CHICAGO, IL (August 8, 2023) — Success is measured differently depending on where a person or team is on their journey. For upstart Funny Car team owner and driver Chris King his most recent event, the NHRA Dodge Mile High Nationals in Denver, Colorado, was a successful event even if he had more than his fair share of struggles. In his second race of the season King qualified and also ran career best numbers but a preparation error in the pits cost him a chance at a first round victory. Despite that King and his Howards Cams/Competition Products Dodge Charger Funny Car will enter their third race of the season this weekend’s Menards NHRA Nationals Presented by PetArmor looking to keep their positive momentum going.   “I am looking forward to running career best numbers again,” said King, as he prepares to head to Topeka. “The team has some good momentum headed into the weekend and I am very positive about the work my crew chief Terry Totten has put into the race car. I feel very comfortable in the car and all those things will work together to give us a good chance for success at Heartland Park Topeka.”   In Denver during round three of qualifying, King made a 4.724 second pass at 242.15 mph, both the quickest and fastest run of his career at the time. He took what he learned in that run and then made a 4.608 second pass at 270.32 mph in the final round of qualifying, outdoing himself and setting a new personal best elapsed time and speed. Racing on the mountain of Bandimere Speedway has its own sets of challenges with thin air and tricky conditions so the move to Heartland Park Topeka and its smooth and quick surface closer to sea level has King and his crew ready to lower his career marks.   “We aren’t going out there looking to set low ET of the race or anything, but we can definitely step up and run much quicker,” said King, a full-time Chicago firefighter. “The best thing about Denver was we didn’t hurt any parts. We made some changes going into Denver that worked and we will improve on those. Dean Antonelli, crew chief for Ron Capps, was a huge help. This whole NHRA community has really been supportive of our efforts. I want to be out here full-time, so we are trying to do everything right.”   King is looking forward to the Menards NHRA Nationals Presented by PetArmor in Topeka on Aug. 11-13, but he also has his eye on a three race stretch that could set his team up for long-term success. After Topeka King plans to compete in the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals in Brainerd on Aug. 17-20 and then the Dodge Power Brokers NHRA U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis on Aug. 30-Sep. 4.   “Our plans now are to do well in Topeka then go back to the shop, go through everything and make any adjustments that we discovered this weekend,” said King. “We want to take everything we learned here in Topeka and be twice as good in Brainerd and then get even better for Indy.”   Before he gets too far ahead of himself King knows he has three qualifying sessions to earn a spot in the 16-Funny Car qualified field. With 17 cars on the entry list, he will have to take advantage of every run starting on Friday night under the lights. The competition level has never been higher in the Funny Car and Top Fuel classes and King relishes the challenge.   “You look at the names on the entry list and there are six guys that have won world championships and then there are three more guys that have won races this season,” said King. “There won’t be any easy rounds and I don’t want to just be out there to fill a spot. I want to make quality runs for our team and sponsor as well as the fans. I want to get into the race and then make good runs on Sunday. On race day anything can happen, you just have to put yourself in position to succeed. That is what we are striving for.”   The Nitro classes will make their first qualifying runs on Friday night at 8:00 p.m. then on Saturday they will run at 3:00 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. The quickest 16 Funny Cars will take to the track for the first round at 11:00 a.m. and the race will be televised nationally on FS1.

NORWALK, Ohio (Aug. 08, 2023) – Robert Hight and his Chevrolet Camaro SS, dawning the colors of Crowell Tools and Monster Energy, picked up their fifth win at the famed Cornwell Tools Night Under Fire match race at Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports Park over the weekend. The one-day event included testing, and two rounds of nitro Funny Car competition intertwined with exhibition runs and competition from plenty of fan favorites. After two test sessions, Hight handled the Cornwell Tools Chevy to a 3.92-second pass at 322 mph lined up against Cruz Pedregon who ran 3.94 at 320. Hight’s run would be enough to advance him to the finals against Ron Capps. Hight would stay consistent with another 3.92-second pass at 325 mph over Capps’ 3.96 to win the 46th annual Night Under Fire event. “This is always an exciting event. For the fans, for the competitors. You get some bragging rights. It’s also a nice little boost in confidence to do well,” Hight said. “It makes for a lot of weeks of back-to-back racing, but we love it, I love it. This Cornwell Tools team put in a long day and it paid off. The Bader Family always does an amazing job and John Force Racing is always proud to be part of an amazing night and it always feels better when you win.” John Force, in a specialty-wrapped Night Under Fire PEAK Chevy Camaro SS, would start off with the quickest runs of the day at 3.88 and 3.89 seconds in the two test sessions. In qualifying, an on-track timing error would void Force’s run putting him in the secondary bracket. He would defeat Dale Creasy Jr. to claim fifth place. Force would run 3.894 seconds at 326 mph bettering Creasy’s 4.11 at 297. The two Funny Car teams of John Force Racing will join back with their Top Fuel teammates for the Menards NHRA Nationals at Heartland Motorsports Park August 11-13.

BROOKLYN, MI – August 8, 2023 – Ford Performance and Roush Yates Engines won their ninth straight NASCAR Cup Series race at Michigan International Speedway with Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing’s Chris Buescher in the FireKeepers Casino 400. This victory marked 724 all-time wins for Ford Performance and back-to-back wins for Chris Buescher and RFK Racing. Ford retained the Michigan Heritage Trophy, presented to the winning manufacturer at the 2-mile track.

“Congratulations to Ford Performance, Jack, Brad, Scott, Chris, and everyone at Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing on back-to-back wins and Ford’s continued success at Michigan,” said Doug Yates, President and CEO of Roush Yates Engines. “We are thankful for the continued leadership and commitment from Ford Motor Company. To win at their home track is monumental.”

“I am so proud of everyone at RFK and what we have been able to accomplish these last few years. To get it here at Ford’s home track, this one is always big. It is Jack’s home track and Brad’s home track and this is where we needed one. To fight for it and have such a clean race there with Truex at the end, he was really close to getting us at one point. We had to keep digging on it. I am really proud of everybody. That was awesome to put our Castrol Edge Mustang in victory lane here at Michigan and we have road courses coming up, I am really excited for those,” commented Buescher.

The FireKeepers Casino 400 was originally scheduled for Sunday but postponed to Monday due to persistent delays for inclement weather. Throughout the race, there were a total of nine cautions for 43 laps, 25 lead changes and 16 different race leaders. Chris Buescher, who started the race in 4th, took the lead for the first time on lap 133 and didn’t back down. After the last round of pitstops, the race came down to a battle between Buescher and Martin Truex Jr. Buescher capped the day by leading a race-high 52 of 200 laps and winning over Truex Jr. by 0.152 seconds. Buescher’s win marks Ford’s 44th Cup win at Michigan International Speedway and extended the longest winning streak by a manufacturer at a track.

Roush Fenway Keselowski teammates Chris Buescher and Brad Keselowski finished in P1 and P4 while Stewart-Haas Racing’s Kevin Harvick finished in P8 and Team Penske’s Ryan Blaney finished in P9.

The NASCAR Xfinity Series also raced at Michigan on Saturday. Stewart-Haas Racing’s Riley Herbst finished in P6. Both the NASCAR Cup and Xfinity Series head to the Indy Road Course in Indianapolis, Indiana this weekend.

35 CHAMPIONSHIPS – 452 WINS – 417 POLES

August 7, 2023

Harrison Burton and the Ford 20 Year Senior Master Service Technicians Mustang rallied from a 29th-place start to finish 17th in Monday’s conclusion of the rain-delayed FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway.

In the early portions of the 400-miler on the home track for Ford Motor Company, Burton and the No. 21 team worked their way into the top 20 but ended the first Stage outside the top 25.

He was running 14th on Sunday afternoon when rain at Lap 75 forced the postponement of the remainder of the race to Monday afternoon.

Burton and the Ford 20 Year Senior Master Service Technicians Ford moved into the top 10 when others made pit stops just after racing resumed. He was running 11th when he made a pit stop at Lap 104. When the second Stage concluded he was in 17th place.

As teams employed various strategies, Burton ran as high as fourth place for a time and made his final pit stop, at Lap 161, from sixth place.

As the green-flag pit stops cycled out Burton moved back up to 14th at one point before taking the checkered flag in 17th for his ninth top-20 finish of the season.

Burton and the team joined others from the Blue Oval camp in congratulating Chris Buescher for his win in the FireKeepers Casino 400, which delivered Ford Motor Company its ninth-straight Cup Series victory at MIS and returned the coveted Heritage Trophy to Ford headquarters.

Burton and the No. 21 team now turn their attention to the road course at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Sunday’s Verizon 200 at the Brickyard.
 

ROAD TO SCHATZVILLE: A Legend’s Path to History at the Knoxville NationalsDonny Schatz’s journey at “The Granddaddy of ‘Em All” has led him to a shot at tying one of Sprint Car racing’s most revered recordsKNOXVILLE, IA (August 7, 2023) – There’s a massive piece of history on the line at this week’s NOS Energy Drink Knoxville Nationals presented by Casey’s General Store for Donny Schatz. For the first time, he’ll have a chance to equal Steve Kinser’s record of 12 Knoxville Nationals titles.But long before this opportunity stood in front of him, Schatz’ experience at The Granddaddy of ‘Em All began like many others – a kid in awe, seated in the Knoxville Raceway stands. Even more than three decades and 11 Knoxville Nationals victories later, Schatz vividly recalls the impact it left. The magnitude of the grandstands. The mass of people. A deeply palpable atmosphere unlike anything he’d experienced.“When I got my first opportunity to go to Knoxville, my father had always hyped it up talking about the Knoxville Nationals,” Schatz said. “When I first went, you got the little town in Iowa that’s got the biggest grandstand you’ve ever seen, even the backstretch grandstands. Everybody that’s anybody is there. It’s pretty intimidating. You look at it like it’s a whole other world. You’re used to seeing from a local level or a local show to the Holy Grail. I guess it’s always kept that feel of the almighty event.”Eventually, Schatz’s budding racing career led him to venturing to the Knoxville Nationals as a competitor for the first time in 1995. For a young driver accustomed to racing primarily on a local basis, it was a somewhat overwhelming experience.“It was definitely intimidating,” Schatz admitted. “When you’re used to racing at racetracks where there’s 20 to 30 cars and then you’re at a place where there’s 100 and you’re all racing for the same thing – the Knoxville Nationals. It’s very intimidating. It was pretty neat to do. I think it’s something that takes a long time to be able to put that in the back of your mind that this is just another race even though it’s Knoxville.”Three years later, Schatz realized a childhood dream by qualifying for his first Knoxville Nationals Feature. And not only did the Fargo, ND driver make the show, he brought his #15 home in fourth.“I had a buddy that I grew up with that was a big Sprint Car fan and we kind of thought along the same lines,” Schatz recalled. “And we talked about getting to Knoxville and making the A-main. I think the most intense moment of the whole week is the four-wide on Saturday night. It just sends chills down your spine. I remember standings there saying ‘I’m going to be in that.’ That was my goal in life was to make that A-main and get in the show… In 1998 we did, and it was the greatest feeling ever, and then to top it off with a top five finish was pretty incredible.”With the satisfaction of a strong showing in his first Feature, the hunger for more grew. It didn’t take long, and Schatz was contending for a Knoxville Nationals title. But like any major accomplishment, tough losses preceded glory. In 2000, Schatz led the opening 24 laps before Mark Kinser got by him late. That was the first of four second-place finishes in six years. While the taste of repeated runner-ups was sour, Schatz knows with hindsight they equipped him with the tools to win.“Obviously, we had a long run of second place finishes that at the time we probably felt we were eluded,” Schatz said. “But that place doesn’t owe anybody anything. The second-place finishes are definitely what I think propelled me to having the record that we do there today. You got to know how to lose it and what not to do before you figure out what it takes to win it.”Then, in 2006, the dam broke. Schatz outdueled Joey Saldana for his first Knoxville Nationals triumph, and there was no slowing him down from there. Schatz topped the next three editions to string together four consecutive titles.Schatz’s streak came to a halt in 2010 when he posted yet another second, but then he promptly began another run. A triumph in 2011 marked the first of five straight victories. He came home runner-up again in 2016 before returning to Victory Lane in 2017 for his 10th. Fast forward five years to a season ago when he upped his total to 11.Among his 11 Knoxville Nationals wins are some memorable moments. In 2013, Schatz rallied from transferring out of the B-main. He wheeled all the way from 21st to the win in the finale. Two years after that, he crushed the field by leading all 50 circuits. While Schatz notes that each is special in its own regard, it’s tough to top the feeling of that first in 2006.“They’re all special in their own way,” Schatz said. “I don’t think you’ll ever be able to equal that first Nationals win, that first sense of you did it. I don’t know if that can ever be toppled… There’s nothing like it. It’s one of those feelings that I wish everyone that wanted to win that race or had the desire or drove a Sprint Car got to have that feeling, that sense of satisfaction and gratitude. But unfortunately, that’s not something they just give out or you can buy at your local T-shirt store. It’s something that’s earned, and very few people get that luxury. I’m just honored to be one of them.”The success has now led Schatz to this week. The first time someone will even have the chance to equal Steve Kinser’s record of 12 Knoxville Nationals titles. When “The King” made it a dozen back in 2002, the next closest total was Doug Wolfgang’s five. The record seemed untouchable, but 21 years later, it’s within Schatz’s reach.But the historic marker isn’t on Schatz’s mind. The 10-time World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series champion and 11-time Knoxville Nationals champion is entirely focused on what got him here – the process.“You race so much, and you don’t think about the success. You think about the process,” Schatz said. “That’s something I feel like I’ve not wavered from is the process.”The pursuit of another Knoxville Nationals title for Donny Schatz begins on Wednesday, August 9. For tickets, CLICK HERE.If you can’t make it to the track, catch every lap of the NOS Energy Drink Knoxville Nationals presented by Casey’s General Store on DIRTVision.

NASCAR CUP SERIES MICHIGAN INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY FIREKEEPERS CASINO 400 TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE REPORT AUGUST 7, 2023

TOP TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL TOP-10 RESULTS:POS.   DRIVER5th      Kyle Larson, No. 5 HendrickCars.com Camaro ZL16th      Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Worldwide Express Camaro ZL17th      Ross Chastain, No. 1 Jockey Camaro ZL110th    Erik Jones, No. 43 Allegiant Camaro ZL1  TOP-FIVE UNOFFICIAL RESULTS: POS.  DRIVER1.        Chris Buescher (Ford)2.        Martin Truex Jr. (Toyota)3.        Denny Hamlin (Toyota)4.        Brad Keselowski (Ford)5.        Kyle Larson (Chevrolet)  The 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season continues at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course with the Verizon 200 at the Brickyard on Sunday, August 13, at 2:30 p.m. ET. Live coverage can be found on the NBC and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE QUOTES: ROSS CHASTAIN, NO. 1 JOCKEY CAMARO ZL1Finished: 7th“It was a grind all weekend. We started on the front row but didn’t have the balance or the grip level we needed when we got back in traffic. I felt like we were so fast and I just couldn’t get back up there. We just didn’t have the car to do it. The changes that we were able to make were small – air pressures and stuff – but helped the car today.  Thank you to everyone at Trackhouse Racing and Chevrolet to be able to come back on a green race track and make the car better. It was a good run for the No. 1 Jockey Chevy team.” KYLE LARSON, NO. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM CAMARO ZL1Finished: 5thTop-Five finish for the No. 5 HendrickCars.com team. Is that where this car was or did you think you had some more?“I felt like we were a little bit better, and then after that wreck off of (turn) two, the No. 14 (Chase Briscoe) and I hit pretty decently, and I just felt like we were a little slower after that. I think the handling was still similar, but just a little bit slower overall. We took what we could get out of the day. Happy with the pit strategy there at the end to get some track position and come away with a top-five for the No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevy. We’ll take it.” KYLE BUSCH, NO. 8 KWIK TRIP / KWIK STAR CAMARO ZL1Sidelined by damage sustained in an accident in Stage One. Finished: 37th “I put myself in a bad spot. I really hate that I did that. I wish the results were better for the day for our entire RCR team. They work so hard and do so much for me to put myself in a bad spot like that and get crashed. Hate it for Kwik Trip and everybody involved, it was a really short day.” Did your car just snap on you as you got beside him?“We touched a little bit and that’s when you lose all the air and you spin out.” You put yourself in a bad position? Did you feel like (Ryan) Blaney did anything wrong there? “They all run hard. They all want to race to crash. I tried to make a move and in the old days, guys that you were racing would let you go and have that spot and work for it later. But in this day in age, it’s completely different. So I got a guy that ran on my outside and took the air off.” CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CAMARO ZL1Sidelined by damage sustained in an accident in Stage One.  Finished: 36thThat was a hard hit there. Are you feeling alright? “Yeah, I feel good. I hate that it happened. It was really early in the day to have a tire blow like that. It was really weird. It’s a bummer, but not surprised.” Was there no warning that the tire was going? “No, not at all. Obviously we stayed out, but no I didn’t even feel like I was being hard on it. Unfortunately not.” WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 LIBERTY UNIVERSITY CAMARO ZL1Sidelined by damage sustained in an accident in Stage Two. Finished: 35th“I just got loose trying to get stage points there. We were dicing it up. We didn’t have the best restart, so we were gaining spots back, but just tried too hard. We’ll just regroup and try to get a good couple of weeks before the playoffs. Just made a mistake – was just trying hard and got loose.” JOSH BERRY, NO. 42 SUNSEEKER RESORTS CAMARO ZL1Sidelined by damage sustained in an accident in Stage Two.Finished: 34thAny warning that the car was coming around? “No, I had no idea. Just wild restarts here and just trying to learn as much as I can. I just got loose there and backed it into the wall. Just hate it that we didn’t get to run all the laps today because that was the main goal.  Was it traffic, aero-effects or just no warning? “I’ll have to go back and watch it. Obviously it’s a lot to learn here with everything going on back there. I’ll just go back and look, learn and see what I can do better.” ERIK JONES, NO. 43 ALLEGIANT CAMARO ZL1Finished: 10th“It was a good day for the No. 43 Allegiant Chevy team. I thought our Chevy was a top-five car. We just got shuffled around on some restarts. When the No. 48 (Alex Bowman) got wrecked there, we had to come in and change tires; got shuffled to the back and we had that long green-flag run there at the end. To drive from the back up to 10th, it’s good. Obviously we wish it was better, but we had good speed and a good car all race yesterday and today. The balance was just a little tighter today and kind of held us back. We’ll see moving forward. We’re getting faster, we just need to capitalize on these days and go try to make the most of them to get the finishes that we can. Happy with the way we’re going.” DANIEL SUAREZ, NO. 99 WORLDWIDE EXPRESS CAMARO ZL1Finished: 6th“Proud of my No. 99 Worldwide Express Chevy team. This is exactly what we needed after a couple of rough weeks. The team did an amazing job with execution and the car was fast. It wasn’t easy – we had to work for this one. Two days ago in practice, I knew our car had the speed, but we were just very off on balance. Once we found the balance, the car was pretty fast so I’m happy with that. I feel like we still have maybe one more step to go to be able to win races, but it was definitely a race that we needed, especially heading into two road course races. Now we have a little momentum on our side and I’m optimistic for the final three races of the regular season.”

STAGE ONE: ·       Trackhouse Racing’s Ross Chastain led the NASCAR Cup Series to the green flag in the FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway – his ninth top-10 start of the season and his first career top-10 qualifying effort in NASCAR’s premier series at the two-mile oval. Chastain drove his No. 1 Jockey Camaro ZL1 to the top position in the opening lap – leading the race’s first 16 laps. ·       Two of Team Chevy’s former champions faced trouble in Stage One with Kyle Busch and Chase Elliott making an early exit due to damage sustained in accidents in the race’s first 35 laps. ·       Under caution with 11 laps to go in the stage, crew chief Cliff Daniels opted for track position – calling for Larson to stay out when pit road opened. With varying pit strategies among the leaders, Larson lined up in the seventh position for the final six laps of Stage One. ·       Larson went on to lead Team Chevy to the green-white checkered flag – collecting top-five points at the conclusion of Stage One. The No. 5 HendrickCars.com Camaro ZL1 team led the manufacturer to four of the top-10 positions in Stage One:5th      Kyle Larson, No. 5 HendrickCars.com Camaro ZL16th      Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Worldwide Express Camaro ZL17th      Alex Bowman, No. 48 Ally x Detroit Pistons Camaro ZL19th      Erik Jones, No. 43 Allegiant Camaro ZL1 STAGE TWO: ·       During the Stage break, Larson visited pit road for four tires and fuel. With much of the field staying out, Larson was forced to start in the 21st position for the start of Stage Two. ·       Coming to the end of Stage One, William Byron made contact with the wall while in a three-way battle for top-10 stage points. Crew chief Rudy Fugle called Byron down pit road to assess the damage on the No. 24 Liberty University Camaro ZL1. Unable to make repairs by the end of the DVP clock, Byron was forced to make an early departure from the race for a 35th-place finish. ·       Shortly after the start of Stage Two, the fourth caution of the day flew involving Team Chevy’s Josh Berry following a spin and contact with the wall. With too much damage to continue, the No. 42 Sunseeker Resorts Camaro ZL1 team ended the race in the 34th position. ·       LEGACY MOTOR CLUB’s Erik Jones was in a battle for the lead when the caution flew. Taking the green flag on lap 56, Jones settled his No. 43 Allegiant Camaro ZL1 into the third position on the restart. ·       A trio of Camaro ZL1’s were running in the top-five (Alex Bowman – 2nd, Kyle Larson – 3rd and Erik Jones – 5th) when the caution flew for precipitation, ultimately bring the race to red flag conditions for approximately 85 minutes before being postponed until Monday. ·       Restarting the race with 38 laps left in the Stage, a caution flew for debris in Turn Two at lap 102. Many drivers looking for stage points chose to stay off pit road with seven Team Chevy drivers lining up in the top-10 for the restart with 14 laps left in the Stage. ·       Trackhouse Racing’s Daniel Suarez led the manufacturer to the end of Stage Two, driving his No. 99 Worldwide Express Camaro ZL1 to a second-place finish in the Stage. ·       Four Team Chevy drivers collected top-10 points in Stage Two: 2nd      Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Worldwide Express Camaro ZL15th      Alex Bowman, No. 48 Ally x Detroit Pistons Camaro ZL16th      Kyle Larson, No. 5 HendrickCars.com Camaro ZL18th      AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 Farmsmart Camaro ZL1 FINAL STAGE / POST-RACE NOTES: ·       Kyle Larson led Team Chevy to the checkered flag at Michigan International Speedway – driving his No. 5 HendrickCars.com Camaro ZL1 to a fifth-place finish. ·       Four drivers from three different Chevrolet teams took top-10 finishing positions at the two-mile oval with Larson leading Trackhouse Racing’s Daniel Suarez and Ross Chastain in the sixth and seventh positions, respectively, and LEGACY MOTOR CLUB’S Erik Jones rounding out the top-10.

CONCORD, NC (Aug. 7, 2023) – The 2023 edition of the World of Outlaws World Finals at The Dirt Track at Charlotte is not only bringing more for the fans, but more for the drivers.

While fans will see the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars, World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Models and Super DIRTcar Series Big Block Modifieds all four days of the championship event, Nov. 1-4, the drivers will be racing for a share of more than $700,000, an increase of over $50,000 spread throughout the field.

Thursday and Friday’s Features for the Sprint Cars and Late Models will pay $15,000 to win and $1,200 to start, while Saturday’s Feature will pay $25,000 to win and $1,750 to start.

For the Super DIRTcar Series, its Features on Thursday and Friday will pay $10,000 to win and $750 to start. Then, its finale on Saturday will pay $15,000 to win and $1,000 to start.

The on-track action starts Wednesday, Nov. 1, but the event will kick off on Tuesday, Oct. 31, with the annual hauler parade at 4 p.m. (ET) in front of Charlotte Motor Speedway’s zMax Dragway. Fans can gather along the roadway in front of the building and welcome each World of Outlaws and Super DIRTcar Series team as they make their way to the dirt track.

Wednesday is all about speed. World of Outlaws Sprint Car, World of Outlaws Late Model and Super DIRTcar Series drivers will run multiple qualifying sessions to set the starting line ups for Thursday and Friday’s Heat Races. Once the final Quick Time Award is handed out, there will be a Fan Fest Pit Party at 9 p.m. (ET).

The rest of the week will bring edge-of-your-seat, heart-pounding, action, en route to crowning 2023 champions. Along with competing for series points, drivers will collect event points Thursday and Friday, which will set Saturday’s Heat Race line ups.

The best photo and video opportunity in all of motorsports will take place before Friday’s Features with the famed 3X4 Wide Salute to the Fans, featuring the World of Outlaws Sprint Cars, World of Outlaws Late Models and Super DIRTcar Series.

At noon on Saturday, a thunderous roar will echo between campers as Late Models, Big Block Modifieds and Sprint Cars will parade through the track’s campground.

After the final checkered flag falls Saturday evening, fans will get to watch the three series champions celebrate their 2023 title on the front stretch with a fireworks spectacle.

CLICK HERE for the full 2023 schedule

Last year, fans were treated to exciting racing around the 4/10-mile track from all three series and all roads are pointing another thrilling November finale. By the halfway point of the season, the World of Outlaws Sprint Cars have already had nine different changes for the championship lead, most recently between four-time and reigning Series champion Brad Sweet and David Gravel – looking for his first title.

The World of Outlaws Late Models could see its third different champion in three seasons. Bobby Pierce, in his first full season with the Series, has become an instant standout, leading the title fight with veteran driver Chris Madden. Both are looking for their first World of Outlaws championship.

Recently, the Super DIRTcar Series has had seven different winners in the last eight races, including first time winners and the return to Victory Lane for a Hall of Famer. Reigning Series champion Matt Sheppard will try to make history this season and claim his 10th title.

To be a part of the World of Outlaws World Finals at The Dirt Track at Charlotte, get your tickets today, HERE. Make sure to get your four-day package before Aug. 31 to get a free fan pit pass.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (August 6, 2023) – Reigning champion Jared Mees (No. 1 Indian Motorcycle/Rogers Racing/SDI Racing FTR750) fortified his Grand National Championshipadvantage with a trademark performance in The City of Sturgis Black Hills Half-Mile presented by Black Hills Harley-Davidson at Black Hills Speedway in Rapid City, South Dakota

Progressive American Flat Track, sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing, took the spotlight at the 83rd Sturgis Motorcycle Rally on Sunday night, and all of its superstars, Mees again shone the brightest. He looked nearly unbeatable entering the Mission SuperTwins presented by S&S CycleMain and then proved those fears well founded as soon as the race began. He shot out into the lead from pole and stretched out a sizable gap within a matter of laps, extinguishing any hopes of an upset as he did so.

Drama-free at the front, the Main Event was anything but from second place on down the order. Despite being in desperate need of a runner-up finish to minimize the damage to his championship chances, Dallas Daniels (No. 32 Estenson Racing Yamaha MT-07 DT) found himself in fourth behind JD Beach (No. 95 Estenson Racing Yamaha MT-07 DT) and Briar Bauman (No. 3 Parts Plus/Jacob Companies KTM 790 Duke) and in danger of being displaced to fifth by Brandon Robinson (No. 44 Mission Roof Systems Indian FTR750).

Fueled by that desperation, Daniels somehow thread the needle, splitting Beach and Bauman to emerge from fourth in second with eight minutes to go. He and Estenson Racing teammate Beach then separated from the fight for fourth and flew their Yamahas in formation from that point forward.

However, Beach didn’t appear to be content to merely follow Daniels to the flag, instead showing his teammate a wheel more than once as the race neared its conclusion. While Beach may have had some pace on Daniels, he was wise enough to hold off on anything but the cleanest of passes – an opportunity for which never showed itself.

As a result of Mees’ victory and Daniels’ runner-up, Mees now leads by 5 points (321-316) and has locked up the tiebreaker with just three races left to determine this year’s champion.

Mees said, “It was a good day for us. We knew we needed to come in and do exactly that. We were dominant all day long. Jimmy Wood had the Öhlins suspension so hooked up – the Indian was probably one of the most hooked up motorcycles on a Half-Mile that I’ve ever been on, honestly. And Kenny Tolbert had the thing tuned-up perfectly, obviously. We were solid right off the truck, and that was a big key to today – not having to search for the speed.”

Meanwhile, nine riders were in contention for fourth place in a wild fracas just behind the podium positions. Fourth and fifth, ultimately went to Davis Fisher (No. 67 Rackley Racing/Bob Lanphere’s BMC Racing Indian FTR750) and Cameron Smith (No. 34 Martin Trucking/Fredericktown Yamaha MT-07). Brandon Robinson (No. 44 Mission Roof Systems Indian FTR750) held on for sixth, while Bauman suffered the most in the fray, dropping all the way down to 12th by the time he took the checkered flag.

Seventh was taken by Kolby Carlile (No. 36 G&G Racing/Yamaha Racing Yamaha MT-07) while Johnny Lewis (No. 10 Moto Anatomy X Powered by Royal Enfield 650), Jarod Vanderkooi (No. 20 JMC Motorsports/Fairway Ford Indian FTR750), and Bronson Bauman (No. 37 Fastrack Racing/2 Wheelz KTM 790 Duke) completed the top ten.

Parts Unlimited AFT Singles presented by KICKER

Reigning Parts Unlimited AFT Singles presented by KICKER champ Kody Kopp (No. 1 Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 450 SX-F) pulled off perhaps the most impressive of his seven race wins this season on Sunday at Black Hills Speedway.

Kopp not only had to work up through a talented field on a slick track after running as low as seventh early, he also had to somehow find a way around the race’s heavy pre-race favorite, Tom Drane (No. 59 Estenson Racing Yamaha YZ450F), to complete that epic charge to victory.

Kopp exploited a high line no one else could quite master to slash up from seventh to second. That strategy could take him only that far, however, as Drane was too fast and too smart to simply power around. Instead, the factory Red Bull KTM ace applied as much pressure as he possibly could and then pounced as soon as Drane made a slight mistake as the two leapt out of Turn 4 with just two laps remaining.

Once into first, Kopp kept it together and held on by 0.227 seconds at the checkered flag.

“That was probably the toughest race of my career,” Kopp said. “I really dug myself out of a hole after a terrible heat, but I knew we had the speed… (But) Tom made it so hard to do. I would roll him – I had a lot of entry speed into (Turn) 1 – but he would see me and come up and block, which is what you have to do at a track like this, and it would cost me all of my momentum. But he just slipped up once coming off 4, and that’s all it took.”

“Last year around this time, when we started thinking about the championship, I feel like I was settling for like fifths and sevenths. This year, I want to get eight wins like Dallas (Daniels did in 2020). This is huge for me and my team.”

The two were joined on the box by Trent Lowe (No. 48 American Honda/Mission Foods CRF450R), who held off second factory KTM ace Max Whale (No. 18 Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 450 SX-F), by 0.096 seconds for the spot.

Early frontrunner and ‘22 Black Hills HM winner Trevor Brunner (No. 21 Estenson Racing Yamaha YZ450F) finished in fifth, just 0.005 seconds ahead of Chase Saathoff (No. 88 American Honda/Mission Foods CRF450R).

Rookie Declan Bender (No. 216 Killer Bee Racing/Luczak Racing KTM 450 SX-F) earned the best finish of his Progressive AFT career in seventh. He was followed by Dalton Gauthier (No. 79 D&D Racing/Certified KTM 450 SX-F), Travis Petton IV (No. 82 ECG Racing/3 Bros KTM 450 SX-F) and Tarren Santero (No. 75 Vinson Construction/Eric Hoyt Honda CRF450R) to round out the top ten.

Kopp now leads the championship by 49 points over Drane (298-249). Should he build that advantage by just a single point next weekend at his home race in Castle Rock, Washington, he’ll successfully complete his title defense a full two rounds early.

Next Up:

The battle for the 2023 Grand National Championship resumes in less than a week with the CertainTeed Castle Rock TT presented by Law Tigers at Castle Rock Race Park in Castle Rock, Washington, on Saturday, August 12. Visit https://www.tixr.com/groups/sdiracing/events/castle-rock-tt-59623 to reserve your tickets today.

For those that can’t catch the live action from the circuit, FansChoice.tv is the live streaming home of Progressive AFT. Sign up now and catch every second of on-track action starting with Practice & Qualifying and ending with the Victory Podium at the end of the night at https://www.fanschoice.tv.

FOX Sports coverage of The City of Sturgis Black Hills Half-Mile presented by Black Hills Harley-Davidson, featuring in-depth features and thrilling onboard cameras, will premiere on FS1 on Sunday, August 13, at 11:00 a.m. ET (8:00 a.m. PT)

August 6, 2023 — NASHVILLE, TN

• Kyle Kirkwood scores his second NTT INDYCAR SERIES race victory of 2023 at the Big Machine Music City Grand Prix
• Third consecutive win for Honda at Nashville; fifth street circuit victory of 2023
• Alex Palou increases his championship lead with third-place result

Kyle Kirkwood was letter perfect in today’s Big Machine Music City Nashville Grand Prix, claiming his second victory of 2023 in his Andretti Autosport Honda, and completing a run of NTT INDYCAR SERIES street circuit victories for the manufacturer in 2023.

After starting eighth, Kirkwood’s two-stop pit strategy proved decisive in moving him to the front of the field on Lap 28, and the Andretti driver went on to lead a race-high 34 laps, then surviving two late-race caution periods to score the victory.  Championship leader Alex Palou added to his points advantage with a third-place finish today; with his Chip Ganassi Racing teammate and defending race winner Scott Dixon rebounding from a crash in qualifying yesterday to round out the top five for Honda.

Big Machine Music City Grand Prix Honda Race Results      

1st Kyle Kirkwood	Andretti Autosport Honda
3rd Alex Palou	Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
5th Scott Dixon	Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
6th Romain Grosjean	Andretti Autosport Honda
7th Marcus Ericsson	Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
9th Christian Lundgaard	Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda
11th Helio Castroneves	Meyer Shank Racing Honda
13th Marcus Armstrong-R	Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
15th Graham Rahal	Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda
17th Sting Ray Robb-R	Dale Coyne Racing with RWR Honda
21st Colton Herta	Andretti Autosport Honda [Did not finish – mechanical]
24th Jack Harvey	Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda [Did not finish – contact]
25th Linus Lundqvist-R	Meyer Shank Racing Honda [Did not finish – contact]
26th Devlin DeFrancesco	Andretti Autosport Honda [Did not finish – contact]
27th David Malukas	Dale Coyne Racing with HMD Honda [Did not finish – mechanical]

R – Rookie

NTT INDYCAR SERIES Manufacturers’ Championship (unofficial, after 13 of 17 rounds)
Honda                  1,068 points
Chevrolet             1,015 points

NTT INDYCAR SERIES Drivers’ Championship Standings (unofficial, after 13 of 17 rounds)
1. Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing Honda                 513 points
2. Josef Newgarden, Team Penske                               429
3. Scott Dixon, Chip Ganassi Racing Honda                387
4. Scott McLaughlin, Team Penske                               371
5. Marcus Ericsson, Chip Ganassi Racing Honda        357

Quotes
Kyle Kirkwood (#27 Andretti Autosport Honda) race winner, second win of 2023 and second career INDYCAR victory: “I have to give it up to the #27 crew: the Autonation Andretti Honda team. They played everything in my favor, gave me all the tools I needed today.  I really only made a couple of passes on-track, they cycled me to the front on strategy and made smart decisions all day.  I just had to hit my marks, such a solid day for the #27 crew, no doubt. This [second win] definitely feels like some kind of redemption [after crashing out of last year’s race], it’s super cool.”

Alex Palou (#10 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda) finished third, now holds an 84-point drivers’ championship lead with four races remaining: “We had the speed today.  Before the race, we expected more yellows, and that was not the right call. But hey, we survived and made it work. We were saving a ton of fuel throughout the race, which was tough. But we made it work and we’re on the podium.  My team has done a tremendous job throughout the whole year, and we’ll keep on pushing to keep the #10 American Legion Honda on top.”

Rebecca Johnson (Senior Manager and Director of Production, Honda Performance Development) on today’s Honda win in Nashville: “Another great weekend in Nashville for Honda and HPD! Congratulations to Kyle Kirkwood and everyone at Andretti Autosport on another excellent win.  It’s really gratifying to keep our unbeaten streak going here in Music City, and sweep all five temporary street circuits this season.  Thanks to everyone at HPD, and let’s keep up the hard work as we enter the final stretch of the 2023 season.”

Fast Facts

• Honda continues to lead the 2023 NTT INDYCAR SERIES Manufacturers’ Championship, with eight victories and nine poles in 13 races this season. Honda currently has an unofficial 53-point advantage (1,068-1,015) over rival Chevrolet. The company is seeking its fifth NTT INDYCAR SERIES Manufacturers’ Championship in the last six years in 2023.
• Honda drivers and teams have won all five temporary street circuit races on the 2023 NTT INDYCAR SERIES schedule; with Kyle Kirkwood victorious here today and at the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach; Marcus Ericsson winning the season-opening race at St. Petersburg; Christian Lundgaard scoring his first win at the Honda Indy Toronto; and Alex Palou winning the Detroit Grand Prix.
• Honda has now has won all three events held on the temporary Nashville street circuit, including Marcus Ericsson’s win in the inaugural 2021 race and Scott Dixon’s victory here last year.  A new circuit layout will debut in 2024.

Next
The 2023 NTT INDYCAR SERIES next heads back “home” to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the August 11-12 Gallagher Grand Prix, on the IMS road course.

NASCAR CUP SERIES MICHIGAN INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY FIREKEEPERS CASINO 400 TEAM CHEVY DRIVER QUOTES AUGUST 6, 2023

KYLE BUSCH, NO. 8 KWIK TRIP / KWIK STAR CAMARO ZL1Sidelined by damage sustained in an accident in Stage One.

“I put myself in a bad spot. I really hate that I did that. I wish the results were better for the day for our entire RCR team. They work so hard and do so much for me to put myself in a bad spot like that and get crashed. Hate it for Kwik Trip and everybody involved, it was a really short day.” Did your car just snap on you as you got beside him?“We touched a little bit and that’s when you lose all the air and you spin out.” You put yourself in a bad position? Did you feel like (Ryan) Blaney did anything wrong there? “They all run hard. They all want to race to crash. I tried to make a move and in the old days, guys that you were racing would let you go and have that spot and work for it later. But in this day in age, it’s completely different. So I got a guy that ran on my outside and took the air off.”

CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CAMARO ZL1Sidelined by damage sustained in an accident in Stage One.

That was a hard hit there. Are you feeling alright? “Yeah, I feel good. I hate that it happened. It was really early in the day to have a tire blow like that. It was really weird. It’s a bummer, but not surprised.” Was there no warning that the tire was going? “No, not at all. Obviously we stayed out, but no I didn’t even feel like I was being hard on it.”

CHEVROLET IN NTT INDYCAR SERIES BIG MACHINE MUSIC CITY GRAND PRIX NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE TEAM CHEVY RACE REPORT AUGUST 6, 2023 SCOTT MCLAUGHLIN CAPTURES CHEVROLET’S 304TH PODIUM OF THE V6 ERA IN THE BIG MACHINE MUSIC CITY GRAND PRIXTeam Penske’s Scott McLaughlin finished the 80-lap Big Machine Music City Grand Prix second, capturing Chevrolet’s 20th podium of the 2023 NTT INDYCAR Series season and 304th since 2012.After starting from pole, McLaughlin led 25 of 26 laps led for Team Chevy during the chaotic event that saw a late red flag and three-lap shootout to the checkered flag.Josef Newgarden, of Team Penske, finished fourth in difficult hot and humid conditions.Pato O’Ward of Arrow McLaren INDYCAR, and Will Power of Team Penske, completed the top-10 for Team Chevy by finishing eighth and 10th, respectively.

NASHVILLE (August 6, 2023) – Under sunny, hot, and humid conditions, a charging Scott McLaughlin, driver of the No. 3 DEX Imaging Chevrolet for Team Penske, settled for the second step on the podium for Chevrolet in downtown Nashville. After starting on pole, McLaughlin drove a tough and tricky race on the tight 2.17-mile temporary street circuit in Music City, to give the Bowtie brand their 20th podium finish of the 2023 NTT INDYCAR Series season. Additionally, McLaughlin’s second-place finish gives Chevrolet their 304th podium since 2012 in the V6 2.2-liter twin turbo direct injected era. “I really tried my best but just couldn’t get there,” said McLaughlin reflecting on his Big Machine Music City Grand Prix race. “The DEX Imaging Chevy was great, and I’m very proud of everyone. There’s another top-three, another very good points day. We were really hoping to get the win. But, you know, we weren’t best today compared to Alex (Palou) and props to him.” Not only battling the competition but also the heat, McLaughlin’s Team Penske teammate Josef Newgarden, driver of the No. 2 PPG Chevrolet, was quick to check on McLaughlin post-race after finishing fourth. Reflecting on his top-five finish for Chevrolet, Newgarden said “I felt like we had a little more charge in the beginning of the race that didn’t materialize. It’s a decent top-five that we can come out of here with and be proud of with the PPG car,” continued Newgarden. “There was a little more opportunity that just didn’t materialize in the beginning you know, typical street course stuff. You get used up a little bit at times. It’s just what we always see. It gets tight as everybody knows. I thought it was a really good day for our team, I really thought they executed well.” Rounding out the top-10 for Team Chevy, Arrow McLaren INDYCAR’s Pato O’Ward, driver of the No. 5 Chevrolet, finished eighth, and Will Power, driver of the No. 12 Team Penske Chevrolet, finished 10th after a chaotic 80-lap event. The NTT INDYCAR Series next heads back to Indianapolis for the Gallagher Grand Prix Saturday, Aug. 12. Sharing the 2.439-mile, 14-turn road course with the NASCAR Xfinity and Cup series for the racing-packed weekend, Saturday’s race airs live on USA Network at 2:30 p.m. ET. Additional coverage can be found on Peacock, and through INDYCAR Radio and SiriusXM Channel 160. TEAM CHEVY TOP-10 RACE RESULTS:Pos.  Driver2nd    Scott McLaughlin4th     Josef Newgarden8th     Pato O’Ward10th   Will Power

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING (QUOTES):Josef Newgarden, No. 2 Chevrolet at Team Penske:“Fourth was pretty decent on the day. I felt like we had a little more charge in the beginning of the race that didn’t materialize. It’s a decent top-five that we can come out of here with and be proud of with the PPG car. There was a little more opportunity that just didn’t materialize in the beginning you know, typical street course stuff. You get used up a little bit at times. It’s just what we always see. It gets tight as everybody knows. I thought it was a really good day for our team, I really thought they executed well. There are some things we got to work on that I think are pretty visible to us. But you know, everyone’s done a great job. Team Chevy always elevates for us. Great job this whole weekend. Thanks to PPG with their support. I think we can leave here pretty happy, but just wishing we had a little bit more.” On the conditions of the race and talking with Team Penske teammate Scott McLaughlin after the race…“It’s just hot. It’s humid here in Tennessee. It’s tough to make it through here.” Scott McLaughlin, No. 3 Chevrolet at Team Penske:“I really tried my best but just couldn’t get there. On days like today, I probably should have worn the cool suit, but I ate too many pies so it’s a bit heavy for me. The DEX Imaging Chevy was great, and I’m very proud of everyone. There’s another top-three, another very good points day. We were really hoping to get the win. But, you know, we weren’t best today compared to Alex (Palou) and props to him. Hopefully next year we’re on for the championship, and we win, and then we win the championship as well. I felt really good. I’m really proud of everyone. Really proud of the Thirsty 3’s. The pit stops were unreal, and I’m really proud of the effort.” Will Power, No. 12 Chevrolet at Team Penske:“It wasn’t a very good day. I had to use a lot of fuel after getting in the car late. That stopped us from going an extra lap. We lost a lot of positions in that sequence. I think we went from like third, to like 10th or 11th. I couldn’t find my earbuds or head sock. That is why we were late getting on track. I freaked out because normally there are extras in the bag, but they weren’t there. Not a good situation. I’m going to have like five pairs now. That was as good as we can do today. The Verizon 5G car was good, just some things with strategy stuff. Just one of those days.” Pato O’Ward, No. 5 Chevrolet at Arrow McLaren INDYCAR:“It was a tough day in Nashville. I think we were too late in taking our first pit stop; we lost a lot of time there. It’s pretty much a track position race. It’s tough to pass, especially when you have fuel numbers and you can’t really use the push to pass. I’m bummed we went backwards. We’ll collect and try to have a good Indy road course, just look forward to what’s next.” Felix Rosenqvist, No. 6 Chevrolet at Arrow McLaren INDYCAR:“Tough weekend overall. There was some hope there after qualifying. I thought we had a bit better car than what showed. In the race, I was struggling a lot with straightline speed and with pace. We were able to follow but couldn’t really get by anyone. I got stuck on the outside in that last restart and hit the marbles. It was like going on ice; the tarmac was kind of breaking up at that point. It was a disappointing weekend. We really didn’t have any positives in the race. We tried to gamble on a strategy, but it didn’t work out. It is a weekend to forget for us.” Alexander Rossi, No. 7 Chevrolet at Arrow McLaren INDYCAR:“The good thing is for the first weekend really since Detroit, I had a good race car in the race, so we definitely found a direction, which is what we were really hoping to get coming into this weekend. That’s the positive. There was a bit of a mess out there with Veekay, and then I made a mistake a lap later, brushed the wall, and that kind of ended our day. I’m bummed for the team. That was one of the better cars that we had in quite some time, and we didn’t get anything out of it. We’ll take the good parts from today and move on to Indy next week.” Gavin Ward, Race Director at Arrow McLaren INDYCAR:“Obviously, not the day we were hoping for today with two cars that got caught up in incidents. Pato did well to bring it home, but the race really started to fall apart for him when he couldn’t make the Firestone Reds last on that first stint. I was a little bit surprised on how difficult it was to get a stint like that out of those tires, but that’s part of the game.  “It’s a process; we’ll learn from it and get better. It was a tough day. You have to stay positive. With a stretch like this, it’s about the long game and we’ll keep playing it.” Ryan Hunter-Reay, No. 20 Chevrolet at Ed Carpenter Racing:“It was a really tough day, a really tough weekend. We just never really found a set up that worked well. The good news is we were able to salvage some points and get out of here cleanly.” Rinus VeeKay, No. 21 Chevrolet at Ed Carpenter Racing:“We almost had a great day! We went from 19th to fourth and then the contact happened. Got a drive-through penalty, which does not make sense to me. Anyway, it was a big step in the right direction for us and a great strategy by the team!” Santino Ferrucci, No. 14 Chevrolet at AJ Foyt Racing:“Long day. Just fighting understeer, trying to understand the car. I think we had a good idea of what we think went wrong. The biggest thing is towards the end of the race, we had the correct strategy – we did everything right. That last crash, for whatever reason, the reorder was not favorable. It was favorable to those involved in the wreck and not for the people who avoided it. Finished clean, 18th. Moving on to the (Indianapolis) GP.” Benjamin Pedersen, No. 55 Chevrolet at AJ Foyt Racing:“Pretty tricky day. Honestly, we had really good pace. At times, we had the same pace as the leaders. Unfortunately, caught a yellow at the wrong moment when the pit light came on. We were on the pit commit line and received that penalty. Really just wrong place, wrong time. Had to do a drive-through, but otherwise, a top-15 was looking really promising starting from the back. We had a lot of promising things. Looking forward to continue this pace into the rest of the season. It’s just been a bit of unlucky lately, but there’s been strong, promising points as well. We’re working really hard to get better and better.” Callum Ilott, No. 77 Chevrolet at Juncos Hollinger Racing:“I had a really positive race going from 18th at the start to 12th. It was a bit of a strange race because I really didn’t know exactly where I was for about half of it. We did a bit of a different strategy to have me (pit) early to try and gain some clear track. It kind of worked. I think for a while it was touch and go because we had that early yellow which didn’t quite help us. Our pace was good. We kept the car clean which is necessary here at Nashville. Pit stops were good, and we were very happy. So P12, good points. Off to Indy.”

SCOTT MCLAUGHLIN, No. 3 Team Penske Chevrolet – Post-Race Press Conference:Finishing second today for the second straight year Scott McLaughlin. Second podium in three races in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES. Third podium of the season. 11th of his career.Scott, another podium for you, although I have a feeling you wanted to finish one step higher. SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: Yeah, yeah, I’m disappointed. But it is what it is. I think we had a really fast car today. Just that first yellow destroyed a few things, which is probably going to play. You hope it doesn’t come, but it came. You take it or lose your advantage, try to reset and go again. That’s what we decided, the latter. Yeah, we did pretty well. We were able to come back a little bit. But overall Kyle just had that little shorter stop that he could do, away they went. I was trying to do my best to hunt him down at the end. I just had a poor restart. I had no temp in my rear tires for some reason. So annoying. I don’t know what happened. Like I didn’t change my procedure. I’m normally pretty good on restarts, but I was terrible. Yeah, got to do a little bit of study on that. I think if I was a little bit closer, I might have been able to maybe throw a little dive bomb at him. Unfortunately couldn’t. THE MODERATOR: The restarts, I’m sure you’re second or triple guessing what you could have done differently. SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: Yeah, that last one has me a little confused. I felt like I was harder on the tire, whatever. I just think from a sport perspective, though, the restarts are a joke. We need to, like, I think we need to start on the start/finish line. We cannot pass until the start/finish line. You’re always going to have these yellows. You’re always going to have these clusters that cause red flags and make us look like… Yeah, there’s no cadence. Once there’s a yellow flag on a street circuit, it’s just a free-for-all. People bomb. We’re well within our rights to do that. If we want to have a pure race, we could have had a 10-lap shootout, me and Kyle there at the end. Instead we’re stop, start, stop, start. The action is fantastic. We just have no race. Q. Scott, they changed the restart zone this year and last year. You just want it to be where the start/finish line is?SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: I just think everywhere we go, we don’t have to have it for ovals, but I think it happens at Long Beach. We talked about doing it, like, about not passing till the apex of the last corner. At least that. I think when it goes green, there’s kamikazes at the back and don’t care. Well within their right to throw it inside when it turns green. That’s fine. But we just have this terrible just stop, start, amateur-ish looking finish to races. I’m going to speak to Jay about it, Novak. We just need to go apex last corner or start/finish line. Just make a point where you can’t pass just to get it going. Look, I might be wrong. I might crash in turn one. What I’m saying, I’ve done it in Supercars. Formula 1 does it. Other sports around the world do it. It just gets the race going. Everyone is on cold tires. Someone is going to have a mistake. The guy behind him is going to go, I have a crack. People getting hurt. Rah-rah. I just think it looks amateur-ish, it really does. Q. At Long Beach, there’s that hairpin that works. Gentlemen’s agreement?SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: It’s not a gentlemen agreement. I think VeeKay a couple years ago threw it on the inside, ruined Rahal’s race. Road America this year, I passed Rahal before the last corner. I felt like a kamikaze. You have to run the rules how they’re run. It’s just such a simple thing. We move restarts, we do that, we do that. Nothing works until we, like, police it. We have to police something. It pisses me off, it really does. Q. You said yesterday you felt like last year got away from you. Do you feel the same way this year?SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: Yeah, that’s how it is. I think if I could have got past Grosjean a little bit earlier, put more pressure on Kyle (Kirkwood). I could have passed him maybe before when he was on greens before he pitted. That’s just how it is. I’m pretty stoked with the result. Bummed that maybe I couldn’t have had too much of a shootout at the end. Like I said, my restart was bad. Yeah, I probably said too much, going to get in trouble over it. Q. (No microphone.)SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: I don’t know the rule exactly. I decide not to wear one because as well I’ve had one fail in Supercars. It was so hot. It was almost hotter than it was.The hardest thing today is yellows and red flags. As soon as you stop, it gets 30 degrees hotter right away, knocks you around a little bit. Yeah, we were good. We were good. No dramas. Q. Earlier in the weekend some drivers were saying it’s almost impossible because of how crazy it was. Where was this on your ranking of this is going to happen, this is going to happen?SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: I knew when the yellow came out, that’s kind of the time, the first yellow, where we didn’t want it. I don’t know what plan that was. We knew it would put us in an awkward spot. If it happened lap 21 or something like that, no-brainer. We lose spots, go back to 10th. People are taking it before the yellow, kind of like last year. But, yeah, it’s hard to plan for this stuff. Q. To have that long of a run, green flag…ALEX PALOU: It was 23 laps max last year. SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: Yeah. Maybe we’re learning. Maybe as a sport we’re getting better driving. Q. Were you surprised by the pace of the race at the beginning or were you just kind of thinking like the guys of NASCAR thinking, that impending doom that something’s going to happen?SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: I was just sort of driving within myself. I knew it would get to lap 20 or so. Better in clear air on the green tire to control it, look after the fronts, whatever.But, yeah, I was in a really good spot. I was controlling Pato, saving the fuel I needed. Then I started sort of pushing after the first yellow. We actually gapped them again.The blacks, brought everyone back to us, the gap we gained. Herta was driving around. It is what it is. Q. Did you think the race would continue without yellows?SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: No. Q. You’re saying, When is it going to happen?SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: There is going to be a yellow at some point, yeah.

Third-place in class for Garcia, Taylor, No. 3 C8.R

ELKHART LAKE, Wis. (Aug. 6, 2023) – Corvette Racing finished third Sunday in the GTD PRO class of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship’s feature event at Road America. The No. 3 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R of Antonio Garcia and Jordan Taylor led multiple times in the two-hour, 40-minute race with strong pace and engineering strategy that elevated the team from its third-place starting spot. Taylor got things started early by getting the jump at the drop of the green flag with a run from third to second place by the first corner. He moved into the class lead just shy of 40 minutes running when the class-leading and race-winning Aston Martin made its first stop as differing fuel strategies emerged in the first stint.

Taylor set his best lap of the race a lap later before handing off to Garcia at the 51-minute mark. Having been the last of the top three cars to pit, Garcia and the No. 3 Corvette carried a fuel advantage for the race’s second and final scheduled pit stop. That happened with Garcia leading and taking on fuel and four tires with 52 minutes left. He emerged directly ahead of the Aston Martin and barely in the lead. The two cars raced nose-to-tail and side-by-side for a half-lap before Garcia took charge. Things changed, however, as the No. 3 team was forced to serve a penalty for not meeting the minimum refueling time required by sanctioning body IMSA on the final stop. Team and series officials discussed the matter, but the call stood and Garcia had to give up the lead with 24 minutes left in order to drive through the pitlane. The Corvette Racing team will continue to work with IMSA to understand its process of determining refueling penalties. Corvette Racing’s next event is the Michelin GT Challenge at VIR on August 25-27 from Virginia International Raceway.

ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – FINISHED THIRD IN GTD PRO: “A very disappointing result and a shame about the penalty. We had strong pace and good strategy calls that put us in the lead late. It was a hard but fair fight with the Aston late. Instead of gaining points in the championship, now we have lost more. Winning races is our only goal from now on.”

JORDAN TAYLOR, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “I was happy with my stint. The Corvette Racing guys did a great job giving us a good setup to move forward and eventually take the lead a couple of times. Things were looking great until the penalty on the last stop. Now we have to focus on getting maximum points in every race from here on.”

Fourth- and sixth-place finishes for Cadillac V-Series.Rs in 2-hour, 40-minute race

ELKHART LAKE, Wis. (Aug. 6, 2023) – Cadillac Racing overcame pre-race and in-race issues to record fourth- and sixth-place finishes Sunday in the IMSA Sports Car Weekend at Road America. The No. 01 Cadillac V-Series.R, which qualified third on the 10-car Grand Touring Prototype grid, experienced tire issues in the middle section of the 2-hour, 40-minute race on the recently repaved 4-mile, 14-turn road course that cost Renger van der Zande two positions and effectively the opportunity to compete for a podium spot. He and Sebastien Bourdais drove to fourth place.The pole-winning No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac V-Series.R experienced adversity two hours before the green flag when Alexander Sims got caught off-guard by cold tires on the fast Turn 12 and made heavy rear impact with the barrier. Sims was checked at the infield care center and cleared to drive, and the crew quickly prepared to commence systematic work on the Cadillac Racing hybrid racecar. After an extensive exchange of parts and bodywork that took less than 90 minutes, the car rolled out of the prep area to cheers from the throng of spectators gathered and joined the grid with Pipo Derani behind the wheel. Per IMSA regulations, the No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac V-Series.R started from the rear of the GTP field. “It was a great effort by the entire team, including Pipo handing off wrenches and being fully engaged, to get the car on the grid for the warmup laps and take the green flag with no mechanical issues,” team manager Gary Nelson said. “The crew worked systematically and, as always, professionally. We are appreciative of the crew of the No. 01 Cadillac V-Series.R checking if we needed any parts or assistance. Cadillac Racing works as one team.”

Derani and Sims did not find the pace it had when Derani reset the track lap record in qualifying and soldiered on to sixth place. The No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac V-Series.R fell out of the IMSA Driver/Team Championship lead and enters the penultimate race of the season 14 points arrears. Derani, Sims and Jack Aitken lead the IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup standings with one race left. Cadillac retained its IMSA Manufacturer Championship points lead. The No. 7 Porsche 963, which qualified second, won the race to mark the sixth different winner in seven races. Next up is the TireRack.com Battle on the Bricks on Sept. 15-17 on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course. Both Cadillac V-Series.R recently tested on the 2.439-mile, 14-turn circuit that incorporates sections of the famous oval.

No. 01 Cadillac V-Series.RSebastien Bourdais: “I thought we were looking pretty good through my stint. The 7 car was really quick and got a couple of breaks in traffic. The car wasn’t easy to drive but I thought we were en route to a podium finish. Unfortunately, it got clearly more difficult rapidly for Renger with the flat spot on the left-front that he dragged the whole middle stint. It hurt him a lot when he fought it out with the 60 on the way out of the pits, and I think that kind of dictated our race because that middle stint really hurt us when we lost second and third (place). I feel like the team did a really nice job this weekend. We found a few things that we liked on the car at the Indy road course test that seemed to translate well here. We just need to keep working and learning about the car.” Renger van der Zande: “The middle stint was hurt by the flat spot on the front tire and later in that stint I flat-spotted the right-front as well. I don’t know why the second one happened but the first was just cold tire and off-line. It’s just a slippery track. I didn’t expect that to happen but it compromised our race day. I would have been able to fight the Acuras for position on normal tires, but I’m happy with the finish given how tough it is to pass off-line and move on from there.”No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac V-Series.RPipo Derani: “We take the positives from what the crew and team did to get the car into the race after what happened in warmup to Alex on cold tires. Just to have gone into the race to score some points is great. Obviously, difficult situation with the tires being too cold in warmup and getting Alex off-guard. We’ve being seeing that happen a lot this year. It was us today and could be someone else tomorrow. We leave here without the lead in the championship, but it’s one of those things that are out of your control. But the positive is we finished the race and scored points in the championship.” Alexander Sims: “The real credit today goes to the team that got us back out. They were faced with massive difficult conditions after my mistake in warmup, so they really got us the points today. The race was unfortunately not much better than the start of warmup. It seemed like we really struggled for pace. I was hoping Pipo might have good pace on a new set of tires, but he didn’t seem to be able to pull up. I had only two tires and double stinted right-side tires and it was really tough. It’s the way it goes in IMSA. We got the best points we could get under the circumstances, and we’ll go on to the next one.”

KKM star has taken the Series points lead by eight after McIntosh’s sixth-place run

PEVELY, MO (Aug. 5, 2023) – Coming back into Series competition from a summer break at the end of July, Jade Avedisian sat fourth in the Xtreme Outlaw Midget Series presented by Toyota standings, 180 points out of first place.

Six races later, she’s come all the way back and climbed to the top of the standings with her fourth Toyota Racing Feature win of the season Saturday night at Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55.

Avedisian, the 16-year-old standout from Clovis, CA, surged from sixth on the starting grid up to second by the halfway point and won a slide job-filled exchange with Karter Sarff to get the lead and bag the $5,000 check.

“Starting sixth, with that kind of track, [I knew] it could be tough,” Avedisian said. “But I knew I had a very fast Mobil 1, Toyota Racing #71. I just needed to make clean laps, and when I got to someone, make the pass stick and get by them as soon as I could.”

She and the Keith Kunz Motorsports team now sit eight points ahead of Cannon McIntosh in the standings with 16 races complete and 15 remaining. After a win to start the season, the 71 crew hit a mild slump, drifting down in the standings. Now, they’re back on top – a spot Avedisian has worked hard to regain as she pushes toward her ultimate goal of a national Midget championship.

“We just weren’t clicking for quite a few weeks, and now, the last three or four weeks, we’ve been really good,” Avedisian said. “Really consistent. That’s what it takes to win a championship – consistency.”

Her sixth career Xtreme Outlaw Series victory, now most all-time of any driver, came in thrilling fashion as she hunted down Friday night winner Karter Sarff through the first half of the race. Starting sixth on the grid, Avedisian favored the high side around the high-banked, 1/3-mile oval and advanced all the way to second slightly before a caution flag was thrown with 16 laps complete.

Sarff, the outside polesitter from Mason City, IL, had led since the drop of the green and was sustaining a healthy advantage over the field when the yellow was thrown. With his gap now gone and a hungry field of competitors behind him, Sarff began to sweat under caution.

“My heart definitely started racing,” he said.

Sitting right behind him, Avedisian devised a plan to take the lead on the restart. She said she knew it was going to take a big-time move to get around Sarff and showed it with a big slide job for the lead into Turn 1 as the field came back to green.

Sarff, however, wasn’t going down without a fight. He battled back into Turn 3 and returned the favor, retaking the lead out of Turn 4. Avedisian once again threw the slider heading back into Turn 1, and that time held on to take the lead away for good.

“I didn’t get the greatest restart, but I knew the momentum from running so hard into Turn 3 would catch up,” Avedisian said. “I just really counted on getting my momentum up and trying to clear him.”

“She just got the bigger run coming into Turn 1,” Sarff said. “With how 1 and 2 were, you couldn’t really cross over and get a run back on her, so I just kinda had to follow her back up into 2 and run my line I had been the whole race down through the middle-bottom of 3-4.”

Though Sarff gave it all he had in the final laps, he was unable to catch Avedisian, and settled for second. In sum, he and his family-owned team walked away from the weekend with a win and a runner-up against some of the nation’s top Midget racing talent.

“Overall, I think we put on a really good race for the fans, and I’m really happy about that,” Sarff said.

Taylor Reimer crossed the stripe in third to bag her sixth-straight top-five finish, while her KKM teammate Gavin Miller finished behind her in fourth and Chase McDermand rounded out the top five. Former points leader Cannon McIntosh finished sixth after starting eighth, dropping him to second in the points standings for the first time since April.

UP NEXT

The Xtreme Outlaw Midgets will get two days off before starting a grueling stretch of five races in five nights this Tuesday-Saturday, Aug. 8-12, in the inaugural Appalachian Midget Week. Tuesday night kicks things off with a $4,000-to-win program at Clyde Martin Memorial Speedway in Newmanstown, PA.

Tickets will be on sale at the gate on race day. If you can’t make it to the track, stream every lap live on DIRTVision.

ABBREVIATED RESULTS (view full results)

Feature (30 Laps): 1. 71-Jade Avedisian[6]; 2. 21K-Karter Sarff[2]; 3. 25K-Taylor Reimer[3]; 4. 97-Gavin Miller[7]; 5. 40-Chase McDermand[5]; 6. 08-Cannon McIntosh[8]; 7. 31-Chase Johnson[4]; 8. 26-Chance Crum[9]; 9. 19AZ-Hayden Reinbold[11]; 10. 71E-Mariah Ede[15]; 11. 31K-Jaxton Wiggs[13]; 12. 97K-Cooper Williams[10]; 13. 44-Branigan Roark[14]; 14. 7U-Zach Daum[1]; 15. (DNS) 26R-Corbin Rueschenberg

The Oakwood, IL driver scored his eighth win of 2023, and increased his points lead to 108

NEW RICHMOND, WI – August 5, 2023– A week ago, a World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Model Series crown jewel slipped away from Bobby Pierce. And when the next opportunity came Saturday at Cedar Lake Speedway, he wouldn’t waste it.

With $50,000 on the line, he survived a last-lap slide job by Hudson O’Neal, beating him to the checkered flag by 0.073 seconds to earn his first USA Nationals win.

O’Neal, the outside pole sitter, grabbed the lead on Lap 1 of the 100-lap battle, storming past Ricky Thornton Jr. on the outside of Turn 2. And as the Martinsville, IN driver controlled the race’s first quarter, Pierce ascended toward the front.

The Oakwood, IL driver, who started fifth, drove around Brandon Sheppard and Thornton on the outside to move into second on Lap 22. That’s when he set his sights on O’Neal.

Pierce made his first attempt at the lead 10 laps later, but O’Neal slid in front of him in Turn 4 to stay ahead. That wouldn’t stop the “Smooth Operator,” though. As the two reached Turns 1 and 2, Pierce dove underneath O’Neal, sliding in front of him to take the lead.

From there, Pierce cruised through the next 60 laps. But with five laps to go, traffic became heavier, allowing O’Neal another chance at the win.

As Pierce took the white flag, Kyle Bronson, a lap car, was right in front of him in the outside lane. That allowed O’Neal to get a burst of speed in Turn 2, closing rapidly on Pierce’s spoiler. O’Neal dove under Pierce in Turn 3, and as they reached the apex of the corner, slid his Rocket Chassis across the nose of the #32. 

When O’Neal’s spoiler shot across his nose, Pierce switched lanes as they entered Turn 4, diving to the bottom with one last gasp. It was a gasp that paid off, as he beat O’Neal to the checkered flag by 0.073 seconds to win the $50,000 prize. 

“I knew [O’Neal] was getting pretty close,” Pierce said. “I barely saw the flagman throw the white, and I was like, ok, last corner here. My last couple of laps weren’t that great, and I caught (Kyle) Bronson. He pushed really bad, and I was kind of at the mercy of him. And I couldn’t quite get to the point where I could slide him. 

“I saw Hudson’s blue flopper there last second, and then I backed it into the wall and tried to shoot down the corner as fast as I could. He hit it really good, too. I did not expect him to get off the corner that well. We came to the line pretty close, but I figured I had him when I nosed ahead of him and pinched him a little bit.”

The victory is Pierce’s eighth Series victory of 2023, and the 12th of his career. He also extended his points lead to 108 over Chris Madden, who finished eighth. 

This win stands out for Pierce because it brings him redemption. He said he’s been hungry to win the Wisconsin crown jewel after finishing second to Jimmy Owens in 2014.

“I’ve always wanted to lead laps in this race towards the end,” Pierce said. “We were always getting there too late. I’ve finished with a lot of top fives and top 10’s in this race. It was a long time coming here, and if I had the experience I had back in 2014, I probably could’ve beaten Jimmy (Owens). I kind of gave that race away to him. I never knew if I’d ever get that opportunity again. And here it was.”

O’Neal’s second-place finish was his sixth consecutive World of Outlaws top five after narrowly missing out on his second career Series victory.

He said he gave it everything he had in the last few laps to give his Rocket Chassis a chance to steal the win.

“It was a last-ditch effort with everything I had,” O’Neal said. “I tried to get a run on him. I felt like I did a good job of getting through [Turns] 1 and 2 and making sure I got close enough to him to try and do that.”

“I’ve ran second a lot here the last couple of months. And it’s aggravating, but it’s rewarding. It’s good, and we’re proud to have a good race car and to be competing for these races. For some reason, we just can’t quite put the nail in the coffin.”

Tanner English crossed the line third—his fourth podium this season in races 60 laps or more. The Benton, KY, driver said he struggled through traffic while racing in the middle lane.

“We kind of caught lap traffic at a weird time,” English said. “It just kind of messed us up a little bit. I messed up there about halfway through the race, too. I hit the kill switch twice going down the front stretch, trying to turn on four-wheel brakes. It’s a little bit my fault, but I wish we had a caution there to catch back up about halfway to see what happened.”

Defending Series champion Dennis Erb Jr. finished fourth, and Sheppard rounded out the top five. The four-time Series champion is now third in points, 144 points behind Pierce.

Despite losing out on the Prairie Dirt Classic, Bobby Pierce bounced back to earn his first World of Outlaws crown jewel win a week later. He can now leave the USA Nationals checked off on his resume for the rest of his career.  

“Anyone that’s asked me before knows this race is right up there with the Prairie Dirt Classic,” Pierce said. “It’s one I’ve wanted to win for a long time.”

UP NEXT: The World of Outlaws CASE Late Models travel to Davenport Speedway in Davenport, IA, for the My Place Hotels Quad Cities 150 Aug. 24-26, along with the Xtreme Outlaws Midget Series presented by Toyota. FOR TICKETS: CLICK HERE.

August 5, 2023

Harrison Burton and 20 Year Senior Master Technicians Mustang are set to start 29th in Sunday’s FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway.

Burton took that spot with a lap at 190.019 miles per hour in qualifying on Saturday afternoon. His qualifying speed was faster than his best lap in practice earlier in the day, when he toured the two-mile oval at 188.640 mph. That lap, which was 30th on the speed chart, came on the 15th of the 17 laps he ran in the session.

The No. 21 Mustang will continue a program of honoring veteran service technicians from Ford and Lincoln dealerships. Honoring the technicians is part of the team’s effort at MIS, the home track of Ford Motor Company.

Sunday’s 200-lap race is scheduled to get the green flag just after 2:30 p.m. with Stage breaks planned for Laps 45 and 120.

CHEVROLET IN NTT INDYCAR SERIES BIG MACHINE MUSIC CITY GRAND PRIX NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE TEAM CHEVY FIRESTONE FAST SIX REPORT AUGUST 5, 2023 IT’S AN ALL-CHEVROLET FRONT ROW FOR SUNDAY’S BIG MACHINE MUSIC CITY GRAND PRIX ON THE STREETS OF NASHVILLEScott McLaughlin, driver of the No. 3 Team Penske Chevrolet, captured his first pole of the 2023 NTT INDYCAR Series season and fourth of his career on the streets of Nashville with his fastest lap of 01:14.6099.McLaughlin’s pole award is the second for the Bowtie brand on the 2.17-mile temporary street circuit in downtown Nashville in the third year of the event, with McLaughlin going back-to-back on NTT P1 Pole Awards for the Music City Grand PrixWith his strong runner-up effort lap of 01:14.9395, Pato O’Ward, driver of the No. 5 Arrow McLaren INDYCAR Chevrolet, helped Team Chevy capture the front row and finished second in the Firestone Fast Six.Chevrolet is represented by five drivers in the top-10 starting lineup, including McLaughlin (first), O’Ward (second), Will Power (seventh), Josef Newgarden (ninth), and Alexander Rossi (10th).The morning rain-soaked second practice session saw six Chevrolet drivers represented in the top-10, including both Ed Carpenter Racing entries of Rinus VeeKay and Ryan Hunter-Reay, all three Team Penske drivers Will Power, Scott McLaughlin, and Josef Newgarden, and INDYCAR Rookie and Juncos Hollinger Racing driver Agustin Canapino.Due to rainy conditions, final practice was cancelled, and qualifications moved to the final practice window later, capping off Saturday on the Streets of Nashville.

TEAM CHEVY TOP-10 QUALIFYING RESULT:Pos.  Driver1st      Scott McLaughlin2nd    Pato O’Ward7th     Will Power9th     Josef Newgarden10th   Alexander Rossi TEAM CHEVY TOP-10 SECOND PRACTICE RESULT:Pos.  Driver2nd    Rinus VeeKay3rd     Will Power4th     Scott McLaughlin7th     Ryan Hunter-Reay8th     Josef Newgarden10th   Agustin Canapino Green flag for the 80-lap, 168-mile 2023 Big Machine Music City Grand Prix waves live on Sunday, Aug. 6 at noon ET on NBC from the streets of Nashville. Additional coverage of the race can be found on Peacock, INDYCAR Radio, and SiriusXM Channel 160.

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING (QUOTES):Josef Newgarden, No. 2 Chevrolet at Team Penske:“It’s just been okay. You know, not great. Obviously not a great session for us. So, We’ll work from the top-10 there and try to make some magic in the race. I think it’s the best thing we can do. We’ve got a great team. You never know what can happen. It’s tough to say. I think you could have a nightmare day and still win this race. That’s pretty much what’s happened the last two years. I think as soon as you predict that, it typically doesn’t go that way, but you just never know. You have to go in (to the race) with a good attitude. I think we’ve got the team to do it every time so let’s see what happens.”  Scott McLaughlin, No. 3 Chevrolet at Team Penske:“We did a big lap for Q1 that really set us up. This DEX Imaging printer wagon, man, every time we’re in this printer wagon DEX Imaging Chevy, she’s a ripper. I’m really proud of that one. We set it up in Q1 and had a really good run. Saved one lap, and go do the big laps when you need to do them, and I did that twice in that session I’m really proud of.” What does it do for your psyche knowing others are behind you on the start with the potential chaos of Nashville?“Who knows with this place. Yellows can happen out of the blue, and strategy can be thrown anywhere. We start in the No. 1 spot, and I’m really proud of this team. We had a great call on strategy there in qualifying. It’s basically the same car we had last year and put it on pole two years in a row. It’s unreal.” Will Power, No. 12 Chevrolet at Team Penske:“I made a mistake in (turn) nine. We were definitely on a lap. Until nine, it was good enough to get through. Locked the front and then went all the way out to the wall down the first. Yeah, that kind of ruined it for us. You’ve got to get it on that first lap when the tires are good. That’s your only chance. We were there, made a little mistake, can’t do that.” Is this one of those tracks where you want to start up front considering the history of this race?“Yeah. You would expect so, but you don’t know. It could be like Toronto and go mostly green. Toronto used to be like this race. Easy to make mistakes. It doesn’t, as you’ve seen this year, sometimes it doesn’t matter where you qualify. For us on the road and street course races, we need to be in the top-six if you want to win the race. Further than that, top-four, otherwise we’re just not going to have a chance.” Pato O’Ward, No. 5 Chevrolet at Arrow McLaren INDYCAR:“Congrats to Scott. I don’t think I had three-tenths of a second in there to get a little bit closer; I maybe had one. But I was super happy with my car. I think we were really strong in Round 2. I thought it would be a couple tenths slower in the Firestone Fast 6 just because I wasn’t on the Firestone Red Tires. I’ve never won from pole, so I’m not angry I’m starting second.” Felix Rosenqvist, No. 6 Chevrolet at Arrow McLaren INDYCAR:“I thought it was pretty good. It was a lot better in practice. Obviously, not a lot of track time. The track was actually really, really grippy so it’s kind of a different thing out there. It was pretty fun getting used to it in a short time. I thought for sure we had the car to go through, just didn’t happen. It was kind of a mix of a little bit of everything. Some minor mistakes, just hit the limiter on some up shifts. I think when you have four-thousandths to get into the Fast Six, those things play in. A little disappointed, but I think honestly in Nashville you can start from 14th and still have a good race. I’m not too worried about it, but obviously I wanted to make the Fast 12.” “I think the race is going to be a different beast. Obviously, without having a warmup, I think we have a really good balance now. Probably want to keep that for the race. We had no chance to practice with how it’s going to be with high fuel, so a little bit of a guessing game. My team is pretty good at guessing right, so I have great confidence we will have a great race car tomorrow.” Alexander Rossi, No. 7 Chevrolet at Arrow McLaren INDYCAR:”It was a wild day. We didn’t go out for Practice 2. It was one of our better street-course qualifyings, but we still have a decent gap to find to get to the top six. We’ll keep chipping at it; we’ve learned some good things and we have lots to play for tomorrow.” Gavin Ward, Race Director at Arrow McLaren INDYCAR:“Front row start for Pato (O’Ward) is great. You always want the pole, but the front row is a great place to start and we’ll try to keep our nose clean at the start of the race. There’s a little more work to do for Alexander and Felix starting 10th and 14th, but with the way the race can run here, we have three bullets that can win this thing. We’ll open our options up strategy-wise and see how it goes.” Ryan Hunter-Reay, No. 20 Chevrolet at Ed Carpenter Racing:“I can’t really explain how we ended the day. We were competitive in Practice 1 and 7th this morning in Practice 2, but in qualifying we weren’t even in the ballpark. We’ll have to go back and look at everything to try and get an understanding of why. This is a first in my career and unfortunately I don’t have answers right now. We’ll have to look at it and hopefully make this better for tomorrow.” Rinus VeeKay, No. 21 Chevrolet at Ed Carpenter Racing:“That was a pretty disappointing qualifying session. I had felt pretty racy, especially this morning in practice in the rain, but we just didn’t have it in qualifying. We will work hard overnight to come back with a good racecar for tomorrow.” Callum Ilott, No. 77 Chevrolet at Juncos Hollinger Racing:“Overall, not too bad. I think ninth in our group. We were strong, just a super tough group. Lots of good teams within that group, so it was going to be a tough one. Starting 18th tomorrow. We’ll see what happens. So far, it’s been a bit of a tough Nashville weekend with the weather and not getting much running in, so it’s been hard to develop on anything. Obviously, similar to other people but we want to keep striving forward. We’ll see what tomorrow brings.” Agustin Canapino, No. 78 Chevrolet at Juncos Hollinger Racing:“We will start 23rd tomorrow in the race. Of course we want more. Honestly, I didn’t feel the car really today and yesterday in the dry conditions. We tried something different on the car, and it’s not working at the moment. In the rain, the car was really good. We ended up P10 in practice. I think the car was really strong, but for some reason, it’s not enough for dry. Tomorrow, I will try to have a good race and take some points.”

SCOTT MCLAUGHLIN, driver of the No. 3 Team Penske Chevrolet, and PATO O’WARD, driver of the No. 5 Arrow McLaren INDYCAR Chevrolet – End of Day Press Conference:THE MODERATOR: Wrapping up qualifying for tomorrow’s race here on the straights of Nashville. Joined now by the pole winner for tomorrow’s race, Scott McLaughlin. Back-to-back pole positions here in Nashville. Also joining us, Pato O’Ward. It is an all-Chevrolet front row for tomorrow’s race. Scott, we’ll begin with you. Tell us about your qualifying run. How satisfying? SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: Really satisfying because it all started in Q1 for us. Pumped a decent lap out there. 6/10ths better than P2. We were able to do one lap on our greens. Bolted those on for Q3. I just had to make sure we got to the Fast Six, which we did. Every lap in quallie, nailed it pretty good. A really satisfying qualifying session, probably the best of my INDYCAR career, to be honest. THE MODERATOR: You take a look at the gap between you and Pato and the rest of the field. The last lap was huge. SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: That was the money one, really nice, juicy. I’m really happy with that.Yeah, look, honestly, same car as what we ran last year. It’s just been unreal. The Chevy has been awesome. Been a lot of gains everywhere. I think we’ve made improvements. Overall just to come here with the same philosophy, just nail laps, it’s a good feeling, especially with the interruptions between sessions. I actually wanted it to rain. I was excited with the rain. The rain was a lot of fun this morning, had a blast. Learn a ton every time I’m in the rain. Nice to be fast in the wet and dry. THE MODERATOR: Pato, good momentum heading into tomorrow’s race for you. Your thoughts?PATO O’WARD: Yeah, congrats, Scott. I don’t think I had 3/10ths in there to get a little closer. Maybe one. Pretty stellar lap. I was super happy with my car. I think we were really strong in Q2. I thought it would be a couple 10ths slower in Q3 because it’s not new alternate. I’ve never won from pole, so I’m not angry I’m starting second (smiling). SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: I have (smiling). THE MODERATOR: Maybe bodes well for tomorrow. Who knows.We’ll begin with questions. Q. Last year’s race here, is that one you feel like kind of got away from you?SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: Yeah. The final stint there, we were 15th. Managed to lose by a nose. There’s a lot went on. Our car was phenomenal. I feel like it’s just as good this year. Just a matter of… I don’t know what will happen tomorrow. You can’t even plan really. Guy won last year doing six stops. You just got to play it on the run and try and do the best job, execute every lap that I can. Pit stops need to be good. Yeah, the reason we were back there last year was a bad pit stop. That was an unfortunate thing that doesn’t really happen on my car.Yeah, I’m super pumped for tomorrow to see what we got. Q. Colton (Herta) said when you’re fast here, you’re waiting for something to go wrong. Did you feel that way last year?SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: Yeah, I mean, you’re just waiting for the yellow light to flash up on your dash or something like that. You can’t control anything like that. It’s a matter of me controlling what I can control, execute. I feel like I’ve done that all weekend. It’s just a matter of executing for tomorrow’s race. Q. Pato, even though Scott dominated, maybe it’s not a race where you want to be up front because…PATO O’WARD: Everything can happen here, as we’ve seen in ’21. The first car that was in the air won (laughter). Yeah, will it be as chaotic tomorrow? I don’t know. That’s what we thought in ’22. It was worse, so… Maybe tomorrow it’s the same. Worse, better, I don’t know. If it rains, it will make things interesting. Q. How do you strategize?SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: I just think you don’t. You have a plan, but you don’t. PATO O’WARD: That goes out the window after the first stint. Q. Do you make a backup plan?PATO O’WARD: You have like 10 plans. SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: Plans just happen. PATO O’WARD: One falls, it’s like we’re going to plan F. SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: I was on numbers last year, plan Z1. Q. Do you feel like you waste time in strategy meetings?PATO O’WARD: You don’t really plan it out. We’re going into the race like this, and then let’s see where we get guided, pretty much. SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: See what our destiny holds. Yeah, it was just a big word ‘destiny’.No, I think we’ll just play it as it goes. I think me and Pato will get a strong start, get away from everyone, fight for the win. Q. Scott, was there any additional emphasis placed on qualifying for this race, second place, second place, second place?SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: No. Every qualifying we go into, we want a pole. That’s how it is. It’s INDYCAR. It’s just so hard to nail it. That’s why it feels good when you have the margin.Everybody is so bloody good now. It’s just a matter of putting it together. I still think a front row start is still bloody good. Getting in the Fast Six is tough these days. You can miss it by half a 10th. No emphasis every week. You just want it more when you miss out on it a lot. Q. (No microphone.)SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: DEX Imaging, who sell printers and copiers. I just started calling it the Printer Wagon. I call the Good Ranch Chevy the Meat Wagon. Every car I’m just going to name. Pennzoil is the Oil Wagon. We’ll move on from there. Q. (No microphone.)SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: Yeah, but I don’t drive that. It’s like a horse and cart. Q. Scott, for Team Penske to get a road course pole, how important is that?SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: It’s a street course. Q. Street course, road course.SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: I’m joking. I’m giving you s*** (smiling). No, look, I’m really stoked. We were dry all year. Qualifying is a really strong suit now. PATO O’WARD: Are you wet now? SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: What? PATO O’WARD: You said you were dry all year. Are you wet (smiling)? SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: You should see. I’m sweating through my suit. We went through a bit of a dry spell there. It was nice, three in a row now. Yeah, that’s a good thing. I’m really happy for (indiscernible) that drives the uppy one. He puts stickers on the truck. He gets three stickers now, which is fantastic. Q. Practice was in the wet. Only 30 minutes. There’s no warm-up. Is that just going to make this race even more of a crapshoot? Is this a better way of going into it?PATO O’WARD: We’ve been dry the past few years. It’s crash-ville so…SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: I think just press on. We’ll be all right. PATO O’WARD: Maybe we’re full green. SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: I don’t want anyone doing any more laps. Q. Scott, SVG said apparently in the last few days he’s going to be leaving Supercars in Australia and coming to NASCAR part-time next year. How nice is to it have him coming over?SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: Yeah, I think he’s been talking to me a little bit about what it’s like to live here, stuff like that. I don’t know if it’s official yet. I think his intention is that, if it all happens. But, yeah, look, it’s awesome. I think I’ve said a number of times what I think he did at Chicago was awesome, awesome for New Zealand motorsport. For him to be here, I’m very excited for him. Four years ago, we were banging doors in Supercars. It’s crazy. Now we’ve both had a win in America, which is awesome. Yeah, it’s going to be cool to race on the same weekend. Brodie Kostecki from Australia is here as well. Going to be cool. Looking forward to it. I’m going to go home and watch it from my couch on Sunday. Q. You can go to the Truck race Friday night.SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: I probably will go to that. Yeah, I will go to that. That’s actually a good point. I just forgot about that. Q. You don’t have a warm-up session. How do you evaluate the green tires?PATO O’WARD: You don’t. You just pick a tire, don’t abuse it too much, I guess, yeah. SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: Yeah, I agree. Q. (No microphone.)SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: I believe so, yes. I think both compounds were the same. Q. The grip between practice Friday and now after qualifying?SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: I was surprised how much grip we had from qualifying to start with. Practice one, it was okay. I actually feel like the grip overall for the track, there’s a few changes on the track, but it actually feels really quick. Yeah, I think in addition to that is tires we run on are a little softer this year. Absolutely, I think the evolution has probably been a bit slower due to the rain, but faster I guess in my thoughts than it would. Sometimes when it rains, you wash off a lot more rubber than it usually does, so I was very surprised. Q. I’m interested to know, during the practice session this morning, was it mandated that you ran the new rain deflector bodywork?SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: I’m not sure if it was on or not. Just sort of hopped in and got going. I didn’t really look at that. I mean, I was very impressed with the tire, to be honest. Like, I felt like I had a lot of grip. For those conditions, I think it was absolute perfect conditions for our tire before we stopped, there was a lot of water on the track. The deflector, I’m not sure. The visibility is what I would expect if we had that much rain on the track. But, yeah, I can’t comment on that hundred percent. Q. There is the possibility it could rain again tomorrow. Is there a lot of road markings on the course in terms of paint that come into play or are you clear of that most of the time?SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: It’s not too bad. There’s a couple pedestrian crossings, some lines going down to turn four. The grip was there when we went across those.

Derani eclipses prototype track record by nearly a second; Bourdais qualifies third

ELKHART LAKE, Wis. (Aug. 5, 2023) – The No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac V-Series.R was first and a close second to the sister Cadillac in the two practice sessions Friday on the recently resurfaced 4-mile, 14-turn road course. The quickness carried over Saturday in the 20-minute qualifying session for the IMSA Sports Car Weekend at Road America.

Pipo Derani’s lap of 1 minute, 47.730 seconds (135.271 mph) eclipsed the 2019 DPi track record by nearly a full second and the 2021 DPi champion secured his ninth career IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship pole and second for Cadillac Racing in the inaugural season of the Grand Touring Prototype class. “The 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac V-Series.R was perfect today and all week and I’m happy to put the lap together that earned the pole for the 2-hour, 40-minute race. Everyone involved has done a fantastic job this year and I have to thank all my guys,” said Derani, who earned the pole at Sebring International Raceway and teamed with Alexander Sims and Jack Aitken to win the race. Sebastien Bourdais drove the No. 01 Cadillac V-Series.R to third on the grid with a lap of 1:48.036 – its sixth top-four start in seven races – and will share the seat with Renger van der Zande. Bourdais was .306 of a second short from earning second front-row start of the season.  A day earlier, the Cadillac Racing hybrid racecars swapped the top of the time chart in the two free practice sessions.

Derani and Sims, who enter the race as the GTP championship leaders, picked up 35 qualifying points for the pole for a 19-point advantage. Cadillac leads the GTP Manufacturer Championship standings.Cadillac Racing posted eight podium finishes at Road America in the DPi era, including victory in 2021 (Derani, Felipe Nasr).  Bourdais and van der Zande earned a podium result at Road America in 2022 – one place behind the runner-up finish of the sister Cadillac DPi-V.R driven by Earl Bamber and Alex Lynn. Van der Zande has also driven to third place in 2021 and second in 2020 in the Cadillac DPi-V.R at Road America. The live USA Network telecast and Peacock streaming of the race starts at 11 a.m. ET Sunday, Aug. 6. Outside the U.S., streaming will be available at IMSA.com/TVLive. IMSA Radio at IMSA.com, RadioLeMans.com plus SiriusXM live (XM 207, Web/App 992) broadcast of the race also starts at 11 a.m.

No. 01 Cadillac V-Series.RSebastien Bourdais drove in the 20-minute qualifying session with best lap of 1:48.036 for third on grid: “Hats off to Pipo (Derani); he did it again. I didn’t put together the lap I wanted. We tried to optimize everything and it should have been quite a bit faster but it couldn’t carry the speed. The guys did a better job than that, but good day overall for Cadillac and we’ll go racing from there.”No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac V-Series.RPipo Derani drove in the 20-minute qualifying session with best lap of 1:47.730 for pole: “The 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac V-Series.R was perfect today and all week and I’m happy to put the lap together that earned the pole for the 2-hour, 40-minute race. Everyone involved has done a fantastic job this year and I have to thank all my guys. It’s not done yet. Qualifying doesn’t mean much except for a few qualifying points that could count in the end. Anything you can do to try to extend a championship points lead is good for us. Coming into this race with a new tarmac you want to be ahead because it’s hard to overtake the GTs, so you can perhaps control the race a bit better. A lot can happen in the race; we know that in IMSA with the yellows and everything. We try to go session by session and I think we’ve been doing that quite well. The competition is very close, including the sister Cadillac V-Series.R, so there’s a lot we have to do to bring home a win tomorrow. I knew everything had to be nailed for qualifying to be able to start out front. We still have to execute perfectly despite starting out front.”

Inside second-row starting position could prove beneficial in push for season’s second win ELKHART LAKE, Wisc. (Aug. 5, 2023) – Jordan Taylor put Corvette Racing on the inside of the second row in class Saturday for qualifying ahead of Sunday’s feature event for the IMSA SportsCar Weekend at Road America. Taylor set a best lap of 2:03.143 (118.340 mph) in the No. 3 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R that he shares with Antonio Garcia in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship’s GT Daytona (GTD) PRO class. Critically, the result put Taylor and the No. 3 C8.R on the inside of the second row of the GTD field on a track that is much more of a one-lane surface following a track repave late last year.

Just as key is that the Corvette gained critical class points as it qualified ahead of the GTD PRO championship-leading Lexus. The Taylor/Garcia duo, Corvette Racing and Chevrolet entered Road America second in the Drivers, Manufacturers and Teams championship standings with four races left in the season. A victory Sunday would be the ninth class at the circuit for Corvette Racing. This is the first time for the Corvette program on the recently repaved Road America track. Gone is the cheese-grater of a surface that promoted high levels of tire wear and degradation with high levels of grip available around the circuit… provided cars stay on the racing line. As a result, track position – and qualifying toward the front, as a result – has a higher level of importance this year compared to past Road America races. Key was cross-program tire analysis from Chevrolet’s IndyCar teams, which provided valuable input from their race in June at the circuit. That, combined with pre-event work at GM’s Driver in the Loop simulator, played a prominent role in the results so far this weekend. Road America and the Corvette brand have a lengthy history dating back nearly 60 years. Chevrolet routinely used the track to test and validate the performance of early-generation Corvettes with that tradition continuing into the present day. Road America was the site of the first on-track running of the Corvette C8.R in 2018. The IMSA SportsCar Weekend race at Road America is scheduled for 10:10 a.m. ET on Sunday, August 6. The race will air live on USA beginning at 11 a.m. ET and stream live on Peacock inside the United States and IMSA.com outside the U.S. IMSA Radio will air all on-track sessions beginning with Friday morning’s practice at IMSA.com with the race call also on XM 207 and SiriusXM Online 992.

JORDAN TAYLOR, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – QUALIFIED THIRD IN GTD PRO: “We were quickest yesterday and made some gains in laptime from then, but everyone else made humongous jumps. We are where we thought we would be laptime-wise. It just wasn’t enough for pole. It’s kind of been the trend of the year where qualifying is a bit of struggle for us but we race better. Hopefully that plays out tomorrow. We’re closer in qualifying now than we have been the past few rounds, so hopefully that’s another good sign.”It’ll be tricky to race. Off-line around here is very slippery. Track position is very important and being somewhat defensive when guys are making moves not to be put in a precarious position is going to be tricky. There will be a lot of mistakes tomorrow because of that.”

2023 WeatherTech SportsCar Championship – GTD PRO (After seven of 11 events) Driver Standings1. Ben Barnicoat/Jack Hawksworth – 2,4622. Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor – 2,3113. Daniel Juncadella/Jules Gounon – 2,3024. Klaus Bachler/Patrick Pilet – 2,2815. Alex Riberas/Ross Gunn – 2,083 Team Standings1. No. 14 Vasser Sullivan – 2,4622. No. 3 Corvette Racing – 2,3113. No. 79 WeatherTech Racing – 2,3024. No. 9 Pfaff Motorsports – 2,2815. No. 23 Heart of Racing Team – 2,083 Manufacturer Standings1. Lexus – 2,4622. Chevrolet – 2,3113. Mercedes-AMG – 2,3024. Porsche – 2,2815. Aston Martin – 2,094 CORVETTE RACING AT ROAD AMERICA: By the Numbers• 1: As in one team, one manufacturer and one model of car for 25 years of racing: Corvette Racing, Chevrolet and the Chevrolet Corvette• 4: Generations of Corvette Racing entries at Road America since 2002 – Corvette C5-R (2002-2004), Corvette C6.R (2005-13), Corvette C7.R (2016-19) and Corvette C8.R (2020-current). This year’s race is the second at the track for the GTD-spec, mid-engine racing Corvette• 4: Number of cars Tommy Milner passed in the final 15 minutes of the 2016 Road America race. He and Oliver Gavin went on to win in class and capture the GTLM Drivers Championship• 8: Number of victories at Road America for Corvette Racing, the most of any entrant in IMSA• 8: Pole positions at Road America for Corvette Racing by four different drivers• 10: Number of drivers who have won races at Road America for Corvette Racing – Gavin (four); Olivier Beretta (three); Johnny O’Connell (two); and Kelly Collins, Ron Fellows, Antonio Garcia, Jan Magnussen, Milner, Andy Pilgrim and Jordan Taylor (one each)• 12: Fastest race laps for Corvette Racing drivers at Road America. That includes the last three of the last four seasons: Tommy Milner (2019 and 2021) and Antonio Garcia (2020)• 14: Manufacturer Championships for Chevrolet and Corvette Racing since 2001• 14: Number of IMSA victories at Road America for Chevrolet, the second-most of any manufacturer in IMSA• 22: Number of Road America events for Corvette Racing counting this year’s IMSA race• 27: Tracks at which Corvette Racing has won races – Baltimore, Charlotte Motor Speedway, COTA, Canadian Tire Motorsport Park/Mosport, Daytona, Detroit, Houston, Laguna Seca, Le Mans, Lime Rock, Long Beach, Miami, Mid-Ohio, Monza, Portimão, Portland, Road America, Road Atlanta, Sebring, Sonoma, St. Petersburg, Texas, Trois Rivieres, Utah, VIR, Washington DC and Watkins Glen• 34: Number of drivers for Corvette Racing since 1999. Ben Keating and Nico Varrone joined that list with their participation – and victory – in the 1,000 Miles of Sebring for the World Endurance Championship• 126: Victories worldwide for Corvette Racing – 113 in North America, eight at Le Mans and one in the FIA WEC• 278: Event starts by Corvette Racing since 1999• 12,395.03: Number of racing miles completed by Corvette Racing in its 20 previous trips to Road America. That represents 3,054 laps or 105 trips across Lake Michigan.• 359,327.91: Total number of racing miles completed by Corvette Racing since its inception. To put that in perspective, Corvette Racing is more than halfway to the distance traveled by Apollo 13 – the longest manned spaceflight in history: 622,268 miles. That means Corvette Racing has raced to the moon and more than halfway back! Corvette Racing at Road America (wins in bold)2002No. 3 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O’Connell/Oliver Gavin – 2nd in GTS (Fellows pole; Gavin fastest race lap)No. 4 Corvette C5-R: Andy Pilgrim/Kelly Collins – 1st in GTS 2003No. 3 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O’Connell – 2nd in GTSNo. 4 Corvette C5-R: Oliver Gavin/Kelly Collins – 5th in GTS (Gavin pole, fastest race lap) 2004No. 3 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O’Connell – 2nd in GTSNo. 4 Corvette C5-R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin – 1st in GTS (Beretta pole, fastest race lap) 2005No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O’Connell – 2nd in GT1No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin – 1st in GT1 (Gavin pole, Beretta fastest race lap) 2006No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O’Connell – 1st in GT1No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin – 2nd in GT1 (Gavin fastest race lap) 2007No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Johnny O’Connell – 2nd in GT1 (Magnussen pole, fastest race lap)No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin – 1st in GT1 2008No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Johnny O’Connell/Jan Magnussen – 1st in GT1No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin – 3rd in GT1 (Gavin pole, fastest race lap) 2009No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Johnny O’Connell – 3rd in GT2No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin – 6th in GT2 2010No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Johnny O’Connell – 4th in GT2No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Oliver Gavin/Jan Magnussen – 3rd in GT2 (Gavin pole, fastest race lap) 2011No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Tommy Milner – 14th in GTNo. 4 Corvette C6.R: Oliver Gavin/Jan Magnussen – 5th in GT 2012No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 6th in GTNo. 4 Corvette C6.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 4th in GT 2013No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 2nd in GTNo. 4 Corvette C6.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 3rd in GT 2014No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 6th in GTLMNo. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 7th in GTLM 2015No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 4th in GTLMNo. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 7th in GTLM 2016No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 6th in GTLMNo. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 1st in GTLM (5th to 1st in final 15 minutes) 2017No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 4th in GTLMNo. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 5th in GTLM 2018No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 3rd in GTLM (Garcia fastest race lap)No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 2nd in GTLM 2019No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 4th in GTLMNo. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 6th in GTLM (Gavin pole, Milner fastest race lap) 2020No. 3 Corvette C8.R: Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor – 1st in GTLM (Garcia fastest race lap)No. 4 Corvette C8.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 2nd in GTLM 2021No. 3 Corvette C8.R: Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor – 2nd in GTLM (Taylor pole)No. 4 Corvette C8.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 3rd in GTLM (Milner fastest race lap) 2022No. 3 Corvette C8.R: Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor – 3rd in GTD PRO

NASCAR CUP SERIES MICHIGAN INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY FIREKEEPERS CASINO 400 TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT AUGUST 5, 2023

CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA CAMARO ZL1, met with the media prior to the NASCAR Cup Series practice and qualifying session at Michigan International Speedway. Press conference transcript:

YOU COME INTO SUNDAY 40 POINTS OUTSIDE THE PLAYOFFS, HOW DO YOU GO ABOUT THINGS. DO YOU TRY AND MAXIMIZE STAGE POINTS OR DO YOU HAVE TO GO ALL IN FOR THE RACE WIN?  “My stance has been the same since I got back.  I think we need to win. So, and like I have said a thousand times since I have been back, I think gaining a lot of points and contending for wins is very much one in the same.  It’s not coincidence that the guys that are high up in points have race wins, but they are also leading the regular season thing, or whatever it’s called, too. Those things go hand in hand. If you are gaining a lot of points, you are probably going to have a shot to win. And if you are not, then you are probably not going to have a shot to win. So, I think those are one in the same.” IS THERE SOMETHING WE COULD ADD TO THIS CAR THAT WOULD OPEN THINGS UP TO THE RACING A BIT? “That is a great question, and I am not familiar with the INDYCAR rules at all. I know that they were first to the spec car thing and I had heard that what we were doing was more in line with what they had going on or what they had going on. But I don’t know. I don’t know what you open up. I think this is really what NASCAR as a sanctioning body wants. That they want a lot of control over the cars. And they want to have parts suppliers and have the teams buy parts instead of building them. I think the thought was that it was going to save a lot of money, you know. And I will let other people answer whether or not that, that is true. I don’t know what you open up to make it better or worse. I am not really sure.  But I do know this, the cars are very much alike. It’s so funny like every week we do our post-race debriefs and the engine shop comes up with a really nice report for us to look at while we are talking through our race and it kind of splits up like part throttle, full throttle, closed throttle, and like the four of us are like within a percent of each category. When those things are the same, it’s just going to be really hard to be different. I just don’t see it changing.” REGARDING RACING AT BERLIN IN A SUPER LATE MODEL “Yeah, I have run more this year than I have in the past….I don’t know how many years.  So, I am looking forward to it. We have been working at it much like the Cup side, just trying to get a little better and trying to get some momentum on that side of things too.  So, I am looking forward to going to Berlin, its been a little while since I have been there and I am looking forward to getting back to a really unique and weird short track I have run at a few times.  But looking forward to getting up there, it’s a good show, a good mid-week show and a place that seemingly has a lot of support from the local community that I remember. Always great crowds and they put up a nice purse too, which in the asphalt world is a big deal in my opinion. So, I think its important for the racers to go and support those shows that put up a lot of money to win, when they do, because it doesn’t happen all the time. I am excited to go and support it and try to get a win.” REGARDING HOW MUCH TO READ INTO THE RACE THIS WEEKEND AS A MEASURING STICK FOR THE PLAYOFFS “That is a great question, and it is kind of your last sample of what would be a normal race track I guess.  So, that is a very valid question, but I am just trying to think back to last year and it seems like all the Gibbs cars were really strong here last year as a whole. I think at some tracks, the characteristics here might carry forward and I am not sure that all of them necessarily are that way. I would say that its not unfair to say that this is our last normal opportunity to show what you have or don’t have, but I do think this place is very unique and it is its own animal. You kind of look at it and you think maybe its like Fontana, but its really not at all like Fontana.  I never had a chance to race here at the old surface, so this is all I have really known ever since I have been running. This place has always been kind of its own world. I do think it is the last normal look, I guess, but at the same time, this place is very different. I wouldn’t read to terrible far into it.” REGARDING WATKINS GLEN AND LOOKING AT IT FOR A WIN BASED ON PAST SUCCESS “Yeah, I have said this, I don’t circle races. That is not how I operate. I just take it week to week and try to get better.  Like I have told you guys a thousand times, and I will make it a thousand and one, I just want to be a guy that can go and contend every week and be in the running wherever we go.  Whether it is a half mile, road course, two-mile speedway, I don’t want to care. I don’t want to care where we are going. That is where I want to get. I will keep working really hard until we can achieve that.” HOW IMPORTANT IS IT TO GET A GOOD ENTRY INTO TURN ONE AT WATKINS GLEN TO SET UP THE ENTIRE LAP? “I think it definitely matters.  I think about it more in terms of a restart and track position is extremely important. You know, it’s really difficult to pass the leader there, especially now. So, the game has changed. Used to, it was all about how good of a launch you got, but now its about who is pushing you and how good of a push you are going to get.  So, you are almost better off having a bad launch and the person behind you getting to you sooner than you are doing a good job of getting a good go at it. That is just the game that it’s turned into.” CAN YOU DESCRIBE THE MICHIGAN TRACK TO US? “Yeah, I can try. When I say that, I think I am more referring to….heck, I don’t know what year this thing was paved, but it had to be 2012, 11, somewhere in there.  Correct me if I am wrong, but that would be around my guess.  Whatever asphalt they used, I wish they used it on the roads and the highways around the United States because it just doesn’t seem to age.  It doesn’t seem to give away a lot of grip. It is changing color a little bit, but it certainly doesn’t seem like it has become anymore abrasive, or the grip level has gone down any. For that reason, the middle of the track is the dominant place on the road. The bottom is too flat to run at pace for a lengthy period of time. And the middle, because of the way the track is shaped, is the fastest way through and it has enough banking to make it work. I think the hope is, and I think it will age eventually, is to keep working it up and have a wider racing groove with the right amount of banking to run. I think that is what they are trying to achieve with the grippy stuff, and trying to promote us moving up. Yeah, it’s just that the place has a lot of grip. Still very fast and hasn’t really seemed to change. We will see if its any different this weekend, but I kind of doubt it.”