NASCAR CUP SERIESMARTINSVILLE SPEEDWAYBLUE-EMU MAXIMUM PAIN RELIEF 400TEAM CHEVY TELECONFERENCE TRANSRIPTAPRIL 6, 2022 A.J. ALLMENDINGER, NO. 16 ACTION INDUSTRIES CAMARO ZL1, met with the media in advance of the NASCAR Cup Series weekend at Martinsville Speedway. Teleconference Transcript:  DO YOU MIND JUST TELL US, OBVIOOUSLY I DON’T THINK YOU GUYS APPROACH THE RACE ANY DIFFERENT, BUT HOW FUN IT IS TO KNOW THAT YOUR TEAM HAS THE OPPORTUNITY TO TAKE HOME ANOTHER BONUS DEPENDING ON YOUR FINISHING ORDER?“Yeah, for sure. It’s a big deal what Xfinity and Comcast do to allow us to four teams or four drivers through the process of these four races to race for $100,000. It’s a big deal to the exposure of our organization to hopefully getting that money. As drivers, we put that back into the race team so all the men and women at Kaulig Racing get a bigger bonus. For several reasons it’s a huge importance at these races. We were close last week to getting it and we’ve been able to get it before. I actually think Kaulig Racing has gotten it three times. That’s a lot of money to pour back in the organization, especially for all the people that work at the race shop. It doesn’t change how we race the race, but it’s definitely something that you look at. Ultimately, we are trying to win the race, but if you know that maybe you don’t have the car to win the race you start looking at about the three other drivers that you’re racing, and it becomes a race in a race. You’re always kind of looking at those three other drivers and where they’re running and at the end of the race you kind of dictate on if you have a chance to win the race and if not then you work your strategy to try to win that $100,000.” WHY SHOULD WE SEE MORE DRIVERS LIKE YOU BE CHILL, HAVE A LOT OF CLASS WHEN THE MICS ARE HOT? IS THAT ALSO AS WELL TO AVOID NEGATIVE BACKLASH? “I mean at the end of the day we all act and react differently. I probably react differently 10 years ago quite honestly. At the end of the day, we have partners and sponsors. We try to react and act how you know be perceived on TV. In the heat of the moment, it’s a tough deal. That’s what really makes this sport unique. Motorsports in general and NASCAR with all of the media that we have at the racetrack, it’s tough sometimes when you walk out of a situation like that and immediately you’ve got a TV camera and microphones to try to say the right thing. What I said was true. It’s how I felt. We react and, in that moment, you act how you want to act, but at the end of the day you put that in the back of your mind and say ok you stash that away and when it’s needed use it when you have to. Every person is different, so they all want to react how they should react. Like I said, it didn’t matter if I was mad or not you know? Ross (Chastain) made the move that he had to make to win the race and that’s how it ended.” WE ARE 1/5TH OF THE WAY THORUGH THE SCHEDULE. HOW DO YOU BELIEVE KAULIG’S FIRST FULL-TIME RUN IN CUP HAS BEEN GOING?“I think it’s going as you would expect. Justin (Haley), unfortunately, hasn’t gotten some of the results that he deserves. He can be a lot higher in points. You know, Daytona with the wheel nut issue that caused the suspension of Trent, I think has hurt a little bit for sure. Especially when you’re a rookie, kind of a rookie in Cup, when it comes to Justin being full-time with a rookie team, you know your crew chief you need that time to work together, and they work at the shop and leading up to the race. To not have Trent on the box is a big deal. I’ve gotten to work with Trent. He’s super good as a crew chief, so that’s hurt a little bit. I mean you look at what Justin’s done, Daytona, Atlanta he is going to finish maybe top-five and gets turned coming to the checkered and still gets an ok finish. Last week he was doing a great job of making not really a good day and going to make something out of it and they had another wheel nut issue where it got stuck on the last pit stop that cost them probably anywhere from seven to 10 spots. A lot of drivers can add that up, but with Kaulig Racing I think you can look at and say well that’s kind of a rookie team and how it’s going to go. On the 16 side of it, that’s what hurt at COTA. I mean even not winning the race, but we were going to finish second at worst or maybe third and we finish 33rd. That’s 30 points right there. It’s going as expected. You have some good runs and then you have some runs like last week where you are like wow, we got a lot of work to do.” WITH THE RECENT SUCCESS YOU’VE HAD IN THE XFINITY SERIES, GETTING THE WIN IN THE CUP SERIES LAST YEAR, WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO YOU TO BE AFFORDED SOME OF THESE CUP OPPORTUNITIES AT THIS POINT IN YOUR CAREER?“I mean, I don’t even look at the Cup side of it. I just look at racing cars in general. You know what Kaulig Racing, Matt Kaulig, Chris Rice, and everybody at the shop has really done for me, give me new excitement and new love for the sport. I enjoy going to the racetrack. I’m still probably more intense now than I have ever been, because I know on the Xfinity side of it we have a chance to win every week that we show up. All the men and women are working so hard, so I take it personal when we don’t win because I feel like I’m letting them down. More intense at the racetrack than I have ever been, but I am probably more relaxed away from it. I enjoy it more. Chris and Matt, we have such a great relationship. You know, they are my bosses, but I don’t ever feel like they are. They’re really true, close friends. We have a lot of fun away from the racetrack, so it’s just being part of this organization and I’ve said it many times I just want to help it grow in whatever capacity possible. That’s what I am trying to do.” IS THERE A PARTICULAR ASPECT ABOUT THAT TRACK (MARTINSVILLE) THAT YOU ENJOY RACING ON?“It’s the rhythm of it. To me, it’s the closest road course oval that you have in the sense of the way you brake and the rhythm you get into the corners. Just everything that goes with it. Obviously, you are not shifting. Maybe on the Cup side of it we shift this weekend, I’m not sure but just the way it races. I love it. It can be a challenge if you miss the setup, it’s a tough place. You can’t hide. You can’t get out of the way. It’s mentally grueling because you know a late race restart you can run a perfect race and you can just restarts especially can get chaotic and you can not get a finish that you feel like you deserved all race. It’s mentally grueling until the checkered flag falls, but I’ve always enjoyed the racetrack. It’s something that I’ve kind of grown to right away and love showing up and racing at it. I’m really excited that I get to race two races this weekend.” YOU’VE DONE DOUBLE DUTY NOW A COUPLE TIMES WITH CUP AND XFINITY. HOW ARE YOU LIKING THE NEXT GEN CAR AT THIS POINT AND WHAT’S THE SWITCH BETWEEN CUP AND XFINITY IN EACH OF THOSE WEEKENDS BEEN LIKE?“I’ve actually enjoyed the Next Gen car. The road course I had so much fun driving it. A really fast car helped. (laughed) Just the way the car is on the brakes, the sequential gear box of how you can attack the corners, I had so much fun at COTA just driving it in general let alone racing and battling for the win. The coliseum we did ok. Phoenix and Richmond haven’t been great races and it’s been a challenge, so I’d like to have been more competitive at those races, but even with that said driving it is still enjoyable. You know the switch back it’s not really that challenging because the way NASCAR does the schedules now, you do your Xfinity stuff then you do your Cup stuff and then you go back to Xfinity. Obviously, the next day it’s just the Cup race, so it’s not like where you’re jumping back and forth where it used to be in the past. That makes it a little bit easier to kind of get done with one car and set your mind to that and say ok now I’m going to focus on this. When you get done with that car then you don’t have to worry about it until the next day.” HOW DO YOU MANAGE THE CHAOS THERE (MARTINSVILLE)?“It’s one of those things where you have to be aggressive, no doubt. Track position’s so critical, but you have to be patient in that way. It’s a little bit like a road course but passing a lot more difficult. You’ve just got to pick and choose you times of when you can be aggressive. First you have to have a car that has the speed to be aggressive, but if you do you have to be patient at times and if you kind of rough somebody up early in the race if they get back around you late in the race it’s going to come back to you. It’s really tough. That’s where the mental side of it really comes from because it is just grueling. You are always around cars. You get frustrated really easy, but if you take it out on somebody early in a race you are going to get it paid back to you. It’s such an easy place to have a payback. First things first, you just see how much speed you have in practice. Then you kind of set your mind to that. Can you be on the offensive or are you going to have to be on the defense all day? That kind of changes, at least my attitude about how I’m going to run the race.” FROM THE MENTAL HEALTH STANDPOINT, HOW DO YOU GET THROUGH THAT AND BALANCE OUT SOME OF THOSE STRESSES?“I’m probably still not great at it. I do take it very serious and I’m sure Carly or anybody around me sees it at times when it’s not going well. I don’t hide my emotions. In the past it was one of those things where maybe I thought ok that’s not the right way to be, but I am who I am. I’ve talked about it right? I’m 40, I’m not changing. I always want everybody that works around me to be like yeah, he is intense, but man he cares. And I do. I care about everybody on our race team. When we don’t run well, I personally take it bad because I feel like ok, I’m not doing the right things to help us. It’s a little bit different, especially winning races now, going out there and having Matt and Chris around me, it allows me to be who I am and not maybe feel bad about it. They let me do that and then we go have fun with it. I get over it quicker. It’s always a challenge. The mental health side of it’s always a challenge. There are good weeks and bad, but it’s far better than it’s ever been for me. It’s a daily grind that you keep trying to learn from.” YOU HAVE QUITE A STRING OF CUP RACES COMING UP THIS SUMMER, HOW EXCITED ARE YOU TO TAKE ON THESE TRACKS AND KNOW THAT YOU HAVE A BIT OF DOUBLE DUTY WORK AHEAD OF YOU?“The oval side of it at least on the 16 side of it, I’m not speaking on Justin’s side of it on the 31 side, I feel like we’ve got some work. Sorry, my dog’s jumping in here. That’s Xena. It’s one of those things that I feel like I’m learning how to drive the car on the oval. We need to improve. The good thing is, even though the races haven’t went well on the ovals, the same characteristics of the car have been there. We’re going to try some new stuff going into Martinsville and see if we can make it better. The road course side of it, especially after COTA, I’m really super pumped to get to some road courses and run the car again. I think we can have a lot of speed. It’s a first year Cup team that we’re going to keep building. We’re going to have our ups and downs and hopefully I can help with going the right direction.” WHAT’S THE TEAMMATE DYNAMIC BEEN LIKE BRINGING DANIEL HEMRIC AND LANDON CASSILL THIS YEAR KNOWING THAT THEY ARE REALLY VETERANS IN THE SPORT NOW?“It’s been great, honestly. I’ve really enjoyed Daniel and Landon a lot. I think it’s unique because we’ve all king of had in a way, the same ups and downs in NASCAR. You know you fight to stay in the sport and always kind of grinding a bit. I love having them there. I think we’re, of course we want to win. That’s what it comes down to. We want to be at our best, but with us I think it is a little bit more at ease because we’ve shared all of those ups and downs at times in our career. I love having Daniel there, because he has such an outlook of different Xfinity cars that he has driven, which is something at Kaulig Racing I don’t think really, we’ve had a lot of. Ross (Chastain) had driven some of those races at Ganassi, but at the end of the day between Blake (Koch) and when Ryan Truex was there and with Justin (Haley) there and myself, we’ve only driven really Kaulig Xfinity cars. We don’t have a background of what other cars feel like. Daniel brings a great knowledge of that, of what he’s felt in the past. Landon, he’s working hard. I really enjoy his work ethic. He brings a different kind of thought process to the team. We have a lot of fun. I think we race around each other really well and you have to be like that to help build the organization in the right direction. On top of it, we kind of have the same feel of the racecar so it helps circle in on what we need to work on and keep building the race team. I’ve really enjoyed it and I think it’s only going to get better.”

The USMTS Modified Series Joins the World of Outlaws for the first time at the Dairyland Showdown

FOUNTAIN CITY, WI – April 6, 2022 – The banks of the Mississippi River are ready to rumble as the World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Models prepare for their highly anticipated return to Wisconsin. 

The second annual Dairyland Showdown presented by Dynamic Concrete Resurfacing at Mississippi Thunder Speedway in Fountain City, WI, is back with a vengeance in 2022. The Most Powerful Late Models on the Planet will wage war for three nights in the Badger State with a potential $70,000 payday. 

A pair of 40-lap, $10,000-to-win CASE Features kick off the weekend on Thursday, May 5, and Friday, May 6. Those two nights serve as appetizers to an epic 75-lap, $50,000 to win finale on Saturday, May 7. 

Fans were treated to two edge-of-your-seat finishes as the World of Outlaws CASE Late Models debuted at Mississippi Thunder last season.

Four-time and defending Series Champion Brandon Sheppard scored his 70th career win in the opener, holding off a hard-charging Brent Larson—who scored a career-best second-place finish.

The weekend finale of the 2021 Dairyland Showdown lived up to its billing as Chris Madden bested Sheppard, Ryan Gustin, Kyle Strickler, and Bobby Pierce in a battle of slide jobs for all 60 laps.

Gustin, from Marshalltown, IA,  said he’s excited for his return to Mississippi Thunder Speedway, calling it “one of his favorite tracks.” He’s still searching for his first World of Outlaws victory but may have an advantage with more laps at the track than any other Series regular.

“The Reaper” will have a stout field of competitors breathing down his neck for the $50,000 prize, including fellow Hawkeye State competitor and 2021 Series Rookie of the Year Tyler Bruening. 

The Decorah, IA driver, is looking for redemption after last season when he broke while running in the top-five at Mississippi Thunder. 

Like Gustin, Bruening is searching for his first career World of Outlaws win—an accomplishment he could achieve less than 80 miles from home. 

A pair of Illinois drivers hope to prevent Bruening and Gustin from reaching Victory Lane — including the likes of defending Series champion Brandon Sheppard and current points leader Dennis Erb Jr. 

Last season, Sheppard scored his 70th career victory at the Badger State track and hopes to climb another rung up the ladder toward World of Outlaws history.

He’s one win away from tying Josh Richards for most Series wins (78) and continues his push toward a fifth World of Outlaws championship. “The Rocket Shepp” scored two podium finishes at the Wisconsin venue in 2021.

Series points leader Dennis Erb Jr. will try to keep Sheppard at bay in his quest for a title. He already has a win in 2022 at Volusia Speedway Park and enters with momentum after a top-five and two top-10s at Cherokee Speedway.

Rookie of the Year contender Max Blair is another driver to watch as he makes his first trip to Mississippi Thunder. The Centerville, PA driver scored his first win of 2022 at Cherokee and leads the chase for Rookie of the Year over Tanner English. 

The second annual Dairyland Showdown is a can’t miss event, as the USMTS Modified Tour joins the World of Outlaws all three nights for the first time ever.  

Apr 5, 2022 | Featured, Randy Meyer, Special Announcements

Photo credit: Rusty Brown

Going into the second annual Funny Car Chaos Classic with an untested new combination, Randy Meyer didn’t know what to expect out of his A/Fuel Funny Car. The Funny Car combination proved to be more challenging than the Top Alcohol Dragster veteran expected, as the Julie Nataas-driven Randy Meyer Racing A/Fuel Funny Car went up in tire smoke on all three qualifying attempts at the Texas Motorplex. 

Despite the rocky start, Meyer is still determined to make the nitro-injected A/Fuel Funny Car a viable option for drivers looking to eventually move up to nitro Funny Car. 

“We’re not at all discouraged,” Meyer said. “I knew it would be a challenge. I didn’t think it would be quite as big of a challenge as it turned out to be to get the car off the starting line. It had nothing to do with the racetrack – it was plenty good. We didn’t have enough pieces to do what we needed to do, so we tried to make the best of what we had. We’ll be better prepared now that we know the areas we need to work on. We’re not giving up. We’re just getting started.”

Meyer was impressed by the reception the car received both at the track and online. 

Funny Car Chaos – Auto Imagery

“We were hoping for a better performance and to put on a better show for the fans,” Meyer said. “It was amazing how many people came by to check out the car and were intrigued by it. That was really great.”

Meyer, who’s competed in AHRA Pro Comp, IHRA Top Fuel, and NHRA Top Alcohol Dragster over the course of his 40-plus-year racing career, was equally impressed with the Funny Car Chaos series. 

“It’s the only race I’ve ever been to where I did really bad and still had a smile on my face,” Meyer laughed. “Every single person there – whether it was a driver, owner, spectator, worker – everybody had a smile on their face. Everybody was happy. It was just a nice, laidback atmosphere.”

Meyer plans to bring the Funny Car back out for testing once there’s a break in the team’s busy NHRA Lucas Oil Series schedule. He also still plans to run the two Nitro Chaos races later this year. 

“We’re going to do the Nitro Chaos race at Mo-Kan Dragway (July 15-16), we just don’t know if we’re going to take the Funny Car or the dragster,” Meyer said. “We plan on being there regardless just because it’s close to home and we want to continue to support those races. It’s a good deal for these smaller venues, and as racers, you get treated really nice with respect. That’s what I liked about it.”

Meyer encourages fans to stay tuned for further developments, as he’s already working on improvements for the car’s next outing. 

“We’re going to regroup and make some new parts and change stuff on the chassis,” Meyer said. “I want to thank all the people and fans who came out to support us. We’ll be back and hopefully we’ll be better prepared next time out. Don’t give up on us yet.”

April 6, 2022

The half-mile Martinsville Speedway is little in comparison to some of NASCAR’s superspeedways, but it’s big in the hearts of many racers and fans.

That’s especially true for those from the southern part of Virginia, where the venerable track is located.

It’s the home track for the Wood Brothers, from nearby Stuart, Va., and it’s also the home track for the Burton family from South Boston, Va., which is about an hour’s drive east.

Harrison Burton, the driver of the No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Mustang fielded by the Wood Brothers, grew up in the suburbs of Charlotte, but his mom and dad, plus numerous other relatives are from South Boston. 

For the Woods and the Burtons Martinsville Speedway has produced many a memorable moment.
 
Glenn Wood, the late founder of the Wood Brothers Racing Team, made his Cup Series debut at Martinsville and scored four poles and three top-three finishes in just 14 starts. While a Cup win eluded him there, he scored a big win in a Modified race there in 1960.
 
His grandson Jon Wood, now a co-owner of the No. 21 team, won a truck series race there in 2003.
 
Harrison Burton’s dad Jeff made his NASCAR debut at Martinsville in the series now known as Xfinity in 1988 and scored his first series win there two years later. Jeff Burton also won a Cup Series race there in 1997. Ward Burton, Harrison’s uncle, won an Xfinity race there in 1993.
 
In 2020, Harrison Burton carried on the family’s Martinsville legacy with a win in the Xfinity Series.
 
In that race, he led a race-high 81 laps including the final 53 in a row to get his fourth win of the season.
 
“What stands out the most from that afternoon is just how fun it was to have my family there to see it,” he said.
 
So it’s no surprise that he’s looking forward to making his first Martinsville appearance in a Cup car this Saturday night in the Blue-Emu 400.
 
“I’m excited for Martinsville,” Burton said. “In the past it’s been a great track to me and my family.
 
“I feel confident going there, so I’m excited to get to work.”
  
Practice for the Blue-Emu 400 is set for Friday at 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time followed at 5:05 by qualifying.
 
The 400-lap race is set to start just after 7:30 p.m. on Saturday with TV coverage on FOX Sports 1.
 
Stage breaks are planned for Laps 80 and 180.
 

Drivers of the powerful, nimble Cadillac DPi-V.R prep for first sprint of the season

DETROIT (April 6, 2022) – Pursuit of the IMSA WeatherTech Sports Car Series DPi championship is a marathon – with intermittent sprints. Following a DPi podium sweep last month in the 12-hour race at Sebring and a podium finish in the 24-hour race at Daytona, Cadillac Racing teams this weekend will tackle the challenging 1.968-mile, 11-turn temporary street circuit in Long Beach, California, in a 100-minute race. Cadillac Racing “fast facts”: Storylines, notes, statistics, transcripts and moreCadillac Racing 2022 media guide: Historical data, “why we race” and more A Cadillac DPi has won every race at Long Beach dating to the inception of the class in 2017 (there was no race in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic), and last year the No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac DPi-V.R won from the pole to lead a Cadillac sweep of the top three finishers.

“Long Beach last year was definitely a key moment in our championship,” said Pipo Derani, the reigning DPi champion who co-drove to victory in 2021 at Long Beach and will share driving duties this weekend with Tristan Nunez in the No. 31 Cadillac DPi-V.R entry for Action Express Racing. Event schedule 2021 Cadillac podium (from left): Renger van der Zande, Kevin Magnussen (second place); Pipo Derani, Felipe Nasr (winners); Tristan Vautier, Loic Duval (third).

“A street track is always challenging to be so close to the walls. It’s going to be again a very challenging and a very tight field and difficult race to win as usual in IMSA. You go from Daytona – (a) very big track – to then Sebring – (a) very bumpy track – and then to a street track at California. I think it brings something good for the championship and for the teams to adapt quickly to these changes. “The Cadillac is a fantastic car over the bumps. We saw that at Sebring. It’s a car that copes well with a bump track and normally street tracks tend to be a little bit more bumpy than a normal track. I think this is one of the strong points of our Cadillac DPi and hopefully we can use that to our advantage over the race weekend at Long Beach.”

Derani and Nunez, teaming with Mike Conway, placed third at Sebring to share the podium with No. 5 Mustang Sampling Cadillac DPi-V.R drivers Tristan Vautier, Richard Westbrook and Loic Duval, and Earl Bamber, Alex Lynn and Neel Jani of the winning No. 02 Cadillac Accessories Cadillac DPi-V.R.The Mustang Sampling Cadillac DPi-V.R for JDC-Miller MotorSports holds the class championship lead through two rounds. “There’s a lot you can take from Sebring to Long Beach setup-wise and we obviously had a good car there,” said Westbrook, who will be competing in his third race with the team. “I’m quietly confident and just really pleased to get the 36 hours of Florida out of the way because that was my target – to get through those two events and get some decent points on the board, learn as much as I can, try to fit into the team as best I can and get myself a platform for the short-race season. That’s what we’ve done. “To come out of those two rounds with leading the championship, I sort of have to pinch myself. Obviously, it’s early days and lots of race to go, but we’ve given ourselves a good platform. I’m looking forward to Long Beach, but a completely different challenge.” The DPi class will see a balance of power change with the Acura ARX-05 getting a 10-kilogram minimum weight reduction (about 22 pounds) to 920 kilograms, while the Cadillac DPi-V.R remains at 945 kilograms. Cadillac Racing DPi-V.R Long Beach results 2021-2017 2021: Overall winner (No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac DPi-V.R) start first – Pipo Derani, Felipe Nasr         Second (No. 01 Cadillac Chip Ganassi Racing Cadillac DPi-V.R) start second – Renger van der Zande, Kevin Magnussen         Third (No. 5 Mustang Sampling Racing Cadillac DPi-V.R) start third – Tristan Vautier, Loic Duval2019: Overall winner (No. 5 Mustang Sampling Cadillac DPi-V.R) start fourth – Felipe Albuquerque, Joao Barbosa         Fifth (No. 84 JDC-Miller MotorSports Cadillac DPi-V.R) start seventh – Stephen Simpson, Simon Trummer         Sixth (No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac DPi-V.R) start second – Pipo Derani, Felipe Nasr        Seventh (No. 50 Juncos Racing Cadillac DPi-V.R) start ninth – Kyle Kaiser, Will Owen        10th (No. 10 Konica Minolta Cadillac DPi-V.R) start 10th – Renger van der Zande, Jordan Taylor2018: Overall winner (No. 5 Mustang Sampling Racing Cadillac DPi-V.R) start fifth — Felipe Albuquerque, Joao Barbosa        Third (No. 10 Konica Minolta Cadillac DPi-V.R) start sixth – Renger van der Zande, Jordan Taylor        Seventh (No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac DPi-V.R) start second – Felipe Nasr, Eric Curran2017: Overall winner (No. 10 Konica Minolta Cadillac DPi-V.R) start first – Jordan Taylor, Ricky Taylor        29th overall, seventh in class (No. 5 Mustang Sampling Racing Cadillac DPi-V.R) start second – Joao Barbosa, Christian Fittipaldi        32nd overall, eighth in class (No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac DPi-V.R) start fifth – Eric Curran, Dane Cameron

A World of Outlaws console game for Xbox and PlayStation will launch in Fall 2022

CONCORD, NC – April 5, 2022 – The World of Outlaws, DIRTcar and iRacing have extended their long-term partnership in a new multi-year deal, which includes the long-awaited return of a World of Outlaws console game.

iRacing will continue to be an official World of Outlaws and DIRTcar sponsor with the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series, World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Model Series, Super DIRTcar Series, Xtreme Outlaw Series and DIRTcar exclusively represented in the PC simulation product.

The partnership also includes the continuation of the official World of Outlaws championship series – the World of Outlaws CARQUEST Auto Parts Sprint Car Series and the World of Outlaws ButtKicker Late Model Series – featuring the best dirt iRacing drivers in the world. Both Series will be broadcast live on DIRTVision.

“We’ve had an exceptional partnership with iRacing and are thrilled to not only continue that relationship for many years but to expand it, as well,” said World Racing Group Client Services Executive Director Tish Sheets. “Along with all of our Series and tracks having a presence in the PC simulation product, we’re all highly anticipating the release of the new World of Outlaws console game.”

The console game, due out this fall, will be for Xbox and PlayStation, featuring the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series. The new product has been developed by Monster Games, with iRacing providing art assets and an improved physics model for the cars in the game.

“We’ve been exploring the right opportunity for iRacing to move into the console gaming market for quite some time and are excited to partner with World of Outlaws in order to take this first step later this year,” said iRacing President Tony Gardner. “iRacing’s acquisition of Monster Games (in 2021) enabled us to step in and help provide some improvements to this title while it was already in development, and we look forward to being able to contribute even more to MGI’s future titles. We look to provide the dirt racing community with an engaging and fun console gaming experience.”

This will be the first World of Outlaws console game in more than 10 years and mark the 20-year anniversary of the release of the fan-favorite console game in 2002.

“With iRacing’s resources, we were able to take extra time in development to add features and content that will provide a fun and realistic experience for everyone, from multiplayer online action to a career mode featuring real-world drivers and tracks,” said Monster Games Founder Rich Garcia. “We’re excited to give the robust community and World of Outlaws’ passionate fanbase a console gaming experience that they’ve long craved.”

Further announcements about the console game will be made in the coming months.

Davis Motorsports to Host Charity Dinner in Advance of Sonoma Nationals

SONOMA, CA (April 5, 2022) — Davis Motorsports and team owner Dustin Davis will host a special charity dinner event on Thursday, July 21 at the Santa Rosa Golf and Country Club. The dinner will celebrate the life and legacy of the late Eric Medlen with proceeds from ticket sales, donations and silent auction going to the Sonoma chapter of Speedway Children’s Charities to honor the spirit of the late Eric Medlen.

“I have been a member at Santa Rosa for some time and it is a beautiful location to honor the memory of Eric Medlen,” said Davis. “I spoke with John Medlen about hosting an event to celebrate Eric and he was in full support, so I knew we were doing the right thing. Supporting a great organization like Speedway Children’s Charities is something we all know Eric would be excited about. We want to have an event that gives people the chance to honor Eric, tell some stories and remember what a great driver and person we lost but will never forget.”

Medlen, a native of Oakdale in the San Joaquin Valley, won the Funny Car title for John Force Racing at his home track in Sonoma in 2006. In 2007, he succumbed to injuries sustained from a testing accident. He is fondly remembered by friends and family for his joyous spirit and outgoing personality, as well as his love for fun and supporting children.

The evening at Santa Rosa Golf and Country Club will include a cocktail reception, plated dinner, and silent auction. Tickets for the evening are $200 per person or $1,600 per table and include wine/beer and dinner. All proceeds will go to the Sonoma chapter of Speedway Children’s Charities in honor of Medlen. 

Charity dinner is one of many events lined up to kick-off to the NHRA Sonoma Nationals at Sonoma Raceway, July 22-24.  This year’s event marks the series’ 35th visit to the Sonoma Valley and will feature professional competition in the Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle classes.

For more information or to purchase tickets to this special event, visit https://www.davismotorsportsllc.com/nitro-night

Xtreme Outlaw Sprint Car Series Joins Both Races This Weekend on DIRTVision

OSBORN, MO – April 5, 2022 – The Greatest Show on Dirt is set for the first Midwest weekend of 2022, and it’s a big one.

A Show-Me State doubleheader will highlight Osborn, MO’s 1/4-mile bullring at US-36 Raceway on Friday, April 8, and then the fourth annual $15,000-to-win Jason Johnson Classic at Eldon, MO’s Lake Ozark Speedway on Saturday, April 9.

It’s a dream come true for Sprint Car snobs with the newly-formed non-wing stars of the Xtreme Outlaw Sprint Car Series presented by Low-E Insulation joining the winged warriors of the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series on DIRTVision.

BUY US-36 TICKETS (Fri)
BUY LAKE OZARK TICKETS (Sat)

Here’s a quick preview of what to watch for this weekend:

BEST OF BOTH WORLDS: No need for the age-old debate of winged vs. non-wing, because race fans get both this weekend with the World of Outlaws and Xtreme Outlaw Series. You’ll see perennial title contenders like Sweet, Macedo, Gravel, Haudenschild, Schatz & more with the wings, while watching gassers like Leary, Ballou, Bacon, Swanson, Clouser & more work without them.

As of now, Brady Bacon of Broken Arrow, OK is the first double duty driver confirmed with a pair of Hoffman Auto Racing #69 machines coming to Missouri this weekend. The four-time USAC National Sprint Car champion has a non-wing resume that speaks for itself, but The Macho Man is alsoa highly-respected wing racer with one All Star Circuit of Champions victory and two World of Outlaws runner-up finishes to his credit.

RACE TO THREE: For only the ninth time in Series history, the World of Outlaws has produced eight winners through the opening 12 races. It’s the fifth time such an occurrence has happened in the last decade, an overwhelming shift compared to only four times through the first 35 seasons.

Entering this weekend, a quartet of stars share the top spot in the W column with two wins apiece. Included in that group is Carson Macedo (Lemoore, CA) in the Jason Johnson Racing #41, David Gravel (Watertown, CT) in the Big Game Motorsports #2, Sheldon Haudenschild (Wooster, OH) in the Stenhouse Jr. / Marshall Racing #17, and Giovanni Scelzi(Fresno, CA) in the KCP Racing #18.

Other winners in 2022 include Brad Sweet (Grass Valley, CA) in the Kasey Kahne Racing #49, Donny Schatz (Fargo, ND) in the Tony Stewart/Curb-Agajanian Racing #15, Kyle Larson (Elk Grove, CA) in the Kevin Kozlowski #57, and Brent Marks (Myerstown, PA) in the Murray-Marks Motorsports #19.

SHOW-ME MORE: Osborn’s US-36 Raceway has only hosted the World of Outlaws on five occasions, but each and every single appearance has been an outstanding one. There was Paul McMahan’s new track record in the nine-second bracket (9.846) in 2006, Joey Saldana’s epic race-long battle with Johnny Herrera in 2009, and of course Sheldon Haudenschild’s last-lap pass on Brad Sweet in 2020. On Friday, The Greatest Show on Dirt finally returns to the 1/4-mile with a can’t miss doubleheader set up alongside the Xtreme Outlaw Sprint Cars.

JASON JOHNSON CLASSIC: Saturday’s fourth annual Jason Johnson Classic at Lake Ozark Speedway gives drivers, teams, and fans alike the chance to reminisce and remember The Ragin’ Cajun, a dearly missed racer, father, and friend. A little extra money ($15,000-to-win) is on the line but more than anything, Jason’s fellow competitors just want to enjoy in victory lane with his family and take home the trophy with his name on it.

Through the first three years, three different drivers have topped the Jason Johnson Classic. The inaugural event in 2019 was extra emotional with David Gravel driving the Jason Johnson Racing #41 to victory lane. Since then, Kasey Kahne Racing has ruled the last two races with James McFadden (#9) winning in 2020 and Brad Sweet (#49) dominating in 2021. All three will be in attendance on Saturday night hoping to be the first repeat winner of the special event.

TOO SWEET: Last year, Brad Sweet was already a five-time winner by the 12th race; this year, it took until the 11th race to even reahc the win column. However, the statistical categories he does lead is proof that The Big Cat is laying the foundation to chase his fourth consecutive World of Outlaws championship this season.

The victory lane trips have been less frequent, but the Kasey Kahne Racing, NAPA Auto Parts #49 is as good as anybody on tour at making the Dash, starting up front, and earning valuable points. Entering this weekend, Sweet leads the league in Podiums (6), Top Fives (9), Top 10s (11), and Average Finish (4.83).

A return to the Show-Me State is a welcomed one for Sweet, who has claimed eight of his 75 career victories in Missouri. He’s proven to be a perrenial contender at both tracks on the schedule this weekend, leading a majority of the 2020 US-36 show and winning twice in the past at Lake Ozark.

ON THE MARK: After winning $20,000 in Saturday’s DuraMAX/Drydene Texas Outlaw Nationals at Devil’s Bow, Brent Marks will stay on the road for the next two weeks with four more April shows planned with the World of Outlaws. The Myerstown, PA native continues to shine aboard the newly-formed Murray-Marks Motorsports #19, winning twice in six Series events since the team was formed late last year.

Dating back to the beginning of last season, Marks has the second-most victories of any non-full-time driver with his four wins only trailing Kyle Larson’s five. He’ll have four chances at US-36 Raceway, Lake Ozark Speedway, and Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 before returning to his home state later this month.

PODIUM PICKING: After suffering through some rough patches in California, 10-time Series champion Donny Schatz and Tony Stewart/Curb-Agajanian Racing are beginning returning to form with back-to-back podium finishes. The Ford Performance, Advance Auto Parts #15 was third at Vado, then second at Devil’s Bowl, with his second win potentially looming next.

The Fargo, ND native owns three top-five finishes at US-36 and two previous wins at Lake Ozark, where the Series returns this weekend.

EARLY-NIGHT SUCCESS: When it comes to the preliminary portions of the evening, Jacob Allen (Hanover, PA) has positioned the Shark Racing #1A as a contender for best car in that category. He leads the league in Qualifying Average (6.42), owns one Slick Woody’s QuickTime Award, has four NOS Energy Drink Heat Race wins, and is tied for the most DIRTVision Fast Pass Dash appearances (8).

He’s taken the next step in correcting his backwards averages (9.33 Start, 13.08 Finish) lately with three top-10 finishes over the last four races. Allen recorded his second top-five of the year in Saturday’s DuraMAX/Drydene Texas Outlaw Nationals.

THIS WEEK AT A GLANCE

Friday, April 8 at US-36 Raceway in Osborn, MO
Saturday, April 9 at Lake Ozark Speedway in Eldon, MO

On the Internet
World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series
Twitter – @WorldofOutlaws
Instagram – @WoOSprint
Facebook – Facebook.com/WorldofOutlawsSprintCarSeries
YouTube – Youtube.com/WorldofOutlaws
DIRTVision – DIRTVision.com – Platinum annual FAST PASS for $299 or monthly FAST PASS for $39/month

CURRENT CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS (12/83 Nights):
1. 49-Brad Sweet (1,686 PTS); 2. 41-Carson Macedo (-32 PTS); 3. 2-David Gravel (-44 PTS); 4. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild (-60 PTS); 5. 15-Donny Schatz (-96 PTS); 6. 83-James McFadden (-100 PTS); 7. 18-Giovanni Scelzi (-112 PTS); 8. 1S-Logan Schuchart (-140 PTS); 9. 5-Spencer Bayston (-162 PTS); 10. 1A-Jacob Allen (-200 PTS).

NOS ENERGY DRINK FEATURE WINNERS (8 Drivers):
2 wins – Carson Macedo, Jason Johnson Racing #41
2 wins – David Gravel, Big Game Motorsports #2
2 wins – Sheldon Haudenschild, Stenhouse Jr. / Marshall Racing #17
2 wins – Giovanni Scelzi, KCP Racing #18
1 win – Brad Sweet, Kasey Kahne Racing #49
1 win – Donny Schatz, Tony Stewart/Curb-Agajanian Racing #15
1 win – Brent Marks, Murray-Marks Motorsports #19
1 win – Kyle Larson, Kevin Kozlowski #57

FEATURE LAPS LED (15 Drivers):
71 laps – David Gravel
58 laps – Brad Sweet
55 laps – Giovanni Scelzi
30 laps – Carson Macedo
27 laps – Brent Marks
26 laps – Sam Hafertepe Jr.
25 laps – Donny Schatz
23 laps – Spencer Bayston
17 laps – Kyle Larson
13 laps – Cory Eliason
10 laps – Sheldon Haudenschild
9 laps – Dominic Scelzi
8 laps – James McFadden
3 laps – Brian Brown
1 lap – Corey Day

SLICK WOODY’S QUICKTIME AWARDS (9 Drivers):
3 QuickTimes – Carson Macedo
2 QuickTimes – David Gravel
1 QuickTime – Aaron Reutzel, Cory Eliason, Jacob Allen, Sam Hafertepe Jr, Brad Sweet, Giovanni Scelzi*, James McFadden
* Denotes New Track Record

HEAT RACE WINNERS (19 Drivers):
5 Heat Wins – David Gravel, James McFadden
4 Heat Wins – Brad Sweet, Jacob Allen, Giovanni Scelzi
3 Heat Wins – Carson Macedo
2 Heat Wins – Sheldon Haudenschild, Kraig Kinser, Aaron Reutzel, Tyler Courtney, Cory Eliason
1 Heat Win – Donny Schatz, Spencer Bayston, Brock Zearfoss, Sam Hafertepe Jr, Dominic Scelzi, Kerry Madsen, Rico Abreu, Corey Day

DIRTVISION FAST PASS DASH APPEARANCES (27 Drivers):
8 Dashes – Brad Sweet, David Gravel, Jacob Allen
6 Dashes – Carson Macedo
5 Dashes – James McFadden, Spencer Bayston, Cory Eliason
4 Dashes – Donny Schatz, Kraig Kinser, Giovanni Scelzi
3 Dashes – Sheldon Haudenschild, Tyler Courtney, Aaron Reutzel
2 Dashes – Kyle Larson, Kerry Madsen, Rico Abreu, Dominic Scelzi, Corey Day, Brent Marks
1 Dash – Logan Schuchart, Brock Zearfoss, Anthony Macri, Sam Hafertepe Jr, Colby Copeland, Tanner Carrick, DJ Netto, Brian Brown

MICROLITE LAST CHANCE SHOWDOWN WINS (7 Drivers):
3 LCS Wins – Sheldon Haudenschild
2 LCS Wins – Logan Schuchart, Ayrton Gennetten
1 LCS Win – James McFadden, Spencer Bayston, Anthony Macri, Mitchell Faccinto

KSE HARD CHARGER AWARDS (6 Drivers):
4 Hard Chargers – Logan Schuchart
3 Hard Chargers – Sheldon Haudenschild
2 Hard Chargers – James McFadden
1 Hard Chargers – Carson Macedo, Donny Schatz, Tanner Thorson

PODIUM FINISHES (14 Drivers):
6 Podiums – Brad Sweet
5 Podiums – David Gravel
3 Podiums – Carson Macedo, Sheldon Haudenschild, Donny Schatz, Giovanni Scelzi, Kyle Larson
2 Podiums – James McFadden, Corey Day, Brent Marks
1 Podium – Cory Eliason, Aaron Reutzel, Sam Hafertepe Jr, Brian Brown

TOP 10 FINISHES (27 Drivers):
11 Top 10s – Brad Sweet
10 Top 10s – Carson Macedo
9 Top 10s – David Gravel, Sheldon Haudenschild, Donny Schatz, Giovanni Scelzi
8 Top 10s – James McFadden
7 Top 10s – Logan Schuchart, Cory Eliason
6 Top 10s – Spencer Bayston
5 Top 10s – Jacob Allen
4 Top 10s – Tyler Courtney, Rico Abreu
3 Top 10s – Kyle Larson
2 Top 10s – Brock Zearfoss, Aaron Reutzel, Dominic Scelzi, Kerry Madsen, Corey Day, Brent Marks
1 Top 10 – Anthony Macri, Justin Peck, Sam Hafertepe Jr, Shane Golobic, DJ Netto, Brian Brown, Hunter Schuerenberg

2022 WORLD OF OUTLAWS SPRINT CAR SCHEDULE & WINNERS:
No. / Day, Date / Track / Location / Winner (Total Wins)
1. Thur, Feb. 10 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / Donny Schatz (1)
2. Fri, Feb. 11 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / Sheldon Haudenschild (1)
3. Sat, Feb. 12 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / David Gravel (1)
4. Fri, March 4 / Cotton Bowl Speedway / Paige, TX / Sheldon Haudenschild (2)
5. Sat, March 5 / Cotton Bowl Speedway / Paige, TX / Carson Macedo (1)
6. Fri, March 11 / Thunderbowl Raceway / Tulare, CA / Giovanni Scelzi (1)
7. Sat, March 12 / Thunderbowl Raceway / Tulare, CA / Kyle Larson (1)
8. Fri, March 18 / Merced Speedway / Merced, CA / Carson Macedo (2)
9. Fri, March 25 / Bakersfield Speedway / Bakersfield, CA / Giovanni Scelzi (2)
10. Sat, March 26 / Perris Auto Speedway / Perris, CA / David Gravel (2)
11. Tues, March 29 / Vado Speedway Park / Vado, NM / Brad Sweet (1)
12. Sat, April 2 / Devil’s Bowl Speedway / Mesquite, TX / Brent Marks (1)
13. Fri, April 8 / US-36 Raceway / Osborn, MO
14. Sat, April 9 / Lake Ozark Speedway / Eldon, MO
15. Fri, April 15 / Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 / Pevely, MO
16. Sat, April 16 / Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 / Pevely, MO
17. Fri, April 22 / Tri-City Speedway / Granite City, IL
18. Sat, April 23 / Tri-State Speedway / Haubstadt, IN
19. Fri, April 29 / Bristol Motor Speedway / Bristol, TN
20. Sat, April 30 / Bristol Motor Speedway / Bristol, TN
21. Fri, May 6 / Eldora Speedway / Rossburg, OH
22. Sat, May 7 / Eldora Speedway / Rossburg, OH
23. Wed, May 11 / Lincoln Speedway / Abbottstown, PA
24. Fri, May 13 / Williams Grove Speedway / Mechanicsburg, PA
25. Sat, May 14 / Williams Grove Speedway / Mechanicsburg, PA
26. Tues, May 17 / Bridgeport Speedway / Swedesboro, NJ
27. Fri, May 20 / Attica Raceway Park / Attica, OH
28. Sat, May 21 / Sharon Speedway / Hartford, OH
29. Sat, May 28 / Atomic Speedway / Waverly, OH
30. Mon, May 30 / Lawrenceburg Speedway / Lawrenceburg, IN
31. Fri, June 3 / River Cities Speedway / Grand Forks, ND
32. Sun, June 5 / Huset’s Speedway / Brandon, SD
33. Fri, June 10 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA
34. Sat, June 11 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA
35. Fri, June 17 / Beaver Dam Raceway / Beaver Dam, IA
36. Sat, June 18 / Beaver Dam Raceway / Beaver Dam, IA
37. Thur, June 23 / Huset’s Speedway / Brandon, SD
38. Fri, June 24 / Huset’s Speedway / Brandon, SD
39. Sat, June 25 / Huset’s Speedway / Brandon, SD
40. Fri, July 1 / Cedar Lake Speedway / New Richmond, WI
41. Sat, July 2 / Cedar Lake Speedway / New Richmond, WI
42. Fri, July 8 / 34 Raceway / West Burlington, IA
43. Sat, July 9 / Wilmot Raceway / Wilmot, WI
44. Tues, July 12 / Attica Raceway Park / Attica, OH
45. Wed, July 13 / Eldora Speedway / Rossburg, OH
46. Thur, July 14 / Eldora Speedway / Rossburg, OH
47. Fri, July 15 / Eldora Speedway / Rossburg, OH
48. Sat, July 16 / Eldora Speedway / Rossburg, OH
49. Wed, July 20 / Port Royal Speedway / Port Royal, PA
50. Fri, July 22 / Williams Grove Speedway / Mechanicsburg, PA
51. Sat, July 23 / Williams Grove Speedway / Mechanicsburg, PA
52. Sat, July 30 / Weedsport Speedway / Weedsport, NY
53. Sun, July 31 / Weedsport Speedway / Weedsport, NY
54. Fri, Aug. 5 / Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 / Pevely, MO
55. Sat, Aug. 6 / Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 / Pevely, MO
56. Wed, Aug. 10 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA
57. Thur, Aug. 11 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA
58. Fri, Aug, 12 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA
59. Sat, Aug. 13 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA
60. Thur, Aug. 18 / Jackson Motorplex / Jackson, MN
61. Fri, Aug. 19 / Jackson Motorplex / Jackson, MN
62. Sat, Aug. 20 / Jackson Motorplex / Jackson, MN
63. Fri, Aug. 26 / River Cities Speedway / Grand Forks, ND
64. Sat, Aug. 27 / Red River Valley Speedway / West Fargo, ND
65. Thur, Sept. 1 / Skagit Speedway / Alger, WA
66. Fri, Sept. 2 / Skagit Speedway / Alger, WA
67. Sat, Sept. 3 / Skagit Speedway / Alger, WA
68. Mon, Sept. 5 / Gray’s Harbor Raceway / Elma, WA
69. Fri, Sept. 9 / Silver Dollar Speedway / Chico, CA
70. Sat, Sept. 10 / Silver Dollar Speedway / Chico, CA
71. Fri, Sept. 16 / Keller Auto Speedway / Hanford, CA
72. Sat, Sept. 17 / Placerville Speedway / Placerville, CA
73. Fri, Sept. 23 / Eldora Speedway / Rossburg, OH
74. Sat, Sept. 24 / Sharon Speedway / Hartford, OH
75. Fri, Sept. 30 / Williams Grove Speedway / Mechanicsburg, PA
76. Sat, Oct. 1 / Williams Grove Speedway / Mechanicsburg, PA
77. Fri, Oct. 7 / Port Royal Speedway / Port Royal, PA
78. Sat, Oct. 8 / Port Royal Speedway / Port Royal, PA
79. Fri, Oct. 14 / I-80 Speedway / Greenwood, NE
80. Sat, Oct. 15 / Lakeside Speedway / Kansas City, KS
81. Thur, Nov. 3 / The Dirt Track at Charlotte / Concord, NC
82. Fri, Nov. 4 / The Dirt Track at Charlotte / Concord, NC
83. Sat, Nov. 5 The Dirt Track at Charlotte / Concord, NC

After Sebring win, No. 3 Corvette looks for more success in 100-minute race

DETROIT (April 5, 2022) – After winning for the 12th time at the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring three weeks ago, Corvette Racing moves to a completely different style of racing when it returns to the Long Beach (Calif.) street circuit for the continuation of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. Antonio Garcia and Jordan Taylor will pilot the No. 3 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R in Saturday’s 100-minute Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach on the streets of southern California. It’s the third race for Corvette in the new GT Daytona (GTD) PRO class and first on a street circuit. Garcia and Taylor sit second in GTD PRO points after two races, including their victory at Sebring with Nicky Catsburg. The goal is to continue adding to Corvette Racing’s lengthy list of successes, including those at Long Beach.

The team has won eight times at the circuit including a win last year for Tommy Milner and Nick Tandy in the now-extinct GT Le Mans (GTLM) category. Garcia and Taylor finished second and this time around face a tough field of five other manufacturers in GTD PRO. The GTD PRO Corvette differs in several ways from the C8.R that ran at Long Beach in 2021. Chief among the differences are additional weight, restricted power and customer Michelin tires that are mandated for all GTD entries as opposed to Michelins specifically designed for the C8.R in GTLM trim.

CORVETE RACING MEDIA INFORMATIONCorvette Racing media information is updated and available ahead of this weekend’s Grand Prix of Long Beach. Materials include: · IMSA race advance and quotes· Summary of changes to the GTD PRO Corvette C8.R· Corvette Racing Long Beach stats and figures· Corvette Racing Fast Facts· Driver biographies

The combination of moving to GTD PRO plus a 100-minute race places even more importance on qualifying than normal. With such a short race, there likely will be just one planned pit stop for fuel and change of tires and driver. With all 20 GTD cars having roughly the same performance levels, track position will be at a premium. Chevrolet Motorsports Display On-Site at Long BeachIn addition to the many series and events on the racetrack at Long Beach, fans will have plenty to see and experience from Chevrolet. The Chevrolet’s Motorsports Display will be full of Chevy vehicles that spectators can learn more about throughout the weekend. The Chevrolet Motorsports Display opens at 8 a.m. Friday through Sunday and is located in the Long Beach Convention Center. Numerous Chevrolet vehicles and other highlights include: • The 2023 Corvette convertible 3LT• Additional Chevrolet products such as Blazer RS, Trailblazer RS, Camaro 2SS 1LE, Silverado Trail Boss and • A Corvette Racing C8.R showcar and LT6.R engine• An opportunity to receive a 2022 Chevrolet t-shirt  The Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach is scheduled for 5:05 p.m. ET/2:05 p.m. PT on Saturday, April 9. The race will air live on USA and stream on Peacock starting at 5 p.m. ET/2 p.m. PT. IMSA Radio will air all on-track sessions beginning at IMSA.com along with XM 207 and SiriusXM Online 992.

ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “Traffic won’t be such a factor because you won’t be lapping as many cars as you normally would. It’s more of a single-group deal and working your way through that. That race is always about qualifying and doing a perfect stop and driver change. I don’t see a lot of difference in GTLM and GTD PRO at Long Beach. I hope the car behaves as well as it did at Sebring because it was really good. I hope it’s as warm as possible. It feels like when we have those conditions and as we saw at Sebring, we have something of an advantage.”

JORDAN TAYLOR, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “There’s going to be a lot to learn about this car and tire at pretty much every track we go to. We were shocked at how different things were at Sebring. It was a wake-up call to see how far the setups were from GTLM. Having seen success at Sebring gives us some promise that we know the right direction to take the Corvette. Long Beach is always a different animal but I can’t wait for it.”

CORVETTE RACING AT LONG BEACH: By the Numbers• 1: As in one team, one manufacturer and one model of car for 14 years at Long Beach: Corvette Racing, Chevrolet and the Chevrolet Corvette.• 3: Generations of Corvette Racing entries at Long Beach since 2007 –Corvette C6.R (2007-13) and Corvette C7.R (2014-2019) and Corvette C8.R (2021). All three generations have won at least once at Long Beach.• 4: Number of Long Beach race victories for Corvette Racing’s duo of Antonio Garcia and Jordan Taylor.• 8: Number of drivers who have competed at Long Beach for Corvette Racing – Olivier Beretta, Antonio Garcia, Oliver Gavin, Jan Magnussen, Tommy Milner, Johnny O’Connell, Nick Tandy and Jordan Taylor. Each driver has won at least once at Long Beach.• 8: Number of Long Beach victories in 13 appearances for Corvette Racing – more than any other IMSA entrant at the circuit.• 10: Number of Long Beach sports car victories for Chevrolet. Throw in 11 IndyCar wins, and Chevrolet has claimed 21 victories in the event’s two premier races.• 14: Manufacturer Championships for Chevrolet and Corvette Racing since 2001.• 19: Number of street circuit victories for Corvette Racing – more than any other IMSA entrant at the circuit.• 25: Tracks at which Corvette Racing has won races – Baltimore, Charlotte Motor Speedway, COTA, Canadian Tire Motorsport Park/Mosport, Daytona, Detroit, Houston, Laguna Seca, Le Mans, Lime Rock, Long Beach, Miami, Mid-Ohio, Portland, Road America, Road Atlanta, Sebring, Sonoma, St. Petersburg, Texas, Trois Rivieres, Utah, VIR, Washington DC and Watkins Glen.• 30: Number of wins in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship for Corvette Racing since the start of 2014.• 121: Victories worldwide for Corvette Racing – 113 in North America and eight at Le Mans.• 253: Event starts by Corvette Racing since 1999.• 3,945.82: Number of racing miles completed by Corvette Racing in its 12 previous trips to Long Beach. That represents 2,005 laps around the 1.968-mile street circuit.• 339,411.24: Total number of racing miles completed by Corvette Racing since its inception. To put that in perspective, Corvette Racing is more than halfway to the distance traveled by Apollo 13 – the longest manned spaceflight in history: 622,268 miles. That means Corvette Racing has raced to the moon… and then some! Corvette Racing at Long Beach (wins in bold)2007No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Johnny O’Connell – 2nd in GT1 (Magnussen fastest race lap)No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin – 1st in GT1 (Gavin pole) 2008No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Johnny O’Connell/Jan Magnussen – 1st in GT1 (Magnussen pole)No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin – 1st in GT1 (Gavin fastest race lap) 2009No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Johnny O’Connell – 2nd in GT1No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin – 1st in GT1 (Beretta pole, fastest race lap) 2010No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Johnny O’Connell – 2nd in GT2No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Oliver Gavin/Jan Magnussen – 9th in GT2 (Gavin fastest race lap) 2011No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Tommy Milner – 5th in GTNo. 4 Corvette C6.R: Oliver Gavin/Jan Magnussen – 2nd in GT (Magnussen fastest race lap) 2012No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 4th in GTNo. 4 Corvette C6.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 1st in GT (Gavin fastest race lap) 2013No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 5th in GTNo. 4 Corvette C6.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 4th in GT (Gavin fastest race lap) 2014No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 1st in GTLM (Magnussen pole)No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 3rd in GTLM (Milner fastest race lap) 2015No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 3rd in GTLMNo. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 7th in GTLM 2016No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 9th in GTLMNo. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 2nd in GTLM 2017No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 5th in GTLM (Magnussen pole)No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 1st in GTLM 2018No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 4th in GTLMNo. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 1st in GTLM 2019No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 2nd in GTLMNo. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 3rd in GTLM 2021No. 3 Corvette C8.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 2nd in GTLMNo. 4 Corvette C8.R: Tommy Milner/Nick Tandy – 1st in GTLM

Inside Line Promotions – STOCKTON, Calif. (April 4, 2022) – Dominic Scelzi produced a second-place showing last Saturday during the opening round of the King of the West-NARC Fujitsu Series season.

The defending series champion put himself in contention from the start of the night by setting quick time during qualifying of the 25 competitors at Stockton Dirt Track. A run from fourth to second in a heat race locked Scelzi into the dash, which he won to garner the pole position for the 3 ^rd annual Asparagus Cup feature.

“I felt good and we were fast all night,” he said. “They reworked the track right before the feature. We won the start, but hit a little grease and slid up in turns three and four. Colby Copeland drove around me and I couldn’t get him back. We had good speed and balance, but we ran second to him all race. It’s a good way to start a points season.”

The second-place result ranks Scelzi second – only two points out of the lead – in the championship standings heading into the next round of action this Saturday when Keller Auto Speedway in Hanford, Calif., hosts the Anthony Simone Classic.

“We’re really looking forward to getting back to Keller Auto Speedway, where we’ve enjoyed a lot of success,” Scelzi said. “I think if we can keep qualifying well and putting ourselves in contention like we did last Saturday we’ll earn our share of wins this year.”

Scelzi scored a second-place result during a 360ci winged sprint car race at Keller Auto Speedway in February. He captured eight feature victories at the track last year.

QUICK RESULTS –

April 2 – Stockton Dirt Track in Stockton, Calif. – Qualifying: 1; Heat race: 2 (4); Dash: 1 (1); Feature: 2 (1).

SEASON STATS –

9 races, 0 wins, 4 top fives, 6 top 10s, 7 top 15s, 7 top 20s

UP NEXT –

Saturday at Keller Auto Speedway in Hanford, Calif., for the Anthony Simone Classic

Batavia, OH (April 4, 2022) – The Arizona Sport Shirts Crown Jewel Cup mini-series and Arizona Sport Shirts Crown Jewel Quest for Cash bonus both begin this weekend with Carl Short’s 53rd Hillbilly Hundred Presented by Arizona Sport Shirts at Tyler County Speedway. The mini-series within the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series schedule consists of 14 events that pay $30,000 or more to the winner, the first of which is in Middlebourne, WV this Friday, April 8th at Tyler County Speedway where drivers will compete for a $30,000 top prize. First place winnings for all 14 events in 2022 comes to an extraordinary $718,000. Drivers with perfect attendance with the series will earn points in these 14 events based on their finishes. The Arizona Sport Shirts Crown Jewel Cup Champion and the top five in points will receive bigger cash awards than in years past; this mini-series Champion will receive a $15,000 cash bonus at the year-end awards banquet. The drivers who finish second through fifth in the Crown Jewel Cup standings will earn $6,000, $4,000, $3,000, and $2,000 in cash, respectively for a total points fund of $30,000 for these 14 events. As part of the Arizona Sport Shirts Crown Jewel Cup, the Quest for Cash includes a potential bonus of $50,000, another bonus at $100,000 and a top bonus of $250,000. These bonuses are also available to drivers that maintain perfect attendance with the series for the entire season. If a driver wins six (6) of the fourteen (14) Crown Jewel Cup events in 2022, that driver will receive a $50,000 bonus. A driver that wins eight (8) of fourteen (14) Crown Jewel Cup events will earn a $100,000 bonus and if a driver can win eleven (11) of the fourteen (14) Crown Jewel Cup events, that driver will earn a whopping $250,000 bonus.** Arizona Sport Shirts Crown Jewel Cup 2022 events:April 8, 2022- Tyler County Speedway- 53rd Annual Hillbilly 100- $30,000 to winMay 28, 2022- Lucas Oil Speedway- Show-Me 100- $50,000 to winJune 4, 2022- West Virginia Motor Speedway- Historic 100- $50,000 to winJune 18, 2022- Smoky Mountain Speedway- Mountain Moonshine Classic- $50,000 to winJune 25, 2022- Lernerville Speedway- Firecracker 100- $50,000 to winJuly 3, 2022- Muskingum County Speedway- Prime Solutions 60- $30,000 to winJuly 9, 2022- Deer Creek Speedway- Gopher 50- $50,000 to winJuly 23, 2022- I-80 Speedway- Silver Dollar Nationals- $53,000 to winAugust 13, 2022- Florence Speedway- North/South 100- $75,000 to winAugust 20, 2022- Batesville Motor Speedway- Topless 100- $50,000 to winAugust 27, 2022- Port Royal Speedway- Rumble by the River- $50,000 to winSeptember 4, 2022- Tyler County Speedway- 54th Annual Hillbilly 100- $30,000 to winSeptember 17, 2022- Knoxville Raceway- Late Model Nationals- $50,000 to winOctober 15, 2022- Portsmouth Raceway Park- Dirt Track World Championship- $100,000 to win **A minimum of 11 of the scheduled 14 Crown Jewel Cup races must be completed during the 2022 season with a minimum of 24 cars entered at each of those events. To be eligible, the driver must have perfect attendance in all Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series races in 2022.

(4/4/22) Sacramento, CA …  The NARC Fujitsu General 410 Sprint Cars roll right into round two this weekend with the second edition of the Anthony Simone Classic this Saturday, April 9th at Hanford’s Keller Auto Speedway.

The event honors the late Anthony “Mr. Excitement” Simone who sadly passed last year and awards a whopping $10,000 to the winner. As a tip of the cap to the versatile driver, a special NARC non-wing race will take place immediately after the Fujitsu Feature concludes. The wingless event will consist only of drivers who competed in the winged portion, and like last year the teams will remove the wings and make adjustments in the work area on the front stretch.

A unique format also awaits the drivers with an emphasis on the number 10, Simone’s car number. There will be five Brown and Miller Racing Solutions five-lap Heat Races lined up straight up based on ARP Qualifying times and will take the top-two finishers to the Sunnyvalley Bacon Trophy Dash, equaling 10 cars. Those 10 cars will take part in a pill draw with the options of four, six, or eight to set the lineup for the Dash. Then, they’ll duke it out open wheel-style for 10 laps to determine the first five rows of the 30-lap Fujitsu Feature.

Keller Auto Speedway underwent a minor reconfiguration in the off-season which may throw a curve ball to the entire pit area as promoter Peter Murphy continues to improve the facility. Saturday will mark the first of three NARC visits to Hanford in 2022.

The Championship Chase

Following this past weekend’s NARC opener, a part-time driver leads the standings in the form of Roseville’s Colby Copeland courtesy of his Stockton win. Copeland doesn’t plan to race this Saturday, so he’ll relinquish the top spot.

Looking to take his place will be current runner-up and reigning series titlist Dominic Scelzi. The Fresno native opened his championship defense with a second-place run at Stockton, his sixth career podium at the facility and 11th in his last 15 series starts dating back to 2021.

Just two markers behind Scelzi is Tarlton Motorsports pilot Mitchell Faccinto. He picked up his 12th career series podium in his maiden NARC voyage aboard the No. 21 as he began the pursuit of his first championship.

Among other confirmed full-time drivers toward the front Colfax’s Willie Croft sits fifth in points (-6 behind Copeland), Tim Kaeding is seventh (-8), and Bud Kaeding is ninth (-10).

Who to Watch

This weekend is a home game for brothers Mitchell and Michael Faccinto who hail from Hanford. Two of Mitchell’s three career NARC wins have come at Keller Auto Speedway. Michael picked up a USAC Western States Midget victory at Hanford last year, and his first two career NARC feature starts came at the three-eighths mile, including his debut in his current ride, the Mike Phulps No. 56, last season.

“Getting an early season win at Hanford for the Simone would be huge for this team (Tarlton Motorsports),” Mitchell Faccinto said heading into the weekend. “With the different track layout, we were able to at least get one night on it before we start points racing which will help. Even though we struggled a little during the World of Outlaws (California) swing, I have full confidence that we should be contending for wins the rest of the year.”

“We got the notes from last year, and we have a couple races under our belts now,” Michael Faccinto said. “A top-five run with the stout NARC field that is following the series this year would be a good run for our team.”

Entering the event as the defending Anthony Simone Classic winner is Fremont’s Shane Golobic after taking home the $10,000 check last year. The Matt Wood Racing pilot has also podiumed in five of his last six NARC feature starts at Hanford.

Keller Auto Speedway is tied for the second winningest track on Tim Kaeding’s extensive NARC resumé. Nine of TK’s 71 career feature wins have come in Hanford. While the San Jose driver hasn’t visited victory lane there since 2013, he has finished fourth or better in seven of his last nine series starts.

Dominic Scelzi has won a NARC feature event at Keller Auto Speedway in each of the last two years. Last year during Scelzi’s 22 overall feature win season, six of those came at Hanford.

Campbell native Bud Kaeding has chalked up four series victories in Hanford. In fact, three of his first four NARC wins came at Keller Auto Speedway. Kaeding hasn’t visited NARC victory lane there since 2012 but does own a steady record as of late with six top-10s in his last eight starts.

A driver still seeking his first Keller Auto Speedway triumph is 11-time NARC feature winner Justin Sanders. Though the Aromas racer is still in search of that inaugural victory, he’s been remarkably consistent in Hanford with three top-fives in four series starts last year, two of those being podium runs.

One of Sebastopol’s Joel Myers Jr.’s two NARC top-fives from 2021 came at Keller Auto Speedway in the Simone, and he’s hoping for a similarly strong effort to bounce back from a tough opening outing at Stockton with Vertullo Motorsports.

Also expected to compete are Hanford’s D.J. Netto, Benicia’s Billy Aton, Idaho’s Logan Forler, Lincoln’s Tanner and Blake Carrick, Oregon’s Tanner Holmes, Washington’s Colby Thornhill, and more!

Fan & Competitor Info

The NARC Hoosier Tire format will feature ARP Fast Time Qualifying, Brown & Miller Racing Solutions 5-lap Heat Races, an eight-lap Sunnyvalley Bacon Trophy Dash, a Kaeding Performance Semi, the 30-lap Fujitsu Feature and the special 20-lap wingless Fujitsu Feature

The pit gate will open at 1:00 P.M. with the front gate following at 4:00 P.M. The driver’s meeting will take place at 4:30 P.M. Cars will be on track for wheel pack/hot laps at 5:00 P.M., and racing will begin around 6:00 P.M. The new and already popular Pete’s Pub will be from 4:30-5:30 P.M. and allow fans without pit passes the opportunity to enjoy a small section of the pit area with food and drinks being sold..

Adult General Admission tickets will be $20. Kids ages 6-17, seniors ages 62 and up, and military (ID required) will be admitted for the discounted price of $15. Tickets can be purchased at the gate or via the following link https://www.myracepass.com/events/401628/tickets/.  The MyRacePass app can also be used to buy tickets.

Keller Auto Speedway is located on the Kings County Fairgrounds at 801 South 10th Avenue Hanford, CA 93230. For more information visit racekingsspeedway.com or email kellerautospeedway@yahoo.com.

The Anthony Simone Classic will be broadcast live on floracing.com along with the entire NARC Fujitsu General Sprint Car schedule.

2022 NARC King of the West Fujitsu 410 Sprint Car Series
Championship Points Standings (After one event in 25-race series)

1. Colby Copeland, Roseville – 117
2. Dominic Scelzi, Fresno – 115
3. Mitchell Faccinto, Hanford – 113
4. Shane Golobic, Elk Grove – 112
5. Willie Croft, Colfax – 111
6. Justin Sanders, Aromas – 110
7. Tim Kaeding, San Jose – 109
8. Tanner Carrick, Lincoln – 108
9. Bud Kaeding, Campbell – 107
10. Corey Day, Salinas – 106
11. Michael Faccinto, Hanford – 105
12. Max Mittry, Redding (R) – 104
13. Tanner Holmes, Jacksonville, OR – 103
14. Kerry Madsen – Sydney, AUST – 102
15. Colby Thornhill, Emuclaw, WA – 101
16. DJ Netto, Hanford – 100
17. Billy Aton, Benicia (R) – 99
18. Logan Forler, Boise, ID (R) – 98
19. Blake Carrick, Lincoln – 97
20. Dylan Bloomfield, Discovery Bay (R) – 96
21. Geoffrey Strole, Hanford (R) – 95
22. Joel Myers Jr, Sebastopol (R) – 94
23. Josh Weisz, Colfax (R) – 93
24. Angelica Bell, Sacramento (R) – 92
25. Austin McCarl, Altoona, IA – 91

The NARC Fujitsu General USA Racing Series is also sponsored by Hoosier Racing Tires and Floracing.com.  Associate and product award sponsors include Automotive Racing Products (ARP), Brown & Miller Racing Solutions, Bullet Impressions, Dirt.Travel, FK Rod Ends, Johnstone Supply, Kaeding Performance Center, Kimo’s Tropical Car Wash, KSE Racing Products, Maxim, Pyrotect, Roth Motorsports, Safecraft Safety Equipment, Saldana Racing Products, Schoenfeld Headers, SCI Racing Products, Scelzi Enterprises, Starr Property Management, Swift Metal Finishing, Sunnyvalley Bacon, System 1 Ignition, Ultra Lite Brakes, Vortex Wings, Wilwood Disc Brakes, and Winters Performance Products.

SOCIAL MEDIA INFORMATION
Website: www.NARC410.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NARCKingoftheWest
Facebook (history page):  https://www.facebook.com/NARCSprintCarHistory
Twitter: https://twitter.com/NARC410
Instagram: www.instagram.com/narc410
YouTube: NARC410
Live Stream PPV:  Floracing.com

UPCOMING EVENTS:

April 30 – Silver Dollar Speedway, Chico – Tenth Annual David Tarter Memorial
May 13 – Thunderbowl Raceway, Tulare – Peter Murphy Classic (Night One)
May 14 – Keller Auto Speedway, Hanford – $11,000 to win Peter Murphy Classic
May 21 – Petaluma Speedway, Salute to First Responders

 INDIANAPOLIS (Monday, April 4, 2022) – A longtime tradition and another sign of the return of the Month of May took place April 4 as the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Chevrolet staged 50 identical 2022 Chevrolet Camaro SS convertibles on the main straightaway at IMS. The “Festival Event Cars” have reminded Indianapolis-area residents of the upcoming Indianapolis 500 since the 1960s, and this year’s fleet of unique Camaros again will turn heads as they are driven around Central Indiana.  Presenting the cars were Allison Melangton, Penske Entertainment Senior Vice President; Pat Merna, 500 Festival Vice President Strategic Partnerships; and Todd Christensen, Chevrolet Motorsports Strategic Marketing and Operations. The Festival Event Cars are a unique option code based off the 2022 Chevrolet Camaro SS convertible and are powered by a 6.2-liter small block V-8, which offers 455 horsepower and 455 pound-feet of torque. The exterior of the car features Wild Cherry Tintcoat exterior paint with special decals from Chevrolet’s Performance Design Studio representing the 106th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge. The car also features a Ceramic White interior, a power-folding convertible top that can be lowered while driving at speeds up to 30 mph, Brembo front and rear performance brakes with red calipers and 20-inch black-painted aluminum wheels. “We’re glad to continue the tradition of providing Festival Event Cars to build excitement for the Indianapolis 500,” said Dean Stramer, Chevrolet Camaro marketing and advertising manager. “Our Chevrolet Design team did a great job making this year’s Camaro a stand-out.” The 106th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge is scheduled for Sunday, May 29, 2022. Visit IMS.com for tickets and more information on all Month of May events and activities at IMS.

• Tony Stewart Racing’s Matt Hagan drove his Dodge Power Brokers Charger SRT Hellcat Funny Car to a runner-up finish at the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Camping World Drag Racing Series’ Four-Wide Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway
• Hagan powered his Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat from a No. 4 qualifying effort to the team’s third consecutive final round appearance in just their fourth national event and take over the lead in the Funny Car championship points standings
• Top Fuel pilot Leah Pruett had her strongest performance of the season to date after running in the top-five in each qualifying session, earning the No. 3 qualifier position, and turning on the win light in the first quad
• No. 7 seed Cruz Pedregon and his Snap-on Tools Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat were quickest in the third of four qualifying sessions, and while not being able to advance out of the first elimination quad, they remain fourth in Funny Car standings

April 3, 2022, Las Vegas, Nevada — Just four races into the 2022 National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Camping World Drag Racing Series’ season, Matt Hagan has put the Tony Stewart Racing (TSR) team into the Funny Car championship points lead by driving his Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat to a runner-up finish at the Four-Wide Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. After earning the team’s first nitro win and his first career Gatornationals victory last month, Hagan followed-up that performance this weekend by advancing to TSR’s third consecutive final round appearance in its first season of competition. 

This weekend’s uniquely formatted competition, the first of two four-wide events this season, saw racers battle one another in four lanes instead of the usual two, and as such, they also had four qualifying sessions to make a pass in each lane. Hagan put his Dodge Power Brokers Direct Connection Funny Car in the No. 4 qualifying position for eliminations with the second quickest lap of the second session by posting a 3.920-second elapsed time run at 332.92 mph.

In eliminations, Hagan turned on the win light in the first of three rounds to beat No. 5 Bob Tasca III, No. 12 Chad Green, and No. 13 Jeff Diehl and advanced to the next round, along with Tasca, to face No. 1 qualifier Ron Capps and No. 9 seed J.R. Todd. In the second stanza, Hagan finished second to fellow Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat driver and defending Funny Car champ Capps, with both moving on to the final quad to join No. 6 Robert Hight and No. 10 Alexis DeJoria and battle for the Four-Wide Nationals Wally trophy at Las Vegas.

The final round saw Hagan come off the start line with the Capps and Hight and in a close race from start to finish. The Dodge Power Broker Funny Car charged to the runner-up finish just behind the HEMI-powered machine of Capps, who earned his first national event win as an owner and driver. Hagan takes over the points lead by nine points over Hight, with Capps and Cruz Pedregon also among the top contenders in the class.

TSR Top Fuel pilot Leah Pruett swapped her dragster’s usual Dodge Power Brokers paint scheme for a Code 3 Associates wrap for Las Vegas to bring attention to the non-profit organization that goes into disaster areas to rescue animals and help reunite them with their owners. She kicked off the weekend with two solid pulls on Friday to earn the provisional No. 1 qualifier position with a best run of 3.741 seconds at 326.79 mph.

She consistently posted qualifying lap times that kept her and her Dodge//SRT performance machine among the top-five in each of the four sessions, collected a total of five bonus points for her efforts, and earned the No. 3 spot on the eliminations ladder for Sunday’s four-wide battles.

Pruett powered her dragster straight down the lane to turn on her first win light of the season with quick 0.042-second reaction time and solid 3.740-second elapsed time run at 327.27 mph ahead of No. 11 Shawn Langdon (0.069/3.853/316.01), No. 10 Doug Kalitta (0.065/4.100/227.80) and No. 14 Rob Passey (0.098/13.101/63.28).

Pruett and Langdon both advanced to the second quad to face No. 2 qualifier Brittany Force and No. 7 Steve Torrence. Pruett launched and battled hard against her competition to cross the finish with a 3.745 sec./325.69 mph run, just a hair behind Torrence’s 3.744 sec./328.46 mph lap and Force’s round winning effort of 3.725 sec./329.58 mph, and ahead of Langdon’s 3.884 sec./294.32 mph.

Funny Car driver and team owner Cruz Pedregon took his Snap-on Tools Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat for a 3.926-second elapsed time run at 321.9 mph to record the quickest run of the third qualifying session, earn three bonus points, and put himself in the No. 7 position on the eliminations ladder for Sunday’s main event. Pedregon staged his HEMI-powered ride alongside No. 2 qualifier John Force, No. 10 Alexis DeJoria, and No. 15 Jim Campbell for the opening stanza and powered off the start to battle Force to the halfway mark until a loss of traction dropped him out of contention for advancement to the next round.

The Dodge//SRT Mopar-powered contingent will be back on track on April 2-24 at Houston Raceway Park in Texas for the 35^th edition of the NHRA SpringNationals, the fifth of 22 NHRA national events this season.

ADDITIONAL NOTES and QUOTES:

Leah Pruett, Dodge Power Brokers Top Fuel Dragster 

(No. 3 Qualifier – 3.741 seconds at 326.79 mph)

Round 1: (0.042-second reaction time, 3.740 seconds at 327.27 mph) defeated No. 11 Shawn Langdon (0.069/3.853/316.01), No. 10 Doug Kalitta (0.065/4.100/227.80) and No. 14 Rob Passey (0.098/13.101/63.28)

Round 2: (0.068/3.745/325.69) loss to No. 2 Brittany Force (0.056/3.725/329.58) and No. 7 Steve Torrence (0.057/3.744/328.46), defeated No. 11 Shawn Langdon (0.052/3.884/294.32)

“What a monumental weekend for the Code 3 Associates [Dodge//SRT Mopar-powered] Top Fuel dragster. The points at the end of the Las Vegas Four-Wide Nationals may not represent that, but anybody that was here, or watched the FS1 broadcast or looked at the times, and saw that we made six full clean healthy passes that where fast and qualified us No. 3, knows that we are coming. We just needed a little bit of momentum and we have found it. We are extremely happy with the way that our car is running. The attitude of these team members is great. They know that we knew in the off-season that we had the potential. We were the only ones that really knew and believed in our performance. This past weekend, our competition now knows that we’re coming and that’s exciting.

“I have really worked hard on finding my love and passion again for drag racing, being eager to be at the line to cut down the Christmas tree, and actually race and enjoy racing. It’s been a long time since really enjoyed that. I attribute it to the positive-minded people that I have around me. I am more excited at this moment than I had been all season because our potential is showing itself. We’ve got one foot out that opening door right now and we’re going to take that other step and people will know that we’re coming.

“It was tough competition today. Four-wides are always interesting and require maximum focus on all parts. NHRA did a fantastic job of keeping all four lanes equal and prepped and primed for us to lay it down. We were within just a couple, one to two hundredths off the top competitors in our field and for the pace of our progress, which has been very fast, is inspiring. It’s encouraging. It’s what makes me more excited than I’ve ever been to get back in the race car and race at Houston coming up.”

Matt Hagan, Dodge Power Brokers Charger SRT Hellcat Funny Car  

(No. 4 Qualifier – 3.920 seconds at 332.92 mph)

Round 1: (0.068-second reaction time, 3.929 seconds at 323.35 mph) defeated No. 5 Bob Tasca III (0.087/3.929/326.32), No. 12 Chad Green (0.081/3.937/312.35), and No. 13 Jeff Diehl (0.078/4.136/291.07)

Round 2: (0.060/3.919/320.43) finished second to No. 1 Ron Capps (0.073/3.902/329.91) and defeated No. 9 J.R. Todd (0.047/3.936/326.08) and No. 5 Bob Tasca III (0.073/3.949/323.12)

Round 3: (0.056/3.924/324.44) finished runner-up to No. 1 Ron Capps (0.053/3.914/331.20) and defeated No. 6 Robert Hight (0.052/3.943/328.94) and No. 10 Alexis DeJoria (0.088/3.954/321.35)

“What a crazy race. Anytime we go four-wide it’s always crazy, but we had a really solid weekend, finished number two, and took over to points lead. The [Dodge Power Brokers Funny Car] is running really good. It was a little tough as we’re up here on a hill a little bit with the altitude and trying to make power, but [Crew Chief] Dickie Venables is the man at we had a great race car this weekend and had three good rounds on Sunday after qualifying number four. I’m really proud of my guys.

“We’re going to test tomorrow here and try to make some more power up here on the hill because we’ll be back here in Vegas [for the Dodge//SRT Nationals] in October around Halloween time. I can’t wait to get back here. We’ve got a lot more racing to go.”

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

(No. 7 Qualifier – 3.926 seconds at 321.96 mph)

Round 1: (0.112-second reaction time, 4.343 seconds at 206.16 mph) loss to quad winner No. 2 John Force (0.092/3.978/328.14), No. 10 Alexis DeJoria (0.177/3.932/327.43), and No. 15 Jim Campbell (0.112/4.066/313.00)

“Las Vegas Four-Wide started off being a really good event for us. Our Snap-on Tools Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat had the quickest run of Q3 at a 3.92 seconds at over 322 mph which was a solid run. It was very smooth and it was actually done during the hottest part of the weekend when the track temperature was 120 degrees. We felt good going into the race day with our quad consisting of John Force, Alexis DeJoria and Jim Campbell. We felt good and felt we had a good shot to win. We were actually leading the other three cars until we smoked the tires about half track and that was the end of our weekend, unfortunately.

“Overall a good a good weekend. We had been consistently qualifying in the top five and we got moved down to seventh, but if you look at the times, there was a lot of 3.92s. We were right there and everybody was really close. Obviously we didn’t accomplish our goals of winning the race, but it was still a good solid weekend for us and we’re going to set our sights on Houston now.”

NHRA CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS STANDINGS:

Following the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals at Las Vegas

FUNNY CAR (season wins in parentheses)

1. Matt Hagan (Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat)-394 (1)

2.  Robert Hight-385 (1)

3.  Ron Capps (Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat)-354 (1)

4.  Cruz Pedregon (Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat)-224

5.  John Force-217

6.  Alexis DeJoria-207

7.  Bob Tasca III-193

8.  Tim Wilkerson-183

9.  J.R. Todd-170

10.  Chad Green-163

TOP FUEL (season wins in parentheses)

1.  Steve Torrence-304

2.  Brittany Force-300

3.  Mike Salinas- 297

4.  Justin Ashley-270 (1)

5.  Clay Millican-229

6.  Austin Prock-198

7.  Tony Schumacher-192

8.  Josh Hart-189

9.  Doug Kalitta-168

10.  Antron Brown-164

14.  Leah Pruett (Dodge Power Brokers)-137

DodgeGarage: Digital Hub for Drag Racing News

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

@DodgeMoparMotorsports on Instagram

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

Dodge//SRT

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

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

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

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

Mopar

This year marks the 85th anniversary of Mopar.

A simple combination of the words MOtor and PARts, Mopar offers exceptional service, parts and customer-care. Born in 1937 as the name of a line of antifreeze products, Mopar has evolved over nearly 85 years to represent both complete vehicle care and authentic performance for owners and enthusiasts worldwide.

Mopar made its mark in the 1960s during the muscle-car era with performance parts to enhance speed and handling for both on-road and racing use. Later, Moparexpanded to include technical service and customer support, and today integrates service, parts and customer-care operations in order to enhance customer and dealer support worldwide.

LAS VEGAS (April 3, 2022) — The NHRA Las Vegas Four-Wide Nationals was a new experience for Josh Hart and the R+L Carriers Top Fuel team. As the event concluded Hart will take a few positives from a short race day to the next event. There were four qualifying runs this weekend to give every team the chance to make a pass in each lane of competition. In an unfortunate twist Hart bypassed the second session to track down an issue in his 11,000-horsepower Top Fuel dragster that carried over from the NHRA Gatornationals. The team moved to a structured qualifying schedule to ensure peak performance beyond this weekend.

“We had an issue with a tool that is very crucial. That is what caused our demise in Gainesville and it carried over to our first qualifying round on Friday,” said Hart, the 2021 Gatornationals winner. “That is why for the first time in my career I skipped a qualifying session just to regroup and check everything. We found the issue, thank goodness, so we played it safe on the first run on Saturday and only made a planned half-track pass. Everything was fine and we played it safe in the final qualifier to make sure everything was all set for race day.”

R+L Carrier Top Fuel dragster, photo by Auto Imagery

At the end of the day on Saturday Hart was sitting No. 10 in the qualifying order. The strategy set the team up to get aggressive in the first round on Sunday. In his quad Hart was squaring off in what was recognized in the opening ceremonies as the “Marquee Match-Up” between Hart, reigning Top Fuel champion Steve Torrence, Brittany Force and Cameron Ferre. In an epic race Torrence posted low elapsed time of the event to reach the finish line first and Hart was just a shade behind Force to get the second slot to advance to the next round. Hart’s scoreboard flashed with a weekends’ quickest elapsed time of 3.798 seconds at 326 mph.

Hart, who spends considerable time between rounds talking with fans about the employment opportunities with primary sponsor R+L Carriers, knew this round loss was tough but not devastating to his championship aspirations. The second-year driver who is competing on a full schedule for the first time is eager to keep the focus on improvement and building a strong foundation.

Josh Hart with new fan, photo by Josh Hart Racing

“At this point we look at it as if we lost the battle, but we are focused on winning the war,” said Hart. “We want to make sure all our t’s are crossed and our i’s are dotted. Complacency is not something that is going to be tolerated on this team. We have a strong group and I have a lot of confidence. We have 18 more races this season and I will be ready in Houston.”

Hart and the R+L Carriers Top Fuel team will leave The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway No. 8 in the NHRA Camping World Top Fuel standings.

Qualifying Results

Q1: 3.806 sec, 306.60 mph; Qual. 6

Q2: No Run

Q3: 4.542 sec, 170.45 mph; Qual. 9

Q4: 3.907 sec, 315.64 mph; Qual. 10

Bonus Points: 0

Race Results

E1: 

W – No. 7; Steve Torrence, Kilgore, Tex., Capco dragster, 3.720, 327.27 mph

W – No. 2; Brittany Force, Yorba Linda, Calif., Monster Energy dragster, 3.747, 334.32 mph

No. 10 Josh Hart, Ocala, Florida, R+L Carriers dragster, 3.798, 326.00 mph

No. 15 Cameron Ferre, Huntington Beach, Calif., 5.899, 118.62 mph

Camping World Drag Racing Series Top Ten – Top Fuel

1. Steve Torrence                      304

2. Brittany Force                        300

3. Mike Salinas                          297

4. Justin Ashley                          270

5. Clay Millican                          229

6. Austin Prock                           198

7. Tony Schumacher                  192

8. Josh Hart                                 189

9. Doug Kalitta                           168

10. Antron Brown                      164

LAS VEGAS (April 3, 2022) —- For rookie Pro Stock driver Camrie Caruso her first four-wide racing experience was two days of qualifying runs and continued race day improvement behind the wheel of her Air Flow Research (AFR) SCAT Crankshafts and Procar by SCAT Chevrolet Camaro. Caruso entered race day at the NHRA Las Vegas Four-Wide Nationals, as the No. 9 qualifier on the heels of four qualifying runs that placed her in a quad with No. 1 qualifier Aaron Stanfield, No. 8 qualifier Matt Hartford and No. 16 qualifier Cristian Cuadra.

As all four Pro Stock race cars pulled to the ready line Caruso knew she would have to be at the top of her game with her Titan Racing Engine powered Chevrolet Camaro. Over the previous three races the favorite for the NHRA Rookie of the Year award has qualified for every race. All four race cars launched hard and Caruso was right in the mix as she charged down track from lane three. Through the windshield she could see Stanfield and Cuadra, who she had defeated in the previous two races, just out in front of her bumper. Her second quickest run of the weekend, 6.693 seconds, was not enough to advance to the second round. At the end of the day the young driver reflected on her first four-wide experience.

Camrie Caruso, photo by Auto Imagery

“I think it was neat,” said Caruso. “I don’t think it is as complicated as a lot of people make it out to be. I know my crew chief Jim Yates liked getting the four qualifying runs and it meant more seat time for me which is great.”

The four qualifying runs Caruso and her Air Flow Research (AFR) SCAT Crankshafts and Procar by SCAT Chevrolet Camaro made along with her first round pass have continued to show the strength of her Titan Racing Engines program as well as the support she has garnered from Right Trailers, Global Emissions Systems Inc. (GESi®), NGK Spark Plugs, VP Racing Lubricants and Powerbuilt Tools. Representing so many brands has given Caruso the confidence to focus on her racing program.

Camrie Caruso, photo by Auto Imagery

“I love racing this Chevrolet Camaro and I have to thank my Caruso Family Racing team for all their support,” said Caruso. “This was a learning experience and I am glad I got the first four-wide out of the way. We will get ready for Houston.” 

The early favorite for NHRA Rookie of the Year will leave the fourth race of the season No. 11 in the Pro Stock point standings. 

Qualifying Results

Q1:10.503 sec, 85.32 mph; Qual. 13

Q2: 6.715 sec, 205.76 mph; Qual. 12

Q3: 6.742 sec, 203.77 mph; Qual 13

Q4: 6.691 sec, 203. 89 mph; Qual 9

Bonus Points:  0

Race Results

E1: 

No. 1; Aaron Stanfield, Janac Brothers Chevrolet Camaro, 6.667, 206.07 mph (W)

No. 16; Cristian Cuadra, Corral Boots Ford Mustang, 6.694, 204.60 mph (W)

No. 8; Matt Hartford, Total Seal Chevrolet Camaro, 6.685, 205.26 mph 

No. 9; Camrie Caruso, AFR/SCAT Crankshafts/Procar by SCAT Chevrolet Camaro, 6.693, 203.65 mph 

Camping World Drag Racing Series Top Ten – Pro Stock

1. Aaron Stanfield                     369

2. Erica Enders                           346

3. Dallas Glenn                          272

4. Kyle Koretsky                         271

5. Mason McGaha                     226

6. Greg Anderson                      213

7. Troy Coughlin Jr                     213

8. Bo Butner                              195

9. Cristian Cuadra                      186

10. Deric Kramer                        176

11. Camrie Caruso                     171

About Camrie Caruso/Caruso Family Racing
Camrie Caruso is a third-generation driver with Caruso Family Racing. The 23-year-old Pro Stock rookie is following the career path of her father, former Pro Mod racer Marc Caruso and her grandfather, “Papa Joe” Caruso, who competed in Super Gas, Top Sportsman, and Pro Mod. Racing a Chevrolet Camaro with power provided by Titan Racing Engines Caruso will race the full NHRA Camping World Series schedule as she chases Rookie of the Year honors and her first world championship. She first got behind the wheel of a race car when she was eight years old competing in the NHRA Junior Dragster League. She has continued to move up through the NHRA competition classes for over a decade rising to Top Alcohol Dragster as well as Elite Top Dragster and Pro Outlaw 632 in the PDRA. Caruso has a Finance degree as well as a Marketing degree from SUNY Empire State College. In 2018 she was recognized by Drag Illustrated magazine as a 30 Under 30, drag racing personality. When she is not at the track, she is handling the marketing for Titan Racing Engines.

LAS VEGAS (April 3, 2022) — Through two days of qualifying at the NHRA Las Vegas Four-Wide Nationals Justin Ashley and his Phillips Connect Toyota Top Fuel dragster powered by Vita C Shot made three solid runs in four rounds of qualifying. They rolled into race day as the No. 4 qualifier in a tough quad with 2019 Rookie of the Year Austin Prock, veteran Clay Millican and Jim Maroney. Ashley was looking for his first round win in the unique four-wide format.

“I loved having four qualifying sessions,” said Ashley, who opened the season with a win at the NHRA Winternationals. “That is one of the benefits of the Stampede of Speed at Texas Motorplex. It’s good for the team because it gives us more data and information to analyze going into Sunday. Having Q1 early in the afternoon gave us an opportunity to set a baseline and run more aggressively during the second run on Friday. It’s also is one more time down the track and one more time to look at the tree. It all adds up. I am all for four qualifiers whenever it is possible.”

Phillips Connect Top Fuel dragster powered by Vita C Shot, photo by Ron Lewis Photography

Ashley and his three competitors were the first four dragsters to hit the track. The consensus was all four lanes were even and Ashley’s mindset was focused on his lane, his tree and getting to the finish line in front of at least two of his opponents. The tree flashed and Ashley hit the throttle on his Phillips Connect Top Fuel dragster powered by Vita C Shot launched hard and went into immediate tire smoke. The 2020 Rookie of the Year was forced to watch as all three dragsters took off down track. There was no need to try and pedal his 11,000-horsepower race car and the three-time Top Fuel winner immediately turned his focus to the next race in three weeks in Houston.

“We went up to the starting line with a plan and got a different result,” said Ashley. “That’s racing. The important thing is to learn from this race and move on to the next one. As always, our Phillips Connect/Toyota team powered by Vita C Shot did great and put us in a nice qualifying position going to Sunday. But race day is a different day, especially during the four-wides when anything can happen. We are going to take the rest of the day and root on Antron. We are just going to focus on the next race.”

The Springnationals will be the final NHRA national event at Houston Raceway Park and Ashley is focused on making the most of his final run for returning sponsors Auto Shocker, KATO Fastening Systems and GuardLab.

“We want to win every race but when you know it is going to be the final race it makes it very special,” said Ashley. “Winning the final race gives your team a historic moment that no one can take away from you. You will be the last winner forever.”

Ashley will leave Las Vegas Four-Wide Nationals sitting in the No. 4 in the Camping World Drag Racing Series point standings.

Qualifying Results

Q1: 3.855 sec, 265.22 mph; Qual. 7

Q2: 3.924 sec, 285.98 mph; Qual. 9

Q3: 3.748 sec, 330.55 mph: Qual. 3

Q4: 4.015 sec, 224.96 mph; Qual. 4

Bonus Points: +2 (2nd quickest in Q2)

Race Results

E1: 

W – No. 5; Clay Millican, Drummonds, Tenn., Parts Plus dragster,3.768, 321.65 mph

W – No. 12; Austin Prock,Pittsboro, Ind., Montana Brand/RMT dragster, 3.803, 324.83 mph

No. 13; Jim Maroney, Mesa, Ariz., American Flowtech dragster, 3.973, 300.73 mph

No. 4; Justin Ashley, Plainview, NY, Phillips Connect Vita C Shot dragster, 9.845, 75.15 mph

Camping World Drag Racing Series Top Ten – Top Fuel

1. Steve Torrence                      304

2. Brittany Force                        300

3. Mike Salinas                          297

4. Justin Ashley                         270

5. Clay Millican                          229

6. Austin Prock                           198

7. Tony Schumacher                  192

8. Josh Hart                                 189

9. Doug Kalitta                           168

10. Antron Brown                      164About Justin Ashley Racing
Justin Ashley Racing in partnership with Davis Motorsports fields the Phillips Connect Top Fuel dragster powered by Vita C Shot in the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series. In 2021 Ashley raced to three final rounds with a win at the Texas Fall Nationals in Dallas and ultimately finished No. 4 in the Top Fuel standings. During his Top Fuel rookie season in 2020 Justin won the NHRA Summernationals, finished in the Top Ten and was recognized as the 2020 NHRA Rookie of the Year.  Prior to his professional debut Ashley has three wins in Top Alcohol Dragster on the Lucas Oil Series. He is the son of multi-time NHRA national event winner Mike Ashley. In 2017, he was named to the Drag Illustrated magazine’s 30 under 30 list, highlighting some of racing’s most promising young individuals on and off the racetrack. To learn more about Justin Ashley Racing, visit JustinAshley.com. 

CHEVROLET RACING IN NATIONAL HOT ROD ASSOCIATION NHRA FOUR-WIDE NATIONALS THE STRIP AT LAS VEGAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY APRIL 3, 2022                                                                       Chevrolet drivers hold winning hand at Las Vegas • Brittany Force scores 12th career Top Fuel victory• Erica Enders repeats as Pro Stock four-wide winner• Ryan McClanahan wins Stock Eliminator in COPO Camaro

LAS VEGAS (April 3, 2022) — Chevrolet drivers had the winning hand at the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Brittany Force won the Top Fuel final quad race with a pass of 3.718 seconds at a blistering 338 mph in the Monster Energy/Flav-R-Pac Chevrolet dragster for her initial win of the season and 12th of her career – all with Chevrolet. Force, who earned her second NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series victory in the Charlotte four-wide event in 2016, topped the finalists who represent 15 NHRA Top Fuel season titles. She moved to second in the Top Fuel standings through four of the scheduled 22 events.

“This is huge for our team. We’ve had a little bit of a tough start to our season, but our guys got the job done,” said Force, the 2017 Top Fuel champion who holds both ends of the track record including the 338.17 mph run in November 2019 that stands as the class national speed record. “To be able to look at that final quad and see the guys that we were good enough to pull up next to and then beat them all, it’s something that we’re very proud of. I’m proud just to share the lanes with those guys to be able to race against them. I watched Tony Schumacher when I was out here watching my dad as a kid, so to be able to line up next to him is just something very exciting, and then to turn the win light on is even better. “We had an awesome race. We qualified pretty well, No. 2, and we got four qualifying sessions this weekend and three out of the four were pretty dang good, so going in today was just consistency.” She was runner-up in the 2019 four-wide event at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and came back to win the fall race.

Four-time Pro Stock champion Erica Enders won her second consecutive four-wide event at Las Vegas Motor Speedway for her second victory of the season and 35th of her career.  “Las Vegas has been good to me even when I wasn’t at my best,” said Enders, driver of the Melling Performance/Elite Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro SS. “Thankfully, I have a crew that picks me up when I need it. That (holeshot loss) in Gainesville was a lot of crap to eat over the last two weeks while we had off. I took it hard. I also lost on a holeshot in Phoenix but my sister reminded me that we’ve had four races this year and I’ve won two of them so she doesn’t let me get too down on myself. “Our Elite family lost one of the best guys on the planet this week (Pro Mod racer) Scotty Oksas. We wanted to win this one for him.” She was also the runner-up in the 2021 fall race at the track, won the 2020 and ’19 fall race and was runner-up in the 2018 fall event. Enders closed the gap to No. 1 qualifier and points front-runner Aaron Stanfield, driver of the Janac Brothers Camaro SS, to three points.

Robert Hight, who set low elapsed time of the event (3.864 seconds) in the second Funny Car quad in the Auto Club of Southern California Chevrolet Camaro SS, wound up third in the final as he had a cylinder out early in the run.  John Force won his first-round Funny Car match in the PEAK BlueDEF Platinum Chevrolet Camaro SS with a 3.978-second pass. Force, the No. 2 qualifier, finished third in the second round and did not advance. Austin Prock, the No. 12 qualifier in the Montana Brands/Rocky Mountain Twist Chevrolet dragster, advanced to the second round. His 3.783-second run, which was quicker than his first-round pass, was good for third but not good enough to advance to the final quad. Ryan McClanahan of San Bernardino, California, drove his Chevrolet COPO Camaro to victory in Stock Eliminator for his 11th national event win. Drivers of a COPO Camaro have won all four Stock Eliminator national events this season. The NHRA SpringNationals on April 24-26 is next up for Chevrolet teams and drivers. Hight (Funny Car) and Matt Hartford (Pro Stock) were winners for Team chevy. FS1 will telecast eliminations at 7:30 p.m. ET April 26 from Houston Raceway Park. An interview with Top Fuel winner BRITTANY FORCE, JOHN FORCE RACING, MONSTER ENERGY/FLAV-R-PAC CHEVROLET DRAGSTER (No. 2 qualifier): YOU RACED AGAINST STEVE TORRENCE ALL THREE ROUNDS. TALK ABOUT THAT.“I pointed out how tough our quads were every single time. It’s tough trying to keep up with him and make sure we get around him in that final, and we got it done. He had lane choice over us on one of the runs, we got it back on him and we figured it out in the final round.” DOES IT MAKE THIS WIN SWEETER WHEN IT COMES AGAINST A GROUP LIKE THAT?“Absolutely. To be able to look at that final quad and see the guys that we were good enough to pull up next to and then beat them all, it’s something that we’re very proud of. I’m proud just to share the lanes with those guys to be able to race against them. I watched Tony Schumacher when I was out here watching my dad as a kid, so to be able to line up next to him is just something very exciting, and then to turn the win light on is even better.” WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR MOMENTUM GOING INTO THE REST OF THE SEASON?“It just builds and builds. This just lights a fire under us and motivates us, puts that extra energy that maybe we lost over the last few races because we have struggled. Getting in the winner’s circle with your team, there’s no better feeling than that.” WHAT WAS PREPARATION LIKE GOING INTO THE FINAL? ANY HEAD GAMES?“There’s so much going on. There’s not just one car next to you, now there’s three other cars. There’s too much thinking going on. For me, when I pull up there and try to cut a good light and keep my focus, I can’t be thinking about all that. And now you’re adding more into the mix and that makes it far more complicated. I don’t need to go up there worrying about that. For me, I pull up there and I know who I’m going to run but I’m not even thinking about that. It doesn’t matter who we’re up against. It’s about me getting this car down there first and stepping up and getting a win light.” An interview with Pro Stock winner ERICA ENDERS, ELITE MOTORSPORTS, MELLING PERFORMANCE CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (No. 4 qualifier): WHAT IS IT ABOUT THIS PLACE THAT MAKES IT SO SPECIAL AND YOU’VE DONE SO WELL?“I’m not really sure what it is about Las Vegas. I feel like my guys have a really great tuneup. Everything changes out here. It’s obviously dry, crazy air so you have to have your tuneup right. So I have to give my crew chiefs a lot of credit; they have a ton of data here and they do a great job. I’m not much of a gambler. I’d rather go shopping than gambling, but I love coming to Las Vegas. I’m thankful for the success we’ve had here.” HOW IMPORTANT IS THIS WIN FOR YOU?“I took Gainesville really hard. I also lost on a holeshot second round at Phoenix as well, so coming off that awesome 900th Pro Stock win in Pomona I kind of fell into a couple race slump. I’m my worst critic; I take a lot of pride in my driving. I’ve been racing Pro Stock for 18 years where we didn’t have any success the first nine, so it’s been quite the ride with Elite Motorsports and I’m really thankful for that. It definitely makes it easier going back to normal work easier when you get to take a Wally on the plane home.” HOW DID YOU GET YOUR MIND RIGHT FOR THIS RACE?“I don’t really think I showed up here with my mind right, to be honest with you. I did my very best. It’s just the six inches between my ears – getting in a positive mindset and believing in myself. My goal this year is to make every round count. I didn’t do that in Phoenix and I didn’t do that in Gainesville, but you can only do the best you can and I’m the biggest variable of our entire program being human. So it’s up to me to be positive, crack the Tree, hit my shifts and we’re going to give it our all this year.”

Torrence and Brown Take Toyota Top Fuel Dragsters to Final Round in Vegas

LAS VEGAS (April 3, 2022) – The first four-wide NHRA race of the 2022 season didn’t disappoint for the Toyota race teams. The GR Supra Funny Car of Alexis DeJoria made it’s first final round appearance at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The Toyota Top Fuel dragsters of Steve Torrence and Antron Brown also made appearances in the final round of four-wide competition with Torrence claiming the runner-up result and overtaking the Top Fuel point lead.

Toyota Post-Race Recap

NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series

The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway

Race 4 of 22

TOYOTA TOP FUEL FINISHING POSITIONS    —  Race Winner: Brittany Force

Name	Car	Final Result	Round-by-Round
Steve Torrence	Capco Contractors Toyota Top Fuel Dragster	Finals	W. 3.720 vs. 3.747 (B. Force – advances) vs. 3.798 (Hart) vs. 5.899 (Ferre) W. 3.744 vs. 3.725 (B. Force – advances) vs. 3.745 (Pruett) vs. 3.884 (Langdon) L. 3.756 vs. 3.718 (B. Force – winner) vs. 4.713 (Schumacher) vs. 5.086 (Brown)
Antron Brown	Matco Tools Toyota Top Fuel Dragster	Semi-Finals	W. 3.754 vs. 3.880 (Schumacher – advances) vs. 3.779 (Salinas) vs. Farley W. 3.749 vs. 3.733 (Schumacher – advances) vs. 3.783 (Prock) vs. 3.786 (Millican) L. 5.086 vs. 3.718 (B. Force – winner) vs. 3.756 (Torrrence) vs. 4.713 (Schumacher)
Shawn Langdon	DHL Toyota Top Fuel Dragster	Round 2	W. 3.853 vs. 3.740 (Pruett – advances) vs. 4.100 (Kalitta) vs. 13.101 (Passey) L. 3.884 vs. 3.744 (Torrence – advances) vs. 3.725 (B. Force – advances) vs. 3.745 (Pruett)
Justin Ashley	Phillips Connect Toyota Top Fuel Dragster	Round 1	L. 9.845 vs. 3.768 (Millican – advances) vs. 3.803 (Prock – advances) vs. 3.973 (Maroney)
Doug Kalitta	Mac Tools Toyota Top Fuel Dragster	Round 1	L. 4.100 vs. 3.740 (Pruett – advances) vs. 3.853 (Langdon – advances) vs. 13.101 (Passey)

TOYOTA FUNNY CAR FINISHING POSITIONS  — Race Winner: Ron Capps

Name	Car	Final Result	Round-by-Round
Alexis DeJoria	Bandero Tequila Toyota GR Supra Funny Car	Semi-Finals	W. 3.932 vs. 3.978 (Force – advances) vs. 4.066 (Campbell) vs. 4.343 (Pedregon) W. 3.936 vs. 3.864 (Hight – advances) vs. 3.983 (J. Force) vs. 4.182 (Alexander) L. 3.954 vs. 3.914 (Capps – winner) vs. 3.924 (Hagan) vs. 3.943 (Hight)
J.R. Todd	DHL Toyota GR Supra Funny Car	Round 2	W. 4.419 vs. 3.970 (Capps – advances) vs. 8.045 (Wilkerson) vs. Rupert L. 3.936 vs. 3.902 (Capps – advances) vs. 3.919 (Hagan – advances) vs. 3.949 (Tasca)

TOYOTA QUOTES

STEVE TORRENCE, Capco Contractors Toyota Top Fuel Dragster, Torrence Racing

Final Result: Finals

How was your run in the final round?

“I ran a .75, but was .039 on the tree and left on everybody and I knew I probably needed to. But this Capco Contractors Toyota dragster has been been pretty bad. So we’ve been making a lot of changes, big changes, especially this weekend and it’s all trending in the right direction so I couldn’t be happier with the car. Everybody’s doing a great job. Not the outcome we wanted, but better than than the other two cars in there with us. So we’ll take the runner up. We will leave here with some momentum and a lot of confidence and head to Houston.”

Heading to Houston with the point lead and a home track for you, how do you feel about your chances there?

“We finally were able to mark that thing off the list for winning a race there last year as it’s been one that has eluded me for quite some time. So we’ll go there with some confidence going into it and try to definitely finish off the Houston Raceway Park with a bang. I mean, that’s the track that I’ve grown up racing out my whole whole career and so a lot of memories there. And so I look forward to it, but let me see what we can do. I’m really excited leaving here with the runner up and we’ll just go from there.”

ANTRON BROWN, Matco Tools Toyota Top Fuel Dragster, AB Motorsports

Final Result: Semi-Finals

How do you feel about your race weekend overall and the final round appearance?

“I’m super proud of all of my guys this weekend here at (Las) Vegas for the Four-Wide Nationals. We put those Matco Tools to work and the Lucas Oil was cooking. I thought we had something for them in the finals the way this car has been running this weekend. To that point, we made it down the track six straight times and got quicker each lap, but as soon I hit the gas I felt a hole (cylinder) go out and I knew it dropped a hole cause it felt real lazy to the 60-foot and then it shook (the tires). That being said, we did a great job this weekend. To go down the track and be so consistent and improve the performance on each lap after what happened in Gainesville is just an awesome rebound weekend that we needed. That first win is right around the corner and we can’t wait to get to Houston.”

ALEXIS DEJORIA, Bandero Tequila Toyota GR Supra Funny Car, DC Motorsports

Final Result: Semi-Finals

How do you feel about the progress your team is making with this Final Round appearance?

“There’s nothing to hang our heads about this weekend. We made it to the finals at the four wide and you know, a pretty successful weekend in Vegas for our team. I think we got a handle on this the GR Supra, you know everything’s coming together and need some more time. We’ll be back up there again and I just want to make my guys and everybody that supports us and you know the guys did a hell of a job getting everything turned around quickly.”

How do you feel about your race weekend overall?

“We made it to the finals here in (Las) Vegas this weekend and another pretty successful weekend at this track for us with the Bandero Supra. We didn’t come away with the hardware, but no reason to hang our heads. We did good today. The team hustled. We made three really good, consistent runs on race day and we’re right there. I’m proud of these guys. They’re working hard and we’ll get prepare for Houston and look to grab our first win of the season there.”

J.R. TODD, DHL Toyota GR Supra Funny Car, Kalitta Motorsports

Final Result: Round Two

How do you feel about your performance this weekend overall?

“We’re still learning and making adjustments with this new GR Supra body, but this weekend we really feel like we’ve made some good progress with the race car overall. We had some good qualifying passes and had to really drive our DHL GR Supra into the second round. Of course we wanted more and wanted to be in the final round, but we’re learning and improving each race weekend.”

April 3, 2022

Harrison Burton and the No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane team came away from Sunday’s 400-lapper at Richmond Raceway with an 18^th-place finish and a confidence boost as they work their way through Burton’s – and crew chief Brian Wilson’s – rookie seasons.

Burton lined up 17^th for the start of Sunday’s race on the three-quarter-mile Richmond oval.

He moved up to 15^th place by the 15^th lap and was able to consistently run competitive lap times, especially early in green-flag runs.

Burton ended the first 70-lap Stage in 20^th place, then worked his way forward in the second Stage and ended that segment in 16^th place.

The race was slowed by just three cautions for incidents on the track, which necessitated several green-flag pit stops. The Motorcraft/Quick Lane crew had a great day on pit road, highlighted by one sub-10-second stop.
 
As the laps wound down, Burton continued to post good lap times but was unable to pick up positions he’d hoped to get.
 
“It’s frustrating because I feel like we were better than 18th, but track position is really hard to get here now,” Burton told reporters after the race. “We struggled with being aero tight behind guys, so it was really hard for me to kind of move forward throughout the run because of that. 

 “I felt like we had a pretty decent Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford Mustang. If we keep going in this direction, I feel like we’re getting a little better every time.
 
“It’s good to start running with guys that we should be running with and building that direction.”
 
Burton moved up one spot in the Cup Series standings to 29^th place but closed the gap to 25^th place from 22 points to 10.
 
The Motorcraft/Quick Lane team now head to the Wood Brothers’ home track, Martinsville Speedway, for Saturday night’s Blue-Emu 400.