETROIT (June 5, 2022) – The Raceway at Belle Isle will not soon be forgotten by Chevrolet. The 2.35-mile course on Belle Isle in Detroit was the site of another milestone victory for Team Chevy as Will Power won the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix to score Chevrolet’s 100th win since returning to the NTT IndyCar Series with its 2.2-liter V6 engine in 2012.

Belle Isle was also the site for Chevrolet’s 25th (2014) and 50th (2016) wins. The Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix will move from Belle Isle to downtown Detroit starting next year.

“We will always remember this last race on Belle Isle,” said Jim Campbell, U.S. vice president Performance and Motorsports. “Not only was it our 100th win since returning to the series, but it was also such a strong run by Will Power and the No. 12 Verizon 5G Penske team. The team put together a great strategy, and Will ran it exactly the way it was drawn up. And it wasn’t easy.

“One hundred wins in a little more than 10 years in a very competitive series is a pretty incredible achievement. And it happened in our very own backyard, in front of so many Chevrolet vehicle owners, employees and supporters. This one is special.

“I’d like to thank all of the Chevrolet engineers, our partners at Ilmor and all of the drivers, crew chiefs, teams and owners who have contributed to all of those wins over the past decade.”

Chevrolet’s 100 wins occurred in 170 races. Team Chevy’s first win in this era occurred in its first race back in the series on March 25, 2012, by Helio Castroneves at St. Petersburg.

Power, who leads all Chevy drivers with 26 wins from 2012-2022, started 16th and quickly moved toward the front, eventually taking the lead on lap 15 and pacing the final 55 laps of the caution-free race. His Team Penske teammate Josef Newgarden started from the pole and led the first 13 laps before ending up fourth. Those two drivers combined to lead 68 of the 70 laps.

Power also took over the points lead.

Chevrolet has won five of the first seven races to start 2022, and leads the Manufacturers Standings, 595-542.

MILESTONE WINS

1st      Helio Castroneves at St. Petersburg, March 25, 2012

25th    Helio Castroneves at Belle Isle (Race 2), June 1, 2014

50th    Will Power at Belle Isle (Race 2), June 5, 2016

75th    Simon Pagenaud at Indy GP, May 11, 2019

100th  Will Power at Belle Isle, June 5, 2022

100 WINS BY DRIVER

26       Will Power

22       Josef Newgarden

11       Simon Pagenaud

7        Scott Dixon

6        Helio Castroneves

6        Ryan Hunter-Reay

4        Juan Pablo Montoya

4        Sebastien Bourdais

3        Pato O’Ward

3        James Hinchcliffe

2        Mike Conway

2        Tony Kanaan

2        Ed Carpenter

1        Rinus VeeKay

1        Ryan Briscoe

 Chevrolet has won six driver championships and six manufacturer championships since 2012.

EPPING, NH (June 5, 2022) — Justin Ashley and the Phillips Connect Toyota Top Fuel dragster powered by Vita C Energy raced to their third final round of the season and seventh overall. Ashley entered race day as the No. 8 qualifier after a tough two days of qualifying.  The Top Fuel championship contending team was sitting No. 16 heading into the final qualifying session on Saturday night and a strong final run moved them into the top half of the field as the No. 8 qualifier. It was the Phillips Connect team’s toughest outing this season in qualifying. They dug deep and made their best run in Q3 when Ashley blasted down the track in 3.768 seconds at over 326 mph. It was Ashley’s only full pull over two days of qualifying. Crew chief Mike Green was glad to put up a decent number but knew the team had squandered some quality track time in the process.

“I have had it all screwed up since we got here,” said Mike Green. “There is a lot better track out there than we showed on that run. We just needed to get it down there to get in the show. We will look at it and hopefully we can do something better on race day. We will keep working on it and I am glad we got in on down through there. I am looking forward to racing tomorrow.”

“I think you take a lot of confidence from how we finished qualifying and came into race day,” added Ashley, who was the No. 1 qualifier at the Carolina Nationals. “You are going to have races like there where you struggle a little and while it wasn’t ideal in Q3 it was important to go out there and make a nice lap. We needed to get information for Sunday and that run really helped a lot to get a better understanding of the car.”

Ashley had to wait through several short delays in the first round before he took on Canadian Dan Mercier. The three-time national event winner was looking to string another solid run together in the Phillips Connect Toyota Top Fuel dragster to start his race day. Ashley got a huge starting line advantage with a .054 reaction time and never trailed in the race. Ashley’s winning time of 3.743 seconds at 332.10 mph was a big step up from his best qualifying effort. The 2020 NHRA Rookie of the Year earned lane choice over Scott Farley, who upset the No. 1 qualifier Steve Torrence.

Phillips Connect Toyota Top Fuel dragster powered by Vita C Energy, photo by Ron Lewis

Farley who was competing in his first NHRA national event suffered serious engine damage in his first round win and was unable to make the call for the quarterfinals. Ashley was given a competition bye, a first in his Top Fuel career. The team took full advantage of the chance to lay down a solid run in advance of the semifinals. Ashley’s Phillips Connect race car lit up the scoreboard with a 3.786 second pass at 328.06 mph to advance.

“We didn’t expect to have a bye. I had hoped that Scott would be able to make it up for the second round but nonetheless you take the bye when you can get it,” said Ashley. “There is something about a second round bye that is really nice. It takes the pressure off a little bit. You also want to try and get lane choice and give yourself the best chance for success in the semifinals. We did everything the same.” 

Ashley’s semifinal opponent proved to be one of the toughest challenges of the day as he pulled up beside 2013 Top Fuel world champion Shawn Langdon in his DHL Toyota Top Fuel dragster. The winner of the season opening Winternationals knew he would need to be at the top of his game if he wanted to advance to the final round. Langdon was first of the line, but Ashley quickly caught up and moved around him. From 300 feet to the finish line Ashley widened his lead to take the win 3.750 seconds to 3.872 seconds.

Racing for his second win of the season in the left lane Ashley was fired up to take on Mike Salinas who was one of three drivers in front of the racer from Plainview, New York in Top Fuel. Ashley had closed the gap to within seven points of third place Steve Torrence throughout the day but Salinas and point leader Brittany Force had over a 100-point lead. In the final both cars took off together and were side by side for the first 800 feet. As the finish line neared Salinas was able to pull away for his third win of the season in three final rounds.

“That was just a tough final round,” said Ashley. “Mike Green did a great job and they laid down a good run. I thought we had a consistent race car today and I think that is important. There is a lot of information and data we continue to learn from. Stacking up these rounds is important for the points and they are also important for getting more information. All in all, we didn’t complete our objective, but it was a successful weekend.”

In addition to Phillips Connect and Vita C Energy Ashley and his Davis Motorsports team receive  backing from Auto Shocker, Lucas Oil, and KATO Fastening Systems throughout the season. This weekend they hosted several guests in their Lucas Oil hospitality area. For Ashley the off-track interactions are as significant as the round wins on race day.

“We have had a number of guests join us throughout the season and we will see more as the season goes on,” said Ashley. “We have added a Phillips Connect technology trailer which debuted this weekend and I love being able to spend time with our guests throughout the weekend. Going rounds on race day and getting to another final is great but it is even sweeter when you can share it with the people that make this all possible.”

Ashley will head to the Thunder Valley Nationals sitting fourth in the Camping World point standings less than a round from third place. 

Qualifying Results

Q1: 9.974 sec, 72.98 mph; Qual. 14

Q2: 10.450 sec, 78.23 mph; Qual. 16

Q3: 3.768 sec, 326.08 mph; Qual. 8

Bonus Points: 0

Race Results

First Round

Justin Ashley, Phillips Connect Toyota dragster powered by Vita C Energy, 3.743, 332.10 mph def. Dan Mercier, St Michel, Canada, Amalie Motor Oil dragster, 6.139, 102.04 mph 

Second Round

Justin Ashley, Phillips Connect Toyota dragster powered by Vita C Energy, 3.786, 328.06 mph def. bye (Scott Farley did not make call) 

Semifinals

Justin Ashley, Phillips Connect Toyota dragster powered by Vita C Energy, 3.750, 327.59 mph def. Shawn Langdon, Danville, Ind., DHL Toyota dragster, 3.776, 300.13 mph 

Final

Mike Salinas, San Jose, Calif., Valley Services dragster, 3.729, 330.80 mph def. Justin Ashley, Phillips Connect Toyota dragster powered by Vita C Energy, 3.782, 315.78 mph

Camping World Drag Racing Series Top Ten – Top Fuel

1. Brittany Force                          668

2. Mike Salinas                            638

3. Steve Torrence                        569

4. Justin Ashley                           561

5. Austin Prock                             425

6. Clay Millican                            396

7. Josh Hart                                   376

8. Doug Kalitta                             373

9. Shawn Langdon                       341

10. Tony Schumacher                  329

CHEVROLET RACING IN NATIONAL HOT ROD ASSOCIATION NHRA NEW ENGLAND NATIONALS NEW ENGLAND DRAGWAY IN EPPING, NEW HAMPSHIRE JUNE 5, 2022 Chevrolet picks up important points in New Hampshire• Erica Enders earns third Pro Stock victory in a row, fourth of the season• No. 3 qualifier Robert Hight races to Funny Car runner-up finish • Top Fuel points leader Brittany Force sets track speed record

EPPING, N.H. (June 5, 2022) — Erica Enders said at the beginning of the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) season that she was on a mission to return the No. 1 to the side of the Melling Performance/Elite Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro SS. Through six of 18 rounds of the Pro Stock campaign, Enders is on target in pursuit of her fifth world championship.

Enders earned her third consecutive victory and fourth of the season, strengthening her points lead over Elite Motorsports teammate and runner-up Aaron Stanfield in the NHRA New England Nationals. Enders, who also defeated Stanfield in the final of the season-opening race at Pomona, California, claimed her 37th career Pro Stock victory and 400th round win with a 6.547-second pass to Stanfield’s 6.553 in the Janac Brothers Camaro SS. “This is the best way we’ve ever started off any year in my Pro Stock driving career, even ’15 when we completely dominated and won nine races and were in 11 finals. Team Elite has won five of six and we’ve won four of the six. It just goes to show that hard work and determination are second to none,” said Enders, who finished 61 points behind champion Greg Anderson in 2021.

Robert Hight was also looking for his fourth win of the season in the AAA Chevrolet Camaro SS. The No. 3 Funny Car qualifier faced off against points leader Matt Hagan in the final for the second time this season, with Hight’s car rattling the tires and crossing the line with his second runner-up finish of the season. Hight defeated Hagan in Phoenix. John Force, the No. 2 qualifier in the PEAK BlueDEF Platinum Camaro SS, fell in the second round in the 144th Funny Car matchup with Ron Capps. Top Fuel points leader Brittany Force, the No. 2 qualifier in the Monster Energy/Flav-R-Pac Chevrolet dragster, lost to John Force Racing teammate Austin Prock in the second round. Force reset the Top Fuel track speed record in qualifications at 334.32 mph. Prock, the No. 3 qualifier in the Montana Brand/Rocky Mountain Twist Chevrolet dragster, was ousted in the semifinals by eventual event winner Mike Salinas. The NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals on June 17-19 in Bristol, Tennessee, is next on the schedule for Chevrolet teams.

An interview with Pro Stock winner Erica Enders (No. 3 qualifier in the Melling Performance/Elite Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro SS): THIS IS THE BEST START OF YOUR CAREER. WHAT MAKES THIS YEAR DIFFERENT?“After the way that we lost last year, just losing by a couple of rounds to Greg Anderson and him being able to sport the No. 1 on his car instead of that Melling Performance hot rod, it just gives us a little extra motivation. I have to give a huge shoutout to the race car shop. They are the ones who dig deep and make this happen. I was thinking on my way to get buckled in the car, how special is this. You see this house packed with people, and I’m just a little kid living my dream.” EVEN YOU COULDN’T HAVE IMAGINED YOUR SUCCESS THIS SEASON.“This is the best way we’ve ever started off any year in my Pro Stock driving career, even ’15 when we completely dominated and won nine races and were in 11 finals. Team Elite has won five of six and we’ve won four of the six. It just goes to show that hard work and determination are second to none. The guys who stand behind me are the ones who make it happen. I said no more nice Erica because of the way we lost the championship last year, coming down to the wire even with Greg (Anderson) dominating all year. It’s our mission this year to put that No. 1 back on the Melling Performance hot rod.” IN THE SEMIFINALS WHEN YOUR CAR STARTED SHAKING, WHAT’S GOING ON IN YOUR HEAD BEFORE YOUR SAW THE WIN LIGHT?“It started to rattle and then went full-blown shake. When it shook and I pulled second gear and it wasn’t having it, I looked over and Mason (McGaha) wasn’t ahead of me, so I just jammed it in third, pedaled it and tried to roll on. I never look at the scoreboard ever because you have to shift. I shut it down. I go back to 8-year-old Erica. This is all I ever wanted. I can’t be more proud of my team.”CHEVROLET FROM THE COCKPITTOP FUEL:BRITTANY FORCE, JOHN FORCE RACING, MONSTER ENERGY/FLAV-R-PAC CHEVROLET DRAGSTER (No. 2 qualifier; fell in second round): “It was a tough weekend for our Monster Energy team. We made some good runs, but we got beat in round two over a holeshot. We’ll pack up and head to the next one. Still in the points lead and we still have great confidence for the rest of the season.” AUSTIN PROCK, JOHN FORCE RACING, MONTANA BRANDS/ROCKY MOUNTAIN TWIST CHEVROLET DRAGSTER (No. 3 qualifier; fell in semifinals): “Another good showing on Sunday for this Montana Brand/Rocky Mountain Twist team. Really proud of my guys after this weekend. We were not easy on them in qualifying and they kept a good attitude and their heads down to prepare the car each round. We made some solid passes as a team today and know our time is coming. We’re looking forward to the rest of the season.” FUNNY CAR:JOHN FORCE, JOHN FORCE RACING, BLUEDEF PLATINUM CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (No. 2 qualifier; fell in second round): “We ended up qualifying pretty well and we got a couple win lights. Not a bad weekend for this PEAK Chevy. Not great, but not bad. Everyone did pretty well. Brittany with Monster and Prock having to race against each other. Prock making it to the semis with Montana Brand. And then Robert with AAA getting to another final. They’re keeping up the fight. And we’re still in it. Sitting fourth in points, you know, we’ll be OK.” ROBERT HIGHT, JOHN FORCE RACING, AAA CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (No. 3 qualifier; runner-up): “Tough way to end the day. You know, this AAA Chevy got a little lucky in the first round. Had to pedal it and was able to pull it off, but then we really stepped it up and were running well. We just couldn’t get the job done in the final. It’s another fina round though, and it’s points on the board. We just have to keep it up. Keep running well, pick ourselves up if we stumble and that’s what this team does. They don’t give up. We’ll just head to the next one and look to get the job done in Bristol.”

EPPING, N.H. (June 05, 2022) – Robert Hight and the AAA Northern New England Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car raced to their fifth final round of the season and their second consecutive runner-up at the NHRA New England Nationals at New England Dragway on Sunday. Austin Prock and the Montana Brand Rocky Mountain Twist dragster were semifinal finishers while Brittany Force with Monster Energy and John Force in his PEAK / BlueDEF PLATINUM Chevy had quarterfinal exits. After making a dramatic improvement in the final session of qualifying to start race day from No. 3, Robert Hight had to do some work to get the AAA New England Chevy to the finish line in round one. The three-time champion pedaled his way to a 4.328-second pass at 280.49 mph getting by Cory Lee’s 4.523 at 250.32. In the second round, Hight matched with drag racing veteran Alexis DeJoria. It was a solid side-by-side drag race, Hight came out with the victory going 3.933-seconds at 326.79 mph to DeJoria’s 3.988 at 321.65. Lined-up in a monster match-up with two-time reigning Funny Car champion Ron Capps who had just defeated John Force Racing boss John Force en route to the semis, Hight would stay consistent running a clean 3.927-seconds at 327.19 mph while Capps would put a hole out to run only 4.092 at 281.66. The round win streak for Hight would come to an end against points leader Matt Hagan in the final round. The AAA New England Chevy would be up in smoke near 300-feet. Hight would try to pedal his Camaro to the line but couldn’t regain traction to run only 6.232-second at 110.15 mph while Hagan had a clean pass of 3.922-seconds at 327.98 mph. “Tough way to end the day. You know this AAA Chevy got a little lucky in the first round had to pedal it and was able to pull it off but then we really stepped it up and were running well. We just couldn’t get the job done in the final,” Hight said. “It’s another final round though, and it’s points on the board. We just have to keep it up. Keep running well, pick ourselves up if we stumble and that’s what this team does, they don’t give up. We’ll just head to the next one and look to get the job done in Bristol.” Austin Prock and the Montana Brand dragster had the first round victory over Antron Brown’s 3.875-second pass at 312.42 mph but a technical issue would record no time or speed for his winning run. The win set Prock up to run teammate Brittany Force in the quarterfinals. Coming in as the No. 2 qualifiers, Force and the Monster Energy team carried over their qualifying performance going 3.702-seconds at a track speed record 334.90 mph, bettering her qualifying speed record of 334.32 mph, to defeat Clay Millican who’s dragster went up at smoke early to coast to a 10.057 at 80.52. In the second round, Prock would have the starting line advantage with a .057 reaction to Force’s .091. An advantage that, coupled with a 3.734-second pass at 327.03 mph, would win him the race. Force would go 3.704 at 334.90 making the margin of victory just 0.0041-seconds. “It was a tough weekend for our Monster Energy team. We made some good runs, but we got beat in round two over a hole shot,” Force said. “We’ll pack up and head to the next one. Still in the points lead and we still have great confidence for the rest of the season.” In the semifinals, the Montana Brand dragster would line up with Mike Salinas. Prock would once again have the starting line advantage, but his Chevy dragster would start to lose traction slowing him to a 5.530-second pass at 126.01 mph allowing Salinas to go round him for a winning 3.865 run at 289.63 mph. “Another good showing on Sunday for this Montana Brand / Rocky Mountain Twist team. Really proud of my guys after this weekend. We were not easy on them in qualifying and they kept a good attitude and their heads down to prepare the car each round,” Prock said. “We made some solid passes as a team today and know our time is coming. We’re looking forward to the rest of the season.” Starting the day from No. 2, John Force handled the PEAK / BlueDEF Chevy to the quickest run of the session laying down a 3.910-second pass at 332.10 mph to better Terry Haddock’s 5.821 at 124.64. Force would come up short in the second round when his PEAK Chevy only went 4.012-seconds at 323.35 mph and was outrun by Ron Capps and his 3.946 at 328.94. “Well, we ended up qualifying pretty well and we got a couple win lights. Not a bad weekend for this PEAK Chevy, not great, but not bad,” Force said. “Everyone did pretty well, Brittany with Monster and Prock having to race against each other. Prock making it to the semis with Montana Brand. And the Robert over there with AAA getting to another final, they’re keeping up the fight. And we’re still in it. Sitting fourth in points, you know, we’ll be okay.” The John Force Racing teams will head to Bristol Dragway for the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals June 17-19, the ninth event on the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series schedule.