Inside Line Promotions – DODGE CITY, Kan. (Sept. 15, 2020) – Dominic Scelzi scored his career-best result at Dodge City Raceway Park and he tied his season-best outing with the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series on Saturday during the Boot Hill Showdown finale.

Scelzi recorded a seventh-place showing, which was his fourth top 10 of the season with ‘The Greatest Show on Dirt.’

The start of both nights mirrored each other with Scelzi qualifying 13 ^th quickest and starting fifth in a heat race. He finished in that position on Friday to lock into the 13^th starting position for the A Main.

“The first night the track was pretty locked down and hard to pass,” he said. “You couldn’t get off the bottom. Running around the bottom guys would get tight and I’d pass them that way. I got to eighth and we had to restart on the outside. I got tight and fell back to 11^th.

“The second night it was a little bit slicker. We were able to get a spot in the heat race, which started me 10^th in the feature. I got a really good start and was able to rip around the guy who started inside of me to be in ninth. Then I passed Jacob Allen by rolling the bottom in turns three and four to get into eighth. Tim Kaeding blew a right rear tire with a couple of laps to go so that moved us to seventh. We were right there on Donny (Schatz) and the guy in front of Donny, but it was really hard to pass.”

Scelzi’s seventh-place result was his third top 10 in the last seven races with the series.

The team plans to race this Friday and Saturday at Huset’s Speedway in Brandon, S.D., during the DeKalb/Asgrow Power Series Nationals presented by Casey’s General Stores with the Midwest Sprint Touring Series and the Midwest Power Series.

Scelzi placed second with the Ollie’s Bargain Outlet All Star Circuit of Champions in August and he finished 11^th and seventh, respectively, during World of Outlaws races at Huset’s Speedway earlier this month.

“I really like the place; it’s super racy,” he said. “When they get the surface right it’s two lanes all night. I’m looking forward to getting there for two good sized 360 races. We ran well there with the All Stars and ran well with the Outlaws so I want to take some money out of that place this weekend.”

Colton Herta leads Andretti Autosport podium sweep as Honda drivers finish 1-5
Alexander Rossi, Ryan Hunter-Reay complete the podium
Honda extends Manufacturers’ Championship points lead as series enters home stretch

LEXINGTON, Ohio (September 13, 2020) – Honda drivers and teams – led by the Andretti Autosport trio of Colton Herta, Alexander Rossi and Ryan Hunter-Reay – dominated the second half of the Honda Indy 200 doubleheader at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, sweeping the top five finishing positions in Sunday’s second 75-lap NTT INDYCAR SERIES race of the weekend.

With seven wins in 11 races this season, Honda continues to lead the IndyCar Manufacturers’ Championship, with an unofficial total of 911 points to 824 points for Chevrolet, as the company seeks a third consecutive manufacturers’ title in 2020. Today’s race was the second podium sweep for Honda this season, as Takuma Sato led a 1-4 finish for Honda drivers at last month’s Indianapolis 500.

Scoring his first win of 2020, but the fourth Indy car win in just the second year of his career, Herta led 57 of the 75 laps today, resisting an early challenge from fellow Honda driver and championship points leader Scott Dixon, then maintaining a narrow, but consistent advantage over his teammates Rossi and Hunter-Reay to the finish. For Andretti Autosport, the 1-2-3 sweep was the first for the team since the 2005 Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg.

Finishing second and third, respectively, Rossi and Hunter-Reay fought for position throughout the day, but running identical strategies and with clean pit stops for both, ran in virtual lock step once Rossi passed his teammate during the opening stint of the race. Graham Rahal came from 12th on the grid to finish fourth, while Marcus Ericsson gained 10 positions in an impressive run in the opening laps to complete the top five finishers for Honda.

While dueling with Rossi and Hunter-Reay following the first round of pit stops, championship leader Dixon survived a spin exiting turn one to recover in 19th. He then spent the rest of the day working his way through the field to finish 10th and maintain an unofficial lead of 72 points in the Drivers’ Championship battle after 11 of 14 races.

Next
Following this weekend’s Honda Indy 200 doubleheader at Mid-Ohio, the NTT INDYCAR SERIES takes the next two weekends off, before resuming October 2-3 for the Indy Harvest GP, the final doubleheader and penultimate race weekend of 2020, on the road course of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Honda Racing social media content and videos from the Honda Indy 200 at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course will be available on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/HondaRacingHPD) and on Twitter at (https://twitter.com/HondaRacing_HPD).  Produced by the CoForce Digital Media, YouTube video packages can be found at: https://www.youtube.com/HondaRacingHPDTV.  

Quotes
Colton Herta (Andretti Autosport Honda) Started first, finished first; first win of 2020 and fourth career win: “I’m so happy. We’ve been knocking on the door [of a victory] almost every weekend. We’ve had the pace, but for some reason or another, something has gone wrong. But we finally put everything together. Got the pole this morning, the entire Capstone Andretti crew produced a stellar car and a Honda/Andretti 1-2-3, so happy to be powered by Honda. Now we just need to be finishing on the podium on every other weekend. It seems like we’re only on the podium when we win. So if we can fill in those other races with seconds and thirds, I’ll be very happy then.”

Alexander Rossi (Andretti Autosport Honda) Started 10th, finished second: “I’m just so happy for Andretti Autosport, Michael [Andretti] and everyone on the team. It’s been a terrible year for us, so to have a good day today, huge hats off to Colton and the ‘88’ guys, and for the team to sweep the podium for the first time since 2005 is very cool. We’re just focusing on race wins at this point, and really trying to build a good foundation for next year. I think we’re doing that right now, so this is definitely a step in the right direction. It’s great to be running up front again.”

Ryan Hunter-Reay (Andretti Autosport Honda) Started eighth, finished third: “The race was all right. Alex [Rossi] and I both had a great start, and fought the whole way. The guys did a great job in pit lane, and it was nice to have a solid day. The team needed it. We’ll pick up from here and hopefully keep this momentum rolling.”

Graham Rahal (Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda) Started 12th, finished fourth: “I think we had the pace [to win], and our Fifth Third Bank guys did a great job. I’m extremely pleased with the way the weekend went, it was a strong two days. I think we’ll be very competitive at [the next race] at Indy, I expect we’ll be in contention [for the wins] there. It was great to have the crowd [the circuit was allowed] here. Thanks to everyone who came.”

Scott Dixon (Chip Ganassi Racing Honda) Started third, finished 10th; unofficially leads drivers’ championship by 72 points with three races remaining: “We tried to set up the car so that the tires would remain strong throughout a long run, so our cold [tire] pressures were really low. We struggled on the restarts as a result, so I got a little aggressive, hit the ‘overtake’ button on the exit of Turn One and just had way too much Honda power there, so it just spun the tires and spun the car. Total rookie mistake, and I’m so bummed for the team, it’s a mistake I shouldn’t have made. Fortunately, we were able to fight our way back up to 10th, but it should’ve been a much better [championship] points day.”

Allen Miller (Race Team Principal, Honda Performance Development) on today’s seventh Honda win of 2020: “What a great day for Honda at Mid-Ohio, the home race for all of our Ohio associates. Honda power was on full display for everyone to see today. Congratulations to Colton [Herta] and everyone at Andretti Autosport for their dominating 1-2-3 podium sweep. Graham [Rahal] produced another excellent performance and showed that he is coming on strong in the final races of the season; and Scott Dixon fought his way back through the field. Just a great day for everyone, and we hope all our fans can return in full force here next year.”

CHEVROLET NTT INDYCAR SERIES HONDA INDY 200 DOUBLE HEADER MID-OHIO SPORTS CAR COURSE LEXINGTON, OHIO TEAM CHEVY RACE TWO RECAP SEPTEMBER 13, 2020 TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL FINISHING RESULTS:POS.   DRIVER6^th       Simon Pagenaud, No. 22 DXC Technology Team Penske Chevrolet7^th        Will Power, No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet8^th       Josef Newgarden, No. 1 PPG Team Penske Chevrolet9^th       Pato O’Ward, No. 5 Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet11^th     Rinus VeeKay, No. 21 Sonax Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet13^th     Max Chilton  15^th     Oliver Askew, No. 7 Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet                    TOPE FIVE UNOFFICIAL FINISHING RESULTS: POS.  DRIVER                                                             1^ST      Colton Herta (Honda)2^nd      Alexander Rossi (Honda)3^rd       Ryan Hunter-Reay (Honda)4^th       Graham Rahal (Honda)5^th      Marcus Ericsson (Honda) Josef Newgarden continues to cut into the lead in the championship race. Coming into the Mid-Ohio Doubleheader the defending and two-time NTT INDYCAR Series champion, Newgarden trailed ScottDixon by 96 points. After a podium on Saturday and eighth place today, the spread is now 72 points heading to the Harvest GP Doubleheader on the Indy road Course Chevy had four in the top-nine with Simon Pagenaud finishing 6^th, Will Power finished 7^th, Newgarden 8^th and Pato O’Ward finished in 9^th place. Team Chevy drivers hold three of the top-five positions in points: Newgarden-2^nd; O’Ward-3^rd and Power-5^th.  The NTT IndyCar Series season continues on October 2-3 with the INDYCAR Harvest GP Doubleheader at the Road Course at Indianapolis Motor Speedway for races 12 and13 ot the season. p.m.
TEAM CHEVY NOTES AND QUOTES:
SIMON PAGENAUD, NO. 22 DXC TECHNOLOGY TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET – Finished 6^th:“I think we finally broke our curse. We had a good race today and we’ll take a sixth-p andlace finish in the DXC Technology Chevrolet. Saturday’s result was a real shame – it definitely didn’t show the pace that we had here. I think we’ve had a good car all weekend long and I think today we maximized what we had. We definitely still have some work to do but we are happy with the direction we are headed with the car and that’s a good sign for us heading back to Harvest Grand Prix at Indianapolis.”
WILL POWER, NO. 12 VERIZON TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET – Finished 7^th:“It was actually a pretty solid race for the Verizon Chevrolet. We had some radio issues so I really wasn’t sure what position we were running in all the time so I really just followed my teammates and pitted when they did. It was pretty smooth sailing from there but we really couldn’t make up a lot of ground. Obviously it was a pretty disappointing result in qualifying today and that was totally my fault. Considering that and the radio challenges during the race, we come away actually feeling alright with a seventh-place result and a pretty good weekend overall with the win on Saturday.”
JOSEF NEWGARDEN, NO. 1 PPG TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET – Finished 8^th:“We were just a little too average today. We didn’t really have superior pace and our starting position didn’t help us out. We tried to make some hay in the beginning and the caution didn’t really work in our favor for what we were planning strategy-wise. We were just kind of stuck where we were all day, to be honest. We just need to work on getting a little more race pace. I think that’s what we were lacking. On the car itself, we needed a little better grip and a little more balance. Everything else was solid. I think Team Chevy came with a great engine today. We had what we needed from them and obviously the support from PPG is always great here at Mid-Ohio, so we just need to work on ourselves a little next time out.”
PATO O’WARD, NO. 5 ARROW MCLAREN SP CHEVROLET – Finished 9^th:“We started 21st and made our way up a few places at the start, but then everything kind of went sideways from there. We came into the pits for the first stop and guys were getting released, which put us into a position where we couldn’t turn into the box quite as tight as we wanted to. This meant the fuel probe couldn’t quite connect and we couldn’t get fuel into the car. This led to us having to go all the way to the back and pit for more fuel. We had to make everything up on track after that. We had such strong pace and I truly think if we had started up front, we would have been better. I made a very stupid mistake in qualifying that really put us on the back foot and I tried to earn back as much as I could today by giving it everything I had. At the end of the day, a top 10 finish isn’t bad from where we started.” RINUS VEEKAY, No. 21 SONAX ED CARPENTER RACING CHEVROLET- Finished 11^th:“That was a very tough race! Maybe because of the rainy conditions this morning, the track was different. My car felt nothing like yesterday! I had to dodge some cars at the start and did not really move forward like other guys did. It wasn’t the greatest race, but P11 is not terrible! We’ve got the Indy road course again – and again! I had my best road course finish there so I am ready to go back!” MAX CHILTON, NO. 59 GALLAGHER CARLIN CHEVROLET – Finished 13^th:“It wasn’t quite the top 10 that I wanted, but to start back in 18^th and make up five positions throughout the race and do it legitimately is something to be proud of. We out-raced and out-paced some strong cars out there and I did two of the best overtakes I’ve done all year around the outside of a high speed corner. I’m very happy with the job we did today. We kept good pace and good fuel mileage and I feel like we managed the race really well. I don’t think we could’ve done much more during the race, the only thing would’ve been to qualify slightly higher up. Regardless, I know that top-10 for myself and the Gallagher Carlin Chevrolet is coming this year.” OLIVER ASKEW, NO. 7 ARROW MCLAREN SP CHEVROLET – Finished 15^th: “The No. 7 Arrow McLaren SP team made good progress during the weekend. Today was the first time I had to fuel save this year, which was an adjustment, but I felt like I gave it my all. Looking forward to getting back to the Indianapolis Road Course, where we qualified in the Fast Six earlier this year. I think the entire team has a lot of potential and I’m looking forward to capitalizing on that.” CONOR DALY, NO. 20 U.S. AIR FORCE ED CARPENTER RACING CHEVROLET – Finished 16^th: “Today was tough in qualifying. We just didn’t get the right lap in at the right time and we just missed having another lap by a couple of seconds. Starting on the back foot, that’s hard. We took a gamble with the setup which was actually good for me to try. We were in the wrong place at the wrong time for everything that happened on track, it was a shame. However, there were some positives; yesterday, we qualified 4th which was really good. We are still learning together as a team, hopefully we can put what we learned here towards the Harvest Grand Prix.” CHARLIE KIMBALL, NO. 4 TRESIBA AJ FOYT RACING CHEVROLET – Finished 19^tht: “So I definitely think we made the No. 4 Tresiba Chevrolet better overnight from race one to race two. This morning obviously was unfortunate with the spin in the wet so we started last and around here at Mid-Ohio it’s so hard to pass. The guys did a great job in pit lane. We were able to hit the fuel number we needed to get to the end of the race, so on that side of things I think we checked some boxes, learned some things, learned a little bit about the car as we head to the doubleheader at the Harvest Grand Prix back on the Indy road course. We’ll take what we learned from there in July, what we learned from here, put it together and hopefully come up with a good package off the truck.”  DALTON KELLETT, NO 14 K-LINE USA AJ FOYT RACING CHEVROLET – Finished 21st: “The only thing you can do on a day like today is take the positive and learn from what went wrong. The team made some good changes from qualifying to the race.iFor the first half of the first stint, the car felt really good, we were on pace with the guys around us. Our speed was pretty competitive on the alternate Firestones. Just a little mistake on my part on the downshift, it got loose into [Turn] 1 and I couldn’t save it. When I backed it into the gravel, we damaged the underwing pretty bad so it was a big loss in downforce. The rest of the race was more of an exercise in keeping the car on the track and trying not to get in the way of the leaders and the cars that weren’t damaged and kind of chugging along. It’s one we’ll have to file away and come back stronger for the Harvest GP.” 

September 13, 2020

Matt DiBenedetto and the No. 21 Quick Lane team find themselves in a must-win Playoff situation heading into next Saturday’s race at Bristol Motor Speedway after a 17^th-place finish at Richmond Raceway.

DiBenedetto started Saturday’s 400-lapper at Richmond from 16^th place but struggled early with the handling on his Quick Lane Mustang.

He finished 17^th in the first Stage and 19^th in the second, but he lost a lap when he came just a few laps shy of making a two-pit-stop strategy work in his favor in the second stage.

Still, DiBenedetto was able to run in the free pass spot for a long stretch at the start of the third and final segment of the race.

Unfortunately, the lack of caution flags took away any opportunity to rejoin the lead lap, and he wound up finishing outside the top 15. 

There were only three yellow flags all night, one for the competition caution and two for stage breaks.
  
So, Benedetto and the Quick Lane team head to Bristol 25 points below the Playoff cutline. The bottom four drivers in the standings after Bristol will be eliminated from title contention, so the only plausible way for DiBenedetto, 15^th in the standings, to make the Round of 12 would be to win at Bristol since a win in any round guarantees an advancement to the next round.

DiBenedetto, who was racing at Richmond for the first time since joining the Quick Lane team, said the lack of practice there put him and the team at a disadvantage.
 
“No practice really bit us,” he said, adding that his Greg Erwin-led crew was able to tune the No. 21 Mustang and make it competitive after a slow start. “We made a fair amount of adjustments and got it driving, not perfect, but OK.

“We rode in the lucky dog spot for the longest time but couldn’t ever get a caution. That trapped us behind the Eight Ball, and we couldn’t get the finish we deserved.”
 
DiBenedetto said that while winning at Bristol will be a tall order, he believes he and his team are capable of pulling it off.
 
“We have good race cars, and if we get it just right we have a shot at it,” he said.
 

Alexander Rossi collects second podium finish of 2020 in opening race of the weekend
Graham Rahal runs fourth as Honda drivers claim five of top-seven finishes
Second 75-lap race in doubleheader weekend runs Sunday at Mid-Ohio

LEXINGTON, Ohio (September 12, 2020) – Alexander Rossi held off a strong challenge from hometown favorite Graham Rahal to secure the final step on the podium Saturday at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, as their battle for third was a highlight in the opening race of a doubleheader Honda Indy 200 weekend.

Exiting the pits after the final round of stops on Lap 54, Rossi and Rahal battled to the finish of today 75-lap contest, while a trio of Honda drivers filled out the rest of the top seven positions. Ryan Hunter-Reay ended the day fifth, after starting and running as high as third in the opening stint, with Felix Rosenqvist sixth and Jack Harvey equaling his best result of 2020 with a seventh-place finish.

Recovering from a disappointing qualifying session that left him starting deep in the field, 17th, at the start, championship points leader Scott Dixon went to work right from the green flag, gaining six position in the opening laps and eventually making the largest gain in the 23-driver field, to finish 10th. After 10 of 14 races, Dixon maintains a 76-point lead in the drivers’ championship over Josef Newgarden, who finished second today.

Next
Today’s race was the opening round of a doubleheader Honda Indy 200 weekend at Mid-Ohio. Tomorrow’s 75-lap finale starts at 1 p.m. EDT, with live coverage on NBC.

Honda Racing social media content and videos from the Honda Indy 200 at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course will be available on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/HondaRacingHPD) and on Twitter at (https://twitter.com/HondaRacing_HPD).  Produced by the CoForce Digital Media, YouTube video packages can be found at: https://www.youtube.com/HondaRacingHPDTV.  

Quotes
Alexander Rossi (Andretti Autosport Honda) Started sixth, finished third (second podium finish of 2020): “It’s good. We haven’t had a lot of things go our way this year, so now we’re just trying to go out and make the most of every opportunity we get for the rest of this year. The Andretti Honda guys did a great job. Had we been able to clear Ryan [Hunter-Reay] and get Josef [Newgarden], I think we might’ve had a shot at the win. Our pace was really good, but starting sixth it was always going to be a little bit of a challenge. But it was a good day for us, and we get to do it all over again tomorrow.”

Graham Rahal (Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda) Started eighth, finished fourth: “It feels good to get a good result after St. Louis, which was kind of a bruiser. But our pit stops were fast today, strategy was good, and we were right there in contention [for the win]. I gave Alex [Rossi] as much as I could [in the battle for third]. I think tomorrow’s going to be interesting. It’s going to be hot, and physical, and I think some guys are going to ‘fall out of the saddle’. Thanks to Honda for all their support in putting on this event, it should be a great day tomorrow.”

Ted Klaus (President, Honda Performance Development) on today’s opening race in the Honda Indy 200 doubleheader race weekend: “Today wasn’t the win everyone at HPD was working to achieve, but there were several individual accomplishments that we can cheer. It was great to see Alexander Rossi back on the podium, and to watch Graham Rahal recover from a disappointing weekend in St. Louis to finish fourth today. The battle between Rahal and Rossi for third was one of the highlights of the race. Scott Dixon gained seven positions on the day, and remains in charge of the championship. So, there’s a lot to take away from today’s race, and we get to do it all again tomorrow.”

NASCAR CUP SERIES FEDERATED AUTO PARTS 400 RICHMOND RACEWAY TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE NOTES AND QUOTES SEPTEMBER 12, 2020
TOP TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL RACE RESULTS:POS.   DRIVER4th      AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 DOW NORKOOL CAMARO ZL1 1LE5th      CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CAMARO ZL1 1LE9th      ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 88 CHEVYGOODS.COM / TRUCK HERO CAMARO ZL1 1LE11th    TYLER REDDICK, NO. 8 CAT RENTAL STORE CAMARO ZL1 1LE13th    KURT BUSCH, NO. 1 MONSTER ENERGY CAMARO ZL1 1LE TOP FIVE UNOFFICIAL RACE RESULTS: POS.  DRIVER1st      Brad Keselowski (Ford)2nd     Martin Truex Jr. (Toyota)3rd      Joey Logano (Ford)4th      Austin Dillon (Chevrolet)5th      Chase Elliott (Chevrolet)UNOFFICIAL CURRENT PLAYOFF RANK (Following Round 2 of 10)POS.   DRIVER (* = Chevy Contender)        1.        Kevin Harvick (Ford): Win2.        Brad Keselowski (Ford): Win3.        Denny Hamlin (Toyota): + 64/Clinched by Points4.        Joey Logano (Ford): +515.        Martin Truex Jr. (Toyota): +386.        * Austin Dillon (Chevrolet): +367.        * Chase Elliott (Chevrolet): + 288.        * Alex Bowman (Chevrolet): + 279.        Kyle Busch (Toyota): +1810.      Aric Almirola (Ford): +711.      * Kurt Busch (Chevrolet): +712.      Clint Bowyer (Ford): +3________13.      * William Byron (Chevrolet): -314.      Cole Custer (Ford): -815.      Matt DiBenedetto (Ford): -2516.      Ryan Blaney (Ford): -27
The NASCAR Cup Series seasons continues at Bristol Motor Speedway with the Bass Pro Shops Night Race on Saturday, September 19th,^, at 7:30 p.m. ET to conclude the Round of 16 for the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs. Live coverage can be found on NBCSN, the NBC Sports Gold app, PRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.
TEAM CHEVY NOTES AND QUOTES:AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 DOW NORKOOL CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 4th “I feel like I gave one away tonight. Our Dow NORKOOL Chevrolet was so fast tonight. We had a massive day for stage points, which is going to help us out big picture-wise. We had a speeding penalty in Stage 1, and to come from the back to the front in that Stage just shows how fast our Chevy was tonight. This No. 3 team is on fire right now and showing up when it matters. I have a line here and it’s been working. I run a little lower on the straightaway and it gives me good forward drive. I saw some other drivers start picking it up and laying the rubber down on that line. It might have hurt us a little bit at the end of the race, but the biggest thing is when we came to pit road for our second green-flag stop in Stage 3 we were trying to bring everybody down. The No. 1 car was in my mirror on tires. I overdrove that entry just a little bit thinking that I needed to avoid getting rear-ended, and then it was like ‘Oh no, I’m going to hit the red box’ so I had to make another lap around the track. That cost us three seconds. It probably killed our deal, but it was still early, so who knows. It was a lot of fun out here tonight and I think we had the best car tonight, so thanks to Justin Alexander and everyone at RCR and ECR for giving us a solid Chevy tonight. We’re headed to Bristol Motor Speedway in a good spot and it’s exciting to know we still have eight more chances to try and get another win. Our confidence level for Bristol is pretty high.” CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 5thFOUND THE FRONT A COUPLE OF TIMES. WHERE WAS THE NO. 9 OFF JUST A LITTLE BIT TONIGHT?“First off, we were way better than we’ve been here, probably ever, so I thought that was a big improvement for us. We really needed it here. This has been a really, really tough track for us. I thought we got our NAPA Auto Parts Camaro good, especially through the middle portion. Just got a little behind, I think, as the race went on to roll the center as good as we needed to late in a run. But, we were way, way better than we’ve ever been here I feel like before. And consistently all night, too. I thought that was a pretty big step for us at a track that we’ve really struggled at.” THE HARD WORK WAS NOT LOST BY ANY OF US – WE KNOW HOW HARD EVERYONE BACK AT THE SHOP WORKS TO MAKE THIS HAPPEN. HOW DID THEY GET THAT DONE AND WHERE DID THEY IMPROVE THE MOST FOR YOU HERE?“I feel like Alan (Gustafson, crew chief) and all our guys just tried to find trends over the last number of years – the things we’ve struggled with and look at some of the things we’ve done good. The only problem was there wasn’t many things that we’ve done good here with. So, just trying to pick apart those fine details and I really think we hit on a few of them. Certainly weren’t the best, but way better than we’ve been here before I feel like in my opinion. I think that was a big deal for us.” ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 88 CHEVYGOODS.COM / TRUCK HERO CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 9th “How about that? We ended up top-10 at Richmond. That is like a miracle. We had a really good car and definitely better than a ninth-place car. I made my fair share of mistakes and we had some issues getting on and off pit road. We lost some time there. I am pumped for Truck Hero and CHEVYGOODS.com. It is really weird to be this pumped about running ninth, especially when we had a much better car than ninth. Last time we were here we ran, I think, 24^th. This is good momentum for us going into the cutoff race next week in Bristol.” TYLER REDDICK, NO. 8 CAT RENTAL STORE CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 11th“I think Richmond Raceway is one the most challenging tracks on the circuit, but my No. 8 Cat Rental Store team did a great job tonight helping me find my rhythm and build a strong run out there with our Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE. Not having any practice here for my first Cup start, it took me a little bit of time in the first Stage to figure out how the best way to get around here with the balance I had in our car. My whole team did a great job of analyzing the SMT data available to us in real-time and relaying to my spotter, Derek Kneeland, on what I needed to be doing differently on track to gain spots out there. That data really did help and made a ton of difference in our night. Between that feedback and the changes, we made during our pit stops tonight, I was able to become more confident in the car and run harder earlier in each run of the night. I needed just a little more on the short runs to get going, but overall, this was one of better races we’ve had in the last few weeks. We’ll take this and continue to fight next week at another short track.”
KURT BUSCH, NO. 1 MONSTER ENERGY CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 13th“Our pit strategy just didn’t turn out the way that we had hoped. We really had to work hard early in the race to manage the tires and an ill-handling car. The guys did a nice job working on the balance, to make the Monster Energy Chevy better on the long runs. With no cautions to help us out we just weren’t able to catch a break that we needed. Who ever thought we would a short track with no unplanned cautions?”
WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 LIBERTY UNIVERSITY CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 21stMINUS FOUR GOING INTO BRISTOL – HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THAT? HOW DISAPPOINTED ARE YOU GOING THERE BELOW THE CUTOFF LINE?“It is what it is – we ran horrible tonight and no excuse for that. It was really kind of a slow death the entire race, so we’ll go to Bristol and regroup for that one.”
ARE YOU SURPRISED YOU’RE IN THIS POSITION? DID YOU THINK YOU’D BE IN A BETTER PLACE?“No, I mean we knew Richmond was our biggest struggle of the Playoffs. The first time I came here, it seemed like things were pretty good. And then last year, we really struggled here and obviously didn’t really improve. It’s disappointing. We just have to put this one behind us and go to Bristol. I think we’ve ran OK at Bristol – top-10 in the spring and made the All-Star race. So, I think we just have to go there and hopefully have a good run.”
DOES THE EXPERIENCE OF BOUNCING BACK AT DOVER THE DAY AFTER HAVING A BAD RACE GIVE YOU ANY CONFIDENCE IN BEING ABLE TO BOUNCE BACK FROM THIS?“Not really, just because I feel like we had a chance to work on the car the second day and improve. When you miss it, you miss it. There’s no practice, there’s nothing really to identify with. We knew pretty early on in the race that we were in trouble. I think we lost like 10 spots in 10 laps it felt like. When you’re in that position, you just have to try to change it up as a driver and try to do different things. But I think going to Bristol, it’s a track that we can have a good setup at. We’ve ran decent there in the past, so we can hopefully look at that.”
I HEARD YOU SAY YOU STRUGGLED TONIGHT, BUT WHAT HAPPENED? WHAT WENT WRONG FOR YOU GUYS THAT YOU JUST DIDN’T HAVE IT?“It seemed like every time that we entered the corner with any sort of brake pressure at all, we were pretty much locking the left front and sliding across the track. We were really tight in. Typically, you’re loose in here and we were extremely tight into the corner, locking the left front up and having to get off the brake as quick as possible to keep the front tires turning. That just doesn’t make a lot of speed and anytime we tried to go any faster than that, we were just killing the front tires off the car. Pretty much just had to run around there about 80 percent most of the time and try to have something for the end of a run. But typically, we just fell off like a rock at the end of each run that we had to run out to our pit stop. With no cautions, it kind of is what it is.”
FIRST OFF, JUST HOW SURPRISED WERE YOU THAT THE ONLY CAUTIONS WERE THE COMPEITION CAUTION AND THE STAGE BREAKS?“I think it’s expected at Richmond. We are sliding around a lot, but because we’re sliding around so much, it’s kind of expected every lap that you’re going to slide around. Everyone in the field did a good enough job to manage that and you’re not going to see a lot of cautions when everyone kind of knows that grip is low and you’re just out there racing your car. You can’t really battle anybody for position that hard because you’re that low on grip. It’s just the way this track is. It’s fun as a driver, but obviously has very little cautions because of it.”
OBVIOUSLY WITH THE WAY THE PLAYOFFS ARE, FOR SOME DRIVERS, CERTAIN ROUNDS ARE BETTER THAN OTHERS. AS YOU MENTIONED, THIS WAS GOING TO BE A TOUGH RACE FOR YOU AND JUST THE WHOLE ORGANIZATION. HOW DID YOU GO INTO THE PLAYOFFS AND HOW IMPORTANT WAS DARLINGTON BECAUSE OF WHAT THE POTENTIAL ROAD BLOCK WAS HERE?“It was important. I think we did pretty much our job there – we finished top-five. I felt like we missed out on some stage points. We knew this track was going to be tough. Last year, we saved ourselves in this round with the Roval – qualifying on the pole and finishing sixth. We don’t really have that to lean on that much this year, so we have to perform at Bristol. Definitely our toughest round. I’d like to say if we can get through this round, the rest of the Playoffs will be great. But we’re here and this is what we have to do.”

CHEVROLET NTT INDYCAR SERIES HONDA INDY 200 DOUBLE HEADER MID-OHIO SPORTS CAR COURSE LEXINGTON, OHIO TEAM CHEVY RACE ONE RECAP SEPTEMBER 12, 2020 TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL FINISHING RESULTS:POS.   DRIVER1st       Will Power, No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet2nd     Josef Newgarden, No. 1 PPG Team Penske Chevrolet8th      Rinus VeeKay, No. 21 Sonax Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet11th   Pato O’Ward, No. 5 Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet13th    Conor Daly, No. 21 U.S. Air Force Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet18th    Simon Pagenaud, No. 22 DXC Technology Team Penske Chevrolet19th    Oliver Askew, No. 7 Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet                    TOP FIVE UNOFFICIAL FINISHING RESULTS: POS.  DRIVER                                                             1st      Will Power (Chevrolet)2^nd     Josef Newgarden (Chevrolet) 3^rd       Alexander Rossi (Honda)4^th       Graham Rahal (Honda)5^th      Ryan Hunter-Reay (Honda) WILL POWER TURNS POLE INTO WIN  It was a good day for Will Power. Not only did he win his 60^th P1 Award in the NTT INDYCAR Series , it turned it into his 38^th Series’ win. It was also his first win at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course Power, the 2014 Series’ chamion and 2018 Indianapolis 500 winner, led 66 of the 75 lap race. It’s the third pole, but first win of the season for Power. It is his 8^th win of the season. Defending and two-time champion Josef Newgarden, No. 1 PPG Team Penske Chevrolet, finished second and gained 20 points in the championship battle. He is now 76 points down to leader. Giving Chevrolet three of the top-eight was Rookie-of-the-Year points leader Rinus VeeKay, No. 21 Sonax Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet.  The NTT IndyCar Series season continues on Sunday September 13^th with Race #2 of the Honda Indy 200 Doubleheader at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. NBC will telecast the race at 1:00 p.m.ET. Live coverage can also be found on Pennzoil INDYCAR Radio Network affiliates, Sirius 211, XM 205, IndyCar.com and on the INDYCAR Mobile app powered by NTT DATA. Live coverage of NTT INDYCAR SERIES qualifying is available on NBC Gold, XM 205, IndyCar.com and the INDYCAR Mobile app at 10:15 a.m.
TEAM CHEVY NOTES AND QUOTES:
WILL POWER, NO. 12 VERIZON TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET – WINNER:YOU FINALLY GOT IT DONE BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY, YOU GUYS JUST PUT TOGETHER A COMPLETE RACE. IT LOOKED FLAWLESS. WHAT DOES THAT DO FOR THIS TEAM MOVING FORWARD?“It’s great. It’s been a pretty trying year. Obviously, for everyone it has. I mean, the circumstances are very tough with COVID-19 and all the social distancing that we have to do. But the fact that we’re out here racing, and we have some fans is fantastic. We love to do it; we love to entertain, and we love to drive. I’m so happy to have the Verizon No. 12 car in Victory Lane. And this is probably the first race, I reckon, in about ten years that I haven’t just gone hard. Every other race we save fuel and play a strategy game. Today I just said hey let’s just go hard, man. Screw this. We don’t want to get caught by a yellow. Let’s just run hard and use my raw pace and see what happens. And we won the race, so it was a great strategy.” YOU MADE IT LOOK SO EASY. BUT BEHIND THE WHEEL, WERE THERE ANY MOMENTS THAT KIND OF GOT YOUR HEART RATE UP?“No, it’s just putting down good laps, lap after lap after lap. I’d get to someone I had to lap, and I’d get past and I’d push hard. It was just a flawless day. That’s what you’ve got to do to win races in this series. The whole team did a fantastic job and to see Verizon in Victory Lane again is fantastic because it’s been a while.” A COUPLE OF MILESTONES TODAY INCLUDING YOUR 60^TH CAREER POLE, SECOND ALL-TIME. YOU ALSO PICK-UP YOUR FIRST WIN HERE AT MID-OHIO. WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE sCHECKING SOME OF THOSE BOXES AND MOVING UP ON THE ALL-TIME WINS LIST, AS WELL?“It’s just great to tick the Mid-Ohio box. I have finished on the :podium here five times; on the front row, I think we counted like nine times, and finally converted one. So, I’m absolutely over the moon.” THIS IS A VERY PHYSICAL COURSE. HOW DO YOU PREPARE TO COME BACK FOR THE SECOND RACE HERE EARLY TOMORROW?“I’ll definitely have an ice bath and a bit of massage and then try to sleep. It’s hard to get the ole ticker to stop when you’ve executed like 75 hard laps. But we’ll be all right. Everyone is in the same boat. I’m pretty fit. And I feel good.”lJOSEF NEWGARDEN, NO. 1 PPG TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET – Finished 2^nd:“It was a pretty straightforward day. We kind of finished where we started, I was lucky to get by Ryan Hunter-Raey at the start. We missed the chaos. It would have been amazing if this rain would have come 10 minutes sooner. I don’t think I wanted this necessarily made a difference for us today, but it would have been fun to watch. Congrats to Will. He is still Will Power. He’s been knocked down a little bit and has had some tough times. So really happy for him.
“I wish our PPG car could have been a little better. But I think we were a couple of tenths slower today each lap. I could kind of tell all race I was fighting for second. Team Chevy obviously did a great job so super proud of that.  Having PPG here in Ohio is always good.
“Tomorrow we just need to be a little bit sportier than we were. In the beginning it was kind of evident we couldn’t run with Will. If we can pick up a couple of tenths a lap I think we can race with him. We did make up some points like you said. One place higher would have make it even bigger. We will do our best.
“I was tired after the hour and 15 minute practice which just shows you the physical toughness of this track. So to do another 75-lap race and get-up on the wheel to get something. I wish it would come through how tough these cars are to drive. Everybody up and down pit lane is working hard.”
RINUS VEEKAY, No. 21 SONAX ED CARPENTER RACING CHEVROLET- Finished 8^th:“Good race! I struggled a little bit at the beginning to get around slower traffic. Once I figured it out, it was really enjoyable. It definitely wasn’t a perfect race, but I’m happy with what we made of it and the speed we had. I think we can do even better in qualifying tomorrow, which will make the race easier!” PATO O’WARD, NO. 5 ARROW MCLAREN SP CHEVROLET – Finished 11^th:“Yeah, we had a really messy day today. Not starting toward the front doesn’t make your life any easier. We had some clutch issues in the pits which caused us to stall. That made it really difficult for us to get out of the box. We made up as much time as we could on track. We were very fast and I think the No. 5 Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet was one of the best cars out there. We just didn’t quite perfect the little things that get you to the front today. We will work on that for tomorrow and we should have a good race.” CONOR DALY, NO. 20 U.S. AIR FORCE ED CARPENTER RACING CHEVROLET – Finished 13^th:“We had a really good start, got up to 3rd, which was nice! We struggled with the balance a little bit, but once we settled into 4th we held our position. It was tough to nail the times we needed on the out laps. Running out of fuel, these things happen sometimes. It was a shame because we would have been in the Top 10. Hopefully, we can work on some race pace for tomorrow and thankfully we have another day.” MAX CHILTON, NO. 59 GALLAGHER CARLIN CHEVROLET – Finished 16^th:“It was a tough race for us. We had a fairly decent run at qualifying earlier today finishing sixth in our group and just barely missing out on a top-10 start for the Gallagher Carlin Chevrolet in Race 1. We lost a few spots at the start of the race and then after that it was just tough to get around anyone and get those positions back. It’s unfortunate that we didn’t go forward like we would’ve liked especially with how well we qualified and how quick the guys were in pit lane. We have some things to look at tonight, but thankfully we get another chance tomorrow to do it all again and we’ve already shown in qualifying that we have the speed to be battling with the guys in the top 10.”
SIMON PAGENAUD, NO. 22 DXC TECHNOLOGY TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET – Finished 18^th:“Frustrating day for the No. 22 DXC Technology Chevrolet. We had some good pace, but with no cautions and the mistake at the beginning of the race, it was hard to make up the track position. Just spun out and stalled the car and couldn’t get it refired. We tried to short pit and gain some track position, but without any cautions, there wasn’t much else we could do. Hopefully, we can go out there tomorrow and do better.” OLIVER ASKEW, NO. 7 ARROW MCLAREN SP CHEVROLET – Finished 19^th:“It was a tough day for the entire team. You’re always going into the race on your back foot when you don’t qualify toward the front. The No. 7 Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet felt strong during the race but it’s always tough to pass at Mid-Ohio and we just couldn’t make up ground. The entire team will put in the work tonight to figure out how we can be better and faster tomorrow. Looking forward to getting another shot at it.”
DALTON KELLETT, NO 14 K-LINE USA AJ FOYT RACING CHEVROLET – Finished 22^nd:“Not the overall finishing position we’d like, but I think we found some easy time to gain in qualifying for tomorrow so hopefully we should be able to qualify a little further up the grid and that will definitely make it a little easier because when you’re starting at the back there, by the end of the first lap you’re already a significant chunk behind the leaders and it’s a short lap so then with the pit cycles you end up kind of risking going a lap down and getting caught in a pack that’s at a different speed than you so that can be a bit difficult. So really the goal for tomorrow is qualifying further up, that will make our lives easier and keep working on the car. I think we’ve made the car better from practice to qualifying to the race and definitely learned some good lessons today that we can take into tomorrow.”
CHARLIE KIMBALL, NO. 4 TRESIBA AJ FOYT RACING CHEVROLET – Finished 21^st: “It was a really tough day honestly. We missed it a little bit in qualifying and I feel like we missed it a lot in the race. The 14 car looked a little more competitive in the race so we’ll look at what they did and come up with some ideas. The nice thing is that we get to do it all again tomorrow, so I have a lot of faith in the No. 4 AJ Foyt Racing crew. We just have to sit down, put all our heads together and come up with something to start tomorrow.”  

CHEVROLET NTT INDYCAR SERIES HONDA INDY 200 DOUBLE HEADER MID-OHIO SPORTS CAR COURSE LEXINGTON, OHIO TEAM CHEVY WINNER QUOTE SEPTEMBER 12, 2020 WILL POWER TAKES CHEVY TO RACE ONE VICTORY LANE WINNER’S QUOTE:
WILL POWER, NO. 12 VERIZON TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET RACE WINNER:YOU FINALLY GOT IT DONE BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY, YOU GUYS JUST PUT TOGETHER A COMPLETE RACE. IT LOOKED FLAWLESS. WHAT DOES THAT DO FOR THIS TEAM MOVING FORWARD?“It’s great. It’s been a pretty trying year. Obviously, for everyone it has. I mean, the circumstances are very tough with COVID-19 and all the social distancing that we have to do. But the fact that we’re out here racing, and we have some fans is fantastic. We love to do it; we love to entertain, and we love to drive. I’m so happy to have the Verizon No. 12 car in Victory Lane. And this is probably the first race, I reckon, in about ten years that I haven’t just gone hard. Every other race we save fuel and play a strategy game. Today I just said hey let’s just go hard, man. Screw this. We don’t want to get caught by a yellow. Let’s just run hard and use my raw pace and see what happens. And we won the race, so it was a great strategy.” YOU MADE IT LOOK SO EASY. BUT BEHIND THE WHEEL, WERE THERE ANY MOMENTS THAT KIND OF GOT YOUR HEART RATE UP?“No, it’s just putting down good laps, lap after lap after lap. I’d get to someone I had to lap, and I’d get past and I’d push hard. It was just a flawless day. That’s what you’ve got to do to win races in this series. The whole team did a fantastic job and to see Verizon in Victory Lane again is fantastic because it’s been a while.” A COUPLE OF MILESTONES TODAY INCLUDING YOUR 60^TH CAREER POLE, SECOND ALL-TIME. YOU ALSO PICK-UP YOUR FIRST WIN HERE AT MID-OHIO. WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE CHECKING SOME OF THOSE BOXES AND MOVING UP ON THE ALL-TIME WINS LIST, AS WELL?“It’s just great to tick the Mid-Ohio box. I have finished on the podium here five times; on the front row, I think we counted like nine times, and finally converted one. So, I’m absolutely over the moon.” THIS IS A VERY PHYSICAL COURSE. HOW DO YOU PREPARE TO COME BACK FOR THE SECOND RACE HERE EARLY TOMORROW?“I’ll definitely have an ice bath and a bit of massage and then try to sleep. It’s hard to get the ole ticker to stop when you’ve executed like 75 hard laps. But we’ll be all right. Everyone is in the same boat. I’m pretty fit. And I feel good.”

CHEVROLET NTT INDYCAR SERIES HONDA INDY 200 DOUBLE HEADER MID-OHIO SPORTS CAR COURSE LEXINGTON, OHIO TEAM CHEVY WINNER QUOTE SEPTEMBER 12, 2020 WILL POWER TAKES CHEVY TO RACE ONE VICTORY LANE WINNER’S QUOTE:
WILL POWER, NO. 12 VERIZON TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET RACE WINNER:YOU FINALLY GOT IT DONE BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY, YOU GUYS JUST PUT TOGETHER A COMPLETE RACE. IT LOOKED FLAWLESS. WHAT DOES THAT DO FOR THIS TEAM MOVING FORWARD?“It’s great. It’s been a pretty trying year. Obviously, for everyone it has. I mean, the circumstances are very tough with COVID-19 and all the social distancing that we have to do. But the fact that we’re out here racing, and we have some fans is fantastic. We love to do it; we love to entertain, and we love to drive. I’m so happy to have the Verizon No. 12 car in Victory Lane. And this is probably the first race, I reckon, in about ten years that I haven’t just gone hard. Every other race we save fuel and play a strategy game. Today I just said hey let’s just go hard, man. Screw this. We don’t want to get caught by a yellow. Let’s just run hard and use my raw pace and see what happens. And we won the race, so it was a great strategy.” YOU MADE IT LOOK SO EASY. BUT BEHIND THE WHEEL, WERE THERE ANY MOMENTS THAT KIND OF GOT YOUR HEART RATE UP?“No, it’s just putting down good laps, lap after lap after lap. I’d get to someone I had to lap, and I’d get past and I’d push hard. It was just a flawless day. That’s what you’ve got to do to win races in this series. The whole team did a fantastic job and to see Verizon in Victory Lane again is fantastic because it’s been a while.” A COUPLE OF MILESTONES TODAY INCLUDING YOUR 60^TH CAREER POLE, SECOND ALL-TIME. YOU ALSO PICK-UP YOUR FIRST WIN HERE AT MID-OHIO. WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE CHECKING SOME OF THOSE BOXES AND MOVING UP ON THE ALL-TIME WINS LIST, AS WELL?“It’s just great to tick the Mid-Ohio box. I have finished on the podium here five times; on the front row, I think we counted like nine times, and finally converted one. So, I’m absolutely over the moon.” THIS IS A VERY PHYSICAL COURSE. HOW DO YOU PREPARE TO COME BACK FOR THE SECOND RACE HERE EARLY TOMORROW?“I’ll definitely have an ice bath and a bit of massage and then try to sleep. It’s hard to get the ole ticker to stop when you’ve executed like 75 hard laps. But we’ll be all right. Everyone is in the same boat. I’m pretty fit. And I feel good.”

CHEVROLET NTT INDYCAR SERIES HONDA INDY 200 DOUBLE HEADER MID-OHIO SPORTS CAR COURSE LEXINGTON, OHIO TEAM CHEVY QUALIFYING RECAP – RACE 1 SEPTEMBER 12-13, 2020 WILL POWER PUTS CHEVY ON POLE FOR RACE ONE
For the 60th time in his NTT INDYCAR Series career, Will Power will lead the field to the green flag with his No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet. Power’s winning lap was one minute, 06.3343 seconds.
WILL POWER, NO. 12 VERIZON TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET POLE WINNER:THIS IS YOUR 59^TH CAREER POLE. WHAT A GREAT RUN AT THE END OF THE SESSION. WHAT’S IT GOING TO TAKE TO KEEP THE NO. 12 CAR UP FRONT IN THE RACE?“Man, I did not expect that because the track keeps getting better; but it was a pretty good lap we did, and it stuck. I’m really happy to have the Verizon Chevy in P1. It makes a big difference here. So, we’ll see if we can finally convert a pole into a win. Man, that’s what we’ve been trying hard to do.” COULD THE TRACK REALLY CHANGE THAT MUCH THAT YOU WER IT WOULD BE THAT DIFFERENT FOR GROUP 2?“Usually it’s way better because it just takes rubber. But it was difficult honestly. Like, it never came in for us. So, I’m guessing it just stayed the same for the other guys.”

CHEVROLET NTT INDYCAR SERIES HONDA INDY 200 DOUBLE HEADER MID-OHIO SPORTS CAR COURSE LEXINGTON, OHIO TEAM CHEVY DRIVER PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT SEPTEMBER 12-13, 2020 ROOKIE DALTON KELLETT, NO. 14 K-LINE USA AJ FOYT RACING MET WITH MEDIA VIA ZOOM. FULL TRANSCRIP:T
THE MODERATOR: Good afternoon, everybody. Welcome to another NTT INDYCAR Series video teleconference with a driver from the series. We are joined today by the driver of the No. 14 K-Line USA for A.J. Foyt Racing, Dalton Kellett.Dalton, welcome to the call.DALTON KELLETT: Thanks, Arni.
THE MODERATOR: We’re headed to a place you’re pretty familiar with, the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. Raced there a lot in the Road to Indy, maybe an IMSA race there. How excited are you to get back to a road course?DALTON KELLETT: Yeah, I’m really excited. The pacing of this year has been a bit different, right, with big breaks, the staccato rhythm of how the races have been going. A big focus was the 500. We’re through that.At least on my calendar, we have two doubleheaders left. Pretty exciting to get back to developing the road course car, working on that again.I didn’t do the IMSA race. I did Mosport, Laguna.
THE MODERATOR: What do you find as the biggest challenge to a track like Mid-Ohio? There’s a lot of undulations, some of the corners are pretty technical.DALTON KELLETT: Yeah, I think in and of itself the layout is quite technical and challenging. There’s a lot of rhythm sections where you have the setup and entry at the start of the section affects the entire string of corners. An example would be turn five through turn nine. You can even make the case that turn four through turn nine is really one big rhythm section. If you kind of make a mistake in that turn five or six area, it’s going to affect you all the way out of turn nine.I think that makes it challenging, but it makes it really fun. I tend to prefer tracks like that. I’ll take a Mid-Ohio that’s go, go, go, no break, over Road America. I just prefer that flow. This weekend, especially with the doubleheader, it’s going to be physically challenging, as well.THE MODERATOR: Difficult season for you anyway with the way the schedule worked out with you and Sebastien and Tony sharing the 14 car. You really haven’t had a chance to drive the 14 car much since June when Road America happened. How have you been preparing yourself for road course racing?
DALTON KELLETT: Staying up to date with the home sim right there. Staying up to date with the sim on iRacing. Been on the training side physically preparing really hard with the Pit.Fit guys, mentally kind of doing some visualization, looking at old onboard, going over stuff with the team. Kind of that standard quiver of tools that we have to stay sharp.Without testing, obviously it’s a challenging season. Looking forward to getting on track.
THE MODERATOR: We have some media on the call with questions. We’ll open it up for questions for Dalton Kellett.Q.Obviously with the truncated schedule this season, what have you learnt this year that you can take forward for the rest of the season but also into next year? In terms of the road courses, what are you most looking forward to about the challenges of Mid-Ohio this weekend?DALTON KELLETT: So I think, yeah, the answer to the first part of your question, what I learnt the most, kind of a nod to the condensed schedule, it’s really highlighted the importance of being accurate and kind of correct with your feedback with the engineers because we don’t have the time to develop the car as we normally would on a race weekend. We practically have no testing. The importance of being kind of correct and giving good, honest feedback has been highlighted, for sure.As far as what I think, the second part of your question, what am I looking forward to this race?
Q.In relation to Mid-Ohio.DALTON KELLETT: Yeah, so as far as Mid-Ohio is concerned, I really like the flow of the track. It’s fast-paced. You don’t really get much of a break, maybe between the keyhole and turn four, take a bit of a breather. The rest of the track is go, go, go. I really like that. For me, this is one of my favorite road courses.On a normal year, there’s lot of fans camping here, the atmosphere of the race. Being back with 6,000 fans per day, it will be exciting to reconnect with the race fans and see that coming back, as well.
Q.In terms of the car, what are you expecting this weekend?DALTON KELLETT: In terms of the car, obviously it’s been a while since we’ve been on a road course. The engineers have been doing a lot of work on the setup side, dampers, suspension package, all that. I think we’ll start the weekend pretty similar on the 4 and 14 cars, then we each have some testing items to work through, kind of decide on the balance we want for the race.I’m hoping that we’ll roll off with a good package. Matheus has some quick times with practice last year, so I’m optimistic.
Q.This is your first year in INDYCAR full-time. You’ve had many experiences through the years with different teams. What is interesting or new that you’re finding out being with A.J. Foyt?DALTON KELLETT: So for A.J. specifically, the first race that he came to this year was Indy. Obviously that’s a place where he has a lot of experience, more so than I think anybody else. He had lots of great advice to give, especially as a rookie at the Speedway. That was really useful.For the rest of the team, the rest of the races, we have not just A.J., but between T.K., Charlie, Seb at the start of the year, the rest of the organization, there’s a lot of experience there. It’s been very useful for me to kind of lean on the more experienced guys to help me get up to speed.
Q.What new or interesting things have you learned from A.J. Foyt Enterprises over Andretti Autosport or other teams? Is there one new thing?DALTON KELLETT: Obviously with Andretti, I didn’t really have too much experience on the INDYCAR side, aside from a couple half-day tests. It’s hard to comment on their workflow, base structure things. I know the size of the team probably lent itself to a bit more, like, communal debriefs. They have an engineering truck and all that, whereas we’re operating out of our two trailers.The way the team works, it’s a bit different, a bit smaller feeling overall, more time spent with me and my engineer, just me and Charlie, as opposed to a big group. I’ve enjoyed that.I think one thing that we’re doing really well this year is the engineering team that Larry and Scott have put together for the two cars, for the three at the 500, has been very strong. There’s been no egos, no team driver drama on the inside. We’re all just working really hard to make the cars better, kind of raise all of our tides kind of thing. It’s been a great working environment so far.
Q.You’ve been working with Darren Manning for a few years now. Tell us how that relationship came about and how he helped you become a better driver.DALTON KELLETT: The start of Darren and I working together goes back to when I was at Andretti. At the time Poppy – not my dog – Dave Popielarz at Andretti was managing Lights the team. It was Shelby and I and Dean Stoneman that year. We were basically looking to kind of bring on a team driver coach, like a third set of eyes kind of thing. We tried out a few different guys.Poppy suggested we check out Darren’s sim facility. Darren, Shelby and I hit it off. We asked him to come onboard. That’s kind of how that relationship began.Since then, Darren has stayed on working with me on the open-wheel side. His philosophy and kind of what we’re really working toward is getting the most out of having a kind of consistent driving style that we’re approaching every track with, then optimizing the car so that I can get the most out of it. I think that’s been the biggest help to my driving, right?Going from team to team, sometimes you can get lost, just driving to what that team’s engineer wants you to do, how they want you to drive. That can be a bit confusing I think for a young guy.I think it was a good decision to kind of bring someone on to help guide that, What are we actually looking for out of the driving, and build the car setup out of that.
Q.With this part of the schedule so heavily loaded with road courses, your ability to be in the car for all these races, how important is that going to be to putting something together to show some teams for 2021?DALTON KELLETT: Yeah, as we get to the end of the season, obviously everyone’s thinking about what’s happening for next year. A good performance in these closing races would go a long way solidifying plans, getting everything figured out. That’s the goal.We’re not going to change our process of how we’re going about it, right? We’re still focusing on getting the most out of me and the car, letting the results come from that. That’s still going to be the approach.Obviously we’re looking to end the season strong here.
Q.How difficult has it been for you since the July race at Road America? You did have the Indy 500, so that takes up two weeks there, but having that long stretch where you were not in a car?DALTON KELLETT: It’s challenging being out of the car for this long. I’ve been thinking about it the last couple weeks as we’re getting back into road course mode. It’s made more so challenging by the fact we have a condensed schedule. We do have a doubleheader, that’s two chances to get it right. Basically going to have to look at every session as an opportunity to learn and keep making myself and the car better.That’s kind of how we’re going to be going about it.
Q.You came from Indy Lights. How beneficial and important has Indy Lights been to helping you prepare for your rookie season in INDYCAR?DALTON KELLETT: Yeah, I think the experience in Indy Lights, not just there but in the whole Road to Indy, is a great development program to bring guys up. If you look at the stats, they speak for themselves. A large majority of the field came through Lights or Road to Indy. It’s a very impressive record for that program.I think the big thing is you get to race at the same tracks as INDYCAR does. You’re racing against guys that you’re going to move up with. You know some of the competition coming up. You’re at the same events so you get the opportunity to meet the teams, kind of see how the INDYCAR side of the business works.All in all it’s a great training ground for guys that are looking to make that jump.
Q.We’ve talked about the rookie season. The rookie class has been pretty impressive between what Rinus, Oliver and Alex Palou have done. Would it be nice to have success like they’ve had in one of these final three events?DALTON KELLETT: Definitely. I’m looking to end the season on a strong note. I think we were having a great month of May. I think that was going really well. I think obviously it was unfortunate that we didn’t go the full 200 laps in the race. I think we were looking pretty good there.I think as we close up the season, it will just be really about focusing on trying to hit our marks, minimize mistakes, get things done in the race.
THE MODERATOR: Dalton, we appreciate your time, wish you the best of luck this weekend at Mid-Ohio.DALTON KELLETT: Thank you, everybody. Appreciate it.

CHEVROLET NTT INDYCAR SERIES HONDA INDY 200 DOUBLE HEADER MID-OHIO SPORTS CAR COURSE LEXINGTON, OHIO TEAM CHEVY ADVANCE SEPTEMBER 12-13, 2020 RACE #10 & 11 OF 2020 NTT INDYCAR SERIES:
Five-to-go! Chevrolet teams in the NTT INDYCAR head to one of the favorite road courses on the schedule – Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio. The 2.258-mile, 13-turn natural road course is a rhythm race track that requires a driver to develop a flow the get the most out of their Chevrolet 2.2 liter twin turbo direct injected V6 power.
Mid-Ohio has been a good track for Team Chevy.
Team Chevy drivers have won the NTT P1 award seven of the eight races since 2012, and four races. Simon Pagenaud, No. 22 DXC Technology Team Penske Chevrolet, won from the pole in 2016.
Teammate Will Power, No. 12 Verizon Chevrolet has the most poles – 2019, 2027, 2012.
FAN VIEWING AND LISTENINGNBC/NBCSN telecasts: Race 1, 4:30 p.m. ET Saturday, Sept. 12 (live); Race 2, 1 p.m. ET Sunday, Sept. 13 (live).NBC Sports Gold livestreaming: Saturday’s NTT INDYCAR SERIES practice session and Saturday and Sunday’s qualifying sessions will stream live on INDYCAR Pass on NBC Sports Gold, NBC Sports’ direct-to-consumer livestreaming produ ct.Pennzoil INDYCAR Radio Network broadcasts: All NTT INDYCAR SERIES races are broadcast live on Pennzoil INDYCAR Radio Network affiliates, Sirius 211, XM 205, IndyCar.com and on the INDYCAR Mobile app powered by NTT DATA. Live coverage of NTT INDYCAR SERIES qualifying is available on XM 205, IndyCar.com and the INDYCAR Mobile app.
AT-TRACK SCHEDULE (ALL TIMES LOCAL)Saturday, Sept. 1210:45 a.m.-noon: NTT INDYCAR SERIES practice, NBC Sports Gold (live)2:00-2:30 p.m.: Qualifying for the NTT P1 Award – Race 1 (Two groups), NBC Sports Gold (live)4:30 p.m.: NBCSN on air4:53 p.m.: “Drivers, start your engines”5:00 p.m.: Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio – Race 1 (75 laps/169.35 miles), NBCSN (Live)Sunday, Sept. 1310:15-10:45 a.m.: Qualifying for the NTT P1 Award – Race 2 (Two groups), NBC Sports Gold (Live)12:58 p.m.: “Drivers, start your engines”1:00 p.m.: NBC on air1:05 p.m.: Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio – Race 2 (75 laps/169.35 miles), NBC (Live) BOWTIE BULLETS:Chevrolet at Mid-Ohio since 2012

• 7 poles, 4 wins
• Josef Newgarden is second in points, Pato O’Ward is third in points, Simon Pagenaud is sixth in points and Will Power sits eighth.
• Power is the second all-time INDYCAR pole winner with 59 (behind only Mario Andretti with 67).
• Since returning to INDYCAR manufacturer competition in 2012, Chevrolet has amassed 85 wins in 145 races along with six Manufacturer Championships and six driver championships

 
QUOTABLE QUOTES: ROB BUCKNER, CHEVROLET RACING ENGINEERING PROGRAM MANAGER FOR THE NTT INDYCAR SERIES:  “After a successful conclusion for our Chevy IndyCar teams and drivers in the final oval race of the season at WWT Raceway, all of the focus turns to the final five NTT INDYCAR Series races which will all be held on a road or street courses. Next on the schedule is Mid-Ohio and we arre going to be allowed to have a limited number of fans. Their presence always creates more energy and excitement for the teams and drivers, Mid-Ohio is a flowing track that requires drivers to finesse their cars around the track. The driver that can maintain a smooth rhythm getting on and off the throttle will reap a good result.  “Although it is another doubleheader weekend, with the cooperative effort of the Chevrolet engineers, along with the technical partners and team engineers, the teams have the tools they need to have a successful weekend”

FROM THE COCKPIT: JOSEF NEWGARDEN, NO. 1 HITACHI TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET: “I’m thrilled that the series has been able to figure out how to race at Mid-Ohio. I really didn’t want to see an extended break following out win at Gateway. With that momentum, the PPG Chevy team and I are feeling really dialed in for this weekend’s races. It’s another doubleheader and the first of several road courses and we feel pretty good about that. Qualifying is so important at Mid-Ohio and we feel great about our plan for that. With the race, it’s all about staying out of trouble in the corners and watching restarts. My guys always put together a fast car and I’m sure that won’t be any different this weekend.” CHARLIE KIMBALL, NO. 4 TRESIBA AJ FOYT RACING CHEVROLET:“I’m glad we are able to get the opportunity to race at Mid-Ohio this year, a double header means double the fun around the track which is one of my favorites. I have a lot of confidence in the No. 4 Tresiba Chevrolet after leaving the last road course at Road America and knowing that will translate into this weekend. Strategically, the 15 lap shorter race adds a wrinkle in the thought process but having won there in 2013 with a healthy dose of strategy the opportunity exists for us to excel.” 
PATO O’WARD, NO. 5 ARROW MCLAREN SP CHEVROLET:“We are returning to road course action this weekend at Mid-Ohio. I think it’s going to be a good change for the championship race, after having five oval races in a row. It will be a good challenge for Arrow McLaren SP and I’m looking forward to building on the success that I had there in 2018 with Indy Lights, getting both poles and both wins. Our objective is going to be the same as it has been the past couple of weeks: qualifying up front and try to score a couple podium finishes. OLIVER ASKEW, NO. 7 ARROW MCLAREN SP CHEVROLET:“We are returning to road course action this weekend at Mid-Ohio. I think it’s going to be a good change for the championship race, after having five oval races in a row. It will be a good challenge for Arrow McLaren SP and I’m looking forward to building on the success that I had there in 2018 with Indy Lights, getting both poles and both wins. Our objective is going to be the same as it has been the past couple of weeks: qualifying up front and try to score a couple podium finishes. WILL POWER, NO. 12 VERIZON TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET:“I’m really looking forward to racing at Mid-Ohio and it’s nice to have a few road course races in a row. We haven’t had one since the Road America weekend – a lot of ovals in a row. But it’s a fun track, a place with so many technical corners. It can be difficult but also really fun to race there. We’ve started on the pole there a few times but it’s one of the tracks I haven’t won at yet. It’s been a goal of mine to get a win there and I’m excited to have two chances to try and make it happen. We have a really fast Verizon Chevrolet ready to go.” DALTON KELLETT,  NO 14 K-LINE USA AJ FOYT RACING CHEVROLET: “I am very excited for the double-header at Mid-Ohio and thankful for the efforts of INDYCAR, Savoree-Green, and the State for surmounting the challenges of rescheduling the race. It’s one of my favourite tracks, I love the technical and fast-paced nature of the layout. This weekend will be physically and mentally challenging, for both crew and drivers. It shouldn’t be quite as hot as the Indy GP, but you can’t discount the physical nature of this place. There’s not much time to relax. “It will be good to jump back in the No. 14 and continue to work on our road course package. Given the condensed schedule, we’re doing more development, during race weekends, than we might on a typical year. That means it will be important for me to give the engineers accurate feedback in practice, so we can get it right for the race. Every session is an opportunity to learn. Be sure to catch updates on the No. 14 K-Line Insulators USA Chevrolet on social and the NBC broadcasts Saturday and Sunday!” CONOR DALY, NO. 20 U.S. AIR FORCE ED CARPENTER RACING CHEVROLET: “ “I’ve always enjoyed going to Mid-Ohio, such a great track in the Midwest. I’ve had some reasonable success there, qualified decent and led some laps. It feels like forever since we’ve been to a road course so it will be nice to get back to that! Hopefully we’ll qualify up front, finish up front and get a lot of points.” RINUS VEEKAY, NO. 21 SONAX ED CARPENTER RACING CHEVROLET:“I’m very excited we’re finally going to Mid-Ohio! We’ve been waiting a while to find out if it was going happen. I had a very important test with Ed Carpenter Racing there last October. Good memories already with the team! Also good memories in the Road to Indy where I never finished off the podium and have two wins. I love the track and the atmosphere around it. The season is getting close to the end now. We’ve had a few good races and it’s important to keep this momentum going!” SIMON PAGENAUD, NO. 22 DXC TECHNOLOGY TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET:“I’m so excited to have DXC Technology back on my Chevrolet for Mid-Ohio. For the rest of the season we’ll be racing on road courses or a street course so we have had to shift our thinking from the last few races that were all on ovals. Whatever we learn between the two races at Mid-Ohio can be really valuable for the rest of the season. In that case and my crew has been working really hard with that in mind. We are ready for the fight and aiming for race wins.” MAX CHILTON, NO. 59 GALLAGHER CARLIN CHEVROLET: “ “I know how hard everyone at INDYCAR and the track have been working to make sure we get back to Mid-Ohio this weekend and I’m thrilled they were able to not only get us back, but get us a doubleheader with fans! I’m a big fan of Mid-Ohio and we’ve qualified well there in the past, so I’m really looking forward to carrying the momentum the team has from Gateway into this weekend and hopefully getting two more top-10 finishes.”

TEAM CHEVY ADVANCE FEDERATED AUTO PARTS 400 RICHMOND RACEWAY RICHMOND, VA SEPTEMBER 12, 2020

RICHMOND: RACE #28The road to the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series Championship continues on as the NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) will return to “The Action Track” of Richmond Raceway for the ninth annual Federated Auto Parts 400 on Saturday, September 12, at 7:30 p.m. ET. Due to the halt in the season for the COVID-19 pandemic and the revision of the 2020 schedule, this will be the only appearance by NASCAR’s three national series at the .75-mile Virginia track this year. The 400-mile, 300-lap race under the lights will mark the 28th race on the NCS schedule and the second race of the first round of the NCS Playoffs. Saturday night’s Federated Auto Parts 400 is the third time that Richmond Raceway has hosted the NCS Playoff’s second race. The 2020 season is the first since 1958 that the NASCAR Cup Series has made just a single appearance during the year. 
In addition to the NASCAR Cup Series event, the three-day race weekend also consists of appearances by both the NASCAR Xfinity Series and the NASCAR Gander Outdoors & RV Truck Series. The action kicked off with the return of the NASCAR Gander Outdoors & RV Truck Series for the first time since 2005 with the ToyotaCare 250 on Thursday, September 10, to conclude the series’ regular season. Richmond Raceway will also be the host of a NASCAR Xfinity Series doubleheader, with the Go Bowling 250 on Friday, September 11, at 7:00 p.m. ET, followed by the Virginia is for Racing Lovers 250 on Saturday, September 12, at 2:00 p.m. ET. In compliance with the pandemic guidelines, all events during the race weekend will be run without spectators.
ROUND OF 16 – RACE #2The Federated Auto Parts 400 marks the second race of the Round of 16, the first of four rounds that will determine the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series Champion. Following the first race of the Playoffs at Darlington Raceway, two Team Chevy Playoff contenders were the biggest movers in point positions. Kurt Busch, No. 1 Monster Energy Camaro ZL1 1LE, moved up four positions in the standings, while Alex Bowman, No. 88 ChevyGoods.com/Truck Hero Camaro ZL1 1LE, jumped three spots from eighth to fifth.  Heading into the Richmond race weekend, all five Team Chevy Playoff Contenders currently sit above the Round of 16 cutline:  Alex Bowman, No. 88 ChevyGoods.com/Truck Hero Camaro ZL1 1LE – 5th in Standings (2,052 points)Victories: 1 (Auto Club Speedway)Top-Fives: 3; Top-10’s: 9; Laps Led: 389; Average Finish: 16.6Stage Wins: 4; Stage Top-Five’s: 14; Stage Top-10’s: 30; Stage Points: 1798-career starts at Richmond; Average Finish: 25.6 Chase Elliott, No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Camaro ZL1 1LE – 7th in Standings (2,045 points)Victories: 2 (Charlotte Motor Speedway and Daytona Road Course)Top-Fives: 10; Top-10’s: 15; Laps Led: 644; Average Finish: 13.1Stage Wins: 6; Stage Top-Five’s: 19; Stage Top-10’s: 36; Stage Points: 2089-career starts at Richmond; Average Finish: 12.8 Austin Dillon, No. 3 DOW NORKOOL Camaro ZL1 1LE – 8th in Standings (2,043 points)Victories: 1 (Texas Motor Speedway) Top-Fives: 3; Top-10’s 8; Laps Led: 80; Average Finish: 16.3Stage Top-Five’s: 3; Stage Top-10’s: 14; Stage Points: 6012-career starts at Richmond; Average Finish: 18.7 William Byron, No. 24 Liberty University Camaro ZL1 1LE – 9th in Standings (2,042 points)Victories: 1 (Daytona International Speedway)Top-Fives: 3; Top-10’s: 10; Laps Led: 97; Average Finish: 15.7Stage Wins: 2; Stage Top-Five’s 9; Stage Top-10’s: 24; Stage Points: 1174-career starts at Richmond; Average Finish: 17.2 Kurt Busch, No. 1 Monster Energy Camaro ZL1 1LE – 11th in Standings (2,037 points)Top-Fives: 4; Top-10’s: 15; Laps Led: 96; Average Finish: 13.2Stage Wins: 1; Stage Top-Five’s: 6; Stage Top-10’s: 23; Stage Points: 9738-career starts at Richmond; Average Finish: 15.4
BOWTIE BULLETS·       Current Chevrolet drivers that have recorded wins at Richmond Raceway include:Jimmie Johnson, No. 48 Ally Camaro ZL1 1LE, with 3 wins (2007 sweep, 2008)Matt Kenseth, No. 42 McDonald’s Camaro ZL1 1LE, with 2 wins (2002, 2015)Kurt Busch, No. 1 Monster Energy Camaro ZL1 1LE, with 2 wins (2005, 2015)
·       A Chevrolet has sat on the pole position at the .75-mile D-shaped oval 46 times, topping all other manufacturers. Of active drivers, Matt Kenseth ties for the lead in poles at Richmond with three. Career Chevrolet driver Jeff Gordon holds the track’s qualifying record, which was set in September 2013, clocking in at 130.599 mph.  ·       Of the 12 different drivers that have scored the victory at the second race of the Playoffs, Hendrick Motorsports and Chevrolet driver Jimmie Johnson, No. 48 Ally Camaro ZL1 1LE, leads the way with three wins (2005, 2009 and 2010 – all at Dover International Speedway). 
·       Team Chevy drivers Kurt Busch, No. 1 Monster Energy Camaro ZL1 1LE, William Byron, No. 24 Liberty University Camaro ZL1 1LE, and Jimmie Johnson, No. 48 Ally Camaro ZL1 1LE, are three of only four drivers to finish in the top-10 in both tracks under 1-mile this year. 
LEADING AT THE ACTION TRACKRichmond Raceway welcomed NASCAR’s premier series to its venue when it hosted its first NASCAR event in 1953. Since the inaugural event, this weekend’s Federated Auto Parts 400 will mark the NCS’s 128th race at the .75-mile Virginia venue. Through NASCAR’s history at Richmond, Chevrolet has made its way to victory lane 38 times with 17 different Team Chevy drivers and teams, more than any other manufacturer. GM brands Pontiac, Buick and Oldsmobile have accounted for an additional 15 wins at the track. The Bowtie Brand has also recorded 234 top-five finishes, 484 top-10’s and led a total of 15,309 laps.  STARTING LINEUPFor the remainder of the 2020 NCS season, the starting lineups will be determined by a competition-based formula, combining the following metrics from the previous race event: 15% of a fastest lap time position, 25% of the driver’s final race finish position, 25% of the owner’s final race position and 35% of the Owner points position.  Here are Team Chevy’s top-20 starters for Saturday night’s Federated Auto Parts 400:3rd      Austin Dillon, No. 3 DOW NORKOOL Camaro ZL1 1LE4th      Alex Bowman, No. 88 ChevyGoods.com/Truck Hero Camaro ZL1 1LE5th      William Byron, No. 24 Liberty University Camaro ZL1 1LE8th      Kurt Busch, No. 1 Monster Energy Camaro ZL1 1LE12th    Chase Elliott, No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Camaro ZL1 1LE18th    Jimmie Johnson, No. 48 Ally Camaro ZL1 1LE19th    Matt Kenseth, No. 42 McDonald’s Camaro ZL1 1LE TUNE-INNBCSN will telecast the 400-lap, 300-mile Federated Auto Parts 400 live at 7:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, September 12th. Live coverage can also be found on the NBC Sports Gold App, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.  QUOTABLE QUOTES:ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 88 CHEVYGOODS.COM/TRUCK HERO CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 5th IN STANDINGS“We have struggled at Richmond in the past. The last three weeks have been pretty good to us and we have some momentum going into this weekend’s race. We had as strong run in Darlington last weekend and are sitting in a good spot in the playoff standings. As a team, we have to go into Richmond and capitalize on stage points and keeping the car clean. This ChevyGoods.com/Truck Hero team have been working hard on our short-track program and I know that we are capable of having a strong race on Saturday night.”
CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 7th IN STANDINGS“I think the pressure of being in the playoffs is a good thing. You just have to embrace it and recognize that you’d much rather be in the position of having a chance than not. It’s a good opportunity and we can turn that into motivation to try to do better.”
AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 DOW NORKOOL CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 8th IN STANDINGSWHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON RICHMOND RACEWAY?“Richmond Raceway is one of the tracks the No. 3 team has circled as a definite place where we can gain maximum points and compete for a win. It will be crucial to our Playoff run. It’s funny because there was a time in my career when I did not run well at Richmond at all. It was a thorn in my side, but over the years that has changed. Richmond has become a much better place than it used to be for me. We have a couple of sixth-place finishes there, and had a fast car last September but ran into issues. I think the low downforce package has really helped our team at that track.
HOW DO YOU ANSWER THE FOLKS THAT DISMISS YOU AND YOUR TEAM IN THIS YEAR’S NASCAR PLAYOFFS? A LOT OF PEOPLE DO NOT EXPECT YOU TO MAKE IT PAST THE FIRST ROUND..“I love being dismissed. I think it’s great. I feel like that’s what propels us. We sneak up on people. I was very close to making it to the third round in the NASCAR Playoffs a couple year’s back but missed it by one point to Denny Hamlin. He went on to transfer and we missed it by one point at Talladega. I know from that experience that every point matters, and we just need to go out there and do our job during round one. Each of the three races in Round One – Darlington, Richmond and Bristol – are strong tracks for us. The real key will be Stage points. You have to get points. We’re going to continue to do what we did at Darlington, which is to be very aggressive in getting those points. Hopefully we will mess up a lot of brackets.” WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 LIBERTY UNIVERSITY CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 9th IN STANDINGS“Richmond is a difficult track. It’s pretty slow in the middle of the corner and that’s what makes it interesting and a challenge at the same time. You’re fighting for front grip and also rear grip on the exit of the corners. It’s all about getting the car pointed in the right direction and driving straight off the corner. Richmond has very normal characteristics for a short track but at the same time it’s a lot slicker than a lot of places we go. I think with the race being at night, the biggest thing will be keeping up with the track changes.”
KURT BUSCH, NO. 1 MONSTER ENERGY CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 11th IN STANDINGS“There are three keys to our team being successful this weekend at Richmond Raceway. 1 – gain points in Stage one, 2 – gain stage points in Stage two and 3 – have a chance of winning the race. If we can’t win, we just need to try and have the best finish possible to gain as many points as possible. Richmond is a track that really chews up the tires, really, really bad. As far as the tire strategy goes, we’ve got to find the sequence that we know we want to have as an ideal strategy. We need to make the right calls on what we choose to adjust and when to pit. Richmond is just a couple hours from where my wife Ashley grew up, west of Washington DC. When I come to Richmond Raceway it feels like home. Mainly just because of the cool atmosphere around the race track with the fairgrounds and the way things are set up at the track, it gives you that hometown feel. But when the lights turn on it’s a playoff race.”
TYLER REDDICK, NO. 8 CAT RENTAL STORE CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 19th IN STANDINGSWHAT ARE YOUR EXPECTATIONS HEADING TO RICHMOND RACEWAY WITH THIS CURRENT AERO PACKAGE?“Richmond Raceway is a place I’ve still been doing a lot of learning at. I’ve ran a decent amount of races there, but I still feel like there is a lot of learning left for me to do. It’s a long race on Saturday night, so there’s a lot of time for me to get settled in and try to figure out what to do to be more consistent at that track. We need to be focused and not make any mistakes there, knowing it’s a track I find more challenging. This weekend is a really good opportunity for both myself and the entire No. 8 Cat Rental Store team to take solid notes and learn all we can to be in a really good spot when we kick off the 2021 season next year. That is really our goal for the reminder of the season, to help set ourselves up to be even better next year.”
BUBBA WALLACE, NO. 43 DOORDASH CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 23rd IN STANDINGSTALK ABOUT YOUR THOUGHTS GOING INTO RICHMOND. “As a team, we struggle really, really bad during the day but as soon as it turns night our No. 43 DoorDash Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE comes to action. It will be fun. It’s a short track, and I’ve always loved racing at the Richmond Raceway – no matter how good or bad we have been. It is just one of those short-track mentalities; getting in there and using the bumper a little bit to move people out of the way.”
TY DILLON, NO. 13 GEICO CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 28th IN STANDINGS“Richmond is a racetrack I have a lot of confidence at. I think we will see a lot of coming and going throughout the race, with some guys taking off well at the start of a run and then others that get better on the long run. For drivers, that is fun. Knowing when to be aggressive, when to take care of your tires until it’s time to make a move, that’s when the driver gets to shine and show their ability more. Our Germain Racing team is committed to finishing out this season strong. We are going to work hard all night and get the best result possible for our GEICO Camaro ZL1 1LE.” 

BATAVIA, Ohio (September 10, 2020) – The Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series stars are in the spotlight on two networks this week. Florence Speedway’s General Tire Summer Sizzler – Presented by E3 Spark Plugs airs on MAVTV Motorsports Network tonight, I-80 Speedway’s 10th Annual Optima Batteries Silver Dollar Nationals – Presented by K&N Filters on NBC Sports Network on Sunday. The broadcasts will include driver interviews, in-car cameras, and various technical segments.
Tune into MAVTV Motorsports Network tonight at 9:00 PM EST, with a re-airing at 12 AM EST, for the General Tire Summer Sizzler – Presented by E3 Spark Plugs from Florence Speedway in Union, KY. A Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series regular and a local hot shot came across the finish line in the closest finish in series history, with a margin of victory of just .002 seconds. 

The 10th Annual Optima Batteries Silver Dollar Nationals – Presented by K&N Filters from I-80 Speedway in Greenwood, NE will air on NBC Sports Network on Sunday, September 13th at 6:00 PM ET. Over $180,000 in A-Main prize money alone had 46 Lucas Dirt Late Models trying to make their way into the main event for their chance at the $53,000 top prize. Four different drivers lead laps, one looking to become the third repeat winner of the event, the other three with hopes of becoming the 8th different Silver Dollar victor.  Owned and operated by Lucas Oil Products, MAVTV Motorsports Network is a television network deeply rooted in the automotive world. MAVTV is available to over 35 million homes on U-verse, DIRECTV (channel 214), Fios by Verizon, Vidgo, TIKILIVE, fuboTV, YouTubeTV, Spectrum, and other nationwide providers. MAVTV will broadcast 5 live events and 34 original tape-delayed airings. To find a full list of providers, visit: mavtv.com/get-mavtv/providers. Dedicated to serving passionate sports fans in over 90 million households, the NBC Sports Network will feature 14 pulse-pounding Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series episodes. Find your local listings by visiting: nbcsports.com/tv-listings. The entire 2020 Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series TV schedule can be found on the series website at: www.lucasdirt.com/schedule/tv-schedule/.

NASCAR CUP SERIES FEDERATED AUTO PARTS 400 RICHMOND RACEWAY TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT SEPTEMBER 10, 2020
MATT MCCALL, CREW CHIEF, NO. 1 MONSTER ENERGY CAMARO ZL1 1LE met with media via teleconference and discussed the upcoming races at Richmond and Bristol, how he and the team have adjusted to the season with COVID-19 challenges, schedule changes, and more. Full Transcript:
GIVE US AN OVERVIEW FROM YOUR PERSPECTIVE AS A CREW CHIEF OF WHAT THE SEASON HAS BEEN LIKE NAVIGATING INTO COVID-19 AND NOW, AS WE ENTER THE NASCAR PLAYOFFS AND HOW YOUR TEAM HAS DEALT WITH ALL THE CHANGES AND CHALLENGES.“Obviously, there are a lot of changes and challenges, for sure. There are a lot of unknowns going to the track and a lot let people. The biggest thing is the scheduling process for us, trying to work at the shop as a road crew and having to work what I consider different hours than normal. I don’t mind working late, but 1 or 2 o’clock in the morning is not really my cup of tea when you have kids. But we do what we do. We try to make all that work. It’s become somewhat normal now. Not that it’s that spectacular. We’re doing whatever it takes to prepare the cars as good as we can. But throughout the season, we started off three Darlington races ago. We started that race pretty good. We had a few decent races and then managed to have some consistency. We never had the overall speed we were looking for to try to put Kurt (Busch) in position. I don’t know that we’ve actually put a race together yet to give him a shot to win a race. We’ve had one or two chances probably, and probably stepped on our hand there with a couple of mistakes here and there, but overall, it’s been okay. We’re still looking for more, obviously. Last week was an okay start for us to see where we stack up in the Playoffs to start and I feel like we’re in a pretty good spot there. All-in-all, I would give us maybe a seven out of 10; and need to be three more.”
LOOKING AHEAD ONE WEEK TO BRISTOL, DO YOU KNOW YET WHERE THE TRACTION COMPOUND IS GOING TO BE AND IF IT’S GOING TO BE ANY DIFFERENT, AND HOW WILL IT BE DIFFERENT WITH A COUPLE OF RACES ON THAT TRACK BEFORE YOU RUN?“From my understanding and the team’s understanding, it’ll be the same as they’ve put down for the first Bristol and the All-Star. But the biggest part of that is the amount of races before our race. That’ll play a big role in how that is. The first Bristol, we had two competition cautions at 20 and 60; the track never really was somewhat raceable. But yeah, it should be similar from my understanding. A lot of times we don’t get that information sometimes until we’re actually unloading the car. Right now, they’re prediction is the same.”
DO YOU HAVE ANY SENSE, NOT HAVING BEEN TO RICHMOND THIS YEAR, AND BRISTOL, HAVING BEEN THERE TWICE BUT PROBABLY UNDER DIFFERENT CONDITIONS OF WHAT THE TRACK IS GOING TO BE LIKE, AND HOW TO SET-UP THE CARS?“Richmond, with this package, you can revert back to 2018 a little bit. Obviously, we had a different driver then. And so you change a little bit of the information but you’ve still got to find a way to correlate what we had last year and try to work through the different grip levels of the track because obviously there are a lot of races this weekend, hopefully before we race. So, that will dictate a lot of how you try to unload for your balance. And Bristol will be, at least for us, we didn’t make a ton of laps at the first Bristol. We got tore up, probably around lap 200, I think; unfortunately. I don’t know how we salvaged the finish we got. We got an okay finish out of it at the end there. Not a ton of notes to work off this year, but obviously history still comes into play. This weekend, the tire is going to be the biggest. It’s been many, many years since you’ve ran the same tire from Phoenix and Loudon that you would run at Richmond. I think that will come into play, for sure.”
YOU SAW RYAN BLANEY GET DOCKED POINTS FOR HAVING A FIVE POUND BAG OF LEAD IN HIS CAR AND ALSO WHAT HAPPENED WITH KYLE BUSCH AND CLINT BOWYER WITH HAVING THEIR CREW CHIEFS SUSPENDED FOR THIS WEEKEND FOR LUG NUT ISSUES. WHAT KIND OF MESSAGE AND WAKE-UP CALL DOES THIS SEND TO YOU AND YOUR TEAM TO MAKE SURE EVERYTHING WITH THE NO. 1 CAR IS ON THE UP AND UP SO YOU DON’T END UP HURTING YOURSELVES?“Yeah, for sure. That type of stuff, if it does happen; I think it’s probably been more frequent this year. You’ve seen lead come out of cars just from not having the same personnel final set the car and stuff like that. From the No. 1 car standpoint, I feel like I’m in a pretty good spot. Hopefully you’re not jinxing us here. I feel good about the guys we have. As far as changing the message, I don’t think there’s much to do there because the amount of effort that’s put in by my team, I feel really good about. Obviously, you pay attention to stuff that goes on around you and want to make sure you’re not put in the same boat to make a mistake like that. But I feel like there’s not a ton of change in the approach because I feel like every week we prepare the same way.”
GOING BACK TO LAST WEEK AT DARLINGTON AND THAT DECISION NOT TO PIT AT THE FIRST STAGE WHICH LED TO GETTING THE STAGE POINTS. HOW MUCH OF A GAMBLE WAS THAT? CAN YOU TAKE US THROUGH THAT THOUGHT PROCESS?“Yeah, obviously we had run long there. And you’re not really always banking on a caution. But our falloff had been pretty good to start with. So, I felt like that put us in a spot, you know, if we could run a little bit longer; obviously the race engineer is giving us a lot of information as far as how it would prove out toward the end of the stage there. And when the caution fell, it’s one of those things, it’s like you’re at Darlington, there were four or five green flag laps; yes, that’s getting on the verge of everyone else pitting. And it was one of those things if we thought we could get the lead, not that it was a no-brainer, but it put us in a pretty good spot. Also, I thought there would be more takers. And then when that happens and there’s only one taker, you’re like oh lord, Kurt’s got his work cut out for him. Obviously, he was the one that made it work in the end; choosing the right lane to start with, the No. 19 (Martin Truex, Jr.) got us there to start with, but then it took about, I’ll call it like 20 laps, and then I feel like it honestly leveled out right there. I think some of that was due to our long run speed seemed to be okay. And a lot of that is dictated as to where your track position is as well. It got spread out enough there to know sort of what you thought you had, balance-wise. There’s never a call you make that you always know oh, this is going to work. But it was one of those that I didn’t really feel bad about making. It thought it was going to be to our benefit, for sure.”
YOU ARE ONE OF THE TEAMS THAT HAS AN ENGINEER THAT COMES TO THE TRACK. SOME TEAMS KEEP THE ENGINEERS AT HOME. EVERYBODY HAS COMMUNICATION WITH THE SHOP. BUT HOW MUCH DO YOU FEEL IT HELPED OR DID IT HELP HAVING AN ENGINEER BESIDE YOU AS OPPOSED TO TRADING INSTANT MESSAGING OR DOES IT MATTER AT THAT POINT?“I guess the biggest thing for me is, I’m probably harping on my team a lot; but I have two engineers that know how to work on my cars. Not to beat engineers up, but I’m in a pretty good spot there that allows our team to sort of mobilize a position that still is not wasted on one end or the other. It’s still getting used on both sides. So, that makes some of it easier. Now once you’re on the box, I don’t know that necessarily that’s an area; you’re talking communicating back to the shop or sitting beside an engineer, I feel like that’s sort of how we started and we weren’t sure how it was going to work and we try to keep our consistency with how our process works and we’ve sort of stuck with it. I don’t know that it’s the end all be all, but it’s just sort of how we rolled out those first eight or so races and it’s like okay, this is pretty okay right now. We’re not making any mistakes that are glaringly obvious. So, we just try to fine-tune on all that.”
WHEN YOU GET A TALENT LIKE KURT BUSCH BEHIND THE WHEEL DOES IT MAGNIFY THE WEAKNESSES OR DOES IT GIVE YOU AN IDEA OF WHERE YOU NEED TO WORK ON TO JUST TRY TO MAKE THE TEAM BETTER?“For sure. I think he brings everyone up to the next level. He holds himself accountable, which I think allows every person, myself included, to be okay to admit when there’s a weakness. His caliber is above and beyond. It’s pretty impressive. I’ll give you an example. Last weekend, and we sort of make fun of at time and I don’t think he takes it the wrong way, but like last week we did a very small air pressure adjustment. And when we ran three laps, he’s like I think the tire is a lot softer. And I’m like man, there’s no way this guy gets it. But it’s about 90 percent of the time, he’s correct. So yes. It’s a great benefit to have a guy like him.”
OVER THE PAST FOUR RACES AT RICHMOND, KURT BUSCH HAS BEEN UNABLE TO FINISH IN THE TOP 10. AS A CREW CHIEF, HOW DO YOU APPROACH THE RACE ESPECIALLY WHEN IT’S A PLAYOFF RACE?“Yeah, I think obviously I can talk more about last year’s races and I know what we did wrong and I know what happened. But I think it’s a mindset that obviously he’s had success at Richmond before in trying to get what he’s looking for. I feel like right now, the communication we’ve been able to have is increased a decent amount the past four or five weeks. And with some stuff not that you push to the side, but obviously trying to get further ahead. Honestly some of the scheduling has allowed us to try to work more tracks further ahead. And I feel like Richmond is one of the ones we’ve been able to do that on. Honestly, we thought we were going to run it earlier in the year. We did a lot of prep work then of stuff we were looking to pinpoint to get Kurt happy and get better results. So, I feel like all that’s been rolling in the right direction. Now, once the race rolls around, we’ll know that for sure.”
ON THE NEWS THAT AUTO CLUB IS BEING RE-CONFIGURED TO A SHORT TRACK FOR 2022, WHAT’S YOUR TAKE ON IT?“I think it takes away a really good race track. It was a good two-mile track. I think we beat-up some of these 1.5-mile races, but I feel like Fontana was a really good track for a two-mile, no matter what the package was, honestly. I feel like you go there and there’s a lot of good racing throughout the field. But, I’m a short track guy. So, I’m not going to complain about more short tracks, for sure. To me, that’s encouraging that maybe that’s the direction that we’ll end-up going as a sport, to more short tracks. So, I’m not going to be upset about that.”