Richard Childress Racing at Nashville Superspeedway… While Sunday marks the inaugural NASCAR Cup Series event at Nashville Superspeedway, Richard Childress Racing has a storied history in Music City in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. In a total of 37 starts, the Welcome, N.C. organization has earned three wins (Kevin Harvick in 2001, Clint Bowyer in 2005, Scott Wimmer in 2008), 16 top-five, 22 top-10 finishes, and two poles. In addition, RCR posted one win in the NASCAR Truck Series with Austin Dillon in 2011, when the Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet started from the pole and captured the checkered flag.  Catch the Action… The NASCAR Xfinity Series’ Tennessee Lottery 250 at Nashville Superspeedway will be televised live Saturday, June 19, beginning at 3:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN and will be broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.  The NASCAR Cup Series’ Nashville 400 at Nashville Superspeedway will be televised live Sunday, June 20, beginning at 3:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN 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 Get Bioethanol Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE at Nashville Superspeedway… Although Nashville Superspeedway is a new track on the NASCAR Cup Series circuit, Austin Dillon has plenty of experience and a winning history at the 1.33-mile D-shaped concrete oval. He made two NASCAR Xfinity Series starts for Kevin Harvick, Inc. at the track in 2011, earning a third-place finish among two top-10 finishes. In four NASCAR Truck Series starts at Nashville, Dillon has earned one win and one pole award. He has also taken part in NASCAR Cup Series testing at the track.  Delivering Performance on the Track and for the Planet… The new “Get Bioethanol” car showcases the performance benefits of racing with engine smart and earth kind bioethanol blended fuel, Sunoco Green E15. Whether it’s delivering cleaner and cooler high octane on the racetrack or on your drive to the grocery store, plant-based bioethanol makes a lasting positive impact on our planet and for future generations. Learn more about what fueling up with bioethanol means for your engine and your environment at GetBioethanol.com. AUSTIN DILLON QUOTES:When you think of Nashville Superspeedway, what are some of the memories and experiences that come to mind for you?“Nashville Superspeedway kicked off my NASCAR Cup Series career. One of my first Cup tests was at Nashville. I remember going there to test with the team leading into the season and having a really good time. We won there in the NASCAR Truck Series and finished third there in the NASCAR Xfinity Series with KHI. We had fun at Nashville. It was a good track for me.”  “I’m looking forward to going back. I always felt like if we got a shot in the NASCAR Cup Series car at Nashville Superspeedway that it would be a good track for us. I can’t wait. We’ll definitely be grinding it out on the SIM this week to see what we can learn.” One of your first NASCAR Cup Series tests was at Nashville Superspeedway. What did that mean for you at that point in your career?“It was exciting, getting to go have my time to be in the NASCAR Cup Series and getting the time with the team. Obviously, they were Kevin Harvick’s team and then we kind of jumped into that season. I was the new guy, so getting to hang out with the guys and just be a part of it was important. It was a fun time, obviously starting off my Cup career. I remember going there, testing, and just trying things. We didn’t get to race there, but it was cool to go through and get ready for a practice session. It was also team building. After the test, we went out to downtown Nashville and had a really good time. The second day of the test was not as productive as the first day.”  Nashville Superspeedway is interesting because even though there hasn’t been a NASCAR Cup Series race, the Cup teams have a long history of testing there so there’s a few teams with a pretty thick notebook. What kind of race do you anticipate?“I talked to Kurt Busch because he did the NASCAR test for Chevrolet. He was a bit concerned about tires and being able to last because the concrete had some edges that were created over the years from not being raced on. The edges weren’t really knocked down, kind of like when we got to Dover and Bristol. Nashville seemed to be tough on tires when they were testing. I’m looking forward to seeing what happens when we all get out there and all that rubber gets laid down. I’m assuming it’s going to lay a ton of rubber down after the practice sessions, so it could change. But I think what’s cool and what I enjoyed about Nashville is people fought for that bottom line and you really had to be disciplined and not miss your exit leaving the corner at Nashville. The car that rotated the most was pretty good. I’m looking forward to racing there this weekend. It’s been a good track for us in the past. I did get to test there a long time ago, so we’ll look at some of the notes. I’ve already looked at all of the notes from my NASCAR Truck Series races there. I think we have the NASCAR Xfinity Series notes, as well.”

Tyler Reddick and the No. 8 Joe Nichols / Quartz Hill Records Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE at Nashville Superspeedway… Tyler Reddick will be making his debut start in any NASCAR national touring series at Nashville Superspeedway this weekend. Reddick participated in one rookie test at Nashville Superspeedway in the NASCAR Truck Series with Brad Keselowski Racing, but an unfortunate tire issue cut the test short. About Joe Nichols… Multi-platinum Quartz Hill Records’ Joe Nichols is one of country music’s most-lauded recording artists. A 21st century traditionalist, Nichols is an artist who is both timely and timeless – one who has racked up a half-dozen Number 1 singles and ten Top 10 hits with a sound that blurs the boundaries between country music’s past and present. It’s an approach that has earned Nichols three Grammy nominations, a CMA award, an ACM trophy, a CMT “Breakthrough Video of the Year” Award as well as multiple gold and platinum-certified records. Nichols’ additional honors include awards from Billboard, Radio & Records and Music Row Magazine as well as a New York Times “Best-Albums-of-the-Year” nod. The celebrated star has appeared on national media programs ranging from the ACM Presents: Superstar Duets on CBS to The Tonight Show, Jimmy Kimmel Live, The View, Entertainment Tonight and Austin City Limits. Nichols new single, “Home Run,” is at radio now and available digitally worldwide. For the latest news on Nichols visit: www.JoeNichols.com and follow him (@JoeNichols) on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. About Quartz Hill Records… Quartz Hill Records is a full-service country music label led by Benny Brown, Paul Brown and award-winning songwriter Jason Sellers. In addition to multi-platinum star Joe Nichols, Quartz Hill’s roster includes triple threat singer/songwriter/ guitarist Ben Gallaher as well as up-and-coming country stylist Nate Barnes whose first single, “You Ain’t Pretty,” was a Top 10 Most Added Song 4 out of its first 5 weeks at Country Radio.” (Mediabase) TYLER REDDICK QUOTE:This is your first time racing at Nashville Superspeedway. How have you been preparing for this weekend, and have you found any similarities between Nashville and other tracks you’ve race at?“The size itself is not that common and only somewhat similar to Darlington, but the shape and surface is totally different. I actually have a small handful of laps at Nashville from my very first outing with Brad Keselowski Racing when I was just getting into the Truck Series. We did a rookie test there, but I unfortunately had a tire cord and completely come apart on me, causing the truck to receive some day-ending damage to it. So, it was a short test for me, and it has been such a long time that I had even forgotten it is a concrete surface there. That’s how green I was when I originally tested there; I didn’t even know the difference in track surfaces. Obviously, I’ve learned a lot since then and have a lot more experience, but there is still a lot for me to figure out at Nashville this weekend. I’ll be running double-duty and competing in the NASCAR Xfinity Series race to help give me some extra on-track time, which should hopefully help us out a lot on the Cup side with our No. 8 Joe Nichols / Quartz Hill Records Chevrolet on Sunday.”

Myatt Snider and the No. 2 Crosley Furniture Chevrolet Camaro at Nashville Superspeedway… Myatt Snider will make his inaugural start at Nashville Superspeedway this weekend. The 26-year-old has never raced at the 1.33-mile D-shaped oval and will record his first laps during Friday afternoon’s practice session.  About Crosley Brands… For over 30 years, Crosley Brands has been a leader in the nostalgic electronics category. From their beginning in the premium incentive industry, Crosley Brands developed their own exclusive product lines and built solid relationships with some of the most well-known catalogers and retailers in the business. Today, Crosley Brands is known for two brands – Crosley Radio and Crosley Furniture. At the front lines of the Vinyl Revolution, Crosley Radio seeks to bring new life to a classic medium, with its revolutionary line of turntables to its new series of high-fidelity units. Building on a legacy of entrepreneurship, Crosley Furniture delivers quality products at competitive prices, without sacrificing style. From the patio to the kitchen, bath, entryway and beyond, Crosley Furniture offers over 1,800 indoor and outdoor furniture items in a variety of categories and designs. For more information, please visit www.crosleybrands.com.  MYATT SNIDER QUOTE:What are your thoughts heading into Nashville Superspeedway, a track you have never raced on before? “I’m excited to get to Nashville Superspeedway and finally make actual laps there. I’ve heard great things about the track itself, been practicing on the simulator and watching film from past races. Richard Childress Racing and the No. 2 car found success at Nashville previously and hopefully we are continuing that record this weekend. I’m very thankful for Bo LeMastus and Crosley Brands joining our team for not only this race but three additional ones. Crosley is synonymous with excellence and our RCR team looks to do that every time we hit the track. I can’t wait to represent the Crosley colors for the first time in my first race at Nashville.”

CHEVROLET RACING IN NTT INDYCAR SERIES REV GROUP GRAND PRIX ROAD AMERICA IN ELKHART LAKE, WISCONSIN TEAM CHEVY DRIVER ZOOM CONFERENCE – ARROW MCLAREN SP JUNE 18, 2021
PATO O’WARD, KEVIN MAGNUSSEN AND TAYLOR KIEL FROM ARROW MCLAREN SP MET WITH MEDIA AT ROAD AMERICA PRIOR TO START OF ON-TRACK ACTIVITIES. MAGNUSSEN IS FILLING IN FOR AMSP FULL-TIME DRIVER FELIX ROSENQVIST WHO HAS NOT BEEN CLEARED TO DRIVE AFTER AN ACCIDENT IN RACE ONE OF THE CHEVROLET DUAL IN DETROIT. FULL TRANSCRIPT:
THE MODERATOR: Hello, everybody, and welcome to Arrow McLaren SP press conference. Today we have Kevin Magnussen, who’s joining us for the first time to make his INDYCAR debut in the No. 7 Vuse Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet; we have Taylor Kiel, president of Arrow McLaren SP; and we have Pato O’Ward, driving the No. 5 Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet and the current NTT INDYCAR Series championship leader.Before we get into it too far, Pato, we’ll start with you. You took a very close championship lead in Detroit after winning the second race. How does that change your perspective for the rest of the season?PATO O’WARD: Yeah, thanks. Yeah, I think we’ve had a strong year so far. There’s still so many races to go, so we can’t get really focused on where the championship is right now. We’re definitely on the right path. But we need to continue doing what we have been doing.We need to be consistent, and we know the Ganassi cars are always going to be there, the Penskes, the Andrettis. I feel like in the next few races, I think the championship is going to get even tighter than what it is now, especially in the top five positions. Yeah, we just need to continue pushing, and I tell the team all the time, right now is the time where we really need to push and we need to stay on track and just make sure we make no mistakes, and the results will come.
THE MODERATOR: Kevin, fresh off a win in a Cadillac at Detroit last week. Were you expecting to make your INDYCAR debut the following weekend, and how excited are you to be here?KEVIN MAGNUSSEN: No, I wasn’t expecting that. It’s quite a kickass prize, not being able to (indiscernible) accident. He seems to be getting better (indiscernible).
Q.Taylor, a lot going on with Arrow McLaren SP the past couple weeks between the accident with Felix and now a new driver heading into Road America. How have things been going with the team over the past couple weeks and how confident are you this weekend going into Road America?TAYLOR KIEL: Well, yeah, it’s been a crazy week to say the least. Certainly a lot of emotion in Detroit with the highs of the race win and the lows of Felix’s incident, but the team has continued to remain focused, which is something that we certainly place an emphasis on. We know our goals. We know why we’re here and we stay focused. It’s been good to see the team certainly react to adversity and overcome it, but we’re totally focused on certainly pursuing a championship with Pato and giving Kevin the best shot that we can to try out an INDYCAR.I’m very excited. I think he’s going to come on board and help push our program forward. It’s a big reason why we went after a guy like Kevin. So I’m excited. I’m excited to see how this weekend turns out.
Q.You worked pretty hard on the championship last year with Pato. How much better prepared do you believe you are this year?TAYLOR KIEL: Much more. I would say last year we were kind of just living in the moment, and by the end of the season we found ourselves in a pretty good spot. We were still putting pieces of the puzzle together. We’re racing against teams that have decades of championship-winning experience. Those are the teams we’re trying to beat, so it’s no tall task — or it is a tall task, excuse me.What I feel this year is we’ve experienced it, we’ve been in the fight, and we know what it takes now, so it’s more of a methodical focus of winning the championship.
Q.Pato, from your point of view, you are in the championship race but how much better prepared do you think you are this year?PATO O’WARD: Yeah, I think I just can add on to what Taylor said. I feel more prepared just knowledge-wise in what I know of INDYCAR racing in a way. Like I just know what more to expect in certain scenarios, certain situations. But honestly last year we were more in the fight maybe for third or second. I think Dixie was quite far away leading into the end of the championship, but we’re in a great position right now where we’re in it.We’re in the fight to win this championship, so I think that’s quite ahead of where we were last year. And like I said, we kind of know what to expect a little bit more, so I feel like everybody is just a little more prepared. Yeah, every race is different; not one single one will ever be the same. But I think we’re ready for the challenge ahead.
Q.Taylor, getting why did you pursue a guy like Kevin?TAYLOR KIEL: Well, Kevin is a world-class driver. I think he’s shown that last week. He’s shown that his whole career. It also helps he’s got a bit of a McLaren relationship from the past, but what was important for us was putting somebody in the car that can continue to push the program forward and feed back into the team.How the car is, those types of things, we need to have somebody that can help our priority, which is winning the championship. That’s a big piece of it. I think giving Kevin an opportunity to drive one of these cars is cool. I think he’s going to show well and show that he’s a top-shelf driver. We’re in a position now where that’s what we need.
Q.Is it beneficial in some ways for you guys to be able to put someone brand new in a car, either get someone’s brand new perspective and also quasi test a driver out?TAYLOR KIEL: Something good out of a bad situation, that’s what we’ve done. I think the two points you mentioned are fair. I think any time you’re faced with some adversity like this, having somebody in the car that can help you move forward is important, so you try not to take away from anything else that we’re doing, and I think this does the opposite. This is enhancing what we’re trying to do.
Q.Kevin, kind of take us through the emotions of this week and how it compares if at all to any other race week preparation?KEVIN MAGNUSSEN: It doesn’t really compare to any experience I’ve had. This is certainly the very least prepared I’ve ever been to step into a race. But at the end of the day, as I said at the beginning, it’s not the greatest circumstances when you’ve got a driver out who got hurt in a crash. As I said, I think he’s recovering very well. But yeah, when you get an opportunity like this, I’m a racing driver, a passionate one, and when an opportunity comes to go and drive an awesome race car like an INDYCAR, I had to take it.
Q.In what ways have you tried to either use Pato or someone that you raced alongside like Romain to try and prepare for this race on Sunday?KEVIN MAGNUSSEN: I mean, the priority was to first get fit in the car and get the seat going and steering wheel, all that, to make sure I can drive it today. I went to see Romain yesterday just to hang out a bit and of course we were talking about this weekend and driving an INDYCAR, and he was actually very helpful and giving advice and just kind of letting me know the obvious and most biggest differences from INDYCAR to F1.But you know, I’m going to have a great team behind me this weekend to guide me through this crazy challenge, and I’m really here to just experience and enjoy and hopefully have a good result on Sunday. But most of all learn and enjoy.
Q.At the end of last season was there part of you that wanted to open-wheel car again? Was this something that you were working towards at some point?KEVIN MAGNUSSEN: I don’t know. I mean, after leaving Formula 1 it’s like a whole new world of opportunity has opened up. It feels very good to be able to look at all sorts of different things and just go and have fun with what I’m doing. As I said, I’m a racing driver and a very passionate one. I love driving race cars, and I love competing. Being able to do all these different things and experience all these different cars and tracks around the world is really a privilege, and this weekend is going to be another big privilege.
Q.Taylor, is there an update on Felix? And for Kevin, Scott Dixon said earlier this week that Kevin came to the U.S. to race INDYCAR; is that correct, and ultimately where you want to be?KEVIN MAGNUSSEN: Thanks, Scott, speaking on my behalf. It’s never been a secret that INDYCAR is something that I am pretty passionate about. It’s nothing new. I’ve been — my dad raced INDYCARs in the mid-’90s when I was only a small little kid, and I can remember back then that I was thinking, I’ve got to do that one day. So it’s nothing new. I’ve never hidden the fact that I had a massive interest in INDYCAR.But I’ve also never hidden the fact that I just am a passionate racing driver that loves driving cars and competing, and as I said, I’m fortunate and privileged to be able to go around and drive all these different cars. Last week I drove at an awesome track in Detroit and won. We had a lot of fun, and that’s the real privilege of being me at the moment is being able to just have this much fun with what I do.
Q.Taylor, is there an update on Felix and are you expecting him to be cleared for Road America?TAYLOR KIEL: Yeah, as far as Felix goes, I think certainly our statements as they’ve come out have updated everybody as best we can. He was released. He’s gone through a lot of the medical protocols that INDYCAR have in place to protect the drivers and to make sure that they’re fit mentally and physically to get back in the car, and unfortunately we’re just not quite there yet with Felix. We felt as a team and with Felix that the best thing for us to do was to forego Road America for him, allow him to focus more on his recovery so that we can take advantage of the break on the backside and make sure that he’s 100 percent to close this season out.It’s a short-term setback certainly for Felix and us as a team, but again, we’ll always be very cautious in these situations to make sure that the driver is protected and that they can recover and that they have all the support that they need to recover, and we’ll see Felix back soon.
Q.Pato, you are actually the first Mexican driver to lead the INDYCAR championship in 18 years; what does that mean to you? And also, is there something special that you do as a team to prepare for the restarts?PATO O’WARD: In terms of the restarts, it’s not anything that people don’t know. I mean, I enjoy having the car in the limit. I don’t get bothered by being sideways in certain situations. I was very surprised to see all the comments by everybody because it’s not the first restart where we’ve been strong. But yeah, it’s just I don’t really know what’s the answer. I just think we did a good job in the restarts.And in terms of leading the championship, I mean, honestly it doesn’t really mean anything right now. It will mean something to us whenever we win the championship. I think as much as it means right now is that we’re in the fight and we need to continue pushing and doing a good job.
Q.McLaren Racing is a brand that you have a long history with. What are your emotions about reuniting with McLaren, and is it something you ever expected after racing with them in Formula 1?KEVIN MAGNUSSEN: I mean, it’s great to be back with the McLaren brand. It’s been home for me for many years. Quite long ago now, it was 2014, but I spent my whole kind of junior career being a young driver for McLaren in their F1 program and I have a lot of good memories of that. They gave me my first Formula 1 race and season, my podium in F1, my first race and lots of good memories in that regards. So nice to be back with that brand.
Q.Pato, you posted that it’s the year of the Mexican. How has your Mexican pride felt this year, and seeing the success of some other Mexican athletes seems huge for you?PATO O’WARD: Yeah, I feel very proud to be part of the group that is getting recognized. Yeah, I mean, I think it’s been great that we’ve seen very different athletes doing really well in their certain sport, whether it is UFC, boxing, Checo in Formula 1, me in INDYCAR, the lady that won the Miss Universe, Miss Mexico. Yeah, I think it’s really cool.
Q.You got a lot thrown at you this weekend, not the least of which is the track. I don’t know if you’ve had a chance to test or anything before, but what have you done and who do you take suggestions from or whatever to prepare yourself specifically for Road America?KEVIN MAGNUSSEN: Well, I had a test day here in the DPi earlier in the year, so I’ve seen the track and seen how cool it is. It’s a very fun track to drive. Lots of history here, as well, so it’s a great place to go racing.You know, the team has quite a bit of experience, and the engineers have been very good in giving me all the information that they could, and I’ve been watching videos — I watched the race from previous years and just tried to get an idea of how it’s done.You know, I’m as prepared as I can be with the limits of time, but it will be a steep learning curve for sure when I get in the car for the first time this afternoon.
Q.Was there any sort of advice that you offered specific to this place?PATO O’WARD: Yes, we did the track work yesterday, and yeah, I’ll help in any way I can, but he’s a top driver, so I’m sure he’s going to get around to it very naturally. But yeah, as I told the team and told him, I’m an open book, so anything you may need or anything you need, I’m here to help. I want both cars to be at the front this weekend.
Q.Kevin, this is a legitimate FIA type road course. A lot of Formula 1 drivers compare it favorably to the courses they run on. When you find out your first INDYCAR race is going to be here at Road America, what were your thoughts, and what is it about the track that really excites you being able to get to drive on it for the first time?KEVIN MAGNUSSEN: I think it’s very lucky that I have this opportunity at this track because it’s a very cool track. It’s one of those that has a lot of history, as well. They used to race through the city, and it’s kind to comparable to Spa-Francorchamps and Watkins Glen and those kind of places that has that kind of history from way back. So it’s always special to go to those places that have a different atmosphere and special feeling. So yeah, another part to be very happy about is the location of this race.
Q.Kevin, you’ve gone from Formula 1 car to the DPi to the INDYCAR. What’s the process been like learning all the different tips and tricks of how to drive these different cars?KEVIN MAGNUSSEN: Well, I think you continue to find little bits and pieces with experience. When I got into the car the first time, there’s a lot of new things, and you need — you can keep learning and it just helps you be consistent and strong in different situations.One thing is doing a quick lap time at a given track in a given set of conditions, but being able to go through a championship and different tracks and different sessions like qualifying, race and be good in every aspect, that requires a little bit of experience.When you go into new stuff, you just learn a lot. It’s a process, obviously, of information and try and use it to your advantage.
Q.You said last month, Kevin, that you wanted to do the INDYCAR 500 because it was a little bit nuts. Do you feel this as a step towards that goal? Is this race kind of its own reward?KEVIN MAGNUSSEN: I think more the second. It’s more just a bonus of this year, that I get to do this race. Yeah, the INDYCAR 500 is definitely something that I want to do one day. I’m not really actively working towards it at the moment, just kind of taking one day at a time. I have my season with Chip Ganassi Racing and Cadillac in DPi and that’s my main part to this year and my main focus, and then what happens in the future and will happen, I’ve said that INDYCAR and especially the Indy 500 is a dream to do it, and we’ll see if it happens from there.
Q.You almost won here last year, finishing second to your teammate Felix Rosenqvist. What did you learn from last year’s race that you can apply to this weekend?PATO O’WARD: I mean, every race is going to be different, so I feel like it’s really hard to plan what is going to happen this weekend, but I think something that we have learned, not just for this race but any race is the further up you qualify, the easier you make your life, yourself and the team’s. Yeah, being behind someone with old tires really kills them.
Q.Kevin, how did it feel sitting in the INDYCAR for the first time yesterday and how does that get you excited for this weekend?KEVIN MAGNUSSEN: Yeah, it felt very tight. There’s not a lot of room in those cars. Kind of used to that, I guess, from Formula 1, but already being in a DPi for a couple of races I kind of got used to that extra space. So it’s something that will feel different, I’m sure, when I get out today.But other than that, the position that you’re sitting in is pretty familiar. Typical single-seater position, very low, and almost lying down. I’m sure it’s going to be fun.
Q.Your father subbed in for an injured Emerson Fittipaldi 25 years ago at Road America. The race didn’t last long for him, but did he give you any pointers going into this weekend?KEVIN MAGNUSSEN: No, I mean, we’ve been talking about it. It’s kind of funny, there’s been some things in my career that kind of resembles the things that happened in his career quite a bit during both our first races with McLaren and now stepping in for an injured driver at Road America and other things like that throughout. There’s been some pretty funny coincidences.
Q.Daniel Suárez says he’s good friends with both you and Checo. He says he’s happy that you’re winning but he’s kind of frustrated that he hasn’t been able to get his win for México. Is there a friendly rivalry between the three of you being in three different forms of motorsport?PATO O’WARD: I think we all really want to strive where we’re all. We’re all competitors. We’re all racers. We all support each other. We want all of us to do well in our specific series.I was actually talking to him a few days ago. I think he’s going to be doing a race in Nashville — not in INDYCAR, but he’s going to be there. I haven’t seen him in quite some time, so I’m excited to see him and just catch up.
Q.Taylor, are you ready to lay claim that your team is the best Chevy team out there right now? If not the best INDYCAR team out there right now?TAYLOR KIEL: Well, no, I wouldn’t say that yet. I think the one thing that we’ve — look, we’ve got goals and ambitions to be the best team. There’s no doubt about that. Until we win every race on the calendar, I can’t say that we are.It’s just inherent in what we do. We’re always working towards more. We’re trying to push the limits, and we’re trying to be the best that we can be today, and that’s really what the focus is.

NASCAR CUP SERIES NASHVILLE SUPER SPEEDWAY ALLY 400TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT JUNE 18, 2021

WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 LIBERTY UNIVERSITY CAMARO ZL1 1LE, Press Conference Highlights Transcript: DURING THE GOODYEAR TIRE TEST BACK IN MARCH, WE SAW TIRES CORDING AFTER 20-25 LAPS. WHAT EXACTLY CAUSES TIRES TO CORD LIKE WE SAW DURING THE TEST? “I think just the concrete. We don’t normally run on concrete and concrete is pretty abrasive to tires, especially at like Dover or Bristol. You usually have tire issues there. I feel like that’s just what it is. It seems like it’s a lot better through practice. The track rubbered in pretty quickly. I feel like it’s gotten a lot better. I think the biggest thing for us was just trying to get it to turn. It’s a really flat place and it feels like of like Pocono (Raceway) in that aspect; the straightaways are pretty long. Yeah, it was cool.”
WAS THIS A TRUCK RACE THAT YOU WERE LOOKING FOR A RIDE BECAUSE YOU HAD NEVER BEEN HERE OR WAS THIS SOMETHING THE TEAM CAME TO YOU? “Yeah, Rudy (Fugle) and Willie Allen came to me with this opportunity back in March, I think. It wasn’t on my radar. I haven’t run anything other than Cup for a few years. I was kind of nervous, but it worked out and they were willing to have me in their truck and that’s awesome. I’m really appreciative of the opportunity and feel like it’s one that’s going to help me in the Cup Series. But really, it’s just a chance to have fun with my guys. I get a chance to have Josh Graham here, who works on the 24, and meet a lot of the new guys at Rackley and their team. It’s been fun. We started off practice a little bit off, but we got a lot better and obviously got really good there by the end. Just have to keep working on it, but it’s awesome to have the opportunity.”
THEY PUT RESIN DOWN, WHICH THEOREDICALLY ISN’T TRACTION COMPOUND. DID YOU FEEL MORE GRIP UP THERE OR COULD YOU TELL ANY SORT OF DIFFERENCE?“Yeah, I thought the track rubbered in pretty quickly. I thought the rubber laid down quicker than I’m used to in a practice session, so that was interesting. I was nervous firing off there, just not knowing the truck and seeing that a lot of guys usually have issues with the traction compound. I was kind of nervous there, so I kind of stayed pretty low for the first couple of runs. As I worked into it, it seemed like it was normal grip level. It wasn’t a huge deal. I don’t think we’re going super-fast in the center of the corner, so it’s not like you’re super on-edge getting to the resin compound.”
ON THE CUP SIDE OF THINGS, I WAS ASKING AROUND ABOUT THE CURRENT STREAK THAT HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS HAVE BEEN ON. I HEARD THAT REALLY THE ADVANTAGE THAT YOU GUYS HAVE IS WITH MASTERING THE BODY OF THE CURRENT CUP CAR. WITHOUT GIVING ME TOO MANY TRADE SECRETS, CAN YOU TELL ME A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHY HENDRICK HAS CONTINUED TO DEVELOP THE CURRENT CUP BODY, EVEN THOUGH THIS CURRENT CUP CAR IS GOING TO BE OBSOLETE THIS TIME NEXT YEAR?“I don’t think it’s really one thing. I think we’ve gone to work on a lot of different areas. It’s taken us two or three years, maybe four, since I’ve been here to kind of get to where we are. So, I don’t think it’s really one thing. Downforce always helps, but a lot of other things help. I feel like we’re just trending in the right direction and I give credit to our sim program; to everything that gets us close because we don’t have practice. So, to show up with the splitter being close, all those things being close, is really tough. So, I don’t think that’s really just downforce – I think it’s really just a lot of hard work from engineers, fabrication guys, everything.”
DO YOU KIND OF FEEL LIKE YOU’RE IN A DEFICIT COMING INTO THE SPORT, IN AN ERA WHERE THERE’S ABSOLUTELY NO TESTING? THE SIMULATOR IS REALLY ABOUT ALL YOU’VE HAD TO RELY ON. “Yeah, it is. I think that’s why opportunities like this are so awesome. I think that’s why chances to run something else is really good for me, like I’m having this weekend. I feel like it’s a great opportunity for me to learn. I do feel like now in the Cup cars, I feel pretty up to speed. I don’t feel like I’m at a deficit by any means. It’s just figuring out the little details of each track that maybe I haven’t had a car at that track to be competitive with to know what I need to feel. We’re getting there though. I think we’ve been to a lot of tracks that I wasn’t competitive before in Cup and now, this year, we were really good. I think Texas (Motor Speedway) is an example of that. I’m excited for the summer months and see what we can do.”
HOW DOES IT FEEL TO BE BACK IN THE TRUCK SERIES HERE AT NASHVILLE SUPERSPEEDWAY?“Yeah, it’s awesome. I obviously watch the Truck races every weekend, but you don’t really know how it’s going to drive until you get out there. So, I was really nervous going into the first corner, just to know what it was going to feel like, understand the side force and the feel. We aren’t going as fast as a 1.5-mile track, so I’m sure it would feel a little different there. But it kind of brings you back to a few years ago.”“The other thing is how much room you have above your head. I’m not used to that either. The engine has changed since I’ve been in the Trucks. At the time, it was just open engines, so that’s a little different too. So, I’m getting used to the shifting and all that. Restarts I think will be a challenge for me, just to get up to speed and remember to shift. I’m going to have to be looking down at my tach and looking up. It’s going to be a challenge.”

rOfficials move Le RPM and Ohsweken events to 2022, aim for Cornwall race later this seasonCONCORD, NC – With the U.S./Canadian border still closed due to COVID-19, Super DIRTcar and track officials have been forced to delay or cancel three events scheduled in Canada.The affected tour stops are Sunday, June 27, at Cornwall Motor Speedway, Monday, June 28, at Le RPM Speedway, and Monday, July 25, at Ohsweken Speedway. The events at RPM and Ohsweken will be moved to 2022 as both tracks have expressed that they want the stars and cars of the Super DIRTcar Series back in front of their fans. Cornwall is being postponed for now with a possible Sunday date later this summer.“While it’s been a whole lot easier holding Series events here in the States, Canada has been another story,” said Super DIRTcar Series Director Dean Reynolds. “Even if the border opens, we still don’t know what the parameters are for race teams looking to cross. It’s such a juggling act but the Series, the teams, and the tracks need time to prepare so the hand was forced to make the moves.“Canada is so important in the whole DIRTcar picture. We have several tracks in Canada and many competitors that race weekly who also like to come to the States and race marquee events like NAPA Super DIRT Week,” Reynolds noted. “I told them just like last year, you will have your dates again in 2022 if you still would like to hold an event. That was an energetic yes!  Heck, Ohsweken owner Glenn Stryres even bought a modified to race himself!” Super DIRTcar Series officials and track promoters are working closely together and keeping an eye on future border regulations to see if new dates for those events can be scheduled.Follow the Super DIRTcar Series at SuperDIRTcarSeries.com as well as on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for future updates. The stars of the Super DIRTcar Series return to action at Albany-Saratoga Speedway for the Horsepower 100 on Tuesday, June 22 where Matt Sheppard, Mat Williamson, Billy Decker, and the rest of the stars and cars of the Series will battle for $7,500-to-win. PHOTO: Joe Grabianowski

The Super DIRTcar Series is brought to fans by many important sponsors and partners, including: DIRTVision (Official Live Broadcast Partner), Hoosier Racing Tire (Official Tire), SIS Insurance (Official Insurance Provider), VP Racing Fuels (Official Racing Fuel), Chevy Performance Parts, iRacing (Official Online Racing Game) and NAPA Auto Parts. Contingency sponsors include: ARP (Automotive Racing Products), ASI Race Wear, Bicknell Racing Products, Billy Whittaker Cars & Trux, Cometic Gasket, COMP Cams, Drydene, Fox Factory, MSD, and Wrisco (Exclusive Racing Aluminum); along with manufacturer sponsors, including: FireAde, Intercomp, and Racing Electronics.

KNOX DALE, PA – JUNE 18, 2021 – Rain expected to continue into the night with heavy thunderstorms at race time have forced at World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Model Series and track officials to cancel Friday’s event at Thunder Mountain Speedway. In addition, the heavy rain and saturated pit area make it difficult for teams and fans to enter and exit the speedway grounds.  The Most Powerful Late Models on the Planet will continue their high-octane show in Pennsylvania on Saturday, June 19 at Selinsgrove Speedway.For the latest on the World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Models, make sure to follow on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram, and at www.WorldofOutlaws.com.

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.

Crosley Furniture to serve as primary partner for four NASCAR Xfinity Series events WELCOME, N.C. (June 18, 2021) – Richard Childress Racing announced today a new partnership with Crosley Brands. Crosley Brands and Crosley Furniture will adorn Myatt Snider’s No. 2 Chevrolet Camaro for four NASCAR Xfinity Series events, starting with this weekend’s return to Nashville Superspeedway. The iconic red and black colors of Crosley will also ride with Snider at Pocono Raceway, Atlanta Motor Speedway and New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

“I am thrilled to have Crosley Brands join Myatt Snider and Richard Childress Racing,” said Bo LeMastus, founder and chief executive officer of Crosley Brands. “Racing is a passion of mine and I have spent a lot of years owning and sponsoring teams throughout motorsports. Myatt has had great success so far this season behind the wheel of his No. 2 Chevrolet and I look forward to chasing checkered flags together over the next month. Hopefully, we can capture the guitar trophy this weekend in Nashville to play alongside a Crosley jukebox.”  Based in Kentucky, Crosley Brands has a stylish line of vinyl players and turntables, while also offering jukeboxes, telephones and more through its Crosley Radio brand. Crosley Furniture delivers quality products at competitive prices, offering over 1,800 outdoor and indoor furniture items in a variety of categories and designs.  “I’m very thankful for Bo and Crosley Brands joining our team for four upcoming races,” said Snider, driver of the No. 2 Crosley Furniture Chevrolet. “Crosley is synonymous with excellence and our RCR team looks to do that every weekend when we hit the track. Racing at Nashville is going to be exciting, and I can’t wait to represent the Crosley Brands colors for the first time this weekend.”  Snider and the No. 2 Crosley Furniture Chevrolet will take to Nashville Superspeedway on Saturday, June 19, as the NASCAR Xfinity Series makes its return to the Music City. The green flag will wave at 3:30 p.m. ET, with live television coverage on NBCSN. Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio will carry the radio broadcast.  For more information on today’s announcement and all that is happening at RCR, visit www.rcrracing.com. To learn more about Crosley Brands, visit www.crosleybrands.com.  ### About Crosley Brands: For over 30 years, Crosley Brands has been a leader in the nostalgic electronics category. From their beginning in the premium incentive industry, Crosley Brands developed their own exclusive product lines and built solid relationships with some of the most well-known catalogers and retailers in the business. Today, Crosley Brands is known for two brands – Crosley Radio and Crosley Furniture. At the front lines of the Vinyl Revolution, Crosley Radio seeks to bring new life to a classic medium, with its revolutionary line of turntables to its new series of high-fidelity units. Building on a legacy of entrepreneurship, Crosley Furniture delivers quality products at competitive prices, without sacrificing style. From the patio to the kitchen, bath, entryway and beyond, Crosley Furniture offers over 1,800 indoor and outdoor furniture items in a variety of categories and designs.

WORK HARD, PLAY HARD:

Unzicker earns second-straight podium, Shirley disqualified after no-show at scales

KANKAKEE, IL – June 17, 2021 – Stepping off the full-time national touring scene for the summer, Devin Moran decided to hit the trail of the DIRTcar Summer Nationals through its first week and see what he could do against some of DIRTcar’s best Late Model talent. He didn’t have to wait long to show just what he and the Tye Twarog Racing team are capable of.

Leading flag-to-flag in Thursday night’s visit to the Kankakee County Speedway, Moran held off a hounding Ryan Unzicker and Brian Shirley over 40 laps to win his second career Hell Tour Feature event – his first since June of 2018.

“We got our first Summer Nationals win of the week, so that’s pretty cool,” Moran said in Victory Lane.

The Dresden, OH-native led comfortably for the first half of the race, but saw it flash before his eyes after a scare in Turns 3-4. Polesitter Tanner English, of Benton, KY, got a great run to his outside while Moran held his ground on the inside, and the two made contact that slowed their momentum through the corner. Just ahead of them – Mike Provenzano got into the wall and stopped, bringing out the caution.

“The caution came out right when Tanner got by me, and I actually drove in too hard and got into him. The racing gods or someone was looking out for us tonight,” Moran said.

Shirley went under both of the leaders just after the caution flag was thrown, forcing him to go back to third for the restart. Both he and Ryan Unzicker got a terrific restart and got around English to take second and third before another yellow was thrown a few laps later. Unzicker, of El Paso, IL, took that opportunity to make the move around Shirley for second and set Moran in his sights.

The two engaged in a side-by-side battle for multiple laps, but Moran was able to pull away in the end to collect the $5,000 check while Unzicker crossed in second.

Shirley, of Chatham, IL, crossed the line in third but was later disqualified for failing to report to the scales after the Feature had concluded. This moved Bobby Pierce up into third with Tanner English in fourth and Frank Heckenast Jr. to fifth.

UP NEXT

The DIRTcar Summer Nationals action continues Friday night at Tri-City Speedway in Pontoon Beach, IL, with Round #4 of the 2021 campaign. Join us at the track or live on DIRTVision presented by Drydene.

Feature (40 Laps) 1. 9-Devin Moran[2]; 2. 24-Ryan Unzicker[5]; 3. 32-Bobby Pierce[10]; 4. 81E-Tanner English[1]; 5. 99JR-Frank Heckenast Jr[3]; 6. 89-Mike Spatola[11]; 7. B12-Kevin Weaver[7]; 8. 21JR-Billy Moyer Jr[16]; 9. 12-Ashton Winger[8]; 10. 25-Jason Feger[9]; 11. 19X-Cody Bauer[13]; 12. 18-Jeffrey Ledford[14]; 13. 14G-Joe Godsey[21]; 14. 4G-Bob Gardner[15]; 15. 48- Tim Lance[19]; 16. 116-Torin Mettille[23]; 17. 14-Glen Thompson[22]; 18. M27-Mike Provenzo[18]; 19. 2-Allen Murray[17]; 20. 16-Rusty Griffaw[20]; 21. 10S-Taylor Scheffler[6]; 22. 10-Paul Parker[12]; 23. (DQ) 3S-Brian Shirley[4]

THREE-PEAT: Hoffman Dominates Kankakee for Third-Straight Summit Modified Victory

With the single-season wins record of 14 in his goals for this year, three-time and defending DIRTcar Summit Racing Equipment Modified Nationals champion Nick Hoffman has gotten off to the best start he could have imagined.

A win in the opener at Brownstown Speedway, another Wednesday night at Peoria Speedway and now another winning night for Hoffman at Kankakee County Speedway Thursday night brings him to 41 career tour victories – 11 wins back of tying six-time tour champion Mike Harrison at 52 on the all-time Feature wins list.

Thursday night was, for the most part, just another night in the office for Hoffman. Except when he hit the ignition to get to staging before the Feature.

“Before I even came to staging, my stuff wouldn’t even start, I had to get a push start and I was late to staging… I made it before we rolled, but it was pretty nerve-wracking,” Hoffman said.

He did indeed promptly answer the bell and took right off at the drop of the green, opening up a comfortable gap between he and runner-up Curt Spalding.

Spalding, the Watervilet, MI-driver making his season debut with the Summit Modifieds, gave Hoffman a slight challenge the inside a few times, but was ultimately unable to make the move.

“[Spalding] showed me a nose a couple times down there on the bottom, and I didn’t really want to go down there because I felt like I was holding a decent pace up top,” Hoffman said.

Hoffman adjusted his line accordingly and was able to hold off Spalding and the rest of the field for 25 laps to collect another $1,500 check.

UP NEXT

The DIRTcar Summit Modified action continues Friday night at Tri-City Speedway in Pontoon Beach, IL, with Round #4 of the 2021 campaign. Join us at the track or live on DIRTVision presented by Drydene.

Feature (25 Laps) 1. 2-Nick Hoffman[1]; 2. 5CS-Curt Spalding[2]; 3. 21A-Nick Allen[4]; 4. 25-Tyler Nicely[3]; 5. 8K-Levi Kissinger[8]; 6. 22C- Nick Clubb[5]; 7. 5-Steven Brooks[11]; 8. 45-Kyle Hammer[6]; 9. 94-Tom Pasek[10]; 10. K67-Ian Keller[7]; 11. 35-Jason Hastings[14]; 12. 10-Shawn Scripter[17]; 13. 5B-Timothy Bennett[20]; 14. 19-Travis Thrasher[19]; 15. 242-Brandon Bollinger[16]; 16. 9H-John Demoss[12]; 17. 0-Travis Kohler[15]; 18. 59R-Jacob Rexing[9]; 19. 27-Beau DeYoung[18]; 20. 27A-Arby Burton[13]

GOOD TO BE BACK: KKR #49 Ends Dry Spell with Exciting Score over Carson MacedoWEST BURLINGTON, IA – June 17, 2021 – A nine-race losing streak was more than enough for Brad Sweet.The two-time and defending World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series champion ended his month-long dry spell in exciting fashion with a Thursday night triumph at 34 Raceway.It was fitting that Sweet’s return to victory lane came at the cost of Carson Macedo, who was going for his third-straight victory as the hottest driver on the tour. That’s a title that The Big Cat takes pride in, especially with a summer loaded full of crown jewel shows around the corner.Leading 10 laps and out-running Macedo’s Jason Johnson Racing #41 through lap traffic, Sweet’s win gave his Kasey Kahne Racing, NAPA Auto Parts #49 a total of ten victories on the season.”We’ve been through some adversity this last month,” Sweet said in his first victory lane trip since May 12 at Lincoln (PA). “At the beginning of the year it was like nothing could go wrong, but man lately everything has been going wrong; but, that’s racing. You have to keep a positive mindset, and I think we have. This was big to build our confidence with all these big money races coming. Our focus is these next 10 days right now.”Starting Thursday’s 30-lapper from the inside of row two, Sweet’s path to the win was far from easy at the West Burlington, IA oval.Macedo, who won the DIRTVision Fast Pass Dash to claim the pole position, was fresh off a weekend sweep at Knoxville Raceway and feeling good with a third triumph on the line. The Lemoore, CA native paced the opening 16 laps and survived some hefty challenges from Sheldon Haudenschild, but never let the lead slip away until Sweet soared to command on Lap 17.The Big Cat pounced in lap traffic, but 25-year-old Macedo showed the prowess of a veteran and rallied back to re-take the top spot on Lap 18. He held control for another four laps until Sweet snookered him for good and pointed the #49 to P1 on the 23rd circuit.Halted only by a Lap 10 restart, the race ensued to run to the checkered flag with Sweet storming off to a 2.195-second advantage over Macedo.Thursday’s score at the Iowa facility gave the Grass Valley, CA native his 68th career World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series victory, placing him only 16 away from reaching the top-10 on the all-time wins list.”Sometimes it’s better to be running second, but honestly I was disappointed with myself when I got him and he passed me back,” Sweet admitted. “I really had to get my elbows up to work around him the second time. You have to keep your composure more than anything, that’s what wins these races.”Over the final nine laps, Macedo survived additional challenges from Haudenschild and then David Gravel for the second spot. It came down to the final corner, but Macedo did edge out Gravel by 0.086-seconds for the runner-up position.”The lappers were just so tough to get by, and that hurt us,” Macedo mentioned. “Brad did a great job with that one. I got him back there for a minute, but he went right by again when I made the same mistake. It stings, but man every time I hit the track in this #41 car right now I’m super comfortable. Excited for this bust stretch.”In the third and final podium position was championship contender David Gravel aboard the Big Game Motorsports #2.”We had a good car, just needed a couple of corners to go different and it could’ve been interesting,” Gravel added.Both Kerry Madsen in the Tony Stewart/Curb-Agajanian Racing #14 and Giovanni Scelzi in the KCP Racing #18 added their third-consecutive top-five finish with runs of fourth and fifth, respectively.Rounding out the top-10 at 34 Raceway was Aaron Reutzel’s Roth Motorsports #83, James McFadden’s Kasey Kahne Racing #9, Sheldon Haudenschild’s Stenhouse Jr. / Marshall Racing #17, Donny Schatz’s Tony Stewart/Curb-Agajanian Racing #15, and Brian Brown’s FVP, Casey’s General Stores #21.Madsen took Thursday’s Slick Woody’s Cornhole Company QuickTime Award with a lap of 12.888 seconds around the 1/3-mile oval. Team Drydene Heat Race wins went to Madsen, Gravel and Macedo. A brief 40-minute rain delay halted the program following Heat Races as well.UP NEXT: The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series keeps the weekend alive with the first-ever visit to Dubuque Fairgrounds Speedway on Friday, June 18, followed by a return to Wisconsin’s Beaver Dam Raceway on Saturday, June 19.NOS Energy Drink Feature (30 Laps): 1. 49-Brad Sweet [3][$10,000]; 2. 41-Carson Macedo [1][$6,000]; 3. 2-David Gravel [4][$3,500]; 4. 14-Kerry Madsen [5][$2,800]; 5. 18-Giovanni Scelzi [7][$2,500]; 6. 83-Aaron Reutzel [9][$2,300]; 7. 9-James McFadden [8][$2,200]; 8. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild [2][$2,100]; 9. 15-Donny Schatz [13][$2,050]; 10. 21-Brian Brown [12][$2,000]; 11. 1S-Logan Schuchart [15][$1,600]; 12. 19-Brent Marks [18][$1,400]; 13. 1A-Jacob Allen [11][$1,200]; 14. 11K-Kraig Kinser [10][$1,100]; 15. 3-Ayrton Gennetten [6][$1,050]; 16. 2C-Wayne Johnson [17][$1,000]; 17. 7S-Jason Sides [14][$1,000]; 18. 22-Riley Goodno [16][$1,000]; 19. 3Z-Brock Zearfoss [24][$1,000]; 20. 15M-Bobby Mincer [21][$1,000]; 21. 44-Chris Martin [20][$1,000]; 22. 7TAZ-Tasker Phillips [22][$1,000]; 23. 49J-Josh Schneiderman [19][$1,000]; 24. 20G-Noah Gass [23][$1,000]. Lap Leaders: Carson Macedo 1-16, 18-21; Brad Sweet 17, 22-30. KSE Hard Charger Award: 19-Brent Marks[+6]NEW Championship Standings (31/81 Races): 1. Brad Sweet (4,338); 2. David Gravel (-54); 3. Carson Macedo (-64); 4. Donny Schatz (-152); 5. Sheldon Haudenschild (-154); 6. Logan Schuchart (-188); 7. Aaron Reutzel (-220); 8. Kraig Kinser (-514); 9. James McFadden (-578); 10. Brock Zearfoss (-704).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.

Hess sweeps the night at StatelineIt’s the Waterford, PA driver’s second career World of Outlaws victory BUSTI, NY – JUNE 17, 2021 – Anytime the World of Outlaws enter the Northeast, there’s a group of hungry competitors hoping to defend home turf. Dave Hess did that and more, by winning Thursday’s Morton Buildings Feature at Stateline Speedway.Hess started on the pole and held off challenges from three-time and defending Series champion Brandon Sheppard for his second career World of Outlaws victory.He also swept the night, by setting Slick Woody’s Cornhole Co. Quick Time and winning his Drydene Heat Race.It’s a night Hess will remember in front of his home crowd.“Stateline’s always been good to me,” Hess said. “We’ve won some other big shows here, but never came through with the Outlaws. We’ve had a great car all year and I knew we had a shot at this thing and to get it done is just awesome.”Despite leading all 40-laps of the race, it wasn’t smooth sailing for Hess. He had to deal with lap traffic throughout the last 10 circuits.While he was finding his way around slower cars, he was nervous about his tire choice.“We stayed soft on tires, but I guess the cars behind me were the same way,” Hess said. “I was worried someone might be getting their hard tires to come to life.”Reigning Series champion Sheppard had a chance to get by Hess early in the race but ultimately came up short.We got to [Hess] and his guys moved him up like they should have,” Sheppard said. “We ran second that’s all there is to it.”Even though “The Rocket Shepp” finished second, he’s still happy with the direction the team is going.“We were pretty good, it just wasn’t our night again,” Sheppard said. “I’m just glad we got our consistency back and we’re going to try and keep this roll going.”Sheppard’s runner-up finish helped extend his points lead to 52 over Chris Madden, who finished fifth.Max Blair, who won the 2019 World of Outlaws event at Stateline finished third. He felt his starting spot put him in a hole throughout the Feature.“We were pretty good, I just think starting sixth kind of hurt us,” Blair said. “You can’t start behind these guys and think you’re going to get by all of them.”Boom Briggs, who lives 15 minutes from Stateline Speedway crossed the line fourth. He was happy to finish in the top-five in front of his family.“We’ll definitely take a top-five anytime,” Briggs said. “Hats off to my family who’s all here, and my crew, we just picked the wrong tire.”UP NEXT: The Most Powerful Late Models on the Planet return to action on Friday, June 18 at Thunder Mountain Speedway in Knox Dale, PA for the Connor Bobik Memorial.If 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/monthMorton Buildings Feature (40 Laps)-1. 44H-Dave Hess [1][$10,000]; 2. 1-Brandon Sheppard [3][$6,000]; 3. 111V-Max Blair [6][$3,500]; 4. 99B-Boom Briggs [4][$2,800]; 5. 44-Chris Madden [13][$2,500]; 6. 19R-Ryan Gustin [9][$2,300]; 7. 28-Dennis Erb [5][$2,200]; 8. 22-Greg Oakes [17][$2,100]; 9. 1X-Chub Frank [10][$2,050]; 10. 7R-Ross Robinson [24][$2,000]; 11. 29-Jason Genco [16][$1,600]; 12. 7-Ricky Weiss [18][$1,400]; 13. 16-Tyler Bruening [14][$1,200]; 14. 22B-Darrell Bossard [22][$1,100]; 15. B1-Brent Larson [23][$1,050]; 16. 33-Chris Hackett [2][$1,000]; 17. 97-Cade Dillard [8][$1,000]; 18. B22-Bump Hedman [21][$1,000]; 19. 4S-David Scott [7][$1,000]; 20. X3-Wyatt Scott [12][$1,000]; 21. 40-Dutch Davies [11][$1,000]; 22. 1J-Jake Finnerty [15][$1,000]; 23. 9K-Mike Knight [20][$1,000]; 24. 8X-Damian Bidwell [19][$1,000] Hard Charger: 7R-Ross Robinson[+14]Qualifying Flight-A –1. 44H-Dave Hess, 15.484; 2. 4S-David Scott, 15.809; 3. 111V-Max Blair, 15.936; 4. 1-Brandon Sheppard, 16.006; 5. 0G-Deshawn Gingerich, 16.12; 6. 94-Bryce Davis, 16.156; 7. 19R-Ryan Gustin, 16.228; 8. 40-Dutch Davies, 16.252; 9. 44-Chris Madden, 16.252; 10. 1J-Jake Finnerty, 16.408; 11. 19-Bob Dorman, 16.478; 12. 96-Mike Smith, 16.588; 13. B22-Bump Hedman, 16.621; 14. 76-Steve Kania, 16.627; 15. 8X-Damian Bidwell, 16.633; 16. 22-Greg Oakes, 16.644; 17. 01W-Khole Wanzer, 16.831; 18. 18-Mike Wonderling, NTQualifying Flight-B-1. 99B-Boom Briggs, 15.914; 2. 33-Chris Hackett, 16.075; 3. 28-Dennis Erb, 16.131; 4. B1-Brent Larson, 16.136; 5. 1X-Chub Frank, 16.18; 6. 97-Cade Dillard, 16.276; 7. 7J-Kyle Bedell, 16.335; 8. X3-Wyatt Scott, 16.36; 9. 16-Tyler Bruening, 16.371; 10. 29-Jason Genco, 16.387; 11. 20-Doug Eck, 16.392; 12. 7R-Ross Robinson, 16.437; 13. 7-Ricky Weiss, 16.468; 14. 9K-Mike Knight, 16.73; 15. 0-Ryan Scott, 16.779; 16. 22B-Darrell Bossard, 16.807; 17. 2-Dan Stone, 16.846; 18. 12B-Andy Boozel, 16.993

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.

Columbus, MS (June 17, 2021) – Three-time Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series National Champion Jonathan Davenport held off Mike Marlar to win the 25-lap feature event on Thursday Night at Magnolia Motor Speedway. Davenport took the lead on the second lap from Kyle Bronson as he went on to capture his third LOLMDS win of 2021 and his 16th overall. Marlar moved into the second spot on lap ten and then stayed close to Davenport the rest of the distance to finish in the runner-up spot by .687 seconds behind the winner. Current LOLMDS Point Leader Tim McCreadie finished in third followed by Josh Richards and Shane Clanton, completing the Top Five. Davenport was happy to get a win in his new Longhorn Chassis’ debut. “As much as I was slowing down at the end, I knew someone was there. I was just kind of searching all over, but I really couldn’t find anything good. I was just trying to take up as much racetrack as possible. This new car is a pretty good piece. McCreadie and I were discussing before the feature some of the stuff he was doing so we try to help each other out. It’s encouraging to win the first night out. It’s just a testament to Longhorn, they have been building some really good cars. I just go into it with an open-mind and just think it’s going to do what I want it to and so far it has.” Marlar was looking for his seventh career win at Magnolia but came home in second. “We were setup better for the short-runs so we could really go at it hard. By the end of the race me and Jonathan wore ourselves out. It’s fun racing with him. I hope we put on a good show for the fans.” McCreadie rounded out the podium. “We are close enough to run with the top two tonight. We need to go back to work. Some of the stuff I have been waiting to try, we put on tonight. The car has a little too much aggressiveness, it got a little too bouncy. I just need to get some more control of it.” The winner’s Lance Landers/Double L Motorsports Longhorn is powered by a Clements Racing Engine and is sponsored by Nutrien Ag Solutions, ASC Warranty, Spartan Mowers, Fatheadz Eyewear, VP Fuels Bilstein Shocks, Lucas Oil Products, and Midwest Sheet Metal. Completing the top ten were Brian Rickman, Earl Pearson Jr., Michael Page, Ricky Thornton Jr., and Spencer Hughes. Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Race Summary Clash at the MagThursday, June 17th, 2021Magnolia Motor Speedway – Columbus, MS Allstar Performance Time TrialsFast Time Group A: Kyle Bronson / 13.410 seconds (overall)Fast Time Group B: Tim McCreadie / 13.579 seconds Penske Race Shocks Heat Race #1 Finish (8 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 40B-Kyle Bronson[1]; 2. 86R-Rick Rickman[11]; 3. 20RT-Ricky Thornton Jr[3]; 4. 54D-Dane Dacus[4]; 5. 6R-Robbie Stuart[7]; 6. 20-Jimmy Owens[2]; 7. 10B-David Breazeale[6]; 8. 71-Hudson O’Neal[5]; 9. 1C-Chad Thrash[8]; 10. 7C-Dillon Crim[9]; 11. 7P-David Payne[10] Summit Racing Equipment Heat Race #2 Finish (8 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 39-Tim McCreadie[1]; 2. 1-Earl Pearson Jr[3]; 3. 18X-Michael Page[5]; 4. 14M-Morgan Bagley[4]; 5. 11H-Spencer Hughes[6]; 6. 66C-Matt Cosner[2]; 7. 18P-Brayden Proctor[8]; 8. 33K-Ray Kulhanek[9]; 9. 12J-Jamie Elam[7]; 10. 11E-Dewayne Estes[10] Simpson Race Products Heat Race #3 Finish (8 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 49-Jonathan Davenport[3]; 2. 212-Josh Putnam[1]; 3. 1T-Tyler Erb[4]; 4. 2S-Stormy Scott[8]; 5. R5-Hunter Rasdon[2]; 6. 86-Kyle Beard[6]; 7. 1BJ-BJ Robinson[5]; 8. 3B-Luke Bennett[9]; 9. 99F-Clay Fisher[7]; 10. 33W-Terry Wilson[10]; 11. G4-Shelby Sheedy[11] Ohlins Shocks Heat Race #4 Finish (8 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 157-Mike Marlar[1]; 2. 25-Shane Clanton[3]; 3. 14-Josh Richards[6]; 4. 90-Brian Rickman[2]; 5. 16S-Sam Seawright[8]; 6. 36-Logan Martin[7]; 7. 44D-Dalton Cook[5]; 8. 12C-Scott Crigler[9]; 9. 48M-Mike Myers[11]; 10. 92M-Chad Mallett[10]; 11. 33S-Scott Dedwylder[4] LINE-X B-Main #1 Finish (10 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 11H-Spencer Hughes[2]; 2. 66C-Matt Cosner[4]; 3. 18P-Brayden Proctor[6]; 4. 10B-David Breazeale[5]; 5. 1C-Chad Thrash[9]; 6. 33K-Ray Kulhanek[8]; 7. 6R-Robbie Stuart[1]; 8. 12J-Jamie Elam[10]; 9. 7P-David Payne[13]; 10. (DNS) 71-Hudson O’Neal; 11. (DNS) 20-Jimmy Owens; 12. (DNS) 11E-Dewayne Estes; 13. (DNS) 7C-Dillon Crim UNOH B-Main #2 Finish (10 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 11H-Spencer Hughes[2]; 2. 66C-Matt Cosner[4]; 3. 18P-Brayden Proctor[6]; 4. 10B-David Breazeale[5]; 5. 1C-Chad Thrash[9]; 6. 33K-Ray Kulhanek[8]; 7. 6R-Robbie Stuart[1]; 8. 12J-Jamie Elam[10]; 9. 7P-David Payne[13]; 10. (DNS) 71-Hudson O’Neal; 11. (DNS) 20-Jimmy Owens; 12. (DNS) 11E-Dewayne Estes; 13. (DNS) 7C-Dillon Crim

Lucas Oil Feature Finish (25 Laps):

Race StatisticsEntrants: 43Lap Leaders: Kyle Bronson (Lap 1); Jonathan Davenport (Laps 2 – 25)Wrisco Feature Winner: Jonathan DavenportArizona Sport Shirts CJC – Presented by DirtOnDirt Feature Winner: n/aBrandon Ford TV Challenge Feature Winner: Jonathan DavenportMargin of Victory: 0.687Stop Tech Brakes Cautions: Tyler Erb (Lap 17); Kyle Bronson (Lap 19)Series Provisionals: n/aFast Time Provisional: n/aSeries Emergency Provisionals: n/aTrack Provisionals: n/aBig River Steel Podium Top 3: Jonathan Davenport, Mike Marlar, Tim McCreadiePenske Shocks Top 5: Jonathan Davenport, Mike Marlar, Tim McCreadie, Josh Richards, Shane ClantonOptima Batteries Hard Charger of the Race: BJ Robinson (Advanced 11 Positions)Midwest Sheet Metal Spoiler Challenge Point Leader: Tim McCreadieHot Rod Processing Most Laps Led: Jonathan Davenport (24 Laps)Sunoco Race for Gas Highest Finisher: Josh RichardsEibach Springs Rookie of the Race: Ricky Thornton Jr.Dirty Girl Racewear Fastest Lap of the Race: Jonathan Davenport (Lap 3 – 14.709 seconds)Fast Shafts Tough Break of the Race: Kyle BronsonOuterwears Crew Chief of the Race: Jason Durham (Jonathan Davenport)ARP Engine Builder of the Race: Clements Race EnginesMiller Welders Chassis Builder of the Race: Longhorn ChassisDirt Draft Fastest in Hot Laps: Jimmy Owens (13.406 seconds)Time of Race:14 minutes 06 seconds

CHEVROLET RACING IN NTT INDYCAR SERIES REV GROUP GRAND PRIX ROAD AMERICA IN ELKHART LAKE, WISCONSIN TEAM CHEVY DRIVER ZOOM CONFERENCE – SIMON PAGENAUD JUNE 18-20
SIMON PAGENAUD, NO. 22 MENARDS TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET, MET WITH MEDIA VIA ZOOM CONFERENCE. COMPLETE TRANSCRIPT:
THE MODERATOR: Good afternoon. Great to see everyone ahead of the REV Group Grand Prix presented by AMR this coming weekend up at Road America.Great to be joined by former Indy 500 champion, also a former series champion, taking the title back in 2016. Driver of the No. 22 Menards Team Penske Chevrolet. We say hello to Simon Pagenaud.
THE MODERATOR: Simon Pagenaud, new dad joins us, sixth in points. Certainly not easy when you go home, maybe not much sleep, then you got on the road, it’s all business. Give us a little glimpse of the life of Simon Pagenaud right now.SIMON PAGENAUD: Man, it’s amazing. It’s a new life. It’s a blessing. I’m sure we could ask Scott, he has a lot more experience than I do in that domain.I’m such a happy person. I’m delighted to be a dad, to learn about what it is about this new life. It’s going really well. We are lucky. Marley sleeps really well. He does his nights, so very lucky that way. I have a fantastic wife in Hailey. She takes the night shift. I’m lucky I get to train and feel fully rested when I get to the track, and that’s good.
THE MODERATOR: Simon, as you go back to Road America, a place where Team Penske certainly has put up a lot of numbers over the years, what will it take for that to happen again this weekend?SIMON PAGENAUD: No reason why you can’t. It’s the case every weekend. It’s just super competitive at the moment. Like Scott explained, sometimes it falls your way, sometimes it doesn’t. You have to capitalize on good weekends when the car is there and everything falls your way. We hoping for a weekend like that coming up.It’s certainly for us on the 22 a very special weekend being partner with Menards for us, Wisconsin is a very important race weekend. We love to represent the best we can and show the yellow car up front to just show our support to the Menards store and the employees working there.Very excited to go there. It’s always a great weekend, great weather supposedly. I look forward to it.THE MODERATOR: Sunny and 70s I think is what the forecast calls for.We’ll open it up for questions.
Q. I know Penske should have a couple wins right now but does not. The last time Penske has gone this long into a season without a win, they went winless the whole year. Where do you think the team is right now?SIMON PAGENAUD: I think we’re making big progress through the season. I think we started off on the wrong foot in Barber. I think we made big improvements. We were very focused on Indianapolis. As you saw in race trim, we were competitive, fighting for the win, which is what exactly the team wanted. So that was a big improvement from 2020.I feel like it’s just super, super competitive. It’s just difficult to hit perfectly every weekend. So that’s where we’re at. This weekend we should have won the first race. Josef could have won the second race. Obviously we have the pace. I felt personally on our car we had pace all weekend. We had something similar to Scott happen, qualifying two, right behind Ferrucci when he crashed on a good lap.It is what it is. At the end of the day we have to scrap the points, continue to score points like that. Realistically we’re fifth in the championship right now, in good striking distance.I have confidence. It’s just very difficult to win a race right now for everybody I think. But you got to wait for your time. When you can’t win, you just got to do the best you can, just score points.
Q. Josef said last week, he was asked what needs to change for Penske to sort of turn a corner. He said he didn’t think anything. Do you agree with that?SIMON PAGENAUD: Yeah, totally. I don’t think anything needs to change. Sometimes in sport it has to come your way, then you look like a superstar. Sometimes you working really well and things just don’t work out, you look like an idiot (smiling).It’s difficult because, like I said, I think there — Pato is on a tear right now for example. I believe it could happen to us very quickly. It’s just a matter of everything aligning well.Performance is there, which is the most important thing. After that we just have to execute. I feel like the momentum is coming, especially on the 22 car. I really do.
Q. You love talking about contracts.SIMON PAGENAUD: It’s my favorite (laughter).
Q. Roger said last week, he was asked if he thinks you’ll be back with the team. He said, I hope so. Where do things stand in your mind?SIMON PAGENAUD: As you know, I love INDYCAR racing. I love Indianapolis 500. My goal is to be in INDYCAR for a long, long time to come. That’s where I stand.Obviously what’s important at the moment is our relationship with Menards, which is really good. John and I have a really strong relationship. The team also. So everything looks pretty good so far. Performance has been good this year. I’m very excited. So we’ll see what happens next.At the moment I’m in my championship. Like I said, in the beginning of the year, contracts will take care of themselves when it comes the time.
Q. Simon, I wouldn’t say you’ve struggled this season, but it’s been really tough. What do you put that down to? Any one thing specifically or luck hasn’t been with you thus far this season?SIMON PAGENAUD: I guess I have a different perspective than you do.I think it’s going pretty well. You have to understand who is strong when and how to win a championship. The goal for us was to win Indianapolis. We gave it a good run. We finished third, half a second behind Helio. The best man won that day. But we were right there. I think mission was almost accomplished. You have to also be proud sometimes of a good effort, which I am, for my team.Now we’re focused on the championship. We’re fifth. We’re in a good position. We’re not far from Pato. Certainly we need to win races. To win a championship, you’re going to need to win races. I think we’re right there.The momentum is growing within our team on the 22 side. As you saw, Team Penske, we almost won. We really should have won that race, race one. Performance is there as a team. I think the boys are just rolling right now.Very much a different perspective than you.
Q. How do you think Scott is getting on now that he’s had a couple races under his belt in INDYCAR?SIMON PAGENAUD: Unfortunately what happened in Detroit in practice one set him back. He’s tremendous. Great talent. He’s awesome to work with. I really enjoy him as a person and as a driver. He has a very focused mind. He’s very task-oriented. I really like it.It’s going to take time. It’s not that easy in the first year, especially with such a field right now. But, like I said at the beginning of the year, I still believe he’s going to win a race before the end of the year.
Q. We started with sort of the young versus old, we’ve had some new winners, Scott Dixon’s stats maybe aren’t as flashy as they might be, Penske is winless. What are we seeing here? Is it some sort of changing of the guard or just a period of unusual parity beyond what we typically see or something else going on?SIMON PAGENAUD: I would say that the simulator work helps young drivers these day. I know when I came into INDYCAR, there weren’t eight simulator that I could be ready for practice one on any tracks. Now it’s totally different.You take a guy like VeeKay, showed up at Detroit, was on simulator the day before. He had never been there. He was right on pace.You have to think about that new technology that’s really helping young drivers get ready at a younger age. I tell you what, I wish I had the chance to work like that. Even my simulator at home helps me today. It would have helped me a lot 20 years ago, but it didn’t exist. It’s just a generation thing. If I was 20 today, I would be a different driver, that’s for sure.I think that made every driver a lot closer to each other. The cars are very close to each other because the teams have had a lot of time to work on that package. We all know the tracks very well. It’s just super, super tight.Yeah, at the end of the day it depends how the whole weekend aligned for you.
Q. Simon, NASCAR is coming to Road America as well. A couple years ago when you were up here to test, Brad Keselowski jumped in your car for a few laps. What do you remember about that, having a stockcar guy in your car, maybe what his reactions were?SIMON PAGENAUD: Yeah, well, the most recent experience I have is really with Jimmie, Jimmie Johnson joining us. I have a great relationship with him. I love talking with him about his experience, which is really great to hear because he really loves this sport. It’s amazing to see that transition that he’s going through.Just like Brad, when Brad got into my car at Road America, the braking is what impressed him the most. The cornering speed was very surprising as well to him. It’s a big track. The commitment level was certainly very different than what it would be in a NASCAR vehicle.I remember a big smile on his face. That’s what comes to my mind right now.Q. Did he spin?SIMON PAGENAUD: Who?Q. I think Brad.SIMON PAGENAUD: I don’t recall that. If he says so. I don’t recall that.
Q. Simon, if you could give Magnussen one piece of advice for his first time in an INDYCAR, what would it be and why?SIMON PAGENAUD: I think Grosjean would be a better person to ask because he just went through the exact same path as Kevin. I’ve been in INDYCAR for quite a few years.What I can say is I just love the series because, like we just explained, it’s the most rewarding series when you do well because you know that the day you’ve won that was an exceptional day, that you gave your absolute best, and so did your team.In other categories sometimes you can win without having the perfect day. It’s not the same kind of reward you get out of it. That’s to me the experience of INDYCAR. But you have to expect a rough, fun and spectacular weekend, that’s for sure (smiling).
Q. When it comes to the crunch, if you have a couple of contenders come Long Beach time, each team for themselves?SIMON PAGENAUD: Yeah, I mean, if you’re looking at it from a pure sports standpoint, it’s a shame when a mechanical thing takes a driver out of a championship, for example. The rules are the rules. We just have to obey by it, do the best we can to support the series and go from there.Personally there are a lot of rules I’d like to see changes, but we really can’t do anything about it. You just have to do the best you can with what you get.
Q. After the problem you had at Indy qualifying, can that affect you more?SIMON PAGENAUD: No. Indy qualifying, we didn’t have any problems.Q. In the practice after the qualifying.SIMON PAGENAUD: Yeah, it’s a different rule for Indianapolis because you’re allowed to change engine for the race. Everybody usually changes engine for the race. I was just lucky that the engine didn’t blow up in qualifying. It was just good timing, good place. I was just a bit lucky there.
Q. Five of the last eight races of the season are on natural road courses. We have a month off after Mid-Ohio. Is there anything you can take away from this weekend and Mid-Ohio that can apply to later in the year?SIMON PAGENAUD: Yeah, we’ve made massive improvement since 2020 with the same car really. Now we’re just honing what we really like with this car. Every weekend, since we don’t have much testing, we’re applying evolution toward the next weekend. So I feel we feel stronger and stronger every weekend. I felt really strong in race two in Detroit, better than Detroit one. I think that’s going to help us certainly even for Road America, certainly going into Mid-Ohio. Definitely going to help us for Nashville, as well.You’re always looking forward, always looking at tracks that may be similar. But even if they’re not, there’s always something you can take out of it, for sure.
Q. Simon, is your car pretty close race time to when you unload? Anything you can do during the week?SIMON PAGENAUD: That’s a great point because with less practice, especially Detroit for example, you can’t make big changes because the driver and the machine is everything for lap time. Even though you need a car that handles well, the driver, for him to squeeze some time out of it, the less changes the better. That’s my opinion.We’re finding that we make small changes, changes that you know exactly what they’re going to do so you can be competitive in the next session and not have to relearn the behavior of the car. That’s really what I find is happening with these shorter weekends.So, yeah, you need to unload well. Sometimes I tell you you have to agree with the fact that it’s not perfect, just squeeze the best out of it. That’s probably why a top five is so important right now. If the car is not perfect, you have to be satisfied with it no matter what.
Q. Simon, you’re in the tight battle. With Rinus out for this Sunday, what would be key to get strong points, that elusive podium at Road America?SIMON PAGENAUD: That’s a good point. I didn’t realize we didn’t get a podium there yet.Road America is a tough track. There’s a lot of corners. Each corner is a long, long straightaway afterwards. If you’re a little bit off in one corner, you’re losing a lot of lap time. You just got to nail it, nail the setup, nail your driving. You just got to be fast as soon as you get there.That’s what we’re going to do. Obviously it sounds like a million dollar answer, but we just got to be fast and it will take care of itself in the end.I look forward to going there. We should be competitive. We’ve had some great evolution on the race car. It’s a track that I love, so I look forward to being there.
THE MODERATOR: Certainly our thanks to Scott Dixon and Simon Pagenaud. Save travels.

We’re Halfway This Time By!

It’s hard to believe it, but we’ve reached the halfway point of the 2021 NASCAR season. It’s been an incredible ride so far, highlighted by strong performances across the board for RCR, ECR and Team Chevy. With just 10 races remaining in the regular season, both Austin Dillon and Tyler Reddick are in solid positions to earn spots in the NASCAR Playoffs. Meanwhile, Myatt Snider is locked into the NASCAR Xfinity Series’ post-season with the No. 2 team’s win at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Thank you to each and every one of our partners. We know that your support is pivotal to our success on and off the racetrack. This weekend, we head to the Music City and welcome NBC to our sport as they take over the broadcast window for the remainder of the season. Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race is at 3:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio and will mark the first time in series history that Nashville Superspeedway will host a Cup event.  The NASCAR Xfinity Series is also at Nashville this weekend for the Tennessee Lottery 250 at 3:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. Please join us in welcoming NBC and thanking FOX for a successful first half of the season. https://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=00132jQNU2ybS8NwXWxwtysYqbEWAo3Fwqyz1tu2ZDf1emOmjfbD4r27Swj9N0grqycKnuTJKgJg2lVobD1f4CpLuQdz-yB79C48CtsH4neqcbx5R8T85i5fb1N226RoI07AAlJ4EbDbRpbIKkOgHBm7w==&c=IJHiihxaYZ27ltBM8ctCdpoX4wUF5WKGS1yLMGyJrxcQOuAHzKp8sg==&ch=Kdjjyh87QkHwYCt6hxt6J7RH5rQy0c7sRXwhL3ggTGRwbHNJdcnRDg==

TEAM CHEVY ADVANCE ALLY 400 NASHVILLE SUPERSPEEDWAY NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE JUNE 20, 2021

RACE #17 – NASHVILLEAll three NASCAR national series will take on Nashville Superspeedway this weekend for the first NASCAR races at the track since Austin Dillion drove his Chevrolet to a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) victory in August 2011. The Ally 400 on Sunday, June 20, will be the inaugural NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) race on the 1.33-mile D-shaped concrete oval and the first in Middle Tennessee in more than 30 years. Chevrolet will aim for its fifth-consecutive NCS regular-season victory, which it last accomplished between May 10 and June 15 of the 2014 season with Jeff Gordon starting off the streak at Kansas; Jimmie Johnson winning at Charlotte, Dover and Michigan; and Dale Earnhardt Jr. prevailing at Pocono. Chevrolet last won four races in a row to close the 2014 season.
Kyle Larson, driving the No. 5 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE for Hendrick Motorsports, has the hot hand. He has won the past two regular-season, points-paying races – on the Charlotte Motor Speedway oval and the Sonoma Raceway road course – in addition to pocketing the $1 million bonus for winning the non-points NASCAR All-Star Race at Texas Motor Speedway. Larson is among eight drivers to win the Coca-Cola 600 and the All-Star Race in the same year. The 300-lap Ally 400 will include same-day qualifying. Chevrolet drivers have earned all three poles this season.
Team Chevy NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) drivers will compete in the 188-lap Tennessee Lottery 250 on Saturday, June 19, in the 22nd race at the track since 2001. AJ Allmendinger is second in the Driver Standings, with six Team Chevy drivers in the top-10. Chevrolet remains on top of the Manufacturer Standings heading into the 15th race on the series’ schedule. 
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) drivers will race in the 150-lap Rackley Roofing 200 on Friday, June 18, in the 14th visit to the track dating to 2001. Zane Smith is fifth and reigning NCWTS champion Sheldon Creed is sixth in the Driver Standings. William Byron will drive the No. 27 Cruisin’ Sports/Rackley Roofing Chevrolet Silverado in his first NCWTS race since 2016.\
BOWTIE TOPS IN STANDINGSChevrolet is atop the NCS Manufacturer Standings. Team Chevy drivers have recorded a field-high seven victories and earned all three poles in the 16 regular-season races.
Kyle Larson remains second in the Driver Standings, but has closed to 47 points of the lead after his victory at Sonoma Raceway. Hendrick Motorsports teammates Chase Elliott sits in third and William Byron is fourth to give the Bowtie Brand three of the top-five in the Driver Standings heading into the Nashville race weekend.
PLAYOFF PICTURE WITH 10 TO GOWith 16 of the 26 regular-season races in the books, Team Chevy drivers Kyle Larson, Chase Elliott, Alex Bowman and William Byron have qualified for the Playoffs by virtue of a race win. The top-16 drivers in the standings will qualify for the 10-race dash for the Driver Championship. Of the Team Chevy top-16 in the Driver Standings, Austin Dillon currently sits 12th and Tyler Reddick, who has seven top-10 finishes in the past 10 races, is 13th. Kurt Busch (18th), Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (19th), Ross Chastain (20th)^, Daniel Suarez (22nd) and Erik Jones (25th) are all in striking range. Among the nine upcoming races that make up the rest of the regular season, Busch has won at five. TAKING IT IN STAGESKyle Larson swept both stages before driving his No. 5 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE to victory lane at Sonoma Raceway. The 28-year-old California native leads all drivers with 11 stage wins through the 16 races thus far this season. Reigning NCS champion, Chase Elliott, and William Byron each have a stage win in their Camaro ZL1 1LE.
BOWTIE BULLETS·       The victory at Sonoma Raceway was the 802nd for Chevrolet, the most of any manufacturer in NCS history.
·       Chevrolet leads manufacturers in laps led (1,792) of the 4,291 total and top-10 finishes with 73.
·       Kyle Larson has led a series-high 1,162 of the 4,291 laps completed in points races during the 2021 NCS season. 
·       Kyle Larson has recorded five consecutive top-two finishes.
·       Austin Dillon has completed 99.1% (4,287) of the total laps made this season. 
·       Kyle Larson and Kurt Busch are among four active drivers to win a NCS race on Father’s Day. Larson is the most recent winner (2017 at Michigan International Speedway).
·       Ricky Stenhouse Jr. made his first NASCAR Xfinity Series start in 2009 at Nashville.
TUNE INNBCSN will telecast the NCS Ally 400 live at 3:30 p.m. ET Sunday, June 20. Live coverage can also be found on the NBCSports Gold App, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90. The NXS Tennessee Lottery 250 will be telecast live by NBCSN at 3:30 p.m. ET Saturday, June 19. FS1 will telecast the NCWTS Rackley Roofing 200 at 8 p.m. ET Friday, June 18.
QUOTABLE QUOTESKYLE LARSON, NO. 5 VALVOLINE CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 2nd IN STANDINGSLARSON ON GETTING UP TO SPEED AT NASHVILLE: “I’ve tested there before – a couple times in a Xfinity car and I think once in a Cup car. It’s a track where very few drivers have any experience. We will have practice and qualifying before this Sunday’s race, so I’m looking forward to the challenge of getting up to speed quickly. This team and Hendrick Motorsports as a whole have been strong on intermediate-type tracks this year, so I hope we can have another strong finish in the Valvoline Chevrolet.”
CLIFF DANIELS, CREW CHIEF, NO. 5 VALVOLINE CAMARO ZL1 1LEDANIELS ON PAST EXPERIENCE AT NASHVILLE: “The most relevant things to pull from my previous experience there and Kyle’s testing experience there is the nuance of the track. It’s a really unique track geometry. It’s sweeping into turn one but then gets tight off of turn two. We know the track is going to be temperature sensitive. Knowing that will help us, but we don’t have a pure setup or race strategy standpoint. We don’t have any data points to go off of.”
CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 3rd IN STANDINGSELLIOTT ON HOW HE IS PREPARING FOR NASHVILLE SUPERSPEEDWAY: “My preparation for this weekend is really going to revolve around the test that I’ve had at Nashville in the past. I actually had a test with the 24 team in 2013, back when Jeff (Gordon) was driving with Alan (Gustafson) and (engineer) Tom (Gray) and a lot of our same group that we have now. I’ve spent some time talking about that and just some of the tendencies that I remember from the racetrack. I feel like the rules have changed, the cars are different, and Cup has never raced there to look back at a ton of races. Maybe watching a Xfinity race or something, but I think a lot of it is really just going to be more from the test for me, personally.”
ALAN GUSTAFSON, CREW CHIEF, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CAMARO ZL1 1LEGUSTAFSON ON TESTING AT NASHVILLE SUPERSPEEDWAY: “We were lucky to have been able to test at Nashville Superspeedway when he tested for Hendrick Motorsports back seven or eight years ago. There may be a couple things that we can apply, but that test just gives us a rough baseline to know what drove decent back then, but things are so much different now. We have different tires, aero package and hopefully we are smarter than we were in then (laughing). Having that test definitely helps; it’s better than starting from square one with nothing.”
WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 LIBERTY UNIVERSITY CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 4th IN STANDINGSBYRON ON THE CHALLENGES OF RACING AT A NEW TRACK: “You’re not going to have a good feel in general going into this weekend, I think. Nashville (Superspeedway) is going to be one of those places that you just need to adapt and learn as you go. It looks like a superspeedway but it’s more of a short track with how tight the corners are. It’s going to be tough, especially with the heat. I think that this race is going to be one of the toughest places we will go this season just because we don’t have any notes on it. No one has any notes from any series, really. Things have changed so much since the last race there. I’m going to rely heavily on the truck race and watching the Xfinity race. I’ll use that info to hopefully learn and be able to adapt faster in our race. It’s going to be challenge but it’s good to have a new environment and the excitement around it.”
RUDY FUGLE, CREW CHIEF, NO. 24 LIBERTY UNIVERSITY CAMARO ZL1 1LE FUGLE ON HIS EXPERIENCE AT NASHVILLE SUPERSPEEDWAY:“Nashville is a tricky place. It races like a short track and has short track features, but it also has the characteristics of a mile-and-a-half track. That’s going to be your biggest issue; finding a setup that balances that line perfectly. You want it to handle similar to how it would at a concrete short track like Dover but also handle well, aero-wise, like a mile-and-a-half. While we have limited notes across the board, we do know that it will also be a very temperature-sensitive track, as well. There’s going to be a lot of obstacles to overcome, but I think with William running the truck race and us having a practice session on the Cup side, we’ll be as prepared as we can be. I’m excited to get back to Nashville and see what we can do as a team.”
ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 48 ALLY NEON LIGHTS CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 11th IN STANDINGSBOWMAN ON COMPETING AT NASHVILLE: “I have tested at Nashville Superspeedway before but haven’t actually raced there. It is going to be interesting learning the track with the No. 48 Chevrolet in practice on Saturday. Our last race we ran on concrete we were able to claim the victory, so we are hoping for the same result on Sunday in our No. 48 Ally Chevy.” 
BOWMAN ON ALLY HOSTING ITS FIRST ENTITLEMENT RACE: “This is a huge weekend for our partner Ally. It is their first entitlement race and they have a lot of fun things planned for the sold-out crowd coming out to Nashville. We have a fun, neon paint scheme designed by Dale (Earnhardt) Jr. and I will have a new helmet design that Bernard Pollard and Greg (Stumpff) from Off Axis Paint and I designed this weekend. It would be really cool to be able to bring home the Ally 400 trophy on Sunday with so many great people from Ally in attendance.”  GREG IVES, CREW CHIEF, NO. 48 ALLY NEON LIGHTS CAMARO ZL1 1LE IVES ON HIS EXPERIENCE AT NASHVILLE SUPERSPEEDWAY: “Nashville was always a fun track. You used to be able to test at the speedway all the time and it was always a lot of fun. I remember testing when it was 40 degrees out and you were shivering and wondering how the tires were holding up. Then there were times where you would test and it would be extremely hot out. We have been to Nashville Superspeedway a lot, just not with this configuration. We have been around this track with rental cars multiple times to try to dry the track, so hopefully I can study from some videos I have of that. It is going to be a fun track.”  AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 GET BIOETHANOL CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 12th IN STANDINGSWHEN YOU THINK OF NASHVILLE SUPERSPEEDWAY, WHAT ARE SOME OF THE MEMORIES AND EXPERIENCES THAT COME TO MIND FOR YOU? “Nashville Superspeedway kicked off my NASCAR Cup Series career. One of my first Cup tests was at Nashville. I remember going there to test with the team leading into the season and having a really good time. We won there in the NASCAR Truck Series and finished third there in the NASCAR Xfinity Series with KHI. We had fun at Nashville. It was a good track for me.”“I’m looking forward to going back. I always felt like if we got a shot in the NASCAR Cup Series car at Nashville Superspeedway that it would be a good track for us. I can’t wait. We’ll definitely be grinding it out on the SIM this week to see what we can learn.” ONE OF YOUR FIRST NASCAR CUP SERIES TESTS WAS AT NASHVILLE SUPERSPEEDWAY. WHAT DID THAT MEAN FOR YOU AT THAT POINT IN YOUR CAREER?“It was exciting, getting to go have my time to be in the NASCAR Cup Series and getting the time with the team. Obviously, they were Kevin Harvick’s team and then we kind of jumped into that season. I was the new guy, so getting to hang out with the guys and just be a part of it was important. It was a fun time, obviously starting off my Cup career. I remember going there, testing, and just trying things. We didn’t get to race there, but it was cool to go through and get ready for a practice session. It was also team building. After the test, we went out to downtown Nashville and had a really good time. The second day of the test was not as productive as the first day.” NASHVILLE SUPERSPEEDWAY IS INTERESTING BECAUSE EVEN THOUGH THERE HASN’T BEEN A NASCAR CUP SERIES RACE, THE CUP TEAMS HAVE A LONG HISTORY OF TESTING THERE SO THERE’S A FEW TEAMS THAT HAVE A PRETTY THICK NOTEBOOK. WHAT KIND OF RACE DO YOU ANTICIPATE? “I talked to Kurt Busch because he did the NASCAR test for Chevrolet. He was a bit concerned about tires and being able to last because the concrete had some edges that were created over the years from not being raced on. The edges weren’t really knocked down, kind of like when we got to Dover and Bristol. Nashville seemed to be tough on tires when they were testing. I’m looking forward to seeing what happens when we all get out there and all that rubber gets laid down. I’m assuming it’s going to lay a ton of rubber down after the practice sessions, so it could change. But I think what’s cool and what I enjoyed about Nashville is people fought for that bottom line and you really had to be disciplined and not miss your exit leaving the corner at Nashville. The car that rotated the most was pretty good. I’m looking forward to racing there this weekend. It’s been a good track for us in the past. I did get to test there a long time ago, so we’ll look at some of the notes. I’ve already looked at all of the notes from my NASCAR Truck Series races there. I think we have the NASCAR Xfinity Series notes, as well.” TYLER REDDICK, NO. 8 JOE NICHOLS / QUARTZ HILL RECORDS CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 13th IN STANDINGSTHIS IS YOUR FIRST TIME RACING AT NASHVILLE SUPERSPPEDWAY. HOW HAVE YOU BEEN PREPARING FOR THIS WEEKEND, AND HAVE YOU FOUND ANY SIMILARITIES BETWEEN NASHVILLE AND OTHER TRACKS YOU’VE RACED AT? “The size itself is not that common and only somewhat similar to Darlington, but the shape and surface is totally different. I actually have a small handful of laps at Nashville from my very first outing with Brad Keselowski Racing when I was just getting into the Truck Series. We did a rookie test there, but I unfortunately had a tire cord and completely come apart on me, causing the truck to receive some day-ending damage to it. So, it was a short test for me, and it has been such a long time that I had even forgotten it is a concrete surface there. That’s how green I was when I originally tested there; I didn’t even know the difference in track surfaces. Obviously, I’ve learned a lot since then and have a lot more experience, but there is still a lot for me to figure out at Nashville this weekend. I’ll be running double-duty and competing in the NASCAR Xfinity Series race to help give me some extra on-track time, which should hopefully help us out a lot on the Cup side with our No. 8 Joe Nichols / Quartz Hill Records Chevrolet on Sunday.”
RICKY STENHOUSE JR., NO. 47 KROGER/NATURE VALLEY CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 19th IN STANDINGSWHEN YOU THINK OF NASHVILLE, WHAT DO YOU THINK OF?“For me, it was always that racetrack that for me when I was first starting out in my career, it was really close to home. It’s only 3.5-hours away from my hometown, so I always had a lot of friends and family that came. I’ve had some good memories of the track and I’ve had some bad ones. I was actually just watching the pre-race of 2011. We ended up running second in that race to Carl. Then, like you said, a lot of the testing that we did in the wintertime – it was really cold there. So, obviously now, it’ll be really hot, slick and a lot of fun.”
“There’s a lot of things that I think I remember, but also a lot of things I feel like I don’t remember – what exactly it feels like driving the car around a concrete racetrack that big and also kind of that flat. There will be a lot of things to pick up on in that 50-minute practice that we have.”
IS THERE A TRACK THAT’S ON THE CURRENT SCHEDULE THAT IS MOST SIMILAR TO NASHVILLE THAT YOU GUYS ARE LOOKING AT ALL?“No, I think Nashville (Superspeedway) is kind of its own beast. It’s concrete and fairly flat compared to most other racetracks of similar size. The concrete does have a little bit of a different reaction, as far as however much rubber is laid down and things like that. It definitely took more rubber than I remember when I went back and watched some of the races, so I’m anxious to see if we can get the groove moved up instead of just running the bottom of the racetrack. I think the weather is going to be good this weekend for the opportunity to move around the racetrack, especially with the Trucks, Xfinity and Cup all in the same weekend.” 
DANIEL SUAREZ, NO. 99 TOOTSIES ORCHID LOUNGE CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 22nd IN STANDINGSHOW IMPORTANT IS SUNDAY’S NASHVILLE RACE TO YOU? “Sunday is important because it’s important to Justin and everyone at Trackhouse Racing as well at Tootsie’s. Plus, it is a new market for us, or at least a place we haven’t been to in a long time. I don’t know much about Nashville Superspeedway so I have been learning as much as I can. It’s going to be a new but fun experience for us.” ERIK JONES, NO. 43 BLACK ENTREPRENEUR INITIATIVE CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 25th IN STANDINGSTHOUGHTS AND EXPECTATIONS GOING TO NASHVILLE?“I am excited for the Nashville Superspeedway – we are getting back into the Nashville market. That track has been sitting there for a few years now, so to get back out there is going to be great. They have sold out for this race weekend. That is awesome to have all the fans and to have a packed house.”
“It is hard to say what the expectations are. I have only been to the track one time and that was for a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series test, so I do not have much experience there. All I can really do is go back and watch some of the older races. Hopefully, we can go out and have a good run. It is kind of a unique size and shape of a track, with it being just over a mile. I do not know exactly how our cars are going to do with that.” COREY LAJOIE, NO. 7 PRYOR & LEE CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 29th IN STANDINGS“I’m excited to head over to Music City this weekend. Being a giant country music fan, it’s pretty cool to have Pryor & Lee on board our Chevy Camaro. It’s obvious they have a passion for sharing their music through a grass roots, ‘pounding the pavement’ effort, so I can definitely relate to that in my racing career. It’ll be my first time at Nashville Superspeedway, so I’ll have to learn the track quickly and get our Camaro dialed in during practice.”

SARVER, PA – JUNE 17, 2021 – The World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Models are one week away from the 15th annual Firecracker 100, and every lap the drivers turn at Lernerville Speedway matters.

Thursday and Friday, June 24-25, the Series will run a full show, including Slick Woody’s Cornhole Co. Qualifying, Drydene Heat Races, and a 30-lap Morton Buildings Feature paying $6,000-to-win.

Drivers will accumulate points on both nights, setting the Heat Race lineups for Saturday’s 100-lap finale, paying $30,000-to-win.

Anyone who doesn’t qualify through the Heat Races or Last Chance Showdowns, will have a final chance to make the main event by racing in the Uncle Sam 30.

Whoever wins the race will have a choice, take home $2,000 or start at the back of the Firecracker 100 field for a chance to win the $30,000 top prize.

One driver could potentially collect $42,000 over three nights of jam-packed racing.

Defending champion Cade Dillard hopes to go back-to-back in 2021, but he’ll have a strong list of contenders trying to take home $30,000.

“The Thriller” will have to contend with usual Series foes like reigning champion Brandon Sheppard, and four-time winner Chris Madden.

He’ll also have to deal with a strong group of drivers from Pennsylvania, including Mike Norris, Gregg Satterlee, and 2011 Series champion Rick Eckert.

Two-time “Dirt Late Model Dream” winner Brandon Overton will be at Lernerville, as well, hoping to add more money to the $273,000 he won last week at Eldora Speedway.

Tickets: https://bit.ly/34nZOC8
Competitor Notes: https://bit.ly/3oTfSWb

Racing isn’t the only action fans can enjoy during the three-day event. There’s also entertainment, games, and raffles happening throughout the weekend.

Items like tickets, apparel, and other prizes will be raffled off on the midway all three days. Slick Woody’s Cornhole Co. is also holding a cornhole tournament at noon on Saturday, June 26.

All the money from the raffle and the tournament will go to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

Fans can also meet their favorite drivers on Saturday, at an autograph session on the midway starting at 4pm.

The entertainment doesn’t stop inside the speedway, as fans can enjoy live post-race concerts at the stage in the speedway’s parking lot.

Anyone who’s camping over the weekend even has a chance to win a trophy. World of Outlaws officials will be walking around on Friday, June 25 judging who has the best campsite.

If 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.

Online Ordering and At-Track Support Now Available

●       Catalog of specialty Mopar engine parts for the Dodge Challenger Mopar Drag Pak is available now for online ordering at dsr.parts/collections/dragpak

●       DSR Performance also offers on-site parts and tuning consultation services for sportsman racers competing at all National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) national events 

●       Agreement is an extension of the relationship that officially began in 2003 between Mopar, Dodge//SRT and Don Schumacher Racing (DSR) 

Auburn Hills, Michigan, June 17, 2021– Mopar has named Don Schumacher Racing (DSR) Performance as the supplier of officially licensed engine components for the 2015 and 2021 Dodge Challenger Mopar Drag Pak.

The Dodge Challenger Mopar Drag Pak is the limited-production, purpose-built muscle car for  grassroots and professional drag racers competing in events sanctioned by the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) and National Muscle Car Association (NMCA). The quickest, fastest and most powerful Drag Pak ever built made its on-track debut this past March with a 7-second quarter-mile run at the NHRA Gatornationals in the Sportsman’s Factory Stock Showdown (FSS) class with DSR pilot Leah Pruett at the helm.

The new DSR Performance online catalog offers engine components for the supercharged 354-cubic-inch Gen-III HEMI V-8 engine that powers both the 2021 model year and previous-generation (2015) Drag Pak.

“These purpose-built Mopar performance parts are specifically designed and engineered for the Drag Pak,” said Mark Bosanac, North America Vice President, Mopar Service, Parts & Customer Care. “In expanding our relationship with DSR, we’re providing our sportsman racers and loyal performance enthusiasts with all of the best performing engine parts needed to succeed on the dragstrip.”

The licensing agreement is the latest step forward in the evolution of an existing partnership that began in 1971 and was formalized in 2003 between Mopar, Dodge//SRT and Don Schumacher Racing, the winningest organization in NHRA history. That relationship has yielded 14 NHRA world championships and 279 event wins, including three Factory Stock Showdown wins and a world championship in 2018 with Pruett aboard the third-generation Dodge Challenger Mopar Drag Pak.

“DSR has enjoyed an extremely successful partnership with Mopar and Dodge//SRT for more than 20 years now, and for me personally, our relationship extends back five decades,” said Don Schumacher, owner of DSR. “Our partnership is always evolving and to now expand into this new venture where we are the official distributors of licensed Dodge Challenger Mopar Drag Pak components is something we’re quite proud of. We can’t wait to offer this additional level of support to the Drag Pak community of racers and enthusiasts.”

The complete catalog of more than 20 individual parts, along with pricing, is available via the DSR Performance Parts online shop at dsr.parts/collections/dragpak. Among the offerings now available to order:

●       Aluminum race blocks and rebuild kits

●       Cylinder head assembly and hardware

●       Camshaft

●       Rotating assembly parts including cranks, bolts, rods and pistons

●       Valve train and intake valves

●       Various (tensioner, supercharger and idler) pulleys

●       Oil pan assembly

In addition to the online shop, DSR Performance offers on-site support and tuning consulting services to Dodge Challenger Mopar Drag Pak owners and teams at all NHRA national events.

About DSR Performance

Launched in 2020, DSR Performance is a modern web shop offering racers and automotive enthusiasts performance race parts and lifestyle gear. Operating as the retail arm of Don Schumacher Racing, DSR Performance features both new and used parts for racing and street vehicles with the objective of providing premium, championship-winning design and performance direct-to-consumers via www.DSR.parts. In addition to a catalog that features products for both nitro and sportsman racers, DSR Performance also boasts service-based offerings, including parts and tuning consultations with DSR’s brain trust of crew chiefs. In 2021, DSR Performance announced a partnership expansion with Stellantis, becoming the official distributor of engine parts for the 2015 and 2021 Dodge Challenger Mopar Drag Pak.

DodgeGarage: Digital Hub for Drag Racing News

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

@DodgeMoparMotorsports on Instagram

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

Three-time Hell Tour champion scores back-to-back wins in two different cars

PEORIA, IL – June 16, 2021 – Inside, outside, through the middle… lapped traffic was everywhere as the leaders battled back-and-forth through the pack at Peoria Speedway Wednesday night.

Bobby Pierce was clawing his way through the slower cars in his way each and every corner as he chased down race leader Ryan Unzicker in the caution-free, 40-lap event. He started on the pole, right to the inside of Unzicker, but it took him 32 laps to catch and pass the MB Customs #24.

And finally, he did. Ripping the top lane like he’s so often found doing, Pierce caught a small pause in traffic and used it to its full potential, making the move around Unzicker as he drove away into more traffic for his 29th career Hell Tour Feature win.

Even the biggest Pierce fans know his favorite lane is all the way up by the wall, sometimes scraping the paint off of it. But he almost had to be convinced to try it this time.

“My dad kinda gave me the idea,” Pierce told DIRTVision pit reporter Georgia Henneberry in Victory Lane. “He showed me with the sticks there to possibly try it out. I wasn’t gonna ride in second – I was gonna end up trying it.”

Pierce, of Oakwood, IL, did ride in second for the better part of the race, watching outside polesitter Unzicker step out to a small lead in the opening laps. Once he reached the rear of the field, the battle was on, and his competition wasn’t going to let him by easy.

“Ryan was doing a good job – I could tell he was watching his guys too. Any time I got some momentum on the top, he would move up to the middle and block a little bit. I think his tires went away a little bit. Luckily it stayed green for a long time and we were able to pull it off,” Pierce said.

Unzicker, of El Paso, IL, favored the bottom lane for most of the race until Pierce began showing him a wheel lap-after-lap. Unzicker appeared to have a better drive on corner exit, which pulled him past Pierce several times down the straightways.

That was, until Pierce went back to the top and found the break he needed from the heavy traffic to zoom past him and swipe the spot away permanently – but not before executing one of the boldest, full-send passes all race as he dove into Turn 3 on Lap 25. Unzicker slid back underneath him to regain the spot out of Turn 4, bringing the full Peoria crowd to the edge of their seats.

“Hopefully I raced him clean. He left the door open and I decided to shoot in there after I gave him a little love tap and let him know I was there,” Pierce said.

Defending Summer Nationals champion Brian Shirley had the best seat in the house for this lap-after-lap battle and decided to take advantage of it himself on Lap 34 – getting by Unzicker on the top side with just six laps remaining. Tanner English and Devin Moran had been locked in a battle of their own for several laps and were both in hot pursuit of Shirley but came up just short in the top-five.

This made it back-to-back Feature wins in two nights for the three-time Hell Tour champion, this time driving a different car, more geared towards the tighter, bullring-style tracks like Peoria. It ended up working out in his favor, making him $5,000 richer and breaking the tie between he and fellow three-time tour champ Scott Bloomquist for fourth on the all-time wins list.

UP NEXT

The Hell Tour action continues Thursday night at the Kankakee County Speedway in Kankakee, IL, for Round #3 of the 2021 campaign. Join us at the track or watch live on DIRTVision pres. by Drydene.

Feature (40 Laps) 1. 32-Bobby Pierce[1]; 2. 3S-Brian Shirley[3]; 3. 24-Ryan Unzicker[2]; 4. 81E-Tanner English[4]; 5. 9-Devin Moran[8]; 6. 25- Jason Feger[7]; 7. 12-Ashton Winger[17]; 8. 38J-Jake Little[16]; 9. 10-Paul Parker[6]; 10. 21B-Rich Bell[5]; 11. 21JR-Billy Moyer Jr[12]; 12. 14G-Joe Godsey[14]; 13. B12-Kevin Weaver[11]; 14. 18-Jeffrey Ledford[9]; 15. 4G-Bob Gardner[18]; 16. 1W-Donny Walden[13]; 17. 74-Mitch McGrath[19]; 18. T2-Todd Bennett[21]; 19. 16-Rusty Griffaw[20]; 20. 35-Austin Simpson[10]; 21. 48-Tim Lance[15]; 22. 51-Dean Carpenter[22]

2-FOR-2: Hoffman Nets Back-to-Back Victories with Second Win of 2021 Tour at Peoria

Nicely rebounds 14th-to-5th after breaking in Heat Race

Nick Hoffman spent Wednesday night at Peoria Speedway just doing what champion drivers do – dominating and winning more races.

For the second night in-a-row, Hoffman, of Mooresville, NC, had a perfect night – setting fast time in Qualifying, winning his Heat Race and leading all 25 laps of the DIRTcar Summit Racing Equipment Modified Nationals Feature – the 40th of his career.

“I was trying to pick the smoothest line down this front straightaway, just didn’t want anything to happen. Hats off to the track prep crew, it was probably the best I’ve ever seen this place,” Hoffman said.

The quarter-mile was very racey, and although Hoffman generally stayed clear of having to race with any of his competitors, he knew what could have been had things gone different in the qualifying events earlier on in the program.

Tyler Nicely, of Owensboro, KY, is always a threat to win wherever he goes and often times is a challenger when Hoffman’s up front. However, he broke on Lap 1 of his Heat Race and was forced to start 14th on the Feature grid, making it back up to fifth by Lap 25 – something Hoffman would have rather raced out with him instead had he not broke in the Heat.

“I just hate it for Tyler [Nicely] there in that Heat Race,” Hoffman said. “I think we could’ve raced pretty well out there [in the Feature].

“Dave [Wietholder] – he’s one of my customers – he’s been on a tear up here, so for him to run second, that’s pretty cool.”

UP NEXT

The Summit Racing Equipment Modified Nationals action continues Thursday night at the Kankakee County Speedway in Kankakee, IL, for Round #3 of the 2021 campaign. Join us at the track or watch live on DIRTVision pres. by Drydene.

CHEVROLET RACING IN NTT INDYCAR SERIES REV GROUP GRAND PRIX ROAD AMERICA IN ELKHART LAKE, WISCONSIN TEAM CHEVY ADVANCE JUNE 18-20 RACE 9 OF 2021 NTT INDYCAR SERIES SEASON Chevrolet carries momentum to Road AmericaTeam Chevy coming off win, four podium finishers at Detroit doubleheaderDETROIT (June 16, 2021) – Runner-up in the second race of the July 2020 doubleheader at Road America was Pato O’Ward’s calling card entering the 2021 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season. Now, with confidence garnered from two victories in the past five races with a fast Chevrolet-powered race car, the 22-year-old Arrow McLaren SP driver is looking forward to settling some unfinished business this weekend at Road America. O’Ward recorded his first Series pole on the 4-mile, 14-turn road course, led 43 of the 55 laps and wound up second to current teammate Felix Rosenqvist in the second race. In the opener, O’Ward advanced four positions to finish eighth. “It’s not easy to compete in INDYCAR. I think we showed we’re contenders,” O’Ward said after the race at the Wisconsin venue. He has consistently showed the race craft, poise and demeanor not only of a contender for race wins but a title threat through the first half of the season. O’Ward moved to the top of the championship standings with a victory and third-place finish from the pole in the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix doubleheader last weekend on the Belle Isle temporary street circuit. His second win of the season also pushed Chevrolet to the top of the Manufacturers’ Championship standings. “Obviously, there’s been very high and very low moments. But these guys gave me an opportunity, and I told them I will get you your wins and I will get you your results, so I hope my bosses are proud of me” O’Ward said. “I’m very excited to see what we can accomplish in the next years.” In the short term, securing another solid result in the 55-lap Rev Group Grand Prix presented by AMR on Sunday, June 20, is the goal shared by O’Ward and 10 other Team Chevy drivers. Team Penske teammates Josef Newgarden and Will Power will seek their second win at the facility since the NTT INDYCAR SERIES returned in 2016 after a seven-year absence. Both won from the pole, and Power has added second-place finishes the past two years. There are two changes to the Team Chevy lineup for the race weekend due to drivers not being medically cleared by INDYCAR to compete. Oliver Askew, the 2019 Indy Lights champion, will drive the No. 21 Direct Supply Chevrolet for Ed Carpenter Racing after Rinus VeeKay underwent successful outpatient surgery for a fractured left clavicle sustained Monday, June 14, in a cycling incident. Askew, 24, who made 12 NTT INDYCAR SERIES starts in 2020, most recently filled the seat of the No. 7 Vuse Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet in the second race at Belle Isle after Felix Rosenqvist crashed in Race 1 and was not cleared to drive. In Rosenqvist’s place this weekend, Formula One veteran Kevin Magnussen will be behind the wheel of the No. 7 Chevrolet in his NTT INDYCAR SERIES debut. Magnussen, 28, who drove for McLaren in F1, co-drove a Cadillac prototype to an IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship overall victory last weekend in Detroit. NBCSN will telecast the REV Group Grand Prix live at noon ET Sunday, June 20. The 55-lap/220.5-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. Practice and qualifications will stream on Peacock.
Team Chevy will be represented by:A.J. Foyt EnterprisesDalton Kellett, No. 4 K-Line Insulators AJ Foyt RacingSebastien Bourdais, No. 14 ROKiT AJ Foyt RacingArrow McLaren SPPato O’Ward, No. 5 Arrow McLaren SPKevin Magnussen, No. 7 Vuse Arrow McLaren SPCarlinMax Chilton, No. 59 Gallagher CarlinEd Carpenter RacingConor Daly, No. 20 U.S. Air ForceOliver Askew, No. 21 Direct SupplyTeam PenskeJosef Newgarden, No. 2 Hitachi Team PenskeScott McLaughlin, No. 3 PPG Team PenskeWill Power, No. 12 Verizon 5G Team PenskeSimon Pagenaud, No. 22 Menards Team Penske
Chevrolet IndyCar V6 Year-By-Year Results since 20122021 ­– 3 wins, 3 poles in 8 racesWins – Pato O’Ward (Texas2, Detroit2); Rinus VeeKay (Indy RC1). Pole – Pato O’Ward (Barber Motorsports Park, Detroit); Josef Newgarden (Detroit2).2020 – 7 wins, 11 poles in 14 racesWins – Simon Pagenaud (Iowa1); Josef Newgarden (Iowa2, St. Louis2, Indy RC2, St. Petersburg); Will Power (Mid-Ohio1, Indy RC3, St. Petersburg). Poles – Josef Newgarden (Texas, Road America1, Iowa2), Will Power (Indianapolis road course, St. Louis1, Mid-Ohio1, Indy RC3; St. Petersburg), Pato O’Ward (Road America2), Conor Daly (Iowa1), Rinus VeeKay (Indy road course October)2019 – 9 wins, 9 poles in 17 racesDriver/owner championship (Josef Newgarden/Roger Penske); Indianapolis 500 win (Simon Pagenaud)2018 – 6 wins, 9 poles in 17 racesIndianapolis 500 win (Will Power)2017 – 10 wins, 11 poles in 17 racesEngine Manufacturer Championship; driver/owner titles (Josef Newgarden/Roger Penske)2016 – 14 wins, 13 poles in 16 racesEngine Manufacturer Championship; driver/owner titles (Simon Pagenaud/Roger Penske)2015 – 10 wins, 16 poles in 16 racesEngine Manufacturer Championship; driver/owner titles (Scott Dixon/Chip Ganassi);Indianapolis 500 win (Juan Pablo Montoya). First manufacturer to capture all titles since Chevrolet returned to INDYCAR in 20122014 – 12 wins, 14 poles in 18 racesEngine Manufacturer Championship; driver/owner titles (Will Power/Roger Penske)2013 – 10 wins, 11 poles in 19 racesEngine Manufacturer Championship; Indianapolis 500 win (Tony Kanaan)2012 – 11 wins, 10 poles in 15 racesEngine Manufacturer Championship; driver/owner titles (Ryan Hunter-Reay/Michael Andretti)Total – 92 wins, 102 earned poles in 157 races

World of Outlaws gear up for grueling Upper Midwest StretchCONCORD, NC – June 16, 2021 – The World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Models are a month away from one of their most grueling stretches in 2021. Four races. Six days. Three states. On the heels of a trip to Jackson Motorplex, The Most Powerful Late Models on the Planet make their first Tuesday stop of the season. They’ll visit Gondik Law Speedway in Superior, WI on July 13.  It’s the fifth time the World of Outlaws has visited the Wisconsin venue. Last year, three-time and defending Series champion Brandon Sheppard led all 50-laps to score his then 64th career Series win.  Joining the card that night is the speedway’s modified and hornet divisions.  PREVIOUS GONDIK LAW SPEEDWAY WINNERS2020- Brandon Sheppard2013-Tim McCreadie2010- Jimmy Mars1989- Scott Bloomquist After a few days off, the Series moves to River Cities Speedway in Grand Forks, ND on Friday, July 16. It’s the only trip to the Peace Garden state in 2021.  River Cities has held 12 World of Outlaws Late Models events. Former Series champions Tim McCreadie and Darrell Lanigan are tied with the most wins at the speedway (2).  The last time the Series visited the iconic bullring in 2019, it was Sheppard who found Victory Lane. The “Rocket Shepp” stole the lead from 2015 Series champion Shane Clanton early in traffic and held off a late charge from Ricky Weiss to score the victory.  NOSA Sprints and Street Stocks will join the World of Outlaws Late Models in action that night.   PREVIOUS RIVER CITIES SPEEDWAY WINNERS2019 – Brandon Sheppard on July 12 2018 – Mike Marlar on July 13 2017 – Shane Clanton on July 14 2015 – Tim McCreadie on July 10 2014 – Tim Fuller on July 18 2012 – Darrell Lanigan on July 13 2011 – Tim McCreadie on July 15 2010 – Austin Hubbard on July 9 2009 – Josh Richards on July 10 2008 – Brady Smith on July 112007 – Tim Fuller on June 12 2006 – Darrell Lanigan on May 30 On Saturday, July 17, the World of Outlaws return to Minnesota for the third time in eight days, visiting the I-94 Sure Step Speedway. It’s the first time the Series will make an appearance at the Fergus Falls, MN track.  Joining The Most Powerful Late Models on the Planet are the Modifieds and Street Stocks.  Tickets: https://bit.ly/3vvcMtd The weekend finishes up with a trip to Menomonie, WI for the Rumble at the Red Cedar at Red Cedar Speedway on Sunday, July 18. It’ll be the Series’ second at the venue.  The 2019 Feature saw a thrilling finish, as Chase Junghans held off Clanton in an epic duel for his third career World of Outlaws victory. PREVIOUS RIVER CITIES SPEEDWAY WINNERS2019- Chase Junghans on July 14 Tickets: https://bit.ly/3guUIex Fans who attend any of these four events will witness Brandon Sheppard’s chase for history. The New Berlin, IL driver is trying to catch Josh Richards for the most wins all-time (78), and most Series championships with (4).  The driver with the best chance to dethrone the “Rocket Shepp” this season is Chris Madden. “Smokey” is 46 points behind Sheppard, and has more World of Outlaws wins than anyone in 2021(4).   Another driver they’ll have to contend with is Ricky Weiss. The Upper Midwest swing is the closest he’ll come to his Headingley, MB home. Weiss hopes to bring the house down with a victory, as the Canadian driver is a fan-favorite when the Series travels to that part of the country.  Sheppard, Madden, and Weiss will also have to battle Rookie of the Year contenders Tyler Bruening and Ryan Gustin, along with Cade Dillard, Boom Briggs, Dennis Erb Jr., and Brent Larson as they fight to climb up the standings.

NASCAR CUP SERIES NASHVILLE SUPERSPEEDWAY ALLY 400TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT JUNE 16, 2021
MATT MCCALL, CREW CHIEF, NO. 1 MONSTER ENERGY CAMARO ZL1 1LE Teleconference Transcript: YOU PARTICIPATED IN THE GOODYEAR TIRE TEST A COUPLE OF MONTHS IN ADVANCE OF THE NASHVILLE RACE. CAN YOU GIVE US AN OVERVIEW OF WHAT THE TEAM IS LOOKING FORWARD TO THIS WEEKEND?“We actually got to test there twice. The first time we went there, the tire wear was pretty high. Goodyear was trying to figure what compound makes sense for the race and not have tires completely worn out during a fuel run. So, we went back a second time for a little confirmation. It seemed like that right side was pretty good and seemed to be a gain. For us, we’re looking forward. There will be a little bit of practice, plus we got a little testing. But the Goodyear testing doesn’t do a ton of your own work but at least it gives you a little bit of data to try get what the best sequence will be, set-up wise, for us to unload with and make a couple of adjustments and be in a good spot there to qualify good and get a good race.”
KURT BUSCH HAS BEEN PRETTY OPEN ABOUT JUST NEEDING TO GET THE CAR TO DO WHAT IT NEEDS TO DO. CAN YOU EXPAND ON WHAT THE BIGGEST STRUGGLES ARE?“Finishing the races would be the starting point. We’ve had a lot of things happen to us. But as far as overall balance, just trying to get the window we live it to get it to what he’s been looking for has been really tight. There have been a couple of weeks there has been some rear grip. Then at Texas we were tight on exit. There’s just such a fine line to crossover to keep the front turning and still be able to have that rear grip. It’s not that it’s consistently the same thing every week. I feel like Dover was probably the first race we had that was somewhat of a clean race. We didn’t get hit by anyone or anything crazy happen during the race. And then we had a couple of our own issues, self-inflicted, that caused our balance to get off at the end of the race there. And then the road course was okay at Sonoma. And last week we never could get it free enough to what he was looking for. I think it’s all perspective there, right? From Atlanta to, I guess basically before Dover, there’s been like four or five 30th-plus finishes. And most of those were either because we were in someone else’s mess or something broke. It’s hard to work on your car when you’re not running all the races as well. We’re still concentrating on those things we think that can get better, but it’s still an overall deal in of completing the laps is going to be the best way to get there.”
IS THE PRIMARY FOCUS JUST TRYING TO GE THE SHIP RIGHTED IN A SENSE, OR IS STILL A FOCUS AND BELIEF THAT YOU GUYS CAN MAKE THE PLAYOFFS?“Well for sure, you think you can make the Playoffs. You wouldn’t go each week and that’s what you go to do, right? You go to try to win and put yourself in a spot, obviously. As fast as Hendrick Motorsports is right now, they pretty much take the top four spots. So, if you can get up there and get in those positions to give you a chance to win a race, that’s what you’re going to have to do. But there’s no different approach every week. You’re working just as hard. There are so many hours a day that you can put in and try to keep improving.  It’s interesting when you bring it up. It’s interesting when you bring it up. Like if you actually review the races for what the performance is during the event, before something happens, you would think we’re running 40th. In reality, there have been plenty of races we could have run a top-5 or top-10. It’s interesting the perspective.”
YOU RACED AN XFINITY CAR AT NASHVILLE IN MAYBE 2006 AND KURT RACED THE TRUCK THERE IN 2001. DO ANY OF THOSE MEMORIES OR NOTES OR THOUGHTS APPLY A SMIDGE? OR, DO YOU JUST NOT EVEN THINK ABOUT THOSE?“I would say not really. It helps obviously that Kurt has had some laps there. And then, going there for the tire test just got him acclimated a little bit quicker. But yeah, it’s just more or less the line you may run. As far as notes for set-up and stuff, all that stuff is way beyond what it used to be many years ago.”
DO YOU THINK YOU HAVE AN ADVANTAGE HAVING DONE THE TIRE TEST?“It’s a double-edged sword, right? You go to the tire test, and you think that maybe you had something that was close, balance-wise, and sometimes it forces you not to steer too much out of the box. We feel like we got a good baseline but we’re also going to be open to know if our speed is not where it needs to be to work on it and not just think it’s going to come to us.”
YOU HAVE AN EXISTING RAPPORT WITH HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS ON THE ENGINE-SIDE. DOES THE SUCCESS THEY’VE HAD TRICKLE DOWN TO YOU AT ALL?“Obviously the engine stuff is the biggest thing and transmissions and gears, we get all that stuff from them. From there, it’s more of working through GM if there’s any stuff that’s being shared there. But I mean yeah, obviously there speed right now is above and beyond. They have everything working their way. You look at it, relative to last year, the gains they’ve been able to make, and we’ve not been able to make those. So, we think we understand what we’ve got to work on, but we’ve not been able to show that as possible results yet. Hopefully in the next few weeks we’ll be able to do that.”
HOW IS THE TRACK USUALLY RACED AT NASHVILLE? IT THE LOW GROOVE USUALLY THE PREFERRED LINE? OR MAYBE THE UPPER GROOVE AS WELL? WHAT IS IT LIKE RACING THERE?“Obviously the bottom has always been mostly preferred now. Putting the resin down will change it some and that’ll dictate….. Obviously how these cars are in traffic are different from what they’ve previously been because everybody is so good at attitudes right, and it just makes it a lot tougher in traffic. There’s a slim chance that they won’t be completely on the bottom the whole time. Hopefully that’s how it works out so there will be a little bit of passing for the races.”
HOW IS THE RESIN DIFFERENT FROM THE PJ1 TRACTION COMPOUND? A LOT OF PEOPLE CAN’T DIFFERENTIATE BETWEEN THE TWO.“Yeah, it’s not like it’s heat activated. It’s more for trying to lay rubber on the track. The PJ1 actually has some adhesion to it, so it can add to the grip level. I guess in reality, it could add grip level, but it’s more related to trying to get the rubber to lay down. Nashville is real bad about basically creating powder, so the tire would wear and the powder just gets up out of the groove and it’s really bad if you get out of the groove. So hopefully we keep all that intact and just keep the grip level up.”
ARE THERE ANY TIRE WEAR CONCERNS BASED ON WHAT YOU’VE SEEN DURING THE TESTS?“I think by the time we left the last test, everyone felt okay about what they had. There was still a slim chance, there were only three cars in the tire tests. I think there’s a possibility maybe you see the Trucks when they first go on the track, maybe you’ll see some; but I would say by the time the Cup cars are practicing and the Truck and Xfinity race, I think it’ll be somewhat okay. Now the wear, it appears there will be some, but I don’t think it’ll cause any issues I don’t believe.”
WHAT CAUSES TIRES TO CORD LIKE THEY DID DURING THE TIRE TEST?“Some of it is just that the track surface itself and then I believe we were trying to guestimate when we were at that first tire test, it had been like six or seven years or maybe eight years since anything had really been on the track. So, a lot of that is just abrasion that is created over time from weather.  And the tire we were trying to run wouldn’t lay rubber down, which just creates more and more wear and creates that powder that just runs up the track and never really gets better. That’s where we were at the first test. And then at the second test, like I said, it did clean up some. I think that everyone is hopefully that it should be in a pretty good spot for the race.”

NASCAR CUP SERIESNASHVILLE SUPERSPEEDWAYALLY 400TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPTJUNE 16, 2021

RICKY STENHOUSE JR., NO. 47 KROGER/NATURE VALLEY CAMARO ZL1 1LE, Teleconference Transcript: WHEN YOU THINK OF NASHVILLE, DO YOU THINK OF RACES THAT YOU’VE BEEN IN THERE? DO YOU THINK OF TESTING THERE? DO YOU THINK OF THE PRAYER? DO YOU THINK OF GUITARS? WHAT DO YOU THINK OF? “For me, it was always kind of that racetrack that for me when I was first starting out in my career, it was really close to home. It’s only 3.5-hours away from my hometown, so I always had a lot of friends and family that came. I’ve had some good memories of the track and I’ve had some bad ones. I was actually just watching pre-race of 2011. We ended up running second in that race to Carl. Then, like you said, a lot of the testing that we did in the wintertime – it was really cold there. So, obviously now, it’ll be really hot, slick and a lot of fun.”
“There’s a lot of things that I think I remember, but also a lot of things I feel like I don’t remember – what exactly it feels like driving the car around a concrete racetrack that big and also kind of that flat. There will be a lot of things to pick up on in that 50-minute practice that we have.”
DO YOU THINK THE DRIVERS THAT HAVE ALREADY RACED AT NASHVILLE MIGHT HAVE AN ADVANTAGE THIS WEEKEND? ARE THE CARS AND THE TRACK DIFFERENT NOW THAT IT’S NOT GOING TO GIVE TOO MUCH OF AN ADVANTAGE?“I definitely think anytime you’ve raced at a racetrack, there’s a little bit of an advantage. Simulator time obviously kind of helps that transition quite a bit. And these cars are totally different than what we’ve ever ran at Nashville (Superspeedway) before. I would say most of us had a lot of test sessions there, at least in the Cup Series. So, I feel like a lot of us have been there and have had laps there. I do think there is a little bit of a comfort feeling knowing that you’ve been there before.”
IS THERE A TRACK THAT’S ON THE CURRENT SCHEDULE THAT IS MOST SIMILAR TO NASHVILLE THAT YOU GUYS ARE LOOKING AT ALL?“No, I think Nashville (Superspeedway) is kind of its own beast. It’s concrete and fairly flat compared to most other racetracks of similar size. The concrete does have a little bit of a different reaction, as far as however much rubber is laid down and things like that. It definitely took more rubber than I remember when I went back and watched some of the races, so I’m anxious to see if we can get the groove moved up instead of just running the bottom of the racetrack. I think the weather is going to be good this weekend for the opportunity to move around the racetrack, especially with the Trucks, Xfinity and Cup all in the same weekend and the weather looking good.”
SINCE YOU SAID NASHVILLE IS KIND OF ITS OWN BEAST NOW, DO YOU VIEW IT AS A LEVEL PLAYING FIELD FOR EVERY TEAM, CONSIDERING EVERYONE IS KIND OF STARTING FROM SQUARE ONE HERE THIS WEEKEND?“I wouldn’t go that far. It’s still a circle track; we’ve still got the same cars that we run every week. So, I think that the cars and teams that are the ones to beat are still the ones to beat. I feel like us drivers in a 50-minute practice session, we pick up on things really fast. One or two runs in, we kind of have everything figured out, as far as what you need in your racecar and how to get around the racetrack. I think the cars that run really well right now are still going to be the ones that you have to beat.”
LOOKING AHEAD TO POCONO RACEWAY NEXT WEEKEND, ANOTHER DOUBLEHEADER. WHAT DID YOU LEARN FROM THAT EXPERIENCE WITH THAT MUCH COMPRESSION IN THE SCHEDULE, LOGISTICALLY AND ON THE TRACK THAT HELPED YOU FROM ONE DAY TO THE OTHER?“It was cool for us. Pocono (Raceway) is a track that we’ve just been average at. We had an idea going in of what we needed. Obviously, running a race and turning around and running the next day, you’re able to make those adjustments that you feel like you needed that you normally talk about the following week in your debrief; like ‘when we go back next time, I want to try this or do this’ and you’re able to implement that overnight. I think we made the right adjustments between the two races last year and I’m looking forward to doing that again. As long as you have good weather in Pocono, a doubleheader is a great idea.”
IF THE TRACK IS NEW TO YOU AND YOU GET A SHORT PRACTICE, LIKE YOU SAID, YOU GUYS ARE PROFESSIONAL AND YOU CAN PICKUP ON IT AND WHATNOT. WHAT IS YOUR RHYTHM OF A NEW TRACK? WHAT DO YOU DO TO PREPARE FOR IT? “For us and our race team at JTG Daugherty Racing, Ryan Preece and I don’t get simulator time. I think we both use the same WR1 iRacing Sim that I have right here behind me to make laps at Nashville (Superspeedway), and like you said, just get that rhythm of what everything is like. The things I remember about the racetrack when I ran it: the wall comes up really fast off of turn four; turn two exits really wide; and turn three getting in is kind of tricky. I feel like we kind of have a rhythm a little bit from running laps on iRacing or the simulator. Your team has a run log of what you want to do in that 50-minutes. It’s so condensed, so you have to have it scienced out in what you plan on going through. Going out there and running 10, 15, 20-laps to kind of figure it out, you don’t really have that opportunity. You better be ready when you get there.”
DO YOU REMEMBER – IS IT DIFFICULT TO PASS THERE? THAT’S PROBABLY ONE OF THE MOST CHALLENGING PARTS OF THE TRACK, RIGHT? “Yeah, I definitely felt like it was tough to pass. But if you have a really good racecar, I think it shows there. You’re able to run up through the field. You’re able to get out and lead laps. I feel like, for us in one of the races that I watched, we stayed about three-quarters of a second right behind Carl. I could never really get any closer and never really fell any further back. It is a tough place to pass, but I do think with all three series this weekend, the heat, the temperatures, I think the racetrack could widen out and you could see some really good racing.”
HOW DO YOU THINK YOUR SEASON HAS GONE SO FAR AND WHAT’S YOUR MINDSET AS YOU GET CLOSER TO THE PLAYOFFS?“It started off, I would say, on the right foot; pretty consistent and we were happy with where we were. Then, you try to take that next step of how are we going to turn these top-12’s and top-15’s into top-10’s. You start working on your racecars and you start going through the process of trying to figure that out, as well as at the same time as everybody else is trying to make theirs faster. I think we got off a little bit, so we’re looking to kind of reset our program and kind of make another final run towards the Playoffs. We’ve still got quite a few races left that if we can get back to that consistency that we had to start the season, I feel like as those races play out, we could be back in close racing for those Playoff spots. That’s our goal, that’s our plan, and we’re going to see how that shakes out starting this weekend at Nashville.”