Capps Keeps Dodge//SRT Mopar Finals Streak Going with Runner-up Result in NHRA Northwest Nationals

· Dodge//SRT Mopar driver Ron Capps races to 121st career final and third in 2019 Sunday in NHRA Northwest Nationals at Pacific Raceways near Seattle

· Matt Hagan qualifies third, advances to semifinal round driving 2020 Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Widebody Funny Car

· Tommy Johnson, Jr. holds No. 3 spot in Funny Car standings, leads three Mopar-powered Dodge//SRT drivers in top five

· Leah Pritchett narrowly defeated in first round; holds seventh position in Top Fuel championship standings

· Bill Bushmaker and Kelly Thomas pick up Dodge Top Finisher honors

· Dodge Garage, a digital content hub for muscle car and race enthusiasts, offers exclusive photo journals with behind-the-scenes action Continue reading Capps Keeps Dodge//SRT Mopar Finals Streak Going with Runner-up Result in NHRA Northwest Nationals →

JOHN FORCE AND AUSTIN PROCK LAND MILESTONE VICTORIES AT NHRA NORTHWEST NATIONALS

KENT, Wash. (Aug. 4, 2019) — John Harold Force, who as a kid battled polio and poverty while dreaming of a career in professional sports, applied an exclamation point to one of motor racing’s most unlikely success stories Sunday when he drove his PEAK Coolant and Motor Oil / Lighting Chevrolet Camaro SS to a final round victory over Ron Capps to win the 32nd annual Magic Dry Organic Absorbent NHRA Northwest Nationals at Pacific Raceways.

It was the 150th Mello Yello tour victory for Force, who already has been enshrined in the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in Talladega, Ala., and the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in Daytona Beach, Fla., and who most certainly will be a first ballot inductee into the International Drag Racing Hall of Fame in Ocala, Fla., once he retires from competition. Continue reading JOHN FORCE AND AUSTIN PROCK LAND MILESTONE VICTORIES AT NHRA NORTHWEST NATIONALS →

Austin Prock records his first win on the same Sunday that his boss John Force records his 150th win.
Top Fuel — Austin Prock, 3.875 seconds, 307.86 mph def. Steve Torrence, 4.984 seconds, 162.24 mph.
Funny Car — John Force, Chevy Camaro, 3.971, 320.58 def. Ron Capps, Dodge Charger, 4.018, 309.91.
Pro Stock — Matt Hartford, Chevy Camaro, 6.606, 209.33 def. Greg Anderson, Camaro, 6.596, 210.31.

Top Alcohol Dragster — Shawn Cowie, 5.349, 271.52 def. Russ Parker, 5.387, 267.48.

Top Alcohol Funny Car — Chris Marshall, Chevy Camaro, 5.610, 263.87 def. Doug Gordon, Camaro, 8.565, 113.85.

Competition Eliminator — Brian Hyerstay, Dragster, 8.637, 147.52 def. Doug Lambeck, Pontiac Sunfire, 8.359, 157.71.

Super Stock — Kyle Rizzoli, Chevy Camaro, 9.619, 133.47 def. Tom Gaynor, Chevy Cobalt, 9.827, 134.91.

Stock Eliminator — Andy Morris, Chevy Camaro, 9.381, 140.25 def. Kyle Rizzoli, Camaro, 10.323, 123.00.

Super Comp — Randy Beck, Dragster, 8.901, 169.76 def. James Warden, Dragster, 8.915, 166.74.

Super Gas — Michael Dalrymple, Chevy Camaro, 9.961, 161.73 def. Rod Souza, Chevy Bel Air, 9.948, 161.42.

Super Street — Matt Kielman, Chevy Nova, 10.922, 120.33 def. Chris Cannon Jr., Nova, 10.911, 153.28.

Top Sportsman presented by RacingRVs.com — Doug Bracey, Chevy Cavalier, 7.211, 188.83 def. Shawn Herbst, Pontiac Firebird, 7.107, 193.82.

Top Dragster presented by RacingRVs.com — Jeff Havens, Dragster, 6.898, 192.88 def. Thomas Bayer, Dragster, Foul – Red Light.

Top Fuel Harley — Doug Vancil, Weekend, 6.439, 211.33 def. Randal Andras, Weekend, 6.435, 195.28.

CHEVROLET RACING IN NATIONAL HOT ROD ASSOCIATION
MAGIC DRY ORGANIC ABSORBENT NHRA NORTHWEST NATIONALS
PACIFIC RACEWAYS IN KENT, WASHINGTON
POST-RACE RECAP AND DRIVER QUOTES
SUNDAY, AUG. 4, 2019

Chevrolet sweeps on historic day in Seattle

John Force earns NHRA record-extending 150th Funny Car victory
Austin Prock claims first career Top Fuel win in 16th event
Matt Hartford denies Greg Anderson of Pro Stock ‘Swing’ sweep
Andy Morris drives COPO Camaro to Stock Eliminator win

KENT, Wash. (August 4, 2019) – John Force scaled the grandstand at Pacific Raceways to celebrate with fans in a spontaneous act of elation and dexterity for a 70-year-old.

“You made it possible,” Force exclaimed to the throng after earning his National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) record-extending 150th career Funny Car victory. “You stuck by me.”

Nearby, 23-year-old teammate Austin Prock scaled the rear wing of his Chevrolet dragster after registering his initial Top Fuel victory in his 16th professional event.
Continue reading Chevrolet sweeps on historic day in Seattle →

JOHN FORCE WINS MILESTONE 150TH NHRA FUNNY CAR RACE;
AUSTIN PROCK WINS FIRST CAREER VICTORY
KENT, Wash. (August 4, 2019) — Drag racing icon John Force drove the PEAK Coolant and Motor Oil Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car to a record-setting 150th Mello Yello tour victory Sunday, beating Ron Capps in the final round to win the 32nd annual Magic Dry Organic Absorbent NHRA Northwest Nationals.

It was the Hall of Famer’s first win of the season but his record ninth at Pacific Raceways and it added another unlikely chapter to one of auto racing’s most compelling stories.

It was the 150th Mello Yello tour victory for the 16-time NHRA Funny Car champion, an accomplishment made the more remarkable by the fact that he was winless in his first 10 professional seasons (1977-1987). He finally broke through on June 28, 1987 at Montreal, Canada where he beat Ed “the Ace” McCulloch in the final round of the no-longer-contested Molson Grandnational. He’s been winning ever since and now has won at least one NHRA tour event in 32 of the last 33 seasons.

The significance of 150 tour victories is indisputable considering that the second most by any NHRA pro is 97 by retired Pro Stock champion Warren Johnson. Among active pro drivers, Greg Anderson has 93 wins in Pro Stock and Tony Schumacher 84 in Top Fuel. Second in career Funny Car victories is Ron Capps with 62.

The win was Force’s first with new crew chiefs Brian Corradi and Dan Hood, who moved over to the PEAK Camaro after directing Courtney Force, the youngest of Force’s four daughters, to four wins and a sixth place finish in the 2018 Mello Yello driver standings.

Winning alongside the legendary driver was Road to the Future Award candidate Austin Prock. It was the first victory of Prock’s career and the first time a driver with the last name “Prock” had competed in a final round since his grandfather, Tom Prock, in Montreal 1976. Austin defeated current points leader and reigning Top Fuel world champion Steve Torrence in the final round.

MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES
WATKINS GLEN INTERNATIONAL
GOBOWLING AT THE GLEN
TEAM CHEVY POST RACE NOTES & QUOTES
AUGUST 4, 2019

TOP TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL RACE RESULTS:
POS. DRIVER
1st Chase Elliott, No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Camaro ZL1
8th Kyle Larson, No. 42 McDonald’s Camaro ZL1
10th Kurt Busch, No. 1 Monster Energy Camaro ZL1
13th Chris Buescher, No. 37 Cottonelle Camaro ZL1
14th Alex Bowman, No. 88 Axalta Camaro ZL1

TOP FIVE UNOFFICIAL RACE RESULTS:
POS. DRIVER
1st Chase Elliott (Chevrolet)
2nd Martin Truex Jr. (Toyota)
3rd Denny Hamlin (Toyota)
4th Eric Jones (Toyota)
5th Ryan Blaney (Ford)

The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season continues next weekend at Michigan International Speedway with the Consumers Energy 400 on Sunday, August 11th at 3 p.m. ET. Live coverage can be found on NBCSN, NBC Sports Gold, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE NOTES AND QUOTES:

CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CAMARO ZL1 – Winner
THE PERFORMANCE OF A LIFETIME, NOT ONLY GETTING THE POLE, LEADING 80 OUT OF THOSE 90 LAPS, CHASE ELLIOTT, YOU HAVE WON AT WATKINS GLEN AGAIN.
“Very wild. Thank you, guys. That was frigging awesome. I’ve never been so far from home and felt like I was at my house, so thank you. Y’all are awesome. Continue reading Chevy Racing–NASCAR–Watkins Glen–Post Race →

Blackstock, O’Gorman Claim Second at Road America
• Shelby Blackstock, Tom O’Gorman continue championship chase with second-place result in shortened, rain-affected race
• Ryan Eversley, Chad Gilsinger lose TCR class victory after drive-time infraction
• Honda continues to lead TCR Manufacturers’ Championship after seven of 10 rounds

ELKHART LAKE, WI (August 3, 2019) – An apparent TCR class win for the Honda of America Racing Team was lost Saturday at Road America, when a strategic decision to make its sole scheduled pit stop at the last possible moment left Ryan Eversley fewer than 10 seconds short of the required minimum drive time at the finish.

A fast-moving thunderstorm rolled through the Road America circuit during the buildup to the seventh round of the MICHELIN Pilot Challenge series, leading to a delay of just over an hour before lightning ceased in the area. As a result of the late start, the race distance was shortened to 75 minutes from the originally scheduled two hours.
Continue reading Blackstock, O’Gorman Claim Second at Road America →

Troy Coughlin Jr. aces Atco Dragway with second Top Alcohol Dragster victory of season
ATCO, N.J. (Aug. 3) – Reigning North Central Region Top Alcohol Dragster champion Troy Coughlin Jr. scored his second victory of the 2019 season Saturday at the Division 1 Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series points meet at Atco Dragway.

After qualifying No. 1 in the competitive field with a 5.233 at 277.26 mph Friday, Coughlin crushed Frank Schuster, class heavyweight Duane Shields and Josh Hart to gain some valuable ground in the North East Division, where he is claiming points this year. Continue reading Troy Coughlin Jr. aces Atco Dragway with second Top Alcohol Dragster victory of season →

JOHN FORCE CLINCHES COUNTDOWN TO THE CHAMPIONSHIP SPOT WITH QUALIFYING EFFORTS AT NHRA NORTHWEST NATIONALS
KENT, Wash. (Aug. 3, 2019) — For the 35th consecutive year, 16-time Funny Car world champion John Force will end an NHRA professional season in the top 10. At the conclusion of qualifying at the Magic Dry Organic Absorbent NHRA Northwest Nationals, Force, who will start race day from the No. 4 position thanks to a Friday night run, had clinched a spot in the NHRA Mello Yello Countdown to the Championship, NHRA’s six race playoffs, giving him a chance to earn an unprecedented 17th world title. Continue reading JOHN FORCE CLINCHES COUNTDOWN TO THE CHAMPIONSHIP SPOT WITH QUALIFYING EFFORTS AT NHRA NORTHWEST NATIONALS →

Jeg Coughlin Jr. the No. 1 qualifier for 30th time; Brother’s top start translates to bye-run
SEATTLE (Aug. 3) — Things couldn’t be going much better for Jeg Coughlin Jr. and his brother Mike Coughlin at the 32nd annual Magic Dry NHRA Nationals. Both men managed to qualify atop their respective categories, Jeg Jr. in Pro Stock and Mike in Top Dragster, and Mike already advanced to Round 2 because his starting position earned him a bye-run in a 31-car field.

“We secured the No. 1 spot yesterday and held onto it through today so we’re very happy,” Jeg Jr. said. “We made three really good runs and our fourth run today was just so-so but overall we were good enough to qualify No. 1. Good work by the entire Elite team.”

As it has for several races now, Jeg Jr.’s JEGS.com Elite Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro has been running like a bracket car, repeating very competitive elapsed times every round. So far at Pacific Raceways, Jeg Jr. has run 6.539 at 210.57 mph, 6.541 at 210.50 mph, 6.553 at 210.67 mph and 6.585 at 210.41 mph.

Jeg Jr.’s best pass came Friday evening under the lights when he regained the top position from teammate Alex Laughlin to secure what would officially become his 30th career No. 1 qualifier by Saturday afternoon.

“The car’s in pretty good shape,” Jeg Jr. said. “I think we’ve got just a little bit of stuff to line out for tomorrow in the sun and the heat, but Rickie (Jones, crew chief) is really good at making all the right adjustments. The team’s got their finger on that pulse just right and I think we’ll have a good car so let’s see if we can win four rounds tomorrow.”

Having qualified in first place, Jeg Jr. will enter race day as the favorite to win the Seattle trophy, just as he did in 2002. He will first face Alan Prusiensky, who anchored the 16-car field with a 6.622 at 208.39 mph. The first round of Pro Stock eliminations will begin around noon Pacific time.

The extra effort Mike’s crew put into getting his JEGS.com Top Dragster on the pole with a 6.152 at 222.62 mph paid immediate dividends in Round 1 of eliminations Saturday when he got a bye run to advance to Round 2. Mike will face Kevin Chambers when eliminations continue. As a precaution, the team changed engines between rounds.

MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES
WATKINS GLEN INTERNATIONAL
GOBOWLING AT THE GLEN
TEAM CHEVY QUALIFYING PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT
AUGUST 3, 2019

CHASE ELLIOTT PUTS CAMARO Z1 ON THE POLE AT WATKINS GLEN

Watkins Glen, NY (August 3, 2019) – Returning to Watkins Glen International after capturing his first-career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series (MENCS) win in 2018, Chase Elliott will lead the field to the green in Sunday’s GoBowling at the Glen. Chase Elliott’s No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Camaro ZL1 secured the top position in qualifying with a fast lap of 69.287, 127.297 mph. It was the 15th pole for Chevrolet in history at the 3.4-mile road course.

Elliott’s feat also marks the 11th pole of the 2019 season for the Camaro ZL1, and 710th pole for Chevrolet in NASCAR’s premier series. Continue reading CHASE ELLIOTT PUTS CAMARO Z1 ON THE POLE AT WATKINS GLEN →

Menard Set To Start 22nd At Watkins Glen

August 3, 2019

Paul Menard and the No. 21 Menards/Dutch Boy Ford Mustang are set to start Sunday’s 34th annual Go Bowling at the Glen from 22nd place.

Menard toured the track during time trials at 125.165 miles per hour, his best lap of the day. Starting spots are provisional, with the final line-up not official until after inspection on Sunday morning.

Saturday’s schedule at Watkins Glen featured both practice and qualifying on Saturday. In the opening practice, Menard was 18th fastest with a best lap at 123.762 mph, which he turned on the fourth of his 20 laps run.

His best lap in the final “Happy Hour” practice was essentially the same speed, 123.663 mph, which was 22nd best and came on the 10th of 19 laps run in that session.

Eddie Wood said the format for Sunday’s relatively short 200.5-mile race will put pit strategy into play almost from the start of the race.

With the opening Stages just 20 laps each, followed by a 50-lap final segment, teams likely will be forced to choose between earning stage points or positioning themselves for the best finish possible.

Wood said that in today’s environment, there often are surprises dealt the team despite their best efforts.

“After all those cars made it to the end at Pocono last week you kind of wonder if the cars even need gas,” Wood joked. “But seriously, I can see some making it on two pit stops on Sunday.”

Sunday’s Go Bowling at the Glen is set to start just after 3 p.m. Eastern Time with TV coverage on NBCSN.

MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES
WATKINS GLEN INTERNATIONAL
GOBOWLING AT THE GLEN
TEAM CHEVY QUALIFYING NOTES & QUOTES
AUGUST 3, 2019

TOP TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL QUALIFYING RESULTS:
POS. DRIVER
1st CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CAMARO ZL1
2nd WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 HENDRICK AUTOGUARD CAMARO ZL1
5th KYLE LARSON, NO. 42 MCDONALD’S CAMARO ZL1
7th KURT BUSCH, NO. 1 MONSTER ENERGY CAMARO ZL1
8th JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 ALLY CAMARO ZL1

TOP FIVE UNOFFICIAL QUALIFYING RESULTS:
POS. DRIVER
1st Chase Elliott (Chevrolet)
2nd William Byron (Chevrolet)
3rd Kyle Busch (Toyota)
4th Martin Truex Jr. (Toyota)
5th Kyle Larson (Chevrolet) Continue reading Chevy Racing–NASCAR–Watkins Glen–Qualifying →

MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES
WATKINS GLEN INTERNATIONAL
GOBOWLING AT THE GLEN
TEAM CHEVY POLE WINNER QUOTE
AUGUST 3, 2019

CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA CAMARO ZL1 WON THE POLE FOR TOMORROW’S GO BOWLING AT THE GLEN.

It is the second consecutive pole at The Glen for the defending race winner:

ON BEING COMFORTABLE WINNING POLE AT THE GLEN – IT IS YOUR SECOND CONSECUTIVE: “The goal is to be comfortable everywhere .Hopefully we can do more of it. But here, today here is important to have good pit selection and track position is important. Just try to have a mistake free day tomorrow, and keep our NAPA Chevy up front and try to have a good day!

DID YOU NAIL THAT LAP? “Our NAPA Chevy is fast which is nice, it cooled off a lot, and the track picked up a lot of pace from practice. So just tried to find the limits of all that. There were a couple of places where I thought I could get more, but you always want to get more!

“Qualifying well here is important because the strategy is important. Pitting these cars backwards. You need good pit selection and track position. This is a great result for our NAPA Chevy team.”

Tyler Reddick and No. 2 Anderson’s Maple Syrup Team Overcome Multiple Obstacles at Watkins Glen International to Claim Top-10 Finish

“We fought it all today at Watkins Glen and somehow came away with a top-10 finish at one of the most challenging tracks for me. We qualified really well, but on that first lap I was trying to give the 10 a little bit of room but didn’t give myself enough time to get back over and missed the bus stop. We pitted right away to get the grass off our nose and played a little bit of strategy to get our track position back. That seemed to be the trend of our day, every time we got track position, something would happen and we would get shuffled back again. My crew chief, Randall Burnett, and all my spotters did a great job of keeping me focused and on track for the rest of the race. Coming out of here with a sixth-place finish is a big accomplishment, and I hope we can keep that momentum going next week at Mid-Ohio.”

-Tyler Reddick

CORVETTE RACING AT ROAD AMERICA: Pole Position Start for No. 4 Corvette
Gavin fastest in GTLM qualifying, Magnussen P5 in chase for eighth Road America win

ELKHART LAKE, Wisc. (Aug. 3, 2019) – Corvette Racing’s Oliver Gavin will start from pole position of the GT Le Mans field after qualifying for Sunday’s IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship’s Road Race Showcase.

Gavin, in the No. 4 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C7.R, was the fastest qualifier Saturday with a lap of 2:00.663 (120.772 mph). It marks the team’s first Road America pole position since 2010. Teammate Jan Magnussen will start fifth in class with a lap of 2:01.085 (120.351 mph) in the No. 3 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Corvette but was less than 0.3 seconds from the front row. Continue reading CORVETTE RACING AT ROAD AMERICA: Pole Position Start for No. 4 Corvette →

All Acura Front Row at Road America
• Dane Cameron qualifies on the pole for Sunday’s Road America Road Race Showcase
• Helio Castroneves will start his Acura Team Penske ARX-05 prototype from second
• Trent Hindman qualifies his Acura NSX GT3 Evo fifth in GTD

ELKHART LAKE, WI (August 3, 2019) – Acura Team Penske swept the front row in qualifying today for Sunday’s Road America Road Race Showcase, with Dane Cameron claiming the pole with a new lap record time of 1:48.715 in his Acura ARX-05 prototype, and teammate Helio Castroneves claiming the outside of the front row with second-fastest qualifying run. Continue reading All Acura Front Row at Road America →

MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES
WATKINS GLEN INTERNATIONAL
GOBOWLING AT THE GLEN
TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT
AUGUST 3, 2019

CHRIS BUESCHER, NO. 37 COTTONELLE CAMARO ZL1 Media Breakout Session Highlights:

DO YOU FEEL GOOD ABOUT SUNDAY’S RACE AT THE GLEN?
“Yeah, I do. I like road racing in general. Ryan Preece does, as well. So, it’s kind of nice. I’ve always been able to come to road races and just have a good outlook on it. It’s definitely not my background. But, it’s fun. I don’t want to do it any more than we do. Three or four races per year is plenty for me. It breaks up our oval races. They are nice. This is a fast road course. Continue reading Chevy Racing–NASCAR–Watkins Glen– Chris Buescher →

MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES
WATKINS GLEN INTERNATIONAL
GOBOWLING AT THE GLEN
TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT
AUGUST 3, 2019

DANIEL HEMRIC, NO. 8 CATERPILLAR CAMARO ZL1 Media Breakout Session Highlights:

YOU’VE HAD THE SPEED AND YOU’VE QUALIFIED WELL, BUT THE FINISHES JUST AREN’T THERE YET. IS THAT FRUSTRATING?
“its twofold. You look at it like man, it’s so frustrating to unload and have fast race cars and not have the balance in the race to use the speed. But the only thing worse than that is not having speed at all and not having a balance. So, I’m happy with that side of it. As the last couple of weeks have gone, we’ve shown that we’re capable of putting the balance in the cars and we’ve done a way better job of narrowing down what it takes to do that. But, it’s for sure, frustrating. We have do many great supporters that allow us to be at the race track week in and week out, we want to give them results and we haven’t done that. It’s just up to us to keep working harder and have weekends like we had last week as a company and as a whole. We’ve got to do that more consistently. And as the year goes, the frustration level will diminish some as we can get closer to narrowing-in on those goals.” Continue reading Chevy Racing–NASCAR–Watkins Glen–Daniel Hemric →

MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES
WATKINS GLEN INTERNATIONAL
GOBOWLING AT THE GLEN
TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT
AUGUST 3, 2019

WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 HENDRICK AUTOGUARD CAMARO ZL1 Media Breakout Session Highlights:

EVEN THOUGH YOU HAVE A BIT OF A CUSHION WITH 5 RACES REMAINING, IS THERE STILL A LOT OF PRESSURE IN KNOWING THAT OTHER GUYS HAVE FIVE SHOTS TO WIN THAT COULD PUSH YOU FURTHER DOWN THE GRID IN THE PLAYOFFS?
“Yes and now. This is always a Wild Card race. Anybody could win this one. But we’ve seen over the last couple of years the strong teams and strong drivers usually win this race. So, I’m not too worried about who’s going to win. We do have to continue to kind of stack points and try to continue to further ourselves from that conversation. I don’t know. I think we’re in a good spot. We’ve got some good tracks coming up, for sure. Darlington’s a good track. Indy is a good track for us. So, I don’t feel too worried about it.” Continue reading Chevy Racing–NASCAR–Watkins Glen–William Byron →