February 19, 2024

Harrison Burton and the No. 21 Motorcraft/DEX Imaging team were knocked out of Monday’s rain-delayed Daytona 500 after just six laps.

Burton had his Mustang Dark Horse just outside the top 10 when a driver running to his outside got a push that caused him to suddenly turn left into the No. 21 Mustang. The contact shoved Burton off the racing surface into the grass on the inside of the track. 
 
With matters out of his control, Burton eventually slid back up onto the banking, where he was hit by oncoming cars. Six other drivers were involved.
  
Burton was uninjured but the Motorcraft/DEX Imaging Mustang was too damaged to continue. He was credited with 39^th place.
 
“I don’t remember exactly who it was on my outside,” Burton told reporters at the track after being checked at the track’s care center. “It just looked like they either got a bad push or got loose and just hit me in the right side and sent me across.  
 
“The grass was so wet that once I got in the grass I thought I’d be OK, but the car just kept going and going, so really sad that our day is over as quick as it was.”
 
Burton said the wreck was especially disappointing because the No. 21 Mustang had been fast in the preliminary events at Daytona and finished a strong fifth in Thursday’s second Duel qualifying race.  
 
“We had a really fast Motorcraft/DEX Imaging Ford Mustang,” he said. “It’s just a bummer. There’s nothing we can do but just move on and try to win next week.”
 
Burton said it’s not uncommon for drivers to push one another at Daytona, and to run three-lanes wide, but it requires drivers to be precise in the moves they make.
 
“I don’t mind top of three-wide,” he said. “We should be good enough to do that, but I guess just the pushing end and the placement of the pushing was not ideal, obviously.”
 
Once things go awry, there’s not much a driver can do at that point, Burton said.
 
“It’s a pretty helpless feeling, but I’m OK,” he said. “I felt fine. All good. I’m just over wrecking early that’s for sure.”
 
Burton and the Wood Brothers team will return to the track later this week for the Ambetter Health 400 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
 

William Byron, Chevrolet Takes 2024 Daytona 500 VictoryChevrolet’s 26th Win in the ‘Great American Race’

·       William Byron, No. 24 Axalta Camaro ZL1, captured the victory in the 66th running of the Daytona 500 – his first career victory in the NASCAR Cup Series’ crown jewel event.  ·       The victory marked Chevrolet’s second consecutive – and 26th all-time – triumph in the ‘Great American Race’.  ·       Byron is the 19th different driver to take Chevrolet to victory lane in the Daytona 500.  ·       The victory is Chevrolet’s 51st NASCAR Cup Series win at Daytona International Speedway, and the manufacturer’s 852nd all-time win in NASCAR’s top division – both of which are series-leading feats. ·       Byron delivered Chevrolet its 101st win in the NASCAR national ranks at Daytona International Speedway, extending the Bowtie brand’s record as the winningest manufacturer in NASCAR history at the ‘World Center of Racing’.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Feb. 19, 2024) – Enduring a rain-delayed start and an intense late-race battle to the finish, it was Chevrolet’s William Byron and the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Camaro ZL1 team that earned the title as the 2024 Daytona 500 Champion. A first-time winner in the ‘Great American Race’, Byron became the 19th different driver to take Chevrolet to victory lane in the crown jewel event – extending the manufacturer’s record to 26 all-time Daytona 500 wins.  “Congratulations to William Byron and the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Camaro ZL1 team on their win in the 2024 Daytona 500,” said Scott Bell, Vice President, Global Chevrolet. “Winning NASCAR’s most iconic race is a goal for Chevrolet each season, and we are proud to have William bring home our 26th victory in the Great American Race.” NASCAR’s season-opening weekend started with Chevrolet reaching a milestone feat at Daytona International Speedway with Chevrolet’s Nick Sanchez and the No. 2 Rev Racing Silverado RST team earning the manufacturer’s milestone 100th NASCAR victory at the famed 2.5-mile Florida Superspeedway in Friday’s NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race. “The victory added to an already special weekend for Chevrolet at Daytona,” added Bell. “We are honored to have Nick Sanchez and William Byron add their names to an elite list of drivers who have taken Chevrolet to 101 NASCAR wins at Daytona International Speedway.” The triumph marked Hendrick Motorsports’ return to victory lane in the Daytona 500 for the first time in nine years, with Bryon’s win taking the organization to a record-tying nine victories in the crown jewel event. Making the triumph even more special, the win came exactly 40 years since Hendrick Motorsports’ first-ever start in NASCAR’s top division to mark a storybook beginning to the organization’s anniversary season.   The 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season continues at Atlanta Motor Speedway the Ambetter Health 400 on Sunday, February 25, at 3 P.M. ET. Live coverage can be found on FOX, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

The Modified and Late Model veteran clinches his first DIRTcar points championship with two wins in Florida

CONCORD, NC (Feb. 19, 2024) – Coming into the 13th and final race of UMP Modified Florida Speedweeks, Kyle Strickler sat 43 points behind the leader with only one 30-lap Feature left in front of him.

He was set to take the green flag from 17th position on the starting grid, driving one of DIRTcar UMP Modified racing’s fastest tracks – Volusia Speedway Park – buried halfway deep in a field of the best racers from across the country.

“I thought there was no chance today,” he said.

The walls were closing in, and Strickler’s canteen of hope was running dry.

“We were not fast enough to win this race,” he said.

But after hours of work in the pits with the Melanie Motorsports crew, Strickler pulled onto the track with a car that was fast enough. In 27 laps, he passed every car in front of him and went on to take the checkered flag in the Gator Championship Feature, surging 53 points in the standings to surpass his deficit by 10 points and clinch the Speedweeks championship for the first time in his career.

“For it all to come together on Saturday, I couldn’t have drawn it up to be any more perfect in the way it played out,” Strickler, 39, of Mooresville, NC, said. “It took a little bit to sink in, but I was really happy with our overall performance and being able to get that points championship.”

Going back to his earliest days in the UMP Modified ranks in the mid-2000s, Strickler has since established himself as one of the nation’s top dirt Modified racers, but never possessed any DIRTcar points championships until 2024 Speedweeks. He admits he’s always raced for Feature wins and has never been a “points racer,” but Strickler said his efforts during Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals – and an untimely DNF from defending champion Lucas Lee – in the final race contributed the most to finally accomplishing a longtime goal of his.

“I think that’s kinda what led to the points championship, because I was so focused on doing whatever I had to do Saturday to give myself the best chance at winning that race, and whatever happens, happens,” Strickler said. “I think if I would’ve been leading or [if it was] a tight points battle, I might’ve run the race a little different, trying to salvage the points title.

“But it was balls-to-the-wall, do everything we could to try to win that race. Then, with Lucas’ (Lee) misfortune, it all played out and worked out in our favor.”

Though Volusia featured his crowning moment, some of Strickler’s early Speedweeks results fell short of his expectations. He began the two-week grind with a win in the opening race at North Florida Speedway but followed with three-straight DNFs at East Bay Raceway Park – due to mechanical failure, a blown tire and other incidents – setting him 76 points back in third place. In the remaining nine races, Strickler finished outside of the top-five only once and won twice.

He arrived in Lake City for the first race at North Florida with only his equipment, himself to work on the car and help from Jerovetz Motorsports Shock Service. But as Speedweeks progressed, Strickler picked up more crew help from his dedicated friends and sponsors that helped him prepare the car for a steep climb back in the standings.

“[Troy Girolamo] with G-Style Transport – he came down to race, but he brought two of his guys with, Josh and Jake, that were there to help me,” Strickler said. “I had Glenn and Lori Miller that are longtime friends; they came over at Volusia and East Bay. Then, I had the guys from QuickDump and American Fence; they came over to help.

“It was definitely a support group thing that helped me keep everything together and keep battling. Whether it be through the bad luck, through the broke motors, wrecks… it was definitely a hard-fought battle and a huge struggle at some points.”

But his biggest help came from longtime team owners/sponsors at Melanie Motorsports. They’ve supported all of his racing operations, from Modified to Late Model, with sponsorship from Donaldson Grading and KAT Industries.

“Charlie and Melanie Donaldson – they’ve stuck with me,” Strickler said. “Charlie and I, when I first moved to North Carolina, he was one of my first guys to help me go racing and is still with me today.”

With his Modified success still fresh in his mind, Strickler turns his attention back to his Super Late Model, which he’ll race on a pick-and-choose schedule in 2024. He’s also got plans to contest the Modified in several marquee events across the country – riding the wave of Florida momentum as he continues to be a major player in the division that made him.

“It’s pretty cool to do it, and the way that we did it was awesome as well,” Strickler said. “Stepping back to have fun and just go back to my roots.”

$100,000 added to overall purse of Weis Markets National Open presented by Sage Fruit Weekend

MECHANICSBURG, PA (Feb. 19, 2024) – Sage Fruit is upping the ante with the World of Outlaws Sprint Cars by sponsoring the 2024 National Open at Williams Grove Speedway and bringing fans closer to the drivers with the Sage Fruit Stage at multiple events.

In addition to Sage Fruit’s sponsorship of the National Open, Weis Markets has joined as title sponsor of the historic Pennsylvania event, making it the Weis Markets National Open presented by Sage Fruit – bringing a $100,000 increase to the overall purse.

“Weis Markets are a great partner of ours,” said Chuck Sinks, president of sales and marketing for Sage Fruit. “They run fantastic stores and drive incredible volumes of our Sage Fruit apples, pears and cherries. To partner with them on the National Open made a lot of sense and will hopefully drive increased traffic from Sprint Car fans to shop their stores.

“Williams Grove and Weis are two highly recognized brands in the state of Pennsylvania and Sage Fruit is excited to be a part of these brands.”

“We’re thrilled to be the title sponsor of this year’s National Open at Williams Grove Speedway, one of the most authentic racetracks in the country,” said Weis Markets Vice President of Marketing and Advertising Maria Rizzo. “As a company founded in Pennsylvania, we pride ourselves on being able to have partnerships where our roots are. We are proud to work alongside Sage Fruit and join this highly anticipated event that will be watched by many of our consumers.”

With the sponsorships, $100,000 has been added to the two-day event with a $60,500 purse for Friday night’s Feature, paying $12,000 to win and $1,200 to start, and a $191,700 purse for Saturday’s Feature, which pays $75,000 to win and $2,500 to start.

Several positions have been given an upgrade for both days, such as Saturday’s purse paying $30,000 for second, $15,000 for third, $10,000 for fourth, $7,500 for fifth, and more impressive increases down the finishing order. The increases are also reflected in the Last Chance Showdowns as the first non-transfer will leave with $800 both days.

The Weis Markets National Open presented by Sage Fruit, Oct. 4-5, will be the 62nd running of the Sprint Car crown jewel and pinnacle of the World of Outlaws vs. PA Posse rivalry. It also showcases some of the most passionate fans in racing and provides an electric atmosphere like no other.

“Williams Grove Speedway is excited to have Sage Fruit and Weis Markets come on board as the title sponsor of the National Open,” said Justin Loh, Williams Grove general manager. “It is exciting to see these great companies elevate the fan and driver experience. Their support and sponsorship will play a key role in the continued success of this historic, marquee event.”

Sage Fruit will also be a leader in providing the ultimate fan experience with the Sage Fruit Stage Show. It will be utilized at four events throughout the 2024 season, featuring an hour-long show with fan-favorite drivers and crew members.

The Sage Fruit Stage made its 2024 debut at DIRTcar Nationals and will also be at the Huset’s High Bank Nationals, (June 19-22), Knoxville Nationals (Aug. 7-10) and World of Outlaws World Finals (Nov. 6-9).

“The Stage Show lineup this year with DIRTVision is spectacular,” Sinks added. “We are thrilled to be sponsoring the Stage Shows, listen to the incredible talent that they will have lined up and share it with all of the race fans either in person or on the DIRTVision broadcast.

“This is a great opportunity to learn more about your favorite drivers and crew members, before they hit the track.”

The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series continues its 2024 season at Volusia Speedway Park during the second annual Bike Week Jamboree, March 3-4. For tickets, CLICK HERE.

If you can’t make it to the track, you can watch every race and every Stage Show live on DIRTVision.

Photo: Raggio RacingPosted on behalf of Raggio Racing DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (February 19, 2024) – Raggio Racing  is excited to announce that Tyler Raggio will compete for the Parts Unlimited AFT Singles presented by KICKERchampionship aboard an ATVs & More KTM 450 SX-F backed by Sluggo Racing and UnSettled Racing for the 2024 Progressive American Flat Track season.  A racer since the age of six, Raggio is entering his fifth season as a professional having already logged two dozen points-paying finishes to his name. The Lockeford, California, native has set his sights on achieving the best Progressive AFT campaign of his young career in ‘24, which will also be his first aboard a KTM.  Raggio will continue his long-time association with Michael and Anna Dobbs of Sluggo Racing, which dates back to his amateur career, while also joining forces with UnSettled Racing and ATVs and More for the upcoming campaign.  Tyler Raggio (#55):  “I’m looking forward to hitting the track with my team and seeing what the year has in store for us. I’ve already had the opportunity to get some seat time on my new KTMs, and I’m already feeling very comfortable with them. With the support of Sluggo Racing, Unsettled Racing team, ATVs & More and many others we are poised for great success in the upcoming season.  “I’m thrilled that Sluggo Racing is back on board for a tenth consecutive year. Their support has been a vital part of my journey as a racer. And I’ve had the privilege of working with UnSettled Racing as team manager, mentor, and mechanic for the past three years, and it’s an honor to have them back my effort as well.”  Shawn and Clarissa Raggio, Team Owners of Raggio Racing:“We couldn’t be more thrilled for Tyler to have another year to showcase his skills and prove to himself that he can be a front-runner. Over the years, he’s consistently demonstrated his speed and determination, and we are confident that he will continue to do so. Even though this will be Tyler’s first year competing on the KTM, we can see the excitement in his eyes as he gears up to take on this new challenge, and we know that he has what it takes to succeed.”  Micheal and Anna Dobbs, Owners of Sluggo Racing:“Tyler is an accomplished racer and an exceptional individual who shares our passion for the sport. Our partnership with the Raggio family has been long-standing, spanning over two decades with a decade-long sponsorship. We take pride in supporting talented racers like Tyler and in nurturing their skills and talents. We also value the camaraderie and sense of community that racing fosters, and we are grateful for the opportunity to be part of this vibrant and dynamic industry.”  Greg Settle, Owner of UnSettled Racing:“I’m honored to have Tyler Raggio piloting our ATVs and More KTM 450 in 2024. Tyler is an exceptional individual and one of the most outstanding kids in the paddock. Although he was raised in California, (I don’t hold it against him), I now consider him one of the Fast Boys From Illinois group riding out of Effingham.  “Tyler is an incredibly dedicated and hard-working young man who spends a lot of his time helping several youth riders develop their skills and grow the sport. We have high expectations for him in 2024, and we are confident that he will continue to demonstrate the same level of commitment and excellence that he has shown in the past.”

WEC Hypercar contender to be joined by IMSA GTP cars for second consecutive year

DETROIT (Feb.19, 2024) – Cadillac Racing will return to the 24 Hours of Le Mans in June to challenge for the overall victory with three Cadillac V-Series.R hybrid racecars supported by experienced and championship-winning drivers and teams. It is the second consecutive year that Cadillac Racing has received three invitations from event organizer Automobile Club de l’Ouest to compete in the classic endurance race. In 2023 — Cadillac Racing’s first year of FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) Hypercar competition — the No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R earned a podium finish and the No. 3 Cadillac V-Series.R finished fourth at Circuit de la Sarthe. The No. 311 Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R placed 10th in class.

“We’re thrilled for Cadillac Racing to return to the 24 Hours of Le Mans with three cars competing for the overall win in the Hypercar class,” said John Roth, vice president, global Cadillac. “After scoring our first podium finish at this iconic endurance race in 2023, we look to build on that success and showcase the Cadillac V-Series.R’s technology, innovation and durability, while demonstrating the remarkable capabilities and determination of our race teams.” * French translation of news release* Cadillac Racing driver results at Le Mans Cadillac Racing’s stout roster features drivers who have secured overall and class victories in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, IndyCar championships and IMSA prototype titles among other motorsport accolades. The 92nd running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans is June 15-16.

“After scoring our first podium finish at this iconic endurance race in 2023, we look to build on that success and showcase the Cadillac V-Series.R’s technology, innovation and durability, while demonstrating the remarkable capabilities and determination of our race teams.”— John Roth, vice president, global Cadillac

• The No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R received an automatic entry based on its full-season participation in the WEC. Earl Bamber, Alex Lynn and reigning IndyCar champion Alex Palou will be the drivers. • The No. 3 Cadillac V-Series.R is a full-season IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship entry in the Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) class, where it races as the No. 01. Sébastien Bourdais, Renger van der Zande and six-time IndyCar champion Scott Dixon will be the drivers. • The No. 311 Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R is a full-season IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship entry in the GTP class, where it races as the No. 31. Reigning IMSA GTP champion Pipo Derani and Jack Aitken will be joined by a co-driver to be named in the future.

“We were excited to race in the 100th anniversary of Le Mans in 2023. To be on the podium in 2023 with a brand-new car, new team and new rules, was amazing,” said GM sports car racing program manager Laura Wontrop Klauser. “In 2024, we’ll keep pushing forward, use the lessons from 2023 to make us stronger on the program and be ready to go against the best in the world at Le Mans.” The No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R placed third in the centenary 24 Hours of Le Mans among its four top-five finishes in its WEC debut season with Bamber, Lynn and Richard Westbrook sharing the driving duties. “We are all looking forward to Cadillac returning to Le Mans and challenging for the overall victory. It has been decades since an American manufacturer has achieved this and we will be strongly pushing to achieve our goal,” said Bamber, overall winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2015 and 2017. Cadillac claimed every IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship GTP trophy in 2023. Cadillac won its fourth Manufacturer Championship and fifth IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup Manufacturer Championship since entering prototype competition in 2017, while the No. 31 Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R earned driver/team season and IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup titles. The No. 31 Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R kicked off 2024 IMSA GTP competition with a pole start and runner-up finish in the 62nd Rolex 24 At Daytona in January. The No. 01 Cadillac V-Series.R qualified second. The No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R opens FIA WEC Hypercar competition March 2 with the Qatar Airways Qatar 1812 Km.

Second year of global competition The Cadillac V-Series.R design — codeveloped by Cadillac Design, Cadillac Racing and chassis constructor Dallara — was informed by the Project GTP Hypercar that was unveiled in June 2022. The racecar incorporates distinctive Cadillac design elements, such as vertical lighting and floating blades.The Cadillac V-Series.R features a purpose-built Cadillac 5.5L DOHC V-8 engine developed by GM’s Performance and Racing Propulsion team based in Pontiac, Michigan.

The Smooth Operator beats Devin Moran by 26 points in his first triumph

BARBERVILLE, FL (February 17, 2024) –

Consistent results paid off for reigning World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Models champion Bobby Pierce. The Oakwood, IL driver clinched his first career Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals Big Gator championship after Saturday’s finale was canceled due to rain throughout the morning.

“It’s badass,” Pierce said. “Obviously, I’ve got some little gators, but the big one, I haven’t seen (until Saturday). I’m excited.” 

Pierce began the points chase on Tuesday with an early setback – being involved in a multi-car pileup after leading a majority of the Feature.

The “Smooth Operator” immediately put his #32 to work on Wednesday to get back into contention for the Big Gator. The result? Winning two consecutive golden gator trophies.

Pierce continued to produce high-placing results with two third-place finishes on Thursday and Friday with the World of Outlaws CASE Late Models.

He finishes the week at Volusia Speedway Park with two wins, four top fives, and four top 10s, defeating Dresden, OH’s Devin Moran and New Berlin, IL’s Brandon Sheppard in the standings, respectively.

“It proves that we were the most consistent car all week and that’s even with falling out of a race. Honestly, if you would have told me I was gonna win the Big Gator after falling out of that race on Tuesday, I probably would have said you’re crazy.”

Leaving Volusia with the Series points lead, Pierce credited the improvements he’s made at the track since his rough start in 2023 to continue his journey towards a second World of Outlaws title.

“That’s the main goal,” Pierce said. “We’re off to a much better start than last year. I keep looking at it. We’re six points ahead now, but I think last year we were 50 points out of the lead. I mean, it’s too early to be looking at the points, but it’s really cool that we just leave here with a Big Gator before we go racing again. I get to be the points leader for a month, which is cool.”

The World of Outlaws CASE Late Models head to Thunderhill Raceway Park in Summertown, TN, to continue the 2024 season on Friday and Saturday, March 22-23. Tickets will be available at the track.

BARBERVILLE, FL (Feb. 17, 2024) – Due to on-and-off rain this morning, and a weather model received from Precision Weather Service meteorologist Wayne Mahar – who officials worked with on a daily basis – showing worsening conditions throughout the day and into the night, officials have canceled DIRTcar Nationals’ Saturday finale at Volusia Speedway Park.

With that, Bobby Pierce (World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Models) and Mat Williamson (Super DIRTcar Series) have been crowned 2024 Big Gator champions.

If you purchased a ticket in advance through the World of Outlaws for the event, you will receive a face-value credit to your MyDirtTickets.com account – good for two years – to be used toward any World of Outlaws event available at WorldofOutlaws.com/tix. If a credit to your account does not work for you, then you have until March 17, 2024 to request a refund.

If you purchased a three-day pit pass, or Saturday grandstand ticket, at the track, please mail your ticket or wristband back to 7575 West Winds Blvd. Suite-D Concord, NC 28027, post marked by March 17, 2024.

The World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Model Series will continue its 2024 season at Thunderhill Raceway Park in Summertown, TN, March 22-23. Tickets will be available at the track. If you can’t make it there, you can watch every lap live on DIRTVision.

The Super DIRTcar Series will commence its 2024 championship season at New Egypt Speedway in New Egypt, NJ for the Power in the Pines on Saturday, March 30. Tickets are available at the track and you can watch every lap live on DIRTVision.

You can renew your tickets for the 54th Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals (Feb. 4-15, 2025) at Volusia Speedway Park by calling 844-DIRT-TIX or through your My Dirt Tickets account.

Moran picks up his second DIRTcar Nationals gator after holding off Chris Madden and Bobby Pierce 

BARBERVILLE, FL (February 16, 2024) –

Devin Moran continues to deliver for Double Down Motorsports at Volusia Speedway Park, adding a second Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals golden gator to the package.

Friday night saw the Dresden, OH driver win his second World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Models Feature in 2024 after a race that saw him fend off a tough field of 28 Late Models in a 40-lap Feature.

Bilstein Pole Award winner Cade Dillard led the field to the green with Moran on the outside. Dillard took the lead off of Turn 2 to control the first quarter of the 40-lap Feature.

On Lap 14, the Robeline, LA driver jumped the cushion on Turn 2 and lost his momentum, with Moran behind to take the lead from the #97.

Moran used the high line to keep his lead, but it was never safe as Gary Court, SC’s Chris Madden, and DIRTcar Nationals Big Gator points leader Bobby Pierce stayed in check with Moran as they navigated lap traffic.

While “The Mailman” used the high line for most of the Feature, Pierce and Madden used a mix of the high and low lines to find some ground to gain on Moran. Madden retained second, closing the gap on Moran as the laps got closer to the finish.

A caution with two laps to go stacked the field for a heart-pumping battle to the end. Madden tried everything he had in his #44 to get around Moran, even using the bottom line Thursday night’s winner Nick Hoffman used to beat Madden.

On the final lap, Moran had a tire go over the cushion, giving Madden one last gasp to win. Madden swung low, attempting to slide past the #99 to the line. Moran kept his foot on the gas through Turns 3-4 to cross the twin checkered flags as the night’s winner.

“Cade messed up behind that lapped car and jumped the cushion,” Moran said. “So I knew I had to take advantage of it when I did the slide for life. I felt like it was so slick through the middle tonight. Just got by (Cade) and held on from there. I knew Bobby was in second and was railing that top. I actually saw my dad telling me to run slider line and once I did that through one and two, I was way better. Bobby and Chris were good tonight, we just edged them out.”

Madden came home second after fighting constantly for space and an opportunity to get around the #99. Though it never came to fruition, Madden is happy with how his car drove in the grueling 40 laps.

“It was a great race and great race track,” Madden said. “It finally came around there toward the end of the race and was able to move around instead of being wide open up on the top. Tonight, the goal was to start and have a really good race and we finally had a line going and was able to keep up top and mount a challenge and then the caution waved. 

“Thanks to everybody that makes this happen, Volusia Speedway Park, everyone that makes this happen, and we’ll keep it going.”

Pierce finished the night in third, hoping to have back his Heat race in which he lost to Moran on the last lap and last corner.

“The track was really good,” Pierce said. “I think it had a bottom out there I was making it work a lot out till the water puddles were getting splashed around. After that, the top got to be the best lane again and we kinda had to ride there. It was a good race though. I think they figured out the race track once the week was getting towards the end here. 

“We’ve had a fast car and it makes us want to keep racing here more. I feel like I was right there with the win tonight if I wouldn’t have messed up in the Heat race, catching that lapped car and getting passed in the final corner. That’s probably did us in tonight.”

Centerville, PA’s Max Blair earned the FOX Factory Hard Charger award after a twelve-place grind to come home in fourth place. Current World of Outlaws CASE Late Models points leader Brandon Sheppard finished the night with a top-five finish.

UP NEXT: The World of Outlaws CASE Late Models make their final 2024 appearance in the Sunshine State with the finale to the Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals on Saturday, Feb. 17. The night will crown the champion of the week-long Big Gator points championship in a 40-lap, $16,000 finale Feature. For more information and tickets, visit DIRTcarNationals.com 

If you can’t make it to the track, watch every lap live on DIRTVision – available either online or through the DIRTVision App.

CASE Late Model Feature (40 Laps): 

1. 99-Devin Moran[2]; 2. 44-Chris Madden[4]; 3. 32-Bobby Pierce[7]; 4. 111-Max Blair[16]; 5. B5-Brandon Sheppard[9]; 6. 16-Tyler Bruening[6]; 7. 1-Hudson O’Neal[12]; 8. 5-Mark Whitener[11]; 9. 76-Blair Nothdurft[13]; 10. 3S-Brian Shirley[19]; 11. 97-Cade Dillard[1]; 12. 97C-Cody Overton[17]; 13. 19R-Ryan Gustin[20]; 14. 20-Jimmy Owens[18]; 15. 28-Dennis Erb Jr[15]; 16. 19-Dustin Sorensen[26]; 17. B1-Brent Larson[23]; 18. 30-Todd Cooney[24]; 19. 18D-Daulton Wilson[14]; 20. 114-Jordan Koehler[10]; 21. 22*-Max McLaughlin[27]; 22. 6JR-Parker Martin[28]; 23. 20RT-Ricky Thornton Jr[8]; 24. 9-Nick Hoffman[5]; 25. 66C-Mason Zeigler[21]; 26. 14W-Dustin Walker[25]; 27. 17M-Dale McDowell[22]; 28. 157-Mike Marlar[3]

·       Nick Sanchez, No. 2 Rev Racing Silverado RST, took the checkered-flag in the 2024 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series’ season-opener at Daytona International Speedway – earning Chevrolet its milestone 100th all-time points-paying victory in the NASCAR national ranks at Daytona International Speedway.  ·       The victory – Sanchez’s first career victory in the series – is Chevrolet’s fourth NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series win at Daytona International Speedway, and the manufacturer’s series-leading 277th all-time win in NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series competition.  ·       Chevrolet – the winningest manufacturer in NASCAR history at Daytona International Speedway – has also earned a series-leading 50 all-time NASCAR Cup Series wins, including 25 Daytona 500 triumphs, and 46 all-time NASCAR Xfinity Series wins at the “World Center of Racing”.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Feb. 16, 2024) – As Nick Sanchez took his first career NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series victory in the series’ season-opening race at Daytona International Speedway, he also became a pivotal part in Chevrolet’s history at the famed Florida superspeedway. Sanchez and the No. 2 Rev Racing Silverado RST team earned Chevrolet its milestone 100th all-time points-paying NASCAR win at Daytona International Speedway – further extending its record as the winningest manufacturer in NASCAR history at the track.  “To earn 100 NASCAR wins at Daytona International Speedway is a monumental achievement in Chevy’s storied racing history,” said Scott Bell, Vice President, Global Chevrolet. “On behalf of everyone at Chevrolet, thank you to all the drivers and teams who have contributed wins over the years that brought us to this milestone. Chevrolet is proud to be the winningest manufacturer at one of NASCAR’s most iconic venues.” Chevrolet’s legacy at the “World Center of Racing” began early when Bob Welborn drove his 1959 Chevrolet to the win in NASCAR’s first-ever race at Daytona International Speedway. Now, over 60 years later, the Bowtie brand has accumulated 50 all-time NASCAR Cup Series wins, 46 all-time NASCAR Xfinity Series wins and four NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series wins at Daytona International Speedway – a combined record that continues to raise the mark for its manufacturer competitors. Sanchez is the 48th different driver to carry the Bowtie brand to victory lane in the NASCAR’s national ranks at Daytona International Speedway.  The 2024 NASCAR season-opening race weekend at Daytona International Speedway continues with Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series United Rentals 300, followed by the NASCAR Cup Series 66th running of the Daytona 500 on Sunday.   # # # #

Chevrolet NCS Winners at DISJeff Gordon: 6Dale Earnhardt Jr: 4Tony Stewart: 4Cale Yarborough: 3Dale Earnhardt: 3Jimmie Johnson: 3Michael Waltrip: 3Sterling Marlin: 3Austin Dillon: 2Ernie Irvan: 2Junior Johnson: 2Kevin Harvick: 2Benny Parsons: 1Bob Welborn: 1Dale Jarrett: 1Darrell Waltrip: 1Derrike Cope: 1Geoff Bodine: 1Greg Sacks: 1Jamie McMurray: 1Johnny Rutherford: 1Justin Haley: 1Ricky Stenhouse Jr: 1Tim Richmond: 1William Byron: 1

Chevrolet NXS Winners at DISDale Earnhardt Jr: 6Tony Stewart: 6Dale Earnhardt: 5Austin Hill: 2Justin Haley: 2Randy LaJoie: 2Austin Dillon: 1Chase Elliott: 1Clint Bowyer: 1Darrell Waltrip: 1Geoff Bodine: 1James Buescher: 1Jeremy Clements: 1Joe Nemechek: 1Justin Allgaier: 1Kasey Kahne: 1Kevin Harvick: 1Kurt Busch: 1Kyle Busch: 1Kyle Larson: 1Martin Truex Jr: 1Matt Kenseth: 1Michael Annett: 1Noah Gragson: 1Regan Smith: 1Ross Chastain: 1Steve Grissom: 1Tyler Reddick: 1William Byron: 1

Chevrolet NCTS Winners at DIS Johnny Sauter: 2Kaz Grala: 1Nick Sanchez: 1

NASCAR CUP SERIES DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY DAYTONA 500 MEDIA AVAILABILITY TRANSCRIPT FEBRUARY 16, 2024

AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 RICHARD CHILDRES RACING CAMARO ZL1, was the fastest Chevrolet driver in the NASCAR Cup Series’ practice session at Daytona International Speedway. Media Availability Quotes –  Is there any concern that Chevrolet is not up to speed with the Fords and Toyotas?“I don’t know. I mean we looked pretty good in qualifying and it’s hard to tell when you have small packs out there. The RCR cars and the HMS cars made a run together, but you throw in the Trackhouse guys then maybe we start running the same lap times that the other manufacturers are running. They were just in bigger groups, so I think more is better. At least it was right there it seemed like. We were kind of working on our car because we had quite a bit of damage from the other night, but it seemed to turn a pretty decent lap, wasn’t very good getting pushed, so we made an adjustment, and it seemed like that was a positive there at the end. Kyle (Busch) was able to push me there at the end and I could feel better because that was kind of our Achillies heel, because we couldn’t be pushed.  But that was better right there. Pretty happy with it and if we can make that a little better then we can go into Sunday and have a little fun.” I noticed a backup car on a flatbed. Were you guys ready to go to a backup if your car couldn’t be repaired?“I am assuming that was because the No. 8 went to a backup, and we probably carry one backup car in the two haulers. So, they probably brought one down last night. That’s probably what that was, in case something happened in practice.” Do you and Kyle (Busch) feel good about going into this race as well as you ran last year?“I felt really good about it last night when we took off there in the front. It’s so hard with the Duels and the way it works out right now with the speedway racing we have right now where you are racing to a fuel window.  You saw Denny gained 15 spots by saving fuel and that was kind of what we were trying to do. And when someone in front of you makes a mistake getting to pit road like the 45 and the 19 and then we got sideswiped, it just kills your day, and you are trying to fight back. It’s not like a couple of years ago when you could just drive back to the front if you had a good car, and you made some good moves.  Now, you just start side drafting each other and you just don’t have that third lane. My hope now is now with more race cars that we get a third lane formed. It usually changes a lot from the Duels to the race, so I want to see better racing. I don’t know about the current package, and I don’t know how great it is, I don’t know how good it is with the ones we have had in the past.  I say that, but you can always make it worse.” With the fuel mileage, is there a disadvantage to leading?“I mean look at the 47 last night. He carried everybody and looked like a hero, but then has to come to pit road laps early and he is pretty much stuck in the back and gets caught up in a wreck. So, you can get some TV time for your partners by going up there and staying 100% throttle, knowing that you are going to rotate to the back for the next run and hope that you can get back up through there by just being patient, making some good moves and trying to take advantage of people who are lifting.  It’s just kind of an accordion to who is running wide open and who is not. It’s different because you always wanted to be the guy that was 100% running in the throttle all the time.   And now its become a fuel saving game to flip pit strategy. It’s just different.”

NASCAR CUP SERIES DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY DAYTONA 500 MEDIA AVAILABILITY TRANSCRIPT FEBRUARY 16, 2024

KYLE BUSCH, NO. 8 ZONE CAMARO ZL1, met with the media ahead of the NASCAR Cup Series’ practice session at Daytona International Speedway. Media Availability Quotes –  “Happy to have Zone as a new partner at RCR and we are excited to carry their colors. Was hoping for a better night last night, definitely got them some TV time, but not quite the glamorous way to victory lane, but hopefully on Sunday.” What are you gaining skill-wise in running all these micro dirt races? Are you able to take some of those learnings to Cup, or how does that work?“No, its just practice. Just staying in the car, staying sharp and doing all those things. I used to do that with all the unlimited Truck starts, unlimited Xfinity starts.  Did that for a long time, but then got limited on that. Then I started doing some Super Late Model stuff, and started doing that a little bit more and more, but years went on and that stuff is just crazy, crazy expensive. The Micro thing, with Brexton going to the races he is going to, I can run on the same track as he can, and I can just get out there and run around and just get laps and do it for fun mostly. I have won a few shows. I won I think two winged shows at just different tracks across the country, not the big ones, I am not that good. The wrong Kyle. The point is to just go out there and get some track time and I can help with Brexton’s stuff when I can feel and see what the track is doing than just being a spectator or crew chief on his car.” What are you looking for out of the next two rounds of practice in your backup car?“Yeah, I thought media day was Groundhog’s Day. Then I had yesterday running the Duels Groundhog Day from last year getting torn up and crashed, having to go to a backup car, and starting all over again. I don’t know if we saw our shadow today or not, but we will get out there and work on the things that we know we need in our car which is the drivability of it. I will probably get out there and make a single car lap or two just to make sure the heights are all right and make sure everything is good, nothing is bottoming out and nothing is not how we expect it to be.  Then we will get in a pack draft with our Chevy key partner teams, go out there and make some laps, and trade some positions.  See what it’s like out front, see what its like in the back, and that is kind of all you can really learn.” What is it like seeing your old team KBM having success and in a way keep what you started going?“Yeah, I told them, don’t screw it up. I left it in a pretty good spot. I am excited about the opportunity to get some races over there, but we haven’t finalized all that yet. They have got a great organization, a lot of really good people. A lot of them stayed, some left, so it does look a lot different.  That shop is entirely different than what it was the last 12-13 years or however many I was in it.  They are doing a good job with what they got, and I am supposed to go over there….I am a consultant. I am supposed to go over there next week and do some consulting and talk to them about some of their race stuff and what they go through tonight.  Excited to see the progress, sit down with the guys, the drivers, stuff like that, and to continue that leadership role.”                                                                                                                                                            Regarding being an athlete and there is one thing you are striving for, how you approach the disappointment of the Daytona 500 and not have won it but have come close?“I would say the biggest thing that helped me through that is being in the Championship Race at Homestead and letting that race play out and letting everything kind of happen because we went into that race playing with house money.  Nobody thought we should be there, all the stuff, whatever.  And then we were like, ‘oh well, we are not going to be expected to win the championship, so let’s just go see what we can do’. And low and behold we win the race, and we win the championship and so that kind of taught me right there that you can’t force things always. Even last year I tried to force situations and I ended up spun out and backed into the fence. I had to go backwards down the track to get to my pit box. You know, it’s stuff like that where a lot of people try to force a lot of things in this race, and they get themselves in trouble. Some moment it pays off for them. There’s guys that have made good moves, aggressive moves, that have won this race too. You just have to play it out as it comes to you and be ready for the unexpected.” Does this race become more like your job, or are there still butterflies, but now that you have done it six thousand times, is it any different?“Its six hundred and eight-something. God, six thousand, that would be a lot. No, coming here for the first two or three…..so I was here three years with Hendrick (Motorsports) then two with Gibbs (Joe Gibbs Racing), the second year with Gibbs, probably five years in, it was kind of like – it’s a big deal, this is a big race, this is a big moment. It was butterflies, it was all that sort of stuff, especially when you get down toward the end. Since I got comfortable at JGR, it was like ‘man, its just another race’, don’t let it get to you and don’t let the meaning of this race counteract the events of you trying to win. Vegas for instance. I went to Las Vegas, my home track, and I watched that place be built and all that. I put so much pressure on myself in winning an Xfinity race there that I crashed every year, did stupid stuff, spinning out at the checkered flag, and whatever, you know? Finally, we won that thing and it was like a relief and it was like, ‘wow, you really didn’t have to do as much’. You know? You do have to put all the right pieces in the right places. You have to have the right car, you have to have good pit stops, you have to do your job, and if we can all execute and do our job as our team, with this No. 8 Zone Camaro ZL1 on Sunday, then its meant to be and its our day, then by all means we are going to celebrate like crazy.” In 2015, did you gain perspective in having to watch that race from wherever you were and missing that race?“I was watching it in Halifax Hospital, don’t remember what room I was in, or floor number, but I was laying in a hospital bed and wondering if I was ever going to walk again. Just being a little dramatic after the day’s prior event, but yeah, watched the start. Remember seeing it. Shed a few tears, crying to just if I was going to get back, or if I was going to get back. I had the determination to get back. You just don’t know at that point. Then I passed out for a good while. Drugs were good. I don’t remember a whole lot of the race, but then somehow, I think I did wake up somewhere near the end and I think Logano won that year. So, I did see that and that didn’t make me feel any better.”

The 16-year-old silenced many doubters with speed and maturity as his rookie campaign began

BARBERVILLE, FL (February 16, 2024) – A week ago, Sprint Car fans across the nation were left stunned. 

The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars unleashed its first Sea Foam Qualifying session of the 2024 season at Volusia Speedway Park and when the final car took the checkered flag, it wasn’t one of the usual suspects laying down the fastest lap. Neither qualifying master David Gravel nor Carson Macedo stood atop the speed chart. That spot belonged to 16-year-old Landon Crawley.

The Benton, AR native came out with a bang in his first laps with The Greatest Show on Dirt. And he wasn’t done yet. Crawley finished second in his Heat race to qualify for the Dash in his first appearance. Two nights later he qualified fourth fastest in his Flight and again made the Dash. This time he topped the Dash to sit on the pole of only his third World of Outlaws Feature. Heads were turned and doubters silenced.

“Blind squirrel finds a nut every once in a while. I just happened to find two this week,” Crawley joked. “I don’t know how long I can keep it up, but I’m going to do my best and just take it one night at a time.”

The teenager is wise beyond his years and taking a healthy approach to his rookie World of Outlaws campaign. A one-night-at-a-time outlook is exactly what’s required to tackle the demanding 80-plus race calendar. Crawley displays a maturity that didn’t go unnoticed by Jason Sides as the longtime driver for his own team put him in the seat of the #7S for 2024.

“It definitely helps,” Crawley said of working with Sides. “As far as driving, he kind of just lets me do my thing and learn as I go. As far as setup and car, I feel like I’ve had probably one of the best race cars right now. This thing practically drives itself. I had probably one of the best cars I’ve ever had in my life last weekend. Everything has gone over so well.”

Crawley entered this year with only one night’s worth of 410 Sprint Car experience. Prior to making the leap to full-time 410 racing, Crawley followed in his father’s footsteps with success in the 360 ranks. His dad – Tim Crawley – is a three-time American Sprint Car Series (ASCS) champion.

The blooming racer’s mature mindset wasn’t only apparent on the track at Volusia. He came across well-spoken and articulate in interviews. He also made it clear he still has plenty of improving to do and a long road ahead. He doesn’t merely want to start first in World of Outlaws Features. He wants to finish up front, too.

“The biggest thing right now is I run up front, but I’m struggling with restarts and struggling with dirty air,” Crawley admitted. “The first night dirty air was my biggest problem on top of some motor problems, but I also had to fight some issues driving. I’m kind of just learning as I go.

“I’ve got to stay out of my own head. I beat myself down and get in my head then I lose 20 spots in a Feature. But at the same time, I’ve hardly ever done this before. I’ve only ran five 410 races in my life. It’s all just a learning process, and it’s going to take time.”

Track time is something Crawley will have plenty of as the season continues. The nine-month campaign takes the tour to 41 ovals of various shapes and sizes in 19 different states. Many new tracks await Crawley during his debut year with the World of Outlaws. But fortunately for him, the schedule also takes him to familiar territory soon. March and April boast a dozen races combined in Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Missouri – all not far from home for the Arkansas driver.

“I think I should be alright at some of those places,” Crawley said. “It’s more similar to what I’m used to. The biggest thing is just going to be the power difference for me. It may take three or four nights to get comfortable again, but I think all of that will go over decent. There’s definitely some Oklahoma tracks that I’ve already been to that I’m really looking forward to, Muskogee (Thunderbird Speedway) and 81 (Speedway) in Kansas, some of those places. They’re bigger tracks, but I feel like I’m a little bit better on the bigger tracks here recently.”

The 2024 season currently sits in a small break as teams regroup from four straight nights of racing during DIRTcar Nationals. The grind resumes in two weeks with another trip to Volusia, and Crawley isn’t thinking about replicating his Qualifying speed. He’s ready to put a full night together. He’s ready to learn what it takes to run up front with The Greatest Show on Dirt on a nightly basis.

“I’m just trying to get a little bit more consistent, put together some good laps, and get some better results.”

Crawley’s rookie World of Outlaws campaign continues in two weeks at Volusia Speedway Park’s Bike Week Jamboree (March 3-4) in Barberville, FL. For tickets, CLICK HERE.

NASCAR CUP SERIES DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY DAYTONA 500 OEM PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT FEBRUARY 15, 2024 JIM CAMPBELL, VICE PRESIDENT, PERFORMANCE AND MOTORSPORTS FOR GENERAL MOTORS MET WITH THE MEDIA WITH LEADERS FROM FORD AND TOYOTA TO DISCUSS A NUMBER OF TOPICS BEFORE THE START OF THE 2024 NASCAR SEASON.  Regarding the outlook for the 2024 NASCAR race season. “We look forward to this weekend in a big way, and looking back at 2023, it was a good season but obviously there are certainly more goals that we want to accomplish in 2024.  We won fifty percent of the races across Cup, Xfinity and Truck Series, we had the manufacturer’s championships in those series as well, but we got to the Championship Race in Phoenix and didn’t bring home the championship. Obviously, the goal this year is to have good momentum this year and qualify the Chevrolet teams into the playoffs and get to Phoenix and go for a different outcome. Manufacturer and Driver Championships are always a goal and always go hand in hand. Excited about this year, excited to be in Daytona because here we have had 99 wins across all the national series. So, the next win here will be 100 and it will be a special one. All the teams are trying to get that 100th win for Chevrolet and obviously a win for themselves in either Truck, Xfinity or Cup. So, looking forward to the season and it’s great to be here.” Regarding the future of hydrogen and hybrid technology development for street vehicles and potentially in motorsport? “I would just say for GM, on the propulsion side, you really have to prepare for all lanes. Internal combustion and we do have a long-time development program in hydrogen fuel cells and we are partnering with Honda on that. Obviously around the world in our portfolio we do have hybrids and PHEV, so you have to be ready for all the combinations for the production side of the business, depending on what the consumers want and also for the compliance for the countries that you compete in. And we compete all over the world. So, we are developing all of those. As far as hydrogen, we have been in development for about a decade and a half and have a good partnership with Honda on that. So we will see where that goes as far as in market applications in the showroom and we will take that on down the road for the performance application.” Do you know whether you will replace the Camaro for next year since its going out of production and what is your timeline to decide on a new body style?“We are not making any announcements today, but we did say that Camaro is ending production. We are selling Camaros all through this year and actually some may remain in next year as well.  And as Scott Bell, who heads up our Chevrolet dealers said, this is not the end of the Camaro story.  But we have nothing to announce today.” Did General Motors/Cadillac find F1’s statement about your ability insulting or anything like that? And second part, you can build an engine in F1 by 2026, but can’t because of the regulations? “Just on the last part of your question, when you register to be a power unit, there is a deadline to do that, and for us it was last June for 2028. If you wanted to develop an engine sooner, then you would have had to register the previous year for that. So, it’s simply a regulation.   In terms of our application with Andretti (Autosport), we feel great about our application. The FIA studied it against other applicants and then gave our application a vote of confidence and approval. So obviously the FOM made their statement, and we have asked for a follow up meeting with FOM and so we will work through that. We do believe between Andretti and Cadillac that we have got the capability of fielding a competitive entry. We are not saying that it is easy, but we do between our two organizations have examples in our history of where we have been successful in other motorsports categories and that is true of Cadillac and Andretti. With that said, our joint teams are continuing to develop our car at pace. So, that is where we are at.” You weren’t insulted at all that they didn’t think you could do it? “As I said, we believe in the application we submitted and in that application we articulated the abilities of both Andretti as a race team, and Cadillac as a manufacturing and engineering entity. So, we feel confident in the application and are asking for a meeting with FOM.” Can you speak about the significance of the potential of reaching 100 NASCAR national wins here at Daytona and what that means for your company?“Yeah, I mean it is significant because across the three series we are at 99 and this is such a special venue to race at and whether you win in Truck, Xfinity or Cup, it’s a special moment. It’s a great way to start the season and to do that one of the teams could get their first win of the season and our 100th.  So it’s a special celebration and we do look for those key milestone victories as a way to rally and motivate our internal team as well as our partner teams.” Regarding keeping the Camaro gives Chevy a competitive advantage given that Toyota and Ford have new bodies in the sport. Do you think that an advantage will even be a thing?“Well, we will see here this weekend. Hopefully this weekend, if not this weekend, soon. The one thing that NASCAR has done in the ruleset is they keep us in a pretty tight box and keep the competition tight. Basically, in downforce and drag, they have parameters that you are required to stay within. And so our car is within that box as are the other two OEMs. It’s going to be tight. You can see out there in the Duels how tight that is going to be. The one thing that we do have because our body is the same as last year, is just continuity and momentum in development in preparation and simulation versus the time that we have had to switch to a new body, we spent a lot of time in that switchover. That is a positive, but you can see how tight it is out there and that is mainly because of the rule settings that NASCAR has on downforce and drag requirements.”  You won half the races, won the manufacturer championship, but didn’t win the driver championships. Does that make the season a yea or nay for you guys?“You know, it’s a bit of both. You are excited about winning 18 of the 36 in the Cup Series and the Manufacturer’s Championship and what that means and what that takes. Then you are completely motivated when you leave Phoenix to prepare and go back and win the Driver’s Championship. This season, the Manufacturer and Driver’s Championship are goals that we put forth every season and every series.  We didn’t get all the way there and it motivates us more at the end of that race in Phoenix and when you go to the banquet. You see who is getting celebrated and you get motivated. That is part of the excitement of racing is to come back the next season and go for it. And that is what we are doing.”

February 16, 2024

Harrison Burton and the No. 21 Motorcraft/DEX Imaging Mustang Dark Horse are set to start Sunday’s Daytona 500 from 12^th place after finishing fifth in the second Bluegreen Vacations Duel qualifying race on Thursday night.

In that 150-miler, Burton avoided significant damage in the “Big One” multi-car crash with 13 laps remaining then made a bid for the win on the final lap only to fall to fifth place at the finish line.

Burton started that qualifying race, the second of two that set the majority of the line-up for Sunday’s Great American Race, from fifth place.

He raced in the top 10 in the early going, and after dropping back a few positions, was back in the top 10 as a round of green-flag pit stops got under way.

Burton cycled into the lead before making his stop at Lap 44. He returned to the track in 15^th place and was running there on Lap 47 when a wreck began unfolding ahead of him.

Burton, one of 11 drivers collected in the incident, was able to slow the Motorcraft/DEX Imaging Mustang and avoid race-ending damage. When the race resumed following a red-flag period, he made a pit stop then worked his way forward and ran as high as second place before winding up fifth. That earned him a good starting spot for the 500 and six Stage points.

“I had a real shot at it,” Burton told reporters after the race. “I’m really proud of our guys.”

Burton said he bounced off the wall in the big wreck, but the Motorcraft/DEX Imaging crew checked over his Mustang and determined it was safe to continue.

“I have a lot of confidence in that crew,” he said. “When they say my car is good to go, it’s good to go. Burton added that he thought he was in position on the last lap to take the win.

“I tried to get to the [Christopher Bell’s] outside, … with [Austin Cindric] pushing me and got really, really loose,” he said. “I thought I had plenty of momentum to make it happen, but I just got a little free there, but I’m really proud of our guys. 

“We were a little damaged and still had a good car, so that’s how you know you have a really good car. Hopefully, we can see what’s wrong and it’s nothing major and we can go run this car in the 500 and try and win that one.”

Two practice sessions, the first on Friday at 5:35 p.m. and the second on Saturday at 10:30 a.m., will give the Motorcraft/DEX Imaging team a chance to fine tune the No. 21 Mustang Dark Horse.

The green flag for Sunday’s 200-lap Daytona 500 is set to fly just after 2:30 p.m., with Stage breaks planned for Laps 65 and 130.

FOX Sports 1 will televise the practices, with the coverage switching to FOX for the 500.

THE THRILL IN BARBERVILLE: Nick Hoffman Makes Last Lap Pass For World of Outlaws Win at DIRTcar Nationals 

Hoffman picks up his first Late Model gator with a last lap pass on Chris Madden

BARBERVILLE, FL (February 15, 2024) –

Nick Hoffman spent most of his career as Volusia Speedway Park’s most successful DIRTcar UMP Modified driver, winning seven consecutive Big Gator titles from 2016 to 2021. On Thursday night, he took the next step in trying to do the same in a Late Model.

The Mooresville, NC driver resorted back to his Modified ways in the 35-lap, $12,000-to-win Feature, scoring his first Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals golden gator with the World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Models – his 23rd DIRTcar Nationals win overall.

“I made (Volusia) my home by running the bottom and middle,” Hoffman said. “It’s how I won so many gators here in a Modified and it fit my style tonight to make speed and make circles and it was exactly like the Modified.”

Winfield, TN’s Mike Marlar and Gray Court, SC’s Chris Madden led the stacked 30-car field to the initial Gorsuch Performance green flag. Marlar first claimed the lead until he slipped over the cushion in Turn 2 – opening the door for Martinsville, IN’s Ricky Thornton Jr. to take the lead.

Three laps later, Thornton copied Marlar by jumping the cushion in the same corner, surrendering the lead to “The Winfield Warrior.”

Marlar held the hungry field at bay for half of the race until lap traffic hindered him, causing Marlar to lose the lead once more – this time to Madden.

Madden used the high line predominantly to hold his lead, fighting new contenders for the win in Hoffman and Oakwood, IL’s Bobby Pierce.

Hoffman, using the bottom line, continued to inch closer to “Smokey” for the Feature win while Pierce was stuck behind Madden on the high line.

After missing a mark with three to go, Hoffman’s chances of winning seemed distant. But his determination persisted. Driving with “human horsepower” mentality, he threw his NOS Energy Drink #9 car into each corner, cutting tenths off Madden’s lead every time he returned to the throttle.

On the final lap of the Feature, Hoffman kept his right foot planted while entering Turn 1, propelling him side by side with Madden of Turn 2. When they reached the final corner, he dove low and allowed his car to drift high, hoping he’d drove in hard enough to clear Madden.

The answer was, yes. Hoffman cleared Madden by the center of the corner and held the lead to the checkered flag for his second career World of Outlaws win.

Hoffman joins Kyle Strickler, Ryan Gustin and Kyle Bronson as the only drivers to win a DIRTcar Nationals gator in both a DIRTcar UMP Modified and Late Model.

“It’s unreal,” Hoffman said. “With about two or three to go, I made a mistake and the wheel spun down the straightaway and I thought I screwed this deal up and I got the momentum back rolling and in the last two (laps) I drove super hard and could notice Chris was getting pretty tight across one and two and he couldn’t make a whole lot of speed. That allowed me to get to him at the white and in (Turn) three, I bombed her off in there just made sure I was clear of Chris.

“At that point, I was gonna cross whether I was clear or not. The car was so good. I wasn’t sure if I would even get there because Bobby was on the top and on the restarts, I was worried about him clearing me and taking my line, but it worked out perfect.”

Madden came across the line to finish in second after a night that saw him win the Simpson Quick Time Award and lead 15 laps of the Feature.

“It was a good race,” Madden said. “We just got to where we couldn’t steer through (Turns) one and two and couldn’t carry the speed. Nick was able to run around the bottom there and got some speed and got us to the checkered.”

Pierce closed out the night’s top-three finishers, hoping to have stayed in second place to have a chance at winning when he had been clearly ahead of Hoffman.

“It was really tough out there,” Pierce said. “I told the guys that I put myself in a situation where I was constantly in dirty air. I wish that when I got to second that I could have held Nick off. The one time I really got by him, a caution came out. That was tough and I feel like I was burning my stuff up there constantly in battle.

“With Madden, sometimes I got really close to him, and I got more dirty air, so I was kind of stuck in this air pocket and that’s tough. Some of the hardest racing right there is when you’re in that dirty air and you got two guys running there. The track is super tricky as it is. It’s as tough as it gets. For us to finish third, I’m pretty happy with it.”

Thornton ended up in fourth after having to climb his way back from the early deficit. Daulton Wilson, of Fayetteville, NC, rounded out the night’s top-five finishers.

Centerville, PA’s Max Blair picked up the FOX Factory Hard Charger award after picking up eight spots to finish 12th in the tough field of 30 Late Models.

After tonight’s Feature, Pierce now holds the Series points standings, two points ahead of New Berlin, IL’s Brandon Sheppard and 16 points ahead of Hoffman and Madden, respectively.

UP NEXT: The World of Outlaws CASE Late Models invade Volusia Speedway Park for two more nights of racing from the 53rd Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals, Feb. 16-17.

Adjustments have been made to the purse, as the Series will now race for 40 laps and $16,000-to-win to insure drivers leave with a healthy payday if weather hinders the weekend. For more information and tickets, visit DIRTcarNationals.com.

If you can’t make it to the track, watch every lap live on DIRTVision – available either online or through the DIRTVision App.

CASE Late Models Feature (35 laps):

1. 9-Nick Hoffman[4]; 2. 44-Chris Madden[2]; 3. 32-Bobby Pierce[6]; 4. 20RT-Ricky Thornton Jr[3]; 5. 18D-Daulton Wilson[7]; 6. 157-Mike Marlar[1]; 7. B5-Brandon Sheppard[9]; 8. 99-Devin Moran[10]; 9. 16-Tyler Bruening[5]; 10. 97-Cade Dillard[14]; 11. 39-Tim McCreadie[15]; 12. 111-Max Blair[20]; 13. 1T-Tyler Erb[13]; 14. 5-Mark Whitener[17]; 15. 3S-Brian Shirley[18]; 16. 28-Dennis Erb Jr[22]; 17. 1-Hudson O’Neal[12]; 18. 18-Chase Junghans[19]; 19. 97C-Cody Overton[27]; 20. 40B-Kyle Bronson[25]; 21. 19-Dustin Sorensen[21]; 22. B1-Brent Larson[28]; 23. 114-Jordan Koehler[8]; 24. 30-Todd Cooney[29]; 25. 22*-Max McLaughlin[11]; 26. 17M-Dale McDowell[23]; 27. 12-Ashton Winger[24]; 28. 19R-Ryan Gustin[26]; 29. 20-Jimmy Owens[16]; 30. 14W-Dustin Walker[30]

NASCAR CUP SERIES DAYTONA 500 DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY TEAM CHEVY DUEL 2 POST-RACE QUOTES FEBRUARY 15, 2024

DUEL #2 – TEAM CHEVY TOP-10 RESULTS 6th   Zane Smith, No. 71 WeatherTech Camaro ZL18th   William Byron, No. 24 Axalta Camaro ZL114th  B.J. McLeod, No. 78 Live Fast Motorsports Camaro ZL1

Zane Smith, No. 71 WeatherTech Camaro ZL1Finished: 6th “After tonight, I feel really good about Sunday. I feel like I learned a lot. Last year, I had to race in – play it safe, but be aggressive at times and was just worried the whole time. I wanted to go into tonight with our No. 71 WeatherTech Chevy being aggressive and learn for Sunday, and I feel like we accomplished that.  I don’t know how I got that speeding penalty. I felt like it was my first gear launch, it was just a little bit too fast. Fortunately there was a caution and we were able to catch back up and have a shot at it there at the end. I wanted to be more aggressive, but I also wanted to have a car for Sunday. I’m excited for the Daytona 500.” Kyle Busch, No. 8 Zone Camaro ZL1Finished: 19th“I was just getting a push from the No. 6 (Brad Keselowski) there, and the No. 24 (William Byron) I saw kind of got messed up, out of line and slowed down. I tried to lift and roll out of the gas smoothly. I was still gaining too fast, and then I got all the way out of the gas. Got bumped again from behind and just accordioned into the No. 24 and sent him spinning. You don’t want to hit a guy in the tri-oval. I’ve been there, I’ve done that. I’ve also rolled out of here in an ambulance before doing that, so I know it’s not the right thing to do, but sometimes you don’t have a choice and I turned the No. 24 sideways and caused a wreck.  Our No. 8 Zone Camaro was pretty fast. I felt good about it. Couldn’t really make any moves, though. Man, what a frustrating race. Just sitting in line – saving fuel, stuck on the bottom, can’t go anywhere. You get back in line.. you want to go forward. We were taking the momentum, whichever way the momentum was coming, and just ended up wrecking.”

NASCAR CUP SERIES DAYTONA 500 DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY TEAM CHEVY DUEL 1 POST-RACE QUOTES FEBRUARY 15, 2024

DUEL #1 – TEAM CHEVY TOP-10 RESULTS2nd     Chase Elliott, No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Camaro ZL13rd      Alex Bowman, No. 48 Ally Camaro ZL14th      Carson Hocevar, No. 77 Gainbridge / Zeigler Auto Group Camaro ZL16th      Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Freeway Insurance Camaro ZL19th      Kyle Larson, No. 5 HendrickCars.com Camaro ZL1

Chase Elliott, No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Camaro ZL1Finished: 2nd“I thought our NAPA Chevy was pretty good. I mean all things considered, we’re locked-in from qualifying, setup-wise and stuff, so I thought our car drove pretty good considering everything you try to do to go fast for a lap. I was pleased. I thought we had a good night of execution to put ourselves in a good position there. We came up a little bit short, but I thought overall, it was a solid effort. We kept the car in one piece, which is a big deal I feel like for Sunday. Looking forward to it.” Alex Bowman, No. 48 Ally Camaro ZL1Finished: 3rd“It was a good night. I think we were all a bit nervous on how the No. 48 Ally Chevy was going to drive, and honestly, it drove really well. I think there’s a couple things we can kind of clean up all around, but I was really happy with my car. I hate that I let the No. 54 (Ty Gibbs) get to our outside before that caution getting off of (turn) two and just kind of missed the block there. It put us back some track position. I hate whatever happened with the No. 5 (Kyle Larson) getting into turn three. I knew I was catching him too fast to hit him and I lifted. I don’t know if it was air or if I just barely got him loose.  To come home third is really good.. way better than I thought we were going to run tonight, honestly, with how I thought it was going to drive. I’m just proud of this whole Ally team. We were all disappointed with last night, but definitely a good night tonight.” Carson Hocevar, No. 77 Gainbridge / Zeigler Auto Group Camaro ZL1Finished: 4th “We all had a game plan to just kind of ride and save as much fuel as possible. I got disconnected a little bit and had to make the best pit entry of my life to catch up. I had a big gap to make and got everything out of it. I kind of lost the draft a little bit, but luckily I had a really strong car with Corey (LaJoie) behind me to get caught back up. We made some really good moves to put myself in a decent spot there before the caution and get track position. I did my best to be a good Chevy teammate and help the boys over there at Hendrick Motorsports and get the No. 9 (Chase Elliott) out front. Just a little too draggy compared to them and I just couldn’t keep connected.   DANIEL SUAREZ, NO. 99 FREEWAY INSURANCE CAMARO ZL1 Finished: 6thWere you able to learn anything tonight for Sunday and how was the car?“I think it was good. The guys did a really good job with it. Our No. 99 Freeway Insurance Chevy had good speed – it handled well, and overall, it was a good day. There is always room for improvement and hopefully we can make the car a little bit better for Sunday and see what we can do. But we are all feeling pretty good about the car.” KYLE LARSON, NO. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM CAMARO ZL1 Finished: 9th You looked pretty strong out front – was the car good? “Yeah, I felt really good about my car. I haven’t seen the replay.. I don’t think Alex (Bowman) touched me, but he got really close and it took the air off the back. I got sideways in the corner and thankfully was able to save it. Just bummed that I wasn’t able to finish up front. That sucks, but our No. 5 HendrickCars.comChevy was fast, and I think we learned a lot. Honestly every move we made was good, it just didn’t work out again. So, yeah, learned a lot and we will take it to Sunday.” ROSS CHASTAIN, NO. 1 BUSCH BEER CAMARO ZL1Finished: 11th Were you able to get a feel for your car and the draft for Sunday? “Yeah, my car was really smooth to drive and it had no balance issues. A very neutral balance. I sped on the green flag stop. I didn’t get to go back out with more fuel and old tires because on the fueling stop, I sped and didn’t get to feel that in the draft. That is not good, but other than that, no issues on our car and everywhere I was, it wasn’t aggressive for the pushing.”

OCALA, FL (February 15, 2024) — At the conclusion of the 2023 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season Josh Hart and the R+L Carriers Top Fuel team held down the No. 10 spot in the standings for the 2024 Pep Boys Top Fuel All-Star Callout. As the reigning champion the multi-time Top Fuel national event winner knew he would not have a chance to defend his title in 2024, but circumstances changed on a variety of fronts that have opened the door for the Ocala, Florida based team owner and driver to participate in the big money race.

 Josh Hart and family celebrate with Pep Boys All-Star Callout trophy, photo by Gary Nastase/Auto Imagery

Top Fuel qualifier Austin Prock switched to Funny Car for the 2024 season and will not be eligible to compete, moving Shawn Langdon from the No. 9 position into the top eight and moving Hart into the No. 9 spot as the first alternate. During the 2023 PRI Show Tony Stewart Racing announced Tony Stewart would take over the driving duties in the TSR Top Fuel dragster entry from Leah Pruett, who was No. 6 in the Pep Boy All-Star Callout. The announcement did not address the specialty race during the NHRA Gatornationals but yesterday TSR announced the possibility of Pruett not competing in the All-Star Callout if Stewart was not solidly qualified following the two sessions on Friday of the Gatornationals.
 
“I would love the opportunity to defend my 2023 win in the Pep Boys All-Star Callout this year,” said Hart. “Some things are out of my control, but we can help ourselves by making great qualifying runs on Friday and setting ourselves up for the possibility of competing in the big money race on Saturday. I have always said ‘Anything’s Possible’ and we will be ready if that opportunity presents itself.”
 
In 2023 Hart was the No. 8 qualifier and raced his way through Austin Prock, Brittany Force and Mike Salinas to secure the $80,000 top prize. The win was the highlight of the season for Hart and the R+L Carrier Top Fuel team that also raced to a final round in Chicago and finished in the Top Fuel Top Ten.

 Josh Hart and R+L Carriers team celebrate in Gainesville Raceway winner’s circle, photo by Gary Nastase/Auto Imagery

“This R+L Carriers team didn’t see the results we wanted last season, but we never gave up and we finished the season with some big round wins,” said Hart, the 2021 Gatornationals Top Fuel winner. “We had a good test session in Bradenton and we are looking forward to starting the season at our home track with a strong performance. Whether we get into the Pep Boys All-Star Callout or not our goal will be to win the Gatornationals again.”
 
Hart and the R+L Carriers team will be on track Friday March 8 for two qualifying sessions. Prior to Friday’s qualifying runs Hart is hosting the 2^nd annual Gatornationals FanFest at Burnyzz Speed Shop on Wednesday, March 6. The free family friendly event will have a massive car show, food trucks, music and a driver autograph session featuring all the top names competing in the NHRA Gatornationals as well as many former Gatornationals winners. The event will run from 6 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.

Richard Childress Racing has collected seven points-paying victories in NASCAR Cup Series competition at Daytona International Speedway and won 11 poles. RCR owns three Daytona 500 wins (Dale Earnhardt – 1998, Kevin Harvick – 2007, Austin Dillon – 2018) and four Coke Zero Sugar 400 trophies (Earnhardt – 1990, 1993, Harvick – 2010, Dillon – 2022).  The Welcome, N.C. based organization has racked up 15 victories in the Daytona 500 Duel qualifying races, most recently by Dillon (2021). Earnhardt reeled off a record 10-consecutive Duel victories (1990 – 1999), while Mike Skinner (2001), Robby Gordon (2003), Jeff Burton (2011) and Harvick (2013) also claimed a front row starting position for the Great American Race. In addition to its NASCAR Cup Series success, RCR has accumulated eight wins (Dale Earnhardt, Jr. – 2002, 2010, Harvick – 2007, Clint Bowyer – 2009, Tony Stewart – 2013, Dillon – 2015, Austin Hill – 2022, 2023) in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. Hill returns to the World Center of Racing as the defending race winner of the United Rentals 300. RCR’s Xfinity Series program has captured an impressive seven of the last nine poles for the season opening event at Daytona International Speedway.  The 2024 Lineup… Austin Dillon and Kyle Busch return to RCR’s NASCAR Cup Series lineup for 2024, with Dillon driving the No. 3 Bass Pro Shops/TRACKER Off Road Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 and Busch behind the wheel of the zone Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 at Daytona. Jesse Love joins Austin Hill as both drivers compete fulltime in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. Love will pilot the No. 2 Whelen Engineering Chevrolet Camaro SS while Hill returns to the No. 21 Bennett Transportation & Logistics Chevrolet Camaro SS.  Big Power… ECR Engines will have a total of 25 engine programs competing at Daytona International Speedway, with 17 entries in the Xfinity Series race and eight entries in the Daytona 500.  Time to Duel… On Thursday evening, the Bluegreen Vacations Duels at Daytona feature two 150-mile races from which the majority of the final starting grid for the Daytona 500 will be set. After their single-car qualifying times on Wednesday night, Dillon will compete in the first duel while Busch will race in the second duel.  Catch the Action… The Bluegreen Vacations Duels at Daytona, two 60-lap qualifying races, will be televised live Thursday, February 15 beginning at 7 p.m. ET on FS1 and will be broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90. The NASCAR Xfinity Series United Rentals 300 at Daytona will be televised live Saturday, February 17 beginning at 5 p.m. ET on FS1 and will be broadcast live on Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90. The 66th running of the Daytona 500 will be televised live Sunday, February 18 beginning at 2:30 p.m. ET on FOX and will be broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.