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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

For tickets to Super DIRT Week 51, CLICK HERE.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

RESULTS

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Here’s how each played out:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

For tickets to Super DIRT Week 51, CLICK HERE.

October 4, 2023

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Stage breaks are planned for Laps 25 and 50.
 

TEAM CHEVY ADVANCECharlotte Motor Speedway Road CourseConcord, North Carolina

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

35 CHAMPIONSHIPS – 455 WINS – 420 POLES

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

35 CHAMPIONSHIPS – 455 WINS – 420 POLES

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

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

The Myerstown, PA native becomes the 13th driver with multiple National Open wins as Pittman settles for sixth runner-up

MECHANICSBURG, PA (September 30, 2023) – Chalk up the 61st Champion Racing Oil National Open to the Pennsylvania Posse.

Brent Marks is a native of Myerstown, PA, cut his teeth in the Sprint Car hotbed before embarking on a national schedule for a few seasons, and has refocused a majority of his racing on the region in recent years. On Saturday night at Williams Grove Speedway, Marks made his home state fans proud by topping the 2023 National Open for the Posse.

Marks started on the pole of the 40-lap Feature and slipped back to third early before rallying to snatch the top in the second half of the main event on his way to victory in the final leg of Sprint Car racing’s Triple Crown and a huge $75,000 paycheck.

The grandstands erupted as the “Myerstown Missile” took the checkered flag. In Victory Lane, the roars thundered even louder as he rose atop the wing of the Murray-Marks #19. One of PA’s own had taken down the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars at the state’s premier event.

“It feels awesome. To be standing up here in front of this crowd is just absolutely amazing,” Marks said. “The support in Pennsylvania is second to none. I can’t thank all of the fans for coming out tonight enough and supporting this event and supporting us. Got a win for the PA Posse.”

Adding to his 2019 National Open triumph, Marks became the 13th driver in history to top the crown jewel multiple times. The win also served as his 13th with The Greatest Show on Dirt. Four of those have occurred at Williams Grove. The Posse now own back-to-back National Open titles after Lance Dewease notched his fifth “Natty O” in 2022.

While Marks began the main event from the front courtesy of winning the Toyota Racing Dash, the route to victory was no walk in the park. The 32-year-old led the opening circuit, but Justin Peck threw a successful slide job on the second lap to take over the lead. In the next set of corners, sixth-starting Daryn Pittman rolled by Marks on the bottom to snatch second.

Peck maintained roughly a one second advantage over Pittman for the next handful of laps. But as the leaders approached traffic, Pittman began to close in on the Buch Motorsports #13. On the 12th lap, Peck slipped up exiting Turn 2 allowing Pittman to power into the lead behind the wheel of the Kreitz Racing #69K.

World of Outlaws and Posse fans united in their joy as Pittman moved into the top spot. The 2013 World of Outlaws champion and former regular in Pennsylvania entered the weekend with five National Open runner-ups on his résumé but no wins. The semi-retired racer has only competed a handful of times this year but made sure to climb aboard a potent ride for the race that had long eluded him.

Marks lurked close behind as Pittman claimed the lead. Only three laps after Pittman passed Peck, Marks also moved ahead of him to grab second and set his sights on Pittman.

A pair of restarts bunched the field together as the Feature neared the halfway point, but Pittman aced both of them in his pursuit of National Open glory and pulled ahead. While Pittman initially gapped Marks on the second restart, Marks began to mount a charge as he got the #19 rolling on the top.

The race reached the 20-lap halfway mark, and it became clear was Marks was closing. The margin visibly shrank lap after lap as Pittman stayed glued to the bottom while Marks remained committed to the cushion. On Lap 22, Marks got a huge run out of Turn 4 and powered alongside Pittman down the front straightaway before sliding him in Turns 1 and 2. Pittman looked under Marks exiting the second corner but couldn’t nose back ahead. 

“Our care is just a long run car. We always struggle a little bit at the beginning of a race with a full fuel load,” Marks explained. “We just need laps. That’s all it took tonight, just getting laps. The top started to clean off a little bit more and come in more than it was, and Daryn was running around the bottom down there.”

Even after getting passed, Pittman continued to put up a fight as he didn’t let Marks pull away at first. The Owasso, OK native kept the powder blue machine a few car lengths behind Marks lap after lap in search of his first National Open.

Eventually, Marks began to inch away from Pittman as the lead duo made their way through traffic, the margin extending beyond a second and a half at one point. One last glimmer of hope gleamed on the 32nd circuit when Pittman slashed Mark’s advantage from 1.1 seconds to nearly half a second in traffic. 

But ultimately, Pittman also found himself slightly held up by the same cars, allowing Marks to again grow the gap. Marks expertly worked his way through lapped cars on his way to a comfortable 2.4 second lead when the checkered flag flew.

“To get my second National Open title is really special,” Marks said. “We had a shot to win this back in 2021, and I hit a lapped car and spun out while leading and last year we finished second. This kind of felt like a little bit of redemption for me. Just hats off to this whole team. The Murray-Marks Motorsports team is just awesome.”

Pittman crossed the finish line in second for his sixth National Open runner-up in a fifth different car as Kreitz Racing came up a spot short of two consecutive National Open victories. The effort was worth a $25,000 payday. Driving from sixth to first and leading 11 laps but ultimately coming up short again left Pittman with a tough pill to swallow.

“Second still sucks. I’ve just been so close,” Pittman said. “That one’s hard to swallow. Honestly, I just feel like I let these guys down. At the end of the day, this car is amazing, and I’m disappointed. Man, if we would’ve pulled that off, I can guarantee they were going to have to find a driver to start and park that second Feature because you weren’t ever going to see me here again. I would’ve gladly walked away with a National Open win and hung up my career at Williams Grove.”

Rounding out the top three was the night’s Simpson Performance Products QuickTime Award winner – Rico Abreu. The St. Helena, CA native pocketed $10,000 for the third place run as he notched his 15th World of Outlaws podium of the year.

“It’s amazing to race in front of such a big crowd here at Williams Grove Speedway,” Abreu commented. “Those guys just had a little bit faster pace than us. The more I moved around the more I felt kind of numb leaving the corners, and I just needed to be up top.”

Sheldon Haudenschild and Brad Sweet completed the top five.

Sweet’s fifth coupled with his win in the second Feature of the night allowed him to extend his points lead up to 90 markers.

Danny Dietrich scored KSE Racing Hard Charger honors with a drive from 27th to 9th.

CASE No.1 Engine Oil Heat One went to Rico Abreu. NOS Energy Drink Heats Two through Four were topped by Justin Peck, Brad Sweet, and Brent Marks. 

Buddy Kofoid won the Micro-Lite Last Chance Showdown.

UP NEXT: The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series returns to Port Royal Speedway for the two-day Nittany Showdown, Friday-Saturday, Oct. 6-7. For tickets, CLICK HERE.

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

RESULTS:

NOS Energy Drink Feature (40 Laps): 1. 19-Brent Marks[1]; 2. 69K-Daryn Pittman[6]; 3. 24-Rico Abreu[4]; 4. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild[7]; 5. 49-Brad Sweet[3]; 6. 13-Justin Peck[2]; 7. 2-David Gravel[5]; 8. 15-Donny Schatz[17]; 9. 48-Danny Dietrich[27]; 10. 7BC-Tyler Courtney[8]; 11. 5-Spencer Bayston[15]; 12. 18-Giovanni Scelzi[22]; 13. 11-Cory Eliason[10]; 14. 3Z-Brock Zearfoss[11]; 15. 9-Kasey Kahne[9]; 16. 8E-Freddie Rahmer[26]; 17. 83JR-Michael Kofoid[21]; 18. 99-Skylar Gee[18]; 19. 41-Carson Macedo[12]; 20. 21-Brian Brown[16]; 21. 83-James McFadden[14]; 22. 1S-Logan Schuchart[25]; 23. 71-Anthony Macri[19]; 24. 26-Zeb Wise[24]; 25. 39M-Lance Dewease[13]; 26. 91-Kyle Reinhardt[20]; 27. 8-Aaron Reutzel[23]

FULL CIRCLE: Brad Sweet Scores Second Williams Grove Win of 2023 Season

Sweet won the first Williams Grove race of the 2023 World of Outlaws season in May and the last on Saturday night

The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series’ 2023 journey to Williams Grove Speedway ended the same way it started – with Brad Sweet in Victory Lane.

Less than 30 minutes after finishing fifth in the 61st Champion Racing Oil National Open, “The Big Cat” found another gear and won the 25-lap Feature – that was postponed from Friday – for his second Williams Grove triumph of the year. His first came in May.

“Really had a great race car right there,” Sweet said. “Wish we had that for the National Open. But it is hard to win these races. Everyone is always trying things and it’s in a small window.

“My guys have been giving me good race cars. Not only here, but everywhere lately. We’ve been in contention to win; it seems like night in and night out.”

Sweet started outside pole, alongside Toyota Dash winner Tyler Courtney. When the Feature commenced, “Sunshine” got the early jump and pulled ahead. However, the NAPA Auto Parts #49 kept the pressure on every corner.

Sweet dove under Courtney going into Turn 3 on Lap 2, but the NOS Energy Drink #7BC propelled ahead from the momentum gained on the top lane.

Their battle was interrupted with a caution on Lap 5 for a slowed Chase Randall. Upon the race’s resumption, Sweet took another shot at a Turn 3 slider. This time, success.

New leader, Brad Sweet, on Lap 6.

Three laps later, he was already ahead by nearly two seconds.

Courtney was left to try and fend of Carson Macedo for second, but a new hope emerged at the halfway point. While Sweet dealt with slower traffic, Courtney cut his lead in half.

With nine laps to go, Courtney closed within a second. With four to go, under half a second.

A potential July scenario was playing out again for Sweet where he got passed on the last corner by Logan Schuchart for the win.

However, Courtney lost his charge, getting passed by Macedo and David Gravel in the final two laps.

The four-time and reigning World of Outlaws champion went on to visit Victory Lane for the 10th time this season with the Series, extend his points lead – now 90 over Gravel – and score multiple wins at Williams Grove in a season for the first time in his career.

“We finally got the win with (my daughter) Savannah with me – she got to go on the wing – and my wife,” Sweet said. “My wife has spent a lot of miserable nights here at Williams Grove, (with us) having to take provisionals and stuff, so it is cool to see it come full circle and us get a win.”

After blowing a motor on the final lap of the National Open, Macedo and his Jason Johnson Racing crew thrashed in under 30 minutes to get a new motor in the car and have it ready for another 25 laps. Their resilience was rewarded with a second-place run.

“This JJR 41 team did an incredible job,” Macedo said. “That was about as quick as you can change a motor and try to make adjustments… I’m really proud of them. You work so hard and turn around and come back and get a runner up finish. I felt like we were pretty strong there at the end. I could get through (Turns 1 and 2) better than most guys.”

Gravel finished third for his 30th podium finish of the season – a Series high.

“I wish we could get to lap traffic there and dice it up a little bit more but just ran out of laps and got to third there on the last lap,” Gravel said.

“Overall, a solid weekend, but Brad (Sweet) beat us both nights and that’s not what you want. We’re going to keep working hard and digging and Port Royal (Speedway) is a pretty good track for us, so I’m really excited for [the Nittany Showdown, Oct. 6-7].”

Before the rain fell and postponed Friday’s Feature to Saturday, Gravel had a strong start to the event, scoring the Simpson Quick Time Award and winning the CASE No.1 Engine Oil Heat #1.

Courtney finished fourth and, after winning his second National Open title, Brent Marks finished fifth. Ten-time Series champion Donny Schatz won the KSE Hard Charger Award, making his way from 27th to 13th.

UP NEXT: The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series returns to Port Royal Speedway for the two-day Nittany Showdown, Friday-Saturday, Oct. 6-7. For tickets, CLICK HERE.

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

RESULTS:

NOS Energy Drink Feature (25 Laps): 1. 49-Brad Sweet[2]; 2. 41-Carson Macedo[4]; 3. 2-David Gravel[6]; 4. 7BC-Tyler Courtney[1]; 5. 19-Brent Marks[13]; 6. 39M-Lance Dewease[7]; 7. 8E-Freddie Rahmer[8]; 8. 13-Justin Peck[9]; 9. 69K-Daryn Pittman[15]; 10. 11T-TJ Stutts[14]; 11. 83JR-Michael Kofoid[10]; 12. 18-Giovanni Scelzi[19]; 13. 15-Donny Schatz[27]; 14. 21-Brian Brown[5]; 15. 8-Aaron Reutzel[12]; 16. 27-Troy Wagaman Jr[20]; 17. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild[29]; 18. 3Z-Brock Zearfoss[11]; 19. 48-Danny Dietrich[24]; 20. 5-Spencer Bayston[30]; 21. 39T-Kyle Moody[26]; 22. 44-Dylan Norris[28]; 23. 1S-Logan Schuchart[25]; 24. 1X-Chad Trout[18]; 25. (DNF) 9-Kasey Kahne[23]; 26. (DNF) 58-Chase Randall[17]; 27. (DNS) 26-Zeb Wise; 28. (DNS) 83-James McFadden; 29. (DNS) 71-Anthony Macri; 30. (DNS) 24-Rico Abreu

The Oakwood, IL driver increases his points lead to 146 with seven races remaining

CHILLICOTHE, OH – September 30, 2023 – Wasting time wasn’t an option for Bobby Pierce at Atomic Speedway Saturday night.

With his experience at the track, he knew how quickly its surface could change and how quickly he needed to pass Chris Madden if he wanted to win. The Oakwood, IL driver seized his opportunity, sliding by Madden on Lap 32 to earn his 12th World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Model Series win of 2023.

Madden, the pole sitter, stormed to the lead on Lap 1 while Pierce and Brian Shirley battled for second. Shirley snuck under Pierce to take the position and became Madden’s first challenger for the lead as the two approached traffic. 

After chasing Madden for a few laps, the Chatham, IL driver dove underneath him in Turn 4, nosing his #3S ahead of Madden to lead Lap 13. That was the only lap Shirley would lead, though, as Madden’s momentum allowed him to reclaim the position the next time around.

While the top two battled in traffic, Pierce lurked behind them on the outside lane. 

It wasn’t long before Pierce found an opportunity to get by Shirley. The “Smooth Operator” found a burst of speed down the backstretch and slid his Longhorn chassis ahead of Shirley in Turn 3 to grab second on Lap 23. 

As Madden dealt with traffic, Pierce closed in on the #44, hoping to find an opportunity. His first chance came on Lap 30. With a lap car on the top of the racetrack, Pierce moved under Madden, pulling even in Turns 1 and 2. But at that point, Madden was better, keeping his momentum in the middle. However, it wouldn’t be long until Pierce got another chance—one he wouldn’t waste.

On Lap 32, Pierce thundered down the backstretch, again pulling even with Madden’s Longhorn. And with the same move he used to pass Shirley, Pierce slid in front of Madden to take the lead in Turn 3. 

From there, Pierce outdueled Madden through traffic to earn the $15,000 win—his 32nd overall triumph of the 2023 season. 

Pierce said he thought the track might take rubber late in the race and knew he had to pass Madden before that happened.

“It was getting really clean in Turn 3,” Pierce said. “I wanted to be patient because I knew we were pretty good, and staying green was really helping my situation. I knew how clean it was getting, and this track can rubber up. It never really did. It almost did there at the very end, but you never know. I wanted to get by [Madden], and traffic was really hairy. It was a lot of fun, though, slicing and dicing around.”

Another critical factor in Pierce’s win was his ability to maneuver through traffic. In the last 10 laps, Kyle Bronson and Dustin Walker were side-by-side, with Pierce behind them, trying to find a way by. Like his pass on Madden, Pierce took advantage when he saw a chance, splitting the two drivers in Turn 3 en route to the win.

“Sometimes you have to pull a move like that because you get stuck behind somebody, and you don’t realize how much your lap times dropped off,” Pierce said. “That guy in second place is right there on you again. So, I kind of had to pull it, and I’m glad I did because it worked out.”

Pierce also extended his points lead for the second straight night over Madden. He leads by 146 points entering next weekend’s Hoosier Dirt Classic at Brownstown Speedway.

Madden crossed the line second after leading 30 laps of the Feature that went green-to-checkered. The absence of a yellow flag wasn’t something he expected, and he said he felt things may have played out differently.

“I went with a different tire combination than he did,” Madden said. “He’s got a little but more experience here than I have. I didn’t see us running 50 green flag laps, either. Maybe a couple of cautions might’ve saved me right there, but we got free toward the end. 

“We were still really good. We just put the wrong tire on.”

Shirley finished third, bouncing back from a 15th-place finish on Friday. He said he was happy with his finish but wasn’t satisfied.

“We leave here tonight with a third, and that’s definitely respectable and lets us walk out of here with our heads held high,” Shirley said. “I felt like our car, it wasn’t really a bad car, but it needs to be better. And we should’ve done a couple of little things better. That’s why you go race. To build a notebook and try and get better the next time.”

Defending Series champion Dennis Erb Jr. finished fourth, and four-time Series champion Brandon Sheppard rounded out the top five.

Mike Marlar, Saturday’s Fox Factory Hard Charger, finished sixth after starting 19th.

UP NEXT: The World of Outlaws CASE Late Models make their final trip to the Midwest with a trip to Brownstown Speedway for the Hoosier Dirt Classic on Friday, Oct. 6. Then, the Series returns to Fairbury Speedway for the FALS Frenzy on Saturday, Oct. 7.

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

CASE Construction Equipment Late Model Feature (50 Laps): 1. 32-Bobby Pierce[2]; 2. 44-Chris Madden[1]; 3. 3S-Brian Shirley[3]; 4. 28-Dennis Erb Jr[7]; 5. B5-Brandon Sheppard[4]; 6. 157-Mike Marlar[19]; 7. 97-Cade Dillard[9]; 8. B1-Brent Larson[15]; 9. 9-Nick Hoffman[6]; 10. 68-Adam Stricker[18]; 11. 96V-Tanner English[12]; 12. 19R-Ryan Gustin[10]; 13. 71C-RJ Conley[5]; 14. 55-Jesse Wisecarver[17]; 15. 40B-Kyle Bronson[13]; 16. 25-Shane Clanton[23]; 17. 14W-Dustin Walker[11]; 18. 11-Gordy Gundaker[14]; 19. 71R-Rod Conley[20]; 20. 30-Todd Cooney[21]; 21. 20-Jimmy Owens[8]; 22. 1-Shane Bailey[24]; 23. 29C-Clint Keenan[22]; 24. 17-Zack Dohm[16] FOX FACTORY HARD CHARGER: Mike Marlar [+13].

******Updated with correct qualifying position for John Force and the PEAK Antifreeze and Coolant Chevy Camaro SS: No. 4****** MADISON, Ill. (Sept. 30, 2023) – Points leaders Robert Hight and the AAA / Cornwell Tools Chevrolet Camaro SS team battled through qualifying at the NHRA Midwest Nationals at World Wide Technology Raceway to ultimately jump from No. 18 to No. 8 on Saturday. John Force and the PEAK Antifreeze and Coolant Chevy Camaro SS are in the No. 4 spot while Austin Prock and the Montana Brand / Rocky Mountain Twist team are No. 10 and Brittany Force and the Monster Energy / Flav-R-Pac team are No. 11. Without a clean run on Friday night, Robert Hight and the AAA team struggled Saturday afternoon. Tire smoke early forced Hight to shut off the Chevy Camaro and coast to 5.851 seconds at 117.21 shifting down to the No. 18 spot. Entering the final session not yet qualified, Hight held on for a 3.953-second run at 323.89 mph that got the AAA team securely in the show at No. 8. The jump in performance puts Hight and the AAA Camaro up against Cruz Pedregon in the first round. “You never want to be in that position, not being qualified with one run left. Especially in a fuel car, you never know what could happen. You could drop a cylinder, anything could happen. You have to believe in everybody, our crew chiefs, the crew guys, and me as the driver, and work together. We did that and we got AAA qualified,” Hight said. “That would have been a bummer for the points leader not to be in. I think the way it was set up, Jimmy had it so that it would go down a dirt road. I didn’t think it would be in the top half but all that matters is that we are racing tomorrow. It’s a new day, it’s race day and anything can happen.”  John Force and the PEAK team struggled off the starting line on Saturday. Force would have to shut the PEAK Chevy off early and settle for a 5.385-second run at 135.55 mph in the first session of the day.  Wrapping up qualifying, Force would again have to shut the PEAK car off early for a 4.303 at 211.66. He finished qualifying in the No. 4 spot and has a match-up against Terry Haddock in round one. “Not as good of a day as we could have had. We knew that though, with the conditions, the warmer weather, and the hot race track. That’s why it was important to get it done Friday night. Now we have some information going into race day, similar conditions, maybe a little cooler,” Force said. “Danny Hood and Tim Fabrisi, they’ll take what they learned and put it to good use tomorrow. We’ll just see how it goes but I’m looking forward to it.” Austin Prock and the Montana Brand team had a big improvement from their Friday night run. Prock handled the Montana Brand dragster to a clean 3.870-second pass at 316.60 mph in the heat of the day. In the final session, Prock again improved with a 3.770 pass at 318.62 to earn him the No. 10 spot and a first-round race against Clay Millican. “This Montana Brand / Rocky Mountain Twist team made progress each qualifying session this weekend. I’m happy with how the car is reacting to the crew chief’s decision, I think they are too,” Prock said. “We are in a great place to have a strong race day Sunday tomorrow. I’m looking forward to going some rounds.” After not making it down the racetrack in Friday night’s session, Brittany Force and the Monster Energy team started the day in the No. 16 spot. The Monster Energy team did improve but struggled at about 300 feet and shut off to go only 5.817 seconds at 111.43 mph. When Force pulled the Monster Energy dragster up to the team’s final qualifying try, they had been bumped out of the top 16. With race day on the line, the David Grubnic and Brandon Hazleton-led team breathed a sigh of relief as the Monster Energy dragster laid down a 3.791 at 330.72. They finished qualifying in the No. 11 spot and will run Tony Schumacher in the first round. “It was a dramatic final qualifying session for our Monster Energy / Flav-R-Pac team as we had one shot to get in the show after being bumped out. This team hasn’t been in such a tight position before, but we pulled it off and moved up to the 11th position after a 3.79 at 330,” Force said. “Good job to Dave Grubnic and this Monster Energy team for stepping it up under such enormous pressure. I’m looking forward to race day tomorrow.” The NHRA Midwest Nationals at World Wide Technology Raceway continues with qualifying sessions Saturday at 2:30 and 5:30 p.m. Eliminations will begin Sunday at 11 a.m. Television coverage of the event will continue on FOX Sports 1 (FS1) with a second qualifying show Sunday at 2:00 p.m. ET. Eliminations will air Sunday at 3:00 p.m. ET. -30-

AUSTIN PROCK, 28, Montana Brand / Rocky Mountain Twist dragsterQualifying:10th; 3.770-seconds; 318.62 mphBonus Qualifying Points:0BRITTANY FORCE, 37, Monster Energy / Flav-R-Pac dragsterQualifying:11th; 3.791-seconds; 330.72 mphBonus Qualifying Points:0JOHN FORCE, 74, PEAK Antifreeze and Coolant Chevrolet Camaro SSQualifying:4th; 3.914-seconds; 325.06 mphBonus Qualifying Points: +1 (3rd quickest Q1) ROBERT HIGHT, 54, Cornwell Tools / AAA Chevrolet Camaro SSQualifying:8th; 3.953-seconds; 323.89 mphBonus Qualifying Points:0

MADISON, Ill. (Sept. 30, 2023) – Points leaders Robert Hight and the AAA / Cornwell Tools Chevrolet Camaro SS team battled through qualifying at the NHRA Midwest Nationals at World Wide Technology Raceway to ultimately jump from No. 18 to No. 8 on Saturday. John Force and the PEAK Antifreeze and Coolant Chevy Camaro SS held onto their No. 3 spot while Austin Prock and the Montana Brand / Rocky Mountain Twist team are No. 10 and Brittany Force and the Monster Energy / Flav-R-Pac team are No. 11. Without a clean run on Friday night, Robert Hight and the AAA team struggled Saturday afternoon. Tire smoke early forced Hight to shut off the Chevy Camaro and coast to 5.851 seconds at 117.21 shifting down to the No. 18 spot. Entering the final session not yet qualified, Hight held on for a 3.953-second run at 323.89 mph that got the AAA team securely in the show at No. 8. The jump in performance puts Hight and the AAA Camaro up against Cruz Pedregon in the first round. “You never want to be in that position, not being qualified with one run left. Especially in a fuel car, you never know what could happen. You could drop a cylinder, anything could happen. You have to believe in everybody, our crew chiefs, the crew guys, and me as the driver, and work together.  We did that and we got AAA qualified,” Hight said. “That would have been a bummer for the points leader not to be in. I think the way it was set up, Jimmy had it so that it would go down a dirt road. I didn’t think it would be in the top half but all that matters is that we are racing tomorrow. It’s a new day, it’s race day and anything can happen.”  John Force and the PEAK team, already in the No. 3 spot from their Friday night run of 3.914, struggled off the starting line. Force would have to shut the PEAK Chevy off early and settle for a 5.385-second run at 135.55 mph. Wrapping up qualifying, Force would again have to shut the PEAK car off early for a 4.303 at 211.66. He finished qualifying in the No. 3 spot and has a match-up against Terry Haddock in round one. “Not as good of a day as we could have had. We knew that though, with the conditions, the warmer weather, and the hot race track. That’s why it was important to get it done Friday night. Now we have some information going into race day, similar conditions, maybe a little cooler,” Force said. “Danny Hood and Tim Fabrisi, they’ll take what they learned and put it to good use tomorrow. We’ll just see how it goes but I’m looking forward to it.” Austin Prock and the Montana Brand team had a big improvement from their Friday night run. Prock handled the Montana Brand dragster to a clean 3.870-second pass at 316.60 mph in the heat of the day. In the final session, Prock again improved with a 3.770 pass at 318.62 to earn him the No. 10 spot and a first-round race against Clay Millican. “This Montana Brand / Rocky Mountain Twist team made progress each qualifying session this weekend. I’m happy with how the car is reacting to the crew chief’s decision, I think they are too,” Prock said. “We are in a great place to have a strong race day Sunday tomorrow. I’m looking forward to going some rounds.” After not making it down the racetrack in Friday night’s session, Brittany Force and the Monster Energy team started the day in the No. 16 spot. The Monster Energy team did improve but struggled at about 300 feet and shut off to go only 5.817 seconds at 111.43 mph. When Force pulled the Monster Energy dragster up to the team’s final qualifying try, they had been bumped out of the top 16. With race day on the line, the David Grubnic and Brandon Hazleton-led team breathed a sigh of relief as the Monster Energy dragster laid down a 3.791 at 330.72. They finished qualifying in the No. 11 spot and will run Tony Schumacher in the first round. “It was a dramatic final qualifying session for our Monster Energy / Flav-R-Pac team as we had one shot to get in the show after being bumped out. This team hasn’t been in such a tight position before, but we pulled it off and moved up to the 11th position after a 3.79 at 330,” Force said. “Good job to Dave Grubnic and this Monster Energy team for stepping it up under such enormous pressure. I’m looking forward to race day tomorrow.” The NHRA Midwest Nationals at World Wide Technology Raceway continues with qualifying sessions Saturday at 2:30 and 5:30 p.m. Eliminations will begin Sunday at 11 a.m. Television coverage of the event will continue on FOX Sports 1 (FS1) with a second qualifying show Sunday at 2:00 p.m. ET. Eliminations will air Sunday at 3:00 p.m. ET. -30-

AUSTIN PROCK, 28, Montana Brand / Rocky Mountain Twist dragsterQualifying:10th; 3.770-seconds; 318.62 mphBonus Qualifying Points:0BRITTANY FORCE, 37, Monster Energy / Flav-R-Pac dragsterQualifying:11th; 3.791-seconds; 330.72 mphBonus Qualifying Points:0JOHN FORCE, 74, PEAK Antifreeze and Coolant Chevrolet Camaro SSQualifying:3rd; 3.914-seconds; 325.06 mphBonus Qualifying Points: +1 (3rd quickest Q1) ROBERT HIGHT, 54, Cornwell Tools / AAA Chevrolet Camaro SSQualifying:8th; 3.953-seconds; 323.89 mphBonus Qualifying Points:0

 

September 30, 2023

Harrison Burton and the No. 21 DEX Imaging Ford Mustang are set to start 21st in Sunday’s YellaWood 500 at Talladega Superspeedway.

Burton took that spot with a lap at 180.244 miles per hour in single-car qualifying on Saturday afternoon. There was no practice prior to qualifying.

Sunday’s 188-lap race is scheduled to get the green flag just after 1 p.m. (2 p.m. Eastern Time) with Stage breaks planned for Laps 60 and 120. 

NBC will carry the TV broadcast of the race.

 

MADISON, Ill. (Sept. 30, 2023) – For the first time this season, Mark Pawuk and his Empaco Equipment Dodge Drag Pak raced to the Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown No. 1 qualifying position Saturday at the NHRA Midwest Nationals at World Wide Technology Raceway.

Pawuk picked up his fourth career No. 1 qualifying spot off the efforts of his Friday qualifying pass of 7.712 seconds at 179.40 mph. On Saturday, Pawuk and his Drag Pak struggled to get down the race track for passes at 14.862 and 14.708 seconds as they looked for consistency heading into eliminations.

Mark Pawuk, Midwest Nationals Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown No. 1 qualifier, photo by Gary Nastase/Auto Imagery

“We have a really fast hot rod. We just have to make consistent runs and unfortunately, we haven’t this weekend. We have been moving forward as the weekend has gone on. I think I would have had a good run in that last qualifying session if we wouldn’t have done that big wheel stand and I had to shut it off,” Pawuk said. “We are making good progress, and I am very happy with the performance of the car. Anything can happen on race day. I have to thank my sponsors Ohio CAT, Summit Racing, Red Line Oil, E3 and the whole group of them. They are with us at every race and of course, I want to thank Flexjet for being the series sponsor.”

With the No. 1 spot comes a first-round matchup against Conner Statler and his Janac Brothers Racing COPO Camaro for Pawuk, who is looking for his first win of the 2023 season.

Saturday brought around some serious improvement for the Flexjet Factory Showdown class. Stephen Bell and his Stanfield Racing Engines Chevy COPO, the Norwalk, Ohio winners, jumped from No. 13 to No. 2 improving on his 8.156-second pass to a 7.719 run in the second session. Point leader Aaron Stanfield started the day No. 9 then made a move to No. 7 with a 7.781 before laying down a 7.726-second pass to move into No. 3.

“We changed motors and it took a couple runs for that one to wake up. It’s definitely awake now. That was a good run. We were expecting it to run 7.74 or 7.75, so 7.72 surprised us in a good way. That is what we were looking for, what we needed,” Stanfield said. “That run sets us up really well for eliminations and we are trying to hold on to this point lead for these last three races. There are a lot of tough cars out here and we just want to keep the pressure on them. I feel really good about how we ran that last session.”

Stanfield will also be racing with a bullseye on his Camaro as the Flexjet bounty holder following his win at the Pep Boys NHRA Nationals two weeks ago at Maple Grove Raceway.

Competition for the Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown class in the NHRA Midwest Nationals at World Wide Technology Raceway continues with eliminations Saturday at 7:15 p.m. and continue Sunday with round two at 1:00 p.m. Winners are slated to be crowned Sunday at 4:20 p.m.
 
Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown First Round Matchups
No. 1 Mark Pawuk vs. No. 22 Conner Statler
No. 2 Stephen Bell vs. No. 21 Nick Shirley
No. 3 Aaron Stanfield vs. No. 20 Michael Lloyd
No. 4 David Janac vs. No. 19 Richard Ingram
No. 5 AJ Berge vs. No. 18 Kim Shirley
No. 6 Lenny Lottig vs. No. 17 Del Holbrook
No. 7 Ricky Hord vs. No. 16 Judson Holt
No. 8 Anthony Troyer vs. No. 15 David Davies
No. 9 Doug Hamp vs. No. 14 David Barton
No. 10 Jesse Alexandra vs. No. 13 Chris Hall
No. 11 Lee Hartman vs. No. 12 Scott Libersher
 
About Flexjet
If maintaining performance vehicles is your passion – translate those skills into becoming a Flexjet aircraft maintenance technician (AMT). Explore a career with the world-class Flexjet Maintenance group today.
 
Flexjet, Inc., a global leader in subscription-based private aviation, first entered the fractional jet ownership market in 1995. Flexjet offers fractional jet ownership and leasing and is the first in the world to be recognized as achieving the Air Charter Safety Foundation’s Industry Audit Standard, is the first and only company to be honored with 24 FAA Diamond Awards for Excellence, upholds an ARG/US Platinum Safety Rating, a 4AIR Bronze Sustainable Rating and is IS-BAO compliant at Level 2. Red Label by Flexjet, a market differentiator, which features the most modern fleet in the industry, flight crews dedicated to a single aircraft and the LXi Cabin Collection of interiors. To date there are more than 40 different interior designs across its fleet, which includes the
Embraer Phenom 300 and Praetor 500, Bombardier Challenger 350, the Gulfstream G450 and G650. Flexjet’s European fleet includes the Embraer Praetor 600 and the Gulfstream G650. Flexjet’s helicopter division sells fractional, lease, and on-demand charter access to its fleet of owned, operated and maintained Sikorsky S-76 helicopters which boast 55,000 hours of safe flying certified by Wyvern and ARG/US and serving locations throughout the northeastern United States, United Kingdom, and southern Florida. Flexjet is a member of the Directional Aviation family of companies. For more details on innovative programs and flexible offerings, visit www.flexjet.com or follow us on Instagram @FlexjetInc.
 

NASCAR CUP SERIES TALLADEGA SUPERSPEEDWAY YELLAWOOD 500 TEAM CHEVY QUALIFYING REPORT SEPTEMBER 30, 2023

LARSON, BYRON TO START IN THE TOP-10 AT TALLADEGA SUPERSPEEDWAY

LINCOLN, Ala. (Sept. 30, 2023) – The NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) hit the high banks of Talladega Superspeedway for the first time this weekend for a single-car qualifying session to setup the starting lineup for tomorrow’s YellaWood 500 – the second race of the Round of 12. With no practice session on superspeedway-style tracks this season, the series’ drivers and teams got their first glance at where they stand on the speed chart during the first round of qualifying. Team Chevy playoff drivers Kyle Larson and William Byron posted a top-10 qualifying effort in the first round of qualifying for an opportunity to compete for the pole position.  Hitting the track first in the final round of qualifying, Byron clocked-in a fastest lap of 52.926 seconds, at 180.932 mph, in his No. 24 Axalta Camaro ZL1 to take the eighth position in the starting lineup for the 500-mile event. Byron’s Hendrick Motorsports teammate Larson recorded the fourth-fastest lap in the final round – driving his No. 5 Valvoline / HendrickCars.com Camaro ZL1 to a lap of 52.746 seconds at 181.549 mph.   The YellaWood 500 will take the green flag tomorrow, September 30, at 2 p.m. ET. Live coverage of the 500-mile race can be found on the NBC, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL TOP-20 STARTING LINEUP:  POS.   DRIVER4th      Kyle Larson, No. 5 Valvoline / HendrickCars.com Camaro ZL18th      William Byron, No. 24 Axalta Camaro ZL114th    Austin Dillon, No. 3 Bass Pro Shops Camaro ZL120th    Alex Bowman, No. 48 Ally Camaro ZL1  KYLE BUSCH, NO. 8 X WORLD WALLET CAMARO ZL1, met with the media prior to the NASCAR Cup Series qualifying session at Talladega Superspeedway. Press conference quotes in advance of tomorrow’s YellaWood 500 – race two of the Round of 12.  With where you are in points and this type of wildcard race, does it change anything? Obviously I know you’ve won here, so you know you can do it again, but how do you approach this weekend? Does it change because of your positioning? “No, it doesn’t change. I think you come in here with your stress-meter pegged, regardless of whether you’re 30-points to the good or 30-behind. We obviously know in our situation that we’re further behind, so you have to race. I think it’s been more sought out to just race these races; run them normal and not hangout in the back and try to wait for something to happen. With these cars and the way the race plays out, it’s so hard to make moves, make passes and get yourself track position whenever you want it. You can’t, so you’ve got to hold it when you’ve got it. If you don’t have it, then you have to figure out how to fuel save and short-pit guys and jump them on pit road. So there’s so many variables – you just have to race it out and don’t worry about it. What happens, happens.” You had three wins so quickly in your transition to Richard Childress Racing. Have the other teams caught up? When you were that good to start out with, we just expected it to continue. What do you need to keep putting up something in the ‘W’ column? “Trust me, I see it too. I think when we’ve had really good cars, I’ve just over-tried. In 2017, 2018, whatever when we were super-fast all the time – I always think back to the golden days.. you could drive from the back of the field to the front of the field. You could make something happen and I still feel like I can do that – I can drive from the back of the field to the front of the field. But in reality, with this car, equipment, talent and everything being so equal.. SMT data, everybody seeing it and being so equal – it’s tougher than ever to pass the guy in front of you. So I guess that’s kind of been a bit of my demise, which is I don’t feel like I can do as much as I want to be able to do. Me overtrying has sort of hurt my race craft, if you will.. where I haven’t been finishing, frankly.  With me and this Next Gen car, look at how many times I’ve spun out and crashed, you know what I mean. It’s just stupid compared to what it has been over time. I still have some work to do on figuring that out. But also I’m a very non-patient person and you have to show some patience in these races. They’re long races. Last week in the first stage, pushing and literally then just telling myself – OK, forget it, back up.. let’s finish this stage, and then swapping ends. I just finished telling myself to just make it to the end of the stage and I’m backwards. I don’t know exactly, but we’ve got to fix it.. I’ve got to fix it.” ROSS CHASTAIN, NO. 1 WORLDWIDE EXPRESS CAMARO ZL1 How does this race feel different than the spring Talladega Superspeedway race? “It doesn’t for me. Honestly, I come prepared the best that I can. I don’t want to stall it like I think I just heard somebody do leaving pit road. Do those little things right, on and off pit road. Last week, got super fortunate to come back after a throttle issue. If I would have been more aware earlier in the race, I would have never stalled it in the first place. For our Worldwide Express Chevy, it’s minimizing those little mistakes and just doing what I can do – whether it’s the next lap, taking it for what it’s worth if we get shuffled to the back. And just breathing.. I forget to breathe sometimes, physically and mentally. It doesn’t feel much different, I just need to try minimizing my mistakes.”  WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 AXALTA CAMARO ZL1Byron on how he feels going into this weekend after picking up the win at Texas Motor Speedway and moving onto the next round, not having to worry about the outcome here: “Yeah, it feels good, but we still try to show up to win every race. It definitely seems like we’re still in the same mindset when we get to the track. During the week, we’re a little bit more relaxed and maybe a little bit more relaxed in the hauler. But when we come out here on the grid, we’re focused on what we need to do. It’s the same objective and the same details.”

DALLAS (September 30, 2023) — Buddy Hull will be rolling with new wheels from Race Star Wheels beginning at the NHRA Midwest Nationals, September 30-October 1. The business owner from Dallas who owns and drives the Methanol Moonshine/Renegade Race Fuels Top Fuel dragster will be sporting the latest Top Fuel front and rear wheels from Kansas City-based Race Star Wheels, part of Race Star Industries.  The high-performance alloy wheels have been in development for several years, but Hull will be the first Top Fuel driver to introduce them in competition.

Buddy Hull with Race Star Wheel, photo by Buddy Hull Racing

 
“I am excited to see what these Race Star Wheels can do for our Methanol Moonshine/Renegade Race Fuels Top Fuel dragster in St. Louis,” said Hull. “We’ll be running a special HULL’K car design for the race and with new front and rear Pro Forged Wheels we are looking to improve our performance and turn some heads. The guys at Race Star Wheels have been great to work with and once they explained the positive attributes of these wheels I was all in and ready to get them on our race car.”
 
The Race Star Wheels team has been working for two years to bring these wheels to market and they feel the design and structure of these Top Fuel wheels is superior to any product on the market. The quality of the metal and the construction should minimize metal fatigue and allow for much longer wear in competition. Buddy Hull connected to Race Star Wheels by a lifelong friend Rod Brogdon, who connected Hull with Mike Kent, one of the lead engineers at Race Star Wheels. Hull, Kent and Race Star Industries owner LB Davis quickly realized they would work well together and get the Pro Forged Wheels on track at the Midwest Nationals. 

Race Star Wheel at NHRA Midwest Nationals, photo by Buddy Hull Racing

 
“We feel this is the safest wheel in Top Fuel racing and we can’t wait to see the Pro Forged Wheel roll into the winner’s circle,” said LB Davies, owner of Star Racing Industries. “Our design team led by Mike Kent has put a lot of hours into this design and we are looking forward to seeing it on track. The quality of this wheel will avoid immediate metal fatigue and allow for a longevity the tire industry hasn’t seen before.”
 
Hull and the HULL’K designed Top Fuel dragster had one qualifying run last night. The team will have two qualifying runs on Saturday to earn one of the coveted 16 qualifier spots for the Midwest Nationals. The race will be broadcast nationally on FS1.