NASCAR CUP SERIES LOS ANGELES MEMORIAL COLISEUM BUSCH LIGHT CLASH AT THE COLISEUM POST-RACE REPORT FEBRUARY 3, 2024 Busch Leads Chevrolet to Podium Finish in Clash at The ColiseumCamaro ZL1 takes Four Top-10 Finishes

·       Eight drivers from five different Chevrolet teams posted a qualifying lap in the Top-22 of the speed chart to secure a starting position in the 46th Running of the Busch Light Clash at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.  ·       At the stage break caution on Lap 75, Hendrick Motorsports’ Kyle Larson led Chevrolet on the leaderboard in the second position. The running order saw three Team Chevy drivers in the top-five, with Larson leading teammate William Byron in fourth and Richard Childress Racing’s Kyle Busch in fifth.  ·       Involved in contact that resulted in a caution on Lap 77, Hendrick Motorsports’ Chase Elliott suffered suspension damage on his No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Camaro ZL1 – ultimately forcing the team to retire early from the race.  ·       With a green-white-checkered finish, Kyle Busch led Team Chevy in the final running order – driving his No. 8 Morgan & Morgan Camaro ZL1 to a second-place finish.  ·       Four Team Chevy drivers recorded a top-10 finish, with Kyle Busch leading Kyle Larson in fifth, Alex Bowman in sixth and William Byron rounding out the Top-10.   ·       The 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season officially kicks off at Daytona International Speedway with the Daytona 500 on Sunday, February 18, at 2:30 P.M. ET. Live coverage can be found on FOX, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

TOP TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL TOP-10 RESULTS:POS.   DRIVER2nd     Kyle Busch, No. 8 Morgan & Morgan Camaro ZL15th      Kyle Larson, No. 5 HendrickCars.com Camaro ZL16th      Alex Bowman, No. 48 Ally Camaro ZL110th    William Byron, No. 24 Liberty University Camaro ZL1

TEAM CHEVY TOP-FIVE POST-RACE QUOTES:  Kyle Busch, No. 8 Morgan & Morgan Camaro ZL1Finished: 2ndIt looked like you had a shot there at the end. Walk though that last restart, especially when you know it’s a one-lap shootout to the finish. “I got a decent start, and then I knew the No. 11 (Denny Hamlin) was going to keep blowing off the bottom because he kept locking-up his tires – he couldn’t get left-front lockup out of it. I knew there was going to be a hole at the bottom and I got there off of (turn) two, but I just couldn’t accelerate late in the run, late in the race, up off the corners. There was just too much wheel spin to keep that position on him and to be close enough on the next end to get to the inside of him while he locked-up.  It was a good run for us. The No. 8 Morgan & Morgan Camaro was good; it was solid. I felt like the first-half of the race, we were a little bit better. The second-half, we were not as good, but we still came out of here with a second-place finish. Happy with that, but we know we have work to do on our short-track program and get better on that. Maybe some of the stuff we tried today will help us there.” Busch continuing on his runner-up finish: “It definitely does sting. The first-half we were better – we had a better car and we were better than the No. 11 (Denny Hamlin). Some of the adjustments we made weren’t as good and some of the adjustments they made were better. All-in-all, I’m glad to have a good night. Glad to come out of here in one piece, even with all the bumping and banging and everything else that happens.” Kyle Larson, No. 5 HendrickCars.com Camaro ZL1Finished: 5thOverall, what did you think about the decision moving the race to tonight?“Yeah, it was awesome. I was not planning on racing anything other than a heat race tonight and had no thought that racing was an option. Cliff (Daniels) had asked me if I had heard the rumors around 11:30 a.m., or so, and I got excited. I’m happy that we were able to do that. Obviously I’m sure NASCAR took a huge financial hit. I think, at the same point, the crowd was awesome out there for a spur-of-the-moment race with free admission and all of that. Hopefully a lot of these fans, who maybe have never been to a race before, will now fall in love with the sport and it can kind of grow from there. Maybe this could accidently work out really well for NASCAR.” You and Bubba (Wallace) kind of got together there at the end. With it being an exhibition-style race, do you think the drivers are more willing to ‘forgive and forget’? “I don’t know – obviously Bubba (Wallace) and I have a history in the past. I don’t really know – hopefully you ‘forgive and forget’. I mean like I said, he ran through me three times and I was just the one that happened to get him at the end. I hope he understands that part of it. Given our history, who knows. But I’m over it. I probably would have been over it too if roles were reverse and I ran through him three times and he finally spun me out the last corner. But we have different personalities too.. we all do out there. Everyone handles it differently. But yeah, it’s just the product of this racing, really. I try to tell myself to let things slide a little bit more, just knowing hits are coming from behind and stuff. Usually when you’re out there, you can get a good sense of when it’s happening – from the car wrecking behind you or before that. Yeah, it’s just kind of the way it goes with this race. It’s just the Clash.”

NASCAR CUP SERIES LOS ANGELES MEMORIAL COLISEUM BUSCH LIGHT CLASH AT THE COLISEUM MEDIA AVAILABILITY QUOTES FEBRUARY 3, 2024

CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CAMARO ZL1, met with the media in advance of the NASCAR Cup Series Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum. Media Availability Quotes:  WHAT TRACK IS THE MOST YOU LOOK FORWARD TO EVERY YEAR? “Bristol (Motor Speedway), for me. I’ve always enjoyed going up there. I think the environment, much like Daytona (International Speedway), the fans really make that place really, really exciting. The energy level is really high. From a driver’s perspective and being a part of the event, it just makes it better. It makes it better for everyone involved. Not just for us – I think it makes it better for industry personnel and everybody that has a part in the show. I think the energy level from the fans really makes us feed off that.”  DO YOU FEEL THE RACE BEING BUMPED UP TODAY FROM TOMORROW CHANGES ANY PRE-RACE PREPARATIONS OR MINDSET FOR YOU?“I don’t think so. I don’t think it really changes anything, to be honest to you.”   WHAT IS YOUR REACTION TO MOVING IT TO TONIGHT?“I think it’s awesome. I think it’s one of the most logical decisions we’ve made as an industry, potentially ever. I appreciate it. I know a lot of the industry personnel really appreciates the willingness to make a change like that. To be honest with you, doing an event like this on a Saturday night is a better fit for it anyway. I think it’s a win-win for everybody.”  THE FLEXIBLITY THAT NASCAR IS SHOWING HERE… IT JUST DIDN’T SEEM POSSIBLE FIVE OR 10 YEARS AGO. IS THAT LINKED TO CURRENT LEADERSHIP, DO YOU THINK?“I do. Like I said, I think it’s one of the most practical decisions we’ve made in quite some time. Whatever the relationship they have created with FOX in this case to be able to even have that conversation I think speaks a pretty good volume, in my opinion. This stuff doesn’t need to be complicated, right? And I think a lot of times when you get TV and corporate things involved, we overcomplicate things and that’s just kind of where we are. It’s just really nice to see that they have a personal relationship enough to say – ‘Hey, look, tomorrow is not really ideal for anyone involved – for the fans or industry personnel alike.’ I really think highly of the decision and the ability to be able have conversations to consider something like this.”  WITH QUALIFYING BEING A BIG DEAL…“Qualifying was going to decide the deal anyway. You’re not going to qualifying bad and drive to the lead from last, I don’t think. Qualifying was always top-of-mind, I think, for everyone, and I don’t really think that changes anything. It’s still going to be the case. I really don’t think anything changes from the competition standpoint.”  HOW ARE YOU FEELING STARTING THE NEW SEASON?“I’m excited for another year. For me, the way it feels, my career doesn’t feel like one book and every season is another chapter. It feels like every year is a whole different book in itself and I think they have all had different feels, to me. Every year, from my rookie year up to last year, has felt so entirely different. I closed that book up and will try again. I’m thankful for the opportunity and read to go to work.”  QUALIFYING HAS SUCH AN EMPHASIS AT THE DAYTONA 500. DO YOU FEEL THAT GOING INTO IT?“It’s always been an important thing to the boss, and an opportunity, too, for the engine shop to shine. It’s a huge piece of HMS and they do a really good job. It’s a big weekend for our sport. It’s a good look for our company to go down there and fire off well. On the same token, I would rather have better results in the race than qualify well. There’s really no reason why we can’t do both. I think the qualifying side has been good, we just need to shape up the race side of it, as well.”   YOU’RE GOING TO HAVE A NEW SPOTTER THIS YEAR. CAN YOU TELL PEOPLE ABOUT YOUR SPOTTER, AND HAVE YOU HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO WORK WITH HIM YET?“Trey (Poole) and I have worked together. He spotted for me a good bit. It’s not like we’re new at it by any means. It just felt like the right decision for right now. I think we’re both excited to have a little bit of a fresh start, in a way, in that position. At the end of the day, our team is really performance driven and performance motivated, and I think Trey is performance driven. We just want to perform at a high-level, and I don’t think he’s any different. I’m looking forward to it, but he’s not as new to it as people might think. Again, I think the situation is a right fit.”

NASCAR CUP SERIES LOS ANGELES MEMORIAL COLISEUM BUSCH LIGHT CLASH AT THE COLISEUM MEDIA AVAILABILITY QUOTES FEBRUARY 3, 2024

KYLE LARSON, NO. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM CAMARO ZL1, met with the media in advance of the NASCAR Cup Series Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum. Media Availability Quotes:  TALK ABOUT THE SHIFT OF RUNNING THE RACE TONIGHT VS. TOMORROW…“It’s great that we get to race. I’m sure NASCAR is taking a huge hit on money being made or whatever now, but at least we get to get the event in and all that. I was not expecting to run any more than a heat race tonight.”  WITH THE MARKET HERE BEING VERY IMPORTANT, AND POSSIBLY EXPANDING, WHAT DO YOU FEEL THE IMPACT WILL BE?“I haven’t really thought about the impact moving it up like that, but I love racing here. I love this venue, and I love being a part of it and seeing what NASCAR is able to do. I don’t know. I don’t know what their future plans are. If they were to move it, I think they’ve proven that it works, so maybe you can take this style of event somewhere else. I haven’t really thought about it that much. I’m just excited to race.”  DOES IT CHANGED YOUR MINDSET AT ALL HAVING TO RACE A DAY EARLY?“You’ve got to get focused, right? I don’t think anyone thought we’d go racing, or that we’re going to be racing four hours from now. I think you’ve got to try and calm down, get focused, and the team as well. You’ve really only got one shot to get your car right. The way the schedule was before, you could make adjustments going into tomorrow, but now you can’t. Hopefully our team is prepared with a great racecar, and we can go out there and qualifying well, and get a shot to win.”   DO YOU LIKE THE PROSPECT OF THE RAPID-FIRE RACING LIKE THIS?“Well, I come from dirt racing (laughs), so our programs go pretty quickly. When you’re not used to it on the pavement side of things, it feels like a massive rush. I’m sure once we get in the car for practice, it’s going to feel pretty crazy until we get to the race. I think once you get to the race, that’s when you can finally be able to take a deep breath and collect yourself a bit. I just applaud NASCAR for making the decision and doing it. As I mentioned earlier, I’m sure they are taking a huge hit financially because today was free to the public. It’s just nice to see them make a big move like that.”   DO YOU THINK THIS TRACK IS CONDUSCIVE TO RUNNING RAIN TIRES? “I think so. With the experience that we’ve had now and the few wet races we’ve run in NASCAR, I think it’s been fine. We’re not going very fast here, so I think it would be okay.”  WITH THE SHIFT TO RACING TONIGHT, AND TRACK POSITION BEING KEY, HOW BIG WOULD IT BE TO START THE YEAR WITH A WIN HERE?“I think it would be great. We’ve been in the top-five both of these years, but you want to improve on that. I haven’t been on the track yet, so I don’t know how my car will be. But like you said, it is hard to pass here. You’ve got to get kind of lucky to work your way forward with restarts and stuff. But if your car is good, you can make moves for sure.”   YOU’RE THREE MONTHS AWAY FROM ATTEMPTING THE DOUBLE – THE INDIANAPOLIS 500 AND THE COCA-COLA 600. AS IT GETS CLOSER MONTH BY MONTH, HOW WILL YOU SPLIT YOUR TIME PREPARING WHILE BALANCING YOUR CURRENT SCHEDULE?“I’ve got a couple of tests coming up here if the rainstorm doesn’t hit too hard. I’m supposed to test Tuesday in Phoenix, and I think there is an open test in April. I would say once April rolls around, I’d say that’s when it’ll get hot and heavy on prep work. I’m so used to being busy, so I don’t think it’s really going to feel way different for me. Just more studying and stuff behind the screen of a computer. It should be okay, I think. Our Cup team, hopefully, will be in a good spot where we’re fast and all of that. You’re not stressing about that as much as you need to, but I want to do a good job, so it’s definitely going to take a lot of focus on the INDYCAR side to do a good job. I’m confident that I’m going to get all of the data and information to study with, and all of these extra laps will help me come the month of May and will help it all go smooth.”

NASCAR CUP SERIES LOS ANGELES MEMORIAL COLISEUM BUSCH LIGHT CLASH AT THE COLISEUM MEDIA AVAILABILITY QUOTES FEBRUARY 3, 2024

WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 LIBERTY UNIVERSITY CAMARO ZL1, met with the media in advance of the NASCAR Cup Series Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum. Media Availability Quotes:  HAS YOUR VISABILITY INCREASED WITH THE NASCAR DOCUMENTARY ON NETFLIX?“I think a little bit, for sure. I mean, I probably gained a thousand followers within 24 hours, so I think a little bit. It was fun to sit back and watch it and just see how it all played out. I think they did a really good job capturing the intensity of the final few races and did a really good job in production, in general. I thought it was cool.”  HAVE YOU AND RUDY (FUGLE) DISSECTED THIS SEASON AND GOT AN IDEA OF HOW YOU GAIN TWO SPOTS BETTER ONCE YOU GET BACK TO PHOENIX (RACEWAY)?“I listened to Dan Campbell talk about it being twice as hard to get back, and it’s definitely twice as hard to get back in this sport, too. You know, you’ve got to work twice as hard. You’ve got to work smarter. It’s going to be tough for us to repeat the things we did last year, but I feel like we’ve got the team capable. We have all the same people and even made some improvements in the off-season to get our team a little bit tighter.”  DO YOU COMMEND NASCAR ON MOVING UP RACE DAY FROM SUNDAY TO TODAY SO QUICKLY DUE TO WEATHER?“Yeah, I think it’s really progressive. I think it’s a good start. I hope we can do that in the future too because we’ve all been through the events where we’ve stayed until Wednesday. I don’t think it’s fun for anyone, but I don’t think it’s productive either for ratings, the excitement on track and the build up to it. Obviously I hope we can get into a system of maybe having a chance to flex during the week, kind of like the NFL does. I think if we’re able to flex the race forward sooner, we could get some people tuned in. But I think it’ll be better than waiting out a rain delay, for sure.” HOW DOES THE MINDSET CHANGE TO GET INTO A RACING MINDSET WITH THE RACE PUSHED UP? DOES THAT CHANGE YOUR MINDSET?“I think it’s kind of better, honestly. Less chance to get nervous. You just go out there and kind of do your own thing. Naturally, I think I do the best work when I’m comfortable and just in a rhythm. I feel like this allows me to get into a rhythm sooner. If we make it, we make it. Obviously, hopefully with a top-22, we should be able to do that and a provisional, maybe. But just try to get into the race. You don’t have as much time to think or dwell.” IS THERE A DIFFERENT MINDSET WITH THIS NOT BEING A POINTS RACE?“Yeah, it’s for fun. But we want to get a good systems check, and there’s still a trophy to go get. It’d be really nice to stand up there and get that medal, the trophy and everything. I was envious of Martin Truex Jr. last year. It’s always bragging rights and there’s a little bit of money on the line, so I want to get a good start.”

NASCAR CUP SERIES LOS ANGELES MEMORIAL COLISEUM BUSCH LIGHT CLASH AT THE COLISEUM MEDIA AVAILABILITY QUOTES FEBRUARY 3, 2024

KYLE BUSCH, NO. 8 MORGAN & MORGAN CAMARO ZL1, met with the media in advance of the NASCAR Cup Series Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum. Media Availability Quotes:  WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO DO TO WIN THIS RACE? “Obviously having a good car always helps.. having some speed to start with. But we’ve had some good races here, so I’d really love to be able to come out here and have another strong one this time around and be able to get our No. 8 Morgan & Morgan Chevrolet Camaro to victory lane. That would certainly be nice.” DO YOU COMMEND NASCAR FOR MAKING THE DECISION THEY MADE AS QUICK AS THEY DID? “No question. I think today is an unprecedented mark in our sport and one that I think all of us will applaud NASCAR, FOX and everybody on for giving us the chance to get a race in today. I don’t know that we would have been able to do it before Wednesday and would we have even been here on Wednesday. So this was the best chance that we had. I feel like it was definitely a very good move.” DOES THAT CHANGE YOUR PREPARATION? ARE YOU LOSING OUT ON A LOT OF PREPARATION TIME NOW? “No, no.. not at all. You better be ready when you get here. It’s all good. Everything is already done, so ready for what we have in store for today. Just get out there on the track – run some practice laps, get some qualifying laps in that are hopefully good to get us into the Top-22 to be in the show. And then from there, go race it out. I want to say starting up front would help your result at the end of the day, but last year we started up front – we got spun out, went to the back and then we came back to the front anyways. That just hurts your chances of getting that victory because last year I burned my tires up getting back to the front. It would be nice to not have those issues this year.”  WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU ACTUALLY HAD TO QUALIFY ON SPEED? “I mean every week, we do.” I MEAN TO MAKE THE RACE, THOUGH.“Yeah, you would think that – I guess in my situation, being wherever we were in points last year, we would still be able to get in. But yeah, it’s a short field, a tight field, and it’s going to be close. The times here are always really within thousandths of a second, sometimes to the fourth decimal, so it’ll be tight.” WHAT DID YOU LEARN IN YOUR FIRST YEAR AT RCR? WHAT HAVE YOU AND RANDALL (BURNETT) TALKED ABOUT THAT YOU NEED TO DO TO MAKE 2024 BETTER? “We started the year really well last year. We had some good speed and we did things early on in the year just kind of based on their notes, and then we built off of that. We had some good races in the second-half of the year, I just did not capitalize very well on those. Had some issues myself, and then also just some other issues. Slow pitstops would sometimes knock us back, and then I would try too hard to get to the front and spin out or whatever. So just a lot of things – It’s not just one single area, I feel like. I know we’ve kind of changed some processes and procedures over the off-season of how we were doing cars, how we were looking at parts of cars and things like that. So hopefully all that helps, too.” THIS IS THE LAST RACE WITH THE 2023 SHORT-TRACK PACKAGE. ARE YOU JUST AS HAPPY TO SAY ‘GOODBYE’ TO THAT? “Yeah, I guess so. We have to figure it out, regardless. Whatever the next one is, we have to figure it out. That was definitely our weak spot last year, was the short-tracks. We had one good one, which was the second Richmond (Raceway) race. We ran third there. We need to have more results of being able to run in the top-five, top-10, like that.” WHEN IT COMES TO SIBLING RIVALARY, THE ONLY THING KURT (BUSCH) CAN HOLD OVER YOU IS THE HARLEY J. EARLY TROPHY. WHAT WOULD IT MEAN TO KYLE BUSCH TO WIN THE DAYTONA 500? “Yeah, that would be awesome. That’s the last box to check, essentially, in my career for the great things to do and accomplish in our sport. I would love to have that and be able to get that. Been oh-so-close a few times and still continue to work on being able to get that done. Last year, I led mile-marker 500.. it was just under yellow. Would love to be able to have that trophy back home.” INAUDIBLE.. “Yeah, I mean to me, I feel like the championship is the pinnacle of our sport. I feel like the Daytona 500 – everybody wants to call it the Super Bowl of our sport. It is.. it’s our biggest race, it’s our biggest stage. It’s just that though – it’s one race. So being able to score that win in a restrictor plate-style race where there’s 30 other guys that are vying for the win and that have a legit shot for the win. You go to many of these other places and sometimes the drivers aren’t very good at those tracks or sometimes their cars, their teams or the manufacturers or whatever, they don’t really lineup well for those tracks. So I feel like the restrictor plate stuff though is pretty level for everybody.” 10 YEARS AGO, IT’S HARD TO PICTURE NASCAR LEADERSHIP MAKING THIS DECISION. DOES THIS GIVE YOU MORE CONFIDENCE IN THE PEOPLE STEERING THE SHIP, SO TO SPEAK? “Yeah, definitely. Not sure how much we can still be able to do that down the road. I remember going to Fontana (Auto Club Speedway) last year, right? Like we all knew it was coming.. we all knew the snow was going to be there Friday, Saturday and Sunday, but could we run a race on a Thursday or a Friday ahead of time instead of waiting until Monday? I don’t know. Obviously with how bad the weather is that’s coming, for three days straight – we all don’t want to be here wasting money on hotel rooms and everything out, no matter how great you feel like the state of California is.”  DO YOU FEEL LIKE A WEIGHT HAS KIND OF BEEN LIFTED ON YOU AFTER SELLING KBM AND JUST BEING ABLE TO CONCENTRATE ON RACING AND WHAT BREXTON IS DOING? “No, not really actually. I’m busier now than I was then. Just don’t have the resources, the people behind the scenes to send work to.. you know, like clerical work, booking hotel rooms, booking rental cars or doing that sort of stuff. I’m doing it.. Samantha (Busch) is doing it. It’s her and I that are just kind of getting everything done and making sure we have all of our pieces that we need to be able to travel and go race with. It’s definitely busier. I would say just a lot of off the track stuff, but it’s fine.. it’s not too hard.” WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE THING ABOUT THE DAYTONA 500 AND WHAT’S YOUR LEAST FAVORITE THING? “I would say my least favorite thing is just how many guys have a chance to be able to race for the win and it doesn’t really come down to the greatest driver or the greatest car. I feel like it all comes down to circumstances. I feel like the greatest thing about the Daytona 500 is that it’s the Super Bowl of our sport – it’s the biggest race, it’s the pinnacle, and you want to be able to go out there and win it.” WHAT TRACK DO YOU LOOK FORWARD TO EVERY YEAR ON THE SCHEDULE? “Well Fontana (Auto Club Speedway) was one.. that’s not happening. But I would say Bristol (Motor Speedway), of course. Charlotte (Motor Speedway) is always pretty fun.. the oval. Pocono (Raceway) was probably one of my least favorites for years, but now that’s a pretty good one.”

TAMPA, FL (Feb. 2, 2024) – It took Michael Leach over a year to get his first career DIRTcar UMP Modified win, but only 24 hours to win his second.

The 20-year-old racer from Sun River, MT, passed for the lead with five-to-go in Thursday’s main event for the win and did it again in similar fashion Friday night – getting around race-long leader Kyle Strickler with four laps left and driving off with his second Winternationals Feature win in two nights at East Bay Raceway Park.

Leach, a fellow pilot of Longhorn Chassis, knows of the accomplishments that make up the careers of the veterans of the sport like Strickler and was overjoyed to not only race with Strickler, but to drive around him for the win at the historic Tampa oval.

“That’s the crazy thing about it – on every restart I’m like, ‘Man, I’m following Kyle Strickler around East Bay right now at the Winternationals, this is like one of the craziest [things],’” Leach said. “I’ve never been in a position like that.

“By far, these last two nights are the biggest wins of my career, and to do it against a guy like Kyle tonight is just extraordinary.”

Unlike his charge from 14th to the win the night prior, Leach took the green flag from fifth on the grid after a Heat Race win and immediately moved to third in the opening laps.

While Strickler was in command from the pole out front, Leach had made the move around outside polesitter Jason Garver to take second and began stalking Strickler as the race approached halfway.

Several caution flags dotted the midway portion of the 30-lap main event, providing Leach with ample opportunities to get a run to the inside of Strickler on the restarts. But the 39-year-old veteran held strong and forced Leach to think about other means of trying to make the move.

“It definitely was a thought in my mind, for sure, especially when [Strickler] wasn’t screwing up for the longest time,” Leach said. “If those cautions wouldn’t have come out, I for sure would have went to the top.”

After swapping the runner-up spot with two-time Winternationals champion Rodney Wing in the closing laps, Leach had P2 back for the final restart with six laps left. He cleared Wing when he stumbled on the top through Turns 1-2 and made a beeline for Strickler’s rear bumper.

They crossed the flag stand less than a half-second apart, and when Leach launched off of Turn 2 on the bottom, Strickler could not muster the speed he needed to keep the spot as Leach got underneath going through Turn 3 and secured the lead out of Turn 4.

“It was just a matter of waiting on a mistake, that’s all it took,” Leach said. “We followed him for probably over 20 laps. I knew it was gonna happen eventually, even with a guy like Strickler on a track like this.

“It just took the one time and I just happened to be in a position to take it over.”

“I should’ve just stayed in that middle,” Strickler said. “I went to the top trying to protect and Michael drove underneath me.”

From there, Leach drove away and led the rest of the way unchallenged to bag the $1,500 grand prize.

Though he came up one spot short, Strickler was still in good spirits afterwards, considering how his week started with three-straight DNFs.

“I’m happy that we finished two nights in-a-row, because it’s been a disaster the first couple nights here,” he said. “It’s cool for [Leach] to win; he did a hell of a job last night and tonight, and it’s great for Longhorn to be one-and-two. But tomorrow’s the big night.”

UP NEXT

The final edition of UMP Modified Winternationals at East Bay Raceway Park arrives at the grand finale Saturday night, Feb. 3. The top-six drivers in event points will be locked into the 75-lap, $5,000-to-win main event, while all other entrants will be seeded by points into Heat Races, followed by Last Chance Showdowns and the Feature.

Tickets will be available for purchase at the gate. If you can’t be at the track to watch in person, follow along on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook and Instagram for live updates.

RESULTS

A Feature 1 (30 Laps): 1. 09-Michael Leach[5]; 2. 8S-Kyle Strickler[1]; 3. 99J-Treb Jacoby[3]; 4. 33W-Rodney Wing[6]; 5. 21CZ-Cole Czarneski[15]; 6. 12L-Lucas Lee[7]; 7. 26G-Ryan Gierke[13]; 8. 205-Travis Varnadore[23]; 9. 24-Zeke McKenzie[22]; 10. B69-Bryan Bernhardt[14]; 11. 0-Damian Kiefer[20]; 12. 20-Brian Skaggs[8]; 13. 33-Jeff Mathews[18]; 14. 2-Devin Dixon[19]; 15. 8A-Austin Holcombe[11]; 16. 1H-Ben Harmon[17]; 17. 18C-Miles Cook II[24]; 18. 64-Austin Sanders[21]; 19. 88-David Pollen[9]; 20. 9-Cory Balkey[10]; 21. 82-Gary Dillon[16]; 22. 27G-Jason Garver[2]; 23. M20-Mike Potosky[12]; 24. 11R-Jeremy Rayburn[4]

LAKE CITY, Fla. (February 2, 2024) – The final summary of Friday night’s Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series event at All-Tech Raceway will show that Ricky Thornton Jr. led all 50 laps. However, it ended up being a hard-earned $12,000 victory as the Martinsville, Indiana resident fought off several challengers for his third series win of 2024. At least five different drivers held the second spot during the race, but Thornton who got the win at All- Tech a year ago during the Winter Nationals held them all off for the win. Devin Moran finished in second followed by Hudson O’Neal, Tyler Bruening, and Jimmy Owens. Bruening captured the Todd Steel Buildings Hard Charger of the Race after gaining 13 positions. Thornton and Owens started from the front row as those two ran first and second for the first four laps of the race until O’Neal, who started sixth, got by Owens to take second. The first caution of the race flew with 13 laps scored for last year’s O’Reilly Auto Parts Rookie of the Year, Max Blair who slowed coming off of turn two. When the race went green again Joseph Joiner started to make moves as the Florida native, who started fifth moved into the second spot to challenge Thornton for the race lead, twice Thornton and Joiner crossed the loop almost dead even as Thornton was hanging onto the top spot. By lap 20 O’Neal had moved back into second moving Joiner to third. Moran, who started fourth then got going climbing to second on lap 27. Moran and O’Neal then dueled it out for second and third, but the car on the move was Garrett Alberson. The former Rookie of the Year vaulted from fourth to second in the span of a lap. Alberson then started to close on Thornton as the race for the lead was starting to heat up again, but Alberson’s night ended as he got into the turn two concrete with 41 laps complete. The final caution appeared with 47 laps complete with Thornton leading Moran, O’Neal, and Owens. On the restart Thornton pulled away from Moran to take the win by 1.178 seconds.  In Lucas Oil Victory Lane for the 31st time in his career, Thornton breathed a sigh of relief that the race was over. “Man, I didn’t know if I needed to go around the top or the bottom. You could look on the scoreboard and you could see guys moving and then going back. So, I figured the line had to be moving around quite a bit. I had restarted every other time around the bottom, and I didn’t want to take off and hit the fence. It worked out for us. I think at one point down the backstraightaway he [Joiner] cleared me. He got down there, and I felt like I was running as hard, but still trying to save my right rear tire. I actually found a pretty good line around one and two. I split two lapped cars and I felt like I got a really good run, so I kept that in the back of my mind to do that again because it was a line nobody else was running.” Moran, who was runner-up in last year’s championship standings came home in second after getting close to Thornton on a few occasions. “They figured out a way to give a good track to run on for the feature. I know it’s a little later, but it ended up being a really good race. I love racing in Florida and everybody knows that. Thanks to all of the fans for coming out tonight.”  O’Neal, the defending series champion rounded out the Big River Steel Podium in third. “I just got lost a little bit on the racetrack there about three-quarters of the way through and let Devin get back by me and Alberson as well. I had a couple fall out which helped me get back to the podium. We were able to get to second early on. This place just changes so fast, you are up, down, up, down I swear I changed my line 15 times throughout the race.”  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, Hoker Trucking, Coltman Farms, Dyno One Inc., West Side Tractor Sales, Bilstein Shocks, Sunoco Race Fuels, ad EMD Wraps. Completing the top ten were Joseph Joiner, Kyle Bronson, Daulton Wilson, Brandon Sheppard, and Spencer Hughes. Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Race Summary Winter Nationals | Night 1Friday, February 2, 2024All-Tech Raceway – Lake City, FL Allstar Performance Time TrialsFast Time Group A: Ricky Thornton, Jr. | 18.537 seconds Fast Time Group B: Jimmy Owens | 18.169 seconds (overall) Penske Shocks Heat Race #1 Finish (8 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 20RT-Ricky Thornton Jr[1]; 2. 44-Chris Madden[2]; 3. 7-Ross Robinson[3]; 4. 18D-Daulton Wilson[7]; 5. 157-Mike Marlar[5]; 6. 93-Cory Lawler[9]; 7. 18-Chase Junghans[8]; 8. 99B-Boom Briggs[6]; 9. 75-Daniel Adam[4] Summit Racing Products Heat Race #2 Finish (8Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 19M-Spencer Hughes[1]; 2. 58-Garrett Alberson[2]; 3. 25-Tony Jackson Jr[6]; 4. 388-Jackson Hise[4]; 5. 8-Dillon McCowan[3]; 6. 79B-Kyle Bryant[7]; 7. 17SS-Brenden Smith[5]; 8. (DNS) 128-Kylan Garner Earnhardt Technologies Heat Race #3 Finish (8 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 10-Joseph Joiner[1]; 2. B5-Brandon Sheppard[2]; 3. 16-Tyler Bruening[5]; 4. 174-Ethan Dotson[7]; 5. 49-Jonathan Davenport[6]; 6. USA1-Chris Hawkins[8]; 7. 79-Donald McIntosh[4]; 8. 51-Chad Tuten[3] Simpson Race Products Heat Race #4 Finish (8 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 20-Jimmy Owens[1]; 2. 97-Cody Overton[4]; 3. 39-Tim McCreadie[2]; 4. 1T-Tyler Erb[5]; 5. 7T-Drake Troutman[3]; 6. 96V-Tanner English[6]; 7. 28-Dennis Erb Jr[7]; 8. 17Z-Seth Zacharias[8] Lucas Oil Heat Race #5 Finish (8 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 99-Devin Moran[1]; 2. 111-Max Blair[4]; 3. 6-Clay Harris[3]; 4. 12-Ashton Winger[2]; 5. 23-Cory Hedgecock[5]; 6. 76N-Blair Nothdurft[6]; 7. 4G-Bob Gardner[7]; 8. 4S-Danny Snyder[8] Lucas Oil Heat Race #6 Finish (8 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 1-Hudson O’Neal[1]; 2. 3S-Brian Shirley[4]; 3. 40B-Kyle Bronson[2]; 4. B2-Brian Booze[7]; 5. 46-Earl Pearson Jr[6]; 6. 11-Austin Smith[5]; 7. 19R-Ryan Gustin[3]; 8. 14JR-Trey Mills[8] Fast Shafts B-Main Race #1 Finish (10 Laps, Top 2 Transfer): 1. 18D-Daulton Wilson[1]; 2. 174-Ethan Dotson[3]; 3. 157-Mike Marlar[4]; 4. 388-Jackson Hise[2]; 5. 49-Jonathan Davenport[6]; 6. 18-Chase Junghans[10]; 7. 99B-Boom Briggs[13]; 8. 17SS-Brenden Smith[11]; 9. USA1-Chris Hawkins[9]; 10. 8-Dillon McCowan[5]; 11. 51-Chad Tuten[14]; 12. 79-Donald McIntosh[12]; 13. 75-Daniel Adam[15]; 14. 93-Cory Lawler[7]; 15. 79B-Kyle Bryant[8]; 16. (DNS) 128-Kylan Garner UNOH B-Main Race #2 Finish (10 Laps, Top 2 Transfer): 1. 1T-Tyler Erb[1]; 2. 96V-Tanner English[7]; 3. 23-Cory Hedgecock[5]; 4. 12-Ashton Winger[2]; 5. 7T-Drake Troutman[4]; 6. 76N-Blair Nothdurft[8]; 7. 46-Earl Pearson Jr[6]; 8. 28-Dennis Erb Jr[10]; 9. 11-Austin Smith[9]; 10. B2-Brian Booze[3]; 11. 4G-Bob Gardner[11]; 12. 4S-Danny Snyder[14]; 13. 14JR-Trey Mills[15]; 14. 17Z-Seth Zacharias[13]; 15. (DNS) 19R-Ryan Gustin Winter Nationals | Night 1 Feature Finish (50 Laps):

Race Statistics  Entrants: 49Victory Fuel Pole Sitter: Ricky Thornton, Jr.Lap Leaders: Ricky Thornton, Jr. (Laps 1-50)Wieland Feature Winner: Ricky Thornton, Jr.Arizona Sport Shirts Crown Jewel Cup Feature Winner: n/aBrandon Ford TV Challenge Feature Winner: n/aMargin of Victory: 1.178 seconds Dave Warren Powersports Cautions: Max Blair (Lap 13); Chris Madden (Lap 34); Tony Jackson, Jr. (Lap 41); Garrett Alberson (Lap 41 Restart); Cody Overton (Lap 47)Series Provisionals: Jonathan Davenport; Earl Pearson, Jr.Fast Time Provisional: n/aSeries Emergency Provisionals: Boom Briggs; Mike Marlar; Brenden Smith; Bob GardnerTrack Provisional: n/aBig River Steel Podium Top 3: Ricky Thornton, Jr., Devin Moran, Hudson O’NealPenske Shocks Top 5: Ricky Thornton, Jr., Devin Moran, Hudson O’Neal, Tyler Bruening, Jimmy OwensTodd Steel Buildings Hard Charger of the Race: Tyler Bruening (Advanced 13 Positions) Wilwood Brakes Lucky 7th Place Feature: Kyle BronsonDeatherage Opticians Lucky 13th Place Feature: Chris MaddenMD3 Most Laps Led: Ricky Thornton, Jr. (50 Laps) Sunoco Race for Gas Highest Finisher: Ricky Thornton, Jr.Midwest Sheet Metal Spoiler Challenge Point Leader: Ricky Thornton, Jr.O’Reilly Auto Parts Rookie of the Race: n/a Coltman Farms Fastest Lap of the Race: Ricky Thornton, Jr. (Lap 5 – 19.085 seconds) Slicker Graphics Slickest Move of the Race: Garrett AlbersonMiller Welders Hard Luck Award: Garrett AlbersonOuterwears Crew Chief of the Race: Anthony Burroughs (Ricky Thornton, Jr.)ARP Engine Builder of the Race: Clements Racing EnginesMiller Welders Chassis Builder of the Race: Longhorn ChassisDirt Draft Fastest in Hot Laps: Chris Madden (19.970 seconds)Time of Race: 32 minutes 02 seconds Big River Steel Chase for the Championship Presented by ARP Point Standings:

CONCORD, NC (Feb. 2, 2024) – Four wins on the national Midget scene as a rookie last year has Gavin Miller more excited, confident and determined than ever to go after his first championship in 2024.

The 17-year-old from Allentown, PA, is returning to Keith Kunz Motorsports (KKM) to chase a championship with the Xtreme Outlaw Midget Series presented by Toyota, looking to take the skills he developed in his first year and establish himself as one of the nation’s brightest young open-wheel racers.

“This year, I’m going into it thinking I’m going out every race and can win every race possible,” Miller said. “There’s no reason why I shouldn’t be up front.”

One year ago, Miller joined the KKM stable as a graduate of the Northeast Micro Sprint ranks with only a handful of Midget starts, looking to gain experience in his first year on the road. What came out of that was the single most consistent season recorded on the Xtreme Outlaw Series, compiling 27 top-10 finishes in 29 starts – most of any single driver – and two Xtreme Outlaw Feature wins, in addition to one USAC win and another with POWRi.

“I thought it was a very successful season for just starting out and not having that many races under my belt,” Miller said. “Having a crew chief that was new, I was new – it makes me feel better now that I’ve got that season under my belt, and it makes me feel more confident going into next season especially.”

But despite that early success, Miller is not satisfied. He recognizes the mistakes he made in 2023 and is determined not to repeat them.

“It definitely showcased some of my talent that maybe some people didn’t see or didn’t know, or didn’t know me at all,” Miller said. “I thought we threw away a lot of races too – a lot of races that we should’ve won and some races that we got a little lucky in, too.”

Over the past 30 years, Keith Kunz Motorsports has established itself as the single most decorated team in dirt Midget racing history, amassing 17 championships across all three national Midget tours including the 2023 Xtreme title. Armed with top equipment, skilled crew chiefs and the most knowledge and experience of any other team on the road, Miller has been a student of team co-owner Keith Kunz and his program for over a year and has seen the difference the KKM team members have made on his skillset.

“There’s nothing like it – the knowledge they have is crazy helpful with being a new driver or even being experienced and learning things you might not already know,” Miller said. “They’ve developed most of the best drivers that go into other things and race other cars. Their expertise and knowledge is very helpful.

“It’s a very special opportunity. I’ve just got to thank them for having me and letting me be in their racecar. Not many people are able to do that, and it’s a huge opportunity that opens a path for wherever I want to go or whoever has things open.”

Toyota Racing has also been a longtime partner of KKM and its drivers, equipping each team car with a TRD engine. Miller is getting more involved with the Toyota program this season and recently took part in the team’s media production day with a host of other motorsports talent.

“That’s something I’ve always wanted to be a part of,” Miller said. “It was a very cool opportunity being able to go down there and be a part of something like that, especially being around bigger names in the (NASCAR) Cup, Xfinity and Truck Series and all those bigger-name pavement people. It’s cool being around and just being a part of that program.”

Like many other TRD program graduates, Miller has aspirations for the upper echelons of motorsports. But until that opportunity knocks, he’s focused on more Midget wins in 2024. He grew in skill, confidence and knowledge racing last year and is eager to see what he can do coming back to some of the same race places for a second time as he strives toward a national championship in his second year on the road.

“I’m looking forward to going back to those tracks that we’ve raced on already,” Miller said. “Racing on them at least one time (already) helped me, so now going back to them is going to help me a lot better. I already have some sort of idea – I know the track’s not the same every single night – but it makes me have a better idea going back to it and makes me more confident going back to it.

“I feel like there’s no reason why we shouldn’t be able to run up front and contend for wins, no matter who it’s against.”

Miller and KKM start their chase for the 2024 Xtreme Outlaw Midget Series presented by Toyota championship in the season opener – March 15-16 inside the Southern Illinois Center in Du Quoin, IL.

Tickets for the two-day event will be on sale at the gate on race day. If you can’t be there to watch in person, stream every lap live with a subscription to DIRTVision.

CONCORD, NC (Feb. 2, 2024) – Fremont Speedway is bringing its entire schedule to DIRTVision in 2024, joining fellow iconic Ohio tracks, Attica Raceway Park and Sharon Speedway, on the premier streaming platform.

Weekly racing from the northern Ohio track will be streamed live on DIRTVision, including its marquee Sprint Car events, such as the Rick Ferkel Tribute with the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series on May 27 and its Ohio Speedweek race on June 8.

“This is an exciting opportunity to show fans around the world what Fremont Speedway has to offer on a weekly basis, in addition to its national events,” said Rich Farmer, Fremont Speedway promoter. “I’m grateful for everyone at DIRTVision welcoming Fremont to its family of weekly racing, helping fans that can’t make it to the track fell like they’re still there.”

Fremont Speedway, known as “The Track That Action Built,” opened in 1951 and hosted its first touring event on June 6, 1952 – a NASCAR Late Model Sportsman race. The 1/3-mile track has welcomed the World of Outlaws Sprint Cars eight times and featured winners such as Doug Wolfgang, Frankie Kerr, Stevie Smith, Jason Meyers, Donny Schatz and Chad Kemenah.

The Rick Ferkel Tribute on Memorial Day will be the World of Outlaws’ first time back at Fremont since 2016.

Along with the World of Outlaws event, Fremont Speedway will have a robust schedule, featuring Winged and Non-Wing Sprint Cars, Late Models and Midgets. On a weekly basis, the track will have 410 Sprint Cars, 305 Sprint Cars and dirt trucks.

September will feature the richest race in the track’s history with the Jim Ford Classic, Sept. 13-14. Saturday’s finale will pay $20,000 to win for the 410 Sprint Cars.

“Fremont Speedway is a great addition to our premier lineup of weekly racing and further expands DIRTVision’s catalog of 410 Sprint Car action from across the country,” said Jim Chiappelli, DIRTVision general manager. “We recognize Ohio’s rich racing history and its importance to regional drivers and teams.”

Whether online or through the DIRTVision App, fans can watch every race from Fremont Speedway live with DIRTVision’s annual Platinum FAST Pass.

Fremont Speedway joins DIRTVision’s growing list of premier tracks like Attica Raceway Park, Beaver Dam Raceway, Huset’s Speedway, Jacksonville Speedway, Jackson Motorplex, Knoxville Raceway, Land of Legends Raceway, Millbridge Speedway, Sharon Speedway, Williams Grove Speedway and Volusia Speedway Park. Fans with a FAST PASS subscription can also access every race for the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series, World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Model Series, Super DIRTcar Series, Xtreme Outlaw Midget Series presented by Toyota and DIRTcar Summer Nationals.

First career UMP Modified win for young Montanan, Strickler goes 15th-to-fourth, Gierke 19th-to-fifth

TAMPA, FL (Feb. 1, 2024) – Drivers never forget their first Feature win, and Michael Leach won’t soon forget his at the controls of a DIRTcar UMP Modified.

The 20-year-old from Sun River, MT, charged all the way from 14th on the starting grid, took the lead with five laps left and held on for his first career UMP Modified Winternationals victory Thursday night at East Bay Raceway Park.

The big smile couldn’t be wiped off Leach’s face in Victory Lane as he began to soak-in his achievement, adding his name to the list of winners at the historic Tampa oval in the final edition of its famed Winternationals event.

“That’s one of the biggest reasons we came – it’s because we knew this place was shutting down and we had to come run it,” Leach said. “I’ve been watching people run at this place my whole life. To be here and race it – a tricky track like this, I didn’t know it was so difficult – is really, really cool.”

To come from seven rows back, Leach needed a big jump on the start and got exactly that, driving from 14th up to ninth in only two laps. From there, he began picking opponents off one-by-one – and by Lap 8, had already broken into the top-five.

At the head of the field was 18-year-old Cole Czarneski, who took the lead in the opening laps and quickly established himself as a serious contender. A few caution flags before the halfway point restacked the field multiple times, aiding in Leach’s charge to the front.

“Everyone left the top open, so we just went where everyone else wasn’t,” Leach said. “We were lucky enough to get the restarts when we did.”

A restart on Lap 12 gave leader Czarneski his first test in keeping the top spot. Tuesday and Wednesday night winner Lucas Lee found speed on the top lane and zoomed past Czarneski on Lap 13, but Czarneski held strong on the bottom, finding the grip and passing Lee back for the lead on Lap 15.

Lee’s sudden challenge sparked speed from Czarneski’s #21cz, as the young Wisconsin driver went on to open up nearly a full-second advantage on the field. However, by that time, Leach had completed his charge to the front and had only Czarneski in his sights with half of the race left.

For the next 10 laps, Czarneski paced the field around the 1/3-mile oval and soon entered lapped traffic with Leach starting to close in. As he began to sort through the slower cars, Leach drew closer to his rear bumper. When Czarneski came up on a car directly in his lane on the bottom, he stumbled, allowing Leach to shoot by underneath for the lead coming out of Turn 2.

“I couldn’t get around that lapped car on the bottom, and that pretty much ruined that deal for me,” Czarneski said. “He was able to sneak by; I had no clue he was coming. It’s part of racing.”

Leach was able to get by Czarneski and the lapped cars quickly, speeding off with the lead and the win with over a full second gap by the checkered flag.

“[Czarneski] had us a little bit; it was gonna be tough to pass him,” Leach said. “Thank god that lapped traffic came. If it wasn’t for that lapped traffic, I don’t know if we would’ve been able to get it done.”

Czarneski held on for second while Lee completed the podium. Behind them was a pair of hard-chargers in Kyle Strickler, who came from 15th to finish fourth, and Minnesota racer Ryan Gierke who drove from 19th to finish fifth.

UP NEXT

UMP Modified Florida Speedweeks continues Friday night with another full Winternationals program at East Bay Raceway Park. Tickets will be available for purchase at the gate. If you can’t be at the track to watch in person, follow along on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook and Instagram for live updates.

RESULTS

A Feature 1 (30 Laps): 1. 09-Michael Leach[14]; 2. 21CZ-Cole Czarneski[3]; 3. 12L-Lucas Lee[6]; 4. 8S-Kyle Strickler[15]; 5. 26G-Ryan Gierke[19]; 6. 88-David Pollen[9]; 7. 20-Brian Skaggs[7]; 8. 0-Damian Kiefer[13]; 9. 25W-Allen Weisser[12]; 10. 205-Travis Varnadore[8]; 11. 17-Chris Wilson[1]; 12. 2-Devin Dixon[2]; 13. 33-Jeff Mathews[23]; 14. 6ST-Joseph Thomas[24]; 15. 33W-Rodney Wing[18]; 16. 7-Brad Deyoung[21]; 17. 27T-Michael Turner[17]; 18. 77-Ray Bollinger[16]; 19. 8-Jimmy Lennex[11]; 20. B69-Bryan Bernhardt[4]; 21. 64-Austin Sanders[10]; 22. 99J-Treb Jacoby[22]; 23. 8A-Austin Holcombe[5]; 24. 72-Todd Neiheiser[20]

Let’s Clash… The 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season kicks off with the Clash at the Coliseum this Sunday, February 4 at the quarter-mile, asphalt oval inside the historic Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. This weekend’s event marks the 46th running of the annual non-points exhibition race, with the iconic California stadium serving as just the third venue for the event since its inception in 1979.

Richard Childress Racing in the Clash… Richard Childress Racing has earned nine wins in the Clash, six by Dale Earnhardt (1980, 1986, 1988, 1991, 1993, and 1995) and three by Kevin Harvick (2009, 2010 and 2013). Austin Dillon has led RCR in both Clash races held at the Coliseum (third in 2022, second in 2023). 

New Qualifying Format for 2024… Although 36 drivers will make the cross-country trek to California to attempt to win at the legendary Los Angeles venue, only 23 will make it through to the 150-lap main event. Each driver has two chances to qualify for the feature.

There will be four heat races (25 laps each) consisting of 10 drivers each. The top five finishers in each heat will advance to run in the main event, filling 20 positions on the final grid.

Positions 21 and 22 will be set by the top two finishers from the last chance qualifying race (75 laps, only green flag laps count). The 23rd and final starting position is reserved for the driver who finished highest in the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series points standings that did not transfer on finishing position. 

Catch the Action… The Clash at the Coliseum will be televised live Sunday, February 4 at 8 p.m. ET on FOX, with the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90 carrying the live radio broadcast.

Los Angeles Memorial ColiseumLos Angeles, CaliforniaFebruary 8, 2024

NASCAR’S RETURN TO THE COLISEUM For the third consecutive year, the NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) will venture to the west coast to open the 2024 season at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum with the 46th running of the Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum. From two summer Olympics (1932 and 1984), to two Super Bowls (1967 and 1973) and the 1959 World Series – the annual preseason race for NASCAR’s premier series is among an elite list of events to take center stage at the Southern California venue deemed “The Greatest Stadium in the World”. With all chartered teams eligible to enter, 14 drivers from six different Chevrolet organizations will represent the Bowtie brand and compete for a spot in the 150-lap main event:

Ross Chastain, No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Camaro ZL1Austin Dillon, No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Camaro ZL1Kyle Larson, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Camaro ZL1Corey LaJoie, No. 7 Spire Motorsports Camaro ZL1Kyle Busch, No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Camaro ZL1Chase Elliott, No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Camaro ZL1Josh Williams, No. 16 Kaulig Racing Camaro ZL1William Byron, No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Camaro ZL1Daniel Hemric, No. 31 Kaulig Racing Camaro ZL1Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 JTG Daugherty Racing Camaro ZL1Alex Bowman, No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Camaro ZL1Zane Smith, No. 71 Spire Motorsports Camaro ZL1Carson Hocevar, No. 77 Spire Motorsports Camaro ZL1Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Trackhouse Racing Camaro ZL1

PAST IN THE CLASHChevrolet has a winning percentage of nearly 50 percent in the annual preseason event – earning a manufacturer-leading 22 victories in the Clash’s 45-race history. Neil Bonnett carried the Bowtie brand to its first Clash victory in 1983, with the manufacturer’s most recent triumph coming in 2019 with the sport’s most recent Hall of Fame inductee Jimmie Johnson. While competing for preseason glory, NASCAR’s top series is also on the horizon of one of its crown jewel events with the 66th running of the Daytona 500. Only six times in the event’s history has the Clash winner gone on to win the Daytona 500, with career Chevrolet driver Jeff Gordon representing the Bowtie brand on that elite list (1997).

NEXT GEN: YEAR THREEThe 46th running of the Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum will mark the Next Gen Camaro ZL1’s third season competing in the NASCAR Cup Series. Since entering competition in NASCAR’s premier series, the Next Gen Camaro ZL1 has earned a winning percentage of more than 50 percent in each season with 19 wins in 2022 and 18 wins in 2023. Displaying strength across the Chevrolet camp, drivers from each Chevrolet team contributed points throughout the season that led the manufacturer to its series-leading 42nd – and third consecutive – NCS Manufacturer Championship title.

SMITH, HOCEVAR SET FOR ROOKIE SEASONA pair of young powerhouse drivers have been added to the Team Chevy NASCAR Cup Series driver lineup for 2024, with their rookie campaigns officially getting underway at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum this weekend.

A familiar face to Bowtie brand, Zane Smith will make his return to Team Chevy to pilot the No. 71 Spire Motorsports Camaro ZL1 this season. A former member of the Driver’s Edge Development Program, the 24-year-old California native got his start in the NASCAR national ranks competing full-time in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (NCTS) with GMS Racing in 2020. A nine-time winner in the series, Smith had early success in his NCTS career – finishing second in the series’ points standings for back-to-back seasons (2020, 2021) before becoming a NCTS Champion in 2022.

Coming off a strong season in the NCTS, Team Chevy’s Carson Hocevar will make the jump to NASCAR’s premier series to pilot the No. 77 Spire Motorsports Camaro ZL1. The 21-year-old Michigan native joined the Driver’s Edge Development Program in 2019 – competing in a handful of NCTS races before joining forces with Niece Motorsports full-time in 2021. In his third season with the organization, Hocevar notched his first-career NCTS victory at Texas Motor Speedway (April 2023) – ultimately ending the season with four victories and a fourth-place finish in the series’ final points standings. Hocevar already has nine career starts in NASCAR’s premier series – highlighted by a best finish of 11th at Bristol Motor Speedway (September 2023).

TUNE IN:FOX will telecast from the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on Sunday, February 4 – starting with the last chance qualifying race at 6:30 p.m. ET, followed by the main event for the 46th running of the Busch Light Clash at The Coliseum at 8 p.m. ET. Live coverage can also be found on MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

QUOTABLE QUOTES:ROSS CHASTAIN, NO. 1 BUSCH LIGHT CAMARO ZL1 How have your experiences been at the Clash?“My two experiences with the Clash are not making the race in 2022 and being pretty competitive in 2023. If we take another step like we did from 2022 to 2023, we will have a shot to win this year. The event is a vibe and I want to be part of the show. It’s obviously a special weekend for Busch Light and it’s my first time driving the scheme so I hope we cap the weekend off with a win.”  KYLE LARSON, NO. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM CAMARO ZL1Larson on the race at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum: “This is a really cool event being in the stadium and a unique format with heat races. Even the break with a concert in the feature adds a unique feel to a race when no points are awarded. It is just so different from our normal race weekends and that makes the entire weekend a fun one.”  COREY LAJOIE, NO. 7 CELSIUS CAMARO ZL1“To kick off the season at The Clash with Celsius is something I take very seriously. They were on the pole last year with Justin Haley, so they certainly expect some success. Hopefully we unload a Chevy Camaro that’s driving well with a lot of mechanical grip. Obviously, you’re not going very fast so aerodynamics don’t really come into play. Your car has to build a lot of grip. It has to be able to turn and have forward drive. You need a little luck, too, with traffic and the way qualifying is. You’ll have guys who are cutting off laps and guys who are sandbagging a little bit. Those variable could mess up what could have been your best lap. There’s only going to be a couple hundredths between qualifying on the pole or qualifying 20th, so we want to make sure we’re on the front end of that. We’ll need a good starting spot for the heat race and play some defense to make sure we’re in, but you need a good starting spot for the feature, too. I think your weekend, from the first time you hit the track, every lap is important at a race like this.”  KYLE BUSCH, NO. 8 MORGAN & MORGAN CAMARO ZL1You recovered from an early-race spin to score a third-place finish last year at the Clash. “It was a good run for us and we made the most of the day. We went from the back to the front, passing on the inside and outside. There was a lot of chaos, mayhem and disrespect. It was tight quarters racing at a quarter-mile.”  What are the keys to running well at the LA Coliseum?“I feel like, obviously having a fast car is good but to have a fast car you have to be fast while going slow. You’re probably out of the throttle just as much as you’re in the throttle at the Clash and time in which you’re on the brakes is going to be very important to making sure you’re not on ‘em too much but yet you still get the car slowed down enough in order to make it turn for the middle of the corner and exit for the next straightaway.” Do you anticipate a lot of contact at the Coliseum? “I think there’s going to be contact. I think you have to let a lot of the little bumps and bruises go and not really focus on that too much. The biggest thing about it is just keep your mind straight, keep your car straight and do the best you can to hit the right lines and be good on the brakes to have fast lap times there and keep the tires underneath you.”  CHASE ELLIOT, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CAMARO ZL1Elliott on having the longest active driver and crew chief pairing in the Cup Series garage with Alan Gustafson: “We have such a solid working relationship. It just makes each week way easier and better when that is the case. He and I are very similar in a lot of ways and kind of look at things from a similar view. That helps our relationship at the track and ultimately, we have the same goals in mind. It’s pretty cool. I didn’t know that we were the longest pairing. I guess we are both getting old.” Elliott on goals for 2024: “Winning would be great. Winning a championship would be great. We just want to have pace on a week-to-week basis and that is where my head has been for a long time. I want to show up and have a shot every week. I think we are very capable of doing that but you’ve got to be perfect. If you are not perfect, you have to be really close to it and just keep yourself in contention. That’s really where I am at with it. I want to have pace, be fast and be in the hunt more often.”  WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 LIBERTY UNIVERSITY CAMARO ZL1Byron on returning to the LA Coliseum for the Clash: “This is always a fun event for not only the fans, but the drivers. I think we have really seen it evolve the last two years. While there are no points on the line, you still want to go out there, have a good run and contend for a win. You want to show that the hard work in the offseason paid off. At the same time, you can’t let a bad day affect you or your season because it is such a unique event and venue. We’ve run well there the last two times. We just need a little bit more and I think we have a shot to start the year off with a win.”  ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 48 ALLY CAMARO ZL1Bowman on racing at the LA Coliseum: “I’m excited to get back to work in 2024 with Ally and the No. 48 team. That starts this weekend in LA. We have some new faces on the team and we are ready to find our groove and get back into the swing of things. A strong finish would be great to start the season with, but there is a lot up in the air between weather and the nature of that racetrack, so you can’t let a bad finish ruin your mindset for the season either. My goal is to head to the West Coast ready to execute. I want our (No. 48) team to be able to maximize what we have and control the things that we can control.”  ZANE SMITH, NO. 71 FOCUSED HEALTH CAMARO ZL1How excited are you for the opportunity to race full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series?”It has been pretty surreal. The day that we announced I was signing with Trackhouse Racing at Bristol, was truly a dream come true. I think every kid that wants to make it in racing, wants to see Sunday. To have the opportunity that I have and to have a foreseeable future in front of me is everything I ever wanted.” How big of a jump is it from the Truck Series to the Cup Series?“I feel that the truck actually raced very similar to the Cup car in some situations. The Cup car is kind of on its own planet. Everyone races really hard. I have an extremely good group around me for this year.” Do you set goals?“I want the graph arrow to be pointing up come the end of the year. That’s my goal. I have full intentions of going into every race weekend giving 110 percent and a full mindset of going in to win the race.”  CARSON HOCEVAR, NO. 77 DELAWARE LIFE CAMARO ZL1You raced nine cup races last year, how are you channeling the lessons learned to elevate your performance not just this season, but right out of the gate this weekend?“I’m very excited to get going with Luke (Lambert) and Spire. Honestly just looking forward to going racing this season. We’ve had a very productive off season – new shop, new people, new cars. I’m excited to see our work in the off season come to fruition at The Clash.” What do you think about the unique characteristics of The Clash track and how will the atmosphere influence your approach?“My approach isn’t a lot different; I am looking at it like it’s still a Cup race with Cup cars. We’ve prepared like it’s a points race so I’m excited to get there and see how we do as a team.” What would you consider a successful season for you in 2024?“I don’t have a lot of goals week in and week out, I just want us to be the best as a group as we can between communication, working on the cars and improving each week. It’s not how you start; it’s how you finish.”  DANIEL SUAREZ, NO. 99 WORLDWIDE EXPRESS CAMARO ZL1What are your thoughts on the Mexico Series race?“This is so cool. I can’t wait to see a lot of the people I used to race with. I never dreamed something like this would happen. I am very proud of the series. Without the Mexico Series I don’t think I would have ever had a chance of becoming a Cup Series driver. I am honored to be invited to race and see it as a way to say thank you for everything that series did for me over the years. Plus, I really want us to put on a good show and it would be amazing if we could win!” What are your thoughts on new crew chief Matt Swiderski in 2024?“I’m excited to get to work with Matt (Swiderski). The Clash comes at a good time because it gives us a chance to work together at a racetrack before we go to Daytona. I think success boils down to communication, so I am looking forward to getting going in Los Angeles this weekend.” What is your strategy for the Clash?“Survive. You have to be there at the end. We had 16 cautions last year. That tells you survival is the key to winning.”

Chevrolet NASCAR Cup Series Statistics Manufacturers Championships:Total (1949-2023): 42First title for Chevrolet: 1958Highest number of consecutive titles: 13 (2003-15) Years Won: 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1998, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2021, 2022, 2023 Drivers Championships:Total (1949-2021): 33First Chevrolet champion: Buck Baker (1957)Highest number of consecutive titles: 7 (2005-11)Most Recent: Kyle Larson (2021) Years Won: 1957, 1960, 1961, 1973, 1976, 1977, 1979, 1980, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2020, 2021 Event Victories:Record for total race wins in single season: 26 (2007)                 CHEVROLET IN NASCAR CUMULATIVE STATISTICS:Total Chevrolet race wins: 851 (1949 to date)Poles won to date: 743Laps led to date: 249,175Top-five finishes to date: 4,298Top-10 finishes to date: 8,861                                                                                                          Total NASCAR Cup Wins by Corporation, 1949 to Date:                    General Motors: 1,185           Chevrolet: 851           Pontiac: 154           Oldsmobile: 115           Buick: 65            Ford: 828                                                                      Ford: 728           Mercury: 96           Lincoln: 4            Fiat Chrysler Automobiles: 467           Dodge: 217           Plymouth: 191           Chrysler: 59            Toyota: 180

BATAVIA, Ohio (February 1, 2024) – The nation’s top dirt late model drivers continue their trek through Florida-Georgia Speedweeks with a visit to All-Tech Raceway in Lake City, Florida.  The All-Tech Raceway Winter Nationals begins Thursday, February 1 with an Open Practice followed by two complete nights of racing. On Friday, February 2 teams will be vying for $12,000-to-win while Saturday, February 3 will offer competitors a top prize of $15,000. Both nights A-Main events will be 50-laps in distance. Dirt Draft Hot Laps, Allstar Performance Time Trials, Heat Races, B-Mains, and an A-Main event will take place each day for the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series. The 604 Late Model division will also be in action both days with the All-Tech Raceway Crown Vics added to Saturday’s racing program. The pit gates will open at 2:00PM on Thursday, February 1, with practice scheduled from 6:00PM to 10:00PM. On Friday and Saturday, the pit gates will open at 2:00PM, followed by general admission gates at 3:00PM. Hot laps will begin at 5:30PM each day. All times are eastern time. All-Tech Raceway is conveniently located just off I-75, Exit 414 at 1024 SW Howell Road in Lake City, Florida. For ticket prices, camping and event information, and more, please visit www.alltechraceway.com. Ricky Thornton Jr. continues to lead the Big River Steel Chase for the Championship – Presented by ARP. Hudson O’Neal is just ten points behind in second, followed by Jonathan Davenport, Devin Moran, and Brandon Sheppard rounding out the top five. For the latest news, results, championship standings and more about the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series, please visit www.lucasdirt.com. All-Tech Raceway Purses:Fri. Feb. 2: 1. $12,000, 2. $6,000, 3. $3,500, 4. $2,800, 5. $2,500, 6. $2,300, 7. $2,200, 8. $2,100, 9. $2,050, 10. $2,000, 11. $1,600, 12. $1,400, 13. $1,200, 14. $1,100, 15. $1,050, 16. $1,000, 17. $1,000, 18. $1,000, 19. $1,000, 20. $1,000, 21. $1,000, 22. $1,000, 23. $1,000, 24. $1,000 = $52,800 Sat. Feb. 3: 1. $15,000, 2. $7,000, 3. $5,000, 4. $4,000, 5. $3,000, 6. $2,500, 7. $2,400, 8. $2,300, 9. $2,200, 10. $2,100, 11. $2,000, 12. $1,800, 13. $1,600, 14. $1,500, 15. $1,400, 16. $1,300, 17. $1,200, 18. $1,100, 19. $1,000, 20. $1,000, 21. $1,000, 22. $1,000, 23. $1,000, 24. $1,000 = $63,400 Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Tire Rule:Left Front – Any (90) Hoosier TireRight Front/Left Rear – Hoosier (90) NLMT2Right Rear – Hoosier (92) NLMT2, (92) NLMT3

MOORESVILLE, NC (February 1, 2024) — During the 2023 Charlotte Four-Wide Nationals Pro Stock standout Camrie Caruso brought Florida-based Big Jeff Audio on board as primary sponsor and while rain impacted the race it did not dampen the marketing opportunity throughout the season. Following that race Big Jeff Audio was prominently featured on Caruso’s KB Titan Racing Chevrolet Camaro through the season that saw Caruso win the Pro Stock All-Star Callout event in Chicago and race into the Countdown as a championship contender. Heading into the 2024 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series Big Jeff Audio will return as a major associate with big plans for making an impact with NHRA fans across the country.
 
“Last year was the first year with Big Jeff Audio and we learned a lot along the way,” said Caruso, winner of the 2023 NHRA Arizona Nationals. “They came on board after the season started so we are getting even more of a jump on their marketing efforts starting with the PRO race in February and then the season kick off at the Gatornationals. Their product lines are perfect for NHRA fans and anyone interested in sound systems, security systems or car audio. We are excited to be working with Big Jeff again this season.”

 Artwork is rendering only and could display color or sponsor logo relocations.

The marketing program will include the traditional elements with Caruso’s KB Titan Racing Chevrolet Camaro, but the team will also be looking to elevate Big Jeff Audio’s expansive lines of products and services through additional media opportunities, fan engagement events and B2B opportunities at races across the country. Also, at select events Big Jeff Audio will bring the noise to the pits with the Big Jeff Audio super-sized golf cart featuring a mega-sound system.
 
During the PRO Superstar Shootout race Big Jeff Audio will be distributing 1,000 free goodie bags in the pit. These goodie bags include a Big Jeff Audio drawstring backpack, Big Jeff Audio camo lanyard, Big Jeff Audio logo decals, Big Jeff Audio hand towels, ear plugs, Big Jeff Team Cuban link chains and each bag will also include a card with QR Code linking to their website to get 10% off website purchases. Fans who take a photo wearing the Big Jeff Audio chain and share on social media with the hashtag #BigJeffAudio will be entered in an additional giveaway. Fans can also enter by texting the word RACE to 737-BIG-JEFF (737-244-5333).
 
Big Jeff Audio is a part of Big Jeff Online Inc., a family-owned business that has been thriving since 2014, initially starting out on eBay and Amazon. With a strong commitment to customer satisfaction, they have now expanded to offer a vast array of products on their site, including car audio and CCTV security systems, all backed by their authorization as an online seller. They have a website full of products for everyone at www.BigJeffAudio.com and have a large social media platform that you can see by searching BigJeffAudio on all major platforms.
 
“Last year was a big learning year for us and we have a whole new gameplan for 2024 with Camrie and her team,” said Jeff Goldman, President of Big Jeff Online, Inc. “Our goal is to be more front and center with Camrie and the NHRA. We love working with our customers to give them the best audio service for their cars, boats, side-by-sides or Power Sports. I know NHRA is all about the noise and thrill of the racing and everyone at Big Jeff Audio is looking forward to bringing even more sound to the races and the pits.”
 
Big Jeff Audio takes pride in their exceptional customer service, and they are always available to help customers with any questions or concerns. Big Jeff Online Inc, values customer satisfaction and trust, and they are committed to providing their customers with the best products and services possible.
 
Camrie will unveil the new look KB Titan Racing Chevrolet Camaro with Big Jeff Audio at the PRO Superstar Shootout, February 8-10 and will kick of her pursuit of the NHRA Pro Stock World Championship, March 8-10, during the NHRA Gatornationals at Gainesville Raceway.

Mooresville, NC (February 1, 2024) – Today, Draiver, Wood Brothers Racing (WBR) and Team Penske announced a new, dynamic partnership that will see the on-demand vehicle delivery company featured as a primary partner on the No. 21 Ford Mustang of Harrison Burton for two races and a full-season associate partner on the No. 21 and on Team Penske’s No. 2 Ford Mustang for the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) season.
 
Founded in 2013 by Zarif Haque, Draiver uses the industry’s most advanced AI to move over 6,000 vehicles a day with more than 20,000 drivers. The company, based in Overland Park, Kansas, operates in more than 170 metros across the United States and ten countries, most recently expanding to Mexico and Brazil.
 
“We’re excited to partner with an innovative company like Draiver,” said Eddie and Len Wood, co-owners, Wood Brothers Racing, in a joint statement. “It’s always special when we get to welcome a new partner to the team, and we look forward to seeing Harrison represent the Draiver colors on the track this year.”
 
The partnership comes as Burton enters his third Cup Series season in 2024, vying for his first win in NASCAR’s premier series and the elusive 100^th win for the Wood Brothers.
 
“I could not be more excited to represent Draiver on and off the track,” said Burton. Their values and vision are parallel to those of our team, and I look forward to racing the No. 21 Draiver Ford Mustang this year.”
 
The livery and specific races where Burton will drive the No. 21 Draiver Ford Mustang in 2024 will be announced at a later date.
 
The 2024 NCS season kicks off on Sunday, February 4 with the Clash at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum as the West Coast exhibition race opens the series schedule for the third consecutive year. The 66th running of the Daytona 500 will be held on Sunday, February 18.
 

TAMPA, FL (Jan. 31, 2024) – Lucas Lee has been one of the most dominant forces at East Bay Raceway Park’s UMP Modified Winternationals over the past few seasons, and Wednesday night put on another strong display with a sixth career victory in the famed event.

Lee, 36, of Paris, TN, has won a Winternationals Feature event in four of the last five years, including the 75-lap Championship Features in 2019 and 2023. He extended that streak to five of the last six years with a win in one of the triple-25s Tuesday night and backed that up Wednesday in the first single-Feature program of the week.

Lee earned the outside pole for the 25-lap main event and wasted little time, taking the top spot from teammate Michael Turner on the opening lap. From there, it was smooth sailing for the veteran Modified racer for the next 20 laps as he proceeded to build up an advantage in traffic of over six seconds.

With five laps left, the race’s first caution flag was displayed for a slowing Austin Sanders in Turn 2. This erased Lee’s large gap and put Austin Holcombe – winner of Features on Monday and Tuesday night – on his bumper for the restart.

The green flag dropped and Lee paced the field into Turn 1. However, when he hit Turn 2, Lee stumbled and pushed up the track just enough for Holcombe to sneak by underneath.

“I went in there and got tight I guess,” Lee said. “I wasn’t really worried about it and then [Holcombe] nosed in there, and when he did, he kinda backed to my left-front going down the back-straightaway and I turned underneath him. He kinda tightened-up getting into (Turn) 3 and slid, and when he did I went back underneath him.”

Holcombe went through the open door out of Turn 2 to take the lead momentarily, but Lee drove with speed into Turn 3, got underneath Holcombe and took the lead back out of Turn 4. Then, another caution flag appeared.

Though Lee was able to regain the lead, the lap was not counted as the yellow was thrown before the lap was complete, reverting to the last restart order of which Lee was the leader. Five more times Lee was forced to restart at the head of the field in the last five laps, including three with only one lap remaining, but he maintained composure and held off all challengers.

“Just stay on the bottom, back-up the corner, get down and don’t move up,” Lee said of his last-lap strategy. “I wasn’t getting off the bottom again so, if they were gonna pass me, they were gonna pass me on the outside.”

Crossing the stripe right behind Lee was Brad DeYoung, who took the original green flag from inside Row 2 and slipped back as far as fifth in the running order, but was able to make the passes he needed in the final 10 laps to get back to a best career Winternationals finish.

Finishing the podium was 18-year-old Cole Czarneski, who climbed all the way from 13th to finish third. After claiming victory in a triple-25 Tuesday night, the Wisconsin-native stayed strong through the final restarts, picking up a few positions from those dropping out in front of him and sealing a podium finish with a fifth-to-third drive on the final lap.

UP NEXT

UMP Modified Florida Speedweeks continues Thursday night with another full Winternationals program at East Bay Raceway Park. Tickets will be available for purchase at the gate. If you can’t be at the track to watch in person, follow along on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook and Instagram for live updates.

RESULTS

A Feature 1 (25 Laps): 1. 12L-Lucas Lee[2]; 2. 7-Brad Deyoung[3]; 3. 21CZ-Cole Czarneski[13]; 4. 8A-Austin Holcombe[7]; 5. 2-Devin Dixon[6]; 6. 09-Michael Leach[10]; 7. 14M-Mavrick Varnadore[9]; 8. 8-Jimmy Lennex[8]; 9. 11R-Jeremy Rayburn[11]; 10. 26G-Ryan Gierke[19]; 11. 20-Brian Skaggs[17]; 12. 27T-Michael Turner[1]; 13. 12-Jeff Parsons[15]; 14. 25W-Allen Weisser[22]; 15. 99J-Treb Jacoby[5]; 16. 8S-Kyle Strickler[4]; 17. 33W-Rodney Wing[18]; 18. 27G-Jason Garver[12]; 19. 18C-Miles Cook II[21]; 20. 6B-Dave Baldwin[16]; 21. 24-Zeke McKenzie[23]; 22. M20-Mike Potosky[20]; 23. 64-Austin Sanders[14]; 24. 4SA-Kevin DeYoung[24]

OCALA, Fla. (January 31, 2024) – Hudson O’Neal, the reigning Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series National Champion picked up his second series win of the 2024 season on Wednesday night at Ocala Speedway. O’Neal led 30 of the 40 laps for his 26th career Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series victory earning $10,000 for the win. Clay Harris who led 10 laps during the race finished second 1.093 seconds behind the winner. For Harris, who has made only four career starts in the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series (all this year) in was followed by Brian Shirley who rounded out the Big River Steel Podium in third. Ricky Thornton Jr. and Kyle Bronson rounded out the top five finishers. O’Neal grabbed the lead at the start of the race and led the first seven laps of the event. Harris, who was looking for his first career Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series win then challenged O’Neal for the lead getting past him down the back stretch on lap eight. The race was slowed multiple times with five caution flags over a three-lap span. The final caution of the race came out with 10 laps complete as Harris still was showing the way. Harris tried to stretch his lead out over the field but as he approached the tail end of the field, O’Neal was able to squeeze by him coming off of turn four to regain the lead on lap 18. O’Neal then went on for the win, his second of the year after scoring an opening night win at Golden Isles last Thursday. It was O’Neal’s first ever win at Ocala, which was formerly known as Bubba Raceway Park. “I just got behind a lapped car down here and he kind of pinched me and I just completely messed up and about spun out. I just tried to move to get by those lapped cars and just couldn’t move you know. I was lucky the caution came back out and let us get back to second there and give it a run. Man, that Clay [Harris] drove a good race and I was just able to sneak by him. There was one time he kind of messed up and got up there and I think he grabbed the backstretch wall.” “That bottom was just really wet, and it just never gave up especially down here in one. No matter how many laps we ran it never really changed colors. So, it just worked out and we were able to get the lead back and just hold on and I was just trying to not miss that bottom the best I could going into one because you really had to slow down and be patient,” said the 23-year-old Martinsville, Indiana native.     Harris, who had only attempted one Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series start in his career before this year, came home in the runner-up spot. “I should have hugged the bottom there, you know at first, I thought I could run up high and do something, because last night you could. I should have known better, in fact that’s when I passed him the first time. I still think it was good run. We’ve run four races this year and made every show so far. We only did a handful of super racing last year. So, I think it is a win in our book.” Shirley has his best finish of 2024 coming home in third. “We haven’t been giving our sponsors what they deserve here the last couple of weeks, but that’s the good thing about Bob [Cullen] and them guys behind me is that they don’t give up on me. They just let me keep doing what I do and keep racing here and get into the groove. We are just trying to play catch up.”  The winner’s Mark Richards Racing, Rocket Chassis is powered by a Durham Racing Engine and sponsored by Valvoline, Seubert Calf Ranches, Performance Grading, Ace Metal Works, WR1 Sim Chassis, Stiles Marine and Maintenance, Wheeler Metals, O’Neal’s Salvage and Recycling, Gunter’s Honey, Professional Concrete Cutting and Drilling, Fox Shocks, and Sunoco Race Fuels. Completing the top ten were Devin Moran, Ashton Winger, Tim McCreadie, Brandon Sheppard, and Tyler Erb. Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Race Summary Winter Nationals | Night 2Wednesday, January 31, 2024Ocala Speedway – Ocala, FL Allstar Performance Time TrialsFast Time Group A: Hudson O’Neal | 14.012 seconds (overall)Fast Time Group B: Blair Nothdurft | 14.263 seconds Penske Shocks Heat Race #1 Finish (8 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 1-Hudson O’Neal[1]; 2. 3S-Brian Shirley[4]; 3. 7T-Drake Troutman[3]; 4. 40B-Kyle Bronson[7]; 5. 28-Dennis Erb Jr[6]; 6. 17SS-Brenden Smith[5]; 7. 7-Ross Robinson[8]; 8. 2*-Logan Hitt[11]; 9. 20-Jimmy Owens[2]; 10. 28B-Carson Brown[10]; 11. 30-Ryan Gustin[9] Summit Racing Products Heat Race #2 Finish (8Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 6-Clay Harris[2]; 2. 49-Jonathan Davenport[1]; 3. 20RT-Ricky Thornton Jr[3]; 4. 39-Tim McCreadie[5]; 5. 5-Mark Whitener[7]; 6. B5-Brandon Sheppard[4]; 7. 66C-Matt Cosner[6]; 8. 4G-Bob Gardner[9]; 9. 81J-Jack Riggs[10]; 10. 93-Cory Lawler[8]; 11. 81F-Jadon Frame[11] Earnhardt Technologies Heat Race #3 Finish (8 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 76N-Blair Nothdurft[1]; 2. 12-Ashton Winger[4]; 3. 25-Tony Jackson Jr[2]; 4. 99B-Boom Briggs[3]; 5. 58-Garrett Alberson[5]; 6. 79-Donald McIntosh[8]; 7. 99-Devin Moran[6]; 8. 111-Max Blair[9]; 9. 0-Ryan Scott[11]; 10. 75-Daniel Adam[10]; 11. 1T-Tyler Erb[7] Simpson Race Products Heat Race #4 Finish (8 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 18D-Daulton Wilson[1]; 2. 46-Earl Pearson Jr[3]; 3. 157-Mike Marlar[2]; 4. 96V-Tanner English[5]; 5. 97-Cody Overton[6]; 6. 19M-Spencer Hughes[4]; 7. 174-Ethan Dotson[7]; 8. 11C-Trevor Collins[9]; 9. 128-Kylan Garner[8]; 10. 8-Dillon McCowan[10] Fast Shafts B-Main Race #1 Finish (10 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. B5-Brandon Sheppard[4]; 2. 5-Mark Whitener[2]; 3. 28-Dennis Erb Jr[1]; 4. 17SS-Brenden Smith[3]; 5. 66C-Matt Cosner[6]; 6. 7-Ross Robinson[5]; 7. 4G-Bob Gardner[8]; 8. 2*-Logan Hitt[7]; 9. 81J-Jack Riggs[10]; 10. 81F-Jadon Frame[14]; 11. 93-Cory Lawler[12]; 12. 28B-Carson Brown[11]; 13. (DNS) 20-Jimmy Owens; 14. (DNS) 30-Ryan Gustin UNOH B-Main Race #2 Finish (10 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 97-Cody Overton[2]; 2. 58-Garrett Alberson[1]; 3. 79-Donald McIntosh[3]; 4. 174-Ethan Dotson[6]; 5. 111-Max Blair[7]; 6. 19M-Spencer Hughes[4]; 7. 11C-Trevor Collins[8]; 8. 8-Dillon McCowan[12]; 9. 0-Ryan Scott[9]; 10. 75-Daniel Adam[11]; 11. 128-Kylan Garner[10]; 12. (DNS) 99-Devin Moran; 13. (DNS) 1T-Tyler Erb Winter Nationals | Night 2 Feature Finish (40 Laps):

Race Statistics  Entrants: 43Victory Fuel Pole Sitter: Hudson O’NealLap Leaders: Hudson O’Neal (Laps 1-7); Clay Harris (Laps 8-17); Hudson O’Neal (Laps 18-40)Wieland Feature Winner: Hudson O’NealArizona Sport Shirts Crown Jewel Cup Feature Winner: n/aBrandon Ford TV Challenge Feature Winner: n/aMargin of Victory: 1.093 seconds Dave Warren Powersports Cautions: Tanner English (Lap 8); Blair Nothdurft (Lap 8 Restart); Drake Troutman, Mike Marlar (Lap 9); Tony Jackson, Jr., Garrett Alberson (Lap 10); Donald McIntosh, Mike Marlar, Mark Whitener (Lap 10 Restart)Series Provisionals: Devin Moran; Tyler ErbFast Time Provisional: n/aSeries Emergency Provisionals: Max Blair, Spencer Hughes, Ross Robinson, Bob Gardner Track Provisional: n/aBig River Steel Podium Top 3: Hudson O’Neal, Clay Harris, Brian ShirleyPenske Shocks Top 5: Hudson O’Neal, Clay Harris, Brian Shirley, Ricky Thornton, Jr., Kyle BronsonTodd Steel Buildings Hard Charger of the Race: Devin Moran (Advanced 17 Positions) Wilwood Brakes Lucky 7th Place Feature: Ashton WingerDeatherage Opticians Lucky 13th Place Feature: Boom BriggsMD3 Most Laps Led: Hudson O’Neal (30 Laps) Sunoco Race for Gas Highest Finisher: Hudson O’NealMidwest Sheet Metal Spoiler Challenge Point Leader: Ricky Thornton, Jr.O’Reilly Auto Parts Rookie of the Race: n/a Coltman Farms Fastest Lap of the Race: Hudson O’Neal (Lap 1 – 15.176 seconds) Slicker Graphics Slickest Move of the Race: Hudson O’NealMiller Welders Hard Luck Award: Blair NothdurftOuterwears Crew Chief of the Race: Danny White (Hudson O’Neal) ARP Engine Builder of the Race: Durham Racing EnginesMiller Welders Chassis Builder of the Race: Rocket ChassisDirt Draft Fastest in Hot Laps: Devin Moran (14.159 seconds)Time of Race: 31 minutes 35 seconds  Big River Steel Chase for the Championship Presented by ARP Point Standings:

January 31, 2024

As the Wood Brothers embark on the team’s record-extending 74th year of competing in NASCAR, driver Harrison Burton, crew chief Jeremy Bullins and the rest of the No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane team are working hard to make the 2024 season a memorable one. 

Bullins, who started his NASCAR career with the Woods and returned to the team for the final 10 races of the 2023 season, said he’s looking forward to this weekend’s Busch Light Clash at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, the non-points event that kicks off the 2024 Cup Series season. 

As in the first two runnings of the Clash at the Coliseum, the race will be contested on a temporary quarter-mile asphalt oval inside the facility known as “The Greatest Stadium in the World.” Completed and opened in 1923, the Coliseum was built as a living memorial to those who served in the U.S. Armed Forces during World War I.

“On one hand it’s hard to believe it’s time for the truck to leave to kick off another season, but on the other I’m ready to get back to the track and race,” Bullins said. “After all that’s what we do.”

Bullins added that he has high hopes for his young driver, who is beginning his third season behind the wheel of the iconic No. 21 Mustang. 

“We got a great jump start on the 2024 season by working with Harrison for the last 10 races of 2023, and that certainly helped us understand the areas we need to work to be better,” he said.

“Our new Dark Horse Mustang looks great, and we can’t wait to get on track and get the ball rolling.”

Bullins also said he and the team would like nothing better than to deliver a milestone victory for their Wood Brothers team, which was founded in 1950 and competed mostly on local dirt tracks before joining the Cup circuit in 1953. 

“We all look forward to chasing the Wood Brothers 100th win this year,” he said.

Practice and qualifying for the Clash is set to begin at 3:10 p.m. Saturday (6:10 p.m. Eastern Time). A driver’s fastest lap in the third and final practice session will serve as their qualifying lap and be used to set the line-up for the four 25-lap heat races that will be run just after practice.

FOX Sports 1 will be on the air from 6:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Eastern Time to provide coverage. 

Sunday’s schedule opens with a 75-lap Last Chance qualifying race at 3:40 p.m. local time (6:40 Eastern).

The 150-lap main event, which includes a break at the halfway-mark, is set to begin at 5 p.m. (8 p.m. Eastern).

 FOX will broadcast both of Sunday’s races.
 

OCALA, Fla. (January 30, 2024) – Ricky Thornton Jr. passed Tyler Erb coming to the white flag on Tuesday night at Ocala Speedway to score his second consecutive Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series win of the season in thrilling fashion. Erb made one last lap attempt as the duo entered turn three, but Thornton was able to hold him off for his 30th career Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series victory. Erb finished just 0.448 seconds behind at the line after he had led laps 3-38. Devin Moran charged from the eighth starting spot to finish third with pole sitter Jonathan Davenport coming home in fourth. Mike Marlar rounded out the top five. Davenport took the lead at the start of the 40-lap race and led the first two circuits until Erb made a daring move for the lead heading into the third turn on lap three. Erb held a several car length lead during the race as cautions would allow the rest of the field to stay close on restarts.  The final caution of the race came out with 27 laps scored. Erb then managed to again stretch his lead out over the field, but without the assistance of a caution flag, Erb was having to contend with the back of the field. With five laps to go Erb had two cars running side-by-side in front of him which allowed Thornton to close the gap in the waning laps. Thornton had cut which was at one point a ten car-length lead for Erb down to one car length. As the two came off of turn four heading to the white flag Thornton was able to sneak to the inside to take the lead which he held for another circuit around the 3/8ths mile oval for the $10,000 victory. Thornton who won $25,000 on Saturday night at Golden Isles in the finale of the General Tire Super Bowl of Racing knew he was in a dog fight at Ocala as he earned a hard-fought victory. “Man, I felt like I was stretching so much there in three and four. I felt like the top came in and the bottom cleaned up a little bit. He [Erb] got stuck behind that one lapped car there once off four and really without that I don’t think I would have gotten to him. We got into turn two and I got close and then in three he kind of shoved a little bit. I knew if I could get under him down the front straightaway you’ve got to throw a bomb down there. I watched him throw a bomb on JD down there. I didn’t’ know if it would work out for us. It’s pretty awesome.” Erb, who looked to break through early in 2024 with the a win came home in second. “I don’t know. Maybe I should have punted four lapped cars. I hit one getting into one there halfway through the race. It wasn’t our night. We are leaps and bounds better than we have been. We are going to win a race before its all said and done. I lost on the white flag tonight. It’s not a good feeling for sure. I got through traffic five or six different times and then just right there at the end when I caught traffic in like three laps. They [the traffic] were just side-by-side and Ricky got a good run on me. I tried to cross him over in one and two, but there wasn’t much you could do.” Moran, who last won at Ocala in 2022 rounded out the Big River Steel Podium in third. “Kudos to Bubba and his whole crew for working on this place. I have always liked coming here and racing. They have worked really hard in getting the crown off the racetrack. You know a lot of tracks we go to have that problem. They need to take notes when they do this. It makes for some awesome racing. It was a good race. I felt like I dug myself a hole early and we got this car up towards the front.” 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, Hoker Trucking, Coltman Farms, Dyno One Inc., West Side Tractor Sales, Bilstein Shocks, MD Wraps, and Sunoco Race Fuels. Completing the top ten were Tim McCreadie, Garrett Alberson, Hudson O’Neal, Drake Troutman, and Earl Pearson Jr. Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Race Summary Winter Nationals | Night 1Saturday, January 30, 2024Ocala Speedway – Ocala, FL Allstar Performance Time TrialsFast Time Group A: Tanner English | 13.881 seconds (overall)Fast Time Group B: Blair Nothdurft | 13.909 seconds Penske Shocks Heat Race #1 Finish (8 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 49-Jonathan Davenport[2]; 2. 96V-Tanner English[1]; 3. 18D-Daulton Wilson[3]; 4. 46-Earl Pearson Jr[4]; 5. B5-Brandon Sheppard[5]; 6. 79-Donald McIntosh[7]; 7. 111-Max Blair[6]; 8. 99B-Boom Briggs[8]; 9. 81F-Jadon Frame[9]; 10. 93-Cory Lawler[10] Summit Racing Products Heat Race #2 Finish (8Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 20RT-Ricky Thornton Jr[1]; 2. 39-Tim McCreadie[4]; 3. 58-Garrett Alberson[2]; 4. 6-Clay Harris[3]; 5. 3S-Brian Shirley[5]; 6. 81J-Jack Riggs[6]; 7. 5-Mark Whitener[7]; 8. 17SS-Brenden Smith[8]; 9. 4G-Bob Gardner[9]; 10. 0-Ryan Scott[10] Earnhardt Technologies Heat Race #3 Finish (8 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 1T-Tyler Erb[2]; 2. 1-Hudson O’Neal[3]; 3. 7T-Drake Troutman[4]; 4. 76N-Blair Nothdurft[1]; 5. 66C-Matt Cosner[5]; 6. 40B-Kyle Bronson[7]; 7. 28-Dennis Erb Jr[6]; 8. 25-Tony Jackson Jr[8]; 9. 8-Dillon McCowan[10]; 10. 28B-Carson Brown[9] Simpson Race Products Heat Race #4 Finish (8 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 157-Mike Marlar[1]; 2. 99-Devin Moran[5]; 3. 7-Ross Robinson[6]; 4. 19M-Spencer Hughes[3]; 5. 174-Ethan Dotson[8]; 6. 20-Jimmy Owens[4]; 7. 75-Daniel Adam[7]; 8. 2*-Logan Hitt[10]; 9. 97-Cody Overton[2]; 10. 128-Kylan Garner[9] Fast Shafts B-Main Race #1 Finish (10 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. B5-Brandon Sheppard[1]; 2. 79-Donald McIntosh[3]; 3. 111-Max Blair[5]; 4. 5-Mark Whitener[6]; 5. 81J-Jack Riggs[4]; 6. 81F-Jadon Frame[9]; 7. 17SS-Brenden Smith[8]; 8. 4G-Bob Gardner[10]; 9. 0-Ryan Scott[12]; 10. 93-Cory Lawler[11]; 11. 99B-Boom Briggs[7]; 12. 3S-Brian Shirley[2] UNOH B-Main Race #2 Finish (10 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. B5-Brandon Sheppard[1]; 2. 79-Donald McIntosh[3]; 3. 111-Max Blair[5]; 4. 5-Mark Whitener[6]; 5. 81J-Jack Riggs[4]; 6. 81F-Jadon Frame[9]; 7. 17SS-Brenden Smith[8]; 8. 4G-Bob Gardner[10]; 9. 0-Ryan Scott[12]; 10. 93-Cory Lawler[11]; 11. 99B-Boom Briggs[7]; 12. 3S-Brian Shirley[2] Winter Nationals | Night 1 Feature Finish (40 Laps):

Race Statistics  Entrants: 40Victory Fuel Pole Sitter: Jonathan DavenportLap Leaders: Jonathan Davenport (Laps 1-2); Tyler Erb (Laps 3-38); Ricky Thornton, Jr. (Laps 39-40)Wieland Feature Winner: Ricky Thornton, Jr.Arizona Sport Shirts Crown Jewel Cup Feature Winner: n/aBrandon Ford TV Challenge Feature Winner: n/aMargin of Victory: 0.449 seconds Dave Warren Powersports Cautions: Donald McIntosh (Lap 19); Daulton Wilson, Kyle Bronson (Lap 19 restart); Ross Robinson (Lap 27)Series Provisionals: Boom Briggs; Brian ShirleyFast Time Provisional: n/aSeries Emergency Provisionals: Dillon McCowan; Bob Gardner; Cory Lawler; Brenden SmithTrack Provisional: n/aBig River Steel Podium Top 3: Ricky Thornton, Jr., Tyler Erb, Devin MoranPenske Shocks Top 5: Ricky Thornton, Jr., Tyler Erb, Devin Moran, Jonathan Davenport, Mike MarlarTodd Steel Buildings Hard Charger of the Race: Brian Shirley (Advanced 11 Positions) Wilwood Brakes Lucky 7th Place Feature: Garrett AlbersonDeatherage Opticians Lucky 13th Place Feature: Brian ShirleyMD3 Most Laps Led: Tyler Erb (36 Laps) Sunoco Race for Gas Highest Finisher: Ricky Thornton, Jr.Midwest Sheet Metal Spoiler Challenge Point Leader: Jonathan Davenport; Hudson O’Neal; Ricky Thornton, Jr.O’Reilly Auto Parts Rookie of the Race: n/a Coltman Farms Fastest Lap of the Race: Tyler Erb (Lap 21 – 15.563 seconds) Slicker Graphics Slickest Move of the Race: Tyler ErbMiller Welders Hard Luck Award: Ross RobinsonOuterwears Crew Chief of the Race: Anthony Burroughs (Ricky Thornton, Jr.) ARP Engine Builder of the Race: Clements Racing EnginesMiller Welders Chassis Builder of the Race: Longhorn ChassisDirt Draft Fastest in Hot Laps: Devin Moran (14.0437 seconds)Time of Race: 20 minutes 37 seconds Big River Steel Chase for the Championship Presented by ARP Point Standings:

NMRA’s Spring Break Shootout is an epic festival-style event kicking off the ’24 season in style! Celebrating 60 Years of Mustang, NMRA has all sorts of special events planned throughout the weekend. Top-20 reasons to attend this historic event:

♦ Celebrating Mustang’s 60th ♦ NPD Cars, Coffee & Cruise (Fri)♦ Ford Drift Invitational♦ Vaughn Gittin & Cheslea DeNofa♦ RTR Experience♦ Insane Ford Drag Racing♦ True Street ♦ All-Female True Street♦ Stick Shift Shootout ♦ Spring Break Shootout♦ S650 Mustang Stampede♦ 2020+ GT500 Shootout♦ All-Ford Car Show♦ Fox Body Reunion♦ World’s Largest BIGFOOT ♦ Freestyle Motocross Shows♦ Flame-Throwing Jet Cars♦ NMRA Fan Experience♦ Manufacturers Midway ♦ Used Parts Swap Meet

Visit NMRAdigital.com for a complete schedule of events, including specific daily features. Kids 12 & under FREE & FREE parking. Buy your tickets online or at the gate.