CHEVROLET IN NTT INDYCAR SERIES 107th RUNNING OF THE INDIANAPOLIS 500 INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA POST RACE PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT MAY 28, 2023 SANTINO FERRUCCI, NO. 14 CHEVROLET, and TONY KANAAN, NO. 66 CHEVROLET – Post Race Press Conference:THE MODERATOR: One of the things that INDYCAR talks a lot about is doing everything it can to finish under green, so that’s one of the things that is talked a lot about in drivers’ meetings and so on and so forth. Also joined by Tony Kanaan who finished 16th in his 22nd and final Indianapolis 500. TK, thanks for coming up. And Santino Ferrucci, obviously with a big day today, driving the No. 14 Homes For Our Troops Chevrolet for AJ Foyt Racing; career best finish of third. Santino, go ahead and talk about your day today and what could have been. SANTINO FERRUCCI: Yeah, just emotional, bittersweet. It was emotional getting in the car, which was kind of strange because you feel like there’s a lot of people that really want this, the team really wants this. We worked so hard to be where we were. We ran out front all day long. It’s definitely one of the more difficult races that I’ve probably ever run, and just we also knew that we had a really good car. We got really close with Felix when he was wrecking so very thankful we were able to avoid that. And then yeah, coming to the end, I think on the second to final restart, me and Marcus battling it into 1, and obviously it going red when it did, it’s part of this place, it’s part of racing, it’s part of the speedway. Just bummed because I think — I’m sure Marcus thinks the same thing I do. We definitely, all three of us could have won it at any point in time. Yeah, it’s bittersweet. THE MODERATOR: TK, 22nd and final Indianapolis 500. You went four wheeling there in the grass on the backstretch at one point, but how would you wrap up your final chapter here at Indy. TONY KANAAN: Props to Doug Boles. Grass was spot on. (Laughter.) Whoever cuts that is pretty good. I told the guys before we started, right, it was either going to be a win or anything apart from the win we were going to celebrate regardless. I think I would do a disgrace to almost 400,000 people that were there that made me feel the way they did to say I’m sad. I had a laugh. Helio and I battling for 15th and 16th on the last lap like we’re going for the lead. It was like, who’s playing pranks with us. We both went side by side on the backstretch after the checker and we saluted with each other, and I just told him actually I dropped a tear because of that, and he said, I did, too. It was a good day for me, man. What can I say? We cried on the grid. Yeah, not the result that we wanted. I went really aggressive on the downforce to start the race. It was wrong. Then I added downforce towards the end of the race and it was wrong. So it was just one of those days. THE MODERATOR: Three, four decades later you and Helio wheel to wheel. TONY KANAAN: That’s what’s ironic. We started it in ’87, and the last lap of the race we’re actually battling — my last race in INDYCAR and we’re battling like it was for the lead. But I wouldn’t have it any different, neither to him. THE MODERATOR: You’ve been an incredible champion of the Indianapolis 500 these last 365 days. You’re now second in the NTT INDYCAR Series points standings, 20 behind Alex Palou. See you in Detroit in a couple days. MARCUS ERICSSON: Thanks, everyone. TONY, YOU OBVIOUSLY HAVE HAD A LOT OF FINISHES HERE AT THE 500. WHAT DID YOU MAKE OF THE LATE RED FLAG THERE AND WHAT WAS YOUR OPINION ON IT?TONY KANAAN: You know, it’s funny because obviously like you have guys like Santino and Marcus that are mad, and you have Josef that’s happy. But we need to think about the show.The biggest complaint we have every year was we shouldn’t finish a race under the yellow. That’s going to hurt someone. Actually 33 guys are pissed right now and one guy is happy. That’s the reality. Could have they called it earlier? Yes. Could have, should have, would have, but we ended under green, and that’s what the fans kept asking us every time. I won under yellow, and everybody hated it at some point. Easy for me to say because I’m not in his shoes — SANTINO FERRUCCI: I don’t mind what INDYCAR did. I think they did a great job. I agree with you, to the fans, and I said that earlier when someone asked me what I thought of the reds. It’s just I think Marcus has a slightly different opinion which is totally cool because he finished second. Sitting there third is tough because I’m sure you’ve sat in that position before — TONY KANAAN: Few times. SANTINO FERRUCCI: — there is nothing you can do other than watch. We had such a great day. That’s where the bittersweet is. I’m very happy for the boys. TONY KANAAN: I mean, look at this place. Do we really want to finish under yellow with all those people out there? For me, it was the right call. CAN YOU GIVE US AN IDEA OF YOUR EMOTIONS? I GUESS YOU FEEL LIKE YOU’RE PROBABLY FINISHING ONE CHAPTER AND MAYBE STARTING THE NEXT ONE; HOW ARE YOU FEELING NOW? TONY KANAAN: Grateful, relieved, happy, sad at the same time. There are so many emotions right now. But one thing is for certain. I think I sat here three years ago and I said I’m not retiring because I don’t want to race in an empty stand, and what they did for me today puts an end of me coming back here. Because that experience right there, I don’t think I will have it ever again. In a way, finishing 16th will take everybody’s idea out, oh, you finished third, you should do it again. Kyle Larson is driving that car next year. Hopefully I will be around. There are some things that — SANTINO FERRUCCI: You better be around, man. TONY KANAAN: I will be around. And he’s going to hire me. I’m going to be his helmet handler.This is it. And the emotions are just there. I cried 400 times. This guy came to hug me, and I made Rocket cry. I mean, that is something. Yeah, it was emotional. THE MODERATOR: Keeping numbers like this, this is the first Indianapolis 500 with more than one competition-related red flag. We had three today. A little bit of history made when it comes to that. FOR BOTH OF YOU, HOW HARD IS IT TO KNOW FOR DARNED NEAR HALF THE RACE, GOING AS SMOOTH AS YOU GUYS DID, AND THEN TO HAVE IT CONSTANTLY START, STOP, START, STOP, HOW HARD IS IT KIND OF JUST — I KNOW YOU WANT TO BUILD CONSISTENCY OUT THERE ON THE TRACK. HOW HARD WAS IT TO…SANTINO FERRUCCI: It was weird. We were green for a long time — TONY KANAAN: I was like, man, this is going to be quick. We’re going to be done quick. SANTINO FERRUCCI: I was thinking the same thing. Like all right, we’re running in the first top 5. We haven’t lost the lead yet. We haven’t lost the lead pack. We were just kind of rolling. It was kind of fun. There was a point where I was thinking about fuel because obviously when you run green that long, you’re like, well, there’s got to be a yellow at some point because they’re going to run out of gas and we’re going to have to make six stops. But the coolest thing about the red flags was I could hear the announcer, and one of the things that kind of kept me sane and really part of the reason why I was also so emotional every time they called the 14 car to win, it was incredibly loud around this place, more so than anything else I’ve ever heard. I just think the fan support behind the 14 Homes For Troops today, dude, even for you, it’s been unbelievable. I don’t know, it’s amazing to see 400,000 people cheer like they did. I’m just very grateful to be in this position. Yeah, I’ll be very happy. It’s my fifth top-10 in five starts — TONY KANAAN: Welcome. Welcome to the club. SANTINO FERRUCCI: — second top 5. I’ll win this thing one day. I’m sure of that. But right now I’ll be very happy with what we’ve done and accomplished. TONY KANAAN: Yellows bring yellows and reds bring reds. That’s always been a thing. TONY, FOR MANY YEARS YOU HAD TO ANSWER THE QUESTION HOW COME YOU’VE NEVER WON THE 500, AND THEN YOU WON. DO YOU HAVE A SENSE OF WHAT IT’S LIKE RIGHT NOW FOR JOSEF NEWGARDEN?TONY KANAAN: Oh, yeah. Trust me, I got stats from everybody actually that year, 10 years ago, that a guy at my age hadn’t won yet or — there were so many, so many statistics, and I hate them all. For Josef, he’s been with the Captain; that’s enough pressure right there. I think up until a couple years ago all his teammates had won the 500 and he hadn’t. Well, that’s it. He made it. He’s going to enjoy it. I think he’s a well-deserved champion. He represents the new generation of this series. He has amazing abs. Yeah, there’s a lot of pressure. SANTINO FERRUCCI: I had to think about that one. TONY KANAAN: You’ve got to watch him. It’s impressive. I thought I was fit, but I have time now.SANTINO FERRUCCI: You are so — I watch you bike. You make me nervous because I don’t bike or run. I sit there like — I did a half marathon for fun last year and I are barely made it across the line. So I give you mad props for what you do as an athlete, not just a race car driver. FOR BOTH OF YOU, WILD RACE, THREE RED FLAGS. ARE DRIVERS BEING TOO RISKY? ARE THEY BEING TOO AGGRESSIVE? DO THEY NEED TO CHANGE?TONY KANAAN: It’s the Indy 500. Come on. We’ve got to leave it out there. Every red flag, everybody goes, I’m going to pass everybody. It’s tough to pass. It’s the toughest field, the tightest field we ever had here. It was going to happen. We knew it was going to happen. I wouldn’t want it any different. We left it all out there. Everybody that was out left it out. SANTINO FERRUCCI: Oh, dude, I made a three-wide pass into 1 twice. I definitely hung it all out there. I’m very happy with how we drove. Dude, that pass is insane. I’m watching it right now. TONY KANAAN: The grass? SANTINO FERRUCCI: Hell yeah. Nice! TONY KANAAN: Got to make it exciting, right? SANTINO FERRUCCI: Yeah, I’ve been through the grass here before. It’s nice. SANTINO, GREAT RUN TODAY, FIRST OF ALL. YOU TALKED ABOUT BEING EMOTIONAL IN THE CAR A LITTLE BIT. WHAT WERE SOME OF THE EMOTIONS GOING THROUGH YOUR MIND? YOU’RE DRIVING THE 14 CAR AND YOU’RE OUT FRONT, UP FRONT AT INDY. WHAT ARE SOME OF THOSE EMOTIONS GOING THROUGH YOUR MIND WHEN YOU’RE DOING THAT?SANTINO FERRUCCI: Yeah, it was kind of weird. Normally for this race there’s a bit of nervousness and you’re just kind of like amped up, ready to go. I was almost like in tears getting into the car because I think this race meant so much to so many of us today, specifically obviously with the passing of AJ’s wife and Larry’s mom, with Marie and Ann’s father, husband.Obviously my friend back home Kristi (phonetic)is really sick, who watched everything. It’s been a very emotional month people-wise for us. We’ve been so good this entire month that you get to race day and it’s actually a relief because you know you’ve been up front, you know you’ve qualified well, and it was honestly — I had so much fun driving the car today just because I know that — I’m sure the 14 got its fair amount of TV time. I’m sure Homes For Troops, which is a fantastic cause, we had so many vets here, we had so many people that have served and currently are serving in our pit box. We raised an exuberant amount of money for everybody and we get to build so many houses just based off what we were able to accomplish this month. Definitely you get emotional, and plus I have a lot of friends and family here. Yeah, when you finish third, knowing that you led into 1 with three or four to go, it’s tough. But at the end of the day, I’m really happy with the way that things played out. This place does pick you as a winner. It’s very true. But I just really wanted to win this race like everybody else. We’ll come back next year probably a little stronger. TONY, I UNDERSTAND THAT YOU AND HELIO HAVE BEEN RACING EACH OTHER SINCE YOU WERE EIGHT YEAR OLD GO-KARTERS IN BELO HORIZONTE. I DON’T KNOW IF THAT THOUGHT OCCURRED TO YOU THIS WEEKEND OR WHEN THE TWO OF YOU WERE RACING TOGETHER TODAY.TONY KANAAN: Yeah, we were battling on the last lap, the last restart. We went side by side like twice. A lot of memories came to my mind, and I even said how ironic it is that we started it together and I get to battle him on the last lap of my last race. It’s pretty neat. It’s a pretty cool story. He’s a great friend. My reference, a guy that I love and hate a lot throughout my career, and like he just told me — I was coming up here and he just said, who am I going to look on the time sheet when I come into the pits now, because we always said that it didn’t matter if I was — if I was 22nd and he was 23rd, my day was okay. And vice versa.Yeah, it was pretty cool. TONY, I KNOW YOU HAVE A VERY BUSY RACING SCHEDULE WITH THE STOCK CAR DEAL IN BRAZIL AND ALSO THE SRX SERIES, BUT WOULD YOU LIKE TO HAVE A ROLE IN THE FUTURE IN A NON-DRIVING CAPACITY WITH AN INDYCAR SERIES TEAM OR WITH INDYCAR IN GENERAL?TONY KANAAN: Yeah, I mean, I think you guys saw me at every race this year already with Arrow McLaren. That was something that we’re talking. That is a plan. I kind of talked with Zak and Gavin and I said, let’s go through this first. I’m going to be in Detroit next week so I’m not going to a beach to drink margaritas and you’re never going to see me again. Yeah, the desire is there. I think there is a place in the team, so hopefully we’ll talk and you guys won’t get rid of me. SANTINO FERRUCCI: You’re sure no beach, no margarita? TONY KANAAN: No, I have four kids. I don’t have time for that. SANTINO FERRUCCI: There’s babysitters. TONY KANAAN: No, there’s not.

CHEVROLET IN NTT INDYCAR SERIES 

INDIANAPOLIS 500 

INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY

INDIANAPOLIS, IND

TEAM CHEVY

MAY 28, 2023

INDIANAPOLIS (May 28, 2023)–Josef Newgarden has won the Indianapolis 500. After leading a total of five of the 200-lap race, the driver of the No. 2 Shell Powering Progress Team Penske Chevrolet drove into the most coveted Victory Lane in motorsports.

After qualifying 17th, Newgarden methodically worked his way to the top-five the majority of the Greatest Spectacle in Racing. 

It was a one lap shoot-out after two consecutive red flags after incidents on restarts with Newgarden second at the green for the final lap. With an incredible run out of turn two to take the lead down the backstretch and hold off defending champion Marcus Ericsson for his first Indianapolis 500 win.

Today’s victory is second win of the season for Newgarden and the 27th of his career.

It is the 19^th Indy 500 win for team owner Roger Penske, and the ninth for team president and strategist for the No. 2 team – Tim Cindric

Today’s victory is the third of the year for Chevrolet in the NTT INDYCAR Series. The BowTie brand’s fifth Indy 500 win in the V-6 era and 12^th historic on the famed 2.5-mile oval. It is the 109^th V-6 era victory for Team Chevy

JOSEF NEWGARDEN POST RACE QUOTES:

“This is just amazing. Regardless of where you’re sitting in America, driving a car, you’re working on it, or you’re out here in the crowd, you’re part of this event and the energy. And so thank you to Indianapolis. I love this city. I grew up racing cars here when I was a kid. And I’m just so thankful for Roger (Penske) and him and everybody has been a part of this. You know, I just felt like everyone kept asking me why I haven’t won this race. And, you know, they look at you like you’re a failure. If you don’t win it, and I wanted to win. It’s so bad. I knew. I knew we were capable. And I’m so thankful the shell. Team Chevy, everybody is a huge team effort, as everybody knows. So just so glad to be here.

“You know, I always tried to stay locked in, buy I was emotional, the whole last 10 laps because we were I knew we were in a position to fight for this win at the end. And I knew it wasn’t gonna be easy. We’re gonna come to some last laps here now, like it always is these days, which is exciting, but stressful. But just been thinking about all the work. You know, I can’t talk highly enough about the team. You know, they’ve worked so hard all month. It’s so long to get to this point. We’re here for weeks. We’re gonna grinded on this thing just for this one moment. And that’s what makes it so demoralizing when it doesn’t work out. But I can tell you, we’re gonna enjoy it tonight. It’s gonna be amazing when we get to celebrate.

“Second is where you want to go you want to be dedicated and you know it actually worked out great that I got to run on the back stretch. I knew if I could just get him and clear him in the three then maybe we could hold onto the line but he was so quick on the straight that it wasn’t guaranteed. I was just trying to do everything I could to keep it back and then it was a fight. It was just a big fight is is not easy to win. This race has been so difficult right in the world to win.”

WHEATLAND, Mo. (May 27, 2023) – Devin Moran was declared the winner of the 31st Annual Lucas Oil Show-Me 100 presented by the Missouri Division of Tourism after the initial winner Ricky Thornton Jr. was penalized four spots post-race for a droop limiter infraction. Moran earned a career-best payday of $50,000 in the crown jewel event and becomes the ninth different winner in the past nine Show-Me 100 events. Moran also marks the 16th different driver to win the traditional Memorial Weekend event in its 31-year history. Tim McCreadie was moved to second in the final rundown with Spencer Hughes, Chris Ferguson and Thornton rounding out the top five drivers. Jonathan Davenport, who was looking for a weekend sweep after winning the Cowboy Classic on Thursday night and the Tribute to Don and Billie Gibson on Friday night grabbed the lead at the drop of the green flag.  Thornton would run in the second spot for the first 20 laps before McCreadie was able to wrestle the spot away from him. McCreadie stayed in the second spot until lap 31 when Thornton regained the position. Hughes was one of the fastest cars on the track at the time – moving from eighth to third and then eventually to second by lap 36. After a lap 37 restart, Hughes yielded the second spot back to Thornton. Thornton would then track down Davenport as the two went back-and-forth in the battle for the lead. Thornton cleared Davenport for the point on lap 58 becoming the first driver other than Davenport to lead a lap in three nights of racing. Thornton then pulled away from Davenport stretching his lead out by several car lengths. Overton’s night ended a few laps from the finish as he brought out the caution when he made hard contact with the wall coming off turn four. After one final restart, Thornton would outrun Moran to the checkers, but would drop to fifth in the running order following post-race tech. In Lucas Oil Victory Lane for the seventh time in his career Moran was asked his thoughts on the biggest win of his racing career. “This is like the best-worst win of my life. I just won the freaking Show-Me 100 and $50,000, but Ricky was the best car in the field and right there before that last caution I was making a boatload of time in one and two. I was just charging really hard to get through there, I was feeling really good. I don’t now what our lap times were compared to the 20RT before that caution. I got a really good restart for sure.” Moran gave credit to his victory to Kevin Rumley in his post-race interview. “First and foremost, there is a bad son-of-a-gun in North Carolina named Kevin Rumley. This win, 110% of it goes to that man. My entire career has been working our tails off. We’ve worked as many hours as you could imagine this week. Obviously, I want to thank Roger [Sellers] and his family for giving me this opportunity.” It was the second Show-Me 100 victory for the Double Down Motorsports team as they went to Victory Lane in 2021 with Hudson O’Neal behind the wheel.  McCreadie was moved up one spot at the finish to claim the runnerup spot and a $20,000 payday. “I didn’t know until I saw Overton bring out the caution, I didn’t know if they had scored a lap. We just do our best and we had some luck, and we’ll take it.” Hughes, who ran as high as second during the race rounded out the Big River Steel Podium in third. “It’s great to get another good finish. We have been running really good here lately. In the past we have struggled in the long races. We have been fast in them before, we’ve run in the top five a lot, but to finish one off on the podium means a lot for us. We were really good for a long time there. At the end those other guys could get more consistently through three and four than I could. We are glad to put together another good run.” The winner’s Roger Sellers-owned, Double Down Motorsports, Longhorn Chassis is powered by a Cornett Racing Engine and sponsored by Big River Steel, Lazydays RV, C&W Trucking, Lucas Oil Products, McHugh Chrysler, Dodge, and Jeep., Bilstein Shocks, CarSourceAuto.com, Red Oak Pub, Smoky Mountain Speedway, and Lincoln Smith Racing. Completing the top ten were Dillon McCowan, Tyler Erb, Garrett Alberson, Daulton Wilson, and Ricky Weiss. Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Race Summary 31st Annual Lucas Oil Show-Me 100 presented by Missouri Division of TourismSaturday, May 27, 2023Lucas Oil Speedway – Wheatland, MO Fast Shafts B-Main Race #1 (15 Laps, Top 2 Transfer): 1. 18D-Daulton Wilson[1]; 2. 15-Justin Duty[4]; 3. 45-Cole Wells[2]; 4. 50-Kaeden Cornell[8]; 5. 11H-Jeff Herzog[3]; 6. 93-Mason Oberkramer[6]; 7. 51-Larry Ferris[7]; 8. 54-David Breazeale[5]; 9. 3-Brennon Willard[11]; 10. 26-Glen Powell[13]; 11. 1A-Bryon Allison[12]; 12. 49J-Justin Wells[9]; 13. (DNS) 94-Austin Rettig; 14. (DNS) 78S-Steve Stultz UNOH B-Main Race #2 (15 Laps, Top 2 Transfer): 1. 1H-Hudson O’Neal[1]; 2. 22-Daniel Hilsabeck[2]; 3. 56JR-Tony Jackson Jr[4]; 4. 22H-Dustin Hodges[7]; 5. 14M-Morgan Bagley[3]; 6. 1S-Jeremy Shaw[6]; 7. 96-Dalton Imhoff[10]; 8. 82-Jace Parmley[5]; 9. 11K-Jon Kirby[8]; 10. 50C-Kayden Clatt[11]; 11. 19M-Colby Moore[12]; 12. 14R-Jeff Roth[9]; 13. 29-Chandler Moenning[13]; 14. (DNS) 04-Tad Pospisil MyRacePass B-Main Race #2 (15 Laps, Top 2 Transfer): 1. USA28-Kylan Garner[5]; 2. 15L-Payton Looney[1]; 3. 15V-Kolby Vandenbergh[8]; 4. USA1-Chris Hawkins[10]; 5. 15T-Matt Johnson[7]; 6. 1X-Aaron Marrant[12]; 7. 7D-Dusty Leonard[6]; 8. 2-Tyler Stevens[2]; 9. 99B-Boom Briggs[9]; 10. 14G-Trevor Gundaker[4]; 11. 7-Ross Robinson[11]; 12. (DNS) 21XXX-Neil Baggett; 13. (DNS) 14RM-Reid Millard; 14. (DNS) 36-Mark Daye Midwest Sheet Metal Show-Me Challenge (20 Laps): 1. 15V-Kolby Vandenbergh[3]; 2. 14M-Morgan Bagley[7]; 3. 93-Mason Oberkramer[9]; 4. USA1-Chris Hawkins[6]; 5. 22H-Dustin Hodges[5]; 6. 96-Dalton Imhoff[12]; 7. 7D-Dusty Leonard[13]; 8. 1S-Jeremy Shaw[10]; 9. 15T-Matt Johnson[8]; 10. 1A-Bryon Allison[20]; 11. 3-Brennon Willard[16]; 12. 45-Cole Wells[1]; 13. 14R-Jeff Roth[23]; 14. 26-Glen Powell[18]; 15. 50-Kaeden Cornell[4]; 16. 19M-Colby Moore[21]; 17. 50C-Kayden Clatt[19]; 18. 56JR-Tony Jackson Jr[2]; 19. 82-Jace Parmley[15]; 20. 1X-Aaron Marrant[11]; 21. 11K-Jon Kirby[17]; 22. (DNS) 54-David Breazeale; 23. (DNS) 49J-Justin Wells 31st Annual Lucas Oil Show-Me 100 Presented by Missouri Division of Tourism Feature Finish (100 Laps):

Race Statistics Entrants: 60Terminal Maintenance & Construction Pole Sitter: Jonathan DavenportLap Leaders: Jonathan Davenport (Laps 1-57); Ricky Thornton, Jr. (Laps 58-100)Wieland Feature Winner: Devin MoranArizona Sport Shirts Crown Jewel Cup Feature Winner: Devin MoranBrandon Ford TV Challenge Feature Winner: Devin MoranMargin of Victory: 0.688 secondsGorsuch Performance Solutions Cautions: Chris Simpson (Lap 19); Boom Briggs (Lap 21); Larry Ferris (Lap 21 restart); Ross Robinson (Lap 34); Daulton Wilson, Tyler Erb (Lap 37); Chris Simpson (Lap 41); Ross Robinson, Larry Ferris (Lap 44); Jimmy Owens (Lap 47); Jeff Herzog (Lap 49); Hudson O’Neal (Lap 66); Chad Simpson (Lap 96); Brandon Overton (Lap 96 restart); Jonathan Davenport (Lap 98)Series Provisionals: Ross Robinson; Boom BriggsFast Time Provisional: n/aSeries Emergency Provisionals: n/aMLRA Series Provisionals: Tyler Hodges; Jeff HerzogMLRA Emergency Provisionals: Trevor Gundaker; Dustin HodgesTrack Provisional: Larry FerrisBig River Steel Podium Top 3: Devin Moran, Tim McCreadie, Spencer HughesPenske Shocks Top 5: Devin Moran, Tim McCreadie, Spencer Hughes, Chris Ferguson, Ricky Thornton, Jr.Todd Steel Buildings Hard Charger of the Race: Chris Ferguson (Advanced 11 Positions)Wilwood Brakes Lucky 7th Place Feature: Tyler ErbDeatherage Opticians Lucky 13th Place Feature: Jimmy OwensEarnhardt Technologies Most Laps Led: Jonathan Davenport (57 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: Jonathan Davenport (Lap 3 – 15.020 seconds)MD3 Tough Break of the Race: Hudson O’NealOuterwears Crew Chief of the Race: Chuck Kimble (Devin Moran)ARP Engine Builder of the Race: Cornett Racing EnginesMiller Welders Chassis Builder of the Race: Longhorn ChassisDirt Draft Fastest in Hot Laps: Kylan Garner (15.580 seconds)Time of Race: 60 minutes 19 seconds Big River Steel Chase for the Championship Presented by ARP Point Standings:

The Gray Court, SC driver extends his points lead to 64 points over Bobby Pierce

HARTFORD, OH – May 27, 2023 – Chris Madden is known for his patience in long-distance races. And his strategy worked to perfection in Saturday’s Battle at the Border finale at Sharon Speedway.

The Gray Court, SC driver bided his time before passing Gregg Satterlee and Tanner English for the lead on Lap 32 to earn his second World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Models win in three days.

English and Satterlee led the field to the green flag in the 60-lap Feature, as the Benton, KY driver nosed ahead on the bottom and led until a caution came out on Lap 2 for Friday night’s winner Ryan Gustin.

On the next restart, it was Satterlee’s turn out front, as the Indiana, PA driver countered English’s inside line with a sweeping move on the outside of the track.

The two drivers waged war for the lead without changing lanes until a caution for Chub Frank on Lap 27 changed the race’s complexion. 

When the race resumed, Satterlee and English continued their battle while Madden, who started fourth, moved toward the front.

“Smokey” closed in on the top two for the next three laps before he saw his opportunity on Lap 32. 

With Satterlee up high, and English down low, Madden only had one place to go—the middle. 

That’s when Madden’s Rocket XR1 gained momentum through Turns 1 and 2, pulling three wide with the other two drivers as they entered the backstretch.

The epic three-way duel lasted until Turn 3, when Madden’s speed carried him past both drivers, giving him the lead with 29 laps to go.

From there, Madden navigated traffic with ease to score the $25,000 victory—his 35th career World of Outlaws triumph. 

Madden said he stayed patient, knowing the track would come to him later in the race.

“It was greasy, and I just made sure I didn’t hurt my tires,” Madden said. “I waited until the racetrack widened out and pretty much waited for it to come to me. I wanted to be in contention around halfway, and I think it was right around halfway when we started putting the pressure on them guys.”

His patience also allowed him to be in the right place at the right time when the middle opened between English and Satterlee. He said he was grateful for how cleanly the three drivers raced for the lead.

“I’m thankful for two good drivers and both of them holding their line,” Madden said. “All it would’ve took was a squeeze on each one, and it would’ve been a disaster for everybody. 

“But it was just racing with two really good, competitive drivers, and that’s what racing is. To do it three-wide on a dirt track is pretty awesome.”

Madden’s victory also helped him extend his Series points lead to 64 ahead of Bobby Pierce, who finished third.

Nick Hoffman, who finished seventh, is third in points—66 points behind Madden.

English crossed the line second after leading 16 laps. 

Despite missing out on the victory, he said it wasn’t the tires that kept him out of Victory Lane.

“I feel like the track got greasy at the end,” English said. “I got a lot of tire left, and [Madden] kind of looked just as bad as I felt, so I don’t know if it just got greasy, and we were all the same at the end. 

“I know I felt like I was babying it the whole time and just trying to make sure I kept it beneath me and didn’t spin it. But I felt pretty good, and he’s one of the best, and he’s getting on top of his game again, and he’s going to be hard to beat.”

Pierce’s third-place finish was his second podium of the Battle at the Border, on a night that his team had to hustle to make Qualifying after changing an engine before Hot Laps. 

The Oakwood, IL driver called the third-place finish a success after what his team had to do to get him on the track.

“It’s definitely a success,” Pierce said. “We saw a lot of good cars get lapped tonight, and a lot of good cars just not finish up front. It’s been tough all weekend, and the adversity we fought was just crazy. 

“We didn’t know when we had to hustle and bustle to get that stuff changed around if we’d even make Qualifying. And we were like, well, at least we got a provisional, so we’ll see what happens. What a night, and I can’t say enough thanks to all of my crew guys.”

Brian Shirley crossed the line fourth, while 2018 Series champion Mike Marlar rounded out the top five. 

Satterlee, who led 14 laps of the Feature, fell to sixth after his car tightened up in the race’s closing stages.

UP NEXT: The World of Outlaws CASE Late Models head to the Midwest for a tripleheader weekend. The Series visits Farmer City Raceway in Farmer City, IL on Thursday, June 1, before traveling to Tri-City Speedway in Granite City, IL on Friday, June 2. A trip to the Bluegrass State finishes the weekend with a stop at Paducah International Raceway on Saturday, June 3. 

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 Feature (60 Laps): 1. 44-Chris Madden[4]; 2. 96V-Tanner English[1]; 3. 32-Bobby Pierce[3]; 4. 3S-Brian Shirley[8]; 5. 157-Mike Marlar[6]; 6. 22-Gregg Satterlee[2]; 7. 9-Nick Hoffman[12]; 8. 97-Cade Dillard[7]; 9. 25-Shane Clanton[9]; 10. 36-Logan Martin[11]; 11. 1ST-Johnny Scott[13]; 12. 2S-Stormy Scott[10]; 13. B1-Brent Larson[22]; 14. B5-Brandon Sheppard[16]; 15. 0-Rick Eckert[20]; 16. 28-Dennis Erb Jr[18]; 17. 1C-Alex Ferree[21]; 18. 11-Gordy Gundaker[24]; 19. 40B-Kyle Bronson[23]; 20. 30-Todd Cooney[25]; 21. 2-Dan Stone[17]; 22. 1Z-Logan Zarin[15]; 23. 1*-Chub Frank[14]; 24. 48-Colton Flinner[19]; 25. 19R-Ryan Gustin[5] FOX FACTORY HARD CHARGER: Brent Larson [+9]

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (May 27, 2023) – Jared Mees (No. 1 Indian Motorcycle/Rogers Racing/SDI Racing FTR750) earned his 25th-career Grand National Championship Mile victory in split-second fashion in Saturday night’s Red Mile presented by Indian Motorcycle of Lexington at the Red Mile in Lexington, Kentucky. The triumph proved to be the latest round in a season of Progressive American Flat Track, sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing, that has taken shape as a heavyweight title fight between reigning Mission SuperTwins presented by S&S Cycle champ Mees and his ascending challenger, points leader Dallas Daniels (No. 32 Estenson Racing Yamaha MT-07 DT). The two broke free from the start and spent the next 14 minutes plus two laps testing each other in preparation for the decisive final lap. The cagey Mees sat in tight formation behind his young rival during the waning laps before finally striking as the two sprinted into Turn 3 for the final time. He then struck and, despite suffering a couple small slides on exit, had the steam to hold on to the checkered flag by a minuscule 0.042 seconds. The victory was Mees’ fifth in six attempts at the Red Mile. It also saw him join legends Bubba Shobert and Bryan Smith for third all-time in career Mile wins. Mees said, “We were playing cat-and-mouse a little bit, and he was definitely strong in some areas…I just knew what I wanted to do there on the last lap and made it work, really. It’s good to win those Miles like old school where it’s there right at the line.” For Daniels, it was the fourth time this season he’s finished a close second to Mees. But any sense of frustration that may have otherwise started to creep in was overcome by the reality that he continues to hold the points advantage due to a season-long run of firsts and seconds that he kept intact. The fight for third was a spirited four-way affair, involving Briar Bauman (No. 3 Parts Plus/Jacob Companies KTM 790 Duke), Davis Fisher (No. 67 Rackley Racing/Bob Lanphere’s BMC Racing Indian FTR750), JD Beach (No. 95 Estenson Racing Yamaha MT-07 DT), and Jarod Vanderkooi (No. 20 JMC Motorsports/Fairway Ford Indian FTR750). Bauman again showed off an ideal pace nearly on par with that of Mees and Daniels when everything worked just perfectly aboard an unruly machine that made that perfection impossible to attain with any consistency. Still, its impressive motor provided him with the tools necessary to secure a third podium of 2023 with Beach fractionally behind in fourth, followed by Fisher and Vanderkooi. Kolby Carlile (No. 36 G&G Racing/Yamaha Racing Yamaha MT-07), who ran third on the opening laps, rebounded from an early mistake to overhaul Brandon Robinson (No. 44 Mission Roof Systems Indian FTR750) for seventh by 0.050 seconds at the stripe. Jeffrey Lowrey (No. 223 Lowery Racing/Gray Hogs Yamaha MT-07) and Bronson Bauman (No. 37 Fastrack Racing/2 Wheelz KTM 790 Duke) completed the top ten. While Mees chipped off another four points, Daniels still boasts a 16-point advantage (180-164). Third-ranked Bauman is nearly two full races back of first at 131. Parts Unlimited AFT Singles presented by KICKER Trent Lowe (No. 48 American Honda/Mission Foods CRF450R) added more evidence to support the old racing adage that a rider’s second win comes a whole lot easier than their first with a triumphant run in Saturday’s Parts Unlimited AFT Singles presented by KICKER pack war. A seesawing battle that expanded to a nine-rider lead pack as the pivotal final two laps opened, the race for the win appeared almost certain to be decided amongst Turner Honda teammates Lowe and Chase Saathoff (No. 88 American Honda/Mission Foods CRF450R) and the Estenson Racing Yamaha duo of Tom Drane (No. 59 Estenson Racing Yamaha YZ450F) and Trevor Brunner (No. 21 Estenson Racing Yamaha YZ450F). Sacramento winner Drane looked like the odds-on favorite due to his optimal blend of high-speed chops, low-pro aerodynamics, ultra-light weight, and big-time horsepower. However – despite repeatedly demonstrating the capacity to blast up to first from three or four positions back seemingly at will – the Aussie’s last-lap strategy was blown up by a lapped rider as the huge lead group dove into Turn 3 for the final time. As a result, Drane could finish no better than third with Lowe and Saathoff handing Honda a hard-earned 1-2. Whether or not Drane might have been able to run the Hondas down with a cleaner run is as impossible to guess as it is irrelevant at this point. Ultimately, Lowe put himself in the perfect position to capitalize in the chaos and scoop his second-career victory. “It feels so great to come out on top,” Lowe said. “I knew I had to keep my corner speed up and that was the one thing I had going for me. Leading and going into (Turn) 3 was definitely my best option. I’m happy for the whole Turner Racing team. Everyone has put in so much effort. It’s unreal to think about the time that people put in and the dedication that they have.” Brunner finished just 0.057 seconds back off his teammate but once again came up just short of the podium He was followed home by Red Bull KTM teammates Max Whale (No. 18 Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 450 SX-F)and Kody Kopp (No. 1 Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 450 SX-F) – Kopp closing in from a distant ninth to make himself a factor late. Kopp continues to lead in his title defense with 151 points to his credit. However, Dalton Gauthier (No. 79 D&D Racing/Certified KTM 450 SX-F) was shuffled back to seventh in the melee, a development that allowed Saathoff to join him level at 136 points. Whale is fourth at 130, followed by Brunner (123), Lowe (117), and Drane (105). Next Up: Progressive American Flat Track will conclude its midseason run of three consecutive Miles with the much-awaited return of the DuQuoin Mile at the DuQuoin State Fairgrounds on June 17 in DuQuoin, Illinois. Visit https://www.tixr.com/groups/trackenterprises/events/duquoin-mile-70363 to reserve your seats today. For those that can’t catch the live action from the circuit, FansChoice.tv is the live streaming home of Progressive AFT. Sign up now and catch every second of on-track action starting with Practice & Qualifying and ending with the Victory Podium at the end of the night at https://www.fanschoice.tv. FOX Sports coverage of the Red Mile presented by Indian Motorcycle of Lexington, featuring in-depth features and thrilling onboard cameras, will premiere on FS1 on Sunday, June 11, at 10:30 a.m. ET (7:30 a.m. PT).

NASCAR CUP SERIES CHARLOTTE MOTOR SPEEDWAY COCA-COLA 600 TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT MAY 27, 2023    CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA PATRIOTIC CAMARO ZL1 – Media Availability at Charlotte Motor Speedway:  A FEW WEEKS AGO, YOU SAID YOU HAVEN’T BEEN LOOKING AT POINTS. NOW THAT YOU’RE GETTING A LITTLE BIT CLOSER TO THE CUTOFF, I’M CURIOUS IF YOU’VE TAKEN ANY MORE OF A LOOK AT IT IN THE LAST COUPLE OF WEEKS?“I haven’t, really. I hear people talking about it.. that we were I guess somewhere closer and within reach of pointing our way in. But no, I haven’t been paying much attention to it. Really just trying to run better and get some stage points. To me, that’s probably been the biggest thing that we haven’t done, aside from winning. But we haven’t been getting a lot of stage points. We got some at Talladega and a pretty big chunk, but that’s really been about it. We’ve had some decent finishes, but not a lot of stage points.  What did you say.. 63 points?” YES, 63 POINTS BEHIND 16TH RIGHT NOW WITH 13 RACES TO GO.“Obviously there’s still some stuff going on there right because you have Alex (Bowman), who’s been out, and opportunities for new winners, too. It sounds like 63 points is attainable in 13 weeks, but I think a lot can happen. My goals don’t really change either way. Your best chance of having a shot at the championship is to go and put yourself in position to win races, and same for gaining the most amount of points you can have. If you’re running up front and in the mix of winning, those are the guys that are getting the most points every week. So to me, it’s all one in the same.” IT’S BEEN SIX RACES, INCLUDING THE ALL-STAR RACE, THAT YOU’VE BEEN BACK BEHIND THE WHEEL. HOW DO YOU FEEL PHYSICALLY GETTING BACK INTO THE SWING OF THINGS? DO YOU FEEL MORE CAUGHT UP TO SPEED, SO TO SPEAK, WITH THE PACK? “Yeah, I do. I don’t feel any different, honestly. I don’t even really feel like I missed any time, just from driving. I think the things that I haven’t done well, I wasn’t doing well before I got hurt, too. I think all that stuff is very much back on pace.  In the car, physically driving, I don’t feel any bit different than I did last season or the beginning of this year. I feel like all of that is very normal. Certainly outside of the car and just getting back to being 100 percent physically, it’s a long recovery. If I was playing a stick-and-ball sport, it would still be months from doing those things. So fortunately we’re in a position in these cars that – and I’ve said this – your leg is in a pretty good spot and it’s pretty secure, too. You could be in a much more compromised situation, for sure. Just lucky that’s the reality for us and in what we do, and I could get back to work.” WHERE IS THE NO. 9 TEAM, IN TERMS OF PERFORMANCE? WHAT’S THE BIGGEST THING YOU GUYS HAVE BEEN TRYING TO FOCUS ON? “Well, stage points being one. And I think some of that comes with how you qualify. So yeah, qualifying has been really pour for me for probably six months or more. Unfortunately that trend has continued. I think that’s the big one, for sure. That impacts your pit pick – your pit pick you have to live with throughout the entire race. But yeah, qualifying a little better and stage points. And certainly want to run better in the races, too. I feel like some of the components have been there. Our pit stops have been really good this year. I feel like Alan (Gustafson, crew chief) and everybody has called good races. I think it’s really just on me to do a better job and make sure I’m giving those guys the information that they need to make our car better, and then ultimately to go put down a faster lap in qualifying. Just trying to fine tune all of those little pieces. I think the pieces of the puzzle are there and our team has been performing really well in all of the areas that don’t necessarily pertain to me. So I’ve been super pleased with all of that and just trying to push and get a little better on my end to make sure I’m bringing my part to the table.” HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS HAS LED THE MOST LAPS. AT THIS RACE TRACK, HMS IS SO GOOD. IS THERE ANY REASON TO THINK THIS ISN’T A TYPICAL YEAR WHERE ONE OF THE HMS CARS WOULD WIN AT CHARLOTTE MOTOR SPEEDWAY IN THE COCA-COLA 600? “Yeah, I certainly would like to think so, right? That betters my chances. Yeah, it’s been a really good track for Hendrick Motorsports over the years, even before I was around. I hope that those trends continue. Obviously I think you have to look at more recent history now to gauge where things are, especially since the Next Gen car has been implemented. And then even more recent than that, looking at this season – I feel like the 1.5-mile program has been solid as a whole for Chevrolet, which is a good thing, and also very solid for Hendrick Motorsports, in particular with William (Byron), Kyle (Larson) and Alex (Bowman), as well, before he got hurt. I think that’s been a strong suit, so would love to capitalize on that. I think it’s a place where we can come and run well at. I know one of our cars did the test here a couple of months ago or whenever they had it, so have some notes and information to look back on from that, so that’s always a help coming into the weekend. Just try to put together 600 miles and be around there for those last 100 to have a shot.” YOU’VE SAID IT’S THE LONGEST RACE OF THE SEASON, BUT IT DOESN’T FEEL THAT WAY TO YOU? IS THAT TRUE WHEN YOU’RE RACING IT.. THAT IT DOESN’T FEEL THAT LONG? “It really doesn’t. It is a long race, for sure. But I don’t know.. from the driver’s seat, I just feel like a lot of times when you’re running this race – which I feel like I’ve crashed out of quite a few of them. I did last year.. I think I was out before halfway last year. I guess it’s been a couple of years since I’ve finished one. But the couple that I have finished, I just feel like – it might seem a little longer, but you’re just so honed in on what’s going on right now, that next pit stop and just focused on that next task, so it makes it go by pretty fast from the driver’s seat, in my experience. Hopefully that’s the case again. Typically if things are going good, it goes by quicker. If you’re really struggling and having a hard time, it can make it go by slower. Hopefully we’re on the good end of that.” HOW IMPORTANT IS IT TO HAVE THE WHOLE HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS’ CAMP BACK FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE AUTO CLUB SPEEDWAY?“Yeah, it’s just nice to be back to normal. I feel like everything at our campus over there has just been a little chaotic in one way or another right – with me getting hurt and just kind of not knowing when I was going to be able to come back and talking through all of that stuff. I feel like everybody over there did a great job handling it and same for Alex’s (Bowman) injury, too. But it’s just extra work, you know, that you don’t want to have to do – more questions to answer and I think a little bit of just a distraction more than anything. But fortunately or unfortunately, we’ve gotten well-versed in this category this year. Hopefully that’s the end of it, at least for this season. The good news is that there’s a lot of racing left. You have the entire summer stretch into early fall before the playoffs start, so plenty of time to get done what you’re going to get done and to figure out how you’re going to run and whether or not you’re going to be a contender or not. Those things don’t just change overnight, so plenty of time to get back on track if that’s what we’re going to do. I certainly feel like we can as a group and as a company and particularly in the No. 9 camp, too.” YOU HAD A REMARKABLE SEASON LAST YEAR WITH FIVE WINS, BUT WE KIND OF EXPECT YOU TO BE THIS ROAD COURSE WARRIOR ONCE WE GET TO THOSE TYPES OF TRACKS JUST GIVEN YOUR SUCCESS THERE IN THE PAST. DID THE NEW CAR HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH NOT GETTING THE WINS ON THE ROAD COURSES LIKE YOU HAD IN THE PAST? “No, we talked about this some last year and I feel like I answered this question then, too. I told y’all when we were winning all those road course races that I didn’t feel like I was doing anything special. We had a good package that worked out and it just suited me at the time. I don’t think I did anything special or spectacular. I tried to make sure everyone understood that. I just think as time goes on, everybody gets better and improves. Certainly coming in with a new car, you kind of have to re-baseline on some of those things – those thoughts and ideas that were working for us. You just can’t copy and paste those things, and all the little small details that I feel like we did a good of exceling at. So yeah, it’s just different. It’s definitely different everywhere, but certainly the road courses are no different in that regard.  I guess to answer your question – yes, I would say the new car and all the changes that came along with that, and then combining that with everyone just getting better in the garage, too.” DID THE CAR FEEL CONSIDERABLY DIFFERENT WHEN YOU WERE AT SONOMA RACEWAY? “Yeah, the car feels pretty different everywhere that I remember last year. To me, it was a complete departure from anything we had driven in the past in the NASCAR world. It’s just a different animal. The thing is just different, for sure, good or bad. It kind of has its own way now.” HOW HAVE YOU BEEN ABLE TO GET BACK INTO A CONDITION WHERE YOU KIND OF FEEL LIKE YOU’RE AT 100 PERCENT? “Well I think racing is the biggest piece of that puzzle, right? I sat around for six weeks or better there before Martinsville and I was hurting for sure after that. But even when you’re in good shape and you have good weeks of preparation, you can still go through a race weekend and certain events, temperatures or whatever can fatigue you more than others. I think it depends on the weekend. The good news is for Alex (Bowman) and probably me too with still trying to get back in the groove of things – it’s kind of cool here this weekend and obviously the rain coming through can impact that, as well. The summer stretch is going to be tough.. it always is. But Alex is in good shape and he hasn’t really been out that long. It’s only been four weeks, so I think he’s going to be fine. Like I said, he’s in good shape, so I don’t think he’s going to have a problem.”

BATAVIA, Ohio (May 27, 2023) – The Sunoco “Road to Wheatland” bonus program will pay the top fifteen (15) drivers with perfect attendance through the Show-Me 100. The Sunoco “Road to Wheatland” program has been a long-standing cash bonus program paid to drivers that follow the series and maintain perfect attendance. Drivers that have maintained perfect attendance at all Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series sanctioned events through the Show-Me 100 will receive an additional cash bonus based on their position in the championship point standings. The championship point leader following Saturday’s Show-Me 100 main event will receive a $2,500 bonus from a total of $16,000 in bonuses paid out to the top fifteen drivers in the standings. The fifteen (15) drivers that are eligible and will receive bonuses at the Show-Me 100 include: Ricky Thornton Jr., Hudson O’Neal, Brandon Overton, Tim McCreadie, Devin Moran, Jonathan Davenport, Daulton Wilson, Max Blair, Tyler Erb, Earl Pearson Jr., Spencer Hughes, Jimmy Owens, Garrett Alberson, Tyler Bruening, and Ross Robinson. “Sunoco Race Fuels would like to thank the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series and their perfect attendance drivers for their continued support of the annual Sunoco Road to Wheatland’, stated Ritchie Lewis, Partnership Sales Manager, Sunoco Race Fuels.  The Sunoco “Road to Wheatland” is the first bonus round under the new Big River Steel Chase for the Championship presented by ARP in 2023 and locks in the top fifteen drivers that will be eligible for the record points fund of over $1,000,000.00. The series champion will receive $200,000, with the top four drivers in the final series point standings earning a minimum of $100,000. “Sunoco Race Fuels has been a great partner for many years with the series and continues to support the Road to Wheatland program. Their partnership is vital to the increased points fund this year and rewarding the drivers that maintain perfect attendance. We are very appreciative to Sunoco for stepping up and giving generously to the racers that support the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series,” stated Wayne Castleberry, Corporate Sales, and Marketing for Lucas Oil Motorsports. Sunoco Road to Wheatland Purse: 1. $2,500, 2. $1,500, 3. $1,500, 4. $1,500, 5. $1,500, 6. $1,000, 7. $1,000, 8. $1,000, 9. $1,000, 10. $1,000, 11. $500, 12. $500, 13. $500, 14. $500, 15. $500 = $16,000 To keep up with the latest news, results, schedule, and other information about the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series visit www.lucasdirt.com.

NASCAR CUP SERIES

CHARLOTTE MOTOR SPEEDWAY

COCA-COLA 600

TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT

MAY 27, 2023

ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 48 ALLY CAMARO ZL1 – Media Availability at Charlotte Motor Speedway: 

WHEN YOU GUYS WERE THINKING ABOUT WHEN YOU MIGHT COME BACK, DID THE EXTRA MILEAGE OF THIS RACE COME INTO PLAY AT ALL? 

“Yeah, I think so. I think it got talked a lot, for sure. But at the same time, I feel like I’m ready. I feel like kind of the little bit of pain that I’m going to be stuck with, I’m probably going to be stuck with it for quite a while. So this week, versus next week, versus the following week – it kind of is what it is. Yeah, I think we talked about it, but I was able to run a lot of laps at North Wilkesboro (Speedway) on Tuesday. I felt OK about things, so yeah I’m pretty confident that I’ll be just fine.”

YOU’RE IN AN UNIQUE SITUATION COMING BACK WITH THE POINTS AND STILL BEING AROUND THE PLAYOFF CUTLINE. WHAT DOES THAT DO FOR YOU COMING BACK – DOES THAT PUT YOU AT EASE KNOWING YOU CAN STILL GET IN ON POINTS, OR DOES THAT STILL HURT YOU A LITTLE BIT? 

“I don’t think it puts us at ease with the situation we’re in, points-wise, by any means. A lot can happen – you can have a lot of winners and that can change really quickly. But I think what it does do is talks about the season we’ve had so far. Missed three points races, had a 60-point penalty and still be on the playoff cutline – it says how good of a season we were having before I did get hurt. Excited to be back and hopefully we can pickup where we left and be strong right out of the gate.”

THIS IS THE FIRST TIME HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS HAS HAD THE WHOLE CAMP TOGETHER SINCE AUTO CLUB SPEEDWAY. HOW IMPORTANT IS IT TO HAVE THE WHOLE CAMP BACK TOGETHER GIVEN THE SECOND-HALF OF THE SEASON STARTS ON SUNDAY? 

“Yeah, I don’t know that they were missing much without me around (laughs). But it’s good to be back, for sure. It’s been an interesting year for all of us – whether it’s the crew chief deal, Chase (Elliott) getting hurt and me getting hurt. Glad to have us all back and hopefully we can keep it that way for the rest of the year.”

YOU WOULDN’T BE CLIMBING INTO THE CAR THIS WEEKEND IF YOU WEREN’T CLEARED. WHAT ARE YOU STILL DEALING WITH PHYSICALLY? 

“Yeah, I mean I broke my back a month ago, so there’s definitely things that are going to come along with that for a long time. Shoot from everybody I’ve talked to, probably forever. There’s some discomfort here and there, and things that I do that don’t feel good. But that’s just part of it and stuff I’m going to have to deal with. It’s not too bad. For the most part, I’m back to normal. Kind of easing back to getting back into the gym and training hard. I didn’t want to kill myself training all week this week trying to be ready for the 600, and then show up tomorrow super sore and worn out already. Just trying to be smart with things. But yeah, twist the wrong way, sometimes it hurts or do different things and it hurts a little bit. In the racecar, at the end of a six hour race, I’m probably not going to feel the best. But as far as the 200 laps that I did at North Wilkesboro, I felt OK.”

INAUDIBLE..

“Yeah, I think so. Once I’m in the seat, it’s not too bad. There really hasn’t been anything that they could do at all, the whole time. As high as T3 is, it’s not like I had a brace or anything like that. Yeah, just been trying to do the best I can with it.”

BLAKE’S (HARRIS) FOCUS COMING INTO THIS SEASON WAS JUST OVERALL CONSISTENCY, WHICH YOU GUYS ACHIEVED EARLY. NOW THAT YOU’VE HAD A PROLONGED BREAK, HOW DO YOU KICKSTART THAT AGAIN? 

“That’s a good question.. it would have been really nice to kickstart that again with some practice today. Really just try to understand where we’re going to pick up. Like I ran some laps myself at North Wilkesboro, but I haven’t raced. I haven’t competitively driven a racecar in a month, so just trying to understand where my rusty areas are going to be and where I’m still good. Lap time-wise, we were plenty competitive in our test, but that’s by yourself. Obviously North Wilkesboro is significantly different than Charlotte.. about as different as they get. So just trying to see where we stack up whenever I do get back into the car and kind of go from there.”

DEFINE ‘PAIN’.. THERE’S PAIN AND THERE’S PAIN THAT COMES AND GOES. WHAT’S YOUR TOLERANCE FOR PAIN AND HOW MUCH DOES IT HURT? 

“Yeah, until I do it, I don’t know. That’s the biggest thing and that’s really the whole reason in testing. The doctor was like it’s healing and you can do it based on pain tolerance, but you can’t simulate what it’s going to be like without getting in a racecar. And even that, you can’t simulate Charlotte at North Wilkesboro, so I don’t have a clue. It’s going to hurt. I don’t know how much it’s going to hurt. Hopefully it doesn’t hurt very much because at North Wilkesboro it didn’t. All we did was make long runs there to try and simulate being here and how long the 600 is. But we had two sets of tires, two hours and a flat race track that is really slick and doesn’t give you any G-forces. We have five-and-a-half hours tomorrow night with a ton of G-forces and a ton of grip, so it’s about as different as it could possibly get. But yeah, I think I’ll be alright.”

IN THE PAST, HOW WOULD YOU RATE YOUR TOLERANCE FOR PAIN ON A SCALE OF ONE TO 10 PRIOR TO THIS?

“I don’t know, I think I’m a bit of a wimp, if we’re being honest. But no, I’ve raced through some things before and I feel like I’ll be OK. Honestly, it’s not that bad. I feel like a lot of people have had similar injuries that were so much worse. Obviously I got out of the car and walked away. It’s not too bad. It’s a bit uncomfortable, but I’ll be fine.”

WITH NO PRACTICE, WAS IT STILL NICE TO BE ABLE TO GET IN THE CAR THIS WEEK AT NORTH WILKSBORO INSTEAD OF GOING INTO TOMORROW WITH NOTHING?

“Yeah, for sure. And honestly, as much as it was for me to get my head wrapped around what it was actually going to feel like, I feel like that was a part of getting cleared – having a doctor there and kind of going through that. Glad we were able to do that. Obviously would have liked track time today to kind of know what I signed myself up for tomorrow, but yeah I think it was definitely good to be able to do that. Ran a lot of laps in the simulator, which doesn’t really do a whole lot, but hopefully that gives me an idea of what my racecar is going to be like. I think it was really good for me, mentally. Obviously it was a requirement to get cleared, but just mentally to know what to expect, feels good.”

WHAT DID THEY EXACTLY DO TO YOUR BACK – WAS IT A REST THING OR DID THEY PUT PINS IN IT? SECONDLY, ARE YOU GOING TO STICK TO JUST NASCAR RACING OR WILL YOU STILL GO BACK TO SOME OTHER STUFF LIKE YOU WERE DOING? 

“Yeah, they walked in and said you broke your back.. come back and see us again in three weeks (laughs). Honestly there just wasn’t anything that they could do. It wasn’t something that required surgery or anything like that. It was too high to brace. So honestly, it was a lot of rest at first. I tried to keep myself busy. I felt like after a week or two, kind of the less I moved, the more I hurt. So I’d go to my shop and walk around, or go to HMS and walk around, and then I slowly worked my way into getting back to the gym. I walked a lot. Just trying to keep it loose and let it heal. Thankfully, it is healing. It was stable. I didn’t have any big complications. Obviously that similar crash and similar injury hurt a lot of others much worse, so just thankful it wasn’t worse for me. 

As far as racing other stuff – someday, for sure. I want to get back into a sprint car and a midget. For me, I felt like we were just kind of getting rolling a little bit in a sprint car, and getting more and more competitive. That night, we were pretty fast. Definitely a bummer there.. that’s something I really want to conquer and at least be able to be competitive with like the World of Outlaws or at High Limit races. It would mean a lot to me. So someday I’ll get back to that, but as a guy that’s sat on the couch more in the last eight months than not, probably smart if I give my day job a little alone time for a bit.”

WHAT MAKES YOU SO CONFIDENT IN BEING ABLE TO RACE THIS WEEKEND? 

“Well I’m not very smart, so that might be part of it (laughs). But no, just running laps in the car on Tuesday, it didn’t hurt. Like the physical act of driving the racecar, I was fine. It’s going to be a long night and I’m going to be pretty sore by the end of it, but yeah I’m confident. I wish we had practice. That would probably make me a little more confident. But I wouldn’t be back here if I wasn’t confident that I could run the whole race.”

DID YOU PRACTICE THEM DROPPING THE JACK AND HAVING THAT FEELING? 

“Yeah, that was my biggest fear, by far. Obviously these cars are very stiff. We’ve seen with the Next Gen car how much stiffer it is and how much more it kind of shocks the driver’s body. Yeah, I was terrified to drop the jack. We did it and it didn’t hurt at all. The thing that I thought was going to hurt the most didn’t hurt at all, so that makes me feel good. I don’t think I would get away with 600 miles on one set of tires, so dropping the jack is going to be a requirement tomorrow night or Monday.”

DO YOU THINK SONOMA RACEWAY WILL REALLY BE THE NEXT CHALLENGE AFTER JUST GETTING THROUGH THIS 600 MILES BECAUSE YOU’RE GOING LEFT AND RIGHT?

“Yeah, for sure. I think I have a lot of challenges ahead of me, for sure. Sonoma (Raceway) isn’t going to feel good with how tall the curbs are and how stiff the racecars are. That race is physical, in general. 

My challenges are going to be that. My challenges are going to be the fact that I sat on the couch for the last month and wasn’t able to train. There’s a lot of things that are going to be difficult to catch back up on. But yeah, I’m confident I’ll be fine. It may not be the most fun, but I’ll be fine.”

DO YOU GUYS HAVE A STRATEGY HOW TO ADVANCE TO THE PLAYOFFS? 

“Yeah, I think for us, we just have to do what we were doing. We had the best average finish out of anybody at the time I got hurt. We had a massive points penalty, missed three points races and we’re still on the cutoff line. So if we can just go back to how we were running, I know we can do it. Obviously we want to go win races and I think that comes with how we were performing. But yeah, just have to go kick some butt.”

BOWMAN ON STARTING 31ST IN A 600-MILE RACE: 

“I have one of the best crew chiefs on pit road, best race team on pit road, top-five best pit crew on pit road – there’s no reason why we can’t accomplish it. Honestly, if I can drive the racecar at the level that I think I’m capable of doing and we have a good car when we take off, there’s no reason we can’t win from 31st. I think for me, I want to make all the laps and I want to have a good, solid top-10 day coming back from breaking my back. But yeah, there’s no reason that with our race team and our capabilities that we can’t win from anywhere we start every week.”

NASCAR CUP SERIES

CHARLOTTE MOTOR SPEEDWAY

COCA-COLA 600

TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT

MAY 27, 2023

WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 LIBERTY UNIVERSITY CAMARO ZL1, media availability at Charlotte Motor Speedway: 

THIS IS A HOME RACE FOR YOU. OBVIOUSLY YOU GREW UP IN CHARLOTTE AND VERY FEW DRIVERS CAN SAY THAT THEY ARE CONSIDERED A TRUE HOMETOWN FAVORITE, SO TO SPEAK, HERE WHEN WE ARE AT CHARLOTTE. TALK ABOUT THE COCA-COLA 600, CHARLOTTE MOTOR SPEEDWAY AND WHAT THIS TRACK MEANS TO YOU, BEING ABLE TO CELEBRATE THIS WEEKEND EVERY MAY?

“Yeah, it’s always good getting to May. I feel like it’s a time period that I look forward to, just coming to the Coca-Cola 600 and getting ready for the Charlotte (Motor Speedway) race. But also, just being back home and being able to see a lot of family. It’s a busy time, for sure, but I just always have great memories of Charlotte Motor Speedway and going to the 600-mile race and just being up in the stands. Every time I come back, it gives me a lot of excitement and I think my team thrives off of that. With Hendrick Motorsports being right across the street, certainly we look forward to Charlotte every year and that’s no different this year. I think honestly this year, this is probably the most we’ve looked forward to the 600. Looking forward to it.”

WHAT TYPE OF ADVANTAGE IS IT STARTING ON THE POLE? 

“Yeah, I mean I try not to get too excited, one way or another, on the weekend. I think that we’ve done a lot of good work this week just in the simulator and talking about the race. Really, it started before Kansas (Speedway). When Kyle (Larson) tested here, we talked a lot about what we felt like we needed. We’ve carried some of that to the other 1.5-mile tracks. Darlington (Raceway) isn’t really a 1.5-mile track, but there’s similar traits in the car there. I thought we were really strong there from the beginning to the end of the run, and that’s what you’ll need at Charlotte. The runs are pretty long.. usually probably going to be 50 laps on tires, at least. 

It’s certainly nice to get the pit selection. I think really the track position is not that big of a deal for a long race like this, but the pit stall selection is huge going into the race.”

YOU SAID 50 LAP RUNS ON TIRES. DO YOU EXPECT WITH CONSTRUCTION CHANGE THAT’S DIFFERENT FROM A YEAR AGO THAT YOU WON’T SEE DRIVERS JUST SPINNING OUT LIKE THEY DID LAST YEAR IN THIS RACE? 

“Yeah, I think a lot of the issues that we saw last year – obviously the cars were a handful, but there was also just a lot of attrition for some reason and I think that guys were making contact. We weren’t used to the track changes. They might have been different than the old car. It was really hot outside. So I think the car just being kind of unpredictable and guys having more issues with kind of bottoming out and losing grip that way. I don’t think there was a ton of tire failures.. at least there wasn’t for us. But certainly we didn’t understand the tire fully to be able to maximize the whole run, so there was a lot of uncharacteristic kind of fall-off throughout the run. Hopefully we’ve worked on that a lot and we can run 40 or 50 laps on tires and still hold on well.”

I THINK IT’S BEEN SINCE WEEK TWO AT AUTO CLUB SPEEDWAY THAT THE ENTIRE HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS CAMP HAS BEEN TOGETHER. HOW IMPORTANT IS IT TO HAVE EVERYONE TOGETHER GOING INTO THE SECOND-HALF OF THE REGULAR-SEASON? 

“It’s really important for the morale of the shop and us be able to kind of pull the rope in the same direction. I think having Josh (Berry) in was great. He really did a good job subbing. But obviously we have notes from four or five years, or more, from working together as a group of four. I feel like we understand each other’s driving styles and that just really helps grow the group, in general, and grow the setups forward. I think having all of our feedback back together, it would be nice to see that kind of payoff with practice. But I think Monday, we’ll really be able to dissect what we all had in the race and it will be nice to have everyone back to do that.”

WITH THE CHANGE IN THE SHORT-TRACK PACKAGE, WHAT DID YOU NOTICE AT SONOMA (RACEWAY) LAST YEAR THAT WAS DIFFERENT FROM OTHER RACES AT SONOMA IN THE PAST?

“Yeah, I mean I don’t really remember Sonoma (Raceway) that well last year, but I do feel like as a group, we kind of struggled more than we thought we would. INAUDIBLE…. The No. 99 (Daniel Suarez) was really strong. I feel like those notes will still apply, but we’ve come a long way with our road course program and I think that will payoff at Sonoma. It’s such low grip. You really have to manage the tire falloff. I feel like COTA was that way and we were pretty strong there. Still some work to do to get to where the No. 45 (Tyler Reddick) was, but hopefully at Sonoma we’ll make a lot more progress.”

THE LAST COUPLE OF WEEKS, A LOT OF THE TALKING HEADS HAVE KIND OF CONSIDERED THE CHAMPIONSHIP WILL LIKELY COME DOWN BETWEEN HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS AND JOE GIBBS RACING. IS THERE ANYONE ELSE, OTHER THAN YOUR TEAMMATES, THAT YOU SEE AS DIRECT COMPETITION FOR YOU IN GETTING THAT FIRST CHAMPIONSHIP?

“Well I think honestly, our goal is to make that final race and the Championship Four. I think as I see more talk about one guy or two guys or whatever – I think really you have to realize that it’s really just about getting to that final race with a chance. That’s been our goal all along.. every year it is, but I think realistically, the last two years that’s been the realistic goal. 

I do think that teams are starting to emerge as strong players – the No. 19 (Martin Truex Jr.), the No. 11 (Denny Hamlin), the No. 5 (Kyle Larson), the No. 1 (Ross Chastain). I think there’s quite a few guys out there. I think you’ll see an evolution throughout the summer and some other guys will come on really strong, as well. I try not to set too much on one guy or one team, but I certainly think our team is in that mix. We just have to keep doing what we’re doing to stay on top of that order.”

ARE YOU PROUD OF THE GAINS THAT YOU AND RUDY (FUGLE) HAVE MADE? 

“Yeah, I think it’s really been a steady improvement. I think a lot of people look to us to make big waves and things like that. But we’ve really just kept gaining on it each year. I feel like now we’re in a place where the foundation of our team is strong and it’s going to continue this way. We didn’t make any major steps really quick. We just kind of continued to win one or two races a year, and now we’re at three races a year. Hopefully that just continues.”

YOU TALK ABOUT THE INCENTIVE OF GETTING THE POLE AND THE PIT BOX SELECTION, BUT THAT OBVIOUSLY MEANS YOU DON’T GET THE PRACTICE TIME. ARE YOU A GUY THAT’S OK WITH GETTING THAT POLE POSITION AND FIRST BOX AND IS COMFORTABLE ABOUT WHAT YOU HIT THE TRACK WITH WHEN IT COMES OFF THE TRUCK? 

“Yeah, I think one of our strong suits is practice. So I think for us, we enjoy going out there – cutting some laps, getting ready for qualifying, adjusting the balance. We have really good notes on what to do for practice and qualifying, so I feel like anywhere we go, we’re a threat for a pole in that sense. But yeah, we’ll take it any way we can get it. I also do trust that they’re going to unload something that’s close. We have good tools with Chevrolet and our simulator program, so I feel confident about that. We also had a test with Kyle (Larson) here. I feel good that we can unload strong. 

I guess I’m kind of impartial. I feel like we can excel either way. Obviously the easier way would be to have qualifying canceled, but yeah I think either way trying to get a strong pit stall and go to work from there.”

HOW MUCH DOES THE PIT STALL EFFECT YOUR STRATEGY FOR THE RACE, AND DOES CLEAN AIR SORT OF NEGATE ALL OF THE UNCERTAINTIES IF YOU SHOULD GET THE POLE WITH NOT KNOW WHAT YOUR CAR REALLY HAS OR DOESN’T HAVE? 

“Yeah, I think the pit stall has a lot to do with your performance throughout the race, honestly. We talk a lot about qualifying each week and really that’s what I try to do – try to get into the top seven or eight, or seven to 10, to get yourself either an opening in or opening out of the pit box. Those are really the important things.. just not being boxed in all day throughout the race. I feel like for us, that’s why we focus so hard on qualifying – not really for the track position, but more so for pit road. Try to do a good job of that each week and see where we end up.”

NASCAR CUP SERIES

CHARLOTTE MOTOR SPEEDWAY

COCA-COLA 600

TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT

MAY 27, 2023

JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 84 CLUB WYNDHAM CAMARO ZL1, met with the media prior to the NASCAR Cup Series’ practice and qualifying session at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Press Conference Quotes:  

TELL ME YOUR EVALUATION OF LEGACY MOTOR CLUB SO FAR AND WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO MAKE THINGS BETTER? 

“We’d be on here for an hour trying to answer the question (laughs). We have a massive effort on our hands to grow in many ways as a club. I think we’ve had some high spots with performance during the season. I think Erik’s (Jones) run last weekend in the All-Star Race would be an example of that. I think there have been some other highlights, as well, through the season. But certainly some areas that we know that we need to improve and we’re working hard to do so. A lot has changed in the course of a year on the competition front from this car being introduced last year. The big teams really capitalizing on the assets they have to become stronger. I think there’s a bit of a gap separating through the field that we’re now starting to see. I mention that just trying to paint a picture of the everchanging environment that we’re chasing. With all the changes we’ve had as a team through the off-season and changes that are out in front of us, especially through this coming off-season, there’s just a lot of work and a lot going on. I’m certainly proud of everybody at LEGACY MOTOR CLUB; their tireless work effort and the hours they’re putting in. I wish that we had some stronger performances and maybe a little more consistent with results than where we are, if I was to wish for something. But I can’t ask for anything more from the effort and energy put into the program. Everybody is doing an incredible job.”

AS FAR AS YOUR TEAM, ARE YOU INVIGORATED WITH THE CHALLENGE? WHAT’S YOUR MENTALITY AT THE MOMENT? 

“Man, I’m excited, invigorated, exhausted.. all of it. It has been a really exciting adventure that I’ve embarked on here – to learn from Maury Gallagher, to be a part of this great team and learn from everyone that I’m surrounded by. I’m in a whole new element here and it’s very exciting to be in a new element. At the same time, there are some foundational pieces coming together, decisions that we’re making, that will really help the team grow in the future. And then we have our job at hand – the situation and environment that we have at hand to deal with in the 2023 season. Depends on the hat that I’m wearing, in some respects. There’s been a lot of work, but a lot of excitement and a lot of fun. I truly feel like I’m a part of something that’s really going to be a force in the future of NASCAR.”

YOU’RE SUPPOSED TO LEAVE FOR FRANCE ON MONDAY. WHAT DO YOU DO IF THIS RACE GETS PUSHED TO MONDAY? 

“Yeah, we’ve been talking to the ACO. The reason I need to arrive early is to run in their simulator and learn their procedures and protocols. It’s much different than anything else I’ve done before. We’ve notified the ACO. They’re aware of the potential rain delay and the fact that I might arrive to Paris later than my scheduled session on Wednesday morning. It appears that they’re willing to work with us and try to figure out how to get me some simulator time on Thursday or Friday, or even Wednesday evening if my flight just gets in late and has me behind schedule. So we’re actively working on that and feel really good about our options.”

BEING BACK HERE RACING AT CHARLOTTE MOTOR SPEEDWAY AND A PLACE WHERE YOU’VE HAD A LOT OF SUCCESS, WHAT WENT INTO THAT DECISION AND WHAT HAVE YOUR EMOTIONS BEEN HEADING INTO THE WEEKEND IF WE DO GET TO GO RACING? 

“For me, it’s really been about identifying marquee races around the world and trying to figure out how to run in them. Le Mans is a great example of that. Daytona 500, Coca-Cola 600.. these are the marquee events. I’m very thankful for the opportunity I have to race this weekend. I feel about as ill-prepared for a race than I ever have in my life, though, with the threat of rain and not getting any seat time in a Next Gen car at this particular track. I ran a couple of hours out in Phoenix before the season started to get a feel for things and that’s about the only oval experience, comparable oval experience, although it’s still pretty different. I was hopeful to get some laps today. The way that sim time works out and what’s available to the team – I think I made 30 or 40 laps a couple of weeks ago and was very hopeful that today I could be on track and develop a feel for the car and an idea of what to expect. I don’t think that’s going to happen and it appears that I’ll go in green. Thankfully it’s a 600-mile race and I’ll be able to get some reps – get through that first stage, regroup, get to the second stage and work my way forward.”

HOW HAS THE DYNAMIC CHANGED WITH CHEVROLET SINCE THE ANNOUNCEMENT THAT LEGACY MOTOR CLUB WILL BE GOING TO TOYOTA NEXT SEASON? 

“Yeah, we’ve had a lot of conversations on both sides. Working very hard to close out 2023 as strong as we can. We have a relationship with Chevrolet, and then also a relationship with Richard Childress Racing. LEGACY MOTOR CLUB and those other two entities, there’s a lot going on, but everybody is truly putting their best foot forward and trying to provide what is to be expected for the contracts and for LEGACY MOTOR CLUB in 2023. It’s not ideal by any means, but we really felt like it would be important to announce early. Rumors were starting to circulate about our potential involvement with Toyota in the future. The way that Maury (Gallagher) likes to handle things, as for myself – let’s just pull the cover off this and address things head on. That’s what we’ve really done and I’m really proud of our group, and also everyone at RCR and Chevrolet.”

AM I CORRECT THAT JOE GIBBS RACING PROVIDES YOUR PIT CREWS, OR YOU HAVE SOME SORT OF AGREEMENT WITH JGR FOR YOUR PIT CREWS CURRENTLY? 

“Yes, we did not elect to have our own pit stop program for the 2023 season. We went out, shopped and found what fit us better from an over-the-wall standpoint at Joe Gibbs Racing. I guess that decision was probably made really before my time last year coming onboard. So that was a decision made toward the end of 2022, and now as it turns out, we’ll essentially be in the same camp next year.”

WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED ABOUT ERIK (JONES) AND NOAH (GRAGSON) SINCE COMING ONBOARD AT LEGACY MOTOR CLUB?

“I think Erik (Jones) continues to show me just how good he is. He’s been in some challenging circumstances this year and keeps his head on; focuses, executes and gets the job done. I’ve really been impressed with his ability to stay calm and execute and just how good he is. 

With Noah (Gragson), from watching him before, I wasn’t sure how serious he took his job in the sport. I knew that he was fast and I knew that he liked to have fun. I can say in the short time that I’ve really worked with him closely, he still has those two elements, but his desire to be as good as he can in this sport has really impressed me. So I guess ultimately, his commitment to his craft is what’s impressed me the most.”

YOU WERE TALKING EARLIER ABOUT BEING ILL-PREPARED FOR THIS RACE. AFTER TWO YEARS AWAY AND YOU COME BACK, IT’S A NEW CAR AND JUST THE TIME AWAY – WHEN YOU COME BACK AND RUN THESE RACES, THE FEW THAT YOU’VE DONE SO FAR, DO YOU FEEL LIKE JIMMIE JOHNSON – THE SEVEN-TIME CHAMPION – DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOU’RE A ROOKIE AGAIN AND WAY BEHIND EVERYONE ELSE? 

“Well Daytona was nice where we had a bit of practice and had a qualifying race to work through and feel things out. I got into the rhythm and I started to feel much like myself. The package for plate racing, even with the Gen 6 car versus the Next Gen Car, is pretty darn close. A lot is the same, so that wasn’t all that different. I rolled into COTA thinking – alright, it’s going to be like Daytona – and I was mistaken for that. These cars really do drive much differently – the mechanical grip level versus the aero-grip is much different. The shocks and the way the internal bump stops work, in addition to the external bump stops on the car. None of that was taking place when I was in the car last and the car drives so much different as a result. So I’m really under-prepared, or ill-prepared, for this weekend’s race. It is sad to me that in today’s world, we can’t go test to get ready for a race. And then a practice and qualifying session rains out and you get zero track time, you have to depend on the simulator. We’re very low on the totem pole with resources and sim time – I get 30 laps of sim time to get ready for a race. It’s a 600-mile race and we’ll make the best of it. But just logically, as I think through how big our sport is, how big this race is, how big the opportunity is – it’s just crazy that I can’t get properly prepared for this race.”

YOU’VE SPOKEN BEFORE THAT YOU’RE TRYING TO RACES AT EITHER TRACKS YOU ENJOY OR BUCKET LIST ITEMS. IS THERE A BALANCE BETWEEN YOUR COMPETITIVE NATURE AND ALSO JUST TRYING TO HAVE FUN AND MAYBE LEARN SOMETHING TO HELP THE ORGANIZATION? 

“Yeah, I really do find that I’m thinking more about what’s best for the company than what’s best for me as the racer, especially coming back to NASCAR. My last two years in INDYCAR and sportscars, I was much more selfish and much more in that traditional headspace as a driver – ultimate speed, ultimate fun, how can I do all of those aspects. Where now, when we take the No. 84 car to the track, is it hurting our program or is it helping our program? And if so, in which ways. When you think about crew personnel, inventory of parts and pieces, that’s one conversation. Notoriety, popularity, sponsorship dollars, all of those other aspects are another conversation. We’re always weighing the pros and cons out, and here before long we’ll start thinking about 2024 and what races make sense for me. 

And then I honestly feel like getting through this weekend is going to be a big step in me deciding – we choose a lot of road course races for me in 2023, trying to help LEGACY MOTOR CLUB get better on road courses. We feel like we’ve seen some gains from that, especially the time I’ve been able to spend with Noah (Gragson) and Erik (Jones) – going to the sim, going to a driving school, driving some other cars and really just spending time together and honing that craft. This will be my first proper oval and depending on how that experience goes, I think it will give us a better place to decide from looking at 2024.”

HOW DIFFERENT IS THAT TO BE THINKING ‘BIG PICTURE’ THAN YOUR COMPETITVENESS? WHEN YOU WERE HERE FOR SO LONG, IT WAS ALL ABOUT WINNING RACES AND CHAMPIONSHIPS. 

“Yeah, it’s different. I’m evolving mentally, maybe a little quicker than I give myself credit for I guess in probably six months since stepping into this new role. In six months’ time, I’ve been able to really transition into the thought process that I’m in now versus that selfish driver.”

NOW THAT LE MANS IS RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER, ARE YOU STARTING TO GET ANY BUTTERFLIES YET? 

“Yeah, I’m excited. I’ve been busy packing my suitcase before we jumped on this call. It’s feeling very real. It’s here and I’m very excited for the opportunity. I honestly don’t know what to expect. I know once I get to the race track and pick up the energy and the vibe of the race weekend, the butterflies will kick-in. But right now, there’s just great excitement and curiosity with what’s ahead.”

WHAT IT’S LIKE TO BE YOU AT THIS POINT.. TO BE A MENTOR TO SOMEBODY AND GIVE YOUR KNOWLEDGE TO OTHER DRIVERS AND OTHER MEMBERS OF NASCAR? 

“It’s surreal, but it’s hard for me right now because I don’t have a lot of time in the Next Gen car, so I don’t know how relatable my advice is. I’ve been careful to not overdue it and I’ve kind of spoken to Erik (Jones) and Noah (Gragson) around more of the track – how I’ve seen a track evolve and how I would attack certain corners. And of course, preface with – hey, I don’t have a lot of time in these cars, but this is what I look for.. these are the trends that helped me at this particular track. And then not only at the track, but away from the track and knowing what their roles and responsibilities are – what their work load is during the course of a week and trying to offer advice that helped me deal with a long, long career in NASCAR. To that effect, I’m very thankful that Amy Stock is involved, John Lewensten, people that worked so close to me through my 20 years in this sport. We can all mentor and help. Noah, probably a little bit more. Erik is certainly a veteran at this point. But we are able to mentor as a group and I can as an individual on a much broader spectrum than really just in the car at the track.”

WHAT’S YOUR BIGGEST WORRY GOING INTO LE MANS? WHAT’S KEEPING YOU UP AT NIGHT, IF ANYTHING?

“For me, I am concerned about the top division surprising me in the car somewhere in one of these corners. All the sportscar racing I’ve done to date; I have been in the fastest car. I’ve only had to worry about looking out the windshield and really not, on a consistent basis, being passed in the GT category. Plus you look at us in our Garage 56 category, our car is going to create a lot of its lap time on the straightaways; we lack in the corners. So I’m nervous about traffic, in general. I’m nervous about one of these prototypes going up unexpectedly as I’m committing to a corner.. I’m not sure they’re going to be there and they’re shooting for a gap that’s closing. My fears really are about awareness in mirrors and getting a true understanding of how quickly these cars approach. And then you add the night element and from what I understand, the prototype headlights are so bright and really all the cars have such bright lights because there’s very little track light. So you don’t have a great sense of depth of when a car is approaching because the lights are so bright. So it’s all kind of in that traffic phase, certainly at night in traffic. I’m eager to get there and get a sense of it. And then they have some night running, and within that, I can get a much better idea, as well, and work through that.”

WHERE DOES IT COMPARE TO GOING INTO THE DAYTONA 500 OR THE INDIANAPOLIS 500? 

“It feels really special. My thoughts have really been on this weekend and the 600-mile race here in Charlotte (Motor Speedway) with Club Wyndham onboard. I’m extremely excited about that relationship and hopeful to have a good run – run a top-10, top-15, would be an awesome goal for us in the 600. So I’ve largely been focused there. There’s this great excitement in the back of my mind that I know I’m going to jump on a plane Monday or Tuesday and fly across the pond and get into it. But it’s just really exciting, but with so many unknowns. It’s hard to really quantify what I’m going to go embark on.”

The # 50 ABEL Motorsports Chevrolet of RC Enerson passes leads a train of car in to Turn 1 at Indianapolis Motor SpeedwayPhoto Courtesy Lumen Digital Agency: Geoffrey M. Miller ABEL Motorsports Signs Significant Sponsorship Package Ahead of First 500 Start (May 27, 2023) SPEEDWAY, In- FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Newly-minted IndyCar team ABEL Motorsports has impressed everyone in the garage area and along pit road, successfully earning their first-ever starting position in the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge.Now, ABEL and rookie driver RC Enerson have started to reap the benefits of their stellar performance at the Speedway by landing a significant sponsorship package for Sunday’s 107th running of “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing”. Indianapolis-based companies Rayco Machine, Zickler Associates, EZ Klean and Moontown Brewing Company plus well-known national brand SIMONIZ will all have positioning on the ABEL Motorsports #50 Chevy/Dallara for Sunday’s 500.   Additionally, local and regional entities Clean N Simple, Mockett, Godby, and the Wounded Warriors Project will join ABEL Construction Company, Advance Ready Mix, and the Lucas Oil School of Racing in backing the Indy 500 effort. Team Principal Bill Abel noted the importance of today’s announcement. “We want to welcome all of the partners that have jumped on with us this week, alongside the companies that have been with us from the start.  We’re going to do our best on Sunday to provide those partners and our fans with an outstanding performance in the 500”. While Enerson qualified ABEL Motorsports’ #50 machine 29th last Saturday, he’ll actually start 28th on Race Day, on the inside of row 10 due to a driver change in another qualified car. After successfully completing Friday’s traditional two-hour Carb Day final practice, RC Enerson and the ABEL team are making final preparations for Sunday’s 500 mile battle.   Enerson and the team will take the green flag at 12:45 PM ET in the event, with prerace coverage starting at 9 AM on Peacock TV and the IMS Radio Network.  Event coverage begins at 11 AM ET on Peacock, NBC TV, and the IMS Radio Network.

WHEATLAND, Mo. (May 26, 2023) – Jonathan Davenport has stamped himself as one of the favorites heading into the 31st Annual Lucas Oil Show-Me 100 presented by Missouri Division of Tourism on Saturday night.  The 3-time Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series National Champion withstood last lap challenges from Tim McCreadie and Ricky Thornton Jr. in capturing the Tribute to Don and Billie Gibson on Friday night. For the 39-year-old Blairsville, Georgia native it was his second straight Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series win as he also took first place honors on Thursday night’s Cowboy Classic. It was also Davenport’s third straight Lucas Oil MLRA win dating back to his April 1st triumph in the Spring Nationals.  Even though the results will show that Davenport led all 40 laps on Friday night it was far from an easy victory, his 68th in his Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series career. McCreadie finished in second with Thornton placing third at the finish, after starting in 24th. Thornton transferred through his heat race but had to bring out a back-up car after suffering engines issues in the final laps. Thornton who pitted early in the race drove through the field to earn the Todd Steel Buildings Hard Charger of the Race, passing 21 cars on his way to rounding out the Big River Steel Podium. Payton Looney, the 2020 Show-Me 100 champion, and Brandon Overton who both challenged for the lead ended up fourth and fifth in the final rundown. Davenport stormed to the lead in the early going as Jeff Herzog ran in second for the first three laps until Overton got the spot before a caution on lap four. Looney would follow Overton to the front as they started to close over Davenport when a caution came out again with 13 laps scored. When the race resumed Davenport still held the lead despite pressure from Overton and Looney as Looney took over the second position by lap 15 and began cutting into Davenport’s lead. Overton had got back by Looney by lap 29 and held the spot for just four laps until Looney moved past him again. Looney would hold the second spot with five laps remaining and appeared to be headed to a podium finish. Unfortunately, he started to fade in the waning laps falling to fourth at the finish after yielding to both McCreadie and Thornton in the final circuits.  Davenport held on for the win despite both McCreadie and Thornton closing rapidly on the final lap. “I knew I was getting slower and slower around the top. I was just getting looser. I was taking the long way around the top, there wasn’t anything to lean on, so I had to come off of it. I tried to get a good run down the straightaway to keep my momentum up. Eventually I knew something would come around the bottom, so I moved down there.” “I was just too free in the center of the corner to stay down there,” Davenport added. “I saw the white flag so I just kind of floated through one and two and I tried to block the bottom and the top on the last lap. So, I really had no idea where to be there. It’s good to see the 49 and the 39 run first and second. As much as we talk and run up and down the road, you can’t hardly run the same thing because our driving styles are so different. We bounce a lot of ideas off of each other,” said the driver who is seeking his second career Show-Me 100 victory. McCreadie, who is looking for his first career Show-Me 100 triumph came home in the runner-up spot to Davenport in Friday night’s 40 lapper. “I don’t think we ever slow down. We don’t fire very good, so we fell way back in the beginning. I just diamond the racetrack until it gets completely shiny until where I can do it with my foot. When you are flat on the deck for the first 15 laps I am just slipping. I think everybody just came to us. We had a couple of restarts and we got up there and was fighting for it but once JD maneuvered it I kind of got dead in the water. We will take a second and try to find some more speed tomorrow.” Thornton’s drive to the front was electrifying as the current Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series point leader completed a trying night with a third-place finish. “We weren’t going anywhere there early on. We pitted under caution and changed a couple of small things to find some traction and after that I really took off. Hats off to my crew they busted their tails, and we had some other teams helping as well. I was able to finish the heat race, but we hurt the motor. We got the back-up out and old “Daisy” still has it,” as Thornton referenced the nickname of his second car the team pulled out of the trailer to start on the tail of the main event. The winner’s Lance and Darla Landers, Double L Motorsports, Longhorn Chassis is powered by a Clements Racing Engines and sponsored by Nutrien Ag Solutions, Dyno Gro Seed, Lucas Oil Products, Bilstein Shocks, VP Fuels, Mark Martin Automotive, ASC Warranty, and Midwest Sheet Metal.  Completing the top ten were Chris Ferguson, Jimmy Owens, Devin Moran, Earl Pearson Jr., and Max Blair. Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Race Summary Tribute to Don & Billie GibsonFriday, May 26, 2023Lucas Oil Speedway – Wheatland, MO Allstar Performance Time TrialsFast Time Group A: Jeff Herzog / 15.611 seconds (overall)Fast Time Group B: Jimmy Owens / 16.104 seconds  Penske Shocks Heat Race #1 Finish (8 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 11H-Jeff Herzog[1]; 2. 22F-Chris Ferguson[3]; 3. 2-Tyler Stevens[6]; 4. 11-Spencer Hughes[8]; 5. 22H-Dustin Hodges[2]; 6. 96-Dalton Imhoff[5]; 7. 99B-Boom Briggs[7]; 8. 15V-Kolby Vandenbergh[4]; 9. 7W-Ricky Weiss[9]; 10. 1X-Aaron Marrant[10] Summit Racing Products Heat Race #2 Finish (8 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 76-Brandon Overton[1]; 2. 25C-Chad Simpson[2]; 3. 32-Chris Simpson[3]; 4. 22-Daniel Hilsabeck[4]; 5. 15-Justin Duty[6]; 6. 93-Mason Oberkramer[5]; 7. 56JR-Tony Jackson Jr[9]; 8. 51-Larry Ferris[8]; 9. 7-Ross Robinson[7]; 10. 26-Glen Powell[10] Simpson Race Products Heat Race #3 (8 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 15L-Payton Looney[1]; 2. 58-Garrett Alberson[4]; 3. 46-Earl Pearson Jr[2]; 4. 1H-Hudson O’Neal[6]; 5. 111B-Max Blair[5]; 6. 16-Tyler Bruening[3]; 7. 82-Jace Parmley[7]; 8. 15T-Matt Johnson[9]; 9. 1A-Bryon Allison[8] AP1 Insurance Heat Race #4 (8 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 49-Jonathan Davenport[3]; 2. 20-Jimmy Owens[1]; 3. 99-Devin Moran[4]; 4. 21XXX-Neil Baggett[2]; 5. 14G-Trevor Gundaker[5]; 6. 49J-Justin Wells[8]; 7. 50-Kaeden Cornell[7]; 8. 1S-Jeremy Shaw[6]; 9. 3-Brennon Willard[9] Lucas Oil Heat Race #5 (8 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 39-Tim McCreadie[3]; 2. 45-Cole Wells[1]; 3. 20RT-Ricky Thornton Jr[4]; 4. 54-David Breazeale[2]; 5. 94-Austin Rettig[5]; 6. 1T-Tyler Erb[7]; 7. 14R-Jeff Roth[8]; 8. 7D-Dusty Leonard[6]; 9. 19M-Colby Moore[9] Lucas Oil Heat Race #6 (8 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 8-Dillon McCowan[1]; 2. 25Z-Mason Zeigler[3]; 3. 18D-Daulton Wilson[6]; 4. USA28-Kylan Garner[2]; 5. USA1-Chris Hawkins[4]; 6. 14M-Morgan Bagley[7]; 7. 50C-Kayden Clatt[9]; 8. 14RM-Reid Millard[5]; 9. 11K-Jon Kirby[8] Fast Shafts B-Main Race #1 (10 Laps, Top 2 Transfer): 1. 22-Daniel Hilsabeck[2]; 2. 11-Spencer Hughes[1]; 3. 7W-Ricky Weiss[11]; 4. 93-Mason Oberkramer[6]; 5. 22H-Dustin Hodges[3]; 6. 56JR-Tony Jackson Jr[8]; 7. 15-Justin Duty[4]; 8. 99B-Boom Briggs[7]; 9. 15V-Kolby Vandenbergh[9]; 10. 96-Dalton Imhoff[5]; 11. 1X-Aaron Marrant[13]; 12. 51-Larry Ferris[10]; 13. 26-Glen Powell[14]; 14. (DNS) 7-Ross Robinson UNOH B-Main Race #2 (10 Laps, Top 2 Transfer): 1. 1H-Hudson O’Neal[1]; 2. 111B-Max Blair[3]; 3. 21XXX-Neil Baggett[2]; 4. 16-Tyler Bruening[5]; 5. 14G-Trevor Gundaker[4]; 6. 50-Kaeden Cornell[8]; 7. 82-Jace Parmley[7]; 8. 49J-Justin Wells[6]; 9. 1S-Jeremy Shaw[10]; 10. 15T-Matt Johnson[9]; 11. 1A-Bryon Allison[11]; 12. 3-Brennon Willard[12] MyRacePass B-Main Race #2 (10 Laps, Top 2 Transfer): 1. 54-David Breazeale[1]; 2. 14M-Morgan Bagley[6]; 3. 1T-Tyler Erb[5]; 4. USA28-Kylan Garner[2]; 5. 14R-Jeff Roth[7]; 6. 11K-Jon Kirby[12]; 7. 7D-Dusty Leonard[9]; 8. USA1-Chris Hawkins[4]; 9. 50C-Kayden Clatt[8]; 10. 14RM-Reid Millard[10]; 11. 19M-Colby Moore[11]; 12. 94-Austin Rettig[3] Tribute to Don & Billie Gibson Feature Finish (40 Laps):

Race Statistics Entrants: 57Terminal Maintenance & Construction Pole Sitter: Jeff HerzogLap Leaders: Jonathan Davenport (Laps 1-40)Wieland Feature Winner: Jonathan DavenportArizona Sport Shirts Crown Jewel Cup Feature Winner: n/aBrandon Ford TV Challenge Feature Winner: Jonathan DavenportMargin of Victory: 0.271 secondsGorsuch Performance Solutions Cautions: Daulton Wilson (Lap 4); Daulton Wilson, Tyler Stevens (Lap 13); Tyler Stevens (Lap 28); Mason Zeigler (Lap 29)Fast Time Provisional: n/aSeries Emergency Provisionals: n/aTrack Provisional: n/aBig River Steel Podium Top 3: Jonathan Davenport, Tim McCreadie, Ricky Thornton, Jr.Penske Shocks Top 5: Jonathan Davenport, Tim McCreadie, Ricky Thornton, Jr., Payton Looney, Brandon Overton Todd Steel Buildings Hard Charger of the Race: Ricky Thornton, Jr. (Advanced 21 Positions)Wilwood Brakes Lucky 7th Place Feature: Jeff HerzogDeatherage Opticians Lucky 13th Place Feature: Devin MoranEarnhardt Technologies Most Laps Led: Jonathan Davenport (40 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: Jonathan Davenport (Lap 1 – 15.193 seconds)MD3 Tough Break of the Race: Mason ZeiglerOuterwears Crew Chief of the Race: Cory Fostvedt (Jonathan Davenport)ARP Engine Builder of the Race: Clements Racing EnginesMiller Welders Chassis Builder of the Race: Longhorn ChassisDirt Draft Fastest in Hot Laps: Tyler Erb (15.698 seconds)Time of Race: 22 minutes 23 seconds 31st Lucas Oil Show-Me 100 Presented by the Missouri Division of Tourism Line-Up (100 Laps)

Fast Shafts B-Main #1 Line-Up (15 Laps, Top 2 Transfer):

UNOH B-Main #2 Line-Up (15 Laps, Top 2 Transfer):

MyRacePass B-Main #3 Line-Up (15 Laps, Top 2 Transfer):

31st Annual Lucas Oil Show-Me 100 presented by Missouri Division of Tourism Points:

**Ties broken by highest points night first, then by fastest qualifying lap either day**

The defending champion matches his 2022 win total early in 2023

CHILLICOTHE, OH (May 26, 2023) – Brad Sweet continues to make powerful statement after powerful statement on the racetrack.

Last weekend the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car championship point leader opened the door slightly for the competition to close in with a pair of sub-par runs. To start this weekend, he kicked it shut.

Sweet dominated Friday night at Chillicothe, OH’s Atomic Speedway – leading every lap of the NOS Energy Drink Feature on his way to a Series-best fifth win of the 2023 campaign. The Grass Valley, CA native held off charges from Kyle Larson and Carson Macedo to secure the checkered flag. Sweet is well aware that winning with The Greatest Show on Dirt is tough enough as is. But throw in having to beat a NASCAR Cup Series champion who has accomplished so much on dirt and it makes it even more gratifying.

“It’s good to win any race, but you always want to beat the best,” Sweet said. “And this World of Outlaws group is a great group of drivers. Then you bring in Kyle Larson and some of these other guys, too. Kyle is a talent that is so versatile and wins in every car. So, when he’s here and you can beat him, it definitely gives us a little more street credit.”

Sweet’s fifth win of the season marked the 84th of his World of Outlaws career – bringing him into a tie with Stevie Smith for the 10th most all-time. “The Big Cat” has already matched his win total from last season. Atomic is now the 46th different track he’s visited Victory Lane at in World of Outlaws competition.

“It was a fun race tonight,” Sweet said. “It was tricky. I’m just excited to get the first night out of the way and hopefully come back tomorrow stronger.”

After winning the Toyota Racing Dash, Sweet started the main event from the pole position with Larson to his outside. When the green flag flew, Sweet wasted no time jumping ahead of his brother-in-law.

As the lead duo neared the tail of the field, the race’s first yellow flag flew on lap 10 – setting up what would become a theme of the race. Whenever thick traffic was ahead of the leaders, the yellow lights would turn on for another caution nearly without fail.

While these yellows gave Sweet the benefit of clean air, it also lined up Larson alongside him for each restart. Sweet had to stay on top of his game aboard the Kasey Kahne Racing/Napa Auto Parts #49 to hold back Larson each time the green flag flew. And that’s exactly what he did.

Sweet exceled on every restart – gapping Larson by enough to make a move in Turns 1 and 2 impossible. Larson stayed close enough on one attempt to throw a slider but came up short.

“I was trying to trick him,” Sweet said of his strategy on the restarts. “I was trying to pick different spots to take off. The bottom was getting slicker, but I didn’t want to take off up top because I didn’t think it was good enough. You couldn’t put your right-rear in good dirt. It was just kind of a curb against the wall.”

On a late restart, Larson slipped off the track exiting Turn 2, allowing Carson Macedo to take the runner-up spot. As the laps dwindled, Macedo ran down Sweet as he entered traffic. Macedo attempted a slider when the white flag flew but couldn’t clear Sweet. As the two entered the final set of corners, the yellow flew once again – setting up a green-white-checkered finish.

On the restart, Sweet pulled ahead without issue and went on to win by slightly less than nine tenths of a second. 

“I’m just really happy,” Sweet said. “You’ve got to control these races sometimes. I’m not sure if I had the best car or not. It’s hard to say. It was really tricky to see when you got to lapped traffic. You really got a feel off Turn 2, and the cushion kind of went over the turn, so I got a little free trying to keep my tires under me and not get spinning. But I think the key was definitely staying out front.”

After his late mishap that dropped him to fifth, Larson rebounded to reclaim the runner-up spot in only his second Series start of the year. The result marked Larson’s 57th career World of Outlaws podium and it came aboard the Paul Silva #57. Larson found himself wishing that lapped traffic could’ve been more of a factor as he battled for the win.

“I really just needed some long runs,” Larson said. “Everytime we caught traffic a yellow would come out. I just never got the opportunity to race in traffic, but I felt really good. I made a mistake there on whatever restart that was and got over the edge and fell back to fifth. Then I got rolling really good there in (Turns) 3 and 4 got back to their back bumper there at the white (flag). Then I was kind of happy there for that final caution and honestly was hoping they would get racing. I got a good launch off the top and was able to pass Carson there.”

Macedo held onto third to round out the podium – his seventh top-three finish of the season with Jason Johnson Racing. The birthday boy thought he might’ve had a shot to win on the final circuit until the last caution came out, dimming his hopes of a win on his birthday.

“I was bummed to see the caution come out,” Macedo admitted. “I didn’t clear him off of (Turn) 2, but I thought maybe I could throw something at him into Turn 3 and off of Turn 4. But it just didn’t work out that way. The yellow came out, and I thought, ‘Well, maybe I’ll have another shot.’ Brad was kind of chugging up there at the top, and I thought maybe he was going to fire off on the cushion. When he didn’t, I did and I don’t think it really gave me a very good run to that green-white-checkered. Then Kyle starts throwing bombs at me, and I was trying to race him. I knew that was going to be tough to win that battle.”

Completing the top-five was David Gravel and Skyler Gee. Gee made his way into the top-five from 19th – earning him the KSE Hard Charger for the night.

Sweet extended his advantage in the points to 28 markers over Gravel and 36 over Macedo.

David Gravel claimed the Simpson QuickTime Award – his Series-leading sixth of the year and the 103rd of his career.

CASE No.1 Engine Oil Heat One went to David Gravel. NOS Energy Drink Heats Two through Four were claimed by James McFadden, Carson Macedo, and Donny Schatz.

UP NEXT: The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars are back at Atomic Speedway Saturday, May 26 before Monday’s (May 29) Federated Auto Parts Memorial Day Spectacular at Lawrenceburg Speedway. For tickets to Atomic, CLICK HERE. For tickets to Lawrenceburg, CLICK HERE.

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

RESULTS:

NOS Energy Drink Feature (35 Laps): 1. 49-Brad Sweet[1]; 2. 57-Kyle Larson[2]; 3. 41-Carson Macedo[3]; 4. 2-David Gravel[4]; 5. 99-Skylar Gee[19]; 6. 3Z-Brock Zearfoss[11]; 7. 5-Spencer Bayston[16]; 8. 83-James McFadden[7]; 9. 18-Giovanni Scelzi[8]; 10. 71-Michael Kofoid[12]; 11. 1S-Logan Schuchart[5]; 12. 9P-Parker Price Miller[10]; 13. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild[21]; 14. 22-Cole Duncan[15]; 15. 91-Cale Thomas[9]; 16. 15-Donny Schatz[6]; 17. 1-Nate Dussel[17]; 18. 7S-Robbie Price[14]; 19. A79-Brandon Wimmer[20]; 20. 78-Justin Clark[24]; 21. 101-Cody Maroske[22]; 22. 1A-Jacob Allen[13]; 23. 29-Cole Macedo[18]; 24. 5J-Jake Hesson[23]; 25. 4-Danny Smith[25]

The Marshalltown, IA driver earns his second win at the track and fourth career World of Outlaws triumph

HARTFORD, OH – MAY 26, 2023 – Less than a year after scoring his first career World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Model Series win at Sharon Speedway, Ryan Gustin added another piece of history to his resume.

The Marshalltown, IA driver held off a late charge by Kyle Bronson to win his second Feature at the Ohio facility on Friday, becoming the first driver to win a second World of Outlaws race at the track.

Gustin and Bronson led the field to the green in the 25-lap Feature as “The Reaper” quickly pulled away from the #40B. 

While Gustin continued his torrid pace early in the Feature, two cautions slowed the field. The first was for Stormy Scott’s flat tire on Lap 6, and the second was for Alex Ferree, who stopped in Turn 4 on Lap 15.

On the restart following the caution for Ferree, Bronson took his chance at trying to wrestle the lead from Gustin. 

The Brandon, FL driver thundered to the top side, clearing Sheppard and closing on Gustin’s Rocket XR1.

But just as Bronson was a few car lengths behind, Gustin slid up the track in Turns 1 and 2, taking the lane away.

From there, Gustin held on, leading all 25 laps to earn his second World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Models win of the season and fourth overall. 

Gustin alluded to his team’s tire choice as one reason he bounced back from Thursday’s ninth-place finish.

“I had a little bit different tire selection,” Gustin said. “And really, the race car was a fair bit different too. I don’t know, [Taylon Center, his crew chief] just went to work and got us where we needed to be. I’ve been trying to give him the best information I can in the seat, and basically, we hit it tonight.”

Despite making the lane change in the race’s closing laps, Gustin said he didn’t realize Bronson was there. 

However, he was glad he moved to the top as it helped him grab the $6,000 payday.

“It sounded like he was ripping the top,” Gustin said. “I felt really good on the bottom until the tire kind of got hot, and the brown started going away. Once that’s gone, then the top comes in hard for a little while until the bottom kind of cleans up.

“TC was telling me to rip the fence, and I’m glad we went up there when we did because it sounded like he was right there.”

Bronson crossed the line second, his second World of Outlaws podium of the 2023 season. 

The Brandon, FL driver said he made one mistake that cost him the victory.

“I made one wrong move,” Bronson said. “I felt like as soon as [Gustin] moved up to the cushion, the next corner, I felt like he was going to run the top, and he was going to the bottom, and I was already committed down there. That was my chance to slide him there, and I should’ve just blasted the top. I made one mistake, and I felt like it cost me the race.”

Four-time Series champion Brandon Sheppard crossed the line third—his second podium in the last four races. 

The New Berlin, IL driver had a chance to pass Bronson on both restarts but couldn’t make the pass. 

Despite that, Sheppard said he feels good about his weekend heading into Saturday’s finale.

“We had a really maneuverable car,” Sheppard said. “All in all, it’s been a pretty good weekend so far. I probably could’ve went to the top there and made some more speed. Could’ve, would’ve, should’ve. I didn’t.”

“The consistency is there; we just need to be a couple of spots better. I think we have a car capable of doing it. We just have to make it happen.”

Mike Marlar, the 2018 Series champion, finished fourth, and Series points leader Chris Madden rounded out the top five.

Gustin’s victory cut Madden’s points lead to 30 as both drivers battle for their first World of Outlaws championship.

Bronson moved back to third in points—38 points behind Madden.

UP NEXT: The World of Outlaws CASE Late Models return to Sharon Speedway for the final night of the Battle at the Border on Saturday, May 27. Drivers will battle in a 60-lap Feature, with $25,000 on the line. 

Fans can also meet their favorite drivers on Saturday in an autograph session on the track’s midway from 4-5pm. 

NASCAR CUP SERIES

CHARLOTTE MOTOR SPEEDWAY

COCA-COLA 600

TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT

MAY 26, 2023

KYLE BUSCH, NO. 8 ALSCO UNIFORMS CAMARO ZL1, met with the media prior to the NASCAR Cup Series race weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Press Conference Quotes:  

INAUDIBLE..

“Yeah, it was fun. It was a really good time over at Boat Yard Eats. We had Fast Cars & Guitars with Matt Stell and Dee Jay Silver. It was just a fun night to get everybody together. Had a few industry people, as well as some KBM people and some outsiders that we met for the first time. Had some great sponsors for the event. It was really a great kick-off to the weekend. We had KBM fan day in the morning and then closed it out with the concert last night. So all around, great cause for the Bundle of Joy Fund and raising some money and awareness for the infertility issues, and what we’re able to help with Samantha (Busch) and myself. Samantha did a great job being able to orchestrate all of that and put it all together, so hopefully it was a good fundraiser for us.”

HOW WOULD YOU SAY YOU GUYS ARE STACKING UP RIGHT NOW VERSUS THE HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS AND JOE GIBBS RACING CARS? 

“I would say the 1.5-mile stuff, I feel like we’re really close. We’re right there. Kansas (Speedway) was a really good look for us. I felt like we had a good top-five, top-three speed. Anything can happen in the end of these races and you can contend for a win. Obviously our short-track program is a far miss right now and we’re all trying to figure out what exactly is going on there and why. We can look at all of the sheets and see all that stuff, and try to correlate it as close as we possibly can and copy, but it’s not relating to the race track in our cars at all. So there’s a disconnect there somewhere.”

WHEN YOU LOOKED AT THE SCHEDULE PREVIOUSLY, ESPECIALLY GOING INTO THE SUMMER, THERE ARE A LOT OF THE SIMILAR-TYPE TRACKS.. 1.5-MILE, INTERMEDIATE-TYPE TRACKS. NOW, IT’S ALL OVER THE BOARD WITH ROAD COURSES, SUPERSPEEDWAYS, ETC. IS IT HARD TO BUILD CONSISTENCY WITHIN A PROGRAM TO STRING TOGETHER GOOD CONSISTENT RESULTS BECAUSE IT’S SO DIFFERENT NOW ON A WEEK-TO-WEEK BASIS?

“Honestly, I kind of feel like it would be harder to build – like out of six weeks and you had four short-tracks, we wouldn’t have time to breathe because we’d be sucking so back. But when you have four out of six weeks with a 1.5-mile track, it would feel pretty good. We’d be excited about that, ready for that. I think it’s a matter of your program and how that’s looking for you in the particular moment. We kind of know our weaknesses and know that we need to get better on those and continue to evolve the whole organization.”

IF YOU DON’T GET ANY PRACTICE AND QUALIFYING, ARE YOU IN MORE OF A DISADVANTAGE IN THE FACT THAT YOU’VE NEVER RACED A RCR CAR HERE AT THIS TRACK? 

“Yeah, certainly that could kind of be a little bit of a stance. I would just hope that the simulator stuff that we did, as well as the sheets that we’re able to see and the notes that we’re able to see from the Hendrick Motorsports’ guys and whatnot – what they’ve done because Kyle (Larson) tested here. He tested here a few months ago or whenever it was for the tire test, so we kind of relied heavily on that and what those guys did, and through our key partner relationship with Chevrolet. If we don’t have any practice or anything like that, that’s what we would base off of.”

GATEWAY LAST YEAR WAS AN INAUGURAL EVENT AND EVERYBODY WAS UP ON THE WHEEL BECAUSE YOU WANT TO WIN THE FIRST ONE. BUT OTHER THAN THAT, WHY DO YOU THINK IT RACED MORE LIKE A SHORT-TRACK, WHERE IT WAS EXTREMELY AGGRESSIVE, EVEN FOR A TRACK OF THAT SIZE?

“Yeah, I guess probably more so because of the shifting than anything. You’re able to go into the corner and downshift, and come out of the corner and have the torque, engine and everything else. If you kind of slip up or you bog the center of the corner down a little too much because your car is too tight, you’re going to lose that momentum and you’re not going to have that speed, so you’re just going to be slow. I feel like everybody can kind of bounce right back coming out of the turns in relation to their center of the corner speed. But overall, yeah I thought it was quite an interesting race. I feel like the line really moved around a lot. I could not run the bottom at either end of the race track – I was kind of a top guy. So that was kind of fun to see the place really have some character.”

SINCE YOU’VE BEEN INVOLVED WITH RCR AND THE WINERY, HAVE YOU BEEN DRAWN INTO THAT WORLD? HAS HE TAKEN YOU THERE AND MAYBE DONE SOME MEETING OR EVENTS?

“Well that was actually our first meeting that we had after Austin (Dillon) called me, and when it was time to have a discussion with Richard (Childress), that is where we met. That was pretty cool. It was my second time being there – my first time being there was for Dale Jr.’s wedding, and then that was my second time there. And then we’ve had a couple meetings since. I invited everybody from RCR’s management team and whatnot all out to dinner to do a dinner for them and I wanted to take them somewhere. Richard insisted that we went to the winery, so we ended up going back up there again for that function. It’s a super nice place. It’s really pretty up there. They’re doing some expansion right now, so he’s well-vested in that and it seems to be a really good business form.”

IT’S BEEN A NUMBER OF YEARS NOW SINCE THE ELIGIBILTY RULES CHANGED WITH TRUCK AND XFINITY. YOU’RE BACK IN THE XFINITY CAR THIS WEEKEND. WITH HOW MUCH WE KNOW YOU LOVE TO RACE, THESE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS BEING LIMITED SO MUCH, DO YOU STILL FEEL FULFILLED WITH THE RACING THAT YOU CAN DO, OR HOW MUCH DO YOU MISS NOT BEING ABLE TO RUN AS MUCH AS YOU WANT TO? 

“Yeah, definitely miss being able to run as much as I want to a lot. I would love to have way more Truck races, especially. I thought we started out strong and we were going to have a good year with winning at Las Vegas (Motor Speedway) with the KBM Chevrolet’s, but unfortunately we’ve been terrible since. We’re missing something somewhere and we’re trying to figure out why and what. We have an idea, but we haven’t necessarily conquered it yet. That would be one that I would really like to get back into would be the Truck Series and running my own stuff a little bit more.. having some more races to kind of just build the program and make sure that we are where we need to be with our younger drivers. Not necessarily having that experience to be able to dictate and tell exactly what’s wrong with our vehicle dynamic and stuff like that. 

The Xfinity side, I could take it or I could leave it. I enjoy racing anything as much as I can. Maybe because I haven’t done them as much lately, the triple in Vegas was a little bit much. But if you’re back to doing them again more periodically, your body gets used to it. That’s how I was early on when I first starting doing triple’s. It was hard and then I got used to it, and then it was easy. Now you’re kind of back out of it, so it’s no different than a workout regimen. You just have to get back in.”

ON THE FLIPSIDE OF THAT, IT SEEMS LIKE THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS, YOU’VE DONE MORE AWAY FROM NASCAR WITH THE DIRT STUFF.

“I have to.. what other choices do I have (laughs).”

HOW MUCH HAS THAT HELPED THAT YOU CAN AT LEAST STAY BUSY SOMEHOW, WHETHER IT’S WITH BREXTON OR TRYING DIFFERENT TYPES OF RACING? 

“Yeah, I mean that’s just kind of it, right? Like (Kyle) Larson, I think he’s going to run 100 shows this year, and that’s just insane. I think I’m only going to be about 20. But the key reason, or the main reason, why I do what I do on the dirt side is just with Brexton. He gets to go run his go-kart stuff or his junior sprint stuff, and I’ll run the micros. We’ll run on the same night, so we’ll be together. We have a big week next week coming up, where we’re going to go to St. Louis and run at Tri-Cities on Thursday, Doe Run on Friday and Wayne County on Saturday – him and me both. It’s going to be a lot of fun to be able to go up there and race those three tracks on three separate nights, and have a good time running, him and I.”

HAVE YOU DONE ANY SIM LAPS FOR THE CHICAGO RACE AT ALL YET? 

“No.. not in sim, but on iRacing. We did some stuff on iRacing.”

WHAT WERE YOUR IMPRESSIONS? 

“Some of the corners were really, really tight. And how they have the walls coming out of the corners – on the sim, it had cones. You’re coming down this straightaway and there’s another straightaway there, but the ground, the road, is separated with a wall in the middle and there’s cones that are blocking off where they don’t want you to go. So I thought that was weird.. I’m like just extend the wall. But maybe they don’t want to extend the wall because they need areas for safety crews to get out. I’m not the scientist on that, but anyways it just seemed weird when you’re coming around a corner and you have to miss the end of a wall.”

JOHN H. NEMECHEK WAS IN HERE EARLIER AND A LOT OF PEOPLE WERE ASKING HIM WHAT HIS NEXT STEP IS AND IF IT WAS INVALUABLE FOR HIM TO GO BACK TO TRUCKS AND WORK HIS WAY BACK UP. IN YOUR OPINION, WHAT DOES HE NEED TO GET THAT NEXT STEP TO BE A FULL-TIME CUP DRIVER?

“This isn’t to be mean or rude or a bad word.. but he needs six million bucks and he’ll be in a JGR Cup car next year. That’s all he needs.”

INAUDIBLE..

“It’s not a success game anymore.. it’s a money game. So if he can find the cash, then there will be a seat for him I’m pretty sure.”

INAUDIBLE..

“Oh yeah. I mean we wouldn’t be racing the stuff that he’s racing right now, as much as he’s racing right now, if it wasn’t for the Serv-Pro sponsorship that we have on Brexton. There’s no question that you have to have funding behind you because these owners anymore – there’s not enough money in the sport that they’re making money that they’re willing to reinvest it into their talent pool, into their driver pool, and put it out there. I think Rick (Hendrick) is probably the only one with (Kyle) Larson. Everybody else is all sponsorship driven and fortunately for me, I’ve got some great sponsors this year behind me with RCR. Our program has been building and we’ve been continuing to expand forward on the sponsorship side, so that’s good.”

INAUDIBLE..

“Yeah, I mean I felt like he (John H. Nemechek) was really good at KBM. He was engaged. He did a good job. He was always reliable. We could ask him to do sim and he would be there. I feel like on the Xfinity side, he’s been running up front. He’s been fast and he’s been doing a good job. He’s arguably in the series’ best equipment, but when you’re able to excel in that and go out there and win races week in and week out, that gives you that chance or that notoriety to say – hey, I can move up to the next level.. I’m ready for it.”

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO HAVE A COCA-COLA 600 WIN ON YOUR RESUME AND WHAT WOULD IT MEAN TO ADD ONE MORE? 

“Yeah, I love this race. I remember watching this race as a kid when I was growing up. May or may not have fallen asleep during it, at least at some point.. it’s just really long (laughs). But it’s got the history of 600 miles and man versus machine and all that sort of stuff. Equipment in this day in age is entirely different than what equipment used to be, but it’s a cool chance for us to go out there and run the longest race of the year, and then also kind of feel what that’s like. There’s been a couple times here when you get to mile marker 500 and you’re like – damn, there’s still 100 more miles to go. It will wear on you, for sure, if you’re not made or it or ready for it. But this place is really, really rough over the years and has gotten a lot of character back into it since the repave in I think 2007 maybe, 2008. It’s pretty rough and bumpy, so the 600 miles around here will definitely wear on you.”

WHAT’S YOUR ATTITUDE COMING INTO THIS RACE AFTER COMING SO CLOSE LAST YEAR? ARE YOU STILL FIRED UP ABOUT THAT FINISH, AND WHAT’S YOUR MENTALITY?

“Yeah, we had a really good car early in the race, and then I spun and kind of ruined it. We had a bad race through the middle and we just missed all the wrecks and were in a good spot at the end. We got lucky to actually finish second. It would have been really fun, yet lucky, to win and beat out my teammate Denny (Hamlin) last year. His car was still in good shape and mine was not. Overall, yeah just want to get out on a 1.5-mile track again. Like I said, Kansas was a really good run for us. We got in a bad spot and we crashed, so it would be nice to come back out here and have a good, strong run. Get a top-five and some good points out of this race. There are four stages this week, so that’s going to be a big point reward. Hopefully we can do a good job.”

ABEL Motorsports chief mechanic Greg Senerius celebrates after winning the Clint Brawner Mechanical Excellence AwardPhoto Courtesy Penske Entertainment: Dana Garrett Veteran Chief Mechanic Greg Senerius Keeps May Momentum Rolling for ABEL, Earns Brawner Honor (May 26, 2023) SPEEDWAY, In- FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: The roller-coaster ride of their first Indy 500 experience continues to reach new highs for upstart IndyCar team ABEL Motorsports of Louisville, KY and Speedway, IN.  Just six days after locking in to their first 500 start courtesy of a great four-lap qualifying run last Saturday by rookie driver RC Enerson of New Port Richey, FL, a key member of the ABEL team has claimed one of the month’s big prizes:   Crew Chief Greg Senerius has won the prestigious Clint Brawner Mechanical Excellence Award as the top Chief Mechanic at this year’s Indy 500. Senerius was selected as this year’s crew person who “best exemplifies the mechanical and scientific creativity, ingenuity, perseverance, dedication, enthusiasm and expertise of Clint Brawner”.   Brawner was chief mechanic for 51 National Championship (IndyCar) race victories including 17 by the legendary Jimmy Bryan and 29 by Mario Andretti, including Mario’s 1969 Indy 500 win. Team Manager John Brunner recruited Senerius two seasons ago to serve as Crew Chief on ABEL Motorsports’ flagship Indy NXT entry.  “This whole Indy effort, we’ve been so blessed.   The support of our team has been tremendous.  Greg was the first person I brought on when I joined ABEL in 2021.    The expression on his face was awesome when we told him he’d won.  He’s so deserving of the honor.   We know what we have in Greg, it’s the reason we brought him here.   He has worked a tremendous amount of IndyCar races, and to win this award with us is just very cool and very well earned.”  Team Principal Bill Abel says the Brawner award is a great honor for  Senerius.“For Greg to win that award, I’m so happy for him.  He’s the most unassuming, laid-back guy.   It’s his 18th Indy 500.  Now, for him to be recognized for all the talents we know he has is such a great honor.  Our car is good evidence of what he’s capable of.  It’s well deserved and we’re super proud of him.” This Sunday, May 28th, Senerius, Brunner and the rest of the ABEL Motorsports crew will roll the #50 Chevy/Dallara entry onto the grid for their first Indy 500 as a team.   Driver RC Enerson qualified the car 29th for the 107th running of the “Greatest Spectacle in Racing”.   The green flag falls at 12:45 PM ET with live coverage on NBC TV, Peacock, and the IMS Radio Network.

CHEVROLET IN NTT INDYCAR SERIES INDIANAPOLIS 500 INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA TEAM CHEVY PRACTICE REPORT MAY 26, 2023 TEAM CHEVY SHIFTS SIGHTS TO INDIANAPOLIS 500 RACE DAY AFTER FINAL PRACTICE Will Power of Team Penske led the Chevrolet drivers in the final practice session before Sunday’s 107th Running of the Indianapolis 500, finishing third on the charts with his fastest speed of 226.953 MPH and turning a total of 82 laps.INDYCAR Series Rookie and Argentinian phenom Agustin Canapino finished the Carb Day practice session sixth with a fastest speed of 226.532 MPH.Team Chevy occupied four of the top-10 spots on the leaderboard.In the finals of the Carb Day Pit Stop Challenge, Team Penske driver Will Power finished second behind Scott Dixon.Carb Day fans were treated to an Ice Cream Social after practice by Chevrolet drivers, handing out 3,300 ice cream sandwiches provided by the American Dairy Association of Indiana.The 107th Running of the Indianapolis 500 will air live on NBC starting at 11 a.m. ET Sunday, May 28, 2023. Coverage can also be found on Peacock, and through both INDYCAR Radio and SiriusXM Channel 160. TEAM CHEVY TOP-10 PRACTICE RESULT:Pos. Driver3rd     Will Power6th     Agustin Canapino9th     Josef Newgarden10th   Scott McLaughlin WHAT THEY’RE SAYING (QUOTES)Pato O’Ward, No. 5 Chevrolet at Arrow McLaren INDYCAR:”We spent the session just dialing in our race car. We ended pretty happy, so I’m pleased with the changes that we made and with how it’s feeling. Obviously, race day, you never know if it’s going to be identical to this or not, so I think it’s a good start for sure. We’re starting in the middle of the second row, so that’s a definitely a good position.” Felix Rosenqvist, No. 6 Chevrolet at Arrow McLaren INDYCAR:”I thought it was pretty much where we wanted to end. It was a smooth Carb Day. The car felt good in traffic and it felt good up front. We did a full run and it felt like we had a good car over the stint, so we said let’s not risk it. We parked it and did some pit stops and cut the session short a bit. So it’s a good feeling going into the big one.” Alexander Rossi, No. 7 Chevrolet at Arrow McLaren INDYCAR:“First of all, it’s amazing to see so many people turn out on a Friday morning for practice. The fan turnout the past two weeks has been amazing, so thanks to everyone. From our side, we got through our program. The car feels really nice, and I think we’re all cautiously optimistic about what we can accomplish on Sunday.” Tony Kanaan, No. 66 Chevrolet at Arrow McLaren INDYCAR:”We went through some pit stops and tried a couple things to fine-tune the car for Sunday. I think we’re happy and ready to go. “The crowd at Carb Day today was unbelievable, this is back to the old days. It’s amazing. We keep saying this, but we fought to grow this series to the way it used to be, and now it’s back.” Gavin Ward, Race Director at Arrow McLaren INDYCAR:“Well, that’s practice done. I think everyone finished in a pretty happy place. That’s what you want here. You want to be able to kind of put it away and go racing. We went through our program, tried a few different downforce levels, and got some hot stop practice with the crews for pit stops. So, let’s go.” Callum Ilott, No. 77 Chevrolet at Juncos Hollinger Racing:“It’s our final day of driving before the big race, the big event. Had to work a lot with the car. We it into a much better window, which is nice. It’s just tough we don’t have more running on track to get there. But looking good. Looking forward to it. Should be massive this year. Should be lots of people coming, the biggest since the 100th Running. But yeah, within the team looking good. Agustin (Canapino) is looking good, too. We’ll see.” Agustin Canapino, No. 78 Chevrolet at Juncos Hollinger Racing:“We finished Carb Day P6. Really, really good day for us. Of course, we need to improve a lot our pace. We have some work to do on pit stops. But at the moment, really good. We are continuing our improvement, and we will do our best on Sunday.” JOSEF NEWGARDEN, NO. 2 TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET, and TONY KANAAN, No. 66 ARROW MCLAREN CHEVROLET – End of Day Press Conference:Joined now by Josef Newgarden, driver of the No. 2 Shell Powering Progress Team Penske Chevrolet, who starts 17th on Sunday, finished ninth in today’s two-hour practice. What did you get done today?JOSEF NEWGARDEN: We just tried to sort of practice race, literally. Kind of seems self-explanatory, but I think everyone approaches this last session differently. We just try to do a dress rehearsal from our end and really get into the rhythm of what we’re going to do on Sunday, and I feel good about our car.I think the Shell car is quick. I think it feels comfortable. We got it really good at the end there. We’ve just got to be solid on race day as always. Can be no mistakes here, good execution. That’s what it’s going to take. Q. Since you drive for Team Penske and with you also being sponsored by Shell, between now and race day, what will your week be like in terms of all the personal appearances and everything that you need to do not only for Roger and Tim but for Shell? JOSEF NEWGARDEN: It’s been busy, but I wouldn’t say abnormally busy. It’s just always jam-packed today. Tomorrow is very jam-packed. But I will say one of the greatest things about driving for Team Penske is they don’t request anything from us on race day morning, which is lovely. I just think it’s fantastic. We get everything out of the way on Saturday. It’s a busy day, but then we can wake up for race day and be free and clear, just get ready for the race. That’s our only commitment. Yeah, not a big deal from my end. It’s great to be here with Shell. It’s fun to drive the Shell car because of what they’re doing. This is a big year for the series. Obviously we’re touting it Powering Progress, and the whole field is powered by Shell. We’re all running sustainable fuel, and with INDYCAR and its positioning on sustainability with Firestone and everyone else, I think Shell is doing a tremendous job, so it’s fun to be carrying that flag on race day. THE MODERATOR: Also joined by Tony Kanaan, driver of the No. 66 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet, who starts ninth on Sunday. 11th quick today. What did you get done today? Happy with it? TONY KANAAN: Yeah, went through some pit stops and tried a couple different things that we’re just going to guess what we need to do Saturday night and Sunday morning, but yeah, fairly happy. I think it’s been a very smooth month. So time to go now.Q. How do you think you guys will perform on Sunday in traffic? JOSEF NEWGARDEN: I don’t know that it’s going to look tremendously different to last year. I think it is easier to stay close, but in the train, everyone is kind of utilizing the tow. Until you get to the back half of a stint, there’s probably going to be a little bit of sitting, but certainly up front, it’s easy to make moves in that situation.So I think the race for the win will be exciting as always. TONY KANAAN: The same, like he said. THE MODERATOR: Alex Palou is joining us, who happens to start from the pole on Sunday – not to be rude – driver of the No. 10 the American Legion Chip Ganassi Racing Honda, starts from pole, fourth quick today. Your thoughts on that? Q. For any of you but specifically Tony, you said on the radio on coming in, “It’s too crazy out here.” Was today’s session abnormally obnoxious? TONY KANAAN: No, I mean — no. It’s been crazy. We saw what happened the other day. But when I saw three wide into Turn 1, 20 minutes to go, why do you want to do that? So I’m like, I’m out. I don’t need this. Some of us are starting fairly in the front, so I said, all right, I’m not planning to have 20 cars in front of me; hopefully that’s not going to happen, so I’m not going to run out there in the back, and that’s exactly what happened. Somebody is trying to go to the back, and some of these guys are — I don’t know. It’s not a big deal, but I’m like, I don’t want any part of it. Q. Did either of you think today’s practice was aggressive? JOSEF NEWGARDEN: I think there was parts of it, but you always get that on an aggressive end to a session when it’s like a Happy Hour or specifically today. Everyone was really racing today, and like Tony said, there was probably some moments where it was unnecessary. But I think the intensity was up. Everyone was kind of race running today, trying to really practice what it was going to be like, which is good, but there’s probably a couple moments you just don’t want to insert yourself into. Q. I asked Herta this, as well. Ganassi, McLaren, Penske, is there anyone that we’re overlooking that people are not really paying attention to? I can tell you who Herta said. JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Who did he say? Q. Canapino. JOSEF NEWGARDEN: All year, man, Canapino. TONY KANAAN: Yeah, I think Santino can be fast if they all get it right in the pits and stuff. He finished up front here in the past, he ran up front, and he has a really good car, so I think he’s going to be tough. Canapino maybe 20 laps to go, he’s going to get the welcome to Indianapolis.JOSEF NEWGARDEN: I think you put Canapino in position at the end and, ooh, he would go for it. TONY KANAAN: He would go for it. JOSEF NEWGARDEN: He’s got Argentina on his back, the whole country.No, he’s been impressive. I’m not knocking Canapino. He’s very, very impressive this year and people wrote him off before he even started. He’s done tremendously well for no experience. I can’t speak highly enough about it. But to answer your question, I think it’s hard to really single anyone out these days. Obviously you have favorites and reasonably so. You’re mentioning the top teams. But INDYCAR is just so competitive nowadays, and we say it every year, but it is continually getting closer. Anyone can win this race, genuinely. The strategy can flip on its head with 50 to go and all of a sudden the front runners are in the back and vice versa. You just don’t know how it’s going to shape up. It could be a normal day, it could be a crazy day. It’s always a guess when you come into these things. You have a plan, but you’ve got to be able to move from your plan. Q. Josef, Alex was saying the other day that starting on pole, you can’t really control the race here (indiscernible) sort of rush to the front. Starting from 17th what’s your mindset? Is there more urgency to get in the mix and then know that things sort of unfold — JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Yeah, no, there’s no rush with 500 miles. I would say that. Certainly not in the first stint. When there’s an opportunity to make passes to start the restart, those are your best opportunities so you’re going to try and maximize that. But there’s not a hurry, I think, starting 17th. I don’t think there would be a hurry if you’re starting 25th. You’ve just got to have a really good consistent day and march your way forward. We started pretty far back last year and had the same trajectory going that I think you need to have and then we had a bad pit stop in the middle of the race and it totally derailed the race for us. No, I don’t think there’s urgency. I’d much prefer to start up front next to my pickleball teammate, but we are where we are, and we’ve got to make the most of it, and I think we’ve got plenty of time to get up there. Q. Everybody has been talking about how tight this race is going to be, but does it have the potential to be a slugfest, lots of wild passing throughout the race? TONY KANAAN: No. I think it’s going to be competitive, and just yeah, you can look at it both ways. You can say this is boring because nobody passes or I was inside or trying to set up a pass, and passes will be happening late if not, but I think it’s going to be tough. It’s not going to be easy. I mean, if you’re not in the top 5 the ending of the race, I don’t think you have a chance. JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Yeah, I agree with these guys. I just don’t think it’s going to be that different from last year outside of the very front. The first two cars, it is easier to follow. We have more downforce. But the effect behind the first two cars is sort of similar to where we’ve been, so I don’t think that’s going to be drastically different. Q. Drivers have been saying that at the white flag they want to be second with the opportunity to make the pass on the last lap, but how can you position yourself to make sure you’re second? JOSEF NEWGARDEN: You have to watch to find out. TONY KANAAN: Same. Watch it. Different times. Last year I was third and I couldn’t do anything. Especially with the zigzag new model of racing that we created in the last two laps lately, it’s tough. Q. TK, what’s your experience been now that we’ve got a big crowd today, big crowd tomorrow, big crowd Sunday, parade? We’ve talked to you about your race, we’ve talked to you about your own approach, but now that it’s getting real, what’s this like with the people? TONY KANAAN: It’s awesome. It takes a lot longer for me to go from A to B. Everybody has something nice to say, and I’m just taking it in. It’s really cool. I mean, I don’t think none of us here started racing to be famous or to be recognized by fans. We just race because we love. But then see the impact and how much people appreciate what I’ve done, it actually honestly feels quite nice. I’m enjoying it. I have big moments of happiness and then I cry, and I’m happy again. But I knew that was going to happen from today on, tomorrow the parade, and I don’t know how I’m going to hold myself at drivers’ intro, but after that we’ll just go what we need to do. We’ll leave it all out there for one last time.

MASON CITY, IA – May 26, 2023 – Action is set to pick up for the World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Model Series come mid-season with visits to four tracks in five days.

The swing will kick off at Mason City Motor Speedway (Tuesday, June 27) before heading north to Red River Valley Speedway for the Titan Machinery Showdown (Wednesday, June 28). Then, the Series will take a day off on Thursday before returning to River Cities Speedway (Friday, June 30). The World of Outlaws will cap off the swing and bring in July with a trip to I-94 EMR Speedway (Saturday, July 1).

Payouts increase as the week goes on with the events at Mason City and Red River Valley paying $10,000 to win, then River Cities paying $12,000 to win and I-94 paying $15,000 to win.

The Series is making its debut at Mason City, returning to Red River for the first time since 2020, its 15th appearance at River Cities and first return to I-94 since 2021.

What you need to know:

MASON CITY, JUNE 27
Track:
1/3-mile track in Mason City, IA

Times (CT):
TBA

Tickets: Available at the track

RED RIVER VALLEY, JUNE 28 (Titan Machinery Showdown)
Track:
3/8-mile in West Fargo, ND

Times (CT):
TBA

Tickets: Available at the track

Previous winners:
2020- Darrell Lanigan
2019- Brandon Sheppard
2005 – Steve Francis on July 30; Steve Francis on July 29
2004 – Steve Francis on Aug. 7
1989 – Kevin Thompson on June 8

RIVER CITIES, JUNE 30
Track:
1/4-mile in Grand Forks, ND

Times (CT):
2 p.m. Pit Gates open
5 p.m. Grandstand Gates open
6:30 p.m. Hot Laps/Qualifying
-Racing to follow

Tickets: Available at the track

Previous winners:
2021 – Dennis Erb. Jr on July 16
2020 – Brandon Sheppard on July 19
2019 – Brandon Sheppard on July 12
2018 – Mike Marlar on July 13
2017 – Shane Clanton on July 14
2015 – Tim McCreadie on July 10
2014 – Tim Fuller on July 18
2012 – Darrell Lanigan on July 13
2011 – Tim McCreadie on July 15
2010 – Austin Hubbard on July 9
2009 – Josh Richards on 10
2008 – Brady Smith on July 11
2007 – Tim Fuller on June 12
2006 – Darrell Lanigan on May 30

I-94 EMR SPEEDWAY, JULY 1
Track:
3/8-mile in Fergus Fall, MN

Times (CT):
2 p.m. – Pit Gates Open
5 p.m. – Grandstand Gates Open
6:30 p.m. – Hot Laps/Qualifying
-Racing to follow

Tickets: Available HERE

Previous winners:
2021- Frank Heckenast Jr. on July 17

OCALA, FL (May 26, 2023) — NHRA Top Fuel championship contender Josh Hart will be squaring off with two-time NHRA Funny Car champion Cruz Pedregon on Monday, May 29, at Lucas Oil Raceway as part of the grand prize Snap-on Tools Superspeedway contest event. Snap-on Tools will be hosting 24 VIP contest winners and their guests at the Indy 500 on Sunday and then at an all-day fully immersive day of drag racing that will include instruction in the Frank Hawley Drag Racing School culminating with a side-by-side exhibition race between Hart’s R+L Carrier Top Fuel dragster and Pedregon’s Snap-on Tools Funny Car.

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

“Cruz called and asked me if I would be interested in racing him in front of some of the Snap-on Tools Superspeedway contest winners and franchisees. I jumped at the chance,” said Hart, who has two Top Fuel national event titles to his credit. “I have never made a pass beside a nitro Funny Car and I can’t wait. This is a really cool event Snap-on Tools is hosting giving these winners the chance to check out the Indy 500 and then get a full day of drag racing.” 

The Snap-on Superspeedway event is the final chapter of the contest that has afforded Snap-on customers and franchisees the chance to win prizes ranging from tools to Traxxas radio-controlled cars to the grand prize event. Twelve customer winners plus a guest and twelve franchisee winners and a guest will be treated to an amazing two-day racing experience. On Monday, the winners will enjoy a full day of Frank Hawley’s Drag Racing School instruction and racing. There will also be an opportunity for them to take rides on a separate AutoCross course set up at the track. The Pedregon versus Hart side-by-side Funny Car versus Top Fuel dragster exhibition run will take place at 5 p.m. before the group enjoys hospitality at the track.

Cruz Pedregon and the Snap-on Dodge Charger Funny Car, photo by NHRA/National Dragster

“Our race will be a nice 24,000-horsepower appetizer for the Snap-on Tools guests before they end the day with dinner and dessert,” said Hart. “I can’t thank Cruz enough for asking me to participate. He is an amazing competitor and great ambassador for Snap-on Tools. This will be a fun race.”

Hart and Pedregon will head from Indianapolis to Epping, New Hampshire at the end of the week for the NHRA New England Nationals from New England Dragway, June 2-4.

WHEATLAND, Mo. (May 25, 2023) – Jonathan Davenport led all 45 laps of the Cowboy Classic on Thursday night at Lucas Oil Speedway to kick off the 31st Annual Lucas Oil Show-Me 100 presented by Missouri Division of Tourism weekend with the victory. The win was Davenport’s first since he captured the Lucas Oil MLRA Spring Nationals on April 1st. Davenport’s second Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series win of the season came as he held off a hard-charging Ricky Thornton Jr. in the final 10 laps to win by .967 seconds over the current Big River Steel Chase for the Championship presented by ARP points leader. Thornton earned the Todd Steel Buildings Hard Charger of the Race with his tenth to second performance.  Tyler Bruening ran in second for the first half of the race until Thornton got by him. Bruening rounded out the Big River Steel Podium in third. Tim McCreadie was fourth followed by Spencer Hughes who rounded out the top five drivers at the finish. Davenport was in control to the race from the start, but lapped traffic allowed Thornton to catch up to him after he had passed Bruening for second. Thornton pulled even with Davenport a handful of times and the two made slight contact in turn three racing for the lead. Davenport was able to hold off Thornton to score his first Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series win since January 30th at Bubba Raceway Park.  Davenport in Lucas Oil Victory Lane for the 67th time in his career was relieved to be back on top of the podium. “The racetrack was awesome for about the first 30 laps. They caught me before I moved up enough. Hats off to the track crew they did a great job, they don’t need to really overdo it for Saturday night. We have been off a little bit. It’s been a lot leading up this. We’ve learned a lot what not to do. We’ve learned somewhat what to do now to these race cars.” Davenport who won the Show-Me 100 in 2015 and was in contention for the win a year ago until a mishap with a lapped car is set on redemption in Saturday night’s $50,000 to win crown jewel. “I sure hope so it turns out better this year than last year’s race. I have had two or three races circled on my calendar from last year that I let get away that we should have won.” Thornton, who swept the two Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series races last weekend gave Davenport fits a few times in a race that went caution-free. “I thought for sure I was spinning him [Davenport] out down there. He moved off the bottom in three and I was trying to squeeze by him on the outside and I caught him with my left front flopper. I barely caught his quarter-panel, but I didn’t spin him around. We had a good car. I found the bottom there before anyone else and that’s how I got to second.”  Bruening rounded out the podium in third as he picked up some valuable points which set’s the lineup for Saturday night. “The car was really good tonight. We were just a spot or two short there. Jonathan was good, Ricky’s been good all year. Those guys are tough. They are at the top of their game. It’s good to have a Capital up front. You either quit or you keep working and keep trying. We are not going to quit. We are going to keep trying to get better. Eventually we will be a spot, or two better and we will get that first win.” The winner’s Lance and Darla Landers, Double L Motorsports, Longhorn Chassis is powered by a Clements Racing Engine and sponsored by Nutrien Ag Solutions, Dyna Gro Seed, Lucas Oil Products, Bilstein Shocks, VP Fuels, Mark Martin Automotive, Mega Plumbing of the Carolinas, ASC Warranty, and Midwest Sheet Metal. Completing the top ten were Dillon McCowan, Chis Simpson, Devin Moran, Tyler Erb, and Jimmy Owens. Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Race Summary 10th Annual Cowboy ClassicThursday, May 25, 2023Lucas Oil Speedway – Wheatland, MO Allstar Performance Time TrialsFast Time Group A: Garrett Alberson / 15.809 seconds (overall)Fast Time Group B: Jonathan Davenport / 16.017 seconds  Penske Shocks Heat Race #1 Finish (8 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 8-Dillon McCowan[2]; 2. 1T-Tyler Erb[4]; 3. 58-Garrett Alberson[1]; 4. 1S-Jeremy Shaw[7]; 5. 82-Jace Parmley[8]; 6. 22-Daniel Hilsabeck[3]; 7. 7D-Dusty Leonard[6]; 8. 93-Mason Oberkramer[5]; 9. 19M-Colby Moore[9]; 10. 15L-Payton Looney[10] Summit Racing Products Heat Race #2 Finish (8 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 32-Chris Simpson[2]; 2. 18D-Daulton Wilson[1]; 3. 99-Devin Moran[7]; 4. 56JR-Tony Jackson Jr[6]; 5. 96-Dalton Imhoff[5]; 6. USA1-Chris Hawkins[9]; 7. 99B-Boom Briggs[3]; 8. 11H-Jeff Herzog[4]; 9. 26-Glen Powell[8]; 10. (DNS) 04-Tad Pospisil  Simpson Race Products Heat Race #3 (8 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 11-Spencer Hughes[1]; 2. 46-Earl Pearson Jr[3]; 3. 15-Justin Duty[2]; 4. 14M-Morgan Bagley[6]; 5. USA28-Kylan Garner[4]; 6. 45-Cole Wells[7]; 7. 15V-Kolby Vandenbergh[10]; 8. 15T-Matt Johnson[8]; 9. 1X-Aaron Marrant[5]; 10. 29-Chandler Moenning[9] AP1 Insurance Heat Race #4 (8 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 49-Jonathan Davenport[1]; 2. 39-Tim McCreadie[2]; 3. 20-Jimmy Owens[3]; 4. 25Z-Mason Zeigler[5]; 5. 1H-Hudson O’Neal[7]; 6. 50-Kaeden Cornell[4]; 7. 49J-Justin Wells[8]; 8. 11K-Jon Kirby[6]; 9. 1A-Bryon Allison[9]; 10. 14R-Jeff Roth[10] Lucas Oil Heat Race #5 (8 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 16-Tyler Bruening[1]; 2. 20RT-Ricky Thornton Jr[5]; 3. 51-Larry Ferris[2]; 4. 25C-Chad Simpson[4]; 5. 2-Tyler Stevens[6]; 6. 54-David Breazeale[3]; 7. 22F-Chris Ferguson[8]; 8. 3-Brennon Willard[7]; 9. 78S-Steve Stultz[9]; 10. 50C-Kayden Clatt[10] Lucas Oil Heat Race #6 (8 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 7W-Ricky Weiss[1]; 2. 76-Brandon Overton[3]; 3. 111B-Max Blair[2]; 4. 94-Austin Rettig[4]; 5. 21XXX-Neil Baggett[6]; 6. 14G-Trevor Gundaker[7]; 7. 7-Ross Robinson[8]; 8. 22H-Dustin Hodges[5]; 9. 36-Mark Daye[9] Fast Shafts B-Main Race #1 (10 Laps, Top 2 Transfer): 1. 56JR-Tony Jackson Jr[2]; 2. 22-Daniel Hilsabeck[5]; 3. 82-Jace Parmley[3]; 4. 1S-Jeremy Shaw[1]; 5. 11H-Jeff Herzog[10]; 6. 7D-Dusty Leonard[7]; 7. 93-Mason Oberkramer[9]; 8. 96-Dalton Imhoff[4]; 9. 99B-Boom Briggs[8]; 10. USA1-Chris Hawkins[6]; 11. 19M-Colby Moore[11]; 12. 26-Glen Powell[12]; 13. (DNS) 15L-Payton Looney; 14. (DNS) 04-Tad Pospisil UNOH B-Main Race #2 (10 Laps, Top 2 Transfer): 1. 25Z-Mason Zeigler[2]; 2. 1H-Hudson O’Neal[4]; 3. 14M-Morgan Bagley[1]; 4. 45-Cole Wells[5]; 5. 15T-Matt Johnson[9]; 6. USA28-Kylan Garner[3]; 7. 15V-Kolby Vandenbergh[7]; 8. 49J-Justin Wells[8]; 9. 50-Kaeden Cornell[6]; 10. 11K-Jon Kirby[10]; 11. 1A-Bryon Allison[12]; 12. 14R-Jeff Roth[14]; 13. 29-Chandler Moenning[13]; 14. 1X-Aaron Marrant[11] MyRacePass B-Main Race #2 (10 Laps, Top 2 Transfer): 1. 25C-Chad Simpson[1]; 2. 2-Tyler Stevens[3]; 3. 21XXX-Neil Baggett[4]; 4. 14G-Trevor Gundaker[6]; 5. 7-Ross Robinson[8]; 6. 94-Austin Rettig[2]; 7. 22F-Chris Ferguson[7]; 8. 54-David Breazeale[5]; 9. 3-Brennon Willard[9]; 10. 22H-Dustin Hodges[10]; 11. 36-Mark Daye[12]; 12. 78S-Steve Stultz[11]; 13. 50C-Kayden Clatt[13] 10th Annual Cowboy Classic Feature Finish (45 Laps):

Race Statistics Entrants: 59Terminal Maintenance & Construction Pole Sitter: Dillon McCowanLap Leaders: Jonathan Davenport (Laps 1-45)Wieland Feature Winner: Jonathan DavenportArizona Sport Shirts Crown Jewel Cup Feature Winner: n/aBrandon Ford TV Challenge Feature Winner: Jonathan DavenportMargin of Victory: 0.967 secondsGorsuch Performance Solutions Cautions: n/aFast Time Provisional: n/aSeries Emergency Provisionals: n/aTrack Provisional: n/aBig River Steel Podium Top 3: Jonathan Davenport, Ricky Thornton, Jr., Tyler BrueningPenske Shocks Top 5: Jonathan Davenport, Ricky Thornton, Jr., Tyler Bruening, Tim McCreadie, Spencer HughesTodd Steel Buildings Hard Charger of the Race: Ricky Thornton, Jr. (Advanced 8 Positions)Wilwood Brakes Lucky 7th Place Feature: Chris SimpsonDeatherage Opticians Lucky 13th Place Feature: Ricky WeissEarnhardt Technologies Most Laps Led: Jonathan Davenport (45 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: Chad Simpson (Lap 44 – 16.166 seconds)MD3 Tough Break of the Race: Tad Pospisil Outerwears Crew Chief of the Race: Cory Fostvedt (Jonathan Davenport)ARP Engine Builder of the Race: Clements Racing EnginesMiller Welders Chassis Builder of the Race: Longhorn ChassisDirt Draft Fastest in Hot Laps: Devin Moran (15.229 seconds)Time of Race: 13 minutes 19 second