TEAM CHEVY ADVANCE BUSCH LIGHT CLASH AT THE COLISEUM LOS ANGELES MEMORIAL COLISEUM LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA FEBRUARY 6, 2022

NASCAR CUP SERIES HEADS WEST TO KICK-OFF 2022The highly anticipated 2022 NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) season gets underway this weekend as the series heads to Los Angeles, California, for the 44th running of the Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum on Sunday, February 6. For the first time in NCS history, teams will take on the .25-mile track built within the renowned Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Since the inception of the exhibition-style, non-points paying show in 1979, this year marks the first time that the traditional event has been hosted outside of Daytona Beach, Florida. 
With a new venue comes a new format for the 150-lap exhibition race, featuring Heat Races and Last Chance Qualifier Races for the first time in the event’s history. Of the 36 drivers to enter the event, only 23 will secure a starting spot in the Main Event. 22 of those Main Event spots will be earned by drivers racing their way through either their Heat Races or the Last Chance Qualifier Races. The 23rd starting spot will be occupied by the driver finishing highest in the 2021 NCS Driver Standings that did not transfer through their respective qualifying races.  
NEXT GEN CAMARO ZL1 SET FOR COMPETITIONThe upcoming NASCAR Cup Series season will be one for the history books, where the series’ major automotive brands will make the on-track competition debut of their Next Gen models, including Chevrolet’s Next Gen Camaro ZL1. Chevrolet engineers and designers, alongside the Chevrolet race teams, worked closely together to develop the Next Gen Camaro ZL1, creating a race car that looks and performs more like the production Camaro. 
Bringing the track and the street closer together, the Next Gen Camaro ZL1’s new lower greenhouse, shortened deck lid and widened track width contribute to a coupe-like appearance. Like the production Camaro ZL1, the Next Gen Camaro ZL1 features hood air extractors to enhance track performance. With its fully symmetrical body design, the Next Gen Camaro ZL1 race car looks even more like the production Camaro. 
Other changes to the 2022 Next Gen race car include: 
• Upgraded specs to match modern passenger vehicle technology, including independent rear suspension – like production Camaros – and rack and pinion steering.
• An increase in wheel size from 15 to 18 inches. The larger diameter wheels allow for larger brakes for improved track performance. Wheels will be made from forged aluminum, like the wheels on the production Camaro ZL1. 
• A new transaxle that combines the transmission and rear gears into one package.
• The bottom of the car will be sealed with an underwing and rear diffuser for enhanced aerodynamics. 
• A redesigned chassis features new front and rear bumpers with an energy-management system. 
• Both the front and rear clips bolt on to the center section for easier serviceability and damage repair.
Chevrolet debuted the Camaro ZL1 race car into the NASCAR Cup Series in 2018, later replaced by the Camaro ZL1 1LE in 2020. In its two years of NCS competition, the Camaro ZL1 1LE won both the 2020 and 2021 NCS Driver’s Championships (Chase Elliott, 2020) (Kyle Larson, 2021), as well giving Chevrolet its 40th NCS Manufacturer’s Championship in 2021. Along with its 814 all-time NCS wins, Chevrolet holds the title of winningest brand in NCS history.  15 CAMARO ZL1 DRIVERS ENTERED FOR THE 2022 BUSCH LIGHT CLASH:Of the 36 entrants in this year’s Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum, 15 Chevrolet drivers will be in competition:  Ross Chastain, No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Camaro ZL1Austin Dillon, No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Camaro ZL1 Kyle Larson, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Camaro ZL1Corey LaJoie, No. 7 Spire Motorsports Camaro ZL1Tyler Reddick, No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Camaro ZL1 Chase Elliott, No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Camaro ZL1 AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 Kaulig Racing Camaro ZL1William Byron, No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Camaro ZL1Justin Haley, No. 31 Kaulig Racing Camaro ZL1Ty Dillon, No. 42 Petty GMS Camaro ZL1Erik Jones, No. 43 Petty GMS Camaro ZL1Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 JTG Daugherty Racing Camaro ZL1Alex Bowman, No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Camaro ZL1Landon Cassill, No. 77 Spire Motorsports Camaro ZL1Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Trackhouse Racing Camaro ZL1
TEAM CHEVY IN CLASH COMPETITION (1979-2021):·       Of the seven different manufacturers that have won a Busch Light Clash race, Chevrolet leads the way with 21 victories. 
·       Career Chevrolet driver and NASCAR Hall of Famer, Jeff Gordon, tops the list of the most consecutive Busch Light Clash appearances, totaling 22 consecutive events from 1994 – 2015.  FIRST 2023 CORVETTE Z06 RAISES $3.6 MILLION FOR OPERATION HOMEFRONTIt was a record sale at last week’s Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale Auction when the first retail 2023 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 70th Anniversary Edition was sold for $3.6 million, with 100 percent of the winning bid going to Operation Homefront. The winning bid made by Chevrolet NASCAR Cup Series team owner, Rick Hendrick, now holds the record sale for a charity vehicle donated by a manufacturer at Barrett-Jackson, topping the previous record by $600,000, which was previously held by the first retail 2020 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray. 
“It’s truly a privilege to support our military members and their families through Operation Homefront,” said Steve Hill, Chevrolet vice president. “Proceeds from the first retail 2023 Corvette Z06 will benefit many U.S. military families across the country who have done so much to serve our country.” FOR THE FANS

• Fans can visit the Team Chevy Racing Display in the NASCAR Fan Fest area of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. 
• Fans can check out Chevrolet vehicles on display at NASCAR Fan Fest, including a Tahoe High Country and a Corvette Stingray.  

Chevrolet Display Hours of Operation: 

• Saturday, February 5: 1:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.  
• Sunday, February 6: 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. 

TUNE-INFOX will telecast the Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum at 6 p.m. ET on Sunday, February 6. Live coverage can also be found on MRN and Sirius XM NASCAR Radio Channel 90. QUOTABLE QUOTES:ROSS CHASTAIN, NO. 1 HOWLER HEAD CAMARO ZL1 2022 KICKS OFF AT THE CLASH. WHAT IS THAT RACE GOING TO BE LIKE?“It’s going to be a party and I think a race is going to break out. I mean, that’s the whole point, right? That’s why we moved from the Daytona oval to the Daytona road course, and now to Los Angeles to change it up. We want to show people what we are all about. I’ve never been to the Coliseum but people know about that facility. It’s something totally new which I think is great.”  AS THE TRACK HAS BEEN BUILT AND YOU SEE PICTURES, WHAT DO YOU THINK IT IS GOING TO BE LIKE? “I have no idea. I grew up racing on a 3/8th mile, pretty flat asphalt track called 417 Speedway (Punta Gorda, Fla.) and that’s probably the closest thing I can relate it to, maybe Auburndale Speedway (Fla). We’ll all learn when we get there, that’s for sure. It’s more than a race. We are there to put on a show and with the acts that are performing we are there for racing and entertainment.” SO YOU LIKE THE IDEA OF THE CLASH?“Yes, it’s different and I’m excited for a new track. It’s great to be part of the Next Gen too. The learning curve at the Clash will be incredible.” WHAT HAS IT BEEN LIKE WORKING WITH DANIEL (SUAREZ)?“I’ve watched him race and he’s been through different teams, and I heard him say early on when he signed with Justin Marks and Trackhouse that this might be his best opportunity of his career. A lot of people chuckled, but I didn’t. I knew Justin and I had talked to him about what he was trying to build. Now, nobody saw the acquisition coming with CGR and how all of that would come together, but Daniel bought in on Justin and I’ve bought in on Justin for a long time, I just didn’t have the opportunity to drive for him. Me and Daniel are pretty similar. Although, in the cockpit of the car, we couldn’t be more opposite. Just how we like to sit, what angle, the steering. He actually wants it looser than me. He’s the first teammate I’ve ever had that actually asked for it to be looser than me. That’s been refreshing because now I know there is more out there to get.” AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 TRUE VELOCITY CAMARO ZL1WHAT ARE YOUR THROUGHTS ON BRINGING NASCAR TO THE LOS ANGELES COLISEUM FOR THE CLASH? “It’s going to be wild and interesting, that’s for sure. NASCAR really went outside of the box with this one, and from an entertainment standpoint, I think it should be great for fans. It’s a tight track to fit the cars on, so racing-wise, you’ll see quite a bit of beating and banging. NASCAR and Fox are both doing a good job creating excitement and adding to the racing with concerts and DJ’s enhanced television coverage. It’s a bold experiment for our sport and I’m looking forward to being a part of it.” WHAT STANDS OUT TO YOU ABOUT THE NEXT GEN RACE CAR?“It’s very futuristic compared to what we’ve been driving. I think it’s going to be a breath of fresh air. We have a lot of kinks and things to work out right now. There are a lot of unknowns, but I think that change is good for the sport. I think a lot of the fans are going to love to see the different things we do with the car. We’ll figure a lot out as we go. We had so much time and effort put into the old cars. We’re still figuring out things to make the old cars faster, which is crazy to think about when you look at how long we’ve had them. With the NextGen, I think the engineers in our sport are going to be learning at a very fast pace, and we’re going to have to try to keep up with them as drivers.” ARE YOU CONCERNED ABOUT THE INVENTORY OF CARS?“I think it goes back to short track racing. When you are coming up through the ranks short track racing you do not have the inventory of cars that we’ve always had in the NASCAR Cup Series. If you wrecked your car, you could be out the next weekend. I don’t know that the inventory situation with the NextGen car is that serious, but a wreck early in the season definitely could put you behind and put your team in a bind early in the season. Until we get more inventory of these cars, you want to take care of your equipment but you also want to win and put it all out on the line.” THERE’S A LOT OF CHANGES WITHIN THE SPORT AND WITHIN THE CAR. HOWEVER, YOU ARE COMING INTO A SITUATION WITH THE SAME CREW CHIEF IN JUSTIN ALEXANDER AND THE SAME TEAMMATE IN TYLER REDDICK HEADING INTO THE SEASON. HOW IMPORTANT IS IT TO HAVE SOME DEGREE OF FAMILIARITY SURROUNDING YOU HEADING INTO THE SEASON? “I think it’s really important. Any time you can build with the same team over a year’s time you start to feel each other out more and know where everybody stands. We were very close to getting both of our cars into the NASCAR Playoffs last year. It came down to a points race between the two. Obviously this year, the biggest thing is trying to get locked in with a win. That’s what hurt us. I think we were super consistent throughout the season. We had our most consistent season ever and had some good runs. Unfortunately, there were some guys that won that put us in a really bad spot. We don’t want to be in that spot again. We want to go to Victory Lane before the NASCAR Playoffs start.” KYLE LARSON, NO. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM CAMARO ZL1LARSON ON TESTING THE NEW NEXT GEN CAMARO: “I participated in several tests with the new Camaro, but last week’s test at Phoenix Raceway was my first with the car with all the changes and updates for the 2022 season. The test went well, and I’m looking forward to actually racing it.” LARSON ON THE BOWMAN GRAY STADIUM COMPARISON TO THE LOS ANGELES MEMORIAL COLISEUM: “Bowman Gray was so long ago and with such a different car that I don’t think it gives me, or anyone who competed in those races, an advantage. There is a lot of hype around the event, so I’m really looking forward to the weekend.” CLIFF DANIELS, CREW CHIEF, NO. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM CAMARO ZL1 DANIELS ON THE RECENT NEXT GEN TEST AT PHOENIX RACEWAY: “We learned a lot during the test last week. We went through a progression, and it allowed us to gather more data points for this car. No matter the track configuration or layout, we are going to be continuously learning with this car, so any on-track time is valuable.” COREY LAJOIE, NO. 7 NATIONS GUARD CAMARO ZL1“The Clash is set to be one of the biggest events in NASCAR’s history. There are so many unknowns going into this race being the first race of the Next Gen car, which gives me a lot of confidence. I’m a short track guy at heart, with a win in the K&N series at Bowman Gray Stadium, so I can’t wait to get my elbows up at one of the country’s most iconic venues. Having NationsGuard come back for the 2022 season is also something I’m excited about. I look forward to giving them a great run to start the season.” RYAN SPARKS, CREW CHIEF, NO. 7 NATIONS GUARD CAMARO ZL1“I got my start at Bowman Gray Stadium, racing modifieds. Having the first Next Gen race at a track very similar to my roots is an awesome opportunity to capitalize on the 2022 season, right out of the gate. Short tracks are definitely Corey’s specialty, so I’m looking forward to turning some heads in our 3rd season together.” CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CAMARO ZL1ELLIOTT ON KICKING OFF THE 2022 SEASON WITH THE CLASH AT THE COLISEUM: “I’m excited to get the season going. The Coliseum is a great venue, and I think it’s going to be a fun event. That’s what it was intended to be, a fun and exciting event to kick off our season, and I think it’s going to do exactly that. If you’re going to try something, the Clash is a good race to go and try it because there’s no points involved. This event has a lot of potential to be a home run for our sport. Hopefully it’s entertaining and people have fun watching at home on TV or from the stands.” ALAN GUSTAFSON, CREW CHIEF, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CAMARO ZL1 “The L.A. Coliseum is certainly an iconic place, and I’m really looking forward to going there. I can remember a lot of different events, from the Olympics to Supercross racing there, and I’ve got a lot of memories of that, so it’s going to be cool for us to race there. As far as the race goes, nobody really knows what to expect from the track and how the cars are going to drive. We certainly expect it to be chaotic with a lot going on in a short period of time. We’re going to make our best guess with the car and go try to learn as much as we can. Being adaptable is going to be important. It’s going to be exciting for sure.” AJ ALLMENDINGER, NO. 16 CHEVYLINERS.COM CAMARO ZL1“This will be a unique and challenging event with the new car and new track. I’m happy to be able to participate in the very first clash in Los Angeles and to be a part of this opportunity with Kaulig Racing. This is a fun way to kick off the start of the season, so hopefully we can race our way into the big show on Sunday.” WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 VALVOLINE CAMARO ZL1 BYRON ON PREPARING FOR RACING AT THE LOS ANGELES COLISEUM: “I’m excited to get to L.A. and see what the track is like in person. When the idea came out to potentially race there, I was one of the drivers who was able to experience it on iRacing early on and give some feedback on how it raced. Other than that, there’s not much other preparation we can do before we get in our race cars and on track for practice Saturday. I’m interested to see how different the track races from that first time on iRacing. I think we can expect it to be tight racing with maintaining track position as the key. It should be interesting for sure as there’s no room for error.” RUDY FUGLE, CREW CHIEF, NO. 24 VALVOLINE CAMARO ZL1 FUGLE ON RACING AT THE LOS ANGELES COLISEUM FOR THE FIRST TIME: “I’m not sure many of us know what to expect this weekend in Los Angeles. The nice thing is that everyone is in that same situation. We’ve had a lot of time testing the new car in the off-season, which is nice, but also none of those tests were on tracks similar to L.A. Thankfully we have some practice time prior to qualifying and the race, but with three short-timed sessions, it’s not a ton of time. Most of that time will be used to get drivers adjusted to the track, learning braking points, things like that. It should be exciting though as a lot of us on the team grew up racing at short tracks like this and it brings us back to where we started.” JUSTIN HALEY, NO. 31 LEAFFILTER GUTTER PROTECTION CAMARO ZL1 “The start to my first full-time Cup season will look a little bit different this year, as we are headed to LA for the Clash! I think this is going to be a challenging but super fun week for us with this new car. It will be the first time we actually race in the new car, so hopefully we can get through it unscathed and learn a lot in the process.” RICKY STENHOUSE JR., NO. 47 FOOD 4 LESS/SLIM JIM CAMARO ZL1 “It’s a new venue, a temporary track, a brand-new car, and we will have a lot of new fans there. I don’t know what to think about the race or track, but it’s the same for everybody since it’s all new to us. We will all figure it out quickly when we get there. We are ready to get going.” “Then we’ll take L..A and look at it to figure out what we can change on our race cars for when we go to a track like Phoenix or other short tracks. We’ll hit different styles of race tracks in those five or six races at the start of the NASCAR Cup Series season. For us, it’s making sure we are consistent and fast at all of them. Everybody has the same chassis and a lot of the same parts and pieces. So, there is no reason why we can’t go and compete for wins against everybody else. Once we’re done with the West Coast swing, we’ll definitely know where we need to go to work and know what our priorities are for different race tracks going forward.” ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 48 ALLY CAMARO ZL1 BOWMAN ON RACING AT THE CLASH AT THE COLISEUM: “I’m pumped to go to the L.A. Memorial Coliseum. It’s such a cool venue, and I’m excited to see all the fans in the stands, to get the new car on the track and get the season started.” GREG IVES, CREW CHIEF, NO. 48 ALLY CAMARO ZL1IVES ON RACING AT THE CLASH AT THE COLISEUM: “I am pretty excited to get out to the L.A. Coliseum. For one, being from the Midwest, I know the Coliseum is a big thing for college football. The history of the venue not related to racing and not having ever raced there before makes it pretty neat to go to. From the racing standpoint, there are a lot of unknowns. Just looking at similar tracks like Bowman Gray seem to have a lot of excitement. Obviously, any time you go to race, you always want to run well, but it is also a chance for us to go there and get a look at the competition and work out any bugs before we head to Daytona.” Chevrolet NASCAR Cup Series StatisticsManufacturers Championships:Total (1949-2021): 40First title for Chevrolet: 1958Highest number of consecutive titles: 13 (2003-15) Years Won: 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1998, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2021 Drivers Championships:Total (1949-2021): 33First Chevrolet champion: Buck Baker (1957)Highest number of consecutive titles: 7 (2005-11)Most Recent: Kyle Larson (2021) Years Won: 1957, 1960, 1961, 1973, 1976, 1977, 1979, 1980, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2020, 2021 Event Victories:Record for total race wins in single season: 26 (2007)                CHEVROLET IN NASCAR CUMULATIVE STATISTICS:Total Chevrolet race wins: 814 (1949 to date)Poles won to date: 723Laps led to date: 241,336Top-five finishes to date: 4,138Top-10 finishes to date: 8,555                                                                                                          Total NASCAR Cup Wins by Corporation, 1949 to Date:           General Motors: 1,148           Chevrolet: 814           Pontiac: 154           Oldsmobile: 115           Buick: 65            Ford: 811                                                                    Ford: 711           Mercury: 96           Lincoln: 4            Fiat Chrysler Automobiles: 467           Dodge: 217           Plymouth: 191           Chrysler: 59            Toyota: 162
 

BARBERVILLE, FL – February 3, 2022 – Sunshine and palm trees await the World of Outlaws Late Models as they gear up for their second appearance at Volusia Speedway Park in 2022.   

Gator hunting for The Most Powerful Late Models on the Planet goes from Feb. 16-19, but not before handling unfinished business.  

The week kicks off with the 30-lap, $10,000-to-win Feature, postponed from Sunshine Nationals, on Wednesday afternoon. After that is complete, Qualifying begins for the first (of four) 40-lap, $10,000-to-win DIRTcar Nationals Features, in the quest for a “Big Gator” trophy.

Drivers will accumulate points through the four World of Outlaws Features and the two DIRTcar Late Model Features on Feb. 14-15 to determine a weeklong points champion. The Sunshine Nationals make up Feature during Wednesday’s program will not count toward the weekly total.

Last month, Dale McDowell, of Chickamauga, GA, opened the 2022 season with a heartwarming victory during Sunshine Nationals in his first race after beating cancer for four months. The “Mac Daddy” dominated the event, leading all 30-laps and holds the points lead entering DIRTcar Nationals. He also has a chance to go back-to-back, as he’ll start second in the held over Feature from Sunshine.

Atop the list of drivers McDowell will have to fend off is defending DIRTcar Nationals champion Devin Moran, who also picked up a DIRTcar Nationals Feature win last year. The Dresden, OH driver held off challenges from Bobby Pierce, putting together a consistent week to win his first “Big Gator” trophy.

While those drivers are hungry to find Victory Lane again, the World of Outlaws regulars will likely have something to say about it. 

Four-time Series champions Brandon Sheppard and Josh Richards lead the World of Outlaws’ charge, hoping to escape the Florida sun with the points lead. They’re also on the cusp of history, as Richards leads Sheppard 78-77 in the race for most World of Outlaws wins.

Even though all eyes are on Sheppard and Richards in the epic battle for Series supremacy, a mix of veterans and rookies will try to keep them at bay. 

Dennis Erb Jr. and Chris Madden are coming off top-five finishes in the season opener and hope to keep that momentum rolling into February. Max Blair, who leads the race for Rookie of the Year, is also off to a hot start with an eighth-place finish. 

Another driver to keep an eye on is 2021 World of Outlaws Rookie of the Year Tyler Bruening, who scored his fourth straight top-10 at “The World’s Fastest Half-Mile” in January.  

Don’t miss out on the World of Outlaws Late Models as they make their 

NASCAR CUP SERIES LOS ANGELES MEMORIAL COLISEUM BUSCH LIGHT CLASH AT THE COLISEUM TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT FEBRUARY 2, 2022  COREY LAJOIE, NO. 7 NATIONS GUARD CAMARO ZL1, Press Conference Transcript:  I HAVE HEARD A LOT OF TALK, A LOT OF PEOPLE SPECULATING HOW THIS COLISEUM RACE IS GOING TO BE, WHAT IS YOUR TAKE? WHAT IS IT GOING TO LOOK LIKE? “I think the one thing that everybody’s overlooking slightly is that we all are in a way, sometimes we don’t show it, are all professional racecar drivers. I think what you see on a quarter bullring on a Saturday night isn’t quite the product you are going to see here on Sunday or even Saturday nights. With the consideration of everybody’s pretty lean on equipment and cars right now, I don’t think you are going to see really bonehead moves or aggressive moves besides maybe some rutting and gauging for a transfer spot, but you’re not going to see people wiping each other out often I don’t think. I could be wrong, but I have seen races at Bowman Gray go green to checkered with no cautions, I think people are overlooking the potential that we could see very minimal amount of cautions. I think it will be a good durability test for these Next Gen cars for sure.”
SO, AT THE SPEED THE CARS WILL BE AT THERE ARE SOME PEOPLE SAYING WELL THERE CAN’T BE THAT MUCH CHAOS OR DESTRUCTION BECAUSE THEY AREN’T GOING TO BE GOING THAT FAST IN SUCH A SMALL AREA. SO NO MATTER WHAT WE TALK ABOUT, WHAT PICTURE DOES THAT PAINT? “I mean I can assure you that if somebody left rears you and backs you into the fence at 80 miles per hour, you are not going to drive away and not have any damage. The most vulnerable thing on these cars are the rear toe lengths. That is what keeps the rear tires square with the independent rear suspension versus the Ford nine-inch. You can beat and bang with those rear-end housings all you wanted to and they are not really going to bend a whole lot, if at all. Now we are going to be beating those 18-inch wheels, which are obviously three inches bigger than what we had, so it is going to have more torque on the suspension when you do beat and bang and those toe lengths are only about the size of my pinky and about this long. I think those are going to be the first things to go and bend. I can assure you if a rear tire is not pointed in the right direction with this car you are going to have a bad day. I think that what you are going to gain in durability with the composite bodies beating and banging, leaning on guys and not really worrying about a fender rubbing a tire, you are going to give up the durability of the suspension pieces. Particularly the ones that keep them pointed straight. You are going to be going fast enough to wreck. Ask Daniel Suarez how it went at Bowman Gray when he was up on the tires at pit road entry. He was going fast enough to almost have it pointed vertical. You’ll definitely see some wadded-up stuff at the end of the night. Hopefully it’s not the seven Nations Guard Camaro.”
HOW FAST DO YOU THINK THE CARS WILL GO? WHAT DO YOU THINK THE TOP SPEED WILL BE? “I’m guessing 85 maybe top end, you may see that in qualifying with the little big longer straightaways. I think you saw somewhere close to 80 at Bowman Gray and it looks like the straightaways are a bit longer there and tighter corners. In the simulation runs somewhere around 14 flat, I don’t know what that works out to be average speed wise, but you’ll be going fast enough to do some damage if you back the thing into the fence for sure.”
I know you are a short track guy at heart, so how important is it do you feel like to add to the first time since 1971 a true quarter mile bullring to the Cup Series dynamic in addition to like the dirt track last year too? “Yeah, unfortunately it’s not a points paying race right? It is kind of like a pro bowl and I love the fact that NASCAR opened it up for the teams that wouldn’t capable or qualified for the CLASH in its old format. It opens it up to everyone available to qualify for the race, especially for the first one that is such a monumental event that’s going to be this weekend, but my expectations are as high as they have ever been in the Cup Series. Which the bar is set particularly low, because any given week I know that single car speed I haven’t been driving anything faster than a 25^th place car and you know with a couple of Next Gen tests under our belt we have had pretty good speed and I think that this is the most even going into an event in the history of NASCAR you could argue. With the limited amount of notes, the quarter mile racetrack, temporary racetrack that nobody has any notes on it, you know, and everybody is guessing at their simulation. It kind of goes back to old school racing where you try to set the car up based on what you know and align left and get the elbow up and get after it. So, I’m excited to see how much speed we have off the truck and hopefully we can punch our ticket and race on Sunday night.”
WITH THE GRIPPIER TIRE AND THE LARGER BRAKE PACKAGE, DO YOU THINK SHORT TRACK RACING IS GOING TO CHANGE AT ALL OR IS IT STILL BASICALLY SAME OLE MARTINSVILLE AND BULLRING RACING WE HAVE HAD BEFORE? “I think you will see a lot more lock up, like guys come to pit for lock ups. The brakes we had on the Gen 6 car weren’t capable of really, you could lock the tire up a little bit, but the weight of the car far overcame the max potential of the smaller rotors were. Now we are going to have I think more brake than what tire grip we are going to have available when the tires get hot. You are going to see a lot more lock ups into guys when they are racing hard because you are going to be able to go deeper into the corner whether that is Martinsville or Turn 3 at Phoenix or here at LA, you are going to be able to get into the corner deeper but that margin for error for sliding the tires is considerable smaller. So, what you gain in potential and abilities you are going to give up in tire grip once those 18-inch tires get hot they definitely degrade pretty quick. I think it is going to be pretty interesting to watch.”
WHAT WOULD IT MEAN FOR YOU OR ANY COMPETITOR TO WIN THIS FIRST EVENT THIS WEEKEND? FOR YOU PERSONALLY, AT WHAT LEVEL WOULD YOU BE WILLING TO GO? “I mean at the end of the day there are no points on the line, not an exuberant amount of money you know like you are not racing for Daytona 500 money, you are racing, I can promise you first probably pays better than second last time I checked. There’s lots of things you have to consider, which you are not going to consider once you put the helmet on. We are all racecar drivers and that goes out the window with any common sense when you put the visor down. When, let’s just say two potential playoff contenders get into it and they want to fight and beat and bang, that is a thing that can last all season long for something that might not truly be worth it. I do think that anything is going to be worth it to be the first guy to win in the Next Gen car as well as the first guy to win, potentially the only guy to win, in the LA Coliseum. I think there’s going to be a lot of guys going to some great lengths, myself included, to get myself into the show as well as hopefully put ourselves in position to win the show.”
I’M GUESSING THAT YOU GO IN EACH WEEKEND TO GET THE BEST PERFORMANCE AND ANY COMPETITOR WANTS TO WIN, DO YOU LOOK AT THIS EVENT AS THE BEST OPPORTUNITY OR THE MOST REALISTIC OPPORTUNITY FOR YOU TO WIN IN A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF TIME OR JUST SINCE THE LAST SUPERSPEEDWAY RACE? HOW DO YOU VIEW THIS OPPORTUNITY FOR YOU PERSONALLY?  “Yeah, bar none. I’m not going in with just the hopes of making it. I think if we don’t finish in the top seven, I feel like I would be pretty disappointed in myself and our abilities to you know not finish inside the top seven we didn’t do our job as a race team. There is no excuse why we can’t pull the belts tight, make our car have some positive changes and get some good speed out of the thing and contend for a top-10 for sure. It’s different than a speedway. A lot of luck goes into a speedway, and a little bit of luck is going to go into this event just like any race, but you know generally speaking I am riding around waiting for everybody to wreck and then two laps to go jam it in there if we finish sixth then great. Not very fun as a racecar driver riding around hoping everybody wrecks and if they don’t you run 28^th like we did spring Talladega. This is the only the first event where me running to our maximum ambition gives us a chance that we know we might see some fruit on the backend because we are going to have a lot better relative speed than we probably had last year or years previous.”
I REALLY LIKE WHAT I AM HEARING IN YOUR VOICE. YOU KNOW THE CONFIDENCE YOU HAVE. IS IT MORE OF THE UNKOWNS WITH THE CAR OR IS IT THE SHORT TRACK? DO YOU THINK THE SHORT TRACK ITSELF SUITS YOUR TALENT?  “I definitely obviously favor short tracks. It is what I grew up cutting my teeth on, you know had some success there with second and first at Bowman Gray the two times we have been there. That is the closest track that is similar to. I have been to Columbus, Ohio and run well there. It is a quarter mile, more round than the LA Coliseum, so I feel like on paper I’ve got as much stock car experience running quarter mile small tracks that is of anybody in the field as well as our team building solid racecars to have good speed at the last couple Next Gen tests. I think to it’s a little bit of myself like eventually, you know I tweeted this the beginning of the year, I have been paying dues for five years in this thing. It’s like when you play NASCAR 08 career mode and you get in with the crappiest team and then you go to the next team and you keep progressing one team at a time to ultimately where you want to go. Then eight years later you are winning races and championship, that is literally how my career has been and it has been eating a lot of crow and learning a lot of lessons the hard way on LIVE television each and every Sunday that a lot of guys would learn on a Saturday afternoon with a lot less expectations. I think now I have just been telling myself like you belong here. You know I think that now the competition side has to match what I feel like off the racetrack with the podcast and fans understanding my story and the work I have been putting in on the backend. Hopefully with this Next Gen car and the people we have in place at Spire Motorsports we can continue to match the competition graph up to the off-track momentum that I have behind myself. A lot of this is about confidence and if you don’t believe in yourself to get the job done, nobody else will believe in you. So, I know I can get the job done. This the best chance I have had in my Cup Series career and Xfinity Series career probably in the last decade to be competitive and race for not just a win but a top-10 or just be competitive and rub fenders with guys I usually don’t. I know that is a long-winded answer, but I’m confident now until we get really get beat back into submission a couple of weeks into the year. We still have realistic expectations, but you know the longer I get into this and the more I am racing around guys that I respect, I keep telling myself right, wrong or indifferent I’ve paid the dues and I belong in the Cup Series. Hopefully we can start pairing some good runs and good finishes together to enhance that.”
IF THIS IS A SUCCESS, WHERE WOULD YOU LIKE THIS DONE NEXT? LIKE IS THERE A STADIUM OR ANY SORT OF PLACE THAT YOU ARE LIKE MAN THAT WOULD BE COOL TO RACE THERE? “I just keep thinking about the AT&T Stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys. It all depends on the footprint right. I don’t know about footprint of the field and how big it is. That is a state-of-the-art facility down there in Dallas, but if it works here which it will, there’s a couple things that could happen early to derail it but I think everything in NASCAR control has been over and above what has been expected. I think they have done a bang-up job with how the track looks and the pavement of it and everything. The marketing of it has been a homerun as well. I was watching FS1 this morning and there was a little ticker across the bottom talking about it. Talking about Floyd Miller team, so I think that there’s as much momentum behind the sport as ever and I think this event is really going to capture it. Without getting into the details too much about what side of the track would be better or if it could work, AT&T stadium would be pretty slick. If this model works, it could open a lot of doors for the sport for the future.”
YOU TALKED ABOUT IT EARLIER, YOU MENTIONED THE CLASH AND YOU KIND OF WISH IT WAS A POINTS RACE, DOES THAT GIVE US A HINT THAT MAYBE YOU THINK THIS CAR, THE NEW CAR IS A GREAT EQUALIZER THIS YEAR AND YOU ARE REALLY GOING TO HAVE A LOT BETTER SHOT AT BETTER FINISHES AND BEING ON MORE EVEN PAR WITH THOSE UPPER TEAMS? “It is not the great equalizer. It at least makes a Spire Motorsports race apples to apples with a Hendrick Motorsports. Before it was an apples to bananas or oranges or whatever tastes terrible. Asparagus. We weren’t even in the same ballpark. We might have had a car that was a couple of phases old, but we are not getting trinkets that actually makes feet. So, just off raw speed of Charlotte if we had taken our Gen 6 car out to a test like that, we would be wide open and we would be 1.2 to 1.3 seconds off the fastest guy. Nothing I could do behind the wheel to make that thing go any faster. Now when we go back with this Next Gen car, we are trying taller spoiler, shorter spoiler, more horsepower and they land on the package and now we were a fourth to sixth place car out of the 22 or 23 that were there. You are on the edge of sliding around, you are on the edge of busting your ass and you know finding the grip and putting a little bit of that courage back behind the wheel, you can see the gain on the speed chart. Just the bigger teams with the collective minds will probably get to a better baseline quicker than a smaller team with two or three engineers with not a lot of teammates to bounce information off of to compare and then go down a particular path that might work. With that being said, the bigger teams that have four teammates that can try a, b, c package and land on one and continue in that progression will get to a place of their cars are a little bit quicker earlier than a place like ours I believe. We’re still in a place where a Spire Motorsports can hit on a set up and race with any of the guys any given Sunday. Now we don’t expect to do that every Sunday, but our potential races from where we hit on Martinsville or Bristol or Darlington, if a great day previously was 15^th or 18^th, I feel like we can run top-10 on a good day for us. So, I think that gives me a lot of confidence and optimism going into the year.”
DO YOU THINK THAT THIS WILL HELP BRING SOME OF THAT FUN BACK MAYBE THAT YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT NOT HAVING SO MUCH FUN? DO YOU THINK THAT WILL GET A LITTLE MORE FUN? “Well, fun’s relative. I can assure you Kyle Larson had a lot of fun last year. (inaudible) Granted he got on the wheel and got after it and rightfully so got the job done. Got the big trophy, but I’m having a lot more fun even when I am running 30^th than I would be welding seats back here at Lajoie seats. So fun is a perspective and what kind of perspective you are looking at. Now Kyle Busch running 30^th no matter what day it is and no matter what the particular circumstances are is not having fun running 30^th. Fun I think is a loaded question. At the end of the day, I’m doing what I love and what I dreamed of when I was a little kid that I have been working hard my entire life to get to and I am doing it with a team I love going to battle with each and every weekend.”

1991 NASCAR win on Volusia asphalt commemorated with special black-green wrap

BARBERVILLE, FL – Feb. 2, 2022 – From competing at the highest ranks of NASCAR to racing at dirt tracks across the country all season long, Kenny Wallace amassed a fanbase larger than he could’ve imagined. And this year, while he’s not saying goodbye, he’s giving them a final full-time tour with a hint of nostalgia.

Wallace will be scaling back his racing a bit in 2023, after a 38-year professional career in the sport. To celebrate his career accomplishments, he plans on running special designs on his DIRTcar UMP Modified throughout 2022, starting with the track he holds a special merit at – Volusia Speedway Park.

Wallace, of Arnold, MO, holds what is one of the most unique accolades in Volusia’s 50-plus-year history as the only driver to win on the track in both its dirt and asphalt configurations. Volusia spent eight years (1989-1996) as a paved half-mile oval before being converted back to dirt in 1997.

In its time as an asphalt track, Volusia hosted several NASCAR-sanctioned events – including the Busch Grand National Series (present-day Xfinity Series). That’s when Wallace found his way into NASCAR Victory Lane for the first time in his career on March 24, 1991.

“As a competitor, that win at Volusia was everything to me,” he said.

A simple black and green scheme with white accents and yellow trim wrapped his Pontiac Grand Prix that day. Those colors will come to life again during DIRTcar Nationals (Feb. 7-12) when Wallace returns to the Florida track with the rest of the UMP Modified field for the first of six straights nights of racing to decide who takes home the iconic Big Gator trophy.

Wallace will have his Elite Chassis #36 wrapped in those 1991 colors for the entire week, commemorating a day that first sparked his next-level success on the big stage.

“I’m a kid who comes out of St. Louis, living in a single-wide mobile home, making like $20,000 a year, and we go to Volusia,” Wallace said. “We went there and put it all together. I remember qualifying 13th, and we won the race. We were good, and it was a major accomplishment in my life.”

The next time he came back to Volusia, the track was entering its ninth year back on dirt in 2005. Wallace had only started dipping his feet into dirt racing, but it didn’t take long before Volusia felt his impact, winning the second UMP Modified Feature of the 2007 DIRTcar Nationals.

“It’s crazy, we come back in 2005 and we’re like ‘Holy moly, they put dirt on it. What’s going on here?’” Wallace said. “So, I started learning how to race dirt; I just wanted to try it. We come back in 2007, and there’s like 80 cars there, and I won.”

Last year, fellow NASCAR driver and DIRTcar Nationals regular Justin Allgaier captured his first career Big Gator trophy as winner of the Gator Championship race. He previously won a little gator in 2016, and said to this day, the trophy still means more than any other win. Wallace echoed that same sentiment.

“There’s not that many gator trophies out there – they’re very rare,” he said. “There’s 365 days in a year. The gator – there’s only six possible tries.”

READ ALSO – Winning a Big Gator meant ‘more than you’ll know’ to Justin Allgaier

Since 2007, Wallace has added another three gators to his collection. Despite the unique trophy, however, that’s not what keeps him coming back every February.

“Volusia is a place for us all to gather,” Wallace said. “It’s snowing and the weather’s bad [at home]. It’s about going down there, the comradery, it’s live on DIRTVision, everybody around the United States is watching the races.”

After his run at the 51st DIRTcar Nationals, Wallace will return home to his native Missouri and prepare for one last hammer-down, go-all-out season as a full-time race car driver. The million-dollar question asks – why now? His answer is quite simple.

“It is true that I’m a hardcore racer, but I don’t think that I need to race the entirety of my life ‘til death – that’s not important to me,” Wallace said. “I’ll be 59 in August. It just seemed like it was the right time to slow down.”

Though he’s never been known as a “Sprint Car guy,” Wallace has looked-up to many of the greats with The Greatest Show on Dirt. He took many of their teachings into his own career, including his decision to scale-back.

“I studied the king, Steve Kinser,” Wallace said. “His last year with the World of Outlaws was at 60 years old.”

Like so many other motorsports greats have done before, Wallace is also getting the urge to dive into his post-racing career plans.

“Even Tony Stewart races when he wants to; he doesn’t run a full open-wheel series,” he said. “I felt like I needed to do that. I felt like I needed to give myself an opportunity to… get a motorhome, take my grandbabies around, and do what I wanna do.”

But until he decides to hang up the helmet for good, his legions of fans can still catch him at several dirt tracks around the nation. Wallace said he expects to race around 50 nights in 2022, including a few on the DIRTcar Summit Racing Equipment Modified Nationals trail. After that, he’s taking his daily driver pickup truck, his 28-foot trailer, and going racing when and where he feels like it.

As always, his signature, nonstop social media presence will remain as active as it ever has been – with or without racing. He’s never been shy about sharing advice on racing or life with his followers and took a moment to offer-up something he’d tell that teenage version of himself, now an accomplished superstar, heading south to Volusia before that victorious day in 1991.

“People will tell you that you have time, and you don’t. Start going after what you want right now,” Wallace said. “I’m not saying go running around with your tail on fire, I’m saying do it now and go after it.”

Don’t miss Kenny Wallace and the rest of the DIRTcar UMP Modified field take on six-straight nights in the 51st DIRTcar Nationals at Volusia Speedway Park, Feb. 7-12. Buy a ticket, stream live on DIRTVision, and keep up with all the latest DIRTcar Racing news and content by following on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Volusia Speedway Park will host the UMP Modifieds, DIRTcar Pro Late Models and World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars in the kickoff to the 51st DIRTcar Nationals on Monday, Feb. 7. All 12 nights of the event, which also features the World of Outlaws Late Models, All-Star Circuit of Champions Sprint Cars, Xtreme Outlaw Sprint Cars and Super DIRTcar Series Big Block Modifieds, can be streamed live on DIRTVision.

Batavia, OH (February 2, 2022) – The Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series speedweeks continues with a stop at All-Tech Raceway for the General Tire Winter Nationals – Presented by LINE-X, on February 3rd – 5th. Teams will compete in three single day events for the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series. Thursday’s main event will be 40 laps paying $10,000-to-win, Friday’s 50-lap A-Main event will pay $12,000-to-win, and Saturday’s $15,000-to-win A-Main event will also be 50 laps. Hot Laps, Allstar Performance Time Trials, Heat Races, B-Main(s), and an A-Main event will take place each day for the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series. The street stock division will also be in competition with full shows every day. There will be a 5:00PM ET driver’s meeting each day with hot laps beginning at 5:30PM ET.  Saturday’s program kicks off with a Dirt Racing Outreach Service at 3:30 PM ET. The grandstands open at 3:00PM ET each day. MAVTV Plus will have live streaming of every race night, all year long. Sign up or find more information at: mavtvplus.com. Fans unable to attend the event in person can watch Saturday, February 5th live on the MAVTV Motorsports Network. To find a full list of providers, visit: mavtv.com/get-mavtv/providers. Track Information:All-Tech RacewayPhone Number: 386-754-7223Location: 1024 SW Howell Rd, Lake City, FL 32024Website: www.alltechraceway.comDirections: Take Exit 414 (Lake City/High Springs), turn left on SR41 towards High Springs, go approximately 1/4 mile to SW Howell Rd. (next to Marathon Station), turn right, then go approximately 3/4 mile to the track on the left. Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Tire Rule:Left Rear/Fronts – Hoosier Rib (28.5) 1300Right Rear – Hoosier (29.0) 1300 NRM, (29.0) 1300 NRMW, (92) LM40*Must use the same set of 4 tires for Time Trials, Heat Races, and B-Mains.*For the A-Main, competitors may use 1 new right rear tire.*Flat tire must be replaced with a used tire of the same compound and construction to retain starting position. General Tire Winter Nationals – Presented by LINE-X Purses:Thursday 2/3 – 1. $10,000, 2. $5,500, 3. $3,500, 4. $2,700, 5. $2,500, 6. $2,300, 7. $2,200, 8. $2,100, 9. $2,050, 10. $2,000, 11. $1,600, 12. $1,400, 13. $1,200, 14. $1,000, 15. $950, 16. $925, 17. $900, 18. $875, 19. $850, 20. $825, 21. $800, 22. $800, 23. $800, 24. $800 = $48,575 Friday 2/4 – 1. $12,000, 2. $6,000, 3. $3,500, 4. $2,800, 5. $2,500, 6. $2,300, 7. $2,200, 8. $2,100, 9. $2,050, 10. $2,000, 11. $1,600, 12. $1,400, 13. $1,200, 14. $1,100, 15. $1,050, 16. $1,000, 17. $1,000, 18. $1,000, 19. $1,000, 20. $1,000, 21. $1,000, 22. $1,000, 23. $1,000, 24. $1,000 = $52,800 Saturday 2/5 – 1. $15,000, 2. $6,500, 3. $3,500, 4. $3,000, 5. $2,500, 6. $2,400, 7. $2,300, 8. $2,200, 9. $2,100, 10. 2,000, 11. $1,600, 12. $1,400, 13. $1,300, 14. $1,200, 15. $1,050, 16. $1,000, 17. $1,000, 18. $1,000, 19. $1,000, 20. $1,000, 21. $1,000, 22. $1,000, 23. $1,000, 24. $1,000 = 57,050          About General Tire:General Tire for over 100 years has offered a complete quality line of ultra-high performance, passenger, light truck, off-road and commercial tires to meet all your needs. To learn more about General Tire, visit: www.generaltire.com. About LINE-X:LINE-X® is a global leader in protective coatings development and availability. They are the only franchised network in North America specializing in the automotive aftermarket and wide-ranging protective coatings services. Their passion for protection and innovation has expanded LINE-X applications beyond bedliners into other areas of the automotive aftermarket – like specialty automotive coatings and accessories – as well as the commercial, industrial, and manufacturing realms. For more information visit: www.linex.com.

About Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt SeriesFounded in 2005, the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series showcases the talents of the top dirt late model drivers from across the country. In 2022, the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series will sanction 65 events across 18 states, including some of the biggest marquee events in the industry, providing dirt slinging, sideways, door-to-door racing action lap after lap.  The series receives national exposure through a television package filmed, produced and edited by Lucas Oil Production Studios. Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series events will be streamed live on MAVTV Plus, with broadcasts on MAVTV Motorsports Network.

The Parish, NY driver hopes to build off a strong 2021 season, starting with the DIRTcar Sportsman South of the Border Showdown at Lake View Motor Speedway NICHOLS, SC – Feb. 2, 2022 – The cliché, “what a difference a year can make,” is more of an understatement for Zach Sobotka as he enters 2022 with the biggest wave of momentum in his career.This time last year, the Parish, NY driver took his small Sportsman operation south to Lake View Motor Speedway with no knowledge of the track and a handful of accomplishments under his belt. This year, Sobotka will enter the DIRTcar Sportsman South of the Border Showdown (Feb. 3-5) as a prime contender, having won the most prestigious Sportsman race in 2021 – the Chevrolet Performance 75 during NAPA Super DIRT Week.“It’s obviously one of the biggest races that you can win in a Sportsman,” Sobotka said. “That boosted my confidence going into this season. Especially for going out of town to new tracks because we only race at Oswego (Speedway) once a year. That definitely boosted my confidence and opened me up to different things to try with the car.”Along with his Super DIRT Week victory last year, Sobotka earned nine DIRTcar Sportsman trophies, the Brewerton Speedway track championship and finished second overall in the DIRTcar Sportsman points. All accomplished with the three-band team of himself, his father and grandfather.With a wealth of confidence in their pockets, they’ll try to spend it for more success in 2022, starting with the three-day South of the Border Showdown at Lake View Motor Speedway. More than $27,000 will be on the line for DIRTcar Sportsman drivers throughout the three days. For the Features, Thursday night will pay $1,000-to-win, Friday night will pay $2,000-to-win and Saturday night will pay $3,000-to-win.“It’s definitely awesome we get to have races like this,” Sobotka said. “Most classes up here (in New York) don’t get the chance to go out of town and go to all these different tracks. Definitely allows the Sportsman and Modified guys to do that. Definitely pretty cool.”Last year, the event was only two days and Sobotka earned a top-10 the first night and then finished outside the top-20 the second. This year, with some notes in his back pocket, he said he has the confidence they can come in and run with the best. And along with going to have fun, the event is a chance for Sobotka to learn, as well.“I personally like going to out-of-town races,” he said. “I like going to new tracks and trying to learn from different style race tracks to bring back to my local tracks. I believe it helps me out more. The more we travel the more it helps out, I think locally.“[Lake View Motor Speedway] is a fun track. Definitely different from what we race on around here. It’s a different racing surface with the red clay. You don’t really know what tires to use. But it’s definitely a fun track.”While there’s a new Bicknell chassis sitting at home, he’s bringing his 2021 car down south, knowing its winning potential. He plans on using the older car throughout the year, mixing it in with his new car as he runs weekly at Brewerton Speedway and Land of Legends Raceway, and on the DIRTcar Sportsman tour.Circled on that list is a return to Oswego Speedway for the 50th NAPA Super DIRT Week (Oct. 3-9). While he joked, he’d rather say he won the 50th addition than the 49th, he added “back-to-back” winner sounds even better.“We’re excited to go back and try to make it two in a row,” Sobotka said. “It would mean a lot to our racing program because [our program] is not anything big. We don’t have a lot, so it would definitely mean a lot to be able to do that.”A win, or good showing, at Lake View Motor Speedway would go a long way to helping build momentum to that again. You never know “what a difference a year can make.”For updates on the DIRTcar Sportsman Modifieds, following the division on Twitter and for the full DIRTcar Sportsman regional schedules, CLICK HERE.

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

NASCAR CUP SERIES LOS ANGELES MEMORIAL COLISEUM BUSCH LIGHT CLASH AT THE COLISEUM TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT FEBRUARY 2, 2022 WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 VALVOLINE CAMARO ZL1, Press Conference Transcript:  THE DRIVERS HAVE NO IDEA WHAT TO EXPECT AT THE COLISEUM, BUT FROM WHAT WE HAVE BEEN TOLD THIS IS A HEAVIER CAR AND WITH ALL OF THE DIFFERENT FEELS YOU HAVE WITH THIS CAR, WHAT IS THE CLEAREST THING THAT YOU CAN EXPLAIN TO US FROM THE DRIVER’S SEAT THE DIFFERENCE IN THE FEEL? “I think just the steering. It is a rack and pinion so kind of like a super late model. The steering box that we used to run is definitely a lot slower, so I feel like going down the straightaway is slower and you have more time to move your hands. Honestly the steering rack I think is an improvement and I really like it so far. It takes a little bit getting used to for the first couple laps on the track every time we go to a new track but overall I think it is definitely an improvement. Something that will kind of make moves a little bit easier, especially on the speedway races to kind of make moves around people. Honestly the brakes are a little bit different. They stop a little bit better than the previous car, but not a whole lot different. Honestly the cars from Phoenix is not that different feeling wise of how it drives versus the old car. I am pretty optimistic for how it drives already” OBVIOUSLY, THIS WEEKEND’S EVENT IS A NEW EVENT. WE ARE SEEING THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS A LOT MORE SHORT TRACKS OR CLOSE COMPETITION TYPE OF SITUATIONS. THE CAR IS SUPPOSED TO BRING YOU GUYS CLOSER TOGETHER, OBVIOUSLY THAT CAN LEAD TO MORE CONTACT, CONFLICT AND DRAMA. HOW DO YOU AS A DRIVER, CERTAINLY YOU HAVE YOUR PERSONAL CODE AND HOW YOU DO THINGS, BUT HOW HAS THAT FORCED YOU TO REACT IN DIFFERENT WAYS OR HOW HAVE YOU HAD TO REASSES THAT IF AT ALL IN THESE TYPES OF SITUATIONS THAT YOU GUYS ARE BEING PUT MORE AND MORE INTO AND LIKELY BE PUT MORE AND MORE INTO IN THE FUTURE AND HAVE TO FACE THESE SITUATIONS? “I think it is great for the sport to have more of these tracks. I mean it is definitely, I think you leave these tracks feeling rewarded as a team and as a driver to do well at a place like Martinsville, which feel I like this place is going to be similar to. There is definitely a lot more conflict I’d say, you kind of pick and choose your battles. This race isn’t that long, so you are not going to have a lot of chances to kind of give and take. I think it is going to be a lot more take for most of these guys, but I mean overall I think it is good to pick and choose your battles and what you think it important. If you have the pace in the car and the speed to pass guys, then it is going to be a lot easier than trying to defend. I mean if you are defending you are kind of at the mercy of the guy behind you, but hopefully we are fast enough we can be the one making the moves and be the one making the passes.” It hasn’t been that long since you were doing bullring style racing in your short track days and we have dirt race now. How important is it do you feel, if at all, to have that kind of racing be represented in the Cup Series again? It has been since 1971 that the Cup Series has raced at Bowman Gray. “I think it’s important, I don’t know, you know there are a lot of awesome tracks around the country like the fairgrounds people have talked about and places like Hickory. There are a lot of cool tracks that have a lot of character that I think would be cool to see some of the series go to. But yeah, I think that background for me definitely helps. Kind of gets you back to that mindset you’re not air blocking as much you are doing more so just racing your car against the other guys and you aren’t worried about aero and what that implication is for the guy behind you. I think anytime that is less of a story and we are talking about pure driving and how to use the brakes and the throttle around the track is good. I think it is going to be great. I don’t know how this track is going to race, but I certainly think there are a lot of good tracks out there we could be going to.” ONE TECHNICAL QUESTION. YOU MENTIONED THE BRAKES AND THE TIRES, HOW IS THIS BIG BRAKE PACKAGE AND THE GRIPPIER TIRE GOING TO CHANGE THE DYNAMIC OF REAL SHORT TRACK RACING AT LIKE THE LA COLISEUM AND MARTINSVILLE? IS IT GOING TO BE THE SAME SHORT TRACK RACING THAT WE HAVE ALWAYS KNOWN? “I think so. From what I saw at Phoenix the car wasn’t that different than the previous car. I think the tire is a little bit gummier than what we had in the past, so I think that is a good thing. It seems to really be receptive to the track and the brakes honestly, I thought were going to be a lot more powerful than they are, but they are just a little bit different. Maybe instead of braking at the three mark at Phoenix, you brake at the two, so it is maybe 50 feet different. It is not massive, so I think you are going to see similar racing to what we have had in the past everything is just going to be a little bit quicker.” GOING TO THIS RACE AT THE COLESIUM SO MUCH IS PUT INTO THIS IS GOING TO BE ENTERTAINING, IT’S DIFFERENT, IT’S GOING TO BE FUN. THERE IS HYPE IN PACKAGES AND DON’T BE THE LEADER GOING INTO TURN 3 ON THE LAST LAP, ARE YOU OK WITH THAT? ARE YOU OK WITH THE FACT THAT WE ARE GOING HERE AND EVERYONE IS EXPECTING IT TO BE WILD AND DIFFERENT AND BASICALLY IF CARNAGE HAPPENS CARNAGE HAPPENS? ARE YOU OK WITH THAT? “Yeah definitely. The fact that it’s an exhibition race opens up a lot of things to try. I definitely commend NASCAR for doing some of the things with the platform and the format and all of that stuff. So, I think it’s great and yeah I would feel a little different about it if it was a points race, but I think it’s great to have events like this when it is really about the fans and trying to put on a good race and hopefully pride for the teams to try to win. We want to put our best foot forward and try to win on Sunday because that sets the tone for the rest of the year so that is important to us, but it is a little different event because it is a non-points race. I’m looking forward to it and kind of don’t know what I have to I get there.” What is it about what you are seeing, and I know you have been on IRACING RUNNING THE COLESIUM WHAT IS IT THAT IS REMINDING YOU OF MARTINSVILLE? “Yeah, I think just the shape of the track. I mean Bowman Gray when I raced there is a little bit rounder and the corners are a little bit maybe bigger than these corners, so I think the corners are tighter here which kind of makes it like Martinsville because Martinsville has pretty long straightaways and tight corners, so I think you are going to see a lot of the same things. That is kind of my idea, but we will have to see when we get there of what it really races like.” I AM DOING A STORY ON JEFF GORDON AND HIS NEW ROLE. HE HAS BEEN THERE QUITE A LOT EVEN WHEN HE WAS WORKING FOR FOX, AS HE HAS BEEN MORE INVOLVED WITH THE TEAM OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS HOW HAS YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH HIM CHANGED PERSONALLY? “Yeah, I think Jeff (Gordon) and I, I’m the closest with him out of all the drivers that used to race. So, I think he has been a big asset for me and all the guys and I feel like he has been close to the team but over the last like year and a half he has gotten really close with all of us and I probably talk to him once a week or once every couple weeks about things. His advice is definitely valuable, so big fan of him being on board with us fulltime and I see him around the shop more than I did probably when he was working for FOX so that’s cool. Yeah, I think it is going to be a good thing.” OBVIOUSLY, I KNOW THAT YOU GREW UP AS AN AVID RACING AND NASCAR FAN, BUT FOR US ON THE WEST COAST THAT NORMALLY ISN’T THE STORY. WHAT WOULD HAVE TO SAY TO PROSPECTIVE FANS ON THIS SIDE OF THE COUNTRY AND WHY SHOULD THEY BUY INTO OR FOLLOW NASCAR? “I think it’s just an ultra-competitive sport. You only have 36 to 40 guys out there and you only have one guy that wins, so I think it is very competitive. Your probability of winning is kind of low, but I think it really kind of something that people can cling to. The fact that it’s somewhat relatable and I don’t know it’s just exciting. When you go to a race for the first time and you hear the cars and understand what it is about, it’s a lot different than TV. I think having a chance to get people out to the track and kind of understand what it is like really shows the sense of speed and danger maybe that we are all doing.” AND TO THAT WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO SAY ABOUT NASCAR’S MOVE TO DO THE CLASH THIS YEAR AT THE COLESIUM IN ORDER TO DRAW UP SOME MORE FANS ON THE WEST COAST? ‘I think it’s great. It seems to be hard to kind of get people out to Auto Club Speedway sometimes, so I think it’s great to kind of have it closer to the cities. I am all for doing more races around the cities. I think that’s a pretty cool idea. I think we see it with F1 a little bit and some of the different series, so excited for that and I think it is going to put on a great show.” JUST SIMPLE, WHAT ARE YOU MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO THE MOST THIS WEEKEND? “Looking forward to just being out in a different environment. Looking forward to how cool it is going to look at that place, you know fill it up with fans. I have never raced in an atmosphere like that. I think the closest thing is Bristol and that’s an awesome environment when you pull off pit road for the race, so I think it’s going to be a really cool adrenaline rush kind of seeing how that plays out and seeing how it is before the race.” GOING BACK TO THE SIM AND IRACING SIDE OF THINGS, YOU’RE E-NASCAR COKE DRIVER NICK OTTINGER FINISHED FIFTH LAST NIGHT AND HAD A COUPLE OF RACE SESSIONS. HAS HE TOLD YOU ANYTHING ABOUT THE TRACK AND HAVE YOU HAD DISCUSSIONS WITH HIM ON THAT? “Yeah we text quite a bit, so yeah I kind of pick his brain a little bit from what I can learn from him and the iRacing side. I get a chance to go to the Chevrolet SIM after this and run the Coliseum for the first time, so you know excited for that. Hopefully I can learn some things that I can apply when we get there.” I KNOW THE HAULERS ALREADY LEFT FOR LA, SO I KNOW YOU HAVENT LEFT YET SINCE YOU ARE IN YOUR APARTMENT. DOES THE TEAM PLAN TO DO ANYTHING FOR FUN WHILE THEY ARE IN LA BEFORE PRACTICE? “I don’t know about fun. I think they’ve got their hands full, but yeah maybe I will go have some fun before the weekend. I get out there Friday, so I think there will be plenty of fun at the racetrack.”   WITH THE IRACING EVENTS THAT THEY HAD IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE LA COLISEUM AND BEFORE IT WAS ANNOUNCED, DID YOU PARTICIPATE IN ANY OF THOSE AND DID YOU GIVE ANY FEEDBACK TO NASCAR ABOUT THE TRACK DEVELOPMENT? “Yeah definitely. They came to me back in I think August/September to ask me about the track and what I thought so I got a chance to run a few laps on it and kind of get a feel for it. Definitely a cool track and feel like it’s got a lot of potential. Pretty cool to see it all come together through iRacing, so that’s pretty neat. Hopefully it turns out good for the fans.”

Sheppard, Schatz Form Late Model Bond; Speak on FriendshipThe World of Outlaws Champions Teamed Up to Run the Gateway Dirt Nationals in DecemberBARBERVILLE, FL – February 2, 2022 – Legendary car builder Henry Ford once said,”If everyone is moving forward together, then success takes care of itself.”Donny Schatz and Brandon Sheppard are no strangers to success—reaching the World of Outlaws’ pinnacle multiple times. While the two champions have built success on their own, they’re also making it together… And it all started with a beer. The “Rocket Shepp” teamed up with the 10-time World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars champion in December, finishing fourth in Schatz’s Late Model at the Gateway Dirt Nationals. It was the second time the two joined forces for the event – the first coming in 2019. Their dynamic partnership formed over drinks at DIRTcar Nationals earlier that season after they both wrapped up a day of Late Model racing. “We were at the races at Volusia (Speedway Park) one night where afterward we were discussing the evening and having a beer, and we got talking about races here and there,” Schatz said. “We got talking about the [Gateway Dirt Nationals], which had happened a couple of months prior.” That conversation led to an idea, and soon after a deal was made for St. Louis. “He was [at Volusia] racing his Late Model, and we were just all hanging out one night, and the next thing you know, we had a deal put together for the dome,” Sheppard said. The Fargo, ND driver stated it was an opportunity he had to take, knowing the chance of having a Late Model champion drive his car wouldn’t come often.   “If Brandon Sheppard says he’ll drive your car, I better jump,” Schatz said. “Obviously, Brandon’s a world class driver, and anytime you can go to a one-off event like that, and you can have the results you have, and the enjoyment and fun in it, that definitely makes it worthwhile.” The tandem had immediate results that December as Sheppard finished second to Tyler Carpenter. That conversation at “The World’s Fastest Half-Mile” continued the bond they share on and off the track. It’s allowed Sheppard to keep tabs on Schatz’s Sprint Car program.  “We’ve become pretty good friends over the past five or six years, me racing for Mark [Richards] and just hanging out with him and working on stuff,” Sheppard said. “I’ve really kept up with his Sprint Car deal a lot more since I got to know him.  He’s just a great guy and for him to let me drive his car is cool, and we all have a lot of fun going and doing that.” The friendship between the two drivers also extends to the Rocket1 Racing team, allowing Schatz to get a better feel for his car when he races with the World of Outlaws Late Models.  “The guys at Rocket, Mark [Richards], Brandon, Danny [White], all of them guys, it’s just who they are to help anytime I come and race,” Schatz said. “They seem to enjoy anytime we come around and race with them, and they make sure I get my car as close as I can, and if we need assistance with something, or telling us something we don’t know how to do, they always do that. “They don’t owe me anything; they just do it because it’s who they are. It’s neat to have that relationship with them, and it makes me feel confident that I know I’m going to be halfway close because me going into a Late Model is like a duck being out of the water.” Sheppard was quick to praise the World of Outlaws Sprint Car star and stated Schatz brings a different approach to driving a car with fenders.  “[Schatz] and Mark [Richards] talk more than anything,” Sheppard said. “We try to point him in the right direction to be able to get the job done, and he does a really good job for racing the Late Model as little as he does, so it’s fun to work with him and hang out with him. He brings a different mindset and a different aspect to it, so we probably learn some stuff from him too.” While Sheppard only drives Schatz’s car once a year, Schatz still gets behind the wheel himself from time to time —most recently at the NGK NTK World Finals and the Wild West Shootout. The Fargo, ND driver wouldn’t rule out a full-time run once he’s done with Sprint Cars. “I’ve raced the [World of Outlaws] Sprint Car Series for a lot of years, but it’d be cool to do the [World of Outlaws Late Models] Series one time,” Schatz said. “If not, maybe I’d want to do it all the time. I don’t know, but that’s somewhere down the road. “I still enjoy it; I still have a lot of fun, but I also have the next generation in our family who’s dabbling into bigger cars now, and they might have that opportunity before I do.” Schatz’s nieces are making their way up the racing ladder, trying to follow in Donny’s footsteps. He says there’s a possibility of seeing them behind the wheel of a family-owned car in the future.  “I think in today’s age, just like when I started racing, it’s hard to go drive for someone else because you can’t progress and learn unless you have someone that makes a huge commitment,” Schatz said. “I think obviously those kids are going to have to drive cars that are owned by the family for some time until they progress, and hopefully they progress quicker than I did. But yeah, there’s some opportunity there, and I think it’s the only way you can control what it is they do all the time and control the way they race. That’s probably in line with having some sort of ownership role.” When you hear Schatz and Sheppard’s names, success immediately comes to mind. The two drivers keep moving forward both on their own and together, allowing the sensation of victory to take care of itself. The two drivers hope to continue that success with a push toward another Series championship when the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars and World of Outlaws Late Models return to Volusia Speedway Park for DIRTcar Nationals Feb. 7-19. For Tickets: CLICK HERE.   If you can’t make it to the track, watch all the action live on DIRTVision – either online on with the DIRTVision App.

The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink® Sprint Car Series is brought to fans across the country by many important sponsors and partners, including: NOS Energy Drink (Official Energy Product), DIRTVision (Official Live Broadcast Partner), Hoosier Racing Tire (Official Tire), iRacing (Official Online Racing Game), SIS Insurance (Official Insurance Provider) and VP Racing Fuels (Official Racing Fuel); contingency sponsors include ARP (Automotive Racing Products), Cometic Gasket, COMP Cams, KSE Racing Products (Hard Charger Award), Micro-Lite LLC, MSD and Slick Woody’s (Quick Time Award); manufacturer sponsors include FIREBULL, Intercomp, K1 Race Gear, and Racing Electronics.

The World of Outlaws Late Model Series is brought to fans across the country by many important sponsors and partners, including: DIRTVision (Official Live Broadcast Partner), Hoosier Racing Tire (Official Tire), iRacing (Official Online Racing Game), SIS Insurance (Official Insurance Provider) VP Racing Fuels (Official Racing Fuel); contingency sponsors include Arizona Sport Shirts/Gotta Race, ARP (Automotive Racing Products), Cometic Gasket, COMP Cams, Fox Factory (Hard Charger Award), MSD, Penske Racing Shocks, Quarter Master, Slick Woody’s (Quick Time Award), and Wrisco–Wieland Metal Services (Exclusive Racing Aluminum); along with manufacturer sponsors, including: Capital Race Cars, FIREBULL, Integra Shocks, Intercomp, K1 Race Gear, Racing Electronics, Reliable Painting, and Rocket Chassis.

February 2, 2022

NASCAR’s decision to move the car numbers on the Next Gen car from the traditional center of the door to the front of the car has created an opportunity for co-primary sponsors on the No. 21 Ford Mustang that Harrison Burton will drive in the Daytona 500.

The Wood Brothers’ long-time backer, Motorcraft/Quick Lane, will have its logos on the hood and quarter panels of the No. 21 Mustang. DEX Imaging, the nation’s largest independent office equipment dealer and long-time supporter of Burton throughout his climb up the racing ladder, will be represented on the new door space.

Burton, making his official full-time Cup debut at Daytona, said having those two sponsors sharing top billing on his Mustang is “an unbelievably cool experience.”
 
“DEX has been with me since I was 13 and has helped me along the way,” Burton said. “And Motorcraft is one of the most historic and storied sponsors ever.”
 
“I’m excited to represent them both. Motorcraft has a long, successful history at Daytona and has won the 500. And I’m happy to be a part of adding DEX to the fold.”
 
The two sponsors seem to be as enthusiastic as Burton about their racing programs.

“Everyone at Motorcraft/Quick Lane is thrilled to begin our 22nd season as the primary sponsor of Wood Brothers Racing,” said Jon Orth, Marketing Manager for Ford Customer Service Division (FCSD). “We’re looking forward to an exciting 2022 campaign with rookie driver Harrison taking the wheel of the new Next Gen Ford Mustang. We’re also pleased to welcome DEX Imaging as a co-sponsor of the No. 21 car at the Daytona 500 and throughout this year.”

Nancy Lycan, Chief Marketing Officer of DEX Imaging, expressed similar sentiments.

“DEX Imaging is proud and excited to be kicking off the 2022 season at Daytona with Harrison,” Lycan said. “We’ve come a long way together and anticipate more great performances from Harrison as he debuts in the Cup Series.”
  
Burton said that joining the elite Cup Series is a major challenge for a young driver, but he’s up to the task even though he has just one prior Cup start, last year at Talladega. 
  
This year is different, as the entire Cup field will be adjusting to an all-new Next Gen race car. Burton said that offers some advantage for him, but not as much as one might think. 
  
“Being a rookie in Cup is always hard, and no car is going to change that,” he said. “The drivers in the Cup Series are the best in the business. It’s going to be a transition period for them too, so this is the best time for me to make the transition to Cup.”
 
Qualifying for the 64^th running of the Daytona 500 is set for Feb.16 at 8:05 p.m. The Duel qualifying races are scheduled to start at 7 p.m. on Feb. 17, and the Daytona 500 rolls off on Sunday, Feb. 20, at 2:30 p.m., with TV coverage on FOX.

Ocala, FL (February 1, 2022) – One night after finishing second to Tim McCreadie, Devin Moran came back with vengeance on Tuesday Night. Leading wire-to-wire with a convincing victory over a stout field of competitors, Moran picked up the win on night two in the K&N Filters Winter Nationals Presented by Optima Batteries at Bubba Raceway Park. Just 24 hours earlier Moran took the lead from McCreadie on the white flag lap but slid up high in turn four, losing to the defending series champion by one car length at the stripe. Tyler Erb tried in vain to catch the 27-year-old Ohio racer but came up nearly 3 seconds behind him at the finish line. Ricky Thornton Jr, a winner last year at Bubba’s earned the Optima Batteries Hard Charger of the Race by taking third after starting 16th. Brandon Sheppard crossed the line in fourth with pole sitter Shane Clanton rounding out the top five drivers. Moran was in control for the entire race, taking the lead at the start of the race with last year’s finale winner at Bubba’s last February, Clanton running in second. Clanton ran in second until lap 15 when eighth place starter, Erb made his entrance into second getting by Clanton. As Moran entered traffic with nine laps to go, it appeared that Erb would have a shot at him. A caution flag would clear out lapped traffic for Moran to become the second repeat winner of the season. In Lucas Oil Victory Lane for the second time in 2022 and for the fourth time in his career Moran will maintain the series point lead heading to All-Tech on Thursday. “The biggest thing tonight was that we didn’t make any mistakes. I talked to my dad today, I was pretty down after last night. He said, ‘we are all human and we make mistakes, just don’t make any big enough to cost you the race or affect the outcome.’ It’s so fun to run this good. They did a good job on the track. It was a little narrow, but if he works on it a little more, he is going to have an awesome track here.” It was Erb’s best series finish of the year, coming home in second. “I needed another lane and a horseshoe because he has been really good. We are just happy to run second, we had a rough heat race. We ran fourth the first race at Golden Isles and we have only run five races, so I am not sweating bullets yet. We’re knocking down finishes that’s all you can ask for.” Thornton, the reigning series rookie-of-the-year rounded out the podium in third. “I was really good around the bottom early. Some of the other guys were tight and they would slide up the track. We got up to fifth and I was kind of content with that. I got a couple of lucky restarts there and we were able to get a couple more spots. This is a confidence booster after Golden Isles.” The winner’s Tye Twarog-owned Longhorn Chassis is powered by a Clements Racing Engine and sponsored by C&W Trucking, CarSourceAuto.com, Bilstein Shocks, Eibach Springs, Tri-Valley Equipment Sales, Accuforce Dynos and Testers, McHugh Chrysler, Doge, Jeep, Ram and Fiat, Igimage.com, J.R. Hall Properties, LLC, Red Oak Rub, Haskell’s Haulin’, and Tommy Pope Construction. Completing the top ten were Earl Pearson Jr., Hudson O’Neal, Chase Junghans, Garrett Alberson, and Daulton Wilson. Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Race Summary K&N Filters Winter Nationals Presented by eBay MotorsTuesday, February 1st, 2022Bubba Raceway Park – Ocala, FL Allstar Performance Time TrialsFast Time Group A: Shane Clanton / 14.211 seconds Fast Time Group B: Devin Moran / 13.907 seconds (overall) Penske Race Shocks Heat Race #1 Finish (8 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 25-Shane Clanton[1]; 2. 46-Earl Pearson Jr[3]; 3. 2D-Dan Stone[2]; 4. 99B-Boom Briggs[5]; 5. 76B-Blair Nothdurft[4]; 6. C02-Ryan Markham[6]; 7. (DNS) 7T-Drake Troutman Summit Racing Equipment Heat Race #2 Finish (8 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 18J-Chase Junghans[2]; 2. 1R-Josh Richards[3]; 3. 20-Jimmy Owens[4]; 4. 7-Ross Robinson[1]; 5. 97-Cody Overton[5]; 6. 10J-Joseph Joiner[6] Simpson Race Products Heat Race #3 Finish (8 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 40B-Kyle Bronson[1]; 2. 71-Hudson O’Neal[4]; 3. 28E-Dennis Erb Jr[3]; 4. 6S-Blake Spencer[5]; 5. 11-Spencer Hughes[2]; 6. 503-Jason Miles[6] Ohlins Shocks Heat Race #4 Finish (8 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 9-Devin Moran[1]; 2. 58W-Mark Whitener[8]; 3. 1T-Tyler Erb[5]; 4. 10-Garrett Smith[4]; 5. 18D-Daulton Wilson[7]; 6. 11K-Austin Kirkpatrick[6]; 7. 16-Tyler Bruening[3]; 8. 2S-Stormy Scott[2] eBay Motors Heat Race #5 Finish (8 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 1S-Brandon Sheppard[2]; 2. 89-Ashton Winger[1]; 3. 20RT-Ricky Thornton Jr[3]; 4. 81E-Tanner English[4]; 5. 1ST-Johnny Scott[5]; 6. 30-Todd Cooney[6]; 7. 1A-Tyler Clem[7] Super Clean Heat Race #6 Finish (8 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 39-Tim McCreadie[1]; 2. 58-Garrett Alberson[2]; 3. 3S-Brian Shirley[4]; 4. 157-Mike Marlar[5]; 5. 33-Jeff Mathews[6]; 6. 19R-Ryan Gustin[3]; 7. 17SS-Brenden Smith[7] Fast Shafts B-Main #1 Finish (10 Laps, Top 2 Transfer): 1. 99B-Boom Briggs[1]; 2. 7-Ross Robinson[2]; 3. 11-Spencer Hughes[6]; 4. 6S-Blake Spencer[3]; 5. 97-Cody Overton[5]; 6. 76B-Blair Nothdurft[4]; 7. C02-Ryan Markham[7]; 8. 503-Jason Miles[9]; 9. (DNS) 10J-Joseph Joiner; 10. (DNS) 7T-Drake Troutman UNOH B-Main #2 Finish (10 Laps, Top 2 Transfer): 1. 18D-Daulton Wilson[1]; 2. 157-Mike Marlar[3]; 3. 81E-Tanner English[2]; 4. 1ST-Johnny Scott[5]; 5. 33-Jeff Mathews[6]; 6. 30-Todd Cooney[8]; 7. 1A-Tyler Clem[11]; 8. 17SS-Brenden Smith[12]; 9. (DNF) 11K-Austin Kirkpatrick[4]; 10. (DNS) 16-Tyler Bruening; 11. (DNS) 19R-Ryan Gustin; 12. (DNS) 2S-Stormy Scott; 13. (DNS) 58W-Mark Whitener Lucas Oil Feature Finish (40 Laps):

Race StatisticsEntrants: 46Lap Leaders: Devin Moran (Laps 1 – 40)Wrisco Feature Winner: Devin MoranArizona Sport Shirts Crown Jewel Cup Feature Winner: n/aBrandon Ford TV Challenge Feature Winner: n/aMargin of Victory: 2.955 secondsStop-Tech Cautions: Ashton Winger (Lap 6); Kyle Bronson (Lap 23); Josh Richards (Lap 30); Garrett Smith (Lap 31); Tim McCreadie (Lap 31)Series Provisionals: Stormy Scott, Spencer HughesFast Time Provisional: n/aSeries Emergency Provisionals: n/aTrack Provisionals: n/aBig River Steel Podium Top 3: Devin Moran, Tyler Erb, Ricky Thornton JrPenske Shocks Top 5: Devin Moran, Tyler Erb, Ricky Thornton Jr, Brandon SheppardOptima Batteries Hard Charger of the Race: Ricky Thornton Jr (Advanced 13 Positions)Midwest Sheet Metal Spoiler Challenge Point Leader: Devin MoranHot Rod Processing Most Laps Led: Devin Moran (40 Laps)Sunoco Race for Gas Highest Finisher: Tyler ErbO’Reilly Auto Parts Rookie of the Race: n/aDirty Girl Racewear Fastest Lap of the Race: Devin Moran (Lap 31 –14.489 seconds)DirtonDirt.com Tough Break of the Race: Kyle BronsonOuterwears Crew Chief of the Race: Wylie Moran (Devin Moran)ARP Engine Builder of the Race: Clements Racing EnginesMiller Welders Chassis Builder of the Race: Longhorn ChassisDirt Draft Fastest in Hot Laps: Stormy Scott (14.317 seconds)Time of Race: 22 minutes 28 seconds Lucas Oil Championship Point Standings:

*Results are unofficial until Close of Business on the Tuesday following Race Day*

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (February 1, 2022) – Following the announcement of an all-new television broadcast agreement with FOX Sports, Progressive American Flat Track is excited to announce that fans will be able to watch all 18 rounds of action live on Facebookduring the 2022 season.

Livestreaming coverage on Progressive American Flat Track’s Facebook page will be free of charge up until Opening Ceremonies, allowing fans around the world to watch the drama unfold during Practice and Qualifying at no cost. Fans can then purchase access to watch Opening Ceremonies, Semis, Main Events and podium celebrations via Facebook Paid Online Events for $3.99 if purchased 24 hours or more in advance, or $4.99 if purchased on the day of the event.

Viewers can watch livestream coverage in the Facebook mobile app, Facebook desktop site or on the Facebook Watch mobile app. To watch the livestream on TV, fans can download the Facebook Watch TV app, or cast to a TV from the Facebook mobile app. Facebook Watch is available through Apple TV, Samsung Smart TV, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast and Xbox One.

Additional information on how to watch Progressive AFT on Facebook will be posted to https://www.americanflattrack.com prior to the start of the season.

February 1, 2022

Back in the day, NASCAR promoters could pack the grandstands for stock car races inside football stadiums.

Races on the quarter-mile oval inside Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, N.C., were popular in days gone by and still wildly successful today.

NASCAR officials are hoping to capture some of that bullring magic with this weekend’s Busch Light Clash at the L.A. Coliseum.

Harrison Burton will make his debut in the No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Mustang on the quarter-mile asphalt oval track that has been constructed inside the historic Coliseum.

Although he raced often on short tracks as he worked his way up racing’s ladder Burton has little experience on a track as tight as the one inside the Coliseum.

“I ran some three-eights and some quarter miles in Legends cars, but none in a stock car,” he said. “It’s going to be an adjustment period for sure. There’s not much of a notebook for that.

“Preparing for the race and understanding the track will be a challenge.”

Burton said he’s relying on iRacing and on the simulation tools provided by Ford Performance to learn all he can prior to the opening practice session on Saturday morning.

“There are ways to get it done,” he said. “I’ve used iRacing and simulation in the past to prepare for road courses and new tracks, and this one is definitely a new one.”

Historically speaking, he has big shoes to fill at his Wood Brothers team when it comes to Cup-level success on stadium tracks. Team founder Glenn Wood won four Cup races at Bowman Gray Stadium, and Marvin Panch added a fifth. Wood led every lap in three of his Stadium wins as did Panch in his.

Saturday’s practice session will be shown on FOX Sports 2 at 12:30 PM ET. Qualifying will be at 8:30 PM ET on Fox Sports 1. The 25-lap Heat races and 50-lap Last Chance Qualifying races will be televised on FOX beginning at 3:00 PM ET on Sunday. Coverage of the 150-lap, non-points Clash follows at 6:00 PM ET on FOX.
 

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About Motorcraft
Motorcraft offers a complete line of replacement parts that are recommended by Ford Motor Company. From routine maintenance to underhood repairs, Motorcraft parts offer value with high quality and the right fit at competitive prices. Motorcraft parts are available nationwide at Ford and Lincoln Dealers, independent distributors and automotive-parts retailers, and are backed by the Service Parts Limited Warranty* of Ford Motor Company. For more information, visit www.motorcraft.com.

About Omnicraft
Omnicraft is part of the Ford lineup of parts brands: Ford Parts, Motorcraft and Omnicraft. Omnicraft is the exclusive non-Ford/Lincoln parts brand of premium aftermarket parts. With over a century of parts heritage to build upon, Omnicraft provides excellent quality and fit and is a preferred choice of professional automotive technicians. To find out more about Omnicraft, visit www.omnicraftautoparts.com or contact your local Ford or Lincoln Dealership.
 
About Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center
Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center offers extraordinary service for routine maintenance, serving all vehicle makes and models. Quick Lane provides a full menu of automotive services, including tires, oil change & maintenance, brakes, batteries, alternator & electrical system, air conditioning system, cooling system, transmission service, suspension & steering, wheel alignment, belts & hoses, lamps & bulbs, wiper blades plus a thorough vehicle checkup report. Service is performed by expert technicians while you wait at any of nearly 800 locations in the U.S., with evening and weekend hours available and no appointment necessary. For more information about Quick Lane, please visit www.quicklane.com.

Ocala, FL (January 31, 2022) – In a wild finish on Monday Night at Bubba Raceway Park Tim McCreadie and Devin Moran brought the crowd to its feet as the two drivers got together heading to the checkered flag. McCreadie took the win by one car length despite a wounded right side of his #39 car. It was the reigning Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series National Champion’s first win of the season and first career win at the Ocala, Florida facility in the opening night of racing at Bubba’s in the K&N Filters Winter Nationals Presented by Optima Batteries. The fans were set up for a thrilling finish as Moran dove down low in turn one and passed McCreadie for the lead after they took the white flag. Moran held the lead into turn three around the D-shaped oval, but his car slid up the track in turn four and McCreadie came through the middle groove with a head of steam as the two made contact off turn four. McCreadie crossed the line just 2 tenths of a second in front of the current Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series points leader. Brandon Sheppard, who started from the pole finished in third with Mark Whitener, and Ricky Thornton Jr. completing the top five drivers. The race for the lead was mostly uneventful for McCreadie as the 47-year-old New York native pounded on the lead at the start of the race from his outside front row starting spot. Sheppard trailed McCreadie for the first six laps of the race as Moran moved from fourth to second around Sheppard on the seventh circuit. McCreadie held a healthy lead over Moran through a stretch of three cautions in five laps just past the midway part of the 40-lapper. There was a terrific battle for third on back between several drivers who were hungry for a good finish. Sheppard had dropped back a few spots but picked up the pace in the closing laps to get by both Whitener and Thornton Jr to round out the podium. In Lucas Oil Victory Lane for the 29th time in his career McCreadie wasn’t exactly sure what happened to Moran as they raced to the finish. “Coming out of four I didn’t know he stopped by the wall I was trying not to clip the infield there. When I looked up and he was there I lifted but I couldn’t slow down. It was just hard racing, that’s what they always tell me when it happens to me, but I don’t like racing like that. At the end of the race I was searching, I probably should have moved around (on the track), he (Moran) did a heck of a job moving around. Like I said I don’t know what happened in four, I thought he broke or something.” Moran continued his solid start to the 2022 season with his third runner-up finish of the year. “I just gave away another race I feel like. I did what I could to get by Timmy. I knew they were telling him to move to the top, so I took advantage of it. He did what he had to do to win. We’ll just fix everything up; we have a really good Tye Twarog racing Longhorn. We will get the body straightened out and make sure nothing’s bent and hopefully Bubba can provide us a track like this again tomorrow night.” “We took off pretty good there,” said Sheppard afterwards. “We were back to seventh or eighth there at one point, luckily we were able to get back up through there a little bit. Bubba had the track really good tonight. My team gave me a good car all night long. I just made one bad decision in picking my line on the restart and it put me out of contention at the end of the race.” The winner’s Donald and Gena Bradsher – Paylor Motorsports owned Longhorn Chassis is powered by a Cornett Racing Engine and sponsored by Mega Plumbing of the Carolinas, Mega Plumbing HVAC, Armslist.com, New Point Lighting and Design, Bilstein Shocks, Racing for Heroes, Walker Performance Filtration, Baker-Mitchell Company, and The Aesthetic Haus. Completing the top ten were Kyle Bronson, Ashton Winger, Tyler Erb, Ross Robinson, and Jimmy Owens. Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Race Summary K&N Filters Winter Nationals Presented by Optima BatteriesMonday, January 31st, 2022Bubba Raceway Park – Ocala, FL Allstar Performance Time TrialsFast Time Group A: Brandon Sheppard / 13.763 seconds Fast Time Group B: Tim McCreadie / 13.727 seconds (overall) Penske Race Shocks Heat Race #1 Finish (8 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 1S-Brandon Sheppard[1]; 2. 58W-Mark Whitener[3]; 3. 1ST-Johnny Scott[5]; 4. 18J-Chase Junghans[4]; 5. C02-Ryan Markham[6]; 6. 18D-Daulton Wilson[2]; 7. 30-Todd Cooney[7]; 8. 17SS-Brenden Smith[8] Summit Racing Equipment Heat Race #2 Finish (8 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 71-Hudson O’Neal[2]; 2. 89-Ashton Winger[3]; 3. 46-Earl Pearson Jr[1]; 4. 16-Tyler Bruening[6]; 5. 10-Garrett Smith[5]; 6. 76B-Blair Nothdurft[4]; 7. 45-Kyle Hammer[7]; 8. 0G-Deshawn Gingerich[8] Simpson Race Products Heat Race #3 Finish (8 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 40B-Kyle Bronson[2]; 2. 111V-Max Blair[1]; 3. 1T-Tyler Erb[3]; 4. 10J-Joseph Joiner[4]; 5. 48-Colton Flinner[5]; 6. 81E-Tanner English[6]; 7. 33-Jeff Mathews[7] Ohlins Shocks Heat Race #4 Finish (8 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 39-Tim McCreadie[1]; 2. 20RT-Ricky Thornton Jr[2]; 3. 58-Garrett Alberson[5]; 4. 20-Jimmy Owens[6]; 5. 1R-Josh Richards[4]; 6. 157-Mike Marlar[7]; 7. 11K-Austin Kirkpatrick[3]; 8. 503-Jason Miles[8] K&N Filters Heat Race #5 Finish (8 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 9-Devin Moran[1]; 2. 3S-Brian Shirley[3]; 3. 66C-Matt Cosner[4]; 4. 7-Ross Robinson[2]; 5. 11-Spencer Hughes[5]; 6. 19R-Ryan Gustin[7]; 7. 1A-Tyler Clem[8]; 8. 6S-Blake Spencer[6] Optima Batteries Heat Race #6 Finish (8 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 25-Shane Clanton[1]; 2. 28E-Dennis Erb Jr[3]; 3. 2D-Dan Stone[2]; 4. 2S-Stormy Scott[5]; 5. 99B-Boom Briggs[6]; 6. 7T-Drake Troutman[4]; 7. 97-Cody Overton[7] Fast Shafts B-Main #1 Finish (10 Laps, Top 2 Transfer): 1. 18J-Chase Junghans[1]; 2. 10-Garrett Smith[5]; 3. 10J-Joseph Joiner[3]; 4. 18D-Daulton Wilson[7]; 5. 48-Colton Flinner[6]; 6. 76B-Blair Nothdurft[8]; 7. 45-Kyle Hammer[11]; 8. 17SS-Brenden Smith[13]; 9. 30-Todd Cooney[10]; 10. 0G-Deshawn Gingerich[14]; 11. 16-Tyler Bruening[2]; 12. C02-Ryan Markham[4]; 13. 81E-Tanner English[9]; 14. 33-Jeff Mathews[12] UNOH B-Main #2 Finish (10 Laps, Top 2 Transfer): 1. 1R-Josh Richards[4]; 2. 7-Ross Robinson[2]; 3. 20-Jimmy Owens[1]; 4. 2S-Stormy Scott[3]; 5. 11-Spencer Hughes[5]; 6. 99B-Boom Briggs[6]; 7. 157-Mike Marlar[7]; 8. 19R-Ryan Gustin[8]; 9. 1A-Tyler Clem[11]; 10. 503-Jason Miles[13]; 11. 97-Cody Overton[12]; 12. 6S-Blake Spencer[14]; 13. 7T-Drake Troutman[9]; 14. (DNS) 11K-Austin Kirkpatrick Lucas Oil Feature Finish (40 Laps):

Race StatisticsEntrants: 46Lap Leaders: Tim McCreadie (Laps 1 – 40)Wrisco Feature Winner: Tim McCreadieArizona Sport Shirts Crown Jewel Cup Feature Winner: n/aBrandon Ford TV Challenge Feature Winner: n/aMargin of Victory: 0.207 secondsStop-Tech Cautions: Hudson O’Neal (Lap 6); Dan Stone (Lap 15); Brian Shirley (Lap 22); Josh Richards (Lap 24); Max Blair (Lap 25); Daulton Wilson (Lap 30)Series Provisionals: Jimmy Owens, Mike MarlarFast Time Provisional: n/aSeries Emergency Provisionals: Stormy Scott, Daulton WilsonTrack Provisionals: n/aBig River Steel Podium Top 3: Tim McCreadie, Devin Moran, Brandon SheppardPenske Shocks Top 5: Tim McCreadie, Devin Moran, Brandon Sheppard, Mark Whitener, Ricky Thornton JrOptima Batteries Hard Charger of the Race: Ross Robinson (Advanced 13 Positions)Midwest Sheet Metal Spoiler Challenge Point Leader: Devin MoranHot Rod Processing Most Laps Led: Tim McCreadie (40 Laps)Sunoco Race for Gas Highest Finisher: Brandon SheppardO’Reilly Auto Parts Rookie of the Race: n/aDirty Girl Racewear Fastest Lap of the Race: Devin Moran (Lap 20 – 14.559 seconds)DirtonDirt.com Tough Break of the Race: Hudson O’NealOuterwears Crew Chief of the Race: Philip Snellen (Tim McCreadie)ARP Engine Builder of the Race: Cornett Racing EnginesMiller Welders Chassis Builder of the Race: Longhorn ChassisDirt Draft Fastest in Hot Laps: Tim McCreadie (13.761 seconds)Time of Race: 26 minutes 31 seconds Lucas Oil Championship Point Standings:

*Results are unofficial until Close of Business on the Tuesday following Race Day*

About Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt SeriesFounded in 2005, the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series showcases the talents of the top dirt late model drivers from across the country. In 2022, the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series will sanction 65 events across 18 states, including some of the biggest marquee events in the industry, providing dirt slinging, sideways, door-to-door racing action lap after lap.  The series receives national exposure through a television package filmed, produced and edited by Lucas Oil Production Studios. Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series events will be streamed live on MAVTV Plus, with broadcasts on MAVTV Motorsports Network.   The in your face excitement of the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series is second to none in motorsports. For more information, including the latest news, tour schedule, driver information, and more, visit the official website at: www.LucasDirt.com.

31 January 2021 – DragonSpeed claimed their third Rolex 24 at Daytona LMP2 class victory in four years yesterday, finishing fifth overall and coming out on top of a fraught battle for LMP2 honors which raged throughout the 60th running of the Florida endurance classic. The Spanish-based, US-flagged team’s pro/am squad of Bronze driver Eric Lux and IndyCar stars Devlin DeFrancesco, Colton Herta, and Pato O’Ward took the lead in dramatic fashion with just minutes remaining to overcome a ten-strong LMP2 field featuring the category’s top American and European teams.
After starting fifth with Lux at the wheel, the brightly colored Oreca O7-Gibson had a troubled early race with several drive-through penalties caused by a pit lane speed limiter issue, putting DragonSpeed three laps down on the class leaders. The team then set its sights on a long game, taking splashes of fuel whenever possible in order to exploit every opportunity to claw back those laps under the race’s frequent full-course yellows.
The overnight rotation of Lux, O’Ward, Herta, and DeFrancesco gradually revived the team’s fortunes, with Devlin setting the team’s fastest race lap along the way. They first led at the half way point and by sunrise the DragonSpeed machine was firmly established in the lead pack. The number 81 car topped the lap charts from the 20-hour mark until its painstakingly built and carefully managed advantage was erased by the race’s penultimate full-course yellow with two hours remaining, bringing the top four LMP2 runners into contention for the win.

Herta was soaking up the pressure from Louis Deletraz in the Tower Motorsport entry when the race came under yellow for the final time with 52 minutes to go. Colton pitted twice – first for a full fuel load and new tires and then for another splash of fuel – with Deletraz taking the lead amid the stops before racing resumed with 36 minutes left. Colton relentlessly harried the Swiss driver before attacking up the inside at the newly renamed Le Mans chicane, Deletraz taking to the grass and nearly collecting Herta as he rejoined the track. Herta maintained a seven-second lead over the final nine laps to the checkered flag, to a hail of cheers in the DragonSpeed pit.
Eric Lux: “What an incredible feeling. I started here when I was sixteen and must have come close to winning about six times, sometimes with it slipping away in the last hour, so the last two hours today were nerve-racking. My teammates were spectacular – I’m not actually old enough to be their dad, but I feel like it right now! I can’t thank DragonSpeed, Elton Julian, and everyone in the team, the mechanics, the engineers enough; they did a flawless job.”
Devlin DeFrancesco:  “It was a pretty stressful 24 hours – I think I aged about ten years in the last hour of the race! Huge thanks to Elton and all the DragonSpeed crew. We’re weren’t the fastest at the Roar, but as I said last week, we were right at the front when it counted. I’m thrilled for Eric, and to do this with my old karting buddies and now Indycar rivals Colton and Pato is amazing. It’s a great start to the year, and today I jump on a flight to Indy for the next stage of my Indycar preparations.”
Colton Herta:  “We’re all pretty tired now but really happy. The physical part of the driving was fine, but mentally it’s such a long race, and you don’t sleep with all the adrenaline. It was so much fun to do this with this group of people, and I want to thank DragonSpeed and all my teammates for keeping it clean and pushing for the win. I didn’t think I would get my second Rolex so soon! I hope I can keep doing this race and winning more of them, but I’ll definitely remember this one.”
Pato O’Ward:  “It’s so cool to do this with these guys. As soon as the lineup came together, I told everybody: you know, we really have a shot at winning this. We had a few pitlane mishaps early on with the penalties, but then we really laid the groundwork for the win between 11.00 pm and 8.00 am. We made up so much time overnight to get back on the lead lap, kept fighting, and I can’t imagine a better ending.”
DragonSpeed Team Principal Elton Julian: “I’m happy, tired, and hugely satisfied the crew have been justly rewarded with this dream result.”

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (January 31, 2022) – Tickets for Progressive American Flat Track’s Memorial Day Weekend doubleheader at the Red Mile in Lexington, Kentucky, on May 28-29 are now available for purchase.

The Mission Foods® Red Mile I & II presented by Indian Motorcycle of Lexington marks Progressive AFT’s first stop at the historic venue since 2019. Primarily known as a horse racing facility since it opened in 1875, the beautiful Red Mile has shown itself to be equally suited to races featuring a hundred times the horsepower ever since Progressive AFT made its first visit in 2017.

Widely praised for lush accommodations, incredible views from the grandstands, and availability of its track-side food and entertainment, the Red Mile stands out even among a schedule loaded with destination events.

A range of ticket options are available for purchase. General Admission – Standing Room Only, which provides ticket holders an excellent view of the track right along the front stretch, are available for just $25, with kids 12 and under free when accompanied by an adult. Other options include Reserved Grandstand tickets that provide outstanding views of the entire racetrack, a limited number of Mid-Level Box Seats, and the exclusive Turn 1 Hospitality Suite – VIP Experience.

Paddock Access Upgrades are available for purchase, which provide all-day access to the paddock where fans can scope out the world’s fastest dirt track motorcycles and get up close and personal with the stars of the sport.

Reserve your seats for the Mission Foods Red Mile I & II presented by Indian Motorcycle of Lexington today by visiting Progressive American Flat Track’s website at https://store.americanflattrack.com/ebooking/ticket/view/id/3722/.

For more information, please visit http://www.americanflattrack.com. To score the latest gear for the Progressive American Flat Track fan, visit our official merchandise store at https://store.americanflattrack.com.

Jan 31, 2022 | Featured, Special Announcements

Second-generation racer Julie Nataas will continue her pursuit of an NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series Top Alcohol Dragster world championship with Randy Meyer Racing this season, the team announced today. It will be Nataas’ fourth full-time season in Randy Meyer Racing’s Oslo Tapet & Gulvbelegg (OTG) A/Fuel dragster.

“I’m so glad I get to continue this journey with Randy,” said Nataas, who finished fourth in national points. “I started racing in this class with RMR. I have learned, failed and succeeded with this team so there’s no one else I’d rather win a TAD world championship with than the Randy Meyer Racing Team.”

In 2021, Randy Meyer Racing scored its third consecutive world championship when Rachel Meyer drove the NTK Sensors A/Fuel dragster to her first world championship. The team won the 2019 and 2020 titles with Rachel’s older sister, Megan, driving the NGK Spark Plugs dragster.

This season, Nataas is determined to help RMR win its fourth consecutive title. She will be Randy Meyer Racing’s primary driver for the season, as Rachel is stepping aside to focus on her family’s bracket racing program. The team also plans to bring in a couple new drivers to license and run a race or two to help bring new blood into the sport, though the primary focus is chasing another championship.

“I don’t think I’m more or less motivated than last year, but last year I got really confident as a driver and that changed the game for me,” Nataas said. “Going in to 2022, there’s only one thing on my mind: ‘world champion.’ I have no doubt we can get it. We just gotta keep doing what we’re doing.”

Nataas kicked off her 2021 season with a win at the Gainesville regional race. She added regional wins at Norwalk, Indy, and Bowling Green before finishing the year with a runner-up finish at the NHRA Auto Club Finals in Pomona. The regional wins helped her secure her second NHRA North Central Region championship.

“We had a great 2021 season with a lot of regional event wins,” Nataas said. “The one I remember the most is probably when Randy had me and Rachel race at two different race tracks the same weekend and we both won. Randy was at the track in Kansas with Rachel and I was in Indy with Randy tuning over the phone.”

Nataas will race with continued support from Oslo Tapet & Gulvbelegg, a Norwegian manufacturer of floor coverings, carpet, linoleum and wallpaper. Lucas Oil and Right Trailers have stepped up as associate sponsors on the nitro-injected dragster.

“It means a lot that big companies like Right Trailers, Lucas Oil and OTG want to continue to chase this dream of mine with me,” Nataas added. “I’m nothing but proud to represent such great companies.”

Nataas and the OTG/Lucas Oil/Right Trailers team will kick off their 2022 season at the Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals presented by ProtectTheHarvest.com, Feb. 17-20 at Auto Club Raceway in Pomona, Calif. Click here to view the team’s 2022 National event schedule.

Meyer Shank Racing leads 1-2 finish for Acura teams, drivers in the Rolex 24 at Daytona
Wayne Taylor Racing completes sweep for Acura in 24-hour endurance classic, opening round of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship
Acura’s second consecutive Rolex 24 win, first 1-2 result

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (January 30, 2022) – Acura, its teams and drivers dominated the final hours of this weekend’s 60th running of the Rolex 24 at Daytona, with Meyer Shank Racing and defending race winner Wayne Taylor Racing battling to the checkers in a 1-2 finish in their Acura ARX-05 prototypes in the opening event of the 2022 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.

At the end of the twice-around-the-clock competition, it was the MSR lineup of Tom Blomqvist, Helio Castroneves, Oliver Jarvis and Simon Pagenaud taking the victory three seconds ahead of WTR and drivers Filipe Albuquerque, Alexander Rossi, Will Stevens and Ricky Taylor.

The win is the second consecutive Rolex 24 victory for Acura and the ARX-05 prototype, and the first 1-2 finish at Daytona for the manufacturer. For the Meyer Shank team, the win is their second Rolex 24 triumph, and 10 years to the weekend after their first win here in the 2012 50th running of the event.

Second-place for Wayne Taylor Racing places the teams at the top of the championship table after the first of 10 races this season, and solidifies Acura’s early-season Manufacturers’ Championship advantage.

Acura NSX GT3 Evo22
In the production-based GTD category, the Gradient Racing NSX GT3 Evo22 started 16th in the deep, 22-car GTD field following a fraught qualifying race last weekend. But the driver lineup of Till Bechtolsheimer, Mario Farnbacher, Marc Miller and HPD Academy graduate Kyffen Simpson brought the #66 through the field to the lead pack of six contenders by mid-race.

Despite delays in the early morning hours to repair a broken line in the air-jack system, Gradient continued to contest for the class victory until a wiring problem just after 9 a.m. resulted in a long stop for repairs just after sunrise. Once repairs were complete, the Gradient Acura returned to the circuit to finish 13th in GTD.

Rolex 24 Race Results
1st overall – #60 Tom Blomqvist, Helio Castroneves, Oliver Jarvis and Simon Pagenaud, Meyer Shank Racing Acura ARX-05 DPi
2nd overall – #10 Filipe Albuquerque, Alexander Rossi, Will Stevens and Ricky Taylor, Wayne Taylor Racing Acura ARX-05 DPi
13th GTD – #44 Till Bechtolsheimer, Mario Farnbacher, Marc Miller and Kyffin Simpson, Gradient Racing Acura NSX GT3 Evo22

DPi Manufacturers’ Championship Teams’ Championship (after 1 of 10 rounds)

1. Acura 385 1. Meyer Shank Racing 378
2. Cadillac 352 2. Wayne Taylor Racing 355
   3. JDC Miller Motorsports 332

Michelin Endurance Cup Teams (after 1 of 4 endurance races)

1. Meyer Shank Racing 15
2. Wayne Taylor Raing 13
3. JDC Miller Motorsports 13

Fast Facts
In taking the checkers today at Daytona International Speedway, Helio Castroneves completed an incredible year that saw the veteran champion win the Rolex 24 twice, sandwiching his record-tying fourth victory at the Indianapolis 500 last May.

Castroneves also becomes the first driver to score IMSA wins for all teams to have campaigned the Acura ARX-05: Meyer Shank Racing, Wayne Taylor Racing (2021) and Acura Team Penske (2018-20).

This is Acura’s second consecutive overall victory at Daytona, the first 1-2 finish for the manufacturer. It is the third Rolex 24 win for Honda Performance Development which won Daytona overall under the HPD/Honda banner. Acura won the Camel Lights class [the equivalent to today’s LMP2] at Daytona in 1991 and again in ‘92.

Acura first took part in the Rolex 24 at Daytona in 1991, winning Camel Lights with Comptech Racing and drivers Parker Johnstone, Steve Cameron and Bob Lesnett driving a Spice Acura SE90P. Acura repeated as Camel Lights winner in 1992, with Comptech drivers Johnstone, Cameron and Jimmy Vasser [who also won Honda’s first Indy car championship in 1996].

Running an Honda Performance Development prepared, production-based Honda V6 engine, Tequila Patrón ESM won the Rolex 24 overall in 2016 with Pipo Derani, Scott Sharp, Johannes van Overbeek and Ed Brown driving a Ligier JSP2-Honda.

Quotes
Helio Castroneves (#60 Meyer Shank Racing Acura ARX-05) Winner of the Rolex 24 at Daytona with co-drivers Tom Blomqvist, Oliver Jarvis and Simon Pagenaud: “This is incredible! We made history in Daytona! Let’s go climb a fence! The team gave me an amazing car, and I had amazing teammates: Tom, Olly, Simon, everyone on our team, our sponsors, Acura and HPD. What a great race. It was very tough. My friend Ricky [Taylor] was right behind and I know his strengths, and I said to myself ‘I never showed him all I know’. I had some things under my sleeve [to use in the final laps]. I never thought I’d be climbing the fence in Daytona, but today I realized that dream.”

Ricky Taylor (#10 Wayne Taylor Racing ARX-05) Finished second: “”First of all, what a great day for Acura! HPD does so much work for us and I think it shows in the reliability of these DPi cars. We were up against five Cadillacs with just two Acuras, and managed a 1-2 finish. The reliability was amazing and the performance of the engine and the car was flawless. The team executed beautifully, I just didn’t have enough at the end to go and get Helio [Castroneves]. It’s a little disappointing, but we’ll start working towards Sebring and it’s a really good way to start the year. I’m really proud to have my teammates next to me, they all did an amazing job. And thanks to Konica Minolta, Harrison Contracting and everyone that gives us the opportunity to be here and race these cars.”

Marc Miller (#66 Gradient Racing Acura NSX GT3 Evo22) Finished 13th in GTD: “We definitely had a solid car. The new Evo22 package made the car more raceable. The new boost helped the car on the bottom end, which is where we really suffered the most in the past.
But I mean, how about our little team, For most of this race, we were sitting there in the top five the entire time. As the lone Acura in the GTD field, it was a proud moment to see that close-knit group that has worked so hard to build something to be able to run the race. It was an honor for me to be able to race with Gradient Racing at the Rolex 24. At the end, it was truly an honor to finish the race. Thanks Acura.”

David Salters (President and Technical Director, Honda Performance Development) on this weekend’s second consecutive victory in the Rolex 24 at Daytona: “The men and women of HPD, Acura, MSR and WTR work hard all winter: long hours, trying to be smart, just doing the best they can. Then they come to one of the most iconic races in the world, a real test of performance and endurance; a real marquee event. Through their hard work and teamwork, the world gets to witness that we’re pretty good at this stuff and see their challenging spirit. Through their endeavors, for our amazing company – Acura and Honda – we write new lines in the history books. Well done, and congratulations to all those women and men.”

Next
The 2022 WeatherTech SportsCar Championship now moves to central Florida for the 70th annual Mobil-1 Twelve Hours of Sebring, Saturday, March 19 in Sebring, Fla.

No. 5 Mustang Sampling Cadillac races to third place in twice-around-the-clock event

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Jan. 30, 2022) – Taped front and center in the JDC-Miller MotorSports hauler is a big, bold and inspirational message for the four drivers of the No. 5 Mustang Sampling Cadillac DPi-V.R and crew. Believe.

It is a reflection of the passion of the entire organization, which in the 60th Rolex 24 At Daytona – and every IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship race – lives by the credo of when you all pull together, you move as one. With Tristan Vautier, Richard Westbrook, Luic Duval and Ben Keating sharing the seat of the powerful and nimble Cadillac DPi-V.R, the little team that could placed third by a mere 4.420 seconds in the twice-around-the-clock race to lead the five-car Cadillac contingent.

The No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac DPi-V.R, with reigning IMSA DPi driver champion Pipo Derani, Tristan Nunez and Mike Conway behind the wheel, finished fourth for defending IMSA DPi team champion Action Express Racing. “It makes it bittersweet, but what a great job by the team overall,” said Vautier, who earned his first Rolex 24 podium finish in the DPi class. “We were in contention the whole way and probably the fastest car all the way to the end, so that’s what makes it feel bittersweet because we thought we could have gotten it.“But, overall, my first podium in the Rolex 24. Big thanks to the team for the hard work over the winter to make us so competitive. We didn’t get a Rolex but we can still celebrate.”

The Rolex 24 At Daytona race lap record changed hands five times among four Cadillac DPi-V.R entries. Alex Palou, driving the No. 1 V-Performance Academy Cadillac DPi-V.R, etched his name in the IMSA record book with a lap of 1 minute, 33.724 seconds on the 3.56-mile, 12-turn Daytona International Speedway road course with just under two hours left in the race. At dawn, Earl Bamber returned to the track following time in the garage to replace a fuel pump in the No. 02 Cadillac Accessories Cadillac DPi-V.R to reset the record with a lap of 1:33.811. Bamber bested the lap of Loic Duval (1:33.834) in the No. 5 Mustang Sampling Cadillac DPi-V.R. Earlier in the race, Kevin Magnussen (1:34.000) in the No. 02 Cadillac Accessories Cadillac DPi-V.R and Renger van der Zande (1:34.02) in the No. 01 V-Performance Academy Cadillac DPi-V.R broke the record set in 2019. The No. 48 Ally Cadillac DPi-V.R returned to the garage in the 13th hour after being bumped off course. Minutes later, the No. 01 V-Performance Academy Cadillac DPi-V.R – the overall leader at the time – pitted for fuel and tires with Sebastien Bourdais behind the wheel. The call was made to head to the garage to address an electrical issue. Both cars returned to the race to collect season championship points.Cadillac DPi-V.R entries return to action March 17-19 for the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring at Sebring International Raceway in Florida.

Cadillac Racing results:No. 5 Mustang Sampling Cadillac DPi-V.R (JDC-Miller MotorSports)Tristan Vautier, Richard Westbrook, Loic Duval, Ben KeatingFinish: Third overallLoic Duval: “Happy about our race in general, but we had it. I think we were the only Cadillac able to win the race. I was able to catch up (after being pushed off course on late restart) but I was way too far away. Frustration because I think we had something. The whole team tried everything we could.”Richard Westbrook: “We had a 20-second lead and it was all comfortable. We know with IMSA racing that you can never sit on your laurels. There’s always going to be a yellow. It was just bad luck. They (IMSA) didn’t give us the opportunity to pit and the two Accuras did (just before a yellow flag) and it changed the nature of the race. Up to that point, it looked like we had it covered. I’m just proud of this team getting a podium. It’s a great start to my DPi journey.”Tristan Vautier: “It makes it bittersweet, but what a great job by the team overall. We were in contention the whole way and probably the fastest car all the way to the end, so that’s what makes it feel bittersweet because we thought we could have gotten it. But, overall, my first podium in the Rolex 24. Big thanks to the team for the hard work over the winter to make us so competitive. We didn’t get a Rolex but we can still celebrate.”Ben Keating: “What an incredible race that was run by the team. We were there at the end because of how consistent we were. If we wouldn’t have had any of those yellow flags at the end, we would have won it. We had a 20-second lead because we were consistent without any mistakes. The No. 5 Mustang Sampling Cadillac was incredible to drive and I’m excited to be on the podium in the Rolex 24. My time behind the wheel was the most fun I’ve ever had in a race car.” No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac DPi-V.R (Action Express Racing)Pipo Derani, Tristan Nunez, Mike ConwayFinish: Fourth overallPipo Derani: “We tried and unfortunately it didn’t happen this time. At least we were there to put up a good fight at the end. We had no pace after that last restart. We have to analyze why. A big thank you to Whelen Engineering, Cadillac and the Action Express Racing team. It is good points for the championship. We finished the race flawlessly without any problems. Just a shame we wanted a little bit more. We will focus on Sebring and the Championship. Tristan did a great job in his first race with us and I am looking forward to working with him leading up to Sebring.”Tristan Nunez: “For my first race with the team in the Whelen Cadillac and it is hard to ask for more with a fourth-place finish. Obviously, we want to win, but the car is in one-piece and we have a long season ahead. Last year they didn’t have that great of a 24 and won the championship. We have a long season ahead of us and lots of races to look forward to.”Mike Conway: “Like Pipo said we were struggling there at the end with grip. We were hoping to duke it out upfront and at least have a go. After a few laps we couldn’t quite stay there. It was a great effort by the Action Express team. We had really good pace all race. Then we kind of fell a bit short. Credit to everyone on Whelen Cadillac for the work over the last two weeks. We were hoping for at least a podium, but it wasn’t to be.” No. 48 Ally Cadillac DPi-V.R (Action Express Racing)Jimmie Johnson, Mike Rockenfeller, Kamui Kobayashi, Jose Maria LopezFinish: Fifth in class; 11th overall (-22 laps)Jimmie Johnson: “All in all, we had a reasonable Ally Cadillac and a reasonable opportunity to win. I was overtaking a P2 car into the night. My right rear tapped his front going into the Esses in Turn 2, and with that touch it broke the rear suspension and sent me off spinning into the grass. That is where we lost all of our laps. I went through there 50 or 60 times through the course of the weekend and that one time I tapped another car and broke the Ally Cadillac. Every lap matters for us. We are not regulars. For Action Express and Hendrick Motorsports the more reps we get behind the wheel the better we will be.”Kamui Kobayashi: “Obviously, it was a shame not to be fighting with the leader. I think we had a good pace. I think we had the potential to fight, but maybe not to win. I think for the 24 we had a good run with Jimmie, Jose Maria and Mike. The team did a great job. We did our best. Ally and Action Express gave us a good car. This has been my first race of the season for the last couple of years and puts me into a good mood for the season. Thanks to the team and IMSA for a great couple of weeks.”Mike Rockenfeller: “Like I said before the race, you can win or you can be last. I mean you have to stay so clean here you have to make it through the night. We got caught up in traffic and had an incident there. It is part of the game. You overtake so many cars so many times in your stint, sometimes you get squeezed and there is a little touch. It took a while to repair and you cannot recover. We had a good Ally Cadillac and everyone worked hard and drove good. We will come back and try again at Sebring.”Jose Maria Lopez: “The Action Express boys did a great job with the car and on pit lane today. The Ally Cadillac had good speed throughout the race. We had some bad luck with contact with Jimmie, but the team was able to make the repair and get us back in the fight. This is such a great race, I had a great time running my first race at Daytona. It was an honor to race with Jimmie and my friends Rocky and Kamui.” No. 02 Cadillac Accessories Cadillac DPi-V.R (Chip Ganassi Racing)Earl Bamber, Alex Lynn, Marcus Ericsson, Kevin MagnussenFinish: Sixth in class; 12th overall (-27 laps)Alex Lynn: “I guess heartbroken doesn’t sum it up enough.  Mostly I believe our Cadillac was the car to win, but that is endurance racing. So many times, 24-hour races can break your heart, but it’s that one time when it goes seamlessly that makes it worth it. We will be back to try again. A big thank you to everyone because the car was faultless and yeah, we won’t give up.” No. 01 V-Performance Academy Cadillac DPi-V.R (Chip Ganassi Racing)Renger van der Zande, Sebastien Bourdais, Scott Dixon, Alex PalouFinish: Seventh in class; 14th overall (-39 laps)Renger van der Zande: “We were ready to go at the end, get me in to fight for the win. But when I came out of bed, basically what happened is we had an issue and I found out we were many laps down. Managed to help a little on the Cadillac side. Disappointed, but I think we had the fastest car.”

IMSA WEATHERTECH SPORTSCAR CHAMPIONSHIP ROLEX 24 AT DAYTONA DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY JAN. 30, 2022

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Jan. 30, 2022) – Cadillac Racing DPi-V-R entries were running in the top four 18 hours into the 60th Rolex 24 At Daytona. The No. 5 Mustang Sampling Cadillac DPi-V.R, with Richard Westbrook at the wheel, was running smoothly in third place. Close behind in fourth was Mike Conway in the No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac DPi-V.R. The Rolex 24 At Daytona race lap record has changed hands four times among three Cadillac DPi-V.R entries.  Earl Bamber returned to the track following time in the garage in the 16th hour to replace a fuel pump in the No. 02 Cadillac Accessories Cadillac DPi-V.R to set reset the record with a lap of 1 minute, 33.811 seconds on the 3.56-mile, 12-turn Daytona International Speedway road course. Bamber took the line in the record book from Loic Duval (1:33.834) in the No. 5 Mustang Sampling Cadillac DPi-V.R. Earlier, Kevin Magnussen (1:34.000) in the No. 02 Cadillac Accessories Cadillac DPi-V.R and Renger van der Zande (1:34.02) in the No. 01 V-Performance Academy Cadillac DPi-V.R broke the record. In the 13th hour, the No. 48 Ally Cadillac DPi-V.R returned to the garage to replace a the rear suspension after being bumped into the grass by an LMP3 car. Minutes later, the No. 01 V-Performance Academy Cadillac DPi-V.R – the overall leader – pitted for fuel and tires with Sebastien Bourdais behind the wheel. The call was made to head to the garage to replace the alternator belt. Gary Nelson, Action Express Racing team manager (Nos. 31 and 48 Cadillac DPi-V.Rs)“It is nice to be this close to the lead of the race after going all night. It was really a dogfight all night and now we are just a few seconds from the lead. So, we’re pretty happy. (What have you been telling your drivers?) The same thing we have told them all along. Stay on the lead lap, and we pretty much have had to run flat out to do that. I think we are going to have a good finish.” Tristan Nunez, No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac DPi-V.R“Six hours is still a long way to go. This is when every second counts. The race is going to be fierce all the way to the end. I think we have a good car to challenge for the win. I have another double stint and get ready for the end. It’s challenging out there with how cold it is. It can get away from you quickly.”  Richard Westbrook, No. 5 Mustang Sampling Cadillac DPi-V.R“We’ve been running consistently well. It’s been a really good performance but still a long way to go – a Watkins Glen six hours to go. We’re taking nothing for granted but we’re doing everything right so far and just have to hang in there to take the fight in the last couple of hours.” Earl Bamber, No. 02 Cadillac Accessories Cadillac DPi-V.R“I got the car from Alex (Lynn) in fifth and made our way up to second. Everything was going well and just cruising around. I think we had a car to vie for the win and are really happy with what the (Chip Ganassi Racing) guys have done in the short preparation time they had with the second car. We’re gutted, obviously. We’ll repair, get back out there and finish the race.” Cadillac running order in the DPi class (overall in parentheses) at 18 hours:3. (3) No. 5 Mustang Sampling Cadillac DPi-V.R, Tristan Vautier, Richard Westbrook, Loic Duval, Ben Keating4. (4) No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac DPi-V.R, Pipo Derani, Tristan Nunez, Mike Conway5. (13) No. 48 Ally Cadillac DPi-V.R, Jimmie Johnson, Kamui Kobayashi, Mike Rockenfeller, Jose Maria Lopez6. (19) No. 02 Cadillac Accessories Cadillac DPi-V.R, Earl Bamber, Alex Lynn, Kevin Magnussen, Marcus Ericsson7. (33) No. 01 V-Performance Academy Cadillac DPi-V.R, Renger Van Der Zande, Sebastien Bourdais, Scott Dixon, Alex Palou The race is being telecast on NBC and its associated channels USA and Peacock, and available on XM 202, SiriusXM Online 972, and IMSA.com.

Kentuckian scores second victory in three days, Adams runner-up for fifth time TAMPA, FL – Jan. 29, 2022 – Before this week, Victor Lee had never won a DIRTcar UMP Modified race at East Bay Raceway Park. When his hauler backs out of the pits on Sunday, he’ll leave with two, and the biggest check of the week as a first-time Winternationals champion. The Kentucky Modified veteran hadn’t been to East Bay to drive a Modified since 2001 and chose 2022 to make his return. But you wouldn’t know it had been 21 years with the way he dominated the final 59 laps of the 75-lap Feature Saturday night, driving away from the field in traffic to bag a $5,000 payday. “We came down here with high expectations,” Lee said. “Our goal was to win a race, but to win two is even better.” Coming into Saturday, Lee sat second in event points after a win Thursday night and a third-place Friday, which locked him into the top-six redraw. He pulled the “4” pill and got a good jump when the green flag dropped to settle into second. Lee, of Danville, KY, stayed patient in the first 15 laps, then cracked the whip to maneuver into the lead on the bottom on Lap 17, getting around both Lucas Lee and Buzzy Adams. That’s where he stayed for the entire race – just as he and the crew drew it up before they went green. “This thing liked the bottom,” Lee said of his car. “I knew that, so that was my game plan – to go way out and consistently run the bottom, try to hit fast laps, and that’s what we went out for.” From there on out, it was all The Lincoln Leadfoot. Even with the fuel stop breaking up the action just before halfway, the field behind him was unable to get any sort of bead on him. On two separate occasions, Lee held a 6-plus second lead over the field, consistently hugging the bottom every lap. Lee ran the bottom almost every lap throughout all four nights of action and produced quality, consistent results – something he said he owes to the crew and their forward thinking. “We got here early every day to work on our racecar and prepare,” Lee said. “We came prepared, and we tried to stay on top of it. “All of our guys worked hard. We tried to rest up when we needed to and worked long hours when we needed to do that, so hats off to all my guys. Preparation is what helped us.” Several caution flags peppered the final 20 laps of the race, making Lee work a bit harder each time. Especially when he came across the stripe to get the two-to-go signal and saw the yellow flag instead, making for an intense green-white-checkered ending. But even that wasn’t enough to break his concentration. “The last two laps, I knew I had two more laps to hit my marks,” Lee said. “That’s what I set up to do there, so I felt comfortable with it.” One driver right on his tail for the final restart was the defending Winternationals champion, Buzzy Adams. The Cameron, WI-driver had driven nearly the entire race inside the top-three and prepared to rev it up on the top side once more and steal the win on the final lap, as he did in 2021, but was unable to get the jump he needed with his choice of tire. “I knew Victor, [Seth] Geary, and the 70 [Shane] Burrows all had a hard right-rear on,” Adams said. “We’ve never been able to get a hard to fire here, so I always run on a medium. Which is good for 10 laps, and then it just gets slimy. It’s a gamble. Sometimes it pays off, sometimes it doesn’t.” For the fifth time since 2012, Adams had to settle for second. However, with the week he had – struggles in his Heat Races, a Last Chance Showdown transfer-in, getting caught-up in wrecks – he’ll take a runner-up. “I was beating myself up all week mentally because I kept screwing up, so this helps,” Adams said. “It’s second, but against 60 other Modifieds, I’ll take it.” Crossing the line third was local racer Seth Geary. The Bradenton, FL-driver was coming off a win in the final prelim show Friday night and was able to push that momentum on even further for a podium in the biggest race of the week. After missing the transfer by two in his Heat, Geary was forced to get in via Last Chance Showdown #2. He won it, and was placed 20th on the Feature starting grid. It took him 74 of the 75 laps to reach the podium, but he showed it can pay to play the waiting game. “I was just biding my time, being patient,” Geary said. “Avoided a couple spins in front of me – one right across my nose.” After his Victory Lane celebration, Lee returned to the pits and reflected on some news made public by the Summit Racing Equipment American Modified Series Friday night, regarding the recent passing of series owner Dewayne Ragland. “Our thoughts and prayers are with Dewayne Ragland and his family,” Lee said. “I’ve been thinking about him and his family all day, and I want to let his family know they’re in our thoughts and prayers.” UP NEXT The chase for the DIRTcar UMP Modified Speedweeks championship continues next Friday-Sunday, Feb. 4-6, with three more rounds of racing at North Florida Speedway in Lake City, FL. Keep an eye on all DIRTcar racing social media channels for all the latest content and updates. Modifieds A-Feature     ———————————— 1.  Victor Lee                             4             Danville, Ky. 2.  Kevin Adams                        40           Cameron, Wi. 3.  Seth Geary                           7G           Bradenton, Fl. 4.  Travis Varnadore                 205         Plant City, Fl. 5.  Alan Weisser                        1             Peoria, Il. 6.  Devin Dixon                          33D         Ruskin, Fl. 7.  Bryan Bernhardt                  69B         Clearwater, Fl. 8.  Bradley Jameson                757         Royal Center, In. 9.  Dale Kelley                           22K         Plant City, Fl. 10. Shane Burrows                  70B         Valrico, Fl. 11. Aaron Branham                   38B         Clay City, Ky. 12. Chase Holland                     45           Success, Ms. 13. Tyler Nicely                         25           Owensboro, Ky. 14. David Pollen                        88           Lakeland, Fl. 15. Brandon Hutchinson                      85A         Hi Hat, Ky. 16. Chris Wilson                        17           Louisa, Ky. 17. Dawson Cook                      242x       Morton, Il. 18. Lucas Lee                             12L         Paris, Tn. 19. Brian Skaggs                        20           Pedro, Oh. 20. Brian Shaw                          1s           Robinson, Il. 21. Tyler Clem                           14           Tampa, Fl. 22. Corey Bevard                      8c           Litchfield, Mi. 23. Drake Troutman                 7             Hyndman, Pa. 24. Seth Daniels                        21s         Jackson, Oh. 25. Patrick Passanise                333         Tampa, Fl.

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