BATAVIA, Ohio (June 13, 2023) – The stars of the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series return to Smoky Mountain Speedway this Friday-Saturday, June 16-17 for the Mountain Moonshine Classic presented by FK Rod Ends and East Tennessee Auto Outlet. The action gets underway on Friday, June 16 with a pair of $5,000-to-win A-Mains for the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series. The field will be split into two groups based on pill draw, with each group competing in a full program of Dirt Draft Hot Laps, Allstar Performance Time Trials, Heat Races, B-Mains, and a 30-lap A-Main. The top three finishers from each of the two A-Mains will be locked into Saturday’s $50,000-to-win finale. Those six drivers will compete in a six-lap dash on Saturday to determine their starting positions in the first three rows of the 60-lap main event. The remaining drivers will transfer to one of four heat races. Saturday’s on-track action for the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series includes Dirt Draft Hot Laps, Heat Races, B-Mains, and the 60-lap, $50,000-to-win Mountain Moonshine Classic presented by FK Rod Ends and East Tennessee Auto Outlet finale. The Street Stock and FWD will serve as support divisions on Friday night while Saturday’s action includes the Sportsman and Mini Stock divisions. All gates at Smoky Mountain Speedway will open at 2:00pm on Friday and 12:00pm (noon) on Saturday. The Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series driver’s meeting is scheduled for 6:30pm, with Hot Laps set to begin at 7:00pm each night. On Saturday, Dirt Racing Outreach will host services at 3:30pm followed by a driver autograph session at 4:30pm. All times are eastern time. Smoky Mountain Speedway was shortened from its historic 4/10-mile configuration in 2023 to a 3/8-mile. Fans and drivers alike have already shown excitement for the new layout. Smoky Mountain Speedway is located at 809 Brick Mill Road in Maryville, just 30 minutes southwest of Knoxville, Tenn. For more information, visit www.smokymountainspeedway.com. Pre-race tickets, for both nights, are available by visiting https://www.myracepass.com/tracks/2556. Ricky Thornton Jr. continues to lead a tight battle for the Big River Steel Chase for the Championship presented by ARP. Hudson O’Neal is second, followed by Brandon Overton, Tim McCreadie, and Devin Moran. Jonathan Davenport, Daulton Wilson, Max Blair, Tyler Erb, and Spencer Hughes round out the top ten in the current championship standings. For the latest news, results, championship standings and more about the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series, please visit www.lucasdirt.com. Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Purses:Friday – June 16th1st A-Main (30 Laps): 1. $5,000, 2. $3,000, 3. $2,000, 4. $1,500, 5. $1,250, 6. $1,000, 7. $950, 8. $900, 9. $850, 10. $800, 11. $700, 12. $600, 13. $600, 14. $600, 15. $600, 16. $600, 17. $550, 18. $500, 19. $500, 20. $500 = Total $23,000 2nd A-Main (30 Laps): 1. $5,000, 2. $3,000, 3. $2,000, 4. $1,500, 5. $1,250, 6. $1,000, 7. $950, 8. $900, 9. $850, 10. $800, 11. $700, 12. $600, 13. $600, 14. $600, 15. $600, 16. $600, 17. $550, 18. $500, 19. $500, 20. $500 = Total $23,000 Saturday – June 17thMountain Moonshine Classic presented by FK Rod Ends and East Tennessee Auto Outlet (60 Laps): 1. $50,000, 2. $20,000, 3. $10,000, 4. $8,000, 5. $7,000, 6. $6,000, 7. $4,500, 8. $4,000, 9. $3,800, 10. $3,600, 11. $3,400, 12. $3,200, 13. $3,000, 14. $2,500, 15. $2,400, 16. $2,300, 17. $2,200, 18. $2,100, 19. $2,000, 20. $2,000, 21. $2,000, 22. $2,000, 23. $2,000, 24. $2,000 = Total $150,000 Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Tire Rule:Friday – June 16th Left Rear/Fronts – (90) NLMT2, (90) NLMT3Right Rear – Hoosier (92) NLMT3, (92) NLMT4*Must use the same set of 4 tires for Time Trials and Heat Races. Saturday – June 17thLeft Rear/Fronts – (90) NLMT2, (90) NLMT3Right Rear – Hoosier – (92) NLMT3, (92) NLMT4

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Dominic Scelzi Preparing for Eight Races in 10-Day Span Throughout Northwest

June 13, 2023 ARP Trish

Inside Line Promotions – FRESNO, Calif. (June 13, 2023) – The Fastest Four Days in Motorsports has arrived for Dominic Scelzi, who will make his way up the West Coast en route to the prestigious Jim Raper Memorial Dirt Cup next week.

The Fastest Four Days in Motorsports with the NARC 410 Sprint Car Series begins this Thursday at Southern Oregon Speedway in Medford, Ore. Douglas County Dirt Track in Roseburg, Ore., hosts a race on Friday before the action shifts to Willamette Speedway in Lebanon, Ore., on Saturday. The weekend concludes on Sunday at Grays Harbor Raceway in Elma, Wash.

“I’m looking forward to the challenge of traveling and seeing a different track each night,” Scelzi said. “It will be a grueling next couple of weeks for us, but it’s also a great opportunity. I feel confident that we can consistently produce strong results and can contend for some wins.”

The following week showcases four races at Skagit Speedway in Alger, Wash., with the Dirt Cup Tune-Up on June 20 followed by the $62,000-to-win Dirt Cup running June 22-24. Scelzi captured the Dirt Cup title in 2021 – the last year it was an ASCS National Tour event.

“That was a huge win in my career and last year we ran third with it being a NARC event so we’ve enjoyed success at the Dirt Cup,” he said. “It’s one of the biggest races not only on the West Coast, but in the country. We’re heading there with the goal of continuing our success and being in contention when Saturday’s A Main kicks off.”

Scelzi enters the races this weekend ranked second in the NARC 410 Sprint Car Series championship standings – only eight points out of the lead – eight races into the 21-race schedule.

“We’re a little more than a third of the way through the NARC season and these next two weeks are another third of the season so it’s important that we run well each night,” he said. “Our focus is on consistency.”

SEASON STATS –

15 races, 5 wins, 11 top fives, 12 top 10s, 13 top 15s, 15 top 20s

UP NEXT –

Thursday at Southern Oregon Speedway in Medford, Ore.; Friday at Douglas County Dirt Track in Roseburg, Ore.; Saturday at Willamette Speedway in Lebanon, Ore.; and Sunday at Grays Harbor Raceway in Elma, Wash., for the Fastest Four Days in Motorsports with the NARC 410 Sprint Car Series

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DuQuoin Mile to Serve as Centerpiece of Father’s Day Weekend Dirt Track Extravaganza

June 13, 2023 ARP Trish

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (June 13, 2023) – This Saturday’s DuQuoin Mile is set to serve as the centerpiece of a week-long celebration of motorcycle dirt track racing that will take place at the DuQuoin State Fairgrounds in DuQuoin, Illinois. On June 17, the superstars of Progressive American Flat Track, sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing, will join the Father’s Day weekend festivities already set in motion by the 2023 Mission Foods AMA Flat Track Grand Championship, sanctioned by the American Motorcyclist Association, which will crown this year’s amateur national champions at the venue from June 14-20. The shared spotlight will present a golden opportunity for the sport’s future heroes to witness one of its all-time greats performing at the peak of his powers. Reigning Mission SuperTwins presented by S&S Cycle champion Jared Mees (No. 1 Indian Motorcycle/Rogers Racing/SDI Racing FTR750) comes into the DuQuoin Mile on the heels of two consecutive Mile victories. Mees is now in position to capture sole possession of third-most Mile wins ever, breaking a tie with Bubba Shobert and Bryan Smith. He would already have his 26th Mile win had the camera told a different story the last time the premier class battled it out in a Main Event at the “Magic Mile” back in 2015. On that day, Mees was edged by Smith in a photo finish that determined the winner despite a 0.000-second margin “separating” the two, with Hall of Famer Kenny Coolbth alongside and just 0.013 seconds off the win himself in third. The amateur aces will also get a sense of just how close they could be to joining that fight thanks to the example set by Dallas Daniels (No. 32 Estenson Racing Yamaha MT-07 DT). In 2018, Daniels was in their position, earning the Nicky Hayden AMA Flat Track Horizon Award following a standout performance at that year’s AMA Flat Track Grand Championship. And now, just five years later, he leads the Mission SuperTwins title fight on the strength of eight consecutive first- and second-place finishes. There are plenty of other flat track luminaries to root for who have the potential to be in the mix. JD Beach (No. 95 Estenson Racing Yamaha MT-07 DT) is the only other rider outside of Mees and Daniels to have won this season, and he races into DuQuoin hungry to secure his first-career Mile win. Briar Bauman (No. 3 Parts Plus/Jacob Companies KTM 790 Duke), meanwhile, has increasingly flashed race-winning potential as his crew continues to dial in his new machine. It seems to be only a matter of time before he delivers a historic win on the bike. Davis Fisher (No. 67 Rackley Racing/Bob Lanphere’s BMC Racing Indian FTR750), Brandon Robinson (No. 44 Mission Roof Systems Indian FTR750), and Jarod Vanderkooi (No. 20 JMC Motorsports/Fairway Ford Indian FTR750) have all put their independent Indians on the box in 2023, with each looking to become the first of among group to earn a win in ‘23. The long list of world-class riders lining this weekend’s stacked Mission SuperTwins field goes on, including the likes of Bronson Bauman (No. 37 Fastrack Racing/2 Wheelz KTM 790 Duke), Kolby Carlile (No. 36 G&G Racing/Yamaha Racing Yamaha MT-07), and Brandon Price (No. 92 Steve Watt Enterprises/Maxwell Industries Harley-Davidson XG750R). Parts Unlimited AFT Singles presented by KICKER Kody Kopp (No. 1 Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 450 SX-F) remains the rider to beat in his Parts Unlimited AFT Singles presented by KICKER title defense, but the points race has bunched up behind him following a pair of consequential Miles. There the Honda- and Yamaha-mounted riders struck back with a vengeance after KTM pilots Kopp, Dalton Gauthier (No. 79 D&D Racing/Certified KTM 450 SX-F), and Max Whale (No. 18 Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 450 SX-F) combined to win the opening five races of the season. In the last three outings, Turner Racing’s Trent Lowe (No. 48 American Honda/Mission Foods CRF450R) has won twice and Estenson Racing’s Tom Drane (No. 59 Estenson Racing Yamaha YZ450F) once, while Lowe, Drane, and Chase Saathoff (No. 88 American Honda/Mission Foods CRF450R) monopolized the podium at the previous two Miles. Their respective teammates, Morgen Mischler (No. 13 American Honda/Mission Foods CRF450R) and Trevor Brunner (No. 21 Estenson Racing Yamaha YZ450F), have the potential to help keep that Honda and Yamaha podium ownership going strong in DuQuoin. Meanwhile, KTM has a historically great Miler in Shayna Texter-Bauman (No. 52 Parts Plus/Jacob Companies KTM 450 SX-F) to aid Kopp, Gauthier, and Whale in getting the Austrian-based manufacturer back on top. Husqvarna is still seeking a first victory of the season, but Chad Cose (No. 49 1st Impressions Race Team/Husqvarna Racing FC450) and James Ott (No. 19 1st Impressions Race Team/Husqvarna Racing FC450) have each come close and will look to seal the deal this weekend. There will be plenty to keep fans entertained at the track on Saturday as well, including numerous vendors, expansive food and beverage options, and extensive motorcycle parking. General Admission tickets are just $30 (kids 12 and under free with a paid adult GA ticket) if purchased in advance, $40 on the day of the race. Reserved Grandstand tickets,which provide spacious seating accommodations on the top two sections of the covered grandstands, are $40 if purchased in advance, $45 on race day. Pit Pass Upgrades are also available for purchase for $40 ($20 for kids 12 and under), which provide all-day access to the pits where fans can scope out the world’s fastest dirt track motorcycles and get up close and personal with the stars of the sport. Visit https://www.americanflattrack.com/events/2023/view/duquoin-mile-2023 to reserve your seats today. Gates will open for fans at 4:00 p.m. ET (1:00 p.m. PT) with Opening Ceremonies scheduled to begin at 8:00 p.m. ET (5:00 p.m. PT). For those that can’t catch the live action from the circuit, FansChoice.tv is the live streaming home of Progressive AFT. Sign up now and catch every second of on-track action starting with Practice & Qualifying and ending with the Victory Podium at the end of the night at https://www.fanschoice.tv. FOX Sports coverage of the DuQuoin Mile, featuring in-depth features and thrilling onboard cameras, will premiere on FS1 on Sunday, June 25, at 1:00 a.m. ET (10:00 p.m. PT). For more information on Progressive AFT visit https://www.americanflattrack.com.

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WHAT TO WATCH FOR: Beaver Dam’s Jim “JB” Boyd Memorial Begins World of Outlaws Summer of Money

June 13, 2023 ARP Trish

The two-night event with a $20,000-to-win finale awaits the Series at the Wisconsin ovalBEAVER DAM, WI (June 13, 2023) – For the first time in 2023, the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars are ready to invade “The Badger State.”The Jim “JB” Boyd Memorial brings The Greatest Show on Dirt to Beaver Dam Raceway (Beaver Dam, WI) for two nights of action this weekend (June 16-17). The teams will fight for a $10,000 payday on Friday before $20,000 is put on the line for Saturday’s winner. The finale will mark the first of 15 races over the next three months that pay $15,000 or more to win, including a trio of six-digit paychecks. With more money on the line and a tight championship battle raging on, the action on track promises to heat up with the temperatures as this lucrative stretch rolls on.BUY FRIDAY TICKETSBUY SATURDAY TICKETSLet’s look at some of the top storylines to watch this weekend:HAUDENSCHILD EYES HISTORY: Sheldon Haudenschild can accomplish something no driver has ever done at Beaver Dam Raceway on Friday.Last year, the Wooster, OH native tied Brad Sweet’s record of three consecutive victories at the 1/3-mile when he swept the Jim “JB” Boyd Memorial. As the racing begins this weekend, Haudenschild hopes to become the first driver with four straight wins at Beaver Dam.The Stenhouse Jr./Marshall Racing driver could use a Beaver Dam boost this weekend after an unfortunate showing at Knoxville Raceway. With his three victories and a 5.63 avg. finish over eight starts at the facility, the weekend outlook is optimistic for Haudenschild.BRAD BACK ON TOP: After losing the championship lead the week before, Brad Sweet reclaimed the top spot at Knoxville.“The Big Cat” and his Kasey Kahne Racing crew now bring their “Drive for Five” to a track that’s been very kind to them. Sweet is a four-time Beaver Dam winner – topping a 2014 visit before becoming the first to make three straight trips to Victory Lane from 2019 to 2020. Kasey Kahne Racing has also claimed seven of the last 15 Series races at Beaver Dam with Sweet’s four, a pair from Joey Saldana (2010 & 2011), and one from Daryn Pittman (2018).Like Haudenschild, Sweet has his sights on history this weekend. The Grass Valley, CA driver is currently tied with Pittman as the winningest driver at Beaver Dam with four apiece. A checkered flag on either night this weekend would give Sweet sole possession of the most.DAVID’S DUE: While he’s yet to win at Beaver Dam, David Gravel has come close on many occasions. The Big Game Motorsports driver has podiumed in four of the last six Series races at the facility including a streak of three straight from 2020 to 2022. With the momentum of two victories in the last four races this season including one this past Saturday at Knoxville, Gravel appears primed to challenge for that elusive Beaver Dam breakthrough. A triumph would also help his ongoing championship fight, where he’s currently only 14 points behind Sweet for the top spot.HITTING THEIR STRIDE: Over the last seven races, two full-time drivers have finished in the top 10 every race. It’s not Sweet, David Gravel, Carson Macedo, or any of the names near the top of the standings that one might expect. The two are Gio Scelzi and James McFadden.During Scelzi’s run he’s posted a season-best finish (fourth) on two occasions and owns an average finish of sixth. The World of Outlaws rookie looks to keep it going at Beaver Dam this weekend, where in three career starts, he’s finished no worse than eighth and led 19 laps in 2021 before finishing second.McFadden has earned a pair of podiums over the seven-race stretch including a win at Lawrenceburg. The Roth Motorsports pilot’s average finish in that time has been a stout 4.9. The Australian’s history at Beaver Dam has been up and down with three top 10s and two DNFs in five starts.BILL’S BREAKTHROUGH?: It’s been a trying year in the search for speed so far for Bill Rose, but two nights at Beaver Dam may be what he needs to find his footing in 2023.In his two years (2014-2015) of competing full-time with the Interstate Racing Association (IRA), Rose had several strong outings. In 2014, the Plainfield, IN native posted a pair of Beaver Dam runner-ups. Then, the following year during his IRA championship winning campaign, Rose collected two more top fives.The 58-year-old has been close to cracking the top 10 with the World of Outlaws at Beaver Dam in the past – finishing 11th in 2012 – and looks for more success at the Wisconsin oval this weekend.IRA INVASION: The local contingent of IRA regulars will bring a handful of names who will hope to turn some heads on a national stage at one of their home tracks.The biggest threat to the World of Outlaws when the Series heads north remains Bill Balog. Beaver Dam is home to “The North Pole Nightmare’s” one career victory with The Greatest Show on Dirt (2016), and he’s collected a whopping 19 IRA triumphs there.Oswego, IL’s Blake Nimee is another IRA frequenter to keep an eye on. Nimee topped a 2021 IRA trip to Beaver Dam and has already finished fourth there this year. Russel Borland represents the host state. The Kewaskum, WI native finished in the top five at Beaver Dam with IRA last year, and he’s a former podium finisher at the 1/3-mile (2017).If you can’t make it to the track, catch all of the action live on DIRTVision.THIS WEEKEND AT A GLANCEWHEN AND WHEREFriday and Saturday, June 16-17 at Beaver Dam Raceway in Beaver Dam, WION THE INTERNETWorld of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series
Twitter – @WorldofOutlaws
Instagram – @WoOSprint
Facebook – Facebook.com/WorldofOutlawsSprintCarSeries
YouTube – Youtube.com/WorldofOutlaws
DIRTVision – DIRTVision.com – Platinum annual FAST PASS for $299 or monthly FAST PASS for $39/monthCURRENT CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS (28/80 Races):1. 49 – Brad Sweet (3908PTS) 3. 2 – David Gravel (-14PTS) 3. 41 – Carson Macedo (-30PTS) 4. 1S – Logan Schuchart (-162PTS) 5. 15 – Donny Schatz (-202PTS) 6. 17 – Sheldon Haudenschild (-250PTS) 7. 18 – Gio Scelzi (-266PTS) 8. 5 – Spencer Bayston (-332PTS) 9. 3Z – Brock Zearfoss (-524PTS) 10. 1A – Jacob Allen (-606PTS)NOS ENERGY DRINK FEATURE WINNERS (12 Drivers):6 wins – David Gravel (Big Game Motorsports #2)5 wins – Brad Sweet (Kasey Kahne Racing #49)3 wins – Rico Abreu (Rico Abreu Racing #24), James McFadden (Roth Motorsports #83), Carson Macedo (Jason Johnson Racing #41)2 wins – Donny Schatz (Tony Stewart/Curb Agajanian Racing #15)1 win – Buddy Kofoid (CMS Racing #11), Sheldon Haudenschild (Stenhouse Jr./Marshall Racing #17), Brady Bacon (TKH Motorsports #21), Logan Schuchart (Shark Racing #1S), Anthony Macri (Macri Motorsports #39), Brian Brown (Brian Brown Racing #21)FEATURE LAPS LED (16 Drivers):147 laps – Brad Sweet126 laps – Carson Macedo124 laps – David Gravel115 laps – James McFadden106 laps – Rico Abreu46 laps – Buddy Kofoid44 laps – Logan Schuchart43 laps – Brent Marks41 laps – Donny Schatz37 laps – Sheldon Haudenschild24 laps – Brian Brown11 laps – Anthony Macri10 laps – Cory Eliason9 laps – Gio Scelzi3 laps – Brady Bacon1 lap – Austin McCarlSIMPSON PERFORMANCE PRODUCTS QUICKTIME AWARDS (10 Drivers):10 QuickTimes – Carson Macedo6 QuickTimes – David Gravel3 QuickTimes – Logan Schuchart2 QuickTimes – Anthony Macri, Rico Abreu1 QuickTime – Brian Brown, Donny Schatz, Buddy Kofoid, Gio Scelzi, James McFaddenHEAT RACE WINNERS (21 Drivers):18 Heat Wins – Carson Macedo17 Heat Wins – David Gravel8 Heat Wins – Buddy Kofoid, Donny Schatz5 Heat Wins – Brad Sweet, Logan Schuchart, Sheldon Haudenschild, Rico Abreu4 Heat Wins – Brent Marks, Gio Scelzi3 Heat Wins – Anthony Macri, James McFadden, Brian Brown2 Heat Wins – Spencer Bayston, Jacob Allen, Parker Price-Miller, Justin Peck, Brock Zearfoss,1 Heat Win – Danny Dietrich, Freddie Rahmer, Cory EliasonTOYOTA DASH APPEARANCES (34 Drivers):23 Dashes – Carson Macedo22 Dashes – David Gravel19 Dashes – Brad Sweet15 Dashes – Logan Schuchart13 Dashes – Donny Schatz11 Dashes – Gio Scelzi, Rico Abreu10 Dashes – Sheldon Haudenschild9 Dashes – James McFadden8 Dashes – Buddy Kofoid7 Dashes – Spencer Bayston6 Dashes – Jacob Allen, Brent Marks5 Dashes – Brock Zearfoss, Anthony Macri4 Dashes – Brian Brown3 Dashes – Justin Peck, Danny Dietrich, Cory Eliason2 Dashes – Parker Price-Miller, Robbie Price, Tyler Courtney, Garet Williamson, Austin McCarl1 Dash – Kasey Kahne, Freddie Rahmer, Devon Borden, Aaron Reutzel, Brady Bacon, Chad Trout, Dylan Norris, Cap Henry, Stuart Brubaker, Kyle LarsonMICROLITE LAST CHANCE SHOWDOWN WINS (20 Drivers):4 LCS Wins – Sheldon Haudenschild2 LCS Wins – Robbie Price, Parker Price-Miller1 LCS Win – Brock Zearfoss, Gio Scelzi, Noah Gass, Hunter Schuerenberg, James McFadden, Wayne Johnson, Ryan Timms, Ayrton Gennetten, Spencer Bayston, Logan Schuchart, Kraig Kinser, Freddie Rahmer, Henry Malcuit, Cole Macedo, Tim Estenson, Aaron Reutzel, Kerry MadsenKSE HARD CHARGER AWARDS (21 Drivers):3 Hard Chargers – Sheldon Haudenschild2 Hard Chargers – Brock Zearfoss, James McFadden, Tyler Courtney, Donny Schatz, Logan Schuchart1 Hard Charger – Gio Scelzi, Robbie Price, David Gravel, Justin Peck, Blake Hahn, Buddy Kofoid, Joe B. Miller, Kyle Larson, Hunter Schuerenberg, Kyle Moody, Freddie Rahmer, Brad Sweet, Skylar Gee, Cole Duncan, Austin PiercePODIUM FINISHES (21 Drivers):13 Podiums – David Gravel12 Podiums – Brad Sweet10 Podiums – Carson Macedo7 Podiums – Donny Schatz, Rico Abreu5 Podiums – Logan Schuchart4 Podiums – Buddy Kofoid, Sheldon Haudenschild, James McFadden3 Podiums – Brent Marks, Brian Brown2 Podiums – Jacob Allen1 Podium – Danny Dietrich, Kasey Kahne, Devon Borden, Spencer Bayston, Parker Price-Miller, Brady Bacon, Anthony Macri, Kyle Larson, Garet WilliamsonTOP 10 FINISHES (42 Drivers):25 Top 10s – Carson Macedo, Brad Sweet24 Top 10s – David Gravel21 Top 10s – Logan Schuchart18 Top 10s – Gio Scelzi17 Top 10s – Sheldon Haudenschild16 Top 10s – Spencer Bayston15 Top 10s – Donny Schatz14 Top 10s – James McFadden13 Top 10s – Buddy Kofoid, Rico Abreu8 Top 10s – Justin Peck, Jacob Allen6 Top 10s – Brent Marks5 Top 10s – Tyler Courtney, Brian Brown4 Top 10s – Kasey Kahne, Danny Dietrich, Brock Zearfoss, Cory Eliason3 Top 10s – Anthony Macri2 Top 10s – Aaron Reutzel, Blake Hahn, Brady Bacon, Kyle Larson, Parker Price-Miller, Robbie Price1 Top 10 – Zeb Wise, Devon Borden, Sam Hafertepe Jr., Joe B. Miller, Hunter Schuerenberg, Brandon Rahmer, Chad Trout, Lance Dewease, Cap Henry, Cole Macedo, Stuart Brubaker, Skylar Gee, Cole Duncan, Austin McCarl, Garet Williamson2023 WORLD OF OUTLAWS SPRINT CAR SCHEDULE & WINNERS:No. / Day, Date / Track / Location / Winner (Total Wins)1. Fri, Feb 10 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / David Gravel (1)2. Fri, Feb 10 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / David Gravel (2)3. Sat, Feb 11* / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / James McFadden (1)4. Sun, March 5 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / Carson Macedo (1)5. Mon, March 6 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / David Gravel (3)6. Sat, March 18 / Lincoln Speedway / Abbottstown, PA / Rico Abreu (1)7. Fri, March 24 / Talladega Short Track / Eastaboga, AL / Buddy Kofoid (1)8. Sat, March 25 / Magnolia Motor Speedway / Columbus, MS / Brad Sweet (1)9. Fri, March 31 / Devil’s Bowl Speedway / Mesquite, TX / Brad Sweet (2)10. Sat, April 1 / Devil’s Bowl Speedway / Mesquite, TX / James McFadden (2)11. Fri, April 7 / U.S. 36 Raceway / Osborn, MO / Sheldon Haudenschild (1)12. Sat, April 8 / 81 Speedway / Wichita, KS / Rico Abreu (2)13. Fri, April 14 / Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 / Pevely, MO / Brad Sweet (3)14. Fri, April 28 / Tri-City Speedway / Granite City, IL / David Gravel (4)15. Sat, April 29 / Tri-State Speedway / Haubstadt, IN / Brady Bacon (1)16. Fri, May 5 / Eldora Speedway / Rossburg, OH / Logan Schuchart (1)17. Sat, May 6 / Eldora Speedway / Rossburg, OH / Rico Abreu (3)18. Wed, May 10 / Lincoln Speedway / Abbottstown, PA / Anthony Macri (1)19. Fri, May 12 / Williams Grove Speedway / Mechanicsburg, PA / Brad Sweet (4)20. Fri, May 19 / Attica Raceway Park / Attica, OH / Donny Schatz (1)21. Sat, May 20 / Sharon Speedway / Hartford, OH / Donny Schatz (2)22. Fri, May 26 / Atomic Speedway / Chillicothe, OH / Brad Sweet (5)23. Sat, May 27 / Atomic Speedway / Chillicothe, OH / Carson Macedo (2)24. Mon, May 29 / Lawrenceburg Speedway / Lawrenceburg, IN / James McFadden (3)25. Fri, June 2 / River Cities Speedway / Grand Forks, ND / David Gravel (5)26. Sat, June 3 / Ogilvie Raceway / Ogilvie, MN / Carson Macedo (3)27. Fri, June 9 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA / Brian Brown (1)28. Sat, June 10 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA / David Gravel (6)

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WHAT TO WATCH FOR: Beaver Dam’s Jim “JB” Boyd Memorial Begins World of Outlaws Summer of Money

June 13, 2023 ARP Trish

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Appalachian Midget Week Features Additional Points Fund for Five Races in Five Nights

June 13, 2023 ARP Trish

CONCORD, NC (June 13, 2023) – The Xtreme Outlaw Midget Series presented by Toyota will host its first-ever weeklong miniseries this summer – Aug. 8-12 – paying out an additional points fund with a $2,500 check on the line for the champion.

The inaugural Appalachian Midget Week consists of five races in five days at five different tracks across Pennsylvania and New Jersey, boasting a $5,250 purse for the top-five finishers in points – $2,500 to the champion, $1,250 for second, $750 for third, $500 for fourth and $250 for fifth.

Following the two-day Ironman 55 event at Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 in Pevely, MO, the Xtreme Outlaw stars will journey to Clyde Martin Memorial Speedway in Newmanstown, PA, to get Midget Week started on Tuesday, Aug. 8.

From there, the Series takes on Action Track USA (Aug. 9), Linda’s Speedway (Aug. 10), Path Valley Speedway (Aug. 11) and Bridgeport Speedway (Aug. 12), all paying $4,000 to the Feature winner. A separate points tally will be kept over all five races, using the current Xtreme Outlaw points championship scale, and award the top five drivers with their checks at the conclusion of the final event.

All five races are co-sanctioned with the American Racing Driver’s Club (ARDC) and will reward the highest-finishing ARDC driver in each Feature with a $100 bonus. Other cash bonuses include the $100 Whitz RC Racing Products Quick Time Award, $100 for every Heat Race winner, $100 for each DIRTVision Hard Charger Award, plus $50 for the first non-transfer driver in every Last Chance Showdown event.

The miniseries gets underway with the opening race at Clyde Martin Memorial Speedway on Tuesday, Aug. 8. Tickets will be on sale at the gate; if you can’t be there to watch in person, stream every lap live from all five races with a FAST PASS subscription to DIRTVision.

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2023 RAD DAN Tour, May + June

June 12, 2023 ARP Trish

DOWNLOADS: PHOTOS *all 2023 galleries can be accessed here*

Being on tour this year to a couple non-competition drift events has already been incredibly beneficial! RAD DAN has had the opportunity to drift at tracks that reach a lot of fans who are not located near the current Formula Drift circuit. In addition to numerous amounts of seat time, these events have also allowed more RAD Industries fans to meet Dan in person for the first time as well as see his MKIV Supra. The spectators at each event have been so enthusiastic and eager to see Dan on track. We have learned that a lot of drift enthusiasts are drifting his car in a variety of video games, they are familiar with his car build and what the Supra is made of. It has been priceless to see them thrilled to see RAD Industries at these events, the exposure has become very positive. Thank you for your partnership and being a part of making our race program possible this year! Be sure to visit the “PHOTOS” link above where you can find media from Hyperfest, GRIDLIFE Midwest Festival and an activation at the US Giti Tire Plant in S. Carolina. Next up will be the $50K Riverside Drift Competition in New Jersey at Englishtown Raceway Park on June 30th.

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NARC 410 SPRINT CARS INVADE THE PNW FOR THE FASTEST FOUR DAYS IN MOTORSPORTS

June 12, 2023 ARP Trish

(6/11/23 – Ben Deatherage) Sacramento, CA … Things will get wild and western for the NARC 410 Sprint Car Series as it embarks on a four event open-wheel racing extravaganza from June 15th to the 18th. The Fastest Four Day In Motorsports is a stretch of four races, in four nights, at four different race tracks in Oregon and Washington. This adventure erupts at Southern Oregon Speedway, in White City, Oregon on Thursday, June 15th, for the opening leg of the tour.

From there, the series heads north to the Douglas County Dirtrack for a Friday Night Frenzy event. The Roseburg racetrack was a paved track for several decades before a dirt racing surface was installed last fall.

Willamette Speedway will be stop three on the journey with the “Sprint Car Invasion” on Saturday, June 17th. Last year, the all-time track record was shattered multiple times at the Lebanon, OR track, producing an incredible race. The stint wraps up at Grays Harbor Raceway on Sunday, June 18th, when the Elma, Washington speed factory hosts the Timber Cup on Father’s Day.

To date, the NARC sprint car series has completed eight events of the 21-race 2023 campaign.

Championship Chase

The incredible NARC 410 Sprint Car Series championship point battle will be turned up several degrees as this stretch of events could quite possibly determine who will earn the 2023 King of the West title. Clovis teenager Corey Day, in the Jason Meyers Racing #14, has maintained the top spot in the standings since the first race on April 8th. However, he enters Thursday night’s contest with a razor-thin eight-point difference over Fresno’s Dominic Scelzi.

“I really like racing up there,” stated Scelzi, the two-time and defending NARC series champion, “I’ve only been there a couple of times, but the race tracks are a little different from California. I’m looking forward to going back to Southern Oregon Speedway, obviously, because we won there last year. Every place we’re going to, we’ve run either first or second, whether it’s been a NARC race or another kind of series.

“I’ve got high expectations,” continued Scelzi, “and I hope we can have good speed and be consistent every night. I think for the championship points, it’s going to be very telling on the outcome of the year with how these four races go.

Day is visiting Southern Oregon Speedway for the first time in his career, while Scelzi is looking to rack up his second straight win. Scelzi was the runner-up at Willamette Speedway last year, with Day’s only visit coming in 2021 in the 360 competition and posting a fourth-place run. The only time Day went to Grays Harbor Raceway was the previous year when he scored an impressive eighth place finish against the World Of Outlaws.

Scelzi, who was runner-up at the 2022 Timber Cup, has won the last two Fastest Four Days in Motorsports titles.

Californians Invade

Aromas racer Justin Sanders anticipates returning to racing in the Pacific Northwest with the Demo Mittry #2X team. Sanders is hungry for a NARC 410 Sprint Car Series, and he will undoubtedly be the guy to beat at the Douglas County Dirtrack as he won a 360 Sprint feature there during Memorial Day Weekend. He’s the only driver among the incoming group to earn a victory at the new facility. He has six career wins in Oregon but has yet to open up his winning account in the Evergreen State.

Oregon has historically been very good to Roseville’s Justyn Cox. Piloting the Bates-Hamilton Racing #42X machine, he has won a Speedweek Northwest title and earned a hefty payday at Cottage Grove Speedway in 2019, all in 360 sprint car.

Bud Kaeding represents another strong runner of the California contingent. The Campbell chauffeur was fifth at Willamette a year ago and fourth at Southern Oregon. An exciting thing about Kaeding is that he has won at Elma. That was back in 1998, but he etched his name in history as the first-ever 360 Speedweek Northwest champion.

Penngrove’s Chase Johnson has only been to the Pacific Northwest once in his career. That was in 2014 when he finished ninth at Southern Oregon and seventh at Willamette in a 360 sprint car. He will be in the Josh Ford Motorsports #73 ride on this trip.

Other NARC 410 Sprint Car regulars include the Dave Vertullo #83V piloted by Oakely teenager Dylan Bloomfield, Arizona driver Nick Parker, Billy Aton of Benicia, Sebastopol sensation Joel Myers Jr., Cole Macedo of Lemoore, and Campbell driver Burt Foland Jr.

A pair of Australians drivers have joined the NARC tour for this stretch of races, including Jessie Attard, representing Landilo, New South Wales, and Karl Hoffman.

Protecting Home Turf

The Emperor of the North in 2022 was Trey Starks, and he is undoubtedly still a threat to win wherever he rolls into town. The Puyallup, Washington phenom dominated the Grays Harbor Raceway bout to win the Timber Cup. Starks also is undefeated in Skagit Speedway 410 action and is a perfect three-for-three.

“It will be cool to be battling some of the California and Oregon guys on some middle ground at some tracks we only get to run on sometimes,” said Starks. “To finish it off at Grays Harbor is going to be exciting. I love racing there in a 410.”

Tanner Holmes wants to make a significant defensive stand against the invading competition. The defending Western Sprint Tour 360 champion already has some wins in his native state. The Jacksonville, Oregon jockey achieved all his successes in 360 action at Cottage Grove Speedway. He was sixth when the nights concluded at Southern Oregon and Willamette in 2022.

Tyler Thompson also will be hoping to represent his home region vigorously. The Harrisburg, Oregon driver had a fantastic run at Grays Harbor, earning his only career NARC Top five result with a fourth-place finish. He also did well at the track closest to his hometown, where he was eighth in Lebanon. Thompson has two wins at Cottage Grove Speedway in 360 Sprint competition.

Fan & Competitor Info

The NARC 410 Sprint Car Series on all four nights will feature ARP Fast-Time Qualifying, three 10-lap Heat Races, a six-lap Sunnyvalley Bacon Trophy Dash, and a 30-lap headliner feature event. Spintech or small Schoenfeld mufflers are required throughout the tour.

On Thursday at Southern Oregon Speedway, the pit gate will open at 2:00 P.M. with the front gate opening at 5:00 P.M. Qualifying is slated for 6:00 P.M. and opening ceremonies at 7:00 P.M. Teams are welcome to stay in the pits overnight, and fan camping is permitted on the grounds. Adult GA tickets on Thursday will be $20. Seniors (62+), Juniors (ages 7-12), and veterans with a valid I.D. will be admitted for $15. Family passes for two adults and four kids can be purchased for $60. Kids six and under are free. Tickets can be purchased at the gate or via the Ticket Hoss app. Southern Oregon Speedway is located at 6900 Kershaw Rd, White City, Oregon 97502. For more information, visit http://www.southernoregonmotorsports.com/ or call 458-220-6272.

On Friday at the Douglas County Dirt Track, the pit gate opens at 2:00 PM and the front gates at 4:00 PM. Hot Laps kick off around 6:00 PM, followed by Racing at 7:00 PM. Tickets will only be sold at the front gate. Adult GA tickets will be $25. Seniors, Juniors and military are $15., and kids (ages 6-11) will be admitted for $5. The race track is located at the Douglas County Fairgrounds Complex at 2110 SW Frear Street, Roseburg, OR 97471.

On Saturday at Willamette Speedway, the pit gate will open at 1:00 P.M. with the grandstands opening at 3:30 P.M. Qualifying is set for 5:00 P.M. with racing at 6:00 P.M. Teams are welcome to stay in the pits, and fan camping is permitted on the grounds. Adult GA tickets will be $40. Seniors, military, and kids (ages 13-17) will be admitted for $20. Tickets can be purchased at the gate or via the following link: https://www.myracepass.com/tracks/1916/tickets/1320687

Willamette Speedway is located at 36606 Airport Dr, Lebanon, Oregon 97355. For more information, visit http://www.trophymotorsports.com/ or send an email to willamettespeedway@hotmail.com.

On Sunday at Grays Harbor Raceway, the pit gate will open at 2:00 P.M. and the fairgrounds will open at 10:00 A.M. on Sunday to help accommodate the luncheon and parade. The remainder of the program will look the same on both nights, with the drivers meeting scheduled for 4:00 P.M., wheel packing at 4:30 P.M., and racing at 6:00 P.M.

Adult GA tickets each night at Grays Harbor will be $28. Seniors, juniors (ages 7-17), and military with a valid I.D. will be admitted for $22. Children ages 2-6 will be just $5. Tickets can be purchased at the gate or online in a variety of package options via the following link: https://www.myracepass.com/tracks/1942/tickets/1306530 Grays Harbor Raceway is located at 30 Elma McCleary Rd, Elma, Washington 98541. For more information, visit https://www.graysharborraceway.com/ or call 360-482-4374.

The Fastest Four Days in Motorsports can also be viewed live on floracing.com.

The NARC 410 Sprint Car Racing Series is also sponsored by Hoosier Racing Tires, Floracing.com, and NAPA Auto Parts. Associate and product award sponsors include Automotive Racing Products (ARP), Beacon Wealth Strategies-Raymond James Financial, Brown & Miller Racing Solutions, Bullet Impressions, D & D Roofing, Diversified Machine Inc., Johnstone Supply, Kaeding Performance Center, Kimo’s Tropical Car Wash, KSE Racing Enterprises, Lifeline LLC, Maxim Racing Products, Mettec Titanium, Pyrotect, Safecraft Safety Equipment, Saldana Racing Products, Schoenfeld Headers, Scelzi Enterprises, SCI Racing Products, Starr Property Management, Sunnyvalley Bacon, System 1 Ignition, Ultra Lite Brakes, Williams Roofing, Wilwood Disc Brakes, and Winters Performance Products.

NARC 410 SPRINT CAR SERIES
CHAMPIONSHIP POINT STANDINGS
(AFTER EIGHT EVENTS IN 21-RACE SERIES – 6/11/23)

Corey Day, Clovis – 1107
Dominic Scelzi, Fresno – 1099
Justin Sanders, Aromas – 1068
Justyn Cox, Roseville – 1066
Bud Kaeding, Campbell – 1060
Dylan Bloomfield, Oakley – 1017
Nick Parker, Tucson, AZ (R) – 958
Billy Aton, Benicia – 945
Shane Golobic, Fremont – 938
Chase Johnson, Penngrove – 926
Joey Ancona, Concord (R) – 773
Kaleb Montgomery, Templeton (R) – 876
Colby Copeland, Roseville – 772
DJ Netto, Hanford – 760
Ryan Bernal, Roseville – 656
Tanner Holmes, Central Point, OR – 641
Joel Myers Jr., Sebastopol – 632
Michael Pombo, Easton – 619
Craig Stidham, Fresno – 607
Cole Macedo, Hanford – 513

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WHAT TO WATCH FOR: Big Names Line Prospective Roster for Week #1 of 2023 Hell Tour

June 12, 2023 ARP Trish

Winger, Pierce, Shirley, Babb, Unzicker, Erb all expected first-week entries

PEORIA, IL (June 12, 2023) – Twenty-eight Late Model race dates. Thirty-three calendar days. Five-straight weeks of nothing but the best dirt track racing in the Midwest. The 38th DIRTcar Summer Nationals is here.

The DIRTcar Late Models and DIRTcar Summit Racing Equipment Modified Nationals are set to kick off a new season of competition this week with five races at five tracks in the Hell Tour’shome state of Illinois. Peoria Speedway will set the stage with the first race on Wednesday, June 14, with stops at Kankakee County Speedway (June 15), Tri-City Speedway (June 16), Fairbury Speedway (June 17) and Sycamore Speedway to close out Week #1 on Sunday, June 18.

The Late Models will follow a new points fund distribution this summer, paying out the sum of $125,500 over all five race weeks to the top-10 in weekly points at the conclusion each week. Weekly points will start at zero for each week; the top-10 drivers in that week’s standings will receive points fund checks after the final event completed. A $10,000 grand prize awaits the winner of each weekly points chase.

The Summit Modifieds will contest 27 races for a $5,000 champion’s check at season’s end, following the traditional points format. Each driver’s best 12 races will count toward the overall standings, crowing the driver with the most points Summit Modified champion after the final event at Fairbury Speedway on Saturday, July 29.

Tickets for each event on the 2023 Summer Nationals schedule will be on sale at the gate on race day. If you can’t be at your favorite track to watch in person, stream every lap of every race live on DIRTVision all summer long.

Here are the drivers to watch for and the storylines to follow in Week #1:

TITLE RUN – Returning to the Summer Nationals roster for the first time since 2021, Ashton Winger begins his trek toward a Hell Tour championship this week with plans to run the entire 28-race schedule.

Winger, 23, of Hampton, GA, burst onto the Summer Nationals/Midwest racing scene two years ago, taking every bit of his own equipment out on the road in pursuit of his first regional Super Late Model championship. He struggled a bit through the first two weeks but bounced back strong, capturing a total of six Feature wins by the tour’s completion, including the final two races on the schedule at Tri-City Motor Speedway and Merritt Speedway in Michigan. He placed second in the overall points standings – the highest of any Hell Tour rookie in the last decade.

This summer, he’s back with championship aspirations and strong support from car owner Jeff Mathews aboard the RVS, Inc., Durham/Rocket #12. The two paired toward the end of the 2022 season and had success from the start, winning their first national Late Model Feature in January at East Bay Raceway Park. Now, their sights turn to the toughest stretch of racing they’ll endure all year.

“The Summer Nationals has been our goal the whole time,” Winger said. “I’m loaded down with bodies, front suspension parts, rear suspension parts and we’re going to pick up another motor on Monday. I’m really excited about this year because this is the first year I feel like I’m going to do it right. I have the stuff and I’m prepared to do it. In 2021, I just threw a bunch of stuff in the truck and went and did it.”

HUNT THE FRONT – Joseph Joiner and the YouTube stars of the Hunt the Front race team are projected to make their Hell Tour debut Wednesday at Peoria and race throughout Week #1 in pursuit of the weekly points title.

Joiner and his band of brothers from Milton, FL, had a great showing in the Dirt Late Model Dream at Eldora Speedway Friday night, taking home a fourth-place finish in the Group B Preliminary Feature – his best career Eldora finish – amongst a full field of national-level talent. Though a bit of misfortune struck him in his Heat Race on Saturday after getting into the Turn 1 wall and colliding with Brandon Overton, Joiner and the team will have the car repaired and ready for the full first week of Late Model competition, where they’ll take on a few tracks brand new to them.

The Joiner clan also hosts DIRTcar Late Model competition of their own as proprietors of the newly formed Hunt the Front Super Dirt Series, holding Super Late Model events at several tracks across the Southeast in 2023.

A VISIT FROM THE KING – Five-time and reigning Summer Nationals champion Bobby Pierce is projected to be part of the Late Model roster this Friday and Saturday night, shooting for both $10,000 Feature winner’s checks as he continues his quest for a World of Outlaws CASE Late Model Series crown.

Pierce, 26, of Oakwood, IL, most recently captured his fourth and fifth Summer Nationals championships in 2021 and 2022. For 2023, he made the decision to take on a national tour with his family-owned team for the first time in his career, chasing the World of Outlaws points title. He’s currently tied for second place in points, 40 behind leader Chris Madden with more than half of the season remaining.

Regardless, he’s indicated interest in competing in select races in the first week of the Summer Nationals slate in an effort to keep his skills sharp and earn the extra capital. Of the five tracks on the Week #1 schedule, Fairbury Speedway is the only track at which he has never won a Hell Tour event, putting some extra spotlight on him as he shoots for the $10,000 grand prize at FALS on Saturday night.

HORNS UP – Making his Summer Nationals debut, Modified racing ace Ethan Dotson will take the Chris Bragg Racing #174 on the road for the first full week of competition.

Dotson, a multi-time Dirt Modified champion from Bakersfield, CA, has been behind the wheel of the Longhorn Chassis house UMP Modified since the start of the 2022 season, and won several high-profile events across the country last year. He joined forces with car owner Chris Bragg, of Springtown, TX, at the start of this year and agreed to pilot his Longhorn Chassis Late Model, sending Dotson head-first into an area of dirt racing he’d not often explored.

He didn’t have to wait long for success, however, as he and the CBR team collected their first Feature win last Friday night in the COMP Cams Super Dirt Series event at Arrowhead Speedway in Colcord, OK. Dotson and the team will take that momentum into their first week on the Hell Tour, aiming for the $10,000 points fund check as champion of Week #1.

NEXT LEVEL – He’s a previous four-time winner on the DIRTcar Summit Racing Equipment Modified Nationals trail. This year, 18-year-old Hunt Gossum is set to tackle the Hell Tour from the Summer Nationals Late Models side.

Gossum went Super Late Model racing for the first time last year with his family-owned operation and saw flashes of success at the local level, collecting multiple top-10 finishes and a few podiums. With some additional product sponsorship for 2023, Gossum will try his hand at completing the full 28-race schedule, aiming to become one of the youngest drivers in tour history to do so.

The Mayfield, KY-driver became the youngest winner in Summit Modified history at 14 years old when he captured the checkers in the Modified portion of Oakshade Raceway’s annual Birthday Race event in 2019. He went winless on tour from that point until 2021, when he won three races on the second half of the schedule.

WEEK #1 PROSPECTIVE ENTRIES

Ashton Winger

Bob Gardner

Bobby Pierce

Brenden Smith

Brian Shirley

Cody Bauer

Charlie Cole

Curtis Roberts

Dennis Erb Jr.

Doug Tye

Ethan Dotson

Frank Heckenast Jr.

Hunt Gossum

Jason Feger

Jeff Robertson

Jordan Bauer

Josh Robertson

Joseph Joiner

Kye Blight

Kyle Hammer

Mark Voigt

Mick Quinn

Rusty Schlenk

Ryan Unzicker

Scott Robertson

Shannon Babb

Thomas Hunzicker

Tim Gauntt

Tim Lance

Tommy Sheppard Jr.

Tony Jackson Jr.

Trevor Gundaker

Tyler Clem

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DYSON LOOKS TO EXPAND HIS TRANS AM POINT LEAD AS SERIES RETURNS TO INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY

June 12, 2023 ARP Trish

POUGHKEEPSIE, NY (June 12, 2023) – It’s been four years since the Trans Am by Pirelli series visited the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The 2019 race marked Chris Dyson’s third-ever Trans Am win and on Saturday the two-time and defending series champion will be looking to expand his 2023 point lead by taking his second consecutive Indy victory and his 22nd career win in the headlining TA class.

Dyson will be joined at Indy by his CD Racing teammate Matthew Brabham in their #16 and #20 GYM WEED Ford Mustangs, respectively. The race comes on the heels of a very successful test at Watkins Glen international last week, and follows a second-place finish for Dyson and third place for Brabham at Lime Rock Park on Memorial Day.

“Matty and I both drove my #16 Riley-chassis car at the Glen,” Dyson said. “We were able to prove out a number of setups that we had previously modeled, but hadn’t yet had a chance to test. I think we made a lot of progress and showed some impressive speed that we will take with us to Indy. And I expect what we uncovered last week at the Glen will continue to pay dividends throughout the rest of the season, particularly at the faster circuits.”

Dyson admitted to a bit of disappointment with his second-place finish at Lime Rock Park. “I had won the past three races at Lime Rock and it’s our home track. And going back to the end of last season CD Racing had won five straight races. But I can’t be that dissatisfied given that I came away with an even larger lead in the point standing than at the start of the weekend and Matty solidified his hold on second place.”

The Mystique and Challenge of Indy

There is no better known racing facility in the world than the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and every driver who competes there is eager to list an Indy win on his or her racing resume. “Every win over the course of my career has been meaningful to me,“ Dyson said. “But I have to admit there was something special about winning at the Speedway. And it would mean a lot to add a second one.“

Dyson described the facilities road circuit as “demanding and quite technical. To be fast there you need to be both precise, and consistent, and have a car that is easy on its tires.“
Click here for more on Chris Dyson Racing.

Indianapolis Motor Speedway Schedule

Qualifying takes place Friday, June 16, 4:05 p.m. — 4:20 p.m. ET

The 100-mile race takes the green flag Monday, May 29, at 11:00 a.m. ET

Broadcast Schedule

The race will be live-streamed on both the Trans Am and SpeedTour’s YouTube channels.

Additional Broadcast Coverage On MAVTV

In addition to the livestream, 60-minute feature produced by Greenlight TV will be broadcast the following Thursday at 9:00 p.m. ET to MAVTV’s 22 million North American linear households and 175 million connected devices.

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Burton Finishes 27th at Sonoma

June 12, 2023 ARP Trish

June 12, 2023

After starting Sunday’s Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway from the rear of the pack, Harrison Burton and the No. 21 DEX Imaging team came away with a 27^th-place finish.

After the initial green flag, Burton moved up a couple of spots before making his first green-flag pit stop at Lap 19.

Burton got up to 29^th but had dropped back to 33^rd when he made his second pit stop, again under the green flag, at Lap 41.

The team’s third pit stop came at Lap 71 and the fourth and final one at Lap 92. Burton returned to the track after his final stop in 30^th place and picked up three positions over the final 15 laps to end the race in 27^thplace.

The Cup Series will take a rare week off and return to the track at Nashville Speedway for a 400-miler on June 25.

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JUSTIN ASHLEY WINS BRISTOL CAPS DOMINANT WEEKEND

June 12, 2023 ARP Trish

BRISTOL, TN (June 11, 2023) — There was a lot on the line heading into the Thunder Valley Nationals and championship contender Justin Ashley and his Phillips Connect Toyota Top Fuel team had a lofty list of goals for Bristol Dragway. Competing in the rescheduled New England Nationals, the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge and the 22nd NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals all in one weekend, the three-time 2023 winner was hoping to grab three more event wins and accelerate his championship hopes. The 2020 NHRA Rookie of the Year checked all the boxes at the conclusion of race day winning his second consecutive Thunder Valley Nationals in an epic all Toyota final round against Antron Brown less than 24-hours after winning the New England Nationals and his third Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge title of the season.

Justin Ashley with both national event trophies from a dominant weekend at Bristol Dragway, photo by Gary Nastase/Auto Imagery

“I’m on cloud nine. It is just an amazing feeling. It’s so hard to win a race,” said Ashley, who has collected $30,000 and nine championship points for his Mission Challenge victories alone. “It is so difficult, so to be able to come into one weekend, in three days, and win two events and one Mission Foods Challenge, is really something special. It’s hard to turn on win lights in this sport, so I just have so much gratitude for my entire team and the work they did to turn this car around round after round, and make sure it went down the racetrack. We had a lot of friends and family here – this is not too far from when the Maynards are, so they had a lot of their friends out as well. It’s a big win for the entire team.”

On race day today at Bristol Dragway Ashley as the No. 4 qualifier outran veteran Doug Foley in the first round. He took a starting line advantage and never trailed in the drag race. His winning time of 3.763 seconds gave him lane choice over Josh Hart in the second round. In a tremendous side-by-side race Ashley was again first off the line and took his sixth consecutive winlight of the weekend over Hart. His 3.756-second pass at 329.83 mph got to the finish line just in front of Hart’s 3.780-second, 328.86 mph pass. He gave up lane choice for the first time against his semifinal opponent. Throughout the day Ashley faced one tough competitor after another but there was no round that stood out due to the heightened level of competition.

“It was every round today,” said Ashley. “I think at this point you always need to dig deep, especially with the way the competition is. Anytime we go up against Antron (Brown) is usually a fantastic race, and it is a small margin of victory. I don’t really believe in the approach of getting up for anyone, but you have to be extremely focused because he is not going to let you get away with anything. Antron is a fantastic driver, and more importantly, he’s a fantastic person, so I think racing a guy like Antron brings out the best in myself and my team.”

It was another wire-to-wire win for Ashley over Austin Prock in a battle of two rising stars in NHRA. The win moved Ashley into his fourth final round of the season. It would set up a final round against his technology alliance and Toyota teammate Antron Brown as they each pursued Toyota’s 199th NHRA victory.

It was an epic final round as both drivers left the starting line together and Ashley was able to hold off a charging Brown for his fourth victory of the season and ninth Top Fuel title of his career. Ashley became the second NHRA driver to win two national events in one weekend joining 8-time Top Fuel champion Tony Schumacher, who he defeated in the New England Nationals final yesterday. His crew chief and Schumacher’s crew chief at the time was world champion Mike Green.

“Mike (Green), Tommy (DeLago) and Dustin (Davis) are just fantastic,” said Ashley, about his Top Fuel crew chief leadership team. “They are excellent at what they do both on and off the racetrack. You are only as good as the team that you have. They have done a great job themselves, but they have also assembled an amazing team that surrounds the race car. Honestly, it is fascinating to be able to watch them round after round maintain that consistency. Nothing stops this team. We can lose in the first round, we could win the race, we could fall short somewhere in between, but the mentality is the same. We always expect to win, and the reason for that is because it starts on top. It starts with guys like Dustin, Mike and Tommy.”

After the most successful three days in Ashley’s still young career the team owner and driver was worn out but elated by his team’s success. He knew that there was still a lot of season left in front of the Phillips Connect Toyota Top Fuel team but with the support of his marketing partners like Mac Tools, Strutmasters, KATO Fastening Systems, Lucas Oil and more the future looks very bright for the team. The accomplishment hadn’t sunk in as Ashley headed to his second winner’s circle of the weekend.

“After the fact, I certainly think about it,” said Ashley. “During the race, that doesn’t cross my mind and if it does, I do everything I can to get rid of that thought, because it is just a matter of focusing on that moment and taking it one round at a time, because it is not easy to win. I think that approach gives us as a team the opportunity to win.”

Ashley will leave with the Top Fuel points lead which he took over yesterday after his New England Nationals win and extended today. He will return to the track in two weeks at the Norwalk Nationals at Summit Motorsports Park.

Qualifying Results
Q1: 4.219 sec, 205.04 mph; Qual. 9
Q2: 3.755 sec; 327.74 mph; Qual. 4
Q3: 4.097 sec, 255.92 mph; Qual. 4
Q4: 3.846 sec, 324.12 mph; Qual. 4
Bonus Points: 0

Race Results

First Round
Justin Ashley, Phillips Connect Toyota dragster, (.040), 3.763, 328.70 mph def. Doug Foley, PROTEC dragster, (.098), 3.871, 319.19 mph

Second Round

Justin Ashley, Phillips Connect Toyota dragster, (.048), 3.756, 329.83 mph def.  Josh Hart, R+L Carriers dragster, (.054), 3.780, 328.86 mph

Semifinal Round

Justin Ashley, Phillips Connect Toyota dragster, (.048), 3.728, 330.23 mph def.  Austin Prock, Montana Brand/Rocky Mountain Twist dragster, (.058), 7.154, 127.98 mph

Final Round

Justin Ashley, Phillips Connect Toyota dragster, (.0508), 3.718, 336.49 mph def.  Antron Brown, Matco Tools dragster, (.051), 6.148, 109.79 mph

Camping World Drag Racing Series Top Ten – Top Fuel
1.         Justin Ashley             633
2.         Steve Torrence           569
3.         Brittany Force             511
3.         Austin Prock                511
5.         Leah Pruett                 499
5.         Antron Brown             499
7.         Mike Salinas               448
8.         Josh Hart                     433
9.         Doug Kalitta                404
10.       Shawn Langdon          367

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Aaron Stanfield Earns 10th Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown Victory Sunday at NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals

June 12, 2023 ARP Trish

BRISTOL, Tenn. (June 11, 2023) – Aaron Stanfield and his Stanfield Racing Engines Chevrolet COPO Camaro secured their first Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown victory of the season Sunday at the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals at Bristol Dragway.

Coming in as the No. 5 qualifier, Stanfield faced rookie Del Holbrook and his Varsity Ford / Holbrook Racing Ford Mustang in the final round of eliminations. Stanfield would make his slowest pass of the weekend at 8.361-seconds and 128.54 mph, but it would get the job done with Holbrook who overpowered the track at the starting line in his Ford for only a 11.766 at 123.00 mph.

Aaron Stanfield, Thunder Valley Nationals Flexjet Factory Stock winner, photo by Gary Nastase/Auto Imagery

“My dad and I always say you go through struggles and you’re only one run away from fixing everything,” Stanfield said. “We struggled a little bit during qualifying this weekend. I’ve got a great group of guys that are working on my hot rod. I couldn’t do it without them. I’m happy to get this done for them and I have to give a shoutout to Del Holbrook. He’s a new, young guy, and that’s what we need in this sport. I’m glad he had some success today but, we did it. It’s Bristol Baby.”

Aaron Stanfield takes win in final at Thunder Valley Nationals, photo by Gary Nastase/Auto Imagery

Stanfield started his day with a quarterfinal victory over Doug Hamp and his Hamp Racing Chevy. Stanfield had the startling line advantage, but Hamp led at the 60-foot. Stanfield would drive around Hamp for a 7.925-second pass at 165.68 mph bettering Hamp’s 7.974 at 179.54.

In the semifinals, Stanfield would face reigning Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown champion David Barton. Stanfield would have another solid pass at 7.861-seconds and 172.14 mph bettering Barton’s 7.947 at 172.12.

Del Holbrook who qualified No. 7 began Sunday with a perfect quarterfinal win over Joe Welch and his Joe Welch Racing Dodge Drag Pak. Holbrook would have a perfect .000-second reaction time to go along with his 7.871-second pass at 175.87 mph to take down Welch’s 7.909 at 176.77.

Holbrook would have a semifinal match up with Stephen Bell and his Stanfield Racing Engines COPO. Holbrook would leave first and never trail crossing the finish line with a 7.819-second pass at 175.68 mph to Bell’s 7.854 at 171.90.

With the victory, Stanfield picks up a target on his back. Through the Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown Bounty Program, Stanfield as the most recent winner has a $1,000 bounty on his head that will grow each weekend that he goes undefeated.

The Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown season continues with the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals at Summit Motorsports Park in Norwalk, Ohio June 23rd to the 25th.

Flexjet Bounty Program
Gatornationals (Gainesville, FL)
$1,000 bounty collected by Joe Welch, defeated Aaron Stanfield, Dallas winner
Four-Wide Nationals (Charlotte, N.C.)
$1,000 bounty collected by Lenny Lottig, defeated Joe Welch, Gainesville winner
Route 66 Nationals (Chicago)
Bounty not collected
Thunder Valley Nationals (Bristol)
$2,000 bounty collected by Lee Hartman, defeated Lenny Lottig, Charlotte and Chicago winner in the first round

2023 Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown Results
Gainesville – Joe Welch, winner; Aaron Stanfield, runner-up
Charlotte – Lenny Lottig, winner; Aaron Stanfield, runner-up
Chicago – Lenny Lottig, winner; Doug Hamp, runner-up
Bristol – Aaron Stanfield winner; Del Holbrook, runner-up

Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown Top Ten Points Standings:

1.       Aaron Stanfield       384
2.       Lenny Lottig           323
3.       Joseph Welch         262
4.       Stephen Bell           256
5.       Doug Hamp           255
5.       Mark Pawuk           255
7.       David Davies III      245
8.       David Barton           234
9.       Jesse Alexandra      211
10.     Del Holbrook           204

Uncategorized

chevy racing–nhra–bristol–erica enders

June 12, 2023 ARP Trish

CHEVROLET IN NHRA 2023 NHRA THUNDER VALLEY NATIONALS BRISTOL DRAGWAY BRISTOL, TENNESSEE TEAM CHEVY RACE REPORT JUNE 11, 2023 ERICA ENDERS TAKES CHEVROLET TO THE THUNDER VALLEY NATIONALS WINNER’S CIRCLE AT BRISTOL DRAGWAY Racing to her 44th career NHRA Pro Stock victory, Enders gives Chevrolet their 373rd win in the class and 254th in the Chevrolet Camaro SS Pro Stock car.Enders now inches closer to becoming the all-time female leader in NHRA victories, earning her 44th behind Angelle Sampey in Pro Stock Motorcycle with 46.Enders finished where she started race day, qualifying No. 1 for the Thunder Valley Nationals with her run of 6.627 ET at 206.95 MPH to earn her 30th NHRA career No. 1 qualifier.Enders 30th No. 1 qualifier sees her third on the female leaders in No. 1 qualifying positions in pro classes behind Angelle Sampey (Pro Stock Motorcycle with 59) and Brittany Force (Top Fuel with 45).Setting low ET of the event as of Q4 with his run of 3.938 ET at 321.35 MPH, Robert Hight qualified No. 1 in Funny Car, his 79th of his career, for the Thunder Valley Nationals. BRISTOL, Tenn. (June 11, 2023) – Concluding a crazy weekend at Bristol Dragway in this weekend’s NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals, Erica Enders and her Johnson’s Horsepower Garage SCAG Chevrolet Camaro SS Pro Stock crew and team at Elite Motorsports raced their way to her first win of the 2023 NHRA season, and her 44th of her NHRA career, all with Chevrolet. Inching closer to becoming the female leader in NHRA victories behind Angelle Sampey (Pro Stock Motorcycle, 46 wins), Enders noted this win will hopefully be the spark needed to turn her 2023 season around. “More than most people will understand,” Enders noted when asked about how liberating the win in Thunder Valley feels after so much success. “I talked about it in the press room Friday when we were No. 1 qualifier, but I don’t think anything will replace that blinking light up on the guardrail wall about this time on Sunday. This is for my guys. I have two new guys on my team, Conner and Declan. Conner won with JR Todd, but Declan is new to drag racing. So these are for my boys. They don’t quit, they don’t give up, and they don’t get down. That’s the biggest, most challenging part of this is to hear all of the negative scuttlebutt, the people saying my career is over. And this goes to show it isn’t. I’m just so proud. This is awesome.” “I tell you what, it’s been a tough start to the season, noted Elite Motorsports’ Richard Freeman. “We’re not done yet. We struggled at the first of the year, My guys, they don’t quit and they keep going. KB (Titan Racing), those guys are tough. We’re glad.” Competing in two events this weekend, including Saturday’s conclusion of last weekend’s NHRA New England Nationals that were postponed for weather to this weekend’s event at Bristol Dragway, the Chevrolet Nitro teams at John Force Racing look to shift their sights to Norwalk for redemption. Racing to the semifinals, Austin Prock, driver of the Montana Brand/Rocky Mountain Twist Chevrolet Top Fuel dragster, raced his way to a semifinal appearance before falling to Justin Ashley. Also making a semifinal round appearance, Robert Hight, driver of the Cornwell Tools Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car, ultimately had to settle for an early end after smoking the tires versus Alexis DeJoria. Kicking off his Thunder Valley Nationals weekend, Hight showed strength by capturing the Thunder Valley Nationals No. 1 qualifier and setting low ET of the event with his run, then resetting the low ET of the event with his race day lap of 3.913 seconds. In his 2023 Chevrolet COPO Camaro, Aaron Stanfield raced to his first Wally trophy of the 2023 FlexJet NHRA Factory Stock Showdown season, defeating Del Holbrook in the finals. Lenny Lottig, in his Chevrolet COPO Camaro, was No. 1 qualifier at Bristol Dragway. Up next for the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series is the NHRA Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals at Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports Park in Norwalk, Ohio. Broadcast of Sunday’s eliminations will air live at 4 p.m. ET on FOX Sunday, June 25, 2023. WHAT THEY’RE SAYING:Brittany Force, driver of the Monster Energy Chevrolet Top Fuel dragster for John Force Racing:“It was a rough weekend in Bristol for the Thunder Valley Nationals, but we still leave here on a positive note. This Monster Energy / Flav-R-Pac team qualified number two. We did get beat early but we feel like we learned a lot on this car and tune-up this weekend to set us up for going into Norwalk, Ohio in two weeks. We are leaving tied at third in points, which is a great position to be in and I’m excited to get back to Ohio.” Austin Prock, driver of the Montana Brands/Rocky Mountain Twist Chevrolet Top Fuel dragster for John Force Racing:“Not the finish we wanted but a heck of a rebound from earlier in the weekend. Just got a little too aggressive in the semifinals. We will continue to progress with this Montana Brand / Rocky Mountain Twist hot rod. I’m proud of what we’ve done as a team so far and it’s early in the season. On the bright side, we get a shot back at Justin Ashley in Norwalk for the #2Fast2Tasty Challenge.” Robert Hight, driver of the Cornwell Tools Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car for John Force Racing:“Obviously not the way we wanted to end the weekend for this Cornwell Tools Chevy. Busy weekend, we had our hands full. We haven’t had a lot of consistency this year and that’s what we’re working on. Was hoping we would have it today,” Hight said. “Once we get that consistency we’ll be back to our usual form. We just have to stay focused. I believe in this team and Jimmy Prock and they believe in me and we’ll get the job done.” John Force, driver of the BlueDEF Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car for John Force Racing:“I’m having fun, going a couple of rounds. Obviously don’t love that we didn’t make it further for the Thunder Valley Nationals, but it’s been a busy weekend. It’s been exciting. We’ll be good. We’re doing okay. We’ll head to Norwalk and see if we can get it done in this BlueDEF Chevy.” Erica Enders, driver of the Johnson’s Horsepower Garage SCAG Chevrolet Camaro SS Pro Stock car – Thunder Valley Nationals Winner’s Press Conference: FIRST WIN OF THE SEASON, 44TH OF YOUR CAREER AND THIRD AT BRISTOL, YOU STARTED THE WEEKEND IN THE MEDIA CENTER TALKING OF FRUSTRATIONS OF THE EARLY PART OF THE SEASON. TO SEE THIS WIN COMING THROUGH, QUALIFYING NO. 1, HOW GRATIFYING IS IT?“It’s super gratifying and I don’t know if people truly understand what it means. Yes, we’ve won a lot of races but to have finished the year we had last year in the fashion that we did, and then to start the year as horribly as we did, you know, it was a real gut check. It’s just one of those things you have to battle through. My team owner always reminds us that winning races doesn’t define us. That we’re winners off the race track too. Even though we go through these valleys, you just have to put your head down and go to work. I said it in my Top End interview, but I want to reiterate here is how hard my guys work, not just on my JHG Chevy Camaro, but all nine of our cars that we have. We have almost 60 people on the road full time, and that is a little bit of controlled chaos. I wouldn’t take anything for any of the guys we have. They are truly amazing. They are talent, and the two guys working on my car this weekend, Conner has won with JR Todd before, but Declan is new to drag racing. So, it’s his first win and our first win as the new Team Red. I could not be more proud of them and their hard work. They didn’t ever get discouraged or give up, so that’s what it’s all about. It’s just trying to remain as positive as possible, and just go to work and shut the naysayers up.” TO GO TO THE FINAL ROUND, AND THEN WITH THE REACTION TIME THAT YOU HAD AND TO WIN ON A HOLESHOT, WHAT DOES THAT MEAN FOR YOU AS A DRIVER?“We won on a holeshot? Even better. It means a lot to me. We’ve struggled as a racecar, but I’ve struggled mentally as a driver as well, so it definitely takes a toll on you and you question a lot of things. You lose your confidence and maybe a little bit of your swagger. I talked to my dad right before that final round, and he was like remember who you are. Just put your head down and do it. You’re a five-time champ. So the encouragement from him, the encouragement from my sister who is the ultimate hype girl ever in the history of the world, it’s refreshing to know that so many people believe in me, and I just have to believe in myself. Honestly, I was 21 I think on the tree second round. I had a competition bye when Greg (Anderson) broke in the semis, so I kind of threw that reaction time out. But I sped my pedal up a bit and I thought I could be 12 to 16 on the tree and we were right in there at 15. I finally did my job, and I was able to park our JHG Chevy Camaro in the Winner’s Circle.” WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST LESSON YOU’VE LEARNED DURING THIS DRY SPELL SINCE YOUR LAST ONE?“The last one was excruciating. This one has just been slightly painful. Knowing what we had every weekend, if there were 16 cars on the property, we weren’t going to qualify. So that was how sucky our 2016 year was. But we were a new program, it was the year that all of the rules changed for Pro Stock, going from carburetors to electronic fuel injection, the rev limiter. And then we switched manufacturers on top of that. It took a toll on our team, and it was a two-year deal. They opted out, we opted out and we went back to our Chevy powerplant and went to work. It took us a couple of years to recover. We really struggled. I only won one race in 2017, but we rallied. So the lesson is you don’t give up. It’s horsepower and win lights are really great deodorant for underlying issues, and it just shows that what would tear most teams apart, makes us stronger. I started in 2014 with Elite Motorsports, and there were eight on our team including myself, and now there are 60. I think it speaks volumes for our leadership, for the kind of work ethic the guys have, and the never give up attitude. It’s easy when things aren’t great to just get down and get negative and want to quit.” YOU HAD SAID THIS YEAR EARLIER WHEN YOU WERE HAVING THOSE CHALLENGES YOU’VE WON CHAMPIONSHIPS FROM NINTH. WE’RE PAST HALFWAY IN THE REGULAR SEASON OF PRO STOCK, AND YOU KNOW A CHAMPIONSHIP CAN COME DOWN TO JUST A COUPLE OF POINTS. SO A RUSH TO THE FRONT WOULD BE A VERY WELL ADVISED. WHAT DO YOU SEE AHEAD GOING AHEAD TO NORWALK?“It’s definitely crucial now that we’re closing in on Indy. It’s hard to believe that we’re already in the month of June, let alone getting close to the Countdown. We’ve got to go to work. I think we entered Bristol in either 14^th or 15^th which is the lowest ever since I drove a Ford. So it’s been challenging. But all you have to do is be there when it counts and that’s something that my guys are tremendous at. When our backs are against a wall, they perform and I perform. We get things done. I’m not worried. I said it on Friday when we qualified for the pole that it doesn’t matter until the countdown. We’re solid. We’ll be just fine. I wouldn’t want to go to battle without the guys I have behind me.” Round 1 Recap:Top Fuel:No. 2 Brittany Force fell to No. 15 Brown with his run of 3.767 ET, 328.78 MPH to Force’s 3.749 ET at 327.51 MPH.No. 8 Austin Prock defeated No. 9 Ferre with his run of 3.777 ET at 327.66 MPH.Funny Car:No. 1 Robert Hight defeated No. 16 Alex Laughlin with his run of 3.962 ET, 324.36 MPH.No. 10 John Force defeated No. 7 JR Todd with his run of 3.999 ET at 326.95 MPH. Pro Stock:No. 8 Kyle Koretsky defeated No. 9 Shane Tucker with his run of 6.652 ET at 205.29 MPH.No. 7 Deric Kramer defeated No. 10 Troy Coughlin with his run of 6.656 ET at 204.35 MPH, to Coughlin’s 6.690 ET at 205.13 MPH.No. 6 Camrie Caruso defeated No. 11 Bo Butner III with her run of 6.653 ET at 205.38 MPH, to Butner’s 8.531 ET at 98.53 MPH.No. 5 Dallas Glenn defeated No. 12 Matt Hartford with his run of 6.665 ET at 205.19 MPH, to Hartford’s 6.694 ET at 203.68 MPH.No. 4 Greg Anderson defeated No. 13 Jerry Tucker with his run of 6.652 ET at 204.39 MPH to Tucker’s red light.No. 2 Aaron Stanfield defeated No. 15 Fernando Cuadra, Jr. with his run of 6.646 ET at 206.10 MPH.No. 1 Erica Enders defeated No. 16 Mason McGaha with her run of 6.659 ET at 206.04 MPH, to McGaha’s 6.723 ET at 203.235 MPH. Round 2 Recap:Top Fuel:A. Prock defeated Massey with his run of 3.732 ET at 328.94 MPH.Funny Car:J. Force fell to Capps during his Round 2 run, facing issues on track early during his run.Hight defeated Hagan with his run 3.913 ET at 324.20 MPH and resetting low ET of the event during the run.Pro Stock:Enders defeated Koretsky with her run of 6.667 ET at 205.26 MPH, to Koretsky’s at 6.671 ET at 203.95 MPH.Anderson defeated Glenn with his run of 6.856 ET at 175.71 MPH, to Glenn’s 6.926 ET at 156.08 MPH.Kramer defeated Stanfield with his run of 6.678 ET at 204.23 MPH while Stanfield’s car shut off on the start line.Caruso fell to C. Cuadra after a chaotic run that showed veteran prowess in the rookie driver, deploying her parachutes early to prevent further issue during the run. Semifinals Recap:Top Fuel:A. Prock fell to Ashley after smoking the tires early on the semifinal run.Funny Car:Hight falls to DeJoria on the semifinal run after smoking the tires early in the run. Pro Stock:Kramer defeated C. Cuadra on his run of 6.680 ET at 204.39 MPH to Cuadra’s smoking of the tires early in the run.Enders defeated Anderson on her solo run of 6.722 ET at 204.51 MPH after Anderson was shut off on the starting line.
Finals:Pro Stock:Enders defeated Kramer with her run of 6.680 ET at 204.08 MPH to Kramer’s 6.727 ET at 197.05 MPH.

Uncategorized

ENDERS POWERS TO A WIN AND A NO. 1 QUALIFIER AT NHRA THUNDER VALLEY NATIONALS

June 12, 2023 ARP Trish

The Pro Stock World Champion Claims Her First Victory Of The Season In Bristol

BRISTOL, Tenn. (June 11, 2023) – She’s back! Five-time NHRA Pro Stock world champion Erica Enders showed the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series that her car troubles are far behind her this weekend when she rocketed to her first win of the season after securing the pole position at the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals. Her Elite Motorsports teammate Aaron Stanfield won the NHRA Mission Foods #2Fast2Tasty specialty event on Saturday, making it a great weekend all-around for Elite Motorsports, the largest professional team in drag racing.
Enders’ Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage / Melling Performance Camaro laid down a blistering pass of 6.627-seconds at 205.88 mph on Friday evening to secure her first No. 1 qualifier of the season and the 30th of her impressive Pro Stock career. She went on to turn on four win lights on Sunday to pick up her 44th Pro Stock career victory.
“Nothing will ever top the feeling of seeing that beacon light up around this time on Sunday,” said Enders. This is for my guys. I have two new guys on my team, Connor and Declan. This is for the crew. They don’t quit. They don’t get down. They don’t give up. And that’s the most challenging part of all of this – to hear the negative scuttlebutt, all the people saying my career is over. But this just shows that it isn’t. JHG, Melling Performance, SCAG, thank you so much. I give God all the glory. This is awesome!”
Stanfield landed the NHRA Mission Foods #2Fast2Tasty victory during qualifying on Saturday. His Janac Brothers / JC3 Energy Camaro won against Deric Kramer in the first round with a terrific run of 6.631 at 206.80 before defeating Pro Stock points leader Dallas Glenn in the final round of the specialty race. He also went on to score a victory in the Factory Stock Showdown category.
“Qualifying is normally about making a nice clean run,” said Stanfield, after winning the NHRA Mission Foods #2Fast2Tasty race. “To add a little competition in there to turn on the win light and get a little payback from the last race is cool. I was glad to be a part of it. Drag racing has got a lot of highs and lows. We were struggling a little bit at the beginning of this season but we’ve turned it around and I’ve got a really good hot rod.”
With eight Pro Stock drivers making it into the incredibly tight qualifying field on race day, Troy Coughlin Jr., Bo Butner and Jerry Tucker made early first-round exits. In one of two all-Elite first-round matchups, twin brothers Cristian Cuadra and David Cuadra faced each other. C. Cuadra got the starting line advantage and held on to it for the win. In the next pair, Stanfield defeated Fernando Cuadra Jr. with the lowest elapsed time of the round, a 6.646 at 206.10. Enders defeated Mason McGaha in the final pass of the round.
After a brief rain delay, quarter-final competition kicked off with C. Cuadra powering past Camrie Caruso in his Corral Boots Mustang to advance to the semifinals. Enders defeated Kyle Koretsky on a holeshot while Stanfield’s car did not get off of the starting line, ceding the win to Kramer.
In the Pro Stock semifinals, C. Cuadra’s car squared the tires off of the hit against Kramer causing him to shut down early and give the win to Kramer. Enders powered her way into her first final round of the season when Greg Anderson experienced trouble on the line and had to shut down before staging.
In the final round, Enders defeated Kramer thanks to a stellar light (.015-seconds) and a powerful pass of 6.680 at 204.08.
The next event for the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series will be the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals, June 22-25 in Norwalk, Ohio.
***

Photos

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jOSH HART TAKES RIDE TO QUARTERFINALS AT BRISTOL

June 12, 2023 ARP Trish

BRISTOL, TN (June 11, 2023) — Racing two races in one weekend had Josh Hart and the R+L Carriers Top Fuel team focused on performance and the overall fan experience. Last weekend the NHRA New England Nationals was postponed to the Thunder Valley Nationals setting up Hart and the rest of the Top Fuel field for a two race in three days schedule. On Friday night Hart wrapped up his New England Nationals race and turned his attention to winning his first Thunder Valley Nationals title. The final two qualifying sessions on Saturday set Hart up as the No. 12 qualifier and a first round race with No. 5 qualifier Mike Salinas.

Josh Hart and R+L Carriers Top Fuel dragster, photo by Gary Nastase/Auto Imagery

Salinas’ quickest time of the weekend, a 3.762 second pass was a target that Hart and his crew chief Ron Douglas knew they could compete with on race day. When the Christmas Tree flashed Hart was first off the line with a starting line advantage of .053 to .113 and the two-time Top Fuel national event winner never trailed in the race. His R+L Carriers Top Fuel dragster that also gets considerable support from TechNet crossed the finish line with a winning time of 3.793 second at 331.36 mph.

“This was a wild weekend. I felt bad for the fans in Epping when we were there last week,” said Hart. “I felt even worse for us having to run Epping here because it was just a lot for the NHRA Safety Safari and everybody involved. It was really well orchestrated and worked out nice running two races in one weekend. I just wish we gone in our favor a little bit more. The first round win was a nice boost for the team and the car was flawless on that run.”

After a nearly four hour rain delay before the second round Hart pulled up beside one of the toughest competitors in the class so far this season in Justin Ashley. The two team owners and drivers are both chasing their first championships and building teams that will compete against each other for years to come. Each of these drivers is recognized as one of the toughest drivers when it comes to reaction times and driving skills. The second round race did not disappoint the fans.

Both 12,000-horsepower Top Fuel dragsters left together and they were welded side-by-side the full 1,000-foot race track. Ashley was able to poke the nose of his Phillips Connect race car out in front as they approached the finish line and he held on for the win. The incremental times down the track reflected that it was one of the closest races of the day. At the finish line it was Ashley’s 3.756 second pass getting the win over Hart’s 3.780 second run.

“When you go up against Justin, you’re going to have to be on your game,” said Hart. “My lights have been consistently in the 50s and I’m usually faster than that, so I’m going take this one on the chin myself. I was focused. I could have been a little bit more razor sharp. And we could have performed with the car a little bit better. But ultimately, that was our best run of the weekend. I’m very proud of the team. The conditions were all over the board. And we were able to get down almost every run.”

Hart will head to the Norwalk Nationals in two weeks looking to close the deal at a track he raced to the final round last season. He will be bringing a new race car to the fan-friendly facility located outside Cleveland.

“It’s a new car. We’ve got a lot of new parts. We’re still learning stuff every time we come out here, so I’m very confident moving forward, we’ll just keep on truckin’ and get ready for Norwalk. That will be a big race for us,” said Hart.

Qualifying Results
Q1: 3.819 sec, 321.12 mph; Qual. 1
Q2: 4.201 sec, 202.85 mph; Qual. 11
Q3: 5.742 sec, 120.49 mph; Qual. 12
Q4: 3.842 sec, 323.27 mph; Qual. 12
Bonus Points: +3 (Quickest of Q1)

Race Results

First Round

Josh Hart, R+L Carriers dragster, (.052), 3.793, 331.36 mph def. Mike Salinas, Happy Valley dragster, (.113), 3.839, 318.24 mph

Second Round

Justin Ashley, Phillips Connect dragster, (.048), 3.756, 329.83 mph def.  Josh Hart, R+L Carriers dragster, (.054), 3.780, 328.86 mph

Camping World Drag Racing Series Top Ten – Top Fuel
1.         Justin Ashley               633
2.         Steve Torrence           569
3.         Brittany Force             511
3.         Austin Prock                511
5.         Leah Pruett                 499
5.         Antron Brown             499
7.         Mike Salinas               448
8.         Josh Hart                    433
9.         Doug Kalitta                404
10.       Shawn Langdon          367

Uncategorized

HISTORIC WEEKEND FOR ASHLEY AT BRISTOL

June 12, 2023 ARP Trish

Ron Capps helps deliver second consecutive Toyota sweep of Bristol Dragway

BRISTOL, Tenn. (June 11, 2023) – Justin Ashley earned a historic double-up as he scored the win in the rain-delayed New England Nationals on Saturday, along with the Mission Foods Challenge victory, before following that with another win on Sunday in Bristol. With the success this weekend, Ashley took over the points lead.

It was also a big day for Antron Brown as he scored his 800th career round win, before coming up just short to Ashley in the final. Brown is the sixth driver in NHRA history to earn 800 round wins.

In Funny Car, Ron Capps celebrated the anniversary of his first Toyota win by taking the Toyota GR Supra Funny Car back to the winner’s circle for the seventh time in his career at Bristol Dragway. Capps defeated fellow Toyota driver Alexis DeJoria in the final round, as Toyota swept the final round spots in NHRA competition.

With Ashley and Capps’ victories, Toyota stands at 199 NHRA victories heading into the next race at Norwalk.

Toyota Post-Race Recap

NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series

Bristol Dragway

Race 8 of 21

TOYOTA TOP FUEL FINISHING POSITIONS

Name	Car	Final Result	Round-by-Round
Justin Ashley	Phillips Connect Toyota Top Fuel Dragster	Winner	W. 3.763 v. 3.871(D. Foley) W. 3.756 v. 3.780(J. Hart) W. 3.728 v. 7.154(A. Prock) W. 3.718 v. 6.148(A. Brown)
Antron Brown	Matco Tools Toyota Top Fuel Dragster	Finalist	W. 3.767 v. 3.749(Holeshot Win – B. Force) W. 3.765 v. 5.699(T. Schumacher) W. 3.730 v. 3.973(D. Kalitta) L. 6.148 v. 3.718(J. Ashley)
Doug Kalitta	Mac Tools Toyota Top Fuel Dragster	Semi-Finals	W. 3.724 v. 3.992(C. Millican) W. 3.733 v. 3.745(S. Torrence) L. 3.973 v. 3.730(A. Brown)
Steve Torrence	Capco Contractors Toyota Top Fuel Dragster	Second Round	W. 3.691 v. 3.779(S. Langdon) L. 3.745 v. 3.733(D. Kalitta)
Shawn Langdon	Bounty Hunter Kalitta Air Toyota Top Fuel Dragster	First Round	L. 3.779 v. 3.691(S. Torrence)

TOYOTA FUNNY CAR FINISHING POSITIONS

Name	Car	Final Result	Round-by-Round
Ron Capps	NAPA Auto Parts Toyota GR Supra Funny Car	Winner	W. 3.964 v. 4.223(D. Richards) W. 3.946 v. 6.143(J. Force) W. 3.918 v. 4.003(C. Green) W. 3.998 v. 3.999(A. DeJoria)
Alexis DeJoria	Bandero Tequila Toyota GR Supra Funny Car	Finalist	W. 3.983 v. No Run(C. Pedregon) W. 4.154 v. 4.236(B. Bode) W. 3.979 v. 7.840(R. Hight) L. 3.999 v. 3.998(R. Capps
J.R. Todd	DHL Toyota GR Supra Funny Car	First Round	L. 4.131 v. 3.999(J. Force)

TOYOTA QUOTES

JUSTIN ASHLEY, Phillips Connect Toyota Top Fuel Dragster, Maynard Ashley Racing

Final Result: Winner

How do you feel about winning everything this weekend?

“I’m on cloud nine. It is just an amazing feeling. It’s so hard to win a race. It is so difficult, so to be able to come into one weekend, in the course of three days, and win two events and one Mission Foods Challenge, is really something special. It’s hard to turn on win lights in this sport, so I just have so much gratitude for my entire team and the work they did to turn this car around round after round, and making sure it went down the race track. We had a lot of friends and family here – this is not too far from when the Maynards are, so they had a lot of their friends out as well. It’s a big win for the entire team.”

What does it mean to defend the Bristol title?

“After the fact, I certainly think about it. During the race, that doesn’t cross my mind and if it does, I do everything I can to get rid of that thought, because it is just a matter of focusing on that moment and taking it one round at a time, because it is not easy to win. I think that approach gives us as a team the opportunity to win.”

The last driver to win two races in one weekend was Tony Schumacher with your now crew chief, Mike Green. Can you talk about what your crew chiefs mean to this team?

“Mike (Green), Tommy (DeLago) and Dustin (Davis) are just fantastic. They are excellent at what they do both on and off the race track. You are only as good as the team that you have. They have done a great job themselves, but they have also assembled an amazing team that surrounds the race car. Honestly, it is fascinating to be able to watch them round after round maintain that consistency. Nothing stops this team. We can lose in the first round, we could win the race, we could fall short somewhere in between, but the mentality is the same. We always expect to win, and the reason for that is because it starts on top. It starts with guys like Dustin, Mike and Tommy.”

Your win was 199 for Toyota. What does it mean to close in on that milestone and the support Toyota provides you?

“It’s very, very deep – the talent pool that we have. I am so grateful that we have Toyota Gazoo Racing North America and Slugger (Labbe) and Paul (Flynn) and all of the people from that team that not only provide us with the data and information that we need, but treat us like family. When you are part of Toyota Racing, you are part of the Toyota family and we all have each other and we all work together. Going into that final round, against our Toyota teammate, and knowing, no matter what happened in front of us it was going to be a Toyota double-up and we are inching closer to a 200^th win for Toyota is really amazing. It speaks volumes on Toyota – to be able to put all of the time, energy, effort and commitment that have into the sport of NHRA drag racing – really is beyond measure.”

Was there one race today that stuck out today?

“It was every round today. I think at this point you always need to dig deep, especially with the way the competition is. Anytime we go up against Antron (Brown) is usually a fantastic race, and it is a really small margin of victory. I don’t really believe in the approach of getting up for anyone in particular, but you have to be extremely focused because he is not going to let you get away with anything. Antron is a fantastic driver, and more importantly, he’s a fantastic person, so I think racing a guy like Antron brings out the best in myself and my team.”

RON CAPPS, NAPA Auto Parts Toyota GR Supra Funny Car, Ron Capps Motorsports

Final Result: Winner

What does it mean to you to pick up your seventh win at Bristol?

“We are celebrating an anniversary of sorts. We got to announce our Toyota partnership in Charlotte at the 4-Wide, and then we gave the new GR Supra its first win here. So for Ron Capps Motorsports – to be able to do that last year – was one of the most epic moments of my life. I was pretty stoked when we pulled up and all four nitro cars were Toyota teams. Jwan (Smith), Paul (Flynn) and Slugger (Labbe), and all of the people that are here every weekend – people don’t understand that they send one of their trucks – it’s like what goes to NASCAR races as well – and they send it to NHRA races for the support of our teams. It is unbelievable behind the scenes that you don’t hear about. So very happy for Toyota. Guido (Dean Antonelli, crew chief), T-Buck (Tom Buckingham, assistant crew chief) got moved up when (John) Medlen retired last year. We promoted within with our company going into our second year. Allison (McCormick) our PR, and Kass (Pawuk), social media – same team, just kept at it. We’ve been close. Three final rounds. Should have been a win already, but this is probably the most demanding race track there is to drive a Funny Car. I think that anybody will tell you that, that drives one. I probably cost us a couple of qualifying runs. I just couldn’t hang on the car and keep it in the middle. Thankfully, I got my act together on Sunday, and Guido was able to lay it down. It is such a relief to see that Wally again. I honestly tell people, you never know if you are going to see one again. That is how tough it is.”

Can you talk about closing in on that milestone for Toyota and the relationship you have with them?

“You have to have the respect. J.R. Todd helped design that body, Alexis (DeJoria) helped design that body and I came in late. We came in with success – it’s tough. That creates a lot of weird vibes. I was very careful. I apologized a few times to them last year. I was careful about what I said. You have to be careful. I was invited into that family. I wanted to get into that family bad over the years – Antron Brown being such a close friend. I just knew that if I could get in as a part of that family, I knew what it meant. It is showing right now. It would be great to get them that win. I would honestly cheer for Alexis or J.R. or somebody getting that Funny Car win as well. It would be cool. It is a great thing. I forgot that there were two wins. That is looming on the horizon. Paul Doleshal, Slugger (Labbe) – you can’t believe the efforts that go in. People just don’t see it. Jwan (Smith), Paul (Flynn) – their track people are here before anybody during the day. When we are all hanging out having coffee and having breakfast and they are here at night, when they are people trying to kick them off of the track. They are tracking and showing us bumps and everything about the track. You just don’t get that – it is such a cool thing to have. I’m so grateful to be a part of the Toyota family.”

Can you talk about being back as the points leader?

“(Matt) Hagan has had us scrambling on it, him and Tony Stewart (owner). That is huge. It’s a long year. It’s great and it’s great for NAPA on Monday morning to look at competition Plus or any of our race sites – we send them the links – and see that we’re the points leaders. That’s great, but that doesn’t matter until Sunday at Pomona. I can finally say that. We finally won one from behind – we won it on Sunday. We are just trying to get wins and just get our consistency down, but this is huge. Great win.”

ANTRON BROWN, Matco Tools Toyota Top Fuel Dragster, AB Motorsports

Final Result: Finalist

Can you talk about the race this weekend?

“We definitely bounced back. One thing I can tell you about our team is we always stay persistent. This track was handing us our butt. We got too aggressive on Friday night – the first run coming out – our car was on at .78 run and it didn’t make it because we were too aggressive. We want to qualify well. We like to qualify in those top three spots. We want number one. We are going to go with that same attitude going into Norwalk. We are just going to scale it back. The coolest part is the way we rebounded – we came back out. Brian (Corradi, crew chief), Mark (Oswald, co-crew chief) and the boys went to the stuff that we know and the car went out the first round and we ran a .76. We were trying to run between a .74 and a .76 and it did it. It got us the round win and we just started picking away at each round to make it better. Semis, when we ran that .73 flat against Doug (Kalitta) – it really set us up for that final, where we thought we could go out there and go .71. That was what we were shooting for. Justin (Ashley) did it. We were already a hundredth quicker at the 60 foot mark and with the calculations that means you could have run about 15 thousandths quicker. If we would have run 15 thousandths quicker, we would have run a 3.715. That is what we were shooting for. We got a little greedy. It was going to hold it. The car was trying to get ghost. With that being said, when you make it to a final, it is a great weekend. Great weekend for a rebound in points. That moves us up a few spots or whatever it did. We just have to keep doing it. Our main focus is the Western Swing. Hit the swing hard and come back and make a strong push all of the way to Indy and see if we can move up some points spots and get ready for the Countdown for the Championship.”

Uncategorized

CARUSO RACES TO QUARTERFINALS AT BRISTOL DRAGWAY

June 12, 2023 ARP Trish

BRISTOL, TN (June 11, 2023) —- After her dominant NHRA Pro Stock Allstar Callout victory in Chicago 2022 NHRA Rookie of the Year Camrie Caruso was looking to put her Tequila Comisario Pro Stock Camaro back in the winner’s circle at the Thunder Valley Nationals. Through two days of qualifying Caruso powered her KB Titan Racing Chevrolet Camaro into race day as the No. 6 qualifier. Her Saturday qualifying runs put the third- generation driver in a strong position to get her second career win and second win in the 2023 NHRA season.

In the first round Caruso pulled up beside Bo Butner and his Johnson Horsepower Garage Chevrolet Camaro in a KB Titan Racing versus Elite Motorsports match-up. The last time Caruso raced Butner was the second round of the Arizona Nationals when Caruso picked up the win and raced to the Pro Stock title. Today Caruso chased down Butner just before half track and never trailed in the race as Butner shook the tires and had to click his power off. Her 6.653 second pass was consistent with her solid qualifying runs on Saturday.

Camrie Caruso and Tequila Comisario Chevrolet Camaro, photos by Innovation Creative Experts

“That was a big win in the first round,” said Caruso. “You always get amped up for the first round and when I saw that win light I was pretty excited. The last time I beat Bo was Arizona and we won that race. I can’t think my KB Titan Racing team for giving me such a great car. We really made some good runs on Saturday and that set us up for today.”

Shortly after the first round of the Camping World Drag Racing Series wrapped up rain moved into Thunder Valley and delayed the racing action for almost four hours. When racing resumed the teams had to battle slightly different weather conditions and completely different track conditions. Caruso and Cristian Cuadra were the first pair of Pro Stock race cars to make a quarter mile pass and each of the young drivers had their hands full at the top end of the track. Caruso’s Tequila Comisario Chevrolet Camaro was pulling away for another win light when her tires began spinning and control was slipping away. She wisely lifted and dropped her parachutes to avoid an incident, but it cost her valuable time and speed opening the door for Cuadra to sneak around her.

“We had to wait for a rain delay after the first round,” said Caruso. “The Safety Safari did a great job of getting the track ready for the Top Fuel and Funny Cars, but I had my hands full when they ran us. My pair with Cristian was wild and then the next pair with my teammates Greg Anderson and Dallas Glenn had issues. After that they re-prepped the track for the last two pairs. It is disappointing because we were winning our race against Cristian and I had to lift for safety. None of us were able to keep it straight and it is just frustrating. This Tequila Comisario Chevrolet was running really well and I felt good about our chances today.”

Caruso will leave the Thunder Valley Nationals sitting in sixth place in the Pro Stock point standings with the Norwalk Nationals next up on the schedule in two weeks. The young driver is just two rounds of racing out of fifth place and with a string of races on the horizon a move up the point standings is within the second-year pro’s grasp.

“I have so much confidence in this Tequila Comisario team and I have to thank all our sponsors including Powerbuilt Tools, Denso, VP Racing and Big Jeff Audio for their support,” said Caruso. “I can’t wait to get to Norwalk because that is a great track and I love their ice cream. I want to win that race to get the winner’s ice cream scoop and keep our momentum going.”
Qualifying Results
Q1: 6.685 sec, 205.98 mph; Qual. 6
Q2: 7.475 sec, 138.91 mph; Qual. 11
Q3: 6.656 sec, 206.20 mph; Qual. 11
Q4: 6.643 sec, 205.91 mph; Qual. 6
Bonus Points: +2 (2^nd quickest of Q2)
Race Results
First Round
Camrie Caruso, Tequila Comisario Chevrolet Camaro, (.057) 6.653, 205.38 mph def. Bo Butner, JHG Chevrolet Camaro, (.034), 8.531, 98.53 mph
Second Round
Cristian Cuadra, Corral Boots Ford Mustang, (.046), 6.711, 204.08 def. Camrie Caruso, Tequila Comisario Chevrolet Camaro, (.050) 7.272, 132.15 mph
Camping World Drag Racing Series Top Ten – Pro Stock
1.         Dallas Glenn               636
2.         Deric Kramer               499
3.         Matt Hartford             445
4.         Troy Coughlin Jr          430
5.         Aaron Stanfield          426
6.         Camrie Caruso            387
6.         Greg Anderson           387
8.         Cristian Cuadra           371
9.         Erica Enders                369
10.       Bo Butner                   344

Uncategorized

chevy racing–nascar–sonoma post race

June 12, 2023 ARP Trish

NASCAR CUP SERIES SONOMA RACEWAY TOYOTA / SAVE MART 350 TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE REPORT JUNE 11, 2023

TOP TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL TOP-10 RESULTS:POS. DRIVER2nd Kyle Busch, No. 8 McLaren Custom Grills Camaro ZL15th Chase Elliott, No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Camaro ZL16th AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 Gabriel Glas Camaro ZL18th Kyle Larson, No. 5 Valvoline Camaro ZL110th Ross Chastain, No. 1 Kubota Camaro ZL1 TOP-FIVE UNOFFICIAL RESULTS: POS. DRIVER1st Martin Truex Jr. (Toyota)2nd Kyle Busch (Chevrolet)3rd Joey Logano (Ford)4th Chris Buescher (Ford)5th Chase Elliott (Chevrolet)
The 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season continues in two weeks at Nashville Superspeedway with the Ally 400 on Sunday, June 25, at 7 p.m. ET. Live coverage can be found on NBC, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE QUOTES: AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 BREZTRI CAMARO ZL1Finished: 19th“I’m proud of everyone on the No. 3 BREZTRI AEROSPHERE™ (budesonide, glycopyrrolate, and formoterol fumarate) Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 at Sonoma Raceway for fighting back and staying in it all day. We were strong today, but the results don’t show just how strong we were. I got loose in Turn 11 and thought I would be able to recover, but contact in the right-rear from another car sent me into the tire bundle and we spun. It’s just very typical of the season we’ve been having. After the spin, we were last but we were able to climb back up to 19th before the Checkered. We had a fast Chevy and we were on our way to one of our best road course performances after a lot of focus and preparation for this race, so I hate that we had that setback, but I’m proud of everyone on the No. 3 team for their efforts. We’ll take advantage of the NASCAR off weekend to regroup and be refreshed and ready to battle at Nashville Superspeedway.”

KYLE BUSCH, NO. 8 MCLAREN CUSTOM GRILLS CAMARO ZL1Finished: 2nd“Not too bad of a day for the No. 8 McLaren Custom Grills Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 team at Sonoma Raceway, I just wish we had a little bit more. I tried hard to keep Martin Truex, Jr. honest. I felt like I could beat him a little on a lap, and then I would mess up and he would beat me by more on the next lap. We were trading a little bit, but he was able to pull away late. Overall, great job by all the RCR and ECR guys on this Camaro. I’m proud of the effort. We gave it everything we had. We made a lot of changes. We got a lucky break with the yellow with only three laps on tires. We were able to cycle to the front. Once we got up there, we could maintain pace with some of the good cars and had a good top-three speed race car. Good fortunes for us, and it’s nice to come out here with a second-place finish after a win last week. We have three wins at this point in the season, and this team is really stringing together some good runs, so I don’t know if I want an off week. It will be good to regroup, focus and set up for the last 18 races of the season, though. Overall, I’m just really proud of the guys on this team, the communication, and the way they are able to go to work, work through some of our issues and try to improve on what I need to be able to feel in a race car and pull out finishes like the one we had today. If we can keep doing those things, we will be a force for the championship.”

CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CAMARO ZL1 Finished: 5th “It’s nice to get a top-five, no doubt, so proud of that. We were trying to do something a little different with strategy. We had pit about six or eight laps there before that caution. We just felt like our only play was to stay out. I was really hoping that more people would do that with us so we’d have three or four rows. It still probably wouldn’t have been enough, but I do think it would have been nicer to have a couple more rows and a buffer for those with tires.
It was certainly a good fight for the No. 9 NAPA Chevy team. It was one of our better runs there in the last couple of races, so always good to finish strong. It wasn’t an ideal situation, so to kind of fight through it there and come home with a top-five is good. Looking forward to build on that and hopefully contend for a win before long.”

AJ ALLMENDINGER, NO. 16 GABRIEL GLAS CAMARO ZL1Finished: 6th “We started off pretty good there. We got up to fourth there in Stage One, and I thought at that point, we were the third- or fourth- fastest car. We were about one lap away from being really good. I got really loose the second run, so we were going to pit and right before we pit, the caution came out. That made us restart 16th and then it was just kind of a dog fight from there. I felt like we had pretty good pace with short-run speed, but I would get super loose in traffic, so I had to fight that. It’s just so hard to pass.
I thought the No. 16 Gabriel Glas Chevy team did a great job all day. The pit stops were really good. We had a good stop there at the end – were able to make up a couple of spots and make what we could out of it.”

JUSTIN HALEY, NO. 31 CIRKUL CAMARO ZL1Finished: 21st“Overall, it was not a bad day for this No. 31 LeafFilter Gutter Protection team. I feel like we were really good in the high-speed areas and not so great in the braking zones. I felt like we had some speed, but my biggest issue was not being able to pass. We will regroup after the off week for Nashville.”

TEAM CHEVY RACE HIGHLIGHTS:
Stage One·       Road course phenom AJ Allmendinger and the No. 16 Gabriel Glas Camaro ZL1 team qualified in the fifth position – leading Team Chevy to the green flag at Sonoma Raceway.
·       With no stage break cautions during road course events, pit strategy came into play during the races’ early laps. A handful of cars chose to short-pit and make their first round of pit stops prior to the end of the stage, including Hendrick Motorsports’ Chase Elliott and Kyle Larson.
·       Allmendinger maintained a steady top-five running position throughout Stage One – leading the Bowtie brigade to the green-white checkered in the fourth position.
·       Three drivers from three different Chevrolet teams collected stage points at the conclusion of the caution-free Stage One: 4th      AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 Gabriel Glas Camaro ZL19th      Alex Bowman, No. 48 Ally Pride Camaro ZL110th     Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 Kroger / Cottonelle Camaro ZL1

Stage Two·       Following the completion of the green-flag pit cycle, early pit strategy paid dividends for Hendrick Motorsports’ Chase Elliott and Kyle Larson – with both drivers powering their Camaro ZL1’s to the top-five on the leaderboard.
·       The first caution of the race fell on lap 49 for an uncontrolled tire on pit road. Varying pit strategy continued with some teams opting to stay out for track position including Team Chevy’s Kyle Busch, William Byron, Ross Chastain, Austin Dillon, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Daniel Suarez – giving their Camaro ZL1’s a top-10 starting position for the restart.
·       The field took the green for the restart with three circuits remaining in the stage with Busch driving his No. 8 McLaren Custom Grills Camaro ZL1 to the lead. The series’ most recent winner, Busch ultimately took the Stage Two win for his second stage triumph of the season.
·       Busch led Team Chevy to five of the top-six finishing positions at the end of Stage Two: 1st      Kyle Busch, No. 8 McLaren Custom Grills Camaro ZL13rd      Ross Chastain, No. 1 Kubota Camaro ZL14th      William Byron, No. 24 RaptorTough.com Camaro ZL15th      Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 Kroger / Cottonelle Camaro ZL16th      Austin Dillon, No. 3 BREZTRI Camaro ZL1

Final Stage / Post-Race Notes·       A spin by Denny Hamlin brought out the race’s second caution of the day with just 18 circuits remaining in the race. The majority of field’s lead lap came to pit road, with crew chief Alan Gustafson keeping the No. 9 NAPA Camaro ZL1 out for a front-row starting position for the race’s final restart.
·       Kyle Busch led Team Chevy to the checkered flag at Sonoma Raceway – driving his No. 8 McLaren Custom Grills Camaro ZL1 to a runner-up finish. This marks Busch’s ninth top-10 finish of the 2023 season and his ninth top-10 finish in 18 career NASCAR Cup Series starts at the Northern California road course.
·       Busch led Team Chevy to five top-10 finishes in the event – recorded by drivers from four different Chevrolet teams.
·       In 16 points-paying NASCAR Cup Series race this season, Chevrolet continues to lead the series in wins (nine), top-fives (35), top-10s (68), stage wins (17) and laps led (2,032).

Uncategorized

AUSTIN PROCK AND ROBERT HIGHT SEMIFINALISTS ATNHRA THUNDER VALLEY NATIONALS

June 12, 2023 ARP Trish

BRISTOL, Tenn. (June 11, 2023) – Austin Prock and the Montana Brand / Rocky Mountain Twist Chevrolet dragster team and Robert Hight with his Cornwell Tools / AAA Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car team each made semifinal appearances Sunday at the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals at Bristol Dragway. John Force and the BlueDEF PLATINUM Chevy had a quarterfinal exit and Brittany Force and the Monster Energy / Flav-R-Pac team made a first-round exit.
Austin Prock, the No. 8 qualifier, and the Montana Brand / RMT team picked up their first-round win over Cameron Ferre with a clean 3.777-second run at 327.66 mph sending Ferre’s 3.883 at 294.37 packing. After a nearly four-hour weather delay, Prock earned his way into the Mission Foods #2Fast2Tasty Challenge by defeating Spencer Massey for a spot in the semifinals. Prock and the Montana Brand team had a 3.732-second pass at 328.94 mph bettering Spencer Massey’s 3.871 at 309.77. Prock and the Montana Brand team would have to call it a day in the semifinals after they smoked the tires for a 7.154 pass at 127.98 to Justin Ashley’s clean 3.728 at 330.23.
“Not the finish we wanted but a heck of a rebound from earlier in the weekend. Just got a little too aggressive in the semifinals,” Prock said. “We will continue to progress with this Montana Brand / Rocky Mountain Twist hot rod. I’m proud of what we’ve done as a team so far and it’s early in the season. On the bright side, we get a shot back at Justin Ashley in Norwalk for the #2Fast2Tasty Challenge.”
Robert Hight and the Cornwell Tools Camaro handed Alex Laughlin a first-round loss when they ran 3.962 seconds at 324.26 mph to better Laughlin’s 4.261 at 259.66. In the quarterfinals, Hight would take down rival three-time champion Matt Hagan. Hight would have the quickest run of the event at 3.913 seconds and 324.20 mph to take down Hagan’s 3.952 at 330.23.
Securing a spot in the Mission Foods #2Fast2Tasty Challenge with his appearance in the semifinals, Hight would come up short of the final round after the Cornwell Tools Chevy smoked the tires early to go only 7.840-seconds at 87.07 mph which allowed Alexis DeJoria to drive around him with a 3.728 pass at 330.23.
“Obviously not the way we wanted to end the weekend for this Cornwell Tools Chevy. Busy weekend, we had our hands full. We haven’t had a lot of consistency this year and that’s what we’re working on. Was hoping we would have it today,” Hight said. “Once we get that consistency we’ll be back to our usual form. We just have to stay focused. I believe in this team and Jimmy Prock and they believe in me and we’ll get the job done.”
Coming off a runner-up finish in the New England Nationals, John Force and the BlueDEF Chevy picked up a first-round win going 3.999 seconds at 326.95 mph to defeat J.R. Todd and his 4.131 at 258.52. 7.840. Force would have his Thunder Valley Nationals weekend come to an end in the quarterfinals when the BlueDEF Chevy smoked the tires and coasted to a 6.143 at 108.43 against reigning world champion Ron Capps and his 3.946 at 321.81.
“I’m having fun, going a couple of rounds. Obviously don’t love that we didn’t make it further for the Thunder Valley Nationals, but it’s been a busy weekend. It’s been exciting,” Force said. “We’ll be good. We’re doing okay. We’ll head to Norwalk and see if we can get it done in this BlueDEF Chevy.”
Brittany Force and the Monster Energy team had a solid effort in the first round of eliminations against Antron Brown. Force would handle the Monster dragster to a 3.749-second pass at 327.51 mph with a .078 reaction time but it wasn’t enough for Brown’s 3.767 at 328.78 and a .056 reaction time, giving him the holeshot victory.
“It was a rough weekend in Bristol for the Thunder Valley Nationals, but we still leave here on a positive note. This Monster Energy / Flav-R-Pac team qualified number two. We did get beat early but we feel like we learned a lot on this car and tune-up this weekend to set us up for going into Norwalk, Ohio in two weeks,” Force said. “We are leaving tied at third in points, which is a great position to be in and I’m excited to get back to Ohio.”
The NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series season continues with the Summit Motorsports Equipment NHRA Nationals at Summit Motorsports Park in Norwalk, Ohio June 23rd to 25th.
-30-

Photo Credit: Gary Nastase, Auto Imagery

Unofficial NHRA Camping World Top Ten Points Standings
TOP FUEL – 1. Justin Ashley, 633; 2. Steve Torrence, 569; 3. Brittany Force, Monster Energy / Flav-R-Pac dragster, 511; 4. Austin Prock, Montana Brand / Rocky Mountain Twist dragster, 506; 5. Leah Pruett, 504; 6. Antron Brown, 499; 7. Mike Salinas, 448; 8. Josh Hart, 433; 9. Doug Kalitta, 404; 10. Shawn Langdon, 367. FUNNY CAR – 1. Ron Capps, 612; 2. Matt Hagan, 580; 3. Robert Hight, Cornwell Tools / AAA Chevy Camaro SS, 555; 4. Chad Green, 540; 5. Alexis DeJoria, 534; 6. Bob Tasca III, 497; 7. Tim Wilkerson, 472; 8. John Force, BlueDEF PLATINUM Chevy Camaro SS, 451; 9. Cruz Pedregon, 372; 10. J.R. Todd, 345.

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June 12, 2023

JUSTIN ASHLEY WINS BRISTOL CAPS DOMINANT WEEKEND

Justin Ashley with both national event trophies from a dominant weekend at Bristol Dragway, photo by Gary Nastase/Auto Imagery

Aaron Stanfield Earns 10th Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown Victory Sunday at NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals

Aaron Stanfield, Thunder Valley Nationals Flexjet Factory Stock winner, photo by Gary Nastase/Auto Imagery

Aaron Stanfield takes win in final at Thunder Valley Nationals, photo by Gary Nastase/Auto Imagery

chevy racing–nhra–bristol–erica enders

ENDERS POWERS TO A WIN AND A NO. 1 QUALIFIER AT NHRA THUNDER VALLEY NATIONALS

jOSH HART TAKES RIDE TO QUARTERFINALS AT BRISTOL

Josh Hart and R+L Carriers Top Fuel dragster, photo by Gary Nastase/Auto Imagery

HISTORIC WEEKEND FOR ASHLEY AT BRISTOL

CARUSO RACES TO QUARTERFINALS AT BRISTOL DRAGWAY

Camrie Caruso and Tequila Comisario Chevrolet Camaro, photos by Innovation Creative Experts

chevy racing–nascar–sonoma post race

AUSTIN PROCK AND ROBERT HIGHT SEMIFINALISTS ATNHRA THUNDER VALLEY NATIONALS

Racer News and Results