DXDT set to debut EBS-equipped Corvette; AWA looking for season’s second win DETROIT (April 8, 2025) – Corvette Racing has full weekend coming up with two high-profile entries for the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach – the third round of this year’s IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. As part of the showcase with IMSA’s GTP and GTD classes, two Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.Rs are set for Saturday’s 100-minute street race on the famous 11-turn, 1.968-mile street circuit in southern California. Both have their own unique storylines:

No. 13 AWA Corvette: Matt Bell/Orey FidaniReigning Rolex 24 At Daytona GTD class winner AWA and its drivers made their first appearance at Long Beach a year ago and finished an impressive sixth in class. The result served as a springboard for the rest of the season, which culminated in the Bob Akin Award for Fidani as the highest points-scoring Bronze driver in GTD. The award landed AWA an invitation to this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans, and the momentum carried over to the Rolex 24 victory in January No. 36 DXDT Racing Corvette: Robert Wickens/Tommy MilnerOne of the most followed and most unique entries in this year’s race, DXDT Racing’s Corvette is equipped with a Bosch hand-control electronic braking system for Wickens – who lost the use of his lower body in a racing crash in 2018 – and Corvette factory driver Tommy Milner, who did the initial shakedown and testing of the hand-control system. The No. 36 Corvette is a collaboration between Bosch, Chevrolet, Pratt Miller and DXDT Racing.

CORVETTE RACING MEDIA INFO Corvette Racing media information is updated and available ahead of this weekend’s Grand Prix of Long Beach. Materials include Corvette Racing event documents and quotes, Corvette Racing stats and figures, Corvette Z06 GT3.R racecar comparisons, Corvette Racing Fast Facts, factory driver biographies and Corvette Racing photography, among other items.

Long Beach will mark Wickens’ first race in a Corvette Z06 GT3.R. His impressive resume pairs well with the Corvette Racing program, whose history of success includes 140 race victories around the world – 117 of them in IMSA competition – along with 14 Manufacturers championships for Chevrolet. General Motors and Chevrolet have long been committed to accessibility for customers and employees. Upon hearing of Wickens’ interest in GTD, Chevrolet helped to bring Bosch, Pratt Miller and DXDT together to bring him into the Corvette family.  “Everyone within Chevrolet and Corvette Racing is excited to be part of this project,” said Mark Stielow, director, Chevrolet Motorsports Competition Programs. “Chevrolet’s commitment to accessibility and innovation in motorsports drove investment in this project. We all support Robert’s drive to compete at the highest levels of motorsport and are proud to partner with groups like Bosch, Pratt Miller and DXDT Racing to realize part of that dream.” In addition to the 100-minute IMSA race, two Corvette Z06 GT3.Rs will contest a pair of 40-minute sprint races in SRO Motorsports’ GT America series – Blake McDonald in the No. 11 Corvette for DXDT Racing and Ross Chouest in the No. 50 Corvette for Chouest Povoledo Racing. Chevrolet and the Corvette brand have been a fixture at Long Beach since the Corvette Racing program first visited Long Beach in 2007. In 17 visits, Corvette GT cars have captured eight victories with two additional in the Corvette Daytona Prototype era. Combined with results from the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, Chevrolet boasts a total of 22 victories in the Grand Prix’s two premier events. The Grand Prix of Long Beach for the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship is scheduled for 2:05 p.m. PT on Saturday, April 12. The race will air live on USA Network starting at 5 p.m. ET with full streaming coverage on Peacock, which also will stream Friday’s 8 p.m. ET qualifying session. IMSA Radio also will air Friday’s qualifying and the race at IMSA.com along with XM 206 and SiriusXM Online 996.

CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R DRIVER PRE-EVENT DRIVER QUOTESMATT BELL, NO. 13 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “I’m looking forward to getting back to Long Beach. It was my first time there last season and it was the surprise of the year for me. I loved the circuit and the event as a whole; it was a great experience. We had great pace too, as we have so far this year, so I’m hopeful and confident that we’ll be able to put together another competitive showing.”

OREY FIDANI, NO. 13 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “Long Beach is a very challenging but also really exciting track. It’s so narrow and unforgiving, and with so little room for error, you know you have to be precise and make the right decisions. It’s a change of pace from Daytona and Sebring, but we’ve shown our consistency and I’m looking forward to proving our competitiveness in the sprint races as well.”

TOMMY MILNER, NO. 36 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “I’m excited to go back to Long Beach for a number of reasons. First off, it’s a really unique event with all kinds of history behind it – great drivers, great cars and fantastic races. I’ve been fortunate to win there four times… a couple under some pretty crazy circumstances! Second, it’s obviously a real privilege to be asked to team with Rob in this race. It’s such a big moment for him, for DXDT Racing, for Corvette, all of the partners and racing in general. We all have high hopes going into the weekend. The Corvette and the hand-control system have been solid in testing. Both Rob and I know the track very well. So we’re all optimistic of being able to race and challenge for a podium and hopefully the win.”

ROBERT WICKENS, NO. 36 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “After finally getting my first taste of the Corvette Z06 GT3.R in Sebring a few weeks ago, I have been counting down the days until Long Beach. My first race with DXDT and finally my first race of 2025. It is going to be a very steep learning curve, but I am thankful I have a strong team behind me and a great teammate in Tommy Milner to help get me up to speed. Hopefully when we look back on this event on Saturday night we can be proud of what we accomplished together.”

2025 WeatherTech SportsCar Championship PointsGTD Drivers Standings1. Indy Dontje/Philip Ellis/Russell Ward – 6902. Casper Stevenson/Tom Gamble/Zacharie Robichon – 6493. Adam Adelson/Elliott Skeer/Tom Sargent – 6334. Lars Kern/Matthew Bell/Orey Fidani – 5905. Jake Walker/Patrick Gallagher/Robby Foley – 54915. Alec Udell/Charlie Eastwood/Salih Yoluc – 382 GTD Teams Standings1. No. 57 Windward Racing – 6902. No. 27 Heart of Racing Team – 6493. No. 120 Wright Motorsports – 6334. No. 13 AWA – 5905. No. 96 Turner Motorsport – 54915. No. 36 DXDT Racing – 382 GTD Manufacturers Standings1. Mercedes-AMG – 6942. Aston Martin – 6543. Porsche – 6394. Chevrolet – 6365. Lexus – 608 CORVETTE RACING AT LONG BEACH: By the Numbers• 1: As in one manufacturer and one model of car for the 18th year at Long Beach: Chevrolet and the Corvette• 2: Number of wins for the Corvette Z06 GT3.R already in 2025 – the Rolex 24 At Daytona in the GTD class for AWA and the FIA WEC’s 1812 Km of Qatar for TF Sport in LM GT3• 4: Corvette Z06 GT3.Rs in competition at Long Beach this weekend – No. 13 of AWA and No. 36 of DXDT Racing in IMSA and the No. 11 of DXDT Racing and No. 50 from Chouest Povoledo Racing in GT America• 4: Long Beach IMSA race wins for Tommy Milner – the most among drivers entered in this year’s Grand Prix of Long Beach• 7: Number of Corvettes competing this weekend around the world – the four at Long Beach, one Corvette for Steller Motorsport in GT World Challenge Europe and two from Johor Motorsports Racing in GT World Challenge Asia• 8: Number of Long Beach victories in 16 appearances for the Corvette Racing program• 10: Number of Long Beach sports car victories for Chevrolet. Throw in 12 IndyCar wins, and Chevrolet has claimed 22victories in the event’s two premier races• 14: Manufacturer Championships for Chevrolet and Corvette Racing since 2001• 28: Tracks at which Corvette Racing has won races – Baltimore, Charlotte Motor Speedway, COTA, Canadian Tire Motorsport Park/Mosport, Daytona, Detroit, Houston, Laguna Seca, Le Mans, Lime Rock, Long Beach, Lusail International Circuit (Qatar), Miami, Mid-Ohio, Monza, Portimão, Portland, Road America, Road Atlanta, Sebring, Sonoma, St. Petersburg, Texas, Trois Rivieres, Utah, VIR, Washington DC and Watkins Glen• 62: Number of drivers in Corvette Racing entries since 1999. Chouest Povoledo Racing’s Ross Chouest and Aaron Povoledo joined the list at the SRO America weekend at Sonoma• 72: Years since Corvette was introduced to the world on Jan. 17, 1953 in New York City. A total of 300 cars were produced that year• 140: Victories worldwide for Corvette Racing – 117 in IMSA, nine at Le Mans, four in the FIA WEC and 10 in GT World Challenge America• 313: Event starts by Corvette Racing entries since 1999, starting with that year’s Rolex 24 At Daytona. No. 300 came in early August 2024 at Road America in IMSA• 4,353.19: Number of racing miles completed by Corvette Racing in its 16 previous trips to Long Beach. That represents 2,212 laps around the 1.968-mile street circuit.• 418,207.46: Total number of racing miles completed by Corvette Racing entries since 1999. To put that in perspective, Corvette Racing is more than halfway to the distance traveled by Apollo 13 – the longest manned spaceflight in history: 622,268 miles Corvette Racing at Long Beach (wins in bold)2007No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Johnny O’Connell – 2nd in GT1 (Magnussen fastest race lap)No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin – 1st in GT1 (Gavin pole) 2008No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Johnny O’Connell/Jan Magnussen – 1st in GT1 (Magnussen pole)No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin – 1st in GT1 (Gavin fastest race lap) 2009No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Johnny O’Connell – 2nd in GT1No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin – 1st in GT1 (Beretta pole, fastest race lap) 2010No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Johnny O’Connell – 2nd in GT2No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Oliver Gavin/Jan Magnussen – 9th in GT2 (Gavin fastest race lap) 2011No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Tommy Milner – 5th in GTNo. 4 Corvette C6.R: Oliver Gavin/Jan Magnussen – 2nd in GT (Magnussen fastest race lap) 2012No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 4th in GTNo. 4 Corvette C6.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 1st in GT (Gavin fastest race lap) 2013No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 5th in GTNo. 4 Corvette C6.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 4th in GT (Gavin fastest race lap) 2014No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 1st in GTLM (Magnussen pole)No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 3rd in GTLM (Milner fastest race lap) 2015No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 3rd in GTLMNo. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 7th in GTLM 2016No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 9th in GTLMNo. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 2nd in GTLM 2017No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 5th in GTLM (Magnussen pole)No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 1st in GTLM 2018No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 4th in GTLMNo. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 1st in GTLM 2019No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 2nd in GTLMNo. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 3rd in GTLM 2021No. 3 Corvette C8.R: Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor – 2nd in GTLMNo. 4 Corvette C8.R: Tommy Milner/Nick Tandy – 1st in GTLM 2022No. 3 Corvette C8.R: Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor – 3rd in GTD PRO (Taylor pole) 2023No. 3 Corvette C8.R: Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor – 2nd in GTD PRO 2024No. 13 Corvette Z06 GT3.R: Orey Fidani/Matt Bell – 6th in GTD

Inside Line Promotions – FRESNO, Calif. (April 7, 2025) – Dominic Scelzi is tackling the Mini Gold Cup doubleheader this weekend at Silver Dollar Speedway.

The dirt oval in Chico, Calif., features a local show on Friday followed by a $10,000-to-win NARC 410 Sprint Car Series race on Saturday.

“I’m excited to get back to Chico this weekend,” Scelzi said. “We only made one trip there last year and it wasn’t a shining moment for us. I feel we’re on a really good trajectory right now.”

Scelzi has started the season on a strong note as he’s posted four top fives in his first five races. He is coming off a season-best second-place finish.

“Chico is one of my favorite tracks and we’ve enjoyed a lot of success there,” he said. “Hopefully that will continue this weekend.”

Scelzi’s career-best World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series result of third place occurred at the track in September 2023. He’s been victorious at the track multiple times, winning two races in 2022 as well as one in 2016 and in 2021. 

SEASON STATS –

5 races, 0 wins, 1 top five, 4 top 10s, 5 top 15s, 5 top 20s

UP NEXT –

Friday and Saturday at Silver Dollar Speedway in Chico, Calif., for the Mini Gold Cup with the NARC 410 Sprint Car Series

(4/7/25 – Andrew Kunas) Chico, CA … The first big money race of the season has arrived for the NARC 410 sprint cars, with the prestigious Mini Gold Cup happening this Saturday, April 12th at Silver Dollar Speedway.

Saturday’s winner will score NARC’s first five-figure payday of 2025, taking home $10,000 for their efforts.

First run in 1987, the Mini Gold Cup was a longtime staple on the Northern California sprint car schedule, bringing fans and competitors to the challenging ¼-mile clay oval in Chico. Several editions over the years saw the event on the World of Outlaws schedule, but it has otherwise been a NARC event. After a hiatus of a few years that started with the COVID-19 plagued 2020 season, the SLC Promotions team brought the beloved event back a couple of years ago. Regardless of sanction, the Mini Gold Cup has long been a premier season event sprint car fans on the West Coast.

Cole Macedo won last year’s Mini Gold Cup after leader Ryan Robinson crashed on the final lap. It was Macedo’s second Mini Gold Cup win, that one coming aboard the Tarlton Motorsports No. 21. With Macedo now on the World of Outlaws tour, the Tarlton team has been going with Jacksonville, Oregon standout Tanner Holmes. The pairing has already found success, winning an earlier race at Silver Dollar Speedway and then turning into multiple Top 5 finishes with High Limit Racing during their March swing through California. That has many fans pointing at Holmes as one of the favorites on Saturday.

Hanford’s D.J. Netto, with his win in last month’s NARC season opener at the Stockton Dirt Track, has the points lead aboard the Netto Ag No. 88n going into the weekend with a four-point advantage over Fremont’s Shane Golobic. Netto, a former NARC champion, will be one to watch, as he won twice in other 410 sprint car competition at Silver Dollar Speedway last year, including the Friday night Mini Gold Cup Tune-Up.

Golobic also already is a winner in Chico this season in non-NARC competition, winning the night before Holmes did. Golobic and the Matt Wood Racing No. 17w are also hoping that translates to NARC success at the Mini Gold Cup on Saturday.

In the Mini Gold Cup record books, National Sprint Car Hall of Famer Brent Kaeding leads everyone with four total Mini Gold Cup triumphs, taking checkered flags in 1991, 1993, 1996 and 2001. A pair of World of Outlaws champions, Jason Meyers, and Donny Schatz each have three wins in the prestigious race.

WHO TO WATCH

One other driver who will be watched is reigning NARC champion Justin Sanders of Aromas. The 2024 “King of the West” won the David Tarter Memorial last June when the NARC 410 sprint cars last tackled Silver Dollar Speedway, one of his seven NARC wins en route to the series championship. Sanders and the Mittry Motorsports No. 2x are looking at the Mini Gold Cup as the perfect opportunity to bounce back after a disappointing month of March.

Never one to be counted out at Silver Dollar Speedway, San Jose’s Tim Kaeding is always one to keep an eye on aboard the Williams Motorsports No. 0. A two-time “King of the West” and one of NARC’s all-time winningest drivers with 74 victories, Kaeding has won several big races in Chico over the years, and that includes two Mini Gold Cups, those wins coming in 2005 and 2007.

Templeton driver Kaleb Montgomery gave a strong performance at the Salute to Leroy Van Conett at Stockton on March 8th, driving from 15th to finish 4th in the NARC season opener. He later turned more heads by making the dash and finishing fifth in a High Limit Racing main event at Perris Auto Speedway. After this prior weekend’s cancelations, fans remain eager to see what the young driver has ahead of him as he pursues his first NARC victory aboard the Montgomery Racing No. 3.

A full field of sprint car teams are expected to fill the pit area. Other drivers expected to compete on Friday night include Roseville’s Sean Becker, Oakley’s Dylan Bloomfield, Tanner Carrick of Lincoln, Clovis drivers Dominic Gorden and Mariah Ede, Bud Kaeding of Campbell, Arizona driver Ashton Torgerson, Landon Brooks from Rio Oso, Tyler Thompson from Oregon, Lemoore’s Caeden Steele, Gauge Garcia of Fresno, Benicia’s Billy Aton and many more.

FAN INFO

Front gates open at 4:00 pm, with hot laps at 5:30 pm and qualifying to follow at 6:00 pm. Racing is scheduled to start at 6:45 pm. BCRA lightning sprints are also scheduled to compete.

As a bonus for fans, Silver Dollar Speedway is also racing on Friday night, April 11th, with 410 sprint cars in action as a tune-up for Saturday’s $10,000 to win Mini Gold Cup.

Fans who cannot make it in person can watch live on www.floracing.com. FloRacing livestreams all NARC shows.

Josh Berry and the No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Mustang Dark Horse had just finished fifth in Stage Two of Sunday’s Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway when a collision with Tyler Reddick ended their race and left them with a 36th-place finish. Berry was driving a throwback-themed Mustang based on the Lotus Ford that Jim Clark, with pit work by the Wood Brothers, drove to victory in the 1965 Indianapolis 500.Prior to the green flag, the audience at Darlington and those following on TV got a Wood Brothers history lesson when broadcasters Kevin Harvick and Clint Bowyer circled the track in the actual Wood Brothers cars that David Pearson and Neil Bonnett drove to victory at Darlington back in the day. And the Woods served as Grand Marshals for the event with the family giving drivers the command to start their engines. Once the green flag flew, Berry steadily moved forward from his 24th-place starting spot, finishing the first 90-lap Stage in 17th place. In the second Stage, the team decided to run longer than most of their competitors during a round of green-flag pit stops. The strategy paid off as Berry had cycled up to third place when the caution flew at Lap 138 for debris on the track.Berry made his pit stop under the caution flag and restarted in fifth place. He raced in the top five for the remainder of the Stage, ending that segment in fifth place and earning six bonus points. As the third and final segment of the race got under way, Berry was in the top five when the contact with Reddick sent the Motorcraft/Quick Lane Mustang slamming into the inside wall.“It always gets tight off of [Turn] Two here at Darlington,” Berry told reporters at the track. “It looked like just me and the 45 got together. It’s hard to say one way or the other if he came up a little or I was a little too low. Obviously you’re trying to keep it out of the fence and clear that bump and everything, so I don’t know. It’s a racing deal, I guess.”Berry went on to say that he had a fast Mustang.“I feel like we steadily worked our way forward throughout the whole race and caught a break on that green-flag sequence to get up front,” he said. “But I thought our car held on well, and I think we had a shot at a really solid finish.”Berry and the Wood Brothers team now turn their focus to next Sunday’s Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Sprint race on street circuit marks departure from early season endurances tests

DETROIT (April 7, 2025) – Cadillac Racing celebrates the golden anniversary of the Grand Prix of Long Beach and will seek to add to its own success on the 1.97-mile, 11-turn street circuit this weekend with its three-car Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) lineup. The 100-minute sprint – the third race of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season – is a physical and mental departure for drivers from the endurance races totaling 36 hours to start the nine-race campaign. “Every lap will matter for car setup, but also for driver confidence. It’s such a special feeling to drive between the walls with those cars,” said Louis Deletraz, co-driver with Jordan Taylor of the No. 40 Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing V-Series.R.

Last April, Cadillac Racing finished 1-2, with the No. 01 Cadillac V-Series.R edging the pole-sitting No. 31 Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R by 0.564 of a second. Opting not to change Michelin tires during the lone service stop and mandatory driver change, the No. 01 Cadillac V-Series.R drove to the front of the field and led the final 34 laps. The 1-2 finish was the third for Cadillac Racing’s prototype program at Long Beach, which also includes victories in 2022, 2021, 2019, 2018 and 2017. There was no race in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. In total, Cadillac Racing has nine victories at Long Beach.

Media resources* Cadillac Racing event guide* Cadillac LB results 2024-2017* Cadillac all-time statistics* 2025 IMSA statistics

Featuring Formula 5000 in its inaugural event as the prelude to Formula One races from 1976 through 1983, CART/Champ Car, which became IndyCar in 2009, has been the headliner in the intervening years. After a two-year run as part of the Grand Prix, sports car racing returned to the oceanside community in 2006 with Ron Fellows driving the No. 16 Cadillac CTS-V to the victory in the Speed World Challenge GT race. The next day, current Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA driver Sebastien Bourdais won the Champ Car race from the pole – among five victories at Long Beach that includes 2024 and 2022 with Cadillac Racing for the 2019 Long Beach Motorsports Walk of Fame inductee. Also at Long Beach, Andy Pilgrim won the 2012 Pirelli World Challenge GT race in the No. 8 Cadillac CTS-V Coupe that led to the series’ manufacturer title and 1-2 in the driver championship (Johnny O’Connell and Pilgrim) for the brand. O’Connell drove the No. 3 Cadillac CTS-V to victory in the 2014 GT race on the way to earning his third consecutive drivers’ title and the third successive manufacturer title for Cadillac. Brothers Jordan and Ricky Taylor won the 2017 IMSA race from the pole – one in the streak of five consecutive victories to start the season that culminated in the manufacturer and drivers’ championships — in Cadillac Racing’s first year of prototype competition. Current teammate Filipe Albuquerque co-drove to victory in the 2018 and 2019 races in the Cadillac DPi-V.R. Overall Cadillac Racing prototype victories2024 — No. 01 Cadillac V-Series.R; start third – Sebastien Bourdais, Renger van der Zande2022 — No. 01 V-Performance Academy Cadillac DPi-V.R; start first – Renger van der Zande, Sebastien Bourdais2021 — No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac DPi-V.R; start first – Pipo Derani, Felipe Nasr2019 — No. 5 Mustang Sampling Cadillac DPi-V.R; start fourth – Filipe Albuquerque, Joao Barbosa2018 — No. 5 Mustang Sampling Racing Cadillac DPi-V.R; start fifth — Filipe Albuquerque, Joao Barbosa2017 — No. 10 Konica Minolta Cadillac DPi-V.R; start first – Jordan Taylor, Ricky Taylor1-2 finishes2024, 2022, 2021Poles2024, 2022, 2021, 2017 What they’re saying No. 10 Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing V-Series.RRicky Taylor: “It is always exciting to get into the sprint race part of the season where we can really get back into the rhythm of IMSA racing. It’s always a bit of a shock to the system to transition to every lap really counting, but I think all of our drivers really enjoy that. We really have to be on our game and make every session count. We have been learning a lot about this car, and this will be the first race weekend we’ve gone into without any prior testing, so we will be working hard to make the little track time we get count. Relying on the sister car will be so important, with the short time to get the race cars where we want them for qualifying, we must trust each other’s feedback and work to create two strong cars for the race.” Filipe Albuquerque: “Long Beach, it’s always nice to go to California. Cadillac had an amazing race there last year; they qualified on pole and drove really well. The motivation is high. We are still learning about the car, but we are closing down to what we need to know. Let’s hope we can get our first podium with the Cadillac in Long Beach. There’s no better place to start with sprint races and street courses are always nice, so let’s bring it on and I can’t wait to go for it.”No. 31 Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R Jack Aitken: “Missing out on a podium at Sebring is tough to take but taking the positives of coming from the back of the field to lead all those laps and be in contention for the win. Now we go to a totally different place. I’m looking forward to it. You know, we’ve had two of the longest races of the year. Long Beach has always a cool place to go to. We had a 1-2 finish there last year, started from the front, so it’s got good memories and it’s a happy hunting ground.” Earl Bamber: “(At Sebring) we showed great pace through the whole race, led a ton of laps. The car was good. Sort of bittersweet that we didn’t get a podium. But we just have to roll into Long Beach. I think the car really suits there, which it showed last year. I’m looking forward to returning to Long Beach and going for the win.” No. 40 Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing V-Series.R Jordan Taylor: “I think we’re all very ready to get to Long Beach after a rough start to our year. Our championship run is pretty hard to imagine at this point, so our goal from here on out is basically to race for wins. There is no reason to be settling for anything less. It will be our first street course and first sprint race with our Cadillac V-Series.R. Last year they were very strong, so we’re hoping to pick up where they left off. We have done a lot of prep heading into the event, and with the limited time on track, I feel like we’re as prepared as we can be to hit the ground running.” Louis Delétraz: “Long Beach is always a fun event. We’ve had a rough start of the year on No. 40, so we’re really motivated to have a good weekend. It’s the first sprint race of the year, and the Cadillac V-Series.R GTP is always fast on street courses. The track evolution is huge between FP1 and the race. Every lap will matter for car setup, but also for driver confidence. It’s such a special feeling to drive between the walls with those cars.”

NASCAR CUP SERIES DARLINGTON RACEWAY TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE REPORT APRIL 6, 2025

TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL TOP-10 RESULTS: POS.     DRIVER2nd – William Byron7th – Ross Chastain8th – Chase Elliott10th – Kyle Busch

MEDIA RESOURCES: Photo Gallery | Race AdvancesChevrolet Newsroom

·       After enduring late-race pit strategy and an overtime finish, William Byron and the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet team came just short of a near dominate race – taking the checkered flag with a runner-up finish at Darlington Raceway.  ·       Leading the 38-car NASCAR Cup Series field to the green flag for the second time this season, the 27-year-old Charlotte, North Carolina, native took his Hendrick Motorsports-prepared Chevrolet to the lead on the opening lap. Taking early control of the race, Byron went on to lead every lap of both Stage One and Two for the stage win sweep. Varying pit strategies during the final green flag pit cycle shook up the top of the leaderboard, with Byron finding himself in the fourth position when the final caution flew. With yet another stellar stop on pit road, the No. 24 pit crew gained Byron one position in the race off pit road to give Byron the opportunity to lineup on the outside of the second row for the overtime finish. The restart position gave Byron one last shot at making a pass for the lead, ultimately ending yet another strong day with a runner-up finish.  ·       For the seventh consecutive week, Byron and the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet will end the weekend atop the NASCAR Cup Series points standings – heading to Bristol Motor Speedway with a 49-point lead over today’s race winner, Denny Hamlin.  ·       Three different Chevrolet organizations were represented in the top-10 of the final running order at Darlington Raceway, with Byron leading Trackhouse Racing’s Ross Chastain in seventh; his Hendrick Motorsports teammate, Chase Elliott, in the eighth position; and Richard Childress Racing’s Kyle Busch rounding out the top-10.

Chevrolet’s all-time NASCAR Cup Series statistics at Darlington Raceway:  Wins: 44Poles: 23Top-Fives: 208Top-10s: 435Chevrolet’s season statistics with eight NASCAR Cup Series races complete:  Wins: 2Poles: 4Top-Fives: 16Top 10s: 36Stage Wins: 5

UP NEXT: The 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season continues at Bristol Motor Speedway with the Food City 500 on Sunday, April 13, at 3 P.M. ET. Live coverage can be found on FS1, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

Post-Race Driver Quotes:William Byron, No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Finished: 2nd“This No. 24 Axalta Chevrolet team did a great job. We had a great Chevy all race long. We just needed control of the race there under green and we lost that with the pit sequence. The No. 45 (Tyler Reddick) went really short. We lost a few spots under the green flag sequence, and that was the difference. We had a decent run that time. The No. 20 (Christopher Bell) did a good job kind of air blocking and just keeping us behind him. It took me a long time to get by him. We had a great pit stop there at the end and was able to line up on the second row. We just needed the front row to have a shot to win here.  It stings to be this close, but at the same time, I’m really proud of that effort by the whole team. It shows what we’re really made of, and hopefully there’s a lot more of that to come.” What were you thinking about when you led all the laps in Stage One and Two? “Just try not to screw it up, right? Just try to explain what my balance was in clean air, and it just changed a little bit. I felt like we were in position to have a perfect race there. That would have been pretty damn impressive. It sucks, but nobody is at fault. Those guys could be aggressive on the other side of us and it was turning into a big strategy play. We just couldn’t keep control.” Ross Chastain, No. 1 Trackhouse Racing ChevroletFinished: 7th “It was a warm one today at Darlington in our Busch Light Fishing Chevy. We worked our way up to the top-15 early in the race with adjustments. We got caught by that one caution in the middle of the race just after we pitted under green. So we had to take the wave around and work our way back up through the field. Phil and the guys made good adjustments and we were able to get up in the top 10 and we finished 7th. Darlington is one of my favorite tracks and I am looking forward to Bristol next weekend.” Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Trackhouse Racing ChevroletFinished: 15th“The No. 99 Quaker State Chevy was still tight. The strategy just didn’t go our way a couple of times. We were just average.. we weren’t great. We’ll go back to work and get ready for Bristol next weekend.” Ty Dillon, No. 10 Kaulig Racing ChevroletFinished: 16th“I’m just proud of our effort. We started in the back, started in a hole, and then got ourself halfway to the front and had an issue on pit road. We were able to rebound again. I just appreciate the team’s resilience and mental fortitude to keep me calm. I feel like I was on the edge of losing my mind a couple of times, but everybody just believed in each other that we could rebound and we did. We made the most of the day, we got some stage points and had some really good speed. We just need to keep this moment rolling.” AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 Kaulig Racing ChevroletFinished: 18th “Frustrating second half of the race; we really good in the first half. Finished 10th in the first stage; I thought we were even better than that, honestly. Then the track changed, and we just completely lost the balance, cautions hurt us at the wrong time. When we started of the race, I thought we were gonna be okay for sure. At the end of the day, just have to keep working on it and I have to be better too. We made an okay result out of it, but definitely I thought we could have been better.” Shane van Gisbergen, No. 88 Trackhouse Racing ChevroletFinished: 20th “The day started quite good for the No. 88 WeatherTech Chevrolet team. We were moving forward. We learned a lot and it was quite fun. And then in the middle of the race, we really lost the handling on the car. We struggled to get that back and get it to my liking, which was a shame. It’s been a trend we’ve been having the last few weeks, so I need to understand what I’m doing and we also need to understand on the car side what we can do better. At the end, I felt like the long runs were really good. I found myself being able to manage the tires well. To get a top-20 after the runs we’ve been having is a great starting point, and now we just need to try and build some momentum.” Michael McDowell, No. 71 Spire Motorsports ChevroletFinished: 29th “It was a rough day for the No. 71 Delaware Life Chevrolet team. We started off the race in the top-10, but very early on, we felt like we missed the balance. Our team fought hard all day, but we just never had speed in the car. Some days you just miss it and today was one of those days that we just missed it as a group. It’s unfortunate because we had high hopes after yesterday. The long run speed and short run speed, we just weren’t there today. We’ll have to go back to the drawing board and see where we went wrong and where we missed it. We got off sequence there, strategy-wise, trying to make something happen and that definitely hurt us more. But at that point, we were fighting to really just salvage the day and get a top-20 finish. It’s not what we want to be fighting for, so yeah we’ve got work to do.”

Josh Berry and the No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Mustang Dark Horse are set to start Sunday’s Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway from 24th place. Berry earned that spot with a lap at 168.037 miles per hour around the 1.366-mile Lady In Black on Saturday afternoon.In practice earlier in the day, Berry was outstanding. He was second fastest on the speed chart with a best lap at 167.180 mph. It came on the first of the 32 laps he ran in the session. He was top among drivers who ran 10 consecutive green flag laps, averaging 163.520 mph on his first 10 laps.The throwback weekend at Darlington is particularly meaningful to the Wood Brothers team as they are running a paint scheme reminiscent of the Lotus Ford that Jim Clark, with pit crew services performed by the Wood Brothers, drove to victory in the 1965 Indianapolis 500. Also, as part of the celebration of the team’s 75 years in the sport, the Wood family has been chosen as the Grand Marshals for the Goodyear 400.The Woods enter Sunday’s race with eight Darlington victories – six by David Pearson and one each by Cale Yarborough and Neil Bonnett.Sunday’s 293-lap race is set to get the green flag just after 3 p.m., with TV coverage on FS1. Stage breaks are planned for Laps 90 and 185.

NASCAR CUP SERIES DARLINGTON RACEWAY TEAM CHEVY POST-QUALIFYING REPORT APRIL 5, 2025

TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL TOP-10 STARTING LINEUP:POS.     DRIVER1st – William Byron8th – Kyle Busch10th – Michael McDowell

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·       Hendrick Motorsports’ William Byron drove Chevrolet to its now series-leading fourth NASCAR Cup Series pole win of the 2025 season at Darlington Raceway. The 27-year-old Charlotte, North Carolina, native clocked-in a best lap of 28.774 seconds, at 170.904 mph, in his No. 24 Axalta Chevrolet to earn the pole position for tomorrow’s Goodyear 400.  ·       The pole – Byron’s second at Darlington Raceway and 15th all-time in NASCAR’s top division – makes Byron the first repeat pole winner of the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season. ·       Three Chevrolet organizations will be represented in the top-10 starting lineup for tomorrow’s 400-mile race, with Hendrick Motorsports’ Byron leading Richard Childress Racing’s Kyle Busch with an eighth-place qualifying effort and Spire Motorsports’ Michael McDowell rounding out the top-10. 

Chevrolet’s all-time NASCAR Cup Series statistics at Darlington Raceway:  Wins: 44Poles: 23Top-Fives: 207Top-10s: 431Chevrolet’s season statistics heading into the eighth race of the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series Season Wins: 2Poles: 4Top-Fives: 15Top 10s: 32Stage Wins: 3

William Byron, No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet – Pole Win Press Conference Quotes  William, this is your second poll at the track. Too tough to tame. You’ve won at this event before. What did you like out of your car in those laps and how do you feel about your chance to support them all?“Yeah, I felt good about it today. You know, I felt like we had a good plan going into practice. I feel like we’re always strong here. It’s a really good track for our team and myself. We were just trying to find a decent balance there to start. We were a little bit tighter than we wanted to be, so we pitted and worked on it; got it a lot better and finished practice pretty strong, I felt like. So I had some confidence going into qualifying that we’d have a decent lap, at least. I was just was nervous about going early. I just felt like having a little bit of an earlier draw was not ideal, but it seemed like the track temp was starting to go up as well, so it probably wasn’t the worst thing. Just really hit (turns) one and two well. I felt like I got through the entry to one and up the hill well, and then entry to three was also good. I just felt like I gave up maybe half to three quarters of a tenth off of four. Luckily it was enough. Just proud of our team. We had a really good week of prep. A couple tough weeks for results, but we’re still running strong.” You won this event back in 2023. How comfortable do you feel at this racetrack? Just again, sitting on the pole now here. Is this a comfortable track for you to race on, just your confidence going forward?“Yeah, I think this is maybe my best track. I feel like this is just a place I love coming to. I think that ever since I’ve been here as a driver, I just enjoy coming down here. It’s a tough challenge. It really tests you mentally and physically. Off the track, I had a lot of nostalgia coming here as a kid. It was just the place that I loved seeing on the way to Myrtle Beach as a kid and just dreamed about racing here. I feel like for every driver, that kind of makes it important to you. It doesn’t mean you’re always going to be good here, but it’s always been an important track. I think that history and then parlaying that into having good runs here, it has had a special place in my heart.” I wanted to ask you how important getting a pole and starting up front really is here at Darlington. Is this a place where that matters a lot?“It probably matters maybe a fraction more than some other places. Still, it’s a long race, but you don’t want to qualify here in the 20s. It’s a tough place to pass. It can be tricky strategy-wise and you can get stuck back there. This is a place we always try to qualify in the top five or six because having that clean air is a big deal. So yeah, maybe a fraction more than other places, but you can still win from anywhere. We’ve never had the benefit of really having pit stall one here, which is super nice to have. I’m excited for that and I feel like that will help our pit crew. It’s just a nice advantage.” The rest of your team did not fare quite as well as you today. Are you surprised by that?“These cars are really finicky, so hitting the lap the way you want it to be can be difficult. I’m not surprised because there’s a lot of parity in the Next Gen era, especially in qualifying. You can be that little bit off. I feel like our team made good notes from last year here qualifying. I think that really helped us.”  You talked about a little bit of a connection to it coming down here. Seeing it from the perspective of not being a driver or not having a family and racing, what does this place mean to you?“This place is just very special. I feel like it’s always had a lot of meaning. I guess my first race here, I ran Ricky Hendrick’s throwback scheme in Xfinity. That was just really special. We had a good day. I think it’s just kind of continued. I’ve had a lot of great throwback schemes, honestly. That’s always made it fun here in the spring or the fall. I think it’s just that kind of nostalgia that I enjoy.”  When and where is the most difficult part of this racetrack? We spent years talking about how easy it is to get caught up in it. You like this track. What moment, where, what part of the track and what kind of movements make it scattered for you here?“It’s just a tricky place. It’s changing every year, just that little bit. I feel like when they put the patch down in turn two, that was a big difference maker. Definitely had something new to adjust for. Every time, this is one of those places where when they roll out for practice in Xfinity and I turn on the TV or I look at the racetrack when I come in the tunnel, I’m always looking for little things that are different because it seems to just age like that. It’s a unique place. It seems like there’s some differences this year. I’m intrigued to watch Xfinity and figure out what those differences are.” Tell the fans what it’s like to lead the field to green here at this particular racetrack. You certainly know you may get a strike, but you don’t want to get the first one…“Yeah, clean air is nice here, for sure. It doesn’t usually last very long because you catch the back of the field. Somebody is always in traffic here. But getting that clean air is huge here and hopefully we can just keep that control of the race.” We saw a few weeks ago at Homestead, Kyle Larson was on the wall and sheared the right side of his car off pretty bad. Now we’re at another track where you’re on the wall. Do you see that trend kind of continue where we’re getting more and more bouncing off the wall and really tearing the right sides off? Was that kind of by play from Larson and something that maybe you and him or Hendrick has discussed getting on the wall even more?“No.. I mean, definitely not discussed it. I feel like this place is way different running the wall than Homestead, although it looks the same, you know, from visually, like you’re touching it sometimes here. It’s very different, like the way the wall is shaped here and just the effect or lack of here. So it’s a different technique. I mean, you know, Kyle’s been able to run it well both places, but I don’t think there are anything like really.” It’s been three and a half years since they repaved the exit of turn two. Is there still a grip strip there, or has it lost its usefulness at this point?“Yeah, it’s still more grip, but, yeah, it’s not like you can just run wide open through there anymore. And there’s some bump content on the exit, which for these cars, is pretty bad.. you know, the way the stops hit in the back. So yeah, there’s still more grip there than the rest of the track, but it’s not as much and I think you’ll just see it. It’s always going to have an advantage, though, because the age of it’s going to just be offset to, you know, the rest of the track. So, yeah, it’s interesting, but I think it’s continuing to get some character. Hopefully those bumps don’t get any worse.” Were you happy that it’s unusually hot here for April because it seems like it’s just like it is in May and September? “I wouldn’t say happy, but I’m okay with it. It’s definitely going to be warm. You know, I think tomorrow is going to be a test mentally, physically. You know, it’s a tough place, and I feel like this weather here just exaggerates. It really just exaggerates the track grip, and I think that we’ve been fortunate a couple times here to run in the spring when it’s like cloudy out, and that really adds a lot of grip to the racetrack. So, yeah, I think it’s just going to be good notes for the fall because it’s going to be a lot more similar weather to what the fall will be like.” And so on that how much do you view wanting to win, or do you try anything to learn for the fall?“Yeah, I don’t think — like right now, there’s nothing set in stone to try, but I think if you have a good notebook from this race, it’ll carry over really well for the Southern 500. So that’s what I’ve seen with Darlington. It doesn’t change that much from spring to fall in terms of set-up stuff. So it’s a really important race tomorrow just to get a good notebook for the fall.”

NASCAR CUP SERIES DARLINGTON RACEWAY TEAM CHEVY DRIVER QUOTES APRIL 5, 2025

Chase Elliott, driver of the No. 9 UniFirst Chevrolet and the No. 17 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports, met with the media in advance of running double duty in the NASCAR Cup and Xfinity Series at Darlington Raceway.

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Media Availability Quotes:  We’ve heard different drivers kind of speak throughout the week on the Xfinity Series race last week. I’m just curious your perspective on what you saw.“Yeah, it was terrible. It was really bad. I don’t know what all has been said already, so I don’t want to add to the negativity of the week. But yeah, it wasn’t impressive at all, for sure. It was kind of embarrassing, you know, I think more than anything. We’re better than that and those guys are better than that. You just want to try to set a better example, I guess, on Sunday’s and hope that that gets taken to heart somewhere in there — that not doing things like that is a better route. It wasn’t just like the last lap thing. It was just the whole race. The whole race was just chaos. They were running over each other with 75 laps to go, it seemed like. But anyways, I’m good on it. I think enough has probably been said.” At what point in the year, or maybe now, is it when you start assessing who’s strong and who’s kind of legit championship contenders and teams, that kind of thing? Is it this now or is it later in the year?“I think it’s all year, for sure. It’s still very early. It definitely is early in the season. It’s going to be the same crowd. It’s the same crowd every year.. we don’t have to beat around the bush. It’s going to be the same people that are going to be good in the last 15 weeks of the year. The people that are good right now are just going to get better. That’s just how it is. It will be the same crowd, as always, when we get down to it.”  You’ve been solid here in Cup but not necessarily spectacular compared to some other tracks. Is there something about Darlington perhaps that you’ve struggled to crack the code with here? “Yeah, for sure. I love Darlington. I just haven’t gotten it to love me back. Maybe this week.. maybe I can talk it into liking me this week.” What is it about this racetrack that we see even veterans struggle to master that high lane here more than anywhere else? We see the skill of Homestead and other places, but what is it about this track specifically that makes running against the wall so challenging?“It’s very similar to Homestead in a lot of ways. I think what makes it different here is that Homestead has a very gradual entry. If you enter on the wall, it has this nice radius to the corner. And this place, the wall is kind of choppy and makes it hard to get against it just right at the perfect time. You’ve got the safer barrier that juts out there in (turn) three. All those things kind of play a role. Obviously, the tire wear throughout a run here is extreme, just like it is at Homestead, too. It’s always a challenge, but I think probably just the radius of the corners makes it a little different.”  Looking back last weekend at Martinsville, I was just curious — some people said it was still kind of hard to pass, even with the tires that were wearing more. What’s your thoughts on the state of short track racing after quite a few now?“I thought it was better. It seemed like it’s better. You definitely have to be really mindful of how you either take care of your tire or don’t at the beginning of the run. But I think we’re in a better place than we were in the past. When I look at it, I think the tire is a big piece of that. I think I told you all that last week — it seems like it matters quite a lot. It makes sense that that’s what touches the ground, and that’s a big deal. The car plays a role, for sure, and I think it has had improvements. But yeah, I don’t know that it’s where it exactly needs to be, but I’m just not exactly sure how much better we’re going to get it. We can only piece together so much. But look, motorsports is an aerodynamic game, and I think we just all need to understand that that’s just part of it now. We’re not going to run those tails at these places all the time. I don’t care if you’re going 70 mph in the center of the corner or 170 –- like it matters a lot, and clean air is going to be king. You just hope that there’s enough difference and enough challenge behind the wheel that you can do something different early in a run to make a difference in your car late, and I think as long as we achieve that, then we’re doing all we can do. I thought we did more of that in Martinsville. I think we could still have a step more of that. I personally thought the tire felt really good. I thought the tire was in a pretty good place. We’d just love some more power. I think if you give some more power, you give guys an opportunity to make more mistakes and be harder on the tire. We have a bunch of gears to choose from, so you can downshift or not downshift, and I just think that gives you an opportunity to really screw up bigger, which I think would be good. If you can add to that and just make it to where guys who really are mindful of every aspect of the run would excel or fail.” Obviously, a few years into this new car, there will be discussions about what’s next for the series. I was curious, now that we are in this spec car box, do you envision that probably being just the standard moving forward into the future generations?“It seems that way. I don’t have a crystal ball by any means, but I think that we’re pretty deep down the road of the spec parts and the policing of things that way. Yeah, I think that’s the way NASCAR wants to go with it. I think they’ve made that very loud and clear, that this is the direction. I think everybody’s understanding of that. What’s next? I don’t know. I think it’s in an OK place right now, but whatever changes come down the road, I don’t think it’s going to be much different than what we have now. So with that being said, everyone is just going to continuously get closer and closer and closer every year. You’ll certainly still have your standouts, don’t get me wrong. There will always be a way to have a small advantage, but that advantage will become even more minute than it is today. We’re going to see more of that as time goes because there are no secrets in that garage. I don’t know if you all know this, but you have guys that leave one team and go to another team the next year.. like there are no secrets in there. Everyone knows everything about everybody all the time — what you’ve got going on with your car, who ran what setup last fall at all these places.. that’s just what it is. That’s just the world we live in. Charlotte is a small area, and the garage is even a smaller group of people. That’s just part of it. It just makes it more difficult to find little advantages here and there. You have to make sure that you’re perfect. You’ve got to be perfect. You’ve got to be really good on Saturday; have a good pit box on Sunday, not lose any spots on pit road. You’re just going to see more and more of that, in my opinion.”  I don’t remember the exact number, but I think it’s around 19 cars this weekend that are not running a throwback paint scheme. I’m sure you’ve seen the talk on social media on that the throwback weekend has lost its luster. I’m curious on where you stand on that. Do you feel like this weekend has lost luster over time?“I thought I lost it about four or five years ago, so I was way too early to that conversation, I think. Not to be a downer — I joked about this years ago, but if we kept going down the road, we’re going to be throwing it back to me in 2018. At some point, I think we’ve got to chill on it a little bit. I think we’ve rode the horse to death, and we tend to do that a little bit too much.” Chase, growing up with your dad around the sport, seeing how drivers race back then, where did the sport go wrong with that? Is it the points format today? Is it the cars being too safe? The guys being so far removed these days from anything happening? Where do you think the sport went wrong with what we’re seeing out there?“In what way?” Just what we saw last Saturday in the Xfinity Series, especially with the younger drivers..“I don’t know how to answer that in a professional manner, so I’m just probably not going to. There’s a lot of reasons and parts and pieces to that, and why I think it has come to that. You’ve got to sit back and kind of look at it from a 1,000 feet view and understand why things are the way they are.. the points, who’s driving and the paths. It’s a little bit of everything, so I don’t think we have time to go into all of it. For me, at the end of the day, we can sit here and talk about how embarrassing it was last week, or we can sit here and try to encourage guys to do better. So let’s just encourage people to do better and try to set a better example on Sunday’s. I really feel like throughout the entirety of this year, the Sunday races have been really good from that perspective. I thought that race at COTA – man, you couldn’t have a better example of how to race. And not just 20-year veterans, but those guys that were racing for the win, you had William (Byron) and Christopher (Bell), guys who were on the younger side of life in the series, that set an incredible example, I thought, for everyone else. I think we just need to watch that stuff and appreciate that more. We don’t have to have side-by-side crashes to the line to have a good race. We can have a good race and it go green to the end, or whatever. I think we need to celebrate some of those other things a little more than we celebrate the chaos, and I think that’s part of the reason why we went wrong.”  60 percent of your finishes at Bristol have been in the top-10. What do you attribute to that consistency? “ Well I like Bristol.. I think that’s number one. I enjoy going up there. I think Alan (Gustafson) had a really good grasp on that track, really before I got there to work with him. And I think just over time, we have developed a solid base of the feel that I want, and the feel that he knows that I need and want in the car. So I would say a combination of all those things together. I thought we had a really solid race there last fall. I thought we were right in the hunt with Kyle (Larson) and had a shot at it there. I thought that was fun. I hope we can do more of that. I look forward to getting up there and trying to piece together a good day.”  Do you have anything exciting planned for the off-week?“No, nothing exciting. No races or anything scheduled. I’m going to try to enjoy it. It’s a long road after that all the way to the end this year. I really try to reset; get the batteries recharged and ready to go to the final stretch.” Chase, do you use the cool shirt? If you do, is there a race in particular that comes to mind where you’re really thankful to have it?“I’m kind of one of the guys that goes back and forth. Some weeks I use it, some weeks I don’t. Certainly, as we get to these summer months, you’re going to want it, for sure. I’m trying to think of a good example. This race, honestly. I mean, I feel like this race is always the first hot one of the year, it seems like. Certainly, the 500 mile race in the fall here.. it’s still pretty hot when we get back here. There are a bunch of races that you’re thankful to have that. Some weeks, not necessarily at all. You can kind of get through it. And other weeks, I do think it certainly helps your fatigue level when you get to the end of these things.” The second thing I wanted to ask was — going back to what you said about trying to get Darlington to love you back, how much of it is circumstance of trying to get a finish the team deserves, or is there something you’re chasing here, balance or feel, that you just haven’t hit on?“I was just joking, it’s totally me. It’s not the track. It’s me, not you, right? (laugh). It is definitely totally on me. I think just the feel that I need in the car. It’s been a hunt to try and find that and find what I want. I thought we had a nice week of prep this week; have a good game plan, I hope, and just kind of start practice on a high note. This Xfinity race – it’s been a year since I’ve driven one of those things. Jumping back and forth, I always find it to be a little bit of a challenge. Looking forward to getting going over there. Hopefully those laps will help me just get kind of comfortable with the racetrack; visualize things how I think they need to be. And then when we get out there and in Cup practice, try to get going and get going quick.” It’s certainly not uncharted waters for you guys at Hendrick to be atop the standings early in the season. All four of you guys are solidly top-10 in points. What do you attribute most to your ability consistently to get off to strong starts this season?“The company as a whole has done a great job over the winter to build really, really fast race cars. I think there’s some areas that we can be better. I really don’t think we’re at our best, really any of us, honestly. So it’s encouraging to see that. We can pretty confidently say that – hey, these are flaws. These are areas that can certainly have improvement. That’s an exciting place to be, in my opinion, because there’s so much more racing left this year and opportunities to get where we want to be, and I think we can do that. The company’s in a good spot. Everybody’s pulling in the same direction, and we’ve got to keep that up.”  You mentioned how there’s a lot of movement in the garage these days, but your driver lineup, you guys have stayed intact now for half a decade. As the veteran driver in that stable, how would you say building that chemistry year-to-year with your teammates has benefited you guys to get to this point? “I just think we have a really good working relationship. None of us are best friends off the racetrack. You know, we don’t hang out.. not because we don’t like each other, we just kind of run in different circles. But we have a really good working relationship when we show up and we have our meetings. I think everybody’s open and honest and willing to help one another. We show each other a lot of respect on the racetrack, just kind of how it should be. Those guys give me respect. I’m going to give it back at least that much and probably then some.. that’s just how I am. I enjoy being around guys like that who are hungry and want to get the job done for their team, but also kind of have the bigger picture.. the big picture of just the company in mind and are willing to help us all get better together and be stronger as a four-car stable.”

NASCAR CUP SERIES DARLINGTON RACEWAY TEAM CHEVY DRIVER QUOTES APRIL 5, 2025

Austin Hill, driver of the No. 33 United Rentals Chevrolet and the No. 21 Bennett Transportation Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing, met with the media in advance of running double duty in the NASCAR Cup and Xfinity Series at Darlington Raceway.

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Media Availability Quotes:  How would you describe the tone of the meeting with NASCAR? “I would say the tone of the meeting was firm, but they got their point across and they did it in a really good way. So I think that was good for everyone in the series to hear, you know, the different sides of it with all three that were in there. A lot of great things were said about what we could do better going forward. I stand strongly on the side of — for whatever reason, when the Xfinity Series go to Martinsville, we just lose our minds. But everywhere else, we’re the best racing in NASCAR and I strongly stand behind that.. that we are the best series in NASCAR. Just when you go to Martinsville, we look like we don’t know what we’re doing. So we’re going to get through it. We have, whatever it is, seven or eight months before we go back to Martinsville. I’m hoping a lot of things, you know, change between now and then. I don’t think that just one meeting is going to change the outcome of the playoff race in Martinsville. So, you know, it might be one of those cases where we need to have multiple meetings throughout the year just to reiterate some of the stuff. Even if things aren’t happening on the racetrack, even if it’s just a — say we’re all racing clean and we’re all doing the right things, but I think we got to keep it in everyone’s head that, you know, race the way you want to be raced and race with respect, and I thought that that’s kind of where we ended the conversation today and I thought it was all great.” As a veteran in the series, what do you see your role in doing this and taking sort of a stance for people that might be in their first year in the series?“Yeah, so Justin Allgaier and I had a really great conversation outside of the tent. Once he got done talking to you guys and all, we were walking back and I stopped him and we had a really good conversation. I think that him and I can both bring some really great things to the table. You know, Justin’s very respected on the racetrack and but he’s also super aggressive but he does it in a sneaky way. It’s kind of crazy to watch how he does it sometimes. He’s super aggressive but he does it in a good way.. in a sneaky way. I’m on the other end, where I’m super aggressive and, you know, you push on me, I push on you, that type of thing and it just is what it is. I try to handle my business on the racetrack and after the race is over. I’ve done so many things wrong in my career up until this point and I felt like from, you know, last year into this year, I’ve kind of changed my mind set a little bit on just getting out of the car and talking to the media and just saying random things. Like there’s so many things that I would love to go back and take back that I’ve said throughout my career, but you can’t go back and change it, right? You can just move forward and so that’s what I’m doing. I’m kind of taking a different role on things that I say outside of the race car versus things that I do inside the race car. In saying all that, I think that Justin and I can bring a lot to the table on trying to lead the Xfinity Series. I think that him and I, both being veterans of the sport, he has different ways of looking at it than what I do but I think that we both can kind of bring our own perspective in a way and kind of reach both, you know, eras of drivers, as far as the super aggressive ones and maybe the ones that race extremely clean, whatever. I think that him and I can give a lot of feedback to the drivers.”  Some people were somewhat critical of the way you drove in that race. Last week you said the one thing you felt bad about was wrecking, the wreck that got Jesse (Love). After looking. did you see anything else that you feel like you need to feel bad about?“No — so I said this in the meeting, actually. In our meeting that we just had; they opened it to the floor. Justin (Allgaier) spoke first and I spoke second on some of the areas that we need to do a better job of or where we stand or where we feel like we stand. I basically said kind of the same thing I was just saying a second ago — race the way you want to be raced. I said look — if you go in there and you are lifting somebody’s rear tires off the ground four or five different times and you’re not wrecking them but you’re using them as a brake pedal and you’re knocking them out of the way, out of the groove, to get by them and you’re doing it on entry.. if you’re doing it across the middle of the corner, you’re faster than that guy. No one should get mad if that guy kind of gives you a little shot across the middle of the corner. That’s ‘rubbin’ is racing’ at its finest. That’s Martinsville. That’s the ‘bump and run’ type thing. But if you’re just going in there and you’re using that guy as a brake pedal and it’s eight tires are better than four and you’re lifting the rear tires off the ground, and that happens four or five, six times with the same guy, eventually that guy’s going to break and he’s not going to put up with it anymore. I will say this, too, I completely misjudged getting into the back of the No. 16 (Christian Eckes). You can go back and listen to my interview after Martinsville. Right when I got into the No. 16, I got free with the rear tires and I was starting to like wheel hop. So then I got off the brake pedal for a second, I got back to it, and I didn’t realize that the No. 16 was already really tight to the No. 2 (Jesse Love) and the No. 2 was really tight to the No. 1 (Carson Kvapil) and it just caused a chain reaction. So yeah, I felt really bad about the situation and how it went down. Looking back at it, I probably would have waited an extra corner and done things a little differently, but I would have at least gave the No. 16 a little bit of a nudge and shot him up the racetrack into the second or third lane to show like — hey man, you’ve lifted my rear tires off the ground four or five different times now, I’m not going to put up with it. Somebody else on the racetrack might put up with it, but I’m not.  And then other thing — I mean I didn’t really get into, there was no other real contact that really happened between me or anyone else, other than the No. 1 cut across my nose down the front stretch and I went as far left as I wanted to and I finally just straightened up the wheel and I’m like, I’m not turning left no more, and he kind of drove across my nose. I could have lifted in that instance but he had already blocked me three or four different times. So again, if you block me three or four different times, at some point I’m not just going to keep turning left and let you keep that spot. So I stand strongly on how the race went, as far as my part in it. I completely misjudged the No. 16 mishap and I wish I wouldn’t have taken the No. 2 and the No. 1 out. But that was, I mean honestly, that was just a racing error on my part.” You say that Martinsville is its own kind of animal, but this is your only trip to Darlington this year as opposed to two, so do you think there will be any more urgency here today?“I don’t think so. Just because of it being a bigger racetrack, you know, it’s a mile and whatever — I think that us having the meeting, the drivers talking amongst themselves.. I mean I’ve had great conversations with everyone at Kaulig Racing. We had a conversation with RCR and Kaulig. We all got together down at Welcome, and we really feel strongly about the ‘One Welcome’ thing. Like it’s a real thing and so we all hashed it out. We talked about it. We had everyone in there talking about the situation, and I thought it was a great conversation to be had. I think it’s going to help us propel forward into being more of that ‘One Welcome’ scenario. And I think that all the other drivers that have talked.. I’ve talked to Justin after the meeting. He said he had a great conversation with all of his JR Motorsports drivers, Sammy Smith and all those guys, and so I think it’s going to calm down a lot more than you think today. We’ll have to wait and see but I think today is going to be a very — we’re all going to be still aggressive and trying to win the race but it’s going to be a very respectful race.”  If last week was over the line, then how is it going to be judged when we go to Martinsville in October, knowing likely that one spot will likely get you into the Championship Four?“Well, NASCAR made it very, very clear that they don’t want to be in the ‘ball and strike’ business. They don’t want to be making all these calls. So they said for us to help them with that. They also said that if they had to step in and start making calls, black flagging people, parking people and doing all those things, that they’ll do it. So I agree with what NASCAR’s stance is at but I also think that we as the Xfinity Series have to do a better job going forward when we go back to Martinsville and not put it in NASCAR’s hands. We don’t want NASCAR to get involved and to have to make these ‘ball and strike’ calls. We don’t want that as drivers. We want to be able to race and beat and bang and do all these things but do it in a respectful way. So there’s a lot of things that we all got to look in the mirror, even myself included. We all as drivers have to look in the mirror and figure out what we can do to move forward and not have NASCAR get involved.”  Are you excited about your first start here in Darlington in the Cup Series? I looked at your five race schedule. Chicago Street Course is on there. Why did you pick that particular one?“A lot of it was sponsor driven. I did make a comment that I wanted to run a road course. I want to run Watkins Glen, honestly, but at the end of the day, United Rentals (Chicago) is just a great venue for them and all that. So Chicago just ended up being the place. I had some really good success at Chicago last year, so being able to go back there for a second time is going to be great. I was able to run the Cup race there, and it was raining, then it stopped raining and it got dry. We were running like 12th or something towards the very end of the race and ended up getting taken out and getting into turn one. I think it’s going to be one of those races that we can do well at. Darlington has been one of these racetracks that I’ve been so close to many times on the Xfinity Series and the Truck Series at winning here and I’ve missed it by one spot multiple times. I really was strongly about wanting to come to Darlington and it ended up just working out. And then obviously, United Rentals and RCR wanted me to do some superspeedway stuff. The Cup Series is so much different when you’re superspeedway racing versus the Xfinity side, just the way the cars drive and the way the drag is and all those sorts of things. I’ve been wanting to do some type of short track, and so Bristol was one of those places that they picked that they just thought was a good place for us. So yeah, I think I have a really good schedule for the five races. I’m going to learn a lot. A lot of different racetracks that we go to, so different techniques and everything that have to be shown. I’m excited to get in the Cup car today and see what we can do with our No. 33 United Rentals Chevrolet.”

Leonard Wood has often mentioned that the notoriety and attention given to the Wood Brothers following their work on pit road for Team Lotus in the 1965 Indianapolis 500 far exceeded any other accomplishment, given the amount of time and effort required.  Jim Clark, who drove a Ford-powered Lotus pitted by the Wood Brothers to victory in the sport’s premier race, spent just 41.9 seconds on pit road for the entire 500-mile run.In a interview, Leonard said, “We were recognized and respected, not just from a NASCAR audience, but an audience around the world after we pitted that car. For no more than a day’s work, a handful of seconds, we left there knowing we had accomplished something big. Something that would have meaning.”That winning effort will be recognized once again as Josh Berry’s No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Mustang Dark Horse will carry a paint scheme based on Clark’s winning Lotus in this weekend’s Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway. It’s fitting that the recognition will come at Darlington. It was there that Ford racing executive John Cowley first approached team owner Glenn Wood about pairing his crew, which at that point had no open-wheel-racing experience, with Clark and the Ford/Lotus team. Wood accepted, and the rest as they say, is history.Since he joined the Wood Brothers, Berry has heard first-hand accounts from that winning effort at Indy.“It was really cool to hear the stories from Leonard about how much it meant to him,” Berry told reporters at Martinsville. “You think somebody that’s been in NASCAR for 75 years and accomplished all of these amazing things, for him to say that moment was one of the most memorable that he’s had in his entire life really puts into perspective how big of a moment it was.“There was a lot of ingenuity that the Wood Brothers brought to that team to speed up the pit stops, and Len and Eddie, they’ve got all of that down to the seconds that they saved.  They know the story way better than me, but it’s really just a cool deal. It was Ford’s first win in the Indy 500, so there were a lot of cool moments. We’re excited for it.”Based on Berry’s performance this year – and his runs at Darlington before he joined the Woods – Berry and the Motorcraft/Quick Lane team are hoping they can give the throwback-themed Mustang a run it deserves.“Darlington is always a tough one,” Berry said. “If you have a good car, you look like a hero. If you have a bad car, you don’t. It’s that kind of thing.  Last year, I had two really good cars there and ran really well. We didn’t get the finish we wanted in the Southern 500 with an accident there at the end, but I feel good about it. We ran third in the spring. If we can translate some of what I learned last year and apply it to the 21 car, hopefully we can have a good day.”Practice for the Goodyear 400 is set for Saturday at 12:35 p.m. Eastern Time to be followed by qualifying at 1:40. Amazon Prime will carry the TV coverage. Sunday’s 400.2-mile, 293-lap race is set to get the green flag just after 3 p.m., with TV coverage on FS1. Stage breaks are planned for Laps 90 and 185.

The celebration of Darlington Raceway’s 75th anniversary season will get underway this weekend with the NASCAR Cup and Xfinity Series partaking in the sport’s annual ‘Throwback Weekend’.

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The 1.366-mile oval famously known as ‘The Lady in Black’ will play host to NASCAR for two events yet again this season, with NASCAR’s premier series and the Craftsman Truck Series returning to the venue in August to begin their respective playoffs. Part one of the doubleheader weekend will see the Xfinity Series hit the track in Saturday’s Sport Clips Haircuts VFW Help a Hero 200, with the series’ reigning champion, Justin Allgaier, returning as the defending winner of the track’s spring event. The Cup Series will take its turn in tackling the track ‘Too Tough to Tame’ on Sunday with the Goodyear 400, with the Bowtie brand looking to add to its already leading legacy at the historic venue.   Leading at ‘The Lady in Black’ Chevrolet is the all-wins leader in both of NASCAR’s top two divisions at Darlington Raceway, heading into the weekend with 44 Cup Series wins and 23 Xfinity Series wins at the track.

Chevrolet’s first trip to victory lane at Darlington Raceway came in the 1955 Southern 500 with Hall of Famer Herb Thomas – the sixth running of the sport’s crown jewel event. Fast forward to 2025, the 1.366-mile South Carolina oval has since hosted 127 events for NASCAR’s top division. Throughout NASCAR’s tenure at the ‘Track to Tough to Tame’, the longest win streak by a single manufacturer has been four-straight, which is a feat that Chevrolet has been able to accomplish on four separate occasions (Apr. 1979 – Sept. 1980; Apr. 1986 – Sept. 1987; Sept. 1989 – Apr. 1991; Mar. 1995 – Sept. 1996). The Bowtie brand owns half of the wins in the Next Gen era at the track, including two Southern 500 victories (Erik Jones – Sept. 2022; Kyle Larson – Sept. 2023) and the 2023 spring event with William Byron.

For the past four Xfinity Series seasons, Chevrolet has been a frequent visitor to victory lane at Darlington Raceway, with the manufacturer tallying the triumph in five of the series’ past seven races at the track. Among those feats includes an active streak of four-straight wins in the track’s spring event including Justin Allgaier’s three career Darlington wins (2021, 2022, 2024), as well as Kyle Larson’s win with Kaulig Racing in May 2023. Only four active past Darlington winners are entered for Saturday’s 200-mile race, including Allgaier and a special appearance by the 2020 Cup Series Champion, Chase Elliott.

DARLINGTON DOUBLEThere will be four drivers that will do the ‘Darlington Double’ this weekend, three of which come from the Chevrolet camp.  The Xfinity Series’ most recent winner, Austin Hill, will make his first of five starts in NASCAR’s top division this weekend – getting behind the wheel of a third entry for Richard Childress Racing. The 30-year-old Georgia native will have a familiar voice calling the shots from atop the pit box with the driver being reunited with Andy Street, who led Hill’s Xfinity Series team for the past three seasons. This weekend will mark Hill’s 11th career Cup Series start, with his best finish of 14th coming at Daytona International Speedway in Aug. 2023.  Team Chevy’s Chase Elliott and Ross Chastain are among the three Cup Series regulars that will face the Xfinity Series in Saturday’s event. Elliott will take his turn behind the wheel of the No. 17 Chevrolet for his lone appearance in Hendrick Motorsports’ part-time Xfinity Series entry this season. The 29-year-old Georgia native made his last Xfinity Series appearance at Darlington Raceway in Aug. 2024, where he earned a fourth-place finish. Elliott made a name for himself in the Xfinity Series early in his career when he became the first rookie to win a championship title in the NASCAR national ranks (2014). Elliott is a six-time winner in the series, one of which came in the No. 17 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet at Charlotte Motor Speedway last season. Chastain will climb back into the driver’s seat of a fifth entry for JR Motorsports this weekend – marking his second of five starts with the No. 9 Chevrolet team. The 32-year-old Florida native already has one start until his belt with the team – earning an eighth-place finish at Circuit of The Americas. Chastain has one NASCAR national series win to his name at Darlington Raceway, which came in the Truck Series’ most recent appearance at the track in May 2024.

SUPERIOR IN THE STANDINGSWith seven points-paying races complete, the Hendrick Motorsports quartet continues to be a dominating force in the NASCAR Cup Series standings. Despite an early pit road issue providing an uphill battle for the No. 24 team, William Byron was still able to maintain the points lead for the sixth-consecutive week. The 27-year-old North Carolina native heads to Darlington Raceway with a 16-point lead over second-place Kyle Larson and a 32-point lead over third-place Chase Elliott, who each drove their Chevrolet-powered machines to top-five results at Martinsville Speedway last weekend. Sitting just behind his teammates is Alex Bowman, who ties competitor Christopher Bell in the fourth position of the standings. Consistency has been key for Bowman and the No. 48 team this season, with the 31-year-old Arizona native being one of just two drivers who have earned a series-best five top-10 results thus far this year.

RCR HITS A MILESTONEAustin Hill may have led only one lap in the NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Martinsville Speedway, but it was the one that mattered most. Taking the green-white-checkered from the seventh position, Hill was able to survive the closing lap mayhem to become the series’ second repeat winner of the 2025 season and ultimately deliver Richard Childress Racing its milestone 100th all-time Xfinity Series victory. Kevin Harvick carried the Chevrolet organization to its first Xfinity Series victory at World Wide Technology Raceway in Jul. 2000. Over the next 25 years, 20 different drivers have tallied triumphs to lead the organization to this milestone feat – all of which have been done in partnership with Chevrolet. The organization’s winningest Xfinity Series driver is Harvick, who earned 35 of his 47 career Xfinity Series victories behind the wheel of a Richard Childress Racing entry. Of the 20 different drivers who have scored a Xfinity Series victory with Richard Childress Racing, Hill is the only other driver with a double-digit win count – earning all 12 of his Xfinity Series wins in the No. 21 Chevrolet.

CONTINUING TO COMMAND Chevrolet continues to have a commanding start to the 2025 NASCAR Xfinity Series season. Austin Hill’s victory at Martinsville Speedway last weekend marked the Bowtie brand’s third consecutive trip to victory lane in the series, and the manufacturer’s overall sixth win in seven races thus far this season. The 30-year-old Georgia native is just the series’ second repeat winner of 2025, with fellow Chevrolet driver and the series’ reigning champion, Justin Allgaier, being the first driver to accomplish the feat at Homestead-Miami Speedway the prior weekend. The Bowtie brand is the only manufacturer with drivers already locked into the series’ playoffs by virtue of a win, with youngsters Jesse Love and Connor Zilisch also earning one win a piece.   Chevrolet swept the weekend across all major statistical categories at Martinsville Speedway, with Zilisch driving his No. 88 JR Motorsports Chevrolet to the pole win and a sweep of the stages – giving the Bowtie brand its fifth pole in seven races and now 12 wins in 14 stages. Chevrolet has accounted for at least half of the top-10 finishing positions in all but one race this season, including a season-best seven top-10 results on two different occasions (Atlanta Motor Speedway – earned by six different Chevrolet organizations; Homestead-Miami Speedway – earned by five different Chevrolet organizations).

HEMRIC CLOCKS IN It hasn’t taken Daniel Hemric long to settle into his new home at McAnally Hilgemann Racing. In just the fifth NASCAR Craftsman Truck race of 2025 at Martinsville Speedway, Hemric drove his No. 19 Chevrolet to the victory to deliver the Bowtie brand its series-leading third win of the season. The 34-year-old North Carolina native is just the series’ second full-time competitor to earn an early ticket into the 2025 playoffs, joining Toyota’s Corey Heim. The series will remain idle this weekend before reuniting with the Cup and Xfinity Series for a tripleheader weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway on Apr. 11-13.

Chevrolet’s season statistics with seven NASCAR Cup Series races complete: Wins: 2Poles: 3Laps Led: 472Top-Fives: 15Top-10s: 32Stage Wins: 3

Chevrolet’s season statistics with seven NASCAR Xfinity Series races complete: Wins: 6Poles: 5Laps Led: 944Top-Fives: 22Top-10s: 42Stage Wins: 12

Chevrolet’s season statistics with five NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series races complete: Wins: 3Poles: 2Laps Led: 292Top-Fives: 11Top-10s: 21Stage Wins: 3

BOWTIE BULLETS:·       Active Chevrolet drivers with a NASCAR Cup Series win at Darlington Raceway:      Kyle Larson – one win (2023 Southern 500)William Byron – one win (May 2023) Kyle Busch – one win (2008 Southern 500) ·       In 127 NASCAR Cup Series races at Darlington Raceway, Chevrolet leads all manufacturers with 44 victories. In six events in the series’ Next Gen era, Chevrolet has earned three victories – recorded in consecutive events by Erik Jones (Sept. 2022), William Byron (May 2023) and Kyle Larson (Sept. 2023).  ·       Chevrolet is the only manufacturer to accomplish a tripleheader sweep across all three NASCAR national divisions this season – earned at Homestead-Miami Speedway courtesy of victories by Kyle Larson (Cup and Truck Series) and Justin Allgaier (Xfinity Series).  ·       In 115 points-paying races in the Next Gen era, Chevrolet leads all manufacturers with 54 victories – a winning percentage of 47%.  ·       With its 43 NASCAR Cup Series Manufacturer Championships, 33 NASCAR Cup Series Driver Championships, and 868 all-time NASCAR Cup Series wins, Chevrolet continues to hold the title as the winningest brand in NASCAR Cup Series history.

TUNE-IN:NASCAR Cup Series Goodyear 400Sunday, April 6, at 3 p.m. ET(FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90) NASCAR Xfinity SeriesSport Clips Haircuts VFW Help a Hero 200Saturday, April 5, at 3:30 p.m. ET(CW, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90)

QUOTABLE QUOTES:Ross Chastain, No. 1 Trackhouse Racing ChevroletDo you reflect on all of the sweat equity that you’ve put in to get to where you are today?“My dad (Ralph) sent me photos recently of us at Martinsville with the 15 Cup car where it was just me, dad and Pat Tryson (crew chief) standing around the car at pre-race. It was a small group and no one was paying attention. We had all kinds of issues with brakes and things like that. We were talking about how dad went over with Pat after practice at Martinsville and Stewart-Haas took off their brakes after practice and were bolting on their race brakes. We got rotors off of one of their cars and put them on our car for the race. That was in the Cup Series just a few years ago, 2018, I think. It’s wild, I had forgotten about that. To run used brake rotors is just not something you do. We don’t change them anymore with Gen 7 but back then you needed new rotors to start the race. I had to take care of mine because I was already using used ones.” How do you get yourself in the right mindset at Darlington to race how you need to race and not get caught up in the mid-race shenanigans and actually make it to the end?“It’ll start with the Xfinity car. I’ll get on track with that first and get reacclimated with the track and then getting up to speed in the Cup car will be next. Just making it through 400 miles there is the important part. It’s tough and it’s famous for a reason. Darlington is such a special track for me. I love it so much and it would be a big deal to me personally to get a Cup win there.”   Austin Dillon, No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet“Darlington Raceway is one of my favorite tracks and I love racing there. It’s a racer’s track, and the history there is so special. It’s one of the hardest races to win. I have finished second there in the past, so we want to improve on that. The track gets slick and wears tires quite a bit. The key to Darlington Raceway is trying to race the track and not the competition. It would be nice to knock another Crown Jewel off. I’ve got two of them and another one would be pretty special to take the No. 3 Chevrolet to Victory Lane Sunday night.”   Justin Haley, No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet“Darlington is one of my favorite tracks. I’m excited to get there this weekend and continue to make gains with the No. 7 team. We’ve shown a lot of speed and I think that will show again this weekend.”   Kyle Busch, No. 8 Richard Childress Racing ChevroletWhat do you remember about your first race at Darlington, how long did it take before you got your first stripe?“I’m trying to remember if I hit the wall in my first race there. I remember that it was in the No. 87 Chevrolet. I don’t think I hit the wall in my first race there. I finished second. I don’t know if I ever hit the wall, because I ran the bottom of three and four the whole time. That was my money maker, so I didn’t have to run the wall. I was fast without it. My next race there, though, I was in the No. 5 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports and I knocked it down. We were getting really loose on the long runs and I was kind of backing it into the corner like a dirt car, putting the right rear tail light up against the fence and the right rear tail light grabbed and slapped the front over, you know, so, don’t do that. It’s not a cushion, and this isn’t dirt car.” Is there a particular race at Darlington that stands out to you as more difficult than another?“Not really. I would say they’re all pretty tough, you know, but I think the long ones, the 500-mile races. But no, I can’t think of one that comes to mind.” Ty Dillon, No. 10 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet“Darlington is probably my favorite racetrack on the circuit. I just have always felt a good connection with that place, and I love racing around there – the history, driving down to Darlington is always a fun time for me, and I’ve had success there. I feel like it’ just one of those places that I’ve got a good natural feel for and I’m looking forward to doing it with this No. 10 team and Kaulig Racing.”    AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet“Darlington is a racetrack that has been a struggle for me in the past. I felt like over the last couple years, I’m definitely getting more confident there. I feel like our program this year has been strong on bigger racetracks so I’m looking forward to going there and fighting for 400 miles to get some momentum back. Overall, this is the most confident I have felt going to Darlington and I know we will show up there and have speed like we have all year.” Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 Hyak Motorsports ChevroletWith such an old racetrack like Darlington, it can be difficult to navigate a long race there. How do you approach each race at Darlington given its difficulty?“You have to approach Darlington the same way every time. It’s been the same since forever. This is a place where you have to race the racetrack and keep your car clean, specifically keep it out of the fence. There’s a lot of areas where you can make mistakes at this racetrack. It’s about just keeping your car under the limit and figuring out what is too far. That’s the way you have to race Darlington. It’s been the same ever since they built it. This track is a battle and it’s tough, but it’s also a lot of fun.”   Michael McDowell, No. 71 Spire Motorsports ChevroletWhat are your thoughts about going to Darlington? “Darlington has been a good track for us. I really enjoy Darlington. It’s so tough; it is everything that we promote it to be as far as the level of difficulty, and you’re just right up against the limit, right up against the wall, and tires still fall off, even with this NextGen era. It’s one of those races where you earn your money, and the driver has a lot of value for taking care of the tires, long run, pace, and all those things. I enjoy Darlington; it’s also one of those races that I need to add to the Crown Jewel victories because I got the 500, and I got the Brickyard. The Southern 500 is the one you need, right?  I know it’s not the Southern 500, but a Darlington win would be enough to cover it. If I can check the box, I would love to.”    Carson Hocevar, No. 77 Spire Motorsports ChevroletYou had a great run at Darlington last September. How does that translate to the Spring race?“I would say the day race is probably more difficult. It’s a shorter race and you don’t have a drastic change in the track from day to night. You can’t bank on those extra laps or the track getting tighter and allowing you to get caught up on the handling. Everyone wants to win the Southern 500, but a win at Darlington in either scenario is really special. We’ve improved a lot as team since that last race at Darlington where we qualified well, and I think we have a good chance to show speed in practice, qualify decent and have another good points day.”   Shane van Gisbergen, No. 88 Trackhouse Racing ChevroletSeven races into the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season, what is the biggest difference in running full-time in the Cup series compared to full-time in the Supercars series?“Good question (laughs). It’s a massive difference racing every week, rather than every two or three weeks. It’s been good to build a relationship with a whole bunch of different people, the No. 88 guys, a lot of new people at Trackhouse, but just learning everyone and getting into a rhythm is probably the biggest thing. It still feels fresh but there is 30-something more weekends to go. It’s a long season, but I’m enjoying the new challenge.” You’ve mentioned Darlington is one of your favorite tracks on the NASCAR circuit. What are you looking forward to most about racing there this weekend?“Yes, it’s one of my favorite tracks that we race. Darlington is such a massive challenge and it’s a track everyone wants to win at. The history of the racetrack brings a different feel when we get there and get out on track. It’s pretty neat. I ran well there in the Xfinity car last season and struggled a bit in the Cup car, but excited to see what my WeatherTech team can accomplish this weekend.”   Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Trackhouse Racing ChevroletAre you ready for Darlington?“Yes, we have been preparing very well. Every NASCAR driver respects Darlington and it’s a place where you must do a good job if you want to run well. It’s always a really big challenge. It’s a tough track, you have to race the track as much as you race the rest of the field. Darlington isn’t just a mental challenge but a physical challenge as well. If you win there you know you have done something special. We spend a lot of time training for races like Sunday.” First Outing for Quaker State in 2025:“I have told the story several times but Quaker State is one of Mexico’s most popular racing sponsors. I watched Adrian Fernandez race the Quaker State car when he was in IndyCar in my hometown of Monterrey, Mexico. I dreamed of driving the Quaker State car. Last year we got to honor Adrian in Darlington and that might have been one of my all-time favorite paint schemes. Everyone recognizes Quaker State in Mexico and America. I feel very honored to drive the Quaker State Chevrolet. We also benefit from their technical alliance with Trackhouse Racing. They are great partners.”   Connor Zilisch, No. 88 JR Motorsports Chevrolet“Darlington has been around forever and the Southern 500 is one of the bigger races in NASCAR, one of the crown jewels. I’m excited to get my first race there. We have such a cool throwback paint scheme on our WeatherTech Chevrolet to honor Buddy Baker’s Crisco car. It means a lot to bring some history back to this race and run a throwback car to honor a guy like Buddy Baker who has such a rich history in NASCAR. It’s going to be such a cool weekend. Darlington is tough but I’m excited to go there for the first time. I’ve run a few laps in the SIM. It’s one of the tougher tracks we go to. I just want to get through the day cleanly, try not to hit the wall too many times and hopefully keep all four tires up the whole race. JR Motorsports always has good cars at Darlington so we should have a good shot. Justin (Allgaier) won there last year so I’m confident we’re going to have a fast WeatherTech Chevrolet. It’s going to be about me figuring it out as quickly as possible. That’s going to be a tough one, but I’m excited to learn about Darlington.”

Chevrolet NASCAR Cup Series Statistics Manufacturers Championships:Total (1949-2024): 43First title for Chevrolet: 1958Highest number of consecutive titles: 13 (2003-15)Most recent: 2024 Years Won: 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1998, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 Drivers Championships:Total (1949-2024): 33First Chevrolet champion: Buck Baker (1957)Highest number of consecutive titles: 7 (2005-11)Most recent: Kyle Larson (2021) Years Won: 1957, 1960, 1961, 1973, 1976, 1977, 1979, 1980, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2020, 2021 Event Victories:Record for total race wins in single season: 26 (2007)                2025 STATISTICS:                                                                                                    Wins: 2Poles: 3Laps Led: 472Top-Fives: 15Top-10s: 32Stage Wins: 3 CHEVROLET IN NASCAR CUMULATIVE STATISTICS:Total Chevrolet race wins: 868 (1949 to date)Poles won to date: 756Laps led to date: 253,183Top-fives to date: 4,384Top-10s to date: 9,039                                                                                                          Total NASCAR Cup Wins by Corporation, 1949 to Date:                    General Motors: 1,202           Chevrolet: 868           Pontiac: 154           Oldsmobile: 115           Buick: 65            Ford: 841                                                                                        Ford: 741           Mercury: 96           Lincoln: 4            Fiat Chrysler Automobiles: 467           Dodge: 217           Plymouth: 191           Chrysler: 59            Toyota: 193

Race Fans will have the chance to see the two rescheduled events on the same weekend with 81 Speedway on Oct. 24 and Arrowhead Speedway on Oct. 25COLCORD, OK (April 2, 2025) – With weather models from Precision Weather Service showing heavy rainfall Wednesday through Saturday in Colcord, OK, World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series and Arrowhead Speedway officials have agreed to postpone the Jason Johnson Classic to a new weekend in October.The Jason Johnson Classic will now make up a doubleheader weekend in late October with the postponed event from 81 Speedway, serving as the penultimate weekend of the season before the championship determining World of Outlaws World Finals.The World of Outlaws will return to 81 Speedway in Wichita, KS on Friday, Oct. 24 – for a complete new program – and then venture just three hours and 30 minutes south to Arrowhead Speedway for the Jason Johnson Classic presented by FK Rod Ends on Saturday, Oct. 25.If you purchased a ticket or pit pass to the originally scheduled event at 81 Speedway on Saturday, March 29, they will be honored for the rescheduled event on Oct. 24. And if you purchased a Friday or Saturday ticket to this weekend’s event at Arrowhead, both will be honored for the new Oct. 25 date.The Series now shifts its focus to the Federated Auto Parts Spring Classic at I-55 Federated Auto Parts Raceway Park on April 11-12. For tickets, CLICK HERE.David Gravel currently sits atop the standings by 78 markers over Carson Macedo with Logan Schuchart 10 points behind Macedo in third.If you can’t make it to the track, catch every lap live on DIRTVision.ARTICLE: FAN 101: https://about.worldofoutlaws.com/

April 2, 2025 — TOKYO

• HRC plans to auction actual parts from Honda V10 engine used by Ayrton Senna to win 1990 F1 Championship
• First HRC memorabilia auction will take place during Monterey Car Week in August
• HRC currently selecting heritage machines from the IndyCar series and valuable race machines from motorcycles to be included in the future

Honda Racing Corporation (HRC), a racing arm of Honda, announced today that it is launching a memorabilia business, offering fans and collectors around the world an exclusive opportunity to own a piece of racing history. This exciting new venture will feature a wide range of authentic, high-quality memorabilia, including signed merchandise, limited-edition collectibles and rare artifacts from the company’s storied legacy in motorsport.

To commemorate the new memorabilia business, HRC plans to auction rare, selected parts from the historic Honda RA100E V10 F1 engine that powered the championship machine driven by Ayrton Senna and Gerhard Berger in the 1990 F1 season  during California’s Monterey Car Week in August. Furthermore, HRC is currently selecting heritage machines and parts from the IndyCar series and significant racing motorcycles for private sales or auctions soon.

By having a part of the Honda F1 engines that powered the winning machines driven by Ayrton Senna and Gerhard Berger, fans can vividly recall the glorious moment of those days whenever they like. Through this business, we aim to further enhance the racing brand value of Honda and HRC.

The Honda RA100E F1 engine was faithfully disassembled at HRC’s factory in Sakura City, Tochigi Prefecture, Japan by the original builders of these very special winning engines. The auction items include various internal and external components, such as camshafts, cam covers, pistons and connecting rods, beautifully housed in display cases, each accompanied by an original HRC certificate of authenticity.

Honda showcases historic racing machines at the Honda Collection Hall in Mobility Resort Motegi, Tochigi Prefecture, and the Honda RACING Gallery at Suzuka Circuit in Mie Prefecture. These exhibits include machines that participated in the Isle of Man TT races in the 1950s, the early F1 machines from the 1960s, and various other machines up to the present day. Many of these machines are diligently maintained in good running condition with a variety of rare curated spare parts in its collection. The collection hall has carefully selected limited collectible parts from this inventory to ensure items up for sale do not affect the preservation of the running machines.

“We aim to make this a valuable business that allows fans who love F1, MotoGP and various other races to share in the history of Honda’s challenges in racing since the 1950s.” said HRC President Koji Watanabe. “Including our fans to own a part of Honda’s racing history is not intended to be a one-time endeavor, but rather a continuous business that we will nurture and grow.”

About Honda Racing Corporation USA
Honda Racing Corporation USA (HRC US), has a rich heritage creating, manufacturing, and supporting Honda Racing and Acura Motorsports customers since its founding in 1993 as Honda Performance Development (HPD). In January 2024, HPD became HRC US, combining with HRC Japan to strengthen the company’s overall motorsports capabilities. From pinnacle racing in INDYCAR and IMSA sports cars to commercial racing programs, HRC US leads all Honda and Acura high-performance racing programs in North America and will be involved in Formula One power unit development and race support related to the next phase of Honda starting in 2026.

HRC US specializes in the design and development of powertrain, chassis, electronics, and performance parts, as well as technical and race support. The company also offers parts and race support to Honda and Acura amateur and professional motorsports racers; and is continually expanding its palette of racing programs that make Honda racing products available to all racing styles, from karting and quarter midgets to the highest levels of professional racing. https://hondaracing-us.honda.com

CHILLICOTHE, OH (April 1, 2025) – Race season has arrived in the Ohio Valley, and The Most Powerful Late Models on the Planet are ready to invade the region for the first time in 2025.

A regular stop on the World of Outlaws Late Models tour since 1989, Atomic Speedway will host the Series for two nights of action Friday and Saturday as part of the Fireball 50.

Action gets underway on Friday night with a 35-lap, $12,000-to-win, main event before a 50-lap, $15,000-to-win, Feature caps off the program on Saturday night. In addition to the Late Models, the program will also include Modifieds on Friday and Sport Mods and Legend Cars on Saturday.

GET FRIDAY TICKETS HERE

GET SATURDAY TICKETS HERE

Here are the top storylines entering the weekend:

THE BOBBY & RYAN SHOW: The 2025 season is only eight races old, but every driver not named Bobby Pierce and Ryan Gustin knows exactly who they have to beat if they want to contend for the championship in the fall.

With two wins apiece, Pierce and Gustin stand as the only two current title contenders to reach Victory Lane with the Outlaws this year. They also sit 1-2 in multiple key metrics, including Heat Race wins and Feature laps led.

If history is anything to go by, the next chapter in their battle will be written at the front of the pack this weekend. The last three World of Outlaws races at Atomic were won by either Pierce or Gustin, and they are the only Series regulars to win an Outlaw race at the track since Tim McCreadie took the checkers in 2006.

Gustin took a few nights to get the hang of Atomic, as he missed the top 10 in his first four Outlaw starts there. Something clicked last August though, as “The Reaper” picked up back-to-back podiums with a third on Friday and a win on Saturday. Pierce has been impeccable at the track from the start, as he’s collected two wins and no finishes worse than fourth in World of Outlaws competition.

ON THE UPSWING: Following a strong end to the 2024 season, Brian Shirley rolled into 2025 looking for more race-winning speed. Instead, he got the exact opposite in the opening weeks of the year.

A disastrous Speedweeks buried him in the standings and left him with a shop full of wrecked cars and blown engines. Smoky Mountain Speedway wasn’t much better, as “Squirrel” never found his footing and came home 21st. But when the tour traveled south to Swainsboro Raceway, the Bob Cullen Racing team began to show signs of life.

After using a provisional to start Friday’s Feature, Shirley moved up 11 spots in 35 laps to finish 13th. Saturday saw Shirley’s best early-night speed in months, as he qualified sixth in his group, finished second in his Heat Race to make his first Redraw of 2025 and spent the first half of the Feature running in the top 10. A flat left-rear tire may have knocked him down to 20th in the final order, but the No. 3S clearly had speed.

Shirley delivered two more encouraging performances last weekend in a MARS Late Model Championship event at Maquoketa Speedway, finishing fourth and third in a field that included several other Outlaws like Pierce, Gustin, Tanner English, Dennis Erb Jr. and Daniel Adam.

The next two weeks present a golden opportunity for Shirley to show what he’s capable of. He ended the night on the podium in his last three World of Outlaws starts at Atomic and has a DIRTcar Summer Nationals win in Chillicothe on his resume from 2014. Then, he’ll head back to his home state for next weekend’s Illini 100 at Farmer City Raceway. Shirley’s decades-long track record there includes two wins each with the World of Outlaws, Hell Tour and MARS along with several more local and regional triumphs.

BREAKING THROUGH: As the only driver with seven top 10s in the first eight races, Nick Hoffman has arguably been the most consistent driver on tour so far in 2025. But solid finishes alone aren’t enough to win a World of Outlaws championship.

The season is still young, but up to this point Hoffman finds himself in the opposite scenario from a year ago. In 2024, “The Thrill from Mooresville” won five times – two more than champion Brandon Sheppard – but trailed Sheppard in top fives and top 10s. This time around, a lack of wins is his only deficit compared to the likes of Pierce and Gustin.

Atomic could be just the place for Hoffman to remove his goose egg from the win column. He’s a two-time winner in regional action and owns three top fives in four World of Outlaws starts at the track.

ROOKIE RACE ROLLS ON: There’s a new driver on top of the MD3 Rookie of the Year Award battle entering Atomic, as a pair of top fives at Swainsboro were enough to vault Drake Troutman around Ethan Dotson and into fourth in the overall points table.

Troutman kicked his season into gear on the final night of Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals when he led several laps and finished second to Jonathan Davenport. Smoky Mountain didn’t go his way with a 24th-place run, but Troutman quickly got back on track in Georgia. On the other hand, Dotson got off to a hot start with two top fives in the first three Outlaw nights of the year at Volusia Speedway Park, but has struggled to replicate that speed in the weeks since.

While Dotson has yet to compete at Atomic in a Late Model, his Modified stat sheet is certainly impressive. The Californian ran a three-race weekend with the Renegades of Dirt Tour in 2022 and finished first, first and third in the Features. Troutman was also in attendance that weekend, scoring a best finish of seventh.

Trailing that duo in the rookie standings are Jake Timm, Daniel Adam, Austin Smith and Dillon McCowan.

SCOUTING THE LOCALS: In addition to the World of Outlaws, this weekend’s event is co-sanctioned by the Valvoline American Late Model Iron Man Series, bringing the toughest Late Model competition in the region together to battle the nation’s best.

They’ll be led by reigning Series champion Rusty Schlenk, who finished top five at Atomic last June on his way to the title. The three-time DIRTcar UMP Late Model national champion is already batting 1.000 in 2025, winning twice in two starts at Attica Raceway Park.

Other “Buckeye State” natives to keep an eye on include Rod Conley, who beat the Outlaws at Atomic in 2008 and finished top five at the track four times last year, as well as Adam Stricker, who came home fifth against the Outlaws in last year’s Fireball 50.

WHEN AND WHERE:
Friday-Saturday, April 4-5, at Atomic Speedway in Chillicothe, OH

CURRENT POINT STANDINGS:
1. Bobby Pierce (1164 points)
2. Ryan Gustin (-30)
3. Nick Hoffman (-30)
4. Drake Troutman (-70)
5. Max Blair (-94)
6. Ethan Dotson (-98)
7. Cody Overton (-108)
8. Tim McCreadie (-110)
9. Tanner English (-120)
10. Dennis Erb Jr. (-140)

FEATURE WINNERS (5):
Garrett Alberson – Las Cruces, NM – 2
Ryan Gustin – Marshalltown, IA – 2
Bobby Pierce – Oakwood, IL – 2
Devin Moran – Dresden, OH – 1
Jonathan Davenport – Blairsville, GA – 1

HEAT RACE WINNERS (18):
Bobby Pierce – Oakwood, IL – 6
Ryan Gustin – Marshalltown, IA – 5
Nick Hoffman – Mooresville, NC – 5
Jonathan Davenport – Blairsville, GA – 3
Garrett Alberson – Las Cruces, NM – 3
Ricky Thornton Jr. – Chandler, AZ – 3
Jimmy Owens – Newport, TN – 3
Ethan Dotson – Bakersfield, CA – 2
Devin Moran – Dresden, OH – 2
Drake Troutman – Hyndman, PA – 2
Brandon Overton – Evans, GA – 1
Cody Overton – Thomson, GA – 1
Tyler Erb – New Waverly, TX – 1
Brandon Sheppard – New Berlin, IL – 1
Mike Marlar – Winfield, TN – 1
Chris Madden – Gray Court, SC – 1
Garrett Smith – Madison, GA – 1
Ashton Winger – Hampton, GA – 1

LANDA PRESSURE WASHERS LAST CHANCE SHOWDOWN WINNERS (17):
Tyler Bruening – Decorah, IA – 3
Michael Leach – Sun River, MT – 2
Brandon Overton – Evans, GA – 2
Mike Marlar – Winfield, TN – 1
Dustin Sorensen – Rochester, MN – 1
Cody Overton – Thomson, GA – 1
Nick Hoffman – Mooresville, NC – 1
Brian Shirley – Chatham, IL – 1
Tyler Erb – New Waverly, TX – 1
Max Blair – Centerville, PA – 1
Brandon Sheppard – New Berlin, IL – 1
Kyle Bronson – Brandon, FL – 1
Ryan Gustin – Marshalltown, IA – 1
Ashton Winger – Hampton, GA – 1
Jackson Hise – Ocala, FL – 1
Trey Mills – St. Augustine, FL – 1
Austin Smith – Cedartown, GA – 1

PODIUM FINISHERS (11):
Jonathan Davenport – Blairsville, GA – 5
Bobby Pierce – Oakwood, IL – 4
Ryan Gustin – Marshalltown, IA – 3
Garrett Alberson – Las Cruces, NM – 2
Devin Moran – Dresden, OH – 2
Nick Hoffman – Mooresville, NC – 2
Drake Troutman – Hyndman, PA – 2
Cody Overton – Thomson, GA – 1
Max Blair – Centerville, PA – 1
Ricky Thornton Jr. – Chandler, AZ – 1
Ashton Winger – Hampton, GA – 1

FOX FACTORY HARD CHARGERS (8):
Cody Overton – Thomson, GA – 1
Hudson O’Neal – Martinsville, IN – 1
Drake Troutman – Hyndman, PA – 1
Dennis Erb Jr. – Carpentersville, IL – 1
Jonathan Davenport – Blairsville, GA – 1
Brandon Sheppard – New Berlin, IL – 1
Ethan Dotson – Bakersfield, CA – 1
Dustin Sorensen – Rochester, MN – 1

SIMPSON RACING PRODUCTS QUICK TIMES (5):
Nick Hoffman – Mooresville, NC – 3
Ricky Thornton Jr. – Chandler, AZ – 2
Ryan Gustin – Marshalltown, IA – 1
Chris Madden – Gray Court, SC – 1
Tanner English – Benton, KY – 1

BILSTEIN POLE AWARD (5):
Garrett Alberson – Las Cruces, NM – 2
Nick Hoffman – Mooresville, NC – 2
Drake Troutman – Hyndman, PA – 2
Jimmy Owens – Newport, TN – 1
Bobby Pierce – Oakwood, IL – 1

FEATURE LAP LEADERS (9):
Bobby Pierce – Oakwood, IL – 70
Ryan Gustin – Marshalltown, IA – 67
Garrett Alberson – Las Cruces, NM – 44
Jimmy Owens – Newport, TN – 41
Drake Troutman – Hyndman, PA – 41
Ricky Thornton Jr. – Chandler, AZ – 18
Devin Moran – Dresden, OH – 17
Nick Hoffman – Mooresville, NC – 16
Jonathan Davenport – Blairsville, GA – 11

2025 WORLD OF OUTLAWS LATE MODELS SCHEDULE & WINNERS
Friday, Jan. 24 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / Ryan Gustin (1)
Saturday, Jan. 25 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / Garrett Alberson (1)
Thursday, Feb. 13 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / Garrett Alberson (2)
Friday, Feb. 14 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / Devin Moran (1)
Saturday, Feb. 15 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / Jonathan Davenport (1)
Friday, Mar. 14 / Smoky Mountain Speedway / Maryville, TN / Bobby Pierce (1)
Friday, Mar. 21 / Swainsboro Raceway / Swainsboro, GA / Bobby Pierce (2)
Saturday, Mar. 22 / Swainsboro Raceway / Swainsboro, GA / Ryan Gustin (2)
Friday, Apr. 4 / Atomic Speedway / Chillicothe, OH
Saturday, Apr. 5 / Atomic Speedway / Chillicothe, OH
Thursday, Apr. 10 / Farmer City Raceway / Farmer City, IL (Practice)
Friday, Apr. 11 / Farmer City Raceway / Farmer City, IL
Saturday, Apr. 12 / Farmer City Raceway / Farmer City, IL
Friday, Apr. 25 / Talladega Short Track / Eastaboga, AL
Saturday, Apr. 26 / Talladega Short Track / Eastaboga, AL
Thursday, May 1 / Mississippi Thunder Speedway / Fountain City, WI
Friday, May 2 / Mississippi Thunder Speedway / Fountain City, WI
Saturday, May 3 / Mississippi Thunder Speedway / Fountain City, WI
Thursday, May 15 / Raceway 7 / Conneaut, OH
Friday, May 16 / Marion Center Raceway / Marion Center, PA
Saturday, May 17 / Marion Center Raceway / Marion Center, PA
Sunday, May 18 / Bedford Speedway / Bedford, PA
Friday, June 20 / I-55 Federated Auto Parts Raceway Park / Pevely, MO
Saturday, June 21 / I-55 Federated Auto Parts Raceway Park / Pevely, MO
Monday, June 23 / Independence Motor Speedway / Independence, IA
Thursday, June 26 / I-94 EMR Speedway / Fergus Falls, MN
Friday, June 27 / River Cities Speedway / Grand Forks, ND
Saturday, June 28 / Norman County Raceway / Ada, MN
Sunday, June 29 / Nodak Speedway / Minot, ND
Thursday, July 3 / Deer Creek Speedway / Spring Valley, MN
Friday, July 4 / Deer Creek Speedway / Spring Valley, MN
Saturday, July 5 / Deer Creek Speedway / Spring Valley, MN
Friday, July 11 / Sharon Speedway / Hartford, OH
Saturday, July 12 / Sharon Speedway / Hartford, OH
Friday, July 25 / Fairbury Speedway / Fairbury, IL
Saturday, July 26 / Fairbury Speedway / Fairbury, IL
Monday, July 28 / Wilmot Raceway / Wilmot, WI
Thursday, July 31 / Cedar Lake Speedway / New Richmond, WI
Friday, Aug. 1 / Cedar Lake Speedway / New Richmond, WI
Saturday, Aug. 2 / Cedar Lake Speedway / New Richmond, WI
Wednesday, Aug. 13 / Highland Speedway / Highland, IL
Thursday, Aug. 14 / Spoon River Speedway / Lewistown, IL
Friday, Aug. 15 / Maquoketa Speedway / Maquoketa, IA
Saturday, Aug. 16 / Maquoketa Speedway / Maquoketa, IA
Friday, Aug. 22 / Arrowhead Speedway / Colcord, OK
Saturday, Aug. 23 / Arrowhead Speedway / Colcord, OK
Friday, Sept. 12 / Needmore Speedway / Norman Park, GA
Saturday, Sept. 13 / Senoia Raceway / Senoia, GA
Friday, Sept. 26 / Tri-City Speedway / Granite City, IL
Saturday, Sept. 27 / Tri-City Speedway / Granite City, IL
Friday, Oct. 3 / Humboldt Speedway / Humboldt, KS
Saturday, Oct. 4 / 81 Speedway / Wichita, KS
Friday, Oct. 10 / Boothill Speedway / Greenwood, LA
Saturday, Oct. 11 / Boothill Speedway / Greenwood, LA
Wednesday, Nov. 5 / The Dirt Track at Charlotte / Concord, NC
Thursday, Nov. 6 / The Dirt Track at Charlotte / Concord, NC
Friday, Nov. 7 / The Dirt Track at Charlotte / Concord, NC
Saturday, Nov. 8 / The Dirt Track at Charlotte / Concord, NC

ARTICLE: https://worldofoutlaws.com/latemodels/what-to-watch-for-world-of-outlaws-ohio-bound-for-atomic-doubleheader/

EVENT INFO: https://worldofoutlaws.com/latemodels/schedule/event-info/?event=4547656

TRACK INFO: https://www.atomicspeedway.net/

FAN 101: https://about.worldofoutlaws.com/

The tour is ready to pay tribute to the “Ragin’ Cajun” with a full weekend in Oklahoma

COLCORD, OK (April 1, 2025) – The time has come to honor one of the finest men to ever grace the sport of Sprint Car racing, Jason Johnson.

The “Ragin’ Cajun” embodied professionalism throughout his career as he launched and built Jason Johnson Racing into an organization capable of competing at the highest level of the sport. Johnson knew no strangers, treating all in the pit area with kindness and respect.

After his passing, the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars have prioritized racing in his honor every season, and this weekend brings the seventh edition of the Jason Johnson Classic presented by FK Rod Ends.

For the second year in a row, Colcord, OK’s Arrowhead Speedway is the host. The pristine facility just west of the Arkansas border welcomed The Greatest Show on Dirt for the first time last year. This time around the event grows to two days as the country’s best Sprint Car drivers are set for a full weekend (April 4-5) of action in the “Sooner State.” Saturday’s winner will bank $20,000.

It’s time to put on a show for Jason Johnson.

BUY TWO-DAY ARROWHEAD TICKET PACKAGE HERE
BUY FRIDAY ARROWHEAD TICKETS HERE
BUY SATURDAY ARROWHEAD TICKETS HERE

WATCH LIVE ON DIRTVision

Let’s look at the weekend’s top storylines:

#FOREVER41: The Jason Johnson Classic naturally brings plenty of attention to the Jason Johnson Racing crew, and Carson Macedo will look to drive the No. 41 on a storybook trip to Victory Lane Saturday.

The JJR team took the first running back in 2019, leaving no dry eyes on the property of Lake Ozark Speedway. That win came with David Gravel behind the wheel, and the team is still looking for their second event triumph.

It would no doubt be a special moment for Macedo if he can pull it off. The Lemoore, CA native was the first to win in the No. 41 after Johnson’s passing in 2018. Macedo claimed his prelim at Knoxville Raceway’s 360 Nationals. He ran a handful of races for the team to close out that year and laid the foundations for his eventual move to JJR in 2021. His best finish in the Jason Johnson Classic is second in 2023.

Macedo has won 42 World of Outlaws Features since joining the team and last year nearly lifted them to Johnson’s dream of a title, finishing runner-up to David Gravel by less than 100 points. He’s in the championship hunt again early in 2025, trailing Gravel by 78 markers with 13 races complete. The 28-year-old has only missed the top 10 once this season with Johnson’s cousin Philip Dietz continuing to turn the wrenches.

SIX RACES, SIX WINNERS: Parity has been the pattern through six runnings of the Jason Johnson Classic as no driver has been able to claim more than one through six runnings.

Gravel’s victory in the inaugural edition was already mentioned, and he was followed by James McFadden, Brad Sweet, and Jacob Allen while the event took place at Lake Ozark Speedway. Rico Abreu claimed 2023 when the event shifted to 81 Speedway. Last year, it relocated to its current home of Arrowhead Speedway and Sheldon Haudenschild scored the $20,000 prize.

That leaves many powerhouses of the sport without a Jason Johnson Classic win that could continue the trend this weekend. Names such as Donny Schatz, Michael “Buddy” Kofoid, Logan Schuchart, Giovanni Scelzi, and others will be in search of their first. Two former winners, Gravel and Haudenschild, will be in attendance aiming to become the first with two.

ROTH ROLLING: It took a few weeks, but Michael “Buddy” Kofoid and Roth Motorsports are performing at the level many expected them too in 2025.

It began with six consecutive top 10 finishes beginning with the final night of Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals through the first of two evenings at Kennedale Speedway Park. And in the four races since that streak started, Kofoid and company have elevated to another level.

It started with a win in the Cowtown Classic finale. Kofoid then led laps on night one at Cotton Bowl Speedway before a runner-up. He finished second the following night too. The latest statement was a victory in his debut at Lawton Speedway to make it four consecutive top two finishes.

Now the focus turns to Arrowhead, where the Penngrove, CA native finished seventh last year in his only trip to the track.

NEW POWER: Major news hit the Sprint Car world last Friday when it was announced that Donny Schatz and his Tony Stewart/Curb Agajanian Racing team would be returning to Chevrolet engines after spending the last several seasons running and developing the FPS410. The No. 15 will continue to attract plenty of attention as Schatz gets reacquainted with Chevy power.

The sample size is small so far as Schatz has only one night back with the bowtie. He drove from 15th to 10th on Friday at Lawton. Schatz’s Arrowhead experience is also limited to one previous appearance. The Fargo, ND driver finished 11th at the Oklahoma oval last year.

But around the corner there are plenty of tracks on the calendar where Schatz has loads of experience. I-55 Federated Auto Parts Raceway Park is home to a trio of his wins and is a week after the Jason Johnson Classic. The following weekend brings the tour to Knoxville Raceway, and Schatz’s endless accomplishments at “The Sprint Car Capital of the World” are well known. Not too long after that is a weekend at Eldora Speedway.

KNOTTED UP: The 2025 Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year battle continues to live up to the hype.

Only a couple weeks after Garet Williamson took over the top spot for the first time, there’s a tie at the top. Early leader Chris Windom finished ninth at Lawton, his fifth top 10 of the year and enough to equal Williamson’s point total. Despite Windom catching him, Williamson has still been solid as of late with nine straight finishes within the top 15.

Behind those two lurks Hunter Schuerenberg in third, 30 markers behind. Then, after “Hunter Percent” it’s Cole Macedo, Zach Hampton, Conner Morrell, and Skylar Gee.

THIS WEEKEND AT A GLANCE

WHEN AND WHERE 
Friday-Saturday, April 4-5 at Arrowhead Speedway in Colcord, OK

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CURRENT CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS (13/89 Races):
1. David Gravel – Big Game Motorsports No. 2 (1844 PTS)
2. Carson Macedo – Jason Johnson Racing No. 41 (-78 PTS)
2. Logan Schuchart – Shark Racing No. 1S (-88 PTS)
4. Michael Kofoid – Roth Motorsports No. 83 (-106 PTS)
5. Sheldon Haudenschild – Stenhouse Jr.-Marshall Racing No. 17 (-166 PTS)
6. Donny Schatz – Tony Stewart/Curb Agajanian Racing No. 15 (-212 PTS)
7. Giovanni Scelzi – KCP Racing No. 18 (-216 PTS)
8. Bill Balog – B2 Motorsports No. 17B (-242 PTS)
9. Chris Windom – Sides Motorsports No. 7S (-296 PTS)
10. Garet Williamson – Fischer Motorsports No. 23 (-296 PTS)

NOS ENERGY DRINK FEATURE WINNERS (7 Drivers): 
5 Wins – David Gravel
2 Wins – Kyle Larson, Michael Kofoid
1 Win – Carson Macedo, Christopher Bell, Bill Balog, Giovanni Scelzi

FEATURE LAPS LED (10 Drivers):
126 Laps – David Gravel
65 Laps – Michael Kofoid
51 Laps – Kyle Larson
39 Laps – Giovanni Scelzi
25 Laps – Carson Macedo
19 Laps – Bill Balog
17 Laps – Emerson Axsom
16 Laps – Cole Macedo
9 Laps – Sam Hafertepe Jr.
8 Laps – Christopher Bell

SIMPSON PERFORMANCE PRODUCTS QUICKTIME AWARDS (6 Drivers):
8 Quick Times – David Gravel
1 Quick Time – Emerson Axsom, Kyle Larson, Danny Sams III, Logan Schuchart, Anthony Macri

HEAT RACE WINNERS (19 Drivers): 
8 Heat Wins – David Gravel
6 Heat Wins – Carson Macedo
4 Heat Wins – Sheldon Haudenschild, Bill Balog
3 Heat Wins – Christopher Bell, Kyle Larson, Logan Schuchart
2 Heat Wins – Brian Brown, Jacob Allen, Michael Kofoid
1 Heat Win – Emerson Axsom, Hunter Schuerenberg, Austin McCarl, Anthony Macri, Garet Williamson, Bryce Lucius, Sam Hafertepe Jr., Conner Morrell, Donny Schatz

TOYOTA DASH APPEARANCES (30 Drivers):
12 Dashes – David Gravel
11 Dashes – Logan Schuchart
9 Dashes – Carson Macedo
6 Dashes – Bill Balog, Michael Kofoid
5 Dashes – Sheldon Haudenschild, Emerson Axsom
4 Dashes – Brian Brown, Giovanni Scelzi
3 Dashes – Christopher Bell, Kyle Larson, Garet Williamson
2 Dashes – Danny Sams III, Jacob Allen, Cole Macedo, Anthony Macri, Sam Hafertepe Jr.
1 Dash – Justin Peck, Brad Sweet, Ryan Timms, Tyler Courtney, Parker Price-Miller, Aaron Reutzel, Hunter Schuerenberg, Spencer Bayston, Austin McCarl, Conner Morrell, Bryce Lucius, Christopher Thram, Donny Schatz

MICRO-LITE LAST CHANCE SHOWDOWN WINS (10 Drivers):
2 LCS Wins – Giovanni Scelzi, Donny Schatz, Christopher Thram
1 LCS Win – Ryan Timms, Garet Williamson, Chris Martin, Anthony Macri, Bryce Lucius, Conner Morrell, Blake Hahn

KSE HARD CHARGER AWARDS (9 Drivers):
3 Hard Chargers – Ryan Timms
2 Hard Chargers – Chris Windom, Skylar Gee
1 Hard Charger – Donny Schatz, Logan Schuchart, Cole Macedo, Zach Hampton, Bill Balog, Garet Williamson

PODIUM FINISHES (13 Drivers):
10 Podiums – David Gravel
5 Podiums – Carson Macedo
4 Podiums – Kyle Larson, Logan Schuchart, Michael Kofoid
3 Podiums – Giovanni Scelzi
2 Podiums – Christopher Bell, Sam Hafertepe Jr.
1 Podium – Aaron Reutzel, Jacob Allen, Bill Balog, Sheldon Haudenschild, Emerson Axsom

TOP 10 FINISHES (30 Drivers): 
13 Top 10s – David Gravel
12 Top 10s – Carson Macedo, Logan Schuchart
10 Top 10s – Michael Kofoid
8 Top 10s – Donny Schatz, Sheldon Haudenschild
7 Top 10s – Giovanni Scelzi
6 Top 10s – Bill Balog
5 Top 10s – Chris Windom
4 Top 10s – Kyle Larson, Cole Macedo, Hunter Schuerenberg, Emerson Axsom
3 Top 10s – Ryan Timms, Brad Sweet, Tyler Courtney, Justin Peck, Anthony Macri
2 Top 10s – Christopher Bell, Aaron Reutzel, Jacob Allen, Spencer Bayston, Garet Williamson, Sam Hafertepe Jr.
1 Top 10 – Danny Sams III, Brian Brown, Parker Price-Miller, Skylar Gee, Zach Hampton, Conner Morrell

2025 WORLD OF OUTLAWS SPRINT CAR WINNERS:
No. / Day, Date / Track / Location / Winner (Total Wins)
1. Wed, Feb 7 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / Carson Macedo (1)
2. Thurs, Feb 8 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / Christopher Bell (1)
3. Fri, Feb 9 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / Kyle Larson (1)
4. Sat, Feb 10 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / Kyle Larson (2)
5. Sun, March 2 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / David Gravel (1)
6. Mon, March 3 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / David Gravel (2)
7. Fri, March 7 / Talladega Short Track / Eastaboga, AL / Bill Balog (1)
8. Sat, March 8 / Magnolia Motor Speedway / Columbus, MS / David Gravel (3)
9. Fri, March 14 / Kennedale Speedway Park / Kennedale, TX / Giovanni Scelzi (1)
10. Sat, March 15 / Kennedale Speedway Park / Kennedale, TX / Michael Kofoid (1)
11. Fri, March 21 / Cotton Bowl Speedway / Paige, TX / David Gravel (4)
12. Sat, March 22 / Cotton Bowl Speedway / Paige, TX / David Gravel (5)
13. Fri, March 28 / Lawton Speedway / Lawton, OK / Michael Kofoid (2)

For the complete 2025 schedule, CLICK HERE.

ARTICLE: https://worldofoutlaws.com/sprintcars/what-to-watch-for-jason-johnson-classic-brings-world-of-outlaws-to-arrowhead/

EVENT INFO: https://worldofoutlaws.com/sprintcars/schedule/event-info/?event=4547763
TRACK INFO: https://worldofoutlaws.com/sprintcars/tracks/?track=Arrowhead%2BSpeedway

FAN 101: https://about.worldofoutlaws.com/

Mar 31, 2025 | Featured, Race Results

Randy Meyer Racing rolled into the Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals with momentum and a new face in the driver’s seat. After a rain-delayed finish at the Gatornationals, the team was ready for redemption—and rookie McKenna Bold delivered in a big way during her Top Alcohol Dragster debut.

Bold impressed right out of the gate in Meyer’s Maxima Racing Oils/CP-Carrillo branded nitro dragster, qualifying 6th with a clean 5.24 at 272 mph. Meanwhile, teammate Matt Cummings improved throughout qualifying and landed in the #4 spot with a strong 5.206 at 276.46 mph thanks to the Maxima/CP powerhouse combo. Both drivers were positioned solidly in the top half of the field and on opposite sides of the ladder heading into eliminations.

In round one, McKenna laid down a statement run: a 5.189 at 274.05 mph—her best career pass and the quickest of the round—to earn her first national event round win. Cummings followed up with a lucky win light of his own, advancing both Randy Meyer Racing dragsters to round two on Sunday.

Though both drivers exited in the second round, they went down swinging. Cummings posted his quickest pass of the weekend with a 5.193 at 279.44 mph, but Joey Severance’s .036 light and a 5.227 pass were enough to edge him out in a holeshot win by just 0.0177 seconds. On the other side, Bold grabbed the starting line advantage against #2 qualifier Jamie Noonan but was outrun by Noonan’s event-best 5.146 at 279.04 mph.

“I’m feeling great after my national event debut with Randy Meyer Racing,” said Bold, “and while it was a tough loss in round two, I feel confident behind the wheel and super excited for my next race at the Las Vegas 4-Wides. I’ve raced for a few years, but this weekend was on another level—and I loved every second of it. Round 2 just didn’t go our way. I did my job as a driver but Noonan put on an absolute heater with a 5.14 for the 2nd fastest pass of the year in the category so even with my reaction time advantage, he was around me by the .330 cone. I’m proud of the runs we made and can’t wait to see what this team can accomplish after showing that kind of performance right out of the gate.”

Despite the outcome, the weekend was a huge success for the RMR team. Bold’s debut performance proved she’s ready to compete at the highest level of the Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, and both crews showed top-tier speed and consistency.

The team now turns its attention to the NHRA 4-Wide Nationals in Las Vegas next month, where RMR returns with unfinished business after a runner-up finish at the event last year. With two fast cars and a determined team, Randy Meyer Racing is fired up for the season ahead.

Inside Line Promotions – PLACERVILLE, Calif. (March 31, 2025) – Dominic Scelzi earned his best result of the season last Saturday during the Sprint Car Challenge Tour season opener at Placerville Speedway.

Scelzi was strong throughout the event, which featured 40 other drivers, as he qualified fifth quickest in his group.

“We were the first car out for qualifying and the track had a little grease on it still,” he said. “We put a good lap down, but the track got a little faster.”

A second-place result in a heat race locked Scelzi into the ninth starting position in the main event.

“I had a great car,” he said. “I feel like that’s the best we’ve ever been at Placerville overall. We could roll the bottom and bang the curb better than most of the cars. Our restarts were really good, too. We got to second with about seven laps to go and we got close to the leader, but I missed the exit of turn two on the last lap, which took away the chance of sliding for the possible win.”

The second-place outing gives Scelzi at least one podium at the track during each of the last four seasons and five out of the last six years.

“All in all, I’m thrilled with our speed and feel like we had a good night,” he said. “I’m excited for Watsonville this weekend.”

Scelzi plans to head to Ocean Speedway in Watsonville, Calif., this Friday with the NARC 410 Sprint Car Series. He won his most recent race at the track in August 2023.

QUICK RESULTS –

March 29 – Placerville Speedway in Placerville, Calif. – Qualifying: 5; Heat race: 2 (2); Feature: 2 (9).

SEASON STATS –

5 races, 0 wins, 1 top five, 4 top 10s, 5 top 15s, 5 top 20s

UP NEXT –

Friday at Ocean Speedway in Watsonville, Calif., with the NARC 410 Sprint Car Series

MEDIA LINKS –

Website: http://www.DominicScelziRacing.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Scelzi41

X: http://www.x.com/DominicScelzi

Photography: John Force Racing / Auto Imagery / Gary Nastase

BECKMAN GETS FUNNY CAR WIN NO. 300 FOR JFRWinternationals Dominance Powers PEAK into Mission Foods Point Lead

POMONA, Calif. (March 30, 2025) – Jack Beckman gave John Force Racing its 300th Funny Car victory Sunday, driving his PEAK Antifreeze and Coolant Chevrolet SS past the Ford of Dan Wilkerson in the final round of the 65th annual Lucas Oil Winternationals at In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip. Racing on his home track, the one on which he was the Winternationals Super Comp winner 27 years ago, “Fast Jack” drove the PEAK Chevy to a signature victory, one that propelled him into the Mission Foods point lead three races into the season.  In winning for the third time since sliding into the seat formerly occupied by Hall of Fame driver and team owner John Force, the U.S. Air Force veteran extended his number of consecutive round wins to 18 on the track originally cut out of a parking lot at the Los Angeles County Fairgrounds. That streak started during his employment at Don Schumacher Racing. After winning the 2019 Auto Club Finals and the 2020 Winternationals for DSR, he was out of racing until last August when he was tabbed to fill-in after Force was injured in a high speed crash in Richmond, Va. In his first race at Pomona since 2020, he won last November’s In-N-Out Finals, then extended the streak by winning Saturday’s two-round 2Fast/2Tasty Challenge and Sunday’s Winternationals.   Beckman beat Jeff Diehl, Chad Green and Matt Hagan in convincing fashion Sunday, stopping the timers in 3.847, 3.859 and 3.860 seconds. In the final, his 12,000-horsepower hot rod suffered its only hiccup of the entire weekend, briefly losing traction before he corralled it and got it to the line in 4.015 seconds, easily covering Wilkerson’s up-in-smoke 8.292. Although he qualified only fourth behind teammate, reigning series champion and track record holder Austin Prock, Beckman’s Chevy, prepared by a “PEAK Squad” led by Dan Hood, Chris Cunningham and Tim Fabrisi, undeniably was the best car on the property, earning points in all four qualifying sessions and posting the quickest time in all four rounds of racing. “The car was amazing all weekend,” said an elated Beckman. “We ran 3.80s every round of eliminations until the final. That’s when the flawless part fell off a couple of hundred feet out and the car shook the tires and knocked them loose. That’s where, as a driver, you’ve got to be ready to give one back to the team because they’d given me everything all weekend long.  “It felt good to be able to pedal the thing and take it down there and have the car not blow up,” said the cancer survivor and accomplished driving instructor. “Before the final, the whole Cornwell Tools team was over helping us,” he said. “That’s what kind of organization JFR is. This was all about John Force. This is Funny Car win No. 300 for team John Force Racing. Nine of us got 143 wins, the boss man got 157. That’s 300. This is a big deal. This is a milestone in drag racing.” While Beckman was streaking to his fourth win in his last four appearances at the In-N-Out Dragstrip, Prock continued to struggle with consistency in his always potent Cornwell Tools Chevy. After qualifying No. 1 with an event record 3.816 seconds, he had traction problems in the very first round that slowed him to 4.415 seconds, not quite enough to get past Blake Alexander. “Let’s be honest, it hasn’t been phenomenal,” Prock said of his currently cantankerous Chevy. “We were working on it all weekend and we thought we were heading in the right direction. We changed some more things this morning and it just decided to throw up on us but I’m a little disappointed in myself, that I didn’t do the job.   “We win and lose as a team, but I felt like I could have done a better job pedaling it (feathering the throttle to regain traction),” said the man who last year set the single season record when he qualified No. 1 15 times in 20 events. “So, that’s aggravating, but we did make a really great run to get the No. 1 qualifier and there’s a lot left in this race car. It’s just not treating us quite right yet. So, we’re going to keep working on it, and we’ll go get ‘em in Las Vegas.” As for Brittany Force, who qualified her Monster Energy Dragster No. 1 for the fifth time in her last six appearances in the Winternationals, it was a fourth straight semifinal exit, this time at the hands of eventual race winner Clay Millican.  “We’re leaving Pomona fourth in points and, overall, a pretty solid weekend for our Monster team,” said the 17-time tour winner. “We qualified No. 1, picked up bonus points and ran consistently in the 3.60’s during qualifying, which was outstanding. “We made another semifinal appearance but, unfortunately, got beat. However, we found our error and we know how to improve,” she said. “We’re anxious to get to Las Vegas in two weeks where we’ll have Graham Rahal Performance on the side of the car. Graham’s family to us and we want to make him and everyone at GRP proud. Looking forward to going after another four-wide win.”

Josh Berry and the No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane team got off to a fast start in Sunday’s Cook Out 400 at Martinsville Speedway, leading 40 laps in the first Stage before mechanical gremlins led to lost laps and eventually a 33rd-place finish.Berry started Sunday’s race from 14th place and took the lead on Lap 34 by staying on the track while drivers ahead of him made pit stops during a caution flag for debris on the track. Once out front, Berry cruised at the head of the pack for 40 laps, finally giving up the top spot when he made a pit stop at Lap 73.But the strong start fell apart just after Berry exited pit road following his first stop. The Motorcraft/Quick Lane Mustang Dark Horse lost power on the backstretch. Berry made it back to the pits, where the crew got him back under power, and he rejoined the race in 38th place, one lap down.He ended the first 80-lap Stage in 38th place but lost another lap when the electrical problems returned, and the crew replaced his battery during a Lap 86 pit stop.Berry ended Stage Two in 37th place and took the wave-around during a caution period at Lap 202 to regain one of the lost laps. But the mechanical woes returned around Lap 275 as he once again lost power, coasting into the pits for more repairs. He lost two more laps and ended the race in 33rd place, four laps in arrears.Berry and the No. 21 team now turn their attention to next Sunday’s Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway. Berry and the team will run a throwback scheme based on the Ford-powered Lotus that Jim Clark, with pit support from the Wood Brothers, drove to victory in the 1965 Indianapolis 500.