COLCORD, OK (March 26, 2024) – A few weeks after the World of Outlaws Sprint Cars debut at Arrowhead Speedway (April 5), the World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Models will make their first appearance at the Oklahoma track (April 26).

It’ll also be the Series’ lone stop in the “Sooner State” this year and first time back in the state since 2017.

The best Late Model drivers in the country will compete for a $15,000 top prize in the Fujita 50 event.

When the World of Outlaws Late Models last visited Oklahoma, New Berlin, IL’s Brandon Sheppard took home the trophy. The four-time Series champion is on the hunt for a history-making fifth World of Outlaws title this year, driving for Sheppard Riggs Racing and the Longhorn Factory Team.

EVENT INFO:
Date – Friday, April 26
Location – Colcord, OK
Track Size – 1/3-mile oval

Times (CT)– 
Pits Open 3pm
Grandstands Open 5pm
Hot Laps/Qualifying 6:30pm
-Racing to follow

Tickets – Available at the track
How to Watch – If you can’t make it to the track, you can watch every lap live on DIRTVision.

Mar 26, 2024 | Featured, Race Results

The Randy Meyer Racing Team came to the Pomona Dragstrip for the 2024 NHRA Winternationals hoping to land where they last left; in the winner’s circle. Unfortunately, luck was not on their side and both drivers were eliminated in first round.

Hunter Green, the 2023 Pomona winner, flew down the quarter mile in qualifying with a time of 5.277 ET at 275 mph to sit third in the field of 17, and had room to improve but due to rain the final qualifying session was cancelled. However, Julie Nataas had fueling issues and struggled to make it down the track. Her best time of 5.667 ET at 226 mph placed her 15th.

Hunter was scheduled to compete against the no. 14 qualifier Mike Austin for first round, but he was unable to make the show and Shawn Cowie, who was qualified 17th, took Austin’s position. Cowie has been a long-time threat to Randy’s team, and so Randy tuned Hunter’s nitro-injected dragster to power to a 5.239 ET at 273 mph, which was more than enough speed to defeat any other Top Alcohol Dragster, but Cowie’s run of 5.223 ET at 279mph was the quickest and fastest of the class.

“I can’t leave Pomona too disappointed,” said Hunter. “We were number 3 qualifier with the fastest mph. We laid down the third quickest run of the session in round 1 of eliminations. Unfortunately we received one of the fastest cars in the class for our opponent, who also happened to lay down the fastest pass of the weekend against us. These things are going to happen. I’m not too disappointed, because of how fast and consistent the car is running. Over these last couple of races it’s proving to be one of the fastest cars in the class. We still have plenty of races to go.”

The RMR team finally figured out the gremlins in Julie’s OTG nitro dragster as she drew Garrett Bateman for first round. Unfortunately Julie was second off the line and second to cross the finish line with a 5.287 ET at 268 mph. With more rain delay, the conclusion of the Winternationals will be contested at the next race.

“I don’t think any of us expected to not make it down the track in qualifying this weekend, but with tricky conditions we struggled and qualified at the bottom of the field,” Julie said. “Randy had it figured out by first round of eliminations and we made a full pull, but we unfortunately didn’t have enough power and got outran in a good drag race. I have no doubt in my team that we will be back on track for my next race in Charlotte.”

DRAGSTALGIA Santa Pod RacewayFri.5 – Sun.7 July 2024___________________   It is Diamond Anniversary time for British drag racing. When Europe’s premier historic drag race, Dragstalgia, takes place at Santa Pod Raceway in July, its focus will fall on the events which gave birth to the sport in Britain six decades earlier.   Two American dragsters which featured prominently in those nascent years are being shipped once more across the Atlantic. Reflecting the drag race tradition of naming rather than numbering cars, Mooneyes and Dos Palmas will enjoy starring roles at Dragstalgia.   The American pair will be joined by Sydney Allard’s original British dragster, the Allard-Chrysler, on a rare outing from its present home, the National Motor Museum at Beaulieu, for a unique reunion of cars that were truly ‘in at the birth’.   In 1964, the British sportscar manufacturer, racer and rally driver Sydney Allard had joined forces with Wally Parks, president of America’s National Hot Rod Association, to bring leading US drag racing stars to race on airfield sites across Britain. Blessed with fine weather, the 1^st British International Drag Festival was a resounding success and drew plentiful crowds.   One year earlier, word had reached America that Allard had built a dragster, Britain’s first. A Las Vegas speed shop owner and racer known as ‘Dante’ Duce challenged Allard to a race on British soil. An industrialist, Dean Moon, offered Duce the use of his dragster, and Mooneyes was shipped to Britain to undertake the challenge. A second American, Mickey Thompson, arrived unexpectedly and the trio competed at the Brighton Speed Trials and on airfield runways. The venture’s success impelled the Allard-Parks partnership to create the 1964 Festival.   2024’s Mooneyes is a faithful replica of the 1963 original, now housed in a US museum. Its methanol-burning engine is a 350-cubic-inch/5.7-litre Chevrolet V8 boosted by a front-mounted Potvin supercharger, a relic of the era. The car’s 96-inch-wheelbase chassis was built by Dode Martin of the Dragmaster company who constructed the original model. It’s expected that Mooneyes will be fired up during Dragstalgia and may perform burnouts. Today the Mooneyes Speed Equipment & Custom Accessories company is headquartered in Tokyo and Los Angeles and owners Shige Suganuma and Chico Kodama will attend Dragstalgia.   Dos Palmas, on the other hand, is the original vehicle. The Goodnight/Keith/Williamson Dos Palmas Machine Special has a chassis built by early drag racing legend Tommy Ivo and was brought to England for both the 1964 and 1965 Festivals and driven by Bob Keith. Bought thereafter by a British consortium, the car was then acquired by a US Air Force serviceman, Bill Weichelt, who campaigned it at Santa Pod during the early 1970s under a new name, Asmodeus. Posted back to the USA, Weichelt took the car with him and it vanished from sight for 40 years.   Another figure of recent legend, the championship-winning NASCAR crew chief Ray Evernham, found the car and restored it to perfect working condition under its original name before selling it to a fresh British consortium under whose auspices Dos Palmas will take pride of place at Dragstalgia.   1965’s 2^nd Drag Festival was beset by rain and 1964’s profits were washed away, yet these two events had kick-started the sport of drag racing on this side of the Atlantic. Santa Pod Raceway opened on Easter Monday 1966 as Europe’s first permanent dragstrip and Sydney Allard, stricken with cancer, died the very next day, never to know the legacy his pioneering ventures had bequeathed.   Dragstalgia’s display of distinguished American iron is not restricted to the four-wheeled classes. This year’s star turn among a host of vintage two-wheelers is a bike known as Hogslayer. Propelled by dual Norton engines on nitromethane, the mount of owner-rider TC Christenson, a native of Wisconsin, was the scourge of the US Top Fuel Motorcycle scene 50 years ago. Norton were so impressed by Christenson’s achievements that they shipped him and his bike to race in England no fewer than three times, and with a tip to the bike’s British mechanical heritage, Hogslayer nowadays resides at Coventry’s National Motorcycle Museum. ‘Hog’ is a nickname given to one of Wisconsin’s most famous industrial products, the Harley-Davidson motorcycle – hence Hogslayer, the Norton-powered slayer of Harleys on dragstrips across America.   On temporary release from its static spot in the museum, Hogslayer is being prepared for action once more. At Dragstalgia, the bark of twin Nortons on nitro will resound across the countryside for the first time in half a century.   Dragstalgia 2024 takes place at Santa Pod Raceway, near Wellingborough NN29 7XA, from Friday 5^th to Sunday 7^th July. For full event information and to book tickets, visit  https://santapod.co.uk/dragstalgia.php or telephone 01234 782828. As ever, access to the pits is free for a close-up view of Dragstalgia’s unparalleled array of historic racing machinery.   Photos attached:

1. Allard Chrysler, plus restoration crew – 2012.
2. Mooneyes.
3. Dos Palmas.
4. Hogslayer – TC Christenson – 1975.

The Greatest Show on Dirt makes its first 2024 Oklahoma and Kansas stopsMUSKOGEE, OK (March 26, 2024) – Oklahoma and Kansas will welcome The Greatest Show on Dirt this weekend for two nights in the country’s heartland.First up is the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series’ debut at Thunderbird Speedway (Muskogee, OK) on Friday, March 29. The half mile will become the seventh “Sooner State” track visited by the World of Outlaws. Then, Kansas’ 81 Speedway (Wichita, KS) awaits to host the Series for the 15th time on Saturday.The 2024 campaign has already been full of action in 2024, and this weekend promises to deliver more of the same. The World of Outlaws roll into the weekend with a tie atop the standings, no repeat winners, and many more storylines that have set the stage for another can’t-miss two nights of racing.BUY THUNDERBIRD TICKETS HERE BUY 81 TICKETS HEREWATCH LIVE ON DIRTVisionLet’s take a look at the weekend’s top storylines:THE VERGE OF HISTORY: The World of Outlaws have seen historic parity so far in 2024. The first eight races have yielded eight different winners, which ties the record for the most first established in 2015. That means the stage is set for Thunderbird Speedway to potentially reach a new mark of nine. The first name that sticks out this year on the list of those without a win is Logan Schuchart. He and Shark Racing currently reside fourth in points with a 6.38 average finish. Schuchart is the owner of 41 career Series victories.A pair of Series rookies – Michael “Buddy” Kofoid and Bill Balog – are also potential candidates to push the streak to nine. Balog has posted finishes of 10th, a pair of eighths, and fourth over the last four Features. Kofoid enters the weekend on a roll of three consecutive top 10s.KNOTTED UP: Last week, David Gravel surrendered the points lead to Giovanni Scelzi as “Hot Sauce” took the top spot for the first time in his career. But Gravel rebounded with a runner-up at Kennedale while Scelzi came home 10th, leaving them tied atop the standings. Gravel owns six top fives in eight races this season while Scelzi is still yet to miss the top 10.Now each head to Thunderbird and 81 looking to regain control. Neither has Thunderbird experience, but both have turned laps at the Kansas oval.Gravel has twice taken on 81 Speedway, and twice he’s landed on the podium. The Watertown, CT native drove from seventh to third in 2017. When the Series returned last year, he completed the top three again aboard the Big Game Motorsports #2.Scelzi also owns a pair of starts at the 3/8-mile. First, he finished 17th aboard his family’s car during a 2020 All-Start Circuit of Champions race. Then, last year, the 22-year-old came home sixth with KCP Racing.ONE WICHITA WINNER: There’s only one full-time 2024 World of Outlaws driver with an 81 Speedway win with the Series, and it’s the 10-time champion – Donny Schatz. In fact, he’s visited 81 Victory Lane twice.Schatz’s first 81 victory came in 2006 on his way to his first title. An 11-year absence from the track followed before Schatz won The Greatest Show on Dirt’s return in 2017 on the path to his ninth championship. If Schatz can win on Saturday at 81, it would be his 14th victory in the state of Kansas and break a tie with Sammy Swindell for the most all-time in the “Sunflower State.”The Fargo, ND driver is off to a strong start to 2024 as he pursues an 11th championship. A win, three top fives, and zero finishes outside the top 10 have slotted him third in points, trailing Gravel and Scelzi by only 16 markers.MACEDO’S MOMENTUM: The slow start to 2024 feels long gone for Carson Macedo and Jason Johnson Racing.There’s been no driver on the tour hotter than the Lemoore, CA gasser in recent weeks. The last four races have seen Macedo drive the #41 to a Kennedale win, three podiums, and a 3.5 average finish. He had fallen behind the top spot in the standings by as many as 84 points early in the season and has trimmed the gap to 64 in only four races.Recent history suggests Macedo could be in the hunt for the Thunderbird checkered flag. He doesn’t have any laps at the half mile like many others, but he’s won the two most recent track debuts with the World of Outlaws – Kennedale this past weekend and Ogilvie in 2023. Macedo’s lone 81 appearance resulted in a runner-up (2023).SOONER STRENGTH: Oklahoma has supplied its fair share of talent to the Sprint Car landscape. The state has provided eight different World of Outlaws winners totaling 179 triumphs. And some of the current crop of Sooners will be looking to contribute to the state’s success on home turf at Thunderbird.Oklahoma City’s Ryan Timms stands out as a candidate for a good run and potentially his first career World of Outlaws win. The talented teenager is fresh off an impressive sixth place run at Kennedale on a night he climbed as high as third.2020 World of Outlaws Rookie of the Year – Wayne Johnson – is a former Thunderbird winner, topping an American Sprint Car Series (ASCS) race back in 2000. He also finished fourth in an ASCS Sooner Region race there last year.Noah Gass is expected to make his 2024 World of Outlaws season debut at Thunderbird. The Mounds, OK native with two years of full-time experience on the tour is already a winner in 2024 with an ASCS Elite Outlaw victory at Hunt County Raceway under his belt.Another driver planning to make his season debut is Sapulpa’s Blake Hahn. Last year, Hahn drove from 12th to third for an ASCS Sooner Region podium at Thunderbird. The two-time ASCS champion also displayed some prowess in a 410 last season by picking up his first two World of Outlaws top 10s.THIS WEEKEND AT A GLANCEWHEN AND WHERE Friday, March 29 at Thunderbird Speedway in Muskogee, OK Saturday, March 30 at 81 Speedway in Wichita, KSON THE INTERNETWorld of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series X – @WorldofOutlaws Instagram – @WoOSprint Facebook – Facebook.com/WorldofOutlawsSprintCarSeries YouTube – Youtube.com/WorldofOutlaws DIRTVision – DIRTVision.com – Platinum annual FAST PASS for $299 or monthly FAST PASS for $39/monthCURRENT CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS (8/83 Races):1. Giovanni Scelzi – KCP Racing #18 (1126 PTS) 2. David Gravel – Big Game Motorsports #2 (1126 PTS) 3. Donny Schatz – Tony Stewart/Curb Agajanian Racing #15 (-16 PTS) 4. Logan Schuchart – Shark Racing #1S (-28 PTS) 5. Carson Macedo – Jason Johnson Racing #41 (-64 PTS) 6. Sheldon Haudenschild – Stenhouse Jr.-Marshall Racing #17 (-112 PTS) 7. Michael Kofoid – Roth Motorsports #83 (-122 PTS) 8. Bill Balog – B Squared Motorsports #17B (-128 PTS) 9. Brent Marks – Murray Marks Motorsports #19 (-166 PTS) 10. Brock Zearfoss – Brock Zearfoss Racing #3Z (-180 PTS)NOS ENERGY DRINK FEATURE WINNERS (8 Drivers): 1 Win – Brad Sweet, David Gravel, Tyler Courtney, Sheldon Haudenschild, Donny Schatz, Brent Marks, Giovanni Scelzi, Carson MacedoFEATURE LAPS LED (11 Drivers):55 Laps – Carson Macedo 40 Laps – Giovanni Scelzi 25 Laps – Brad Sweet, David Gravel 24 Laps – Rico Abreu 14 Laps – Sheldon Haudenschild 13 Laps – Anthony Macri, Michael Kofoid 12 Laps – Donny Schatz 3 Laps – Brent Marks 1 Lap – Tyler Courtney SIMPSON PERFORMANCE PRODUCTS QUICKTIME AWARDS (7 Drivers):2 Quick Times – Brent Marks 1 Quick Time – Landon Crawley, Brian Brown, Michael Kofoid, Aaron Reutzel, Giovanni Scelzi, Carson MacedoHEAT RACE WINNERS (16 Drivers): 4 Heat Wins – Brent Marks 3 Heat Wins – Rico Abreu, Sheldon Haudenschild 2 Heat Wins – Giovanni Scelzi, Tyler Courtney, David Gravel, Michael Kofoid 1 Heat Win – Corey Day, Justin Peck, Brian Brown, Bill Balog, Sam Hafertepe Jr., Brock Zearfoss, Logan Schuchart, Bill Rose, Carson MacedoTOYOTA DASH APPEARANCES (23 Drivers):7 Dashes – Giovanni Scelzi 5 Dashes – David Gravel, Brent Marks 4 Dashes – Rico Abreu, Sheldon Haudenschild 3 Dashes – Tyler Courtney, Brian Brown, Landon Crawley, Carson Macedo, Bill Balog 2 Dashes – Brad Sweet, Buddy Kofoid, Donny Schatz, Logan Schuchart 1 Dash – Anthony Macri, Justin Peck, Zeb Wise, Corey Day, Sam Hafertepe Jr., Brock Zearfoss, Bill Rose, Aaron Reutzel, Ryan TimmsMICROLITE LAST CHANCE SHOWDOWN WINS (5 Drivers):1 LCS – Austin McCarl, Bill Balog, Corey Day, Kasey Kahne, Koty AdamsKSE HARD CHARGER AWARDS (6 Drivers):2 Hard Chargers – Carson Macedo, Logan Schuchart 1 Hard Charger – Donny Schatz, Aaron Reutzel, Jace Park, Sam Hafertepe Jr.PODIUM FINISHES (12 Drivers):3 Podiums – Brad Sweet, Carson Macedo, David Gravel 2 Podiums – Tyler Courtney, Rico Abreu, Sheldon Haudenschild, Donny Schatz, Giovanni Scelzi, Brent Marks 1 Podium – Justin Peck, Anthony Macri, Aaron ReutzelTOP 10 FINISHES (25 Drivers): 8 Top 10s – Donny Schatz, Gio Scelzi 7 Top 10s – David Gravel, Logan Schuchart 5 Top 10s – Bill Balog, Brent Marks, Buddy Kofoid 4 Top 10s – Tyler Courtney, Sheldon Haudenschild, Carson Macedo 3 Top 10s – Anthony Macri, Brad Sweet, Rico Abreu 2 Top 10s – Brian Brown, Aaron Reutzel, 1 Top 10 – Justin Peck, Kasey Kahne, Sam Hafertepe Jr., Zeb Wise, Corey Day, Cory Eliason, Landon Crawley, Brock Zearfoss, Jacob Allen, Ryan Timms2024 WORLD OF OUTLAWS SPRINT CAR SCHEDULE & WINNERS:No. / Day, Date / Track / Location / Winner (Total Wins)1. Wed, Feb 7 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / Brad Sweet (1) 2. Thurs, Feb 8 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / David Gravel (1) 3. Fri, Feb 9 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / Tyler Courtney (1) 4. Sat, Feb 10 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / Sheldon Haudenschild (1) 5. Mon, March 4 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / Donny Schatz (1) 6. Fri, March 15 / Cotton Bowl Speedway / Paige, TX / Brent Marks (1) 7. Sat, March 16 / Cotton Bowl Speedway / Paige, TX / Giovanni Scelzi (1) 8. Sat, March 23 / Kennedale Speedway Park / Kennedale, TX / Carson Macedo (1)For the full 2024 World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car schedule, CLICK HERE

POUGHKEEPSIE, NY (March 24, 2024) – It’s generally great to be the race leader – except perhaps not when that means you are the first to happen on a freshly laid oil slick. That was the fate of defending race and series champion Chris Dyson and his #16 GYM WEED Ford Mustang in this weekend’s second round of the 2024 Trans Am Championship by Pirelli, spinning off the track after leading from the pole the first 25 miles of the 100-mle sprint. Dyson, who had started from pole position, battled back from deep in the pack before finishing second to his friend Adam Andretti by 0.159 seconds, one of the closest finishes in the 58-year history of America’s longest-running sedan road-racing series. “We just ran out of laps,” Dyson said following the end of the race, who said he’d been hoping a second yellow flag would help him catch the leader. But that didn’t happen and Dyson had to overcome the deficit on pure driving. “I had to run the car hard, but still make sure I’d have life left in the tires for the last few laps of the race.” In his march back to the front of the field Dyson engaged in some furious battles with other full-time competitors around the sweeping and staggeringly fast Georgia circuit.   “Did I lose a little time coming through? Yes, probably five or six seconds,” he said. “But I have no complaint,” Dyson said. “We were racing for position and for championship points. They were tough but fair. Our cars never touched.” At the winners circle Dyson offered his best wishes to Andretti. “Congratulations to Adam. We’ve been friends for a long time. This is a fine and well-deserved win for a great guy. And for his team owner, Claudio Burtin, who has always been a great supporter of the TA category. To win a race with your own car – hats off to Burtin Racing for achieving that.” Dyson noted the importance of a good finish at Road Atlanta after being eliminated in the first turn of the season-opening race at Sebring last month. “Adam and I both had disappointing races at Sebring. This gets us both into the thick of the championship battle after Paul Menard and Wally Dallenbach, who finished first and second at Sebring, had mechanical problems here. Over the course of a season everyone tends to get their share of good luck and bad. This is going to be another very competitive and memorable season.”  Next Up:  The Trans Am Series’ next event is at NOLA Motorsports Park in metropolitan New Orleans. Dyson is the defending race winner and the CD Racing team did pre-season testing there while developing the current #16 GYM WEED Ford Mustang. Road Atlanta Rebroadcast Schedule In addition to the livestream, 60-minute feature produced by Greenlight TV will be broadcast the following Thursday at 9:00 p.m. ET to MAVTV’s 22 million North American linear households and 175 million connected devices.

CHILLICOTHE, OH (March 24, 2024) – Jonathan Davenport was the driver to beat on Sunday night at Atomic Speedway as he made a clean sweep of the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series program. Davenport set the overall fastest time in Allstar Performance Time Trials, won his heat race to earn the Victory Fuel pole, and topped it off by winning the Buckeye Spring 50 to earn the $12,000 top prize.  Davenport’s second win of the season broke a streak of 10 straight Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series races that saw 10 different winners. The three-time champion earned his 76th win with the series. Mike Marlar was the only other driver to lead laps in the main event as he held the point for laps 15 and 16 after taking over the lead from Davenport, who had led the first 13 circuits of the race. But Marlar’s top spot was short-lived as Davenport made a daring move coming off turn two on lap 17 to retake the lead which he held to the finish. Marlar came home in second with Devin Moran, the previous night’s winner at Brownstown coming from the 11th starting spot to round out the Big River Steel Podium in third. Jimmy Owens, who holds the late model track record at Atomic was fourth, with Bobby Pierce completing the top five drivers. Davenport picked a fine time to turn around his weekend after finishing 15th at Brownstown on Saturday night. “Anytime you can set fast time, win your heat, and win the feature you know it just caps off the whole night. Mikey [Marlar], he run me pretty hard through lapped traffic and man there was one time when lapped cars got together and I had to squeeze between them and the wall; man, that was really close right there, but it was a lot of fun,” said the Blairsville, Georgia driver. “There were some timely cautions for sure. I didn’t know to be down on this end [turn four] early. I thought through the middle would be best, but I kept trying to move my line and I could never really get off the throttle like I needed to. I was moving around a little bit in one and two, but not much because there is so much banking down there, but I started coming off of it earlier and that helped me,” Davenport added. Marlar, coming off a third-place finish at Brownstown the night before, improved one spot in the finishing order at Atomic. “When I got the lead, when Davenport got bunched up there in traffic and slid up a little bit and I got him and when he entered down here in one I thought I could enter below the lapped car and just be half on him on exit nobody was going to go around me. I went in there and got free and I let Jonathan have enough room behind that lapped car to come back in front of me. That was a big mistake on my end, but you know it’s hard racing and it’s fun and me and him had a heck of a race.” Moran, who picked up his first series win of the season the night before, was looking for a clean sweep of the weekend but came up short in doing so in his home state despite a valiant effort from the inside of row number six. “This place you just can’t pass a car one lap it takes a couple of laps to maneuver around someone. Charlie Vest [Atomic promoter] and them guys done a great job with the track. I thought we were going to be in trouble when they went out and watered it a little bit, but it really made a good race out of it. I just needed to qualify better tonight. We were pretty limited on tire selection tonight, so everyone was pretty much on the same stuff. I wish we could have started a little further up front. If that caution hadn’t come out in the heat and I beat Ricky [Thornton Jr.] we might have had a chance in the feature.”  The winner’s Lance and Darla Landers, Double L Motorsports, Longhorn Chassis is powered by a Clements Racing Engine and sponsored by Nutrien Ag Solutions, Dyna Gro Seed, Lucas Oil Products, Bilstein Shocks, ASC Warranty, Mark Martin Automotive, Mega Plumbing of the Carolinas, and VP Fuels. Completing the top ten were Tim McCreadie, Nick Hoffman, Ricky Thornton Jr., Max Blair, and Garrett Alberson. Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Race Summary Buckeye Spring 50Sunday, March 24, 2024Atomic Speedway – Chillicothe, OH Allstar Performance Time TrialsFast Time Group A: Jonathan Davenport | 13.054 seconds (overall)Fast Time Group B: Jimmy Owens | 13.120 seconds  Penske Shocks Heat Race #1 Finish (8 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 49-Jonathan Davenport[1]; 2. 9-Nick Hoffman[2]; 3. 1T-Tyler Erb[7]; 4. 19M-Spencer Hughes[3]; 5. 111-Max Blair[5]; 6. 93F-Carson Ferguson[4]; 7. 7-Ross Robinson[8]; 8. 58-Garrett Alberson[6]; 9. 17SS-Brenden Smith[9]; 10. 2*-Logan Hitt[10]; 11. 43-Dustin Sprouse[11] Summit Racing Products Heat Race #2 Finish (8 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 32P-Bobby Pierce[1]; 2. 20RT-Ricky Thornton Jr[2]; 3. 99-Devin Moran[3]; 4. B5-Brandon Sheppard[5]; 5. 25-Tony Jackson Jr[4]; 6. 6-Clay Harris[7]; 7. 75-Daniel Adam[6]; 8. S21-Seth Daniels[8]; 9. 43S-Derrick Stewart[10]; 10. 00-Justin Cooper[9] Earnhardt Technologies Heat Race #3 Finish (8 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 20-Jimmy Owens[1]; 2. 1-Tim McCreadie[2]; 3. 10-Garrett Smith[4]; 4. 11R-Josh Rice[5]; 5. 28C-Tyler Carpenter[6]; 6. 7T-Drake Troutman[3]; 7. 99B-Boom Briggs[11]; 8. 8-Dillon McCowan[7]; 9. 47W-Brandon Weigle[9]; 10. 4T-Tripp Gerrald[8]; 11. (DNS) C4-Freddie Carpenter Simpson Race Products Heat Race #4 Finish (8 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 157-Mike Marlar[2]; 2. 71-Hudson O’Neal[1]; 3. 18D-Daulton Wilson[4]; 4. 3S-Brian Shirley[5]; 5. 68-Adam Stricker[3]; 6. 28-Dennis Erb Jr[6]; 7. 71C-RJ Conley[9]; 8. 93-Cory Lawler[8]; 9. 57-Caiden Black[7]; 10. 43M-Mike Sprouse[10] Fast Shafts B-Main Race #1 Finish (10 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 111-Max Blair[1]; 2. 93F-Carson Ferguson[3]; 3. 25-Tony Jackson Jr[2]; 4. 58-Garrett Alberson[7]; 5. 7-Ross Robinson[5]; 6. 6-Clay Harris[4]; 7. 17SS-Brenden Smith[9]; 8. 43S-Derrick Stewart[10]; 9. 75-Daniel Adam[6]; 10. S21-Seth Daniels[8]; 11. 00-Justin Cooper[12]; 12. (DNS) 2*-Logan Hitt; 13. (DNS) 43-Dustin Sprouse UNOH B-Main Race #2 Finish (10 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 7T-Drake Troutman[3]; 2. 68-Adam Stricker[2]; 3. 28-Dennis Erb Jr[4]; 4. 71C-RJ Conley[6]; 5. 99B-Boom Briggs[5]; 6. 8-Dillon McCowan[7]; 7. 57-Caiden Black[10]; 8. 93-Cory Lawler[8]; 9. 47W-Brandon Weigle[9]; 10. 28C-Tyler Carpenter[1]; 11. (DNS) 4T-Tripp Gerrald; 12. (DNS) 43M-Mike Sprouse; 13. (DNS) C4-Freddie Carpenter Buckeye Spring 50 Feature Finish (50 Laps):

Race Statistics  Entrants: 42Victory Fuel Pole Sitter: Jonathan DavenportLap Leaders: Jonathan Davenport (Laps 1-14); Mike Marlar (Laps 15-16); Jonathan Davenport (Laps 17-50)Wieland Feature Winner: Jonathan DavenportArizona Sport Shirts Crown Jewel Cup Feature Winner: n/aBrandon Ford TV Challenge Feature Winner: n/aMargin of Victory: 0.620 seconds Dave Warren Powersports Cautions: Dennis Erb, Jr. (Lap 3); Drake Troutman (Lap 7); Boom Briggs (Lap 17); Josh Rice (Lap 21); Josh Rice (Lap 30)Series Provisionals: Garrett Alberson; Ross RobinsonFast Time Provisional: n/aSeries Emergency Provisionals: Boom Briggs; Brenden Smith; Cory Lawler; Daniel AdamTrack Provisional: RJ ConleyBig River Steel Podium Top 3: Jonathan Davenport, Mike Marlar, Devin MoranPenske Shocks Top 5: Jonathan Davenport, Mike Marlar, Devin Moran, Jimmy Owens, Bobby PierceTodd Steel Buildings Hard Charger of the Race: Garrett Alberson (Advanced 13 Positions) Wilwood Brakes Lucky 7th Place Feature: Nick HoffmanDeatherage Opticians Lucky 13th Place Feature: Tyler ErbMD3 Most Laps Led: Jonathan Davenport (48 Laps) Sunoco Race for Gas Highest Finisher: Jimmy OwensMidwest Sheet Metal Spoiler Challenge Point Leader: Ricky Thornton, Jr.O’Reilly Auto Parts Rookie of the Race: n/a Coltman Farms Fastest Lap of the Race: Jonathan Davenport (Lap 2  – 14.137 seconds) Slicker Graphics Slickest Move of the Race: Jonathan DavenportMiller Welders Hard Luck Award: Drake TroutmanOuterwears Crew Chief of the Race: Cory Fostvedt (Jonathan Davenport)ARP Engine Builder of the Race: Clements Racing EnginesMiller Welders Chassis Builder of the Race: Longhorn ChassisDirt Draft Fastest in Hot Laps: Jonathan Davenport (12.9381 seconds)Time of Race: 28 minutes 46 seconds  Big River Steel Chase for the Championship Presented by ARP Point Standings:

Force is seeking 8th Winternationals title; race to resume in Phoenix in 2 weeks

POMONA, Calif. (March 24, 2024) – Rain prevented John Force, the winningest driver in NHRA history, from potentially earning his first win in nearly two years during final eliminations of Sunday’s Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals at In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip. As a result, Force will have to wait two weeks before the final round of the Winternationals’ Funny Car competition – Force vs. longtime rival Matt Hagan – will resume as part of the next race weekend, April 5-7, at Firebird Motorsports Park in suburban Phoenix, Ariz. While a win is not guaranteed to Force, odds are in his favor: he is an undefeated 4-0 in all Winternationals meetings with Hagan (regardless of which round). The winner of a record 16 NHRA Funny Car championships, Force last won a national event on May 1, 2022, at zMAX Dragway in Charlotte, N.C. He made two final round appearances last season, but finished runner-up each time. Had Sunday’s rain held off and he would have defeated Hagan, the 74-year-old Force would have earned a record eighth Winternationals victory, and the 267th final round (his overall record is now 155-111) appearance of his storied career. The weekend didn’t get off to a great start for the driver of the PEAK Antifreeze & Coolant Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car. His solo qualifying effort Friday was disallowed after his car crossed the center line. Force then bounced back to qualify No. 6 in Saturday’s rain-shortened session (it was supposed to be two rounds, but steady rain in the morning and early afternoon shortened the schedule to just one qualifying attempt that day). Force got off to a great start in Sunday’s first round of eliminations with a run of 3.959 seconds at 324.12 mph, easily outdistancing opponent Jim Campbell (7.842 seconds at 83.03 mph). Force kept things going in the second round with another easy victory (4.016 seconds/302.14 mph) over Bobby Bode (4.550 seconds/190.89 mph). In the semifinals, Force maintained his career supremacy against Ron Capps, now having a 69-55 lead over Capps in head-to-head meetings. Force (3.922 seconds at 327.74 mph) went straight down the middle of the dragstrip, while Capps (8.390 seconds at 95.83 mph) lost traction early on in the run and was unable to recover. Force took time out to applaud Capps, who had said on the TV broadcast following his previous run about how much he missed John Force Racing president and three-time Funny Car champ Robert Hight not being at the race. Hight is taking time off to address personal medical issues. “One of the things that was really impressive today was after Capps won the round before when he beat (JFR driver) Austin Prock, he got out and talked about Robert and how much he hated Robert not being here,” Force said. “I thought that was very classy. I’ve always liked Capps but it made me like him even more. Drag racers care about each other and that’s what I like about this sport.” Then came time for the ultimately washed out final round. Force was eager to face reigning and four-time Funny Car champion Hagan. “I’ve got a real good hot rod,” Force said. “I think we’re on to something and I’m excited about it. I’ve done well at Phoenix over the years. I love racing Hagan, he’s a great racer and a great champion.” Force can’t wait to get to Phoenix – and hopefully earn win No. 156. “It was a good weekend, I’ve got a good hot rod that excites me, wish we could have got it done,” Force said. “We’ll see what happens in Phoenix.” *******************************In Top Fuel, No. 1 qualifier Brittany Force, John Force’s daughter, fell short of checking off one of the top items on her bucket list – a Winternationals win – losing in the semifinals to Justin Ashley. Force lost traction about one-third of the way down the dragstrip, ending with a run of 4.626 seconds at 216.13 mph, while Ashley had a run of 4.190 seconds at 296.63 mph.A two-time NHRA Top Fuel champion (2017 and 2022), Force on Saturday recorded her first No. 1 qualifying effort since Denver last summer and the 47th of her career. It was also her fourth No. 1 qualifying effort at the Winternationals. Driving the Mark Christopher Auto Center Chevrolet/Monster Energy Top Fuel dragster, Force had a fairly easy go of it in the first two rounds of Sunday’s eliminations. Because only 15 dragsters entered the event, Force had a solo run in the first round (3.714 seconds at a very stout 336.91 mph) by virtue of earning No. 1 qualifier honors on Saturday.  Then in the second round, Force had another solo run of sorts. Her scheduled opponent, Clay Millican, broke at the starting line and was unable to make a run. Force, meanwhile, covered the 1,000-foot in 3.723 seconds at 333.99 mph. But Force’s bid for her first-ever win in the Winternationals was abruptly stopped in the semifinals by Ashley. “Overall, I think we’ve had a very good weekend,” the younger Force said. “This (crew chief) David Grubnic team and this Mark Christopher Chevrolet car ran consistently all weekend long. We made a semifinal round appearance, and looking back at last season, we’re off to a really good start. “This pumps us all up. Now that we have this momentum that we’re qualifying well and going rounds, it just gets us pumped up for Phoenix.” ******************************* The third John Force Racing driver, Austin Prock, saw the outstanding streak of runs in his first two races come to a halt. Prock won his first-ever race in a Funny Car last month in an exhibition event in Bradenton, Fla., and then in his first official NHRA national event, the season-opening Gatornationals in Gainesville, Fla., two weeks ago, he was runner-up. He also was No. 1 qualifier in both events. But not so in Sunday’s eliminations. Prock, who qualified 15th, exited in the first round after his Automobile Club of Southern California/Cornwell Tools Chevrolet Camaro SS lost traction (4.138 seconds at 236.22 mph), losing to Capps (3.891 seconds/328.86 mph). “It’s drag racing,” a disappointed Prock said. “Obviously, it’s frustrating. My guys did a great job. The thing was truckin’. “I had my hands full. We’ll get ‘em next weekend. Nothing to hang our heads about. It’s early in the season, I’m learning and just getting it dialed in in different conditions. I’m sure we’ll be strong in Phoenix.” Prock then added, “It really was an honor driving this Auto Club of Southern California Camaro this weekend. I’ve cheered this car on my whole life and it was pretty damn cool sitting in the seat of it.” ******************************* Both John and Brittany Force, by respectively reaching at least the semi-final in their classes Sunday, are eligible for the next session of the Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge, which will take place in conjunction with qualifying at the next NHRA national event, the Arizona Nationals. The Mission Foods NHRA Drag Racing Series continues next with back-to-back events: the Arizona Nationals, April 5-7 at Firebird Motorsports Park in Chandler, Ariz.; and the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals, April 12-14 at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in Las Vegas, Nev. #2024ORCE

March 24, 2024

Harrison Burton and the No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Mustang Dark Horse finished 31^st in Sunday’s Echopark Automotive Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas.

Burton started Sunday’s 68-lap race over the 20-turn road course from 29^th place. An early spin dropped him to 36^th place. The team made its first pit stop at Lap 10 and ended the first 15-lap Stage in 33^rd place.

After a pit stop on Lap 25, Burton ended Stage Two in 32^nd place.

The third and final Stage initially looked much more promising for the Motorcraft/Quick Lane team as Burton, having made his stop before the end of the previous Stage, moved into the top 20 when racing resumed following the Stage break.

Burton pitted from 27^th place at Lap 42 then moved into the top 25 just past the 50-lap mark and ran there until a pit stop for fuel at Lap 58 dropped him out of the top 30. There were no caution flags in the race other than for the Stage breaks.

Next up for Burton and the Wood Brothers team is a 400-lapper next Sunday at Richmond Raceway.

 

Austin Dillon and the No. 3 Get Bioethanol Chevrolet Team Earn Stage Points in Hard-Fought Circuit of the Americas Race

26th

21st

30th

“Despite our best efforts, the No. 3 Get Bioethanol Chevrolet team didn’t get the finish we wanted at the Circuit of the Americas today. We earned fifth-place stage points in the first stage, but then had to come from the rear to start Stage 2. It’s tough to do that. We ended up with damage to the front end of our Chevy, and we just never really recovered from that. We got spun and then had to save fuel that last run. We have to figure out what we could have done better in order to be in position to go hard during the last run of the race. Thank you to the RCR team for never giving up. We’ll just keep plugging along.”  -Austin Dillon

Kyle Busch Scores Ninth-Place Finish in Mark III Employee Benefits Chevrolet at Circuit of the Americas

9th

16th

13th

“We had a good finish today in the Mark III Employee Benefits Chevrolet and our guys on pit road were consistent all day. Early in the race, we were loose and losing a lot of grip on the long run. We worked our way into the top-five early in Stage 2 when we got spun out and lost a lot of track position, which put us behind. Crew chief Randall Burnett all the guys on the No. 8 team made great calls, especially on fuel mileage at the end of the race. Hopefully, this gets us back on track.”  -Kyle Busch

NASCAR CUP SERIES CIRCUIT OF THE AMERICAS ECHO PARK AUTOMOTIVE GRAND PRIX TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE REPORT MARCH 24, 2024

Chevrolet’s Fourth NCS Win of 2024

·       William Byron and the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Camaro ZL1 team delivered a powerhouse performance at Circuit of The Americas – driving Chevrolet to the victory in the NASCAR Cup Series’ first road course race of the 2024 season.  ·       Byron proved to be a contender throughout the weekend – earning the pole position, points in both stages and leading a race high 42 laps en route to his second win of the season in NASCAR’s top division.  ·       The victory is Byron’s second career NASCAR Cup Series victory on a road course, taking the 26-year-old Charlotte, North Carolina, native to his 12th career triumph in NASCAR’s top division.  ·       The feat marks Chevrolet’s third victory in four NASCAR Cup Series races at Circuit of The Americas, with Byron becoming the third different Chevrolet driver to tally a victory at the 3.41-mile Texas circuit.  ·       Byron’s triumph marks Chevrolet’s 18th victory in the past 23 NASCAR Cup Series road course events – eight of which have come in the Next Gen Camaro ZL1.  ·       Five drivers from four different Chevrolet teams posted top-10 results at Circuit of The Americas, with Byron leading Hendrick Motorsports’ Alex Bowman in fourth; Kaulig Racing’s AJ Allmendinger in sixth; Trackhouse Racing’s Ross Chastain in seventh; and Richard Childress Racing’s Kyle Busch in ninth.  ·       The victory is Chevrolet’s fourth NASCAR Cup Series win of 2024, with Byron becoming the series’ first repeat winner of the season.

TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL TOP-10:  POS.   DRIVER1st William Byron, No. 24 RaptorTough.com Camaro ZL14th Alex Bowman, No. 48 Ally Camaro ZL16th AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 LeafFilter Gutter Protection Camaro ZL17th Ross Chastain, No. 1 Worldwide Express Camaro ZL19th Kyle Busch, No. 8 Mark III Employee Benefits Camaro ZL1

Up Next: The 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season continues at Richmond Raceway with the Toyota Owners 400 on Sunday, March 31, at 7 P.M. ET. Live coverage can be found on FOX, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE QUOTES:William Byron, No. 24 RaptorTough.com Camaro ZL1Finished: 1stCONGRATULATIONS ON THE FLAMES YOU LEFT HERE ON YOUR BURNOUT. “Oh yeah, it was fun for sure. I wasn’t quite sure what to do with a long front straightaway like this, but just super thankful for this team. Rudy, all the guys on this race team – it’s pretty amazing what we have been able to do the last couple of years, but we just have to keep working hard and keep it going. Nothing is guaranteed in this sport, and we just have to keep it going.” WHAT WAS THAT LAST RUN LIKE FOR YOU WHEN YOU KNEW GUYS WERE CHASING YOU AND ESPECIALLY WITH CHRISTOPHER BELL CLOSING IN?“Yeah, he was really fast at the end. The Toyotas had the long run speed kind of all weekend, so for us, it was just trying to get a gap on the short run; manage our tires and just kind of keep our car in a good spot. I definitely gave up a lot of time the last five laps, so we still have work to do.” WHEN YOU STARTED IN THIS SPORT, DID YOU THINK AT THIS POINT OF YOUR CAREER YOU WOULD ALREADY HAVE TWO ROAD COURSE WINS?“No, honestly the road courses were probably the most difficult thing for us starting out and then we just continued to build on it. We had a lot of pole positions on road courses, but we weren’t able to close the deal. A lot of that was on me and knowing what I need in the car to push the whole race. It’s come a long way.” Alex Bowman, No. 48 Ally Camaro ZL1Finished: 4th YOU LOOK A LITTLE WORN OUT.. NO NATURAL CAUTIONS TODAY. HOW MUCH DID YOU HAVE TO MANAGE IN THE CAR?“I wouldn’t say I am worn out; I am just bummed. Probably just got stuck out in traffic after our last pit stop. It was a bad spot that I had to run too hard on low air and beat the rear tires up. Kind of inched in on William (Byron) for a bit, but then the rear tires just went away. Yeah, definitely had to manage it some. Definitely some tire fall off here.   We had a good Ally Camaro, we just needed to hold on to rear grip longer. It’s been the same since we unloaded and we definitely made it better, but still kind of fighting the same thing. Blake and the guys called a good race. We had a good day, just sucks to come up a couple short again.” AJ Allmendinger, No. 13 LeafFilter Gutter Protection Camaro ZL1Finished: 6th“It was a really solid day for the No. 16 LeafFilter Gutter Protection Chevy team. We started 14th and got up into the top six or seven. Track position is so critical. On one of the pit stops, we got hung up there and lost about five or six spots, and that kind of put us to the next group of cars. We were able to fight back through that. Just really proud of everybody at Kaulig Racing. Of course you always want to win, but it went about as good as it could.” Ross Chastain, No. 1 Worldwide Express Camaro ZL1Finished: 7th“It was an uneventful day for the No. 1 Worldwide Express Chevy team. We flipped each stage and that kept us up front. When we had the lead, it was the same as all day; just too loose and couldn’t hold William (Byron) off. He was obviously really strong. We made a swing at a big adjustment there at the end on that final green-flag stop and it went the wrong way. It definitely hurt our car. We dropped back a long ways from where we were, but I’m proud of the effort. Proud of the rebound in speed for me and this No. 1 car. My teammates have been really strong at road courses. I’ve been trying for the better part of a year and a half to improve on road courses, and this is a small step in the right direction.”  Austin Dillon, No. 3 Get Bioethanol Camaro ZL1Finished: 26th “The No. 3 Get Bioethanol Chevy team obviously didn’t get the finish that we wanted at COTA. We got fifth-place stage points, and then had to come from the rear. We got damage on the front-end, and we just never really recovered from that. We got spun and then had to save fuel that last run. We have to figure out what we could have done better so we could have gone hard that last run. We’ll just keep plugging along.” 

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (March 24, 2024) – Reigning Mission SuperTwins champion Jared Mees(No. 1 Rogers Racing/SDI Racing/Indian Motorcycle FTR750) turned to his successful ‘23 script, once again rebounding from a quiet season opener with a statement performance in the Yamaha Senoia Short Track at Senoia Raceway in Senoia, Georgia, Round 3 of the 2024 Progressive American Flat Track season, sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing. That said, Sunday’s ride didn’t exactly get underway as he’d originally envisioned. The factory Indian star was involved in a minor pre-race dispute and was forced to line up on the far outside of Row 1 after believing he could select the slot at the bottom. Even if it went against his wishes, the swap either gifted him the ideal position or the motivation required to make it work, as Mees promptly blasted into the lead once the race got underway. Even with the benefit of that prime launch, Dallas Daniels (No. 32 Estenson Racing Yamaha MT-07 DT) was quickly looking for a way by and slid underneath to steal away first less than a minute into the Main Event. But Mees had an answer, reclaiming the position a short two laps later and then went about steadily working his way to what proved to be a 1.591-second margin of victory. Afterward Mees said, “I fast qualified earlier in the day, but I didn’t really feel good. I was making some decent laps but also making a lot of mistakes. In the (Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge), Dallas ate my lunch – I was really worried about him; he and his team were rolling really good. He was really consistent and could get the bike turned, and that’s where I was struggling all day. We made some changes and went a direction we’ve never gone before with some things. And the motorcycle was phenomenal. It turned great and rolled good. Everything I needed it to do all day, it finally came to me.” The fight for third was a hard-fought three-way affair for much of the race, led for a long spell by Johnny Lewis (No. 10 Moto Anatomy X Powered by Royal Enfield 650) with Brandon Robinson(No. 44 Mission Roof Systems Indian FTR750) and Briar Bauman (No. 3 Rick Ware Racing/KTM/Parts Plus KTM 790 Duke) jammed up close behind. Lewis did well to keep Robinson and Bauman corralled behind him for the majority of the contest, but their superior pace ultimately won out – at least once Bauman showed they could tap into the high line to find a path through. Free of the Royal Enfield runner, Robinson then managed to keep two-time champion Bauman at bay by just over a tenth-of-a-second at the flag. Lewis, meanwhile, found himself also overtaken by a charging Jarod Vanderkooi (No. 20 JMC Motorsports/Fairway Ford Ohio Indian FTR750), who secured the final spot in the top five after circulating as low as ninth in the early going. The remainder of the top ten consisted of a pair of premier-class veterans – Brandon Price (No. 92 Memphis Shades/Corbin/OTBR Yamaha MT-07) and Davis Fisher (No. 67 Rackley Racing/Bob Lanphere’s BMC Racing Indian FTR750) – and class rookies – Trevor Brunner (No. 21 Mission Foods/Zanotti Racing KTM 790 Duke) and Max Whale (No. 18 Latus Motors Racing/Liqui Moly Harley-Davidson XG750R). Mees’ triumph elevated him from sixth to third in the points (54), but he continues to trail Daniels (64) and Robinson (61), the duo having upped their respective ‘24 podium streaks to a perfect three for three. Parts Unlimited AFT Singles presented by KICKER Reigning two-time Parts Unlimited AFT Singles presented by KICKER king Kody Kopp (No. 1 Rick Ware Racing/Parts Plus KTM 450 SX-F) continued to build his case as the most accomplished rider in class history, earning a record-tying sixth career Short Track win on Sunday afternoon. While in the end, the victory proved a lonely one, that order first had to be forged in chaos. Former class champion Dalton Gauthier (No. 79 D&D Racing/Certified KTM 450 SX-F) grabbed the holeshot with title fighters Tom Drane (No. 59 Estenson Racing Yamaha YZ450F), Chase Saathoff (No. 88 JPG Motorsports Honda CRF450R), and Kopp running alongside while sorting out second in shadow. In one fell swoop, that fight for second became one for the lead as Drane and Saathoff both went under Gauthier at the same moment Kopp ringed around the outside, all despite no obvious mistake on Gauthier’s part. Kopp continued to work the high line, using it to both overhaul Drane and make his escape in relatively short order. At that point, the top three broke apart, while Gauthier lost one final position to Aiden RoosEvans(No. 26 FRA Trust/ATV’s and More Yamaha YZ450F), who ran just removed from the lead pack for the entirety of the race. “I’m happy to be up here and be able to spin laps like that,” Kopp said. “Hats off to Tom, Chase, and Dalton – those first few laps were chaos. I got a terrible start and tried to roll ‘em around the outside. Huge shout out to my Rick Ware Racing team and everybody that’s behind me. We’re ready to get on a roll now.” 2023 Senoia Short Track podium finisher James Ott (No. 19 1st Impressions Race Team Husqvarna FC450) took sixth, followed by Hunter Bauer (No. 24 Vinson Construction/American Harley-Davidson, Yamaha YZ450F), Trent Lowe (No. 48 American Honda/Mission Foods CRF450R), and Travis Petton IV (No. 82 ECG Racing/A.M Ortega KTM 450 SX-F). The final spot in the top ten was earned by Bradon Pfanders (No. 288 Pfanders Racing/Scott Powersports KTM 450 SX-F), who made an extremely impressive Progressive AFT debut immediately after becoming eligible by turning 16. Kopp already boasts an early 17-point advantage over Gauthier (71-54) with Drane (51) and Saathoff (50) placed third and fourth and desperate to prevent the double defending champ from executing another championship runaway. Next Up: The Progressive American Flat Track tour will compete on a Half-Mile for the first time this season with the Mission Texas Half-Mile presented by Al Lamb’s Dallas Honda and Roof Systems of Dallas at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas, on Saturday, April 27. Please visit https://www.tixr.com/groups/americanflattrack/events/texas-half-mile-86387 to secure your tickets today. For those who can’t catch the action from the circuit, FloRacing is the live streaming home of Progressive AFT. Sign up now and catch every second of on-track action starting with Practice & Qualifying and ending with the Victory Podium at the end of the night at http://flosports.link/aft. FOX Sports coverage of the Yamaha Senoia Short Track, featuring in-depth features and thrilling onboard cameras, will premiere on FS1 on Sunday, March 31, at 12:30 p.m. ET (9:30 a.m. PT). For more information on Progressive AFT visit https://www.americanflattrack.com

POMONA, CA (March 24, 2024) — The focus of the R+L Carriers Top Fuel dragster and driver Josh Hart remains chasing their first NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series world championship after two races in the 2024 season. A quarterfinal finish at the season opening NHRA Gatornationals was followed this weekend by a tough first round exit in a close race with veteran driver Billy Torrence. Hart entered race day as the No. 14 qualifier, but he was undeterred by his qualifying position and knew he could give the No. 3 qualifier a tough first round race.

 Josh Hart and R+L Carriers Top Fuel dragster launch off the starting line at the Winternationals, photo credit Auto Imagery/Gary Nastase

“I knew we didn’t get everything we wanted out of qualifying and we lost one round of the three to rain on Saturday,” said Hart, a two-time Top Fuel national event winner. “I was ready for the first round and I knew (crew chief) Ron (Douglas) and the guys made a lot of adjustments overnight to speed us up. We just had to see what we could do with this R+L Carrier Top Fuel dragster in the first round.”
 
When Hart rolled up alongside Torrence conditions were vastly different than the two previous days with cooler temperatures and a pristine racetrack. Hart got the jump off the starting line with a strong .043 reaction time and his skill off the line had his dragster in great position to pull the upset. At half-track Hart and the R+L Carriers Top Fuel dragster was in the lead, but Torrence was closing the gap. As the finish line closed in Hart’s 12,0000-horsepower land rocket started mixing up cylinders robbing his racecar of power and momentum and Torrence drove around him for the win, 3.716 seconds to 3.903 seconds, which was a much closer race thanks to Hart’s jump off the starting line.
 
“I knew I needed to get a good start off the line and I think I had the second best reaction time of the session,” said Hart. “I couldn’t see him for the longest time, but I saw his nose get out in front right at the finish line. We are going to keep working to get quicker. We are a little behind, but we just need more runs. I am glad we will get to Phoenix and hopefully get all three qualifying runs. That is really what everyone needs and it makes for much better racing.”
 
With one week left in the month of March Josh along with his wife Brittanie leading the charge are working with United with Love food pantry in their hometown of Huntington, Indiana to “Race to Fill the Food Pantry.” Donations made to the during the month of March to United with Love will be matched dollar for dollar up to $10,000 and throughout the month donations have come in from racers, fans and members of the Huntington community.
 
“There was a time when we needed help and we know that places like United with Love and people like Erin and their volunteers are making a difference in people’s lives every day,” said Brittanie Hart. “The Race to Fill the Food Pantry is something we can do this month, but they need assistance and support every month and we want to encourage everyone to get involved if they are able.”
 
Hart and the R+L Carriers Top Fuel team will be back on track at the Arizona Nationals, April 5-7, with one qualifying run on Friday followed by two on Saturday. The team is currently sitting No. 9 in Top Fuel points and will be looking to move up higher in the Top Ten at Firebird Raceway.
 
Fans can get more information on the Arizona Natioanals at www.nhra.com and for more information on United with Love of Huntington County visit https://lovehuntington.org/.
 
Qualifying Results
Q1: 6.118 sec, 107.81 mph; Qual. 12
Q2: 5.395 sec, 109.78 mph; Qual. 14
Bonus Points: 0
 
Race Results
First Round

Billy Torrence, Kilgore, Tex., CAPCO Contractors dragster, (.094), 3.716, 335.98 mph def. Josh Hart, Ocala, Fla., R+L Carriers dragster, (.043), 3.903, 274.61 mph

• Release
• Photos

March 24, 2024 — THERMAL, CA

• Chip Ganassi Racing’s Alex Palou wins the $1 Million Challenge in dominant fashion
• Heat Race 1 winner Felix Rosenqvist finishes third
• Honda powers five of top-six finishers

Reigning and two-time NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion Alex Palou once again took Honda to the top step of the podium in the $1 Million Challenge at The Thermal Club.

Palou controlled the event from lights-to-flag, taking pole for his Heat Race, leading every lap of the second of two heat races as well as every lap of the main event ‘All Star’ race; crossing the finish line with a 5.7929-second margin of victory.

Meyer Shank Racing’s Felix Rosenqvist finished third in his #60 Honda after also starting on pole and taking control of Heat Race 1 to make it to the final.

Honda powered five of the top six finishers on the day, including Colton Herta who drove through the field in the second half of the race after making a concerted effort to save his tires in the first ten laps.  Palou’s Chip Ganassi Racing teammates Marcus Armstrong and Linus Lundqvist finished fifth and sixth respectively in their Honda-powered machines. 

The Thermal $1 Million Challenge Honda Race Results

$1 Million Challenge Final

1st Alex Palou	Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
3rd Felix Rosenqvist	Meyer Shank Racing Honda
4th Colton Herta	Andretti Global Honda
5th Marcus Armstrong	Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
6th Linus Lundqvist-R	Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
9th Christian Lundgaard	Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda
11th Graham Rahal	Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda
12th Pietro Fittipaldi	Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda

Heat 1:

7th Nolan Siegel-R	Dale Coyne Racing Honda
10th Kyle Kirkwood	Andretti Global Honda
12th Scott Dixon	Chip Ganassi Racing Honda

Heat 2

8th Tom Blomqvist-R	Meyer Shank Racing Honda
11th Kyffin Simpson-R	Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
12th Marcus Ericsson	Andretti Global Honda
13th Colin Braun-R	Dale Coyne Racing with RWR Honda

R – Rookie

Quotes
Alex Palou (#10 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda) finished 1st: “What an amazing weekend. Right from the start, we had all the speed we needed from our Honda engine and Chip Ganassi Racing car. The race format was obviously different to our regular championship, so we weren’t sure how [the strategy of] saving tires was going to play out in the final, But with no restarts at the end, everything was amazing!”

Felix Rosenqvist (#60 Meyer Shank Racing Honda) finished 3rd: “A good day here at Thermal, and we leave with some cash in our pockets. That’s good for Meyer Shank Racing, and it’s great to have two Honda boys on the podium here today, and all the Hondas at the front this weekend. Alex [Palou] was kind of untouchable, so I think we finished where we could, to be honest. We weren’t the best on tires, so we kind of had to manage them a bit. But all in all, it’s been a really good start to the season for us.”

Colton Herta (#26 Andretti Global Honda) finished 4th: “Starting deep in the field like we did, we knew the race was going to be a battle, but saving tires for the first half of the final, like we did, seemed to work well for us. And to finish fourth in just a short race was pretty decent. It was a really fair fight with Marcus [Armstrong] for fourth. I felt like we gave each other plenty of racing room.”

David Salters (President, HRC US) on today’s win by Alex Palou and Honda in the non-championship Thermal Club $1 Million Challenge: “It was a good showing for Honda here at Thermal! Five of the top six finishers, so job well done team. Stunning job from Alex [Palou], he really controlled the entire event. And congrats to all of our teams for a strong showing throughout the weekend. On to the next one—a home race for us at the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach. Let’s keep pushing!”

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The NTT INDYCAR SERIES next returns to Southern California for one of the signature events on the 2024 calendar, the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach, on Sunday, April 21.

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CHEVROLET IN NTT INDYCAR SERIES THERMAL $1 MILLION CHALLENGE THERMAL, CALIFORNIA TEAM CHEVY RACE REPORT MARCH 24, 2024 CHEVROLET CAPTURES PODIUM FINISH WITH SCOTT MCLAUGHLIN AND TEAM PENSKE AT THE TRICKY THERMAL CLUB $1 MILLION CHALLENGE Earning Chevrolet a podium finish for the exhibition, non-points event, Scott McLaughlin and the No. 3 XPEL Team Penske Chevrolet team finished second in the $1 Million Challenge at The Thermal Club in Thermal, Calif.With an exciting 20-lap, two-segment All-Star main event, the Bowtie brand was represented by four drivers and teams, with McLaughlin, Team Penske teammate Josef Newgarden, Alexander Rossi of Arrow McLaren, and Agustin Canapino from Juncos Hollinger Racing.Heat 2 saw Rossi transfer to the main event to additionally represent Team Chevy in the main race.  Heat 1 saw Team Penske’s Josef Newgarden and Scott McLaughlin, along with Juncos Hollinger Racing’s Agustin Canapino, transfer to the main event.

THERMAL, Calif. (March 24, 2024) – Proving tricky for Team Chevy, The Thermal Club near Palm Spring, Calif. provided quite the challenge for the NTT INDYCAR SERIES’ $1 Million Challenge exhibition, a non-points-paying All-Star event. Representing Chevrolet in the 20-lap, two-segment feature race, Scott McLaughlin, driver of the No. 3 XPEL Team Penske Chevrolet, finished second and led the four Bowtie-branded drivers that also included Alexander Rossi, driver of the No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet (seventh), McLaughlin’s teammate Josef Newgarden, driver of the No. 2 Hitachi Team Penske Chevrolet (eighth), and Agustin Canapino, driver of the No. 78 Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet (10th). Providing additional challenges for both qualifying Saturday and race day Sunday, the southern California desert dished up substantial wind and dust, forcing drivers to weather the event and showcase their race craft in adverse conditions. “I better put some money up at the bar tonight,” McLaughlin joked. “Our XPEL Chevy. Just didn’t have quite enough for Alex (Palou). Congrats to him and his team. Once you get that clear air, it was good. I thought maybe that first restart would be okay, just to have a bit of a play around and see if we can get him, but ultimately just settled for my pace to make sure we come home in a good spot. I was pumped with my first restart. My first restart was a lot of fun. I got from fourth to second, and that really set up our race.” In Heat 1 which started Sunday morning, McLaughlin helped lead the field to the green flag on the front row in second. With a chaotic first lap that saw an on-track incident involving Rinus VeeKay, driver of the No. 21 askROI Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet, and Romain Grosjean, driver of the No. 77 Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet, the race eventually restarted for 10 laps and drivers settled in. Transferring to the main event from Heat 1 and representing Chevrolet in the 12-lap shootout were McLaughlin, Newgarden, and Canapino.  In an action-packed second heat that saw drivers getting racy on the 3.067-mile, 4.82-kilometer country-club-like course, Rossi was the only driver to transfer after 10 laps to represent Chevrolet in the 20-lap All-Star feature race. With a main event that featured two ten-lap segments with a break between, strategy in the unique event was critically in play, where teams could only refuel and make wicker and wing adjustments to their Indy cars, with no new tires or additional adjustments allowed. With ten laps remaining after the mid-race break, McLaughlin maintained his second-place position and restarted the event near the front, with Newgarden following in fifth, Rossi in eighth, and Canapino in ninth. Before the first lap of the second segment was complete, Rossi and Newgarden gave the crowd a show with an impressive on-track battle, with Rossi moving Newgarden to try and advance. After the 20-lap event, McLaughlin crossed the finish line to claim a podium finish in second for Chevrolet and Team Penske. The NTT INDYCAR SERIES next head to Long Beach, Calif. for the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach, April 19-21, 2024, the long-standing 1.968-mile, 11-turn temporary street circuit on the streets of Long Beach, Calif. Practice kicks off the weekend Friday, with a second practice and qualifying on Saturday. Sunday’s race airs live on USA Network at 3 p.m. ET. All practice and qualifying sessions will broadcast with Peacock, and on both INDYCAR Radio and SiriusXM Channel 160. TEAM CHEVY MAIN EVENT RACE RESULTS:2nd    Scott McLaughlin7th     Alexander Rossi8th     Josef Newgarden10th   Agustin CanapinoWHAT THEY’RE SAYING (Quotes):Josef Newgarden, No. 2 Team Penske Chevrolet:“Just really hard racing there with me and Alex (Rossi) and kind of a microcosm of the two strategies you saw today. We didn’t quite go into the heavy tire conservation mode that he and others did over the first 10 laps before the break. You could tell it benefited him greatly and while the Hitachi Chevy was good today, I was just trying to hold him off. It was a great weekend here at Thermal. They rolled out the red carpet once again, and I think you saw today that this track could put on an entertaining show with more laps, tire degradation and pit strategies.” Will Power, No. 12 Team Penske Chevrolet:“I saw the 77 T-bone someone, and I kind of went to the outside and went to the back. It was very close, very close. I was, man, I actually I was wondering where I was because of how many people that got knocked out (in the Lap 1 incident). If it’s tenths, you could make four up. I made a couple of up and caught up to the group that Colton (Herta) was holding up, but once the tires deg, the track is slippery, there’s not many places that you can make a move. I made two moves through those esses hammering through the two fast corners, and then just throwing up the inside because it’s a pretty wide entry.” Pato O’Ward, No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet:“It was a challenging weekend for us. In terms of testing, we had a pretty phenomenal week. In terms of race format and results, I would call it the Bermuda Triangle of race tracks. That is what my engineer Kate Gundlach said, and I would have to agree. It’s a very temperature-sensitive track, very wind-sensitive, and we were on the wrong side of it in qualifying. That’s something that none of us could have predicted and is probably something that has never been seen before in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES. We’ll learn from it, and we can apply it when we come back next year, but that’s it from us. I’m glad we’re heading to Long Beach; it’s a place that we know. All this work will be for something. I’m looking forward to getting back to our championship.” Callum Ilott, No. 6 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet:“The start today was strong and a bit scrappy, but then I was fighting with (Tom) Blomqvist quite hard. I had some contact with him, but we just didn’t have the pace from there. Pato (O’Ward) and Alexander (Rossi) got past me, and it was just a push to the end. Good job to Alexander (Rossi) to get into the All-Star Race; his team did a solid job.” Alexander Rossi, No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet:“That was pretty anti-climactic. It’s hard to pass around here. The car was good, and we were able to move up from 14th overall to start the day to P7 in the final race. Now we move on to Long Beach.” Santino Ferrucci, No. 14 Chevrolet at AJ Foyt Racing:“It was a solid two-day test for us at AJ Foyt Racing. We learned a lot. We kind of came in on the backfoot from our Barber test. Got the car sorted, and in qualifying, we kind of missed it a little bit. I kind of missed it a little bit. When we started the heat race, and honestly, we were super competitive. We should have transferred. Just got caught out on that Lap 1 incident. Hats off to the boys. Solid three days of work. Looking forward to heading to the hybrid test next week with Chevrolet.” Sting Ray Robb, No. 41 Chevrolet at AJ Foyt Racing:“The start was crazy. For a non-points race, I did not expect that. I was thankful for the free spots even though it’s a sad day for anyone involved in that. The team did a good job this week. It was a long week for a race that I think was consequential to our championship run. We learned a lot and we’ve got some work ahead of us. I’m excited our Pray.com team got to be with us here this week, and kind of got to have a quiet race weekend, which was fun. I’m excited for the next one.” Romain Grosjean, No. 77 Chevrolet at Juncos Hollinger Racing:“I got hit on the braking. I haven’t seen the footage, but I got hit really, really badly in the back and then the car spun. It’s… It’s… Who’s going to pay for the damage? We come here with no points on the line, we do nothing wrong, and the car is completely smashed. What is that? It’s not what I signed in INDYCAR for.” Agustin Canapino, No. 78 Chevrolet at Juncos Hollinger Racing:“It was a good finish in P10. Really, really happy with the progress with this weekend. Honestly, we are improving a lot and we are still in the battle, the top-10. It was our first top-10 in INDYCAR. I am really happy, of course. Unfortunately, from the main race, our car has a big vibration for some reason. I’m not sure what happened there. But anyway, we finished in the battle in the top-10. Thanks to the whole team, and we’ll focus on Long Beach.”

SCOTT MCLAUGHLIN, NO. 3 XPEL TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET– Podium Press Conference Transcript from The Thermal Club:THE MODERATOR: Wrapping up The Thermal Club $1 Million Challenge here. We are joined by Scott McLaughlin for Team Penske. $350,000 richer. We were discussing how you were going to spend all that. SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: Pay off my mortgage. THE MODERATOR: Tell us about the day. SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: Look, it all started I think with my heat race. I think I had a really good start. I was lucky not to get caught up with the kerfuffle with Grosjean, him going backwards. I could see it in my mirror. Me and Felix both went wide. Interesting to get his thoughts on it. I saw him. I’m sure he did. This is not going to be good. Obviously hit Rinus behind us. I got away with that. Settled into a rhythm. Felt like we had a good speed in the heat race. In the final race, we were pretty conserving, looking after our tires at the start, being smart, knowing there’s guys that were going crazily slow, almost too slow I feel like, from a racing perspective. Anyway, looking after their tires. Yeah, the start of race two, I tried to have a go at Alex, but ultimately he was just a little bit faster with that clean air. It was always going to be clean air was going to be king this weekend. I settled in, tried to maximize what I had. That was second today. Proud. It was a solid week. Testing was great. I played a lot of golf. I’ve gone away 350 grand richer. A great week. I’m happy. THE MODERATOR: Take us through the lap 11 restart. SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: I had a really good run actually. I sort of felt that’s where Alex was going to go. Felix actually went at that same point the run before. I sort of preempted it, hoping he would go to the same spot. That’s exactly where I would go at the start of the restart as well. Got a decent start but couldn’t get close enough to make a move. It is what it is. But I was proud of the day. Thought we maximized what he we could. We’re happy. THE MODERATOR: What did you see in your rearview mirror in the first heat? SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: I was talking about I saw Grosjean smoking going backwards in my mirror. I felt like me and you both went wide. That could have been just me. Q. This was a race, but also it was supposed to be for The Thermal Club people. You guys had members embedded with you. What do you think they got out of it?SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: I think from our standpoint, Team Penske, we had two lovely people. Gigi, she’s a ball of fun. She was on her stand the whole time. Her and her husband. It was an amazing week to have them there. They were there from when we started testing. They had headsets on. They could hear everything we were saying. Hopefully they’re not engineers because they have a lot of our secrets. Everything was open. I guess it’s an idea of inner sanctum to INDYCAR racing, something I think was a really good idea and good to have people part of it. Thankfully we had two good people. Q. Obviously applaud INDYCAR for trying something new. What would you think needs to be tweaked with maybe some of the format or the issues? The first half of the final was a follow the leader, conserve tires, wasn’t quite as entertaining as people were hoping.SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: Yeah, I think this is a good opportunity to try, like, completely different things. I think the qualifying was cool with the push to pass. I think that’s awesome from a standpoint of you have to nail the lap on that lap. I’m used to that from Supercars back in the day, shootouts. You had one lap and get it done. I think that’s a really good opportunity – good and bad – for you to mix up the grid. You just have to nail it. This field is so tight that if you miss it by a 10th or two, could find yourself at 15th if it was a proper shootout. I think it’s definitely something we could think about for the Fast Six, qualifying format, not just here. I feel like we’ve done the same format for a long, long time. Don’t get me wrong, it’s great. But could we add something different to what we’ve done in the past to spice up the action. Everyone is going to be on used for the most part in the Fast Six. Send them out, give them a little bit of push to pass, see what happens. I think that would be pretty cool. Q. From the beginning when there was a media preview here in the fall of 2013, this track with lots of runoff, so on, was derided a little bit by the motorsports press as a gentleman’s track, subsequently as a paper clip track, not a real racetrack. We’re wondering what you have to say about that?SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: I think from when we were here last time to now, they’ve done a really good job with improvements, safety improvements, whatnot, to get it up to standard. From the get-go, I think I’ll speak for myself, not for these guys, I generally have enjoyed the track. It’s a challenging technical track. It takes a lot to get the lap right. When you do, it’s very rewarding. Love the area like eight, nine long, sweeping corners. It’s a big commitment in these cars. Yesterday you saw two people shunted there from pushing the limit too hard. You want that on the track. You want some technical spots. It’s got a little bit of everything. It’s definitely not a gentleman’s track. I think people are jealous of not having a track in their own backyard, I guess. Q. If we’re going to continue to have non-points exhibitions, should it rotate or this be the sole place we keep it?SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: I mean, I think it all comes down to the support that we get from the club and other tracks. I think Thermal have just put their backs behind INDYCAR for this and created an awesome event, the opportunity for all teams to come out here and earn money, which is an absolute bonus, but also to put on a show, have a test day for two days. I think it’s just ultimately up to other people that want to be a part of it. But you got to give props to Thermal to do that. I don’t think you’ll see anything else unless people put up the investment that Thermal have done for us. Q. There’s so many different things that made this event different: limited spectators, food trucks. What would you say your favorite thing was?SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: Having an ice cream after the race. Q. Have you had it already?SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: Yeah. Me, Alex, Felix, we all had one. Q. Scott, that ice cream is not good for your diet.SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: That’s all right. It’s a cheat day. Q. With clean air being king on this course, was it a little bit of a helpless feeling when you were seeing Alex just disappear into the distance?SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: Look, for me, echoing what Felix just said before, it was big picture. I mean, I knew that I’d have a chance. The first 10 laps was about trying to get some position, which I did, to get to the second, maybe set myself up for a pass after the restart. Alex is a pretty smart driver, as we know. I knew he’d be doing exactly what I was doing. I just sort of tried to have a little crack on the first lap. Didn’t quite get it. Then it was settling in, making sure I pulled away from Felix. Ultimately I didn’t have enough pace for Alex either. It is what it is. We’ll keep working. Alex has been fast all week and they deserve the win.

The Lemoore, CA native brings Jason Johnson Racing their 60th World of Outlaws win (Trent Gower Photo)KENNEDALE, TX (March 23, 2024) – There’s no denying 2024 didn’t begin the way Carson Macedo and Jason Johnson Racing had hoped it would.The championship caliber crew stumbled out of the gate with four straight finishes of 12th or worse. But on Saturday night at Kennedale Speedway Park, the pairing put the exclamation mark on a recent stretch that’s made them forget all about the subpar start.The driver of the Albaugh #41 started on the pole of the Series debut at Kennedale, stayed out front, and held off a charging David Gravel on the final lap for the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car win. With finishes of third, second, eighth, and first in the last four races, the rough beginning to the season feels long gone.“What a great job by this JJR race team,” Macedo said. “Philip Dietz just did an incredible job, communicated well and made really good adjustments all night. I feel like my car was exceptional, laying down a good lap (in Qualifying) and just kind of took it from there. Adam Zimmerman and Robby McQuinn, they worked extremely hard and did a great job. We’re all gelling together, and the JJR team is coming together really nice.”The victory marked Macedo’s 36th with The Greatest Show on Dirt. Kennedale became the 24th different track where Macedo has visited Victory Lane and third in the state of Texas. He’s also now topped the two most recent Series debuts at a new track after claiming the inaugural Ogilvie Raceway visit last June. Jason Johnson Racing is now up to 60 total World of Outlaws wins with Macedo supplying half of them.Macedo also continued the streak of different winners to begin the year and tied the record. We’re up to eight different names to claim checkered flags to start the season, matching the mark established in 2015.The 35-lap race was brought to green by Macedo with Bill Balog to his outside. Macedo roared ahead when the green lights flashed and led the first lap.As the field navigated the opening circuits, Balog kept Macedo within striking distance with traffic ahead. The “North Pole Nightmare” closed in as lapped cars began to be a factor. Disaster nearly struck Macedo on the eighth lap when the lapped car of Jason Martin slowed ahead of him on the back straightaway. Macedo clipped Martin’s right rear tire, but not only did he save the car, he managed to hold the lead.A lap after Macedo’s close call Sheldon Haudenschild muscled by Balog for the second spot and put Macedo in the crosshairs. Macedo managed to pad his advantage by slicing through a few slower cars. But at the halfway point of the main event Haudenschild began to close back in. Right when it looked like a battle for the lead was shaping up, heartbreak hit Haudenschild as a mechanical failure caused him to slow on the front straightaway and ended his night.Haudenschild’s misfortune handed the runner-up spot to Aaron Reutzel for the ensuing restart. Macedo pulled ahead once again when the green flag resumed the action.The Lemoore, CA driver looked to be cruising toward a comfortable victory as the race dipped inside 10 laps remaining. But traffic again became a factor and set up an exciting finish. Lapped cars slowed Macedo allowing both Reutzel and David Gravel to reel him in. Reutzel began to make the top of the racetrack work. Macedo stuck with the bottom, which hadn’t failed him to that point, but Reutzel chipped away at the lead. The cushion was becoming the preferred line.The margin between Macedo and Reutzel was a mere tenth of a second when the white flag flew. But David Gravel had other plans about who might steal the win. A lapped car held Reutzel up on the final lap in Turns 1 and 2. Gravel shoved his nose to Reutzel’s inside and secured the spot heading down the back straightaway.In the final set of corners Gravel ripped the cushion with no fear but it was too little, too late as Macedo held on and crossed the finish line with only a couple car lengths between himself and the Huset’s Speedway #2.“I was getting nervous,” Macedo admitted. “I just kept telling myself, ‘Be patient. Don’t get excited.’ The bottom was really good. When I hit it right, it was excellent, but it was really easy to miss especially off of (Turn) 4. I think that’s what kind of started happening there with Bill (Rose). I’d get behind him there into (Turn) 3 and just lose my nose just enough and kind of skate out and didn’t have quite enough squirt to get by him. I could see David on the big screen. I could see Aaron kind of pacing him. I was just watching it every lap hoping I could squeak by Bill and was thankful when I finally did. I looked over and saw I had a decent amount of space.”Gravel’s runner-up finish marked his third podium of the season and first since winning night two of DIRTcar Nationals in February. The result coupled with Giovanni Scelzi’s 10th place run put Gravel back into a tie for the points lead. The Watertown, CT native felt that one extra lap might’ve led him to Victory Lane.“The car came alive the last 10 (laps), and I was really able to drive the car once we got that fuel burnt off,” Gravel said. “I lost a couple spots on those early starts. I didn’t want that to happen, but I knew (Turns) 3 and 4 were getting slick and technical. I figured the guys in front of me I could probably pick off there towards the end. I was probably going to run third there, and then Aaron got stuck behind a lapped car. The top was coming in in (Turns) 3 and 4, and Carson had no idea. It just sucks it’s not a 36-lap race.”Reutzel completed the podium in the Ridge & Sons Racing #87. The Clute, TX native was definitely hungry for a home state World of Outlaws win, but overall he came away satisfied with the speed he and the team displayed.“We had a shot. We had a phenomenal car that came in really good at the end there when I found the top and Carson didn’t know it was there yet,” Reutzel said. “It feels good to be in contention to win. It’s just a huge team effort.”Bill Balog and Brent Marks completed the top five.Sam Hafertepe Jr. grabbed the KSE Racing Hard Charger with a 24th to 11th run.Carson Macedo grabbed Simpson Quick Time honors.NOS Energy Drink Heats One, Three, and Four belonged to Bill Rose, Carson Macedo, and Ryan Timms. Milton Hershey Heat Two went to Brent Marks.Koty Adams won the Micro-Lite Last Chance Showdown.UP NEXT: The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars make their debut at Thunderbird Speedway (Muskogee, OK) on Friday, March 29 before a stop at 81 Speedway (Wichita, KS) on Saturday, March 30. For tickets, CLICK HERE.If you can’t make it to the track, catch every lap live on DIRTVision.FEATURE RESULTS:NOS Energy Drink Feature (35 Laps): 1. 41-Carson Macedo[1]; 2. 2-David Gravel[4]; 3. 87-Aaron Reutzel[5]; 4. 17B-Bill Balog[2]; 5. 19-Brent Marks[6]; 6. 5T-Ryan Timms[7]; 7. 1S-Logan Schuchart[14]; 8. 83-Michael Kofoid[18]; 9. 15-Donny Schatz[9]; 10. 18-Giovanni Scelzi[20]; 11. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr[24]; 12. 41S-Dominic Scelzi[23]; 13. 73-Scotty Thiel[11]; 14. 1-Brenham Crouch[16]; 15. 6-Bill Rose[8]; 16. 3Z-Brock Zearfoss[15]; 17. 70-Kraig Kinser[13]; 18. 7S-Landon Crawley[22]; 19. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild[3]; 20. 45X-Jace Park[12]; 21. 88-Austin McCarl[10]; 22. 36-Jason Martin[17]; 23. 6A-Koty Adams[21]; 24. 2B-Brett Becker[19]

BROWNSTOWN, IN (March 23, 2024) – After 10 years of trying to make it to Brownstown Speedway Victory Lane, Devin Moran was finally able to breakthrough – winning the 27th Annual Indiana Icebreaker on Saturday night at the Jackson County Fairgrounds quarter-mile oval. With the win, Moran becomes the tenth different winner in the last 10 series races. The fans saw six lead changes among three drivers during the 50-lap race. Bobby Pierce, who led the most laps, with 19, finished second followed by Mike Marlar, Max Blair, and Ricky Thornton Jr. Brandon Sheppard took the lead at the start of the race as the Illini driver was looking for his third straight win in the event. Sheppard led the first 14 laps until Moran, who started from the pole, seized the top spot. His lead lasted just one lap before Pierce, who started fifth, took his first lead of the race. But like Moran, Pierce’s turn as the race leader lasted one lap and Sheppard moved back to the point. Sheppard led the next four circuits until Moran regained the lead with 21 laps complete. A back-and-forth battle ensued between Moran and Pierce as Pierce claimed the top spot for the second time in the race on lap 23.  Pierce appeared to seize control of the race through heavy traffic as he was trying to extend his lead, but Moran and Marlar were quickly closing ground on the former Jackson 100 winner. Moran was able to grab the lead from Pierce right before the final caution flag of the race flew with 13 laps to go. Moran led the final 13 circuits, but Pierce tried several different lines to retake the lead in the closing stages. However, Moran held on for his first ever win at Brownstown by just 0.532 seconds over Pierce. In Lucas Oil Victory Lane, for the first time in 2024, Moran breathed a sigh of relief for finally getting the monkey off his back at Brownstown. “It’s about time man. I love coming to this place, Jim Price [Brownstown promoter] does a great job with the track. It’s a great track, it has awesome fans, you have awesome support in the pits. I have been waiting for about 10 years to come do this. I have always run good here. I know it’s cold out here, but I was sweating bullets out there. When I moved to the top, I could make hay in three and four. After that last caution I was just trying hang on to the end.” Pierce, who won twice last year at Brownstown, came close to going back to Victory Lane. “That was an awesome race tonight. I didn’t really expect the track to be that good. I didn’t expect him [Moran] to roll the top like he did. It was a fun race and we’re glad to finish second tonight.”  Marlar, who captured the C.J. Rayburn Memorial race last September was one of the fastest cars on the track during the mid-part of the race. “Me and Devin were on harder tires than Sheppy and Bobby and I was like we just need to race here without any cautions. The track was unbelievable again; it’s always awesome here. It was a fun night.” The winner’s Roger Sellers-owned, Double Down Motorsports, Longhorn Chassis is powered by a Clements Racing Engine and sponsored by Lazydays RV, Big River Steel, C&W Trucking, Bilstein Shocks, McHugh Chrysler Dodge, Jeep, and Ram, CarSource, Haulin Haskell’s, Red Oak Pub, and Smoky Mountain Speedway. Completing the top ten were Hudson O’Neal, Brandon Sheppard, Josh Rice, Nick Hoffman, and Daulton Wilson. Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Race Summary 27th Annual Indiana IcebreakerSaturday, March 23, 2024Brownstown Speedway – Brownstown, IN Allstar Performance Time TrialsFast Time Group A: Michael Chilton | 13.315 seconds (overall)Fast Time Group B: Brandon Sheppard | 13.478 seconds Penske Shocks Heat Race #1 Finish (8 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 99-Devin Moran[3]; 2. 32P-Bobby Pierce[2]; 3. 97C-Michael Chilton[1]; 4. 58-Garrett Alberson[4]; 5. 99B-Boom Briggs[8]; 6. 17SS-Brenden Smith[5]; 7. 1G-Devin Gilpin[6]; 8. 24-Jared Bailey[9]; 9. 4-Cody Mahoney[10]; 10. 75-Daniel Adam[7]; 11. 81J-Jack Riggs[11]; 12. 43-Derrick Stewart[12] Summit Racing Products Heat Race #2 Finish (8 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 1-Tim McCreadie[2]; 2. 93F-Carson Ferguson[4]; 3. 1T-Tyler Erb[3]; 4. 3S-Brian Shirley[5]; 5. 76-Shelby Miles[6]; 6. 6-Clay Harris[12]; 7. 4T-Tripp Gerrald[1]; 8. 23-Cory Hedgecock[8]; 9. 12-Jason Jameson[9]; 10. 4G-Bob Gardner[10]; 11. 19M-Spencer Hughes[7]; 12. 25W-Allen Weisser[11] Earnhardt Technologies Heat Race #3 Finish (8 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. B5-Brandon Sheppard[1]; 2. 20RT-Ricky Thornton Jr[7]; 3. 9-Nick Hoffman[2]; 4. 111-Max Blair[3]; 5. 28-Dennis Erb Jr[4]; 6. 68-Adam Stricker[5]; 7. 8-Dillon McCowan[8]; 8. 97-Cody Overton[10]; 9. 25-Tony Jackson Jr[6]; 10. 32-Chad Stapleton[11]; 11. 93-Cory Lawler[9]; 12. 29J-Jordan Wever[12] Simpson Race Products Heat Race #4 Finish (8 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 157-Mike Marlar[3]; 2. 18D-Daulton Wilson[1]; 3. 49-Jonathan Davenport[2]; 4. 71-Hudson O’Neal[7]; 5. 20-Jimmy Owens[4]; 6. 11R-Josh Rice[9]; 7. 96-Tanner English[8]; 8. 93K-Kent Robinson[6]; 9. 7T-Drake Troutman[5]; 10. 7-Ross Robinson[10]; 11. S21-Seth Daniels[12]; 12. 11-Tyler Collins[11] Fast Shafts B-Main Race #1 Finish (10 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 1G-Devin Gilpin[5]; 2. 99B-Boom Briggs[1]; 3. 12-Jason Jameson[10]; 4. 25W-Allen Weisser[16]; 5. 4-Cody Mahoney[9]; 6. 4T-Tripp Gerrald[6]; 7. 17SS-Brenden Smith[3]; 8. 19M-Spencer Hughes[14]; 9. 75-Daniel Adam[11]; 10. 43-Derrick Stewart[15]; 11. 24-Jared Bailey[7]; 12. 6-Clay Harris[4]; 13. 81J-Jack Riggs[13]; 14. 76-Shelby Miles[2]; 15. 23-Cory Hedgecock[8]; 16. (DNS) 4G-Bob Gardner UNOH B-Main Race #2 Finish (10 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 11R-Josh Rice[4]; 2. 28-Dennis Erb Jr[1]; 3. 96-Tanner English[6]; 4. 20-Jimmy Owens[2]; 5. 68-Adam Stricker[3]; 6. 97-Cody Overton[7]; 7. 25-Tony Jackson Jr[9]; 8. 93K-Kent Robinson[8]; 9. 32-Chad Stapleton[11]; 10. 11-Tyler Collins[16]; 11. 29J-Jordan Wever[15]; 12. 8-Dillon McCowan[5]; 13. 7-Ross Robinson[12]; 14. S21-Seth Daniels[14]; 15. 7T-Drake Troutman[10]; 16. (DNS) 93-Cory Lawler Indiana Icebreaker Feature Finish (50 Laps):

Race Statistics  Entrants: 48Victory Fuel Pole Sitter: Devin MoranLap Leaders: Brandon Sheppard (Laps 1-14); Devin Moran (Lap 15); Bobby Pierce (Laps 16-20); Devin Moran (Laps 21-22); Bobby Pierce (Laps 23-36); Devin Moran (Laps 37-50)Wieland Feature Winner: Devin MoranArizona Sport Shirts Crown Jewel Cup Feature Winner: n/aBrandon Ford TV Challenge Feature Winner: n/aMargin of Victory: 0.532 seconds Dave Warren Powersports Cautions: Jason Jameson (Lap 2); Tony Jackson, Jr. (Lap 37)Series Provisionals: Drake Troutman; Ross RobinsonFast Time Provisional: n/aSeries Emergency Provisionals: Tony Jackson, Jr.; Brenden Smith; Daniel Adam; Cory LawlerTrack Provisional: Shelby MilesBig River Steel Podium Top 3: Devin Moran, Bobby Pierce, Mike MarlarPenske Shocks Top 5: Devin Moran, Bobby Pierce, Mike Marlar, Max Blair, Ricky Thornton, Jr.Todd Steel Buildings Hard Charger of the Race: Max Blair (Advanced 10 Positions) Wilwood Brakes Lucky 7th Place Feature: Brandon SheppardDeatherage Opticians Lucky 13th Place Feature: Tanner EnglishMD3 Most Laps Led: Bobby Pierce (19 Laps) Sunoco Race for Gas Highest Finisher: Ricky Thornton, Jr.Midwest Sheet Metal Spoiler Challenge Point Leader: Ricky Thornton, Jr.O’Reilly Auto Parts Rookie of the Race: n/a Coltman Farms Fastest Lap of the Race: Brandon Sheppard (Lap 1 – 14.620 seconds) Slicker Graphics Slickest Move of the Race: Devin MoranMiller Welders Hard Luck Award: Clay HarrisOuterwears Crew Chief of the Race: Chuck Kimble (Devin Moran)ARP Engine Builder of the Race: Clements Racing EnginesMiller Welders Chassis Builder of the Race: Longhorn ChassisDirt Draft Fastest in Hot Laps: Brandon Sheppard (13.180 seconds)Time of Race: 18 minutes 33 seconds  Big River Steel Chase for the Championship Presented by ARP Point Standings:

About Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt SeriesFounded in 2005, the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series showcases the talents of the top dirt late model drivers from across the country. In 2024, the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series will sanction 63 events across 16 states, including some of the biggest marquee events in the industry, providing dirt slinging, sideways, door-to-door racing action lap after lap.  The series receives national exposure through a television package streamed live via FloRacing, with select broadcasts on MAVTV Motorsports Network.   The in your face excitement of the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series is second to none in motorsports. For more information, including the latest news, tour schedule, driver information, and more, visit the official website at: www.LucasDirt.com.

Daughter of John Force aiming for her first-ever Winternationals victory

POMONA, Calif. (March 23, 2024) – Brittany Force paced John Force Racing in Saturday’s final qualifying effort for Sunday’s Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals at In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip. Force captured the No. 1 qualifier position in Top Fuel with an elapsed time of 3.711 seconds at 335.73 mph. The day was originally scheduled to have two rounds of qualifying, but rain in the morning and early afternoon forced NHRA officials to cut qualifying to just one final round for all professional categories. Piloting the Mark Christopher Auto Center Chevrolet/Monster Energy dragster, Force, a two-time NHRA Top Fuel champion (2017 and 2022), recorded her first No. 1 qualifying effort since Denver last summer and the 47th of her career. This is also her fourth No. 1 qualifying run at the Winternationals. “It was a killer run for our team, I’m real proud of them,” Force said. “It’s tough when you sit out and wait for the rain all day. We were hoping to get that run in. Thank you to the fans for hanging out with us all day. We’re hoping to show you some more good racing (in Sunday’s final eliminations). “We’ve had a lot of number one qualifiers, but again, our focus is race day. That’s where the points really add up. That’s what matters at the end of this thing when we return here at the end of the season to try to chase down a championship. So, yes, we love those number ones. Great way to kick off the season.” While she has a prior win in the season-ending World Finals at Pomona, Force has never won the Winternationals at her home track. Her father, team patriarch John Force, is a seven-time Winternationals winner in Funny Car. “We’re definitely ready for tomorrow,” Brittany Force said. “We wanted three (qualifying rounds), but two is good enough. And they were two consistent runs, which is what we’ve been focusing on coming into this season. “We need consistent runs that go down the racetrack. We’re not trying to do these crazy runs that light the board on fire. Let’s get down there, let’s get us in the show, and let’s go rounds on race day. So far, we’re in a good place, and we’re anxious to see what we can do tomorrow.” ******************* Brittany’s father, John Force, was able to bounce back from Friday’s disappointing single qualifying run, which was disallowed because his PEAK Antifreeze & Coolant Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car crossed the center line. Force worried that the weather might not cooperate on Saturday and he may not have qualified, which means he would have missed Sunday’s final eliminations. But Force’s fears were for naught as the weather broke and he was able to qualify No. 6 with a run of 3.996 seconds at 318.99 mph. “All in all, you’ve really got to do your job, that’s really what it’s all about,” Force said after he was assured of a strong starting spot. “What’s amazing is how sick you can be all night (worrying about whether he’d get one more qualifying run) when you’ve done this for 100 years. Hey, we’re in the show at Pomona!” *******************Force’s fellow Funny Car driving teammate, Austin Prock, had a rough effort Saturday. He struggled to maintain control of the Automobile Club of Southern California/Cornwell Tools Chevrolet Camaro SS, ending up with a time of 4.758 seconds at 229.31 mph. “That was definitely the most embarrassing run I’ve ever made, Prock said. “It was definitely frustrating … but tomorrow is when it counts. “We got a little bit of money from the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge (a special race-within-a-race exhibition event), but it’s just frustrating on my end. I could have done a lot better job. I don’t have many runs in these cars and every run is a new learning experience. We’ll go through everything tonight and I know these guys will give me a bad fast car tomorrow and I’m going to drive the hell out of it.” Prock dropped from ninth-quickest on Friday to 15th on Saturday. He will face No. 2 qualifier Ron Capps in Sunday’s first round of eliminations. ******************* Even though it occurred Thursday evening, John Force was still talking Saturday about the emotional celebration of life event honoring the late drag racer and team owner Roland Leong. “The celebration of life has a lot of meaning,” Force said. “I always knew Roland Leong was loved by a lot of people, but I didn’t realize how many until I saw the crowd there. There were so many funny stories and how people felt about losing him. “Seeing the emotion from Don Prudhomme, I don’t think I’ve ever seen him cry and never saw him that emotional. The man must have been a true friend to him. And then (Leong’s) two daughters talked about him, things I never knew about him. He’s a great individual and he’s watching over us all now, but he got a great going away party. It was great.” ******************* Weather permitting, final eliminations for the Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals will start Sunday at 10 a.m. PT. FS1 will televise a qualifying recap on Sunday from 12:30 p.m. to 2 p.m. ET. The Finals will also air on FS1 from 7 to 10 p.m. ET. #2024ORCE

March 24, 2024 — THERMAL, CA

• Felix Rosenqvist scores pole for the first Heat Race in the made for TV event
• Led by Alex Palou, Honda locks out first three rows for second $1 Million Challenge Heat Race at The Thermal Club
• Christian Lundgaard qualifies P4 in Heat 1 after pacing practice at Thermal

Alex Palou led a top-six Honda sweep of IndyCar qualifying today for the second of two Heat Races at The Thermal Club as part of this weekend’s NTT INDYCAR SERIES $1 Million Challenge.

Reigning series champion Palou and his Chip Ganassi Racing teammate Marcus Armstrong locked out the front row, while fellow Honda drivers Graham Rahal, Linus Lundqvist, Tom Blomqvist and Pietro Fittipaldi filled out an all-Honda top six for the second heat race of the event. 

Felix Rosenqvist made it two Hondas on pole for Sunday’s heat races, scoring pole for Heat Race 1 in the made for TV event. Rahal Letterman Lanigan’s Christian Lundgaard led the field in the four practice sessions held on Friday and Saturday, before qualifying fourth for Heat 1 aboard his #45 Hy-Vee Honda. 

The two heat races tomorrow will determine the 12 drivers who will advance to the final “All Star” race—six from each heat. Heat 2 results will form the ‘odd’ positions on the grid—by virtue of Palou setting the fastest lap in today’s qualifying sessions—while Heat 1 race results will comprise the ‘even’ grid positions. 

The Thermal Club $1 Million Challenge Honda Qualifying Results

Heat 1:

1st Felix Rosenqvist	Meyer Shank Racing Honda
4th Christian Lundgaard	Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda
9th Scott Dixon	Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
11th Colton Herta	Andretti Global Honda
12th Nolan Siegel-R	Dale Coyne Racing Honda
13th Kyle Kirkwood	Andretti Global Honda

Heat 2

1st Alex Palou	Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
2nd Marcus Armstrong	Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
3rd Graham Rahal	Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda
4th Linus Lundqvist-R	Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
5th Tom Blomqvist-R	Meyer Shank Racing Honda
6th Pietro Fittipaldi	Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda
10th Kyffin Simpson-R	Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
12th Colin Braun-R	Dale Coyne Racing with RWR Honda
13th Marcus Ericsson	Andretti Global Honda

R – Rookie

Format for the $1 Million Challenge

• Two heat races, the first starting at 12:30 p.m. ET Sunday, will determine the field for The Thermal Club $1 Million Challenge. Each heat race will consist of 10 laps or be timed at 20 minutes. Laps under full course yellow will not count; however, the race clock will continue.
• The top six advancing cars from each heat race will make up the 12-car field for The Thermal Club $1 Million Challenge. The final will consist of 20 laps divided into two 10-lap sprint segments with a 10-minute “halftime” break following the completion of Lap 10.
• In addition to the winner’s $500,000 purse, the $1 Million Challenge will pay out $350,000 for second; $250,000 for third; $100,000 for fourth and $50,000 for fifth. Sixth through 27th will receive $23,000 each for their efforts.

Quotes
Felix Rosenqvist (#60 Meyer Shank Racing Honda) pole qualifier for Sunday’s Heat Race 1: “We tried to stay calm after a pretty messy practice session for us. It was just like ‘forget that session, take a deep breath, and do it all again’. It’s just so freaky out there man, the wind is changing with every lap, but we were able to put a really quick one together when it counted, and that’s awesome. I think this team is just jelling together more and more with every session, and that’s huge for us for sure.”
 
Alex Palou (#10 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda) pole qualifier for Sunday’s Heat Race 2: “That was great, looking forward to tomorrow. That’s the best starting position and I’m happy that after all that confusion with the Red Flag [following Marcus Ericsson’s crash] that we were still able to put a lap together. We only had 14 seconds [out of 40 seconds of “push to pass”] left after the Red, as we were using everything we had on the lap where it went red. So I’m pretty happy with our pace. The car is good, so we’re really looking forward to tomorrow.”

Where to Watch
Television coverage of Sunday’s $1 Million Challenge starts at 12:30 p.m. ET on NBC.  Complete, flag-to-flag race coverage also will be available on NBC Peacock, the INDYCAR Radio Network, and SiriusXM INDYCAR Nation (Channel 160).

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Solid Day for Jesse Love and the No. 2 Whelen Chevrolet Team at Circuit of the Americas Results in Sixth-Place Finish

6th

14th

4th

“It was a decent finish and a good points day for our No. 2 Whelen Chevrolet team. The big horsepower isn’t something that I’m used to, and towards the end of the race, I figured out what I needed to do in order to make speed out of the car. Even though we had to fight our way from the back to the front a couple of times, I kept my head in the game and tried to learn as much as I could. During the last stage, I put together some fast laps that kept me in the hunt. There were some issues with the last restart that didn’t go our way, but it could have been a lot worse. Overall, it was a decent day and something to build off of. I need to get to work on my road course driving style and come back stronger. I want to applaud everyone at Richard Childress Racing and ECR for bringing fast Camaros every week. This team has been close to winning this year and we will achieve that soon.”  -Jesse Love

Austin Hill and the No. 21 Bennett Transportation & Logistics Chevrolet Team Leave Circuit of the Americas With Strong Second-Place Finish

2nd

11th

1st

“It was a frustrating end to the race, but heck of a job by everyone at Richard Childress Racing. Our Bennett Transportation & Logistics Chevrolet was so fast all day. Early in the race, I made a mistake cutting the track and we had to come back from that pass-through penalty. The last overtime restart seemed to go somewhat clean in my opinion. It seemed like the No. 97 lifted early and then he started to wheel hop once I got to the back of him in Turn 1. I was able to get by him and tried to drive as hard as I could without overdriving. I thought I was doing everything right by trying to protect in Turns 15 and 16, but ultimately, we got ran over. All in all, it was a good day for our No. 21 team. We are firing on all cylinders right now. It doesn’t matter where we go, we are running and finishing inside the top-five. We will keep our heads up.”  -Austin Hill

Chevrolet saw four drivers finish in the top-five of qualifying’s Group 1, with Scott McLaughlin, driver of the XPEL Team Penske Chevrolet, leading the Bowtie brigade in second with his fastest lap of 01:38.6068 seconds.Alexander Rossi, driver of the No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet, led Team Chevy in Group 2 in seventh with his fastest lap of 01:39.1140 seconds after a mid-session caution shook up strategy.Ahead of Sunday’s heat races and main event, the NTT INDYCAR SERIES completed four test sessions with Callum Ilott, driver of the No. 6 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet, topping the charts with his fastest lap of 01:38.7784 seconds in Test Session 3.In the fourth open test Saturday afternoon, Chevrolet occupied the first two or three positions for most of the session, finishing with four teams in the top-five, and seven in the top-10.Sunday’s $1 Million Challenge from The Thermal Club airs live at 12:30 p.m. ET on NBC, with additional broadcast coverage on Peacock, INDYCAR Radio, and SiriusXM Channel 160. TEAM CHEVY GROUP 1 QUALIFYING RESULTS, HEAT RACE 1 LINEUP:2nd    Scott McLaughlin3rd     Rinus VeeKay5th     Josef Newgarden6th     Will Power7th     Romain Grosjean8th     Agustin Canapino10th   Santino Ferrucci14th   Sting Ray Robb TEAM CHEVY GROUP 2 QUALIFYING RESULTS, HEAT RACE 2 LINEUP:7th     Alexander Rossi8th     Callum Ilott9th     Pato O’Ward11th   Christian Rasmussen

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING (Quotes):Josef Newgarden, No. 2 Chevrolet at Team Penske:“I feel solid in race running. It’s a tricky surface. There’s definitely going to be drop off and tire wear, but I think we’re looking after the tires super well so I’m excited for race running. Got to stay out of trouble to start, and then I think our longevity should prove to be pretty competitive. Proud of the Hitachi Chevrolet crew. It’s been fun testing here and getting through a list of items and seeing if we can win some money tomorrow.” A pretty strong start to the season with Chevrolet, a pretty strong package…“Chevy’s done a great job. They continue to bring us great performance on the weekend. Excited to get through tomorrow, but also really excited to get back to Long Beach as well and keep proving our worth.” Scott McLaughlin, No. 3 Chevrolet at Team Penske:“I’m hell bent. To have a qualifying session which was just bang, bang, bang in a shootout lap, one lap, is pretty awesome and that’s effectively what that was. To do a good job there was good. Congrats to Felix (Rosenqvist). I feel like I could have had him. I just marked up that last corner, but that’s… You’ve got to do the lap, it’s pressure, and that’s cool.” You’ve got to get it right on the push-to-pass lap…“Exactly. I think that’d be really cool, but I think our XPEL Chevy was great. Obviously, Chevy has been giving us great power this year and fuel mileage so really stoked for everyone there, and hopefully we can keep this XPEL Chevy up front.” So what do you expect for the heat race tomorrow? How do you approach that?“We’ll do what we can. Every race, we go out and try to win it. It’s a learning process too. We’ll figure out what the car does even more so over ten laps, but yeah, I’ll be doing my best to at least get ahead of Felix (Rosenqvist). It’s going to be interesting where we’ll shake up at the end of ten laps.” Will Power, No. 12 Chevrolet at Team Penske:“Because you have push-to-pass, it’s just one lap and big (degradation). It’s very difficult to wait two hours, then have a different condition and just go. It’s tough.” Did you know what the track was going to be like?“I did. I tried a couple of different things and made mistakes. I mean, honestly, the quickest time was a quick time. It was hard to put all of that together. For (Felix) Rosenqvist to be P1 is solid.” How do you think the heat races will play out?“It just depends on what you want to do. I don’t feel like doing much damage for P6 or something. It’s such a short race, anything can happen.” With all of the test sessions, do you feel as a group it was worth it? You were able to try a bunch of different stuff.“I think the whole qualifying and racing made you not try stuff. You were doing these qualifying sims because you knew the only way you’ll do well in these things is qualifying up front.” Pato O’Ward, No. 5 Chevrolet at Arrow McLaren:“This track is very sensitive to heat, wind. It was getting really gusty, especially there in the back over by the esses. There was a lot of sand on track. You could see it from the rooster tails coming out of the cars. As it was for us, it wasn’t the most perfect lap for me, but I just could never get the car to set. It was always wanting to go the opposite direction of where I wanted it to go. It was a bit of a fight out there, but it seems like we’re not the only ones. A lot of guys are struggling with it, and it’s just really, really gusty and feels icy out there.” Do you remember a weekend like this where it’s different to run all the time?“Not in INDYCAR, but in a Formula 1 test, yes. Those cars are really, really wind sensitive and I feel like we’re getting a taste of that here. Maybe in Indy, where you’re going so fast and the wind is a bit more of a factor. It’s definitely shifted a lot. You think you have a good car, and then you’re going into it and what happened to the balance? Not that if felt horrible, but it just never actually got into, I feel like, an operating window. I feel the tires never got to their sweet spot, and this qualifying session that we’ve with overtake, you’ve got one lap to do it. Once you choose your lap, you’ve got to stick with it. I’m glad that we tried in Lap 2, I think Callum (Ilott) did as well. But it seems that we’re not the only ones that are struggling.” Rinus VeeKay, No. 21 Chevrolet at Ed Carpenter Racing:“It’s interesting. Just like this whole weekend, right? It’s different. You’ve got the push-to-pass too, which usually you can focus on one thing, but now we’re pressing a button on the top of the steering wheel. It felt really good. One thing about this track, with the wind and basically a sandstorm that came through, every session, maybe every outing, the car felt different. We just kind of nailed it for the conditions the way they were. A little bit surprised. Didn’t feel as good as in practice, but very, very happy and great job by the guys.” What will be the biggest key tomorrow? Will it be aggressiveness? Conservative?“Staying on track. I think that’s my thing. You only have to lead one lap and that’s the last one. First got to make it through to the all-star race and then to the $1 Million Challenge, and then we look forward there. This starting position definitely makes tomorrow a little bit easier. If you’re second with $500,000 on the line, are you willing to move someone to win?“If I’m close enough and I see a gap, I’ll definitely go for it.” Romain Grosjean, No. 77 Chevrolet at Juncos Hollinger Racing:“We knew qualifying was going to be a challenge. Very tricky conditions out there. I made a small mistake in our lap that cost us, but we are up there in the mix, so a lot of potential in the car.” Agustin Canapino, No. 78 Chevrolet at Juncos Hollinger Racing:“We are in a good position. Honestly, the lap wasn’t good. We didn’t find the speed in the fastest corner, and we need to check what happened. But the good thing is we are in a good position for tomorrow to try and make it to the main race.” From that kind of position, you know you need to pick up a couple of spots. What is the approach in this short heat race tomorrow?“I think the target is try to end better. Of course, we are starting P8 alongside my teammate Romain (Grosjean). We need to only need to advance two positions. It will be difficult of course. Many good drivers and top teams, but we had a good car, especially in practice. We were much better. For some reason, my car wasn’t good in qualifying again on the faster corners, but I think we can find some speed for tomorrow.” What have you learned this weekend that will help you moving forward this season?“Oh, a lot. I remember this same moment, same place, last year, and I was completely lost. Completely, completely lost. I made a big improvement during my first year. I need more practice, more experience, especially with the new tires, but we are in a good situation. The team has improved a lot, especially with Romain (Grosjean). We are in a good situation. You can see that with the guys we have now behind us.”