Romain Grosjean scores second podium of rookie season on Indy road course
Andretti Autosport scores 3-4 finish with Colton Herta, Alexander Rossi
Honda powers seven of top-10 finishers during Brickyard Weekend

SPEEDWAY, Ind. (Aug. 14, 2021) – Romain Grosjean and Colton Herta scored a double podium finish for Honda this weekend on the road course at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway – with Grosjean taking second in his #51 Dale Coyne Racing with RWR Honda, ahead of Herta’s #26 Andretti Autosport Honda in third.

Grosjean started the Big Machine Spiked Coolers Grand Prix in the third position, dropping back behind Herta during the first pit sequence. Running third and fourth, Herta and Grosjean would work their way around the #5 of Pato O’Ward during the next stint, utilizing their [softer compound Firestone] “Red” tires to pass O’Ward.

The first full-course caution of the race gave Grosjean his chance to get around Herta on the restart with 14 laps to go. The NTT INDYCAR SERIES rookie, and former F1 driver was able to hold off the charge from the young Californian during a second restart, but neither had the power-to-pass to catch race leader Will Power.

Grosjean would maintain second place at the finish, with Herta third. Herta’s Andretti Autosport Teammate Alexander Rossi also claimed a top-five finish, his second of the season, finishing fourth.

Jack Harvey, for Meyer Shank Racing, would come home sixth; with Graham Rahal for Rahal Letterman Lanigan seventh, Marcus Ericsson for Chip Ganassi Racing took the checkers in eighth, and Takuma Sato also for RLL finished ninth.

NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship leader Alex Palou suffered a mechanical issue, forcing him out of the race with 18 laps to go. However, the two-time race-winner this season maintains a 21-point championship lead.

Big Machine Spiked Coolers Grand Prix Honda Race Results
2nd Romain Grosjean-R Dale Coyne Racing with RWR Honda
3rd Colton Herta Andretti Autosport Honda
4th Alexander Rossi Andretti Autosport Honda
6th Jack Harvey Meyer Shank Racing Honda
7th Graham Rahal Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda
9th Marcus Ericsson Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
10th Takuma Sato Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda
12th Christian Lundgaard-R Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda
14th Ed Jones Dale Coyne Racing with Vasser-Sullivan Honda
17th Scott Dixon Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
18th Ryan Hunter-Reay Andretti Autosport Honda
19th Jimmie Johnson-R Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
21st Helio Castroneves Meyer Shank Racing Honda
22nd James Hinchcliffe Andretti Autosport Honda
25th Cody Ware-R Dale Coyne Racing with RWR Honda
27th Alex Palou Chip Ganassi Racing Honda (did not finish – mechanical)

R – Rookie

NTT INDYCAR SERIES Manufacturers’ Championship (unofficial, after 12 of 16 rounds)
Honda 1,034 points
Chevrolet 966

NTT INDYCAR SERIES Drivers’ Championship (unofficial, after 12 rounds)

1. Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing Honda 415 points [2 race wins]
2. Pato O’Ward, Arrow McLaren SP 394 [2 wins]
3. Scott Dixon, Chip Ganassi Racing Honda 381 [1 win]

Quotes
Romain Grosjean (#51 Dale Coyne Racing with RWR Honda) Started third, finished second:
“It was a good race. We tried everything we could [to win], but Will [Power, race winner] was very fast in front today, and we just couldn’t quite get him. But we had a great race with Colton [Herta, for second]. He’s a driver that you know is going to leave you just enough room so you can go for it and race each other. I’m happy for the team, and as always, proud to be powered by Honda. My kids are here, and got to see me finish on the podium. What could be better?”

Colton Herta (#26 Andretti Autosport Honda) Started fifth, finished third: “Third place was really good for us today. We really didn’t have the pace [to win]. The car was fairly good, but there’s still stuff we can improve on here [at Indianapolis] to win. But it was a really good job by the team. We turned this car around from 26th in practice to a podium finish today, so that was a spectacular job. Really happy with the result, really happy to be powered by Honda.”

Kelvin Fu (Director Program Management, Honda Performance Development) on today’s podium finishes in Indianapolis: “A double podium finish is always great, and getting three of the top five, seven of the top 10, just shows how strong we have been here at Indy. It was fantastic to see Romain celebrate second with his family, and for Colton to bounce back for a podium finish after Nashville—he had a really strong run. Also nice to see Alexander Rossi battling in the top-five today, really great job by that team. It was disappointing that we let Palou down during the race, it’s not the standard we expect from ourselves at Honda and we will investigate the root cause of the issue. But, that aside, it’s been a great weekend here for Honda and we’re excited to go on to World Wide Technology Raceway.”

Fast Facts
Today’s second-place result marks back-to-back podiums on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course for Grosjean, who also finished at the GMR Grand Prix in May. Grosjean has been making his home at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway [in a motorhome] between races. The Formula One veteran also closes to within seven points of four-time Australian SuperCars Champion Scott McLaughlin (213-206) in the battle for INDYCAR Rookie of the Year honors. Thus far, Grosjean has only competed on road courses in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES. He will tackle his first oval next weekend at World Wide Technology Raceway.
The Grand Prix marks the first double-header for the NTT INDYCAR SERIES and the NASCAR Cup series running on the same course layout in the history of the two series.

Honda continues to hold the lead in the 2021 INDYCAR Manufacturers’ Championship, with seven victories from 11 races this season. Returning to St. Louis for the final oval race of the season, Honda holds a 68-point advantage (1,034-966) over rival Chevrolet. The company is seeking its fourth consecutive NTT INDYCAR SERIES Manufacturers’ Championship in 2021.

Next
Next weekend, NTT INDYCAR SERIES continues with the third of three consecutive race weekends, running at World Wide Technology Raceway outside of St. Louis Saturday, August 21.

CHEVROLET RACING NTT INDYCAR SERIES THE BIG MACHINE SPIKED COOLERS GRAND PRIX THE ROAD COURSE AT INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY WILL POWER WINS – QUICK QUOTE AUGUST 14, 2021
WILL POWER, NO. 12 VERIZON 5G TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET, picks up the first win of the season, the fifth at the Road Course at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the 40th of his career.
ON WINNING AT IMS ROAD COURSE: “ I can’t begin to tell you what it means to win these days. When you are in your 40s and still kicking butt-it’s awesome. You can’t doubt yourself, you just have to keep digging. I wan’t feeing safe until there was literally one to go. The misfortunes we’ve had at times have been a struggle it’s a tough series. There are many many components that have to right. Everyone has to do their job perfectly and that’s what we did today. Winning is important for Roger Penske, especially here. Very very happy.”
HOW BADLY DID THIS RACE TEAM NEED THIS MOMENT?“We needed it as a group. I can’t tell you how good these (crew) guys have been this year; flawless on pits stops. They’ve given me the car and we’ve just had some bad luck and obviously I’ve made some mistakes as well. I’m stoked to get the Verizon 5G car in Victory Lane because we’ve haven’t done that ever. I’d been thinking about that coming into this weekend. Can’t thank Chevy enough for the engine and all the work those guys have done. What a relief. When the yellow came and another one … but we had a really good car. It was tough to get by lapped traffic but the car was solid up front.”
WHAT WAS THE DIFFERENCE TODAY?“I was very focused coming in here today. I did a lot of homework for this race. We weren’t quite strong in the May race and just put it all together. I was aggressive at the start to hold that position and held off Pato (O’Ward) on the blacks, so a very good day.”
YOU BRING ROGER PENSKE HIS FIERST WIN AT INDIANAPOLIS SINCE HE HAS OWNED THIS FACILITY. WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?“That’s awesome. Roger has had a rough year as far as the team goes. I’m really happy for the whole group. Because it’s not for lack of effort. They worked really hard during the Month of May and we were all scratching our heads at the end. I’ve been here six times now (five for road course wins, one Indy 500 win) in this Victory Lane; pretty special place for me. This win goes to the whole group; they deserve it more than me.”

NASCAR CUP SERIES VERIZON 200 AT THE BRICKYARD INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY TEAM CHEVY PRACTICE NOTES & QUOTES AUGUST 14, 2021
WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 AXALTA CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 2nd in Practice“In practice, we had some issues with drive, so we tried to work on those. I feel like we got our car better. I thought the car was fine. It just took me time to get up to speed once the car was kind of there for me. I think the high-speed corners, like four and five are difficult. You’ve really got to kind of position yourself well because those curbs come up quick. It is pretty fun.”
HOW DOES THIS ROAD COURSE COMPARE TO OTHERS ON THE SCHEDULE?“It’s not too bad. It’s flat. There is not a bunch of elevation change, so with the weather, it’s pretty easy this weekend.
THIS IS THE 6th OF SEVEN ROAD COURSES THIS YEAR. DO YOU HAVE ANY ROAD COURSE FATIGUE AT THIS POINT?I don’t feel like we need more of them. I think seven is plenty. I think the NextGen car is going to make the courses better as a driver, they might be a little more spread out because they’re going to be easier to drive. I feel like the cars right now are really hard to drive. There is a lot of brake lock-up. The cars don’t stop well. They don’t turn well. So, you see a lot of accidents. Next year you might see less of that because the car is going to be easier to brake and shift and you won’t have as many mechanical issues.”
PHYSICALLY, DO YOU FEEL ANY DIFFERENT THIS YEAR BECAUSE YOU’VE HAD SO MANY ROAD COURSE RACES?“Yeah, it’s definitely not as hard as it used to be. I think you used to come to the road courses and be kind of worn out and a lot of guys would kind of be falling out of the seat towards the end of the race. And I don’t think that’s a thing as much now. We’re pretty used to it. Every time we come back from a break from a road course, and I go to one, my right arm is always sore on Mondays from shifting so much. But none of that this weekend. We are kind of used to it.”
KYLE LARSON, NO. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 3rd in PracticeWHAT ARE YOUR FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF THE ROAD COURSE TODAY DURING PRACTICE?“I really enjoyed it. I thought it was flowy and then you had some hard braking zones and stuff. So, I thought it was a pretty fun track. I seemed to adapt to it pretty quickly, so my HendrickCars.com Chevy felt really good and I was definitely pleased.”
WHERE DO YOU THINK THE ACTION TURNS ARE GOING TO BE?“I think (Turn) 1 and 12 I think would be a good passing zone. It’s fun and I think after we get out there and get closer around people, we’ll have a better understanding.”
ON THE UPCOMING PLAYOFFS“We’re really just taking it week by week at this point. We’re just focused on trying to edge out Denny Hamlin for the regular season points there, but it’s been cool to be competitive every week. I’ve always dreamed of this type of season where I’ve got one of the fastest cars each week. We’ve been able to win a lot and I hope we can win even more.”
AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 DOW MOBILITY SCIENCE CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 13th in PracticeWHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE NASCAR/INDYCAR COMBINED WEEKEND? DO YOU LIKE THE IDEA?“Yeah, I think so. I wish it was at the Oval but it’s cool to have all three series here and to see INDYCAR, Xfinity and Cup. It’s just a great weekend of racing.”
ON THE PRE-RACE SIMULATOR SESSIONS“I think it was pretty good. I think we were 13th in practice. I was pretty happy with that. Long run speed wasn’t as good as I’d like it to be but fire off, which is unusual for me at a road course, and we had some of that. So, we’ll just keep working. The corners here are very challenging in the fact that when you make some of the infield better, it’s hard getting back up onto the big track. I’m just trying to figure out what we need to do to make the car a little better in the higher speed sections to just help set-up for passing, because if you don’t get off of there, you’re not really going to pass anybody.”
ROSS CHASTAIN, NO. 42 CLOVER CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 19th in Practice“Practice at Indy is all wrapped up. We just took a group picture of all the Chip Ganassi Racing INDYCAR guys and NASCAR Cup guys. Kurt (Busch) and I are both struggling with the same problems. This is a new course for the Cup guys. We are working through all the first time set-up and changes we want to make, so we’re glad we got that hour or so of practice.”
ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 48 ALLY CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 22nd in PracticeON THE DOUBLEHEADER RACE WEEKEND“It’s cool being here with the INDYCAR guys. It’s obviously two completely different worlds.”
GIVEN YOUR OPEN WHEEL BACKGROUND, DID YOU EVER HAVE A DESIRE TO WANT TO DO INDYCAR AT ALL?“I’d race a lawnmower, right? So, I’ll drive anything. Not really. There were really never any opportunities to go that direction. The USAC opportunities to go that direction all came after I had already gone stock car racing. So, I’ve never really thought about it, honestly.”
ON THE PRACTICE SESSION:“It was fun. It’s technical and tough. I’m not the best on the road courses, so I’m just trying to piece it all together and learn what I can. But I feel like we have a pretty good race car and we should be pretty decent tomorrow.”
CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 HOOTERS CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 23rd in PracticeON SUBBING FOR MICHAEL ANNETT IN XFINITY SERIES, WERE YOU COMFORTABLE IN PRACTICE OR DO YOU HAVE TO MAKE SOME CHANGES?“We’re kind of working through it, obviously really last minute, unfortunately, on that. We hope the best for Michael. We hate to see him not drive his car. But from my end, I obviously felt like it was a chance to get some more laps and kind of hard to turn that down at a new track.”
DID YOU GET THE CALL THIS MORNING ON THAT?“Yeah, I did. At like 8 o’clock. It was pretty last minute.”
ON NASCAR CUP PRACTICE TODAY“I didn’t feel very good, personally. I feel like I was doing a poor job just kind of slow and not in a good rhythm. I feel like I have a lot of work to do. I don’t feel like our car is all that bad. When I have a good lap or hit a good corner, I feel like I get rewarded for it, which is good. But I just have not put together a solid lap, and certainly not two or three in a row.”
IS IT A BIG DEAL FOR YOU TO NOT RACE ON THE OVAL THIS YEAR?“It’s different, but it’s not the end of the world to me. We’re still at Indy and we’re still racing here. I guess at the end of the day, it doesn’t really matter too much, does it?
ARE THE CURBS IN THE RIGHT SPOTS OR WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE CHANGES?“I think they are fine. Most all of them are toward the back side of the actual rumble strip. You would be almost in the grass anyway. It might take away a little bit of road but you’re not talking much. Those things are big, for sure. We saw that at COTA.”
KURT BUSCH, NO. 1 MONSTER ENERGY CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 28th in PracticeON THE ROAD COURSE“It’s a fun course and it’s an historic feel, which is something cool for our series and to be going down the front straightaway the opposite direction ties in the old school F-1 days like when they came here in early 2000. That’s kind of the feel of everything. And then to have INDYCAR, Xfinity, and Cup…..everybody here, it’s like the whole motorsports fraternity hanging out and it’s really neat to see everybody’s smiles. It’s a lot of emotions today.”
DO YOU FEEL ROAD COURSE FATIGUE WITH SO MANY ROAD COURSE RACES THIS YEAR?“Next year’s car is going to really adapt to the road courses much better than these are. And so, you’ve just got to get ready for it and yeah, it’s like braking markers. Like I’ve got to go find this one and remember it’s not that one. So, there’s a lot of road course action, but it’s motorsport. You’ve got to jump in with both feet.”
ARE THE ORANGE CURBS IN THE RIGHT SPOTS OR DO THEY NEED TO BE CHANGED?“Nope. Those are fine. It keeps us out of the grass and keeps us from packing our grills full of grass. There are different reasons why NASCAR does things and you’ve just got to absorb it.”
BEING WITH GANASSI RACING, HOW HAS IT HELPED TO HAVE INDYCAR DRIVERS HELP PREPARE YOU FOR THIS WEEKEND?“There hasn’t been much back and forth, but it was really cool just going to Victory Lane. I was just there taking a picture with all the Ganassi guys. It was a cool Ganassi fraternity shot here in 2021.”
WOULD YOU RATHER BE RACING ON THE OVAL THAN THE ROAD COURSE THIS WEEKEND?“You have to enjoy wherever they tell you to go. I’m here at Indy’s Road Course. It’s fun. It’s refreshing. It’s new. We’ve done a lot of new road courses this year and it’s just a different phase in NASCAR’s era.”

NASCAR CUP SERIES VERIZON 200 AT THE BRICKYARDI NDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY TEAM CHEVY PRACTICE NOTES & QUOTES AUGUST 14, 2021
WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 AXALTA CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 2nd in Practice“In practice, we had some issues with drive, so we tried to work on those. I feel like we got our car better. I thought the car was fine. It just took me time to get up to speed once the car was kind of there for me. I think the high-speed corners, like four and five are difficult. You’ve really got to kind of position yourself well because those curbs come up quick. It is pretty fun.”
HOW DOES THIS ROAD COURSE COMPARE TO OTHERS ON THE SCHEDULE?“It’s not too bad. It’s flat. There is not a bunch of elevation change, so with the weather, it’s pretty easy this weekend.
THIS IS THE 6th OF SEVEN ROAD COURSES THIS YEAR. DO YOU HAVE ANY ROAD COURSE FATIGUE AT THIS POINT?I don’t feel like we need more of them. I think seven is plenty. I think the NextGen car is going to make the courses better as a driver, they might be a little more spread out because they’re going to be easier to drive. I feel like the cars right now are really hard to drive. There is a lot of brake lock-up. The cars don’t stop well. They don’t turn well. So, you see a lot of accidents. Next year you might see less of that because the car is going to be easier to brake and shift and you won’t have as many mechanical issues.”
PHYSICALLY, DO YOU FEEL ANY DIFFERENT THIS YEAR BECAUSE YOU’VE HAD SO MANY ROAD COURSE RACES?“Yeah, it’s definitely not as hard as it used to be. I think you used to come to the road courses and be kind of worn out and a lot of guys would kind of be falling out of the seat towards the end of the race. And I don’t think that’s a thing as much now. We’re pretty used to it. Every time we come back from a break from a road course, and I go to one, my right arm is always sore on Mondays from shifting so much. But none of that this weekend. We are kind of used to it.”
KYLE LARSON, NO. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 3rd in PracticeWHAT ARE YOUR FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF THE ROAD COURSE TODAY DURING PRACTICE?“I really enjoyed it. I thought it was flowy and then you had some hard braking zones and stuff. So, I thought it was a pretty fun track. I seemed to adapt to it pretty quickly, so my HendrickCars.com Chevy felt really good and I was definitely pleased.”
WHERE DO YOU THINK THE ACTION TURNS ARE GOING TO BE?“I think (Turn) 1 and 12 I think would be a good passing zone. It’s fun and I think after we get out there and get closer around people, we’ll have a better understanding.”
ON THE UPCOMING PLAYOFFS“We’re really just taking it week by week at this point. We’re just focused on trying to edge out Denny Hamlin for the regular season points there, but it’s been cool to be competitive every week. I’ve always dreamed of this type of season where I’ve got one of the fastest cars each week. We’ve been able to win a lot and I hope we can win even more.”
AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 DOW MOBILITY SCIENCE CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 13th in PracticeWHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE NASCAR/INDYCAR COMBINED WEEKEND? DO YOU LIKE THE IDEA?“Yeah, I think so. I wish it was at the Oval but it’s cool to have all three series here and to see INDYCAR, Xfinity and Cup. It’s just a great weekend of racing.”
ON THE PRE-RACE SIMULATOR SESSIONS“I think it was pretty good. I think we were 13th in practice. I was pretty happy with that. Long run speed wasn’t as good as I’d like it to be but fire off, which is unusual for me at a road course, and we had some of that. So, we’ll just keep working. The corners here are very challenging in the fact that when you make some of the infield better, it’s hard getting back up onto the big track. I’m just trying to figure out what we need to do to make the car a little better in the higher speed sections to just help set-up for passing, because if you don’t get off of there, you’re not really going to pass anybody.”
ROSS CHASTAIN, NO. 42 CLOVER CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 19th in Practice“Practice at Indy is all wrapped up. We just took a group picture of all the Chip Ganassi Racing INDYCAR guys and NASCAR Cup guys. Kurt (Busch) and I are both struggling with the same problems. This is a new course for the Cup guys. We are working through all the first time set-up and changes we want to make, so we’re glad we got that hour or so of practice.”
ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 48 ALLY CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 22nd in PracticeON THE DOUBLEHEADER RACE WEEKEND“It’s cool being here with the INDYCAR guys. It’s obviously two completely different worlds.”
GIVEN YOUR OPEN WHEEL BACKGROUND, DID YOU EVER HAVE A DESIRE TO WANT TO DO INDYCAR AT ALL?“I’d race a lawnmower, right? So, I’ll drive anything. Not really. There were really never any opportunities to go that direction. The USAC opportunities to go that direction all came after I had already gone stock car racing. So, I’ve never really thought about it, honestly.”
ON THE PRACTICE SESSION:“It was fun. It’s technical and tough. I’m not the best on the road courses, so I’m just trying to piece it all together and learn what I can. But I feel like we have a pretty good race car and we should be pretty decent tomorrow.”
CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 HOOTERS CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 23rd in PracticeON SUBBING FOR MICHAEL ANNETT IN XFINITY SERIES, WERE YOU COMFORTABLE IN PRACTICE OR DO YOU HAVE TO MAKE SOME CHANGES?“We’re kind of working through it, obviously really last minute, unfortunately, on that. We hope the best for Michael. We hate to see him not drive his car. But from my end, I obviously felt like it was a chance to get some more laps and kind of hard to turn that down at a new track.”
DID YOU GET THE CALL THIS MORNING ON THAT?“Yeah, I did. At like 8 o’clock. It was pretty last minute.”
ON NASCAR CUP PRACTICE TODAY“I didn’t feel very good, personally. I feel like I was doing a poor job just kind of slow and not in a good rhythm. I feel like I have a lot of work to do. I don’t feel like our car is all that bad. When I have a good lap or hit a good corner, I feel like I get rewarded for it, which is good. But I just have not put together a solid lap, and certainly not two or three in a row.”
IS IT A BIG DEAL FOR YOU TO NOT RACE ON THE OVAL THIS YEAR?“It’s different, but it’s not the end of the world to me. We’re still at Indy and we’re still racing here. I guess at the end of the day, it doesn’t really matter too much, does it?
ARE THE CURBS IN THE RIGHT SPOTS OR WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE CHANGES?“I think they are fine. Most all of them are toward the back side of the actual rumble strip. You would be almost in the grass anyway. It might take away a little bit of road but you’re not talking much. Those things are big, for sure. We saw that at COTA.”
KURT BUSCH, NO. 1 MONSTER ENERGY CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 28th in PracticeON THE ROAD COURSE“It’s a fun course and it’s an historic feel, which is something cool for our series and to be going down the front straightaway the opposite direction ties in the old school F-1 days like when they came here in early 2000. That’s kind of the feel of everything. And then to have INDYCAR, Xfinity, and Cup…..everybody here, it’s like the whole motorsports fraternity hanging out and it’s really neat to see everybody’s smiles. It’s a lot of emotions today.”
DO YOU FEEL ROAD COURSE FATIGUE WITH SO MANY ROAD COURSE RACES THIS YEAR?“Next year’s car is going to really adapt to the road courses much better than these are. And so, you’ve just got to get ready for it and yeah, it’s like braking markers. Like I’ve got to go find this one and remember it’s not that one. So, there’s a lot of road course action, but it’s motorsport. You’ve got to jump in with both feet.”
ARE THE ORANGE CURBS IN THE RIGHT SPOTS OR DO THEY NEED TO BE CHANGED?“Nope. Those are fine. It keeps us out of the grass and keeps us from packing our grills full of grass. There are different reasons why NASCAR does things and you’ve just got to absorb it.”
BEING WITH GANASSI RACING, HOW HAS IT HELPED TO HAVE INDYCAR DRIVERS HELP PREPARE YOU FOR THIS WEEKEND?“There hasn’t been much back and forth, but it was really cool just going to Victory Lane. I was just there taking a picture with all the Ganassi guys. It was a cool Ganassi fraternity shot here in 2021.”
WOULD YOU RATHER BE RACING ON THE OVAL THAN THE ROAD COURSE THIS WEEKEND?“You have to enjoy wherever they tell you to go. I’m here at Indy’s Road Course. It’s fun. It’s refreshing. It’s new. We’ve done a lot of new road courses this year and it’s just a different phase in NASCAR’s era.”

Winger goes 15th-5th, Pierce extends points lead again

HIGHLAND, IL – Aug. 13, 2021 – Highland Speedway never fails to show why it’s a staple of the DIRTcar Summer Nationals, and the next chapter in its book of exciting, wheel-to-wheel racing was scribed Friday night by two of the sport’s brightest stars – Brandon Sheppard and Bobby Pierce.

For the entire second half of the Feature, the two Illinois boys battled and chased each other non-stop, with Sheppard making the final pass for the lead on Lap 37 and fending off Pierce’s charge over the final 13 laps to score the $10,000 victory.

“Me and Bobby raced really clean. It’s a lot of fun racing with him, for sure,” Sheppard said.

Sheppard rarely pulls into Victory Lane with body damage, but the close-quarters racing in the early going crumpled his left-rear quarter-panel on the start after a stack-up in the bottom lane.

“[Blaze Burwell almost] looped it in front of me and I slowed down and got hit from behind. I thought we were done – I thought for sure the left-rear tire was flat, because [Michael] Kloos got up on my tire,” Sheppard said.

But all four tires stayed inflated, and Sheppard was able to restart toward the front. With Pierce in the lead from the pole, Sheppard knew he was going to give an A-plus effort if he wanted to see the front by the end of 50 laps.

Over a caution-filled event, Sheppard used the green-flag stretches and restarts to his advantage, making passes under green and the yellows to help catch the next car in line. When he finally reached Pierce, the battle was on.

For over 15 laps, Sheppard hounded Pierce, inside and outside. Until one particular restart on Lap 36, where Pierce left the door open on the top for Sheppard to get by, and it cost him.

Sheppard swung it to the high line in Turns 3-4 on Lap 37 and just barely nosed Pierce by inches at the line to take the lead. Pierce got him back down low in Turns 1-2, but a tangle in Turns 3-4 brought out the caution. With Sheppard being scored as the leader on that lap, that meant he would bring the field back to green on the restart.

With the ball now in his court, Sheppard hit the jets and never looked back. Pierce struggled behind him, nearly looping it in Turn 4 on Lap 39 and getting held up by slower traffic in the final laps, which gave Sheppard the room he needed to park it in Hell Tour Victory Lane for the 27th time in his career.

“We know there’s a lot of tough competition here, and Bobby’s one of the best-of-the-best. To pass him when he’s leading is really tough. But I found a little bit of a different line when I was racing with them guys that he probably didn’t see, just because he was leading,” Sheppard said.

Pierce came home second and again extended his points lead over third-place finishing Tanner English. Garrett Alberson crossed in fourth as Ashton Winger drove it back to fifth from 15th.

UP NEXT

The Summer Nationals next head to Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 for Race #25 of the season on Saturday, Aug. 14. Catch all the action live on the newly redesigned DIRTVision presented by Drydene.

ABBREVIATED RESULTS (view full results)

Feature (50 Laps) 1. B5-Brandon Sheppard[5]; 2. 32-Bobby Pierce[1]; 3. 81E-Tanner English[4]; 4. 59-Garrett Alberson[3]; 5. 12-Ashton Winger[15]; 6. 18-Shannon Babb[6]; 7. 14G-Joe Godsey[12]; 8. 25-Jason Feger[13]; 9. 44-Blaze Burwell[2]; 10. 78-Chad Zobrist[10]; 11. 74-Mitch McGrath[8]; 12. 17-Todd Rehg[16]; 13. 16-Rusty Griffaw[14]; 14. 5-Brian Wolfmeier[21]; 15. 87- Jason Zobrist[11]; 16. 14R-Jeff Roth[22]; 17. 7-Dan Jacober[17]; 18. T4-Adam Tischauser[9]; 19. 14-Paul Kuper[18]; 20. 6K-Michael Kloos[7]; 21. 10-Daryn Klein[20]; 22. 248-Brandon Lance[19]

HOMETOWN HERO: Harrison Wins ‘Drive For 25’ at Highland

Mike Harrison once again found himself doing what he does best at his home track of Highland Speedway Friday night, leading flag-to-flag for the win in the special Drive For 25 DIRTcar Summit Racing Equipment Modified Nationals event.

“I grew up here, all my life, so what else do I say… coming home in front of a packed stands. Ain’t nothing better than winning in front of you guys – that’s what it’s all about,” said Harrison, of Highland, IL, with a look to the capacity crowd.

The six-time Summit Modified champion started on the pole and led all 30 laps unchallenged, repeating the success he found in last year’s edition of the event – one run in memory of the late Brett Korves, a local Modified driver at the quarter-mile.

“This race means a lot to me,” Harrison said. “I knew when we got here – Brandon drew a number 25, so that was just something from up above coming down and telling us to keep our heads screwed on and do what we need to do for the race.”

UP NEXT

The Summit Modifieds next head to Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 for Race #25 of the season on Saturday, Aug. 14. Catch all the action live on the newly redesigned DIRTVision presented by Drydene.

ABBREVIATED RESULTS (view full results)

Feature (30 Laps) 1. 24H-Mike Harrison[1]; 2. 28-Rodney Standerfer[4]; 3. 9H-John Demoss[10]; 4. T6-Tommy Sheppard Jr[3]; 5. 21M-Willy Myers[9]; 6. 59R-Jacob Rexing[5]; 7. 63E-Bret Eilerman[15]; 8. 36-Kenny Wallace[6]; 9. 14C-Rick Conoyer[14]; 10. 55- Marty Smith[16]; 11. 88-Chris Bolyard[17]; 12. 4M-Tim Monroe[21]; 13. 14K-Shane Kelley[23]; 14. 63V-Cody Ventimiglia[19]; 15. 23B-Michael Barrett[22]; 16. 84-Tyler Deibert[13]; 17. 5T-Rob Timmons[18]; 18. 88L-Rob Lee[8]; 19. 5S-Owen Steinkoenig[12]; 20. 19-Jimmy Cummins[20]; 21. 70-Brian Bielong[7]; 22. 87Z-Zeb Moake[2]; 23. 242-Brandon Bollinger[11]

Union, KY (August 13, 2021) – Tim McCreadie and Michael Chilton will make up the front row for Saturday night’s 39th Annual Sunoco North South 100 Presented by Lucas Oil at Florence Speedway. McCreadie, the defending race winner, and Chilton, a Kentucky native, will lead the field for the $50,000-to-win event after earning the top two spots in heat race passing points from Friday Night. In heat one of round one, Kentucky native Michael Chilton ran off and hid from the rest of the field, leading wire-to-wire to pick up the victory. Gregg Satterlee crossed the line in second followed by Kyle Bronson and Dale McDowell. The second heat of round number one saw Tyler Erb take the lead at the start as he powered to the win over Kent Robinson, Darrell Lanigan, and Earl Pearson Jr. Lanigan gained the most points in the heat after he started ninth and finished third. In heat three of round one, Kyle Strickler took the victory ahead of a hotly contested battle for second between two Indiana drivers, Devin Gilpin, and Hudson O’Neal. Gilpin, who started fifth edged out O’Neal for second. Zack Dohm was fourth. Jonathan Davenport raced to the win in heat four of round one, repelling the challenges of Stormy Scott.  Josh Richards came from sixth to finish third with Johnny Scott finishing fourth. Current Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt series point leader, Tim McCreadie, grabbed the fifth and final heat of round one. Brandon Overton was second followed by Dustin Linville and Mike Marlar. McCreadie started off round two like he ended round one, by winning a heat race after starting in fifth. Matt Cosner ran second to McCreadie with Terry Phillips and Dale McDowell trailing. The second heat of round number two was taken by Thursday Night’s winner and sixth place starter, Brandon Overton. Scott James finished second with Kyle Bronson and Earl Pearson jr. rounding out the top four finishers. The third heat in round two would see the 2021 Ralph Latham Memorial winner, Josh Rice take the win. Mike Marlar was second with Spencer Hughes and Todd Brennan following. Hudson O’Neal took the win easily outdistancing the field in the fourth heat of round number two. Zack Dohm came from sixth to finish second, with Ricky Thornton Jr. edging out Nick Hoffman for third. Jimmy Owens came from his third starting spot in heat five to take the win. The big mover not only in this heat but of the night, was Michael Chilton who charged from 10th to finish second. Darrell Lanigan finished third and Shane Clanton took fourth. Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Race Summary Sunoco North South 100 – Presented by Lucas OilFriday, August 13th, 2021Florence Speedway – Union, KY Penske Race Shocks Heat Race #1 Finish, Round 1 (12 Laps): 1. 97-Michael Chilton[1]; 2. 22-Gregg Satterlee[2]; 3. 40B-Kyle Bronson[4]; 4. 17M-Dale McDowell[5]; 5. 20RT-Ricky Thornton Jr[7]; 6. 83-Scott James[9]; 7. 25-Shane Clanton[6]; 8. 66C-Matt Cosner[10]; 9. 20B-Todd Brennan[8]; 10. 8A-Curt Addison[3] Summit Racing Equipment Heat Race #2 Finish, Round 1 (11 Laps): 1. 1T-Tyler Erb[1]; 2. 7R-Kent Robinson[2]; 3. 29-Darrell Lanigan[9]; 4. 1-Earl Pearson Jr[7]; 5. 75-Terry Phillips[8]; 6. 11B-Tommy Bailey[4]; 7. 11H-Spencer Hughes[6]; 8. 1GK-Grant Garrison[3]; 9. 7F-Jeremy Freeman[5] Simpson Race Products Heat Race #3 Finish, Round 1 (11 Laps): 1. 8-Kyle Strickler[2]; 2. 1G-Devin Gilpin[5]; 3. 71-Hudson O’Neal[9]; 4. 17D-Zack Dohm[4]; 5. 15-James Rice[6]; 6. 18L-Trevor Landrum[7]; 7. 20TC-Tristan Chamberlain[8]; 8. 13-Vern Lefevers[3]; 9. 20C-Duane Chamberlain[1] Ohlins Shocks Heat Race #4 Finish, Round 1 (11 Laps): 1. 49-Jonathan Davenport[1]; 2. 2S-Stormy Scott[3]; 3. 14-Josh Richards[6]; 4. 1ST-Johnny Scott[2]; 5. 11R-Josh Rice[9]; 6. 20-Jimmy Owens[7]; 7. 4G-Kody Evans[8]; 8. 17C-Jeremy Creech[5]; 9. 12J-Jason Jameson[4] MyRacePass Heat Race #5 Finish , Round 1 (11 Laps): 1. 39-Tim McCreadie[5]; 2. 76-Brandon Overton[4]; 3. D8-Dustin Linville[2]; 4. 157-Mike Marlar[8]; 5. 0H-Nick Hoffman[7]; 6. 21H-Robby Hensley[3]; 7. 16-Justin Rattliff[9]; 8. 33-Jesse Lay[6]; 9. 23T-Ethan Toedter[1] Penske Race Shocks Heat Race #1 Finish, Round 2 (10 Laps): 1. 39-Tim McCreadie[4]; 2. 66C-Matt Cosner[1]; 3. 75-Terry Phillips[2]; 4. 17M-Dale McDowell[5]; 5. 49-Jonathan Davenport[8]; 6. 8-Kyle Strickler[7]; 7. 1GK-Grant Garrison[6]; 8. 14-Josh Richards[3]; 9. (DNS) 18L-Trevor Landrum Summit Racing Equipment Heat Race #2 Finish, Round 2 (11 Laps): 1. 76-Brandon Overton[6]; 2. 83-Scott James[2]; 3. 40B-Kyle Bronson[7]; 4. 1-Earl Pearson Jr[3]; 5. 20C-Duane Chamberlain[9]; 6. 7R-Kent Robinson[8]; 7. 16-Justin Rattliff[1]; 8. 17C-Jeremy Creech[5]; 9. 15-James Rice[4] Simpson Race Products Heat Race #3 Finish, Round 2 (11 Laps): 1. 11R-Josh Rice[1]; 2. 157-Mike Marlar[2]; 3. 11H-Spencer Hughes[4]; 4. 20B-Todd Brennan[3]; 5. 1T-Tyler Erb[8]; 6. 1G-Devin Gilpin[5]; 7. 12J-Jason Jameson[6]; 8. 21H-Robby Hensley[7]; 9. (DNS) 8A-Curt Addison Ohlins Shocks Heat Race #4 Finish, Round 2 (11 Laps): 1. 71-Hudson O’Neal[1]; 2. 17D-Zack Dohm[5]; 3. 20RT-Ricky Thornton Jr[4]; 4. 0H-Nick Hoffman[3]; 5. 22-Gregg Satterlee[8]; 6. 2S-Stormy Scott[6]; 7. 4G-Kody Evans[2]; 8. D8-Dustin Linville[7]; 9. (DNS) 7F-Jeremy Freeman MyRacePass Heat Race #5 Finish , Round 2 (12 Laps): 1. 20-Jimmy Owens[3]; 2. 97-Michael Chilton[10]; 3. 29-Darrell Lanigan[1]; 4. 25-Shane Clanton[5]; 5. 33-Jesse Lay[4]; 6. 11B-Tommy Bailey[6]; 7. 1ST-Johnny Scott[8]; 8. 23T-Ethan Toedter[9]; 9. 20TC-Tristan Chamberlain[2]; 10. 13-Vern Lefevers[7]

Sunoco North South 100 Presented by Lucas Oil A-Main Lineup (100 laps):

LINE-X B-Main 1 Lineup (15 laps, Top 3 Transfer):

UNOH B-Main 2 Lineup (15 laps, Top 3 Transfer):

Sunoco North South 100 Point Standings:

Jac Haudenschild Nearly Qualifies for A-Main in Final Knoxville Nationals

KNOXVILLE, IA – August 13, 2021 – The Hard Knox portion of the NOS Energy Drink Knoxville Nationals pres. by Casey’s continues to be one of the most magical nights in sprint car racing, and that was proven once again on Friday night.

With 69 entries fighting for four coveted lock-in positions, the intensity was through the roof. A loaded program of split Qualifying, six Heat Races, two B-Mains, and a 25-lap A-Main greeted fans ahead of Saturday’s sold-out finale.

Nostalgia was floating through the air when “GO JAC GO!” chants broke out as the legendary Jac Haudenschild put the Pennzoil #22 on the pole position of the A-Main in his final preliminary at Iowa’s Knoxville Raceway.

The Wild Child led five laps, but ultimately this night belonged to Rico Abreu. The St. Helena, CA racer was dominant in every phase of the game as he ran away to a comfortable 4.645-second victory and locked-in for his sixth consecutive Knoxville Nationals A-Main.

“Everything happens for a reason.” Abreu, who was one point away from locking in last night, acknowledged. “There’s a reason I qualified 30th last night and there’s a reason I missed the lock-in. I’ll take this. I wasn’t worried one bit about it.”

Earning the outside pole of the A-Main after going QuickTime in Flight B and transferring through his Heat Race, the #24 was a lethal weapon all night long on the black zook clay.

He settled into second on the start as Jac Haudenschild led the opening five laps, but then made his move on Lap 6 and never looked back. He climbed up top to celebrate his third Knoxville Raceway victory and echoes of “RICO! RICO! RICO!” were shouted throughout Marion County.

“I just want to win races, man,” Abreu added. “I don’t do these championships or points, I just want to win. I knew last night being top five with those guys that we would be fine tonight. Also, I really think I’ve just matured in life as I’ve gotten older. I know how to react to these results and everything that happens in our sport. I think that has made me a sharper racer, too.”

Outside of Rico, the story of the night was 63-year-old Jac Haudenschild. In his 39th and final Knoxville Nationals attempt, he earned the pole position of Hard Knox and started pole with a chance to transfer to Saturday’s A-Main. He held a lock-in position for 22 of 25 laps before ultimately fading to run sixth aboard the iconic Pennzoil #22.

“I just made too many mistakes, and with these guys, you can’t make any,” Haudenschild offered. “We definitely learned a lot, though, and I feel better as well heading into tomorrow.”

Along with Abreu, additional lock-in positions to Saturday’s Knoxville Nationals A-Main went to Anthony Macri, Shane Stewart, and Brock Zearfoss.

For Macri, who was at a loss for words, he earned his first-career A-Main appearance at The Granddaddy of ‘Em All. The 22-year-old Dillsburg, PA native was in shock even at the post-race press conference. 

“I really don’t even know what to think,” Macri said. “For a kid like me to put it in the Knoxville Nationals, that’s just unreal. I still can’t believe it. I’m struggling for words.”

Following Macri to the line and finishing third was Bixby, OK’s Shane Stewart in only his fourth Sprint Car race of 2021. The now track owner of Port City Raceway has qualified for his 20th career Knoxville Nationals, this time with the Team Trackhouse #71 prepared by Bernie Stuebgen of Indy Race Parts.

“I knew this would be tough,” Stewart admitted. “Bernie is part-time. and this is my fourth race of the entire year. Guys like Kyle Larson come out and make it look like the easiest thing in the world, but let me tell you it’s not. I don’t know how many races I have left in me, so moments like this are special.”

Earning the fourth and final lock-in to Saturday’s Knoxville Nationals finale was Brock Zearfoss aboard the #3Z.

“This is everything for a team, just making the Nationals,” Zearfoss noted. “Moral wise, confidence wise, this can change seasons. Our team has been through a bit of a rough patch, the whole year actually. This is really rewarding finding speed here.”

Those four, Abreu, Macri, Stewart, and Zearfoss, will start Saturday’s 50-lap finale from rows 11-12. Along with the $4,000 they made tonight, tomorrow’s A-Main pays a world-best $10,000-to-start.

Closing out the top-ten on Friday night was Scott Bogucki in fifth, Jac Haudenschild in sixth, Shane Golobic in seventh, Bill Balog in eighth, Kyle Reinhardt in ninth, and Lynton Jeffrey in tenth. 

The 60th NOS Energy Drink Knoxville Nationals pres. by Casey’s will conclude tomorrow, Saturday, August 14 with championship night. On the docket is an E-Main, D-Main, C-Main, Last Chance Showdown, and 50-lap, potentially $200,000/Win Feature.

NOS Energy Drink Feature (25 Laps) – 1. 24R-Rico Abreu [2]; 2. 39M-Anthony Macri [3]; 3. 71-Shane Stewart [11]; 4. 3Z-Brock Zearfoss [5]; 5. 25-Scott Bogucki [13]; 6. 22-Jac Haudenschild [1]; 7. 17W-Shane Golobic [10]; 8. 17B-Bill Balog [7]; 9. 91-Kyle Reinhardt [4]; 10. 83J-Lynton Jeffrey [6]; 11. 49J-Josh Schneiderman [15]; 12. 56N-Davey Heskin [16]; 13. 39-Daryn Pittman [19]; 14. 70-Sammy Swindell [20]; 15. 2C-Wayne Johnson [14]; 16. 55-Hunter Schuerenberg [8]; 17. 11N-Harli White [22]; 18. 28-Tim Shaffer [24]; 19. 11-Roger Crockett [23]; 20. 20-AJ Moeller [17]; 21. 27-Carson McCarl [18]; 22. 55M-McKenna Haase [12]; 23. 3-Ayrton Gennetten [9]; 24. 40-Clint Garner [21]. Lap Leaders:Jac Haudenschild 1-5, Rico Abreu 6-25. KSE Hard Charger Award: 71-Shane Stewart[+8]

Brett Senek tops DIRTcar Sportsman Modified Series in Sean Letts Memorial over Scott Kerwin and David Wagner 

RANSOMVILLE, NY –  Two outstanding DIRTcar Sportsman Modified Series West Region drivers squared off for 30 laps of action with hometown hero Brett Senek edging out veteran Scott Kerwin to pick up his first career Series win. 

Picking up the Sean Letts Memorial was an emotional moment for the pilot of the Stirling Lubricants #111. 

“I knew Sean pretty well,” said Senek. “He lived right up the road from me. He helped me out and sponsored me when we raced go-karts. Everybody knew him as a nice guy and every night after the races I’d walk up in the stands and he’d ask me how the car was and what I needed to make it better. He was just a great guy gone too soon.”

At the drop of the green flag, pole-sitter David DiPietro and Senek fired evenly. By the end of the first lap, #111 took the lead. DiPietro hung in the top three until he took an unintended excursion into the front stretch “moat” between the racing surface and the wall. He kept his foot down and climbed out before disaster struck. Unfortunately, race contact later ended his night early.

After Senek settled into the lead, Scott Kerwin, from Newfane, NY, began picking off drivers and moving up from fifth. The #1 was on a mission to track down Senek. After a few laps, Kerwin began to catch the #111 and the duel was on. 

Kerwin nearly made it happen on a restart when he fired almost simultaneously with the race leader. 

“Kerwin was taking the lead going into Turn 3,” Senek described. “He had about a tire on me. He had me pretty much neck and neck by the flag stand. I thought he was really good in Turn 1 and was going to drive around me but luckily I had enough on the top to get into Turn 3 around him.”

Kerwin and Senek were locked in battle most of the race but Kerwin appeared to be marginally faster. 

“I knew he was there a couple of times but he’s a really clean driver,” said Senek. “I knew he doesn’t want to tear up his or anyone else’s stuff. He drove a great race.”

Senek, from Ransomville, NY, is the sixth first-time DIRTcar Sportsman Modified Series winner in 2021. The expansion of the DIRTcar Sportsman Modified Series regions has allowed new drivers to start making names for themselves on the tour. Brett Senek joins drivers like Andrew Buff, Tyler Corcoran, and Cameron Tuttle in making waves in Series competition.

Wily veteran Scott Kerwin was happy with a second-place finish and a race car that doesn’t need torches to get it back inside the hauler. 

“It’s tough when it’s an outside-demanding race track,” said Kerwin. “I tried a couple of times but got just too loose off. And I am not going to stuff a slide job. I’d rather take a second.”

“It was a good race. He’s [Senek] a good kid. 

Hoosier Racing Tire Weekly Championship driver Derek Wagner was a threat late but ran out of laps. He worked his way up to third but couldn’t take advantage of the duel for the lead.  

“We started a little way back in seventh,” said Wagner. “There are quite a few cars that can win any week so the competition is tough. We finally found something with the setup. It’s been a tough go this season to get on a roll but this was a great finish. I think I hurt the tires trying to dig around the bottom a little bit. We’ll take third place and overall it was a good night.”

The hard charger of the race was Derrick Borkenhagen, who passed half the field, 11 cars, and finished 10th. 

Cameron Tuttle in the #35t now has three straight top-five finishes in Series racing including the big win at Genesee Speedway in race two on the West Region trail. 

Join us at Brewerton Speedway on Tuesday, August 17 for the Super DIRTcar Series Demon 100. It’s $10,000-to-win and doles out a guaranteed start at the 49th annual NAPA Super DIRT Week to the victor. 

Tickets are on sale now for a $30 presale. Admission will be $33 at the gate. Tickets for students (11-17) are $15. Kids 10 and under are FREE. Pit passes are $35 for DIRTcar members and $40 for non-members. CLICK HERE for tickets. Pit passes are not available for pre-sale and must be purchased at the gate.

FEATURE (30 laps) 

1. Brett Senek 2. Scott Kerwin 3. Derek Wagner 4. Zack George 5. Cameron Tuttle 6. Austin Susice 7. Dylan Duhow 8. Andrew Smith 9. Derrick Borkenhagen 10. Clayton Cain 11. Brandon Michaud 12. Brian Harris 13. Noah Walker 14. Cliff Gregg 15. Sam Hoxie 16. AJ Custodi 17. Dave DiPietro 18. Brett Martin 19. Kyle Richner 20. Jessica Kriegisch 21. Jordan Moden 

TOPEKA, Kan. (Aug. 13, 2021) – Brittany Force and the Monster Energy dragster ended Friday night qualifying at the Menards NHRA Nationals sitting No. 2 in Top Fuel. John Force and the PEAK Antifreeze and Coolant Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car are sitting No. 5 while Robert Hight and the Automobile Club of Southern California team are No. 14. Force and her David Grubnic and Mac Savage led team sailed to a 3.734-second pass at 329.42 mph under the lights at Heartland Motorsports Park. Force is looking to grab her fourth consecutive No. 1 qualifying position, sixth of the season and third at the facility. We’re off to a good start this weekend at Heartland Motorsports Park,” Force said. “First session a 3.73 and currently sitting No. 2, so tomorrow we’ll have the opportunity to push a little harder in that third session and really get us set up for race day.” Lined up side-by-side with Robert Hight in the first qualifying run, John Force handled the PEAK Chevy to a clean 3.951-second pass at 326.63 mph to head into day two at Heartland Motorsports Park in the No. 5 spot. “Back here in Kansas. Love it. Great fans here in the Midwest. We have a good car; it’s running well, and Danny Hood and Tim Fabrisi have it figured out. These PEAK guys are keeping me on my toes,” Force said. “I have to be on my game, focused, because I have to keep up.” Hight and the Auto Club Chevy had a mishap on their first qualifying run. While the Auto Club Funny Car did shake the tires, something happened, outside of the team’s control, to trigger his time to give him an invalid time. “Not the run we were looking for. We overpowered the track, so not getting a valid time, it doesn’t hurt us but it’s not the run we wanted to make either,” Hight said. “I’m not worried though, Jimmy Prock and Chris Cunningham always get this Auto Club Chevy figured out. We’ll get down the track tomorrow and be good for race day.” Qualifying at the Menards NHRA Nationals at Heartland Motorsports Park will continue Saturday with sessions at 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. Eliminations are slated to begin Sunday at 11 a.m. Television coverage of qualifying will be on FOX Sports 1 (FS1) Sunday at noon ET. Eliminations will be on FOX Broadcasting Network (FOX) Sunday at 3 p.m. ET.

CHEVROLET RACING NTT INDYCAR SERIES THE BIG MACHINE SPIKED COOLERS GRAND PRIX THE ROAD COURSE AT INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY TEAM CHEVY QUALIFYING RECAP AUGUST 13, 2021
PATO O’WARD PUTS CHEVY ON POLE AT IMS ROAD COURSETHIRD NTT P1 AWARD OF SEASON AND FOURTH CAREER FOR ARROW MCLAREN SP CHEVROLET DRIVERWILL POWER MAKES IT AN ALL-CHEVY FRONT ROW FOR THE BIG MACHINE SPIKED COOLERS GRAND PRIX INDIANAPOLIS-(AUGUST 13, 2021) – Pato O’Ward was a very determined driver today as he set out to claim his third NTT P1 Award of the season and fourth of his in his career. He put his No. 5 Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet on pole with a lap of 01:10.7147 seconds/124.167 MPH. Will Power, No. 12 Verizon 5G Team Penske Chevrolet, made it an all-Chevy front row with a lap of 01:10.7214 seconds/124.155 MPH.  A total of 12Team Chevy will compete in the 85-lap/207-mile Big Machine Spiked Coolers Grand Prix on Saturday, Aug. 14. Chevrolet has won eight of the 10 NTT INDYCAR SERIES races on the IMS Road Course, including the past three, on the technical 2.439-mile, 14-turn road course that incorporates Turns 1 and 2 and the front stretch of the famed oval. Spectators will have the opportunity to view some of Chevrolet’s newest production vehicles, including a Corvette convertible 3LT, Bolt EUV, Silverado 1500 Trailboss, and participate in a Q&A with NTT INDYCAR SERIES drivers at the Chevrolet display near Pagoda Plaza.  The display will be open from 2-8 p.m. Friday, Aug. 13; 7 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 14; and 8 a.m.-1 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 15. Participating drivers include:Saturday, Aug. 149:45-10 a.m. – Rinus VeeKay and NASCAR Cup Series driver William ByronNBCSN will telecast the 85-lap Big Machine Spiked Coolers Grand Prix at 12:30 p.m. ET Sunday, Aug. 14, and qualifying live at 7 p.m. ET Friday, Aug. 13. The race, qualifications and practice will also be broadcast live on INDYCAR Radio Network affiliates, Sirius 211, XM 205, Indycar.com, and on the INDYCAR Mobile app powered by NTT DATA. Practice and qualifications will stream on Peacock Premium. A Chevrolet Corvette C8 Stingray will lead the field to the green flag. Team Chevy will be represented by:A.J. Foyt EnterprisesDalton Kellett, No. 4 K-Line Insulators AJ Foyt RacingSebastien Bourdais, No. 14 ROKiT AJ Foyt RacingArrow McLaren SPPato O’Ward, No. 5 Arrow McLaren SPFelix Rosenqvist, No. 7 Vuse Arrow McLaren SPCarlinMax Chilton, No. 59 Gallagher CarlinEd Carpenter RacingConor Daly, No. 20 U.S. Air ForceRinus VeeKay, No. 21 Sonax/AutogeekTeam PenskeJosef Newgarden, No. 2 XPEL Team PenskeScott McLaughlin, No. 3 CarShop Team PenskeWill Power, No. 12 Verizon 5G Team PenskeSimon Pagenaud, No. 22 Menards Team PenskeTop Gun RacingRC Enerson, No. 75 Top Gun Racing TEAM CHEVY QUALIFYING RESULTS:Pato O’Ward, No. 5 Arrow Mclaren SP Chevrolet – Pole WinnerWill Power, No. 12 Verizon 5G Team Penske Chevrolet – Qualified 2ndConor Daly, No. 20 U.S. Air Force Chevrolet – Qualified 8thRinus VeeKay, No. 21 Sonax/Autogeek Chevrolet – Qualified 9thSimon Pagenaud, No. 22 Menards Team Penske Chevrolet – Qualified 12thJosef Newgarden, No. 2 XPEL Team Penske Chevrolet – Qualified 14thSebastien Bourdais, No. 14 ROKiT AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet – Qualified 15thMax Chilton, No. 59 Gallagher Carlin Chevrolet – Qualified 19thFelix Rosenqvist, No. 7 Vuse Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet – Qualified 20thRC Enerson, No. 75 Top Gun Racing Chevrolet – Qualified 25thDalton Kellett, No. 4 K-Line Insulators AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet – Qualified 28th Chevrolet IndyCar V6 Year-By-Year Results since 20122021 ­– 4 wins, 5 poles in 11 racesWins – Pato O’Ward (Texas2, Detroit2); Rinus VeeKay (Indy RC1); Josef Newgarden (Mid-Ohio). Pole – Pato O’Ward (Barber Motorsports Park, Detroit1); Josef Newgarden (Detroit2, Road America, Mid-Ohio).2020 – 7 wins, 11 poles in 14 racesWins – Simon Pagenaud (Iowa1); Josef Newgarden (Iowa2, St. Louis2, Indy RC2, St. Petersburg); Will Power (Mid-Ohio1, Indy RC3, St. Petersburg). Poles – Josef Newgarden (Texas, Road America1, Iowa2), Will Power (Indianapolis road course, St. Louis1, Mid-Ohio1, Indy RC3; St. Petersburg), Pato O’Ward (Road America2), Conor Daly (Iowa1), Rinus VeeKay (Indy road course October)2019 – 9 wins, 9 poles in 17 racesDriver/owner championship (Josef Newgarden/Roger Penske); Indianapolis 500 win (Simon Pagenaud)2018 – 6 wins, 9 poles in 17 racesIndianapolis 500 win (Will Power)2017 – 10 wins, 11 poles in 17 racesEngine Manufacturer Championship; driver/owner titles (Josef Newgarden/Roger Penske)2016 – 14 wins, 13 poles in 16 racesEngine Manufacturer Championship; driver/owner titles (Simon Pagenaud/Roger Penske)2015 – 10 wins, 16 poles in 16 racesEngine Manufacturer Championship; driver/owner titles (Scott Dixon/Chip Ganassi);Indianapolis 500 win (Juan Pablo Montoya). First manufacturer to capture all titles since Chevrolet returned to INDYCAR in 20122014 – 12 wins, 14 poles in 18 racesEngine Manufacturer Championship; driver/owner titles (Will Power/Roger Penske)2013 – 10 wins, 11 poles in 19 racesEngine Manufacturer Championship; Indianapolis 500 win (Tony Kanaan)2012 – 11 wins, 10 poles in 15 racesEngine Manufacturer Championship; driver/owner titles (Ryan Hunter-Reay/Michael Andretti)Total – 93 wins, 105 earned poles in 160 races  DRIVER QUOTES:PATO O’WARD, NO. 5 ARROW MCLAREN SP CHEVROLET – POLE WINNERON THE POLE WIN:“I wanted to make sure that this was a turning point. We’ve had a very tough last few races. And we’re ready to get back into Victory Lane. This is the first step to that. And tomorrow, we have a job to finish. Just continuing on. There’s still five races to go and a lot can happen. But this is definitely on the right track.” YOU WANT TO TURN IT AROUND SINCE YOU GUYS WERE BASICALLY OUT TO LUNCH WHEN YOU CAME TO THE ROAD COURSE IN MAY“Yeah, we did. Thanks to our test in Portland, we found a few things that I knew were going to help us here, and I’ve never been so excited to race here on the Indy road course. Since practice, I said we’re going to get some good points this weekend.” WILL POWER, NO. 12 VERIZON 5G TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET, QUALIFIED 2^ND: “It is so close between everyone. It is amazing how tight that is. I was on a good one my first lap, but Pato started backing up for whatever reason warming his tires. But I’m there man. We are right there.  You can pass a little easier here, but good track position makes it better” JOSEF NEWGARDEN, NO. 2 XPEL TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET, QUALIFIED 14^TH (WILL START 20^TH AS RESULT OF SIX POSITION GRID PENALTY): “I’m just frustrated. I thought I had enough gap on (James) Hinchcliffe, but I caught him too quickly. Its probably on me, I probably should have gapped him a little more, but I had pressure from behind me so I had to go. So I probably lost about three or four tenths in that last sector of the track. We have a good car for tomorrow.” PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPTS-WILL POWER AND PATO O’WARD THE MODERATOR: A man that knows his way around the road course here, Will Power. Second-place start tomorrow. Tell us about the Firestone Fast 12 for you.WILL POWER: Yeah, it was good. The car was really good. I just missed out by 6/1000ths, but so did about four other people. That’s about the tightest session I’ve ever seen, I think.Pretty good conditions. Car was good. I’m glad to just be back in the groove again. Had such a kind of bad qualifying run lately. Yeah, certainly right there in the running for pole, so really happy to be up front.THE MODERATOR: It never ceases to amaze how tight this field is. Kind of a cliché, but you come to a place like this, a couple thousandths here or there, you can be up front or towards the back.WILL POWER: Yeah. As you know, if you’re just a little bit outside the window, you’re going to be way back there. Yeah, 2/10ths moves you about eight spots in that last session. You had to be right on the game, on the ball.But, yep, we’ve been there all weekend, all day, that’s it. That’s all we’ve his all day, so… See how the race goes. Long race. Can certainly do something from there. Yeah, see how it plays out.THE MODERATOR: We’ll take some questions.Q.Will, they said you were challenging Pato’s lap. Can you walk us through that. Were you expecting that to go in your favor?WILL POWER: On the first lap, yeah, I was up actually. He started warming his tires and slowing up. Then I had to back up. Aborted the lap.I didn’t get close enough to him. I could have driven right up to the back of him and he would have got a penalty. I had to get a gap for the next lap because I only had fuel for the next lap. Go for it.That’s all that was. Let’s say it wasn’t a blatant block, but he starting waving and backing up. You know you only have one more lap to do it. If you finish on his gearbox, you’re not going to be quick because you lose all your air.It is what it is. It’s fine. Top four or five cars were on the same 10th. Anyone’s go, I had a good second lap.Q.Will, on the lap that you got second place on, is there one corner you just go back in your mind and think you could have done something a little bit different that could have got you pole?WILL POWER: Yeah, there’s always a little bit there. I mean, I have to say made no mistakes in there, it was a neat lap. Always a little bit of something there. Yeah, no, obviously everyone was kind of at the limit of their cars. We were all on the same 10th. I don’t think anyone was going to go like 2/10ths quicker. Maybe a couple hundredths in it. Pato did a phenomenal lap to be on pole.Q.Will, could you speak to the desire you have for a victory tomorrow. What’s burning inside you right now?WILL POWER: Yeah, it’s been a terrible year. A lot of desire for pole position and a victory. I didn’t get pole today. Long race tomorrow. Hopefully we have a good race car. I mean, we’re going to make some changes and see if we can get it hooked up.You never know in these races, as we saw last week. Ericsson was nowhere, and he was over the back of someone, then he won the race. So who knows. If you just stay out of trouble in these races, you always have a chance to win.Q.Will, do you see this result today as a bit of a relief?WILL POWER: Yeah, I do. I was very determined coming into this weekend just considering how the last few races have been for me. Yep, right on the pace, back where I need to be. Very focused. Hopefully we can have a good day tomorrow.Q.Will, are the track conditions noticeably different than when you were at IMS in May? Does NASCAR running on the track with a different type of rubber make a difference to INDYCAR?WILL POWER: Yeah, it is definitely a different track condition. The car was a lot different for us at the previous race. I don’t know whether because the temperature was cooler.Yes, the NASCAR rubber does not go well with the Firestone stuff. It doesn’t take long to get it up, though. Doesn’t take long to get the rubber out of the way.Q.Will, the whole team has been in a little bit of a funk the last couple of races. How important is it for you as pretty much the veteran of the team to pull them out of this?WILL POWER: Yeah, I mean, we’re all looking for a bloody win. So is about every other person in the series. Yeah, very fierce competition. To win in this series, man, you got to play everything just right otherwise you’re not going to win.THE MODERATOR: Joined by Pato O’Ward, third pole position of the season, third NTT P1 award of the season.How did it go?PATO O’WARD: It’s good, man. Like I’ve been telling everybody, we’ve had a very tough last few races. I’m tired of being in the middle pack. We had a great test in Portland. What we found there I knew was going to help us here. So the goal is definitely to truly return where we belong, which is contend for podiums, for poles, ultimately for wins.I think we have the car to do something great tomorrow. We just need to execute. The next session is warmup. Do that, get as much information as we can to help us for the race. Then when the race comes, we try and maximize what we got there.THE MODERATOR: You lost a little bit of ground in the championship last week. How much did you think about that over the last few days?PATO O’WARD: There’s still five races to go. I know racing. Things can spiral down very quick or they can spiral up very quick.I just think the focus on really executing on every single session that we do from now until Long Beach checkered flag is going to be critical. But I’m not far back. I can definitely claw my way back into the fight for this championship. That is the goal. We’ve been fighting for it kind of all year.What I truly want, I want to get to Long Beach with a proper, legit chance of winning the championship. I’m excited. I think we have some great circuits for us coming up. I’m really excited.THE MODERATOR: Questions.Q.You mentioned the Portland test a couple times. I know you won’t tell us the secrets. Does the car handle better? Get more speed?PATO O’WARD: Yeah, man, it just handles better. We’ve had a quick car in many places, but damn it’s a handful. It is so hard to drive. I think we have found something that just is more predictable, that just makes it a lot easier on Felix and I to actually get laps in lap after lap consistently.Yeah, man, we’ve just been really focused on trying to make a better package for both qualifying and the race. One thing is to have a qualifying car and one thing is to have a race car. We’re trying to maximize both.I feel like that’s where we have lacked a little bit in terms of we’ve had a very strong qualifying car and then we don’t have anything for the race, but then we’ll have a great race car but in qualifying we’re just not quite there.Q.Felix has struggled to adapt. Seemed like he was running better today. Is he in the same boat as you, like he improved?PATO O’WARD: Yeah, definitely. I think he’s definitely felt improvements. I haven’t spoken to him obviously since qualifying, but I’m pretty sure he was pretty happy with the car.Yeah, I mean, both cars I think had the potential to be within the first two rows. Yeah, it’s nice to have both cars there. I’m going to need his help if I’m going to win this championship.Q.Does it feel like starting on pole, this is sort of the thrust you need for the final move toward a championship, meaning you’re starting out in front of everybody? Does it feel like a new life a little bit?PATO O’WARD: It feels like a breath of fresh air. It just shows us what we’ve been working on in testing, in our mini break, worked. I’m very excited. Not just for tomorrow, I really want to, like I said, turn the page this weekend. I feel like we have. We’ve done a good job so far.But tomorrow we have a big job ahead. Just keep doing it. Gateway is coming up. We had a very strong race there last year. Portland, Laguna, they’re all tracks I really enjoy. I think we’re going to have a strong package. We have to maximize every single one and I think that’s going to put us right where we want to be.Q.You said the car is more stable. Coming to the line in nine and ten on your final lap, looked like it was still a handful.PATO O’WARD: Yeah, I shipped it, man.Q.How close were you to losing it?PATO O’WARD: I mean, I don’t think it’s anything that we haven’t seen before from me (smiling).The problem is that sometimes you can get really greedy with what you’ve done before. Not always will it stick. I just wanted to transfer. I barely transferred. I should have risked a little bit more. When we went out on blacks, we got the balance a little bit unhappier on blacks, but I knew that was going to make reds happier. As soon as we went out, I knew in the snake is where I went really cautious the run before.I said, Got to risk it to get the biscuit. Yeah, it was really cool to see the delta just go from minus 1/10th to, boom, minus 5/10ths.Q.Looking ahead to the race, we’ll have 28 cars. Traffic should be more of an issue. Are you looking forward to see what it can do to your strategy and everybody else’s?PATO O’WARD: Yeah. Honestly, if they’re respectful, they won’t get in the way of the leaders. At least I hope they won’t.Yeah, it’s a big field, man. I think it’s great for INDYCAR. I think it shows that the series has a lot of appeal, not just in the U.S. but to Europe. People are enjoying it. It’s just a very, very fun atmosphere to be around. The cars are fun to drive.Yeah, I think it’s a fantastic series. I think it doesn’t get more raw and more kind of just truly race and truly hustle a race car. I don’t think it gets better than that than INDYCAR. I think INDYCAR ticks all the boxes.Q.Your previous three poles you didn’t actually win the race the next day.PATO O’WARD: Don’t tell me (laughter).Q.Did you learn anything from those?PATO O’WARD: I would love to win from pole. How is that (smiling)? I’ll leave it there.Q.Talk about your last lap.PATO O’WARD: I was surprised when I heard P1. I came in and I saw the pylon, my number didn’t get bumped down. I think I nailed it. Honestly, I thought it was a very put-together, very calm lap. There’s definitely been a lot crazier laps in my life.Q.Felix talked about some work he did at Portland that you referenced briefly there. He talked about the drivability. Is that something you felt was a big part of the role in getting pole today?PATO O’WARD: For sure. For sure. A few months ago we were nowhere close to having a pole car. Today we nailed it. We came. As soon as practice one, we went out, I knew we were in the window. Just had to make a few tweaks to truly get the maximum time out of the car.But, yeah, man, you have to continuously work and make the cars better because I feel like this is kind of the end of the era of this aero kit. Every single team is pretty much capable of being on pole. It just really comes down to the driver and the engineer to try and be as efficient as possible with changes and just know what you need from the car to extract the time.Q.Could you give is a little bit of context on Christian’s performance today. Give us a bit of an idea how difficult it is to put in that performance today.PATO O’WARD: I think it’s awesome. I think it was really cool to see him up there. He qualified third, I’m assuming? Fourth. I think it’s great.I know he has a good, strong car under him. He’s a good driver. I don’t think anybody doesn’t agree with me. He’s strong. He has a lot of experience in Europe with Formula 2 and Formula 3 and other categories.I think he likes this INDYCAR. I didn’t really get much out of him. He’s very quiet. From experience from driving an F2 car, I guarantee you he likes this INDYCAR.This IMS road course is probably the closest track that we have to a Formula 1 spec racetrack with just being very flat, lots of runoff, just the type of course fits to what he’s used to.I think he’s probably not as in a place like going to a Detroit and going out like, Man, something is broken with this car with all the bumps. I think it’s great. I think it’s great we’re having new faces up into the series.I remember my memory from Sonoma. It’s a good one (smiling).Q.How beneficial is it with your championship rivals so far behind you on the grid? Will you think about that going into the race?PATO O’WARD: Where are they? I have no idea.THE MODERATOR: Dixon is 26th, I believe.PATO O’WARD: Really? Because he spun. I’ll have a look later.Q.Alex is starting sixth.PATO O’WARD: Not a bad position.Man, it’s such a tough and competitive series. You have to execute everywhere, pit stops, strategy. I have to not make any mistakes, be very wise in what I’m doing in terms of traffic, managing tires, et cetera.A lot can happen tomorrow, but I think we have the best view into turn one. We’re obviously going for the win. I’d be lying if I said we weren’t. Yeah, I think we’re in a better position right now than what we were a few months back here for the road course event.All what we have found today have definitely been very positive for us.Q.In terms of going for the championship, you’re just going all out, you’re not going for what Scott does where he’s Mr. Consistent?PATO O’WARD: Whenever you have a chance to win, you need to take those points and win because it’s not like every weekend you go and you can win. We’re definitely going for that.But if we can’t manage to do that, I’m not going to do something stupid and put it in the wall. We need to be smart. We’re obviously going for it. If we can’t win, then we take the second. Still a lot of points.Yeah, man, I’m just really looking forward to turning the page to our very crappy last three races, close out this weekend very strong, and don’t look back until the checkered flag waves in Long Beach.THE MODERATOR: Thank you. 

Romain Grosjean backs up May pole with third-place start at Big Machine Spiked Coolers Grand Prix
Rookie Christian Lundgaard shocks with second-row grid slot on debut
Honda takes five of top seven in qualifying

SPEEDWAY, Ind. (Aug. 13, 2021) – Dale Coyne with RWR’s Romain Grosjean led the charge for Honda in today’s qualifying at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, qualifying third for Saturday’s Big Machine Spiked Coolers Grand Prix.

The Grand Prix marks the first double-header for the NTT INDYCAR SERIES and the NASCAR Cup series running on the same course layout in the history of the two series. It also marks the first race weekend in INDYCAR for Christian Lundgaard, a current Formula 2 driver, making his series debut with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing.

The young Danish driver set the seventh fastest time in today’s practice session, and backed that performance up with fourth in qualifying.

Honda also claimed the fifth, sixth and seventh positions, with Andretti Autosport’s Colton Herta, Chip Ganssi Racing’s Alex Palou, and Meyer Shank Racing’s Jack Harvey, respectively.

Last week’s Nashville race winner, Marcus Ericsson will start 11th, just behind Alexander Rossi, who rounds out the top 10.

Big Machine Music City Grand Prix Honda Qualifying Results
3rd Romain Grosjean-R Dale Coyne Racing with RWR Honda
4th Christian Lundgaard -R Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda
5th Colton Herta Andretti Autosport Honda
6th Alex Palou Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
7th Jack Harvey Meyer Shank Racing Honda
10th Alexander Rossi Andretti Autosport Honda
11th Marcus Ericsson Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
13th Ryan Hunter-Reay Andretti Autosport Honda
16th Takuma Sato Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda
17th Graham Rahal Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda
18th Ed Jones Dale Coyne Racing with Vasser-Sullivan Honda
22nd Jimmie Johnson-R Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
23rd Helio Castroneves Meyer Shank Racing Honda
24th James Hinchcliffe Andretti Autosport Honda
26th Scott Dixon Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
27th Cody Ware-R Dale Coyne Racing with RWR Honda
R – Rookie

Quotes
Romain Grosjean (Dale Coyne Racing with RWR Honda) Qualified third: “Yeah, it’s amazing to be coming here for a second time. Finishing in the top three in qualifying is always great. I think I had a pole lap [time] on my last lap, but I chickened out in Turn 8-9. I took them a little bit too carefully. That’s my mistake, but I think we’ve got a good base for tomorrow, and that’s what matters now.”

Christian Lundgaard (Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda) Qualified Fourth, Making INDYCAR Debut: “At the moment, I’m very confused! I wasn’t quite ready for qualifying to be over, as I thought we had a “Fast Six” [final qualifying round, not used this weekend]. But we are P4, and let’s just say I did not expect to [qualify this well] when I learned I was coming here to race! This [Indy car racing] is amazing. It is so different from Europe. So many people! [in the paddock and grandstands]. I’m really happy to be here.”

Fast Facts
Honda continues to hold the lead in the 2021 INDYCAR Manufacturers’ Championship, with seven victories from 11 races this season.  Returning to Indianapolis, Honda holds a 119-point advantage (959-840) over rival Chevrolet. The company is seeking its fourth consecutive NTT INDYCAR SERIES Manufacturers’ Championship in 2021.

In addition to Helio Castroneves’ historic win at the Indianapolis 500 in May, Honda race winners this year include championship leader Alex Palou at Road America in June and at the season-opening Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama; Marcus Ericsson last weekend in Nashville and at the first race of the Detroit Grand Prix doubleheader weekend; defending and six-time champion Scott Dixon (Texas Race 1); and Colton Herta (Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg).

Series stars seek $10,000 and a NAPA Super DIRT Week guaranteed start at The Demon 100 BREWERTON, NY – Aug. 13 – Brewerton Speedway, known as The D-Shaped Dirt Demon, last hosted the Super DIRTcar Series in 2019 when defending Super DIRTcar Series champion Mat Williamson started his late-reason roll to the Series crown. But Billy Decker, a living legend and driver of the Gypsum Wholesalers #91, tangles with The Demon in Hoosier Racing Tire Weekly Championship action every Friday and he’s ready to defend home territory against all the Series stars.While Decker may race Brewerton weekly, 100 laps and $10,000 change the game when the stars of the Super DIRTcar Series bring their Big Block Modifieds to Brewerton on Tuesday, Aug. 17. (Save money by purchasing tickets in advance now, CLICK HERE.)“We love getting some more races in Central New York,” Decker said. “I am looking forward to it. It’s been a struggle for us to get a Series win at Brewerton.”He’s the last driver not named Mat or Matt to win a Series race at Brewerton Speedway, but that was seven years ago. The Franklin Flyer took Series wins in 2008 and 2015 both in 100 lap battles. The 2015 win came after a dicey battle with Brett Hearn in lapped traffic.“There’s always great racing at Brewerton,” Decker noted. “The track is in our wheelhouse, so it’s a place we want to win. It’s a Big Block track for sure. Brewerton hasn’t changed much as far back as I can remember. If your car is going, you’ll get there. That’s the nice thing about a 100 lapper there. You can be patient with the Hoosiers and then really come on at the end. There’s a lot of comers and goers at Brewerton. I expect this race to be no different.”Super DIRTcar Series fans are accustomed to seeing the crimson #91 at the top of the finishing order and points standings, but so far Decker has only mustered enough championship points for sixth this season.The new wave of rear suspension technology has necessitated veterans of the sport to adjust. The sweet spot for the setups is narrow.“I think I am still getting comfortable,” Decker said. “We are just a little off. We started out at Bristol going backward, but we had really good race pace. Our finishes are subpar. We are finishing a lot in the fifth through 10th positions. We have to turn that around.”Brewerton is the perfect opportunity for Decker to mount a late-season charge. “These cars are a challenge now, at least for me,” he said. “There’s only been a handful of races that I’ve felt really right. We were right at Charlotte in 2019. I should have won both of those races. We’ll get there though.”Tickets are on sale now for $30 presale. Admission will be $33 at the gate. Tickets for students (11-17) are $15. Kids 10 and under are FREE. Pit passes are $35 for DIRTcar members and $40 for non-members. CLICK HERE for tickets. Pit passes are not available for pre-sale and must be purchased at the gate.If you can’t make it to the track be sure to catch all the action live on DIRTVision. Get the platinum annual FAST PASS for $299 or monthly FAST PASS for $39/month.

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.

The York, PA driver is searching for his second World of Outlaws win at the Orange County Fair Speedway

MIDDLETOWN, NY – August 13, 2021 – Rick Eckert may not be running a full series schedule anymore, but that’s no sign of him slowing down.

However, there is one pace he said he needs to pick up on: winning.

The York, PA driver, picks and chooses his schedule, chasing victories across the country and in the Northeast. One of the races “Scrub” has his eye on is the World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Model Series’ return to the Orange County Fair Speedway on Thursday, Aug. 19. 

Eckert won the only other stop at the “House of Power” in 2004. He remembers what the track was like but anticipates something different this time.

“Back then, it wore tires out, but they say now it barely wears the tires,” Eckert said. “It should be a lot better race this time.

“It’s probably four hours from home, so we’ll make the trek up there and hopefully have some success.” 

The success Eckert’s found this season comes with a balancing act. He’s splitting time between an Allen Murray-owned car at higher-paying events and his own Late Model near his York, PA home. 

“It’s a little bit hectic, but [my crew] does a good job and keeps everything pretty well ready by the time we get here,” Eckert said. 

Eckert’s already found Victory Lane with the World of Outlaws in 2021, cashing in on a $10,000 prize at Plymouth Speedway in Plymouth, IN. “Scrub” stated he enjoys the competition every time he races with The Most Powerful Late Models on the Planet. 

“We’ve had some good runs, we’ve won one, and we’ve run up front a couple of times,” Eckert said. “We’ve had our share of bad too, and that all goes with it. It’s always fun to be able to run these races with these guys.”

Eckert, the 2011 Series champion, has run well against the tour regulars this season, racking up a win, seven top fives, and 11 top-10s in 18 starts. While he’s enjoying his consistent finishes, he only has one goal for the rest of the season. 

“Just win races; we just like to win races,” Eckert said. “We haven’t been doing a whole lot of that, so we need to pick the pace up.”  

If Eckert can pick that pace up, it likely won’t be long until he finds Victory Lane again. There’s no slowing “Scrub” down.

Eckert and the World of Outlaws return to the Orange County Fair Speedway on Thursday, Aug. 19, to kick off a four-race swing through three states. 

Richard Childress Racing at Indianapolis Motor Speedway… In 73 NASCAR Cup Series starts at the historic Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval, Richard Childress Racing has earned three wins with drivers Dale Earnhardt (1995), Kevin Harvick (2003), and Paul Menard (2011). The Welcome, North Carolina-based organization also has one NASCAR Xfinity Series win at the famed Brickyard with Ty Dillon earning the checkered flag in 2014.  This weekend marks the Cup Series debut on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course. During the 2020 season, the Xfinity Series competed on the 14-turn asphalt circuit.  Catch the Action… The NASCAR Xfinity Series’ Indianapolis 150 at the Brickyard at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course will be televised live Saturday, August 14, beginning at 4 p.m. ET on NBCSN and will be broadcast live on the IMS Radio Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.  The NASCAR Cup Series’ Verizon 200 at the Brickyard at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course will be televised live Sunday, August 15, beginning at 1 p.m. ET on NBC and will be broadcast live on the IMS Radio Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

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Austin Dillon and the No. 3 Dow MobilityScience Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course… Although this weekend marks the first time that NASCAR will compete on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course configuration, Austin Dillon has competed at the Brickyard’s traditional oval configuration eight previous times in the NASCAR Cup Series, earning a best finish of ninth in 2016. He also has four NASCAR Xfinity Series starts at IMS, with a best finish of fifth in 2012. Dillon grew up attending races at the historic Indianapolis Motor Speedway track with his grandfather, car owner Richard Childress. Dillon recalls riding in the pace car as a young child and participated in Victory Lane festivities with Paul Menard in 2011 and Kevin Harvick in 2003 when they won the prestigious race under the RCR banner. Double Duty… Dillon, the 2013 NASCAR Xfinity Series Champion, is scheduled to compete in Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series race on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course. The race is live on NBCSN at 4 p.m. ET on Saturday, August 14. Dow brings a science and engineering crew who is driven by limitless curiosity to the RCR Team… Dillon and the RCR team are again supported by Dow’s materials science expertise and technologies this season. Backed by the power of data analysis and virtual modeling, Dow develops and manufactures high-performance components and materials custom-made for the No. 3 car. Dow and RCR’s partnership has expedited innovation and shortened testing time in the automotive industry by recreating in the lab one of the most extreme environments – the racetrack. After eight years of collaboration, Dow scientists and RCR engineers are continuing to work together to make the No. 3 car faster, safer and more precise. Stay up to date with Dow’s exciting developments at www.dow.com/sportsand follow us on Twitter @DowSports & @DowNewsroom. Welcome, Dow MobilityScienceTM… Dow’s MobilityScience™ platform is designed to enhance the customer experience by tailoring technologies, products, and services from across Dow businesses to the transportation industry. The platform is pursuing accelerated growth by addressing Mobility mega-trends – where lighter weight, longer range, greater comfort, enhanced safety, and lower carbon footprint are the ultimate objectives. That is where Dow science, innovation, and people step in – working closely with customers to create the materials that bring the possibilities to life. AUSTIN DILLON QUOTES:Does your mindset change going into this race given the points situation you are in?“You just have to be aggressive. Points-wise, we’re just racing Tyler, really. But the problem is that it seems like anybody can win right now, so we’ve got to really focus on the rest of the field from that aspect so that the RCR Chevys aren’t put in a worse situation. When it comes down to it, we’ll race each other hard, but we would like to get a win. That’s the big opportunity for us. And I do think we can win. We’ve had moments throughout the season where we’ve been really fast. Things have to line up and we have to have a perfect day in order to get to Victory Lane. That means I have to do my job, the pit crew has to do their job and the strategy has to play out. In the SIM, I’ve been pretty good at the Indianapolis Road Course. It was a little surprising, actually, how the track came to me right away. I’d like to surprise some people at a road course.” This year has been one of your most consistent to-date. What do you attribute that to?“It’s a combination of well-built race cars, power from ECR, and our team returning from last year. Everyone is pretty much the same with the exception of a couple of different guys on the pit crew. We’ve been able to get better each week. We’re having a solid year with Chevrolet doing a really good job of building a good racecar.” How nervous are you about making the NASCAR Playoffs? Does the fact that this is another road course make it even more nerve wracking?“No, I’ve been pretty calm, really, about it. I know the situation I’m in. It’s unfortunate the amount of winners that we’ve had this year. I feel like we’d be well in a safe place right now, but we’re not. It’s just the situation we’re in and we’re racing our teammate. But I’m pretty confident after being on the SIM a couple of weeks at Indy. I usually don’t pick-up the road courses on the simulator very fast, but for some reason, Indy came to me pretty quick, which is good, I think, for what we’re going into. I think qualifying is the biggest thing on my mind right now for this coming weekend and getting a good qualifying position, because I know how important it is. It’s so hard to pass on all these road courses that get strung out, so starting position matters.” “So, I’m putting a lot of focus into qualifying and trying to make sure that we start up front and give ourselves the best way to get points. We have a 15-point gap right now and if we can maintain or gain a little this weekend, I feel like the next two weeks are good tracks for us and we’ll be in a pretty decent situation going into Daytona, if it is a points game. Obviously, I’d like to lock ourselves in with a win and just don’t want any new winners. That would really put us out. So yeah, I’m in a pretty good, calm situation as far as my mental state. I’ve been working out and am ready to go race and see what it brings us. I think we have been very consistent this year. We just haven’t had the speed that we want at some of these tracks, but the road course stuff has been fun. It’s such an improvement for me that I’d love to go back to some of these road courses a second time with what I’ve learned this year.” Of all of the road courses you’ve run this year, which one is most comparable to Indy?“Wow, it’s so flat. We’ve got elevation change at every track that we’ve gone to. I’d say Daytona has a little less elevation change. So for me, I really don’t know because the asphalt at Indy is so different the way the grooves are cut in it and it’s using a lot of lateral grip there. Sonoma, I think braking force-wise, is probably going to be similar; the amount of brake force and stuff like that because it seems like the track falls off a little bit. So, I’m thinking maybe Sonoma and Daytona, in between there.”

Tyler Reddick and the No. 8 BetMGM Camaro ZL1 1LE at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course… This weekend marks the first weekend the NASCAR Cup Series will compete on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course. Reddick has performed well on the road courses so far this season, capturing three top-10 finishes and one pole award in the five races. About BetMGM… BetMGM is a market leading sports betting and gaming entertainment company, pioneering the online gaming industry. Born out of a partnership between MGM Resorts International and Entain (formerly GVC), BetMGM has exclusive access to all of MGM Resorts’ U.S. land-based and online sports betting, major tournament poker, and online gaming businesses. Utilizing Entain’s U.S.-licensed, state of the art technology, BetMGM offers sports betting and online gaming via market leading brands including BetMGM, Borgata Casino, Party Casino and Party Poker. Founded in 2018, BetMGM is headquartered in New Jersey. BetMGM Summer Sweeps… Opt in for a chance to win a VIP racing summer sweepstakes, courtesy of BetMGM. Prize package includes a Racing experience in Las Vegas, Nevada; the opportunity to meet drivers, Austin Dillon and Tyler Reddick; travel accommodations; and much more! Visit betmgm.com/Racing to opt in. TYLER REDDICK QUOTE: How important will qualifying and having track position to start Sunday’s race?“I think track position will be everything for Sunday’s race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course. I found that out at Watkins Glen. I’ve always seen it but really didn’t understand the magnitude of it until this past weekend. For example, stack-ups on a restart when you’re farther back, if someone runs into the back of your car and damages it, the next thing you know you’re flying around trying not to crash other people as well. When you get back there in that mix of guys who stayed out and you’re on tires, it’s chaotic. Having the right track position and having the strategy to not only maintain it, but also advance it, will be a challenge but it’s going to be so important to having a great race.”

Myatt Snider and the No. 2 Louisiana Hot Sauce Chevrolet Camaro at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course… Snider has one career start at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course, which came during the 2020 season while driving for RSS Racing. The 26-year-old completed 100% of the laps competed to bring home a 16th-place finish. About Summit Hill Foods… Summit Hill Foods is a fourth-generation, family-owned food company headquartered in Rome, Georgia. Founded in 1941, the company’s core strength is the development and manufacture of ingredient systems used to deliver texture and superior flavor. Summit Hill Foods is an ingredient supplier to food service manufacturers and restaurants. The company also markets nationally distributed brands including Better Than Bouillon®, Louisiana Brand Hot Sauce™, Southeastern Mills®, Shore Lunch® and Better Than Gravy®. Southeastern Mills operates six manufacturing facilities located in Rome, Georgia; New Iberia, Louisiana; and Salt Lake City, Utah. To learn more, visit www.SHFoods.com. MYATT SNIDER QUOTE:What does it take to succeed on a road course? “When I raced in the NASCAR Euro Series in 2019, the team I drove for would break down every corner – this corner is setup this way, which leads into this part of the track, so you need to do this. Seeing that breakdown was very interesting and it applies to all road course racing no matter the series. You have to look at how the track is setup and what leads into what can tell you a lot of how to approach a corner. Chase Elliott is one of the best currently at it. He methodically hits the same spot every single lap and when you execute, it puts you in position to win races.”

Orange County Fair Speedway celebrated 102 years of racing with Stewart Friesen, Chris Hile, and Matt Sheppard claiming the Centennial 102 podium MIDDLETOWN, NY – From the eighth-place starting position, Stewart Friesen took his #44 Halmar Racing Super DIRTcar Series Big Block Modified to the lead at the halfway point and drove to the $10,000 win after 102 laps of action celebrating 102 years of auto racing at Orange County Fair Speedway. Rookie runner Chris Hile in the #5H captured second place, which awarded him a guaranteed start in the Billy Whittaker Cars 200 at the 49th NAPA Super DIRT Week. Seven-time Series champion Matt Sheppard drove up from 16th to pick up the final step on the podium salvaging an otherwise difficult day. Stewart Friesen, out of Sprakers, NY, has been on an absolute tear on the Series trail in 2021. He has now won six out of 11 races. “This thing has been fast for the last month,” Friesen said gesturing to his black and blue #44. “Tonight, I was pretty good in the middle and top but this thing was fast everywhere. We haven’t been making a lot of changes, just a couple of small ones. The race team has been working so well together. That’s really the key to winning.”At the drop of the green flag, Friesen immediately started dispatching drivers for position and moved to the front. He then went on to track down pole-sitter Billy Decker and made the winning pass at the halfway point in lapped traffic. “I was just trying to roll the guys on the top and not overcook the tires,” noted Friesen. “I took care of them and they stayed with me the whole time. I saw some moisture up there early. Then it dusted up but there was a lot of moisture underneath. I went up there to clean it off and as it cleaned off the track widened out. I just kept chasing the grip up the track.”Runner-up Chris Hile was so close to netting his first Series win. He was fast throughout Time Trials and Heat Races and then redrew the outside pole to start the race. Decker got out ahead on the initial start but Hile was determined not to let the #91 run away. Before he could mount an attack on Decker, the #5H fell to Friesen’s run to the front. Hile still managed to wing his #5H around the outside of Decker for second in the closing stages. Then, Anthony Perrego charged by Decker and Hile and was in second for the final restart with three laps to go. Unfortunately, Perrego’s #44 ran out of gas with two laps on the board. “Early on we had a couple of brand new Hoosiers so it took a while for them to cycle in and start working for me,” noted the Syracuse, NY native Chris Hile. “Those early yellows worked out for us. We got to beat up on the tire a little bit and then idle around so they cycled in. It was tough to see the top on entry but once it widened out I could hit my marks better and saw that Friesen was up there. We were running third and then ran around Decker on the top for second. I would have been happy with no more yellows at that point.”It was razor close for Hile at the end. He ran out of VP Race Fuel on the scales and had to be pushed to the front stretch for Victory Lane celebrations. But while the car was low on fuel, it was not low on speed. “This is a new car for us,” Hile said. “We have like 5-6 starts and a couple of wins with it. This one was really close. That last restart the fuel pressure gauge was bouncing around and then it spit and sputtered the last three laps. Really proud of our team. Cool to run up there and stay inside the top 4 the whole time against those guys.” With Friesen already a NAPA Super DIRT Week guaranteed starter, Hile was awarded the status instead. “We don’t want to rely on it but it’s really nice to fall back on if we need it,” said of his automatic birth in the Billy Whittaker Cars 200. “The cream of the crop are all there so anything can happen.”It was a long way to go to the front for Matt Sheppard from Waterloo, NY. He was not his normally bad-fast self in Time Trials and Heat Races. The #9s finished one position out of a redraw position in his Heat Race. “We are really pleased to come up from 16th,” said Sheppard. “It was tough sledding out there.”Sheppard hauls his Big Block down to Middletown, NY every week and is currently leading the points there but Series racing is another animal.  “It was a bit of a home track disadvantage as the track surface was not quite what we’d been used to,” Sheppard noted. “We got a little curveball thrown at us tonight but really for the way we started we’ll take it.”Mad Max McLaughlin was the Billy Whittaker Fast-Time Award winner in his #32c. McLaughlin pulled 11th for his starting position in the redraw and fought his way up to finish in the top-five. Defending Series champion Mat Williamson won the first Centennial race in 2019. After 102 laps, the Buzzchew Racing #88 finished in fourth. Rookie racer Tim Sears Jr. crossed the line in the sixth position after passing 18 cars for position. The driver of the #83X was named the Hard Charger of the race for his efforts. Next up, the Super DIRTcar Series storms into Brewerton Speedway for the Demon 100 NAPA Super DIRT Week qualifier on Tuesday, August 17. Discount pre-order tickets are available now.Feature (102 Laps) Full Results1. 44F-Stewart Friesen [8][$10,200]; 2. 5H-Chris Hile [2][$5,000]; 3. 9s-Matt Sheppard [16][$2,500]; 4. 88W-Mat Williamson [5][$1,800]; 5. 32CC-Max Mclaughlin [11][$1,600]; 6. 83X-Tim Sears [24][$1,400]; 7. 111D-Demetrios Drellos [14][$1,300]; 8. 21A-Peter Britten [6][$1,200]; 9. 35L-LJ Lombardo [3][$1,100]; 10. 35M-Mike Mahaney [10][$1,000]; 11. 43F-Keith Flach [21][$800]; 12. 91D-Billy Decker [1][$700]; 13. 28M-Jordan McCreadie [9][$600]; 14. 55R-Allison Ricci [20][$575]; 15. 44P-Anthony Perrego [7][$550]; 16. 88Jr-Olden Dywer [27][$525]; 17. 69-Tyler Boniface [13][$500]; 18. 21m-Bob McGannon [28][$500]; 19. 17S-Dillion Steuer [17][$500]; 20. 33.3M-Tommy Meier [19][$500]; 21. 4V-Billy VanInwegen [4][$500]; 22. 25R-Erick Rudolph [18][$500]; 23. 88T-Tyler Jashembowski [23][$500]; 24. 43H-Jimmy Horton [12][$500]; 25. 98H-Jimmy Phelps [15][$500]; 26. 2L-Jack Lehner [26][$500]; 27. 4H-Bobby Hentschel [22][$500]; 28. 99L-Larry Wight [25][$500]Hard Charger Award: 83X-Tim Sears[+18]PHOTO: Quentin Young

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.

Union, KY (August 12, 2021) – Brandon Overton set Allstar Performance overall fast time, won his heat, and took the win at Florence Speedway for the Sunoco North-South Shootout Presented by Lucas Oil on Thursday Night for his third Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series win of 2021. Overton passed race leader Ricky Thornton Jr. on lap 14 after Thornton had led the first 13 laps of the 50-lap main event. With lightning in the area for most of the night, Overton raced to the checkers 2.235 seconds ahead of Thornton. Current Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series championship point leader, Tim McCreadie, came home in third followed by Jimmy Owens and Jonathan Davenport, who came from 23rd to finish fifth. In Lucas Oil Victory Lane for the 10th time in his career Overton started the week off right with the $10,000 victory, but has his eyes set on the $50,000 pay day on Saturday Night. “I guess I don’t drive hard enough in those first couple of laps. It was actually good for me because I got to move around there to see where I was good at. I was way too tight, and the car started shoving there at the end, but we got it done.” Overton started on the outside of the front row but fell to fourth at the start of the race. He climbed to third on lap 12, then to second a lap before his charge to the lead around Thornton. “It’s all about confidence, it just keeps rolling over and rolling over,” said the 30-year-old Georgian. “To win here Saturday Night would mean a lot to David and the whole Wells Family, to get us one here in Kentucky. I told them I would try my best and do all I can do.” Thornton, the Eibach Springs top rookie in the series, came home in second. “We had a really good car tonight. I want to thank Anthony Burroughs and everybody that helps us, they have been working their tails off. I feel like we have gotten a lot better here in the last week or so, hopefully we can keep this up.” The defending Sunoco Race Fuels North-South 100 winner, Tim McCreadie, ran third on Thursday Night. “We are just not good enough right now. I was running the cushion early on, but I wasn’t going anywhere. I didn’t get the attitude to do what I needed it too do. It’s a good start to the weekend. A little disappointing just because we should be better. Good job to the Lucas Oil and track officials for hurrying us along to get this in tonight.” The winner’s Wells and Sons Motorsports Longhorn Chassis is powered by a Clements Racing Engine and sponsored by Allstar Concrete, Crossfit Overton, ATC Site Construction, Garnto Southern, Big Dog Stump and Tree, R.W. Powell Construction, Clean Way Clearing and Grading, EZS-GO, Dirt Mafia, and Hurst Construction. Completing the top ten were Mike Marlar, Kyle Bronson, Hudson O’Neal, Spencer Hughes, and Zack Dohm. Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Race Summary Sunoco North South Shootout – Presented by Lucas OilThursday, August 12, 2021Florence Speedway – Florence, KY Allstar Performance Time TrialsFast Time Group A: Ricky Thornton Jr / 15.839 seconds Fast Time Group B: Brandon Overton / 15.712 seconds (overall) Penske Race Shocks Heat Race #1 Finish (8 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 20RT-Ricky Thornton Jr[1]; 2. 17D-Zack Dohm[2]; 3. 14-Josh Richards[3]; 4. 20-Jimmy Owens[4]; 5. 17M-Dale McDowell[5]; 6. 15-James Rice[7]; 7. 11B-Tommy Bailey[6]; 8. 66C-Matt Cosner[11]; 9. 49-Jonathan Davenport[8]; 10. 20C-Duane Chamberlain[9]; 11. 49G-Billy Green[10]; 12. 8A-Curt Addison[12] Summit Racing Equipment Heat Race #2 Finish (8 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 157-Mike Marlar[1]; 2. 11R-Josh Rice[2]; 3. 1-Earl Pearson Jr[5]; 4. 1ST-Johnny Scott[4]; 5. 16-Justin Rattliff[7]; 6. 40B-Kyle Bronson[3]; 7. 20B-Todd Brennan[9]; 8. 18L-Trevor Landrum[8]; 9. 20TC-Tristan Chamberlain[6]; 10. 23T-Ethan Toedter[10]; 11. 17C-Jeremy Creech[11] Simpson Race Products Heat Race #3 Finish (8 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 76-Brandon Overton[1]; 2. 11H-Spencer Hughes[3]; 3. 2S-Stormy Scott[5]; 4. 29-Darrell Lanigan[8]; 5. D8-Dustin Linville[4]; 6. 22-Gregg Satterlee[7]; 7. 7R-Kent Robinson[6]; 8. 8-Kyle Strickler[11]; 9. 12J-Jason Jameson[9]; 10. 13W-David Webb[10]; 11. 13-Vern Lefevers[12]; 12. 0H-Nick Hoffman[2] Ohlins Shocks Heat Race #4 Finish (8 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 39-Tim McCreadie[1]; 2. 1T-Tyler Erb[2]; 3. 71-Hudson O’Neal[4]; 4. 83-Scott James[3]; 5. 25-Shane Clanton[5]; 6. 97-Michael Chilton[6]; 7. 33-Jesse Lay[7]; 8. 75-Terry Phillips[8]; 9. 4G-Kody Evans[9]; 10. 21H-Robby Hensley[10]; 11. 1GK-Grant Garrison[11] LINE-X B-Main #1 Finish (10 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 15-James Rice[3]; 2. 40B-Kyle Bronson[4]; 3. 16-Justin Rattliff[2]; 4. 49-Jonathan Davenport[9]; 5. 18L-Trevor Landrum[8]; 6. 11B-Tommy Bailey[5]; 7. 66C-Matt Cosner[7]; 8. 20TC-Tristan Chamberlain[10]; 9. 23T-Ethan Toedter[12]; 10. 17C-Jeremy Creech[14]; 11. 17M-Dale McDowell[1]; 12. 20B-Todd Brennan[6]; 13. 8A-Curt Addison[15]; 14. (DNS) 20C-Duane Chamberlain; 15. (DNS) 49G-Billy Green UNOH B-Main #2 Finish (10 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 25-Shane Clanton[2]; 2. 22-Gregg Satterlee[3]; 3. D8-Dustin Linville[1]; 4. 7R-Kent Robinson[5]; 5. 21H-Robby Hensley[12]; 6. 75-Terry Phillips[8]; 7. 97-Michael Chilton[4]; 8. 8-Kyle Strickler[7]; 9. 4G-Kody Evans[10]; 10. 33-Jesse Lay[6]; 11. 1GK-Grant Garrison[14]; 12. 13-Vern Lefevers[13]; 13. 12J-Jason Jameson[9]; 14. (DNS) 13W-David Webb; 15. (DNS) 0H-Nick Hoffman

 

August 12, 2021

After finishes of 10^th and 11^th in their two most recent road course races, Matt DiBenedetto and the No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane team are hoping for another strong finish in Sunday’s inaugural Verizon 200 on the road course at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Although it will be the first appearance for the Cup Series on the 2.439-mile, 14-turn track inside the historic Speedway, it won’t be DiBenedetto’s first go at the layout.

“I got to be the first one to drive a stock car on the Indy road course when I tested the Xfinity Series car there [in January, 2020] which was cool,” he said. “So I have some experience there.”

As has been the case this year when the Cup Series visits a new venue, there will be a practice session prior to the race and a qualifying round to set the starting field.

DiBenedetto said the practice is important, as changes to the car are limited once the green flag flies. Last week at Watkins Glen, where there was no practice, he said he believed the team could have improved on its 11^th-place finish had they had a chance to run some laps beforehand. 

Even so, the team was close to backing up its 10^th place finish at Road America, where there was a practice session prior to the race.

That finish at Road America was the start of a four-race stretch of finishes of 11^th or better that the team will carry into this weekend’s race at Indianapolis, where the Cup Series raced on the 2.5-mile oval track from 1994 to 2020 but now will run the road course.

“We have been making gains on the road courses, and we as a team have a lot of consistency on our side,” DiBenedetto said.

Practice for the Verizon 200 is set for Saturday at 11:05 a.m., with qualifying on Sunday at 9:05 a.m.

The 82-lap race is scheduled to get the green flag just after 1 p.m., with TV coverage on NBC.

There will be Stage breaks at Laps 15 and 35.

TEAM CHEVY ADVANCE VERIZON 200 AT THE BRICKYARD INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY ROAD COURSE INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA AUGUST 15, 2021
RACE #24 – INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY ROAD COURSEFresh off the 20th NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) victory in 38 races at Watkins Glen International, Chevrolet teams and drivers will tackle a new race course on the NCS schedule as the push to the Playoffs continues. The 82-lap/200-mile Verizon 200 at the Brickyard on Sunday, August 15, will mark the first time NASCAR’s premier series has raced on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s 2.439-mile road course since it began competing at historic venue in 1994. Chevrolet has recorded 17 wins in the 27 races on the 2.5-mile oval, including five by Jeff Gordon.
Team Chevy drivers turn their attention to the technical road course and turn their direction clockwise on the 14-turn course that incorporates Turns 1 and 2 and the front stretch of the famous oval.The race weekend will also include Chevrolet NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) drivers competing in the Pennzoil 150 and Chevrolet NTT INDYCAR SERIES teams racing in the Big Machine Spiked Coolers Grand Prix on Saturday, August 14.
Chevrolet has won four of the five NCS road course races this season, with Kyle Larson driving the No. 5 HendrickCars.com Camaro ZL1 1LE to victory lane at Watkins Glen International to lead a 1-2 sweep with Hendrick Motorsports teammate Chase Elliott in the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Camaro ZL1 1LE.Larson climbed into a tie for the lead in the Driver Standings with his second road course win and field-high fifth victory of the season. It marked the eighth Hendrick Motorsports victory in the last 11 races and the fourth time Larson and Elliott have finished 1-2 — the third time at a road-course event.
Chevrolet, which leads the NCS Manufacturer Standings, has posted 12 wins with three regular-season races left before the Playoff battle begins at Darlington Raceway. Both the NCS and NXS events will include qualifications. Chevrolet drivers Tyler Reddick (Circuit of the Americas) and William Byron (Road America) have earned the Busch Pole Award at the NCS road courses that utilized qualifying this season.
Six races remain to set the 12-driver NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoff field, starting with the Pennzoil 150. AJ Allmendinger, who was runner-up at Watkins Glen International in his No. 16 Kaulig Racing Camaro SS, is second in the standings and Justin Allgaier is third. Allmendinger finished fourth and Allgaier placed seventh in the 2020 race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course.
CHEVROLET, LARSON ATOP STANDINGSChevrolet strengthened its lead in the Manufacturer Standings in the run to its 40th NASCAR Cup Series title with Kyle Larson’s victory at Watkins Glen International. Larson moved into a tie for lead in the Driver Standings as he seeks his first regular-season title and its 15 Playoff bonus points. Larson has finished either first or second 10 times in the 23 races, including a field-high five wins.
Hendrick Motorsports teammates William Byron is third and Chase Elliott is sixth in the regular-season standings.
ELLIOTT: A ROAD COURSE FAVORITEReigning NASCAR Cup Series Champion Chase Elliott has won at the Circuit of the Americas and Road America and finished runner-up to Hendrick Motorsports teammate Kyle Larson at Sonoma Raceway and Watkins Glen International this season. The Team Chevy drivers will be co-favorites to win the inaugural NCS race on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course. Elliott, who has won seven of the last 12 road course races in NASCAR’s premier division, is third all-time behind Jeff Gordon (nine wins) and Tony Stewart (eight).
One road course race – on the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL in September – is part of the NCS Playoffs. Both Elliott and Larson have secured their spot for the 2021 Playofffs and the chance to battle for the coveted title of the NASCAR Cup Series Champion. 
TEAMMATES COURTING SEVENTH PLAYOFF SPOTSix Team Chevy drivers have locked-up a spot in the Playoffs that begin Sept. 5 at Darlington Raceway. With three races left to set the 16-driver Playoff field, Richard Childress Racing’s Tyler Reddick holds the final transfer spot. Reddick, who will drive the No. 8 BETMGM Camaro ZL1 1LE this weekend, placed 10th and picked up seven stage points at Watkins Glen. Teammate Austin Dillon, driver of the No. 3 Dow Mobility Science Camaro ZL1 1LE, is 15 points behind.
BOWTIE BULLETS·       Chevrolet leads all manufacturers with 12 victories, including four on road courses.·       Chevrolet leads all manufacturers with 102 top-10 finishes and 2,472 laps led of 5,566 total this season.·       Chevrolet drivers have led 225 of the 386 laps in the five road course races.·       Team Chevy’s AJ Allmendinger and Austin Dillon will compete in both the NXS and NCS races this weekend.·       Hendrick Motorsports cars have finished 1-2 in five of the 23 races.·       Kyle Larson paces all drivers with 1,468 laps led.·       Austin Dillon is second among drivers with 99.91% of laps completed (5,561 of 5,566).·       Five Team Chevy drivers have combined for 20 stage wins: Chase Elliott (Daytona RC); William Byron (Homestead, Pocono2, Road America); Tyler Reddick (Road America); Kurt Busch (Nashville Superspeedway, Pocono1, Atlanta2); Kyle Larson (Las Vegas, Atlanta x2, Kansas, Dover x2, Charlotte x3, Sonoma x2, Nashville).
FOR THE FANS:

• Fans can visit the Team Chevy Racing Display in the Fan Midway at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. 
• Fans can check out an assortment of Chevrolet vehicles including: Bolt EV, Bolt EUV, Trax, Silverado 1500 Trailboss, Silverado HD 2500 LTZ, Corvette Conv. 3LT, Camaro Conv. 3LT, Trailblazer. 
• At the Chevrolet Display, fans can also view Austin Dillon’s No. 3 Dow Camaro ZL1 1LE show car and an Ed Carpenter IndyCar show car. 

TEAM CHEVY QUESTION AND ANSWER SESSIONS AT THE DISPLAY:Friday, August 13

• 5:05 p.m. – Conor Daly
• 5:30 p.m. – Pato O’Ward and Felix Rosenqvist 

 Saturday, August 14

• 9:45 a.m. – William Byron and Rinus VeeKay
• 10:00 a.m. – Daniel Suarez

 Sunday, August 15

• 11:00 a.m. – Tyler Reddick

 Chevrolet Display Hours of Operation: 

• Friday, August 13: 2:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
• Saturday, August 14: 7:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
• Sunday, August 15: 8:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. 

TUNE INNBC will telecast the NASCAR Cup Series Verizon 200 at the Brickyard at 1 p.m. ET Sunday, Aug. 15. Live coverage is also on the IMS Radio Network and Sirius XM NASCAR Radio Channel 90. NCS Busch Pole Qualifying at 9 a.m. ET Aug. 15 will be on NBCSN and the NBC Sports App. NBCSN will telecast the NXS Pennzoil 150 at the Brickyard at 4 p.m. ET Saturday, Aug. 14, preceded by Pole Qualifying at 10 a.m. on the NBC Sports App.
QUOTABLE QUOTESKYLE LARSON, NO. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 1st IN STANDINGSLARSON ON RACING AT INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY AND ON ROAD COURSE LAYOUT: “There is just a different vibe at Indianapolis – the history, the fans, the facility. I think it’ll be cool to run the road course layout this weekend and we all want to say we won the inaugural event. With my racing (in Iowa) this week, I’ll be watching a lot of tape of other series on the road course layout to familiarize myself with it ahead of practice on Saturday.” CLIFF DANIELS, CREW CHIEF, NO. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM CAMARO ZL1 1LE DANIELS ON PIT STRATEGY AT INDIANAPOLIS ROAD COURSE: “We do think about the regular-season point standings and want to win it, but that hasn’t played into how we’ve called a race. All year long, we’ve been aggressive trying to get stage points and trying to maximize our day across the board. Everyone thought our strategy (of racing for stage wins and not pitting just prior to end of stages) at Sonoma (Raceway) was bananas, but it worked out. We’ll learn a lot during practice on Saturday, and that should help us refine the gameplan we have worked on this week.”
WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 AXALTA CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 3rd IN STANDINGSBYRON ON PREPARING AND RACING THE INDY ROAD COURSE FOR THE FIRST TIME: “I think it’s going to be really interesting. I honestly would compare it to the ROVAL just based on the laps I have run already on the Chevy simulator. I feel like a lot of the corners are low speed but there are also very high-speed braking zones to manage, as well, like the ROVAL. There’s a lot of tight radius corners, too, but I feel like that’s going to make for good racing. Continuing to prep for this weekend, I’m going to re-watch the Xfinity Series race from there last year and then Saturday’s race, as well. Their cars are pretty similar to us, especially on the road courses with their horsepower and downforce package. They’re a little bit slower than our cars but the characteristics are the same.”
CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 HOOTERS CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 6th IN STANDINGS“You know, that road course to me, is not going to be your average infield road course. That place was the host of an F-1 event, many INDYCAR events over the years, and obviously Xfinity last year. It was laid out probably more like a traditional road course, you know, a place that was kind of made for it and has a little more flow to it than some of the infield tracks that we see, like the ROVAL. A lot of these tracks have infield tracks. We just might not go to them. But I think it’ll be more like a normal road course, more so than the ROVAL. One thing about those types of tracks is they don’t have any elevation really. And that, to me, is kind of what makes them different. Charlotte has a little more elevation and up and down than you might think, but watching that race last year, the thing that stood out to me the most was it is super-flat. There is really no up and down to it. So, I think that could be a little different than the norm.”
ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 48 ALLY CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 11th IN STANDINGS“Going to Indy there is a lot of history, most of that comes on the oval. It’s cool to get the opportunity to run the road course. It will be a new challenge for us. I think having two road course events back-to-back will help me be more prepared for the second race. We have been racing ovals for quite a while. It would be really cool to be the next Hendrick Motorsports driver to win at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the first to win on the road course.”
GREG IVES, CREW CHIEF, NO. 48 ALLY CAMARO ZL1 1LE “We have a good game plan in place for the Indy Chevrolet, based on video and whatever you can to gain knowledge since we haven’t been there before. The foundation that you build is from the feedback from the driver and the things that hurt us in Watkins Glen that you can adjust and apply for Indy. You may adjust your game plan as far as what you are going to practice and try, but all in all you are always learning and can always apply what to do and what not to do.” TYLER REDDICK, NO. 8 BETMGM CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 12th IN STANDINGS“I think track position will be everything for Sunday’s race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course. I found that out at Watkins Glen. I’ve always seen it but really didn’t understand the magnitude of it until this past weekend. For example, stack-ups on a restart when you’re farther back, if someone runs into the back of your car and damages it, the next thing you know you’re flying around trying not to crash other people as well. When you get back there in that mix of guys who stayed out and you’re on tires, it’s chaotic. Having the right track position and having the strategy to not only maintain it, but also advance it, will be a challenge but it’s going to be so important to having a great race.” AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 DOW MOBILITY SCIENCE CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 13th IN STANDINGSDOES YOUR MINDSET CHANGE GOING INTO THIS RACE GIVEN THE POINTS SITUATION YOU ARE IN? “You just have to be aggressive. Points-wise, we’re just racing Tyler, really. But the problem is that it seems like anybody can win right now, so we’ve got to really focus on the rest of the field from that aspect so that the RCR Chevys aren’t put in a worse situation. When it comes down to it, we’ll race each other hard, but we would like to get a win. That’s the big opportunity for us. And I do think we can win. We’ve had moments throughout the season where we’ve been really fast. Things have to line up and we have to have a perfect day in order to get to Victory Lane. That means I have to do my job; the pit crew has to do their job and the strategy has to play out. In the SIM, I’ve been pretty good at the Indianapolis Road Course. It was a little surprising, actually, how the track came to me right away. I’d like to surprise some people at a road course.” THIS YEAR HAS BEEN ON OF YOUR MOST CONSISTENT TO-DATE. WHAT DO YOU ATTRIBUTE THAT TO? “It’s a combination of well-built race cars, power from ECR, and our team returning from last year. Everyone is pretty much the same with the exception of a couple of different guys on the pit crew. We’ve been able to get better each week. We’re having a solid year with Chevrolet doing a really good job of building a good racecar.”
HOW NERVOUS ARE YOU ABOUT MAKING THE NASCAR PLAYOFFS? DOES THE FACT THAT THIS IS ANOTHER ROAD COURSE MAKE IT EVEN MORE NERVE WRACKING? “No, I’ve been pretty calm, really, about it. I know the situation I’m in. It’s unfortunate the amount of winners that we’ve had this year. I feel like we’d be well in a safe place right now, but we’re not. It’s just the situation we’re in and we’re racing our teammate. But I’m pretty confident after being on the SIM a couple of weeks at Indy. I usually don’t pick-up the road courses on the simulator very fast, but for some reason, Indy came to me pretty quick, which is good, I think, for what we’re going into. I think qualifying is the biggest thing on my mind right now for this coming weekend and getting a good qualifying position, because I know how important it is. It’s so hard to pass on all these road courses that get strung out, so starting position matters.” “So, I’m putting a lot of focus into qualifying and trying to make sure that we start up front and give ourselves the best way to get points. We have a 15-point gap right now and if we can maintain or gain a little this weekend, I feel like the next two weeks are good tracks for us and we’ll be in a pretty decent situation going into Daytona, if it is a points game. Obviously, I’d like to lock ourselves in with a win and just don’t want any new winners. That would really put us out. So yeah, I’m in a pretty good, calm situation as far as my mental state. I’ve been working out and am ready to go race and see what it brings us. I think we have been very consistent this year. We just haven’t had the speed that we want at some of these tracks, but the road course stuff has been fun. It’s such an improvement for me that I’d love to go back to some of these road courses a second time with what I’ve learned this year.” OF ALL OF THE ROAD COURSES YOU’VE RUN THIS YEAR, WHICH ONE IS MOST COMPARABLE TO INDY?“Wow, it’s so flat. We’ve got elevation change at every track that we’ve gone to. I’d say Daytona has a little less elevation change. So, for me, I really don’t know because the asphalt at Indy is so different the way the grooves are cut in it and it’s using a lot of lateral grip there. Sonoma, I think braking force-wise, is probably going to be similar; the amount of brake force and stuff like that because it seems like the track falls off a little bit. So, I’m thinking maybe Sonoma and Daytona, in between there.” DANIEL SUAREZ, NO. 99 COMMSCOPE CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 23rd IN STANDINGSWHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON INDIANAPOLIS? “I love Indianapolis no matter what shape it is in. Whether it’s an oval or a road course, whether it’s in an IndyCar or a stock car. I love going there and seeing so much history. It’s funny, the oval at Indianapolis in Cup car is like racing on a road course. So now we will be racing on the road course. I love that we are adding more and more road courses. There are a lot of fans that love road course racing and it’s adding different markets. As for us at Trackhouse Racing, every time we get an opportunity to turn left and right we are better. We get another chance this weekend in Indianapolis.”  DOES THE MOUNTING PRESSURE OF MAKING IT INTO THE PLAYOFFS BOTHER YOU? “I feel like if you’re a racecar driver and you don’t like pressure, you’re in the wrong business. As a driver, you always have pressure, whether it’s from sponsors to perform, the playoffs or something else. That’s why we race.” ERIK JONES, NO. 43 PETTY’S GARAGE CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 25th IN STANDINGSWITH HOW ICONIC INDIANAPOLIS IS TO NASCAR’S HISTORY, WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS WITH THE SERIES MOVING THE EVENT FROM THE TRACK’S OVAL TO THE ROAD COURSE? “I think it is kind of bittersweet in a way. Obviously, we have been on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval since 1994, and all of the races have been run there. It is always a cool feeling going in there and getting to run the oval, but I think we realized it was time to change it up and do something different. The road course will be its own unique race. I think it still holds a lot of prestige. Anytime you can win a race at Indianapolis, it is a big moment for anyone’s career.”
“I am excited to get there. It is going to be a totally different feeling than the normal of the ‘Brickyard,’ but I think it is going to be the same feeling if you can win that race.” COREY LAJOIE, NO. 7 DIAMOND CREEK WATER CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 29th IN STANDINGS“Based off the Xfinity race at the GP course last year, the Cup Series should put on a great show at Indianapolis Motor Speedway this weekend. I loved the Oval, but I’m excited for the challenge of learning a new track. It’s hard to learn without the tools that some teams have with Xfinity opportunities or simulators, but we’ll get it figured out during that single practice on Saturday. I’ve been gaining confidence on road courses so we’ll continue to push for a top 20 result with the Diamond Creek Water Chevy Camaro this weekend.” Chevrolet NASCAR Cup Series StatisticsManufacturers Championships:Total (1949-2020): 39First title for Chevrolet: 1958Highest number of consecutive titles: 13 (2003-15) Years Won: 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1998, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 Drivers Championships:Total (1949-2020): 32First Chevrolet champion: Buck Baker (1957)Highest number of consecutive titles: 7 (2005-11)Most Recent: Chase Elliott (2020) Years Won: 1957, 1960, 1961, 1973, 1976, 1977, 1979, 1980, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2020 Event Victories:Record for total race wins in single season: 26 (2007)                2021 STATISTICS:                                                                                                    Wins: 12Poles: 4Laps Led: 2,472Top-five finishes: 46Top-10 finishes: 102 CHEVROLET IN NASCAR CUMULATIVE STATISTICS:Total Chevrolet race wins: 807 (1949 to date)Poles won to date: 721Laps led to date: 239,177Top-five finishes to date: 4,111Top-10 finishes to date: 8,504Stage wins: 20 – Chase Elliott (Daytona RC), William Byron (Homestead, Pocono 2, Road America), Kyle Larson (Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Atlanta x2, Kansas, Dover x2, Charlotte x3, Sonoma x2, Nashville), Kurt Busch (Nashville, Pocono 1, Atlanta 2), Tyler Reddick (Road America)                                                                                                           Total NASCAR Cup wins by corporation, 1949 to date           General Motors: 1,141           Chevrolet: 807           Pontiac: 154           Oldsmobile: 115           Buick: 65            Ford: 809                                                                    Ford: 709           Mercury: 96           Lincoln: 4            Fiat Chrysler Automobiles: 467           Dodge: 217           Plymouth: 191           Chrysler: 59            Toyota: 158

EVENT RECAP: Round 5

This round was one of our best yet! The team is getting more and more competitive each event; more data, more seat time, more improvements and better results. Dan battled with points leader at the time, Matt Field. RAD DAN’s driving was spot on, his battle received “One More Time” from all 3 Formula Drift judges. He was out there driving against the best of them and put on a fantastic show that caught the attention of drivers, teams and fans. Battling against Field knocked us out in Top 32 but RAD DAN walked away with some laps to be seriously proud of. We can’t wait to take this show to St. Louis in a few weeks, Dan is already eager to get back in the driver seat after getting a taste of how competitive he can be on track with the Supra’s setup and a solid team.

CHEVROLET AT TOPEKA What: Menards NHRA Nationals presented by PetArmorWhen: Friday, Aug. 13-Sunday, Aug. 15Where: Heartland Motorsports Park in Topeka, KansasTV: FOX will telecast eliminations live at 3 p.m. ET Sunday, Aug. 15                                                                                                     Team Chevy heads to Topeka with confidence buildingDrivers looking to collect points with three regular-season races left
DETROIT (Aug. 12, 2021) – Brittany Force and the Monster Energy/Flav-R-Pac Chevrolet dragster have been consistently spectacular in National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Top Fuel qualifications, setting records and earning the No. 1 spot in half the events this season.
Climbing onto the victory platform is the only thing missing.
Force will look to claim her sixth top qualifier honor of the season and record her 11th  career victory in the Menards NHRA Nationals presented by PetArmor this weekend at Heartland Motorsports Park in Topeka, Kansas.The 2017 Top Fuel champion is third in the standings with three regular-season races remaining before the Countdown to the Championship.
“After a weekend of match racing with my Monster Energy/Flav-R-Pac guys in Norwalk for Night Under Fire, we’re ready to get back to competition mode and go after a Topeka win,” said Force, who has been the No. 1 qualifier at the track in 2014 and ’16. “We’re going into this race third in points and with the Countdown around the corner, it’s time to step it up.”
The event was not contested in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Robert Hight, driver of the Automobile Club of Southern California Camaro SS, won the 2019 Funny Car race on the way to his third championship. 
“We have a good car. Jimmy Prock and Chris Cunningham have this Chevy Funny Car figured out,” said Hight, who produced the lowest elapsed time (3.895 seconds) and speed (330.88 mph) of the 2019 Funny Car event. “I’m more than ready for Topeka. We’ve done well there in the past. I’m looking forward to getting back in the car.”
Teammate John Force, driving the PEAK/BlueDEF Platinum Camaro SS Funny Car, leads all drivers with nine wins at Heartland Motorsports Park. He sits third in the regular-season standings – 36 points out of the top and one point ahead of Hight. The event will mark Force’s 800th in Funny Car competition in his record-setting career.
Pro Stock racers will be competing at the facility for the first time since May 2018, when Deric Kramer won in his Camaro SS.
Greg Anderson continues his pursuit of tying Warren Johnson’s 97 career victories, which stands as the most in Pro Stock and second behind Force’s NHRA-record 153. Anderson, the No. 1 qualifier in eight of the nine Pro Stock races in his HendrickCars.com Camaro SS, has advanced to the final round in three of the past four races.
Competition will include the fifth round of the Constant Aviation Factory Stock Showdown. Chevrolet drivers have won three of the events in their COPO Camaros, most recently by Stephen Bell at Denver.
FOX will telecast eliminations live at 3 p.m. ET Sunday, Aug. 15. 
CHEVROLET FROM THE COCKPIT
TOP FUEL:
BRITTANY FORCE, JOHN FORCE RACING, FLAV-R-PAC CHEVROLET DRAGSTER (five-time No. 1 qualifier; runner-up in Charlotte and Norwalk; third in points): “I’ve had some success over the years at Heartland Park Topeka with two No. 1 qualifiers. This Monster Energy / Flav-R-Pac team always plans to dominate. We want to pick up points wherever we can and are ready to get back in that winner’s circle.”
FUNNY CAR:
JOHN FORCE, JOHN FORCE RACING, PEAK/BLUEDEF PLATINUM CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (two-time winner this season; No. 1 qualifier in Charlotte four-wide; third in points; nine-time winner at the track):“Topeka is an old school race. Been coming there for years. A lot of good memories, wins, final rounds. Great fans and a great racetrack. Where we are in points, we need to keep it going. The Countdown is almost here. The Heartland race could really shake things up with how close everyone is. It’s tough out there, but we’re hanging in there. I just have to get out there and not screw it up. And that’s what I’m trying to do. I’m ready for Topeka. We tested and went match racing, Night Under Fire, and it kept me on my toes.”
ROBERT HIGHT, JOHN FORCE RACING, AUTO CLUB OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (two-time winner and two-time runner-up; No. 1 qualifier in Las Vegas four-wide; three-time winner at track; fourth in points): “It was 25 seasons ago that I flew in and met John’s team and went to work doing the clutch. Then I got my Funny Car license here. There’s a lot of fond memories for me here at Heartland Motorsports Park. I’ve won the race a few times too so it’s a good stop for me on the Camping World schedule. It’s a great racetrack, the fans are great, it’s one of my favorites.”
PRO STOCK:
GREG ANDERSON, KB RACING, HENDRICKCARS.COM CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (two-time winner; No. 1 qualifier in eight of nine races; points leader): “We got a lesson out of Pomona what to expect this weekend with hot air and track temperatures. It will be the same for everybody. I think we have something to go off of and we’ve raced at Topeka before when it’s been really hot. My group of guys like that and think we have the car for it.” 
KYLE KORETSKY, KB RACING, LUCAS OIL CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (first-year full-time driver; three-time semifinalist; first Pro Stock appearance at track): “We surround ourselves with what I think are the best in the business and letting the clutch out on Friday night (in the first round of qualifying) I have nothing but confidence that the race car is going to go down the racetrack as fast as it can. We’re looking to get that No. 1 spot; I have a good feeling about it. Our car performs very well on hot tracks, and I think the KB guys have the tune-up for the hot track. Coming off Pomona with the semifinal was great, but obviously we want to win. It was a confidence booster, and we want to stay consistent and gain those points every round. My goal is to get in the top five before the Countdown.”
DALLAS GLENN, KB RACING, RAD TORQUE SYSTEMS CAMARO SS (first-year full-time driver; earned first win at Charlotte four-wide): “The last leg of the Western Swing was a little tough on our RAD Torque/KB Racing Chevrolet Camaro team because we couldn’t fix the engine how we wanted since we were so far from home. We were a little down on power but did the best considering. We came back home last week and found the problem so I see no reason why we can’t have a successful weekend in Topeka.”
AARON STANFIELD, ELITE MOTORSPORTS, JANAC BROTHERS CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (three-time winner this season; second in points; first Pro Stock appearance at track): “I’m extremely hungry and I have a lot of great people around me. I want to do well and continue to do well. I’m just thankful for the people I’m around and for the people who have given me these great opportunities.”
TROY COUGHLIN JR., ELITE MOTORSPORTS, JEGS MAIL ORDER CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (runner-up in season opener; transferred to final quad at Charlotte; semifinalist at Sonoma; first Pro Stock appearance at track): “I love this time of the year because everything starts to get more intense. It brings out the best in people and I love to race when stakes are high. We’ve had a steady first half of the season and I know without question we have a car and team capable of big things. These yellow and black guys have been making gains across the board, both in the engine shop and on the car itself, so we couldn’t be in a better position.”