Andretti Autosport’s Herta just .0031 shy of pole-winning time
Marcus Ericsson to start third, Scott Dixon grids fifth in hunt for 7th Mid-Ohio win
Honda drivers claim eight of the top 10 starting positions

LEXINGTON, Ohio (July 3, 2021) – Colton Herta came up just three-thousandths of a second shy of winning the pole for Sunday’s Honda Indy 200, Presented by the HPD Ridgeline, at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, and will grid on the outside of the front row for the 80-lap race.

Herta led his opening qualifying session around the 2.231-mile Ohio road course and fought Josef Newgarden through the second round of qualifying before posting a best time of 1:06.677 in the final qualifying session, which left him trailing the Texan by a scant .0031 seconds. The session marks the third consecutive race where Newgarden and Herta have finished first and second in the Firestone Fast Six qualifying.

The Chip Ganassi Racing duo of Marcus Ericsson and Scott Dixon will start third and fifth respectively in their Hondas. Ericcson posted his best qualifying result of the 2021 campaign, while his teammate grids fifth as he seeks his seventh Mid-Ohio victory. Alexander Rossi made it four Honda-powered cars in the Fast Six as the Andretti Autosport pilot will start sixth Sunday.

An exciting second session of IndyCar qualifying saw INDYCAR SERIES point leader Alex Palou just miss a berth in the Fast Six, leaving the Chip Ganassi Racing driver to grid alongside hometown hero Graham Rahal, as the Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing driver will look to reprise his 2015 win from the fourth row.

Honda also placed four additional drivers in the top 12, giving HPD an eight-to-four in the top-12 spots, as Palou and Rahal were joined the 12-car qualifying session by Andretti Autosport drivers James Hinchcliffe (9th) and Ryan Hunter-Reay (10th).

Honda Indy 200 Qualifying Results
2nd Colton Herta Andretti Autosport Honda
3rd Marcus Ericsson Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
5th Scott Dixon Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
6th Alexander Rossi Andretti Autosport Honda
7th Alex Palou Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
8th Graham Rahal Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda
9th James Hinchcliffe Andretti Autosport Honda
10th Ryan Hunter-Reay Andretti Autosport Honda
16th Ed Jones Dale Coyne Racing with Vasser-Sullivan Honda
18th Romain Grosjean-R Dale Coyne Racing with RWR Honda
19th Takuma Sato Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda
22nd Santino Ferrucci Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda
23rd Jack Harvey Meyer Shank Racing Honda
25th Jimmie Johnson-R Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
26th Ryan Norman-R Dale Coyne Racing with RWR Honda
R – Rookie

Quotes
Colton Herta (Andretti Autosport Honda) Qualified Second: “It’s very disappointing when you finish second by a margin that is that close. I think it is the third straight weekend I’ve finished second in qualifying, but it is always fun to battle with Josef. He’s one of the guys that is extremely clean in this series and he always races hard so it’s fun

Marcus Ericsson (Chip Ganassi Racing) Qualified Third: “It was a good session I think all in all it has been a bit of a tricky weekend but we have worked hard and the whole #8 Husky Chocolate #8 team has done a great job. I think Honda gave us great power today to get everything out of the car and we are definitely in a great position to fight for the win tomorrow.”

Scott Dixon (Chip Ganassi Racing) Qualified Fifth: “A little bit sad about how it went in the Fast Six there. We changed a couple of small things around there but it’s a good starting spot for the PNC Bank #9. Honda’s doing really with their cars in the Fast Six and congratulations to Marcus for starting P3. We’ve won from here before and we’ll try to do it again tomorrow.

Fast Facts
Honda-powered drivers and teams have won 16 of 23 races run at Mid-Ohio since the company entered Indy car racing in 1994, including 11 of 18 races run with engine manufacturer competition.

Led by race winner Colton Herta, Honda drivers swept the top five finishing positions in the second event of a doubleheader Mid-Ohio race weekend in 2020. Alexander Rossi and Ryan Hunter-Reay made it a 1-2-3 result for the Honda-powered Andretti Autosport team; with local favorite Graham Rahal and Marcus Ericsson rounding out the top five.

With five Honda-powered victories at Mid-Ohio, defending series champion Scott Dixon is the most successful IndyCar Series driver at this track. Dixon won with Honda in 2007, 2009, 2011, 2012 and again in 2019. His Chip Ganassi Racing teammates, Dario Franchitti and Charlie Kimball, won in 2010 and 2013, respectively, giving the team eight total, and five consecutive Honda victories at Mid-Ohio.

Where to Watch Sunday’s Honda Indy 200 Presented by the HPD Ridgeline
Live NBC Network race coverage of the Honda Indy 200 Presented by the HPD Ridgeline begins at 12 p.m. EDT Sunday, July 4. Additional coverage can be found on the INDYCAR Radio Network and on Sirius/XM satellite radio.

Honda Racing social media content and video links from Mid-Ohio can be found on Instagram (www.instagram.com/hondaracing_hpd), Twitter (twitter.com/HondaRacing_HPD) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/HondaRacingHPD). Additional features and long-form videos can be found on the Honda Racing/HPD YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/HondaRacingHPDTV).

CHEVROLET RACING IN NTT INDYCAR SERIES HONDA INDY 200 AT MID-OHIO MID-OHIO SPORTS CAR COURSE IN LEXINGTON, OHIO TEAM CHEVY POST RACE RECAP – WITH QUOTES JOSEF NEWGARDEN PUTS CHEVY ON POLE JULY 3, 2021 LEXINGTON, OHIO (July 3, 2021) For the third consecutive race and the 14^th time in his career, Josef Newgarden will lead the NTT INDYCAR Series field to the green flag powered by a Chevrolet 2.2 liter V6 twin turbo direct injected engine.  The two-time champion grabbed the NTT P1 Award by a mere three-thousands of a second behind the wheel of the No 2 XPEL Team Penske Chevrolet. Teammate Will Power, No .12 Verizon 5G Chevrolet, joined Newgarden in the Firestone Fast Six. The former champion, and Indianapolis 500 winner will roll off from fourth on the grid for the 80-lap race on the 2.258-mile 13 turn natural terrain Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. The remaining Team Chevy drivers qualified as follows:11^th     Rinus Veekay, No. 21 Sonax AutoGeek Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet12^th     Sebastien Bourdais, No. 14 Rokit AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet13^th     Felix Rosenqvist, No. 7 Vuse Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet14^th     Scott McLaughlin, No. 3 PPG Team Penske Chevrolet15^th     Simon Pagenaud, No. 22 Menards Team Penske Chevrolet17^th     Max Chilton, No. 59 Gallagher Carlin Chevrolet20^th    Pato O’Ward, No. 5 Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet21^st     Dalton Kellett, No. 4 K-Line Insulators AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet24^th    Conor Daly, No. 20 U.S. Air Force Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet Colton Herta will start alongside Newgarden. Marcus Ericsson, Scott Dixon and Alexander Rossi completed the Firestone Fast Six qualifying field. NBC will telecast the Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio live at noon ET Sunday, July 4. The 80-lap/180.6-mile race 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. DRIVER QUOTES: JOSEF NEWGARDEN, NO. 2 XPEL TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET, POLE WINNER: That was a little tighter than I wanted it to be. I about fell apart the second half of that lap. I opened the lap really well.  The car has been on rails right out of the box. I am really proud of the team. Obviously thanks to this whole group here. Everyone at Team Penske has been on it! We’ve had some troubles the last couple weeks securing a win, but I can’t ask much different. They are doing everything they need to do to win these races. Excited to have another chance with a really great car. Team Chevy keeps doing a great job for us.. It’s good to have XPEL on the car. They’ve been a great partner for us the last couple of years. There is an anniversary! I didn’t know this coming into it. This is the 50^th year today for Team Penske and Roger Penske scoring the first win for the organization with Mark Donohue. I was thinking of how cool it is to be in the car here racing today. Every now and then you have moments where you reflect that you are actually doing this. It’s so cool It’s a dream to drive for Roger and this entire group. So proud of everybody. Hopefully we can seal one off tomorrow—that’s what we need to do! “I knew the third lap would be the money lap on used red tires. I opened the lap really well and then started losing time in Turn Four, all the way to the line. I was just trying to keep it together – Tim (Cindric) was telling me exactly what we needed and we got it. Really proud of everyone, the car looks good and it’s fast, and Team Chevy has done a great job so we just need to keep it together tomorrow. We need a good, clean day and I think we have the car to do that, and I know we’re capable. You have the curse of wanting to do well and get a good result when you know you’re capable as a team, but I’ve been racing long enough to see the ebbs and flows and I know that if we keep doing what we’re doing, it will come. “There’s a lot of respect for Honda as our competitor, here at one of their home races. You want to have a good battle with someone who pushes you and they push us as hard as you can push. I’m proud to be backed by Chevrolet: every one of my INDYCAR wins has come with Chevrolet engine power so I’m pretty comfortable with where I’m at. I’m looking forward to putting them on top tomorrow.”  RINUS VEEKAY, NO. 21 SONAX AUTOGEEK ED CARPENTER RACING CHEVROLET, QUALIFIED 11^TH:“The car feels strong. I think the Fast Six was definitely possible, I was on a good lap but the dirty air kicked in and the lap was gone. We had great track position until Bourdais came out in front of us. I had two peak laps and messed up both of them, giving up my second lap for a third one that I hoped would be faster. P11 isn’t bad but it isn’t great either. I’m not super happy but I know the car is great so hoping tomorrow is better.” FELIX ROSENQVIST, NO 7 VUSE ARROW MCLAREN SP CHEVROLET, QUALIFIED 13^TH:“I thought I did. I thought it was a good lap. But somehow its 7tenths off. If it was one or two, I ciould understand it. But seven tenths I don’t know where to find it. I thought I did one of my best laps ever around here. But the lap time just didn’t come. It felt better to be honest. I am kind of at a loss for words about the lap time. It feels good to be back in the car. Everything is back to normal. I feel good both physically and mentally. It feels good to be out there again, its just frustrating to not have the speed.”SIMON PAGENAUD, NO. 22 MENARDS TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET, QUALIFIED 15^TH:“It was a really good lap. The Menards Chevrolet was so good. I lifted. I was on a .664 going into turn nine there. There was a white flag and then the yellow came out right in the center of it so I knew it was a moving car. That is why I knew it wasn’t somebody’s car in the middle. As you can see I moved all the way over. I guess it is the rules, but this is the second race. In Detroit I had to lift in the last corner because of Ferrucci who crashed. We were going to get in. Its just unfortunate when you have so much speed. Thanks to the team for doing such a great job. It just makes for a long weekend.”PATO O’WARD, NO. 5 ARROW MCLAREN SP CHEVROLET, QUALIFIED 20^TH:“I wasn’t at my best, I messed up, but the tires were really inconsistent from set to set as well. We’ve had pace all weekend but on this set everything just went away: the car wasn’t even there on Lap 3. I don’t know what’s up, we’ve had some inconsistency on certain weekends, where we don’t know what’s going wrong. It’s difficult to be starting so far back but we’ll see what we can do.”  POST QUALIFYING PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT – JOSEF NEWGARDENQ.Josef Newgarden, P1, once again. Third straight this season. Last time that happened was 2015, some guy named Will Power did that in Texas, Toronto. Third consecutive pole. Your thoughts on getting it done at the end?JOSEF NEWGARDEN: It was tighter than I would like it to be. These guys all close the gap quite a lot. I felt we had a really good car straight out of the box this weekend. So we opened really well. And I think for us it was a matter of maintaining that, trying to not lose any speed and keep up with the track progression.And then everyone around us, like certainly Colton, just raised their game a lot and just about knocked us off. It was going to be hard. You could see how fast these guys were. He was super quick all through qualifying. So it was going to take a really good lap. And thankfully we put it together.That’s INDYCAR. It’s Mid-Ohio. Always tight here. So difficult. I think I’ve qualified second like three times, something that. It always comes down to being super tight in the end. Very happy to — I think the biggest thing that’s encouraging me for is we’ve had speed all weekend, the car’s felt good. It’s about maintaining that. And if we can keep our composure for the race conditions, we’ll have an opportunity to challenge again and seal one of these off. That’s what it starts with. You get one on the board and it will help. We’re still trying to make that happen for 2021.
Q.That’s pretty good. Both you guys, looks like in qualifying, looks like you’re almost water-skiing out here, the way you’re working the wheel and stuff, the tires almost looked like barely touching it. What’s it like driving a car to the limit like that?JOSEF NEWGARDEN: I thought it was pretty hooked up. I was more hooked up in the Fast 6 and I thought maybe it might be. Tires dropping off were an issue. I think Colton and me were matched as far as how much we use the tires two laps apiece. That made a big difference. I think if you have three laps on the reds, makes it even harder. My car felt really solid all weekend. I can speak to that. Doesn’t feel like you’re water-skiing at all. Feels like you’re riding a roller coaster on rails. They say it about this place. It’s like a roller coaster, with the undulations and just how hooked up it can be with the elevation change.It’s a really fun ride when the car’s working well. If it’s not super comfy, it can be challenging, but for us in the 2 car, it’s been really nice with that.
Q.How much did traffic affect you all in the first couple rounds of qualifying there?JOSEF NEWGARDEN: In qualifying I was okay with it. I didn’t have any problems at all and everybody was pretty considerate.26 cars. We were talking about it, it’s on the limit here. Probably over the limit here for practice running, but in qualifying it seemed fine. Once you cut it down to 12.
Q.Josef, how much fun is for you to steal a race from the other manufacturer?JOSEF NEWGARDEN: For me, there’s a lot of respect for our competitor and Honda. They’re a tough competitor for us, which is great. You want to have a good battle. And someone that pushes you — and I feel they pushed us as hard as you can be pushed. So a lot of respect for Honda and what they do every weekend. I think for us at Chevrolet, obviously for me I’m very proud to be backed by Chevrolet. Every single one of my INDYCAR wins comes with a Chevrolet powering me in the back of my vehicle. I’m pretty comfy where I am at and hopefully we can put Chevy on top tomorrow.
Q.Talking about strategy, how much do you think strategy will be a factor tomorrow?JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Depends on the yellows. Outside of yellows, if it’s a green race it looks pretty straightforward.Q.Which has happened a lot here?JOSEF NEWGARDEN: It has. But as soon as you try and predict the race, it does the opposite sometimes. So it could be all green or we could have five yellows. You just don’t know. I think yellows are always what flip the script on these things. If it’s green all day, it looks pretty straightforward.
Q.Josef, you guys, you’ve done everything but win this year, a race. Is there pressure there? How would you describe — I think y’all won five of the last six, seven races last year. Quite a roll. But what is it like within the team about getting one on the board you talked about a minute ago?JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Pretty normal, to be honest with you. Doesn’t feel any different. I don’t feel any different. I don’t think the team really feels any different. Kind of been doing the same thing, feeling really good. And joking, a lot of joking in the engineering meeting as normal. So, yeah, it’s pretty much status quo on our side of the world. Definitely been unfortunate. It’s probably the word I’d use. Just unfortunate we’ve not been able to have things go our way. Some of that’s probably a little self-inflicted. Obviously we try and clean that up in a year when we have a couple of mistakes. But some of it has just purely been unfortunate. So outside of that, pretty jokey. Pretty committed, and ready to go tomorrow. So same deal as always.
Q.You have race control, drivers?JOSEF NEWGARDEN: No, I think it’s — obviously race control doesn’t want to dictate races either. Puts them in a tough spot. I think they hate having to throw a yellow and it flips the world upside down for the top 5 who have worked hard to get there and deserve to stay there. So they don’t want to influence the race.But to Colton’s point, you can only do so much in the rule sets that we have because it’s a closed pit situation. If there’s a car in harm’s way, they’ve got to throw the yellow immediately. If they can’t, I think they try and do everything possible to give the team an opportunity to pit, which is about the best you can do with this set of rules. If we want to make it even better, you know, where we mitigate the risk of your race being ruined by a yellow, then we’ve got to change the rules. We’ve got to figure out how to do that safely. That’s another conversation. But as far as how we approach the day, to Colton’s point, you can only do so much. There’s some areas where you can lower your risk of getting caught by the yellow, but then there’s some areas where you just can’t do anything about it. You’ve got to focus on your strategy that you have kind of gone with. If you get bit by it, it sucks to get bit by it. That’s the nature of this style of racing at the moment.
Q.So you have been bit by late yellows two consecutive races. Tell me, what do you say and feel when it happens, and what happens tomorrow if it’s a third time?JOSEF NEWGARDEN: I would say the last two races weren’t necessarily — I wouldn’t put those down to yellows. You look at last year, last year was very unfortunate for yellows. I think we gotten taken out of four events, four wins because of yellows. I wouldn’t say that was the case these last two races. Things just didn’t pan out. Detroit didn’t pan out because of our strategy the way the yellow fell. And Road America, we just couldn’t predict what was going to happen there. It’s just an unfortunate failure. But if you looked at last year, yellows played a big role in our races specifically. And those are the tough ones.When they purely take you out of the top 10, when you’re up there on merit, it’s a hard pill to swallow. But like I said, it’s the rule sets we live in right now. It’s the style of racing we’re used to. We know the drill. If we want to make that better, we have to change the rules one day.
Q.Lastly, are there guys out there that you guys are sick of it, are there guys out there, that are just, like, targets, get your act together, stop throwing yellows?JOSEF NEWGARDEN: It’s up and down, up and down the grid. So, yeah, I don’t think you can point the finger at one person. No one’s trying to do anything on purpose. 

Brian Henderson and Robert Noaker score their first IMSA victory
Scott Smithson and Ryan Eversley takes checkers in second, but penalized for technical infraction
Second consecutive win for Honda TCRs in IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge

WATKINS GLEN, NY (July 2, 2021) The Atlanta Speedwerks team drove to victory for the second week in a row at Watkins Glen International Raceway, with Brian Henderson and Robert Noaker taking the win for Honda in the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge series.

Henderson qualified his #84 Honda Civic Type R TCR second on the grid, and took the lead with one hour and 24 minutes left in the two-hour Sahlen’s 120 at the Glen, leading all but two of the remaining laps before a late-race restart with inside of five minutes to go.

Light rain and intervening GS traffic caused Noaker to lose the lead briefly in the closing stages of the race, but he was able to execute a pass with two to go to put his Honda Civic Type R TCR back in the lead and into victory lane.

The sister #94 Atlanta Speedwerks car qualified in the 10th position in the hands of Scott Smithson. Smithson methodically worked his way through the TCR field and got up to fourth before the pit sequence. During the cycle, Smithson led two laps in his Honda Civic Type R TCR before handing over to teammate Ryan Eversley.

Eversley took advantage of the late-race restart to move up to the second position. However, the #94 was moved to the back of the field following post-race inspection, when their car was determined to be eight pounds underweight.

The VGMC team showed speed during practice with their new driver lineup of Jon Miller and Lance Bergstein. However, the team suffered a cut tire late in the event, leading to their retirement.

Sahlen’s 12 at The Glen Race Results
1st TCR – #84 Robert Noaker and Brian Henderson, Atlanta Speedwerks Honda Civic Type R TCR
11th TCR – #88 Jon Miller and Lance Bergstein, VGMC Racing Honda Civic Type R TCR
15th TCR – #94 Ryan Eversley and Scott Smithson, Atlanta Speedwerks Honda Civic Type R TCR

Quotes
Todd Lamb (#84 Atlanta Speedwerks Honda Civic Type R TCR), team owner, on back-to-back wins for the team: “This is a dream as a team owner, for sure. Last week [winning with Ryan Eversley] was great, but in a way this week is even better! I couldn’t ask for a better couple of weeks. I’ve got to thank Lemons of Love, Honda, and Michelin, this has been just incredible. Our drivers are doing a fantastic job. We were a little concerned heading into this weekend, as we had 40 kilograms [weight] added to us [after winning last week] and were thinking that was going to set us back a little bit. But we just dug a little bit deeper, didn’t give up, and found a way to make it happen!”

Brian Henderson (#84 Atlanta Speedwerks Honda Civic Type R TCR), winner TCR: “It feels amazing! My first IMSA win, after all of 2019 and a few races last year, it feels really good to finally be here, where I feel we should be. With the weight change, the car was definitely different from last weekend, but the Atlanta Speedworks guys did a great job, as did Honda. We really got the car dialed in during practice and qualifying. In the race, the car was pretty good so hopefully we’ll continue our success at the next one.

Robert Noaker (#84 Atlanta Speedwerks Honda Civic Type R TCR), winner TCR: “First things first, thanks Honda and the team. Our pit stop was phenomenal, we got in and out in record time. With the [weight change] this week, we had to be a little more conservative with our tires, but I’m glad I saved them [for the finish]. With the [late-race] caution, I was able to get back up to speed, get through traffic, and win the race! It doesn’t feel real, but man, it feels great!”

Next
After the pair of back-to-back races at Watkins Glen, the MICHELIN Pilot Challenge takes a week off before resuming at Lime Rock Park July 16-17 for the Lime Rock Park 120 . The race will be streamed live on TrackPass on NBC Sports Gold.

HPD has three ready-to-race Civic models for touring car competition. The line starts with the affordable and reliable Civic Si TCA race car, then leads to the Civic Type R TC racer that puts legendary Type R performance on track, and culminates with the no-compromise, championship-winning Civic Type R TCR race car. Our unparalleled trackside support at every level from HPD engineers is a unique benefit that no other manufacturer can offer. Find out more about these cars and our touring programs at: https://hpd.honda.com/Motorsports/Touring

Honda Racing social media content and videos from Watkins Glen International Raceway are available on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/HondaRacingHPD) and on Twitter at (https://twitter.com/HondaRacing_HPD).  Produced by CoForce Digital Media, YouTube video packages can be found at: https://www.youtube.com/HondaRacingHPDTV.  

NASCAR CUP SERIES ROAD AMERICA JOCKEY MADE IN AMERICA 250 PRESENTED BY KWIK TRIP                                     TEAM CHEVY POST-PRACTICE NOTES JULY 3, 2021 NASCAR CUP SERIES PRACTICE AT ROAD AMERICA: TEAM CHEVY TOP-151st      KURT BUSCH, NO. 1 MONSTER ENERGY CAMARO ZL1 1LE5th      TYLER REDDICK, NO. 8 KALAHARI RESORTS & CONVENTIONS CAMARO ZL1 1LE7th      AJ ALLMENDINGER, NO. 16 HYPERICE CAMARO ZL1 1LE 9th      KYLE LARSON, NO. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM CAMARO ZL1 1LE11th    WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 LIBERTY UNIVERSITY CAMARO ZL1 1LE12th    ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 48 ALLY CAMARO ZL1 1LE13th    ROSS CHASTAIN, NO. 42 ADVENTHEALTH CAMARO ZL1 1LE14th    CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CAMARO ZL1 1LE15th    AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 DOW MILITARY DEGREE EQUIVALENCY CAMARO ZL1 1LE NASCAR CUP SERIES: POST-PRACTICE MEDIA AVAILABILITY HIGHLIGHTS: KYLE LARSON, NO. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM CAMARO ZL1 1LE WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU’RE MISSING RIGHT NOW?“I don’t know – I want to hear what my teammates have to say first, but I feel terrible. But I think the track is just so slick. I don’t remember much from 2013, but I don’t remember it being this slick. So, I think the track has aged a lot and all that. I just felt like I had my hands full; it looked like everybody else did too. Like I said, I’ll talk to my teammates and see if they feel like I do.” WHAT EXCITES YOU THE MOST ABOUT THIS COURSE?“I think just the level of difficulty. It’s extremely narrow and tight. I think to make passes, you have to be really bold. To me, this is probably the toughest road course we’ll go to all year. It’s intense.” IS YOUR LEVEL OF COMFORT AND CONFIDENCE SORT OF GROWN A LOT OVER THE PAST FEW MONTHS?“Yeah, until I made a lap today (laughs). I felt really good coming here; and then after making some laps, I haven’t hit two corners the same yet. Still have a lot to learn and get better; but we’ll look at data, talk to my teammates and hopefully get more comfortable.” TALKING ABOUT THE DIFFERENCES IN ROAD COURSES, IS IT GOOD TO HAVE THAT VARIETY? “I think variety is good. I think we’d all like to see more variety on the ovals, too. I think it challenges the drivers and the race teams. I think when there’s a variety, you won’t see the same guy run up front every time.” WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 LIBERTY UNIVERSITY CAMARO ZL1 1LEI WAS LOOKING AT ROAD COURSE RESULTS – ARE THOSE DECEIVING? “I think, partly, we’ve been off on speed. But I think we’ve been in that fifth to tenth range and I feel like we’ve gotten in stuff, like getting damage and then we’d get tire rubs and have issues. So, we just have to get above that area where we’re not always scratching and clawing. At that point, you’re up to luck basically whether or not you get some damage and stuff. We’ve been off a little bit and we were trying some things, just trying to get better, and so we’ve just kind of gone back to the basics this weekend. We feel fast. I feel like we’re pretty good this weekend.” WHEN YOU LOOK AT WHAT CHASE (ELLIOTT) AND KYLE (LARSON) WERE DOING, YOU KNOW IT’S THERE, IT JUST A MATTER OF PUTTING A RACE TOGETHER. “Yeah – we went into this road course thing thinking, ‘OK we have seven of these; we can experiment’. We use our sim a lot because we don’t have practice. Using our sim kind of backfired because we were running so fast in there that when we got to the track, our car was not doing the things that we thought it would do because we were slower, pace-wise. We overestimated the grip for some of these places and kind of adjusted our setup because of that. And then when we get to the racetrack with no practice, we don’t have a chance to get that back out.” CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CAMARO ZL1 1LEIS THIS A COURSE YOU’VE BEEN LOOKING FORWARD TO? “Yeah, it’s a really fun track. I feel like it’s been a great stop on the NASCAR Xfinity schedule, so I feel like it fits us well on the Cup side. It’s good to be here.” HOW DID YOU FEEL TODAY? “I felt OK. I feel like road racing is a lot about finding a rhythm. I never felt like I found a good one today. We’ll go to work tomorrow.” I ASSUME YOU WERE IN THE SIMULATOR. IS IT SIMILAR TO WHAT YOU SAW IN THE SIMULATOR OR IS IT DIFFERENT?“It’s similar to what I remember it being a few years ago. I was here in 2015; it’s all about the same as what I remember then. I’ve watched most of all the races that the Xfinity series has run here. It hasn’t really changed a lot from my memory.” WHAT MAKES A GREAT, NATURAL TERRAIN ROAD COURSE? “There are definitely road courses that don’t flow. All the tracks that we’ve turned into road courses don’t flow very good. This type of place and Circuit of the Americas – all these tracks in the United States that are known road racetracks, they just have a certain flow to them. It just feels more like a traditional road course. Maybe that’s because we have a preset mindset of what should flow and what shouldn’t, but this place definitely has that feel and it’s laid out well. It has a lot of character to it, which is really cool. It’s a very long course, which is fun. There’s a lot of opportunity to either be really good or make a lot of mistakes.” WHAT DO YOU THINK THE TOUGHEST PART OF THE COURSE IS?“It was all tough for me today. I never felt like I got into a really good rhythm at all. Just trying to find that flow. The racetrack flows well, but that doesn’t mean you’re flowing good on a personal level. So, just trying to find that within myself and getting into a good rhythm. It’s a lot about rhythm and hitting your marks properly – that’s key.” WHERE DOES THAT COME FROM? IS THAT A MENTAL THING? IS IT THE CAR? IS IT BOTH?“Yeah, I feel like both are super important. You have to push yourself to the right limits to make the car feel like it should. And then we you do find those limits; you want the car to be there for you. It’s a fine line, but you definitely have to have both.” KURT BUSCH, NO. 1 MONSTER ENERGY CAMARO ZL1 1LE INAUDIBLE“The track is a unique challenge. There’s an old school feel here with the track’s layout, not a lot of run off areas and the pace the way the lap time drops. I came here with a Darlington mentality, which probably caught a lot you by surprise; but you have to respect the track and know when to push for a lap. And then you have to work on your tires and the balance of the car for all of the different corners and the long runs that none of us are really going to get into until we get in the race. So, you just have to race the racetrack; try to stay clean and stay out of the trouble. We had a good practice to be able to be on top of the charts. Now we just have to back it up.” HOW CRITICAL DO YOU THINK HAVING ANY EXPERIENCE ON THIS TRACK IS FOR THIS WEEKEND?“It’s helpful. I jumped on the iRacing sim at my house and some of the curbing isn’t as realistic as what we have here. I jumped into the Chevy simulator and got even closer. But nothing can duplicate what you have for real life and that’s were we just had to maximize today’s track time with the practice session.” WHAT DOES THAT SAY ABOUT YOUR TEAM TO BE ON TOP OF THE BOARD AFTER EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENED THIS WEEKS?“That’s exactly it – you drive harder, push deeper and push harder when news like that comes out. It was a surprise to me, but all of us at Chip Ganassi Racing looked at each other and said – we’ve got a Playoff berth right in front of us; let’s go get it, let’s win and let’s push as hard as we can here right now in 2021.” INAUDIBLE“Just take it one week at a time. We’re in a nice battle for the bubble; the cutoff line to get into the Playoffs. I haven’t really been in this situation much; usually there’s a win or there’s really good points that give us a cushion. I’ve embraced this year; it’s just been a whole different level because of all of the challenges that have come our way.” ROSS CHASTAIN, NO. 42 ADVENTHEALTH CAMARO ZL1 1LE“Rolling out I felt confident in the AdventHealth Chevy from our recent time in the simulator and everything around the track made sense – braking zones and shifting were all in a pretty good spot. The car was a little slimy the first lap out, but it came in pretty good. We were able to make three separate runs during practice, so I think we pretty much maximized our track time today. I realized throughout the session of how little grip Road America has, which is similar to what we just had at Sonoma a few weeks ago. We’ll use some of those notes and we try to build as much rear grip into the car as we can for qualifying. We’ve got just a bit too much rear slide the longer we run. Kurt had a great mock qualifying run, so we’ll review his data and see what I can learn for tomorrow.”

Five Straight Nights in Ohio Highlighted by Two Kings RoyalsTwo $175,000 Paydays Available at Eldora SpeedwayROSSBURG, OH – July 3, 2021 – As if one Kings Royal isn’t enough, Eldora Speedway is going bigger and better than ever in 2021.World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series fans will witness five consecutive nights of The Greatest Show on Dirt in the state of Ohio from July 13-17, with the week being capped off by two of the highest paydays in Sprint Car history.It all begins on Tuesday, July 13 with the 33rd annual Ohio Logistic Brad Doty Classic at Attica Raceway Park. An event paying homage to the National Sprint Car Hall of Famer and 18-time World of Outlaws winner. Fans can BUY TICKETS HERE.Following that, the greatest Sprint Car drivers in the world will converge on Rossburg, Ohio for a four-night affair with two crowns on the line. The monumental stretch at The Big E gives fans four full programs including the Jokers Wild, the 38th Kings Royal, the Knight Before The Kings Royal, and the 37th Kings Royal. Fans can BUY TICKETS HERE.All told, you could sweep the week for a grand total of $380,000.Tuesday, July 13 – Brad Doty Classic ($10,000) Wednesday, July 14 – Jokers Wild ($10,000) Thursday, July 15 – 38th Kings Royal ($175,000) Friday, July 16 – Knight Before Kings Royal ($10,000) Saturday, July 17 – 37th Kings Royal ($175,000)Per usual, the grand week begins with a Tuesday night under the lights at Attica Raceway Park for the 33rd annual Brad Doty Classic. It’s an event that lives off parity with 24 different winners through 30 completed shows. The only four drivers to repeat with multiple BDC titles are Donny Schatz (4), Steve Kinser (2), Dale Blaney (2), and Danny Smith (2).The reigning champion of the Doty Classic is Kyle Larson, who topped last year’s show amid his 47-win season in Paul Silva’s #57. Being on a Tuesday, the NASCAR Cup Series star is expected to return and defend his title with the hopes of becoming the first-ever back-to-back winner of the event.A two-hour jaunt across Highway 30 and through Ohio’s backroads will lead teams to Eldora Speedway, where they’ll park for four consecutive nights. With last year’s annual pilgrimage to Rossburg called off due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Tony Stewart, Roger Slack, and the rest of Eldora’s staff have dedicated themselves to a monster year by doubling down just as Jason Sides would.They’ll host a preliminary Jokers Wild program on Wednesday leading into Thursday’s 38th edition of the Kings Royal, paying $175,000-to-win. A new preliminary goes on Friday with the Knight Before the Kings Royal bringing us to the 37th running of the Kings Royal on Saturday, another $175,000-to-win show.It very well could be the richest week in the history of Sprint Car racing if one driver takes down both Kings Royal finales.A massive field is expected to flood the pit area, presenting fans with favorites and underdogs alike.At the top of the list is reigning King Brad XXXVI. Sweet is a two-time Kings Royal champion in 2013 and 2020, to go along with his two World of Outlaws titles in 2019 and 2020. His Kasey Kahne Racing, NAPA Auto Parts #49 is firing on all cylinders right now, with 11 Series victories through the first 39 races this year.Don’t forget about King Donny XXXV. Schatz owns five Kings Royal crowns, second in history only to “The King” himself, Steve Kinser. It wasn’t long ago in the years from 2016-18 when the Fargo, ND native rewrote the record books, becoming the first to ever win back-to-back Kings Royal and then going a step further by becoming the first to ever win three-straight.Another five former Kings Royal champions are confirmed to be in action. King Kerry XXXI (Madsen) driving the Tony Stewart/Curb-Agajanain #14, King Daryn XXV (Pittman) piloting the Swindell SpeedLab #39, King Jason XXI (Sides) in his own Sides Motorsports #7S, King Jac XV (Haudenschild) aboard the iconic Pennzoil #22, and King Dave XII(Blaney) guiding his personally built #10.Other potential Kings Royal champions that could land rides and compete for another crown include Sammy Swindell, Joey Saldana, and Dale Blaney.Back in May at Let’s Race Two, Brent Marks and Sheldon Haudenschild earned their first-ever World of Outlaws wins at the Ohio 1/2-mile. They’ll both be in attendance looking to become the 19th different champion in event history.David Gravel, who won last year’s Governor’s Reign, is still hungry for his first taste of gold at the Kings Royal. He’ll ride the Big Game Motorsports #2 into battle, which he’s won six World of Outlaws races with this year. In 2012, Big Game supplied the chariot that made King Sammy XXIX.The list of challengers beyond that extends far and wide including the likes of Logan Schuchart, Carson Macedo, Kyle Larson, Aaron Reutzel, James McFadden, Tyler Courtney, Cory Eliason, Justin Peck, and many more.Fans unable to make it to the track can watch all of the action live on DIRTVision with the annual Platinum FAST PASS subscription for $299/year or the monthly FAST PASS subscription for $39/month.KINGS ROYAL CHAMPIONS: 2019 – Brad Sweet (Kasey Kahne #49) 2018 – Donny Schatz (Tony Stewart #15) 2017 – Donny Schatz (Tony Stewart #15) 2016 – Donny Schatz (Tony Stewart #15) 2015 – Shane Stewart (Larson Marks #2) 2014 – Kerry Madsen (Keneric #29) 2013 – Brad Sweet (Kasey Kahne #49) 2012 – Sammy Swindell (Big Game #1) 2011 – Tyler Walker (Keen #17) 2010 – Steve Kinser (Tony Stewart #11) 2009 – Donny Schatz (Tony Stewart #15) 2008 – Daryn Pittman (Titan #21) 2007 – Donny Schatz (Schatz #15) 2006 – Joey Saldana (Kasey Kahne #9) 2005 – Steve Kinser (Kinser #11) 2004 – Jason Sides (Sides #7S) 2003 – Steve Kinser (Kinser #11) 2002 – Joey Saldana (Saldana #17) 2001 – Mark Kinser (Karl Kinser #5m) 2000 – Dale Blaney (Dave Blaney #93) 1999 – Sammy Swindell (Swindell #1) 1998 – Jac Haudenschild (Jack Elden #22) 1997 – Steve Kinser (Kinser #11) 1996 – Johnny Herrera (Gil Sonner #47) 1995 – Dave Blaney (Casey Luna #10) 1994 – Jac Haudenschild (Jack Elden #22) 1993 – Dave Blaney (Casey Luna #10) 1992 – Sammy Swindell (Swindell #1) 1991 – Steve Kinser (Karl Kinser #11) 1990 – Doug Wolfgang (Williams Bros. #8) 1989 – Bobby Davis Jr. (Casey Luna #10) 1988 – Steve Kinser (Karl Kinser #11) 1987 – Jac Haudenschild (Gary Stanton #40) 1986 – Don Kreitz Jr. (Kreitz #69) 1985 – Doug Wolfgang (Bob Weigert #29) 1984 – Steve Kinser (Karl Kinser #11)BRAD DOTY CLASSIC WINNERS: 4 wins – Donny Schatz 2 wins – Steve Kinser, Dale Blaney, Danny Smith 1 win – Kyle Larson, Brock Zearfoss, David Gravel, Paul McMahan, Kerry Madsen, Jason Meyers, Jac Haudenschild, Joey Saldana, Stevie Smith, Greg Wilson, Dean Jacobs, Alvin Roepka, Kelly Kinser, Butch Schroeder, Jeff Shepard, Tyler Walker, Randy Kinser, Mark Keegan, Bobby Allen, Jack Hewitt

The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink® Sprint Car Series is brought to fans across the country by many important sponsors and partners, including: DIRTVision (Official Live Broadcast Partner), Drydene (Official Motor Oil), Hoosier Racing Tire (Official Tire), iRacing (Official Online Racing Game), Morton Buildings (Official Building), NOS Energy (Official Energy Product), SIS Insurance (Official Insurance Provider) and VP Racing Fuels (Official Racing Fuel); contingency sponsors include ARP (Automotive Racing Products), Cometic Gasket, COMP Cams, KSE Racing Products (Hard Charger Award), MSD and Slick Woody’s (Quick Time Award); manufacturer sponsors include FireAde, Intercomp, K1 Race Gear, and Racing Electronics.Founded in 1978, the World of Outlaws®, based in Concord, NC, is the premier national touring series for dirt track racing in North America, featuring the most powerful cars on dirt, the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series and the World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Model Series. Annually, the two series race nearly 140 times at tracks across the United States and Canada. CBS Sports Network is the official broadcast partner of the World of Outlaws. DIRTVision® also broadcasts all World of Outlaws events over the Internet to fans around the world. Learn more about the World of Outlaws.

CHEVROLET RACING IN NTT INDYCAR SERIES HONDA INDY 200 AT MID-OHIO MID-OHIO SPORTS CAR COURSE IN LEXINGTON, OHIO TEAM CHEVY DRIVER QUOTE JOSEF NEWGARDEN QUICK POLE QUOTE JULY 3, 2021
JOSEF NEWGARD CAPTURES NTT P1 AWARD AT MID-OHIO 
LEXINGTON, OHIO – Josef Newgarden was a man on a nabbing the pole behind the wheel of the No. 2 XPEL Team Penske Chevrolet by a mere three-thousandths of a second. It is the 14th P1 award of his career. Quick quote:
JOSEF NEWGARDEN:  That was a little tighter than I wanted it to be. I about fell apart the second half of that lap. I opened the lap really well.   The car has been on rails right out of the box. I am really proud of the team. Obviously thanks to this whole group here. Everyone at Team Penske has been on it! We’ve had some troubles the last couple weeks securing a win, but I can’t ask much different. They are doing everything they need to do to win these races. Excited to have another chance with a really great car.  Team Chevy keeps doing a great job for us.. It’s good to have XPEL on the car. They’ve been a great partner for us the last couple of years. There is an anniversary! I didn’t know this coming into it. This is the 50^th year today for Team Penske and Roger Penske scoring the first win for the organization with Mark Donohue. I was thinking of how cool it is to be in the car here racing today. Every now and then you have moments where you reflect that you are actually doing this. It’s so cool It’s a dream to drive for Roger and this entire group. So proud of everybody. Hopefully we can seal one off tomorrow—that’s what we need to do!
“I knew the third lap would be the money lap on used red tires. I opened the lap really well and then started losing time in Turn Four, all the way to the line. I was just trying to keep it together – Tim (Cindric) was telling me exactly what we needed and we got it. Really proud of everyone, the car looks good and it’s fast, and Team Chevy has done a great job so we just need to keep it together tomorrow. We need a good, clean day and I think we have the car to do that, and I know we’re capable. You have the curse of wanting to do well and get a good result when you know you’re capable as a team, but I’ve been racing long enough to see the ebbs and flows and I know that if we keep doing what we’re doing, it will come. “There’s a lot of respect for Honda as our competitor, here at one of their home races. You want to have a good battle with someone who pushes you and they push us as hard as you can push. I’m proud to be backed by Chevrolet: every one of my INDYCAR wins has come with Chevrolet engine power so I’m pretty comfortable with where I’m at. I’m looking forward to putting them on top tomorrow.” 

Wayne Taylor Racing lead early, finish third in WeatherTech 240
Weather plays major role, causing extended red flag
Gradient Racing takes sixth place GTD result in the Acura NSX GT3 Evo

WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. (July 2, 2021) – It was a podium finish for Acura in a red flag-marred race Friday night at Watkins Glen International Raceway, with the championship-leading #10 Wayne Taylor Racing Acura ARX-05 Prototype finishing third in the IMSA WeatherTech 240.

Starting from pole position alongside the fellow Meyer Shank Racing ARX-05 in the hands of Olivier Pla, Ricky Taylor drove to an early lead, taking charge for the first 24 laps of the event. The team looked set for a strong finish before a red flag, for lightening in the area, stopped the on-track action.

Taylor’s co-driver, Filipe Albuquerque, closed the race for the Wayne Taylor team, bringing their Acura home third on a damp track.

Meyer Shank Racing’s #60 suffered early damage just after the start of the two-hour, 40-minute event, after making contact with the 01 Chip Ganassi Racing Cadillac, sending starting driver Pla into a spin. He and co-driver Dane Cameron would persevere through the event with the damage and intermittent steering issues to finish sixth.

Acura NSX GT3 Evo
In the production-based GTD division, Gradient Racing’s Till Bechtolsheimer and Marc Miller backed up their best starting position of 2021 [fourth], with a sixth-place result in their Acura NSX GT3 Evo. Compass Racing’s Jeff Kingsley started his Acura NSX GT3 Evo just behind the Gradient machine, in the fifth place. Kingsley and co-driver Mario Farnbacher were on the verge of a top-five finish before debris severed their brake line late in the race. The pair would finish ninth.

Acura IMSA WeatherTech 240 Results
3rd overall – #10 Wayne Taylor Racing Acura ARX-05 DPi
Drivers Ricky Taylor, Filipe Albuquerque
6th overall – #60 Meyer Shank Racing Acura ARX-05 DPi
Drivers Dane Cameron, Olivier Pla
6th GTD – Gradient Racing Acura NSX GT3 Evo
Drivers Till Bechtolsheimer, Marc Miller
9th GTD – Compass Racing Acura NSX GT3 Evo
Drivers Jeff Kingsley, Mario Farnbacher

DPi Manufacturers’ Championship Drivers’ Championship (after 6 of 10 rounds)

1. Cadillac 2,189 1. Filipe Albuquerque, Ricky Taylor 2,068
2. Acura 2,154 2. Oliver Jarvis, Harry Tincknell 1,987
3. Mazda 2,059 3. Pipo Derani, Felipe Nasr 1,954

Quotes
Filipe Albuquerque (#10 Konica Minolta Wayne Taylor Racing Acura ARX-05) finished third: “It was a very hard race for us.  In addition to being fast, I think the 31 [car] was a bit lucky in pitting just before the red flag, and having the lead. We were having our own fight with the guys closest to us in the championship [Oliver Jarvis and Harry Tincknell].  In the end, P3 is still a decent result for us.  Obviously, I would like a win, but it was not possible.  We have four races to go, and we’re still leading the championship.”

Ricky Taylor (#10 Konica Minolta Wayne Taylor Racing Acura ARX-05) finished third: “Wild race.  I think we showed pace again this weekend, but the other guys were really strong.  I’m really proud of the team. Filipe [Albuquerque, co-driver] did a really amazing job adapting to some really difficult conditions.  I think, where we are [leading] in the championship, we have to keep ourselves clean.  He didn’t take any risks, but managed to fight off our championship rivals, and maximized our day for [championship] points. The guys finishing ahead of us are not really in the [title] fight, so I think we can come out of the race happy.  We’ve got two good races for us coming up in Road America and Laguna Seca.  So we have that to look forward to, as we continue our fight for the championship.”

Mark Crawford (IMSA Large Project Leader, Honda Performance Development) on today’s podium at Watkins Glen: “With a third-place finish tonight, the #10 Wayne Taylor Racing Acura team extended their leads in the Drivers’ and Team’s championships.  We gave up a bit of ground in the Manufacturers’ Championship, but the contest is still very close between us.  There certainly were challenging conditions in the race.  It was cold throughout, dry, then wet on track, constantly changing conditions, really, plus a long red flag [race stoppage, for lightning in the area].  But HPD, and our Acura teams and drivers, adapted.  It’s a third-place finish, not a win, but for our season-long championship effort it’s a good result.  Coming up, both Road America and Laguna Seca suit our car, so we’re looking forward to all of the upcoming races.”

Acura IMSA WeatherTech 240 Fast Facts
Acura teams and drivers have scored two victories, and four additional podium results, in six races this season; with victories at the season-opening Rolex 24 at Daytona and at the Acura Sports Car Challenge at Mid-Ohio.

Acura finished second at the Twelve Hours of Sebring and at last weekend’s Sahlen’s Six Hours of the Glen; and third tonight at Watkins Glen and at the Detroit Grand Prix.

Next
The WeatherTech SportsCar Championship next travels to Connecticut’s Lime Rock Park for a GT-only race July 16-17.

Acura Motorsports Social media content and video links from this weekend’s IMSA WeatherTech 240 are available on Instagram (www.instagram.com/hondaracing_hpd), Twitter (www.twitter.com/HondaRacing_HPD) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/HondaRacingHPD). Additional features and long-form videos can be found on the Honda Racing/HPD YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/HondaRacingHPDTV).

CHEVROLET RACING IN NTT INDYCAR SERIES HONDA INDY 200 AT MID-OHIO MID-OHIO SPORTS CAR COURSE IN LEXINGTON, OHIO ARROW MCLAREN SP TEAM ZOOM CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT J ULY 2, 2021
ARROW MCLAREN SP CHEVROLET TEAM HOSTED A ZOOM CONFERENCE FOR MEDIA WITH DRIVERS FELIX ROSENQVIST, NO. 7 VUSE ARROW MCLAREN SP CHEVROLET, AND PATO O’WARD, NO.5 ARROW MCLAREN SP CHEVROLET AND TEAM PRESIDENT TAYLOR KIEL. FULL TRANSCRIPT:
MODERATOR: FELIX TALK ABOUT GETTING BACK IN THE CAR WITH YOUR TEAM AT MID-OHIO.FELIX ROSENQVIST: I am just really pumped to be back. I feel fine to drive. The whole team is ready to have a good second part of the season and try to get some momentum. Good to be back.”
MODERATOR: PATO HOW IMPORTANT IS IT TO YOU TO HAVE A GOOD RESULT THIS WEEKEND AND SCORE SOME CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS HEADING INTO A LONG BREAK?PATO O’WARD: It is going to be very important I think. We’ve had a good, strong start to the first half of the season. There has been certain weekends where I don’t think we maximized, and we can’t have any of those. We are in the championship fight with Ganassi cars, (Scott) Dixon and (Alex) Palou who have been extremely strong everywhere we go. Like I’ve said to the team, there is a time to push it and it’s now. We need to stay on top of it because every point is going to be gold between now and Long Beach. We just need to try and out score them every weekend.
MODERATOR: TAYLOR, HOW IMPORTANT IS IT TO HAVE A BREAK TO GET THE TEAM RECHARGE AND REFOCUS GOING INTO THE PUSH AT THE END OF THE SEASON?TAYLOR KIEL: It can serve two purposes. The break, if you have a lot of momentum and you are operating well and running well, you just want to keep going. But I think it is certainly good for everyone to have a mental break. What we ask everybody to do every day in motorsport is very stressful, so any time away  I think is good and it gives everybody a chance to recharge the batteries. We are obviously at the mid-point of the season and this is where as Pato mentioned where we really need to take it to another level. We’ll take the break coming up after Mid-Ohio to recharge the batteries and hone in on some of the focus areas so we can finish the year strong.
OPEN FOR QUESTIONS FOR THE MEDIA:FELIX, CAN YOU TALK ABOUT THE STRUGGLES YOU HAD DURING THE WEEK FOLLOWING THE ACCIDENT IN DETROIT?ROSENQVIST: The reason I didn’t get cleared, INDYCAR didn’t clear me is because the concussion test, which doesn’t really mean I had a concussion, there was some indication that something could be wrong and they didn’t want to take the risk which I fully understand. Obviously it was frustrating when you feel fine but it was just whatever they say goes. It’s something you can’t really change. None of this is something I can change. You just have to accept it and look forward. I don’t really feel like I have had massive issues mentally to go through because there is nothing I can change. I think it is like always if you make a big mistake and put yourself in that situation, its different. Things are just the way they are and I try in general to never dwell on things that happen. They can’t change. We’re back now and we just have to continue where we left off because at the time the incident we were really in a good place and on our way to turn around the season a little bit. We will try to get a good result at Mid-Ohio.
PATO, ON THE TV BROADCAST, WE’VE SEEN HOW STOIC AND CALM TAYLOR IS. WHAT IS A SIDE OF HIM WE HAVEN’T SEEN?:O’WARD: He loosens up He loosens up. He is a fun guy to have around. I think what I feel like is really nice. This kind of goes toward the whole team, but specifically with the big guys. I feel like whenever I’m around either Taylor, Sam (Schmidt), Rick (Peterson) and Zak (Brown) they are the bosses but it is like having a best friend. And, you can talk to them like a best friend. I don’t know if you get where I am trying to go with that. It’s just really nice. I’m really happy where I’m at. Taylor is a fun guy, he can sound like he’s very serious all the time. He is very professional. Unlike myself, sometimes I can be very loud and obnoxious. Taylor can control himself a little bit more.
WHAT MAKES MID-OHIO SUCH A SPECIAL TRACK FOR YOU FELIX? YOU’VE ALMOST WON THERE:ROSENQVIST: It’s a good question. We did a track walk yesterday and its just something with this track. I feel I’m always…there is good energy when you are here. It is a beautiful place. There are always a lot of people here and I feel like the fans are the right kind of fans. They are really diehard hard-core fans that come here to Mid-Ohio. They will spend the whole day in the sun. I just think somehow it is a special event. And the track is amazing. When you walk the track, you think you can’t pass here because it is so tight and twisty. But then it always produces some pretty good racing. The race format is pretty good and interesting with strategy. It is just one of those INDYCAR classics that kind of has everything, and personally I’ve had good success here. No better place to come back to. 
PATO, YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE RACE BEING FIVE LAPS LONGER. DOES THAT CHANGE YOUR APPROACH?O’WARD: Not really. I leave all the strategy to my team because I’m not like the most experienced at that. I’m pretty sure five more laps longer will open the windows to a two or three stopper which makes the racing cooler. Not just a straight forward fuel save and that’s what it is going to be. I think its nice. I’m happy the race is five laps longer. I don’t know how many more approaches we can take to it, but I am pretty sure that will open to a three stopper to maximize what you have. 
TAYLOR, HOW GOOD IS IT FOR THE TEAM TO HAVE FELIX BACK THIS WEEKEND AND GOING FORWARD?KIEL: It’s huge. It is something we have talked about. Felix kind of alluded to it. We finally felt like we were turning the corner in Detroit. I think we had a really good car. Felix was comfortable. We were ready, and then it didn’t happen. We need to turn the corner. This is a pretty good place to do it. That is what our focus is now. Securing good results week after week and building on the momentum so we can maximize the second half of the year. I know the potential is there. Felix is driving well. We just need to get the whole package together. Once we do that I have no doubt he will be running up toward the front where he belongs.
FELIX, WERE THEY TREATING YOU LIKE YOU HAD A CONCUSSION? WHAT WERE YOU ALLOWED TO DO, OR NOT DO. WHAT KIND OF THINGS WERE YOU DOING? WERE THEY TREATING YOU LIKE YOU HAD A CONCUSSION WANTING YOU TO DO A CONCUSSION-LIKE RECOVERY?ROSENQVIST: After you have a crash like that obviously, I was more worried on the physical side because I had a lot of pain in my body. But I had nothing broken so it was nothing that would be really an issue to drive with. You just have to deal with the pain. But that was my biggest worry. But then when we found out there were some symptoms of a concussion when I did a test, it’s a normal procedure. You can’t watch too many screens, not do any big exercise for awhile. So I think everyone treated [me] really well and I got a lot of good help from INDYCAR to put me through the best possible rehab for the following weeks. And now I feel 99% recovered and I think it is thanks to all of the professionals that helped me to get to this place so quickly. So its been really good how everyone handled it. I think it is one of those things that you can’t be too careful. You only have one brain, so I don’t mind them caring for me. 
WERE YOU ALLOWED TO TRAIN AS USUAL, OR WHERE YOU WITHHELD FROM THAT TOO?ROSENQVIST: Actually the latest studies show that if you have a concussion or symptoms of one it is better to do light exercise with very low heart rate. Maybe like 30 minutes every day. That is something I did which seemed to really help especially on the physical side. I did some exercise and then I ramped it up. Now I am pretty much doing the same exercise I did before Detroit.
IS IT DISRUPTIVE TO HAVE SUBSTITUTE DRIVERS IN THE CAR?KIEL: It’s not easy. You certainly want Felix in the car every weekend. But the good thing is we were able to lean into certainly Oliver (Askew) in Detroit and the guys were familiar with each other. We were able to get all the difficult things you have to do in that situation done. He did a great job and so very happy with that. Then we had a little bit of time. Thought Kevin (Magnussen) might be a good fit for one of these things. That came together very quickly for the Road America piece. We were able to try a few things, but the total focus was making sure we were maximizing the No. 5 car throughout the process. Certainly we were out to collect points with both entries. But you have to be very focused when something like this happens.
PATO WAS IT DIFFICULT FOR YOU TO NOT HAVE YOUR FULLTIME TEAMMATE DURING THE TWO RACES?O’WARD: I certainly missed Felix. But you kind of have to mentalize yourself as in do your own program. Pay attention to what you need from the car. Honestly  I feel like that is what INDYCAR is. There are teams that have two, three, four cars, and honestly sometimes we drive differently. Everybody drives differently and everybody needs different things from the car to be able to extract the time. Sometimes what our teammates have is useless to us. Sometimes its not useless to us. Sometimes it helps us. Its kind of like 50-50. Is it going to help? Is it not going to help? I kind of just focus on what I need from the car and get what works for me. I know that I drive very different to many other drivers. The way I extract the time from the car is very different. Some people can’t be driving the same thing they are because it’s just not going to be quick enough for them. 
WHAT DID YOU THINK OF PATO SAYING HE WAS GOING TO WIN AND THEN  DEDICATING HIS DETROIT WIN TO YOU?ROSENQVIST: That was pretty awesome. We talked in the morning and Pato said he was going to win this one for you. We kind of joked about it. We were driving back home, my girlfriend was driving and I was watching the race. It was pretty cool when he said that after the race. He is a man of his word!
DID YOU LEARN ANYTHING BEING OUT OF THE CAR WATCHING THE RACES THAT MAYBE YOU CAN APPLY NOW THAT YOU ARE BACK IN THE CAR?ROSENQVIST: I thought it was interesting following the race from the outside. I always try to do the best I can in whatever situation I am in. I thought there were things you can learn just observing. Spending more time observing other drivers as well. During the weekend you don’t really have time to look at much because you are busy with your own stuff. I had a lot of time to analyze everything all around. I thought it was interesting. But we have such a tight stretch with races I don’t really feel like it was a really bad thing to be…it’s always bad when others can be in the car and your not. But it would have been worse if it was a massive…if I was out of the car for two months or something. But just missing two weeks I don’t really think it will affect me in anyway really. I feel fine, and I think I will be at the level I was before I came to Detroit. I think everything will be fine.
WHAT ARE YOUR EMOTIONS GETTING BACK IN THE CAR?ROSENQVIST: It’s like when you get in the car for the first time in the season and you are really excited to see how it feels. I feel a certain level of that I guess. It’s crazy how quickly you become hungry especially when you are not driving, when you are just watching everyone else drive. You just want to get back into it you picture it and you think about it. Hopefully that kind of fire will be a positive thing as well.
PATO, AS YOU MENTIONED YOU ARE OUTNUMBERED BY THE GANASSI TEAM. HOW AGGRESSIVE CAN YOU BE AT MID-OHIO?O’WARD: I think it is pretty straightforward. We just have to score more points than both of them. I don’t think it gets simpler than that.

Heckenast bags back-to-back runner-ups after battle with PierceJOLIET, IL – July 2, 2021 – Like the hot rod flames down the side of his racecar, Bobby Pierce has been on fire this week. The three-time DIRTcar Summer Nationals champion bagged his third consecutive Feature win Friday night at The Dirt Oval at Route 66 in dominating fashion once again, leading all 30 laps to collect the $10,000 check and his fifth Hell Tour Feature win in the first 10 races. Pierce started outside pole and received an early challenge for the lead from Frank Heckenast Jr, who got a big run out of Turn 2 and slipped underneath Pierce going down the backstretch. But Pierce got him back quickly with a crossover move to the inside and led the first lap. Heckenast was not going away easy, though. The two engaged in a side-by-side battle for the lead over the first three laps around the ultra-fast three-eighths mile, but Pierce soon got the upper hand and began to open a small gap. “To beat Frankie [Heckenast] on that start of that race was key,” Pierce said. “When I got by him after the first couple of laps battling with him, from there I just had to hang on.” Heckenast was actually keeping pace with Pierce through the first half of the race. But then, the leader stepped on it. As he approached lapped traffic, Pierce began to widen the gap even more. He quickly began moving through slower cars while Heckenast lost him as the laps clicked off. “It was pretty sketchy there for a little bit. Right before that caution came out, there were some guys I was lapping three times, some were two, some were the first time,” Pierce said. One final opportunity came knocking for Heckenast when the caution flew with four-to-go. Pierce’s near five-second lead had been erased and Heckenast lined-up right on the #32’s rear bumper for the restart. They hit the gas out of Turn 4 and Pierce took off, leaving the #99JR and the rest of the field in his dust as he sailed across the finish line to collect his 32nd career Summer Nationals victory. Heckenast crossed in second, making back-to-back runner-up finishes for the Frankfort, IL-native. Defending tour champion Brian Shirley completed the podium after a solid run from sixth on the starting grid, while Ashton Winger climbed seventh-to-fourth and Tanner English bagged fifth in the Riggs Motorsports #81E entry. UP NEXT The Summer Nationals action continues Saturday night, July 3, at Fayette County Speedway, where the Late Models will battle it out for another $10,000 grand prize in race #11 of the 2021 Hell Tourcampaign. Catch all the action live on DIRTVision presented by Drydene. ABBREVIATED RESULTS (view full results) Feature (30 Laps) 1. 32-Bobby Pierce[1]; 2. 99JR-Frank Heckenast Jr[2]; 3. 3S-Brian Shirley[6]; 4. 12-Ashton Winger[7]; 5. 81E-Tanner English[4]; 6. B5-Brandon Sheppard[5]; 7. 28-Dennis Erb Jr[3]; 8. 25-Jason Feger[10]; 9. 10-Paul Parker[11]; 10. 74-Mitch McGrath[15]; 11. 11-Justin Reed[17]; 12. 50-Kaeden Cornell[13]; 13. 14G-Joe Godsey[14]; 14. 89-Mike Spatola[12]; 15. 76- Titus Sneed[19]; 16. 48-Tim Lance[16]; 17. 38-Thomas Hunziker[20]; 18. 20-Dustin Vandermeir[21]; 19. 248-Brandon Lance[22]; 20. 148-Tim Lance Jr[23]; 21. 18-Shannon Babb[8]; 22. 57-Jon Henry[9]; 23. 14R-Jeff Roth[18]; 24. 18M-Jimmy Miller[24] EIGHT-TRACK: Hoffman Dominates Route 66 for Eighth-Straight Victory He just keeps winning. And winning. And winning some more. Nick Hoffman is now up to eight DIRTcar Summit Racing Equipment Modified Nationals Feature wins in-a-row. The latest edition came in another dominant performance at The Dirt Oval at Route 66, where Hoffman stayed perfect by setting quick time in Qualifying, winning his Heat Race and leading all 20 laps en route to his 46th career Feature win with the tour. “Our racecar’s really good. I can’t wait to read Facebook tonight about how much cherry-picking and all that,” Hoffman said in Victory Lane with a chuckle. While he was up against only six opponents, the race got interesting when fellow Elite Chassis driver Hunt Gossum appeared to be reeling in Hoffman in the final half of the race. But with just five laps remaining, the teenage Modified hot shoe went up in smoke and pulled to the infield, giving up second to another Elite pilot, Kyle Hammer. Hammer crossed in second, and while Gossum was forced to watch the rest from the infield, Hoffman knew both of the cars he built ran great, regardless of their finish. “Hunt’s a really good racecar driver, he’s young, and running one of my cars,” he said. “Even Kyle Hammer in one of my cars. He’s really good, especially at these bigger racetracks.” Hoffman’s eight consecutive victories will now be put into the Summit Modified record books as the longest win streak in its 11-year history. But that’s where the streak will end, for now. The three-time and defending champion will head next eastward to Indiana to compete in a DIRTcar UMP Modified special at Lawrenceburg Speedway, which means a new face will appear in Victory Lane when the tour heads to Fayette County Speedway Saturday night. UP NEXT The Summit Modified action continues Saturday night, July 3, at Fayette County Speedway with a $3,000-to-win special, co-sanctioned with the American Modified Series. Catch all the action live on DIRTVision presented by Drydene. ABBREVIATED RESULTS (view full results) Feature (20 Laps) 1. 2-Nick Hoffman[1]; 2. 45-Kyle Hammer[4]; 3. 1W-Bob Pohlman[3]; 4. 0-Travis Kohler[5]; 5. 9-Charles Baker[6]; 6. J1-Roger Jackson[7]; 7. 99-Hunt Gossum[2]

DIRTcar Summer Nationals is brought to fans by many important sponsors and partners, including: Arizona Sport Shirts/Gotta Race, Chevy Performance, DIRTVision (Official Live Broadcast Partner), FireAde, Hoosier Racing Tire (Official Tire), Indiana Decal Company, Intercomp, iRacing, Racing Electronics, SIS Insurance (Official Insurance Provider), Summit Racing Equipment, and VP Racing Fuels (Official Racing Fuel). Contingency sponsors include: ARP (Automotive Racing Products), Beyea Custom Headers, COMP Cams, Drydene, Fox Factory, Hoosier Racing Tire, MSD, Quarter Master, Summit Racing Equipment, VP Racing Fuels, and Wrisco (Exclusive Racing Aluminum).Summit Modified Nationals is brought to fans by many important sponsors and partners, including : Summit Racing Equipment, Arizona Sport Shirts/Gotta Race, Chevy Performance, DIRTVision (Official Live Broadcast Partner), FireAde, Hoosier Racing Tire (Official Tire), Indiana Decal Company, Intercomp, iRacing, Racing Electronics, SIS Insurance (Official Insurance Provider), and VP Racing Fuels (Official Racing Fuel). Contingency sponsors include: ARP (Automotive Racing Products), Bassett Racing Wheel, Bell Helmets, Beyea Custom Headers, COMP Cams, Drydene, Fast Shafts, Fox Factory, Hoosier Racing Tire, Jerovetz Motorsports Shock Service, K1 Race Gear, KSE Racing Products, MSD, Mulit FireX, Schoenfeld Headers, Summit Racing Equipment, Velocita USA, VP Racing Fuels, Wrisco (Exclusive Racing Aluminum), and Xceldyne.

Carson Macedo Led 33 of 35 Laps Before Green-White-Checkered FinishNEW RICHMOND, WI – July 2, 2021 – Lately, there seems to be three certainties in life: death, taxes, and Brad Sweet winning at Cedar Lake Speedway.The two-time and defending World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series champion snagged his fourth consecutive victory at the New Richmond, WI track on Friday night, doing so in spectacular fashion on the final lap.Pouncing on the green-white-checkered restart, The Big Cat played Carson Macedo like a fiddle and slid by his fellow Californian to steal the win from the Jason Johnson Racing #41, which commanded the first 33 of 35 laps.It’s his 69th career victory and the 11th of his dominant 2021 season, which extends his advantage in the point standings with a third-straight championship on the line for the Kasey Kahne Racing, NAPA Auto Parts #49.”I thought we had a pretty equal car to be honest,” Sweet said of Macedo. “He did a great job in lap traffic and had us covered there. I knew there was a little moisture down low, so I was surprised to see he stayed up high on the restart. It was just a timing thing, I had to let him be ahead at the cone, but got as close as I could. I think he knew he spun the tires and went into protect mode, but I went into attack mode and it worked out.”After racing through the first 33 laps, Macedo had survived several challenges from Sweet on restarts and throughout multiple stages of lap traffic to prove his might as race leader. The pole sitter was poised for a flag-to-flag score until top-five running Logan Schuchart and David Gravel both suffered flat tires to bring out the caution.On the ensuing restart with two-to-go, school was in session.Macedo swung high, but Sweet stuck it low. The rules say you can’t pass before the cone at the start-finish line, and Sweet played by them, but he surely timed it perfect and got as close as possible to the back of the #41.Shooting to the high side of turns one and two, Sweet built his momentum and charged his #49 down the backstretch with a full head of steam. Into turn three, he launched a slider and tip-toed to the cushion as he cleared Macedo out of turn four and saw the white flag waving.The Grass Valley, CA native handled his business on the 35th and final circuit, cruising away from Macedo and crossing the checkered flag with a 0.895-second margin of victory.His 11th victory of the season combined with Gravel’s misfortune means his points advantage has ballooned to 84 points over the Big Game Motorsports #2 as we hit the halfway point of the 80+ race season.It’s Sweet’s fourth consecutive win at Cedar Lake, and his fifth win over the last seven races. He’s now tied with Donny Schatz (5 wins) for second on the wins list through 46 World of Outlaws appearances at the Wisconsin 3/8-mile.”Cedar Lake is always special to us,” Sweet spoke on his successes. “We love this race track and all of the fan sup here. We’ve got a good setup and this place just fits my driving style. There’s always multiple lanes to race on and that plays into my hand. Hopefully we can keep the streak alive tomorrow night.”After controlling 94% (33/35 laps) of Friday’s Feature, Carson Macedo was forced to settle for a second-place finish. That makes it five runner-up results for the Jason Johnson Racing #41, which resides third in the championship standings.”I feel bad for my team,” Macedo admitted. “I think we had the car to win. I feel like I was making good decisions up until that point. I just spun my tires on that restart and it killed us. I saw Brad peeled off and I tried to block, but he threw the slider and cleared me. It sucks, but we’ll come back and try to get that win tomorrow.”Concluding the podium was Aaron Reutzel, who quickly found success in his first-ever visit to Cedar Lake Speedway. A third-place finish is the eighth podium of the season for Roth Motorsports and their Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year contender.”We unloaded and we were decent from the beginning.” Reutzel offered. “The curb went to the fence and that’s where I’m good. We made the right adjustments, but I wish I would’ve gotten to my wing quicker. I probably wasted 10 laps or os before we got right there with them.”Sheldon Haudenschild moved forward to finish fourth aboard the NOS Energy Drink, Stenhouse Jr. Marshall Racing #17.Finishing fifth for the first time in nearly four years was Double Down Jason Sides in the King Racing Products, Wetherington Tractor Service #7S. It’s his 170th career top-five finish, however, it’s his first since July 8, 2017 at Cedar Lake. His popular run ends a streak of more than 200+ races since “J” last recorded a result that good.Closing out the top-ten on Friday night was Parker Price-Miller in Guy Forbrook’s #5, Donny Schatz in the Tony Stewart/Curb-Agajanian Racing #15, James McFadden in the Kasey Kahne Racing #9, Giovanni Scelzi in the KCP Racing #18, and Brock Zearfoss with 19th-to-1oth run worthy of the KSE Racing Hard Charger Award.UP NEXT: The Independence Day Spectacular at Cedar Lake Speedway concludes tomorrow on Saturday, July 3. After that, the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series will remain in Wisconsin for a date at Wilmot Raceway next Saturday, July 10.NOS Energy Drink Feature (35 Laps): 1. 49-Brad Sweet [2][$10,000]; 2. 41-Carson Macedo [1][$5,500]; 3. 83-Aaron Reutzel [4][$3,200]; 4. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild [7][$2,600]; 5. 7S-Jason Sides [12][$2,350]; 6. 5-Parker Price-Miller [9][$2,150]; 7. 15-Donny Schatz [6][$2,100]; 8. 9-James McFadden [13][$1,950]; 9. 18-Giovanni Scelzi [8][$1,900]; 10. 3Z-Brock Zearfoss [19][$1,850]; 11. 11K-Kraig Kinser [16][$1,400]; 12. 2-David Gravel [3][$1,200]; 13. 1S-Logan Schuchart [5][$1,000]; 14. 1A-Jacob Allen [10][$950]; 15. 11-Spencer Bayston [14][$900]; 16. 2C-Wayne Johnson [15][$900]; 17. 14R-Sean Rayhall [21][$900]; 18. 22-Riley Goodno [17][$900]; 19. 97-Alan Gilbertson [22][$900]; 20. 49J-Josh Schneiderman [11][$900]; 21. 19-Paige Polyak [23][$900]; 22. 14-Marcus Dumesny [20][$900]; 23. 73-Scotty Thiel [18][$900]; 24. 23-Russel Borland [24][$900]. Lap Leaders: Carson Macedo 1-33, Brad Sweet 34-35. KSE Hard Charger Award: 3Z-Brock Zearfoss[+9]NEW Championship Standings (39/81 Races): 1. Brad Sweet (5,472); 2. David Gravel (-84); 3. Carson Macedo (-124); 4. Sheldon Haudenschild (-180); 5. Logan Schuchart (-216); 6. Donny Schatz (-216); 7. Aaron Reutzel (-320); 8. James McFadden (-626); 9. Kraig Kinser (-652); 10. Brock Zearfoss (-920).Photo – Trent Gower

The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink® Sprint Car Series is brought to fans across the country by many important sponsors and partners, including: DIRTVision (Official Live Broadcast Partner), Drydene (Official Motor Oil), Hoosier Racing Tire (Official Tire), iRacing (Official Online Racing Game), Morton Buildings (Official Building), NOS Energy (Official Energy Product), SIS Insurance (Official Insurance Provider) and VP Racing Fuels (Official Racing Fuel); contingency sponsors include ARP (Automotive Racing Products), Cometic Gasket, COMP Cams, KSE Racing Products (Hard Charger Award), MSD and Slick Woody’s (Quick Time Award); manufacturer sponsors include FireAde, Intercomp, K1 Race Gear, and Racing Electronics.Founded in 1978, the World of Outlaws®, based in Concord, NC, is the premier national touring series for dirt track racing in North America, featuring the most powerful cars on dirt, the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series and the World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Model Series. Annually, the two series race nearly 140 times at tracks across the United States and Canada. CBS Sports Network is the official broadcast partner of the World of Outlaws. DIRTVision® also broadcasts all World of Outlaws events over the Internet to fans around the world. Learn more about the World of Outlaws.

Portsmouth, OH (July 2, 2021) – Jonathan Davenport continued his Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series winning streak on Friday Night in the Independence 50 at Portsmouth Raceway Park. With 36 laps in the books, Kyle Bronson moved past Tim McCreadie to hold on to the second position for the remainder of the race. McCreadie led the first eight laps, but came home in third followed by a first-time visitor to Portsmouth Raceway Park, Spencer Hughes. Tyler Erb rounded out the top five. The current series Championship point leader, McCreadie, was looking to complete a perfect night with his first-ever win at Portsmouth. McCreadie led until Davenport, who started fourth, charged around him on the ninth lap to take over the lead. Davenport won over Bronson by 2.5 seconds to record his third Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series win at Portsmouth Raceway Park. “This old car has been really good this year, we have beat it to death. With these racetracks coming up on the schedule they each have a character of their own so that is why we saved the new one we had been running. This car ran as good as the new one.” “This place wasn’t too bad from my view. I had my doubts when we first got here. But from where I was, it was perfect. I got up beside McCreadie there and I knew I had to get by him. He is such a smart racer that he would move down in that line, and it was going to be hard to get by him. I hope I left him enough room over there when I got by him.” Bronson kept himself in the hunt for his first win of the season. “We were off a little tonight but to run second, we’ll take it. Our car has been really good the last couple of months. We are finally getting a good balance on it. Davenport and them Longhorn guys have been really good the last few months. We are close, we just have to do a little more and hopefully we can be outrunning them here soon.” McCreadie will maintain the series point lead heading to Muskingum County Speedway on Saturday Night. “It’s consistent, it’s just not where we want to be. We just will try to work harder. Hats off to JD and Kyle and everybody that was out there. Hats off to the track.” The winner’s Lance Landers Double L Motorsports Longhorn Chassis is powered by a Cornett Racing Engine and sponsored by Nutrien Ag Solutions, ASC Warranty, Spartan Mowers. Fatheadz Eyewear, Lucas Oil Products, Bilstein Shocks, VP Fuels, and Midwest Sheet Metal. Completing the top ten were Josh Richards, Jimmy Owens, Devin Moran, Jared Hawkins, and Ricky Thornton Jr. Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Race Summary Independence 50Friday, July 2nd, 2021Portsmouth Raceway Park – Portsmouth, OH Allstar Performance Time TrialsFast Time Group A: Jonathan Davenport / 15.026 seconds Fast Time Group B: Tim McCreadie / 14.867 seconds (overall) Penske Race Shocks Heat Race #1 Finish (8 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 39-Tim McCreadie[1]; 2. 49-Jonathan Davenport[2]; 3. 66C-Matt Cosner[3]; 4. 20RT-Ricky Thornton Jr[7]; 5. 14-Josh Richards[8]; 6. 37-Jacob Hawkins[6]; 7. 71C-RJ Conley[5]; 8. 21K-Kirk Phillips[4]; 9. 33K-Kevin Wagner[9] Summit Racing Equipment Heat Race #2 Finish (8 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 40B-Kyle Bronson[1]; 2. 20-Jimmy Owens[2]; 3. 81F-Brandon Fouts[5]; 4. 10-Nathon Loney[7]; 5. 1-Earl Pearson Jr[8]; 6. 4G-Kody Evans[6]; 7. 71-Hudson O’Neal[3]; 8. 17T-Shannon Thornsberry[4] Simpson Race Products Heat Race #3 Finish (8 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 9-Devin Moran[2]; 2. 11H-Spencer Hughes[1]; 3. 1T-Tyler Erb[5]; 4. 157-Mike Marlar[4]; 5. 21H-Robby Hensley[7]; 6. 25-Shane Clanton[3]; 7. 11J-Jared Hawkins[6]; 8. 71R-Rod Conley[8]

Lucas Oil Feature Finish (50 Laps):

Race StatisticsEntrants: 25Lap Leaders: Tim McCreadie (Laps 1 – 8), Jonathan Davenport (9 – 50)Wrisco Feature Winner: Jonathan DavenportArizona Sport Shirts CJC – Presented by DirtOnDirt Feature Winner: n/aBrandon Ford TV Challenge Feature Winner: n/aMargin of Victory: 2.513 secondsStop Tech Brakes Cautions: Brandon Fouts (Lap 3); Shannon Thornsberry (Lap 12); Robby Hensley (Lap 13); Shane Clanton (Lap 29); Earl Pearson Jr (Lap 29); Mike Marlar (Lap 32)Series Provisionals: n/aFast Time Provisional: n/aSeries Emergency Provisionals: n/aTrack Provisionals: n/aBig River Steel Podium Top 3: Jonathan Davenport, Kyle Bronson, Tim McCreadiePenske Shocks Top 5: Jonathan Davenport, Kyle Bronson, Tim McCreadie, Spencer Hughes, Tyler ErbOptima Batteries Hard Charger of the Race: Jared Hawkins (Advanced 12 Positions)Midwest Sheet Metal Spoiler Challenge Point Leader: Tim McCreadieHot Rod Processing Most Laps Led: Jonathan Davenport (42 Laps)Sunoco Race for Gas Highest Finisher: Tyler ErbEibach Springs Rookie of the Race: Ricky Thornton JrDirty Girl Racewear Fastest Lap of the Race: Jonathan Davenport (Lap 6 – 15.279 seconds)Fast Shafts Tough Break of the Race: Mike MarlarOuterwears Crew Chief of the Race: Jason Durham (Jonathan Davenport)ARP Engine Builder of the Race: Cornett Racing EnginesMiller Welders Chassis Builder of the Race: Longhorn ChassisDirt Draft Fastest in Hot Laps: Kyle Bronson (14.891 seconds)Time of Race: 32 minutes 20 seconds

Garcia, Taylor Take Glen SweepNo. 3 Corvette takes GTLM victory over teammates Milner, Tandy in No. 4 C8.R

WATKINS GLEN, NY (June 27, 2021) – Antonio Garcia and Jordan Taylor won for Corvette Racing in the IMSA WeatherTech 240 on Friday, their second GT Le Mans (GTLM) victory in the No. 3 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R at Watkins Glen International in five days. Garcia got the jump on Corvette Racing teammate Tommy Milner – sharing the No. 4 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Corvette with Nick Tandy– on a traffic-filled restart with 28 minutes remaining in a storm-interrupted race.  Taylor led from pole position before Tandy moved ahead in the No. 4 Corvette about 15 minutes into the race. The gap between the teammates constantly ebbed and flowed with traffic – from slower GTD and LMP3 cars and the quicker DPi and LMP2 runners. Taylor was the first Corvette driver to hit pitlane at 51 minutes running. He came in from second place in class and handed over to Garcia, who left with a full tank of fuel and fresh Michelin tires. Tandy carried on for another two laps before stopping just before the pits closed for the race’s full-course caution period. Milner got in the 4 Corvette and returned to the lead behind the safety car. Heavy rain started to pelt parts of the circuit with the field under yellow. Two laps later, race officials halted the race due to a lightning strike in the immediate area of Watkins Glen. The field began rolling again with 50 minutes to go behind the safety car. Another full-course caution period with 36 minutes left forced another reset before the race went green the rest of the way. The next event for Corvette Racing is the Northeast Grand Prix from Lime Rock Park on July 16-17. The race will air at 5:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, July 17 with live streaming coverage on TrackPass and NBC Sports Gold at 3:05 p.m. ET. Live audio coverage from IMSA Radio will be available on IMSA.com, Sirius 216, XM 202 and SiriusXM Online 992.

ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – GTLM RACE-WINNER: “We can’t complain, for sure. The main thing is the C8.R is really, really strong and kind of easy to drive in those conditions. Somehow that red flag was kind of a relief. It was going to be a nightmare out there between Turn Six and Turn Eight. Luckily there was a red flag, which made things still interesting because we had to stay on slicks. I knew that was the main thing but I had to take chances there. I knew it was wet, but I had to be a little more aggressive than Tommy. He got caught out in the last corner with some of the P cars, so I had to take advantage. The grip was very, very good. I opened the gap and then just maintained because you never know… there might have been another yellow and I had to have good tires for the end. I’m very happy with the No. 3 C8.R, but obviously Team Chevy and Corvette Racing are doing a great job. I’m looking forward to the next race and especially Le Mans which is coming soon.”It was very challenging for sure. We pitted just before the red flag, and so did the 4 car. That would have been a key part of the race without the red because it would have been interesting to know how Tommy would have dealt with the damp track on cold tires. Those one or two laps of green before the red let me switch on the tires a little bit, at least. Even if we had to wait for a half-hour, somehow I heated up the tires pretty quickly before the start. Tommy was the one who had to take the risks. The first restart after yellow, I knew I could switch on the tire a little bit better than him. So on the second one I was all-out and he got caught up on the last corner with some P cars. I just took advantage. After that, you had to close your eyes. From the Carousel onward, you had to believe the grip would be there. I knew the first two laps would be the main thing in the race. I could pull out those two seconds and kept the gap from that point. From that point, Tommy was the one who had to take the risks to close in. I didn’t want to push so hard because you never know if you’ll go yellow again and I’d need good tires. It was a good battle with our teammates, which is difficult because they have the same car and same tools as you. I’m very happy for Corvette to go 1-2. We’re looking forward to the next few races, and Le Mans is coming closer. We’re looking forward to that too.”THE PASS FOR THE LEAD.“It was green for us but I made the pass basically coming out of the last corner. We weren’t side-by-side into Turn One. I knew after the Bus Stop that it would be a little wet so I took a little more risk than Tommy did to open the gap and hold it. I was lucky that I could keep the car on the track. It can go either way. You can pull out a second or put it in the wall. I was glad for the first option.”WERE THERE OTHER DIFFICULT MOMENTS AFTER THAT?“Oh yeah, but there were for Tommy as well. We were both flat out. The car was really good in those conditions. We realized that all last year with all the wet races we had. The C8.R looks very strong in all conditions.”

JORDAN TAYLOR, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – GTLM RACE-WINNER: “I was struggling with tire temp in the beginning. But once I got in a rhythm, the car kind of came to life for the second half of my stint. Once we handed it over to Antonio, the weather hit and we had a red flag. We were happy to see it go green again. Obviously we had a great spot on TV today to get some great racing in. Antonio made a great restart and was able to get by the No. 4 car and then kind of maintain it from there. So another great day for Corvette Racing going one-two and another great day for us in the No. 3 car.”It was a good race all the way through. We had a good battle with the 4 car all day. I ran second most of my stint and then the way the pit cycle worked, it was going to be interesting to see how it fell through with fuel strategy and tire warm-up. Once it went red, we knew we had some practice time and qualifying in intermittent conditions, so we had some good confidence in what the car would be like once it went back green. Antonio got by the 4 car on the restart and maintained that gap through the end. It’s another great day for Corvette Racing with a 1-2 finish and for us in the 3 Corvette to go back-to-back with the Six Hours last weekend.”HOW MUCH FUN IS IT RACING AGAINST YOUR TEAMMATES?“I’d say it’s fun, but it’s stressful at the same time. There are no team orders of who will win the race. They let us race on track, but obviously any contact will be frowned upon. We had a head-to-head battle at Daytona and the last couple of weekends has been head-to-head. The guys in the 4 car are professionals and two of the best in GT racing. Like Antonio said, it’s great to have that rivalry but it’s difficult when you’ve got such great drivers in both cars. You’re competing against the best in the same equipment. We’ve come out on top the last two races but just as easily those guys could have won as well.”

TOMMY MILNER, NO. 4 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – FINISHED SECOND IN GTLM: “Obviously the long red flag really reset the race. I’m really frustrated. I had some traffic coming to the green, some cars pitting coming to the green and that held me up massively. That was basically the race there. Antonio got by me by start-finish because I had such a bad run out of the last corner. It caught me off-guard. I left a gap just to account to any speed differential but I didn’t expect (the car ahead) to hit the brakes in the middle of the corner. There was traffic up the hill, and Antonio probably had two or 2.5 seconds on me. I think we ended up 2.5 seconds behind. It’s frustrating… we’re doing everything right with the things we can control with the strategy. Nick did an awesome job at the start to get us out front. It’s just not going our way right now. It’s tough. But I’m proud of the guys. I know they’re bummed. We’ve been fast and done everything right that we can control. We haven’t had the luck. On to the next one.”

NICK TANDY, NO. 4 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – FINISHED FOURTH IN GTLM: “It’s bitterly disappointing. We put ourselves in position as a team to have what looked like a pretty comfortable 1-2. Up to the point, the way the guys managed the race – the pit stops, how the engineers set the car up for the race – had us absolutely flying. A few laps before the last yellow, I felt something strange on the car and we’ll have to investigate what happened. We’re disappointed, but there are a lot of positives to go into next week with.”

Honda Performance Development Media Availability
Honda Indy 200, Presented by the HPD Ridgeline
Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course
Friday, July 2, 2021

Featured Guest: Dave Salters, President, Honda Performance Development
Media Conference

CHUCK SCHIFSKY: I am Chuck Schifsky, manager of motorsports for American Honda. I’m joined today by David Salters, the president of HPD, Honda Performance Development. Thanks for joining us today here at Mid-Ohio.
I wanted to gather this group together and have David give us some background on how the season is going. To do that I’m going to start off with a question that I think is kind of important:
Of the nine races we’ve had so far this season, Honda has won six of them. David, give us a little background. Is this something that’s just happened or is this something that has been brewing for a while, a little background on how the season is going in INDYCAR from your view.

DAVID SALTERS: So it’s going reasonably well. It’s motorsport, so you have to be very careful and not become complacent. There’s various reasons it’s going well. There’s a team of people – engineers at HPD – who work really hard, and they’re very smart and they work hard. That’s how you get success in this business.
There are our teams, that are working hard. It’s sort of four or five years of building an engineering team, process, models, simulation and validation. You get luckier. The more you understand, the luckier you get. It’s just building it over the last few years really.
We’re seeing some success now. It can always turn around quickly. But it’s through the efforts of our team at HPD who have been working hard for years and years and trying to get smarter for years and years.

CHUCK SCHIFSKY: Thanks, David. Obviously here today we’re running the INDYCAR SERIES. David also oversees our IMSA efforts. We have a race that’s running this weekend, second of two races at Watkins Glen. I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that, that there are two HPD-engineered efforts for Acura, Wayne Taylor Racing and Mike Shank Racing.
David, talk a little bit about what’s happened so far this year in IMSA and how things are going with the DPi cars especially.

DAVID SALTERS: It’s going reasonably well. Acura, we historically won our first Daytona 24 Hour outright. That’s a marquee event and a milestone achievement. That’s going well.
Guys are working hard. The teams we work with are brilliant, Mike [Shank] and Wayne [Taylor, team owners of Meyer Shank Racing and Wayne Taylor Racing]. We won Mid-Ohio here, it was a nail-biter, a bit too close at the end, so that’s pretty good. We’re leading various championships and stuff.
The other bit to remember is we have fantastic support from inside American Honda with Honda and Acura. The guys in charge there are racers, so we get good support. We go racing. We’re encouraged.
Honda is very authentic with the fact that we’re there to build engineers. It’s people and technology. We don’t just pay people to do our motorsport. There’s more than a hundred people [at HPD’s main facility] in Santa Clarita. They go out, think about how to engineer the cars, then we make stuff, all the things Honda is good at to be honest with you. IMSA is going well. Well poised. So far so good.

CHUCK SCHIFSKY: Can you comment for us today on how the engine development for the new INDYCAR engine is going. I know guys are working hard on that. All of that is still in secret. But what can you tell us about how that’s going?

DAVID SALTERS: That’s secret (laughter). What new engine?
No, we’re working hard. The interesting thing is it’s like a renaissance in American motorsports. The INDYCAR stuff is very buoyant. We have 15 cars here this weekend, which is the most outside an Indy 500 field, the most there’s been for years. We’re supporting that, which takes a lot of supporting. But we’re trying to do that.
Plus we’re trying to work on the new power train. It’s going okay. It’s never where you want it to be. We have very high standards for ourselves internally, but it’s going pretty well.
Then there’s DPi. That’s going okay. Then there’s [the new prototype category] LMDh. We’ve got enough to keep us busy for a little while I think, but it’s going okay.

CHUCK SCHIFSKY: Thanks, David. We’ll open it up to questions.

Q. The fact that a Honda guy and Acura guy, an Ohio guy [Michael Shank, co-owner of Meyer Shank Racing], won the Indy 500, there had to be a lot special about that one. How important and how special was Helio’s win at the 500 especially for Honda and Acura and Mike Shank?

DAVID SALTERS: It was a fairytale, wasn’t it? Literally a fairytale. There was a moment. You get these sporting moments, and people are going to remember that, especially at the end of the pandemic. Everyone has had a pretty horrible time. Just to be there and see it I think was astonishing.
Yeah, Helio [Castroneves, Indy 500 race winner], he raced two races this year. He raced Daytona and he raced Indy. He won them both. His success rate this year is pretty good. We were joking with him (smiling).
We all like human stories. Honda tries to do its racing in a human way. So the human bit was just lovely. Helio is Helio. You could not find a person with more energy. I mean, he went for a run afterwards, you saw. It was fairytale stuff, I think. So lovely.

Q. Chuck, new TV package is being negotiated. If you start the races earlier, the ratings are higher. Honda invests in the TV package for advertising. Where do you see that whole thing going?

Chuck Schifsky: Yeah, you’re right, TV is a really important piece of the puzzle for Honda. On the consumer side, we spend a great deal of money to come out and go INDYCAR racing. One of the reasons we do that is to speak to our customers about durability, the rugged nature of the Honda vehicles and performance and excitement.
So, yeah, a good TV package is important. I think, like everybody here, we’re kind of waiting with baited breath to see where that goes. We’re pretty happy with what NBC has been doing. I think we need to wait and see how that shakes out over the next few weeks I’m hearing.

Q. Back to the new engine. What is the timeline on that? Clearly on the dyno now. When does it lead to on-track testing, getting it out to more teams?

DAVID SALTERS: Some of that is INDYCAR’s news to make. In the first quarter of next year there’s meant to be track testing and stuff. We’ll see how that goes.
That’s INDYCAR’s news to make, to be honest. The precise timing of that… INDYCAR is doing a great job spearheading that. I think first quarter we should be trying to get on the track and stuff.

Q. (Question about multiple teams testing the engine.)
DAVID SALTERS: That’s a good question.
The truth of the matter is all this [new INDYCAR hybrid engine] stuff is new. The most important thing is getting it to work properly to start with. It’s not like you’re looking for the fine points of ultimate drivability, that sort of stuff.
The key bit is getting track miles. If I’m thinking from an engineering point of view and stuff, the key bit is getting track miles.
Like all projects, you want to manage the risk, put the risk at the start. Let’s see if they haven’t thought of something. Just get out there and get miles on it.
If it’s with one team or multiple teams, one driver, multiple drivers, at the start because it’s all new, personally the main thing is checking it functions properly. I have yet to see anybody who gets everything perfect. It doesn’t exist. So you’re going to find some problems. Let’s flush the problems out. I think that’s the main thing. Let’s get working, so… That’s the first bit.
It’s complex. You won’t have thought of everything, so let’s get on track as soon as we can and flush the problems out. The other bit probably comes later when you’re trying to find the fine differences, to be honest.

Q. You mentioned the human part earlier. You’re sporting 15 cars this weekend. How important is it to have the right support engineers with the right teams?

DAVID SALTERS: It is important. We try and help the teams as much as we can. We have a certain amount of flexibility. Then how they liaise with the engineers is important. We got to keep it consistent. You build a relationship. So we try and build on that.
It is human. Honda’s quite human. We do this to grow the engineers. I’m an engineer. We do it to grow the engineers. We’re trying to help the team. We’re trying to help our own people learn, so we give them different challenges.
We’re trying to have some consistency so that we just make sure that they’re always getting the best that they can. We’re trying to balance those things. It’s important. Consistency is important. You have to learn to work together. Different teams work with different engineers in different ways. We try to cater for that, I think.

The Greatest Show on Dirt Visits New York on July 30-31Ransomville and Weedsport Prepare for Only Outlaw Appearances of 2021RANSOMVILLE, NY – July 2, 2021 – After three years away, the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series is finally returning to New York.The Empire State will host The Greatest Show on Dirt for back-to-back nights to cap off the busiest month of the season, sandwiched right in the middle of the mega “Month of Money.”On the docket for the 900+ horsepower beasts in the northeast is The Big “R” Outlaw Shootout atRansomville Speedway on Friday, July 30, followed one-night later by the Empire State Challenge at Weedsport Speedway on Saturday, July 31.The long-awaited return to New York state ends a more than 1,000+ day absence since the last appearance at Fulton Speedway on October 6, 2018. Mother Nature stole shows in 2019 and the COVID-19 pandemic kept the Series locked out last year. This year, its full steam ahead.RANSOMVILLE TICKETS (7/30) WEEDSPORT TICKETS (7/31)Although both tracks are relatively young in the grand scheme of World of Outlaws events – Ransomville has hosted five races, Weedsport has hosted nine shows – more than half of the current crop of full-time drivers are familiar with the facilities. In 2018, eight full-timers were in action when the Series last rolled through town.Of all those still-active drivers, only David Gravel of Watertown, CT and Donny Schatz of Fargo, ND have won at either Ransomville or Weedsport in World of Outlaws action.Gravel is the most recent winner at Ransomville, topping the Big “R” in July of 2018. He’s got four top-fives through five combined appearances at both tracks, including a podium run at Weedsport in 2016.Although Weedsport is four hours away, it’s still the closest track on the World of Outlaws schedule to Gravel’s hometown of Watertown, Connecticut.”I love it anytime we can get back up around the northeast,” Gravel said. “That’s where I grew up and I’ve got a ton of great supporters from the region. I’ve always done pretty well up in New York, I’ve already got the one win at Ransomville, I’d really like to add another at Weedsport.”Two other models of consistency in New York are the only two active Series champions – Donny Schatz and Brad Sweet.Each own four top-five finishes in five trips to Ransomville and Weedsport, however, Schatz is the only of the two to win.The driver of the Tony Stewart/Curb-Agajanian Racing, Ford Performance #15 topped the 2016 show at Weedsport and all told has an average finish of 3.0 in the Empire State.For Sweet, the Kasey Kahne Racing, NAPA Auto Parts #49 ran runner-up in both trips to Ransomville and collected a pair of top-fives at Weedsport. The Grass Valley, CA native is anxious to finally snag that first win in New York.Sandwiched in the midst of the “Month of Money,” the New York doubleheader comes at a crucial time with momentum and confidence meaning everything.The dates follow events such as the TWO $175,000-to-win Kings Royals at Eldora Speedway (July 14-17), the $25,000-to-win Silver Cup at Lernerville Speedway (July 20), and the $20,000-to-win Summer Nationals at Williams Grove Speedway (July 23-24).It also precedes a pair of huge happenings with the $20,000-to-win Ironman 55 at I-55 Raceway (August 6-7) and the potentially $200,000-to-win Knoxville Nationals at Knoxville Raceway (August 11-14) following that.With another 11 events remaining until the Series swings through New York, the current championship outlook remains relatively similar to how its look all throughout spring.Brad Sweet, chasing his third-consecutive World of Outlaws title, has led the points since March. He’s already won 10 NOS Energy Drink Features this season and has a knack for taking his game to the next level through the July and August months.Giving chase to Sweet is David Gravel (-60), Carson Macedo (-120), Sheldon Haudenschild (-172), and Donny Schatz (-190).Fans unable to make it to the track can watch all of the action live on DIRTVision with the annual Platinum FAST PASS subscription for $299/year or the monthly FAST PASS subscription for $39/month.RANSOMVILLE SPEEDWAY WINNERS: 2018 – David Gravel on July 27 2017 – Tim Shaffer on Oct. 16 1997 – Andy Hillenburg on July 28 1995 – Stevie Smith on June 8 1994 – Dave Blaney on Aug. 9WEEDSPORT SPEEDWAY WINNERS: 2018 – Brent Marks on July 29 2016 – Donny Schatz on May 22 2015 – Donny Schatz on May 17 1993 – Dave Blaney on Aug. 10 1987 – Steve Kinser on June 2 1986 – Steve Kinser on June 3 1985 – Doug Wolfgang on June 5 1981 – Steve Kinser on June 10 1980 – Lynn Paxton on July 20Photo – Trent Gower

The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink® Sprint Car Series is brought to fans across the country by many important sponsors and partners, including: DIRTVision (Official Live Broadcast Partner), Drydene (Official Motor Oil), Hoosier Racing Tire (Official Tire), iRacing (Official Online Racing Game), Morton Buildings (Official Building), NOS Energy (Official Energy Product), SIS Insurance (Official Insurance Provider) and VP Racing Fuels (Official Racing Fuel); contingency sponsors include ARP (Automotive Racing Products), Cometic Gasket, COMP Cams, KSE Racing Products (Hard Charger Award), MSD and Slick Woody’s (Quick Time Award); manufacturer sponsors include FireAde, Intercomp, K1 Race Gear, and Racing Electronics.Founded in 1978, the World of Outlaws®, based in Concord, NC, is the premier national touring series for dirt track racing in North America, featuring the most powerful cars on dirt, the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series and the World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Model Series. Annually, the two series race nearly 140 times at tracks across the United States and Canada. CBS Sports Network is the official broadcast partner of the World of Outlaws. DIRTVision® also broadcasts all World of Outlaws events over the Internet to fans around the world. Learn more about the World of Outlaws.

Richard Childress Racing at Road America… While Richard Childress Racing will make their inaugural NASCAR Cup Series start at Road America this Sunday, the Welcome, N.C. organization has a successful history at the Wisconsin road course. In 30 NASCAR Xfinity Series starts at Elkhart Lake, RCR scored three consecutive victories with drivers Brendan Gaughan (2014), Paul Menard (2015), and Michael McDowell (2016) and posted 12 top-five and 14 top-10 finishes.  Catch the Action… The NASCAR Xfinity Series’ Road America 180 at Road America will be televised live Saturday, July 3, beginning at 2:30 p.m. ET on NBC and will be broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.  The NASCAR Cup Series’ Road America 250 at Road America will be televised live Sunday, July 4, beginning at 2:30 p.m. ET on NBC and will be broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

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Austin Dillon and the No. 3 Dow Salutes Veterans Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE at Road America… Although this weekend marks the NASCAR Cup Series’ first appearance to Road America since 1956, Austin Dillon has made three starts total at the track spread out among the NASCAR Xfinity Series and the ARCA Racing Series, earning two top-10 finishes. He also plans to compete in the Trans Am Series this weekend to get additional lap time at Road America. Dow brings a science and engineering crew who is driven by limitless curiosity to the RCR Team… Austin 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. By Seeking Together, We Can Solve Anything – Dow Salutes Veterans… Dow’s solutions are reshaping our world. And at the heart of Dow’s solutions are their people. Their diversity is our strength. They reflect the world in which we do business and the communities in which we live. As a diverse community of approximately 37,000 employees worldwide, together we can solve anything.  More than 1,900 U.S. Military Veterans will “ride” with Dillon this weekend thanks to a patriotic No. 3 Chevrolet featuring the names of U.S. Military Veterans and active-duty military members. This year’s No. 3 Dow Salutes Veterans Chevrolet features Dow’s commitment to the service and skills that veterans bring to the workforce with a special nod to Dow’s Veterans Resource Group (VETNET) and Military Degree Equivalency (MDE) program, which provides an opportunity for individuals with extensive military background to bring their broad scope of training and education, experience in leadership, and understanding of performing in high pressure situations into a successful career at Dow.  2021 marks the seventh consecutive year that Dow has partnered with RCR to honor U.S. Military veterans. The program began with just over 350 veterans in 2015 to more than 1900 this year. This year’s program also highlights Dow’s relationship with Team Rubicon, a veteran-led disaster response organization. AUSTIN DILLON QUOTES:You have experience at Road America in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. Do you think that will give you an advantage this weekend?“It’s crazy because that was such a long time ago. I don’t know if it will really give me any type of advantage. A lot of other drivers have been there more recently, so I’m sure the track has aged a little bit. I have leaned on some of my old teammates. Brendan Gaughan previously won there and I asked him for some advice and his notes. He printed out a great track map for me and wrote notes on it, so I’m pumped about that. I’m looking forward to Road America. The road courses have been pretty good to us this year and I want to keep improving on those. I’m going up early to try and get a feel for the track and see if I can even remember what it was like when I ran there, which was a long time ago. I know it’s a slick track. I’ve been on the simulator a lot. I’m just trying to do my best to get acclimated. What do you think the key to performing well at Road America will be?“It’s one of those places where you have to have an average lap in order to have a good lap, because there are so many chances to overdrive certain turns. You can lose a lot in one corner and gain a lot in another. You just have to put it all together it seems like. A little bit of racing the track goes on in these kinds of races. The restarts are going to be aggressive and wild. People will be going everywhere. I do expect some attrition in the race because there are some areas where you can wreck some stuff. Runoffs, grassy areas. It will be interesting to see how it plays out. You some really good races in the NASCAR Xfinity Series there so I’m sure the NASCAR Cup Series will be just the same. I’m just looking forward to the challenge. It’s a challenging place. Do you think of yourself as a good road course racer?“I’m getting there. I’m better than where I started going into this year, for sure. I’ve had some consistent finishes this year. I definitely think taking on the 24 Hours of Daytona race was helpful for that. I had to step outside of my comfort zone, and it’s pushed me to be a better racer. I’ve done some other things in the off season, too. We raced in January at COTA. It’s really just about getting more road course racing experience. I’m definitely more comfortable. I’m not going into these races just saying ‘hey can we salvage a day.’ I’ve gone to many races in my career on road courses just wanting to salvage a weekend, and now after Sonoma and some of the speed we’ve shown I think it’s a different conversation. We scored stage points at the Daytona Road Course, Sonoma Raceway, and at COTA we were just hindered by the rain. We’ve been solid at road courses but there’s always room for improvement and I’m pumped for the challenge.” What road course does Road America resemble most?“I think Sonoma relates the most to Road America because of the grip level at Road America, so we will take something similar but try to make our car turn a little better. I thought we had a definite top-10 car at Sonoma. We just had a loose alternator wire cause issues. We had to change the battery every stage and came back to finish 12th or 13th.” You have a very unique paint scheme this weekend. Can you tell me about it…“The Dow Salutes Veterans car has been going on for seven years now. It started out with 350 names on the car, and I think we broke our record. We’re at 1,903. It’s pretty awesome to see all of the veterans on the car from RCR, Dow and Team Rubicon. My buddy Tyler Rader, who used to be the gas man on my team, is on my car now. It’s cool just to see all of the connections to the military that we have across the board. Everyone is getting involved and it’s cool to see the spider web effect of names growing every year.

Tyler Reddick and the No. 8 Kalahari Resorts and Conventions Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE at Road America… This weekend marks the return of the NASCAR Cup Series to Road America for the first time since 1956, but Tyler Reddick has some experience under his belt at the 4.048-mile road course. Reddick has two NASCAR Xfinity Series starts at the track, with a best finish of third coming with Richard Childress Racing during his 2019 championship season. About Kalahari Resorts & Conventions… Plan a getaway they’ll never forget at America’s Largest Indoor Waterparks. The nearby Wisconsin Dells, WI location has a 125,000 sq. ft. indoor waterpark and massive outdoor waterpark with thrilling rides and slides, a wave pool and lazy river, a virtual reality experience, specially designed kids’ areas and an adult-only swim up bar. Beyond the waterpark, the resort offers nearly 760 guest rooms and suites and a world-class spa, as well as the 100,000 sq. ft. indoor Tom Foolerys Adventure Park. Experience a six-story Ferris Wheel, aerial ropes course, lighting-speed zip line, mini golf, laser tag, adventurous climbing walls, bowling and a whole lot more… all under-one-roof. After the fun, take a break for a meal at one of the delicious on-site restaurant experiences. Visit kalahariresorts.com to plan your adventure. Get Special Offers & insider Exclusives… Follow Kalahari Resorts and Conventions on social media @KalahariResorts for special offers. #LoveKalahari #BestSummerYet TYLER REDDICK QUOTE:Heading into Road America this weekend, you have some experience on the road course that some Cup veterans may not. How does that affect your preparation and expectations for the race weekend?“Yeah, it’s nice going into the weekend with that experience. It makes me wish we weren’t having practice or qualifying so the Cup veterans could feel a little bit of what I felt heading into the Sonoma race weekend without turning a lap there! This weekend is going to be a great opportunity for our team. I feel like the approach you have for Road America is similar to that of COTA, and I felt really good about where we were with our car on the dry at COTA. We learned some things about our road course program at Sonoma Raceway a few weeks back, but that course isn’t as similar to Road America as COTA is. Road America is all about attacking the entry and nailing the apex. You don’t have to worry about drive-off as much as you do at Sonoma. I’m excited about the opportunity for my team and know we are bringing a great No. 8 Kalahari Resorts and Conventions Chevrolet to the track.”

Myatt Snider and the No. 2 Shore Lunch Chevrolet Camaro at Road America… Myatt Snider has one career NASCAR Xfinity Series start at Road America, coming last year during the 2020 campaign. Despite having a minimum amount of experience at Elkhart Lake, the 26-year-old has a plethora of familiarity with left and right turns. Snider competed in the NASCAR Euro Series in 2019.  About Shore Lunch… For generations, fishing guides handed down their homemade recipe for fish batter. Beloved by fishermen and everyone alike, it became known as the Old Guide’s Secret™. Using this secret today, Shore Lunch offers the perfect soup, breading and batter mixes to complement any meal or enrich the flavor of your favorite recipes. Rich and savory, all of the mixes are intended to make it easy to serve up delicious, homemade meals in a fraction of the time.  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 are the keys to success at Road America this weekend? “Road America is a really tricky road course with lots of bumps and elevation changes, but it’s also one of my favorite tracks on the Xfinity Series circuit. Having a good day in Elkhart Lake takes a few things – hitting your marks right, keeping the car on the race track, having a good car and using the right strategy. We have a really good Shore Lunch Chevrolet Camaro for this weekend and Andy Street (crew chief) has been making great strategy plays all year. I feel really confident that we can keep our good momentum from Pocono going this weekend in Wisconsin.”

The Marshalltown, IA driver is seventh in the Series standingsCONCORD, NC – July 2, 2021 – Albert Einstein once said, “Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving.”When a new team joins the World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Model Series, keeping that balance is tough throughout the grueling schedule.Ryan Gustin, from Marshalltown, IA is on his maiden voyage with the World of Outlaws, and he’s learning what it takes to keep up with his competitors. But he’s not the only one gaining knowledge. It’s also a learning curve for his crew.Crew Chief Bret Ladehoff and Tire Specialist Noah Bushman are the two crew members who travel with Gustin across the country. While the World of Outlaws are a new venture for the team, a national travel schedule isn’t.Gustin’s time running United States Modified Touring Series – which spans from Texas to Iowa to Minnesota – prepared him for his rookie season.“It’s a lot of traveling but so is USMTS stuff and any national tour you put a lot of miles on,” Gustin said. “It’s just a lot of new racetracks and we haven’t had hardly any laps around a lot of these tracks we’ve been to.”The prior experience running a national tour allowed Gustin’s team to hit the ground running with the Late Model.“We’re not close to home but we’ve done it long enough that we’re used to being away from home for an extended period of time,” Ladehoff said. “That’s the nice thing is that we didn’t jump into this feet first and not really knowing what we’re getting ourselves into.”While traveling isn’t new to them, the crew still needed to make some changes around the shop. One of those changes is sticking to a routine to make sure certain jobs are done.There’s a lot of things that are definitely different about what we do here,” Ladehoff said. “The one thing we’ve all kind of gotten together on is a set schedule for what we do. I’ve got a set schedule of what I do with the car every day.”One step of the process is making sure they don’t run into problems at the racetrack. Ladehoff’s goal every time he touches the car is to point Gustin in the right direction.“I try to give him a car that’s not going to fall apart, something he can go out there and trust,” Ladehoff said. “That’s the big thing if he can trust the car, he’ll be better in it.”The work doesn’t end with fine-tuning the setup. One of the new learning experiences is tires, and it’s been a teaching moment for Bushman who’s been learning on the fly.“It’s a lot to do and the compounds are different,” Bushman said. “Some of them I’ve never even cut up before so it’s basically a shot in the dark, but I’ve got it figured out now and it’s going pretty good.”Even though the team is starting to find a rhythm, the crew knows they must hit their marks in the pits and on the track.“In the modified, [Gustin] could kind of horse it around if [the car] wasn’t right and make it work,” Ladehoff said. “With these things everybody’s good so you have to be on top of your game every night.”“It’s a lot more work and everything that you do you have to make sure it’s right and have your ducks in a row when you show up,” Bushman said.While having the right setup is important to beat their competitors, the team enjoys the comradery they have with the other drivers.“It’s a blast, you learn a lot and it makes you be better,” Ladehoff said. “At the end of the day we all want to see everyone get out there and race so if there’s something that we have, and somebody needs it and vice-versa we try to help everybody out.”Although the first year on tour’s been fun for Gustin he’s still looking toward the future.“We just hope to get this year out of the way,” Gustin said. “We’ll hopefully get rookie of the year, get a year under our belt, and have a notebook built for a lot of these tracks we haven’t been to before for next year.”Gustin has a hill to climb if he wants to be the Series’ top rookie. He’s 136 points behind Tyler Bruening with 28 races to go. He’s also seventh in the overall championship standings with four top-fives and 12 top-10s in 23 starts — 352 points behind Brandon Sheppard.No matter how they finish the season, Gustin and his crew are showing they’ve have found the perfect balance with the grueling Series schedule. They just keep moving.The next stop for the World of Outlaws Late Models is a doubleheader at Jackson Motorplex in Jackson, MN July 9-10.TICKETS: https://bit.ly/3pxJSHjIf you can’t make it to the track, watch all the action live on DIRTVision with the annual Platinum FAST PASS subscription for $299/year or the monthly FAST PASS subscription for $39/month.

The World of Outlaws Morton Buildings® Late Model Series is brought to fans across the country by many important sponsors and partners, including: DIRTVision (Official Live Broadcast Partner), Drydene (Official Motor Oil), Hoosier Racing Tire (Official Tire), iRacing (Official Online Racing Game), Morton Buildings (Official Building), SIS Insurance (Official Insurance Provider) VP Racing Fuels (Official Racing Fuel); in addition to contingency sponsors, including: Arizona Sport Shirts/Gotta Race, ARP (Automotive Racing Products), Cometic Gasket, COMP Cams, MSD, Penske Racing Shocks, Quarter Master, Slick Woody’s (Quick Time Award), and Wrisco (Exclusive Racing Aluminum); along with manufacturer sponsors, including: Capital Race Cars, FireAde, Integra Shocks, Intercomp, K1 Race Gear, Racing Electronics, Reliable Painting, and Rocket Chassis.Founded in 1978, the World of Outlaws®, based in Concord, NC, is the premier national touring series for dirt track racing in North America, featuring the most powerful cars on dirt, the World of Outlaws NOS® Energy Drink Sprint Car Series and the World of Outlaws Morton Buildings® Late Model Series. Annually, the two series race nearly 140 times at tracks across the United States and Canada. CBS Sports Network is the official broadcast partner of the World of Outlaws. DIRTVision® also broadcasts World of Outlaws events over the Internet to fans around the world. Learn more about the World of Outlaws.

Heckenast rebounds to finish second, Babb moves 21st-to-fifth after provisional start

DAVENPORT, IA – July 1, 2021 – Four wins in nine races. Not bad for the three-time DIRTcar Summer Nationals champion Bobby Pierce, who’s off to one of the best starts to a Hell Tour campaign in his young career.

His latest trip to Victory Lane came Thursday night at Davenport Speedway, where he took his Pierce Platinum Race Car to the high side of the quarter-mile configuration and put on a clinic, crossing the stripe with a near five-second lead over Frank Heckenast Jr. and Brandon Sheppard for his 31st career Summer Nationals Feature win in back-to-back fashion.

But to get the lead, Pierce was forced to go a different route. Polesitter Tony Jackson Jr. jumped out to the lead through the middle while Pierce held off Tanner English for second in the opening laps. A quick caution restacked the field and gave Jackson the opportunity to switch to the preferred top lane, which he did and began to open up a gap.

But on Lap 12, Jackson darted to the bottom in Turn 3 and slid up to the high side at the exit of Turn 4, leaving the door wide-open for Pierce down low.

“He got a little loose off of Turn 2, and I had a pretty good run. I thought, ‘well, we’ll see if he goes to the top,’ and he did. He left the door open, I shot in there and just stayed in the gas and kinda blocked him coming off the corner,” Pierce, of Oakwood, IL, said of the move for the lead.

Now with the advantage out front and lots of room to maneuver through traffic, Pierce grabbed the lead after a second restart and checked out, weaving up to a six-second lead at one point while the rest of the field was left to duke it out behind him.

Included in that crowd was one of the fastest cars on the track in the closing stages of the race – Frank Heckenast Jr. The Summer Nationals veteran had just come off a heartbreaking end to his night on Wednesday at Beaver Dam, where a battery malfunction forced him to retire while leading. Looking for a night of redemption in the Hawkeye State, he found it, climbing back from as low as eighth at one point to finish second.

“Last night, we break the track record, win the Heat, feeling like nothing can go wrong, and then we finish 18th,” Heckenast, of Frankfort, IL, said. “Tonight, nothing went right. The car wouldn’t start before Hot Laps, barely got out for Hot Laps… Heat Race was a disaster, I don’t know what the heck was going on there, so we got put back and that cost us a lot.”

While he endured those struggles early Thursday night, Heckenast came roaring back to life in the second half of the Feature. Having faded back to eighth after the final restart on Lap 14, he gassed it up on the bottom lane and advanced six positions over the next 19 laps to take second.

“Cade [Dillard] gave me about 10 percent life on the bottom when I looked up, and he hung with them guys coming off Turn 4, and I was like, ‘wait a second, there might be something here,’” Heckenast said.

Heckenast battled with Dillard, Dennis Erb Jr, Tanner English and others in his drive to the front before meeting Jackson, who had again found his mojo on the top side and engaged in a lap-after-lap struggle with Heckenast in the final stages. Back-and-forth the two swapped spots for four laps before Heckenast took it away permanently with five laps remaining.

Looking back on the finish and the cars he passed to get there, Heckenast was quite pleased with he and his team’s effort with the big guns in the house. A grand total of 35 DIRTcar Late Models packed the Mississippi Valley Fairgrounds pit area to take part in the Summer Nationals’ 21-year awaited return, and the core Illinois drivers showed their toughness right from the drop of the green.

“It was a great rebound run for us with all of these cars here,” Heckenast said. “MLRA, there’s some World of Outlaws here… it just shows that Bobby, Brandon [Sheppard], and a lot of us guys can do this deal. There’s no slouches.”

With his fourth win of the year, Pierce now has a comfortable lead in the points standings and is well on his way to the Week #3 points bonus. Although he may not be as worried about points as he has been in the past, he’ll take a check for $5,000 any day.

“For sure, it’s definitely been a good start,” Pierce said. “We haven’t really been worrying about points that much because we came into it figuring we’re not going to run it all. I’m still not going to run it all, but we’re still gonna go out there and win as many races as we can.”

Brandon Sheppard, the 2013 Summer Nationals champion from New Berlin, IL, crossed in third after a charge from 13th in the family-owned #B5 Rocket Chassis. Tony Jackson Jr. faded back to fourth before the checkers, while four-time tour champion Shannon Babb completed an amazing climb from 21st (a provisional spot) to fifth to earn the Hard Charger honors.

UP NEXT

The Hell Tour rolls into The Dirt Oval at Route 66 for race #10 of the 2021 campaign Friday night, July 2, alongside the return of the Summit Racing Equipment Modified Nationals to the card. Catch all the action live on DIRTVision presented by Drydene.

ABBREVIATED RESULTS (view full results)

Feature (40 Laps) 1. 32-Bobby Pierce[2]; 2. 99JR-Frank Heckenast Jr[6]; 3. B5-Brandon Sheppard[13]; 4. 56-Tony Jackson Jr[1]; 5. 18- Shannon Babb[21]; 6. 28-Dennis Erb Jr[11]; 7. 97-Cade Dillard[4]; 8. 81E-Tanner English[3]; 9. 11H-Spencer Hughes[5]; 10. 12-Ashton Winger[7]; 11. 25-Jason Feger[17]; 12. 3S-Brian Shirley[16]; 13. 48-Tim Lance[19]; 14. 41-Jeremiah Hurst[18]; 15. 10-Paul Parker[14]; 16. 22-Daniel Hilsabeck[12]; 17. 14G-Joe Godsey[22]; 18. 29-Spencer Diercks[10]; 19. 59-Garrett Alberson[9]; 20. 00-Jesse Stovall[8]; 21. 21JR-Billy Moyer Jr[15]; 22. 16-Rusty Griffaw[20]

Ricky Taylor’s Wayne Taylor Racing Acura on the pole
Olivier Pla notches front row strart in his Meyer Shank Racing ARX-05
Till Bechtolsheimer for Gradient Racing and Jeff Kingsley for Compass Racing both score top-five starts

WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. (July 1, 2021) – Acura scored their second front row sweep in as many races, with Wayne Taylor Racing’s Ricky Taylor taking pole position for the IMSA WeatherTech 240 at Watkins Glen. Fellow ARX-05 driver Olivier Pla will start alongside for Meyer Shank Racing to complete the second consecutive all-Acura qualifying sweep.

In damp, but drying, conditions for qualifying, Taylor edged Pla by 0.346 of a second—with the entire six-car DPi field was covered by just over one second.

In the production-based GTD category, Till Bechtolsheimer led the charge in his #66 Gradient Racing Acura NSX GT3 Evo, qualifying in the fourth position. Bechtolsheimer will start just one spot ahead of another Acura NSX, the #76 Compass Racing machine piloted by Jeff Kingsley.

Sahlen’s Six Hours of the Glen Qualifying Results
1st overall – #10 Ricky Taylor, Wayne Taylor Racing Acura ARX-05 DPi
2nd overall – #60 Dane Cameron, Meyer Shank Racing Acura ARX-05 DPi
4th GTD – #66 Till Bechtolsheimer, Gradient Racing Acura NSX GT3 Evo
5th GTD – #76 Jeff Kingsley, Compass Racing Acura NSX GT3 Evo

Quotes
Ricky Taylor (#10 Wayne Taylor Racing ARX-05) pole qualifier; race co-driver will be Filipe Albuquerque: “Watching the other [qualifying] sessions, it seemed like the track was improving all the time, since it was drying out [from earlier rain]. We [DPi] were the luckiest ones of all the classes as the track was really quite dry for the start of our session. I think everyone decided to run the entire session to make sure they got a good lap in. So we went out right away and obviously, the track continued to improve throughout. That alone gave you some pace as the laps increased. But I think the biggest factor is that, after a week [since the six-hour race here last Sunday], everyone has a little bit of data on how to go a bit faster, but it was still very much a game of ‘how much tire do I have left’ vs. ‘how much is the track drying’. Luckily, we got it right on that last lap [for pole].”

Till Bechtolsheimer (#66 Gradient Racing Acura NSX GT3 Evo): Qualified fourth; co-driver will be Marc Miller: “We’ll see how the conditions are for tomorrow’s race. If it’s a dry race, I am a little bit worried because most of the teams were here for the six-hour last weekend and we haven’t done a single dry lap yet at Watkins Glen, but if it’s similar to today’s conditions or fully wet, we’re feeling really good. The car felt great during qualifying, it’s pretty well-known that the Acura NSX is good in the wet. It was really confidence-inspiring once we got some temperature into the tires—it felt great! This team has made such huge strides; last time out we ended up with our first podium in WeatherTech, which is a huge achievement, and to qualify P4, that is far and away the best position I’ve qualified in WeatherTech. It just feels like every time we’re out, we’re learning a bit more and getting more confident and just making huge strides.”

Fast Facts
The pole position is Ricky Taylor’s 23rd in IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship competition.
Gradient Racing is coming off of their strongest-ever finish, and first-ever podium, in IMSA WeatherTech competition at the last Sprint Cup round last month in Detroit.

Where to Watch the IMSA WeatherTech 240
Live television coverage from Watkins Glen begins at 6 PM EDT Friday on the NBC Sports Network. Live flag-to-flag race coverage will also be available on NBC Gold Track Pass and the NBC Sports App.

Fans can listen to audio commentary via IMSA.com, RadioLeMans.com and XM Radio; and follow the race live via in-car cameras, IMSA Radio and timing & scoring available worldwide on IMSA.com and the IMSA mobile device App.

Acura Motorsports social media content and video links from Watkins Glen International Raceway can be found on Instagram (www.instagram.com/hondaracing_hpd), Twitter (twitter.com/HondaRacing_HPD) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/HondaRacingHPD). Additional features and long-form videos can be found on the Honda Racing/HPD YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/HondaRacingHPDTV).

CNo. 3 Corvette just beats out Tandy, No. 4 C8.R in dynamic qualifying session

WATKINS GLEN, NY (June 26, 2021) – Corvette Racing’s Jordan Taylor followed up a victory in the Sahlen’s Six Hours of the Glen with the GT Le Mans (GTLM) pole position Thursday for the IMSA WeatherTech 240 at Watkins Glen International.  A winner with Antonio Garcia on Sunday, Taylor set a time of 1:43.821 (117.895 mph) in the No. 3 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R ahead of Friday’s two-hour, 40-minute sprint race. The time was a scant 0.224 seconds quicker than Nick Tandy in the No. 4 Corvette C8.R that he drives with Tommy Milner. Like Taylor, Tandy’s best lap – 1:44.045 (117.641 mph) – came on his final time around the 3.4-mile, 11-turn circuit on a quickly drying track. It was the second GTLM pole in less than a week for the No. 3 Corvette with Garcia claiming the honors ahead of the Six Hours. Rain pelted Watkins Glen throughout Thursday afternoon. The day’s lone practice session featured a mix of light and more moderate showers that left the track damp throughout. Conditions dried out for qualifying with both Corvettes opting for slick Michelin tires for qualifying. Weather for the race could mirror what Corvette Racing experienced Thursday, giving team strategists and engineers plenty to think about before Friday evening’s green flag. Friday’s race will air live at 6 p.m. ET on NBCSN and Trackpass via NBC Sports Gold. Live audio coverage from IMSA Radio is available on IMSA.com, XM 202 and SiriusXM Online 992.

JORDAN TAYLOR, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – GTLM POLE-WINNER: “It’s great to be out front again. We were all glued to the TV watching Madison (Snow’s) qualifying trying to decide whether to go wets or drys.  We knew he was on wets and a couple other guys were on drys, and they were way out for most of it. Then they bridged the gap on the last lap but not enough to get him. We thought maybe if they had a couple more laps, slicks would have been the way to go. So we committed to it. The first couple of laps were a little git sketchy but as soon as you built some temperature, the grip level was pretty high, other than (turns) 9, 10 and 11. You needed a nice rhythm to keep building temps, finding brake points and how much speed you could carry. I caught someone with two to go, which kind of broke the rhythm and kind of had me stressed the last lap. But thankfully everything worked out. When you are head-to-head with a guy like Nick Tandy, you really need to make the most of it. He’s a guy I’ve grown up watching and respected. So to go head-to-head with him, I knew I would be nailing everything and had to be on my A-game. I’m glad it worked out. It’s going to be a tough race tomorrow, but it’s nice to have Corvette Racing with another one-two.” WAS THE RACING LINE DRY AND COULD THE SLICK TIRES WORK ALL THE WAY AROUND OR WERE THERE WET SPOTS? “To begin with, there were definitely wet spots in some of the short chutes between corners. Turn Nine was still pretty slick and 10 seemed a little slick. Everywhere else, it looked damp but you had to commit and trust that the grip was there. It was more of a mental game than anything. There definitely was a very narrow line. On a couple of laps, I got maybe six inches to a foot wide and you lose the front end of the car. You definitely had to be precise. By the end, everyone knew where the grip was and you could carry speed.”

NICK TANDY, NO. 4 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – QUALIFIED SECOND IN GTLM: “It was an interesting day today because we got to run in the full wet conditions, we got to run with the wet tires in the dry conditions and then we got to run a slick tire in a wet to dry condition. You don’t often get that sort of thing in one day. It makes it difficult to plan what you are doing, or to make any plans. It’s kind of interesting in some regard because it is different. For the qualifying session, when it is like this you go out on slicks and you know every lap is getting quicker and quicker. It’s always difficult to know how hard to push the car on the tire. But that is why we are in the car to find out. The good thing is we have both cars with decent lap times and in one piece. I think it’s given us all good experience of what the weather could bring tomorrow.”

WATKINS GLEN, NY (July 1, 2021) – Jordan Taylor put Corvette Racing on pole position Thursday for the IMSA WeatherTech 240 at Watkins Glen International. A winner with Antonio Garcia on Sunday in the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen, Taylor set a time of 1:43.821 in the No. 3 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R. The time was a scant 0.224 seconds quicker than Nick Tandy in the No. 4 Corvette C8.R that he drives with Tommy Milner. Friday’s race will air live at 6 p.m. ET on NBCSN and Trackpass via NBC Sports Gold. Live audio coverage of the race from IMSA Radio is available on IMSA.com, XM 202 and SiriusXM Online 992.

JORDAN TAYLOR, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – GTLM POLE-WINNER: “It was a good lap, obviously. This session was a bit different and stressful with different conditions leading into it. We didn’t know whether to go slick or wet (tires). Thankfully the guys made the right call with slicks, and then it was all about building temperatures in the tires and nailing it at the end. The track was getting faster at the end. There are only three cars in our class but any time you can be on pole and maximize the points from qualifying is a big part of the championship. I’m glad we’ve gotten that and now we can focus on the race tomorrow.”FIRST POLE OF THE SEASON: “It’s good. I think we’re four races in and Antonio has two poles and now I’ve had one. It’s going well for the 3 Corvette so far but we’re still early in the season. The momentum doesn’t hurt so we’ll keep on going.”DIFFERENCES IN FRIDAY’S RACE FROM SIX HOURS: “It’ll be way different. There were a couple more cars overall on the grid Sunday and traffic was tough. I think this week we’ll see similar stuff. The race will be stressful with traffic. It will be about track position and fuel mileage but that’s always a part of these IMSA races. So we’ll start from pole and try to maintain that track position. You never know what will happen.”