Inside Line Promotions – CHICO, Calif. (Oct. 5, 2021) – Dominic Scelzi recorded his 50th top-10 run of the season last Friday during the opening round of the Fall Nationals hosted by Silver Dollar Speedway.
Scelzi timed in fifth quickest out of 30-plus drivers in his group before he ended fifth in a heat race, which earned a transfer into the main event.
“On Friday night the track was really, really wet all night long,” he said. “We qualified decent. The track was really greasy on the bottom and I wasn’t able to get moved up to get out of the grease on the start of the heat race. I fell to fifth immediately. For the most part it was around the bottom the whole feature and it was hard to pass. I ran the middle around guy’s right rears. If someone would miss the bottom we’d get by them. I felt we had a good race car all night long, but got behind the eight ball with starting in the grease in the heat race.”
Scelzi rallied from 17th to ninth for the monumental top 10.
He continued to improve on Saturday when he set quick time in both his group and overall out of the more than 65 drivers. A heat race victory locked Scelzi into the dash and a rally from seventh to second place in the dash started him on the outside of the front row in the A Main.
“The track was really, really good in the dash,” he said. “It was slick and wide. I felt we had a good shot in the main event. They reworked the track. The inside row was better so I fell to third the first lap. I just hung out and saved my tires. Around Lap 8 I moved to the top and made a really good lap. I got back down into line, just trying to bide my time. A red came out on Lap 10. I noticed the second-place car’s shock was off. I felt we were in a good position. Unfortunately our left rear bleeder stuck so the tire went flat under yellow, which caused us to have to go to the work area. We went from last and got up to seventh with 15 laps to go. Then the drivers in fifth and sixth got into each other. I had nowhere to go, hit them and spun sideways. Then I got hit. At that point we pulled off. It was a bummer because our lap times showed we were one of the fastest cars all night long. Even coming from the back I felt we had a shot to at least podium.”
Scelzi was credited with a 14th-place result.
The previous weekend Scelzi took one step closer to his first career King of the West-NARC Fujitsu Series championship when he recorded a fourth-place finish at Keller Auto Speedway in Hanford, Calif., on Sept. 25. He qualified fourth quickest, placed third in a heat race and advanced from seventh to fourth in the A Main.
The efficient night leaves Scelzi with a lead of 63 points with only four races remaining in the series schedule, including one this weekend. It’s part of a busy weekend at Keller Auto Speedway, where Scelzi will compete in both 410ci and 360ci sprint car competition on Friday and Saturday.
QUICK RESULTS –
Sept. 25 – Keller Auto Speedway in Hanford, Calif. – Qualifying: 4; Heat race: 3 (3); Feature: 4 (7).
Oct. 1 – Silver Dollar Speedway in Chico, Calif. – Qualifying: 5; Heat race: 5 (3); Feature: 9 (17).
Scelzi Enterprisesbuilds the finest utility truck bodies in the USA, including flatbed bodies, water truck bodies, custom truck bodies, service truck bodies and more. After nearly 40 years in business Scelzi Enterprises occupies 20 acres in South Fresno with additional pool and assembly locations in Oregon, Washington, and Southern California. For more information, visit http://www.SEInc.com.
“Scelzi Enterprises is a family business that has been around far before I was born,” Scelzi said. “Now I have a role there. It’s my daily job and something I really enjoy being a part of. It gives me a lot of pride to represent our family business on the side of our race cars.”
Scelzi would like to thank Red Rose Transportation, Inc., Whipple Superchargers, Fuel Delivery Services, Inc., Schoenfeld Headers, Roth Motorsports, Red Line Oil, NAPA Auto Parts, Todd Jorgensen, FK Rod Ends, Brown & Miller Racing Solutions, K&N Filters, Sparco, Allstar Performance, Auto Meter, Meridian Steel, Kenny’s Components and Worldwide Bearings for their continued support.
After another trip to the semi-finals, Cruz Pedregon and the Snap-on® Dodge® Hellcat® Funny Car are fourth in the Countdown rankings heading to Dallas…the scene of Cruz’s epic 1992 win and ultimately his first NHRA Funny Car World Championship.
“Dallas is always exciting to me, and we headed down early to participate in the Wednesday test session. It’s good to start qualifying rounds with solid data from the track with the warmer weather conditions we expect for the weekend,” says Cruz. “With a low ET qualifier bonus Friday night, you know JC (John Collins), Rip (Reynolds) and the team are going to get the Snap-on Dodge ready to go for it.”
Cruz and team are within striking distance of the top Countdown spot, so fans coming out to the Texas Motorplex and those watching NHRA on FOX can plan on seeing a competitive weekend in the Funny Car class.
Cruz’s car will be decked out in the Snap-on Tools Socket to Breast Cancer paint scheme through the Breast Cancer Awareness month of October in support of raising funds for The Pink Fund® in the U.S. and Kelly Shires Foundation in Canada. Both organizations help breast cancer patients in their time of need, including providing valuable support for Cruz’s sister Dora who is a cancer survivor. For more information on these organizations, check out ThePinkFund.org and KellyShiresFoundation.org.
The 23nd Annual Whipple Superchargers NMRA All-Ford World Finals presented by Competition Clutch & Holley Intergalactic Ford Festival at Beech Bend Raceway Park in Bowling Green, Kentucky, wrapped up the 2021 racing season with a weather-shortened event that was not short on spectacular racing. Event winners drove to the NMRA Winner’s Circle and NMRA Champions collected their hard-earned Edelbrock Victor awards and Nitto Tire Diamond Tree rings.
This event marked the third year that Holley injected its infectious Holley Intergalactic Ford Festival into the event. Attendees were treated to asphalt-ripping drifting that included Vaughn Gittin Jr. and Chelsea DeNofa, auto-crossing, burnout mayhem, a Grand Champion competition, and new for 2021, an off-road course that featured Vaughn Gittin Jr. and Loren Healy and their Ultra 4 Ford Broncos tearing it up.
Earl Stanley
VP Racing Madditives Street Outlaw driver Alan Felts set the pace in qualifying with a 4.315 elapsed time, and was followed closely by John Urist with a 4.331 and Earl Stanley with a 4.353. Points leader Steve Halprin had a broke bye in round one, but went out in round two, leaving the door open for Urist to take a swing at the championship. Urist dispatched Felts in the third round en route to the final, where he ultimately lost to Stanley, 4.46 to 4.48.
Eric Bardekoff led defending Edelbrock Renegade champion Joel Greathouse final race of the season, but it was Haley James who targeted the event win after qualifying number one with a 4.554. James would bow out in round two, and Bardekoff and Greathouse met in round three, with Bardekoff taking the victory. In the final round, Chris Holbrook took the win over Bardekoff in an all-Whipple-supercharged final battle.
Samantha Moore set the pace in JDM Engineering Limited Street with an 8.15 elapsed time and cut through the field until she reached the final round. There, she met points leader and defending champion, Bill Putnam. Putnam took the starting line advantage, which earned him the win at the stripe after both drivers recorded identical 8.332 runs.
G-Force Transmissions Coyote Stock racer Shane Stymiest came out swinging, and took the number one qualifier spot with a 9.733. From there, he charged through the field until he met Charlie Booze Jr. in the final round. Both reactions times were close, but Stymiest raced ahead to the win with a 9.83 over Booze’s 11.84 run.
In another dominating performance, Mike Bowen topped the qualifying sheets in Richmond Gear Factory Stock with a 10.08 run. After taking a bye run and defeating Damien Stephens and Justin Fogelsonger, Bowen met Mark Anderson in the final round of competition. There, Anderson got a slight jump at the start, but slowed, allowing Bowen to take the victory with a 10.21 pass.
Brayden Creamer
The ARP Open Comp class is always full of tough competitors and anyone can win at any time. At Beech Bend Raceway, the final round came down to Brayden Creamer and Woody Pack. Both drivers did their jobs well off the line, but it was Creamer who was victorious, pushing Pack to break out at the finish.
Perhaps it was the fact that the Capri Swarm gathers here at Beech Bend Raceway Park for the event that brought good luck to 1973 Ford Capri owner and Exedy Racing Clutch Modular Muscle driver James Meredith. Not only did the Coyote-powered classic log a .002-second reaction time in the final round, but it also took Meredith to the winner’s circle, with Meredith going 9.675 on a 9.61 to Adam Cox’s 10.176 on a 10.11 (.042 RT).
In HP Tuners Super Stang action, 2020 champion Kevin McKenna took the top qualifying spot, but as eliminations kicked off, he bowed out in the first round. The final round of competition featured frequent True Street winner Rodney Ward, who was victorious over Mike Moistner.
A tough field of Ford trucks in Detroit Locker Truck & Lightning hauled the mail in qualifying and eliminations. Mike Roup was leading the points chase coming into the event and qualified number one to put everyone on notice. After taking a bye in round one, Roup fell to Robert Chuhran in the second. Chuhran, meanwhile drove to the final round where he fouled at the start against Amanda Saad, who as .002 on the tree and 10.209 on a 10.14 dial in.
Fastest Street Car Magazine Ford Muscle brings a wide variety of vehicles to the class, and it was an all-classic matchup in the final round of competition. Mark Schiffner in his 1970 Ford Torino fought hard to get there, but took the easy win when Matthew Keiser in his 1968 Mustang went -.102 red at the start.
Mickey Thompson Street Car Challenge was a new class at select 2021 events and the heads-up eliminator featured fast Fords that didn’t quite fit into a particular category. Leading the qualifying field was 2020 King of the Street Donato Sierchio who clocked a 7.51. He would drive to the final round of competition to face Dave Liechty. While Liechty’s 2006 Mustang was impressive in its own right, clocking an 8.42 elapsed time, it was Sierchio who drove to the NMRA Winner’s Circle with a 7.637 run.
Scott Barker
QA1 True Street at Beech Bend Raceway is always exciting, as some of the quickest street-legal cars turn out in droves at the NMRA finals. This year, 126 cars teched, 118 were able to take the requisite cruise around Bowling Green, and 99 cars survived for the back-to-back passes. Scott Barker took the overall win in his 1966 Mustang with an 8.78 average, followed by True Street veteran Troy Eaton in the runner up spot with an 8.801. Matthew Ballard grabbed the 9-second award with a perfect 9.000 average, Jason Wolf collected the 10-second prize at 10.029 and Kevin McCotter was the 11-second winner with an 11.118 average. The 12-second win had to be decided by MPH, as Both Wade Whicker and John Cole averaged 12.004. Whicker had the speed to secure the win. Rodney Ward averaged 13.007 for the 13-second award, Darleen Simmons was the 14-second winner with a 14.042 average, and Belinda Moore, one of the winningest True Street drivers, took home the 15-second plaque with a 15.095 average.
TREMEC Stick Shift Shootout pits the eight quickest manually shifted cars from True Street against each other in their own speed contest. In the final round, Bob Myers in his turbocharged, four-cylinder Mercury Capri was victorious over Andrew Lukanov in his 2003 Mustang Cobra.
The Capri Club of North America returned to the NMRA All-Ford World Finals. In the final round of competition, Chris Rolls grabbed the win after James Meredith broke out with a 9.609 on a 9.60 dial in at the top end.
The NMRA Finals played host to the RacePagesDigital.com Bracket Open. As the day came to a close, the final three racers, Bill Feckley, Stephen O’Neal, and Danny Scheele all opted to split the payout.
Carrying on the tradition from the 2020 season, NMRA champions were honored for all of their accomplishments in the Winner’s Circle with a special photo session and video interview. Please visit www.NMRAdigital.com and www.racepagesdigital.com, and the series’ social channels, in the days to come for stories and videos that feature the champions.
The NMRA congratulates all of its 2021 winners and champions. We’ll see you back at it next year when the next great Holley NMRA Drag Racing season kicks off with the 28th Annual NMRA Spring Break Shootout at Bradenton Motorsports Park in Florida over the weekend of March 3-6, 2022! For more and information and advance tickets, visit www.NMRAdigital.com.
NARC NEWSLINE – OCTOBER 4, 2021, By Jim Allen, Okay race fans, we’re coming down the homestretch to our last four NARC King of the West Fujitsu Sprint Car Series races of the 2021 campaign. While that is somewhat of depressing statement to make, I think a majority of us are extremely grateful that we were able to enjoy a full season of open wheel racing this year. And even more grateful for that accomplishment in an almost post-Covid world where darn near everything seems to have negative overtones. With no intention of going political, or taking a stance on any specific issue, I appreciate sprint car racing (and motorsports in general) for what it is: A healthy dose of old school Americana and I’m proud to be part of that family. Better said, whenever I need a dose of sanity, it’s time to go to a dirt track for some open wheel chaos. As mixed up as that sounds, it makes perfect sense to all of us diehards. After all, it’s the little things in life that make it all worthwhile and enjoyable. Little things like standing and taking off our hats while the national anthem is played or reflecting for a solemn moment when our fallen heroes are honored. Also, witnessing the unique interaction and connection that our racing audience has with our competitors is among the best in sports. Everybody is family here! It’s not like you can walk up to LeBron James or Mike Trout after a game and get an autograph or a selfie, but you sure can with a Brad Sweet or a Dominic Scelzi. It’s about entertainment and family values, with no hidden agenda, and a chance to get a breather from some of the negativity that surrounds us. As always, we thank all of you for your support and hope you enjoyed playing in the dirt with us this season and much as we did.
Speaking of open wheel entertainment chaos, they say you should finish strong and that is exactly what we plan to do:
The highly anticipated Second Annual Morrie Williams Legends Tribute race takes place at Peter Murphy’s Keller Auto Speedway on Saturday,October 9th. This event represents a breath of fresh air as it conjures up something completely different; a racing event featuring Twin-20 main events.
For all of you at home taking notes, the first 20-lapper is lined up straight up by times and the second is completely inverted by the finish of the first race. (I know, I had you at “Twin-20.”) Teams are not allowed to change any tires unless they want to go to the very back of the pack for the second event (including behind the lapped cars.) It’s a unique format and if last season’s inaugural event was any preview, this type of show may represent the future of sprint car racing. On a worst-case scenario, it’s going to present infinite possibilities to build on. For those of you who need a quick 2020 refresher, Kyle Hirst edged Mitchell Faccinto in a wall-hopping photo-finish to steal away the first 20, and 11th starter Dominic Scelzi hopped in another “0” car that was towed in on an open trailer to win the second feature. Tim Kaeding, who finished fourth and second in the two events, tallied the most points to win the Legends Tribute bonus.
Each feature will pay $3200 to win and Peter Murphy, Ashley Smith & Katie Williams are still working on some other perks and bonuses. As of this moment in time, each 20-lap segment will pay $16,000 with the top five cashing out $3200, $1500, $1200, $1100, and $1000, respectively. It will pay $300 to start. On top of that there is a fast time bonus of $500, a dash winner kicker of $500, and the heat race winners will pocket an additional $200. On top of that, the overall champion will earn $2000 and the winning mechanic will also be pad his wallet to the tune of $400. And just to make sure our calendars are synchronized, the Morrie Williams race is the second night of racing at Keller Auto Speedway as the Friday show features SCCT 360’s and KoT410’s. Make a weekend out of it and catch ‘em both!
DID SOMEBODY SAY “ANTHONY SIMONE CLASSIC?” While many NARC-King of the West teams were disappointed to find out that the $21,000 to win Tom Tarlton Classic was transformed into a World of Outlaw show, it did open the door for another opportunity. Our Friday, October 29th show has evolved into the Anthony Simone Classic #1 and will feature a winged and non-winged NARC feature event. Yes, you read that correctly! The winged show will pay $7,000 to win the feature honoring the original “Mr. Excitement.” And it’s not a top-heavy adventure as second and third pays $5000 and $3000, respectively.
Now here is where things get interesting. The five-lap (yes, only five) six-car heat races will be lined up straight up by times and the top two finishers make the dash. Better said, if a driver isn’t sitting high in the seat with his elbows up at the start, it’s going to be a long night. There will be 10-cars in the dash (10 like in Anthony’s car number), and they will run 10-laps fully inverted by times. How they finish is how they start the 30-lap Fujitsu General USA headliner. No pill draw. Now if that doesn’t get you pumped up, you better check to see if you still have a pulse.
But as they say in the ShamWow infomercials … “but wait, there is more!”
Once that event is over, drivers will have the option to run a 20-lap non-wing NARC-sanctioned feature. The top ten will be inverted based on the finish of the winged race. Now this is NOT a mandatory race for NARC-King of the West teams, but many have already shown interest in going topless for this non-winged showcase. It will pay $3000 to win and at least $300 to start. So, if you do regular math like me – and not that common core stuff – that’s $10,000 to a driver who can win both. That “10” once again represents Anthony’s car number. (If you are doing common core math, you’ll come up with that same number in about 30 minutes.) I can already see the likes of a Shane Golobic and Bud Kaeding stroking their chin pondering the possibilities. And Chase Johnson and Ryan Bernal also come up as hot commodities for this night of racing.
How is it going to work? Teams will be given approximately 40-minutes to convert their cars from winged to non-winged in the infield work area in front of God and everyone while the USAC Midget feature is being run. Tire changes are allowed, but axle changes are not. With all the twists and turns, this overall event is awarding a flat 100 “show up” points to all teams. And it sure beats an event cancellation. This is a concept that we’ve been talking about for several years and now it’s going to become a reality. (I know Shawn Thomas is happy!)
Once the winged/non-winged extravaganza is in the books, we will have nailed down three consecutive races at Hanford and have only have two events remaining. The Simone race is the front end of a two-day Central California roadshow that will take the NARC King of the West Fujitsu Sprint Car Series down to Kern County Raceway Park in Bakersfield on Saturday (October 30th).
The following weekend, Saturday, November 6th to be exact, the popular Tribute to Gary Patterson will close out the season at the Stockton Dirt Track. This one will also feature the Sprint Car Challenge Tour. Just in case that’s not enough entertainment for one night, the one-and-only-and-very-legendary Steve Kinser will be in the house signing autographs.
CHAMPIONSHIP AWARDS CELEBRATION: As has become a new NARC tradition, the NARC King of the West series will honor its champions and pay out the 2021-point fund at our Champions Celebration Brunch on Sunday, November 7th – the morning after the Stockton race. It will take place on at the Brookside Country Club in Stockton, a beautiful private club that provides an excellent venue. Their food, drinks and service are all five-star worthy. Tickets are $40 each and includes a gigantic breakfast buffet, a NARC Benevolent Fund auction, your favorite race teams, and a ton of Dean Mills-produced videos from the 2021 season. Fans are welcome and encouraged to attend. Contact me to get your tickets.
In the unlikely event the November 6th show rains out and gets postponed or cancelled, the awards celebration will go off as planned. A rescheduled show would award a flat 75 points (per our rulebook) so the standings would not change. Unfortunately, when you book a venue like this, the date is set in concrete. Sort of sounds like my first wedding.
NARC NOTES: How cool was it to see 15-year-old Corey Day win his first NARC feature at the Jim Turner Memorial? We all had a feeling it was coming; we just didn’t know when. Day started sixth in the Meyers Construction 14 and battled to take the lead away from veteran Tim Kaeding on lap 13. I’m not sure who had the biggest smile at the checkered, Corey or his dad Ronnie! … Day became the second first time winner this season, joining Billy Aton. That’s the first time we have added two new names to the winners list since 2017. … Just in case you missed it, Rick Faeth recently announced that his contract to operate Petaluma Speedway has been extended through the 2023 season. Wish we could say the same for Calistoga, or Santa Maria! … Random thought: Have you ever noticed the boat load of enthusiastic kids at Monster Truck events? We need to duplicate that attendance at sprint car shows! … Here is a eye-opening list for you. These drivers have not claimed a King of the West feature this season (yet): Bud Kaeding, Shane Golobic, Willie Croft, and Austin McCarl. Also beating on the door for career win number one would be Joel Myers Jr., Tanner Carrick, Mitchel Moles, and Ryan Robinson. … Who is going to win more NARC-King of the West features this season? Justin Sanders (who has four), or Dominic Scelzi (who has five.) …
MIKE ANDREETA UPDATE: As most of you know, our Director of Competition Mike Andreetta took an unplanned ambulance ride to the hospital after the Labor Day weekend. He passed out at work and luckily the staff at Tognottis dialed 911. The good news is he didn’t have a stroke. The bad news was that he was admitted to Kaiser Hospital with bleeding on the brain from an apparent fall. Nobody is exactly sure where or how that fall took place. Luckily, no surgery was required but the healing process has been slow. Mike was treated in the ICU for three weeks and was recently released to a rehabilitation facility where he will undergo extensive physical therapy. We wish him a speedy recovery and hope to see him soon.
And finally, based on everything being accented in pink, it’s a reminder that October is officially Breast Cancer Awareness Month. I’m always aware! Are you?
DALLAS (Oct. 5) — The Texas NHRA FallNationals at the Texas Motorplex south of Dallas is a race Pro Stock sophomore driver Troy Coughlin Jr. has admired since he was a boy. Returning this weekend as the driver of the JEGS.com Elite Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro, the third-generation drag racer has Texas-sized dreams he wishes to fulfill. “We all know everything’s bigger in Texas and it always seemed to me like Billy Meyer’s Texas Motorplex was a big deal ever since it was built,” Coughlin said. “It would be a big honors to go there and win the race, get one of those cowboy hats, and ride outta there on top of the world.” Meyer, a former Funny Car driver, awards custom-fit cowboy hats to each year’s winners. The hats have become a coveted piece of memorabilia among the quarter-mile crowd. Racers also get a brick with their names etched on them placed in the “Wall of Honor” near the starting line.
“Things like that really makes it special,” Coughlin said. “All the big names are on that wall, including my uncle Jeg, and there’s some real motivation to join him and the others. Plus, the hat. That would be so cool. I’m an Ohio guy all the way, but Texas is second. I love the fans and the people down there. They know how to live and they love drag racing.” With a weekend off since the last race in St. Louis, Coughlin’s Elite Motorsports team has had a chance to test some new concepts the engine developers discovered. Coughlin believes the extra effort may pay immediate dividends. “My teammate Erica (Enders) is in a very tight battle for the championship and we are looking for any way possible to put her over the top,” Coughlin said. “Of course, with this incredible team, all technology is shared so we all benefit. It’s just awesome to see the work put in every day by this group. “I expect us to have a big weekend. We continue to show, both individually and as a group, tremendous horsepower and we feel we can beat anyone in the world. It’s just super-close in Pro Stock, pretty much like it is every year.”
For this race and the penultimate event in Las Vegas at the end of the month, Coughlin and crew, as well as their racecar, will be completely clad in pink to help raise awareness for cancer research. It’s become a tradition with JEGS and many other teams on the NHRA circuit. “The JEGS Foundation for Cancer Research has raised and donated more than $20 million to the James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute at Ohio State University, as well as Nationwide Children’s Hospital, since its’ inception,” Coughlin said. “We are so proud to be able to help those wonderful facilities and we thank everyone in the racing community, including our customers, who have donated time and money to the cause through the years. “As always, Mike Zick did a great job wrapping the car with the design from Associated Graphics to make us stand-out with those bright pink graphics. Anything we can do as a racing organization to help raise awareness for cancer research is big for all of us.”
Prior to the event, Coughlin will take part in the pre-race Stampede of Speed festivities by signing autographs and meeting with fans Thursday afternoon.
VIRginia International Raceway, Alton, VA 12 p.m. EDT Saturday, October 9, 2021 12 p.m. EDT NBC Network Television Additional Live Coverage on NBC TrackPass, NBCSports.com, IMSA Radio, SiriusXM
Acura NSX GT3 Evo Teams Two Acura NSX GT3 Evo teams will be on track this weekend at VIRginia International Raceway, with Sprint Cup participant Gradient Racing joining overall championship entrant Magnus with Archangel for the Michelin GT Challenge at VIR.
For 2021, Acura’s IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship GTD effort is headed by Magnus with Archangel, with three Rolex 24 class wins to their combined credit. The driver lineup for the #44 Acura NSX GT3 Evo is headed by three-time IMSA champion and five-time Rolex 24 class winner Andy Lally, paired with veteran driver and team co-owner John Potter.
Based in Austin, Texas, Gradient Racing returns for a second year of IMSA Sprint Cup competition with the #66 Unit Nutrition Acura NSX GT3 Evo for drivers Mario Farnbacher – substituting for the injured Marc Miller – and Till Bechtolsheimer.
Miller suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon while training early last week. He underwent successful surgery to repair the tendon on Friday, and is now in therapy and rehabilitation near his home in Michigan.
Farnbacher is the two-time and defending GTD champion with four career GTD class victories. He competed in the previous seven Sprint Cup rounds this season with Compass Racing. However, Compass is not entered in this weekend’s VIR round, making Farnbacher available to replace the injured Miller.
The Acura brand returned to IMSA sports car racing in 2017, with Meyer Shank Racing fielding a pair of new Acura NSX GT3s. Acura scored a pair of race victories and five podium finishes in a highly-successful debut season, then scored another pair of victories and finished second in the 2018 GTD championship. Developing the NSX GT3 Evo, Meyer Shank Racing went on to win IMSA GTD championship in both 2019 and 2020.
Acura ARX-05 Prototype Teams IMSA’s Prototype category is not a part of the IMSA weekend at VIR, but the Acura ARX-05s will return to the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship for the following round, the season finale Petit Le Mans, November 11-13 at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta.
Propelled by wins at the Rolex 24 at Daytona, the Acura Mid-Ohio Sports Car Challenge and at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca; plus podium finishes at Detroit and both Watkins Glen rounds, Wayne Taylor Racing’s Ricky Taylor and Filipe Albuquerque lead the Drivers’ Championship standings by 19 points [3071-3052] over primary rivals Felipe Nasr and Pipo Derani. Driving for Meyer Shank Racing, Dane Cameron and Olivier Pla are fifth in the championship battle with 2668 points.
Where To Watch Live network television coverage from VIR begins at 12 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 9, on NBC. Complete, flag-to-flag race coverage also will be available NBC Sports Gold TrackPass, on NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports App with NBCSN authentication.
Fans can listen in to audio commentary via IMSA.com, RadioLeMans.com and Sirius XM Radio [Sirius 216, XM 202, SiriusXM Online 992]; and follow the race live via in-car cameras, IMSA Radio and timing & scoring available worldwide on IMSA.com and the IMSA mobile device App.
Acura Motorsports social media content and video links from VIRginia International Raceway can be found on Instagram (www.instagram.com/hondaracing_hpd), Twitter (twitter.com/HondaRacing_HPD) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/HondaRacingHPD). Additional features and long-form videos can be found on the Honda Racing/HPD YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/HondaRacingHPDTV).
With nearly 300 of the world’s best drivers, a weeks’ worth of racing, more than $400,000 in total winnings available and the return of thousands of fans to Oswego, NY, Racing’s Biggest Party is back OSWEGO, NY – Oct. 5, 2021 – Seven days before the biggest race of the week, fans lined the streets at Oswego Speedway to get their campers in place. The rain didn’t bother them. They were finally back.Finally, back at their “Super Bowl.” Finally, back at their “Knoxville Nationals.” Finally, back at NAPA Super DIRT Week.The 49th running of Racing’s Biggest Party (Oct. 5-10) commences this week, featuring the Super DIRTcar Series, DIRTcar 358 Modifieds, DIRTcar Sportsman and DIRTcar Pro Stocks at Oswego Speedway. Racing kicks off Tuesday, Oct. 5, for the Demon 100 at Brewerton Speedway with the Super DIRTcar Series and DIRTcar Pro Stocks. The event is the last chance for a Super DIRTcar Series and Pro Stock competitor to earn a guaranteed NAPA Super DIRT Week Feature starting position.The party ramps up on Wednesday, Oct. 6, for “DIRTcar Day.” Fans are invited to wear their favorite racing attire and attend the popular NAPA Super DIRT Week parade (at noon) through the city streets of Oswego, featuring several of the cars that will be racing in the event. A special announcement will follow at City Hall with Mayor William Barlow.Later that night, 358 Modified and Sportsman drivers will make their way to Weedsport Speedway for the NAPA Super DIRT Week Kickoff Party race.Practice and Time Trials will place at Oswego Speedway on Thursday, Oct. 7, before a return to Brewerton Speedway later in the day for the Hurricane Harvey 75, again with the 358 Modified and Sportsman drivers.Qualifying Heats for all divisions will headline the action on Friday, Oct. 8, at Oswego Speedway. The first main event of the week, the Salute to the Troops 150, for the DIRTcar 358 Modifieds will be on Saturday, Oct. 9, at 5 p.m. (ET). The party then continues through 2 a.m. with the band Dirt Road Ruckus and DJ Rick Uhl at the Island Stage for the Saturday Night Bash.Then, Sunday, Oct. 10, is reserved for main events. The DIRTcar Sportsman Chevrolet Performance 75 will kick off the day at 11 a.m. An autograph session with the Top 30 Super DIRTcar Series competitors will follow at noon. The DIRTcar Pro Stocks 50 will be shortly after that before the ultimate event of the week. The prestigious $50,000-to-win, 200-lap, Billy Whittaker Cars 200 for the Super DIRTcar Series Big Block Modifieds will start at 3 p.m.Tickets are available by, CLICKING HERE. If you can’t make it to the track, you can watch the weeks’ worth of action on DIRTVision – either online or on the DIRTVision App.Here are the top storylines to follow throughout NAPA Super DIRT Week:Super DIRTcar Series FOUR FOR FOUR: In the four years NAPA Super DIRT Week has been hosted at Oswego Speedway, there have been four different winners. Stewart Friesen, Matt Sheppard, Larry Wight and Matt Williamson. With that, there are two ways history will again be made this year. There will either be a fifth different consecutive winner or the first repeat winner at Oswego.While the four previous winners are all on track for a potential repeat, others like Peter Britten, Mike Mahaney and Max McLaughlin have had strong 2021 seasons, picking up big Super DIRTcar Series wins, giving them the momentum to go after their first Billy Whittaker Cars 200 win.EYEING BIG REPEAT: Defending Billy Whittaker Cars 200 winner Mat Williamson will have a busy schedule ahead of him as he tries to be the first to defend his NAPA Super DIRTcar Week championship at Oswego. Along with piloting his Buzz Chew #88 Big Block, he’ll pilot the #6 358 Modified at Oswego and his own 358 Modified for the satellite shows at Brewerton Speedway and Weedsport Speedway.He said there is pressure to defend his win and chuckled when he said he’s not sure how he’ll handle it. To the Canadian, there’s nothing else like NAPA Super DIRT Week.“There’s a list longer than my arm I could talk about good things for DIRT Week,” Williamson said. “How cool it is for a driver to be a part of it. There’s a lot of money, $50,000 to win. There’s prestige. People like Brett Hearn, Alan Johnson and Gary Balough, who have won this race in the past, it’s cool to have your name with them.”FREEZE ZONE: NASCAR Truck Series star Stewart Friesen is taking a break from his chase for his first NASCAR championship to chase another win at what he considers one of the biggest events of the year. Friesen – a five-time Billy Whittaker Cars 200 winner – has been one of the strongest drivers all year long with the Super DIRTcar Series, picking up six wins.He’s no stranger to making history at NAPA Super DIRT Week. He was the last driver to win at the Syracuse Mile and the first to win at Oswego Speedway.DIRTcar 358 ModifiedsBACK ON DECK: You’d be hard-pressed to miss Billy Decker’s name in the NAPA Super DIRT Week history books. Especially when it comes to DIRTcar 358 Modified competition. In 2019, he became the winningest 358 Super DIRT Week champion in history by claiming his seventh title.The Sidney, NY driver will be back behind the wheel of his Gypsum Racing #91 machine to chase another Salute to the Troops 150 win and further extend his presence in the history books.NOT ‘DUNN’ YET: Billy Dunn has won the Billy Whittaker Cars 200, claimed the pole for the Salute to the Troops 150 and finished second in the prestigious DIRTcar 358 Modified race twice. This year, he’s poised to fill that gap and finally park his #49 358 Modified in Victory Lane Saturday night.The Watertown, NY driver has had a solid year in the DIRTcar 358 Modified ranks, picking up eight wins at three different tracks and finishing second overall in Hoosier Tire Weekly Championship points.RUN, RUN RUDOLPH: Erick Rudolph has had a busy race season. Along with running the full Super DIRTcar Series tour, he’s competed weekly at Ransomville behind the wheel of his #25R 358 Modified Speedway – finishing second in points – ran weekly at Mohawk International Raceway – finishing fourth in points – and tied for fifth in the DIRTcar 358 Modified Hoosier Tire Weekly Championship.With that plethora of seat time, the Ransomville, NY driver will look to translate it into his first Salute to the Troops 150 win. He finished second to Billy Decker in 2019.DIRTcar SportsmanCAREER LAUNCHER: Along with being a prestigious event for DIRTcar Sportsman drivers, it’s also acted as a career accelerator for those that win the Chevrolet Performance 75. The defending champion, Kyle Inman, has moved up to 358 Modifieds this year, and the only repeat winners of the event, Rocky Warner (2012, 2015) and Dave Marcuccilli (2016, 2017), have moved up to Big Block Modifieds.Several other former Super DIRT Week Sportsman winners have gone on to race 358 and/or Big Block Modifieds as well, like Matt Sheppard (2000), Erick Rudolph (2008), Chad Brachmann (1999) and Ryan Godown (2001). In 21 editions of the NAPA Super DIRT Week Sportsman Modified racing, there has been 19 different winners. It’s become a race where you’re watching future stars in the making.BUFFING UP: Andrew Buff will get the best shot of his career this October to earn his first NAPA Super Dirt Week victory after an excellent year behind the wheel of his West End Towing & Repair #92 car.As of mid-September, the Latham, NY driver won 10 races in DIRTcar competition, spanning four different tracks. He also wrapped up his second career Sportsman track championship at Glen Ridge and comes into this year’s Chevy Performance 75 looking to better his fifth-place run from 2018.YOUTHFUL CHAMPION: Tyler Corcoran, 19, continued his success in the Sportsman ranks this year with his second consecutive track championship at Can-Am Speedway, defeating several other Super DIRT Week hopefuls for the title.The teenager from Central Square, NY, sits ninth in Hoosier Weekly Points as of mid-September with five victories to his credit. Corcoran also leads the Central Region Series points with five top-10s through the first five races. He shoots for his second career Chevy Performance 75 start this year after dropping out of his first appearance in 2019.DIRTcar Pro StocksON THE HUNT: Josh Coonradt hopes to repeat after standing tall in Victory Lane in 2019. The West Milton, NY driver, has built momentum in 2021, scoring a DIRTcar Northeast Pro Stock Series win at Glen Ridge Motorsports Park.If Coonradt can pull off a thrilling win for the second time at “The Clay Palace,” he’d become the sixth driver to win the event multiple times.CAPITAL REGION KING: The Pro Stock driver with more wins than any other driver in 2021 is Chad Jeseo. The Averill Park, NY driver has 10 wins—five at Albany-Saratoga Speedway and five at Lebanon Valley Speedway. He also won the track championship at both Capital Region venues.Jeseo hopes to cap off the season with a victory at NAPA Super DIRT Week. It’s his first attempt to qualify for the event since 2012 when he finished 24th at the New York State Fairgrounds.NORTH COUNTRY CONTENDERS: Justin White and Burton Ward are two of the names to keep an eye on entering NAPA Super Dirt Week.White is the 2021 Can-Am Speedway Track Champion and won a September DIRTcar Northeast Pro Stock Series race there in September. He had four victories at the Lafargeville, NY facility this season.Burton Ward finished second to White in the battle for Can-Am’s track title and found Victory Lane once during the season.Those drivers join a list of stout competitors across the Northeast, all hoping to etch their name into the NAPA Super DIRT Week history books.For the full NAPA Super DIRT Week schedule, CLICK HERE.For everything on NAPA Super DIRT Week, including maps, news, schedules, FAQs, results and more, make sure to download the NAPA Super DIRT Week App.
NAPA Super DIRT Week is brought to fans by many important sponsors and partners, including: NAPA Auto Parts, DIRTVision (Official Live Broadcast Partner), Billy Whittaker Cars and Trux, Chevrolet Performance and SIS Insurance. Other Super DIRT Week sponsors include: ARP (Automotive Racing Products), A-Verdi, Area Auto Racing News, ASI Race Wear, Bart Contracting Inc, Best Western Plus-Oswego, Beyea Custom Headers, Bicknell Racing Products, City of Oswego, C&S Companies, Clarion Hotel – Oswego, Cometic Gasket, COMP Cams, Drydene, Fast Line Performance, Fast Shafts, FireAde, Fox Factory, Gypsum Express, Hoosier Racing Tire, Integra Racing Shocks, Intercomp, iRacing, K1 Race Gear, Low-E Insulation, MSD, Penske Shocks, PJC Spray Foam, Racing Electronics, SRI Performance, Tracey Road Equipment, VP Racing Fuels, and Wrisco Aluminum. Special thanks to New York State. The Super DIRTcar Series 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), Chevy Performance Parts, iRacing (Official Online Racing Game) and NAPA Auto Parts. Contingency sponsors include: ARP (Automotive Racing Products), ASI Race Wear, Bicknell Racing Products, Billy Whittaker Cars & Trux, Cometic Gasket, COMP Cams, Drydene, Fox Factory, MSD, and Wrisco (Exclusive Racing Aluminum); along with manufacturer sponsors, including: FireAde, Intercomp, and Racing Electronics.
Corvette program seeking fourth win – and third overall – at VIR· Milner, Tandy coming off back-to-back GTLM victories in California· Garcia, Taylor hope to repeat 2020 overall win· All four Corvette Racing drivers with multiple VIR victories
DETROIT (Oct. 5, 2021) – Following back-to-back victories in California, Corvette Racing has headed back eastward for the next-to-last event on its schedule – the Michelin GT Challenge at Virginia International Raceway. The race – only for GT entries in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship – is one at which Corvette Racing has been immensely successful. The program has three overall victories plus an additional class win since it began visiting VIR in 2012. Corvette Racing will go for another VIR win live on NBC at noon ET on Saturday. Tommy Milner, a Virginia native, and Nick Tandy arrive at Virginia on the heels of consecutive GT Le Mans (GTLM) wins in the No. 4 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R – at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca and the Long Beach street circuit. The late-season run by the No. 4 Corvette duo has given Milner and Tandy significant momentum heading into the final two races of the year – VIR and the 10-hour Petit Le Mans in November at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta. As has been the case throughout the year, their strongest competition may come from inside their own team. Antonio Garcia and Jordan Taylor, teammates in the No. 3 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Corvette C8.R, are defending winners at VIR after having won last year in the C8.R’s maiden VIR race. It was one of five victories on the year for the No. 3 Corvette, and the pairing again lead this year’s GTLM Drivers Championship on the strength of four wins and seven consecutive pole positions. All four Corvette drivers have tasted success at VIR. Garcia’s three VIR wins – all with Corvette Racing – ranks him second among all IMSA drivers entered for Saturday’s race. leads all active IMSA drivers with three VIR wins. Milner, Taylor and Tandy each have two victories to their credit. In addition, Chevrolet leads all manufacturers with eight IMSA VIR wins with four coming from Corvette Racing. The Michelin GT Challenge at VIR is scheduled for noon ET on Saturday with live coverage on NBC, NBC Sports Gold and Trackpass. Live IMSA Radio coverage will air on XM 202, SiriusXM Online 992 and IMSA.com, which also will host live timing and scoring.
ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “It’s easy to say that a track where you have a lot of success is a favorite. But even without any wins, VIR would still be one of my favorites. It is that kind of classic American track where you can either be rewarded for risk or punished for a mistake. The layout of the track and the elevation of the land makes it memorable. I’ve had many good races and wins there with Corvette Racing including last year with Jordan. It was a big race to set us up for the championship. We can do the same this weekend with another win for the C8.R. It will be tough fight against our competition – including our teammates – so let’s see how the race goes.”
JORDAN TAYLOR, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “I love going back to VIR. We won the race there last year, of course. It’s obviously a much different feel and style of race than what we had at Long Beach and even Laguna Seca. There are a lot of different corners with different speeds for each – high and low speeds. How the track rises and falls away across the layout is a big challenge for us as drivers and engineers. Plus it will be GT-only. So this will be a flat-out and intense race with no prototypes going by. It’s always nice to be racing for an overall win, so I can’t wait to get there.”
TOMMY MILNER, NO. 4 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “I’m really excited to get another IMSA race since we are two for our last two. Nick and I are heading into VIR with some momentum but we’ll have to work as hard as ever to continue that trend. VIR is an awesome, awesome racetrack… one that is a lot different than what we are coming off of at Long Beach and even Laguna Seca. There is a ton of grip at VIR so it will be a fun challenge. This C8.R was a lot of fun to drive there last year. It’s improved from last year so I’m looking forward to seeing how good it is around VIR this time around.”
NICK TANDY, NO. 4 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “I love VIR… absolutely love it. I have since the first time I went there. It reminds me of racing at a lot of tracks where I grew up in the UK. There is greenery everywhere. It feels different and is one of my favorite tracks on the calendar. Past that, the track layout is awesome. It has everything… super-fast with long straights, elevation changes, slow technical sections and super-high speed technical sections. It definitely is one of my favorite places to race on the IMSA calendar. Having seen how good our rival car was there last year, I know it’s a circuit that will suit them. From the Corvette side, we’ll have to be on the top of our game. But I think I know how to get a car to go well around there so I’m really looking forward to this one.”
2021 WeatherTech SportsCar Championship – GTLM(After Eight of 10 Events)Driver Standings1. Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor – 2,9172. Tommy Milner/Nick Tandy – 2,7573. Cooper MacNeil – 2,6444. Matt Campbell – 1,7025. Mathieu Jaminet – 1,324 Team Standings1. No. 3 Corvette Racing – 2,9172. No. 4 Corvette Racing – 2,7573. No. 79 WeatherTech Racing – 2,6444. No. 24 BMW Team RLL – 1,0015. No. 25 BMW Team RLL – 966Manufacturer Standings1. Chevrolet – 3,0002. Porsche – 2,8123. BMW – 1,0524. Ferrari – 330 CORVETTE RACING AT VIR: By the Numbers• 1: As in one team, one manufacturer and one model of car for 23 years: Corvette Racing, Chevrolet and the Chevrolet Corvette.• 3: Overall VIR race wins for Corvette Racing – 2016, 2017 and 2020. Antonio Garcia has been part of all three.• 3: Generations of Corvette Racing entries at VIR since 2012 – Corvette C6.R (2012-2013) and Corvette C7.R (2014-2019) and the mid-engine Corvette C8.R, which won its debut makes its VIR debut this weekend.• 4: Class wins at VIR for Corvette Racing, tied for the most among IMSA entrants. Tommy Milner and Oliver Gavin won in ALMS GT competition in 2012, Antonio Garcia and Jan Magnussen won overall in 2016 and 2017, and Garcia and Jordan Taylor won in 2020.• 8: Number of VIR victories for Chevrolet since 2002 covering both ALMS and the Rolex Series.• 13: Manufacturer Championships for Chevrolet and Corvette Racing since 2001.• 25: Tracks at which Corvette Racing has won races – Baltimore, Charlotte Motor Speedway, COTA, Canadian Tire Motorsport Park/Mosport, Daytona, Detroit, Houston, Laguna Seca, Le Mans, Lime Rock, Long Beach, Miami, Mid-Ohio, Portland, Road America, Road Atlanta, Sebring, Sonoma, St. Petersburg, Texas, Trois Rivieres, Utah, VIR, Washington DC and Watkins Glen.• 31: Number of drivers for Corvette Racing since 1999.• 25: Tracks at which Corvette Racing has won races – Baltimore, Charlotte Motor Speedway, COTA, Canadian Tire Motorsport Park/Mosport, Daytona, Detroit, Houston, Laguna Seca, Le Mans, Lime Rock, Long Beach, Miami, Mid-Ohio, Portland, Road America, Road Atlanta, Sebring, Sonoma, St. Petersburg, Texas, Trois Rivieres, Utah, VIR, Washington DC and Watkins Glen.• 27: Number of GT Le Mans wins in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship for Corvette Racing since the start of 2014.• 118: Victories worldwide for Corvette Racing – 110 in North America and eight at Le Mans.• 248: Event starts by Corvette Racing since 1999.• 5,339.91: Number of racing miles completed by Corvette Racing in its seven previous trips to Virginia International Raceway. That represents 1,636 laps or more than 21 trips from Tommy Milner’s home near Ashburn, Virginia to the track.• 331,261.64: Total number of racing miles completed by Corvette Racing since its inception. To put that in perspective Apollo 13 – the longest manned spaceflight in history – covered “just” 248,655 miles when it went it orbited the moon. Simply put, the program has raced to the moon… and then some. Corvette Racing at Virginia International Raceway (wins in bold)2012No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 8th in GT (Garcia fastest race lap)No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 1st in GT (Clinched ALMS GT title) 2013No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 3rd in GT (Clinch GT team, manufacturer titles)No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 6th in GT 2014No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor – 7th in GTLM (Taylor replaced Magnussen – injury)No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 9th in GTLM 2015No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 6th in GTLMNo. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 8th in GTLM 2016No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 1st in GTLM (Magnussen pole)No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 9th in GTLM (Gavin fastest race lap) 2017No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 1st in GTLMNo. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 6th in GTLM 2018No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 2nd in GTLMNo. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 6th in GTLM 2019No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 3rd in GTLMNo. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 4th in GTLM 2020No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor – 1st in GTLM (Taylor pole)No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 4th in GTLM
Team Chevy high-resolution racing photos are available for editorial use. About ChevroletFounded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is now one of the world’s largest car brands, available in 79 countries with more than 3.2 million cars and trucks sold in 2020. Chevrolet models include electric and fuel-efficient vehicles that feature engaging performance, design that makes the heart beat, passive and active safety features and easy-to-use technology, all at a value. More information on Chevrolet models can be found at www.chevrolet.com.
Matt DiBenedetto and the Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center team had a plan to run hard early on, verify their speed then save their No. 21 Mustang for a late-race bid for the win in Monday’s rain-delayed YellaWood 500 at Talladega Superspeedway.
Mother Nature had other ideas. Not only did rain cause the race to be postponed a day and shortened by 71 laps, the showers also foiled the plans of the No. 21 team.
After starting 15th, DiBenedetto sped to the front, led Laps 12-13, then dropped back in an effort to avoid the multi-car crashes that seem inevitable at Talladega.
While riding at the back, as planned, near the end of Stage Two, dark clouds began to build around the race track, so DiBenedetto and the team were forced to abandon their original strategy and try to quickly work their way forward.
But that didn’t work out either as he was collected in the race’s final crash and was credited with a 35th-place finish.
“We went up there early and led some and were feeling our car out,” DiBenedetto said as he exited the track’s infield care center after being checked out following his wreck. “We had good speed as always.
“The Quick Lane and Wood Brothers team always bring really fast race cars here, and we really wanted to feel it out.
“We got shuffled a little and were just riding. We were committed to that before the day started – to leverage the situation to our advantage.
“We don’t need Stage points, so we were going to cruise and let the wrecks happen and then in Stage Three go and try to run up front and go for the win.
“But Mother Nature threw a little kink in our plans, and obviously we see what happened….Weather became a factor, and we didn’t have the right track position at that point.”
He said that while he was disappointed today, he’s not discouraged about the remainder of the season.
“We’ve got some good races left,” he said. “We’ve been on a roll. Our team has been doing awesome, so we’re going to take that momentum and try and snag a win.”
Eddie Wood said he was disappointed that DiBenedetto and the Quick Lane team were swept up in a crash.
“I know how hard Matt and the Quick Lane team have worked on the superspeedway program,” he said. “They’ve been fast enough to win the last two races here at Talladega, so I know this one stings.”
Wood also offered his congratulations to race winner Bubba Wallace and his car owner Denny Hamlin, who scored a historic victory.
“It’s really hard to win one of these races, so they have a lot to be proud of,” he said.
DiBenedetto and the Wood Brothers team remain 18th in the Cup Series standings and will be back on the track this weekend on the ROVAL at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Weedsport Racing Kick NAPA Super DIRT Week into High GearOfficials forced to cancel Wednesday’s practice at Oswego Speedway due to persistent rain to keep track in shape for huge week of racing aheadOSWEGO, NY – The massive undertaking of converting the Steel Palace into the Clay Palace for the 49th NAPA Auto Parts Super DIRT Week is complete and Wednesday’s “DIRTcar Day” kick off celebration awaits.
However, with persistent rain the past few days at Oswego Speedway, officials have been forced to cancel Wednesday’s practice sessions to preserve the race track. All other Wednesday events remain on schedule. Speedway gates will open at 7:30 a.m. (ET) for campers and race teams with tech inspection at 8 a.m.At noon Wednesday — aka DIRTcar Day in Oswego! — the Parade of Power rolls through the streets as residents will hear the rumble of Super DIRTcar Series Big Block Modifieds, DIRTcar 358 Modifieds, DIRTcar Sportsman Modifieds, and the full-fendered DIRTcar Pro Stocks all along the parade route followed by a special announcement in Civic Plaza near City Hall at 12:30 p.m. with City of Oswego Mayor William Barlow.Be sure to download the NAPA Super DIRT Week app to stay up-to-date with the schedule and news.The action on track heats up Wednesday night at Weedsport Speedway for the NAPA Super DIRT Week Kickoff Party featuring the DIRTcar 358 Modified Series and DIRTcar Sportsman Modified Series Fall Championship round two.For those partying at Oswego Speedway be sure to head over to the Island Stage LINK for a party with DJ Rick Uhl from 9 p.m. to midnight.With hundreds of campers already set up at Oswego Speedway it’s clear NAPA Super DIRT Week is well underway, and on Tuesday, Oct. 5, all eyes will be on Brewerton Speedway for the Super DIRTcar Series’ $10,000-to-win Demon 100. Stars like Matt Sheppard, Billy Decker, Peter Britten, Mat Williamson, and many more will battle for the big payday. Also on the card at Brewerton will be DIRTcar Pro Stocks, who have only been to Brewerton one time with the Series when Louis Jackson won in 2009. The Demon 100 will also be the final chance for a Super DIRTcar Series and DIRTcar Pro Stock competitor to secure a guaranteed NAPA Super DIRT Week starting spot.PHOTO: Collin Wyant
NAPA Super DIRT Week is brought to fans by many important sponsors and partners, including: NAPA Auto Parts, DIRTVision (Official Live Broadcast Partner), Billy Whittaker Cars and Trux, Chevrolet Performance and SIS Insurance. Other Super DIRT Week sponsors include: ARP (Automotive Racing Products), A-Verdi, Area Auto Racing News, ASI Race Wear, Bart Contracting Inc, Best Western Plus-Oswego, Beyea Custom Headers, Bicknell Racing Products, City of Oswego, C&S Companies, Clarion Hotel – Oswego, Cometic Gasket, COMP Cams, Drydene, Fast Line Performance, Fast Shafts, FireAde, Fox Factory, Gypsum Express, Hoosier Racing Tire, Integra Racing Shocks, Intercomp, iRacing, K1 Race Gear, Low-E Insulation, MSD, Penske Shocks, PJC Spray Foam, Racing Electronics, SRI Performance, Tracey Road Equipment, VP Racing Fuels, and Wrisco Aluminum. Special thanks to New York State. The Super DIRTcar Series 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), Chevy Performance Parts, iRacing (Official Online Racing Game) and NAPA Auto Parts. Contingency sponsors include: ARP (Automotive Racing Products), ASI Race Wear, Bicknell Racing Products, Billy Whittaker Cars & Trux, Cometic Gasket, COMP Cams, Drydene, Fox Factory, MSD, and Wrisco (Exclusive Racing Aluminum); along with manufacturer sponsors, including: FireAde, Intercomp, and Racing Electronics.
Austin Dillon and the No. 3 BREZTRI AEROSPHERE® (budesonide, glycopyrrolate, and formoterol fumarate) Inhalation Aerosol Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE Team Survive Wild Talladega Superspeedway Race With 11th-Place Finish
11th
16th
17th
“What a weekend at Talladega Superspeedway. Our No. 3 BREZTRI AEROSPHERE® (budesonide, glycopyrrolate, and formoterol fumarate) Inhalation Aerosol Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE was strong this weekend so I wish that Mother Nature would have cooperated a little more and we could have raced to the finish. Spotter Brandon Benesch did a great job helping to navigate us around the track, and we raced our way into the top-three several times. It was a really intense out there today, so I’m glad we were able to skirt our way through several wrecks. We’ll take this 11th-place finish and head to the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL next weekend.” -Austin Dillon
Strong Run Prematurely Ends for Tyler Reddick and the No. 8 Realtree Team at Talladega Superspeedway
39th
13th
14th
“Our Realtree Chevrolet had a ton of speed today at Talladega Superspeedway. With the rain threatening in the area, it was only a matter of time before a wreck happened. Unfortunately, the cell we were racing against didn’t get to the track as fast as we thought it would and the wreck ended our day early. After staying cautious a couple different times in the first stage, it was time to make a move. I got up and started to make things happen in the third lane. We had put ourselves in a good position to lead laps and finish inside the top-10, especially with how strong our Camaro could suck up behind cars. It’s unfortunate for sure, but I’m proud of the effort that everyone at RCR, ECR and on the No. 8 team put forth. On to Charlotte.”
NASCAR CUP SERIES TALLADEGA SUPERSPEEDWAY YELLAWOOD 500 TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE NOTES AND QUOTES OCTOBER 4, 2021
TOP TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL RACE RESULTS:POS. DRIVER4th KURT BUSCH, NO. 1 MONSTER ENERGY CAMARO ZL1 1LE 9th ERIK JONES, NO. 43 US AIRFORCE: SPECIAL WARFARE CAMARO ZL1 1LE 11th AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 BREZTRI CAMARO ZL1 1LE 16th RICKY STENHOUSE JR., NO. 47 SUNNY D CAMARO ZL1 1LE 18th CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 A SHOC CAMARO ZL1 1LE 19th QUIN HOUFF, NO. 00 8 BALL CHOCOLATE WHISKEY CAMARO ZL1 1LE 20th JUSTIN HALEY, NO. 16 LEAFFILTER GUTTER PROTECTION CAMARO ZL1 1LE TOP FIVE UNOFFICIAL RACE RESULTS: POS. DRIVER1st Bubba Wallace (Toyota)2nd Brad Keselowski (Ford)3rd Joey Logano (Ford)4th Kurt Busch (Chevrolet)5th Christopher Bell (Toyota) The NASCAR Cup Series season continues this weekend at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course for the Bank of America ROVAL 400 on Sunday, October 10, at 2 p.m. ET. Live coverage can be found on NBC, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90. TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE NOTES AND QUOTES: KURT BUSCH, NO. 1 MONSTER ENERGY CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 4thGOOD RUN HERE TODAY. WHAT CAN YOU TAKE AWAY FROM THAT?“Yeah, I raced as smart as I could and raced on the unselfish side. The teamwork has to be there and has to be there at the right moment. For us, with the rain and the end of the Stage, we wanted to get everything we could and I am really proud of the way our car drove. This Monster Energy Chevy was fast and did everything we needed it to do. I stayed committed to the low lane and it was just a matter of when the low lane versus the high lane had the momentum and whenever the yellow was going to come out. So, we just didn’t quite have all the luck on our side today.” ERIK JONES, NO. 43 US AIRFORCE: SPECIAL WARFARE CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 9th “Good day for the Air Force Chevy. Thought we had good speed all day and kept it up front. Thought the race was coming to us and then the rain came. Proud of the effort to have a top ten and hopefully keep it rolling at the ROVAL.” AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 BREZTRI CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 11th“What a weekend at Talladega Superspeedway. Our No. 3 BREZTRI AEROSPHERE® (budesonide, glycopyrrolate, and formoterol fumarate) Inhalation Aerosol Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE was strong this weekend so I wish that Mother Nature would have cooperated a little more and we could have raced to the finish. Spotter Brandon Benesch did a great job helping to navigate us around the track, and we raced our way into the top-three several times. It was a really intense out there today, so I’m glad we were able to skirt our way through several wrecks. We’ll take this top-10 finish and head to the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL next weekend.” CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 A SHOC CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 18th “Well the A SHOC team survived the day. I just got into the wrong lane there in the closing laps. Once that got sorted back out, I didn’t have a ton of options and we just ran out of time with the rain. Not the finish we needed, but we will head onto the ROVAL.” RYAN PREECE, NO. 37 KROGER/VELVEETA CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Sidelined by damage sustained in an accident on lap 115; Finished 32nd YOU WERE RUNNING THIRD. WHAT HAPPENED IN YOUR POINT OF VIEW? “Just superspeedway racing. This is just a common cause in this kind of racing. There is strategy and it’s a game of chess; but when the rain is coming like it was, everybody starts pushing harder and harder. Unfortunately, I was on the bad end of it. Like Chris (Buescher) and I work really good together and it was just a bad situation I guess.” SO JUST SUPERSPEEDWAY RACING?“Yeah, I didn’t see a replay. I think it was the 17 pushing me and helping me get to the 22; but I had some damage, and it was harder for me to lock and push. When I could, I could stay locked on. It just is what it is and unfortunately, we were a lap late with the rain coming. That was really why we were all getting aggressive like we were.” WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 AXALTA CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Sidelined by damage sustained in an accident on lap 115; Finished 36th INVOLVED IN THAT WRECK WITH THE NO. 37 OF RYAN PREECE. HE WAS COMING DOWN THE TRACK. DID YOU JUST HAVE NOWHERE TO GO? “Yeah, I don’t know. He was just coming down the track and I was kind of trying to run a third lane. Just part of Talladega. We’ll go to the ROVAL, try to win that one and advance that way.” YOU ALSO HAD YOUR TEAMMATE, ALEX BOWMAN, GET KNOCKED OUT THERE IN TURN THREE. YOU’RE BOTH NOW BASICALLY IN A MUST WIN POSITION. HOW DO YOU TACKLE NEXT WEEK? HOW DO YOU GO INTO THAT MENTALLY?“Just like we did at Bristol. Try to do the best we can. We tried to win last week and it didn’t work out. We tried to win today and it didn’t work out. We’ll approach it like we do every week.”“Thank you to Axalta, Chevrolet and everybody back at the shop. We’ll have a really fast car for the ROVAL, so we’ll just have to go and perform there.” KYLE LARSON, NO. 5 CINCINNATI CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 37th WELL, THAT WASN’T GREAT, RIGHT?“It could have been worse; could have been worse. I haven’t seen the point total yet, but it seems like a lot of us are around the same spot. I think at times it looked worse; so like I said, it could have been worse.” THAT WAS JUST A CASE WHERE YOU OBVIOUSLY HAD NOWHERE TO GO, RIGHT? “Yeah, I didn’t even see what happened and had no time to react or anything like that. It’s just part of this racing when you are not situated in good track position and just got collected there. So, yeah, a bit of a bummer, but could have been worse today.” DID THE FACT OF HAVING SOMEONE LIKE CLIFF (DANIELS, CREW CHIEF) ON THE BOX HELP MAKE THINGS CALMER DURING REPAIRS?“Yeah, definitely. It helps keep me a little bit calm and just kind of keeping you aware helps. I screwed up where we could have been two less laps down and gotten a couple more positions. Somehow I hit the ECU switch when I shut the engine off to allow the guys to work on the front end. And then, I couldn’t get it re-fired, so we went down a lap. And then I lost the draft and ended up losing another lap. I cost myself a couple more positions, but it is what it is.” ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 48 ALLY CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Sidelined by damage sustained in an accident on lap 97; Finished 38th WHAT DID YOU FEEL INSIDE THE CAR? WAS THE BUMP JUST TOO AGGRESSIVE? “Yeah, just dumped over on the left rear and turned us around really bad. Bummer for the Ally 48 team. We had a fast car; we were leading there. That’s just superspeedway racing and the box that we’re put in by these racetracks. You’ll have that. Bummed to have torn up racecar, but we’ll move on and try to go win the ROVAL.” YOU’RE IN A MUST WIN POSITION NOW TO BE ABLE TO ADVANCE IN THE PLAYOFFS. DOES THAT ELEVIATE SOME PRESSURE? MAKE IT SIMPLE? “We were pretty buried anyway and everyone is going to run pretty good. So, it was a must run really well situation anyways. It doesn’t really change much. We know we’re going to need to win. We’ll go do our best to make that happen.”
Dakota Dickerson, Taylor Hagler recover from opening lap contact to score third Pro/Am Class victory of season for Racers Edge Motorsports Acura NSX GT3 Evo teams earn double-podium Pro/Am finish in Sunday’s GT race Compass Racing duo of Rodrigo Sales and Matt McMurry take their Acura to third
SEBRING, Fla. (October 3, 2021) The Racers Edge pairing of Dakota Dickerson and Taylor Hagler snatched victory from the proverbial jaws of defeat Sunday at Sebring International Raceway to score the team’s third Pro-Am win of the 2021 Fanatec GT World Challenge America Powered by AWS season.
Following up on a Saturday effort that saw the Racers Edge #93 Acura NSX GT3 come home a close second in the Pro/Am class, the team was poised to move another step up the podium as Dickerson took the first stint in Sunday’s race.
The optimism didn’t last long as Ryan Dalziel initiated contact with the Compass Racing Acura NSX GT3 of Matt McMurry on the opening lap, sending McMurry into Dickerson and pushing the Racers’ Edge car into the Sebring sand. Dickerson recovered and was able to continue but did so only after dropping to last in the field.
Undaunted, Dickerson battled his way towards the front, climbing to fourth overall before handing the #93 NSX over to Hagler. Trailing class leader Fred Poordad on a restart with 28 minutes remaining in the race, Hagler took advantage of traffic on the restart and slipped past the Poordad, taking a lead she would not relinquish. She fought off a late advance from the Mercedes of Erin Vogel but was equal to the task in taking the team to its third win of the year.
Meanwhile, Rodrigo Sales and McMurry placed fourth in Saturday’s opener in their Compass Acura, and did that one better on Sunday, to complete the Pro/Am podium.
Despite significant damage to the rear of the #77 Compass Acura in the opening-lap contact, McMurry continued to run with the Pro/Am leaders throughout his opening stint. After the mid-race pits stop and driver change, Sales passed early leader Poordad and chased Vogel to the finish – putting a second NSX GT3 Evo on the podium with a third-place Pro/Am result.
Fanatec GT World Challenge America Powered by AWS Sebring Saturday Race Results 2nd Pro/Am – #93 Taylor Hagler and Dakota Dickerson, Racers Edge Acura NSX GT3 4th Pro/Am – #77 Rodrigo Sales and Matt McMurry, Compass Racing Acura NSX GT3
Fanatec GT World Challenge America Powered by AWS Sebring Sunday Race Results 1st Pro/Am – #93 Taylor Hagler and Dakota Dickerson, Racers Edge Acura NSX GT3 3rd Pro/Am – #77 Rodrigo Sales and Matt McMurry, Compass Racing Acura NSX GT3
Quotes Taylor Hagler (#93 Racers Edge Motorsports Acura NSX GT3 Evo) 1st Pro/Am on Sunday: “Honestly, I don’t know if [Pro-Am leader Fred Poordad] had an issue, or if he just got startled at the start with all the Pro-Pro drivers. I was able to follow another car through, and made a pass on the outside of Turn 7 and made it stick. From there, that was it.”
Dakota Dickerson (#93 Racers Edge Motorsports Acura NSX GT3 Evo) 1st Pro/Am on Sunday: “We’ve made a lot of progress this season, and it’s due to the support of the Racers Edge Motorsports team and Honda Performance Development. They’ve built a program (the HPD Academy) that enables young drivers like myself and [teammate] Taylor [Hagler] to come up through the ranks of the sport. It’s been a pleasure working with them, and I’m hoping we can continue this success into the [season-ending] Indianapolis Eight Hour.”
Next The Acura NSX GT3 Evo teams will head to Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the season-ending Indianapolis 8-Hour race on October 17.
Social media content and video links from this weekend’s Fanatec GT World Challenge America races from Sebring are available on Instagram (www.instagram.com/hondaracing_hpd), Twitter (www.twitter.com/HondaRacing_HPD) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/HondaRacingHPD). Additional features and long-form videos can be found on the Honda Racing/HPD YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/HondaRacingHPDTV)
Eric Powell maintains TC championship lead despite qualifying crash Kevin Boehm second in Saturday’s TC race Carter Fartuch earns two top-five results in TCA event
SEBRING, Fla (October 3, 2021) – HPD Honda Civic Si and Type R racers continued their quests for SRO Motorsports Touring Car championships as the series contested its penultimate weekend of the 2021 season Saturday and Sunday at Sebring International Raceway.
The iconic Sebring circuit caused more than its share of trials and tribulations in the TC class, starting with an issue for points leader Eric Powell in Friday qualifying. While Civic Type-R driver Kevin Boehm rolled to the pole on Friday, Powell had a crash in Turn 10 that sidelined his own Type R for the weekend.
After sitting out Saturday’s event and losing 25 points of his series lead to rival Austen Smith, Powell borrowed Mike Ogren’s Type R for Sunday’s race and carried it to third place. The effort allowed Powell to maintain the top spot in the championship, as he will unofficially take a 29.5-point advantage into the season-closing weekend October 16-17 in Indianapolis.
Starting from the pole, Boehm led early in Saturday’s race, then settled for a second-place finish that allowed him to close on Powell’s title advantage. But Saturday would be as close as he would get to the TC championship lead on this weekend, as an off-course excursion while defending his lead on Sunday led to a broken damper and a scoreless early retirement.
In TCA, which features the Honda Civic Si, Carter Fartuch started the weekend holding second in the season championship but had to be content with a pair of fifth-place finishes in his Honda Civic Si to lead Honda fortunes in the class.
Mario Biundo had one of his best weekends of the season after finishing sixth and seventh in the weekend’s races while Sally McNulty took home a pair of eighth-place finishes. Chris Harrison finished ninth in both starts while Jose Blanco finished 10th on Sunday. In TC, Mike LaMarra took his LA Honda World Type R to a sixth-place finish on Saturday and placed seventh in Sunday’s nightcap.
HPD has two ready-to-race Civic models for touring car competition. The line starts with the affordable and reliable Civic Si TCA race car, then leads to the Civic Type R TC racer that puts legendary Type R performance on track, Our unparalleled trackside support at every level from HPD engineers is a unique benefit that no other manufacturer can offer. Find out more about these cars and our touring programs at: https://hpd.honda.com/Motorsports/Touring.
Social media content and video links from this weekend’s SRO Touring Car America races at Sebring are available on Instagram (www.instagram.com/hondaracing_hpd), Twitter (www.twitter.com/HondaRacing_HPD) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/HondaRacingHPD). Additional features and long-form videos can be found on the Honda Racing/HPD YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/HondaRacingHPDTV).
Next: The Honda Civic Type R and Civic Si Touring Car teams will close the season October 16-17, with another double-header race weekend on the road course at the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
TC America presented by Skip Barber Racing School Sebring Saturday Race Results • 2nd TC – #9 Kevin Boehm, DXDT Racing Honda Civic Type R 6th TC – #37 Mike LaMarra, LA Honda World Racing Honda Civic Type R NC TC – #28 Mike Ogren, Skip Barber Racing School Honda Civic Type R DNS TC – #92 Eric Powell, Skip Barber Racing School Honda Civic Type R
TCA America presented by Skip Barber Racing School Sebring Saturday Race Results 5th TCA – #16 Carter Fartuch, Skip Barber Racing School Honda Civic Si • 6th TCA – #77 Mario Biundo LA Honda World Racing Honda Civic Si 8th TCA – #780 Sally McNulty, Team Sally Racing Honda Civic Si 9th TCA – #2 Colin Harrison, Skip Barber Racing School Honda Civic Si • NC TCA – #99 Jose Blanco, VGMC Racing Honda Civic Si
TC America presented by Skip Barber Racing School Sebring Sunday Race Results • 3rd TC – #28 Eric Powell, Skip Barber Racing School Honda Civic Type R • 7th TC – #37 Mike LaMarra, LA Honda World Racing Honda Civic Type R • NC TC – #9 Kevin Boehm, DXDT Racing Honda Civic Type R
TCA America presented by Skip Barber Racing School Sebring Sunday Race Results • 5th TCA – #16 Carter Fartuch, Skip Barber Racing School Honda Civic Si • 7th TCA – #77 Mario Biundo LA Honda World Racing Honda Civic Si • 8th TCA – #780 Sally McNulty, Team Sally Racing Honda Civic Si • 9th TCA – #2 Colin Harrison, Skip Barber Racing School Honda Civic Si • 10th TCA – #99 Jose Blanco, VGMC Racing Honda Civic Si
(10/4/21) Sacramento, CA … This weekend brings a unique event for the NARC-King of the West Fujitsu Sprint Cars with the second annual Morrie Williams Legends Tribute Race slated for this Saturday October 9th at Hanford’s Keller Auto Speedway.
The event will be the second of two nights of racing at the 3/8ths mile with the Cotton Classic featuring the Sprint Car Challenge Tour 360 sprint cars and Kings of Thunder 410 sprint cars taking place on Friday night (10/8/21.)
Joining NARC-KWS on the second night will be the Kings of Thunder 360 sprint cars.
With the scheduled classes, Hanford is the place to be this weekend for any West Coaster who enjoys the sight and sounds of roaring winged sprint cars.
Saturday honors legendary West Coast car owner, Morrie Williams. Williams passed away two years ago after putting many of the sport’s best drivers in the seat of his notorious No. “0” over multiple decades. Among those to drive for Williams was none other than Keller Auto Speedway promoter, Peter Murphy.
The format Saturday night will showcase a pair of 20-lap Fujitsu General USA events. The second feature will be lined up based on a complete inversion of the first’s finish apart from lapped cars as a salute to Williams who preferred to watch a driver earn it with a charge from the back. Up for grabs will be more than $36,000 in prize money!
Each Fujitsu Feature is set to pay $3,200 to the winner creating a possible $6,400 payday to any driver who can pull off the sweep. The overall points champion will earn an extra $2,000 for their efforts. While points will be scored for both main events, only the first of the two features will award points toward the NARC-King of the West Fujitsu championship standings.
Last year, in a storybook finish, Kyle Hirst and Dominic Scelzi won the features wheeling twin Morrie Williams No. 0 machines in the event’s inaugural edition.
Scelzi leads the series into the weekend as he continues to close on his first NARC title. He carries a streak of nine straight top-five finishes and a 2.2 average finish over that span. The Fresno native owns a pair of King of the West triumphs at Keller Auto Speedway and has already won three races in Hanford this year.
Behind Scelzi is Tim Kaeding, and he’ll roll into the weekend riding nine consecutive top-10 results. TK’s second please finish last weekend marked his fourth straight series top-five at Hanford, and he’ll go for his 11th Keller Auto Speedway KWS win Saturday.
Just last weekend, Keller Auto Speedway continued a recent trend of producing first time NARC-King of the West winners. Corey Day triumphed in just his 10th series start, marking the third time in the last five seasons an inaugural winner has emerged from Hanford.
A driver that may perpetuate the trend is Joel Myers Jr. The 15-year-old has continued to impress after finishing on the podium in just his second series start earlier this year. Myers Jr. seemed poised for another top-three run last Saturday in Hanford until an incident forced him to settle for 11th.
Other expected entries include a pair of Hanford natives in DJ Netto and Mitchell Faccinto, four-time series titlist Kyle Hirst, Campbell’s Bud Kaeding, Roseville’s Sean Becker, Benicia’s Billy Aton, Clovis’ Sean Watts, Austin McCarl from Iowa, and more.
The NARC King of the West Hoosier Tire format will feature ARP Fast Time Qualifying, Brown and Miller Racing Solutions 8-lap Heat Races, a 6-lap Sunnyvalley Bacon Trophy Dash, a Kaeding Performance Semi if needed and the two Fujitsu 20-lap Features.
The gates will open at 4:00 P.M. with hot laps scheduled for 6:00 P.M. and racing to follow at 7:00 P.M. Adults will be admitted for $20. Seniors (ages 62 and up), Military (valid ID required) and juniors ages 6-17 will all be admitted for just $15. Tickets can be purchased either at the gate or via myracepass.com or the MyRacePass app.
Keller Auto Speedway is located at 801 South 10th Ave Hanford, CA 93230. For more information visit racekingsspeedway.com.
Saturday’s race can be viewed live on floracing.com along with the entire NARC-King of the West Fujitsu Sprint Car schedule.
NARC King of the West Fujitsu 410 Sprint Car Series Championship Points Standings (After 16 events in 20-race series 10/3/2021)
Dominic Scelzi, Fresno – 1800
Tim Kaeding, San Jose – 1737
DJ Netto, Hanford – 1730
Bud Kaeding, Campbell – 1729
Sean Becker, Roseville – 1691
Billy Aton, Benicia (R) – 1677
Sean Watts, Clovis – 1627
Justin Sanders, Aromas – 1508
Shane Golobic, Elk Grove – 1343
Mitchell Faccinto, Hanford – 1237
Joel Myers Jr, Sebastopol (R) – 1137
Geoffrey Strole, Hanford (R) – 1058
Jessie Attard, Sydney, AUS (R) – 1003
Corey Day, Salinas (R) – 919
Mitchel Moles, Raisin City – 904
Willie Croft, Colfax – 843
Ryan Robinson, Foresthill (R) – 839
Austin McCarl, Altoona, Iowa – 838
Colby Copeland, Roseville – 768
Blake Carrick, Lincoln – 728
The King of the West-NARC Fujitsu General USA Racing Series is also sponsored by Hoosier Racing Tires. Associate and product award sponsors include Automotive Racing Products (ARP), Brown & Miller Racing Solutions, Bullet Impressions, FloRacing.com, Johnstone Supply, Kaeding Performance Center, KSE Racing Products, Maxim, PAC Racing Springs, Pyrotect, Racing Optics, Saldana Racing Products, Schoenfeld Headers, SCI Racing Products, Swift Metal Finishing, Sunnyvalley Bacon, System 1 Ignition, Ultra-Lite Brakes, Wilwood Disc Brakes, and Winters Performance Products.
It was great to be back at The Streets of Long Beach! This was one of our more challenging rounds of the season as we had some unexpected mechanical issues that effected the horsepower of the car. The team hustled to get the car track ready but with the combination of different settings and less practice time, we didn’t get the results we were hoping for. The Supra is currently being reworked as we prepare for our FINAL round at the House of Drift, Irwindale Speedway in 3 weeks!
It was great to be back at The Streets of Long Beach! This was one of our more challenging rounds of the season as we had some unexpected mechanical issues that effected the horsepower of the car. The team hustled to get the car track ready but with the combination of different settings and less practice time, we didn’t get the results we were hoping for. The Supra is currently being reworked as we prepare for our FINAL round at the House of Drift, Irwindale Speedway in 3 weeks!
Baggsy and the supercharged LSX-R V8-powered PS13 were both back in action at Teesside Arena for Round 4 of the UK Drift Championship! The weather was much cooler than the previous visit several weeks earlier, but the action was way hotter!
As usual, Saturday at UKDC was reserved for the Pro 2 class, and Baggsy and his team arrived during the day and started setting up to prepare for a full-throttle Sunday!
Once the drivers were allowed on the track Sunday morning, Pro practice was underway, and then it was on to the smoke-filled qualifying runs! Baggsy’s first run earned him a quite respectable 89.3 from the judges, giving him a spot deep into the Top 16.
The challenging course forced a small error in Baggy’s second qualifier, but his strong opening run meant a spot in the Top 8 for the PRO BATTLES!
Before the Pro Battles could start, UKDC organisers set up a fantastic driver meet and greet for the gathered fans, allowing them to actually walk along the track, check out the cars up close and – very importantly – meet all the drivers!
Baggsy met many dedicated fans, signed autographs and of course took photos with anyone who asked. This was a great way for fans gathered on the banking at Teesside to meet drivers and get awesome gearsigned in person!
The fan session complete, the drivers headed back to the pits to prep for their Battles. With Luke Barker looking strong, Baggsy was determined to stop Luke’s run of success and force a season-ending showdown in Silverstone!
The first battle for Baggsy was against Danny Whyman in his blue and purple S13. Leading for the first run, Baggsy ran a flawless line, creating a gap to Danny that he kept all the way to the finishing line.
In the chase position for the second run, Baggsy kept it super tight, running right on Danny’s door all the way! The judges gave Baggsy the clear-cut win, advancing him to the Great 8!
For his next run, Baggsy faced Top Qualifier Jamie Stanton driving his BMW E36. Chasing for the first run, Baggsy drove super-agressive, matching Jamie’s angle through the banked turn and even tapping the BMW with his front tyre coming into the last clipping point!
Leading for the second run, Baggsy played a blinder, running super wide with a high angle, getting Jamie to put his wheels into the dirt at the first clipping point! With a big lead, Baggsy finished the run well ahead of Jamie, earning another unanimous win from the judges to get into the Final Four!
To get into the Final, Baggsy would have to charge past Matt Denham and his white S13! Denham had been driving flawlessly all day long, so would a tough battle!
Chasing in the first run, Baggsy experienced understeer going into the second clipping point, but closed the gap down to get on Matt’s door as they crossed the finish line.
In the lead position for the second run, Baggsy rocketed off the start line and got a massive angle going into the banked first turn, then understeered again, bumping into Denham’s car and ending this run in the gravel. Although it looked spectacular, there was no damage to the car apart from one wheel coming off its rim and Baggsy was able to move on to his next battle.
For Baggsy’s final battle of the day, he faced a formidable opponent in the 3rd/4th place playoff: Stefan Stefanov and his yellow and blue S13! With Stefan having nearly as much power as Baggsy’s LSX-R V8-powered Monster Energy PS13 machine, it would be a battle royale! These final 2 runs would decide if Baggsy would get to spray the champagne on the podium!
Once again chasing for the first run, Stefanov ran a great line throughout the clipping points and Baggsy had a hint of of understeer into the South Bank turn – but closed down the gap, getting right on Stefan’s door for the last pair of turns!
After Stefan called a 5-minute rule to deal with overheating, Baggsy led away, absolutely nailing the first turn to control the run in the lead position. Not even aggressive tyre taps from Stefan could put Baggsy off and they crossed the line with barely any space between them!
It was a tight call from the judges, but Baggsy took another third place to once again stand on the podium! The fight is still on to claim the first-ever UKDC Championship!
The podium run keeps going for Baggsy and his PS13!
Baggsy – “This round at Teesside was so intense! The crew has been fabulous all summer long, and I was really aiming to get in the Final! To pull off third place and get on the podium again was really special. We’ve all been extremely busy with so many events coming back, but it’s been absolutely fantastic and I can’t wait to come back to Teesside. We’ve had some good results here and I know I’ll be on a different step of the podium next time!
“The UKDC championship is still open going into the final round and it’ll mean so much to win at Silverstone! It should be really good for high-powered cars like the PS13 and just awesome for the fans to watch the action. I know it’ll be so much fun to hit that first corner at super-high speed. Hopefully everyone else will be eating our dust!”
Gossum and Heck sweep while Unzicker wins after late arrival, Hamilton gets redemptionLINCOLN, IL – Oct. 2, 2021 – Lincoln Speedway saw a display of dominance in Saturday night’s DIRTcar Fall Nationals finale by some of DIRTcar’s brightest stars and up-and-coming weekly racers. Five divisions took to the quarter-mile oval in search of a coveted Fall Nationals trophy. Dodging the rain all day, the show ran uninterrupted and treated those watching in-person or on DIRTVision presented by Drydene to a show that exhibited the division’s best drivers in attendance in Victory Lane. DIRTcar Late Models – Ryan UnzickerWhen his original Saturday night racing plans were washed out in the afternoon, Ryan Unzicker and his team decided to make the two-hour and thirty-minute truck south to Lincoln Speedway. And it paid off nicely. Unzicker arrived just in time to tag the tail of the final DIRTcar Late Model Heat Race and hit the track without any Hot Lap/Qualifying time. In just six laps, he drove his RJR Transportation Co. #24 to the lead and the eventual win, placing him on the front row for the 25-lap Feature. At the drop of the green, Unzicker sped away from the field and ran away with it, leading every lap in a flawless performance to pick up the $3,000 check. “Believe it or not, this is where I got my very first Super Late Model win,” Unzicker said. “I think this is number 104 or 105 for our team. I’m just happy to be here and put on a good show for the fans.” Feature (25 Laps) – 1. 24-Ryan Unzicker[2]; 2. 2-Mike Chasteen Jr[1]; 3. 6P-Jose Parga[6]; 4. 38J-Jake Little[4]; 5. 77-Blaise Baker[11]; 6. 84- Myles Moos[7]; 7. 32M-Cody Maguire[9]; 8. 27-Greg Kimmons[8]; 9. 27S-Colby Sheppard[10]; 10. 134-Chuck Mitchell[14]; 11. 9Z-Jayme Zider[5]; 12. 11M-Ryan Miller[15]; 13. 33H-Roben Huffman[12]; 14. 5B-Brandon Sweitzer[13]; 15. 12-Steve Fairbanks[3]; 16. 20-Dustin Ingram[17]; 17. 48T-Phil Taylor[16]; 18. 7Z-Michael Maestas[18] UMP Modified – Hunt GossumMake it back-to-back UMP Modified Fall Nationals Feature wins for teenage Modified sensation Hunt Gossum. The 16-year-old from Mayfield, KY, added a tenth victory on the season Saturday night, leading all 25 laps en route to a $1,500 payday. Rolling his Elite Chassis #99 right through the middle of the racetrack, Gossum put on a clinic, running away from veterans Mike Harrison, Kenny Wallace and young hot-shoe Brandon Bollinger. For his car’s ability, he credits his well-known UMP Modified chassis builder and DIRTcar national champion. “This car could not have been better. I felt like Nick Hoffman out there tonight. Rode through the middle,” Gossum said. Feature (25 Laps) – 1. 99-Hunt Gossum[2]; 2. 242-Brandon Bollinger[9]; 3. 24H-Mike Harrison[3]; 4. 36-Kenny Wallace[1]; 5. 777-Trevor Neville[6]; 6. 05-Dave Wietholder[8]; 7. 14C-Rick Conoyer[5]; 8. 1F-Evan Fink[11]; 9. 35-Brandon Roberts[7]; 10. 66-Jake Griffin[4]; 11. 14-Brian Lynn[12]; 12. 14K-Shane Kelley[15]; 13. 12-Briana Sheppard[14]; 14. M41-Steve Maisel[13]; 15. 52- Billy Knebel[10]; 16. (DNS) 6-Troy Carter; 17. (DNS) 24S-Jacob Steinkoenig Pro Late Models – Aaron HeckDIRTcar’s Pro Late Model division is home to some of the nation’s most fierce and passionate competitors in dirt track racing. Among those is the 2019 national champion Aaron Heck, who has not been shy about his desire to finally capture a Fall Nationals trophy. This Friday and Saturday, he won two, in one big sweep of the weekend. “If you would’ve told me I’d come here and win two Fall Nationals after leading these things for 15 years or so, I’d have called you a liar,” Heck told DIRTVision pit reporter Georgia Henneberry in Victory Lane. Saturday night, he did it in dominating fashion, leading all 20 laps for the $1,000 victory. However, he nearly lost it when disaster struck right in front of him. Heck was headed full-bore down the backstretch on Lap 18 with rival Jose Parga right on his heels, when two slower cars ahead of him came together in Turns 3-4. This caused a chain-reaction of several more cars spinning into the accident in attempts to avoid. Heck and Parga slammed on the brakes and were able to sneak past the incident without making contact. During the cleanup, Heck knew the pressure from Parga would be fierce on the restart, but he kept it cool and drove it to victory. “I knew Jose was back there, so I just wanted to hit my marks for the next three laps, and we did,” Heck said. “The right-rear was kinda giving up there, so I kinda put my entry a little bit lower than I was earlier on in the Feature.” Feature (20 Laps) – 1. 59-Aaron Heck[2]; 2. 6P-Jose Parga[1]; 3. 01-Billy Knippenberg[3]; 4. 134-Chuck Mitchell[8]; 5. 33H-Roben Huffman[9]; 6. 11-Ryan Miller[11]; 7. 27-Colby Sheppard[6]; 8. 32M-Cody Maguire[7]; 9. 55-Rockett Bennett[10]; 10. 34-Eric Doran[12]; 11. 7Z-Michael Maestas[13]; 12. 5B-Brandon Sweitzer[4]; 13. 77-Blaise Baker[5]; 14. (DNS) 11E-Brandon Eskew Pro Modified – Ryan HamiltonRyan Hamilton’s drive to victory Saturday night was a story of perseverance. One night after starting on the pole and falling two spots short of a win, the young gun used his resources and came back for redemption on Saturday. He got that redemption in the final DIRTcar Pro Modified Feature of the regular season, running away from Brian Vinson and BJ Deal to lead all 20 laps and collect a $750 top prize. His biggest resources came right within the minds of drivers he both looks up to and races with. “I’ve got to thank Mike Harrison; I spent a lot of time talking to him today about different adjustments to make,” Hamilton said. “Owen [Steinkoenig] – he helped me today, too. Me and him have been racing together all year. He’s the national champion this year, and he and I are pretty good buddies.” But this was not another caution-free runaway. Hamilton was forced to sit and think about what lay ahead of him under a red flag period for a cleanup from an accident in Turn 1 on Lap 8. When he hit the throttle for the restart, it appeared he was unshaken by the situation, as he led the field back around to the checkers to collect his first Fall Nationals trophy. Feature (20 Laps) – 1. 58R-Ryan Hamilton[1]; 2. 3-Brian Vinson[2]; 3. 3W-BJ Deal[3]; 4. 5-Owen Steinkoenig[5]; 5. 121-Deece Schwartz[6]; 6. 74-James Hileman[8]; 7. 15G-Rick Conoyer[9]; 8. 215-Jake Montgomery[7]; 9. 14G-Tommy Gaither[11]; 10. 52-Billy Knebel[22]; 11. 32-Langdon King[13]; 12. 8UP-Ethan Orman[16]; 13. 81-Garrett Schumacher[14]; 14. 28-Justin Durbin[18]; 15. 27X-Kyle Helmick[4]; 16. 116-Kevin Rench[25]; 17. 24M-Matt Milner[23]; 18. BK3-Billy Knippenberg III[20]; 19. 88- Zayden Bolyard[12]; 20. 29-Josh Orman[26]; 21. 4-William Lowe[24]; 22. 66K-Kaleb Stephens[17]; 23. 22K-Michael Kettler[10]; 24. 15C-Kevin Crowder[15]; 25. 14N-Nathan Lynch[21]; 26. 14E-Evan Lynch[19] Sport Compact – Nick JohnsonUp until the fifth and final Feature rolled to the track Saturday night, there had not been one lead change in any Feature contested all evening. The Sport Compact division changed all that. Nick Johnson hounded the rear bumper of Allan Harris for each of the opening nine laps, and even attempted a few passes on him in the early going. But when the white flag waved, Johnson knew it was time to go for real. He dove underneath Harris into Turn 1 and drag raced him down the backstretch. The two remained close at the stripe, but Johnson nosed ahead and took the win by just over three-tenths of a second. Last-lap pass complete, Fall Nationals trophy claimed. “Allan and I put on a good race; we’ve been racing this hard all year,” Johnson said. “It was a great track – this is second time we’ve picked up a win here this year.” Feature (10 Laps) – 1. 30J-Nick Johnson[2]; 2. 3H-Allan Harris[1]; 3. 04B-Brandy Burgett[4]; 4. 1-Cook Crawford[3]; 5. (DNS) 40-Adam Webb
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), Chevy Performance Parts, iRacing (Official Online Racing Game), Arizona Sport Shirts/Gotta Race, 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, Drydene, 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 (Exclusive Racing Aluminum), and Xceldyne. Along with manufacturer sponsors, including: FireAde, Intercomp, and Racing Electronics.
Three Different Leaders in Exciting Battle at Williams Grove Speedway
MECHANICSBURG, PA – October 2, 2021 – For the 59th time, the Champion Racing Oil National Open didn’t disappoint.
The 2021 edition concluded on Saturday night at Williams Grove Speedway with endless storylines in play. Schatz chasing a seventh title, Larson after the triple crown, Marks on the pole for the Posse, Schuchart trying to equal grandpa in grandpa’s own throwback, and yet none of them came to fruition.
Instead, Lemoore, CA’s Carson Macedo gladly played spoiler and collected the biggest win of his life at the Mechanicsburg, PA 1/2-mile. To be exact, the 25-year-old banked a cool $75,000 for his incredible efforts aboard the Jason Johnson Racing #41.
It was as hotly contested as any National Open in recent memory, offering three different leaders and a race that came down to the very final corner on the 40th and last lap.
Myerstown’s Brent Marks controlled the first 12 laps before spinning in traffic, and then Schuchart took the point. He led the next 23 circuits aboard the Shark Racing #1S, but then came charging sixth-starting Macedo. The #41 slid by coming to the 35th lap and survived a sprint to the checkered flag as Schuchart nearly got him back at the end.
The win is Macedo’s 10th of the season, and arguably the most rewarding of his 16 career World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series wins.
“Wow, this is the highest-paying win of my career,” Macedo said in awe. “You know I left so frustrated the first few times I came to Williams Grove because I couldn’t figure it out. I was wondering how the heck other guys are so much better. Then I got in this #41 car and Philip Dietz is just amazing at giving me what I need. That’s 10 wins with the Outlaws this year, I can’t believe it. This team is incredible and I’m lucky to drive this thing.”
“When I got to battling with Sheldon I knew needed to get up in the seat to stay in front of him,” Macedo added. “Those lappers were holding up Logan on the top and I knew if I could fire across really hard into turn three and get in front of him that it would be hard for him to cross over.”
In the end, Hanover’s Logan Schuchart quest for a magical night fell short by only 0.208-seconds. It would’ve been a surreal score not only for the $75,000 payday, but it would match him with his grandfather Bobby Allen at 30 career World of Outlaws wins, all while driving a throwback scheme driven by Bobby in the 1990’s.
“All in all, two second-place finishes is way better than what we’ve done in the past here,” Schuchart noted. “I’m 28 years old, so I’ve got a lot of years left to win this race. It sucks, it stings, and I’m hurt, but we’ll come back next year and try it again. We’ve got a great team, great sponsors, and great fans. Carson just ran a great race tonight. He gave me a chance on the last lap, but I was too impatient.”
Sheldon Haudenschild also collected his career-best National Open finish, scoring third aboard the NOS Energy Drink, Stenhouse Jr. Marshall Racing #17.
“We had some good restarts and gave these guys a run,” Haudenschild said. “Our car was awesome and I can’t ask for much more than what this team is giving me. It’s hard to get comfortable and qualify well here, but I think we’ve got both of those things figured out right now. I’m excited for what’s to come over the years at this track.”
Dillsburg’s Anthony Macri led the way as the highest-finishing PA Posse driver, collecting an extra $1,000 for his career-best fourth-place finish at the National Open. Two-time National Open champion David Gravel was behind him in fifth aboard the Big Game Motorsports #2.
Rounding out the top-10 at Williams Grove was six-time National Open champion Donny Schatz in sixth, four-time event winner Lance Dewease in seventh, Kyle Larson in eighth as his triple crown bid fell short, and Kasey Kahne Racing teammates James McFadden and Brad Sweet in ninth and tenth.
UP NEXT: The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series remains in the state of Pennsylvania with the Nittany Showdown at Port Royal Speedway coming next weekend. The Speed Palace hosts The Greatest Show on Dirt on Friday & Saturday, October 8-9 with a $15,000-to-win finale on tap.
The Hampton, GA driver held off a late charge from Chris Madden to win his 3rd career World of Outlaws FeatureSENOIA, GA – October 2, 2021– Ashton Winger had an opportunity he knew he couldn’t waste. He’s tasted World of Outlaws Victory Lane before but never in front of his home crowd. The Hampton, GA driver cashed in on that chance, leading every lap to win Saturday’s World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Model Feature at Senoia Raceway. Winger rose from his car with excitement, pounding his fists on the roof before dropping his steering wheel in celebration. It’s a win he thought might not have happened as his team hustled to make sure the car was ready. “We didn’t even know if we were going to get the chance to race; this thing was in a million pieces [Friday] night,” Winger said. “I felt like at the middle stage of the race I had a good rhythm, but early I felt like I was kind of dead in the water. “When we got to lap traffic the first time, I didn’t feel as good as I needed to, so I’m glad everything worked out the way it did.” Even though he led all 40 laps, Winger didn’t dominate the race. Chris Madden and Mark Whitener challenged the Georgia campaigner for the lead on multiple occasions. Winger held them off by taking an aggressive approach to dealing with lap traffic. “[Senoia] is one of the places where if you get bottled up behind someone for a lap, it’s half a second,” Winger said. “When I’m looking on the [scoreboard], and I see Madden on there, and Whitener and guys that are pretty good in this area, I can’t sit there and mess with [lap traffic] for very long.” Saturday’s win is Winger’s second World of Outlaws triumph of the season, and third of his career. Madden crossed the line second—his 26th top-five of 2021. The Gray Court, SC driver made a late charge at Winger but fell short on the final lap. “Smokey” stated his car’s setup played a role in keeping him out of Victory Lane. “We made a couple of runs at him there, and I just left my car too free tonight, and it cost me,” Madden said. “I thought we were going to have a shot at him at the end.” Mark Whitener finished third, matching his best finish with the World of Outlaws in 2021. The Middleburg, FL driver stated his car was too tight to have a chance to win. “We were almost there tonight, we worked on it all night long, and I don’t think we started tuning our motor quick enough,” Whitener said. “We overworked our car, and when we killed the horsepower, we were snug and tight in the Feature.” Tyler Bruening, the top rookie of the race, finished fourth after starting 12th. The Decorah, IA driver now has a top-five in three of the last four Morton Buildings Features. Ricky Weiss rounded out the top five. Winger’s excitement of winning at home is something he likely won’t forget. It’s an accomplishment the Hampton, GA driver can look back on. A moment he can cherish with friends and family for the rest of his career. UP NEXT:The Most Powerful Late Models on the Planet head to The Dirt Track at Charlotte for the NGK NTK World Finals November 4-6. If you can’t make it to the track, you can watch all the action live on DIRTVision – either online or through the DIRTVision App.Morton Buildings Feature (40 Laps)-1. 12-Ashton Winger [2][$10,000]; 2. 44-Chris Madden [3][$6,000]; 3. 58-Mark Whitener [5][$3,500]; 4. 16-Tyler Bruening [12][$2,800]; 5. 7-Ricky Weiss [11][$2,500]; 6. 1-Brandon Sheppard [13][$2,300]; 7. 28-Dennis Erb [4][$2,200]; 8. 11K-Austin Kirkpatrick [16][$2,100]; 9. 18X-Michael Page [18][$2,050]; 10. 66K-Dylan Knowles [7][$2,000]; 11. 17B-David Breazeale [6][$1,600]; 12. 16W-Ben Watkins [22][$1,400]; 13. 99B-Boom Briggs [20][$1,200]; 14. 10-Joseph Joiner [8][$1,100]; 15. 18-Matt Dooley [19][$1,050]; 16. 26JR-Jimmy Sharpe [15][$1,000]; 17. 9-Jason Croft [24][$1,000]; 18. 4-Ryan Wilson [21][$1,000]; 19. OO-Jason Turner [23][$1,000]; 20. 16H-Austin Horton [14][$1,000]; 21. B1-Brent Larson [1][$1,000]; 22. 19R-Ryan Gustin [9][$1,000]; 23. O3-Oliver Gentry [17][$1,000]; 24. F1-Payton Freeman [10][$1,000] Hard Charger: 16W-Ben Watkins[+10]Qualifying Flight-A –1. 44-Chris Madden, 14.005; 2. B1-Brent Larson, 14.181; 3. 19R-Ryan Gustin, 14.285; 4. 58-Mark Whitener, 14.459; 5. 1-Brandon Sheppard, 14.487; 6. 26JR-Jimmy Sharpe, 14.529; 7. 4-Ryan Wilson, 14.529; 8. 7-Ricky Weiss, 14.541; 9. OO-Jason Turner, 14.554; 10. 18-Matt Dooley, 14.571; 11. 71-Craig Scott, 14.622; 12. O3-Oliver Gentry, 14.839; 13. 66K-Dylan Knowles, 14.869; 14. 17-Lamar Haygood, 14.894; 15. 34-Chad Wallace, 14.902; 16. 888-Dennis Hale, 15.053Qualifying Flight-B-1. 12-Ashton Winger, 14.275; 2. 28-Dennis Erb, 14.323; 3. F1-Payton Freeman, 14.435; 4. 11K-Austin Kirkpatrick, 14.538; 5. 16W-Ben Watkins, 14.606; 6. 16-Tyler Bruening, 14.615; 7. 10-Joseph Joiner, 14.615; 8. 17B-David Breazeale, 14.638; 9. 16H-Austin Horton, 14.679; 10. 18X-Michael Page, 14.709; 11. 99B-Boom Briggs, 14.715; 12. 9-Jason Croft, 14.731; 13. 44D-Dalton Cook, 14.77; 14. 31-Tyler Millwood, 14.817; 15. 27-Glenn Morris, 14.871; 16. 17K-Kyler Haygood, 14.996
The World of Outlaws Morton Buildings® Late Model Series is brought to fans across the country by many important sponsors and partners, including: DIRTVision (Official Live Broadcast Partner), Drydene (Official Motor Oil), Hoosier Racing Tire (Official Tire), iRacing (Official Online Racing Game), Morton Buildings (Official Building), SIS Insurance (Official Insurance Provider) VP Racing Fuels (Official Racing Fuel); in addition to contingency sponsors, including: Arizona Sport Shirts/Gotta Race, ARP (Automotive Racing Products), Cometic Gasket, COMP Cams, MSD, Penske Racing Shocks, Quarter Master, Slick Woody’s (Quick Time Award), and Wrisco (Exclusive Racing Aluminum); along with manufacturer sponsors, including: Capital Race Cars, FireAde, Integra Shocks, Intercomp, K1 Race Gear, Racing Electronics, Reliable Painting, and Rocket Chassis.Founded in 1978, the World of Outlaws®, based in Concord, NC, is the premier national touring series for dirt track racing in North America, featuring the most powerful cars on dirt, the World of Outlaws NOS® Energy Drink Sprint Car Series and the World of Outlaws Morton Buildings® Late Model Series. Annually, the two series race nearly 140 times at tracks across the United States and Canada. CBS Sports Network is the official broadcast partner of the World of Outlaws. DIRTVision® also broadcasts World of Outlaws events over the Internet to fans around the world. Learn more about the World of Outlaws.
Matt DiBenedetto and the Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center team had a plan to run hard early on, verify their speed then save their No. 21 Mustang for a late-race bid for the win in Monday’s rain-delayed YellaWood 500 at Talladega Superspeedway.
11th
16th
17th
