FALL NATIONALS FRIDAY: Feger, McKinney, Schwartz, Leka Win Opening Night at Lincoln
LINCOLN, IL (Sept. 29, 2023) – DIRTcar’s brightest weekly racing stars came out for opening night of the 28th annual DIRTcar Fall Nationals and put on four great shows Friday night, featuring two past winners in Victory Lane again and two new faces to the Fall Nationals winner’s circle at Lincoln Speedway.
A total of 110 cars in four of DIRTcar’s weekly racing divisions filled the pit area surrounding the 1/4-mile bullring, racing for national and regional points in the final weekend of the 2023 regular season. In the end, Jason Feger, Mike McKinney, Deece Schwartz and Jeff Leka all emerged victorious in the year-end special event.
Late Models – Jason Feger
Crafting one of the most memorable drives to the lead seen all season from the tail of the field, Jason Feger completed an epic comeback for the win after blowing a tire on Lap 2 and restarting nearly dead-last.
Feger, the newly crowned 2023 DIRTcar Late Model national champion from Bloomington, IL, took the green from outside of the front row and looked strong, but cut a tire down the second time by, bringing out the race’s first caution flag. After a stop in the work area for a tire change, Feger brought it to the end of the line for the restart.
“It was just… a lot of patience with the field of cars we had tonight,” he said. “My main focus was just to not tear my car up; take doors when they’d open.”
From that point forward, Feger was all business. He became a passing machine, advancing all the way back into the top five by Lap 15. By the time the five-to-go signal was given, he had taken second but was still over a second-and-a-half behind leader Ryan Unzicker.
“I looked over at the scoreboard and saw it said 22, so I was just giving it everything I had,” Feger said. “I think we would have caught him. I don’t know if we would’ve passed him; it would’ve been really close. But then the yellow came out, and I was able to drive by him.”
With three laps left, the yellow was thrown again for debris in Turn 4, giving Feger the opportunity he needed. On the ensuing restart, he got a great run on the top side of Turn 2 and rocketed by Unzicker into the lead down the backstretch, sealing the pass out of Turn 4 and leading the field the rest of the way home to collect his 15th DIRTcar Feature win of the season.
“It’s the second year in a Longhorn car, and it just fits me really well,” Feger said. “We’ve had really good balance; we’ve got a good notebook. Pretty much everywhere we go, we unload pretty fast. We’re just making good decisions, we know what to do, and it just comes from working hard.”
Feature (25 Laps): 1. 25-Jason Feger[2]; 2. 24-Ryan Unzicker[3]; 3. 5S-Steve Sheppard[7]; 4. 99-Mckay Wenger[1]; 5. 6P-Jose Parga[10]; 6. 27-Colby Sheppard[4]; 7. 6-Dakota Ewing[5]; 8. B12-Kevin Weaver[6]; 9. 98-Cole Swibold[8]; 10. 33H-Roben Huffman[18]; 11. 3-Joey Smith[16]; 12. 1-Tom Thoennes[21]; 13. 11M-Ryan Miller[22]; 14. 19-Chad Osterhoff[13]; 15. 32T-Tony Thoennes[23]; 16. 10J-Jordan Bauer[9]; 17. 32M-Cody Maguire[14]; 18. 28-Justin Durbin[24]; 19. 1ST-Justin Reed[12]; 20. 4D-Doug Tye[19]; 21. 9-Lyle Zanker[15]; 22. 130-Chase Osterhoff[20]; 23. 10-Blake Damery[11]; 24. 5B-Brandon Sweitzer[17]
UMP Modifieds – Mike McKinney
The DIRTcar UMP Modified Feature was an epic bout between two of the division’s most competitive racers – Lucas Lee and Mike McKinney.
Lee, of Paris, TN, jumped out to the early lead and was the first to dive into lapped traffic with McKinney right behind him. Inside-and-outside Lee weaved through packs of slower cars while McKinney fought to keep the gap close.
For 16 of the 20 scheduled laps, Lee held strong out front. However, McKinney found the top side to his liking late and muscled his way around the outside of Lee to take the lead on Lap 17.
“I felt like I was able to pace Lucas there on the bottom; he was kinda rolling out in the middle and I felt like whether his guys moved him down or whatever, he came down to run the bottom,” McKinney said. “Once we got to that lapped traffic, I had to do something to try and win. I moved up to the top in Turns 1-2, and it was really good up there.”
From there, McKinney ran away with the lead, pacing the field back around to the checkers to grace DIRTcar Fall Nationals Victory Lane for the second time in his career at Lincoln.
His 19th Feature win of the year was both a special and prestigious one.
“We’ve had a really good racecar; it’s been a hell of a year,” McKinney said. “That’ll lock-up second in national points, which is what we were trying to do.”
Feature (20 Laps): 1. 96M-Mike McKinney[3]; 2. 12LL-Lucas Lee[2]; 3. 17N-Dillon Nusbaum[5]; 4. J24-Jeremy Nichols[7]; 5. 777-Trevor Neville[8]; 6. 37L-Michael Ledford[4]; 7. 10K-Kelly Kovski[6]; 8. 3-Mike Brooks[1]; 9. 43-Jared Thomas[9]; 10. 35-Brandon Roberts[11]; 11. 99-Tim Luttrell[13]; 12. 14-Brian Lynn[19]; 13. 99T-Tyler Loughmiller[12]; 14. 72A-Austin Lynn[15]; 15. 58R-Ryan Hamilton[20]; 16. 121-Deece Schwartz[18]; 17. 24T-Trevor Ringle[17]; 18. 3F-Rob Fuqua[21]; 19. 21D-Danny Schwartz[10]; 20. 11B-Kyle Byerline[14]; 21. 8R-Bryce Rives[24]; 22. 14M-Caden McWhorter[16]; 23. 12L-Bryan Leach[23]; 24. 87C-Alan Crowder[22]
Pro Modifieds – Deece Schwartz
Two national championships under his belt, and now, a DIRTcar Fall Nationals trophy to go with it.
Deece Schwartz sealed his second consecutive DIRTcar Pro Modified national championship prior to the weekend and made the trip to Lincoln to celebrate and cap his 20-plus-win season. From inside the second row on the starting grid, the third-generation racer made quick work of his opponents, advancing to second and then into the lead with a pass on the outside of 2022 Fall Nationals winner, Guy Taylor.
As the field was coming around to collect the white flag, the caution flag was displayed for Brandon Bollinger stopped in Turn 2. This put Schwartz up front for not one but two green-white-checkered restarts, which he handled with ease and crossed the finish line for his first Fall Nationals trophy.
“You’ve gotta make sure you keep your head on and you’re not overdriving,” Schwartz said. “A lot of these guys, when they see it’s green-white-checkered, they over-drive and screw themselves up. I was just trying my hardest to keep a consistent race all race long.”
Now a two-time national champion, the 20-year-old from Ashmore, IL, has continued carrying on his family’s Modified racing legacy in Illinois, following in the footsteps of grandfather, Denny, and father, Danny.
“It’s great because I’ve always wanted to do something my dad and grandpa have never done,” Schwartz said. “My grandpa’s won a [UMP] Modified national championship, so it’s kinda hard to beat. But, it’s something that he hasn’t done, something that dad hasn’t been able to do. It’s something I could only dream of doing my whole career.”
Feature (20 Laps): 1. 121-Deece Schwartz[3]; 2. 4T-Guy Taylor[1]; 3. 3W-BJ Deal[4]; 4. 44-Gabe Menser[11]; 5. 2-Brayden Doyle[19]; 6. 25X-Kyle Helmick[12]; 7. 33B-Tommy Sheppard Jr[7]; 8. Z24-Zach Taylor[9]; 9. 52-Billy Knebel Jr[2]; 10. 71-Joel Ortberg[6]; 11. 62-Troy Medley[8]; 12. 29H-Cale Hartnagel[10]; 13. 87-Collin Shain[14]; 14. 73-Mark Rhoades[13]; 15. 52JR-Cole Knebel[17]; 16. 215-Jake Montgomery[15]; 17. 78-Maxx Emerson[20]; 18. 15C-Kevin Crowder[16]; 19. 10-Adam Rhoades[18]; 20. 21JR-Drew Schwartz[23]; 21. A59-Karson Evans[24]; 22. 12B-Brandon Bollinger[5]; 23. 9-Andrew Depper[22]; 24. 324-Brady Reed[21]
Stock Cars – Jeff Leka
For the second-straight year, Jeff Leka is king of the Stock Cars at Fall Nationals. The 2008 DIRTcar UMP Modified national champion once again piloted the Zaragoza Racing #67 and brought home a second Fall Nationals trophy in as many tries.
“I’ve gotta thank Rudy [Zaragoza] and Jeremy Nichols,” Leka said. “It’s Rudy’s car and they just let me drive it. It’s something I can come and do once or twice a year – that’s all I want to do, and just have a little fun.”
Leka, of Buffalo, IL, grabbed the lead at the drop of the green and held the field off for all 15 circuits – a group that included national championship contenders Jerrad Krick, who finished sixth, and Bobby Beiler, who finished second.
“They ain’t no slouches in that class; they’ve got some good cars,” Leka said. “I knew they were right there with me, that’s why I had to get to the top side and get going.”
Feature (15 Laps): 1. 67R-Jeff Leka[2]; 2. 17-Bobby Beiler[5]; 3. K67JR-Braiden Keller[3]; 4. 42-Jesse Simmons[1]; 5. 55-Zane Reitz[4]; 6. 99K-Jerrad Krick[7]; 7. 78B-Brad Peters[6]; 8. 21-Jaret Duff[11]; 9. 24-Justin Crowell[13]; 10. G51-Tyler Gilmour[8]; 11. 16JR-Carson Reed[9]; 12. 44J-Jeremy Madsen[12]; 13. 45M-Morgan McMahon[15]; 14. 96X-Kole Jackson[10]; 15. 187-Korey Bailey[14]; 16. 8-Sam Flowers[16]; 17. E21-Eric Boomer[17]
UP NEXT
The 28th DIRTcar Fall Nationals concludes Saturday, Sept. 30 at Lincoln Speedway with more Super Late Model, UMP Modified and Pro Modified action, plus the addition of the Pro Late Models to the program.
Tickets will be on sale at the gate. If you can’t be there, follow along on DIRTcar’s social media channels for updates throughout the event – Facebook @DIRTcar, X (formerly known as Twitter) @DIRTcarRacing, and Instagram @dirtcar_official.
LINCOLN, IL (Sept. 29, 2023) – DIRTcar’s brightest weekly racing stars came out for opening night of the 28th annual DIRTcar Fall Nationals and put on four great shows Friday night, featuring two past winners in Victory Lane again and two new faces to the Fall Nationals winner’s circle at Lincoln Speedway.
A total of 110 cars in four of DIRTcar’s weekly racing divisions filled the pit area surrounding the 1/4-mile bullring, racing for national and regional points in the final weekend of the 2023 regular season. In the end, Jason Feger, Mike McKinney, Deece Schwartz and Jeff Leka all emerged victorious in the year-end special event.
Late Models – Jason Feger
Crafting one of the most memorable drives to the lead seen all season from the tail of the field, Jason Feger completed an epic comeback for the win after blowing a tire on Lap 2 and restarting nearly dead-last.
Feger, the newly crowned 2023 DIRTcar Late Model national champion from Bloomington, IL, took the green from outside of the front row and looked strong, but cut a tire down the second time by, bringing out the race’s first caution flag. After a stop in the work area for a tire change, Feger brought it to the end of the line for the restart.
“It was just… a lot of patience with the field of cars we had tonight,” he said. “My main focus was just to not tear my car up; take doors when they’d open.”
From that point forward, Feger was all business. He became a passing machine, advancing all the way back into the top five by Lap 15. By the time the five-to-go signal was given, he had taken second but was still over a second-and-a-half behind leader Ryan Unzicker.
“I looked over at the scoreboard and saw it said 22, so I was just giving it everything I had,” Feger said. “I think we would have caught him. I don’t know if we would’ve passed him; it would’ve been really close. But then the yellow came out, and I was able to drive by him.”
With three laps left, the yellow was thrown again for debris in Turn 4, giving Feger the opportunity he needed. On the ensuing restart, he got a great run on the top side of Turn 2 and rocketed by Unzicker into the lead down the backstretch, sealing the pass out of Turn 4 and leading the field the rest of the way home to collect his 15th DIRTcar Feature win of the season.
“It’s the second year in a Longhorn car, and it just fits me really well,” Feger said. “We’ve had really good balance; we’ve got a good notebook. Pretty much everywhere we go, we unload pretty fast. We’re just making good decisions, we know what to do, and it just comes from working hard.”
Feature (25 Laps): 1. 25-Jason Feger[2]; 2. 24-Ryan Unzicker[3]; 3. 5S-Steve Sheppard[7]; 4. 99-Mckay Wenger[1]; 5. 6P-Jose Parga[10]; 6. 27-Colby Sheppard[4]; 7. 6-Dakota Ewing[5]; 8. B12-Kevin Weaver[6]; 9. 98-Cole Swibold[8]; 10. 33H-Roben Huffman[18]; 11. 3-Joey Smith[16]; 12. 1-Tom Thoennes[21]; 13. 11M-Ryan Miller[22]; 14. 19-Chad Osterhoff[13]; 15. 32T-Tony Thoennes[23]; 16. 10J-Jordan Bauer[9]; 17. 32M-Cody Maguire[14]; 18. 28-Justin Durbin[24]; 19. 1ST-Justin Reed[12]; 20. 4D-Doug Tye[19]; 21. 9-Lyle Zanker[15]; 22. 130-Chase Osterhoff[20]; 23. 10-Blake Damery[11]; 24. 5B-Brandon Sweitzer[17]
UMP Modifieds – Mike McKinney
The DIRTcar UMP Modified Feature was an epic bout between two of the division’s most competitive racers – Lucas Lee and Mike McKinney.
Lee, of Paris, TN, jumped out to the early lead and was the first to dive into lapped traffic with McKinney right behind him. Inside-and-outside Lee weaved through packs of slower cars while McKinney fought to keep the gap close.
For 16 of the 20 scheduled laps, Lee held strong out front. However, McKinney found the top side to his liking late and muscled his way around the outside of Lee to take the lead on Lap 17.
“I felt like I was able to pace Lucas there on the bottom; he was kinda rolling out in the middle and I felt like whether his guys moved him down or whatever, he came down to run the bottom,” McKinney said. “Once we got to that lapped traffic, I had to do something to try and win. I moved up to the top in Turns 1-2, and it was really good up there.”
From there, McKinney ran away with the lead, pacing the field back around to the checkers to grace DIRTcar Fall Nationals Victory Lane for the second time in his career at Lincoln.
His 19th Feature win of the year was both a special and prestigious one.
“We’ve had a really good racecar; it’s been a hell of a year,” McKinney said. “That’ll lock-up second in national points, which is what we were trying to do.”
Feature (20 Laps): 1. 96M-Mike McKinney[3]; 2. 12LL-Lucas Lee[2]; 3. 17N-Dillon Nusbaum[5]; 4. J24-Jeremy Nichols[7]; 5. 777-Trevor Neville[8]; 6. 37L-Michael Ledford[4]; 7. 10K-Kelly Kovski[6]; 8. 3-Mike Brooks[1]; 9. 43-Jared Thomas[9]; 10. 35-Brandon Roberts[11]; 11. 99-Tim Luttrell[13]; 12. 14-Brian Lynn[19]; 13. 99T-Tyler Loughmiller[12]; 14. 72A-Austin Lynn[15]; 15. 58R-Ryan Hamilton[20]; 16. 121-Deece Schwartz[18]; 17. 24T-Trevor Ringle[17]; 18. 3F-Rob Fuqua[21]; 19. 21D-Danny Schwartz[10]; 20. 11B-Kyle Byerline[14]; 21. 8R-Bryce Rives[24]; 22. 14M-Caden McWhorter[16]; 23. 12L-Bryan Leach[23]; 24. 87C-Alan Crowder[22]
Pro Modifieds – Deece Schwartz
Two national championships under his belt, and now, a DIRTcar Fall Nationals trophy to go with it.
Deece Schwartz sealed his second consecutive DIRTcar Pro Modified national championship prior to the weekend and made the trip to Lincoln to celebrate and cap his 20-plus-win season. From inside the second row on the starting grid, the third-generation racer made quick work of his opponents, advancing to second and then into the lead with a pass on the outside of 2022 Fall Nationals winner, Guy Taylor.
As the field was coming around to collect the white flag, the caution flag was displayed for Brandon Bollinger stopped in Turn 2. This put Schwartz up front for not one but two green-white-checkered restarts, which he handled with ease and crossed the finish line for his first Fall Nationals trophy.
“You’ve gotta make sure you keep your head on and you’re not overdriving,” Schwartz said. “A lot of these guys, when they see it’s green-white-checkered, they over-drive and screw themselves up. I was just trying my hardest to keep a consistent race all race long.”
Now a two-time national champion, the 20-year-old from Ashmore, IL, has continued carrying on his family’s Modified racing legacy in Illinois, following in the footsteps of grandfather, Denny, and father, Danny.
“It’s great because I’ve always wanted to do something my dad and grandpa have never done,” Schwartz said. “My grandpa’s won a [UMP] Modified national championship, so it’s kinda hard to beat. But, it’s something that he hasn’t done, something that dad hasn’t been able to do. It’s something I could only dream of doing my whole career.”
Feature (20 Laps): 1. 121-Deece Schwartz[3]; 2. 4T-Guy Taylor[1]; 3. 3W-BJ Deal[4]; 4. 44-Gabe Menser[11]; 5. 2-Brayden Doyle[19]; 6. 25X-Kyle Helmick[12]; 7. 33B-Tommy Sheppard Jr[7]; 8. Z24-Zach Taylor[9]; 9. 52-Billy Knebel Jr[2]; 10. 71-Joel Ortberg[6]; 11. 62-Troy Medley[8]; 12. 29H-Cale Hartnagel[10]; 13. 87-Collin Shain[14]; 14. 73-Mark Rhoades[13]; 15. 52JR-Cole Knebel[17]; 16. 215-Jake Montgomery[15]; 17. 78-Maxx Emerson[20]; 18. 15C-Kevin Crowder[16]; 19. 10-Adam Rhoades[18]; 20. 21JR-Drew Schwartz[23]; 21. A59-Karson Evans[24]; 22. 12B-Brandon Bollinger[5]; 23. 9-Andrew Depper[22]; 24. 324-Brady Reed[21]
Stock Cars – Jeff Leka
For the second-straight year, Jeff Leka is king of the Stock Cars at Fall Nationals. The 2008 DIRTcar UMP Modified national champion once again piloted the Zaragoza Racing #67 and brought home a second Fall Nationals trophy in as many tries.
“I’ve gotta thank Rudy [Zaragoza] and Jeremy Nichols,” Leka said. “It’s Rudy’s car and they just let me drive it. It’s something I can come and do once or twice a year – that’s all I want to do, and just have a little fun.”
Leka, of Buffalo, IL, grabbed the lead at the drop of the green and held the field off for all 15 circuits – a group that included national championship contenders Jerrad Krick, who finished sixth, and Bobby Beiler, who finished second.
“They ain’t no slouches in that class; they’ve got some good cars,” Leka said. “I knew they were right there with me, that’s why I had to get to the top side and get going.”
Feature (15 Laps): 1. 67R-Jeff Leka[2]; 2. 17-Bobby Beiler[5]; 3. K67JR-Braiden Keller[3]; 4. 42-Jesse Simmons[1]; 5. 55-Zane Reitz[4]; 6. 99K-Jerrad Krick[7]; 7. 78B-Brad Peters[6]; 8. 21-Jaret Duff[11]; 9. 24-Justin Crowell[13]; 10. G51-Tyler Gilmour[8]; 11. 16JR-Carson Reed[9]; 12. 44J-Jeremy Madsen[12]; 13. 45M-Morgan McMahon[15]; 14. 96X-Kole Jackson[10]; 15. 187-Korey Bailey[14]; 16. 8-Sam Flowers[16]; 17. E21-Eric Boomer[17]
UP NEXT
The 28th DIRTcar Fall Nationals concludes Saturday, Sept. 30 at Lincoln Speedway with more Super Late Model, UMP Modified and Pro Modified action, plus the addition of the Pro Late Models to the program.
Tickets will be on sale at the gate. If you can’t be there, follow along on DIRTcar’s social media channels for updates throughout the event – Facebook @DIRTcar, X (formerly known as Twitter) @DIRTcarRacing, and Instagram @dirtcar_official.
Thornton Best in Great Lakes 50 at Raceway 7
| CONNEAUT, OH (September 29, 2023) – Ricky Thornton Jr. led wire-to-wire in Friday night’s Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series “Great Lakes 50” at Raceway 7. Thornton earned $12,000 for his 22nd series win of the season. Devin Moran finished in second followed by Jonathan Davenport, Tim McCreadie, and Daulton Wilson. Thornton rolled from his outside front starting spot to take the lead at the drop of the green. After a multi-car accident before a lap was complete resulted in a complete restart, Thornton again would take the lead. Garrett Alberson gave chase in the second spot for the first 17 laps of the race until Hudson O’Neal was able to get by him the on the 18th circuit. As O’Neal ran in the runner-up position, he was several car lengths back of Thornton, when Logan Roberson, who was running eighth slowed on lap 38 drawing a caution flag. O’Neal would bring out the last caution of the race with a left rear flat tire while running in third. Moran had just passed O’Neal for second when misfortune struck as he pitted for a new tire. O’Neal would then come back through the field to finish in seventh in the final rundown. Moran could not stay with Thornton in the last 12 laps as Thornton dominated the rest of the way pulling out to a 4.196 seconds advantage at the checkers. It was Thornton’s second ever appearance at the Northeast Ohio venue, scoring his 27th career Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series win. “It’s pretty cool to come up here in the stands and see everybody. On that one restart I was more worried about Hud [O’Neal]. I saw him back there on the board. My crew guys were letting me know he was closing in before that yellow came out. It stinks that he got that flat, it ruined his night. Overall, it was a good night for us. I felt like we qualified as good as we were going to. For us to be able to win the heat and start on the front row of the feature, it shows how good my guys work, we had a good car all night,” said the Martinsville, Indiana resident who just celebrated his 33rd birthday on Thursday. “The car was real good through traffic; I think we got stuck once behind somebody. I felt like I was really good. These long straightaways here are so different, by the time you get to the corner you really have to slow down more down the straightaway than the corner, so I had to figure that out a little bit. The racetrack was really good. I have only been here once before and that was a few years ago. I finished like sixth or seventh so to come out and win it tonight is pretty awesome. We look forward to tomorrow at Pittsburgh.” Moran, with his second-place finish closes to within 15 points of Brandon Overton for the fourth position in the championship standings heading into the Pittsburgher Saturday night. “The pressure is on I love it. I didn’t know how I was going to run tonight. I have been here a couple of times and not done so good. I have never really been that good here. Obviously, I wasn’t that good compared to Ricky tonight, but we just squeezed out that second, so we have given ourselves a shot to get in the final four.” Davenport rounded out the Big River Steel Podium in third as he maintains third place in the championship standings. “It wasn’t too bad tonight. It was a lot better than we have been running here lately. You know we have just been off a little bit this year. We have been working and getting a little better. We still aren’t as good as the 20RT car yet. We just kind of picked our way up through there tonight. We didn’t get a good start there in the heat race and it put us behind. We just capitalized on people’s mistakes when they would make one tonight to come out of here with a top three is good.” The winner’s Todd and Vickie Burns-owned, SSI Motorsports, Longhorn Chassis is powered by a Clements Racing Engine and sponsored by Big River Steel, Hoker Trucking, Coltman Farms, Sub-Surface of Indiana, Dyno One Inc., West Side Tractor Sales Company, D&E Outside Services, Certified Inspection Services, Sunoco Race Fuels, Bilstein Shocks, Midwest Sheet Metal, Excel Floor Covering and Murty Farms. Completing the top ten were Garrett Alberson, Hudson O’Neal, Max Blair, Spencer Hughes, and Boom Briggs. Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Race Summary Great Lakes 50Friday, September 29, 2023Raceway 7 – Monroe Center, OH Allstar Performance Time TrialsFast Time: Hudson O’Neal | 16.955 seconds Penske Shocks Heat Race #1 Finish (8 Laps, All Transfer): 1. 58-Garrett Alberson[3]; 2. 1H-Hudson O’Neal[1]; 3. 39-Tim McCreadie[5]; 4. 46-Earl Pearson Jr[6]; 5. 99B-Boom Briggs[2]; 6. 1T-Tyler Erb[4]; 7. 99*-Logan Jaquay[7]; 8. 9S-Kevin Santee[8] Summit Racing Products Heat Race #2 Finish (8 Laps, All Transfer): 1. 20RT-Ricky Thornton Jr[2]; 2. 49-Jonathan Davenport[1]; 3. 89-Logan Roberson[4]; 4. 111L-Matthew Lux[3]; 5. B22-Bump Hedman[6]; 6. 7T-Drake Troutman[5]; 7. 76-Brandon Overton[8]; 8. 19-Bob Dorman[7] Simpson Race Products Heat Race #3 (8 Laps, All Transfer): 1. 99-Devin Moran[1]; 2. 18D-Daulton Wilson[2]; 3. 11-Spencer Hughes[4]; 4. 7-Ross Robinson[3]; 5. 111B-Max Blair[5]; 6. 22B-Darrell Bossard[6]; 7. 9-Breyton Santee[7]; 8. (DNS) 24-Dylan Yoder Great Lakes 50 Feature Finish (50 Laps): |
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| Race Statistics Entrants: 24Terminal Maintenance & Construction Pole Sitter: Garrett AlbersonLap Leaders: Ricky Thornton, Jr. (Laps 1-50)Wieland Feature Winner: Ricky Thornton, Jr.Arizona Sport Shirts Crown Jewel Cup Feature Winner: n/aBrandon Ford TV Challenge Feature Winner: n/aMargin of Victory: 4.196 secondsGorsuch Performance Solutions Cautions: Hudson O’Neal, Logan Roberson, Daulton Wilson (Initial Lap); Drake Troutman (Lap 3); Logan Roberson (Lap 38); Hudson O’Neal (Lap 39) Fast Time Provisional: n/aSeries Emergency Provisionals: n/aTrack Provisional: n/aBig River Steel Podium Top 3: Ricky Thornton, Jr., Devin Moran, Jonathan DavenportPenske Shocks Top 5: Ricky Thornton, Jr., Devin Moran, Jonathan Davenport, Tim McCreadie, Daulton WilsonTodd Steel Buildings Hard Charger of the Race: Max Blair (Advanced 7 Positions)Wilwood Brakes Lucky 7th Place Feature: Hudson O’NealDeatherage Opticians Lucky 13th Place Feature: Brandon OvertonEarnhardt Technologies Most Laps Led: Ricky Thornton, Jr. (50 Laps)Sunoco Race for Gas Highest Finisher: Ricky Thornton, Jr.Midwest Sheet Metal Spoiler Challenge Point Leader: Ricky Thornton, Jr.O’Reilly Auto Parts Rookie of the Race: Max BlairEtchberger Trucking Fastest Lap of the Race: Ricky Thornton, Jr. (Lap 1 – 17.760 seconds)MD3 Tough Break of the Race: Hudson O’NealOuterwears Crew Chief of the Race: Anthony Burroughs (Ricky Thornton, Jr.)ARP Engine Builder of the Race: Clements Racing EnginesMiller Welders Chassis Builder of the Race: Longhorn ChassisDirt Draft Fastest in Hot Laps: Ricky Thornton, Jr. (16.820 seconds)Time of Race: 30 minutes 35 seconds The Big River Steel Chase for the Championship Presented by ARP Point Standings: |
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BUCKEYE STATE WARRIOR: Mike Marlar Wins Wild World of Outlaws Feature At Atomic
Bobby Pierce finishes fourth, increasing his points lead to 142 over Chris Madden
CHILLICOTHE, OH – September 30, 2023 – A driver rarely wants to see yellow flags when he’s leading a race. But it’s precisely what Mike Marlar hoped for on Friday at Atomic Speedway.
The Winfield, TN driver aced four restarts in the final 20 laps, staying out of lap traffic to earn his third World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Models Feature win of 2023.
Germfree Rookie of the Year leader Nick Hoffman jumped to the early lead, fending off challenges from the Marlar, the 2018 Series champion. However, that only lasted eight laps as Marlar got a burst of speed in Turn 2, pulling even with Hoffman. Then, Marlar saw his opportunity, sliding in front of the Mooresville, NC driver to grab the lead.
As Marlar pulled away and reached lap traffic, Hoffman and Bobby Pierce were in a battle behind them for second. But as the two tried to get the upper hand in traffic, Jimmy Owens took advantage, sneaking them to take over second.
The Newport, TN driver quickly closed on the back of the #157, trying to take the position away on the inside. But just as Owens had his best shot, a yellow flag came out for Brandon Sheppard’s right rear flat tire, giving Marlar a clean track.
On the restart, Marlar pulled away as Owens held off Hoffman before three cautions in the next five laps kept the top three in their positions.
From there, one more caution for debris on Lap 38 kept traffic out of Marlar’s way, allowing him to earn the $10,000 victory on night one of the Outlaw Invasion.
“I didn’t mind seeing those [yellow flags] whatsoever,” Marlar said. “They were two and three wide. A lot of the Ohio-type racetracks have a little dust that comes off the back of the cars, so they were dirtying it up, so I couldn’t do any better than they could. They were three-wide in front of me and two-wide. I didn’t mind seeing those cautions for sure.”
The win is Marlar’s third World of Outlaws CASE Late Models win of the season, and 16th of his career. It’s also his third win on a 3/8-mile track in 2023—one where he needed to find a way past Hoffman to earn the victory.
But it’s a win that didn’t come easy, as he said passing Hoffman was a challenge.
“[Hoffman’s] hard to pass because he’s fast,” Marlar said. “He slid me down there in Turn 1 and got the lead, and he just had me where I needed to be for the lead. And then, a little while later, I caught him and was looking under him for a few laps until I really got a good run off of two and just had a ton of momentum down the backstretch. Then, I was just able to slide in there and get the lead. It was definitely a good race with him for sure.”
Fellow Tennessee driver Jimmy Owens finished second after starting eighth. “The O-Show,” who earned his first World of Outlaws top five of the season, said he was happy with how the car ran on the bottom.
“Everybody was a little all over the track,” Owens said. “The track was good tonight. When I jumped to the bottom, the car had a really good dig down there with that moisture. But then, as it dried out, I felt like we still had a pretty good car, too.
“We’ll make some fine tunes on it tomorrow, and maybe we’ll be a whole lot better.”
Hoffman settled for third—his third podium of the season coming at a track he says fits his style.
“The racetrack was in great condition,” Hoffman said. “I was able to move all over it. I mean, [Owens] started eighth and ran second, so that says a lot right there. Our race car was pretty good. I felt like watching Marlar go around there; his car was a lot tighter than mine was. And I felt like my only downfall was that I was probably a tick too loose.”
While those three drivers stayed in podium positions for most of the race, that wasn’t the case for the drivers behind them. Tanner English and Cade Dillard waged war for fourth in the final few laps before the two made contact in Turns 3 and 4 on Lap 39, costing both a top-five run.
On the next lap, they had more contact in Turn 2, dropping English to 10th and Dillard to 16th.
As a result of that contact, Pierce and Brent Larson found themselves in the top five, with Pierce getting the upper hand. The Oakwood, IL driver’s 22nd top five of the season moved him one step closer to the championship, extending his points lead to 142 over Chris Madden, who finished sixth.
Larson earned his first top-five of the season, giving him back-to-back World of Outlaws top 10s at the track.
“I was kind of in the right place at the right time,” Larson said. “There were things going on out there in front of me, and I just kind of picked a lane and stuck to it. And that’s where I got most of my spots after the last caution.”
UP NEXT: The World of Outlaws CASE Late Models return to Atomic Speedway for night two of the Outlaw Invasion. Drivers will battle in a 50-lap Feature paying $15,000-to-win. For Tickets, CLICK HERE.
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 (40 Laps): 1. 157-Mike Marlar[2]; 2. 20-Jimmy Owens[8]; 3. 9-Nick Hoffman[1]; 4. 32-Bobby Pierce[3]; 5. B1-Brent Larson[9]; 6. 44-Chris Madden[21]; 7. 40B-Kyle Bronson[11]; 8. 28-Dennis Erb Jr[19]; 9. 10-Garrett Smith[17]; 10. 96V-Tanner English[10]; 11. 25-Shane Clanton[15]; 12. 11-Gordy Gundaker[16]; 13. 71R-Rod Conley[25]; 14. B5-Brandon Sheppard[12]; 15. 3S-Brian Shirley[7]; 16. 97-Cade Dillard[5]; 17. 30-Todd Cooney[23]; 18. 68-Adam Stricker[13]; 19. 55-Jesse Wisecarver[18]; 20. 00-Justin Cooper[22]; 21. S21-Seth Daniels[20]; 22. 14W-Dustin Walker[24]; 23. 21-Kirk Phillips[14]; 24. C4-Freddie Carpenter[6]; 25. 19R-Ryan Gustin[4] FOX FACTORY HARD CHARGER: Chris Madden [+15]
JOHN FORCE AND PEAK CHEVY NO. 3 FRIDAY AT NHRA MIDWEST NATIONALS
| MADISON, Ill. (Sept. 29, 2023) – John Force and the PEAK Antifreeze and Coolant Chevrolet Camaro SS team landed in the provisional No. 3 spot Friday night at the NHRA Midwest Nationals at World Wide Technology Raceway. Robert Hight in the AAA / Cornwell Tools Chevy Camaro SS sit No. 13 with Austin Prock in the Montana Brand / Rocky Mountain Twist dragster No. 14 and Brittany Force in the Monster Energy / Flav-R-Pac dragster is No. 16 with two qualifying attempts left. John Force and the PEAK team came out of the box with a solid first pass at World Wide Technology Raceway. Force handled his Chevy Camaro to a 3.914-second run at 325.06 mph but ended the run with an engine fire at the top end. to land him in the No. 3 spot for the night. “We’re two races into the Countdown so if we’re going to make that move we got to make that move now, you know what I’m saying? Crew chiefs Daniel Hood and Tim Fabrisi made a good run out there because they knew we needed to qualify and they knew tomorrow was going to be hot. We wanted into the top half and that time should stay based on the weather tomorrow,” Force said. “It was fast, it got a little fire at the other end. Nothing serious, just a spark plug. In the dark, it looks more serious than it really is. It was a good night for this PEAK Chevy team. We’re ok to get ready for tomorrow and race day.” Coming from a runner-up finish, Hight and the AAA Chevy drove into tire shake early in their Friday night run. Hight would coast to a 5.445-second pass at 131.48 mph to end up No. 13. Austin Prock and the Montana Brand team, like many of the dragsters in the left lane, ran into tire smoke and had to shut off early for only 5.936 seconds and 110.86 mph putting them No. 14. Brittany Force and the Monster Energy team, also in the left lane, didn’t make it down World Wide Technology Raceway running into tire smoke to coast to a 6.651-second run at 88.33 mph. They’ll start day two from the No. 16 spot. 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:14th; 5.936-seconds; 110.86 mphBonus Qualifying Points:0 BRITTANY FORCE, 37, Monster Energy / Flav-R-Pac dragsterQualifying:16th; 6.651-seconds; 88.33 mphBonus Qualifying Points:0  JOHN 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:13th; 5.445-seconds; 131.48 mphBonus Qualifying Points:0 |
NASCAR Partners with Chevrolet to Continue ‘Making Strides Against Breast Cancer’ in October
| Chevrolet pledges to donate $350 per caution lap paced by pink Camaro ZL1 at three NASCAR Cup Series races |
 DETROIT – Chevrolet will continue its fight against breast cancer with the return of the specially-themed pink ‘Making Strides Against Breast Cancer’ Camaro ZL1 as the official pace car for the upcoming NASCAR Cup Series races at Talladega Superspeedway, Homestead-Miami Speedway and Martinsville Speedway. 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. Chevrolet will also host a group of breast cancer survivors at each race with the experience including special appearances by Team Chevy NASCAR Cup Series drivers, rides in the pink Camaro ZL1 pace car and more. This marks the 13th consecutive year Chevrolet has partnered with the American Cancer Society and its ‘Making Strides Against Breast Cancer’ initiative. In 2022, 108 caution laps were completed among the three participating races, generating a $37,800 donation to the American Cancer Society. “Chevrolet is proud to continue our commitment to the American Cancer Society’s ‘Making Strides Against Breast Cancer’ initiative,” said Alyssa Haba, Motorsports Strategic Planning and Operations Manager for Chevrolet. “It is always an honor to carry the ACS logo on our pink Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 pace car during the month of October and we look forward to the opportunity to bring awareness for this important cause to the track again this year.” NASCAR will support Chevrolet’s continued efforts in the fight against breast cancer by partnering with the manufacturer to add an additional market to the program for this year’s campaign. Together, NASCAR and Chevrolet will host the third event at one of its original tracks, Martinsville Speedway, as the sanctioning body celebrates its 75th anniversary. “We applaud our great partners at Chevrolet for all the tremendous work they do to bring significant visibility to breast cancer awareness and the American Cancer Society,” said Michelle Byron, NASCAR senior vice president of partnership marketing. “NASCAR is honored to provide a platform for this initiative and play a role in the fight against a disease that directly impacts so many people across the globe.” The pink Camaro ZL1 will make its first on-track appearance of the season this weekend at Talladega Superspeedway, serving as the pace car for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series YellaWood 500. |
McKay Wenger Tops Chart, Beiler, Parga Talk Championships in Fall Nationals Practice
Racing begins Friday; gates open at 4pm, Hot Laps at 6pm
LINCOLN, IL (Sept. 28, 2023) – A warm Thursday evening at Lincoln Speedway provided a strong playground for 40 of DIRTcar’s most dedicated weekly racers looking for a tune-up session before the final points weekend of the year in the 28th annual DIRTcar Fall Nationals.
After several rounds of Hot Laps, Super Late Model racer McKay Wenger, of Fairbury, IL, topped the charts with a best lap of 12.639 around the 1/4-mile oval. The 2020 Fairbury Speedway track champion – a regular pilot of his self-owned, neon-yellow #42 Rocket Chassis – was instead behind the wheel of a #99 Longhorn Chassis for Moline, IL-based Curless Motorsports.
A regular racer of Rocket Chassis, Wenger said he was looking to give a Longhorn a try. He had positive things to say, and his chart-topping results backed it up.
“The main thing is getting comfortable,” Wenger said. “It’s a completely different deal. I’ve been in my own car for 30 races or so this year, so to hop in something completely different takes me a little bit to get used to. It’s definitely a completely different feel.”
Wenger has long been a keeper of his own equipment, but said he encountered the opportunity to come and drive for team owner Doug Curless through mutual connections in the industry and couldn’t pass it up. He and the team spent several hours in the shop earlier this week preparing for their first Fall Nationals together, and they’re ready to chase a trophy.
“It came together last-minute, but these guys have been super helpful,” Wenger said. “It’s an opportunity of a lifetime for me to run with these guys and the equipment they have. I’m very thankful right now.”
Defending DIRTcar Pro Late Model national champion Jose Parga, of New Berlin, IL, will celebrate his fourth career national championship in his final points race of the year Saturday night. After several laps in practice, he topped his division’s rankings with a best lap of 13.598.
A winner of 19 Features in the 21 races he entered this year, Parga said he’s looking forward to wrapping his epic season up at Lincoln – a track local to him.
“This place is 40 minutes from home, and I’ve got a bunch of family and friends that get to come out and enjoy the whole weekend,” Parga said. “It’s cool to do it at home for, per se, the last race of the year. We don’t get to race here much, so to end the year here – hopefully with a win – you can’t ask for anything more.”
Last year, Parga claimed his first Fall Nationals trophy in the Pro Late Model main event Friday night before watching noted rival Aaron Heck celebrate in Victory Lane on Saturday. This time around, he’s looking to come out on top as the two meet again to compete for year-end bragging rights.
“A lot of people have me and Aaron a little mixed-up – our relationship’s real good,” Parga said. “We race hard and that’s all it is, really. End of the day, we’ll have a beer together.
“I look forward to when he comes. If you can beat Aaron Heck or even Devon… Devon McClean is starting to make a name for himself. If you can beat Aaron, you know you did something right.”
In the midst of a strong fight for the DIRTcar Stock Car national championship, Bobby Beiler partook in the practice sessions Thursday night, looking for any bit of speed to gain before he takes on back-to-back nights of racing in pursuit of his first career national title.
Beiler, of Blue Mound, IL, is competing for national points this year for the first time in his career and remains 15 points behind Jerrad Krick with only two races left. He’ll take on Lincoln Friday night before heading to Charleston Speedway Saturday night, and knows he has to win to have a shot at the title.
“We’re gonna give it all we got tomorrow night and hopefully pick one off, then take that momentum and run to Charleston,” Beiler said. “Hopefully, [we’ll have] a good weekend and see where we end up. Can’t hang our head on the season we’ve had, no doubt.”
Krick is a member of one of the toughest DIRTcar Stock Car teams in the nation, driving for Indiana team owner Mike Alsop. Beiler has been able to keep pace with Krick this year, however, matching his win total of 12, and knows it may take a win or two more to snatch the points lead and the title away over Friday and Saturday.
“They’re the toughest team out there in the [Stock Car] division, no doubt,” Beiler said. “We’ve won 12 Features at seven or eight different tracks this year.
The 28th annual DIRTcar Fall Nationals begins racing competition Friday, Sept. 29, with the first night of action for the Super Late Models, UMP Modifieds, Stock Cars and Pro Modifieds. Tickets will be available at the front gate.
If you can’t make it to the track, follow along on DIRTcar’s social media channels, (X aka Twitter, Facebook and Instagram) for updates throughout the program.
1 MONTH ALERT: Local Heroes Become Legends at World Short Track Championship
CONCORD, NC (Sept. 28, 2023) – Every division in racing has its “Super Bowl.” But for weekly and regional racers – most with day jobs – the World Short Track Championship is a unique opportunity to be on the biggest stage of their racing career.
More than 200 drivers from around the country will gather at The Dirt Track at Charlotte, Oct. 26-28, to compete in one of 10 divisions throughout the three-day event.
Along with racing at one of the most prominent tracks in the country, some divisions will see drivers competing against the superstars of the sport, as well. Former NASCAR star and World Short Track winner David Stremme is already entered to compete in the DIRTcar UMP Modified division.
The DIRTcar Sportsman division will also see the return of World Series Formula V8 driver Nelson Mason.
RELATED: Full entry list on My Race Pass
Same as last year, Thursday night’s action will be highlighted by Championship Features – featuring 2023 track champions – for the DIRTcar Pro (604) Late Models, UMP Modifieds, DIRTcar Sportsman and DIRTcar Pro Stocks. Friday will be comprised of Heat Races, Last Chance Showdown and the first round of Hornet Features. Then, Saturday will host the remaining Last Chance Showdowns and Feature for all 10 divisions. For the full schedule, click here.
DIVISIONS:
FOX Factory Mid-East Pro (604) Late Models
Chevrolet Performance Mid-East 602 Late Models
Summit Racing Equipment DIRTcar UMP Modifieds
Hoosier Racing Tire Mid-East Pro Modifieds
VP Racing DIRTcar Sportsman
MSD DIRTcar Pro Stocks
COMP Cams (MMSA) Mini Stocks
DIRTVision DIRTcar Hornets
SRI Performance Monster Thunder Bombers
Mid-East Street Stocks
REGISTER: CLICK HERE
Pre-registration is open for all divisions through Wednesday, Oct. 25. Every driver who pre-registers, regardless of division, will receive one additional entry into the drawing for a brand-new Chevy Performance 604 Crate engine at Saturday’s (Oct. 28) drivers meeting.
TICKETS: CLICK HERE
2022 WINNERS:
Thursday, Oct. 27
Pro (604) Late Model Championship Feature: Stephen Pedulla
DIRTcar UMP Modified Championship Feature: Ethan Dotson
DIRTcar Sportsman Championship Feature: David Rogers
DIRTcar Pro Stock Championship Feature: Pete Stefanski
Friday, Oct. 28
Hornets Feature #1: Zack Slone
Hornets Feature #2: Newman Presnell
Hornets Feature #3: John Windham
Saturday, Oct. 29
Pro (604) Late Model Feature: Trent Ivey
602 Late Model Feature: Gavin Cowan
DIRTcar UMP Modified Feature: Taylor Cook
DIRTcar Sportsman Feature: Kevin Ridley
DIRTcar Pro Stock Feature: Josh Coonradt
Pro Modified Feature: Ty Norder
Street Stocks: Devon Morgan
Monster Mini-Stocks: Matt Gilbert
Thunder Bombers: Rod Tucker
Hornets Feature #1: John Windham
Hornets Feature #2: Newman Presnell
Hornets Feature #3: Dan Benson
HOW TO WATCH: If you can’t make it to the track, you can watch every lap of the World Short Track Championship live on DIRTVision with a monthly or annual subscription.
THE NEXT CHAPTER: Clyde Knipp Prioritizing Family, Growing New Business After 2023
| The Jason Johnson Racing car chief aims to end 2023 with a title before launching carbon fiber business MECHANICSBURG, PA (Septeber 28, 2023) – Next year will look much different for Clyde Knipp. After seven years traveling the country in Sprint Car racing, the 25-year-old is stepping off the road.The last decade of his life has been spent crossing state lines in pursuit of racing; Competing on the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car tour as a teenager; Filling a role on the Buch Motorsports crew in 2019; And then back to The Greatest Show on Dirt for the past four years as a Jason Johnson Racing team member.But next year, the travel will slow for Knipp. Last July, he and his girlfriend – Taylor – welcomed their daughter Briella to the family. At the time, Knipp knew he’d need to settle into a more at home lifestyle in the future. So, he began to lay the foundations to pursue another passion within the sport – manufacturing carbon fiber parts.“I found out about the process of carbon fiber back in 2019 whenever I was living in Pennsylvania,” Knipp recalled. “I just didn’t know how I would go about it. There’s a guy there that took me under his wing. His name is Bill Smith. He owns 717 Innovations. I just kept hounding him. I’d say ‘Hey, can you teach me how to do this? Can you teach me how to do this?’ because he’s really good at it. “I kind of gave up on the idea whenever I got the job at JJR,” Knipp continued. “But in the back of my mind, I knew if I was to go into the manufacturing side that I wanted it to be composites. So, with my girlfriend and I having a baby last year, it forced me to sort of take another approach on what my future was going to consist of. I knew I wanted to stay in Sprint Car racing, but I knew that the traveling life was going to come to a close because I needed to be there as a father and a boyfriend. That’s when I started thinking about my exit as a crew member. I got ahold of Bill, and I said, ‘Hey, can you teach me how to do this stuff because this is something I’d like to go into business for myself?’ He started training me last year.”Knipp’s new business will be located near where he lives in Missouri, meaning he’ll be able to be home more often. Since Smith began training him, Knipp has also been putting more pieces in place to make for a smooth transition.“I have a business partner involved. His name is Doug Hetrick, and he’s the co-owner and founder of C&D Rigging,” Knipp said. “Him and I started Prime Composite Innovations. With the help of Bill Smith getting me started and Doug, we’re going to be in full production come November 10. So, a week after the World Finals will be our first day in production. I’ve been getting our building ready and getting material ordered and training off and on when I can.”And while the new endeavor will allow him to stay within the sport and be home throughout the year, the transition will be bittersweet. Racing on the road is the only life Knipp has known throughout his adult life.“The thing that I’ll miss the most is the racing,” Knipp said. “Watching the World of Outlaws night in and night out, you can’t put a dollar amount on that. I’m extremely blessed to do what I do and to do it as long as I have. I know I’m still young at 25 years old, but I’ve been in 45 different states racing these things and Canada. It’s just provided a really cool life.”Knipp has also built a strong bond with his JJR crew – Carson Macedo, Philip Dietz, and Nate Repetz – and the team will miss the effort and charisma he brings.“Over the course of the last three years, Clyde has become one of my best buddies,” Macedo said. “He’s a really good dude who obviously brings light to everybody’s life. He’s always lively and just a great person to be around, fun guy, always funny, always looking to lift the mood, and just an extremely hard worker… I know he’ll do a great job. Clyde’s got an incredible work ethic. He’s driven. I think he’ll be success and knock it out of the park.“I’m happy for him, but it is bittersweet. I feel like I’m losing not only a crew guy but my buddy full-time. But at the same time, I’m very happy for him. I’m happy to see him move on and pursue something that’s a dream of his.”But before Knipp goes anywhere, he and his team have the unified goal of a championship on their minds. Macedo sits third in points with 11 races to go. David Gravel sits 18 markers ahead in second while Brad Sweet is still within striking distance – 98 points in front of Macedo.What better way to leave the World of Outlaws tour than going out on top?“To win the championship and go out on top would be the icing on the cake,” Knipp said. “That would be tremendous. And ultimately that’s why I wanted to do another year on the road with these guys. I knew the potential of being a championship team was there. I know if we show up night in and night out then the rest will take care of itself.”Knipp and the rest of the Jason Johnson Racing team continue their championship pursuit at this weekend’s Champion Racing Oil National Open at Williams Grove Speedway in Mechanicsburg, PA (Sept. 29-30). For tickets, CLICK HERE.If you can’t make it to the track, catch all of the action live on DIRTVision. |
Big River Steel Big Four Final Round in Chase for the Championship at Pittsburgh
| BATAVIA, Ohio (September 28, 2023) – This Saturday’s 35th Annual Pittsburgher will serve as the final bonus round in the Big River Steel Chase for the Championship – Presented by ARP. The top four drivers in the Big River Steel Chase for the Championship – Presented by ARP following Saturday’s A-Main at Pittsburgh’s Pennsylvania Motor Speedway will make up the Big River Steel Big Four – each earning a cash bonus. Ricky Thornton Jr. and Hudson O’Neal have secured their spots in the Big River Steel Big Four. Jonathan Davenport is currently third – while a tight battle ensues for the fourth and final spot in the Chase for the Championship. Brandon Overton, Devin Moran, and Tim McCreadie are separated by a mere 80 points in the current championship standings. The Big River Steel Big Four locks in the top four drivers that will battle for the title of Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series National Champion at Eldora Speedway on October 21. The series champion will receive $200,000, with the top four drivers in the final series point standings earning a minimum of $100,000. Big River Steel Big Four Bonus Payout: 1. $10,000, 2. $2,000, 3. $2,000, 4. $2,000 = Total $16,000 2023 Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Point Fund: 1. $200,000, 2. $150,000, 3. $125,000, 4. $100,000, 5. $75,000, 6. $60,000, 7. $50,000, 8. $45,000, 9. $40,000, 10. $35,000, 11. $30,000, 12. $25,000, 13. $20,000, 14. $15,000 Chase Bonuses: $66,000Point Fund: $970,000Total: $1,036,000 For the latest news, results, championship standings and more about the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series, please visit www.lucasdirt.com. |
DEX Imaging Team Looking Forward To Talladega
DEX Imaging Team Looking Forward To Talladega
February 28, 2023
Harrison Burton and the No. 21 DEX Imaging team are headed to Talladega Speedway, one of their best tracks and one of the best for Ford Motor Company.
At Talladega in April, Burton led 11 laps, and he led 14 this season at Talladega’s sister track, Daytona International Speedway. Ford has long been strong at Talladega, with 10 wins in the past 16 races, and nine in the fall race since NASCAR adopted the Playoff format. And the Wood Brothers have five wins on the giant, 2.66-mile track.
Crew chief Jeremy Bullins said he’s optimistic as he and the DEX Imaging crew prepare for Sunday’s YellaWood500.
“I’m really looking forward to taking our Wood Brothers Ford Mustang to Talladega, a track where all the Fords have been competitive over the years,” Bullins said. “Roush Yates Engines puts a lot of work into continued improvements and finding more power.”
But Bullins knows that despite all the preparation that goes into a Talladega or Daytona weekend and the strategy decisions made once the green flag flies, a key factor is avoiding the “Big One” multi-car crashes that often occur in the tight racing at those tracks.
“We all go into the speedway races knowing there could be some big wrecks and things beyond our control,” he said. “But we will focus on the things we can control and try to be there at the end.
“Anyone can win this week, and we will try to be in the right spot at the right time.”
Per NASCAR policy, there will be no practice at Talladega. Qualifying is set for 3:30 p.m. Central Time (4:30 Eastern) on Saturday.
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 broadcast of the race, while USA Network will cover qualifying.
chevy racing–nhra–midwest nationals preview
| CHEVROLET IN NHRA2023 NHRA MIDWEST NATIONALS WORLD WIDE TECHNOLOGY RACEWAY MADISON, ILLINOIS TEAM CHEVY RACE ADVANCE SEPTEMBER 29-OCTOBER 1, 2023 CHEVROLET LOOKS TO REPEAT VICTORY AT WORLD WIDE TECHNOLOGY RACEWAY ON THE HUNT FOR A 28TH NHRA MANUFACTURERS CUP DETROIT (September 28, 2023) – Only four events remain in the 2023 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series season as the Chevrolet drivers and teams race on in the NHRA Countdown to the Championship. With Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock, and FlexJet Factory Stock Showdown in competition at this weekend’s NHRA Midwest Nationals, World Wide Technology Raceway (WWTR) plays host as the Bowtie brand continues to race towards their 28th Manufacturers Cup since 1966. With a strong winning history at the track, including with Erica Enders, driver of the Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage/Melling Chevrolet Camaro SS Pro Stock for Elite Motorsports, looking to not only continue to solidify herself in the history books with her 47th NHRA win, she also seeks her fifth-in-a-row victory at the Madison, Ill. track after winning consecutively in 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022. Adding to Chevy’s winning ways in St. Louis, Robert Hight, driver of the Cornwell Tools/AAA Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car for John Force Racing, looks to capture a repeat Wally trophy after not only qualifying No. 1 with his run of 3.853 ET at 336.32 MPH in 2022, but also winning over opponents Tim Wilkerson, Matt Hagan, and Ron Capps to capture the event win. Additionally, Hight currently enters the weekend first in Countdown points and looks to continue his march toward a fourth championship crown. “We’ve hit our stride at the right time. This AAA team, we had a rough patch but we got through it. My crew chiefs, Jimmy and Thomas Prock and Nate Hildahl, and all our guys stuck through it. I don’t think any of us had any doubt we’d be right in the thick of things when it mattered most,” Hight said. “We’ve got to keep it going. It’s going to take wins to get this championship locked up, going rounds is good and we’ve done that so far, we just need more of it. Those small points in qualifying will be important too. We lost last year by three, we’re not going to let that happen again.” Striking success early in the weekend with a strong qualifying run, the 16-time NHRA champion and drag racing legend John Force, driver of the PEAK Antifreeze and Coolant Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car, set the No. 2 qualifying pace last year to give John Force Racing occupation of the top two ladder positions heading into race day with his run of 3.853 ET at 334.15 MPH. Despite facing a tough year, J. Force looks optimistic heading to WWTR. “It’s been a tough season, we’ve struggled, but we’re not out of it yet. It’s competitive in Funny Car, maybe the most competitive it’s been, so no one is running away with it yet,” Force said. “We’ve had some consistency lately, figured some things out, so we just need to keep at it, keep our heads up. I think we’re all looking forward to St. Louis and hopefully ending these three back-to-back races on a good note.” Back in competition this weekend, the FlexJet Factory Stock Showdown Chevrolet COPO Camaros hit the track looking to take home yet another Wally trophy this weekend. Last competing at the Pep Boys NHRA Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway, Aaron Stanfield pulled double-duty in the class while also in Pro Stock, and ultimately taking home the Factory Stock Showdown win. “I want to keep going rounds and hold onto this lead for sure,” said Stanfield. “The biggest thing is how much support I have gotten this season. Everyone on this team has chipped in to get us where we are now. I have the FlexJet bounty on me now and I would like to make sure it keeps growing for a few races. The 2023 NHRA Midwest Nationals at World Wide Technology Raceway in Madison, Ill. kicks off Friday, Sept. 29, with qualifying airing at 7 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1 (FS1). Saturday qualifying airs Sunday at 2 p.m. ET on FS1, with eliminations following at 3 p.m. ET on FS1. Coverage streams live throughout the weekend on NHRA.tv, and is available via AppleTV, Android TV, and Roku devices. |
| WHAT THEY’RE SAYING:Brittany Force, driver of the Monster Energy / Flav-R-Pac Chevrolet Top Fuel dragster for John Force Racing:“The Midwest Nationals is race three of six in this Countdown. It’s easy to stay motivated when you’re coming right out of one event into another. We competed in Reading, Pennsylvania then Charlotte and now St. Louis for three back-to-back races. This Monster Energy / Flav-R-Pac team enters this event sitting sixth and we still have complete confidence we can make some big moves to get us closer to the top. Our qualifying has improved the last several weekends, we’ve been more consistent and earning bonus points to put us higher in the field. With three attempts this weekend, we want to take full avenge of those small points with some solid runs to put us at least in the top five. We need to go rounds on race day, we set the track record speed last year, but this year, we need to bring home a St. Louis win.” Austin Prock, driver of the Rocky Mountain Twist / Montana Brand Chevrolet Top Fuel dragster for John Force Racing:“We’re coming off a bit of momentum in Charlotte at the Carolina Nationals. I think we’re all looking forward to firing off strong in St. Louis at World Wide Technology Raceway. We have all the pieces to the puzzle to succeed on this Montana Brand / Rocky Mountain Twist team, we just need to utilize them efficiently. Once we do that, we will come out victorious.” Camrie Caruso, driver of the Tequila Comisario Chevrolet Camaro Pro Stock car for KB Titan Racing:“I feel so much better in this Tequila Comisario Chevrolet Camaro at this point of the season than when we started. There wasn’t anything wrong, but it was a new car and I was still getting adjusted to it. Now I love rolling up to the starting line. I know I have good power from KB Titan Racing and this team is awesome. We have started winning rounds in the Countdown and now we just need to make a move up the points.” Discussing last year’s Countdown:“Last year during the Countdown I was worn out mentally and physically. I had a better idea of what to expect this year and I think we can keep improving these last four Countdown races. I am looking forward to getting to St. Louis because I know I have a race car that can win. I am working on making sure I do everything correctly and three races in a row help keep me in a groove.” On her second year in Pro Stock, comfort level, and competing in the All-Star Callout:“I am still figuring a lot of things out in my second year but after getting that first win at the Arizona Nationals and thenx the Pro Stock All-Star Callout win, I definitely feel like I belong. Winning and running well helps with confidence but you still have to drive the car and get more experience. I am looking forward to getting that first qualifying run Friday night in St. Louis and then building on it on Saturday.” On working with KB Titan Racing and teammates:“Working with KB Titan Racing has been incredible every way you look at it,” said Caruso. “The power we have under the hoods is great and the team of people we have is incredible. My teammates are awesome drivers and when you look at how well Greg (Anderson), Dallas (Glenn), Matt Hartford, and Kyle (Koretsky) are doing I have a lot of confidence when I go to the races. I want to do my part for the team and for everyone at Tequila Comisario, DENSO, Big Jeff Audio, Powerbuilt Tools, and VP Racing Lubricants.” Aaron Stanfield, driver of the Stanfield Racing Engines Chevrolet COPO Camaro in FlexJet Factory Stock Showdown:“I want to keep going rounds and hold onto this lead for sure. The biggest thing is how much support I have gotten this season. Everyone on this team has chipped in to get us where we are now. I have the FlexJet bounty on me now and I would like to make sure it keeps growing for a few races. Getting the win in Reading was a big boost with only three races left. I have had good luck in St. Louis, and I am looking forward to getting back there. |
| TEAM CHEVY BY THE NUMBERS:1,437: Round wins for John Force (1st all-time).620: Round wins for Robert Hight; 13th all-time. Cruz Pedregon (Funny Car), sits 12th, with 624.378: Number of wins in Pro Stock since 1970; 259 won in the Chevrolet Camaro body.166: Number of career No. 1 qualifiers for John Force (1st all-time).158: Number of Chevrolet Racing Funny Car wins since 1967.82: Number of career No. 1 qualifiers for Robert Hight (6th all-time). Tony Schumacher (Top Fuel) is fifth with 88.78: Number of Chevrolet Racing Funny Car wins with the Camaro body.46: Number of career No. 1 qualifiers for Brittany Force.27: Number of NHRA championships Chevrolet holds as a manufacturer since entering the first in 1966. No other manufacturer has won it more than Chevrolet.24: Wins by John Force in a Chevrolet-bodied Funny Car.18: Number of Pro Stock championships.20: Chevrolet career Top Fuel wins in NHRA.16: Number of Chevrolet career wins by Brittany Force.7: Number of Funny Car driver championships.2: Number of Top Fuel driver championships. |
| UPCOMING NHRA MILESTONES:950: Greg Anderson (Pro Stock) is second all-time with 929 elimination round wins. He could reach 950 round wins with a decent run in the 18-race schedule. 624: Robert Hight achieved 620 Funny Car elimination wins in Chicago to rank 13th on the all-time NHRA list; Cruz Pedregon (Funny Car) sits 12th with 624. 450: By qualifying for his next race, Greg Anderson (Pro Stock) will extend his NHRA record from 449 to 450 consecutive race day appearances. His first appearance came in 2002 at Pomona 2, and he holds the longest career qualifying streak in NHRA. 138: Greg Anderson (Pro Stock) ranks third on the NHRA all-time list with 122 No. 1 qualifiers. He will tie Warren Johnson (Pro Stock, 138) for second to John Force (Funny Car, 166) on the list. 276: By qualifying for his next race, Robert Hight will extend his NHRA record to 276 consecutive race day appearances. His first appearance came in 2010 at Pomona 2, and he currently sits seventh in career qualifying streaks in NHRA (Doug Kalitta is sixth at 284). 65: Robert Hight moved into the top-10 in 10th on the all-time NHRA victory list with his win in Reading with 64. Jeg Coughlin Jr. (Pro Stock, retired) is next ninth on list with 65. 47: Erica Enders has 46 career NHRA victories (45 Pro Stock, one Super Gas; all with Chevrolet). Her first win in Pro Stock came at Chicago, 2012, and her last win at Topeka, 2023 in Pro Stock. Angelle Sampey (Pro Stock Motorcycle, Top Alcohol Dragster) and Enders are tied as the all-time NHRA female leader with 46. 18: Brittany Force (16 Top Fuel career wins) will move past Shirley Muldowney (18 wins) into third on the NHRA all-time victory list for females. Erica Enders (Pro Stock, 46) and Angelle Sampey (Pro Stock Motorcycle, 46) are ahead. 6: Erica Enders (Pro Stock) could tie Warren Johnson (6 Pro Stock championships) for second on the class list. The same holds for Greg Anderson. Bob Glidden is the leader with 10. Enders currently holds five Pro Stock championships, the most of any female in NHRA. 3: Brittany Force (Top Fuel, two championships) would tie Shirley Muldowney (Top Fuel) and Angelle Sampey (Pro Stock Motorcycle) for second on the NHRA all-time championship list by females with another title in 2023. Erica Enders (Pro Stock, five) is the leader. |
TEAM CHEVY ADVANCE Talladega Superspeedway Lincoln, Alabama
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| BOWTIE BACK FOR A REPEAT NASCAR will make its way back to Talladega Superspeedway this weekend with 2.66-mile Alabama venue set to host its second doubleheader of the season. This time, it will be the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (NCTS) that will join the NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) at the series’ longest and fastest oval to compete in the penultimate race of their respective playoff schedules. A win in Sunday’s YellaWood 500 would mark the second consecutive season that Chevrolet swept the victories in NASCAR’s premier series at Talladega Superspeedway. Last season, Trackhouse Racing’s Ross Chastain (April 2022) and Hendrick Motorsports’ Chase Elliott (October 2022) made the trip to victory lane. Most recently, it was Richard Childress Racing’s Kyle Busch (April 2023) that carried the Bowtie brand to the win – bringing the manufacturer to a series-leading 44 NCS wins at Talladega Superspeedway. Chevrolet has collected victories in six of the 18 NCTS races at Talladega Superspeedway, four of which have come in the series’ past five appearances at the track. Only one of the remaining NCTS playoff contenders has found victory lane in the series at Alabama venue, which was accomplished by the pairing of Grant Enfinger and GMS Racing (October 2016). |
 ROUND OF 12: PART TWOWilliam Byron’s career season continued at Texas Motor Speedway last weekend with the driver not only picking up Hendrick Motorsports’ milestone 300th NASCAR Cup Series win, but also the first ticket into the Round of Eight. The monumental triumph brought the 25-year-old North Carolina native to six wins on the season – doubling the next winningest driver with three. 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).Despite a heartbreaking finish at the 1.5-mile Texas oval, Kyle Larson continues to prove to be another championship favorite. The 31-year-old California native recorded a stage win and a race-high 99 laps led before a battle for the lead ended in contact with the wall that forced a 31st place finish. The result doesn’t depict the speed Larson carried in his No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Camaro ZL1 with the Team Chevy driver clocking-in the fast lap times for 42.93% of the laps ran in the event – the highest percentage achieved by a driver in a single race this season. The opening round saw the former champion post an average finish of 2.33 – earning a win and finishing no worse than fourth in the first three races of the postseason. Entering the Round of 12 on the outside looking in, Trackhouse Racing’s Ross Chastain completed the Bowtie brand’s one-two finish at Texas Motor Speedway – moving the Team Chevy driver to the sixth position in the standings with a 12-point advantage over the playoff cutline. Early turmoil in Stage One put Kyle Busch in the 12th position in the standings, but the Richard Childress Racing driver holds a boost of confidence for the second race of the round – heading into Talladega Superspeedway as the track’s most recent winner. The two-time series champion has collected top-10 finishes in four of the five superspeedway-style races this season, highlighted by his win at Talladega Superspeedway (April) and a fifth-place finish at Atlanta Motor Speedway (July). |
| A look at Team Chevy’s playoff contenders heading into the second race of the NASCAR Cup Series Round of 12 at Talladega Superspeedway: |
 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: 11Top-10s: 16Laps Led: 883 Average Finish: 12.1Stage Wins: 8 (series-leading)At Talladega Superspeedway: Top-Fives: 2Top-10s: 3Average Finish: 17.273 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). |
 Ross Chastain, No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Camaro ZL1 – 6th in Playoff Standings; 12 points above the cutlineVictories: 1Top-Fives: 8Top-10s: 11Laps Led: 483Average Finish: 14.7Stage Wins: 5At Talladega Superspeedway: Victories: 1Top-Fives: 2Top-10s: 2Average Finish: 18.111 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 found his way to victory lane in one track in the Round of 12 – scoring his second win of the 2022 season in the series’ spring appearance at Talladega Superspeedway. |
 Kyle Larson, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Camaro ZL1 – 8th in Playoff Standings; two points above the cutlineVictories: 3Top-Fives: 13 (series-leading)Top-10s: 15Laps Led: 897 (series-leading)Average Finish: 15.2Stage Wins: 5At Talladega Superspeedway: Top-Fives: 1Top-10s: 3Average Finish: 23.412 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. |
 Kyle Busch, No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Camaro ZL1 – 12th in Playoff Standings; 17 points below the cutlineVictories: 3Top-Fives: 8Top-10s: 15Laps Led: 233Average Finish: 14.6Stage Wins: 2At Talladega Superspeedway: Wins: 2Top-Fives: 8Top-10s: 10Average Finish: 19.889 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. · Busch is the series’ most recent winner at one track in the Round of 12, with one of his three wins on the season coming at Talladega Superspeedway in April. |
 CELEBRATING A MILESTONEHendrick Motorsports made history last weekend with William Byron delivering the organization its 300th NASCAR Cup Series victory. This isn’t the only milestone victory the organization has accomplished in the 2023 playoffs. Just three weeks ago, Kyle Larson’s win at Darlington Raceway marked the Hendrick Motorsports Engine Department’s 500th all-time NASCAR national series win. A partner with Rick Hendrick since the inception of the team, each of Hendrick Motorsports’ wins have come in a Chevrolet. Hendrick Motorsports’ first triumph in NASCAR’s premier series came in April 1984 with Geoff Bodine, and the organization has since won at least one race in all but one season since it was founded, including an active streak of 38 in a row (1986-2023). Hendrick Motorsports became the winningest organization in NCS history two years ago when Kyle Larson’s win in the 2021 Coca-Cola 600 took the organization to 269 victories – surpassing the all-time win record previously set by Petty Enterprises.“On behalf of everyone at Chevrolet, congratulations to Rick Hendrick and the entire Hendrick Motorsports organization on reaching 300 wins in the NASCAR Cup Series,” said Jim Campbell, General Motors U.S. Vice President of Performance and Motorsports. “This milestone victory is a testament to the dedication and teamwork by everyone who has contributed to Hendrick Motorsports. As a longtime partner of the winningest organization in NASCAR Cup Series history, we are proud that all 300 Hendrick Motorsports wins have been in partnership with Chevrolet. We look forward to continuing to race together for wins in the NASCAR Cup series.” The winningest manufacturer in series’ history, Chevrolet has accumulated 848 all-time NCS wins. Hendrick Motorsports is credited with a handful of milestone triumphs for the Bowtie brand, delivering the manufacturer its milestone 400th, 500th, 600th, 700th and 800th victories in NASCAR’s premier series – each recorded by a different driver: · 400th win: Sept. 9, 1994 – Terry Labonte (Richmond Raceway)· 500th win: Aug. 12, 2001 Jeff Gordon (Watkins Glen International)· 600th win: March 25, 2007 – Kyle Busch (Bristol Motor Speedway)· 700th win: Nov. 4, 2012 – Jimmie Johnson (Texas Motor Speedway)· 800th win: May 23, 2021 – Chase Elliott (Circuit of The Americas)  |
| LOOKING FOR A TICKET TO THE CHAMPIONSHIP FOURThe NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series playoff contenders are on the horizon of race two of three in the series’ Round of Eight. Team Chevy’s Christian Eckes came just one spot short of a guaranteed ticket into the Championship Four at Bristol Motor Speedway, but a stage win sweep and his fourth-consecutive postseason podium finish put the 22-year-old New York native in the second position in the points standings with a 29-point cushion above the cutline. In only two superspeedway-style races for the series this season, Eckes has finished no worse than third, including his first of now three wins on the season (Atlanta Motor Speedway – March 2023). Eckes led a trio of Team Chevy’s NCTS playoff contenders to top-fives in the Round of Eight opener at Bristol Motor Speedway with GMS Racing’s Grant Enfinger and Niece Motorsports’ Carson Hocevar finishing in the third and fourth-positions, respectively. Strong finishes at the Tennessee half-mile put Hocevar third (+18) and Enfinger fourth (+14) in the standings – giving Team Chevy three of the top-four drivers in the playoff rankings. NCTS rookie Nick Sanchez will enter Talladega Superspeedway seventh in the points standings and 22-points below the cutline. But while on the outside looking in, the Rev Racing driver scored his career-best finish in the series’ last appearance on a superspeedway-style track – collecting a runner-up finish at Atlanta Motor Speedway in March. |
| BOWTIE BULLETS:· Chevrolet will pace the field in the doubleheader race weekend at Talladega Superspeedway. The Silverado RST will lead the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series in Saturday’s Love’s RV Stop 250; and the specially-themed pink ‘Making Strides Against Breast Cancer’ Camaro ZL1 will lead the NASCAR Cup Series in Sunday’s YellaWood 500. · Active Chevrolet drivers with a NASCAR Cup Series win at Talladega Superspeedway: Kyle Busch – 2 (2023 & 2008)Chase Elliott – 2 (2022 & 2019)Ross Chastain – 1 (2022) Ricky Stenhouse Jr. – (2017) · In 108 NASCAR Cup Series races at Talladega Superspeedway, Chevrolet leads all manufacturers in race wins (44) and pole wins (37). Of those wins includes a record streak of 13 consecutive trips to victory lane captured by five different drivers from April 1999 to May 2005. · Since the beginning of the 2022 season, Chevrolet was the only manufacturer to win at Talladega Superspeedway across all three NASCAR national touring series with NASCAR Cup Series wins by Ross Chastain, Chase Elliott and Kyle Busch; NASCAR Xfinity Series wins by Noah Gragson, AJ Allmendinger and Jeb Burton; and a NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series win by Matt DiBenedetto. · Chevrolet has won eight of the past 10 superspeedway-style races in NASCAR’s top series – recorded by six drivers from four different Chevrolet teams. · 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 30 points-paying NASCAR Cup Series race this season, Chevrolet continues to lead the series in wins (15), top-fives (64), top-10s (127), stage wins (21) and laps led (2,913). · Chevrolet leads the series in wins across all three NASCAR national series this season with 15 victories in 30 NASCAR Cup Series races, 14 victories in 28 NASCAR Xfinity Series races and 12 wins in 20 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series races – all with a winning percentage of at least 50 percent. · With William Byron’s win in the NASCAR Cup Series Round of 12 opener at Texas Motor Speedway, Hendrick Motorsports now sits at 300 all-time victories in NASCAR’s premier series – all recorded with Chevrolet. · 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 60 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 68 points in the NASCAR Cup Series, 73 points in the NASCAR Xfinity Series and 67 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 Talladega Superspeedway. · Fans can check out an assortment of Chevrolet vehicles at the Team Chevy Racing Display including: Silverado 1500 Crew ZR2, 2024 Silverado 2500HD High Country Diesel, Tahoe RST, Traverse High Country, 2024 Equinox Premier, Colorado Crew Z71 2.7L, Corvette Coupe 3LT Z51, Camaro ZL1.· Fans can also view Chase Elliott’s No. 9 Camaro ZL1 show car. Team Chevy Driver Appearances at the Display:Sunday, October 1· Corey LaJoie: 9:45 a.m.· Kyle Busch: 10 a.m.· Chase Elliott: 10:15 a.m.· William Byron: 10:30 a.m. Chevrolet Display Hours of Operation: · Saturday, September 30: 7:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. · Sunday, October 1: 8 a.m.- 1 p.m. |
| TUNE IN:NASCAR Cup Series: YellaWood 500 Sunday, October 1, at 2 p.m. ET(NBC, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90) NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series: Love’s RV Stop 250Saturday, September 30, at 1 p.m. ET(FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90) |
| QUOTABLE QUOTES:ROSS CHASTAIN, NO. 1 WORLDWIDE EXPRESS CAMARO ZL1What are the closing laps like at Talladega?“Superspeedway racing accelerates your age in dog years, it feels like. We were able to lead some laps last year and had a shot to win to try and back up our spring win. Surviving is the most important thing but we can just easily wreck on lap 30. Those last 40 laps are just about holding onto the track position you have, and if it’s your time to crash, it’s your time to crash.” Do you feel confident headed into the next two races?“I just want to run good at the track I’m at. When we go to Talladega and the Roval, we’ll just go try to perform like we did at Texas. If it’s not looking good, just what does the next lap take – what does the next breath take. Those races, they give out the same amount of points and we’ll go and race them the same way.” KYLE LARSON, NO. 5 VALVOLINE / HENDRICKCARS.COM CAMARO ZL1Larson on racing at Talladega Superspeedway:“I’m just trying to do good every weekend. Texas didn’t pan out the way the No. 5 team necessarily wanted, but our race cars have been crazy fast so I’m just trying to get through Talladega with some decent track position and hopefully we can get a win at Talladega (Superspeedway).” CLIFF DANIELS, CREW CHIEF, NO. 5 VALVOLINE / HENDRICKCARS.COM CAMARO ZL1Daniels on racing at Talladega Superspeedway:“We’ve had a very similar strategy at all of the Superspeedway races this year. We’re trying to do what’s right as far as keeping our car upfront. Obviously, we try to avoid trouble the best we can- which can certainly be tough to do at these plate races. I feel like we always have fast cars and Kyle always does a great job at trying to get our car upfront and in position. You certainly have to execute a good race. If we do all the things that we can control right and put us in position, with a healthy does of luck, hopefully we’ll have a good finish coming our way soon.” AJ ALLMENDINGER, NO. 16 ACTION INDUSTRIES CAMARO ZL1“Superspeedway racing is definitely not my favorite, but we’ve had speed at those tracks this year. At the end of the day, I think we can get upfront and give ourselves a shot to win the race. We had a shot in the spring going into turn one battling for the win and we had a really fast race car in Daytona. Like I always say, it’s one of those tracks I’m not looking forward to, but at the end of the day it is about going to win a race and this is one we can give ourselves a shot at the end of the race.” CARSON HOCEVAR, NO. 42 SUNSEEKER RESORTS CAMARO ZL1This week sees your first ever Cup Series race at a superspeedway type track, so how different are you expecting the racing to play out and will you be able to learn in the Truck Series race?“I am actually really looking forward to running my first superspeedway race in the Cup Series this weekend. The results might not show it, but I’ve had a blast racing at Talladega in the Truck Series. We’ve just had some unfortunate luck that’s kept us from finishing well. From everybody that I’ve talked to that’s driven both, I’m anticipating a bit of a different race to play out on Sunday. The Cup guys are so good at managing their cars and taking care of one another out there, that I don’t really feel all that much pressure not to put a foot wrong. Saturday will be a different feeling for sure, we’ve only got an 18 point gap to the cutoff line, and the Truck Series drivers always race aggressive. I feel like I can still learn and take some notes heading into Sunday, but there’s definitely going to be a different mindset. The LEGACY M.C. cars are always super-fast at these tracks, and Erik’s been close to winning on a few occasions, so I think if we can play our cards right, we’ll definitely have a shot at it. I can’t wait to try it out.” ERIK JONES, NO. 43 ALLEGIANT CAMARO ZL1“Talladega has been good to us for the last couple of years. I think with the next-gen car, we have had a ton of speed in the No. 43. I am hoping we can put it all together and have one go our way. We have been in contention to win a handful of them in the last few years, and we just need one to play out the right way for us to have a shot in the end. I am looking forward to getting out there and hopefully getting a win with the No. 43 team.” RICKY STENHOUSE JR., NO. 47 SARA LEE ARTESANO BAKERY BREAD CAMARO ZL1“We definitely want to go for the win at Talladega with our No. 47 Sara Lee Artesano / Country Crock Camaro. We’ll discuss our strategy going into the weekend and determine what we want to do for the race. You look back at the final regular season race at Daytona (International Speedway) and we got to the front. However, while running in the top 6, we got wrecked. We know stage points are important, but we would rather have the race win. I think when it comes down to it, we will see how the race plays out.” DANIEL SUAREZ, NO. 99 TOOTSIES ORCHID LOUNGE CAMARO ZL1“We have been very strong at the drafting tracks this year. We know we can win there. Heck, anyone can win at Talladega, that’s what makes the race so much fun and why fans show up. But, we feel like our program can win there. We just have to prove it and that’s what we plan to do Sunday.” CHASE PURDY, NO. 4 BAMA BUGGIES SILVERADO RSTAfter leading laps there last year, how excited are you to get back to Talladega?“Absolutely. Obviously, it’s a home race for me. It was special last year to have my school, where I went to college, on the truck and have a good day. We hope to go back there this year and do the same, but this time be seven spots better. I feel like I always have my best foot forward going there since it’s my home track and I’ll have a lot of family and friends there. I’ll be staying there the whole weekend, so I have a lot of expectations for it.” The KBM trucks had great speed at Daytona. Do you feel like that will carry over to Talladega?“We were upset with how qualifying went earlier this year at Daytona after we felt like we were in great position to get the pole but cut a tire in the first round and weren’t able to make a lap in the second round. It would be a big deal for me to get the pole at Talladega and go up there and lead laps, being that I consider it my home track. The Daytona truck was probably the best speedway truck I’ve ever had. We will bring that same package on our Bama Buggies Silverado to Talladega so we should be really good.” How does the racing differ between Daytona and Talladega?“Talladega just seems to be wider. The second lane just works better for the trucks at Talladega than at Daytona. I think you will see more two and three-wide racing than what you saw at Daytona in February.” GRANT ENFINGER, NO. 23 CHAMPION POWER EQUIPMENT SILVERADO RSTYou earned your first Truck Series win with GMS Racing here, how special would it be to cap off your time with the team with another win at home?“Yeah, it was a huge day for my career back in 2016 when we were able to get the win at Talladega in front of the hometown and all the friends and family. There were a lot of people that were at that race that have been instrumental in my career and all the opportunities that I had to that point. So that will always be one of the most special moments that I’ve had in my career. To come back and do it again with our last opportunity to run in that race with GMS Racing would be special from a personal standpoint, but it would be pretty big career-wise to be able to lock ourselves into the Championship 4. Obviously, that’s the goal for all of us; but there’s only one of the eight that can sleep well at night not having to stress out about this race, and that’s Corey [Heim]. I think our game plan is to try and be aggressive, and hopefully get some stage points. We want to be able to contend for the win. I think there’s some different strategies that teams are going to use; I think some guys are going to try and play it safe, and some guys that have nothing to lose are going to race for the win. We’re not one of those guys, but we’re definitely going to be aggressive. We’ve first got to have enough speed in our Champion Power Equipment Chevy, and hopefully the rest will all take care of itself.” RAJAH CARUTH, NO. 24 WENDELL SCOTT FOUNDATION SILVERADO RSTYou’ve only had one prior superspeedway race under your belt in the Truck Series, so what was your biggest “learning moment” from Daytona?“Daytona feels like it was an eternity ago, but I was able to learn a lot in my first Truck Series race there back in February. I found out firsthand how much these trucks like to move around in the draft, as well as the decisiveness necessary to make moves and being able to chill for a second. You don’t need to lead every lap in these races, and I learned a lot of the importance of setting yourself up for the finish, because you need to be around for the end of the race. I feel like our Wendell Scott Foundation team proved that they can bring one of the fastest trucks to the racetrack at these plate-style races, and hopefully I have gained enough respect of the other drivers out there to give them confidence in working with me here this weekend.” DANIEL DYE, NO. 43 RACETOSTOPSUICIDE.COM SILVERADO RSTYou were so close on winning here last year in the ARCA Menards Series race, so does that give you any added confidence to return here in a truck?“I’m looking forward to getting back to Talladega in a different vehicle than I had there last time. We had good speed there with GMS last year and got towards the front of the pack. I was close to having a shot to win the race before I made a mistake that took us out of contention. But I definitely learned a lot in the two superspeedway races I ran last year in the ARCA car and the one at Daytona this year in a truck. I’m hoping to use all the things I learned in those three races and have ourselves a good finish. We are still looking for our first top-10 of the year, and Talladega presents itself as an opportunity to either have a great day or an awful day. Hopefully we’ll be on the great side this time.” JACK WOOD, NO. 51 TRUETIMBER SILVERADO RSTAfter having speed at Daytona and Atlanta, how excited are you for this race?“Obviously the KBM trucks were fast at Atlanta and Daytona. Talladega is a fun race, but it is a race for survival. I think it’s a good chance for the two KBM trucks and our alliance partner, Rev Racing, to work together and have ourselves a good finish. We should have strength in numbers and be able to qualify up front and be in control of the race. The truck races are so short that you don’t have time to drop to the back and try to avoid wrecks. You’ve got to be up front and be one of the five trucks or so in the first two rows to go win. It should be fun.” How does racing at Talladega compare to racing at Daytona?“I think the apron isn’t as aggressive at Talladega so you can race harder in the corners. Guys are willing to race a little harder than they are at Daytona. We don’t have another superspeedway race until next season now, so a lot of guys are going to be aggressive, especially the playoff drivers that need to win. It’s going to be hotter, and the surface is a little more worn out and the track is wider so it will be more aggressive racing than Daytona.” |
| 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: 2,913Top-five finishes: 64Top-10 finishes: 127Stage 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: 248,457Top-five finishes to date: 4,285Top-10 finishes to date: 8,839 Total NASCAR Cup Wins by Corporation, 1949 to Date: General Motors: 1,182 Chevrolet: 848 Pontiac: 154 Oldsmobile: 115 Buick: 65 Ford: 826 Ford: 726 Mercury: 96 Lincoln: 4 Fiat Chrysler Automobiles: 467 Dodge: 217 Plymouth: 191 Chrysler: 59 Toyota: 179 |
BRITTANY FORCE AND MONSTER ENERGY TEAM CONFIDENT HEADING TO NHRA MIDWEST NATIONALS
| MADISON, Ill. (Sept. 27, 2023) – Brittany Force and the Monster Energy / Flav-R-Pac Chevrolet dragster team enter this weekend’s NHRA Midwest Nationals at World Wide Technology Raceway sitting sixth in the championship points standings and are determined to make a splash through the last four races of the season. While Force and her Monster Energy team are still looking for their first win of the season, they have been on a hot streak qualifying in the top five for the last four consecutive races. While they’ve been consistent through qualifying, they haven’t been able to translate that performance to race day. In the first two races of the Countdown, they’ve had second-round exits. “The Midwest Nationals is race three of six in this Countdown. It’s easy to stay motivated when you’re coming right out of one event into another. We competed in Reading, Pennsylvania then Charlotte and now St. Louis for three back-to-back races. This Monster Energy / Flav-R-Pac team enters this event sitting sixth and we still have complete confidence we can make some big moves to get us closer to the top,” Force said. “Our qualifying has improved the last several weekends, we’ve been more consistent and earning bonus points to put us higher in the field. With three attempts this weekend, we want to take full avenge of those small points with some solid runs to put us at least in the top five. We need to go rounds on race day, we set the track record speed last year, but this year, we need to bring home a St. Louis win.” Although Force and the Monster Energy team have yet to pick up a win or No. 1 qualifying position at World Wide Technology Raceway they do hold the track speed record at 338.43 mph that they set last season. They finished the 2022 Midwest Nationals with a No. 5 qualifying position and second-round exit. The NHRA Midwest Nationals at World Wide Technology Raceway starts with three qualifying sessions Friday at 7:00 p.m. and Saturday at 2:30 and 5:30 p.m. Eliminations will begin Sunday at 11 a.m. Television coverage of the event will be on FOX Sports 1 (FS1) with qualifying shows Friday at 7:00 p.m. and Sunday at 2:00 p.m. ET. Eliminations will air Sunday at 3:00 p.m. ET. |
AUSTIN PROCK AND MONTANA BRAND LOOK TO BUILD MOMENTUM AT NHRA MIDWEST NATIONALS
| MADISON, Ill. (Sept. 27, 2023) – Austin Prock and the Montana Brand / Rocky Mountain Twist Chevrolet dragster team are sitting eighth in points heading into the NHRA Midwest Nationals at World Wide Technology Raceway. Just 154 points back, a continued boost in performance could put the young team right back in the championship conversation with four events left in the NHRA Countdown to the Championship Prock and the Montana Brand team picked up John Fore Racing’s only Top Fuel win so far this season at the spring Four-Wide Nationals at zMAX Dragway, the track they just came from for the Carolina Nationals. The Montana Brand dragster found momentum last weekend after qualifying only tenth, the Chris Cunningham and Joe Barlam-led team finished with a semifinal appearance. “We’re coming off a bit of momentum in Charlotte at the Carolina Nationals. I think we’re all looking forward to firing off strong in St. Louis at World Wide Technology Raceway,” Prock said. “We have all the pieces to the puzzle to succeed on this Montana Brand / Rocky Mountain Twist team, we just need to utilize them efficiently. Once we do that, we will come out victorious.” In addition to their win at the Four-Wide event at zMAX in the spring, the Montana Brand team also made it to the finals of the Winternationals in Pomona, California and earned a No. 1 qualifying position at the Sonoma Nationals in July. Last season at the Midwest Nationals, Prock qualified 12th and came up short in the first round to teammate Brittany Force. The NHRA Midwest Nationals at World Wide Technology Raceway starts with three qualifying sessions Friday at 7:00 p.m. and Saturday at 2:30 and 5:30 p.m. Eliminations will begin Sunday at 11 a.m. Television coverage of the event will be on FOX Sports 1 (FS1) with qualifying shows Friday at 7:00 p.m. and Sunday at 2:00 p.m. ET. Eliminations will air Sunday at 3:00 p.m. ET. |
ROBERT HIGHT AND AAA CHEVY ON A ROLL HEADING TO NHRA MIDWEST NATIONALS
| ROBERT HIGHT AND AAA CHEVY ON A ROLLHEADING TO NHRA MIDWEST NATIONALS |
| MADISON, Ill. (Sept. 27, 2023) – Robert Hight and the AAA / Cornwell Tools team return to familiar AAA livery on their Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car for this weekend’s NHRA Midwest Nationals at World Wide Technology Raceway. They will try to improve their 25-point lead at the third of six events in the NHRA Countdown to the Championship. Hight and the AAA team kept their points lead after finishing runner-up at last weekend’s Carolina Nationals. They had entered North Carolina with just a three-point gap after picking up a victory at Maple Grove Raceway to open the Countdown to the Championship. In addition to his win in Reading, Pennsylvania, Hight hoisted the Wally at the Four-Wide at zMAX Dragway and the Arizona Nationals, he also has a runner-up finish at Brainerd International Raceway. “We’ve hit our stride at the right time. This AAA team, we had a rough patch but we got through it. My crew chiefs, Jimmy and Thomas Prock and Nate Hildahl, and all our guys stuck through it. I don’t think any of us had any doubt we’d be right in the thick of things when it mattered most,” Hight said. “We’ve got to keep it going. It’s going to take wins to get this championship locked up, going rounds is good and we’ve done that so far, we just need more of it. Those small points in qualifying will be important too. We lost last year by three, we’re not going to let that happen again.” Last season at the Midwest Nationals, Hight qualified his AAA Chevy Camaro SS No. 1 and beat Ron Capps in the final round for his third win at St. Louis where he also prevailed in 2010 and 2018. Hight has started from the No. 1 qualifying position five times at World Wide Technology Raceway (2006, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2022) and set the current track records of 3.830 seconds and 338.60 mph on Sept. 30, 2017. The NHRA Midwest Nationals at World Wide Technology Raceway starts with three qualifying sessions Friday at 7:00 p.m. and Saturday at 2:30 and 5:30 p.m. Eliminations will begin Sunday at 11 a.m. Television coverage of the event will be on FOX Sports 1 (FS1) with qualifying shows Friday at 7:00 p.m. and Sunday at 2:00 p.m. ET. Eliminations will air Sunday at 3:00 p.m. ET. |
cruz pedregon–st. Louis advance
NHRA® Team Report
NHRA Midwest Nationals – St. Louis
Pre-Race Report
Cruz Pedregon and his primary sponsor Snap-on are making the Countdown count by showcasing the work of the Pink Fund® (U.S.) and Kelly Shires Foundation (Canada) with a new, pink “Socket to Breast Cancer” paint scheme for the Snap-on® Dodge® SRT® Hellcat®. NHRA fans have all eyes on this year’s competitive Countdown, so Cruz’s matte black and two-toned pink striped Funny Car will further awareness of these organizations during breast cancer awareness month and one of the most popular times of the NHRA season.
“This cause is meaningful to me since our family, like most families, has someone we care about who has had breast cancer. Having Countdown-level attention on our car that’s sharing the news of real help for the other part of the fight for breast cancer patients is as important to me as is moving up in the Countdown points,” Cruz says. “Fans will see our pink funny car and hopefully find out more about the Pink Fund and Kelly Shires Foundation that help breast cancer patients meet non-medical expenses while they are undergoing treatment. They don’t do research…they provide grants when they’re needed most, during treatment, for things like transportation and help with bills if money gets tight. Plus, they’re a great source of information, one my sister Dora counted on when she was going through her successful treatment.”
Snap-on and its franchisees who participated in sales promotions over the past eight years have donated more than $1 million to support these organizations and their important work…critical since almost 300,000 new breast cancer cases will be diagnosed this year alone.
The new pink design on the El Mero Mero body features the Snap-on Socket to Breast Cancer logo along with the Pink Fund and Kelly Shires Foundation logos. To learn more, check out PinkFund.org and KellyShiresFoundation.org.
Also on the side of Cruz’s car this week is the name of Nitro Franchisee Greg Skidmore. Greg’s had his Snap-on franchise for 37 years because he says he’s a “tool-aholic” who still loves buying tools. He will be on hand this weekend to see the pink Snap-on Funny Car along with 75 of his closest friends and customers he’s invited to the track.
JOHN FORCE AND PEAK CHEVY LOOKING FOR AN UPSWING AT NHRA MIDWEST NATIONALS
| MADISON, Ill. (Sept. 27, 2023) – John Force and the PEAK Antifreeze and Coolant Chevrolet Camaro SS team enter this weekend’s NHRA Midwest Nationals at World Wide Technology Raceway sitting ninth in the Camping World championship points standings and are looking to make up some ground at the third of six events in the NHRA Countdown to the Championship. Force and the PEAK team are on the hunt for their first win of the season. They’ve reached the finals once at the rain-delayed New England Nationals, but Force has made four trips to the semifinals and qualified inside the top half of the field at 11 of 17 events so far this season including picking up the No. 1 qualifying position at the Northwest Nationals at Pacific Raceways just outside of Seattle. Last weekend, at zMAX Dragway near Charlotte for the Carolina Nationals, Force had a consistent race car during qualifying securing the fourth spot but ran into trouble early on race day for a first-round exit. “It’s been a tough season, we’ve struggled, but we’re not out of it yet. It’s competitive in Funny Car, maybe the most competitive it’s been, so no one is running away with it yet,” Force said. “We’ve had some consistency lately, figured some things out, so we just need to keep at it, keep our heads up. I think we’re all looking forward to St. Louis and hopefully ending these three back-to-back races on a good note.” Force has a total of three wins at World Wide Technology Raceway in 1999, 2002 and 2013 and three No. 1 starts at the facility in 2010, 2014, and most recently in 2019. Last year, after qualifying No. 2, he raced to the semifinals where he was bested by reigning world champion Ron Capps. The NHRA Midwest Nationals at World Wide Technology Raceway starts with three qualifying sessions Friday at 7:00 p.m. and Saturday at 2:30 and 5:30 p.m. Eliminations will begin Sunday at 11 a.m. Television coverage of the event will be on FOX Sports 1 (FS1) with qualifying shows Friday at 7:00 p.m. and Sunday at 2:00 p.m. ET. Eliminations will air Sunday at 3:00 p.m. ET. |
HOW SCRAPPERS RACING AND MIKE SALINAS MADE HISTORY
MONUMENTAL MILESTONE CONTINUES TO IMPRESS
Event:
Midwest NHRA Nationals
World Wide Technology Raceway; Madison, Illinois
Scrappers Racing Competitors:
Mike Salinas, Top Fuel
Jianna Evaristo, Pro Stock Motorcycle
MADISON, Ill. (Sept. 27, 2023) – There is no shortage of enthusiasm or excitement within the Scrappers Racing team a few days removed from that historic accomplishment at zMAX Dragway Saturday night. Mike Salinas made history when he became the first driver in NHRA to go 300 mph to the 1/8th mile. The monumental milestone resulted in a $30,000 bonus from Phillips Connect and earned the Scrappers Racing team the No. 1 qualifier position for Sunday’s eliminations, but more importantly, Salinas and his team accomplished truly the last major milestone in NHRA competition to be seen in the modern era.
“As the days have passed following Saturday night’s run, it’s really become a little surreal at how big this milestone really is not only in the sport of drag racing, but across motorsports as a whole,” said Salinas. “I’ve said many times that I’m far from one of the veterans of this series and I’m still learning each weekend that I’m on the track. But my crew chiefs (Rob Flynn and Aaron Cave) are very talented and have been close to this accomplishment in testing several times. To be the team to hit this milestone is something I’m very proud of and shows just how capable we are as a team, especially as we set out to be a two-car team in 2024. Now we’re all hoping an achievement like this can continue to be celebrated and perhaps get the attention of corporations who want to team up with Scrappers Racing for next season.”
The momentum for the Scrappers Racing team didn’t stop on Saturday night as the team had their sights set on finishing the weekend hoisting the Wally. Salinas met Mike Bucher in round one, had a bye run in round two that took him to the semi-finals against Austin Prock. The win against Prock with a 3.898 run versus Prock’s 4.189 run would place Salinas in the finals against Doug Kalitta, the race winner from one week prior at Maple Grove Raceway.
Salinas’ reaction time of .065 versus Kalitta’s of .076 gave him the jump off of the starting line, but as the Scrappers Racing Top Fuel dragster approached the finish line, two cylinders in the engine had gone out allowing Kalitta to get past him with a time of 3.696 to Salinas’ 3.718.
“Of course, we all wanted to finish the weekend off with a win after Saturday night being such an incredible moment for our team and the sport,” continued Salinas. “I got off the line good in that final round, but unfortunately, we put two holes out right before the finish line and Doug (Kalitta) was able to get around us for the win. Congratulations to Doug and his Kalitta Motorsports team on their second win in two weeks. We’re right there and we know we have a lot of speed in our car, and we were able to showcase that in Charlotte. The weather in St. Louis looks good so if we can continue to use what we were able to find in Charlotte, I think we’ll be in for another great race weekend.”
The Midwest NHRA Nationals at World Wide Technology Raceway will kick off on Friday evening with the first round of pro stock qualifying at 6:00 PM CT followed by the first round of nitro qualifying at 7:00 PM CT.