Garcia puts No. 3 Z06 GT3.R on class pole with Milner second in shadow of GM RenCen DETROIT (May 31, 2024) – Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports will roll off 1-2 in class for the hometown race for the team and Chevrolet after Friday’s 15-minute qualifying session for the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship’s Chevrolet Detroit Sports Car Classic. Antonio Garcia captured pole position in the GTD PRO class in the No. 3 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R with a lap of 1:09.092 (85.711 mph) around the 1.654-mile, nine-turn street circuit in downtown Detroit. He was 0.336 seconds clear of teammate Tommy Milner in the No. 4 Corvette.

It’s the second consecutive pole position in IMSA competition for the Z06 GT3.R following a pole for Nicky Catsburg – Milner’s teammate – earlier this month at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. The pair of yellow GTD PRO Corvettes also started first and second at Laguna Seca with Milner and Catsburg going on to finish third in class for the Corvette Z06 GT3.R’s first podium. “Congratulations to Antonio Garcia on his pole-winning lap in GTD PRO with the No. 3 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R on the streets of Detroit – the second consecutive pole position for our new Corvette GT3 entry in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship,” said Scott Bell, Vice President, Global Chevrolet. “Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports continues to show the performance capabilities of the Z06 GT3.R, which is a testament to the work of the team, and our Chevrolet and GM engineering groups.” Pre-race work at Chevrolet’s Driver-in-the-Loop simulator paid immediate dividends in each of Friday’s two practice sessions. Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports engineers leaned on the learnings of Chevrolet’s NTT INDYCAR program to help establish a baseline for a handful of sessions on Chevy’s Driver in the Loop simulator.  That helped with the results in pre-qualifying running. Alexander Sims, who shares the No. 3 Corvette with Garcia, went fastest in GTD PRO during the opening 90-minute session. Milner paced the two-hour afternoon practice in the field’s final track time before qualifying. The Chevrolet Detroit Sports Car Classic is scheduled for 3:10 p.m. ET on Saturday, June 1. The race will air live on USA Network with full streaming coverage also on Peacock. IMSA Radio will air the race at IMSA.com along XM 206, SiriusXM Online 996.

CORVETTE RACING BY PRATT MILLER MOTORSPORTS QUALIFYING DRIVER QUOTESANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R – GTD PRO POLE-WINNER: “I think it’s great. That’s the first goal we had – to get as soon as possible up front. So having another Corvette one-two really helps with that. It’s nice to have two yellow Corvettes up front around these buildings. It means the whole team is running really, really good. We just need to keep everything together. Let’s hope it’s not like Laguna where we went from up there to somewhere else. So we just need to be cautious and we need to stay on track, for sure. There’s probably going to be some yellows, too. We just need to be smart. That’s it.” Controlling the race from up front: “In a place like this, where it’s almost impossible to pass, it’s really good to have track position, for sure. But now we get to the point where maybe a ton of people roll the dice and maybe the whole thing changes. We’ve seen these things at these kinds of race tracks many, many times. The fastest race car doesn’t always win. We just need to play smart and that’s all we can do. If everything falls as it should, I think it would be great to have a Corvette one-two around the RenCen.”

TOMMY MILNER, NO. 4 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R – QUALIFIED SECOND IN GTD PRO: “I’m definitely happy. I would like to have been P1, but I just didn’t put the laps together. I’m curious to see what the best sectors would have been. I don’t think I had quite enough for pole with Antonio going fast again on his last lap. But overall I’m happy. It’s great to be here in Detroit, in the shadow of the RenCen and having both Corvettes on the front row it’s great. That’s the first part of the job done. The second part is to go win this thing tomorrow. We have two really great cars. The guys are working really hard and well right now. As long as we do our job tomorrow we should be in a good position.”Race outlook: “It will be a challenge, no question about it. With the Lexus and the Porsche behind us, both those cars and guys are quick, obviously. Some are more aggressive than others. Passing is hard here so we’ll have to be prepared for how they normally race and be prepared to race as hard as they normally do.”

Bourdais puts the No. 01 Cadillac V-Series.R in third position for 100-minute race

DETROIT (May 31, 2024) – Sebastien Bourdais recorded a lap of 1 minute, 05.762 seconds in the No. 01 Cadillac V-Series.R on the 1.654-mile, nine-turn temporary street circuit to qualify third for the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear.

Bourdais, who co-drove with Renger van der Zande to victory in the other IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship street course race this season, will aim to best the Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) competition in the 100-minute race Saturday in the shadow of GM’s world headquarters. Reigning GTP champion Pipo Derani, who had qualified on the pole in three of the four races, was running fifth in the 15-minute session when the No. 31 Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R make right-rear contact with the concrete barrier in Turn 5, slid across the track and made light nose assembly contact with the barrier to cause a red flag with 2:30 left in the session. Derani lost his two fastest laps and will start 10th. A 20-minute practice session precedes the 3 p.m. ET green flag. The No. 6 Porsche 963 earned the pole with a lap of 1:05.390. Cadillac won four of the five races and placed second in the other in 2017-2022 at Detroit (the 2.3-mile street circuit on nearby Belle Isle) since joining IMSA prototype competition in 2017. There was no race in 2020 because of the pandemic and the GTP did not compete at Detroit in 2023. Van der Zande co-drove to victory in 2022 and 2021 with Cadillac Racing.

USA will telecast the race and Peacock will provide flag-to-flag streaming of the race in the U.S. while IMSA.TV will have coverage outside the U.S. IMSA Radio (IMSA.com), RadioLeMans.com will broadcast every session. SiriusXM live race coverage will be available at XM 206, SiriusXM Web/App 996.

What they’re saying No. 01 Cadillac V-Series.R

Sebastien Bourdais: “It’s not bad at all; just missing a little bit to put everything together. I’m pretty happy. You’re never completely satisfied with P3 but given the circumstances for this weekend I think it’s not bad. We’re in a raceable situation and it’s all pretty tight behind us. We have something we want to try in the (race day) practice because we’re not where we want to be. We might have gone a bit too conservative because of the nature of what seemed to be a very bumpy track. It is, but it really isn’t at the same time. There are bit bumps, but I feel like your still need a car that gives you enough ride height and downforce to really challenge the tires and get them going, particularly tomorrow when it’s going to be overcast.”

No. 31 Whelen Cadillac V-Series.RPipo Derani: “We’ve been struggling a bit through the weekend with set-up, so I went in there and I knew it was only three laps to go and I just tried a bit too much. Unfortunately, I spun and hit the wall. I don’t think we had the pace we wanted to be fighting for the front and I didn’t feel like I had much more in the pocket. Then I tried to be a bit of a superman and put a lap in. We have enough time to recover tomorrow.”

CHEVROLET IN NTT INDYCAR SERIES CHEVROLET DETROIT GRAND PRIX DETROIT, MICHIGAN TEAM CHEVY PRACTICE REPORT MAY 31, 2024 PATO O’WARD AND ARROW MCLAREN LEAD TEAM CHEVY IN THE FIRST PRACTICE FOR THE CHEVROLET DETROIT GRAND PRIX, FINISHING THE SESSION SECOND ON FRIDAY Pato O’Ward, driver of the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet, led Team Chevy on the streets of Detroit finishing first practice in second with his fastest lap of 1:01.7315.Chevrolet finished with five drivers in the top-10 in first practice, with O’Ward in second, Scott McLaughlin and Josef Newgarden of Team Penske in fifth and sixth, AJ Foyt Racing’s Santino Ferrucci in seventh, and Will Power of Team Penske in ninth.Saturday sees a second practice session at 9:10 a.m. ET, as well as qualifying and the Firestone Fast Six at 12:15 p.m. ET. Coverage of both sessions is broadcasted via Peacock, as well as INDYCAR Radio and SiriusXM Channel 218. TEAM CHEVY TOP-10 PRACTICE RESULT:Pos.  Driver2nd    Pato O’Ward (1:01.7315)5th     Scott McLaughlin (1:02.0959)6th     Josef Newgarden (1:02.2377)7th     Santino Ferrucci (1:02.3277)9th     Will Power (1:02.4474)

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING (QUOTES):Santino Ferrucci, No. 14 AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet:“It feels good to come back to Detroit and be in the window. Solid job by all the boys rolling out strong and looking forward to tuning on this Sexton Properties Chevrolet.” Sting Ray Robb, No. 41 AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet:“Pretty happy with the first practice. We learned a lot. It was a clean run with just a couple kisses of the wall but nothing too dramatic, so happy with that. The Goodheart Vet / Pray.com Chevrolet feels really nice and I think we’re in a good spot. I didn’t get a great run on the greens (tires) but I think we’ll have it figured out. Santino had a great run so I think that we’ll compare notes and see what we can learn for tomorrow.” Pato O’Ward, No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet:“It’s better than last year. We got laps in, you know? We’ve still got some work to do. It’s tricky out there. It really is. There’s a lot of bumps, and it’ll be very important to get the window right on the car in qualifying just because those bumps can kind of throw you off in sequence quite quickly. It’ll just ruin your lap, so you have to be pretty precise.” Théo Pourchaire, No. 6 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet:“It is a fun track, and I really like it. The first practice was a bit of a mess for us with all of the traffic. We don’t know the real pace because some cars are blocking the other ones because of the track layout. That’s no one’s fault; no one is doing it on purpose. With so many cars on the track, it can be tough to get a lap. We struggled with the balance a bit at the beginning, but we improved toward the end. It’s all part of racing and we will get there. The most important thing is to get better, and we will work for a great job tomorrow.” Alexander Rossi, No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet:“It’s great to be back in Detroit. We will be looking for some performance overnight, but Pato’s car looks good. We will look at that and see what we can do to improve the No. 7 VELO Arrow McLaren Chevrolet for tomorrow.” Gavin Ward, Team Principal at Arrow McLaren:“Everybody is taking a bit of time to get the tires up, which is a common theme out there today, but I’m encouraged that we have one of our cars up there at the top of the timing sheets. So, there’s some good data there to look at to try to get things dialed in for tomorrow.” Romain Grosjean, No. 77 Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet:“Day one in Detroit, and it was bumpy, slippery, and a lot of fun out there. I think the car’s got some potential. Obviously, it’s always hard to put a lap here in, but we’ll do some work, come back tomorrow, and hopefully qualify well.”  Agustin Canapino, No. 78 Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet:“We started here in a good way in Detroit, P11 for beginning of the weekend. I’m happy to start this way. Of course we want to be faster tomorrow. We are slightly away from the pace of the leaders but I think we have a good car to start the weekend.” Josef Newgarden, No. 2 Team Penske Chevrolet:“I think we just got better through the session, and we were running a lot of the primary tires. Definitely abusing them. In the middle, towards the end of the early running, I think we hit on some changes that were really good. Then, we were able to show it a little bit more on the greens. I think we have event more in it. I think the car feels really good. I’ve got to clean some stuff up on my side. I think I know some areas where we can be better and faster. The Astemo Chevy looks good, feels good. Long weekend, we’ve got to make it to the end, and we’d love to have a good result with these guys.” Scott McLaughlin, No. 3 Team Penske Chevrolet:“I learned how to spin in each of them because I kept going down the escape roads. That’s all part of it here. You risk in the points where you’ve got least risk. The Gallagher Chevy feels really good. On the straightaways, I feel like I am in a really good spot. It felt really strong, so I hope that carries on throughout the weekend.”

SCOTT MCLAUGHLIN, NO. 3 GALLAGHER TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET – End of Day Press Conference:THE MODERATOR: Joined now by Scott McLaughlin, best finish of seventh in the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix.  Q. Testing the limits, is that going into the runoffs, trying to find a place you can brake?SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: Basically, yeah. A lot of it’s the corners where you know you have the runoff. Might as well bring a yellow out now than later. That’s always my strategy on street circuits. Q. Can you change your brake bias during a lap?SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: Yeah, you can. Q. Something you would do at a place like this?SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: Depends. It really depends on what you got in the car and how comfortable you are with it. Yeah, that’s something I’ve done in the past with Supercars, for sure. Q. Everybody is complaining the place is very bumpy. Is there anything you can do in the setup to make it a little bit easier?SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: I think it’s character. You can do a couple little things, softening or whatnot. Ultimately there’s a point where it hurts the balance trying to set up for the bumps. You just got to deal with them. It’s not a billiard table, absolutely not. It’s Detroit streets. We just enjoy it. Q. (No microphone.)SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: Yeah. Couple guys are going to have to tighten the belts, enjoy it. Q. Any bumps from last year been smoothed over?SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: Last corner coming out of the pit straight. Really, really good. I think there’s a lot of great improvements. Off the long back straight, it’s a lot smoother there. Bumpy down Jefferson Ave. Once it gets to the point they resurface, they resurface a thousand feet or something like that, which is amazing. Yeah, I think there’s been a lot of really good improvements from this time last year to now. So yeah, I think they’ve done a really good job. Q. That plus the car being lighter, the whole year of setup data, faster than last year in the first practice?SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: Was it? Maybe we all know this track a bit better. That for sure is probably a thing. Last year first practice was our first time on track. After a year, everyone has seven-posted, thought about different things. Cars are just better, they’re lighter. Yeah, it’s probably a case of that, too. Q. The alternates and the primary look close together to the point that some drivers chose not to switch on the split segment. We could expect this to be a primary race on Sunday?SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: I think you’re nuts not to run them right now because you can’t run them again. I feel like that’s a silly move. Ultimately we’ve seen this trend. I think it might lend to that way. It just depends on how it goes throughout the weekend. I think as the track grips up, tires are probably going to wear out less. We’ve seen this trend quite a fair bit. Yeah, I feel like it’s going to be more of a green tire race already. THE MODERATOR: Thank you, Scott. SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: Thank you.

Tight World of Outlaws CASE Late Model Series points battle sees eight races in 10 days  

CONCORD, NC (May 31, 2024) – At the top of the World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Models points for the first time in his career, Nick Hoffman looks forward to showing he has what it takes to claim his maiden Late Model title in 2024. 

Through 12 of the 44 races in the 2024 season, Hoffman eclipsed his rookie numbers with three wins (Volusia Speedway Park, Farmer City Raceway, and Mississippi Thunder Speedway) and 87 laps led while tying his stats in podiums and Heat race wins with five for both. 

Hoffman’s confidence has never been higher in a Late Model program, with team owner Tye Twarog giving him full trust to drive the car like he wants and get the most out of what his No. 9 NOS Energy Drink Late Model brings to the track on race nights. 

“This is the most confident I have ever been with any Late Model program,” said Hoffman, of Mooresville, NC. “I’ve been super fortunate to race other Late Model programs, but this is the most I’ve ever gotten to work on the race car and control my destiny. I know the car the best I ever have with a Late Model, and then Tye giving me everything and letting me control all the people, parts and things that go in and out of a race night.  

“If I wanted to run 120 races this year, he’d let me do so and put the ball in my court. It’s the best situation you could ever want out of a car owner. It’s made things super easy for me not to have that pressure, and we can take a bad night with a grain of salt and move on to the next race.” 

The early journey Hoffman endured in 2024 has seen its fair share of challenges for him to overcome on race nights, including a broken left front at Path Valley Speedway and a chain-reaction pileup at Ultimate Motorsports & RV Park.  

Despite that, “The Thrill from Mooresville” is happy to see the strides made in the program and how his conservative driving style with his Longhorn Chassis has paid dividends in the results. 

“Luckily, we dodged some bullets this year, especially with the incident at Ultimate,” Hoffman said. “Going back to Path Valley, in any other situation if we weren’t racing for points, I would have pulled off the track. Sometimes, you gotta salvage an OK night and luckily we ended up in seventh. And that’s what it takes to points race is overcoming those challenges. We’re still early in the season so I’m not getting hopes up or get too interested until we get towards the end of Summer.  

“Right now, you go into every night trying to win which we’ve been able to do three times now. Our car’s been phenomenal. It’s just about not trying to be dumb or do anything to put myself in a bad position. There’s a couple of times where I could have been more aggressive or push the boundary, but it’s a risk of taking myself out of the race, so it’s just about being smart.” 

When the World of Outlaws CASE Late Models return to the race track, the June Summer Sizzler boasts a grind of eight races in 10 days. Knowing all too well about racing at different tracks every night from his time racing the Summit Modified Summer Nationals, Hoffman will need to work extra to continue contending for wins and stay in the points hunt by the end of the stretch. 

“The new tracks will definitely throw a challenge at us,” Hoffman said. “The biggest difference is on the Modified side, I could race every night and did the Hell Tour by myself with no crew helping and my dad would come help on the weekends. But the weekdays we’re all me, myself and I. I’m used to that grind, the Late Model side is probably three times as much work to get ready. Between maintaining the car every single night, getting tires ready and everything else that comes along with it.  

“Competition-wise, the Modified was easy from night to night how we we’re doing it to win a bunch of races and that makes every day feel a little bit easier. The Late Model has a lot more competition and the work you have to put into it is far more than before. I’m looking forward to get going with the stretch and not get plagued by Mother Nature.” 

Out of the tracks on the Summer Sizzler schedule, Hoffman looks most forward to getting started on the right foot with familiar tracks in Ponderosa Speedway and Brownstown Speedway on June 22 while trying to outperform his previous showings in the Midwest in 2023. 

“Brownstown is one of my favorite tracks in the country to go race at,” Hoffman said. “I’d mark that on my list of places to really look forward to. The new tracks we’re going to like definitely throw a curveball because we don’t know what to expect, and Ponderosa is definitely an elbows-up bullring and pretty fast for its size, and Brownstown is slow and slick, but has a lot of momentum and that’s what I’m good at so that’s why I look forward to there. The Iowa tracks haven’t been particularly great for me, so hopefully what I learned last year will help me going forward into next month. 

See Hoffman battle against the toughest dirt Late Model competitors in the Summer Sizzler, beginning with Thunderhill Raceway on Thursday, June 20. For more information on the event, and other races on the 2024 World of Outlaws CASE Late Models schedule, CLICK HERE. 

DOE RUN, MO (May 30, 2024) – Cannon McIntosh and the Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports (KKM) team are heating up at exactly the right time of the season.

With a summer break in the schedule nearing, McIntosh, 21, of Bixby, OK, scored his fourth Feature win of the season with the Xtreme Outlaw Midget Series presented by Toyota Thursday night at Doe Run Raceway, taking the lead from Michael Pickens early and never looking back en route to his ninth career Series victory and second in two races, going back to his win at Atomic Speedway last Saturday.

The win increases his lead in the championship standings up to 154 points over his KKM teammate Ryan Timms with 13 of the 30 scheduled races complete. He’s now a perfect 13-for-13 in top-five finishes this season – 10 of which have been on the podium. Thursday’s program was also run in conjunction with the POWRi National Midget League, making for his second career win in Xtreme Outlaw-POWRi Challenge Series events.

With his fourth Xtreme Outlaw main event win of the season in the can – tying his personal record from last year – McIntosh is beginning to take the form he showed during the first half of 2023 driving for his family-run team. But he made the move back to KKM this past winter and has been increasingly more of a threat for the win every night – essential in his quest to capture his first national Midget series championship.

“I think it’s just Keith and I’s relationship, when it comes to the racecars, is just getting better and better with every race,” McIntosh said. “As good as we looked tonight, I feel like we keep better and better every race.”

When the green flag dropped in the main event, McIntosh wasted no time in making a charge for the leaders, picking off Tyler Edwards for second on Lap 3 and setting his sights on leader Pickens.

A caution flag was thrown one lap later for Edwards who spun and collected Jade Avedisian in Turn 4. On the restart, McIntosh lined up behind Pickens and took first crack at a slide job in Turns 3-4 on Lap 5. Pickens crossed him over to retake the spot down the frontstretch, but McIntosh returned the favor in Turns 1-2. Pickens threw one more slider in Turn 3 and but washed way up the track out of Turn 4, allowing McIntosh to take the spot for good.

“Pickens was, obviously, a little bit harder to do; he had more momentum built up,” McIntosh said. “But, I was able to eventually just build enough momentum to get by him there. I know it was probably a close slider, but no contact, which is always a good thing.”

“It got trickier as the race went on,” Pickens said. “It was really a race of understanding the best place to put your car and not make mistakes and trip yourself up. Cannon obviously did that the best.”

Once he got to the lead, it was all McIntosh out front. For the next 25 laps, he put on a clinic around the 1/6-mile, opening up a gap as large as three seconds in lapped traffic as the laps wound down.

From seventh on the starting grid, Zach Daum was making his climb toward the front, and by Lap 11 had taken second from Pickens with a pass in Turns 1-2. While Daum tried to run McIntosh down later in the race, he was unable to find the speed to keep up as McIntosh’s gap grew in traffic.

“First thing is having a really good car under you, which I had an amazing piece under me; it was lights-out,” McIntosh said. “From that point out, it was just kind of my job in finding the line early, and I think I found it pretty quick. After that, it was just kind of finding the fine line between how hard I could drive it and not going too far.”

In the closing laps, Daum appeared to be settled in for runner-up finish until a rear-end component broke with only two laps left. The 2022 Series champion pulled to the infield and gave up his spot to Pickens, who crossed the stripe with a second-place finish in his first appearance with Xtreme since 2022.

“I probably struggled a little bit through the midway point, figured a few things out and maybe got a tick better at the end,” said Pickens, 41, of Auckland, NZ.

Coming home third was 16-year-old national Midget rookie Trevor Cline, who received the Whitz Racing Products Quick Time Award for the first time in his career earlier in the program. His Qualifying lap of 10.784 also broke the track record and contributed to him later starting ninth on the Feature starting grid.

Cline, of Mooresville, NC, navigated through the top-10 gradually throughout the 30-lap main event, settling into third once Daum dropped out in the final laps.

Toyota Racing Heat 1 was won by Karter Sarff; Kale Drake won TJ Forged Heat 2; Tyler Edwards won Heat 3.

The Last Chance Showdown was won by Mitchell Davis.

UP NEXT

The Xtreme Outlaw and POWRi Midgets next head to Coles County Speedway in Mattoon, IL, on Friday, May 31. Tickets will be on sale at the gate. If you can’t be at the track, stream every lap live on DIRTVision.

ABBREVIATED RESULTS (view full results)

Feature (30 Laps): 1. 71K-Cannon McIntosh[3]; 2. 54-Michael Pickens[1]; 3. 55-Trevor Cline[9]; 4. 21K-Karter Sarff[5]; 5. 67-Ryan Timms[15]; 6. 19AZ-Hayden Reinbold[14]; 7. 14S-Tyler Edwards[2]; 8. 97K-Kale Drake[4]; 9. 40-Chase McDermand[12]; 10. 16-Kyle Jones[16]; 11. 67K-Ashton Torgerson[11]; 12. 97-Gavin Miller[18]; 13. 98-Elijah Gile[10]; 14. 3N-Jake Neuman[20]; 15. 43-Gunnar Setser[8]; 16. 1K-Brayton Lynch[21]; 17. 66-Jayden Clay[22]; 18. 7U-Zach Daum[7]; 19. 71-Jade Avedisian[6]; 20. 77-Joe Wirth[13]; 21. 56D-Mitchell Davis[17]; 22. 50-Daniel Adler[19]

he North Pole Nightmare took a unique path to the top level of Sprint Car Racing  BEAVER DAM, WI (May 30, 2024) – Alaska isn’t exactly a Sprint Car Racing hotbed. However, the state’s snowy terrain is exactly what set Bill Balog on a path to the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars. Long before Balog lived in Wisconsin and had Sprint Car racing on his radar, a passion for a different type of racing bloomed – snowmobiles. A native of North Pole, AK, snowmobile racing grabbed his interest early on.“Once I got old enough to realize what the snowmobiles are all about, I got super into it and so did my family,” Balog recalled. “So, they had gotten some older 70’s snowmobiles, and we rode those around. And then we got some newer ones and started racing them. I actually started drag racing them. My dad built a drag sled, and that was really fun. But I was too young to compete at some of the bigger races. We really didn’t get to race it too much, but it was fun tuning on it and learning how all that stuff worked.”Balog stuck with snowmobiles as he grew up. Then, doors began to open for him to compete in various types of snowmobile races.“We got into more of the cross-country, long-distance races, that are timed, and they paid really good,” Balog said. “It was really fun races. You could practice those courses throughout the week. There are some really unique races. “There’s the Arctic Man. That’s up there probably 150 miles from my parents’ house, and it’s a skiing/snowmobile event where you have a partner where he does part of the event on the skis. And then you pick him up, sort of, and tow him for a while at like 100 miles per hour. It’s really crazy. And then you release the skier, and he goes to the finish line. It’s all timed as well. I also got into ice racing. Ice oval racing, that was probably my favorite.”Balog’s interest in Sprint Cars grew during his time in Alaska. He was around them occasionally because of his dad. And watching 410 Sprint Cars for the first time at Fairbanks, AK’s Mitchell Raceway inspired him to pursue Sprint Car Racing. Snowmobiles and Sprint Cars are vastly different racing machines, but some similarities Balog found when transitioning was the power to weight ratio and physical demands to drive each.The biggest thing he took with him from the snowmobile days is a mechanical inclination. He didn’t just drive them. He worked on them. He learned how they operated, what makes them tick. That ability has been vital as he operates as the driver and crew chief of his No. 17B Sprint Car. “I just really lived and breathed snowmobiles,” Balog said. “That’s where I kind of learned a lot of mechanics. I was a mechanic at an Arctic Cat dealership. That’s where I learned a lot of stuff. That kind of helped me when I got into the Sprint Cars.”With a long and successful Sprint Car career now, those snowmobile days feel long gone. But he carries them with him. Every time he makes a call on his Sprint Car. Every time he turns a wrench. Those early experiences continue to play a vital role in his current racing. It was an unusual path, but it helped equip him with the skillset he’d need to eventually join The Greatest Show on Dirt.“I wouldn’t be racing if I didn’t know how to work on them,” Balog said. “I was hired those first couple years to run that 360 in Fairbanks, but after that when I moved away and started racing, I had some rides here and there, but for the most part I had to have my own stuff, too, just to make sure I could race. I definitely wouldn’t be racing if I didn’t know how to work on them because it took me a long time to figure out how to drive one properly.”After 10 Interstate Racing Association (IRA) titles and two full-time tours with the All-Star Circuit of Champions, Balog made the move to the World of Outlaws in 2024. The 44-year-old has currently collected 13 top 10s in 24 races this year, including a pair of podiums.This weekend’s Jim “JB” Boyd Memorial (May 31-June 1) at Wisconsin’s Beaver Dam Raceway is circled on his calendar as Balog now calls Hartland, WI home. Back in 2016 Balog scored an upset win over the World of Outlaws at Beaver Dam, and he owns 19 IRA victories at the 1/3 mile.Now, he’s among the roster of the best and ready to make the “Badger State” fans proud once again.For tickets to this weekend’s Jim Boyd Memorial at Beaver Dam Raceway, CLICK HERE.If you can’t make it to the track, catch ever lap live on DIRTVision.

CHEVROLET IN NHRA2024 NHRA NEW ENGLAND NATIONALS NEW ENGLAND DRAGWAY EPPING, NEW HAMPSHIRE TEAM CHEVY RACE ADVANCE | NOTES & QUOTESnMAY 31-JUNE 2, 2024 CHEVROLET HEADS NORTHEAST WITH JOHN FORCE RACING FOR THE NHRA NEW ENGLAND NATIONALS AT NEW ENGLAND DRAGWAY

Notes:Team Chevy heads to the 2024 NHRA New England Nationals May 31-June 2 at New England Dragway, the seventh round of the season.Entering the weekend, Austin Prock, driver of the Cornwell Tools Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car sits second behind Matt Hagan, trailing by four points after the Route 66 NHRA Nationals.John Force, driver of the PEAK Antifreeze and Coolant Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car, currently sits third entering this weekend’s event at New England Dragway, trailing teammate Austin Prock (second) by 38 points and competitor Matt Hagan (first) by 42 points.Looking to turn her momentum in a positive direction, Brittany Force eyes Epping this weekend and the NHRA Mission Foods NHRA Drag Racing Series Winners Circle to capture a victory at a track she has both won at previously and holds the national speed record of 334.90 mph (2018).Last competing in 2022 at New England Dragway, Pro Stock returns with Erica Enders looking to repeat her last victory at Epping, defeating Aaron Stanfield with a pass of 6.547 seconds E.T. to his 6.553 seconds E.T.

Quotes:BRITTANY FORCE, DRIVER OF THE MONSTER ENERGY CHEVROLET TOP FUEL DRAGSTER:“This weekend will be a pivotal time for our Monster Energy Chevrolet team. We are coming out of one of the toughest, most heartbreaking weekends of my career, the toughest since not qualifying for the Finals in 2014. But, moving forward from Chicago has taught everyone on this David Grubnic-run team to dig even deeper and stay positive. I know we will get back on top. We won Epping in 2017, so we have some good history, and it’s a market with fans that I love. I’m really excited about the prospect of getting back on track, literally and figuratively.” AUSTIN PROCK, DRIVER OF THE AAA CHEVROLET CAMARO SS FUNNY CAR:“I’m looking forward to Epping and being back with our AAA family again. It’s an honor to sport the colors of the car that I cheered on for so many years of my life. We slipped back a few points from the lead in Chicago, but we’re all up for the challenge to get it back this weekend.” JOHN FORCE, DRIVER OF THE PEAK ANTIFREEZE & COOLANT CHEVROLET CAMARO SS FUNNY CAR:“I’m always excited going back to Epping. I’ve been there a lot of years and have won the race a couple times. It’s got a great market where we draw fans from Boston, Canada, and everywhere, but it’s a tricky racetrack, depending on whether it’s hot or cool. The crew chiefs really have their jobs cut out for them. Right now, my car is running very consistently. (Austin) Prock’s car, with AAA, is doing the same. So, we’re both in the hunt for the championship. We’ve got our work cut out for us and it’s going to be tough, but for this PEAK team, it also feels nice to be coming off of a runner-up finish two weeks ago.”

How to Watch:The 2024 NHRA New England Nationals from New England Dragway kick off Friday, May 30 with qualifying, airing at 7:30 p.m. ET. Saturday’s qualifying airs at 7 p.m. ET, as well as the Mission Foods NHRA #2Fast2Tasty Challenge airing at 8 p.m. ET. Round 1 of Finals air Sunday at 1 p.m. ET, with the remaining rounds airing at 7 p.m. ET. All sessions from Epping, New Hampshire air with NHRA on FOX on FOX Sports 1 (FS1). Coverage streams live throughout the weekend on NHRA.tv, and is available via AppleTV, Android TV, and Roku devices.

TEAM CHEVY BY THE NUMBERS:1,453: Round wins for John Force (1st all-time).626: Round wins for Robert Hight; 13th all-time. Cruz Pedregon (Funny Car), sits 12th, with 629.167: Number of career No. 1 qualifiers for John Force (1st all-time).161: Number of Chevrolet Racing Funny Car wins since 1967.84: Number of career No. 1 qualifiers for Robert Hight (6th all-time). Tony Schumacher (Top Fuel) is fifth with 88.81: Number of Chevrolet Racing Funny Car wins with the Camaro SS body.47: Number of career No. 1 qualifiers for Brittany Force.28: Number of NHRA championships Chevrolet holds as a manufacturer since entering the first in 1966. This is the seventh consecutive award and ninth in 11 seasons. No other manufacturer has won it more than Chevrolet.25: Wins by John Force in a Chevrolet-bodied Funny Car.20: Chevrolet career Top Fuel wins in NHRA.16: Number of Chevrolet career wins by Brittany Force.7: Number of Funny Car driver championships.2: Number of Top Fuel driver championships.

BATAVIA, Ohio (May 30, 2024) – The Sunoco “Road to Wheatland” bonus program awarded the top fifteen drivers who maintained perfect attendance through the Show-Me 100. The Sunoco “Road to Wheatland” program has been a long-standing cash bonus program paid to drivers that follow the series and maintain perfect attendance. Drivers that have maintained perfect attendance at all Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series sanctioned events through the Show-Me 100 received an additional cash bonus based on their position in the championship point standings. The championship point leader following Saturday’s Show-Me 100 main event will receive a $2,500 bonus from a total of $16,000 in bonuses paid out to the top fifteen drivers in the standings. Rick Thornton Jr. earned $2,500 from a total of $16,000 paid out to the top fifteen drivers in the championship standings following Saturday’s Show-Me 100 main event. Second through fifteenth (with perfect attendance) in the championship standings are Jonathan Davenport, Devin Moran, Hudson O’Neal, Mike Marlar, Tim McCreadie, Garrett Alberson, Daulton Wilson, Jimmy Owens, Max Blair, Ross Robinson, Clay Harris, Drake Troutman, Boom Briggs, and Brenden Smith. The Sunoco “Road to Wheatland” is the first of four bonus rounds in the Big River Steel Chase for the Championship – Presented by ARP, recognizing the top fifteen drivers as they chase the over $1,000,000 point fund. In 2024, the round-by-round format will continue to award teams cash prizes at four different intervals throughout the season. However, bonus points will not be awarded after each round. Sunoco Road to Wheatland Purse: 1. $2,500, 2. $1,500, 3. $1,500, 4. $1,500, 5. $1,500, 6. $1,000, 7. $1,000, 8. $1,000, 9. $1,000, 10. $1,000, 11. $500, 12. $500, 13. $500, 14. $500, 15. $500 = $16,000 Today, Sunoco Race Fuels has expanded the reach of its racing fuels line around the world to include all types of professional motor sports and other activities where premium race fuels like DXP 116 make the difference. With its unsurpassed innovations and years of experience, it is easy to understand why more and more engine builders, racers, tracks, and sanctioning bodies choose Sunoco Race Fuels over all other racing gasoline combined. As the largest manufacturer of racing gasoline in the world, Sunoco has a 40-year track record of winning performances. To learn more about DXP 116 visit https://www.sunocoracefuels.com/fuels/fuel/dxp. For the latest news, results, championship standings and more about the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series, please visit www.lucasdirt.com.

CHEVROLET IN NTT INDYCAR SERIES CHEVROLET DETROIT GRAND PRIX STREETS OF DETROIT DETROIT, MICHIGAN TEAM CHEVY RACE ADVANCE MAY 30, 2024 CHEVROLET REVS UP FOR A MOTOR CITY BATTLE ON THE STREETS OF DETROIT DETROIT (May 30, 2024) – The sixth round of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES 2024 season takes the competitive field to the Streets of Downtown Detroit for the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix May 31-June 2. Located in the shadows of GM World Headquarters at the Renaissance Center, the newly refreshed 1.645-mile, nine-turn temporary street circuit features a unique dual-pit lane and features three full days of activities and excitement on some of Detroit’s most popular and active Downtown areas. Additionally, the track straightaway that runs along Jefferson Avenue is the longest of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES street circuits, with the field reaching speeds of up to 189-plus miles per hour before diving onto Bates Street before heading back onto Atwater Street. In its second year on the Streets of Detroit, the Bowtie brand has raced to victory lane on nearby Belle Isle eight times during the 2.2-liter twin turbo V6 engine era, additionally capturing eight NTT P1 pole awards, 22 podium finishes, and 556 laps led. In the return to downtown Detroit in 2023, Chevrolet captured one podium finish with Team Penske’s Will Power, along with 18 laps led. “Racing on the Streets of Detroit is an important weekend for the Chevrolet powered teams in the NTT INDYCAR Series,” said Mark Stielow, Director of Motorsports Competition Programs. “Coming off a successful Month of May at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, our Chevrolet engineering group as well as our teams and drivers are facing an entirely different set of challenges coming from the 2.5-mile oval to a short, tight street course with one very long straight.  Continuing the dedicated effort by the Chevrolet engineers working with our teams, we will be prepared for the competition in the shadow of the Ren Cen.“ Before the field takes the green flag for the main event on Sunday around the 1.645-mile nine-turn temporary street circuit, the Bowtie brand will pace the field for the second week in a row, leading the pack in the beautiful Arctic White Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray. The first electrified and fastest production Corvette ever, the E-Ray pairs two separate propulsion systems to provide naturally aspirated V-8 power with electrified responsiveness powered by eAWD, making it one like none. A 6.2L V-8 is complemented by the electric motor that channels an additional 160 horsepower and 125 lb-ft of torque through the front wheels for 655 combined horsepower. Designed for year-round performance, the Corvette E-Ray and its electrified All-Wheel Drive (eAWD) capability is up for any challenge, and the exterior and interior of the Corvette E-Ray will be on full display as the car fulfills responsibilities on and off the track. Featuring a full line-up of cars, trucks, SUVs, and the Corvette E-Ray, the Team Chevy display will be open all weekend long from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, and 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday. Located in Spirit Plaza, Chevy is ready to rev up fans’ experience at the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear. The 100-lap, 164.5-mile Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix on the Streets of Detroit takes the green flag live on USA Network at 12 p.m. ET. Additional coverage is carried by Peacock, INDYCAR Radio, and SiriusXM Channel 160.

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING  (Quotes):Santino Ferrucci, No. 14 AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet:Discuss Detroit’s unique features…“I would say the pit lane, definitely unique. Obviously, most pits are quite technical and challenging as is this one, but I will say that it is very fun to have the dual pit lane. I think it kind of changes your strategy. We want to definitely be on the left side of pit lane this year compared to last year. I think it’s fun to be racing your competitors in pit lane as well under yellow. Overall, I like Detroit because it’s a very pretty track, very scenic. I would say the two best places to pass are down Jefferson Avenue into turn three and into turn eight, coming down towards pit lane down by the water.” Sting Ray Robb, No. 41 AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet:“I said this even at the beginning of the year, that May can be a big momentum shift for anyone, and I was betting on that for us. We showed what this team is capable of doing and with slightly different strategy at the end of the race, we would’ve been fighting for the top spots. I see the morale boost on the team, and it is so good. “We were promoted to the front of the field (the first time) via staying out on the race track when everyone jumped to pit lane during a caution. That was a big surprise. When I was sitting there and the only car in front of me was the pace car, I had a slight moment of excitement. Definitely not what we had expected to happen at that point in the race.” On racing in Detroit…Personally, I loved Belle Isle. To see that leave the schedule was sad. However, I was surprised to see how good the racing actually was at the new circuit. There are a lot of straights to hard 90-degree corners which means big brake zones, so a lot of passing opportunities. I’m looking forward to rolling off this year with more experience for this event.” Pato O’Ward, No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet:“This weekend we’re back on a street course, and it’s a challenging one. It’s a big event for all of us, especially our friends over at Team Chevrolet. We’re going to try and do our best for them and hopefully have a good reason to celebrate at the end of this weekend.” Théo Pourchaire, No. 6 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet:“I’m really happy to be back behind the wheel of the No. 6 onsemi Arrow McLaren Chevrolet. It’s great to discover a new track, and I really enjoy racing on street courses. Hopefully we can have a good race and get a great result for Arrow McLaren and Team Chevy.” Alexander Rossi, No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet:“This is a wild time of the year as we have back-to-back races coming off the biggest month in racing. We’re pushing hard as a group, and I’m proud of the effort that everyone is putting in. I can’t wait to get back on the streets of Detroit and hopefully get a win for the bowtie family.” Gavin Ward, Team Principal at Arrow McLaren:“Even though the results from last weekend are still a bit fresh, we have very little time to dwell on those – we have a race to get ready for this Sunday. Detroit presents a great opportunity for us to build on the momentum we’ve created over the last couple weeks, especially considering how competitive we were there last year when we placed two cars in the top five. Pato (O’Ward) and Alexander (Rossi), and frankly everyone here at Arrow McLaren, are excited to get back out on track this weekend to fight for the win we were so close to last weekend, and we’re looking forward to welcoming Théo (Pourchaire) back for the remainder of the season.” Christian Rasmussen, No. 20 Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet:“I can’t wait to get back to Detroit! I think it will be super special, especially as a Team Chevy driver. It was an event I really enjoyed last year running in INDY NXT. I’m looking to build on the momentum we have from the pace we’ve shown in our previous races and the Top 12 result we secured at the Indianapolis 500.” Rinus VeeKay, No. 21 Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet:“Detroit is going to be fun! Definitely going to be a tired group of people throughout the whole series, but I think we are going to have a good weekend! It’s another opportunity for us to do well, we have a good street course package. With the track changes that have happened since last year, it should be a good race. And driving around the Chevrolet headquarters is always a plus! I am looking forward to it and going for a great result!” Romain Grosjean, No. 77 Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet:“We are happy to be back racing in Motor City. It’s a challenging track and we will try to keep up the good work we have done so far this year on street courses.” Agustin Canapino, No. 78 Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet:“We arrive to Detroit with good expectations, because we were able to be fast in the latest street courses, and the last year was good for us here. It is a very tricky track, and still new for the series. In 100 laps. you never know.”

CHEVROLET IN DETROIT:Wins on the Streets of Detroit: 0 Wins at Belle Isle: 82014 (Race 1): Will Power2014 (Race 2): Helio Castroneves2015 (Race 2): Sebastian Bourdais2016 (Race 1): Sebastian Bourdais2016 (Race 2): Will Power2019 (Race 1): Josef Newgarden2021 (Race 2): Pato O’Ward2022: Will Power Earned Pole Awards on the Streets of Detroit: 0 Earned Pole Awards at Belle Isle: 82014 (Race 1): Helio Castroneves2015 (Race 1): Will Power2015 (Race 2): Juan Pablo Montoya2016 (Race 2): Simon Pagenaud2019 (Race 2): Josef Newgarden2021 (Race 1): Pato O’Ward2021 (Race 2): Josef Newgarden2022: Josef Newgarden Number of Team Chevy Podiums on the streets of Detroit (V6 era since 2012): 1 (Will Power, second – 2023) Number of Team Chevy Podiums at Belle Isle (V6 era since 2012): 22 Number of laps led by Team Chevy on the Streets of Detroit (V6 era since 2012): 18/100 Number of laps led by Team Chevy at Belle Isle (V6 era since 2012): 574

2024 CHEVROLET BY THE NUMBERS:204: NTT INDYCAR Series races as V6 engine supplier since 2012 return to INDYCAR.  114: Wins in the NTT INDYCAR Series since 2012.  130: Earned poles since 2012. Chevrolet holds 135 pole awards in total, with five recorded based on points for weather. 8: Manufacturer Championships since 2012.  7: Driver/entrant champions since 2012.  13: Indianapolis 500 victories by Chevrolet at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. 6: Indianapolis 500 wins by Chevrolet since 2012 in the V6 2.2-liter twin turbo direct injected era. 32: Number of times Chevrolet has swept the podium in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES since 2012 in the V6 2.2-liter twin turbo direct injected era. In total, a manufacturer has swept the podium 50 times since 2012 in the V6 era. 26: Wins by Will Power since 2012 – all with Chevrolet power – most of any driver with the same manufacturer.   9: Wins from the pole by Will Power with Chevrolet power since 2012, most by any driver.  46: Pole starts by Will Power since 2012 in a Chevrolet-powered car, most of any driver.*Will Power’s career total of 70 poles makes him the all-time pole winner in INDYCAR.

May 29, 2024

Harrison Burton and the No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane team are headed to one of the more unique tracks on the Cup Series circuit – the 1.25-mile World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway in Madison, Ill., which is hosting Sunday’s Enjoy Illinois 300.

The track is egg-shaped like Darlington, and also like Darlington, has two different corners – with Turns One and Two akin to New Hampshire Speedway and Turns Three and Four like Phoenix Raceway.

Jeremy Bullins, crew chief of the No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Mustang Dark Horse is a fan of the track’s layout.

“I still call it Gateway, but WWT Raceway is such a great track,” he said, referring to the track’s former name of Gateway International Raceway. “It races like a really big short track, and with the two ends being different it makes it challenging to get your car perfect.”

Like any other track on the circuit, qualifying at WWT is a challenge but Bullins doesn’t expect to be at as much of a disadvantage as the team has been at other tracks in recent weeks.

“We go out early in qualifying again, but qualifying is early in the morning so I don’t think that will be a huge penalty like some weeks,” he said. “Hopefully we can get a good starting spot as this week is a bit of a short race and you won’t have many pit stops.

“It’s much easier to be up front early and try to stay there than to try to come from the back.  If you get a penalty of any kind it makes it hard to recover.”

Practice for the Enjoy Illinois 300 is set for Saturday at 8:30 a.m. Central Time (9:30 Eastern) to be followed by qualifying at 9:15 (10:15 Eastern).

Sunday’s 240-lap race is set to get the green flag just after 2:30 (3:30 Eastern) with Stage breaks at Laps 45 and 140.

FOX Sports 1 will carry the TV coverage all weekend. 

TEAM CHEVY ADVANCEWorld Wide Technology Raceway / Portland International RacewayJune 1-2, 2024

For the first time this season, a tripleheader weekend for NASCAR’s three national series will be contested at two different venues. The NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (NCTS) will pair up for the journey to World Wide Technology Raceway (WWTR), where Chevrolet returns to the track as the reigning winner in both series. The NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) will make its longest trek of the season to Portland International Raceway for the second road course race of the series’ 33-race schedule.

Chevrolet in the NASCAR Cup Series at World Wide Technology Raceway: World Wide Technology Raceway earned a spot on the NASCAR Cup Series’ schedule for the first time in 2022, making the 1.25-mile oval one of the newest additions to the circuit. In just the series’ second appearance at WWTR (2023), Chevrolet earned its first trip to victory lane in NASCAR’s top division at the track, courtesy of a victory by Richard Childress Racing’s Kyle Busch.

Chevrolet in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series at World Wide Technology Raceway:Contrary to the NASCAR Cup Series, the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series has a much longer history at WWTR with Saturday’s Toyota 200 marking the series’ 24th race at the track. The 1.25-mile oval nestled in Madison, Illinois, first played host for the NCTS in 1998 – an event that saw Rick Carelli take the victory behind the wheel of a Chevrolet. Since then, Chevrolet has become the winningest manufacturer in series’ history at WWTR with 12 victories, with six of those triumphs coming in the series’ last seven races at the track. Grant Enfinger was the most recent Team Chevy driver to claim a NCTS victory at WWTR (2023) – a monumental victory that earned GMS Racing the title as the winningest Chevrolet team in NCTS’ history.

Chevrolet in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at Portland International Raceway: Saturday’s Pacific Office Automation 147 will mark the NASCAR Xfinity Series’ third-ever appearance at Portland International Raceway. In the series’ debut at the 1.97-mile, 12-turn road course circuit in 2022, road course ringer AJ Allmendinger took Chevrolet to victory lane. The triumph in the series’ inaugural event was celebrated by a sweep of the top six finishing positions – recorded by drivers from four different Chevrolet teams. One year ago, the Bowtie brand came just one spot short of defending its race winning title, but still grabbed four of the top five positions in the final running order.

BUSCH BOASTS SERIES-LEADING STATS AT WWTRWhile seeking his first win of NASCAR Cup Series season, Team Chevy’s Kyle Busch is heading to a track that fares statistically well for the two-time champion. The 39-year-old Las Vegas, Nevada, native has earned the series’ best average finish of 1.500 at World Wide Technology Raceway – recording a runner-up finish in 2022 and, most recently, a victory in 2023. Busch has tallied the most laps led in each of the series’ two appearances at the 1.25-mile oval – logging 66 laps led in 2022 and 121 laps led in 2023. Proving to be a contender in each event, Busch has also earned a series-best average running position of 3.024 heading into the series’ third consecutive trip to the track.

SANCHEZ ADDS TO SILVERADO’S INTERMEDIATE STRENGTHThis weekend’s trip to World Wide Technology Raceway will mark the five-race countdown to the end of the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series’ regular-season. Last weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Rev Racing’s Nick Sanchez became the series’ third repeat winner of the season – delivering Chevrolet its series-leading eighth victory in 11 NCTS races.  Among its victories this season, intermediate-style ovals have proven to be a strong suit for the Bowtie brand. In five races on non-drafting, intermediate-style ovals, the Silverado RST has picked up four victories – each earned by a different Team Chevy driver (Rajah Caruth – Las Vegas Motor Speedway; Kyle Busch – Texas Motor Speedway; Ross Chastain – Darlington Raceway; and Nick Sanchez – Charlotte Motor Speedway). In addition, each of those victories saw the Bowtie brand earn at least 50 percent of the top-10 finishing positions.

Perez Set for NCTS DebutRev Racing’s Andres Perez will make the jump into the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series this weekend for the first time in his young career. The 19-year-old Mexico City, Mexico, native will make his series’ debut behind the wheel of the No. 7 Spire Motorsports Silverado RST. Perez, who is a part of NASCAR’s Drive for Diversity Driver Development Program, currently competes full-time behind the wheel of a Chevrolet in the ARCA Menards Series. The 2024 season marks just his second full-time season competing at the national level. In six ARCA Menards Series races this season, the Team Chevy driver sits as the series’ points leader with two top-fives and five top-10s.

ALLMENDINGER, MAYER HIGHLIGHT NXS’ ROAD COURSE RINGERSReturning to the NASCAR Xfinity Series full-time this season, Kaulig Racing’s AJ Allmendinger will return to Portland International Raceway for the first time since his victory in the series’ inaugural event at the circuit. The 42-year-old Los Gatos, California, native has earned an impressive 13 career road course victories at the NASCAR national level – 11 of which have come in the NXS, making Allmendinger the only driver in series’ history to earn a double-digit win count on road courses.  JR Motorsports’ Sam Mayer became a first-time winner in the NXS last season at his home track of Road America. The 20-year-old Franklin, Wisconsin, native quickly became a series frontrunner on road courses when the Team Chevy driver took his No. 1 Camaro SS to three-straight road course triumphs with wins at Watkins Glen International and the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course.

AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 Kaulig Racing Camaro SSInaugural NXS Race Win at PortlandJune 4, 2022Sam Mayer, No. 1 JR Motorsports Camaro SSFirst Career NXS Win – Road AmericaJuly 29, 2023

BOWTIE BULLETS:·       With 38 races complete across NASCAR’s three national series this season, Chevrolet has a winning percentage of 57.9% with 22 victories (NASCAR Cup Series – seven wins; NASCAR Xfinity Series – seven wins; NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series – eight wins). ·       In eight tripleheader weekends this season, Chevrolet is the only manufacturer to earn a weekend sweep – accomplishing the feat three times (Daytona International Speedway, Atlanta Motor Speedway and Texas Motor Speedway).  ·       Victories by active Chevrolet drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series at World Wide Technology Raceway:  Kyle Busch – one win (2023) ·       In 86 points-paying races in the Next Gen era, Chevrolet leads all manufacturers with 44 victories – a winning percentage of 51.2%.  ·       Team Chevy’s William Byron is the only driver to have a double-digit win record in the NASCAR Cup Series’ Next Gen era – with his victory at Martinsville Speedway marking his 11th all-time victory in the Next Gen Camaro ZL1.  ·       With its 42 NASCAR Cup Series Manufacturer Championships, 33 NASCAR Cup Series Driver Championships, and 858 all-time NASCAR Cup Series wins, Chevrolet continues to hold the title as the winningest brand in NASCAR Cup Series history.

Manufacturer Points Standings Chevrolet: 511Toyota: 510 (-1)Ford: 473 (-38)

Manufacturer Points Standings Chevrolet: 450Toyota: 425 (-25)Ford: 375 (-75)

Manufacturer Points Standings Chevrolet: 423Toyota: 385 (-38)Ford: 351 (-72)

TUNE-IN:NASCAR Cup Series at World Wide Technology RacewayEnjoy Illinois 300 Sunday, June 2, at 3:30 p.m. ET(FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90) NASCAR Xfinity Series at Portland International RacewayPacific Office Automation 147Saturday, June 1, at 4:30 p.m. ET(FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90) NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series at World Wide Technology RacewayToyota 200 Saturday, June 1, at 1:30 pm. ET(FOX, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90)

QUOTABLE QUOTES:ROSS CHASTAIN, NO. 1 BUSCH LIGHT CAMARO ZL1How challenging is track like Gateway that has completely opposite corners?“It’s exactly that. You get to one end and drive it completely different at the other end. Long straightaways, tight corners, really flat turns 3 and 4, a little more banking and a unique line in turns 1 and 2. It’s a one of one track. There’s nowhere else like Gateway. I’ve been there in the truck series before. I remember watching truck races way back in the day, Xfinity Series races way back in the day. Gateway was a staple of those series and for some reason I really remember that track. Everything about it makes it a one of one.” How do you find speed at Gateway?“If I knew that, I would be in victory lane every time. I don’t know. You can’t drive a slow car fast. You want your car to be turning well. I’m a simple man. I want the car to turn. I want it to do what I ask it to do and not have to manipulate it so much inside. It needs to do something similar in both ends. You can’t get in turns 1 and 2 with the extra banking doing one thing and then getting down to the other end and it be another.” Can you take me back to your first time driving at Gateway?“My first time driving at Gateway was in a truck for Jay Robinson. The Xfinity Series was off and he asked me if I wanted to go drive a truck and run it until it’s out of gas, get laps on the track. We actually made second round of qualifying back then. It was a crazy memory to have that and then come back the next year and win the race in the No. 45 truck.” Why does it seem to race much more like a short track than an intermediate?“The straightaways are longer and the corners are shorter than intermediates. It’s more like a paperclip versus a tri-oval or quad-oval that we run on the intermediate.” KYLE BUSCH, NO. 8 REBEL BOURBON CAMARO ZL1How different is World Wide Technology Raceway versus other superspeedways?“I feel like the racetrack lends itself to a different challenge than what we’re accustomed to. A lot of times you run these racetracks and both ends of the track are very similar. You have to drive World Wide Technology Raceway differently than other places we go. As a driver, that’s fun and gives you a different challenge. It’s also unique because it’s not quite a short track but it’s not quite a superspeedway. It’s egg-shaped and drives like a short track. There’s a big, heavy braking moment getting into Turn 1, a really tight corner in 1 and 2, and then a long, sweeping, and much faster corner in 3 and 4. We’ve been fast the last couple of years and we want to make sure we do it again this weekend.” You have performed well in both Cup races at World Wide Technology Raceway and enter this weekend at the defending race winner of the Enjoy Illinois 300. “The last couple of years there have been great. Last year we started up front and we were able to make the most of that and score the win. We had a couple of delays in that one so it went a little later in the night and we finished under the lights. I hope we can go there with the same speed that we had last year and we can go after a win again. World Wide Technology Raceway is the home track for my crew chief, Randall Burnett, so It was really cool to have a special weekend for him last year and to be able to score that win.” DANIEL HEMRIC, NO. 31 POPPY BANK CAMARO ZL1“I haven’t been to Gateway since 2016, so I’ve never run on the repave. I’ve had a chance to do a little bit of simulation to get used to shifting as much as you do there. I’m pretty fired up to get there and hopefully have a solid race after showing the speed we did in Charlotte.” DANIEL SUAREZ, NO. 99 CHOICE PRIVILEGES CAMARO ZL1Can you repeat last year’s performance in St. Louis?“Last year the entire weekend was very solid for us. We barely missed the second round in qualifying and really, we missed it because of me and not because of the car. The car was capable of advancing. In the race, the car was strong right away. I hope we are as strong again this weekend.” What are your thoughts preparing for the playoffs in September?“This is what I told my team: We have two months to figure it out. Two months to figure it out, and I say two months because I would like to have one month before the playoffs, to have the mentality of playoffs. Because if we think that we’re going to go into the playoffs and flip a switch and just be great, that won’t happen. No matter who it is, that doesn’t exist. So we have to just be ready when the time comes.” BAYLEY CURREY, NO. 41 DQS SILVERADO RSTDo you use shifting to your advantage here as an offensive or defensive move?“I think shifting is just something that you have to do here, really. You slow down so much in turns one and two that you can use that option. Depending on where you downshift, you can change the balance of what your truck’s doing. If you’re tight, you can downshift earlier to get the rotation through the center. If you’re on a long run like how we had last year, you can shift in turns three and four as well. It’s a good tool for the drivers to use.” MATT MILLS, NO. 42 HAMLIN & ASSOCIATES SILVERADO RSTWith it being a home race for your sponsors, how much emphasis do you put on running well at Gateway specifically?“Gateway is definitely a big race for us. J.F. Electric is on our truck all year, but this is a race that they go all-out with on the hospitality aspect. All the men and women that are their employees really want to see their truck run well in their backyard, so we’ve been putting a lot of time in the sim to prepare for it. For us, it’s one of the biggest races of the year.” CONNOR MOSACK, NO. 45 CHEVY ACCESSORIES SILVERADO RSTWhat are some of the benefits and challenges of racing for two different teams in the Truck Series?“I think the challenges come from the fact that once you’re getting into the rhythm of how one team operates, that stops, and you have to give yourself a restart with the other team. You feel like you still have the momentum in the series with the trucks, but each team does things a little differently. The communication changes and some of the small details make a difference. I think full-time drivers have the advantage of gaining speed by keeping in that rhythm with everybody. The crew chief knows exactly what they’re asking for and vise-versa. Some of the benefits are learning what each team does that the other team doesn’t do. You can apply the differences whether that be through prep or debrief after the race, so there’s definitely some benefits as well.”

Chevrolet NASCAR Cup Series Statistics Manufacturers Championships:Total (1949-2023): 42First title for Chevrolet: 1958Highest number of consecutive titles: 13 (2003-15) Years Won: 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1998, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2021, 2022, 2023 Drivers Championships:Total (1949-2021): 33First Chevrolet champion: Buck Baker (1957)Highest number of consecutive titles: 7 (2005-11)Most Recent: Kyle Larson (2021) Years Won: 1957, 1960, 1961, 1973, 1976, 1977, 1979, 1980, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2020, 2021 Event Victories:Record for total race wins in single season: 26 (2007)                2024 STATISTICS:                                                                                                    Wins: 7Poles: 5Laps Led: 1,384Top-five finishes: 27Top-10 finishes: 54Stage wins: 10·       Chase Elliott: 1 ·       Kyle Larson: 7·       Ross Chastain: 1·       William Byron: 1  CHEVROLET IN NASCAR CUMULATIVE STATISTICS:Total Chevrolet race wins: 858 (1949 to date)Poles won to date: 748Laps led to date: 250,559Top-five finishes to date: 4,325Top-10 finishes to date: 8,914                                                                                                          Total NASCAR Cup Wins by Corporation, 1949 to Date:                    General Motors: 1,192           Chevrolet: 858           Pontiac: 154           Oldsmobile: 115           Buick: 65            Ford: 829                                                                      Ford: 729           Mercury: 96           Lincoln: 4            Fiat Chrysler Automobiles: 467           Dodge: 217           Plymouth: 191           Chrysler: 59            Toyota: 186

DOE RUN, MO (May 29, 2024) – The busiest stretch of the season for the Xtreme Outlaw Midget Series presented by Toyota continues this weekend with three races spread across Missouri and Illinois.

After four races through North Carolina and Ohio last week, the Series now heads to Missouri for an appearance at Doe Run Raceway on Thursday, May 30. The banked 1/6-mile oval is home to weekly Micro Sprint competition and hosted its first-ever national Midget series event with the Xtreme Outlaw Series’ debut in July 2023. The Xtreme stars will return to the track with a $4,000 grand prize on the line, racing in conjunction with the POWRi National Midget League.

Next, the Series heads back to Illinois for a first-time appearance at Coles County Speedway in Mattoon, IL, featuring another $4,000-to-win main event. The event will mark a moment in track history as the first time national Midget series racing has graced its 1/8-mile confines. This event will also be run in conjunction with POWRi as Race No. 4 of the Xtreme Outlaw-POWRi Challenge Series.

Finally, the weekend wraps up with a trip back to Wayne County Speedway in Wayne City, IL, where the Series ran two races in 2023. A $4,000 grand prize is on the line for the Feature winner at the banked 1/5-mile oval.

Races three and four of the Challenge Series will commence at Doe Run and Coles County. Ashton Torgerson is the points leader of both the Challenge Series and the POWRi National standings with two Feature wins.

Tickets for all three races will be on sale at the gate on race day. If you can’t be at the track to watch in person, stream every lap live on DIRTVision.

Here are the drivers to watch for and storylines to follow this week:

CLIMBING BACK – Right when it looked as if Zach Daum and Trifecta Motorsports had freed themselves from their string of bad luck, fate tipped them off on another stretch of misfortune that they’ll again try to bounce back from this weekend.

Daum, the 2022 Series champion from Pocahontas, IL, scored his first win of the season last Wednesday at Millbridge Speedway, finally breaking through on the track that had frustrated he and his team for the past two seasons. However, two days later at Atomic Speedway, a crash took them out of the main event early, damaging their primary car and forcing them to go to a backup for Saturday.

But things may be looking up for the 32-year-old open-wheel veteran. He and the Trifecta team race Doe Run on Thursday, where they won in July of last year, and Wayne County on Saturday, where they won on back-to-back nights last June. All three of those wins came in succession, marking the first three-peat in Xtreme Outlaw Series history.

THE STREAK CONTINUES – Cannon McIntosh’s streak of top-fives continued last week, bringing him up to 12-straight Xtreme Outlaw Series races finishing no worse than fifth as he maintains his points lead.

McIntosh, 21, of Bixby, OK, scored his third Xtreme Outlaw Series win of the season last Saturday at Atomic over his Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports (KKM) teammate Ryan Timms, who he leads in the standings by 127 points with 18 races left on the schedule.

Last year at Doe Run, McIntosh crashed out of the main event but had success at Wayne County, notching a third-place run at the Illinois oval.

HELLO, OLD FRIEND – New Zealand racer Michael Pickens begins his first racing trip to the States – aside from the Chili Bowl Nationals – since 2022 this weekend with the Xtreme Outlaw Series.

Pickens, 41, of Auckland, NZ, has not been seen in Series competition since 2022, when he won at Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 during Ironman 55 weekend in August.

This weekend, he’ll join the Oklahoma-based Mounce/Stout Motorsports team, piloting a Spike/Stanton package for all three races as teammates to Tyler Edwards and Jayden Clay in his first Midget appearances at all three tracks.

DYNAMIC DUO – The partner drivers of Chase Briscoe Racing will be on the Xtreme Outlaw Series roster this weekend after a strong showing at Millbridge.

Briscoe, the NASCAR Cup Series regular from Mitchell, IN, plans to be in attendance Thursday at Doe Run and Saturday at Wayne County, where he finished eighth and sixth in the two Series events held there last year.

His part-time hired Sprint Car driver, Karter Sarff, is also scheduled to be in attendance in his family-owned ride. The 21-year-old from Mason City, IL, posted finishes of seventh at Wayne County and eighth at Doe Run last year. He scored his second Feature win of the season last Tuesday at Millbridge and ran second to Daum on Wednesday.

LOOKING UP – After being involved in a hard wreck last Wednesday at Millbridge, Gavin Miller is set to return to competition for all three races this weekend.

Miller, 17, of Allentown, PA, will head back to Doe Run on Thursday, where he ran fifth last July, and Wayne County on Saturday, where he ran second and third in the two starts he made there with the Series last year.

THIS WEEKEND AT A GLANCE

When and where
Thursday, May 30 at Doe Run Raceway in Doe Run, MO
Friday, May 31 at Coles County Speedway in Mattoon, IL
Saturday, June 1 at Wayne County Speedway in Wayne City, IL

On the internet
Xtreme Outlaw Midget Series presented by Toyota
Twitter/X – @Xtreme_Outlaw
Instagram – @XtremeOutlaw
Facebook – @XtremeOutlawSeries.WRG

Live broadcast
DIRTVision – DIRTVision.com. Annual FAST PASS for $299 or monthly FAST PASS for $39/month.

Current championship points standings (view full standings)

1. Cannon McIntosh: 2625 points | Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports #71K
2. Ryan Timms: 2498 points (-127) | Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports #67
3. Chase McDermand: 2401 points (-224) | CMR-Mounce/Stout Motorsports #40
4. Ashton Torgerson: 2378 points (-247) | Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports #67K
5. Zach Daum: 2236 points (-389) | Trifecta Motorsports #7U
6. Hayden Reinbold: 2148 points (-477) | Reinbold/Underwood Motorsports #19AZ
7. Trevor Cline: 1979 points (-646) | Cline Racing #55
8. Karter Sarff: 1969 points (-656) | Karter Sarff Motorsports #21K
9. Kale Drake: 1918 points (-707) | Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports #97K
10. Tyler Edwards: 1892 points (-733) | Mounce/Stout Motorsports #14S

Toyota Feature winners (7 drivers)
3 wins – Cannon McIntosh (Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports #71K)
2 wins – Ashton Torgerson (Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports #67K), Karter Sarff (Karter Sarff Motorsports #21K), Ryan Timms (Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports #67)
1 win – Thomas Meseraull (Engler Racing #7x), Kale Drake (Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports #97), Zach Daum (Trifecta Motorsports #7U)

Toyota Feature laps led (12 drivers)
61 laps – Cannon McIntosh
52 laps – Ryan Timms
49 laps – Ashton Torgerson
44 laps – Kale Drake
41 laps – Karter Sarff
35 laps – Joe B. Miller

27 laps – Thomas Meseraull
14 laps – Zach Daum

12 laps – Taylor Reimer
11 laps – Jade Avedisian

4 laps – Tyler Edwards
1 lap – Chase McDermand

Whitz RC Racing Products Quick Time Awards (6 drivers)
4 awards – Ethan Mitchell
3 awards – Kale Drake
2 awards – Karter Sarff
1 award – Cannon McIntosh, Ryan Timms, Kyle Jones

Heat Race winners (19 drivers)
5 wins – Ashton Torgerson
4 wins – Kale Drake, Zach Daum, Cannon McIntosh
3 wins – Chase McDermand
2 wins – Tyler Edwards, Ryan Timms, Gavin Miller, Jade Avedisian, Nick Hoffman, Trevor Cline

1 win – Thomas Meseraull, Shane Cottle, TJ Smith, Karter Sarff, Kyle Jones, Taylor Reimer, Ethan Mitchell, Tyler Edwards

High-points honors (7 drivers)
2 honors – Cannon McIntosh, Ryan Timms, Zach Daum
1 honor – Tyler Edwards, Chase McDermand, Karter Sarff, Ashton Torgerson, Gavin Miller, Kale Drake

Last Chance Showdown wins (8 drivers)
1 win – Taylor Reimer, Gunnar Setser, Austin Torgerson, Gavin Miller, Shane Cottle, Ethan Mitchell, Ashton Torgerson, Ryan Timms

Hard Charger Awards (10 drivers)
3 awards – Hayden Reinbold
1 award – Will Armitage, Ryan Timms, Ryan Timms, Kayla Roell, Gunnar Setser, Jade Avedisian, Chase McDermand, Elijah Gile, Zach Daum

Podium finishes (11 drivers)
9 podiums – Cannon McIntosh
6 podiums – Ryan Timms
4 podiums – Zach Daum
3 podiums – Chase McDermand, Ashton Torgerson, Karter Sarff, Kale Drake
2 podiums – Gavin Miller 
1 podium – Thomas Meseraull, Taylor Reimer, Jade Avedisian

Top-10 finishes (31 drivers)
12 top-10s – Cannon McIntosh
11 top-10s – Chase McDermand
10 top-10s – Ryan Timms
9 top-10s – Ashton Torgerson
8 top-10s – Zach Daum
7 top-10s – Karter Sarff
6 top-10s – Gavin Miller, Kale Drake, Jade Avedisian
5 top-10s – Taylor Reimer, Hayden Reinbold
4 top-10s – Trevor Cline
3 top-10s – Ethan Mitchell, Mitchell Davis, Tyler Edwards
2 top-10s – Shane Cottle, Gunnar Setser, TJ Smith, Kyle Jones, Sam Johnson
1 top-10 – Joe B. Miller, Thomas Meseraull, Will Armitage, Trey Marcham, Rylan Gray, Todd McVay, Kevin Thomas Jr, Elijah Gile, Brayton Lynch, Nick Drake, Jacob Dykstra, Briggs Danner

2024 Schedule & Winners – Race No. Day, Date / Track / Location / Winner (Total Wins)
1. Fri, March 15 / Southern Illinois Center / Du Quoin, IL / Thomas Meseraull (1)
2. Sat, March 16 / Southern Illinois Center / Du Quoin, IL / Cannon McIntosh (1)

3. Fri, April 5 / US 36 Raceway / Osborn, MO / Karter Sarff (1)
4. Sat, April 6 / Sweet Springs Motorsports Complex / Sweet Springs, MO / Kale Drake (1)
5. Fri, April 12 / Farmer City Raceway / Farmer City, IL / Ryan Timms (1)
6. Sat, April 13 / Farmer City Raceway / Farmer City, IL / Ashton Torgerson (1)
7. Fri, May 10 / Humboldt Speedway / Humboldt, KS / Ashton Torgerson (2)
8. Sat, May 11 / 81 Speedway / Park City, KS / Cannon McIntosh (2)
9. Tue, May 21 / Millbridge Speedway / Salisbury, NC / Karter Sarff (2)
10. Wed, May 22 / Millbridge Speedway / Salisbury, NC / Zach Daum (1)
11. Fri, May 24 / Atomic Speedway / Chillicothe, OH / Ryan Timms (2)
12. Sat, May 25 / Atomic Speedway / Chillicothe, OH / Cannon McIntosh (3)

TULSA, OK (May 29, 2024) – When the American Sprint Car Series National Tour rolls into Tulsa Speedway, June 28-29, competitors will have more money on the line thanks to more than $3,000 added to the Feature purse.

Night two at Tulsa will now award $6,000 to the Feature winner – a 50% increase from the standard $4,000-to-win purse. There are also increases for the second, third and fourth-place finishers, who will receive $2,500, $2,000, and $1,500 respectively.

Series Director Lonnie Wheatley credited Tulsa Speedway promoter Keith Haney’s desire to make the Dirt Down in T-Town a premiere event on the ASCS schedule as the reason for the increase.

“It’s great to have promoters that are this generous,” said Lonnie Wheatley, ASCS National Tour series director. “Keith wants to give back to the racers, and he’s willing to throw some extra money in there. He wants to make this a big event, and I think this is going to help do that.”

Haney, best known as a championship-winning Pro Mod racer on the dragstrip, said he wanted to take the popular “Throwdown in T-Town” drag race at Tulsa and create a similar event on the dirt track.

“It worked out to where we could give more to the racers and make it a bigger show,” Haney said. “The fans love the concept that we bring to the table, and I think it’s going to put the racers and the ASCS in front of a bunch of people that have probably never watched it before.”

Haney said the event will also include added fan amenities including live music, a children’s play area, cooling stations and more.

On both nights of the event, admission will be priced at $25 per carload, with no limit on the number of people per vehicle.

The National Tour will hold its third and fourth events in Series history at Tulsa Speedway, which opened in 2021. Blake Hahn and Tim Crawley scored wins in the tour’s previous two visits in 2021 and 2022, respectively.

Both nights of the Dirt Down in T-Town will be co-sanctioned with the ASCS Sooner Region.

The American Sprint Car Series National Tour returns this weekend with a pair of races in Kansas at Rush County Speedway on Friday, May 31, and Dodge City Raceway Park on Saturday, June 1.

Two-Time World Champ Brittany Force Seeks Second New England Nationals Win

EPPING, N.H. (May 30, 2024) – Coming off her first DNQ since 2014, two-time Top Fuel World Champion Brittany Force didn’t have to look far for motivation in preparing herself and her Monster Energy Chevrolet team for this week’s 11th NHRA New England Nationals at New England Dragway. The 37-year-old national record holder (3.623 seconds, 338.94 miles per hour) was reminded that her dad, John Force, drag racing’s biggest all-time winner, suffered a similar fate 25 times in his Funny Car career, most recently in 2018 when he failed to qualify for the no-longer-contested Spring Nationals at Houston, Texas. “My dad taught us that when you get knocked down, you learn from the experience and you get right back up,” said the 2013 NHRA Rookie of the Year. “That’s the mindset of everyone on this team. We know what we’re capable of doing. “This weekend will be a pivotal time for our Monster Energy Chevrolet team,” predicted the woman who is the current track record holder for time, speed or both at 10 of the 17 tracks in the Mission Foods series.  “We are coming out of one of the toughest, most heartbreaking weekends of my career, the toughest since not qualifying for the Finals in 2014,” she said. “But, moving forward from Chicago has taught everyone on this David Grubnic-run team to dig even deeper and stay positive.  “I know we will get back on top,” said the woman who earned her teaching credentials before opting for a less traditional career outside the classroom. “We won Epping in 2017, so we have some good history, and it’s a market with fans that I love.I’m really excited about the prospect of getting back on track, literally and figuratively.” She also gets a big confidence boost knowing that New England Dragway is an all-concrete track, one on which she not only has won before, but one on which she set the speed record (334.90 mph) with Grubnic power just two years ago.  Furthermore, despite the disappointment at Chicago, the 16-time pro tour winner kept her John Force Racing dragster in the Top 10 in series points with the regular season not yet half over.

At 75, Drag Racing’s Biggest Winner Still a Topic in the Funny Car Conversation

EPPING, N.H. (May 29, 2024) – With a win and a runner-up to his credit already this season, 16-time NHRA World Champion John Force sends his PEAK Antifreeze and Coolant Chevrolet Camaro SS back to work this week at New England Dragway where he once more will try to turn back time in the 11th running of the NHRA New England Nationals. In his 48th season on the NHRA tour and just a month after celebrating his 75th birthday, drag racing’s all-time biggest winner finds himself in third place in the Mission Foods Funny Car driver standings, 36 points behind John Force Racing teammate Austin Prock and the AAA Camaro, and 50 behind Matt Hagan, to whom he finished runner-up, at the previous race in Chicago.  “I’m always excited going back to Epping,” Force said. “I’ve been there a lot of years and have won the race a couple times. It’s got a great market where we draw fans from Boston, Canada, and everywhere, but it’s a tricky racetrack, depending on whether it’s hot or cool.  “The crew chiefs really have their jobs cut out for them,” he said. “Right now, my car is running very consistently. Prock’s car, with AAA, is doing the same. So, we’re both in the hunt for the championship. We’ve got our work cut out for us and it’s going to be tough, but for this PEAK team, it also feels nice to be coming off of a runner-up finish two weeks ago.” The one-time Driver of the Year for all of American motor sports (1996) and the first drag racer ever so honored, Force this week is within reach of first place in driver points for the first time since 2021 which, notably, was the last time he won on the New England Dragway concrete. The only Funny Car driver other than Hagan to have won more than once at Epping, Force lost last year’s final to Bob Tasca III although, technically, the defeat occurred at Bristol Dragway in Tennessee, the track to which the final rounds were moved after rain prevented completion of the event in New Hampshire. In addition to his own New England success, the 156-time tour winner also benefits from the past success of crew chief Dan Hood, who won the inaugural New England Nationals as crew chief to John’s youngest daughter, Courtney, now the wife of Indy Car driver Graham Rahal.

 
LONG BEACH, CA (May 29, 2024) — For the first time since his Top Fuel rookie season in 2021, NHRA driver Buddy Hull is making his return to the New England Nationals, May 31-June 2, at New England Dragway, this time as a rookie Funny Car driver, driving for Jim Dunn Racing.
 
“Looking back at the first time I competed at this event, it makes me realize how far I have come,” said Hull. “Back in 2021, this race was one of the first national NHRA events that I had ever competed in. Almost everything has changed since then. I’m now blessed to be competing in Funny Car instead of Top Fuel, and for the legendary Big Jim. I have an incredible wife and we’re welcoming a baby boy real soon. I don’t think I could have imagined back then where I would be now, both on the track and off. Life is crazy like that.”

 
For the past two races, Hull has qualified in the No. 13 spot. He’s made several strong passes during qualifying that make this next race in Epping feel very promising.
 
“We are continuously moving the needle in the right direction, working out the kinks with some new parts and making adjustments based on the data,” said Hull. “We’re going to keep attempting to make A to B runs, while putting on a good show for the fans. When I was in Epping three years ago, the fans were incredible. They are honestly the biggest reason why I am so pumped to be coming back. Every race so far this year, there have been fans who have come to my pits, saying how they remember me during my rookie season, and are just as excited as I am to see where I am now. The NHRA has the best fans in the world, I will say it again and again.”
 
This weekend Hull will be racing with a Blaze Exhaust Probes paint scheme on his nitro Funny Car, representing one of Jim Dunn Racing’s season-long sponsors. Since 1996, Blaze has been a leading full-service temperature sensor manufacturer that offers solutions for even the most demanding applications. Their reputation for creating the most rugged sensors available has made them a top choice in the industry.
 
“I’m excited to rep a company this weekend that has made the commitment to sponsor us all season,” said Hull. “I don’t take those commitments lightly because we literally could not do what we do as a race team without companies like Blaze stepping up to support us. Blaze has been a Jim Dunn sponsor for a few years now, and I’m hoping that with the addition of me as a driver, they will continue to see the value in our partnership. We’re going to make them proud this weekend.”
 
In addition to Blaze Exhaust Probes, Hull will be representing season-long sponsors Vertex Roofers and General Contractors, Solid Start/True Brand Products, Lescure Mechanical Services, Crow Safety, Compass Facility Services, KGC Construction, Koppl Pipeline Services, Mooneyes, Good Vibrations Motorsports, Powerbuilt Tools and Wiley X.
 
“We’re ready to have an epic weekend in Epping,” said Hull. “Now that we are past the Memorial Day holiday, it’s officially summertime. In my head, summer and racing go hand-in-hand. We’ve had a good start to the season, but now we’re in the real meat of it. This past month we’ve had quite a bit of downtime with only one race in May, and I can’t wait to show everyone what we’ve been working on during that time off. The summer of 2024 is going to be a fun one.”
 

OWASSO, OK (May 29, 2024) — It has been seven weeks since NHRA rookie of the year contender and Pro Stock standout Brandon Foster raced side by side on the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series. Foster competed in the two four-wide nationals in April, but those unique events are not the same as the traditional head-to-head match-ups Foster is quickly acclimating himself to behind the wheel of his Aqua Prop Chevrolet Camaro. This weekend Foster and the Aqua Prop Chevrolet Camaro will make his first appearance at the New England Dragway.
 
“I can’t wait to get back to just racing one other driver,” said Foster. “The four-wides were cool and I feel like I did a pretty good job but there is nothing like pulling up beside one other person and seeing who can get to the finish line stripe first. I have heard good things about New England Dragway and the fact that it is all-concrete should make for some great racing.”

 Brandon Foster and the Aqua Prop Camaro are ready to get back in action at the NHRA New England Nationals, photo credit NHRA/National Dragster

Foster has shown he can handle himself behind the wheel of his Aqua Prop Chevrolet Camaro that gets its power from KB Titan racing. In two of his first three races the rookie raced to the quarterfinals taking out veteran driver Chris MaGaha at the Winternationals and Troy Coughlin Jr. at the Gatornationals. Those round wins were solid efforts for Foster who is still learning with every run down the track.
 
“I have a lot of confidence in my ability to drive and to learn,” said Foster, a successful businessman and entrepreneur. “I have built companies from the ground up and I am doing the same thing with my Pro Stock career. I am working on learning and getting better at the track and in my down time. There is so much that goes on once you strap into this Aqua Pro Camaro you must have a laser focus. I am ready for Epping.”
 
Foster is in an elite group of first year pro drivers and riders vying for the 2024 Rookie of the Year award. Foster has had some early season success and finds himself in good company with NASCAR Hall of Famer turned drag racer Tony Stewart who is making his way in Top Fuel, second generation driver Daniel Wilkerson who is making his first run at a full season in Funny Car and motorcycle phenom Richard Gadson who is riding a powerful Vance & Hines Pro Stock Motorcycle. This group is joined by Jasmine Salinas, Sienna Wildgust, Travis Shumake and later this season Ida Zetterstrom.
 
“Getting some round wins early in the season was a big help in starting my rookie season,” said Foster. “We are in the Pro Stock Top Ten which is great, but we want to move up and keep winning rounds. Epping will be a great chance to make a move. I want to be in the conversation for Rookie of the Year all season and the best way to do that is to keep doing what we are doing. There are some big names in this rookie class, but we all have to do the job on the track.”
 
Foster and the Aqua Prop Chevrolet Camaro will continue to battle this weekend at the New England Nationals. The rookie driver will get two qualifying runs on Friday and two on Saturday. The quickest 16 Pro Stock cars will race for the iconic Wally trophy on Sunday.
 
“I am looking forward to the four qualifying runs on Friday and Saturday because that is the best environment for me to continue to get better,” said Foster. “I didn’t race Chicago because of some business commitments but I am ready for the New England Nationals. I want to make the most of the qualifying runs and get back into my racer groove. Sunday could be a long day for us and I hope to see a lot of win lights.”
 

BARBERVILLE, FL (May 29, 2024) – The 54th Running of Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals will be the biggest yet with the addition of the American Sprint Car Series National Tour, creating a massive three-week event, Jan. 30-Feb. 15, 2025.

Three straight nights of ASCS racing, Jan. 30-Feb. 1, will kick off DIRTcar Nationals at Volusia Speedway Park and serve as the third annual Germfree Southern Sprint Car Shootout. DIRTcar UMP Modifieds will join the 360 Sprint Cars each night, leading to an added day of DIRTcar UMP Modified action on Monday, Feb. 3.

“Every year we look for ways to grow and enhance DIRTcar Nationals; and with World Racing Group’s acquisition of the American Sprint Car Series, this was a great opportunity to build a marquee event for ASCS that also helps make DIRTcar Nationals bigger than ever before,” said Jeff Hachmann, executive director of events at World Racing Group. “This also makes Volusia Speedway Park home to the biggest dirt racing events in Florida for four straight weeks with DIRTcar Sunshine Nationals commencing the 2024 season in January.”

The Southern Sprint Car Shootout has already grown into one of the biggest 360 Sprint Car events, expanding to three days last year with one of the biggest purses of the year for the division. That will be true again in 2025 with a more than $70,000 purse on the line for ASCS competitors in the Series’ debut at Volusia, featuring $3,000-to-win events on Thursday and Friday, and then a $12,000 top prize on Saturday.

Also, the driver with the most points at the end of the three nights will be awarded the Big Gator title.

Last year, the event attracted some of the biggest names in Sprint Car racing from around the world and produced three-straight nights of thrilling racing with three different winners – Sam Hafertepe Jr., Austin McCarl and Ryan Timms.

Sunday, Feb. 2 will be an off day before a full week of DIRTcar UMP Modified and World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series action commences (Feb. 3-8). The DIRTcar UMP Modifieds will run six Features a night Monday through Friday before competing for the Gator Championship and a Big Gator title on Saturday. The World of Outlaws Sprint Cars will run Wednesday through Saturday with Wednesday’s event being a non-points event – however all four nights will count toward the Big Gator championship.

There will be another off day on Sunday, Feb. 9, as DIRTcar Nationals resets for its final week of racing (Feb. 10-15), featuring USAC Non-Wing Sprint Cars, DIRTcar Late Models, Super DIRTcar Series Big Block Modifieds and World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Models.

Ticket packages for all three weeks of racing are on sale now. CLICK HERE to buy them before they’re gone.

For more information about Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals, visit the DIRTcar Nationals website, and follow DIRTcar Nationals on X (formerly Twitter).

2025 Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals Schedule:
-Thursday, Jan. 30: American Sprint Car Series National Tour & DIRTcar UMP Modifieds
-Friday, Jan. 31: American Sprint Car Series National Tour & DIRTcar UMP Modifieds
-Saturday, Feb. 1: American Sprint Car Series National Tour & DIRTcar UMP Modifieds

-Sunday, Feb. 2: Day Off

-Monday, Feb. 3: DIRTcar UMP Modifieds
-Tuesday, Feb. 4: DIRTcar UMP Modifieds
-Wednesday, Feb. 5: World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars & DIRTcar UMP Modifieds
-Thursday, Feb. 6: World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars & DIRTcar UMP Modifieds
-Friday, Feb. 7: World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars & DIRTcar UMP Modifieds
-Saturday, Feb. 8: World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars & DIRTcar UMP Modifieds

-Sunday, Feb. 9: Day Off

-Monday, Feb. 10: USAC Non-Wing & DIRTcar Late Models
-Tuesday, Feb. 11: USAC Non-Wing & DIRTcar Late Models
-Wednesday, Feb. 12: DIRTcar Late Models & Super DIRTcar Series
-Thursday, Feb. 13: World of Outlaws Late Models & Super DIRTcar Series
-Friday, Feb. 14: World of Outlaws Late Models & Super DIRTcar Series
-Saturday, Feb. 15: World of Outlaws Late Models & Super DIRTcar Series

OCALA, FL (May 29, 2024) — One of the busiest months of the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series is getting started this weekend with the NHRA New England Nationals from historic New England Dragway in Epping, New Hampshire. Josh Hart and the R+L Carriers Top Fuel team will return to the northeast for the third time looking to turn their fortunes around. With four races in five weeks Hart and his crew are looking to build momentum going into the second half of the NHRA regular season.

Josh Hart and R+L Carriers Top Fuel team are ready for success at NHRA New England Nationals,
photo credit Auto Imagery/Gary Nastase

“We haven’t seen the results we wanted so far this season, but I know (crew chief) Ron Douglas and the crew have a plan for this weekend,” said Hart, a multi-time Top Fuel national event winner. “The good news is we have qualified well at New England we just haven’t executed on race day in the past two years. I think we are in a good place to turn those race day results around.”

In Hart’s previous two races at New England Dragway he has qualified No. 4 and No. 5 but he failed to advance out of the first round. Two years ago a significant motor failure off the starting line ended Hart’s race day and last year rain forced the postponement and relocation of the race to Bristol. It has been anything but business as usual for Hart and the R+L Carriers team in New England.

“The first time we raced there were had some solid qualifying runs and then on Sunday we had one of the biggest boomers of my career right off the starting line,” said Hart. “Last year we only made a couple runs and I was one of the drivers advocating to get out of town since the weather was so bad. This year the forecast is looking good and I am ready for four solid qualifying runs and a long race day.”

The schedule for Hart and the rest of the tough Top Fuel class will be conducted under what looks to be prime racing conditions for quick and fast runs. On Friday and Saturday, the weather could be sunny with temperatures in the high 60s and low 70s. These types of conditions with the New England Dragway all concrete racing surface could set up the opportunity for record runs. Hart isn’t focused on records he is looking for consistency over four qualifying runs.

“We don’t need to make hero runs in cool weather,” said Hart. “We are focused on getting the most out of the track and our tune up so we can go into race day with as much information as possible. My crew chief Ron Douglas has been working on fine tuning our tune up and we are seeing progress. Four runs in qualifying will be a big help for us.”

Hart is looking for this stretch of races to be the opportunity to make a move up the point standings. Starting this weekend in Epping, then heading to Bristol, Tennessee the next weekend followed by races in Virginia and Ohio to close out the last two weeks of June Hart and the R+L Carriers team can nearly double the season count of passes in the next 30 days. That kind of schedule also keeps his team in a racing groove.

“This section of the season will be critical to our championship plans,” said Hart. “We are in a group of quality drivers at the bottom end of the Top Ten standings. We want to be solidly in the Top Ten heading into July and then continue to improve as the regular season wraps up. I have a ton of confidence in this team and we will start to make some progress this weekend.”

CHEVROLET IN NTT INDYCAR SERIES INDIANAPOLIS 500 INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA TEAM CHEVY FRIDAY PRACTICE REPORT MAY 17, 2024 CHEVROLET SHOWS STRENGTH AND SPEED DURING INDIANAPOLIS 500 FAST FRIDAY PRACTICE AT INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY Team Chevy closed Fast Friday practice at Indianapolis Motor Speedway with seven drivers and teams in the top-10 of best one-lap speeds, with Kyle Larson, driver of the No. 17 HendrickCars.com Arrow McLaren Chevrolet leading the Bowtie brand at 234.271 mph.Chevrolet additionally captured the top-five four-lap average results, in addition to eight of the top-10, with Josef Newgarden, driver of the No. 2 Shell Team Penske Chevrolet leading at 234.063 mph.Larson continued to impress while going the fastest he’s ever had in a racecar, logging 34 laps for the day and clocking the fastest Turn 2 exit trap speed at 231.178 mph.At the checkered flag on Fast Friday, Chevrolet completed 456 laps of the 990 overall on the day, with 2,409 total laps of 5,189 during the first week of preparation for the 108th Running of the Indianapolis 500.Armed Forces Qualifying weekend at Indianapolis Motor Speedway kicks off Saturday with practice at 8:30 a.m. ET, followed by qualifying at 11 a.m. ET. Saturday’s events will stream live on Peacock. TEAM CHEVY TOP-10 PRACTICE RESULT (FOUR-LAP AVERAGE):Pos.   Driver1st      Josef Newgarden (234.063 mph)2nd    Scott McLaughlin (233.623 mph)3rd     Will Power (233.451 mph)4th     Alexander Ross (233.355 mph)5th     Pato O’Ward (233.043 mph)8th     Agustin Canapino (232.875 mph)9th     Santino Ferrucci (232.867 mph)10th   Kyle Larson (232.549 mph) TEAM CHEVY TOP-10 PRACTICE RESULT (ONE-LAP BEST SPEED):Pos. Driver2nd    Kyle Larson (234.271 mph)3rd     Josef Newgarden (234.250 mph)4th     Scott McLaughlin (234.102 mph)5th     Alexander Rossi (234.006 mph)6th     Will Power (233.864 mph)7th     Pato O’Ward (233.748 mph)10th Santino Ferrucci (233.412 mph)

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING (Quotes):Pato O’Ward, No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet:“It was a rollercoaster of a day for us today, but I ended up quite happy with the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevy, and I think we’re ready for qualifying tomorrow. We ended the day strong.” Callum Ilott, No. 6 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet:“We had a bit of a stronger finish to the day than the start. We built things up a lot the whole way through and had some good speed. Now, it’s just about unlocking it. I think we’ve got a better baseline for tomorrow than what we started with today. I’m looking forward to it.” Alexander Rossi, No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet:“It was a good Fast Friday. I always love when we get to turn up the boost around here. I think the car is very close. It’s competitive as always out there, but I think we have the ability to fight for it tomorrow.” Kyle Larson, No. 17 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet:“I think I have to play it by ear and see how much you’re off or whatever. The Penske cars seem really fast, (Alexander) Rossi seems fast. I feel like the McLarens are the next best to the Penske cars. Just kind of see where you are on speed and then adjust. I felt like the one run where I felt closer to the limit, I would’ve made it a fourth lap. I guess that’s not a fun feeling being on the limit, I guess, in this place. Overall, I thought it was a decent day. Good to have it go smooth for once with no weather delays, or anything pop up. Just happy about today.” “I think our car balance was in a comfortable spot that allowed me to be a little bit calmer in the car. If I went out there and felt on the limit of the rear tires, I would have felt like I was probably going a lot faster. I think they did a good job to deal with the balance and keeping me comfortable.” What goals do you have for Qualifying weekend?“I’m not sure. I think it’d be pretty neat to make the Fast 12, and then the Fast Six. I think that’d be pretty neat, but being a rookie, I don’t know if that’s to be expected but it’d be pretty cool to make that and be in the front couple of rows of the race. Just want to get a good, smooth run in and make the show first. Being the top rookie in qualifying would be cool as well.” Gavin Ward, Team Principal at Arrow McLaren:“We are in the mix. Now, it is going to be about getting the details right for tomorrow. We had a good day and are focused on a strong qualifying tomorrow.” Rinus VeeKay, No. 21 Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet:“Friday was fast. I think we’ve got some speed for tomorrow. Still got some left. Hoping for a good draw since it will be hot tomorrow. Let’s make sure we get to do it again on Sunday.” Christian Rasmussen, No. 33 Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet:“I got used to the boost quick! I thought the car had good balance. In the afternoon, when it warms up, everything was a little more dicey. I think we had a lot of wind this afternoon as well. That definitely makes a bit impact, but a lot of valuable lessons learned today. Got comfortable with the high boost and ready to go into qualifying. We’ll see what happens!”

KYLE LARSON, NO. 7 ARROW MCLAREN CHEVROLET and JOSEF NEWGARDEN, NO. 2 TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET– End of Day Press Conference:THE MODERATOR: We’re going to begin our end of day news conferences, Josef Newgarden and Colton Herta will be on their way up. We’ll start with Kyle Larson, driver of the No. 17 Hendrickcars.com Arrow McLaren Chevrolet. Kyle picked up the second quickest lap of the day at 234.271 miles an hour. Kyle, before you got up there you said it felt like a much smoother day today for you. Describe that a little bit. KYLE LARSON: Yeah, today went a lot smoother. Just more so as planned. Where yesterday did not. I thought with the weather being — the forecast being good, I would get lots of laps, but did not. Was pretty frustrated with things yesterday.Yeah, it all went smooth and was good to just get some reps with the boost and feeling all that. Yeah, happy with how it all went. THE MODERATOR: Josef Newgarden also joins us who had the quickest four-lap average during all the qual sim runs that were happening. 234.063 miles an hour, back driving the No. 2 Shell Powering Progress Team Penske Chevrolet, set to qualify for your 13th Indianapolis 500. Your thoughts on — seemed like a pretty good day for a lot of teams today. JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Yeah, it’s always interesting to see how this shapes up. Friday is one deal, and then tomorrow is going to be where it really comes together and you’re going to see where the field truly stacks up. But I think today is a good indicator, and we feel like we’re in a decent spot. We’re definitely in the mix, which is great to see. We’ve been working the last four years to try and get back into the mix in qualifying. Really proud of the team. I think they’ve built fast cars. That’s what happens when you’re quick in qualifying here. It’s about a team effort and building fast cars. It doesn’t matter how good you are. You can’t will the car faster through ability. It is a team effort at Indianapolis. The race is one deal, but qualifying really shows the true nature of the build quality. I think everybody at our shop should be really proud. They’ve done a good job over the off-season, and we’re excited for tomorrow. THE MODERATOR: Josef also the top no-tow speed today, 234.260 miles per hour. Q. Kyle, the fact that you work with Brian Campe at Hendrick Motorsports on the stock car side but he has a tremendous understanding of INDYCAR having worked at Team Penske, how huge of an asset is that for you in this endeavor?KYLE LARSON: Yeah, I think it’s good just having somebody that I’ve gotten to be around the last couple years on the stock car side of things, somebody I’m comfortable with, and with his experience here at Indy as well as working with others, winning championships and big races and stuff, I know he’s been very excited to be a part of this opportunity. It’s been fun working with him and seeing him catch up with old friends and stuff. He’s been a little rusty, though. He sent us out the first day a couple times looking for a pack. Just I’m out there all alone. Then today the first run he called me in after the third lap instead of making it four laps. I was joking with him that he’s a little bit rusty. Either way, he’s a very intelligent person I feel like, and we’re lucky to have him at Hendrick Motorsports. Also lucky that they loaned him for the couple weeks here. Q. Josef, you worked with Brian Campe and Gavin Ward when they were both over at Team Penske. The fact that you realize he’s got them in their corner, how valuable do you think that is for what he’s trying to do?JOSEF NEWGARDEN: I think they’re super valuable. They’ve both been my race engineer at some point in time, so I know them very well. Great guys, super — to Kyle’s point, very smart individuals, and no surprise to see where they are in their careers. Different paths but both super successful. I think the strength on this team beside us is showing today. They all look very strong, and I think we’re going to have possibly a good fight this weekend. We’ll see how it ultimately shapes up. It’s tough. There’s a lot of good talent in this series. Just to speak about my team, we feel like we’re in a good spot. We’ve got a lot of really good people. It’s also bigger than one person. We preach that at Team Penske. It’s a group working together trying to get the most out of each other, and when one person either moves on or we lose somebody, we try and just fill it in with our strength, and I think we’re pretty good at doing that. Q. Josef, do you feel like a favorite for tomorrow or for the weekend now after putting in that run? It looked like an on-rails kind of run. I don’t know what it was like from the cockpit. Can you put yourself in a favorites role at this point?JOSEF NEWGARDEN: No, I don’t think at Indianapolis. I’ve never felt like a favorite here, and I don’t know that I ever would. There’s so many good-quality teams nowadays. This race has changed from where it was 20 years ago. Just to speak recently. Certainly changes from 30, 40 years ago. I think you could really choose who had the fast car throughout the month or who had the fastest cars. Qualifying is still one thing. It shows general car speed. But you can’t ever get ahead of yourself here. That’s been my experience the last 12 years running at this place that stuff surprises you. There’s so many good quality teams and drivers that I just don’t think you can ever feel too confident and comfortable. I think we’re in a good spot. There’s no doubt. I just wouldn’t consider ourselves a favorite. I think we’ve just shown up prepared and ready, and now we need to execute tomorrow and Sunday. Q. Kyle, what was it like getting the extra horsepower today? Did it feel like a different beast? What was it like to drive that with more horsepower?KYLE LARSON: For me, surprisingly, it didn’t feel as different as I was expecting it to be. It’s obviously different. You can tell you’re going faster and you’re a little bit more on the limit of things. But I was expecting like from what I’ve heard or just from watching Indianapolis stuff in the past, the commentators do such a great job of making it seem like it’s like, boom, you’re going 100 miles an hour faster. It didn’t feel way different, so I was happy about that. I think our car balance was in a comfortable spot, too, that allowed me to be a little bit calmer in the car, where I think if I would have went out there and felt on the limit of the rear tires, then yeah, I would have felt like I probably going way faster. I think they did a good job today with the balance and keeping me comfortable. Q. Kyle, going back to the frustration of yesterday and feeling like, hey, we got a lot of time here to make laps, can you walk us through that? Was it just the engine change in the morning and then things compounded from there and caught the team out?KYLE LARSON: Yeah, I’m not sure all the setbacks throughout the day, but I know that — we knew on — what was yesterday, Thursday? Tuesday, that we were going to have to change. So I was all ready for that. I don’t know, I think it all just took longer than anticipated. I was told we were going to be ready about 45 minutes after, and then it ended up being like another 45 minutes later, and then we went out and had to do our install stuff. I made just one run by myself to get familiar with things, and then we tried to go out there in a little draft run, but there wasn’t much of one, and then everybody left to go swap over to Q trim, so then we did, and then that took a little bit longer than expected. By that point, the rain was approaching. I just didn’t get a lot of time, which I felt like I’ve missed out on some good opportunity of people drafting. That just is what it is, and I know there will be more chances on Monday and Friday hopefully if weather cooperates. But yeah, I was just expecting — like hey, Thursday has got the best forecast of this week, so I thought I was going to — I think my optimism was too high, I guess. You never know what’s going to happen with weather here and issues that pop up. I just thought that I was going to run a lot more. But nobody’s fault. I wasn’t mad at anybody. I was just mad that I didn’t get to run more. Q. Today how comfortable were you with the tools? I know you said you practiced that with the knobs and the buttons. Was that easier than you thought? I think Townsend and Hinch were saying on the broadcast they noticed one time the shifting pattern might have needed a little bit of improvement or the precision of the weight jack. Are they working with you on that stuff a little bit?KYLE LARSON: Yeah, I don’t do very good multitasking at all. Like it was okay when I went out there and just ran sixth gear the whole time and I could just worry about the weight jacker and my balance was in a good spot. I didn’t even feel like I needed to adjust the car at all. But then there was other runs where I had to adjust the bar, and then I hit the weight jacker, then I adjusted the bar, then I go down the straight, like oh, shit, I have to hit the button again, and then I’m about to the corner. It’s just more than what I’m used to doing. But I think each run I got a little bit more comfortable and we got to kind of adjust moving some buttons around and playing with the colors of things. I think that was all coming to me a little bit. But thankfully, again, the balance was in a comfortable spot, so I didn’t really have to be super busy in the cockpit. Q. Kyle, this is the fastest you’ve ever been in a race car, but you’ve driven sprint cars that have a lot more horsepower. Did that feeling of acceleration — how different did that feeling of acceleration feel when you’re going that fast, when you get up to speed, compared to being in a sprint car or something like that?KYLE LARSON: Well, it’s just so different. When you’re in a sprint car, you’re 950 horsepower, 1,400 pounds on a quarter mile with the gear to match that. So yeah, that acceleration is different. But I feel like the acceleration in an INDYCAR is pretty incredible for what I’ve gotten to ever feel in a two-mile track or whatever, two and a half mile, whatever this is. Just like going through the gears, it accelerates way faster than a stock car does. That’s fun, feeling that. But it’s hard to compare between a sprint car and an INDYCAR. Q. Josef, hearing Kyle talk about all the different buttons and the tools and the adjustments, does it remind you of everything you had to experience when you were learning about all the different things from an INDYCAR, when you were adjusting from Indy Lights? Any flashbacks of that?JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Yeah, definitely. First time I drove an INDYCAR was really the first time I drove anything professionally. I’m sure it’s a little different experience for Kyle. He’s coming from a different place and background. But it’s a process for sure to learn this specific form of motorsport. I can only imagine going to the NASCAR side would be similar in that there’s a lot to learn. Maybe the process is different, tools are different. But — KYLE LARSON: There’s no tools. JOSEF NEWGARDEN: There you go, there’s no tools. But it is true nowadays, you get to — top levels of everything, everybody is so in tune and specialized at what they do, and they know it so well. Regardless, I think it’s a lot to take in and master quickly. I think that’s the challenge for sure is you’re coming up in a — Kyle has got an opportunity to compete against people that are doing this all year, just trying to maximize this form of racing. It’s a fun challenge I’m sure. I can only imagine trying it the other way. It’s cool to have him here. Obviously for us, we want to have the best of the best running in this race, and Kyle only adds to that, which is fantastic. Q. Kyle, this race has a lot of traditions and pageantry and stuff like that, and one of the first ones is the qualifying draw that comes up next. A couple years ago Tim Cindric picked for Josef and Scott and got booed off the stage. Last year Scott picked on his own and stormed off in a rage at what he drew. Who’s picking for you, and do you have any idea of where you want to be when that thing flips?KYLE LARSON: So my son is drawing, Owen. But we’ll see. I’m sure him and Audrey might fight over it here shortly. I don’t know. I mean, it sounds like the track will be a little bit cooler, I think, when we start, so I think you would want to go out earlier. But you also would like to have some teammates go out before you, I believe. I don’t know, somewhere in the first eight with a couple teammates in front of you would be nice. But I don’t know. Q. Do you plan on milking the cow next week?KYLE LARSON: What? Is that a thing? Q. The rookies have to milk a cow.KYLE LARSON: What? Where is this? Q. Josef will fill you in.KYLE LARSON: Oh, my gosh. Yeah, I guess I will. Q. That hasn’t changed your decision to do the Indianapolis 500, has it?KYLE LARSON: Do we get to glove up? Q. I was talking with your dad earlier and he said one of his fondest recent memories of this race is he thought the 2012 race he thought you guys — you ran the night before the 500 and you went off to Ohio the next day and Sato and Dario had their thing, but he said it was a fond moment of you guys huddled together and watching on a phone screen of this race. Do you have any recollection of that day?KYLE LARSON: Kind of. Now that you mention that, I just remember we were in the car driving. Did Sato win? Yeah. I just remember — I can’t believe we had live streams back then. Yeah, I think I remember watching on the screen, and he just did like a late move to the inside of Dixon, I believe — Q. Dario.KYLE LARSON: Okay. I remember it being a Ganassi car, and yeah, spinning. I’m half Japanese, so I remember cheering for Sato in that moment and was a little bit bummed that he didn’t win. I was happy for both — I guess I was Ganassi then. But I was conflicted in who I was cheering for. I just remember — I don’t know if they feel the same way, but I remember watching it, like Sato was crazy. That was fun.