Defending NHRA Sonoma Nationals champ Jeg Coughlin Jr. looking to repeat the feat
SONOMA, Calif. (July 22) — Jeg Coughlin Jr. used a big win at last year’s NHRA Sonoma Nationals to kick-off a strong stretch run of the 2018 season that ultimately ended with a lofty second-place finish in the championship points. Now the 81-time national event winner is hoping a repeat performance at this weekend’s race will yield similar results for his JEGS.com Elite Motorsports race team.

Jeg Coughlin Jr.
“That is what’s on the menu right now — repeating what we did here last year and rolling on into the playoffs,” Coughlin said. “It’s just not that easy to do because there are so many top teams and drivers out here. Of course, that’s also what makes it so challenging and fun.

“If we stay focused on making good quality runs each session, not looking too far ahead, we will continue to keep our car up at the front of the pack. If I can do my part and compliment what the car is capable of with some good driving, I like our chances.”

Interestingly, Coughlin arrives at Sonoma Raceway in the exact same position he was in a year ago — seventh place in the Mello Yello championship standings — and his racecar seems to be running just as strong.

“The car ran well in Denver and we had a great chance to get to the finals and run for the trophy,” Coughlin said. “We also had a strong run in Norwalk (Ohio) so I’m pretty jacked up to get back down to sea level and breakthrough for our second win of the season. Without question, all the ingredients are here in this Elite Motorsports pit.”

Coughlin has reigned victorious in Sonoma on three occasions, winning here in 2003, 2010 and 2018. He always circles this event as one of his favorites on the schedule due to its proximity to world famous areas like Sonoma and Napa Valley.

“The backdrop of wine country has made this track a favorite of mine from the first visit,” Coughlin said. “The facility is top-notch and the amenities for fans and racers alike are first-rate. I’m excited to return.”

This weekend’s race in Sonoma kicks off a string of three consecutive national events where Coughlin will race alongside his brother Mike Coughlin, who races the JEGS.com Top Dragster. Mike has won two races in the last three weekends and surged to the No. 1 ranking in Top Dragster in the North Central Division. Mike and Jeg Jr. will race together this weekend, next weekend in Seattle and three weeks from now in Brainerd, Minn.

“Having a chance to watch Mike race is really cool,” Jeg Jr. said. “He’s been doing so well here lately and he tells me his car is as perfect as anything he’s ever driven so I’m ready to see it up close and watch him win again.

“It’ll be a family affair, which is how we like it. My son Jeg III is joining us for the weekend and two of my nephews, Clay and Jack, who are Mike’s sons, are going to join us so we’ll have plenty of Coughlin boys on hand.

“My great friend Kyle Seipel has been managing the drag racing side of things at Sonoma Raceway also so it’ll be great seeing him as well.”

Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Returns to Action With Silver Lake Doubleheader in Reno-Sparks
Sparks’ Wild West Motorsports Park Hosts
Round 5 & 6 of World’s Premier Short-Course Championships
CORONA, Calif. (July 22, 2019) – The Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series, presented by GEICO, will makes its anticipated return to action when the most talented off-road racers on the planet invade “The Biggest Little City in the World” of Reno, Nevada, for its second doubleheader of the 2019 season on Friday, July 26, and Saturday, July 27. The OPTIMA Batteries Silver State Showdown, presented by GEICO, will feature back-to-back nighttime showcases from Sparks, Nevada’s Wild West Motorsports Park. The stretch run of the championship is upon us, and the captivating title fights across all nine classes of competition are set to resume during this action-packed weekend of racing.

Courtesy Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series
Wild West Motorsports Park was the realization of Reno businessman Norm Dianda’s desire to bring the sport of short-course off-road racing, and the prestigious championship that is the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series, to motorsports fans in the Reno-Sparks area. Dianda owned a piece of prime real estate right off Interstate 80, a mere 20 minutes from downtown Reno, and recognized that this under-utilized land deserved a second life. In an effort to stimulate the local economy and put the community of Reno-Sparks on the off-road racing map, this hilltop landscape opened in 2012 as the beloved racing venue we know today.

With its massive jumps, steep inclines, and sharp descents, it’s not a shock to learn that Wild West Motorsports Park clocks the fastest speeds of any circuit on the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series schedule. The utilization of the natural elevation changes that surround the property make for arguably the most unique layout these extraordinary drivers will see all season, which often lends itself to some of the most unpredictable, and highly competitive racing of the championship.

Courtesy Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series
A total of five rounds remain in the 2019 season, which means the intensity is bound to pick up dramatically across all nine divisions. No driver can afford any mulligans if they hope to stay in contention for the championship, and that bodes well for the thousands of fans that will fill the grandstands at Wild West Motorsports Park for the Silver State Showdown doubleheader.

With the inclusion of the Pro 2M engine this season, another layer of intrigue has been added to an already deep Pro 2 division, and the entire field of drivers has adjusted to the competitive changes in the best way possible. After four rounds, a mere seven points separate the top five drivers in the standings. Three different drivers have emerged triumphant thus far, with only Jerett Brooks collecting multiple wins. That distinction, combined with three podium results in four races, has given Brooks a slight edge in the championship standings, but he still finds himself under heavy pressure from his three primary title threats – Rodrigo Ampudia, Brian Deegan, and reigning champion Rob MacCachren.

In Pro 4, the action thus far in 2019 has been unpredictable, and while the division’s biggest names have made their presence felt on a regular basis, very little has separated them. As a result, just four points separate the top three drivers. It’s been no surprise to see former champions Kyle LeDuc and RJ Anderson duke it out, but the emergence of Doug Mittag into a consistent threat to the dominance of his more experienced counterparts has made for an exciting title fight. All three drivers have managed to grab a victory this season, but we’re still waiting to see who will take charge and grab that all-important championship momentum. They say anything can happen in racing, and it’s a sentiment that’s particularly true in Pro 4.

As expected, Pro Lite has produced some of the tightest race of the 2019 season with its exceptionally deep level of talent in the field. While the opportunity to seize control of the division has presented itself in 2019, no one has done so quite yet, and it’s created a wide-open battle for this year’s crown. Three different drivers have claimed a victory this season, but due to the competitiveness of the class consistency has been hard to come by, and winning has become even more difficult. Reigning champion Ryan Beat currently sits atop the standings, but he’s surely going to have to deal with pressure from a slew of challengers like Mickey Thomas, Ronnie Anderson, Chris Polvoorde, and the most recent winner, Brock Heger.

Courtesy Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series
With an increase in championship tension across all nine classes of the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series, the back-to-back nights of racing at Wild West Motorsports Park loom large in each respective title fight. On this weekend, the city of Sparks will surely live up to its name, as sparks are guaranteed to fly as the men, women, boys, and girls of all ages go wheel-to-wheel and door-to-door in their determined quest for victory. The thousands of fans in the grandstands over these two nights will be rewarded for their enthusiasm and support of this world-class championship.

FORD GT WINS AT LIME ROCK WITH
DOUBLE PODIUM

LAKEVILLE, CT – July 22, 2019 – Richard Westbrook and Ryan Briscoe drove the No. 67 Ford GT to a heart pounding win on Saturday, in the IMSA Northeast Grand Prix, making it back-to-back wins for Ford Performance at Lime Rock Park. The No. 66, driven by Joey Hand and Dirk Müller, made it a double podium winning weekend, finishing third overall. Continue reading Ford GT Wins at Lime Rock With Double Podium →

Top Fuel — Steve Torrence, 4.044 seconds, 270.21 mph def. Clay Millican, 4.126 seconds, 267.64 mph. Both ARP Cars

Funny Car — Tommy Johnson Jr., Dodge Charger, 4.102, 308.50 ARP Car def. Bob Tasca III, Ford Mustang, 4.158, 302.14.

Pro Stock — Greg Anderson, Chevy Camaro, 6.950, 196.96 ARP Car def. Matt Hartford, Camaro, 6.965, 196.96.

Pro Stock Motorcycle — Andrew Hines, Harley-Davidson, 7.174, 186.67 def. Eddie Krawiec, Harley-Davidson, 7.222, 186.38.

Super Stock — Justin Jenkins, Chevy Cobalt, 10.369, 117.87 def. Brenda Grubbs, Chevy Camaro, 10.119, 123.94.

Stock Eliminator — Gary Riley, Pontiac, 13.243, 96.80 def. Dwaine Davis, Pontiac Firebird, 12.244, 107.21.

Super Comp — Mitch Mustard, Dragster, 9.550, 167.07 def. Dale Maher, Dragster, 9.528, 71.29.

Super Gas — Todd Nielsen, Pontiac Firebird, 10.511, 155.10 def. Kevin Moore, Chevrolet, 10.520, 150.87.

Top Sportsman presented by RacingRVs.com — Greg Lair, Chevy Camaro, 6.999, 201.52 def. Monte Weaver, Chevy Corvette, 6.675, 204.45.

Top Dragster presented by RacingRVs.com — Tony Stark, Dragster, 6.802, 180.19 def. Adam Chioda, Dragster, 7.809, 161.02.

By Joe Shivak & Jim Allen, Watsonville, CA … Bud Kaeding won the fast paced 30-lap feature which honors his legendary grandfather Howard at Ocean Speedway on Friday night. The NARC-King of the West presented by Fujitsu 410 Series event paid $5,000 to the winner. Kaeding drove the famous No. 0 Morrie Williams-owned Alviso Rock-sponsored Maxim sprint car

Shane Golobic brought the Matt Woods Nos Energy Drink-sponsored car home in the runner up spot after being passed by Kaeding. Willie Croft scored third in his Amerikote sprinter after being in the hunt for most of the contest.

Jonathan Allard and Billy Aton brought the 24-car field to the green with Aton taking the early lead when Allard stumbled in the first turn. The race would go three laps before a caution for a Jeremy Chisum and Danny Faria spin in the middle of the third and fourth turns. Aton led Croft and Golobic on the restart. On the seventh circuit, Golobic took over the second spot. Three laps later, sixth place starter Kaeding, who methodically advanced each lap, would pass Golobic for the runner-up spot.

A caution on lap 16 for a Sean Watts spin in the third turn would bunch the field back up. Aton was still leading at that point, but the restart proved costly as he would fade under the pressure from a high-speed freight train of Kaeding, Golobic and Croft.

A three-wide traffic jam in the third turn would bring out the caution flag with only six laps remaining. The shunt left Allard with a flat left rear tire and Dominic Scelzi with a bent front wing among other mechanical issues, forcing him to pit for repairs. Both cars returned to action.

The restart quickly turned back to yellow when Kyle Offill spun in the middle of the third and fourth turn. The caution proved costly for Justin Sanders who had just passed Croft for third but got put back a spot.

Kaeding was not to be denied the final six laps holding off both Golobic and Croft. The Campbell, California third generation driver performed a series of patented Kaeding victory donuts in the fourth turn to celebrate the victory. His car eventually stalled after doing no less than a dozen spins, so Kaeding jumped out of the stopped car and ran across the finish line in “Ricky Bobby” style.
Continue reading IT’S BUD KAEDING AT THE HOWARD KAEDING CLASSIC →

Jeg Coughlin Jr. looking to master Thunder Mountain for a third time
DENVER (July 20) — With two qualifying sessions taking place in the cooler evening hours, the 40th annual Dodge Mile-High NHRA Nationals offered the world’s best drag racers twice as many opportunities as usual to show off all of their horsepower.

Six-time world champion Jeg Coughlin Jr. and his JEGS.com Elite Motorsports crew took full advantage of the situation, placing their Camaro in the lofty No. 2 position overall.

“The session tonight ended up being the best one of the weekend and we saw just about everyone step up quite a bit,” Coughlin said. “Fortunately, we were able to make a big jump as well and we finished right behind the boss (team owner and part-time driver Richard Freeman) on the timing sheet so we’re very pleased.

“The car’s gotten better every round and I expect the guys will have us set to do big things tomorrow. We’re ready to have some fun and there’s no better way to have fun in drag racing then by turning on some win lights.”

Mastering “Thunder Mountain” has always been a challenge, especially for Pro Stock teams who don’t have the advantage of using superchargers to manufacture atmosphere in the mile-high climes of Bandimere Speedway. Even so, Coughlin has raced to two victories (1998 and 1999) in five final-round appearances at this facility.

When eliminations begin for this year’s trophy Sunday morning, Coughlin will be considered one of the favorites thanks to his best pass of 6.953 at 197.51 mph. He posted that run Saturday evening after a lengthy rain delay that forced officials to cancel the final qualifying session outright.

“The way it worked out the conditions actually got better each of the three sessions we were able to run,” Coughlin said. “And the JEGS car got better each time as well. We started with a daytime run in the heat and then had a fun Friday evening session when it was cooler. Today we all waited out quite a rain shower but that really helped cool the track surface down even more so we were able to step it up.”

As the No. 2 qualifier, Coughlin will open eliminations opposite rookie driver Fernando Cuadra Jr., who topped out at 7.064 at 194.72 mph to earn the 15th position. Coughlin and Cuadra Jr. raced earlier this year in Richmond, Va., with Coughlin taking an easy victory.

Tyler Reddick Records Top-Five Finish in Loudon with No. 2 Gimme Radio/Megadeth Chevrolet

“This was a solid day with the No. 2 Gimme Radio/Megadeth Chevrolet Camaro, working our way from outside the top 10 to start the race to inside the top five for much of it. Christopher Bell and Cole Custer had the cars to beat all weekend long, but we never gave up and kept working on the handling of the car through practice and during the race. We didn’t take off on the initial green flag like we needed to, so we made some adjustments and then went too far. I think the track tightened up as the race went on. Once we got the car where we wanted it, it took off really well on restarts but would just build too tight on the longer runs, and we ended the race with a pretty long run. The crew did a great job on pit road all day, Randall Burnett made solid adjustments atop the pit box and I tried to do my part behind the wheel. It wasn’t a bad day and we definitely learned some things for our short track program for the rest of the year. It was awesome to have Gimme Radio and Megadeth on this No. 2 Chevrolet Camaro this weekend. It was certainly the best looking and most metal car in the field today.” Continue reading Richard Childress Racing— New Hampshire Results →

CORVETTE RACING AT LIME ROCK: Weathering the Weather
Corvette C7.Rs finish fifth, sixth in GT-only round at steamy Lime Rock

LAKEVILLE, Conn. (July 20, 2019) – Corvette Racing sweat its way through the Northeast Grand Prix on Saturday to fifth- and sixth-place finish in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. Continue reading Corvette Racing at Lime Rock—Weathering the Weather →

Hindman Claims Pole for Acura at Lime Rock Park
• Trent Hindman, Meyer Shank Racing score third GTD pole of 2019
• Christina Nielsen qualifies her Acura NSX GT3 11th in tight GTD field
• Northeast Grand Prix starts today at 3 p.m. EDT

LAKEVILLE, CT (July 20, 2019) – Trent Hindman took his Meyer Shank Racing Acura NSX GT3 Evo to his third IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship pole of the season this morning, and will lead the GTD field to the green flag in today’s Northeast Grand Prix at Lime Rock Park. Continue reading Hindman Claims Pole for Acura at Lime Rock Park →

SIXTEEN-TIME CHAMPION JOHN FORCE LEADS JOHN FORCE RACING FRIDAY AT THE MILE-HIGH NHRA NATIONALS
MORRISON, Colo. (July 19, 2019) — Racing legend John Force and the PEAK Coolant and Motor Oil Chevrolet Camaro SS team are sitting in the No. 4 spot after Friday’s qualifying at the Dodge Mile-High NHRA Nationals presented by Pennzoil at Bandimere Speedway. Teammate Robert Hight and the Automobile Club of Southern California team are currently No. 6 and, in Top Fuel, rookie Austin Prock is No. 9 with his Montana Brand / Rocky Mountain Twist dragster and Brittany Force is No. 10 with her Carquest Brakes team. Continue reading John Force Racing—John Force—Denver Qualifying →

Pedregon Powers Dodge//SRT Mopar to Provisional No. 1 Spot in Funny Car at Dodge Mile-High NHRA Nationals Presented by Pennzoil

· Cruz Pedregon takes provisional pole aboard Snap-On Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Funny Car through Friday’s opening two rounds of qualifying at Dodge Mile-High NHRA Nationals Presented by Pennzoil Continue reading Cruz Pedregon—Denver Qualifying →

Menard Qualifies 17th At New Hampshire

July 19, 2019

Paul Menard and the No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford Mustang qualified 17th for Sunday’s Foxwoods Resort Casino 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

Menard toured the “Magic Mile” in Loudon at a speed of 134.577 miles per hour in his official run against the clock on Friday afternoon. Continue reading Menard Qualifies 17th at New Hampshire →

Sato Runs Fourth for Honda in Iowa Qualifying
• Takuma Sato leads Honda qualifying effort with fourth-place run at Iowa Speedway
• Defending race winner James Hinchcliffe to start fifth
• Honda drivers claim seven of top 10 qualifying spots

NEWTON, Iowa (July 19, 2019) – Takuma Sato led the Honda field today at Iowa Speedway in qualifying for Saturday night’s Iowa 300. The 2017 Indianapolis 500 winner, who scored his first IndyCar Series pole at Iowa in 2011, will start fourth as the Rahal Letterman Lanigan driver seeks his second victory of the 2019 season. Continue reading Chevy Racing—Indycar—Iowa—Qualifying →

CHEVROLET RACING IN THE NTT INDYCAR SERIES
IOWA 300
IOWA SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY POST QUALIFYING TRANSCRIPT
JULY 19, 2019

Simon Pagenaud puts Chevy on the pole at Iowa
Chevrolet drivers will start one-two-three

NEWTON, IOWA – For the sixth time since 2012, a Chevrolet-powered IndyCar will lead the field to the green flag at Iowa Speedway. Simon Pagenaud, No.22 Menards Chevrolet, won the NTT P1 award over Team Penske teammates Will Power, No. 12 Verizon Chevrolet and points leader Josef Newgarden, No. 2 Hitachi Chevrolet. Continue reading Chevy Racing—INDYCAR—Iowa Qualifying →

MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES
NEW HAMPSHIRE MOTOR SPEEDWAY
FOXWOODS RESORT CASINO 301
TEAM CHEVY QUALIFYING NOTES & QUOTES
JULY 19, 2019

TOP TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL QUALIFYING RESULTS:
POS. DRIVER
3rd Kurt Busch, No. 1 Monster Energy Camaro ZL1
10th Jimmie Johnson, No. 48 Ally Camaro ZL1
12th Chase Elliott, No. 9 Kelley Blue Book Camaro ZL1
15th Kyle Larson, No. 42 McDonald’s Camaro ZL1
18th Ty Dillon, No. 13 GEICO Military Camaro ZL1

TOP FIVE UNOFFICIAL QUALIFYING RESULTS:
POS. DRIVER
1st Brad Keselowski (Ford)
2nd Kyle Busch (Toyota)
3rd Kurt Busch (Chevrolet)
4th Erik Jones (Toyota)
5th Ryan Blaney (Ford)

NBCSN will telecast the Foxwoods Resort Casino 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway live at 3:00 p.m. ET Sunday, July 21. Live coverage can also be found on NBC Sports Gold, PRN and Sirius XM NASCAR Radio Channel 90. Continue reading Chevy Racing—NASCAR—New Hampshire—Qualifying →

MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES
NEW HAMPSHIRE MOTOR SPEEDWAY
FOXWOODS RESORT CASINO 301
TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT
JULY 19, 2019

AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 BEHR ULTRA CAMARO ZL1 Media Breakout Session Highlights:

HOW IS YOUR CAR HERE?

“We were a little off to start with. We were trying something, and it didn’t quite work out the way we wanted it to, but I feel like we can get it right before qualifying. We can make a little change here and make a good, solid qualifying run and we will go out there and race them.” Continue reading Chevy Racing—NASCAR—New Hampshire—Austin Dillon →

MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES
NEW HAMPSHIRE MOTOR SPEEDWAY
FOXWOODS RESORT CASINO 301
TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT
JULY 19, 2019

CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 KELLEY BLUE BOOK CAMARO ZL1 Media Breakout Session Highlights:

ON THE FOLKS THAT BROADCAST THE RACES
“When I think of listening to races, I just think of the picture that you guys create in someone’s head when you’re riding down the road listening to the races, is second to none. It’s been awesome to grow up around that and have the broadcasters paint the picture of what’s going on.”

ON POCONO NEXT WEEK AND THE ADDITION OF TRACTION COMPOUND
“Oh, I think it’ll be great. Pocono is Pocono. And, I can’t even remember how we did there, although I don’t think it was very good a few weeks ago. So, hopefully we can improve upon that.”

THE KENTUCKY RACE SEEMED TO BE A LITTLE STEP BACK FOR HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS. IS THAT TROUBLING FOR YOU GUYS?
“No, it was just a bad Saturday night it looked like to me. It happens and I think nobody wants to struggle like we did last week. Those days aren’t fun. But, Kentucky has frankly been a struggle point I feel like for me, and in my career, personally, since I started going there racing an ARCA car. I haven’t run worth a crap in anything there. Got lucky in a couple of restarts and finished good there in one Cup race but it wasn’t because I did a really good job or whatever. So, I think I have a lot of work to do there, personally. Alan (Gustafson, crew chief) is like I haven’t run there very good, either, in my career. So, two bad efforts at the same race track doesn’t equal a good last week. So, we’ll go to work on it and I think we have some good topics of conversation. The good news is we only go there once and don’t have to worry about it again until next year.

“You can’t write it off. And I guess the unfortunate side of that is that Texas is now very similar to what Kentucky is, especially with the way Turns 1 and 2 are shaped; very similar to (Turns) 3 and 4. We’ve had struggles at Texas since the repave and to me they’re very similar to what we fought at Kentucky this past weekend. I think a lot of that is on me. William (Byron) was fairly fast last weekend, and I think there’s something about the way those corners are shaped and myself don’t work together really well, or whatever it is. The feel I’m looking for isn’t realistic. So, yeah, we just need to do a better job. I think if we can make Kentucky better, Texas will show; which obviously is a much more important event in the way the schedule falls.”

ON THE RECENT RACES
“We had an engine failure at Sonoma. We got wrecked like everybody else did at Daytona. Yes, Kentucky was bad. But I think there is silver lining in how we ran. At Chicago I thought we had a good car. We had a mishap there during the race on pit road. So, I think our speed is certainly attainable and I think we can get to competing for wins and I know the last few weeks haven’t been very good finishes; but I still feel like we can compete.”

HOW GOOD OR BAD OR INDIFFERENT IS THE PJ1?
“It’s kind of the same as I feel like it’s been the past couple of trips here. I think it’s better. Anything is better at this place, frankly. So, I think it’s an improvement. To me, that grippy stuff at a place like this, when they put it down just to make something change, I think is nice, as the race goes. Like that stuff is going to wear off and you’re going to have to move around to find that grip, which I feel like is exciting and fun for us to try to find something different as the race goes.

“I think it’s about the same as it was here last year. But, I think it’s a good thing to have here and I think it helps this place and I think it changes as the day goes, which is kind of cool. You don’t typically get that at a NASCAR race and so, I like it.”

ON BLOCKING AND SIDE-DRAFTING AND AGGRESSION, HAVE YOU NOTICED THE AGGRESSION PICK UP, OR IS IT THIS CAR MODEL THAT IS MAKING YOU REACT DUE TO A LACK OF PASSING OR DIFFICULTY IN PASSING?
“I just think everybody, as time goes, has a better understanding of what’s advantageous and what’s not. And everybody also has learned what puts the other guy in a bad situation and what doesn’t. So, now everybody just takes advantage of those moments. If it’s side-drafting a guy down the straightaway or if it’s sticking it on his door; getting in the corner if you’re the outside guy. It’s just a lot of aero-game and I’m sure as the teams do a better job of keeping the cars lower to the race track all the way around the track, the cars drive different and we all know the advantages of that from the driver’s seat. And, I just think the air games are going to continue. I just think everybody has gotten smarter and everybody knows those are the things you have to do to pass or block or whatever. You’ve just got to do it.”

MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES
NEW HAMPSHIRE MOTOR SPEEDWAY
FOXWOODS RESORT CASINO 301
TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT
JULY 19, 2019

KYLE LARSON, NO. 42 MCDONALD’S CAMARO ZL1 Media Breakout Session Highlights:

HOW WAS YOUR CAR IN PRACTICE TODAY?

“In practice in my first run I felt pretty close to good. Then in the last two runs I made, the car was just too out of the track too much. So, hopefully we will make the right adjustments on it during this little break and be good here shortly for qualifying. I don’t know if the track changed a whole bunch for us there or if the cycled tires or what. But the balance changed from round one to two.”

THE SPINS IN TURN THREE BY DENNY HAMLIN AND RYAN NEWMAN, IS THAT A TOUGH TURN AND DO YOU SEE WHY THAT WOULD HAPPEN THERE? DID YOU HAVE ANY ISSUES?

“My entry got freer in the second and third run. So that is why I really don’t know if the track changed or if cycled tires were that much freer. Yeah, I guess it was odd to see those two spin out. But it seems to happen most times in practice when we come here to New Hampshire. I don’t know why. Guess their cars are not handling right.”

YOU FELT LIKE YOU WERE JUST FREER THERE AND YOU WEREN’T GOING TO LOSE IT?

“I was free in both ends, but it wasn’t anything different than normal here.”

HOW DIFFICULT IS IT TO KEEP UP WITH THIS RACETRACK HERE AT NEW HAMPSHIRE BETWEEN THE PJ1, THE MODIFIED RUBBER, THE K&N RUBBER, THE XFINITY CARS? THERE IS A LOT GOING ON HERE.
“Yeah, for sure. It’s a fun place because its definitely changing quite a bit. There is a lot of VHT put down at this track and with it being flatter, I also feel like it wears out more so than other racetracks. That is fun to keep up with, especially during the race where you have to adjust your line throughout the race to keep up with the changing track conditions. I think being a dirt track guy, that benefits me a little bit.”

WHERE DO YOU STAND ON YOUR CONTRACT WITH CHIP GANASSI RACING AND IS IT WRAPPED UP?

“I am wrapped up. (laughs) There has been no contract negotiations. I am still there through next year. I don’t know why all the contract stuff has been coming up. I think because people try to make things up. Yeah, I don’t know. I am there, so not really sure what else to say.”

BIG WIN LAST WEEK, BUT OVERALL WHERE IS CHEVROLET AT GIVEN THE COMPETITION YOU HAVE TO BEAT EVERY WEEK?

“As far as Chip Ganassi Racing, I feel like both of us have gotten better here the last month and a half or so. It has started to show, our season has turned around a little bit, and Kurt with the win last week. So, I really don’t know if it is a Chevy thing because Hendrick has been pretty good all year. Obviously we always want to get better, every team out there continuously wants to get better, and every manufacturer continues to get better. So, we just have to keep working hard, and it will be alright.”

KURT SAID EARLIER THAT HE HAS ASKED THE TEAM TO BUILD TRACK-SPECIFIC CARS MORE OFTEN INSTEAD OF TAKING A MILE-AND-A-HALF CAR TO A TRACK LIKE THIS. HAVE YOU SEEN PROGRESS ON THAT FRONT?

“I don’t know, I don’t get too involved in that. Its nice having Kurt there because I think he brings knowledge of what to work on and where to kind of shift focus. I haven’t really heard anything like that, but like I said, I don’t get too involved in that because I don’t know what is different between a 1.5-mile car and a short track car. I think everybody trusts Kurt a lot at our shop. He is a really smart racer and just listening to him communicate about his race car itself is always fun to listen to. He knows the right areas to work on.”

IS IT COMFORTING FOR YOU TO HAVE HIM IN THERE THIS YEAR?

“Yeah, he has a ton of experience and he is a past champion. I think there is something in the Busch’s genetics in that they know what changes to make within a race car and at the race shop. It’s nice having him on the team.”

CHEVROLET RACING IN THE NTT INDYCAR SERIES
IOWA 300
IOWA SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY QUALIFYING RECAP WITH DRIVER QUOTES
JULY 19, 2019

NEWTON, IOWA (JULY 19, 2019) – Building off the momentum from practice, Chevrolet dominates the leaderboard by securing the first-three starting spots for tomorrow night’s 300-lap Iowa 300 for the NTT IndyCar Series at Iowa Speedway. A total of nine Chevrolet 2.2 liter V6 powered drivers qualified for tomorrow’s race. This is Chevrolet’s seventh-straight pole win.

Simon Pagenaud led the way for Team Chevy by posting a lap time of 35.7455 seconds/179.589 mph average speed in his No. 22 Menards Team Penske Chevrolet.

Starting along side his Team Penske Teammate, Will Power secured a front-row starting spot by qualifying in the second starting spot in his No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet. Josef Newgarden, No. 2 Hitachi Team Penske Chevrolet, will roll off in the third starting spot.

NBCSN will telecast the 300-lap race live at 7 p.m. The race will also be broadcast on the NBC Sports Gold INDYCAR Pass, NBCSports.com, INDYCAR Radio Network affiliates, IndyCar.com, indycarradio.com, the INDYCAR Mobile app, Sirius 98 and XM 209.

SIMON PAGENAUD, NO. 22 MENARDS TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET, POLE WINNER: “(The qualifying session) was very intense, with the temperature being so high. The tarmac (track temperature) was 135 degrees Fahrenheit. In these conditions, the car slides around quite a bit. It’s all about having the right balance on the race car. We had a good snapshot this morning of how the car was. We ran quite a bit in traffic. We knew we had to make some adjustments to be really strong on long runs. At the end, we did a qualifying run. (it was) pretty good. Ben (Bretzman) is really good at this stuff, my engineer. We just worked on the little details and made sure we would have enough balance and grip to go through the corner.”

WILL POWER, NO. 12 VERIZON TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET, QUALIFIED 2nd: “Is it any surprise that I’m second? Is it any surprise (laughter)? It isn’t for me. That’s just this year. No, (the run) was actually pretty good. The car was good. All three (Penske) cars were good.”

JOSEPH NEWGARDEN, NO. 2 HITACHI TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET, QUALIFIED 3rd: “Yeah, just not enough today, so we will go tomorrow. I think it will be fine, it just wasn’t enough there. The Hitachi car, it feels good. Chevy, I think, has done a great job for us, so now we will work on the race.”

TONY KANAAN, NO. 14 ABC SUPPLY AJ FOYT RACING CHEVROLET, QUALIFIED 13th: “Frustrating, I think I could have been a little bit better. Obviously the track had some oil dry and that’s the price we pay when we qualify early. The track is only going to get better. The way you do the qualifying draw is by championship points and we didn’t do ourselves any favors by being in the back. This is a track where I led over 500 laps in the course of my career and have a lot of podium finishes so I’m hopeful this will be our turnaround weekend for sure.”

SAGE KARAM, NO. 31 SMARTSTOP SELF STORAGE CARLIN CHEVROLET, QUALIFIED 14th: “I’m really pleased with our qualifying effort this afternoon here at Iowa. The track was a bit different than it was this morning with the ARCA cars running around this afternoon. They put their rubber down and I think it took a few runs from a few of us up front in the qualifying line to get the Firestone rubber laid back down. I’d say that definitely threw a curve ball in our plan, but we had a really good run and the No. 31 SmartStop Self Storage Carlin Chevrolet felt really good. The car is nice and smooth and feels really consistent, so I was happy to bring it home and get a 14th-place starting position for Carlin and Smart Stop Self Storage.”

CONOR DALY, NO. 59 GALLAGHER CARLIN CHEVROLET, QUALIFIED 16th: “The conditions were really tough out there, especially being the first car out after the ARCA cars ran right before qualifying. There was junk rubber and oil all over the outside, which made it tough to run up high. I love lane two in turns three and four, which is where I was really comfortable all morning in practice, but I just couldn’t run it. I had to be pretty dedicated to the low line and I just didn’t like it down there. It’s just a shame, because I think the No. 59 Gallagher Carlin Chevrolet had a little more speed in it than that. We’re going to put our focus now on tonight’s practice and get our race car a bit more fine-tuned before green flag tomorrow night.”

ED CARPENTER, NO. 20 AUTOGEEK ED CARPENTER RACING CHEVROLET, QUALIFIED 17th: “We expected the track to be a little more free than what it was. We tightened up our car for qualifying having expected the conditions and the rubber from the previous series to free us up. It was the wrong way, we were way too tight and had way too much understeer so it was hard to attack like you want to in qualifying. A little frustrating because I was happy with the Autogeek Chevrolet in practice, especially on race runs. I thought we had better pace than what we showed. Our qual sim in practice wasn’t that good so I thought we were going to have a lot better showing in qualifying. The beauty of this race track is it has multiple lanes, so you can get to the front if you have a good car. We’ll just have to get it right tonight in this next practice and have a strong first stint tomorrow to protect ourselves and stay on the lead lap.”

SPENCER PIGOT, NO. 21 AUTOGEEK ED CARPENTER RACING CHEVROLET, QUALIFIED 19th: “We definitely need to see where we can improve. The car has been a bit of a handful so far. We had a great race here last year so we know what we need from the car, we just have to try and find. Hopefully we can have a good session this evening and get the Autogeek Chevy back up front.”

MATHEUS LEIST, NO. 4 ABC SUPPLY AJ FOYT RACING CHEVROLET, QUALIFIED 22nd: “Tough qualifying here at Iowa to be honest. I thought we were going to be a little bit better but it is what it is. The track was really dirty on the outside and I’ve been running the outside all practice long. I never tried the inside and on my warmup lap I had a moment because the track was so slippery, so I had to change the line and try the inside. Everybody has to adapt but I don’t know, didn’t quite do a great job today. Just looking forward to the race now.”