NASCAR CUP SERIES CHARLOTTE MOTOR SPEEDWAY ROAD COURSE BANK OF AMERICA ROVAL TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT OCTOBER 7, 2023

CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CAMARO ZL1, met with the media ahead of the NASCAR Cup Series practice and qualifying session at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course. Media Availability Quotes: THE ROVAL IS UNIQUE. IS THE DRIVING STYLE MORE SIMILAR TO A STREET RACE?“Aside from Chicago, I haven’t really done any street racing. It’s much different than Chicago. This place, it’s a lot crammed into not a lot of space is how it feels. It’s like you’re racing in a parking lot or something. This is just tight and it’s hard to find a rhythm. It’s definitely unique. But we’ve been coming here for a few years now, so there is a little bit of normalcy in the track and the course. It’s a challenge. With road-racing it’s extremely important to find a rhythm in, and this is a hard place to do that.” ON ADDING ANOTHER WILD-CARD ROUND NEXT YEAR IN THE PLAYOFFS.“I think (Denny Hamlin) was pretty spot-on. They don’t ask my opinion, and I don’t really want them to ask my opinion. I can get behind what Denny said about that because it does put you in a tough spot and there’s so much out of your control when you go to those speedway races. You can put the perfect day together and end up crashed or whatever it may be. Watkins Glen to me isn’t as much of a wild-card race, but certainly adding another speedway race… that Talladega round has always been the craziest round and the most unpredictable around. You don’t know what’s going to happen any week, but certainly that is a bigger question mark than others. I don’t necessarily love that personally, but it’s not my decision and we’re all going to have to deal with it when it comes time. It’s kind of just there.” IS BEING IN THE OWNER CHAMPIONSHIP THE SAME KIND OF PRESSURE FOR YOU AS IF YOU WERE GOING FOR THE DRIVERS CHAMPIONSHIP?“I’ve said this multiple times throughout the course of however many weeks we’ve been going at it, I really don’t feel any different. My approach each week has been just like as if I was part of the show from a driver’s standpoint. It’s just really not any different. There’s a lot on the line on the owners’ side to the teams. It’s a really big deal. Thankful that between Josh (Berry), Jordan (Taylor) and Corey (LaJoie) and myself, we were able to get the car in on the owners’ side. Like I said, that’s a meaningful thing. I’ve been just as motivated for that as I would have been if I had made the drivers’ side. We’ve enjoyed the challenge of the first few weeks and hope we can continue to advance through the rounds. It’s a good opportunity, and there’s still a lot of racing left this year. We’d like to continue to improve like we have been and get back up in the mix.” WHAT WERE YOUR THOUGHTS ON ADDING STAGE BREAK CAUTIONS BACK FOR THIS RACE, AND IS THERE A WAY TO BALANCE GETTING ENOUGH STAGE POINTS WHILE NOT SACRIFICING TRACK POSITION?“I wasn’t surprised to see them come back. We saw those races go caution-free. That’s not going to fly. That’s just part of the deal. Whether it’s TV or NASCAR or whatever it may be, we weren’t filling the quota so something’s gotta change and that was the easiest way to kind of fix it. To be honest, I’d rather do the stage cautions than have them throw some random cautions. I think that’s better and it’s a more fair way to go about it. That being said, I think it’s fine. This time of year, getting those stage points is such a crucial thing for those guys in the points that it really makes that decision extremely tough. It can make or break your day, right? If you have a shot to win the event, there’s no way you’re going to be able to take the points… certainly not in the second stage and probably not in the first stage with this car. If you think you have a shot to win and you short those stages and you give up all your stage points then you have a late-race caution or a restart doesn’t go your way and you lose the race and now you’ve got no stage points and you didn’t get the win, you could be in big trouble. It makes for tough decisions. Unless you’re in a must-win situation and for the guys who need points, I don’t see how you can give them up. Last year we saw guys who shorted stages that were up toward the front get some stage points because track position is so crucial and everyone feels like they have to do it. We’ll see. It’s always a big question mark. Fortunately I don’t have to make that call.” DO YOU FEEL LIKE THE RHYTHM YOU WERE LACKING EARLIER IN THE YEAR HAS BEEN FOUND, AND THAT’S THE REASON YOU’RE RUNNING BETTER?“I definitely feel like we’ve been better. I think we’ve been working in the right direction, and I’ve been pushing in the right direction, maybe just not quite as much as we need to. But we’ve been putting together some good races and we’ve been executing some good events, which is a good thing. So I definitely feel like we have improved throughout the year. Looking back on it, I don’t think being out and my injury is the reason for that. As I learn more about my season and myself and how things have unfolded, I feel like my struggles and the things I’ve fought through this year I was starting to fight through last year, too. I kind of picked up where I left off last season, and I was going to have those things to work through regardless. Obviously that was another bump in the road that I would have rather not gone through. We’re working through it and trying to stay in the fight. We’ll keep doing that each week and try to make that happen.” HAVE YOU EVER HAD A MOMENT WHERE YOU FELT COMPELLED TO PUT IT ON YOUR SHOULDERS TO OVERCOME IT?“There have been a lot of those. I feel like I’ve made a lot of mistakes over the years. Here is a great example. I drove straight into the wall there on a restart. I was so mad. I felt like we had a really good car and a great shot at winning the race. At that point in time, I thought I had thrown it away. I wanted to do all I could do to try and get back up through there and make up for my mistake. Most of the time at this level of racing when you make a mistake, you don’t have an opportunity to make up for it. I was fortunate that day to have enough time to do something about. Most of the time you have to wait seven days, and that’s tough. That’s one of the toughest things about it is that you usually have to wait a week. But you always try to make up for any mistake you’ve made.” HAVE YOU EVER HAD TO GIVE A TALK AND TELL THEM THAT YOU’LL MAKE SOMETHING UP?“I’m sure there have been instances where that’s happened. But I feel like the best way to do that is to go and show them… I’m giving you 100 percent and I’m trying to make up for my mistake – to where they know you’re doing your part. That’s the most important thing. If they know I’m out there giving it my all, then to me that’s all you can ask for. That’s all I ask for out of them. We’re all going to mess up. You just try to be accountable for that when it does happen, and I feel our team does that. That’s a part of competing and everybody doing their jobs and making sure that we show up each week reset and ready to go and prepared for the next challenge.”

Sunshine” becomes second Hoosier to tame Port Royal with The Greatest Show on DirtOn a night that rain clouds were threatening to wash out the race, Sunshine broke through. But it wasn’t the literal sun gleaming on Port Royal Speedway Friday at the Nittany Showdown. It was the driver who goes by the bright nickname – Tyler Courtney.The native of Indianapolis, IN started fourth in the 25-lap Feature, drove the Clauson Marshall Racing (CMR) #7BC to the lead in 12 laps, and pulled away on the path to his first World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car victory in more than two years. Back in July of 2021, Courtney claimed his first win with The Greatest Show on Dirt in grand fashion by topping the Kings Royal at Eldora Speedway. “Sunshine” had to wait 811 days, but that second triumph finally arrived at “The Speed Palace.”In Victory Lane, Courtney erupted with emotion. His celebratory shouts filled the air as he climbed atop the CMR machine and sprayed a can of NOS Energy Drink. At long last, Courtney again found himself a World of Outlaws winner. “When it takes you two years to win another Outlaw race, that just shows how tough it is to win an Outlaw race and how special it is to win these races,” Courtney said. “Jake (Argo), Luke (Vaughn), Camron (Burley), they bust their tails. We’ve obviously had an up and down year, but to close out the year I feel like we’ve been pretty consistent here to end the year. We ran up front with the Outlaws at Williams Grove and Port Royal now. This is just awesome, man.”The night made Courtney the 15th different driver to win a World of Outlaws main event at Port Royal and only the second from the state of Indiana, the other being Spencer Bayston (2021). The 29-year-old also became the 18th competitor to top a race with the Series in 2023.A fourth place effort in the Toyota Racing Dash slotted Courtney outside the second row in the lineup for the Feature. Right when the green flag dropped, Courtney made it known that he was hungry for a win. The NOS Energy Drink #7BC rocketed from fourth to the runner-up spot on the opening circuit by driving right between Carson Macedo and Logan Schuchart.After taking over second, the pursuit began as Courtney locked his sights on the race’s pole sitter and early leader – James McFadden. As they navigated the opening portion of the race, McFadden managed to put a little distance between himself and Courtney. The Roth Motorsports pilot grew his advantage up to as much as a second and a half. But when lapped traffic came into view, Courtney began to erase the margin. A 1.6 second lead on Lap 6 was slashed nearly in half on the next circuit. Two more laps later, and the gap between the two dipped under half a second. Then on the 12th lap, Courtney made his move.Heading into Turn 1, Courtney threw a slide job at McFadden and cleared him. The Australian rallied on the exit of Turn 2 with a crossover to slip under Courtney and reclaim the top spot. In the next set of corners, McFadden went to the cushion while Courtney went to the bottom. The low side proved to the right choice as Courtney rolled by McFadden and cleared him down the front straightaway.“We did everything that we wanted to do there for the Feature,” Courtney explained. “I was able to get my wing back there just about halfway and kept inching her back as we went. Man, the more I got it back the better we were.”After taking the lead, Courtney quickly began to build a gap. Two laps after moving ahead of McFadden, Courtney’s advantage ballooned over a second as he began to slice through traffic.A potential challenger to Courtney arose in the form of a fast-charging David Gravel. The Big Game Motorsports pilot moved around McFadden for second on Lap 17. While Gravel was over two seconds behind Courtney when he took the runner-up spot, thick traffic ahead of him gave Gravel hope.But it was hope that was quickly extinguished when Courtney put a pair of lapped cars between himself and Gravel. And once he did so, the margin began to grow quickly. On Lap 22, Courtney crossed the line four seconds in front of Gravel. And then a few laps later, Courtney took the checkered flag comfortably for his second career World of Outlaws win.“It’s just unbelievable man,” Courtney said. “Winning Outlaw races is really, really hard, and this one feels good. Coming home second was David Gravel for his Series-leading 31st World of Outlaws podium of the year. The Watertown, CT native is staying hot with his fourth runner-up in the last seven races as he looks to chip away at Brad Sweet’s point lead. Gravel chopped the gap down to 82 markers.“Cody (Jacobs) kept working on this thing and gave us a really good race car there in the A-Main,” Gravel said. “It felt like in the beginning to the middle of the race we were really, really good, and I felt like probably one of the best cars. And I felt like at the end we just kind of ran out of grip, and Sunshine was running a really good pace, and I never really good close to him.”Rounding out the top three was early leader – James McFadden. The result made the Roth Motorsports driver the eighth to reach double digit World of Outlaws podiums in 2023 as he notched his 10th. “I didn’t know where to run there for the first bit,” McFadden said. “Normally at Port Royal, you pound the top of (Turns) 1 and 2 and float around (Turns) 3 and 4. I felt okay doing that, and then Tyler went by us like we were standing still, so he whooped our butts tonight. But that’s about as good as I’ve ever felt at Port Royal. Happy to be competitive, just need to be a little better”Logan Schuchart and Lance Dewease completed the top five.A 22nd to 14th drive netted the KSE Racing Hard Charger for Rico Abreu.In Low-E Insulation Qualifying, Brad Sweet earned his third Simpson Performance Products QuickTime and the 72nd of his career. CASE No.1 Engine Oil Heat One went to Brad Sweet. NOS Energy Drink Heats Two through Four were topped by David Gravel, Tyler Courtney, and Logan Schuchart.James McFadden won the Toyota Racing Dash.Giovanni Scelzi topped the Micro-Lite Last Chance Showdown.The Smith Titanium Brake Systems Break of the Race went to Sye Lynch after slipping from fifth to 11th, narrowly missing his second career World of Outlaws top 10.UP NEXT: The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars conclude the Nittany Showdown at Port Royal Speedway with a $15,000 to win finale on Saturday, October 7. For tickets, CLICK HERE.If you can’t make it to the track, catch all of the action live on DIRTVision.RESULTS:NOS Energy Drink Feature (25 Laps): 1. 7BC-Tyler Courtney[4]; 2. 2-David Gravel[7]; 3. 83-James McFadden[1]; 4. 1S-Logan Schuchart[2]; 5. 39M-Lance Dewease[11]; 6. 49-Brad Sweet[6]; 7. 9P-Parker Price Miller[8]; 8. 41-Carson Macedo[3]; 9. 13-Justin Peck[9]; 10. 11-Cory Eliason[10]; 11. 42-Sye Lynch[5]; 12. 48-Danny Dietrich[18]; 13. 23-Devon Borden[12]; 14. 24-Rico Abreu[22]; 15. 5-Spencer Bayston[15]; 16. 18-Giovanni Scelzi[21]; 17. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild[17]; 18. 26-Zeb Wise[16]; 19. 19-Brent Marks[20]; 20. 83JR-Michael Kofoid[13]; 21. 45-Jeff Halligan[23]; 22. 20G-Noah Gass[27]; 23. 15-Donny Schatz[25]; 24. 11T-TJ Stutts[24]; 25. 3Z-Brock Zearfoss[19]; 26. 9-Kasey Kahne[14]; 27. 47K-Kody Lehman[26]

By Matt Skipper

BROWNSTOWN, IN (Oct. 7, 2023) – Bobby Pierce continued his historic run with the World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Model Series Friday night at Brownstown Speedway, displaying another “smooth operation.”  

The Oakwood, IL won the Hoosier Dirt Classic, his 13th Series win of the year, and extended his points lead with the World of Outlaws World Finals (Nov. 1-4) less than a month away.  

Pierce began the night by scoring the Simpson Quick Time Award and then won CASE No.1 Engine Oil Heat #1. 
 
When it came time for the 40-lap Feature, Ryan Gustin lined up on the pole with Pierce to his outside. However, Gustin was out of contention early after suffering an issue on Lap 2. 

Batavia, OH’s Adam Stricker took the lead at the start of the race and led the first seven laps. Pierce kept Stricker within striking distance and perfected a slider on Lap 8 to take the lead.

Once out front, he never relinquished the lead. But cautions didn’t make it an easy cruise to the checkered flag, opening the chance for more drivers to challenge. One of those drivers was Gray Court, SC’s Chris Madden – Pierce’s closest points competitor. 

“Smokey” gave Pierce a scare on a restart, diving underneath the #32, but Pierce was too strong around the top. Once he found his rhythm, Pierce pulled away.  

With the win, Pierce builds confidence heading into Saturday night’s program at Fairbury Speedway and the southern tracks next week.  

“During the first Heat Race, it was a little tricky” Pierce said. “We had to guess on what the track was going to do after the Heats. I told my dad ‘The tacky spots are tacky, and the slick spots are slick.’ So, we went ahead and tightened it up. I was a little nervous on the tire choice because everyone else was almost the same, and we had one tire that was different than the rest of the field. I think that’s why I got tight, but an awesome car, awesome effort by my team again. I can’t thank those guys enough.”  

Madden finished second – his second runner-up in a row with the Series. However, he now trails Pierce by 150 points with six races remaining.  

“We had a good race,” Madden said. “Started fourth, worked to second, and had a solid car all night long. You can’t pass a guy following around, so we had to set the car up to be better in the middle, but we were close. Just a little bit more, and we would have been right there. Another second, so it was a great night for my team.” 

Completing the night’s podium was New Waverly, TX’s Tyler Erb, who also earned the Fox Factory Hard Charger Award after starting back in 16th place.  

“It was a good race,” Erb said. “The track had a lot of character which doesn’t make the Heats very good, but the Feature was where I had to ran the top of Turns 1 and 2 and all over in Turns 3 and 4. I had to be careful with the tires when I ran down low, but all in all it was really good.” 

St. Charles, MO’s Gordy Gundaker finished fourth – his first top-five since May – and Stricker held on to finish fifth. 

UP NEXT: The World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Models make their return to Fairbury Speedway on Saturday, Oct. 7, with the running of the FALS Frenzy. 

If you can’t make it to the track, watch all the action live on DIRTVision – either online on with the DIRTVision App. 

RESULTS: 
CASE Late Mode Feature (40 Laps): 1. 32-Bobby Pierce[2]; 2. 44-Chris Madden[4]; 3. 1-Tyler Erb[16]; 4. 11-Gordy Gundaker[5]; 5. 68-Adam Stricker[3]; 6. 40B-Kyle Bronson[10]; 7. 97-Cade Dillard[8]; 8. 25-Shane Clanton[14]; 9. 28-Dennis Erb Jr[20]; 10. 96V-Tanner English[23]; 11. 9-Nick Hoffman[18]; 12. B1-Brent Larson[17]; 13. 20TC-Tristan Chamberlain[19]; 14. 76-Shelby Miles[11]; 15. 30-Todd Cooney[9]; 16. 71R-Rod Conley[21]; 17. B5-Brandon Sheppard[7]; 18. 32S-Chad Stapleton[25]; 19. 33AJ-Austin Lay[26]; 20. 3S-Brian Shirley[12]; 21. 15-James Rice[13]; 22. 1G-Devin Gilpin[22]; 23. 21-Billy Moyer Sr[6]; 24. 33-Jesse Lay[27]; 25. 14W-Dustin Walker[24]; 26. 19R-Ryan Gustin[1]; 27. 88-Greg Johnson[15] 

Santa Ana, California – Hot on the heels of its successful 25th Anniversary season, the NMRA Ford Nationals series is slated for another exciting run of events in 2024, which kicks off at a historic new track and runs through to its storied World Finals. Along the way, NMRA plans a host of special features celebrating the 60thbirthday of the Ford Mustang. “This year we celebrated a major milestone for NMRA, but just like our racers, we aren’t ready to slow down or rest on our laurels,” said Steve Wolcott, President and CEO of NMRA. “We couldn’t be more excited to launch the 2024 season at legendary Gainesville Raceway and keep our pedal to the floor until the Ford event of the year in Bowling Green.” The NMRA Ford Nationals kicks off at historic Gainesville Raceway in Gainesville, Florida, in late February with the storied NMRA Spring Break Shootout, which is one of three standalone events highlighting Mustang’s 60th birthday. The following month, NMRA racers join forces with their NMCA counterparts in mid-April at Rockingham Dragway in Rockingham, North Carolina, for the NMRA/NMCA All-Star Nationals. In early May, NMRA rejoins NMCA for the Race for the Rings at World Wide Technology Raceway in Madison, Illinois. Returning to Summit Motorsports Park in Norwalk, Ohio, in early June, the NMRA Ford Homecoming will emphasize Mustang’s milestone with special features and celebrities. In mid-July, NMRA and NMCA turn up the heat at the NMRA/NMCA Power Festival held at US 131 Motorsports Park in Martin, Michigan. As is tradition, NMRA will close out its season in Bowling Green, Kentucky, at Beech Bend Raceway with the epic NMRA World Finals + Intergalactic Ford Festival. “Last season was special, but we plan to keep that momentum going in 2024,” Rollie Miller, General Manager & National Event Director at NMRA, said. “Not only are we starting the season at a world-class facility, but we add the exciting new Street Bandit 10.10 class to our championship roster as well as a host of special features throughout the season. It will be another great year of action for Ford fans.” With a mix of championship drag racing, index classes, street-car action, a huge car show, a massive manufacturer’s midway, and a range of special features, the NMRA Ford Nationals offers must-see events for Ford fans across the country. For more information about the NMRA Ford Nationals series, visit NMRAdigital.com

2024 NMRA Ford Nationals Schedule February 22-25, 2024 30th Annual NMRA Spring Break ShootoutGainesville Raceway, Gainesville, FL April 11-14, 2024 16th Annual NMRA/NMCA All-Star Nationals Rockingham Dragway, Rockingham, NC May 2-5, 202419th Annual NMRA/NMCA Race for the RingsWorld Wide Technology Raceway, Madison, IL June 6-9, 202424th Annual NMRA Ford HomecomingSummit Motorsports Park, Norwalk, OH July 18-21, 20244th Annual NMRA/NMCA Power FestivalUS 131 Motorsports Park, Martin, MI September 26-29, 202426th Annual NMRA World Finals + Intergalactic Ford FestivalBeech Bend Raceway Park, Bowling Green, KY

World Series Of Pro Mod Winner Will Pilot Paton Racing Dragster At NHRA Finals

WYNNEWOOD, Okla. (October 6, 2023) – Elite Motorsports, the largest professional team in drag racing, will make its first foray into Top Fuel at the upcoming In-N-Out Burger NHRA Finals in Pomona, Calif. Spencer Hyde will pilot the Elite-sponsored Top Fuel entry in a dragster owned by Todd and Tony Paton.  Hyde, an accomplished drag racer from Ontario, Canada, won the Drag Illustrated World Series Of Pro Mod presented by J&A Service earlier this year at Bradenton Motorsports Park in Bradenton, Fla. The talented young driver is excited to make his NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series debut after experiencing success behind the wheel of the Paton-owned Top Fuel machine at a couple of match races over the summer. While he’s garnered significant achievements in several drag racing series, this will be the first time for him to compete at an NHRA-sanctioned event.  “I’ve raced Pro Modified mostly with the PDRA in the Pro Boost class,” said Hyde. “In February, I completed my Top Fuel License in Gainesville, Fla. with Todd and Tony Paton and the Paton Racing Team. My plan was actually to run the GatorNationals this past March with the Paton Racing Top Fuel Team but my new buddy Courtney Enders worked her magic and helped clinch me a spot in the Drag Illustrated World Series of Pro Mod race and that turned out to be a pretty awesome deal for our team!” Indeed the World Series Of Pro Mod was a pretty awesome event for Hyde as he raced his way to victory from the No. 32 qualifying spot. It’s clear that he had no trouble making the transition from Pro Mod to Top Fuel. When he was making his licensing passes in Gainesville, Hyde powered the Paton Racing Top Fuel dragster to an impressive pass of 3.80 seconds at 324 mph, the second-quickest pass ever made in the machine. Moreover, during a Top Fuel match race this summer in Empire, N.Y., he reset the track record. Competing behind the wheel of an 11,000-horsepower Top Fuel dragster has been a dream for Hyde since he was young. Growing up with family ties to the sport, he knew he wanted to race one day and he started pursuing this path at only 14 years old. “I started in Jr. Dragsters in 2006,” said Hyde. “In Canada, I grew up around snowmobiles and motorcycles. My parents wouldn’t let me race either of those but I had a buddy who raced Jr. Dragsters. I started going to the track with him. One thing led to another and 18 years later we’re Pro Mod and Top Fuel racing.” The stars aligned for Hyde when a casual conversation during the Menards NHRA Nationals in Topeka, Kan. led to his partnership with Elite Motorsports.  “I was hanging out with the Elite team earlier this year in Topeka and Bobby Lagana happened to be in the pit,” recalls Hyde. “He recognized me from when I was in Gainesville getting my license. He helped the Paton team when we were there, so we were chatting about it. Richard was kind of listening in and I told him I was looking for funding to go to an event and Pomona was one that they were pushing me to do. That’s when he said, ‘I’ll back you for Pomona.’” Todd Paton, the owner and occasional driver of the Top Fuel entry in which Hyde will compete is confident that Hyde will make the most of his first NHRA event. “We are really looking forward to this,” said Paton. “Spencer did well in his licensing laps. In his first full pass, he did better than my career best in the car, so we are pretty impressed with him. He took to it like a pro. We are looking forward to seeing what he can do behind the wheel at an actual NHRA event. Partnering with Elite will cause a lot of buzz in the pits and I’m looking forward to that too. I think it will catch a lot of people off guard to see their name on a Top Fuel car. I’ve always been one who enjoys the drama that goes along with drag racing so I think it will be entertaining in more ways than one. I’ve known the folks at Elite for a long time and I’m excited to get to work together on this.” The In-N-Out Burger NHRA Finals at In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip will take place November 9-12 in Pomona, Calif. ***

Photos

Rendering of the Top Fuel dragster to be driven by Spencer Hyde at the NHRA Finals. (Photo credit: Elite Motorsports)

Spencer Hyde warming up his Paton Racing Top Fuel dragster. (Photo credit: Diversified Media)

Accomplished drag racer Spencer Hyde will pilot the Elite Motorsports Top Fuel dragster at the NHRA Finals. (Photo credit: Diversified Media)

CONCORD, NC (Oct. 6, 2023) – VP Racing Fuels, Inc. has extended its partnership with the World of Outlaws and DIRTcar Racing in a multi-year deal to continue as the Official Fuel of World Racing Group.

Regarded worldwide as the leader in fuel and performance fluids, VP Racing Fuels has been the Official Fuel since 2018, providing industry-leading fuels for a number of World Racing Group’s series.

“We are ecstatic to build upon our relationship with World Racing Group (WRG),” said Chris Wall, Senior Director of East Coast Race Fuel Sales for VP Racing. “For many years, WRG has been a special experience among VP’s Official Fuel notorieties. Dirt circle track racing is part of VP’s DNA, and to partner with a portfolio of series that are premier to this form of racing is exceptional.”

Among the series in that portfolio include, the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series, World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Model Series, Super DIRTcar Series, DIRTcar Summer Nationals and DIRTcar Racing.

“We’re pleased to continue our partnership with VP Racing Fuels for several years to come,” said Brian Carter, World Racing Group CEO. “They’ve set the standard for what racers expect from the best racing fuels and have gone beyond what’s expected to accommodate them.”

VP Racing Fuels also has a large presence during the biggest dirt race in the northeast, Super DIRT Week 51 at Oswego Speedway. The event is ongoing this week, leading to the prestigious Super DIRTcar Series Billy Whittaker Cars 200 on Sunday, Oct. 8.

For more information about VP and its products for racers, enthusiasts, and general consumers, visit vpracingfuels.com.

OSWEGO, NY (Oct. 5, 2023) – For the first time in his career, Matt Williamson will bring the DIRTcar 358 Modified field to the green Saturday in the 43rd running of the Salute to the Troops 150.

The six fastest drivers from Thursday’s Time Trial sessions have locked themselves into the Salute to the Troops 150. Williamson is joined by Zachary Payne, Erick Rudolph, Dalton Slack, Tim Sears Jr. and Derek Webb in the first three rows of Saturday’s main event for a shot at the $20,000 grand prize.

Later in the evening, both Williamson and Payne went on to win their respective Heats, as well as Rudolph, picking up the additional $1,000 bonus checks as part of the Thursday Night Thunder program.

TIME TRIALS

Coming into October, Williamson – the 33-year-old Big Block Modified ace from St. Catharines, ON – has triumphed twice in Super DIRT Week’s crown jewel, the Billy Whittaker Cars 200, but has never been to Victory Lane in the year’s biggest 358 Modified event despite over a decade’s worth of attempts. In fact, he’s never been on the pole of any Super DIRT Week Feature event.

He changed all that Thursday afternoon, laying down a lap of 21.965 seconds around the dirt-covered, 5/8-mile of Oswego Speedway – the only sub-22-second lap recorded out of all 78 cars to participate in Time Trials – and picked up the $1,000 SRI Performance/Stock Car Steel Pole Award.

“It’s cool – between the Big Block and the Small Block, I’ve never put it on the pole,” Williamson said. “It’s cool momentum; hopefully we can get some luck on our side and be good on Saturday.”

Starting to his outside on Saturday – a new face to the 358 Modified front row at Oswego, Zachary Payne. The 22-year-old from Stanley, NY, turned a lap of 22.098 seconds, good enough to earn him the Fratto Curbing Outside Pole Award.

“I could never imagine us being in the top six,” Payne said. “We joked about it yesterday. We knew we had a fast car, and I had to just run one really good lap, and I did.”

A graduate of the Sportsman Modified ranks, Payne has been a constant presence in weekly Big Block Modified action this year, scoring a Feature win in July at Land of Legends Raceway. As one of numerous racers pulling double duty at Oswego with the Big Blocks and 358s, he was all smiles after his first big success of the week.

“I couldn’t be any happier and prouder of our team,” Payne said. “We’ve been working for this the last couple years now. To even be in the top six with the other guys in there is just crazy.”

HEAT RACES

Heat 1 – Mat Williamson

After the Feature win Wednesday at Brewerton and the Pole Award Thursday afternoon, Mat Williamson showed exactly why he’s been the most dominant 358 Modified in the field this week with a flag-to-flag win in Heat #1.

The former Super DIRTcar Series champion drove 20 clean laps around Oswego untouched in his final tune-up before leading the Salute to the Troops 150 to the green on Saturday.

“We’ve certainly got a good car; we’re not in the wrong direction by any means,” Williamson said. “We’re gonna work hard, and we’re gonna try and stay on top of the racetrack.”

Heat 1 (20 Laps): 1. 6-Mat Williamson[1]; 2. 9S-Matt Sheppard[5]; 3. 3RS-Dalton Slack[2]; 4. 44-Stewart Friesen[8]; 5. 22-Brandon Walters[4]; 6. 98H-Jimmy Phelps[3]; 7. 91-Felix Roy[7]; 8. 3-Chris Mackey[19]; 9. 9C-Brian Calabrese[14]; 10. 18R-Brad Rouse[10]; 11. 19-Tim Fuller[13]; 12. 215-Adam Pierson[11]; 13. 91D-Billy Decker[12]; 14. 713-Tommy Collins[21]; 15. 25P-Michael Parent[16]; 16. 38-Kevin Stevens[9]; 17. 74-Dave Flannigan Jr[22]; 18. 63-Jarrett Herbison[18]; 19. 1NY-Gregory Atkins[23]; 20. 16-Aaron Jacobs[26]; 21. 37S-Gary Lindberg[6]; 22. 2J-Robert Bublak[20]; 23. 5H-Amy Holland[17]; 24. 14S-Brian Swarthout[24]; 25. 26-Michael Mandigo[25]; 26. 427-Carter Gibbons[15]

Heat 2 – Zach Payne

Following his Outside Pole Award-worthy performance in time Trials earlier in the day, Payne led all 20 laps of Heat Race #2 untouched – the first of his 358 Modified career at Super DIRT Week.

Thinking about the day he had as a whole, Payne was still over-the-moon with the success in his second 358 Modified venture to Oswego.

“I don’t know if it’s really set-in yet,” Payne said. “It might tomorrow, next week, next month, I don’t know. I’m just doing what I’m told right now and doing my best.”

Heat 2 (20 Laps): 1. 7Z-Zachary Payne[1]; 2. 49-Billy Dunn[6]; 3. 3J-Marc Johnson[3]; 4. 83X-Tim Sears Jr[2]; 5. 9-Tyler Meeks[5]; 6. M1-David Marcuccilli[4]; 7. 8H-Max McLaughlin[10]; 8. 12-Darren Smith[13]; 9. 83-Danny Johnson[8]; 10. 21A-Peter Britten[14]; 11. 32R-Ronald Davis III[12]; 12. 84Y-Alex Yankowski[11]; 13. 31-Lance Willix[15]; 14. B2-Bob Henry Jr[19]; 15. 28-Jordan McCreadie[7]; 16. 18W-Scott Webb[16]; 17. 01C-Chris Raabe[17]; 18. 27W-Nick Webb[21]; 19. 11S-Steve Lewis Jr[22]; 20. 01-Robert Gage[23]; 21. 21R-RJ Tresidder[20]; 22. 50-William August[24]; 23. 115-Montgomery Tremont[26]; 24. 21JR-Jeffrey Reis[25]; 25. 29-Matt Caprara[9]; 26. 24-Zach Aubertine[18]

Heat 3 – Erick Rudolph

In what was likely the most dominant performance given in a Heat Race all night, Erick Rudolph led wire-to-wire for the win in Heat Race #3.

The veteran racer from Ransomville, NY, stretched his led out to almost five seconds at its largest before second-running Larry Wight slowed and brought out the caution in the closing laps, taking it pit-side where the crew made adjustments underneath the hood.

Back to green with two laps left, and Rudolph aced the restart to bring the field around to the checkered and score the win.

“All practice is was two laps at a time, then Time Trials was two laps at a time, so this was the first time we ran it any more than a couple laps,” Rudolph said. “We didn’t really do much; we were just more curious to see what it was gonna do in a longer run.”

Heat 3 (20 Laps): 1. 25-Erick Rudolph[1]; 2. 35-Mike Mahaney[4]; 3. 4*-Anthony Perrego[8]; 4. 60-Jackson Gill[7]; 5. 66-Tim McCreadie[10]; 6. 66W-Derek Webb[2]; 7. 70A-Alex Payne[13]; 8. 19C-Brandon Carvey[9]; 9. 14B-Jack Lehner[3]; 10. 8-Rich Scagliotta[11]; 11. 26R-Corey Cormier[5]; 12. 21C-Taylor Caprara[12]; 13. 58M-Marshall Hurd[14]; 14. 28T-Michael Trautschold[17]; 15. 92-Andrew Buff[19]; 16. 4V-Billy VanInwegen Jr[18]; 17. 28H-Brett Hearn[15]; 18. 99L-Larry Wight[6]; 19. 28F-Alan Fink[21]; 20. 15X-Justin Stone[16]; 21. 02-Roy Bresnahan[20]; 22. 4SL-Bob Hentschel[23]; 23. 5-Tanner Siemons[22]; 24. 117JR-CJ Castelletti[24]; 25. 39-Ryan Bartlett[26]; 26. (DNS) 18S-Sean Beardsley

UP NEXT

The 358 Modified action continues Friday, Oct. 6 at Oswego Speedway, with Last Chance Showdown events to lock-in six more drivers into Saturday’s Feature. Get a ticket at the gate or on SuperDIRTWeek.com, and stream live on DIRTVision.

PRO STOCK FLEXING: Casey, Carter on Front Row; Horning, Playford win Qualifying Heats

OSWEGO, NY (Oct. 5, 2023) – The stage is set for an exciting DIRTcar Pro Stock 50 after Thursday’s Time Trials and Qualifying Heats saw triumphs from drivers who’ve yet to win the prestigious race.

Jay Casey was the first to celebrate, earning the SRI Performance/Stock Car Steel Pole Award, followed by DIRTcar CEO Brian Carter grabbing the Fratto Curbing Outside Pole Award. Then, Luke Horning and Shane Playford ended the night as Qualifying Heat winners.

None of them have won the DIRTcar Pro Stock 50 before, and that stat continues through the other top six qualifiers: Jason Casey (third), Shane Playford (fourth), Devon Camenga (fifth) and Johnny Rivers Jr. (sixth). The coveted race has seen five different winners in its last five events and is shaping up to see a potential sixth consecutive different winner.

“It’s great,” Casey said about his 25.490 second pole winning effort. “We put a lot of effort into this and here we are.

“The last (lap), I put it in pretty hard in Turn 3 and came out of (Turn) 4 pretty high, but it had grip up there and the car went pretty good.”

He ended up second in the first Qualifying Heat behind Horning. It was a sign of what he expects to see from the 50-lap race, saying “We’re going to battle. Anyone of these guys can do it.”

His previous career-best start was sixth last year, but then went on to finish 19th. In nine Super DIRT Week starts (four at Syracuse, five at Oswego), Casey has one top-10 finish – an eighth at Oswego Speedway in 2018.

Casey’s son, Jason Casey, will start behind him in third – another career-best performance.

“I was kind of hoping I was going to stay in second, the front row, but following him to the green is going to be good,” Jason Casey said. “I’m excited. Hopefully we can keep both cars up there.”

Jason was sitting second on the leaderboard until Carter’s last lap of the day. The “Texas Tornado” picked up a few tenths in his second qualifying lap and won the outside pole for Saturday’s Feature. It’s a career-best effort and his first time starting in the top six.

“Oh my God, it means the world to me,” Carter said. “I have a fast race car and I’m going to keep gaining on it. It is a really important event to me and important to these guys. It’s a great group of drivers that I’m friends with and we’re going to have a good time on Saturday.”

When the night moved into the Qualifying Heats, Horning and Playford took their turn to celebrate.

In the first 10-lap Heat, Jay Casey took the lead early, but Horning wasn’t letting him get away. It only took two laps for “Cousin Luke” to sneak under the #322 machine and dart to the lead. Horning led the rest with Casey finishing second and Camenga third.

Thursday’s track conditions are what he’s hoping to see Saturday.

“It was a lot of fun,” Horning said. “I like a track like this. I don’t think the lap times were quick, but I like it when the track is slow like this. It slows down the cars, you have to finesse… We were able to roll the middle, get some bite and move to the top if we had to. It was a very even racetrack and that’s what we need, a wide racetrack.”

Horning will start seventh in Saturday’s Feature – where he’d already qualified earlier in the day.

Carter was set to start on the pole of the second Qualifying Heat but elected to start at the rear. That helped Playford start pole and pull away with the lead at the start of the race. He led all 10 laps but had Pete Stefanski breathing down his neck every corner.

“I think most of it was me watching the TV and seeing he was there,” Playford said. “I don’t think I made one good lap. I knew he was going to be there. It was fun.

“I saw Luke running the bottom in the first one. Obviously, seen what he did. I assumed once I got the lead, if I could stay on the bottom and not wash out too bad, I could keep it.”

Stefanski, the two-time DIRTcar Pro Stock champion, had to settle for second, but will start eighth in Saturday’s Feature. He was the first to show early speed this week, setting the overall fast time in Wednesday’s practice.

And while Stefanski has already picked up a couple Super DIRT Week titles, he’s yet to win one at Oswego Speedway.

Chad Jeseo, who finished third in the second Qualifying Heat, is the only driver in the field with a DIRTcar Pro Stock 50 title at Oswego (2021).

Is a sixth different champion on the horizon? Find out Saturday, Oct. 7, at 4pm (ET). For tickets, CLICK HERE.

If you can’t make it to the track, you can watch all the action live on DIRTVision.

DIRTcar Pro Stock Time Trial Results:
Qualifying (2 Laps): 1. 322-Jay Casey, 00:25.490[6]; 2. 6C-Brian Carter, 00:25.619[16]; 3. 324-Jason Casey, 00:25.671[10]; 4. 6-Shane Playford, 00:25.748[4]; 5. 110-Devon Camenga, 00:25.773[9]; 6. 14J-Johnny Rivers Jr, 00:25.827[12]; 7. 2H-Luke Horning, 00:25.832[7]; 8. 2-Pete Stefanski, 00:25.917[11]; 9. 09J-Shawn Perez Jr, 00:25.931[1]; 10. 55-David Stickles, 00:25.939[3]; 11. 76K-Kyle Hoard, 00:26.039[14]; 12. 25-Chad Jeseo, 00:26.083[15]; 13. 7D-Chucky Dumblewski, 00:26.240[2]; 14. 4-Dean Charbonneau, 00:26.408[13]; 15. 7C-Caden Dumblewski, 00:26.515[5]; 16. 57-Charles Mcspirit, 00:29.355[8]

DIRTcar Pro Stock Qualifying Heats Results:
Heat 1 (10 Laps): 1. 2H-Luke Horning[4]; 2. 322-Jay Casey[1]; 3. 110-Devon Camenga[3]; 4. 324-Jason Casey[2]; 5. 09J-Shawn Perez Jr[5]; 6. 76K-Kyle Hoard[6]; 7. 7D-Chucky Dumblewski[7]; 8. 7C-Caden Dumblewski[8]

Heat 2 (10 Laps): 1. 6-Shane Playford[2]; 2. 2-Pete Stefanski[4]; 3. 25-Chad Jeseo[6]; 4. 4-Dean Charbonneau[7]; 5. 55-David Stickles[5]; 6. 57-Charles Mcspirit[8]; 7. 6C-Brian Carter[1]; 8. (DNS) 14J-Johnny Rivers Jr

MOORESVILLE, NC (October 5, 2023) — 2022 NHRA Rookie of the Year and Pro Stock championship contender Camrie Caruso is turning pink for the NHRA Texas Fall Nationals in support of Fuel Juels and the National Breast Cancer Foundation. Caruso’s traditional gold and dark blue Chevrolet Camaro will take on a spectacular pink design for the fourth race of the NHRA Countdown playoffs. The young driver is excited to be promoting such an important cause at such a critical time in the playoffs.

 
“All eyes will be on our team during this race because it is the playoffs and we are trying to move up to get that first championship, so this is the perfect time to raise awareness for the National Breast Cancer Foundation,” said Caruso, who has been active with several charitable endeavors this season. “Organizations like the National Breast Cancer Foundation are great because they focus on paying for mammograms for women who can’t afford them and do so much to educate women about the importance of screenings for early detection. There are a lot of teams in the NHRA supporting breast cancer research and awareness and I am proud to be working with NBCF to support their efforts.”
 
On Thursday before the NHRA Texas Fall Nationals Caruso will visit the National Breast Cancer Foundation in Dallas along with representatives from Solid Start/True Brand. She will be learning more about the foundation as well as creating some social media content to help raise awareness for breast cancer research.
 
“As a women-owned automotive additive manufacturer, we are thrilled to partner with Camrie Caruso for the Texas Fall Nationals,” said Crystal Mathews, President Solid Start/True Brands. “With the race being in October, we feel it is the perfect time to have the focus of the car highlight Fuel Juels (The ONLY time-released fuel treatment in the world) and our 12-year partnership with National Breast Cancer Foundation. We are excited to bring Camrie to NBCF headquarters to help shine a light on the foundation that we love. NBCF is so much MORE THAN AWARENESS, as they provide free life-saving early screening to women in need – saving lives now. True Brand + Camrie + NBCF… it just makes perfect sense.”
 
The National Breast Cancer Foundation was founded in 1991 by breast cancer survivor, Janelle Hail. She was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1980 at the age of 34. At the time of her diagnosis, there was little information about the disease, and she was forced to decide about her health with few options. After her treatment, Janelle made a commitment to help women around the world by educating them about breast cancer and the importance of early detection.
 
NBCF’s mission is to help women now by providing help and inspiring hope to those affected by breast cancer through early detection, education and support services. 1 in 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in her lifetime. There is currently no known cure for breast cancer, and its early diagnosis is critical to survival.
 
Caruso and the pink Fuel Juel NBCF Chevrolet Camaro will be on track for four qualifying runs over Friday and Saturday running to grab one of the 16 spots in the Texas Fall Nationals field. Friday she will run at 4:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. and on Saturday she’ll be on track at 1:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. Final eliminations will begin at noon on Sunday, October 15. The race will be televised nationally on FS1.

Santa Ana, California – Fans of smoking tires, rumbling muscle cars, and earth-shaking Xtreme Pro Mods can start planning for another season of exciting action, as the Red Line Oil NMCA Muscle Car Nationals reveals its 2024 schedule, which features a fresh start, a new class, and a return to a historic racetrack. “Having just wrapped another great season in Indy, we already can’t wait to kick off our 2024 schedule in Rockingham next April,” Rollie Miller, General Manager & National Event Director at NMCA, said. “We’re excited to debut our new Street Warrior 10.10 class at the season opener alongside our full roster of heads-up and index classes.” The Red Line Oil NMCA Muscle Car Nationals embarks on its 2024 campaign at Rockingham Dragway in early April with the NMRA/NMCA All-Star Nationals. In early May the series heads towards the St. Louis Arch for the NMRA/NMCA Race for the Rings at World Wide Technology Raceway. Later that same month, NMCA returns to the historic and picturesque Beech Bend Raceway Park for its Muscle Car Mayhem event. In July the series heads north as the NMRA/NMCA Power Festival returns to US 131 Motorsports Park. NMCA heads back to Summit Motorsports Park for the All-American Nationals in late August and then closes out the 2024 season at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park for the World Street Finals late September. “Each season we assemble the best possible event roster for muscle car fans across the country,” said Steve Wolcott, President and CEO of NMCA. “In 2024, NMCA is racing at some of the finest facilities in the country while offering a competitive environment for our racers and an enjoyable experience for our fans. We’re thrilled to return to Bowling Green in 2024, but every event on the roster is a destination for fans of Detroit Iron.” With everything from championship drag racing and street-car action to huge car shows and massive manufacturer’s midways, the Red Line Oil NMCA Nationals offers must-see events for muscle car mavens. For more information about the series, visit NMCAdigital.com.

2024 Red Line Oil NMCA Muscle Car Nationals April 11-14, 202416th Annual NMRA/NMCA All-Star NationalsRockingham Dragway, Rockingham, NC May 2-5, 202419th Annual NMRA/NMCA Race for the RingsWorld Wide Technology Raceway, Madison, IL May 30 – June 2, 202422nd Annual NMCA Muscle Car MayhemBeech Bend Raceway Park, Bowling Green, KY July 18-21, 20244th Annual NMRA/NMCA Power FestivalUS131 Motorsports Park, Martin MI August 22-25, 202423rd Annual NMCA All-American NationalsSummit Motorsports Park, Norwalk, OH Sept. 19-22, 202423rd Annual NMCA World Street FinalsLucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park, Indianapolis, Indianapolis, IN

About The Red Line Oil NMCA Muscle Car NationalsThe Red Line Oil NMCA Muscle Car Nationals is the longest-running major muscle car association, often credited as one of the most influential sanctioning bodies in the modern hot-rodding world. NMCA provides well-organized national event competitions from crazy fast Xtreme Pro Mods, Factory Super Cars, and Xtreme Street warriors to highly competitive index categories like Stock, Super Stock, Open Comp, and Nostalgia Super Stock. A leader in the street-legal drag racing segment, NMCA receives major backing from Dodge // Mopar, Chevrolet Performance, and Ford Performance Parts as well as upwards of 100 aftermarket companies in support of safe and legal on-track events. For more information on the Red Line Oil NMCA Muscle Car Nationals, visit NMCAdigital.com.

OSWEGO, NY (Oct. 5, 2023) – Friday’s Super DIRT Week 51 program will see racing action now start at 1pm (ET), and the addition of Last Chance Showdowns for all divisions.

The decision to adjust the schedule comes after working closely with Meteorologist Wayne Mahar from Precision Weather Service to give fans, competitors and officials the biggest window possible to complete the racing events.

Four DIRTcar Sportsman Qualifying Heats will kick off the day at 1pm, followed by Super DIRTcar Series Qualifying Heats. Then, Friday’s program will go into Last Chance Showdowns for the DIRTcar Pro Stocks (if needed), DIRTcar 358 Modifieds, DIRTcar Sportsman and Super DIRTcar Series.

At the end of the day, the fields for all four divisions will be set and the spotlight for the weekend will be on the DIRTcar Pro Stock 50, DIRTcar Sportsman Chevrolet Performance 75, DIRTcar 358 Modified Salute to the Troops 150, and Billy Whittaker Cars 200. 

FRIDAY RACING SCHEDULE:
1pm – DIRTcar Sportsman Qualifying Heats (4)
Super DIRTcar Series Qualifying Heats (3)
DIRTcar Pro Stock Last Chance Showdown (if needed)
DIRTcar 358 Modified Last Chance Showdowns (2)
DIRTcar Sportsman Last Chance Showdowns (3)
Super DIRTcar Series Last Chance Showdowns (2)

For tickets to Super DIRT Week 51, CLICK HERE.

The Carpentersville, IL driver won the only World of Outlaws Feature at Brownstown in 2007

BROWNSTOWN, IN – October 5, 2023 – Defending World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Model Series champion Dennis Erb Jr. has a unique accomplishment to his resume.

As the Series prepares for its return to Brownstown Speedway for the Hoosier Dirt Classic on Friday, Oct. 6, Erb is alone in one category of the track’s history books. He’s the only World of Outlaws winner at the 1/4-mile bullring, winning in 2007.

However, that’s not his only triumph at Brownstown. He won the Indiana Icebreaker in 2012 before scoring two DIRTcar Summer Nationals victories in 2013 and 2015. He also added a Northern All-Stars Series win in 2004.

With that past success, the Carpentersville, IL driver is confident, especially after a top five finish last Saturday at Atomic.

“It’s always good to know that you’ve had success at a track,” Erb said. “So, we’re looking forward to going back to [Brownstown]. We were there [in September], and hopefully, we can come out of there with a victory.”

When the World of Outlaws arrive at Brownstown this weekend, it’ll look slightly different to the track Erb won on in 2007. Despite those changes, though, Erb knows what to expect thanks to his experience.

“It’s changed a little bit,” Erb said. “They’ve re-shaped the track a little bit. But once it dries up a little bit and gets racing, it’s still Brownstown. We’ll just see what we got over there and hope we get a win.”

Brownstown isn’t the only track the World of Outlaws will battle at this weekend, as Erb and the Series also return to Fairbury Speedway for the FALS Frenzy on Saturday, Oct. 7. The 2004 Prairie Dirt Classic champion has three top fives at the track this season, including two seconds. He said he’s excited to return to another track he cut his teeth at.

“A lot of them tracks in the Midwest are (my style),” Erb said. I grew up racing there. I raced Fairbury a lot, I raced Brownstown a lot, and all throughout the Midwest. Anytime we get back to those racetracks, we always look forward to it.”

Despite only one Series win in 2023, the defending champion hopes to finish the season on a high note, with only four races until the World of Outlaws World Finals at The Dirt Track at Charlotte. He enters this weekend eighth in points but only 58 points behind Ryan Gustin for fourth.

With his championship experience, Erb knows the formula to have a solid finish to the season.

“We just have to run good each night,” Erb said. “The car’s been working good, and everything’s been going really good. But we get caught up in a few things that set us back a little bit. We have to hope things just stay clean, and we just keep doing what we’re doing and get a few more wins before the year is out.”

Erb hopes to stay the only World of Outlaws winner at Brownstown when the Series visits this weekend for the Hoosier Dirt Classic on Friday, Oct. 6. The event is co-sanctioned with the Iron-Man Late Model Series. Then, they’ll head to Illinois to finish the weekend at Fairbury Speedway for the FALS Frenzy on Saturday, Oct. 7.

If you can’t make it to the track, watch all the action live on DIRTVision – either online on with the DIRTVision App.

BREWERTON, NY (Oct. 4, 2023) – With his fourth consecutive win in the Hurricane Harvey 75, it’s nearly become Mat Williamson’s tradition of going to Brewerton Speedway on the Wednesday night of Super DIRT Week and winning the famed DIRTcar 358 Modified main event.

Williamson, the two-time Super DIRT Week champion from St. Catharines, ON, won a relentless battle for the lead with Jordan McCreadie, enduring a lap-after-lap, inside-outside chase for the top spot in the second half of the Feature to score the $4,000 check and his third 358 Modified Series win in six starts this year.

He’s now won the last four editions of the track’s marquee event – honoring longtime promoter Harvey Fink – going back to his first event win in 2019.

From sixth on the starting grid, Williamson worked his way up to third before one particular caution period on Lap 28. Following Jordan McCreadie coming to the restart, Williamson immediately pressured McCreadie and would not go away.

“I was being very patient; I probably could’ve slid him a couple times, but I wanted to put on a good show for the fans, and Jordan’s always raced me clean,” Williamson said. “I didn’t wanna risk driving into Turn 3 and clipping him by chance if I wasn’t clear on the slider.”

In an effort to maximize speed, Williamson began entering Turn 1 on the high side and cutting down toward the bottom out of Turn 2. Several times Williamson pulled up beside McCreadie down either straightaway but was unable to make the move.

Multiple times in Turn 3, it appeared as though Williamson had a shot to put a slide job on McCreadie for the lead but would not complete the slide up the track in Turn 4. Instead, he left McCreadie a lane on the top.

“I knew I had a good car; I didn’t really want to wait that long, to be honest,” Williamson said. “I felt like I was gonna get by him and then the caution came out two or three times. But he ran a great race.”

Cat-and-mouse, lap-after-lap, the two battled for the top spot for nearly 25 laps, but McCreadie was able to retain the lead. That was, until a Lap 55 restart, where Williamson snuck under McCreadie for the lead going into Turn 1 and completed the slide up in front of him to seal the pass out of Turn 4.

From that point forward, it was all Williamson out front. He survived one final restart on Lap 68 and brought the field back around the collect the checkered.

McCreadie was able to hang on for second and indicated that his car could have been better toward the end of the race.

“Tonight, we made adjustments, and they were the right ones it felt like for the first 50,” McCreadie said. “And then for the last 25, it seemed like we needed a little bit more to continue the speed we had early.”

A runner-up to Williamson at Brewerton is nothing to hang a head about, and McCreadie was glad to have started his Super DIRT Week off on the right foot.

“To be able to come out here and run good against somebody like Mat and the years that he’s been so good here, it says a lot for how good this car was going,” McCreadie said.

RESULTS

Feature (75 Laps): 1. 6-Mat Williamson[6]; 2. 28J-Jordan McCreadie[1]; 3. 29-Matt Caprara[9]; 4. 91-Felix Roy[12]; 5. 3J-Marc Johnson[11]; 6. M1-David Marcuccilli[7]; 7. 49-Billy Dunn[27]; 8. 19C-Brandon Carvey[2]; 9. 83X-Tim Sears Jr[4]; 10. 5H-Amy Holland[8]; 11. 35-Mike Mahaney[21]; 12. 01-Chris Raabe[17]; 13. 215-Adam Pierson[16]; 14. 15X-Justin Stone[13]; 15. 7MM-Michael Maresca[5]; 16. 60-Jackson Gill[25]; 17. 31-Corey Barker[20]; 18. 20-David Schilling[26]; 19. 22-Noah Walker[15]; 20. J82-Will Shields[22]; 21. 39-Ryan Bartlett[28]; 22. 117JR-CJ Castelletti[29]; 23. (DNF) 3-Chris Mackey[30]; 24. (DNF) 31W-Lance Willix[14]; 25. (DNF) 24K-Nick Krause[19]; 26. (DNF) 99L-Larry Wight[18]; 27. (DNF) 70A-Alex Payne[3]; 28. (DNF) 12-Darren Smith[10]; 29. (DNF) 28-Alan Fink[23]; 30. (DNF) 63-Jarrett Herbison[24]

MISTER OCTOBER: Hurricane Harvey 30 Goes to Sobotka for Second Time

Brewerton Speedway star Zach Sobotka starts his Super DIRT Week 51 with a meaningful DIRTcar Sportsman Modified Series victory

Brewerton Speedway kicked Super DIRT Week 51 into high gear Wednesday night with the annual DIRTcar Sportsman Modified Series’ Hurricane Harvey 30. Track champion Zach Sobotka broke his winless streak on the track’s biggest night, fending off challenges from runner-up Cody Manitta.

“This is a special race to everyone that races here weekly,” Sobotka, of Parish, NY, said. “It’s the Hurricane Harvey. To win that two years in a row. You can’t beat it here. It’s the biggest one to win.”

Two seasons in-a-row Sobotka was without a win at Brewerton going into the Hurricane Harvey. And two years in-a-row Sobotka clocked the field to park it in the eye of the storm.

Sobotka started on the outside pole position when the green flag flew to start the 30-lap Feature. He battled hard with polesitter Nelson Mason before finally completing the pass on Lap 5. He kept pushing, but Cody Manitta inched closer every lap.

“I didn’t ever see him there but I had a feeling he was there,” said Sobotka. “That sixth sense feeling you get when someone is there. I know he wasn’t going around the top because it was getting slick. I knew that as long as I stuck to the bottom I could hold it. For the first 90% race I was driving it in hard and letting it float up to the top. I knew the top in three and four would never be great after lap 10. I knew I had to go to the bottom there. It’s like that every week. You can run up there for five to 10 laps but as then it’s gone.”

Second-place Cody Manitta, from Cato, NY, had a faster race car at certain stages but he could not find a way around the No. 38.

“It’s just Sobotka’s experience here,” noted Manitta. “He has multiple track championships here. I finished third to him in the points once. His experience is really the difference.

“This is a Novice Sportsman that I borrowed because my car is at Oswego. We’re going to run it next year because it’s been really good for us so far. It’s got an eighth place at Weedspot and a second place here.”

DIRTcar Sportsman Modified Series points leader Andrew Buff, from Latham, NY, finished third after top-three finisher Nelson Mason was disqualified for using illegal fuel.

Mike Fowler’s Super DIRT Week has already been extra challenging. Fowler, from Fulton, NY, experienced engine issues while leading at Weedsport, changed the engine overnight, practiced at Oswego Speedway during the day, and then had to transfer out of the Last Chance Showdown to make the Hurricane Harvey. Once the green flag flew, the No. 410 machine was on the move, picking up 16 spots before the checkered flag fell.

The DIRTcar Sportsman Modified Series action shifts back to Oswego Speedway for the remainder of Super DIRT Week 51. On Thursday, Oct. 5, the Series has a practice session at 2:30 p.m. followed by Time Trials to lock in the Top 6 for the Chevrolet Performance 75.

DIRTcar Sportsman Feature (30 Laps): 1. 38-Zach Sobotka[2]; 2. 6-Cody Manitta[9]; 3. 35-Nelson Mason[1]; 4. 92-Andrew Buff[4]; 5. 7M-Cody McPherson[8]; 6. 30-Nicholas Root[10]; 7. 31B-Ryan Dolbear[5]; 8. 52-Jessica Power[6]; 9. 410-Mike Fowler[25]; 10. 5D-Kyle Devendorf[15]; 11. 35T-Cameron Tuttle[23]; 12. 83-Brett Sears[14]; 13. 01-Zach Buff[20]; 14. 23T-Scott Towslee[26]; 15. 111-Brett Senek[12]; 16. 29-Nick Heywood[21]; 17. 42-Daryl Nutting[16]; 18. 5-Tanner Siemons[28]; 19. 11C-Austin Cooper[19]; 20. 0-Billy Bleich Jr[13]; 21. FOX28-Tyler Stevenson[7]; 22. 74-Taylor Vanderzanden[11]; 23. 95-Kearra Backus[30]; 24. (DNF) 06W-Dorian Wahdan[17]; 25. (DNF) 33-Richard Murtaugh[3]; 26. (DNF) 02-David Boisclair[24]; 27. (DNF) 33R-Travis Bruno[22]; 28. (DNF) 399-Nick Giardini[27]; 29. (DNF) 11-Dan Ferguson[18]; 30. (DNF) 2-Taylor Doxtater[29]

OSWEGO, NY (Oct. 4, 2023) – Super DIRT Week’s on-track action commenced Wednesday evening with four drivers earning the early title as “fastest in town.”

The Super DIRTcar Series, DIRTcar 358 Modifieds, DIRTcar Sportsman and DIRTcar Pro Stocks each got two practice sessions around the 5/8-mile Oswego Speedway ahead of their Time Trials on Thursday.

Ending the two-and-a-half-hour practice session on top where Erick Rudolph (Super DIRTcar Series), Mat Williamson (DIRTcar 358 Modified), David Rogers (DIRTcar Sportsman) and Pete Stefanski (DIRTcar Pro Stocks).

Here’s how each played out:

SUPER DIRTCAR SERIES: Fresh off his DIRTcar 358 Modified victory at Weedsport Speedway Tuesday night, Erick Rudolph ruled the day by setting the fastest lap in both practice sessions. His overall fastest time was a 22.432 second lap.

Looking for his first Billy Whittaker Cars 200 title, the Ransomville, NY driver – and 2008 Super DIRT Week Sportsman champion – has been strong with the Super DIRTcar Series throughout the year, picking up two wins in two different cars.

Rudolph and reigning Billy Whittaker Cars 200 champion Matt Sheppard were the only two drivers to set top-five times in both sessions. Sheppard was fifth in the first session and runner-up in the second. Of Sheppard’s three ‘200’ titles, none of them have been back-to-back. He’d like that change that this year and add that missing stat to his resume.

Sheppard and two-time Billy Whittaker Cars 200 champion Mat Williamson – who was third fastest overall between the two sessions – are also in hunt for the Super DIRTcar Series title. Sheppard currently leads Williamson by 80 points.

Ronnie Davis III, who’s yet to make the Billy Whittaker Cars 200, came out of the box strong setting the second fastest time overall – from the first session. However, the second session highlighted some gremlins for the Cato, NY as he ended up 56th quick.

Top Five fastest overall times include:
2. Ronnie Davis III (22.434 seconds)
3. Mat Williamson (22.436 seconds)
4. Max McLaughlin (22.444 seconds)
5. Matt Sheppard (22.472 seconds)

DIRTCAR 358 MODIFIEDS: Williamson sat atop the mountain at the end of the two practice sessions with a 22.010 second lap in session #1 and a 22.389 second lap in session #2.

“This car is really good,” Williamson said. “It’s got a W16 under the hood. That’s the motor that’s preferred at this place. Hopefully we can keep the speed this week and be good at the end.”

While the Canadian is a two-time Billy Whittaker Cars 200 champion, he’s yet to win the DIRTcar 358 Modified Salute to the Troops 150. He’s finished second twice (2017, 2021) and finished fifth last year.

“That’s probably the one we really need to get because I’ve never won it before,” he said. “As much of my career has been around Small Block racing, it would be cool to win the Small Block race at Oswego. It’s a pretty big historic race we’ve yet to win. Hopefully we can get that done.”

Marc Johnson, who had a chance to win his first Salute to the Troops 150 last year before running out of gas also showed strong early speed, running second fastest in the first session and then third fastest in the second session. He and Williamson were the only two drivers to crack the top five in both sessions.

Top Five fastest overall times include:
2. Marc Johnson (22.103 seconds)
3. Max McLaughlin (22.117 seconds)
4. Erick Rudolph (22.178 seconds)
5. Anthony Perrego (22.261 seconds)

DIRTCAR SPORTSMAN: Of the nearly 90 Sportsman entered for Super DIRT Week 51, David Rogers ended the first day of on-track action as the fastest of them all.

His fastest time (22.045 seconds) came from the first session of the day. However, with a slicker track for the second round, he fell to 17th fastest on the board.

Defending Chevrolet Performance 75 champion Cody McPherson was second fastest overall, again, setting that time in the first session. Like Rogers, his time slowed in the second session, and he ended up 38th fastest.

Mike Fowler and Stephen Marshall were the only two drivers to show consistent speed between the two rounds. Marshall was third fastest in the first session and fifth fastest in the second. Fowler was fourth fastest in the first session and jumped to the top in the second.

While not in the top five, 15-year-old DIRTcar Sportsman up-and-comer Nicholas Root scored the sixth fastest time with a time of 22.179 seconds.

Top Five fastest overall times include:
2. Cody McPherson (22.064 seconds)
3. Stephen Marshall (22.098 seconds)
4. Mike Fowler (22.147 seconds)
5. Daryl Nutting (22.152 seconds)

DIRTCAR PRO STOCKS: Two-time DIRTcar Pro Stock 50 champion Pete Stefanski was fastest overall for the division with a time of 25.705 seconds in the first session.

He dropped to fifth fastest in the second session as the track slicked off but said that was a case of taking it easy and just getting track time. When it comes to Time Trials on Thursday, there will be nothing left on the table.

“The car feels good, hopefully we can get a good lap time tomorrow for Time Trails,” Stefanski said.

He’s another driver searching for a “first” this year. Both of his Super DIRT Week triumphs came at the Syracuse Mile. Now, he wants one at Oswego Speedway.

Stefanski earned his career best finish at “The Steel Palace” last year with his third-place finish.

Luke Horning, who is looking for his first-ever DIRTcar Pro Stock 50 title was fastest in the second session with a 26.126 second lap.

Along with Stefanksi and Horning, Jay Casey was the only other driver to set a top-five time in both sessions.

Top Five fastest overall times include:
2. Shane Playford (25.736 seconds)
3. Jay Casey (25.816 seconds)
4. Chucky Dumblewski (25.861 seconds)
5. Luke Horning (25.904 seconds)

All four divisions will Time Trial on Thursday (Oct. 5), while the DIRTcar 358 Modifieds and DIRTcar Pro Stocks will also run their Qualifying Heats – a chance for several drivers to lock themselves into Saturday’s Salute to the Troops 150 and DIRTcar Pro Stock 50, respectively.

RELATED: Thursday’s Schedule Update Features Time Trials For All Divisions

For tickets to Super DIRT Week 51, CLICK HERE.

October 4, 2023

As NASCAR’s Cup Series heads to Charlotte Motor Speedway for Sunday’s Bank of America ROVAL 400, most people in the sport are expecting an action-packed race as it will determine which eight drivers will advance to the next round of the Playoffs.

Jeremy Bullins, crew chief of the No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Mustang driven by Harrison Burton, agrees that the race on the part-oval and part-road course will be a doozy for all involved.

“I think we are all in store for a wild weekend in Charlotte with the ROVAL being a cut-off race for the Round of 12,” Bullins said, adding that there will be another wrinkle to complicate things on Sunday. “Combine that with the return of Stage cautions that will shuffle the running order with 10 guys choosing to take Stage points and the rest flipping the Stage for track position and I’m sure this race will have some interesting moments.”

He said the change in rules for Stages will provide the Motorcraft/Quick Lane team with more strategy options.

“For us it’s pretty simple,” Bullins said. “The points won’t mean much, so we will work towards the strategy that gives us the best opportunity at a good finish at the end.”

And he said his sophomore driver has done his homework headed into a race that features both left and right turns on a unique 17-turn, 2.28-mile course.

“Harrison has spent a lot of time in the simulator and studying to be as prepared as possible, and it’s another great opportunity for us to work on our road-course performance before the 2024 season,” Bullins said.

Practice for the Bank of America ROVAL 400 is set for Saturday at noon Eastern Time and will be followed by qualifying at 1 p.m. USA Network will carry the TV broadcast of practice and qualifying.

Sunday’s 109-lap, 252.88-mile race is set to get the green flag just after 2 p.m. with TV coverage on NBC.

Stage breaks are planned for Laps 25 and 50.
 

TEAM CHEVY ADVANCECharlotte Motor Speedway Road CourseConcord, North Carolina

ONE LAST CHANCE TO ADVANCEThe NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) and NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) are on the brink of the final road course race of the season with the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course set to host the doubleheader race weekend. The 2.32-mile, 17-turn road course located within “America’s Home for Racing” of Charlotte Motor Speedway holds a pivotal position on the postseason schedule as the Round of 12 elimination race for both series. Results from Saturday’s NXS Drive for the Cure 250 presented by BlueCross BlueShield of North Carolina and Sunday’s NCS Bank of America ROVAL 400 will determine the eight drivers in each series that will continue in the championship title run.   Chevrolet is the only manufacturer with multiple wins at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course – leading the series with three wins in the NCS and four wins in the NXS.

Chevrolet at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course: Chevrolet’s three wins in NASCAR’s premier series at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course all came alongside Hendrick Motorsports. Chase Elliott is the only repeat winner at the circuit – delivering the manufacturer back-to-back victories in 2019 and 2020. Teammate Kyle Larson went on to take Chevrolet to three-straight trips to victory lane with a win at the circuit in 2021.

Chase Elliott, No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports ChevroletChevrolet’s first NCS win at the ROVALSeptember 29, 2019Kyle Larson, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports ChevroletChevrolet’s most recent NCS win at the ROVALOctober 10, 2021

In five NXS appearances at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course, the Chevrolet Camaro SS has collected four victories – all of which have been recorded by the road course phenom AJ Allmendinger (2019, ’20, ’21, ’22). The victory at the circuit one year ago put the Kaulig Racing driver in the record books as the first driver in NXS history to hit a double-digit win count on road courses. Adding in his win at Circuit of The Americas in March and two career NCS road course wins to that list, Allmendinger as recorded 13 career road course victories at the NASCAR national level.

AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 Kaulig Racing ChevroletChevrolet’s first NXS win at the ROVALSeptember 28, 2019AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 Kaulig Racing ChevroletChevrolet’s fourth-straight NXS win at the ROVALOctober 8, 2022

PAST ROAD COURSE WINNERSOf the 15 active NASCAR Cup Series road course winners, seven come from the Chevrolet camp, including all of the manufacturer’s playoff contenders. Team Chevy’s Kyle Larson and Kyle Busch each have four NCS road course wins on their resumes. One of Larson’s road course wins came at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course in 2021 – the season that led the driver to his first career championship title. The 31-year-old California native enters the weekend in the seventh position in the playoff standings with a 15-point cushion over the cutline. Consistency has been key for Larson on road courses this season – collecting top-10 finishes in three of the last four road course races. While on the outside looking in with a 25-point deficit to the playoff cutline, Busch knows how to get around the 2.32-mile North Carolina road course – recording back-to-back top-five finishes in the series’ past two appearances at the track.  Ross Chastain became a winner in NASCAR’s premier series on a road course – claiming his first career NCS victory at Circuit of The Americas in 2022. Sitting in the 11th position and 10-points below the playoff cutline, the 30-year-old Florida native knows how to capitalize on the elimination race pressure. One year ago at the circuit, Chastain and the No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Camaro ZL1 team overcame a broken toe link to salvage enough points to escape elimination – ultimately going on to advance to the Championship Four in his first career playoff appearance.  William Byron is the NCS’ most recent road course winner after picking up his first career road course win at Watkins Glen International in August. The 25-year-old has proven to be a championship-caliber driver in the Round of 12, finishing no worse than second in the last two races, including his win at Texas Motor Speedway. Already with a ticket into the Round of Eight, the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Camaro ZL1 team can focus on maximizing points in Sunday’s event – a task the team has proven to be able to accomplish, earning an average of 39.5 points per race over the past eight events.  In the NCS Owner Championship picture, a top-10 finish at Talladega Superspeedway put Chase Elliott and the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Camaro ZL1 team in the fourth position in the points standings and 20-points above the cutline. Two of his series-leading seven road course wins in NASCAR’s premier series have come at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course. A win on Sunday would not only solidify his spot into the Round of Eight for the Owner Championship battle, but also move Elliott to second on the series’ all-time road course wins list, tying NASCAR Hall of Famer Tony Stewart with eight. At the top of that list is career Chevrolet driver Jeff Gordon with nine career NCS road course victories.  A look at Team Chevy’s playoff contenders heading into the NASCAR Cup Series Round of 12 Elimination Race at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course:

William Byron, No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Camaro ZL1 – 1st in Playoff Standings; clinched spot in Round of Eight with a win Victories: 6 (series-leading)Top-Fives: 12Top-10s: 17Laps Led: 895 Average Finish: 11.8Stage Wins: 8 (series-leading) At the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course: Poles: 1Top-10s: 2Average Finish: 14.6 Of Note: ·       The 2023 season marks Byron’s fifth consecutive appearance in the NCS playoffs. ·       Byron’s career-best finish in the NCS playoffs came in 2022, finishing the season sixth in the final points standings.·       Among Byron’s 10 career wins in NASCAR’s premier series, five have come at tracks in the playoffs, including each of the final four races.·       While he was eliminated in the Round of Eight last season, it’s projected to be his strongest trio of tracks in the post-season – having found victory lane at all three venues (Las Vegas Motor Speedway – March 2023; Homestead-Miami Speedway – Feb. 2021; Martinsville Speedway – April 2022). ·       In the Round of 12, Byron has finished no worse than second, including a win at Texas Motor Speedway.

Kyle Larson, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Camaro ZL1 – 7th in Playoff Standings; 15 points above the cutlineVictories: 3Top-Fives: 13 (series-leading)Top-10s: 15Laps Led: 898 (series-leading)Average Finish: 15.2Stage Wins: 5 At the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course:    Wins: 1 Top-Fives: 1Top-10s: 1Average Finish: 18.5 Of Note: ·       The 2023 season marks Larson’s seventh appearance in the NCS playoffs. ·       Larson has one NCS Regular Season Championship and one NCS Driver Championship title to his name – both coming in 2021. ·       The 31-year-old California native has made it to the Championship Four once – the season that delivered the Team Chevy driver his first championship title in NASCAR’s top series (2021). In his other playoff appearances, Larson reached the Round of Eight (2019), Round of 12 (2017, 2018 and 2022) and Round of 16 (2016).·       During the playoff era (2004-present), the 2021 season saw Larson earn a series-leading five post-season victories – tying the record set by NASCAR Hall of Famer Tony Stewart in 2011. ·       Larson has found victory lane in two of the three tracks in the Round of 12 – both coming in his title-winning season (Texas Motor Speedway and Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course). ·       In the first three races of the 2023 NCS playoffs, Larson finished no worse than fourth – earning an average finish of 2.33.

Ross Chastain, No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Camaro ZL1 – 11th in Playoff Standings; 10 points below the cutlineVictories: 1Top-Fives: 8Top-10s: 11Laps Led: 483Average Finish: 15.5Stage Wins: 5 At the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course:  Average Finish: 26.5 Of Note: ·       The 2023 season marks Chastain’s second appearance in the NCS playoffs. ·       Chastain’s first time competing in the NCS playoffs came in 2022 – going on to advance to the Championship Four and ultimately leading Team Chevy with a runner-up finish in the final points standings.·       Chastain became a first-time winner in NASCAR’s premier series on a road course – recorded at Circuit of The Americas in March 2022.

Kyle Busch, No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Camaro ZL1 – 12th in Playoff Standings; 26 points below the cutlineVictories: 3Top-Fives: 8Top-10s: 15Laps Led: 235Average Finish: 15.0Stage Wins: 2 At the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course:   Top-Fives: 2Top-10s: 2Average Finish: 21.2 Of Note: • In his debut season with Richard Childress Racing and his return to the Bowtie brigade, 2023 marks Busch’s 16th appearance in the NCS playoffs. • Busch is one of only two active drivers with multiple championships to his name – taking the title in 2015 and 2019. • In Busch’s 63 career wins in NASCAR’s top series, eight of those triumphs have come in the post-season. • The 38-year-old Nevada native has made it to the Championship Four on five different occasions – most recently in 2019 en route to his second title.

NXS BACK ON-TRACK FOR FIRST ELIMINATION RACEThe NASCAR Xfinity Series is on the horizon of its first playoff elimination race of the season with Saturday’s 67-lap event completing the driver lineup for the Round of Eight. JR Motorsports’ Justin Allgaier already clinched his berth into the next round with his win in the playoff opener at Bristol Motor Speedway.  With the top-three in the playoff rankings already securing their positions into the Round of Eight, five spots remain up for grabs to continue in the championship title battle. Heading into the elimination race weekend, two Team Chevy drivers sit at a healthy double-digit cushion to the playoff cutline with the NXS regular season champion Austin Hill in the fourth position (+44 points) and NXS rookie Chandler Smith in the fifth position (+32). Sheldon Creed sits seventh (+9) and Daniel Hemric in eighth (+1) to give the Bowtie brand five drivers in the top-eight of the standings.  In his first NXS postseason appearance, Big Machine Racing’s Parker Kligerman merely sits on the outside looking in – occupying the ninth spot in the standings with Hemric holding just a single-point edge over Kligerman. Fellow Team Chevy drivers Jeb Burton, Josh Berry and Sam Mayer all faced incidents at Texas Motor Speedway, putting them in the 10th through 12th positions, respectively.  Chevrolet heads into the race weekend with three NXS road course wins this season – recorded by Kaulig Racing’s AJ Allmendinger at Circuit of The Americas (March), and back-to-back victories by JR Motorsports’ Sam Mayer at Road America (July) and Watkins Glen International (August).

Corvette Racing’s Jordan Taylor will make his return to the NASCAR national ranks this weekend, getting back behind the wheel of the No. 10 Kaulig Racing Camaro SS for his second stint with the organization. Taylor made his first career start in both the NCS and the NXS this season – filling the seat of the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Camaro ZL1 for an injured Chase Elliott at Circuit of The Americas in March, and joining Kaulig Racing and the No. 10 Kaulig Racing Camaro SS team at Portland International Raceway in June. The four-time IMSA Drivers Champion competes full-time in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship for Corvette Racing, while also playing a key role as the reserve driver and driver coach for the Garage 56 project.

CHEVROLET CONTINUES ‘MAKING STRIDES AGAINST BREAST CANCER’ For the 13th consecutive year, Chevrolet has partnered with the American Cancer Society and its ‘Making Strides Against Breast Cancer’ initiative. The specially-themed pink Camaro ZL1 will serve as the official pace vehicle for three NASCAR Cup Series races during the month of October, with its first on-track appearance coming at Talladega Superspeedway last weekend. The pink Camaro ZL1 will make its return in two weeks at Homestead-Miami Speedway, followed by Martinsville Speedway to close-out the month of October.  Featuring the American Cancer Society logo, the pink Camaro ZL1 pace car will raise both money and awareness as it serves as the pace car at each of the three events during the month of October. For every caution lap the pink Camaro ZL1 completes, Chevrolet will make a donation of $350 (up to $50,000) to the American Cancer Society to honor the ‘Making Strides Against Breast Cancer’ initiative. The first of three NASCAR Cup Series events that are part of the initiative took place at Talladega Superspeedway this past weekend. With the pink Camaro ZL1 pace car leading NASCAR’s premier series for 19 laps under caution during Sunday’s YellaWood 500, Chevrolet will contribute $6,650 towards the campaign.

BOWTIE BULLETS: • Active Chevrolet drivers with a NASCAR Cup Series win at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course:  Chase Elliott – two wins (2020, 2019)Kyle Larson – one win (2021) • Chevrolet is the only manufacturer with multiple wins at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course – leading the series with three NASCAR Cup Series wins and four NASCAR Xfinity Series wins at the circuit.  • Chevrolet has made its way to victory lane in 17 of the past 22 NASCAR Cup Series road racing events – dating from Chase Elliott’s victory at Watkins Glen International in August 2019 to William Byron’s victory at Watkins Glen International in August 2023. Within that time span, the manufacturer notched a streak of 11 consecutive road course wins in the series. • Since the debut of the 16-driver playoff field and elimination rounds to the NASCAR Cup Series in 2014, at least five Chevrolet drivers were represented in the playoffs each season. • In 31 points-paying NASCAR Cup Series race this season, Chevrolet continues to lead the series in wins (15), top-fives (66), top-10s (132), stage wins (21) and laps led (2,971).  • Chevrolet leads the series in wins across all three NASCAR national series this season with 15 victories in 31 NASCAR Cup Series races, 14 victories in 28 NASCAR Xfinity Series races and 12 wins in 21 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series races.  • Chevrolet’s series-leading 15 NASCAR Cup Series wins this season have been recorded by drivers from four different Chevrolet teams: Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (JTG Daugherty Racing), Kyle Busch (Richard Childress Racing), William Byron and Kyle Larson (Hendrick Motorsports) and Ross Chastain and Shane van Gisbergen (Trackhouse Racing).  • Chevrolet drivers have recorded 21 of the 62 NASCAR Cup Series stage wins this season: William Byron (eight; series-leading), Ross Chastain (five), Kyle Larson (five), Kyle Busch (two) and Chase Elliott (one).  • Chevrolet continues to sit atop the manufacturer points standings in all three NASCAR national series, leading by 69 points in the NASCAR Cup Series, 73 points in the NASCAR Xfinity Series and 60 points in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.  • Chevrolet has swept the Manufacturer Championships across all three NASCAR national series in a single season four different times (2012, 2005, 1998, 1996). • With its 41 NASCAR Cup Series Manufacturer’s Championships, 33 NASCAR Cup Series Driver’s Championships, and 848 all-time NASCAR Cup Series wins, Chevrolet continues to hold the title of winningest brand in NASCAR Cup Series history.

FOR THE FANS:• Fans can visit the Team Chevy Racing Display in the Fan Midway at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course.  • Fans can check out an assortment of Chevrolet vehicles at the Team Chevy Racing Display including: Blazer RS, 2500 HD Crew HC Diesel, Traverse High Country, Colorado Crew Z71 2.7L, Tahoe RST, Corvette Coupe 3LT Z51, Camaro ZL1, Silverado 1500 Crew ZR2.  Team Chevy Driver Appearances at the Display:Saturday, October 7• Sam Mayer: 12 p.m.  • Stefan Parsons: 12:30 p.m. • Justin Allgaier: 1 p.m. Sunday, October 8• Alex Bowman: 11 a.m.  • Erik Jones: 11:15 • Mike Rockenfeller: 12 p.m.  Chevrolet Display Hours of Operation: • Saturday, October 7: 9:30 a.m. – 3 p.m. • Sunday, October 8: 9 a.m. – 2 p.m.

TUNE IN: • NASCAR Cup Series: Bank of America ROVAL 400  Sunday, October 8, at 2 p.m. ET(NBC, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90) • NASCAR Xfinity Series: Drive for the Cure 250presented by BlueCross BlueShield of North CarolinaSaturday, October 7, at 3:30 p.m. ET(NBC, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90)

QUOTABLE QUOTES:ROSS CHASTAIN, NO. 1 WORLDWIDE EXPRESS CAMARO ZL1How do you feel about your points position going into this weekend at the Roval?“Well, I think anyone would tell you that they wish they all of the points to advance to the next round, or a win. That’s just not how it goes though. We have to race our race and focus on us. Trackhouse keeps giving me great cars and we’ll go there and turn and see what happens.” How do you look at your race last year at the Roval, compared to this year?“Last year at the Roval I made a mistake and got us into the wall damaging the car. Obviously, I don’t want to repeat that again because it’s put the team in such a tough spot. Luckily, we had a pretty decent points situation going into the race and some others had trouble. The Roval can be a tough place but I’m going in there focused on driving the car and giving 100 percent every lap.” KYLE LARSON, NO. 5 VALVOLINE / HENDRICKCARS.COM CAMARO ZL1Larson on racing at the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL:“I like the (Charlotte Motor Speedway) ROVAL, I think it’s fun. It’s a sketchy cut off race. I feel like I’ve gotten caught up in more mess there than I have clean finishes. We did win there a couple of years ago, (2021) so I know we can have a good run again this weekend. We have just got to execute a little bit better than I did last year and try not to crash to make it to the next round.” CLIFF DANIELS, CREW CHIEF, NO. 5 VALVOLINE / HENDRICKCARS.COM CAMARO ZL1Daniels on racing at the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL:“We’re going to look at everything we possibly can to make sure that we get the right number of points in the bank to make sure we transfer out of this round (of 12), which of course is very important to us. We also want to make sure we have a fast enough car and try to strategize ourselves correctly to try and get a great finish. We’ve learned a lot this year with road courses and improved our package a good bit. Hopefully, we’ve got a good car and make the right adjustments. There’s so many different things that can play out here with strategy. We’ve got to be smart and know what our objectives are to get the points that we need to transfer (to the Round of 8).” KYLE BUSCH, NO. 8 LENOVO CAMARO ZL1You have scored back-to-back top-five finishes at the Roval. What is the key to running well there? Is it all about grip and maintaining forward drive?“The key to running well at the Roval is just staying out of trouble and trying to keep your momentum rolling all the way around the racetrack. There are some big braking zones where you can really attack and get a lot of slowing down done in a quick period of time but the infield section has such little grip and is so bumpy that you’re just trying to control the slip and not go too fast and crash. It’s about tiptoeing as much as you can with carrying the right amount of roll speed.” The No. 8 team has shown top-five speed at every road course races this season. How encouraging is that entering the Roval?“Our team has shown pretty good speed at every road course this season. I feel like that is an encouraging sign going into the Roval. Last year the 8 car should have won the race. It definitely bodes well for us going there and having a strong showing. Looking back at the road course races this year where we had some pretty good speed and good stuff going for us, we just need to qualify well. The Roval is always kind of a crapshoot of a race. Our road course strength this year has been pretty good. We should’ve probably finished third or fourth at Indy and probably fifth or so at Watkins Glen, which would have been top-five in every road race this year.” Since the Roval is a cutoff race in the Playoffs, do you expect more contact and more chaos late in the race? What is the best way to stay out of that mess?   “I think you expect more contact, more chaos, and more desperation moves at times. I also think there are some payback opportunities where guys will dump guys if they know they’re in a make it or break it situation and they’re on the bubble. That is always kind of on the table as well at the Roval. I’d like to think that we haven’t made many enemies this year so that hopefully won’t be our problem but you never know when you get caught up in someone else’s stuff. It would be nice to just stay out of that.”  AJ ALLMENDINGER, NO. 16 CELSIUS CAMARO ZL1“I’ve always enjoyed the ROVAL. Last year was probably our fastest road course race we have had, leading a lot of laps, and having a top-five finish. I think from the things we are doing and building off the speed we had in Watkins Glen, the ROVAL is a racetrack that if we execute and do everything right, we can have a real shot to win the race. I can’t wait to get there and focus on trying to go steal a win.” MIKE ROCKENFELLER, NO. 42 SUNSEEKER RESORTS CAMARO ZL1This is your last scheduled Cup Series race for this year, so what are some of the goals that you would like to accomplish before the end of the event on Sunday? “You know, obviously, we had two races and this one is going to be my last one in Cup this year, so I definitely want to do well. I think in the last two, we had some issues on pit lane, so hopefully this time it will be clean, and that means I think we have a shot to do well. We were able to finish 19th last time even with a slow pit stop, so if we improve slightly I think we can fight for a top-15 or a top-10 hopefully. That’s what my goal is, but on the other hand, I know that this is a critical race in the championship for many guys. So I want to do my thing, and always want to win as a driver and for the team as well; but of course I also don’t want to spoil anybody’s race for the championship. We need to be careful, and smart, and hopefully take advantage of a few things so we can make it a really good one. I will enjoy it and am motivated as always, and am looking forward to drive. I raced there last year, so I know the circuit, and I will be ready to go this weekend.” ERIK JONES, NO. 43 ALLEGIANT CAMARO ZL1“It’s always nice to have a home race, being at the ROVAL this weekend and not having to travel is good for everybody. Being able to head over there and give it a shot is comforting. Our road course stuff has been one of our biggest struggles this year, but we have been working hard to improve every time to get where we want to be. It’s great to have Mike Rockenfeller back as well. I think he has done a really good job for us here on these road courses, helping us out, getting us better, and showing us what we can work on to improve. So, I am excited to have him in the car again and hope to finish out strong on the last road course for this year.”

Chevrolet NASCAR Cup Series Statistics Manufacturers Championships:Total (1949-2022): 41First title for Chevrolet: 1958Highest number of consecutive titles: 13 (2003-15) Years Won: 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1998, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2021, 2022 Drivers Championships:Total (1949-2021): 33First Chevrolet champion: Buck Baker (1957)Highest number of consecutive titles: 7 (2005-11)Most Recent: Kyle Larson (2021) Years Won: 1957, 1960, 1961, 1973, 1976, 1977, 1979, 1980, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2020, 2021 Event Victories:Record for total race wins in single season: 26 (2007)                2023 STATISTICS:                                                                                                    Wins: 15Poles: 8Laps Led: 2,971Top-five finishes: 66Top-10 finishes: 132Stage wins: 21·       Ross Chastain – 5 (Daytona), (Auto Club x2), (Dover), (Darlington)·       William Byron – 8 (Las Vegas x2), (Phoenix), (COTA), (Richmond), (Dover), (Charlotte), (Watkins Glen)·       Kyle Larson – 5 (Phoenix), (Bristol Dirt), (Pocono), (Kansas), (Texas)·       Chase Elliott – 1 (Talladega)·       Kyle Busch – 2 (WWTR), (Sonoma) CHEVROLET IN NASCAR CUMULATIVE STATISTICS:Total Chevrolet race wins: 848 (1949 to date)Poles won to date: 742Laps led to date: 248,515Top-five finishes to date: 4,287Top-10 finishes to date: 8,844                                                                                                          Total NASCAR Cup Wins by Corporation, 1949 to Date:                    General Motors: 1,182           Chevrolet: 848           Pontiac: 154           Oldsmobile: 115           Buick: 65            Ford: 827                                                                      Ford: 727           Mercury: 96           Lincoln: 4            Fiat Chrysler Automobiles: 467           Dodge: 217           Plymouth: 191           Chrysler: 59            Toyota: 179

WYNNEWOOD, Okla. (October 4, 2023) – Fans of the Disney Channel Original Movie “Right On Track” are eagerly anticipating the launch of a new documentary that will give viewers unfettered access to two of the most recognized figures in the sport of drag racing, Erica Enders and Courtney Enders. The film follows the two sisters and the Elite Motorsports team as Erica chases her fifth NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series world championship.  “Speed Queens: The Enders Sisters Story” takes viewers on a journey inside the world of professional drag racing as seen through the eyes of the Enders Sisters. Erica, a professional drag racer with five world championships to her credit, and Courtney, a motorsports journalist, on-air personality and influencer, work together on and off the track to create a unique dynamic that propels their passion for drag racing forward as they each work to make their marks on the sport they love.  Produced by FloFilms, a division of FloSports, “Speed Queens” was filmed over the course of several months and in multiple locations to provide viewers with a rich understanding of the Enders Sisters from the people and places closest to them. After having their childhood story in the Jr. Dragster ranks shared with millions of fans through the Disney movie, the Enders Sisters are excited to provide a more in-depth look into their adult lives.  “Early in my career at FloSports, I was invited to a FloFilms meeting to brainstorm some film ideas for the 2023 year,” said Courtney. “I suggested a few awesome stories about drag racers but nothing to do with Erica or me. After the meeting, I was told that they wanted to make an Enders Sisters story. A lot of the people at Flo didn’t know a lot about our story, the Disney movie or any of what we’ve done in drag racing. They loved the story and loved the fact that we were a part of the FloFamily, so they determined that one of the films would be about us. It was kind of weird for me since I would be working on the film and also be a subject. FloRacing always tries to tell the REAL story of the stars of motorsports and they feel that many drag racing stars have yet to let the world see the real side of their lives, so we signed up to be the first.” The film will provide an authentic glimpse into the lives of both of the Enders Sisters as they work to balance their public personas with the realities of what’s required to make an impact in a male-dominated sport. As much as they want to be a positive influence for future generations, the world of drag racing can be aggressive and it requires a thick skin. The Enders Sisters are passionate about their careers in the industry and have had to work hard to be taken seriously.  “You’re going to hear some cuss words,” cautioned Courtney. “You’re going to see the agony of defeat, the thrill of victory, the tight-knit family aspect we’ve always had, and everything in between.” “Viewers will definitely see a side of me that they haven’t seen before,” said Erica. “I think people form an opinion of you based on a twenty-second interview somewhere and they are only seeing the very tip of the iceberg. Through the years this has become more than a job; it’s my life. And I’ve sacrificed so much to be great and compete at this level. That said, I’ve had to grow a pretty thick skin and harden my heart a bit. The swear words and short fuse moments aren’t something I’m proud of but sometimes you have to be tougher and more aggressive than you want in order to be taken seriously.  “I’m excited to show viewers how we make such a huge operation work. What we have at Elite is not something you can buy or manufacture. That’s what makes it so coveted. I wished my entire career to work with a group like I have now. Without a doubt, I would say that the chemistry and family aspect is the reason for our success. I’m excited to show the world that with the right group of people, anything is possible.” “’Speed Queens’ will give audiences a never before seen, real look at the lives of the Enders Sisters,” said the film’s producer Paul Gandersman. “They are some of the hardest working people in the sport and their grit and determination to win at any cost is what makes them special. Their story is fascinating. Courtney, Erica, and the entire team at Elite Motorsports gave us unprecedented access to everything that goes into becoming world champions – the ups and downs, the difficult moments, the painful losses – it’s all in there. But so are the dominations and victories. We’re honored to get to tell this story – one of the most unique and powerful in the world of drag racing.” Speed Queens: The Enders Sisters Story will be available this evening at 7:00 p.m. ET on the FloRacing website at this link: https://www.floracing.com/collections/10335702-legends-of-racing.   ***

Still Shots From “Speed Queens: The Enders Sisters Story”

Media Contacts:Jessica Hatcher – Imagination 9 jessica@imagination9.com Scott Woodruff – Elite Motorsportswoody@elitemotorsportsllc.com Courtney Enders – Elite MotorsportsCourtney.enders@flosports.tv

TALLADEGA, AL – October 2, 2023 – Team Penske’s Ryan Blaney won Sunday’s YellaWood 500, earning a spot in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs Round of 8. This past weekend’s win marked Blaney’s second win of the season, third at Talladega, and ninth of his career. Ford has now won 10 playoff races at Talladega, making it the most of any track.

“Congratulations to Roger, Tim, Ryan, Jonathan, and everyone at Team Penske and Ford Performance on the race win at Talladega,” said Doug Yates, President and CEO of Roush Yates Engines. “The Ford Performance Mustangs were fast in qualifying and Ryan wheeled the 12 car into victory lane, what an incredible finish!”

“I’m just proud of the whole 12 group. Pennzoil, Menards, BodyArmor, Dex Imaging, Advance Auto Parts, Wurth, everybody who makes this possible. To win here three times at Talladega is super cool. I have to give a big thanks to Riley Herbst. He did a really good job there the last couple restarts. He doesn’t have a lot of Cup starts, but he did a great job and pushed me so thanks to him. This is so cool.” commented Blaney.

Fast Ford Mustangs started the weekend off strong as Stewart-Haas Racing’s Aric Almirola was the fastest in qualifying, followed by Team Penske’s Joey Logano in P2, Stewart-Haas Racing’s Chase Brisoce in P3, along with four other Ford Performance drivers that qualified in the top-10 on Saturday.

Sunday’s race consisted of two 60-lap stages followed by a final 68 laps around the 2.66-mile oval superspeedway. Stage 1 ended with Ryan Blaney out front to take the Stage 1 win under caution. A last lap push at the end of Stage 2 helped RFK Racing’s Brad Keselowski win the stage, gaining valuable playoff points. Throughout the race there were a total of 70 lead changes among 24 drivers, with Team Penske’s Joey Logano leading the most with 24 laps. Several cars were collected in a wreck late in Stage 3, which brought out the red flag to repair the SAFER barrier before final pit stops of the day. In the final stretch of the race, Stewart-Haas Racing’s Kevin Harvick took the lead twice as it was a fierce battle with Team Penske’s Ryan Blaney. Harvick and Blaney crossed the finish line side by side in a photo finish, with Blaney taking the win by 0.012 seconds.

A total of four Ford Performance drivers finished in the top-10: Team Penske’s Austin Cindric in P5, Stewart-Haas Racing’s Ryan Preece in P8, and Front Row Motorsports’ Riley Herbst in P9.

Both the NASCAR Cup and Xfinity Series head to the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval road course in Concord, North Carolina this weekend where each playoff field gets narrowed down to the Round of 8.

35 CHAMPIONSHIPS – 455 WINS – 420 POLES

TALLADEGA, AL – October 2, 2023 – Team Penske’s Ryan Blaney won Sunday’s YellaWood 500, earning a spot in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs Round of 8. This past weekend’s win marked Blaney’s second win of the season, third at Talladega, and ninth of his career. Ford has now won 10 playoff races at Talladega, making it the most of any track.

“Congratulations to Roger, Tim, Ryan, Jonathan, and everyone at Team Penske and Ford Performance on the race win at Talladega,” said Doug Yates, President and CEO of Roush Yates Engines. “The Ford Performance Mustangs were fast in qualifying and Ryan wheeled the 12 car into victory lane, what an incredible finish!”

“I’m just proud of the whole 12 group. Pennzoil, Menards, BodyArmor, Dex Imaging, Advance Auto Parts, Wurth, everybody who makes this possible. To win here three times at Talladega is super cool. I have to give a big thanks to Riley Herbst. He did a really good job there the last couple restarts. He doesn’t have a lot of Cup starts, but he did a great job and pushed me so thanks to him. This is so cool.” commented Blaney.

Fast Ford Mustangs started the weekend off strong as Stewart-Haas Racing’s Aric Almirola was the fastest in qualifying, followed by Team Penske’s Joey Logano in P2, Stewart-Haas Racing’s Chase Brisoce in P3, along with four other Ford Performance drivers that qualified in the top-10 on Saturday.

Sunday’s race consisted of two 60-lap stages followed by a final 68 laps around the 2.66-mile oval superspeedway. Stage 1 ended with Ryan Blaney out front to take the Stage 1 win under caution. A last lap push at the end of Stage 2 helped RFK Racing’s Brad Keselowski win the stage, gaining valuable playoff points. Throughout the race there were a total of 70 lead changes among 24 drivers, with Team Penske’s Joey Logano leading the most with 24 laps. Several cars were collected in a wreck late in Stage 3, which brought out the red flag to repair the SAFER barrier before final pit stops of the day. In the final stretch of the race, Stewart-Haas Racing’s Kevin Harvick took the lead twice as it was a fierce battle with Team Penske’s Ryan Blaney. Harvick and Blaney crossed the finish line side by side in a photo finish, with Blaney taking the win by 0.012 seconds.

A total of four Ford Performance drivers finished in the top-10: Team Penske’s Austin Cindric in P5, Stewart-Haas Racing’s Ryan Preece in P8, and Front Row Motorsports’ Riley Herbst in P9.

Both the NASCAR Cup and Xfinity Series head to the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval road course in Concord, North Carolina this weekend where each playoff field gets narrowed down to the Round of 8.

35 CHAMPIONSHIPS – 455 WINS – 420 POLES

IMPERIAL, PA (September 30, 2023) – Ricky Thornton Jr. survived a back-and-forth battle between himself and Jonathan Davenport to earn his second career Pittsburgher win in the last three years on Saturday night at Pittsburgh’s Pennsylvania Motor Speedway. Thornton took home $30,000 of the $100,000 feature purse held before a large crowd of spectators for first-year promoter Blair Kress Jr. Devin Moran rallied from seventh in the closing laps to secure the fourth spot and final spot in the Big River Steel Chase to the Championship Presented by ARP. Tim McCreadie came from eighth to finish in third. Hudson O’Neal earned the Todd Steel Buildings Hard Charger of the Race finishing in fourth after starting 16th on the grid. Earl Pearson Jr. rounded out the top five drivers. Michael Norris grabbed the lead at the start of the 75-lap main event and would lead the first 13 circuits until the front gate leading to and from the grandstands to the pit area was clipped by Norris. The incident would bring out the first caution of the race. After the race restart Thornton would grab the lead for the first time in the race on lap 14.  Thornton would hold the point until lap 37 when Davenport passed him for the race lead. Davenport was opening up his lead until a caution appeared with 47 laps scored. Thornton was slowly reeling in Davenport as the two raced through heavy traffic. The two would then go back-and-forth for the lead in a thrilling race for the top spot until Davenport clipped the wall in turn two damaging the right rear of his car. Davenport, who seeking his first career win in the Pittsburgher would fade to eighth at the finish despite leading a race-high 34 laps. After getting by Davenport, Moran would run in the second spot for the final three laps of the race – trailing Thornton by 2.215 seconds at the finish. Thornton’s win was his 23rd this year on the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series tour and his 34th overall victory of 2023. “He [Davenport] was way better than I was. On the restarts I had to get back by Brandon [Overton] and I pretty much held it on the floor after that. I have got to thank Clements for building an awesome motor here it held up for the final 60 laps flat on the floor. I guess I wanted it a little bit more. He [Davenport] was starting to get tight on entry and I just started to move my line around a little bit. That was the first time I think I have ever gotten a 10 to go signal so I thought it was a five to go. I drove a lot harder after that, but this team never gives up. It was definitely some hard racing,” said the winner who collected his seventh series win in nine starts in September. Moran battled with McCreadie to the very end to lock up the fourth spot heading to Eldora. Brandon Overton would slow with mechanical issues on lap 54 yielding the fourth spot after running as high as second in the race. “This is always such a long race, because it’s a big track,” said the runner-up whose father Donnie won the race twice during his career. “The top got really, really good on both ends. It was definitely not the way we wanted to make it there at the end with Brandon breaking, he was really good too. We put ourselves in position and my crew just worked their tails off all year, and especially in the last two months, kudos to them for preparing me such a great racecar and coming up with these podium finishes.”  McCreadie, the two-time and defending Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series National Champion rounded out the Big River Steel Podium in third. “I got the car a little too tight in the center where I couldn’t rotate good enough which I haven’t been able to do most of the season. It was probably the wrong time to do it. We should have kept it in the same vicinity as we were in the heat. We feel a lot better than we did a few months ago. Now we can concentrate on winning at Eldora in a few weeks.” The winner’s Todd and Vickie Burns-owned, SSI Motorsports, Longhorn Chassis is powered by a Clements Racing Engine and sponsored by Big River Steel, Coltman Farms, Hoker Trucking, Dyno One, Inc., Sub-Surface of Indiana, West Side Tractor Sales Company, D&E Outside Services, Certified Inspection Service Company, Inc., Midwest Sheet Metal, Excel Floor Covering, Murty Farms, Sunoco Race Fuels, and Bilstein Shocks. Completing the top ten were Max Blair, Alex Ferree, Jonathan Davenport, Brandon Overton, and Mason Zeigler. Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Race Summary 35th Annual Pittsburgher Presented by Big River SteelSaturday, September 30, 2023Pittsburgh’s Pennsylvania Motor Speedway | Imperial, PA Allstar Performance Time TrialsFast Time Group A: Michael Norris | 19.388 seconds (overall)Fast Time Group B: Ricky Thornton, Jr. | 19.259 seconds Penske Shocks Heat Race #1 Finish (8 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 10M-Michael Norris[1]; 2. 46-Earl Pearson Jr[5]; 3. 11H-Keith Jackson[2]; 4. 2T-Kyle Lee[3]; 5. 25Z-Mason Zeigler[8]; 6. 48-Colton Flinner[4]; 7. 1Z-Logan Zarin[6]; 8. 58-Garrett Alberson[7]; 9. 01-Ron Hall[9]; 10. 94-AJ Campbell[10] Summit Racing Products Heat Race #2 Finish (8 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 76-Brandon Overton[1]; 2. 99-Devin Moran[2]; 3. 10-Garrett Smith[4]; 4. 66C-Matt Cosner[6]; 5. 7-Ross Robinson[5]; 6. 89-Logan Roberson[3]; 7. 66-Justin Kann[8]; 8. 8S-Tommy Schirnhofer Jr[7]; 9. 27T-Tony White[9] Simpson Race Products Heat Race #3 Finish (8 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 20RT-Ricky Thornton Jr[1]; 2. 39-Tim McCreadie[4]; 3. 11-Spencer Hughes[3]; 4. 1C-Alex Ferree[2]; 5. 69-Jon Hodgkiss[6]; 6. 4-Gary Stuhler[7]; 7. 7T-Drake Troutman[5]; 8. 32J-Shaun Jones[8]; 9. 55C-Chris Schneider[9] AP1 Insurance Heat Race #4 Finish (8 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 49-Jonathan Davenport[1]; 2. 18D-Daulton Wilson[4]; 3. 1T-Tyler Erb[6]; 4. 1H-Hudson O’Neal[2]; 5. 111B-Max Blair[5]; 6. 99B-Boom Briggs[7]; 7. J4-John Garvin Jr[3]; 8. 21-Chad Myers[8]; 9. EZ1-Ron Fink[9] Fast Shafts B-Main Race #1 Finish (10 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 25Z-Mason Zeigler[1]; 2. 58-Garrett Alberson[7]; 3. 48-Colton Flinner[3]; 4. 66-Justin Kann[6]; 5. 8S-Tommy Schirnhofer Jr[8]; 6. 1Z-Logan Zarin[5]; 7. 89-Logan Roberson[4]; 8. 27T-Tony White[10]; 9. 01-Ron Hall[9]; 10. 7-Ross Robinson[2]; 11. 94-AJ Campbell[11] UNOH B-Main Race #2 Finish (10 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 111B-Max Blair[2]; 2. 7T-Drake Troutman[5]; 3. 4-Gary Stuhler[3]; 4. J4-John Garvin Jr[6]; 5. 99B-Boom Briggs[4]; 6. 32J-Shaun Jones[7]; 7. 69-Jon Hodgkiss[1]; 8. 21-Chad Myers[8]; 9. EZ1-Ron Fink[10]; 10. 55C-Chris Schneider[9] 35th Annual Pittsburgher Presented by Big River Steel Feature Finish (75 Laps):

Race Statistics  Entrants: 37Terminal Maintenance & Construction Pole Sitter: Michael NorrisLap Leaders: Michael Norris (Laps 1-13); Ricky Thornton, Jr. (Laps 14-36); Jonathan Davenport (Laps 37-69); Ricky Thornton, Jr. (Lap 70); Jonathan Davenport (Lap 71); Ricky Thornton, Jr. (Laps 72-75)Wieland Feature Winner: Ricky Thornton, Jr.Arizona Sport Shirts Crown Jewel Cup Feature Winner: Ricky Thornton, Jr.Brandon Ford TV Challenge Feature Winner: n/aMargin of Victory: 2.215 seconds Gorsuch Performance Solutions Cautions: Gary Stuhler, Matt Cosner, Boom Briggs (Initial Start); Front Gate Opens (Lap 13); Tyler Erb (Lap 37); Max Blair (Lap 41); Max Blair (Lap 42); Debris (Lap 47); Front Gate Opens (Lap 47); Brandon Overton (Lap 54); Debris (Lap 72)Series Provisionals: Ross Robinson; Boom BriggsFast Time Provisional: n/aSeries Emergency Provisionals: n/aTrack Provisional: n/aBig River Steel Podium Top 3: Ricky Thornton, Jr., Devin Moran, Tim McCreadiePenske Shocks Top 5: Ricky Thornton, Jr., Devin Moran, Tim McCreadie, Hudson O’Neal, Earl Pearson, Jr.Todd Steel Buildings Hard Charger of the Race: Hudson O’Neal (Advanced 12 Positions) Wilwood Brakes Lucky 7th Place Feature: Alex FerreeDeatherage Opticians Lucky 13th Place Feature: Keith JacksonEarnhardt Technologies Most Laps Led: Jonathan Davenport (34 Laps) Sunoco Race for Gas Highest Finisher: Ricky Thornton, Jr.Midwest Sheet Metal Spoiler Challenge Point Leader: Ricky Thornton, Jr. O’Reilly Auto Parts Rookie of the Race: Max Blair Etchberger Trucking Fastest Lap of the Race: Michael Norris (Lap 2 – 18.920 seconds) MD3 Tough Break of the Race: Jonathan DavenportOuterwears Crew Chief of the Race: Anthony Burroughs (Ricky Thornton, Jr.) ARP Engine Builder of the Race: Clements Race EnginesMiller Welders Chassis Builder of the Race: Longhorn ChassisDirt Draft Fastest in Hot Laps: Ricky Thornton, Jr. (19.695 seconds)Time of Race: 63 minutes 22 seconds  The Big River Steel Chase for the Championship Presented by ARP Point Standings: