TMS Titanium and Paul Lee Racing Team Up
CONCROD, NC (September 19, 2023) — Driver and team owner, Paul Lee, welcomes longtime partner TMS Titanium as primary partner on his nitro funny car entry for the Betway NHRA Carolina Nationals. TMS Titanium and Paul Lee have been partners for many years both on and off the track. With a special wrap dedicated to the TMS Titanium branding, Paul looks forward to hosting many TMS guests at his pit this weekend. Heading into the final four races of the NHRA season, Lee and the team will continue their efforts for fast and consistent runs.
chevy racing–nhra–maple grove post race
| CHEVROLET IN NHRA2023 PEP BOYS NHRA NATIONALS MAPLE GROVE RACEWAY MOHNTON, PENNSYLVANIA TEAM CHEVY RACE REPORT SEPTEMBER 18, 2023 CHEVROLET CAPTURES THREE WINS WITH ROBERT HIGHT, MATT HARTFORD, AND AARON STANFIELD IN THE RAIN-DELAYED 2023 PEP BOYS NHRA NATIONALS AT MAPLE GROVE RACEWAY |
| Robert Hight, in his 100th final round, captured his 64th NHRA win over Chad Green on Monday in the delayed Pep Boys NHRA Nationals finals.Matt Hartford raced to a back-to-back Pro Stock victory over Chevrolet and KB Titan Racing teammate Kyle Koretsky, earning his third NHRA win of the season and eighth of his Pro Stock career.Hartford captured Chevrolet’s 377th Pro Stock victory and 258th in the Camaro body.Aaron Stanfield raced his way to FlexJet Factory Stock Showdown victory Sunday, earning his second win in the category this year and leaves Maple Grove Raceway with the points lead.Rain Sunday forced the semifinals and finals in Top Fuel, Funny Car, and Pro Stock to be completed Monday at Maple Grove Raceway.Representing Chevrolet at the top of the leaderboard Saturday evening after qualifying, Erica Enders (Pro Stock) qualified No.1 with her Friday night top lap of 6.494 ET at 211.13 MPH.Brittany Force (Top Fuel) led the way for the nitro cars after qualifying completed Saturday, with her fastest lap of 3.689 ET at 336.57 MPH, also the top speed of qualifications.Robert Hight (Funny Car) qualified No. 3 with his Friday night Q2 run of 3.879 ET at 329.32 MPH. |
| MOHNTON, Pennsylvania (September 18, 2023) – On a rain-delayed Monday finish to the 2023 Pep Boys NHRA Nationals, Chevrolet, along with Robert Hight in Funny Car and Matt Hartford in Pro Stock, celebrated capturing two Wally trophies on the march towards a 28th Manufacturers Cup at Maple Grove Raceway. Hight, driver of the Cornwell Tools Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car, raced to his 64th career victory in his 100th final round, after defeating Jim Campbell (Round 1), Matt Hagan (Round 2), Ron Capps (semifinal), and Chad Green (final) on his way to the winner’s circle. With Green making a strong effort on his run of 3.928 ET at 327.27 MPH, Hight’s winning pass of 3.854 ET at 330.39 MPH captured the win light. “You can look back to last year when we were leading the points coming into the Countdown,” said Hight. “We won this race, but we didn’t get (the championship) done in the end. We’re going to celebrate today. We’re going to have a blast, but we’ve got a lot of work to do. We’re focused. This team’s coming into their own right at the right time. I need to thank (Cornwell Tools), AAA, Chevrolet, and Flav-R-Pac. That’s how we got here. We’re going to have some fun tonight, but we’re going to get our act together and we’re going to win Charlotte and celebrate the points lead.” In Pro Stock, Matt Hartford, driver of the Total Seal Chevrolet Camaro SS Pro Stock, and KB Titan Racing teammate Kyle Koretsky, driver of the Michael Waltrip Brewing/Lucas Oil Chevrolet Camaro SS Pro Stock, went head-to-head in the finals in only the second time they’ve faced each other on race day. Hartford, who just got his appendix removed unexpectedly this week, raced to the win light and Wally trophy at Maple Grove Raceway after Koretsky faced issues on the start to Hartford’s 6.054 ET run at 208.26 MPH. Capturing his third victory this season, and his eight Pro Stock win, Hartford said of the win, “You get your appendix out and seven days later, you’re in a race car. The car wouldn’t run, and we had all kinds of electrical issues,” reflected Hartford on the wild event weekend. “Ron Blessler, thank you for letting us use your shop and work on our car. We really appreciate it. You know, Rob was making sure we had that ability. Man, it’s been a great car and my crew is awesome. Eddie Guarnaccia is a genius. Thank you to everybody.” With a Pro Stock field separated and set by just 0.082 as qualifying concluded Saturday night, Erica Enders, driver of the Johnson’s Horsepower Garage Melling Chevrolet Camaro SS Pro Stock, captured her third No. 1 Qualifier of the 2023 NHRA Camping World Series Season and 32nd of her career, Enders was on the hunt for her 47th NHRA victory, 46th in Pro Stock, to become the winningest woman in series history. Aaron Stanfield pulled double-duty once again this weekend in both Pro Stock and FlexJet Factory Stock Showdown, racing his way to the Factory Stock final and facing event No. 1 Qualifier Del Holbrook. With his pass of 7.671 ET at 165.46 MPH to Holbrook’s 9.845 ET at 128.11 MPH, Stanfield hoisted his second Wally trophy of the Factory Stock Showdown season, and his 23rd national event victory. Stanfield additionally leaves Reading with 610 points and a 152-point lead over Stephen Bell in second. “I’ve got to thank my guys,” said Stanfield. “We work really hard at the shop, and we’ve been down and out a little bit, but we’ve been working hard and keeping our head down and it paid off this weekend.” Defending event winner in Top Fuel, Austin Prock, driver of the Montana Brand/Rocky Mountain Twist Chevrolet Top Fuel dragster, qualified No. 8 with a solid effort of 3.728 ET at 329.83 MPH in qualifying. Despite making a strong effort in Round 1, Prock fell to veteran Tony Schumacher and had to settle for an early end at Maple Grove Raceway. Still seeking that elusive first win this year in Top Fuel and to add to her 16 career Top Fuel victories, Brittany Force, driver of the Monster Energy/Flav-R-Pac Chevrolet Top Fuel dragster, defeated Jacob Opatrny before being forced to an early end to her race day by falling to Leah Pruett in a close race of B. Force’s 3.768 ET to Pruett’s 3.744. “Leaving Maple Grove Raceway in the sixth position after a second-round exit,” reflected B. Force. “We qualified No. 2, picked up eight bonus points and are still well within the championship fight. Looking at our season as a whole to now coming into the Countdown, we made some good progress this weekend. It’s still anybody’s game this early on and this team will fight it out until the end. We are ready to get to Charlotte and see what this team can do.” In Funny Car, it was also an early exit for the 16-time champion, legend, and John Force Racing team owner John Force, driver of the PEAK Antifreeze and Coolant Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car, facing a Round 2 elimination by Ron Capps in a tight race separated by 0.054 seconds or 2.22 MPH. With five races remaining in the 2023 season, NHRA next heads to zMAX Dragway near Charlotte, N.C. for the betway NHRA Carolina Nationals, Sept. 22-24, 2023. Broadcast of Sunday’s eliminations air at 2 p.m. ET on FS1. Coverage streams live throughout the weekend on NHRA.tv, and is available via AppleTV, Android TV, and Roku devices. FlexJet Factory Stock Showdown returns to competition at the NHRA Midwest Nationals in late September at World Wide Technology Raceway in Madison, Ill. Today’s broadcast of the Pep Boys NHRA Nationals will air Monday evening, Sept. 18 at 9 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1 (FS1). |
| WHAT THEY’RE SAYING:Austin Prock, driver of the Montana Brand/Rocky Mountain Twist Chevrolet Top Fuel dragster for John Force Racing:“Not the day we expected for this Montana Brand / Rocky Mountain Twist team. Dropped a couple cylinders down track and just didn’t have enough for the first-round win. We’re keeping our heads up. We know that with just one good weekend we can be right back in it. Luckily we get to turn around in just a couple days and go at it again in Charlotte.” John Force, driver of the PEAK Antifreeze and Coolant Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car for John Force Racing:“Shorter weekend than we wanted for this PEAK Chevy. Have to thank the fans for packing it in here and the owners the Koretsky Family, great event, sold out days. We dodged some of the rain, NHRA worked hard to try to get it all done,” Force said. “We’ll be ready for next weekend, heading to Charlotte. Still have a shot, just need a couple good days.” Aaron Stanfield, driver of the Janac Brothers Chevrolet COPO Camaro FlexJet Factory Stock Showdown car:“It’s right up our alley. It’s factory cars, heads up racing. I got to give a ‘hats off’ to Reading. I haven’t always done very well here, but man, it’s a heck of a facility. The Koretsky family, we’re lucky to have a family like that to give us a place to race at. I’ve got to thank my guys. We work really hard at the shop, and we’ve been down and out a little bit, but we’ve been working hard and keeping our head down and it paid off this weekend.” Camrie Caruso, driver of the Tequila Comisario Chevrolet Camaro SS Pro Stock for KB Titan Racing:“Getting that first Countdown round win definitely helps. I didn’t like seeing my teammate Dallas Glenn go out so early, but the points are going to tighten up now. We are looking forward to getting to Charlotte and qualifying better and going rounds on Sunday. There are five races left and we want to do everything we can to try and win this championship. We had him on the tree and at the 1,000 but unfortunately when these cars get out of shape you have to get off the gas. If you don’t you going to end up over the wall or on your roof. We got our race car back after Q4 and I didn’t want to do anything to mess that up. We were obviously struggling but now I feel like we have our race car back and we’re ready to go to Charlotte.” |
| ROBERT HIGHT, DRIVER OF THE CORNWELL TOOLS/AAA CHEVROLET CAMARO SS FUNNY CAR for John Force Racing – Maple Grove Raceway Winner’s Press Conference: YOUR THIRD WIN OF THE SEASON, 64TH CAREER WIN AND IN YOUR 100TH FINAL ROUND AND SECOND STRAIGHT WIN AT MAPLE GROVE. A WILD WEEKEND THIS WEEKEND WITH SO MANY VARIABLES, TALK ABOUT YOUR WEEKEND…“It was (pretty special). Leaving Brainerd, I felt we kind of got this car back in order and where it needed to be. You’ve got to give credit to NHRA. Those guys work so hard this weekend to give us a race track, and you’re fighting Mother Nature. That’s pretty tough to do, but they did a great job. This track was throw down. It was as good as you could get. It’s tricky when it gets like that. It wants to shake. If you don’t after it, it’s going to shake and come loose. In the final, it rattled. It got my attention. I thought ‘Oh, no.” It went through it and made a great run. But NHRA deserves, and the Safety Safari deserves, a big pat on the back for this weekend. Now they’ve got to truck on down the road to Charlotte and get ready to do it again. Our car is running good right at the right time. It’s hard to get too excited about this. We did exactly what we needed to do this weekend, but it’s hard to get too excited because we came in here last year and won here and didn’t get it done in the end. We’ve got to stay focused and move on to Charlotte. We’ll put this one behind us; hopefully, we learned some things that’ll help us in Charlotte. I haven’t even looked at the weather or what that’s going to be. We’ll keep our heads down because it’s not getting any easier. This win, I knocked off from the second round to the final three Countdown contenders. You go up there against Chad Green, you don’t lay-up. That car has ran a lot of 80’s this weekend. To knock off (Matt) Hagan and (Ron) Capps, it can go the other way. The Hagan race, that was one of the closest races in history, maybe, in Funny Car. That’s insane. We can’t get too carried away yet. We’ve got to go win some more races. My opinion is, you’re going to have to win at least three in the Countdown, maybe four, if you want to be the champ in the end.” YOU SAID YOU FELT THE CAR RATTLE. WAS THAT EARLY IN THE RUN, OR AT THE END?“Probably at 100 feet it had a little right, right in ‘the nervous area,’ the ‘shake zone.’ It was a little nervous, but it went through it. Jimmy (Prock) was really trying to pick it up from the previous run. It ran an 86 and we ran 85 in the final. I probably rolled it in a hundredth. So, maybe, it ran 84 in the final. Job well done. I’m kind of bummed Cornwell had to leave. This is their first win with us in Funny Car, and we’ve been so close this year and didn’t get it done for them. Wish they could’ve been here to celebrate. Those guys work really hard to behind the scenes to build great tools. They deserve trophies and an ‘atta boy’ for standing behind us.” WHEN YOU HAVE A WIN LIKE THAT, YOU GET THE WALLY TODAY. HOW DO YOU KEEP THE TEAM FOCUSED AND LEARNING MORE TO THE NEXT TRACK?“You have to stay humble and you have to remind them it could’ve went either. A race that close could go either direction. If just anything was off, the driver or the car, anything, it goes the other way and he gets the win, and he may be sitting here with the points lead. You can use that as a little confidence, but you have to put it behind you and keep (at it). We have to work hard. This is the toughest Funny Car has ever been and, like I said, it’s going to take some major, major work to win this championship. One down, five to go. I’d give us an A+ for the weekend, but we’ve got to put it behind us.” THIS IS TWO IN A ROW FOR YOU AT MAPLE GROVE. WHAT’S BEEN THE KEY TO YOUR SUCCESS AT THIS TRACK SPECIFICALLY?“The conditions are always good. Great racing surface, great racetrack. Love seeing the fans here and the stands full. This place is amazing, and there is a lot of history here. Love coming back here to the East Coast and race. One of the things I regret in my career is I never go to win Englishtown, another great track with a lot of history. Luckily now, I’ve got to win this quite a few times. The fans are great. We’ve tested here before and it got us out of a funk when we were fighting for a championship, so I love this place. Everything about it.” WHAT’S THE MINDSET ON A MONDAY, STOPPING AND STARTING YESTERDAY. HOW DO YOU GET READY ON A MONDAY SITUATION LIKE THIS?“It’s hard to do. Yesterday, we were in and out of the car three or four times with the rain. You don’t just get in one of these cars and get suited up, belted in, and go up there and make a run. You’ve got to get mentally prepared. You can’t overdo it and get too ramped up, but you have to be on the ragged edge to cut a light and get this thing down a racetrack. So, this rollercoaster of ups and downs all day long, you know, I was exhausted last night. You’ve got to stick with it. You have to do the same things you did today, tomorrow. It worked out. It’s like starting first round again. You have to think overnight about your opponent, and my opponent was Ron Capps. That’s a lot to think about. His car is running well, he’s a good driver. He’s the defending champ. I think I’ve won Maple Grove one other time on a Monday. It’s not the same when you win and there’s not a huge crowd and a bunch of fans here. Usually, you look at the winners circle and there’s thousands of people, but a win is a win.” MATT HARTFORD, DRIVER OF THE TOTAL SEAL CHEVROLET CAMARO SS PRO STOCK CAR for KB Titan Racing – Maple Grove Raceway Winner’s Press Conference:TAKING THE POINTS LEAD FOR THE FIRST TIME IN HIS CAREER, YOU PICKED UP THE SECOND STRAIGHT VICTORY, THIRD WIN THIS SEASON AND EIGHT CAREER WINS. COMING OFF INDY, YOU WENT THROUGH A LOT TO GET HERE. HOW REWARDING IS THIS WIN?“The last week and a half has not been fun until today. It’s not every day you come off of a win, and the next thing you know a couple of days later, you’re getting put out and they’re gutting you in three places taking your appendix out. Not that it’s a huge surgery, but still you’re going under the knife. Trying to explain to the doctor that I’m getting into a racecar, and they’re discussing that I’m not, I’m saying I am, it’s just up to you to decide how comfortable I am going to be getting into the race car. So, we got through all of that and I got my wife convinced I was still going to Reading, and that I wasn’t going to work on the car, well, our car didn’t run after Q1. So, all I did was work on the car all weekend. Our team worked harder this weekend than we have in years. It was a grueling weekend for everyone. Emotions were high. The FOX video of my wife is awesome. We’re going to have to figure out what that tantrum was called. Our team pulled together. Eddie Guarnaccia, Chris Ingleson, Adam Basham, Amber, my wife, we all pulled together. Jerry Haas, our engine builder and truck driver, they all never gave up faith. He said we were the car to beat. Luckily, things went our way. We had a good, nice, break in Round 2. Got through that to get to the semifinals, and we had a really good car today.” NOW YOU’RE ON A STREAK. HOW DOES THIS FEEL KNOWING WITH FIVE RACES LEFT IN THE SEASON?“I said last week at Indy there were 24 more win lights we need this year, and now there are 20. We’re not giving up. We’ve got a great car. I don’t think we have the quickest car in this type of air and these types of conditions. It’s obvious other cars were definitely correcting better than in the past in these conditions. We’re going into Charlotte which is going to be a lot different of conditions, track conditions for sure. I think we have a car that’s good in all conditions. If I keep doing my job and keep my head on straight, I think we walk out of here with a white hat after five more races.” WAS IT EVER A QUESTION THAT YOU COULDN’T RACE THIS WEEK BECAUSE OF YOUR APPENDIX, AND HOW WERE YOU FEELING ROLLING INTO THIS WEEKEND?“It was never, in my mind a question. Now, the doctors and my wife have differences of opinions with me, but at that point in time, I did look in the rule book to see what the protocol was on a driver change if possible, but unless it was COVID-related, you couldn’t do it. At that point in time, after the surgery, I told them you’re not even keeping me – I’m going home and starting my recovery. I’m such an idiot three days later, I started going back to work just to keep myself acclimated of what we were going to need to do. But no, there was never a question I was missing Reading.” DID YOU HAVE TO DO ANYTHING PHYSICALLY DIFFERENT THIS WEEKEND?“My answer to everybody was ‘I feel great.’ Got out of the car, my crew chief gave me a hug and said ‘I’ll be gentle,’ and I told him ‘I’m freaking sore.’” WHAT CAN YOU SHARE ABOUT THE CAR ISSUES? ARE YOU ABLE TO SHARE WHAT HAPPENED SATURDAY GOING INTO SUNDAY?“It started in Q1, the car was misfiring during Q1. We were slow for the session. I mean, we went a 54 but that was slow compared to what we thought. In Q2, it shut off when I put it in second gear and lost fuel pressure. Q3 and Q4, I couldn’t even do a burnout because fuel pressure would go to zero as soon as I put load on the engine. We swapped everything in the car every run thinking we had it fixed, proving that we didn’t. I did go to NHRA and ask if we could go offsite to a gentleman to work on the wiring in our car because he had much better lighting than us, and we did. We started to do some test burnouts and were still having the same problem. We continued to work on the car, and we thought we found something that gave us a good indication of what was wrong, and we definitely had an electrical wiring issue in the car. How that came about from Indy to here, we’re still undetermined but we switched everything in the car – fuel pumps, water pumps, starters, wiring, ignition boxes, cutoffs, batteries – all the way back through on Sunday morning when we got here. We were the first team in the pits, and we were here when it was still dark. Swapped everything in the car and went up for Round 1 and said there’s nothing left to switch but the driver.” HOW DOES THIS POINTS LEAD GIVE YOU THE CONFIDENCE HEADING INTO THE FINAL FIVE IN THE COUNTDOWN?“One round at time. We just need to turn on win light after win light. The points will figure out themselves. If we turn on 20 win lights, the points don’t matter.” YOU’VE HAD SUCCESS ON MONDAYS BEFORE. WHAT’S THE MINDSET WHEN YOU GO THROUGH A DAY LIKE YESTERDAY, HAVE TO COME BACK, AND BE ON IT RIGHT AWAY?“That’s a great question. I said this morning when I was pulling in, this is no different than we pull in on a Sunday. I hate first round, because that’s what it was today was first round.” |
| Round 1 Recap:Top Fuel:No. 2 Brittany Force defeated No. 15 Jacob Opatrny with her run of 3.714 ET at 333.25 MPH to Opatrny’s 4.328 ET at 203.92 MPH.No. 8 Austin Prock fell to No. 9 Tony Schumacher with his pass of 3.716 ET at 329.91 MPH to Schumacher’s 3.701 ET at 330.88 MPH. Funny Car:No. 7 John Force defeated No. 10 Cruz Pedregon with a chase to the win light after both cars smoked the tires mid-track, with Force running 4.657 ET at 277.37 MPH to Pedregon’s 5.432 ET at 131.19 MPH.No. 3 Robert Hight defeated No. 14 Jim Campbell with his run of 3.875 ET at 331.20 MPH to Campbell’s 6.603 ET at 98.93 MPH. Pro Stock:No. 1 Erica Enders defeated No. 16 Val Smeland with her 6.497 ET pass at 210.83 MPH to Smeland’s 6.604 ET at 209.10 MPH.No. 8 Dallas Glenn fell to No. 9 Christian Cuadra with identical ET’s of 6.539 seconds at Glenn’s 208.81 MPH to Cuadra’s 210.31 MPH.No. 4 Greg Anderson fell to No. 13 Matt Hartford with his run of 6.555 ET at 209.46 MPH to Hartford’s 6.535 ET at 209.49 MPH.No. 5 Deric Kramer fell to No. 12 Camrie Caruso with his pass of 10.932 ET at 82.16 MPH to Caruso’s 6.537 ET at 209.36 MPH.No. 2 Troy Coughlin, Jr. defeated No. 15 Eric Latino with his run of 6.512 ET at 210.08 MPH to Latino’s 17.594 ET at 76.83 MPH facing issues on his run.No. 7 Bo Butner, III defeated No. 10 Fernando Cuadra, Jr. with his run of 6.556 ET at 210.64 MPH to Cuadra, Jr.’s 6.547 ET at 210.08 MPH.No. 3 Aaron Stanfield defeated No. 14 Chris McGaha with his pass of 6.524 ET at 210.90 MPH to McGaha’s 6.583 ET at 209.79 MPH.No. 6 Kyle Koretsky defeated No. 11 Jerry Tucker with a pass of 6.531 ET at 209.07 MPH to Tucker’s 6.557 ET at 209.04 MPH. Round 2:Top Fuel:B. Force fell to Pruett with her pass of 3.678 ET at 317.05 MPH to Pruett’s 3.744 ET at 324.20 MPH. Funny Car:J. Force fell to Capps on his run of 3.953 ET at 328.62 MPH to Capps’ 3.899 ET at 326.40 MPH.Hight defeated Hagan with his pass of 3.852 ET at 327.66 MPH to Hagan’s 3.859 ET at 335.48 MPH. Pro Stock:Enders defeated Cuadra with her run of 6.503 ET at 210.24 MPH to Cuadra’s 6.555 ET at 209.95 MPH.Hartford defeated Caruso with his pass of 6.542 ET at 209.30 MPH to Caruso’s 6.624 ET at 186.77 MPH.Coughlin, Jr. defeated Butner, III on a run of 6.510 ET at 209.62 MPH to Butner’s 6.545 ET at 208.75 MPH.Stanfield fell to Koretsky on his pass of 6.525 ET at 209.36 MPH to Koretsky’s 6.537 ET at 208.65 MPH. Semifinals:Funny Car:Hight defeated Capps after Capps smoked the tires to Hight’s strong 3.861 ET run at 330.31 MPH. Pro Stock:Koretsky defeated Coughlin, Jr. 6.557 ET at 207.27 MPH to Coughlin, Jr.’s 6.547 ET at 209.04 MPH. Hartford defeated Enders after Enders faced issues on the start to Hartford’s 6.541 ET at 208.97 MPH. Finals:Funny Car:Hight defeated Green with his run of 3.854 ET at 330.39 MPH to Green’s 3.928 ET at 327.27 MPH. Pro Stock:Hartford defeated Koretsky with his pass of 6.532 ET at 208.91 MPH to Koretsky’s 7.133 ET at 208.26 MPH. |
ROBERT HIGHT AND CORNWELL TOOLS TAKE POINTS LEAD WITH WIN AT MAPLE GROVE RACEWAY
| READING, Pa. (Sept. 18, 2023) – After rain delayed the completion of the Pep Boys NHRA Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway to Monday morning, Robert Hight and the Cornwell Tools / AAA Chevrolet Camaro SS team made the day count with their third win of the season, second consecutive at the facility and a jump into the points lead. Hight and the Cornwell Tools Chevy had already gotten through Jim Campbell and Matt Hagan in the first two rounds of racing on Sunday. They came into the semifinals to face reigning world champion Ron Capps. The Cornwell Tools Camaro had a smooth ride down Maple Grove Raceway recording a 3.861-second pass at 330.31 mph while Capps smoked the tires almost immediately to cross the finish line at 11.331 and only 59.00. In Hight’s 100th career final round, he’d handle the Cornwell Tools Chevy to a 3.854-second pass at 330.39 mph to defeat Chad Green’s 3.928 at 327.27. ““This Cornwell Tools car is running right at the right time. We did exactly what we needed to do this weekend. But it’s hard to get too excited about it because we won here last year and we didn’t get it done in the end. We have to stay focused and move on to Charlotte,” Hight said. “It’s not getting any easier. This win, from the second round to the final, we knocked down three contenders. You go up there against Chad Green you don’t lay up. That car ran a lot of 3.80’s this weekend. You knock off Hagan and Capps…the Hagan race, that was one of the closest races, maybe in the history of Funny Car. That’s insane. We can’t get too carried away yet. We have to go win some more races. My opinion is, in this Countdown, you’re going to have to win three races, maybe four if you’re going to be the champion. “I’m a bit bummed that all the Cornwell Tools employees and dealers had to leave. This is their first win on the side of my Funny Car. We’ve been so close this year and didn’t get it done for them,” Hight continued. “I wish they could have been here to celebrate. I’m going to give this trophy and buy another one. It’s going back to Van Wert and Mogadore. their two factories because those guys work really hard behind the scenes to build great tools and they’re also excited about this program. They deserve some trophies and an ‘attaboy’ for this win.” With the win, Hight and the Cornwell Tools / AAA shifted into the No. 1 spot in the points standings just three points in front of Capps in second with five events left in the NHRA Countdown to the Championship. Brittany Force and the Monster Energy / Flav-R-Pac team finish the weekend in the No. 6 spot, Austin Prock and the Montana Brand / Rocky Mountain Twist dragster team are sitting No. 8 and John Force in the PEAK Antifreeze and Coolant Chevy Camaro SS are No. 9. To catch Monday’s racing action from the Pep Boys NHRA Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway, tune into FOX Sports 1 (FS1) at 9:30 p.m. ET. The NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series continues its NHRA Countdown to the Championship next weekend at zMAX Dragway with the betway NHRA Carolina Nationals Sept. 22-24.-30- |
 AUSTIN PROCK, 28, Montana Brand / Rocky Mountain Twist dragsterQualifying:8th; 3.728-seconds; 329.83 mphBonus Qualifying Points:0Race Results: Lost to Tony Schumacher BRITTANY FORCE, 37, Monster Energy / Flav-R-Pac dragsterQualifying:2nd; 3.689-seconds; 336.57 mphBonus Qualifying Points:+8 (quickest Q1&Q4; 2nd quickest Q2)Race Results:Beat Jacob Opatrny; Lost to Leah Pruett   JOHN FORCE, 74, PEAK Antifreeze and Coolant Chevrolet Camaro SSQualifying:7th; 3.898-seconds; 334.32 mphBonus Qualifying Points: 0 Race Results:Beat Cruz Pedregon; Lost to Ron Capps ROBERT HIGHT, 54, Cornwell Tools / AAA Chevrolet Camaro SSQualifying:3rd; 3.879-seconds; 329.34Bonus Qualifying Points:+5 (quickest Q1; 2nd quickest Q2) Race Results: Beat Jim Campbell, Matt Hagan; Will Race Ron Capps |
| Photo Credit: Gary Nastase, Auto Imagery |
| Unofficial NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series Championship Points Standings TOP FUEL – 1. Justin Ashley, 2182; 2. Steve Torrence, 2179; 3. Doug Kalitta, 2163; 4. Leah Pruett, 2135; 5. Antron Brown, 2133; 6. Brittany Force, Monster Energy/FLAV-R-PAC dragster, 2118; 7. Mike Salinas, 2064; 8. Austin Prock, Montana Brand/Rocky Mountain Twist dragster, 2058; 9. Tony Schumacher, 2055; 10. Clay Millican, 2050; 11. Shawn Langdon, 2048; 12. Josh Hart, 2031. FUNNY CAR – 1. Robert Hight, Cornwell Tools/AAA Chevy Camaro SS, 2197; 2. Ron Capps, 2194; 3. Bob Tasca III, 2155; 4. Matt Hagan, 2146; 5. Chad Green, 2132; 6. Alexis DeJoria, 2100; 7. J.R. Todd, 2090; 8. Tim Wilkerson, 2076; 9. John Force, PEAK Coolant and Antifreeze Chevy Camaro SS, 2068; 10. Cruz Pedregon, 2032; 11. Alex Laughlin, 2021. |
KALITTA EARNS 50th CAREER WIN AT MAPLE GROVE
Toyota continues Top Fuel dominance with sixth consecutive category victory
MOHNTON, Pa. (September 18, 2023) – Doug Kalitta earned his long-awaited 50th career win in an extended Pep Boys NHRA Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway by taking home the Wally Trophy in Top Fuel. The milestone victory also came in Kalitta’s 110th career final round appearance.
Now third in the Top Fuel points standings, Kalitta defeated fellow Toyota competitor Steve Torrence in a hotly contested final Monday afternoon after final runs of the event were postponed due to inclement weather. Kalitta‘s Top Fuel victory earns Toyota its sixth consecutive win in the category, which began at Pacific Raceways in Seattle earlier this season. Toyota drivers have now won 15 Wally Trophies across Top Fuel and Funny Car in 2023.
In Funny Car, Ron Capps advanced to the weekend’s semifinals where he came up short against eventual event winner, Robert Hight. Capps heads to zMAX Dragway in Charlotte this week second in the Funny Car points standings, looking for a repeat victory in the Carolina Nationals as his push continues for a second consecutive Funny Car title.
Toyota Post-Race Recap
NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series
Maple Grove Raceway
Race 16 of 21
TOYOTA TOP FUEL FINISHING POSITIONS
| Name | Car | Final Result | Round-by-Round |
| Doug Kalitta | Mac Tools Toyota Top Fuel Dragster | Winner | W 3.658 v. 3.783 (J. Hart) W 3.692 v. 3.733 (S. Langdon) Holeshot Win 3.684 v. 3.677 (L. Pruett) W 3.662 v. 3.695(S. Torrence) |
| Steve Torrence | Capco Contractors Toyota Top Fuel Dragster | Finalist | W 3.701 v. 3.789 (M. Salinas) W 3.690 v. 3.728 (A. Brown) W 3.685 v. 4.420 (T. Schumacher) L 3.695 v. 3.662(D. Kalitta) |
| Justin Ashley | Phillips Connect Toyota Top Fuel Dragster | Second Round | W 6.496 v. No Run (S. Farley) L 3.707 v. 3.716 (Holeshot Win – T. Schumacher) |
| Antron Brown | Matco Tools Toyota Top Fuel Dragster | Second Round | W 3.758 v. 3.771 (D. Foley) L 3.728 v. 3.690(S. Torrence) |
| Shawn Langdon | Kalitta Air Careers Toyota Top Fuel Dragster | Second Round | W 3.723 v. 6.159 (D. Mercier) L 3.733 v. 3.692 (D. Kalitta) |
TOYOTA FUNNY CAR FINISHING POSITIONS
| Name | Car | Final Result | Round-by-Round |
| Ron Capps | NAPA Auto Parts Toyota GR Supra Funny Car | Semi-Finals | W 3.903 v. 6.589 (D. Richards) W 3.899 v. 3.953 (J. Force) L 11.331 v. 3.861 (R. Hight) |
| Alexis DeJoria | Bandero Tequila Toyota GR Supra Funny Car | Second Round | W 3.879 v. 4.864 (B. Alexander) L 3.904 v. 3.867 (B. Tasca III) |
| J.R. Todd | DHL Toyota GR Supra Funny Car | First Round | L 3.930 v. 3.871 (M. Hagan) |
TOYOTA QUOTES
DOUG KALITTA, Mac Tools Toyota Top Fuel Dragster, Kalitta Motorsports
TF Final Result: Winner
It’s been 1,079 days since your last win. How much did you miss the elation of winning?
“Yeah, this is huge. Connie (Kalitta, team owner) has always had my back. I love and appreciate that guy and how much he does for the three cars we have out here. Getting a win with Alan Johnson (crew chief) has been huge on my list. Can’t thank Brian Husen (co-crew chief), Mac Tools, Toyota and all of the distributors with Mac Tools enough for continuing to support this effort. It’s a great way to start the Countdown to the Championship. Apparently, this car wanted to get off the trailer and prove what it could do. I’m really fortunate to have the guys build a car like this.”
RON CAPPS, NAPA Auto Parts Toyota GR Supra Funny Car, Ron Capps Motorsports
FC Final Result: Semi-finals
How would you describe the day and weekend overall?
“Well, if the event in Maple Grove Raceway is any indication on how the Countdown to the Championship is, it’s going to be one heck of a ride. Obviously, we had a great weekend qualifying second. Guido (Dean Antonelli, crew chief) and our NAPA Auto Parts team did a great job going down the track all four runs. We put great times on the board and great speeds. Unfortunately,we didn’t get to the final round, and we had to wait until Monday, which is tough on teams, especially on back-to-back weekends like we have here and then in Charlotte. But, that’s why I brag about the get-up-and-go of our team. We never quit. We got through some tough rounds to get to the semifinals, and it’s a great start to the Countdown. If we can’t win, we can get solid points from a weekend like this. I’m looking forward to getting back on track here in a few days back at the zMAX Carolina Nationals. It’s going to be a busy weekend for us, obviously with a lot of our Toyota folks being there, so I’m looking forward to showing off for them. Being the returning champion of the race, it’s nice to roll back into the event with that and the staff over there know how to treat the racers, so looking forward to that.”
TRIPLE DOUBLE: McDermand Wins at Red Hill, Third Back-to-Back Win of 2023
Avedisian takes points lead by 11 over McIntosh heading into championship weekend SUMNER, IL (Sept. 17, 2023) – With the season winding down, Chase McDermand is heating up at exactly the right time. The 23-year-old from Springfield, IL, notched his second Feature win in two races with the Xtreme Outlaw Midget Series presented by Toyota Sunday night in Midget racing’s return to Red Hill Raceway for the first time in 20 years, passing Taylor Reimer early on and holding off all challenges to score his sixth Series victory of the year. The win comes in he and Mounce/Stout Motorsports’ time of great need as they continue to mount a late-season push for the Series championship. Coming into the weekend 118 points out of first place, a perfect night gone wrong in the Feature on Friday set them back to 150 points down. After wins on Saturday and Sunday, McDermand now sits 100 points out with three races left and a shot at the points title. Despite the steep deficit, he’s still keeping the faith. “It’s better late than never, I guess,” he said with a chuckle about his late-season success. “We just try to carry as much momentum as we can when we have it. In racing, sometimes it’s kind of hard to grasp that momentum, and you’ve gotta cling to it as much as you can for as long as you can. You just never know how long it’s gonna be with you.” The momentum was running high on Sunday as the field took to the fast, 4/10-mile of Red Hill Raceway for 25 laps. From the outside pole, Reimer jumped out to the early lead and looked to be in contention for her first win of the season, but McDermand was quickly on her trail. From sixth on the grid, McDermand had jumped all the way to second in only three laps. Reimer was never able to completely break away from the field, and by Lap 7, McDermand was right on her heels. He looked high, he looked low. McDermand tried multiple different avenues to get around the #25K but was finally able to make the move after Reimer stumbled out of Turn 2 on Lap 10. McDermand swung it down low off the corner, drag raced her down the backstretch and threw a slide job into Turn 3 to take the spot. “I had a good enough run down the backstretch,” McDermand said. “It took a couple of times for me to get the right line in Turns 3-4 to be able to pull the pass off completely.” “It’s so tough [leading] on tracks that are this big – it’s all about momentum,” Reimer said. “Turns 1-2, you definitely need to be around the top. I didn’t know that because I was out front, so it’s kinda hard to gauge where you need to be.” Reimer did not go away quietly, however. She moved up to the top lane and caught back up to McDermand, hounding him for several laps, but was unable to find the speed she needed to make the pass. “I just didn’t have the momentum that he did in the drive off,” Reimer said. McDermand soon put Reimer in the rearview and drove the rest of the caution-free main event unchallenged to bag his third back-to-back victory of the season. Each of his six wins this season have come in back-to-back form, in three different states – Kansas in May, Pennsylvania in August and now his home state of Illinois in September. Six wins gives McDermand sole possession of the winningest driver on tour this year and ties him with Jade Avedisian as the Series’ all-time winnigest driver at seven career victories. The wins keep coming, and his confidence keeps rising as the team heads into championship weekend in Oklahoma next month. “We just have to focus on winning, and that’s no different than any other race,” McDermand said. “We always show up to win, but if you’re able to win, it takes care of the rest. You know you’ve done all you can do.” Reimer crossed the stripe with the runner-up spot, but not without a strong challenge from Zach Daum in the final laps. Daum came from seventh on the grid and found his bread-and-butter lane on the bottom, catching all the way up to Reimer and nearly passing her in the final laps. Despite the pressure, Reimer was able to hold off the defending champion for her seventh podium finish of the season. Though she’s not in contention for the points championship, she is focused on winning her first race this year as the season wraps up next month in her home state of Oklahoma. “I know we have the car and I have the ability to win, it’s just whether or not I’m able to put together a whole night,” Reimer said. “I’m looking forward to getting back to my home track at Port City. It would be really awesome if I could get a win there; it would mean a lot to me.” Daum crossed the stripe in third to collect his ninth top-five finish in the last 10 Series races. Jade Avedisian crossed in fourth – two spots ahead of Cannon McIntosh – giving her sole control of the Series points lead by 11 heading into championship weekend, where she’ll aim to clinch her first national Midget championship with Keith Kunz Motorsports. NEXT RACES Championship weekend for the Xtreme Outlaw Midget Series consists of a three-race weekend in Oklahoma, starting with a trip to Port City Raceway on Thursday (Oct. 12), and the final two races at I-44 Riverside Speedway on Friday-Saturday (Oct. 13-14). All three races will be co-sanctioned with the POWRi National Midget League, who will also crown a season champion along with an Xtreme Outlaw-POWRi Challenge Series champion on Saturday night. Tickets for all three events will be available at the gate on race day. If you can’t be there to watch in person, stream every lap live on DIRTVision. ABBREVIATED RESULTS (view full results) Feature (25 Laps): 1. 40-Chase McDermand[6]; 2. 25K-Taylor Reimer[2]; 3. 7U-Zach Daum[7]; 4. 71-Jade Avedisian[4]; 5. 97-Gavin Miller[5]; 6. 08-Cannon McIntosh[3]; 7. 1K-Brayton Lynch[1]; 8. 7X-Thomas Meseraull[8]; 9. 97K-Cooper Williams[10]; 10. 81-Dekota Gay[11]; 11. 19AZ-Hayden Reinbold[9]; 12. 31K-Alex Midkiff[12]; 13. 31B-Kyle Beilman[13] |
Cadillac at Indy: Back to the front in title chase
| Cadillac V-Series.Rs finish fourth, seventh in 2-hour, 40-minute race at IMS |
| Updates Cadillac Racing place in the GTP Manufacturer Championship standings. INDIANAPOLIS (Sept. 17, 2023) – From a 17-point gap to the championship lead, the No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac V-Series.R will look to wrap up the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Grand Touring Prototype title Oct. 14 at the Motul Petit Le Mans. |
 After missing nearly all the initial practice session Friday because of a brake issue and qualifying a season-low eighth, Pipo Derani and Alexander Sims drove the hybrid Cadillac racecar to fourth place in the 2-hour, 40-minute TireRack.com Battle on the Bricks at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.The No. 01 Cadillac V-Series.R driven by Sebastien Bourdais and Renger van der Zande overcame a first-lap incident to finish seventh. The No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac V-Series.R takes a three-point advantage in the GTP Team/Driver Championship into the 10-hour race on the 2.54-mile, 12-turn Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta. Derani, Sims and Jack Aitken also lead the IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup in points. Cadillac is eight points out of first place in the GTP Manufacturer Championship standings and will seek to claim its ninth manufacturer title (three in IMSA DPi, three in the Pirelli World Challenge GT, two in the SPEED World Challenge GT). |
 The No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac V-Series.R took the point following a round of yellow flag pit stops and Derani kept the Cadillac, powered by the 5.5-liter naturally aspirated V-8 engine, out front for 35 minutes at the midpoint of the race on the 2.439-mile, 14-turn road course.Derani was overtaken in Turn 1 with 1 hour, 3 minutes left by the No. 7 Porsche Penske Motorsports entry and the eventual race-winning No. 6 Porsche Penske Motorsports car. Sims held his own over the final 47 minutes after a full-service stop. Bourdais, who qualified fourth, was tagged from behind in Turn 1 of the green flag lap, spun and hit again. He continued and brought the crippled car onto pit lane under yellow for a front bodywork change assembly and right-rear tire change. He returned to pit lane five minutes later under green for tires and fuel. Van der Zande took over the wheel for the final 1 hour, 51 minutes left. The USA Network and Peacock (in the U.S.; IMSA.TV outside the U.S.) will air the Motul Petit Le Mans on Oct. 14.What they’re sayingNo. 01 Cadillac V-Series.RSebastien Bourdais: “The run down to Turn 1 at the start is so long and you get a crazy amount of tow. They were all bunched to the right, so the only option was to go left. You know at that point that you’re in a three-wide situation and I was just trying to hold my position. In the process, I got turned and got hit and we had to come in for a new nose and got a drive-thru. It was a frustrating race after the team prepared hard for this race. We’ll keep at it and hope to finish on a better note at Petit.” Renger van der Zande: “I was disappointed with our pace after the first-corner crash because it didn’t feel right. I was hanging on to it much of the time. We hopefully can improve at the upcoming test and understand a little more what the tire does and take it from there at Petit Le Mans.” |
| No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac V-Series.RPipo Derani: “I’m proud of the whole team. After missing practice 1 and to be in position to lead the race, we fought hard to bring home a solid finish for the championship. We moved up the grid from P8 to P4 and back in the championship lead. Obviously, not the race result we were looking for when we arrived here. We always want to win, but if you can’t win you always try to get your best finish. Considering how we started the weekend, it was a very good effort. Thank you to our Whelen team, Cadillac Racing for always fighting hard.” Alexander Sims: “Honestly, from where we started, the end was pretty good. The middle of the race it was looking pretty rosy the was the strategy played out. Ultimately, we didn’t quite have the long-run pace of the guys up front. When I got in we were fourth and we finished fourth. I didn’t have the strongest of stints and there is work to do to keep improving. Nevertheless, we go into the last race in a good position and as always in IMSA it’s pretty exciting down to the end. I’m looking forward to it.” |
ROBERT HIGHT AND CORNWELL TOOLS CONTINUE BATTLE FOR REPEAT WIN AT MAPLE GROVE RACEWAY
| READING, Pa. (Sept. 17, 2023) – After inclement weather-plagued race day Sunday at the Pep Boys NHRA Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway, racing was delayed to Monday morning. Robert Hight and the Cornwell Tools Chevy Camaro SS team will continue their event defense when they face off with reigning world champion Ron Capps in the semifinals. John Force in the PEAK Antifreeze and Coolant Chevy Camaro SS and Brittany Force in the Monster Energy / Flav-R-Pac Chevy dragster had a quarterfinal finish and Austin Prock in the Montana Brand / Rocky Mountain Twist team had a first-round exit. Coming in as the No. 2 qualifier, Robert Hight and the Cornwell Tools Chevy continued to keep up their performance with the quickest pass of the round at 3.875 seconds and 331.20 mph to defeat Jim Campbell and his 6.603 at 98.93 after driving into tire smoke. In the second round, Hight had a monster matchup against Matt Hagan with huge points implications. Hight and the Cornwell Tools Chevy laid down a 3.852 pass at 327.66 to defeat Hagan’s 3.859 at 335.48 and move around him in the points standings. His win lines the Cornwell Tools team to take on Ron Capps in the semifinals. “It’s been a good weekend for the Cornwell Tools team. The weather was unfortunate, thought we might have gotten it done. We’ll just be ready to get the job done on Monday,” Hight said. “Looking forward to racing Capps in the semifinals, we’ll just keep running our race. We were trying to run 3.85 in qualifying and it didn’t cooperate, so we’ve stepped it up. There’s been some pretty stout racing so far. Getting passed Hagan in the second round, those are the type of opportunities we have to take advantage of.” John Force and the PEAK Chevy made their way out of the first round of eliminations thanks to a 4.657-second pass at 277.37 mph after a pedal fest against longtime rival Cruz Pedregon. Pedregon wouldn’t be able to get his hot rod to hook back up for only a 5.432 pass at 131.19. Force wouldn’t be as lucky in the second round. The PEAK Chevy would run a 3.953 at 328.62 and come up short to Ron Capps and his 3.899 at 326.40. Force will end the first race of the Countdown in the No. 9 points position. “Shorter weekend than we wanted for this PEAK Chevy. Have to thank the fans for packing it in here and the owners the Koretsky Family, great event, sold out days. We dodged some of the rain, NHRA worked hard to try to get it all done,” Force said. “We’ll be ready for next weekend, heading to Charlotte. Still have a shot, just need a couple good days.” Brittany Force and the Monster Energy team started their championship defense with a first-round win over Top Fuel newcomer Jacob Opatrny. Force would have a solid 3.714-second pass at 333.25 mph to defeat Opatrny who put a cylinder out for a 4.328 pass at 203.92. In the second round, Force and the Monster Energy team would come up short with a 3.768 at 317.05 after putting a hole out, giving Leah Pruett and her 3.744 at 324.20 the win. Force, who entered the weekend in the No. 5 points position, now leaves sitting … “Leaving Maple Grove Raceway in the sixth position after a second-round exit. We qualified No. 2, picked up eight bonus points and are still well within the championship fight,” Force said. “Looking at our season as a whole to now coming into the Countdown, we made some good progress this weekend. It’s still anybody’s game this early on and this team will fight it out until the end. We are ready to get to Charlotte and see what this team can do.” Austin Prock and the Montana Brand team had their first race of the Countdown to the Championship cut short in the first round. Prock would handle the Montana Brand machine to a clean 3.716-second pass at 328.91 mph that just wasn’t enough for eight-time world champion Tony Schumacher’s 3.701 at 330.88. “Not the day we expected for this Montana Brand / Rocky Mountain Twist team. Dropped a couple cylinders down track and just didn’t have enough for the first-round win,” Prock said. “We’re keeping our heads up. We know that with just one good weekend we can be right back in it. Luckily we get to turn around in just a couple days and go at it again in Charlotte.” Racing at the Pep Boys NHRA Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway will be completed Monday at 10 a.m. Racing action will be on FOX Sports 1 (FS1) at 9:30 p.m. ET. -30- |
| AUSTIN PROCK, 28, Montana Brand / Rocky Mountain Twist dragsterQualifying:8th; 3.728-seconds; 329.83 mphBonus Qualifying Points:0Race Results: Lost to Tony SchumacherBRITTANY FORCE, 37, Monster Energy / Flav-R-Pac dragsterQualifying:2nd; 3.689-seconds; 336.57 mphBonus Qualifying Points:+8 (quickest Q1&Q4; 2nd quickest Q2)Race Results:Beat Jacob Opatrny; Lost to Leah Pruett JOHN FORCE, 74, PEAK Antifreeze and Coolant Chevrolet Camaro SSQualifying:7th; 3.898-seconds; 334.32 mphBonus Qualifying Points: 0 Race Results:Beat Cruz Pedregon; Lost to Ron CappsROBERT HIGHT, 54, Cornwell Tools / AAA Chevrolet Camaro SSQualifying:3rd; 3.879-seconds; 329.34Bonus Qualifying Points:+5 (quickest Q1; 2nd quickest Q2) Race Results: Beat Jim Campbell, Matt Hagan; Will Race Ron Capps |
ASHLEY RACES TO QUARTERFINALS AT PEP BOYS NHRA NATIONALS
| READING, PA (September 17, 2023) — Entering the 2023 NHRA Countdown as the No. 1 seed Justin Ashley and the Phillips Connect Toyota team ran to the No. 1 qualifier position at the Pep Boys NHRA Nationals. On Friday night Ashley posted the quickest time of two days of qualifying, a solid 3.687 second pass and went into race day with a first round match up against No. 16 qualifier Scott Farley. Ashley picked up three qualifying bonus points and had lane choice over Farley. The NHRA moved the start time for the race up to 9:30 a.m. ET and Ashley’s team was ready to go when they pulled up to the water box. The Phillips Connect Toyota Top Fuel team fired up and began their pre-race routine, but Farley’s team was unable to fire their 11,000-horsepowered Top Fuel dragster. Ashley was awarded a competition bye. The six-time winner this season launched and powered down the left lane before he hazed the tires and coasted across the finish line for the win light with a 6.496 second pass at 91.75 mph. Justin Ashley and Phillips Connect Toyota dragster, photo credit Gary Nastase/Auto Imagery The win propelled Ashley to a race with the eight-time Top Fuel world champion Tony Schumacher. This season Ashley was 3-0 in his head-to-head races against Schumacher, but he gave up lane choice in the second round. When the dragsters launched it was Schumacher getting off the line first, but Ashley was right beside him flying down the track. Unfortunately, the starting line deficit was too much to overcome and Ashley’s quicker 3.707 second run wasn’t enough to get to the stripe first. At the top end Ashley was complimentary of his opponent but also focused on the overall goals for the team. “That team deserved to win and Tony did a great job, I’m really happy for them,” said Ashley, who leads the category in reaction time average. “They’ve been struggling all year, but this is a part of racing. It’s disappointing but this sport has so many ups and downs. We get that and we understand that it’s a six-race countdown. There’s plenty of time to win this championship. I apologized to my team, I let us down there but that’s okay. We’ll be fine this Phillips Connect team has been doing such an outstanding job so we’ll put these Mac Tools back to work, and we’ll see everyone in Charlotte.” Last season Ashley raced his way into the point lead during the Countdown but did not walk away with the championship ultimately finishing fourth for the second season in a row. The fourth-year driver and team owner is leaning on that experience to move past this race. “Experience helps both on and off the racetrack,” said Ashley. “We will make sure that we’re set with all our parts and pieces. Our approach is not going to change. We’re gonna continue to do the same thing week in and week out just because we are in the countdown doesn’t mean we’re hyper-focused or we are changing anything that we’re doing. We’re just going to stay within our approach and stay within ourselves. The points will take care of themselves.” Rain halted eliminations one pair into the Top Fuel semifinals with Doug Kalitta advancing to the final round and Steve Torrence versus Tony Schumacher still left to race. As of tonight, with five races left in the Countdown Ashley and the Phillips Connect Toyota team are sitting No. 1 in the point standings. The eventual outcome of this race could drop the six-time 2023 winner to No. 2. They will be back on track in five days at the Betway Nationals from zMax Dragway, September 22-24. Qualifying Results Q1: 5.934 sec, 106.88 mph; Qual. 11 Q2: 3.687 sec, 335.57 mph; Qual. 1 Q3: 3.756 sec, 332.06 mph; Qual. 1 Q4: 3.732sec, 332.18 mph; Qual. 1 Bonus Points: +3 (Quickest of Q2) Race Results First RoundJustin Ashley, Phillips Connect Toyota dragster, (.062), 6.496, 91.75 mph def. Scott Farley, ScottRod Racing dragster, Did Not Run Second RoundTony Schumacher, SCAG dragster, (.025), 3.716, 329.26 mph def. Justin Ashley, Phillips Connect Toyota dragster, (.049), 3.707, 333.41 mph |
JOSH HART LOOKS TO FINAL FIVE COUNTDOWN RACES TO MAKE HIS MOVE
READING, PA (September 17, 2023) — At the conclusion of the 2023 NHRA regular season Josh Hart and the R+L Carriers Top Fuel dragster team looked to ramp up their success rate for the six race Countdown. Hart, who stormed onto the NHRA scene in 2021 with two wins and opened this season with a dominating win at the Pep Boys Top Fuel Allstar Callout race was looking to grab his first Top Fuel world championship. Through two days of uneventful qualifying at the Pep Boys NHRA Nationals Hart entered race day as the No. 14 qualifier.
It was the toughest qualifying position Hart had started a race in his career. The consistently optimistic Hart looked to the previous recent success of one of his competitors for hope before the race day started.
Josh Hart and R+L Carriers Top Fuel dragster launch at Maple Grove Raceway, photo credit Gary Nastase/Auto Imagery
“We are going to Antron Brown this race today,” said Hart, referring to Brown’s U.S. Nationals win as the No. 15 qualifier. “We are so lucky to be out here I just want to give it my all against Kalitta and see what happens. He is a great racer and I am looking forward to the challenge.”
In the opening race Hart was first off the line with a significant starting line advantage, .047 to .091 seconds, and both 11,000-horsepowered Top Fuel dragsters roared down the smooth Maple Grove Raceway track. As the dragsters crossed the halfway mark Kalitta’s race car began pulling away from Hart. At the finish line Kalitta posted the quickest run of race day, a blistering 3.658 second pass at 335.73 mph, getting the win over Hart’s 3.783 second pass at 328.46 mph.
“We made our best pass of the weekend in the first round. Unfortunately, we were racing the quickest car on the property,” said Hart. “My hats off to Doug and his team. We need to start quicker during qualifying. We got behind the eight ball this weekend. There are five more races and Charlotte will be critical for us. There is no quit in this R+L Carriers team. Everyone on this team has the other person’s back and we will be ready for the second race of the Countdown.”
It was two years ago that Hart won his second career Top Fuel title at the Betway Nationals at zMax Dragway. This year Hart will be looking for his third career win and a major move up the point standings in five days. Hart and the R+L Carriers team will be back on track Friday night for qualifying.
Qualifying Results
Q1: 4.339 sec, 185.74 mph; Qual. 8
Q2: 4.219 sec, 198.90 mph; Qual. 13
Q3: 3.824 sec, 328.70 mph; Qual. 13
Q4: 3.798 sec, 327.90 mph; Qual. 14
Bonus Points: 0
Race Results
First Round
Doug Kalitta, Mac Tools dragster, (.091), 3.658, 335.73 mph def. Josh Hart, R+L Carriers dragster, (.047), 3.783, 328.46 mph
A
CARUSO RACES TO QUARTERFINALS TO START COUNTDOWN
| READING, PA (September 17, 2023) —- Today during the first race of the 2023 NHRA Countdown Camrie Caruso and the Tequila Comisario Chevrolet Camaro raced to a quarterfinal finish and secured the young driver’s first round win of her playoff career. Last year during her rookie campaign Caruso entered the Countdown No. 10 but suffered six straight first round losses in a tough end to a strong rookie campaign. This weekend Caruso’s Tequila Comisario Chevrolet Camaro battled through two days of qualifying and entered race day as the No. 12 qualifier. Camrie Caruso and Tequila Comisario Chevrolet Camaro, photo credit Innovation Creative Experts In the final qualifying session on Saturday Caruso made her best run of the weekend and gave the team confidence heading into a first round race with fellow Countdown competitor Deric Kramer. In the opening round today the veteran driver was first off the line against the second year pro, but Caruso quickly caught up to him and moved around him at half-track when he experienced severe tire-shake. Caruso made her quickest run of the weekend, a strong 6.537 second run at 209.36 mph to advance to the second round. “Getting that first Countdown round win definitely helps,” said Caruso, who won her first Pro Stock race at the Arizona Nationals this season. “I didn’t like seeing my teammate Dallas Glenn go out so early, but the points are going to tighten up now. We are looking forward to getting to Charlotte and qualifying better and going rounds on Sunday. There are five races left and we want to do everything we can to try and win this championship.” Camrie Caruso and Tequila Comisario Camaro at Maple Grove Raceway, photo credit Innovation Creative Experts In the quarterfinals Caruso faced the most recent winner, U.S. Nationals champion Matt Hartford looking to close the gap on the Pro Stock point leaders. The 2022 NHRA Rookie of the Year was first off the line and was pulling away from Hartford when her Tequila Comisario Chevrolet that also receives support from Big Jeff Audio, DENSO, Powerbuilt Tools and VP Racing Lubricants began to drift towards the centerline. In a veteran move Caruso opted to lift and keep control of her race car versus risking an on-track incident. At the finish line Hartford drove around Caruso for the win but Caruso knows she will be a contender in Charlotte with a quick and fast race car. “We had him on the tree and at the 1000 but unfortunately when these cars get out of shape you have to get off the gas,” said Caruso. “If you don’t you going to end up over the wall or on your roof. We got our race car back after Q4 and I didn’t want to do anything to mess that up. We were obviously struggling but now I feel like we have our race car back and we’re ready to go to Charlotte.” Caruso sits in ninth place but with five races left the deficit from first place and her first Pro Stock world championship is very manageable. The NHRA Camping World Series and Countdown playoffs will continue at the Betway Nationals from zMax Dragway, September 22-24. Qualifying Results Q1: 6.593 sec, 209.10 mph; Qual. 14 Q2: 6.551 sec, 210.57 mph; Qual. 12 Q3: 8.584 sec, 111.71 mph; Qual. 13 Q4: 6.538 sec, 209.88 mph; Qual. 12 Bonus Points: 0 Race Results First Round Camrie Caruso, Tequila Comisario Chevrolet Camaro, (.081), 6.537, 209.36 mph def. Deric Kramer, BioFuels Chevrolet Camaro, (.027), 10.932, 82.16 mph Second Round Matt Hartford, Total Seal Chevrolet Camaro, (.038), 6.542, 209.30 mph def. Camrie Caruso, Tequila Comisario Chevrolet Camaro, (.032), 6.624, 186.77 mph |
CORVETTE RACING AT INDIANAPOLIS: Difficult Brickyard Return INDIANAPOLIS
| (Sept. 17, 2023) – Corvette Racing struggled home to a fifth-place GT Daytona (GTD) PRO class finish Sunday in its return to Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the TireRack.com Battle on the Bricks. Teammates Antonio Garcia and Jordan Taylor had hoped to build on their momentum from a victory in the last IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship race at Virginia International Raceway. Unfortunately for Corvette Racing, they were powerless to challenge for a repeat win, much less a class podium finish. The positive out of the race is that the drivers, Chevrolet and the No. 3 squad remain second in GTD PRO Drivers, Manufacturers and Teams points. |
| JORDAN TAYLOR, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – FINISHED FIFTH IN GTD PRO: “I was very surprised at the start (to stick with the GTD PRO leaders). We got lucky with an LMP3 car holding guys up for a good portion of that stint. We were able to sit in the train and save fuel. It was going to be difficult to make a move on anyone, so we saved fuel and hoped jump those guys in the pits, which the guys did with a great stop. The car was decent. Like Antonio said, we had no power to race with anyone. It was wild out there. You could gain and lose a second or two a lap depending on when they get you and how aggressive they are.” |
Aaron Stanfield Grabs Second Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown Victory of the Season at Maple Grove Raceway
READING, Pa. (Sept. 17, 2023) – Aaron Stanfield and his Stanfield Racing Engines Chevrolet COPO Camaro picked up their second win of the season Sunday at the Pep Boys NHRA Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway.
Marking his 23rd overall Wally and 11th Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown event win, Stanfield raced to victory over event No. 1 qualifier Del Holbrook and his Big Pulley No Power Ford Mustang Cobra Jet in the finals. Stanfield would lay down a 7.676-second pass at 165.46 mph to Holbrook’s 9.845 at 128.11 after he bogged down mid-track.
Pep Boys Nationals Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown champion Aaron Stanfield, photo credit Auto Imagery
“Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown is just right up mine and my family’s alley. It’s Factory Cars in head up racing, doesn’t get much better than that,” Stanfield said. “I really have to take my hat off to Maple Grove Raceway. I haven’t always done very well here but it’s a heck of a facility. The Koretsky family, we’re lucky to have a family around to keep giving us a place like this to race at. I have to thank my guys. We have been working hard at the shop. We’ve been down and out a little bit, but we’ve been working hard, keeping our heads down, and it paid off this weekend. I’ve got to thank my wife and little girl at home, they’re rooting us on, the Janac Brother’s and everybody else who has helped us out. Thank you.”
Before taking the win, Stanfield started eliminations with a 7.684-second pass at 178.52 mph to defeat Scott Libersher and his Chevrolet COPO Camaro’s 7.805 at 175.59. In the second round, Stanfield got the win over Kevin Skinner. Stanfield would have a 7.649 at 178.66 over Skinner’s 11.040 at 93.40 in his Columbus Joint and Clutch Ford Cobra Jet. The semifinals lined Stanfield up with Norwalk event winner Stephen Bell. Bell would leave the starting line first in his Stanfield Racing Engines COPO, but it would be Stanfield’s 7.676 at 178.78 that would get the victory over Bell’s 7.714 second run at 178.96.
Aaron Stanfield, Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown Pep Boys NHRA Nationals winner, photo credit Auto Imagery
En route to the finals, Holbrook defeated Carl Tasca and his TascaParts.com Ford Cobra Jet in the first round with a 7.727-second pass at 180. 36 to Tasca’s 7.905 at 169.64. The win set Holbrook up with a second-round matchup against David Davies and his DH Davies Racing Dodge Challenger Drag Pak. Holbrook would get the win off the efforts of his 7.652 at 178.12 to Davies’ 7.956 at 175.75.
In the semifinals Holbrook had the win before leaving the starting line. Scheduled to run David Janac. The Janac Brothers Racing Ford Cobra would have an issue with the parachute giving Holbrook the single. For the record, Holbrook would go 8.729 at 111.56 after shutting off early.
Despite a second round exit, Davies opened up his eliminations with a first-round victory over Jesse Alexandra. Alexandra, who was the most recent event winner at the U.S. Nationals, made a 7.885-second pass at 163.69 mph falling to Davies’ 7.739 at 174.50. The win earned Davies $1,000 through the Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown Bounty Program. Stanfield now has the bounty target on his back as the event winner.
“The bounty program is something that sets the Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown class apart,” said Davies. “Everyone is chasing that previous race winner when eliminations roll around. When I saw the ladder and knew that I had Jesse in the first round I really wanted to get that round win. You want to win every round but when the Flexjet bounty is out there too that makes it extra special.”
Stanfield will leave Reading with 610 points and a 152-point lead over Stephen Bell, his closest competitor. With three national events left it will be tough one of his competitors to race around the two-time Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown World Champion for the championship. Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown competition will continue at the NHRA Midwest Nationals at World Wide Technology Raceway just outside of St. Louis, September 20 – October 1.
Flexjet Bounty Program
Gatornationals (Gainesville, FL)
$1,000 bounty collected by Joe Welch, defeated Aaron Stanfield, Dallas winner
Four-Wide Nationals (Charlotte, N.C.)
$1,000 bounty collected by Lenny Lottig, defeated Joe Welch, Gainesville winner
Route 66 Nationals (Chicago)
Bounty not collected
Thunder Valley Nationals (Bristol)
$2,000 bounty collected by Lee Hartman, defeated Lenny Lottig, Charlotte and Chicago winner
Summit Racing Equipment Nationals (Norwalk, Ohio)
$1,000 bounty collected by Stephen Bell, defeated Aaron Stanfield, Bristol winner
U.S. Nationals (Indianapolis)
$1,000 bounty collected by Jesse Alexandra, defeated Stephen Bell, Norwalk winner
Pep Boys NHRA Nationals (Reading)
$1,000 bounty collected by David Davies, defeated Jesse Alexandra, Indianapolis winner
2023 Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown Results
Gainesville – Joe Welch, winner; Aaron Stanfield, runner-up
Charlotte – Lenny Lottig, winner; Aaron Stanfield, runner-up
Chicago – Lenny Lottig, winner; Doug Hamp, runner-up
Bristol – Aaron Stanfield, winner; Del Holbrook, runner-up
Norwalk – Stephen Bell, winner; Lee Hartman, runner-up
Indianapolis – Jesse Alexandra, winner; Stephen Bell, runner-up
Reading – Aaron Stanfield, winner; Del Holbrook, runner-up
Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown Top Ten Points Standings
1. Aaron Stanfield 610
2. Stephen Bell 458
3. Lenny Lottig 390
4. Del Holbrook 380
5. Mark Pawuk 368
6. David Davies III 330
7. Lee Hartman 317
7. Doug Hamp 317
9. Jesse Alexandra 315
10. David Barton 297
10. Joseph Welch 297
ROTH WAR: Buddy Kofoid Outduels Teammate for Victory in World of Outlaws Placerville Return
| The Penngrove, CA native comes out on top of thrilling battle with fellow Roth Motorsports driver – James McFadden – to claim Placerville winPLACERVILLE, CA (September 16, 2023) – Four years had passed since the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars last visited Placerville Speedway. But the wait proved to be worth every minute.In a race that featured battles all over the quarter mile, none could match the intensity of the war that waged for the win. Roth Motorsports teammates – Buddy Kofoid and James McFadden – threw absolutely everything they had at each other. Dramatic slide jobs. Searching different lanes for grip. The two gave it their all as they each hoped to give their California car owner a taste of home state glory.In the end, it was Kofoid who made his way to Victory Lane when the checkered flag waved on the Federated Auto Parts 49er Gold Rush Classic. The Penngrove, CA native climbed all the way atop the wing of his Roth #83JR as chants of “Buddy!” rang out from the Placerville grandstands.“That’s badass for sure,” an ecstatic Kofoid said. “It’s even more special to do it here at Placerville where I cut my teeth in Sprint Cars. Man, I’m just so fortunate to have Dylan Buswell in my corner. He’s a wizard. Actually, I felt not great in the beginning of the day, and we just got better and better and better. I’ve been thoroughly enjoying my time with Roth Motorsports.”While Kofoid won last week’s Gold Cup prelim, the Placerville score is his first official World of Outlaws victory since joining forces with the historic California team. The 21-year-old became the 16th different driver to top a race with The Greatest Show on Dirt for Dennis and Teresa Roth. Kofoid now owns a trio of World of Outlaws wins, and he became the eighth different competitor to win at Placerville in the Series’ 10th visit.After topping the Toyota Racing Dash, it was James McFadden leading the field to green with Justin Sanders to his outside. McFadden managed to power ahead when the race began to lead the opening circuit.Kofoid started the 40-lap tilt in third and quickly challenged Sanders in the opening laps. On the fifth trip around, Kofoid slid Sanders to put the Roth duo atop the scoreboard. A few cautions interrupted the pace inside the opening 10 laps.A green flag run as the race neared halfway allowed the battle between the Roth cars to ignite. Kofoid reeled in McFadden and attempted a slide job on Lap 15 in Turns 3 and 4 to no avail. A lap later Kofoid tossed another slider in the same set of corners and again came up short.On the 18th lap, Kofoid pulled alongside McFadden heading to the finish line, and then on the next lap, Kofoid used the bottom to take the top spot. McFadden responded by heading to the low side in Turns 3 and 4 to slip right back by Kofoid. The back and forth continued on the next lap as the two swapped lines again, and Kofoid rolled under McFadden in Turns 1 and 2. Down on the other end of the racetrack, Kofoid’s slider attempt on a lap car came up short allowing McFadden to peek to the inside. The two came down the front straightaway side by side but Kofoid held on.“I figured out the top down in (Turns) 1 and 2 pretty early I felt like,” Kofoid explained. “I started third, fell back to fourth, and got right back to second running the top and sliding people into (Turn) 3. When I got to James, it had already gotten dirty to where I’d fire one off and get really loose across and kill my momentum. It wasn’t going to clear, and I wasn’t going to send one off into anyone especially James. It was a really good race. I moved back to the bottom and felt really good on the bottom.”“Those guys have done a lot of laps around here growing up,” McFadden said of the battle. “You could pick which line to get on, and I had absolutely no idea of where I needed to be. The cushion was tricky and really dirty up there. You sort of had to lean against it then get away from it at some points.”After taking over the top spot, Kofoid began to inch away from the rest of the pack, adding a tenth or two to his lead each time around. He gave McFadden hope a couple times as the cushion tripped him up, but ultimately Kofoid stayed comfortably ahead on his way to the checkered flag.While the prelim win at Silver Dollar Speedway was nice, the one that’ll officially go in the record books tasted a little sweeter for Kofoid.“Happy to get a full Outlaw win and to do it kind of at a home track for me,” Kofoid said. “Man, that was a tough race but such a fun race.”Carson Macedo capitalized on a late mistake by McFadden to claim the runner-up spot aboard the Jason Johnson Racing #41. The Lemoore, CA native worked his way forward from the sixth starting spot to post his 17th World of Outlaws podium of 2023.“I felt like the restarts kind of went my way,” Macedo noted. “When I started on the top, I was able to get off the corner nice. Even when I started on the bottom, I could get through (Turns) 1 and 2 nice on the bottom and get down the backstretch and slide guys in (Turns) 3 and 4.”After leading the opening 19 laps, McFadden wound up completing the top three. Even though losing out left him feeling slightly disappointed, McFadden felt proud to be a part of a special night for Roth Motorsports in their home state.“What a night for Dennis and Teresa Roth,” McFadden said. “We’d like it to be the other way around, but it’s still cool for the team, unreal for the team. They put a lot in it, so it’s cool to get a first and third in California for them… I feel like I’ve struggled a bit on short tracks over the past couple months, and we turned it around tonight. Happy with our performance.”Justin Sanders and Corey Day rounded out the top five.For the second night in a row and fifth time in his career, Buddy Kofoid claimed Simpson Performance Products QuickTime.A 17th to eighth run gave Sheldon Haudenschild the KSE Racing Hard Charger Award.CASE No.1 Engine Oil Heat One went to Kalib Henry (first Heat Race win of career). NOS Energy Drink Heats Two through Four were topped by Corey Day (third of career), Rico Abreu (43rd of career), and Justin Sanders (fifth of career).Noah Gass won the Micro-Lite Last Chance Showdown.The Smith Titanium Brake Systems Break of the Race went to Michael Faccinto after a mechanical issue ended a potentially strong night early in the Feature.UP NEXT: The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars head east for two nights in “The Buckeye State.” First is a one night stop at Rossburg, OH’s Eldora Speedway on Friday, September 22 for the BeFour the Crowns Showdown. The next night brings the final Ohio stop of 2023 as Hartford’s Sharon Speedway hosts the Federated Auto Parts Showdown. For tickets, CLICK HERE.If you can’t make it to the track, catch all of the action live on DIRTVision.RESULTS:NOS Energy Drink Feature (40 Laps): 1. 83JR-Michael Kofoid[3]; 2. 41-Carson Macedo[6]; 3. 83-James McFadden[1]; 4. 2X-Justin Sanders[2]; 5. 14-Corey Day[5]; 6. 24-Rico Abreu[4]; 7. 5-Spencer Bayston[13]; 8. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild[17]; 9. 17W-Shane Golobic[12]; 10. 57W-Chase Randall[9]; 11. 49-Brad Sweet[10]; 12. 83V-Dylan Bloomfield[8]; 13. 2-David Gravel[14]; 14. 17M-Kalib Henry[7]; 15. 5V-Colby Copeland[22]; 16. 21-Cole Macedo[20]; 17. 15-Donny Schatz[16]; 18. 18-Giovanni Scelzi[11]; 19. 24X-Chase Johnson[18]; 20. 20G-Noah Gass[21]; 21. 83T-Tanner Carrick[24]; 22. (DNF) 1S-Logan Schuchart[23]; 23. (DNF) 42X-Justyn Cox[19]; 24. (DNF) X1-Michael Faccinto[15] |
CLEAN SWEEP: McDermand’s Perfect Night at Highland Nets Mounce/Stout Fifth Win of 2023
Avedisian drives out of Last Chance Showdown, 18th-to-3rd in Feature, ties McIntosh for points lead
HIGHLAND, IL (Sept. 16, 2023) – In their hour of need, Chase McDermand and Mounce/Stout Motorsports came through when it mattered most.
With the season winding down and time running out to make a run for the championship, McDermand urgently needed a good finish to stay in the thick of the Xtreme Outlaw Midget Series presented by Toyota points battle. Twenty-four hours after their perfect night went awry in the Feature, the 22-year-old Illinoisan redeemed himself with a clean sweep of Saturday night’s program at Highland Speedway.
Garnering the Whitz Racing Products Quick Time Award and a win in Toyota Racing Heat 1, McDermand led the final 21 laps of the main event to secure his fifth Series victory of the year.
“Being able to win so close to home with a [home-state crowd] – that means a lot added on top of it,” McDermand said. “These are really hard races to win with these guys that we run with, so to be able to do it for the fifth time this year means a lot.”
The night prior, McDermand also had a clean sweep going, and sat on the pole for the 30-lap main event. He and car owner/crew chief Jay Mounce made some adjustments to the McDermand Plumbing, Spike/Stanton #40 before leaving the pits to take the track, but those only hindered their performance. McDermand was in-and-out of the work area on multiple occasions after spinning out, though he was able to battle back to finish 12th.
The team put their heads together on Saturday, learned from their past mistakes and applied it, bringing them another $4,000 winner’s check.
“It’s bittersweet to lose one like we did last night,” McDermand said. “I feel like we definitely had the fastest car. To be able to learn what we did really helped us pick up the win tonight.”
When Gavin Miller jumped out to the early lead, McDermand kept pace with him through the first 10 laps, ripping the top side around the 1/4-mile. Miller soon entered heavy lapped traffic and stumbled when cars checked-up in front of him through Turns 3-4, opening the door for McDermand to slip by underneath for the lead on Lap 10.
From there on out, McDermand was able to race his race at his pace. Which was hammer-down on the top, running away from and gapping his opponents – nearly three seconds at its largest ahead of Zach Daum.
After the final restart with nine laps left and McDermand checked-out up front, Taylor Reimer was hot on Daum’s case, throwing a big slide job on the Trifecta Motorsports #7U in Turns 3-4 to take second on Lap 24.
“I was just waiting to time it perfectly,” Reimer said. “I knew I was faster than him, but I was just waiting for the right time. I knew if I threw it too soon, we were just gonna lose ground.”
The 23-year-old Oklahoman held her ground the rest of the way and crossed the stripe runner-up, tying her best finish of the season thus far. Despite being denied of a win yet again, she knows she was fast in the closing laps.
“We were gaining on him,” Reimer said of McDermand. “We were looking at the lap times, and we were a couple tenths faster than him. I think he started to catch lapped traffic, eventually.”
In the bigger picture, Saturday’s win brought McDermand 41 points closer to the lead in the standings. Now sitting 109 points out of first place, he knows a run for the title will be difficult, but still possible with four races remaining.
“If you win, that just takes care of everything else, and you know that’s all you could do,” McDermand said. “Tonight was really the perfect night, we did as much as we could do as far as points go.”
Securing the final spot on the podium was 17-year-old Jade Avedisian, who drove from out of the Last Chance Showdown for the first time this season, started 18th on the grid and raced her way to third by the checkered flag.
“To be honest, I’m not really sure [the issue], but we were off our game early in the night,” Avedisian said.
The Californian struggled early in the program, Qualifying dead-last in her group and finishing seventh in her Heat. She got it together for the Feature, taking third on Lap 25 and holding on for her 10th podium finish of the year. With that, she now sits tied with Cannon McIntosh for the Series points lead.
“In Hot Laps, we timed in last, and I was like, ‘Alright, I can’t turn, I’m so tight,’” Avedisian said. “Jarrett [Martin, car chief] made a few changes and it was kinda the same way for Qualifying. Heat Race was not very good. We just had to put our heads down and get to work.”
Miller, who was sent to the tail for his involvement in an incident on Lap 11, climbed all the way back to finish fourth, while Daum hung on to round out the top five.
UP NEXT
The Xtreme Outlaw Midgets close out the Illinois tripleheader with a visit to Red Hill Raceway in Sumner, IL, on Sunday, Sept. 17. Tickets will be on sale at the gate; live stream available on DIRTVision.
ABBREVIATED RESULTS (view full results)
Feature (30 Laps): 1. 40-Chase McDermand[1]; 2. 25K-Taylor Reimer[7]; 3. 71-Jade Avedisian[18]; 4. 97-Gavin Miller[3]; 5. 7U-Zach Daum[5]; 6. 19AZ-Hayden Reinbold[4]; 7. 43-Gunnar Setser[9]; 8. 55-Trevor Cline[11]; 9. 08-Cannon McIntosh[6]; 10. 77W-Joe Wirth[8]; 11. 1K-Brayton Lynch[16]; 12. 31B-Kyle Beilman[13]; 13. 50-Daniel Adler[17]; 14. 97K-Cooper Williams[19]; 15. 3N-Jake Newman[12]; 16. 35-Tyler Robbins[15]; 17. 31K-Alex Midkiff[21]; 18. 21K-Karter Sarff[10]; 19. 53R-Sean Robbins[20]; 20. 16-Kyle Jones[2]; 21. 56-Mitchell Davis[14]; 22. 53-Miles Doherty[22]
Ricky Thornton Jr. Completes Weekend Sweep at Knoxville
| KNOXVILLE, IA (September 16, 2023) – Ricky Thornton Jr. brought out the broom on Saturday Night at Knoxville Raceway as the current Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Championship leader completed the weekend sweep of the 19th Annual Lucas Oil Late Model Knoxville Nationals. It was Thornton’s first win in the crown jewel event as he collected more than $64,000 for the weekend after winning Thursday and Friday night’s preliminary races and the $50,000 finale. Thornton became only the second driver to win all three nights of the Late Model Nationals joining Billy Moyer who did it in 2010. Mike Marlar earned $25,000 for his second-place finish as he was attempting to win his fourth Late Model Knoxville Nationals. Marlar led seven laps of the 75-lap race as he and Thornton traded the lead four times in the first 23 laps of the race. Hudson O’Neal coming off his first World 100 victory at Eldora Speedway last weekend came home in third rounding out the Big River Steel Podium. Jonathan Davenport, the defending race winner, was fourth after starting 18th with Brandon Overton rounding out the top five drivers. Thornton and Iowa native Chad Simpson started on the front row as Thornton sprinted to an early lead over Simpson, who settled into second. Marlar, who started fifth quickly made his way to the front taking over the second spot by lap six from Simpson. Marlar then was able to run down Thornton taking his first lead of the race on lap 11. But two laps later Thornton was back out in front recapturing the lead on lap 13. Thornton and Marlar then continued their battle for the lead as Marlar once again went to the top of the scoring pylon on lap 18. Marlar would hold the lead until Thornton was able to wrestle it from him on lap 23. Kyle Bronson, who had started seventh was using the top line to quickly move into second around Marlar on lap 35. Bronson stayed glued to the top of the racetrack as he held the second position until contact with the wall in turn three on lap 59 resulted in a rollover for the Florida veteran ending his night. Bronson escaped uninjured from the accident. On the restart Thornton had Marlar again behind him, but Thornton was pulling away to a huge advantage when the final caution flew on lap 67 for Ryan Gustin. On the single-file restart Thornton would pull away for the win. The 32-year-old Martinsville, Indiana resident picked up his 20th Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series win of 2023 and became the 14th different driver to win the event which began in 2004. “It’s awesome honestly, you try to be the best you can I mean it’s been a dream season for me. I didn’t know if we were going to be good enough honestly. I saw [Kyle] Bronson coming and [Christopher] Jayco was telling me to move up. I saw him [Bronson] getting closer and closer and I thought man I’ve got to move up. I don’t know, but after that I drove my heart out and it worked out.” Thornton had to patiently wait through several red and caution flag breaks during the race. “I had big time concerns because you never know. When we got back racing, I tried to get the tires as hot as I could. I figured if mine was going to seal up everyone else’s was too. Hats off to this team they bust their butts.” “It’s pretty cool to have the Lucas Oil season we have had to break’s Scott’s [Bloomquist] season record for wins and to tie Billy [Moyer] for sweeping the weekend, he is the greatest of all-time in our sport. It’s pretty awesome. I think we are going to celebrate and get right back to work for Brownstown next weekend.” Marlar, who had won three out of the last seven Late Model Knoxville Nationals had one last shot at Thornton after a caution with 13 laps to go, but could not stay with Thornton as the winner went on for a 4.781 seconds advantage over the Tennessee racer at the end. “The only thing up my sleeve I had left was that last restart. He [Thornton] went where I wanted him to, but he kind of slid up a little early in the corner and I couldn’t get that run I wanted to. He was better. He deserves to win, early on I passed him twice and he passed me back and drove away. You can’t blame the man for that. He done a good job. He is on a hot streak and his team is really doing good right now. He’s the man to beat, but we’re close though. I love Knoxville, you can use the whole track; you can race all over it. I thought it was a really good race. I love coming up here and, the fans are awesome.” O’Neal, who remains second in the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series points came from tenth to third in the final rundown. “I felt like I had something a little bit for them. I just couldn’t quite get a good enough run leaving the corner to get close enough to be able to clear him [Marlar]. I could get off there and get to his door, but that was about the extent of it. Man, we’ll take it. We had a trying week all week. We didn’t have the greatest of nights in our prelims, but I felt like we made gains all weekend long which is what I am really proud of.” The winner’s Todd and Vickie Burns-owned, Longhorn Chassis is powered by a Clements Racing Engine and sponsored by Big River Steel, Coltman Farms, Hoker Trucking, Sub-Surface of Indiana, Dyno One, Inc., West Side Tractor Sales Company, Certified Inspection Service Company, Inc., Sunoco Race Fuels, Bilstein Shocks, Midwest Sheet Metal, Excel Floor Covering, and Murty Farms Completing the top ten were Chase Junghans, Brian Shirley, Devin Moran, Tim McCreadie, and Brandon Sheppard. Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Race Summary Lucas Oil Late Model Knoxville NationalsSaturday, September 16, 2023Knoxville Raceway – Knoxville, IA Fast Shafts B-Main Race #1 Finish (15 Laps, Top 6 Transfer): 1. 62-Justin Zeitner[1]; 2. 39-Tim McCreadie[2]; 3. 7-Ross Robinson[4]; 4. 48-Tim Lance[3]; 5. 51-Matt Furman[6]; 6. 99JR-Frank Heckenast Jr[11]; 7. 17-Tim Simpson[8]; 8. D45-Dan Battaglia[9]; 9. 7W-Ricky Weiss[5]; 10. 21M-Luke Merfeld[12]; 11. 1X-Aaron Marrant[10]; 12. 99B-Boom Briggs[7]; 13. 10W-Junior Coover[14]; 14. 6-Al Humphrey[13] Knoxville Late Model Nationals Feature Finish (75 Laps): |
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| Race Statistics Entrants: 41Terminal Maintenance & Construction Pole Sitter: Ricky Thornton, Jr.Lap Leaders: Ricky Thornton, Jr. (Laps 1-10); Mike Marlar (Lap 11-12); Ricky Thornton, Jr. (Laps 13-17); Mike Marlar (Laps 18-22); Ricky Thornton, Jr. (Laps 23-75)Wieland Feature Winner: Ricky Thornton, Jr.Arizona Sport Shirts Crown Jewel Cup Feature Winner: Ricky Thornton, Jr.Brandon Ford TV Challenge Feature Winner: Ricky Thornton, Jr.Margin of Victory: 4.781 seconds Gorsuch Performance Solutions Cautions: Spencer Hughes (Lap 27); Daulton Wilson (Lap 40); Chris Ferguson, Daulton Wilson, Tyler Bruening, Cory Hedgecock (Lap 40 Restart); Kyle Bronson (Lap 59); Ryan Gustin (Lap 67)Series Provisionals: Boom BriggsFast Time Provisional: n/aSeries Emergency Provisionals: n/aTrack Provisional: n/aBig River Steel Podium Top 3: Ricky Thornton, Jr., Mike Marlar, Hudson O’NealPenske Shocks Top 5: Ricky Thornton, Jr., Mike Marlar, Hudson O’Neal, Jonathan Davenport, Brandon OvertonTodd Steel Buildings Hard Charger of the Race: Tim McCreadie (Advanced 17 Positions) Wilwood Brakes Lucky 7th Place Feature: Brian ShirleyDeatherage Opticians Lucky 13th Place Feature: Chad SimpsonEarnhardt Technologies Most Laps Led: Ricky Thornton, Jr. (68 Laps) Sunoco Race for Gas Highest Finisher: Ricky Thornton, Jr.Midwest Sheet Metal Spoiler Challenge Point Leader: Ricky Thornton, Jr. O’Reilly Auto Parts Rookie of the Race: Max Blair Etchberger Trucking Fastest Lap of the Race: Chad Simpson (Lap 3 – 18.689 seconds) MD3 Tough Break of the Race: Kyle BronsonOuterwears Crew Chief of the Race: Anthony Burroughs (Ricky Thornton, Jr.) ARP Engine Builder of the Race: Clements Race EnginesMiller Welders Chassis Builder of the Race: Longhorn ChassisDirt Draft Fastest in Hot Laps: Ross Robinson (17.244 seconds)Time of Race: 60 minutes 12 seconds Big River Steel Chase for the Championship Presented by ARP Point Standings: |
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Four Team Chevy Drivers Advance to NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs Round of 12
| · Kyle Larson capped off a strong performance in the opening round of the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs – driving his No. 5 Valvoline / HendrickCars.com Camaro ZL1 to a runner-up finish at Bristol Motor Speedway. The Team Chevy driver earned top-five finishes in all three races of the Round of 16, including a win in the opening race at Darlington Raceway. · With the playoff standings reset heading into the first race of the Round of 12 at Texas Motor Speedway, Kyle Larson regained the top position of the points standings with an 11-point lead over second-place Denny Hamlin. · Joining Larson in the Round of 12 is his Hendrick Motorsports teammate William Byron, Richard Childress Racing’s Kyle Busch and Trackhouse Racing’s Ross Chastain. TOP TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL TOP-10 RESULTS:POS. DRIVER2nd Kyle Larson, No. 5 Valvoline / HendrickCars.com Camaro ZL17th Chase Elliott, No. 9 NAPA Gold Filters Camaro ZL19th William Byron, No. 24 Relay Payments Camaro ZL110th Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 Scott Brand Camaro ZL1 TOP-FIVE UNOFFICIAL RESULTS: POS. DRIVER1. Denny Hamlin (Toyota)2. Kyle Larson (Chevrolet)3. Christopher Bell (Toyota)4. Chris Buescher (Ford)5. Ty Gibbs (Toyota) The 2023 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs Round of 12 begins at Texas Motor Speedway with the AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 400 on Sunday, September 24, at 3:30 p.m. ET. Live coverage can be found on the USA Network, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90. |
| TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE QUOTES:Ross Chastain, No. 1 Worldwide Express Camaro ZL1Finished: 23rdYou finished 23rd today, but more importantly, you’re onto the Round of 12. What were you battling tonight that ultimately prohibited you from getting up to the front? “We were just too tight for our No. 1 Worldwide Express Chevy. Aside from the very first run, we were just too tight all night. We were catching up to it running the bottom, and then when we moved to the top, we were just too tight again. Just not quite enough speed for our Chevy.” Austin Dillon, No. 3 Bass Pro Shops Camaro ZL1Finished: 17th“We had a fast Bass Pro Shops/Ranger Boats Chevrolet but didn’t get the chance to capitalize on it tonight at Bristol Motor Speedway. We struggled with a tight-handling condition for much of the race, but a lot of that was due to traffic. Track position is just so important. Our Chevy got pretty decent as the race went on. We just ended up too loose at the end of the race. Proud of the effort of this RCR team. On to Texas Motor Speedway.” Kyle Larson, No. 5 Valvoline/HendrickCars.com Camaro ZL1Finished: 2ndBy the end of Stage One, you were able to collect points and you were a factor in the top-five all day. Runner-up finisher, how tough is that or is this a happy second-place finish? “I’m definitely happy to finish second. The race went a lot better than I thought it would. Thankfully, the No. 1 (Ross Chastain) and the No. 4 (Kevin Harvick) went a lap down – they were pitted behind me and in front of me, and had they been on the same lap as us, that would have been very difficult for all of us. So got fortunate there, which made pit stops much easier. And our No. 5 Valvoline Chevy was good, too. I feel like we had the second-best car and we finished second with it. We just didn’t have the pace that Denny (Hamlin) had. He was really, really fast and got through traffic really well. I thought maybe his balance was fading when we got to traffic, but as soon as he got clear of them, he took back off. Just didn’t quite have the balance that I needed to really charge through the corners and be aggressive on the throttle and exit. We made it better on that final run, but just not quite enough.” Kyle Busch, No. 8 Cheddar’s / ALSCO Uniforms Camaro ZL1Finished: 20th“I’m glad we advanced to the Round of 12 in the NASCAR Playoffs, but it just wasn’t a strong showing for the No. 8 Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen/Alsco Uniforms Chevrolet team tonight. We didn’t have any front grip in the beginning of the run, or any rear grip in the later run. It was a struggle to go anywhere, and to make passes. I just felt mired in traffic and dirty air. Even when we had clean air, we weren’t passing anybody because lap times were just so stagnant. It’s not the race we wanted, but we’ll move on at go to Texas Motor Speedway.” William Byron, No. 24 Relay Payments Camaro ZL1Finished: 9thGood run tonight with a top-10 finish. What are your thoughts heading into the Round of 12? “We’re really happy with 500 good laps here. A top-10 finish is good, but definitely wanted more. After practice, I felt like we could have a little bit more today, but I’m happy with it. I think our No. 24 Relay Payments Chevy was good tonight.” Are there any tracks you have picked out within the next round that you have circled that you think you have a better chance of winning? “No, I think just steadily work through them. We have a good points position. We need to try to keep getting bonus points, but we just need to keep trying to run better. Two of the three weeks (in the Round of 16) were really good, and even Kansas (Speedway) was really good. Just need to do a little bit better job executing and we should be in good shape.” Carson Hocevar, No. 42 Sunseeker Resorts Camaro ZL1Finished: 11th “We had a really fast No. 42 Sunseeker Chevy. It was a lot of fun. We were running fifth at one point and I think that’s where we finished in Stage Two. Our car was so fast. Luke (Lambert, crew chief) and this whole LEGACY MOTOR CLUB team has worked so hard. They were so excited to come here. This is Luke’s favorite race and it was huge to get a strong finish. We had a lot of speed; we were just too free there at the end. We wanted to get a top-10, but we were really close.” Erik Jones, No. 43 U.S. Air Force Camaro ZL1Finished: 24th“Just not a very good day for the No. 43 U.S. Air Force Chevy team. We just kind of struggled on balance all weekend. We had a loose wheel that just put us a couple of laps down and we caught a yellow during that. It just didn’t cycle out very good and got kind of trapped. We’ll go onto Texas (Motor Speedway). We’ve had a good past couple of weeks. It wasn’t our day today, but we’ll hopefully rebound next weekend.” Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 Scott Brand Camaro ZL1Finished: 10th “We executed in the race really well, but just didn’t execute on Saturday good enough to put us starting up front and get some stage points early. That’s kind of where we’ve been lacking, I would say most of the year – just with qualifying and being able to set ourselves up for the beginning stages of the race. I’m proud of the effort and another top-10 finish. Our No. 47 Scott Brand Camaro was really fast and really good there at the end when I needed it to be. We went as far forward as we could, but it just wasn’t enough. We’ll keep learning and trying coming back better next year.” |
| TEAM CHEVY RACE NOTES: STAGE ONE · For the 19th time this season, William Byron put his No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Camaro ZL1 in the top-10 of the starting lineup – taking the green flag for the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs Round of 16 elimination race at Bristol Motor Speedway from the third position. · After a brief delay due to light precipitation, NASCAR’s premier series finally took the green-flag for 500 laps around the “World’s Fastest Half-Mile”. Byron settled his Chevrolet into the fourth position in the opening laps – closing in on third as the leaders started to hit heavy lap traffic by the 40-lap marker. · Under caution for the first time this evening on lap 69, Byron reported that his Chevrolet was “tight at the three-quarter mark” as Crew Chief Rudy Fugle called the Team Chevy driver to pit road for four tires, fuel and an air pressure adjustment – restarting in the 12th position. · Varying pit strategies throughout the field came early with the threat of incoming weather. A small group of drivers that elected to stay out during the first caution period including Team Chevy’s Corey LaJoie – giving the No. 7 NEGU Camaro ZL1 a front-row position for the restart on lap 77. · LaJoie went on to pace the field until another caution came out for rain. Choosing track position once again, Crew Chief Ryan Sparks kept LaJoie out when pit road opened to put LaJoie back on the front-row for the restart with 12 laps to go in Stage One. LaJoie regained the lead before ultimately taking the green-white checkered in the second position to lead Chevrolet to the end of the stage. · Joining LaJoie in collecting points at the end of Stage One included three Team Chevy playoff contenders: Byron (fourth), Ross Chastain (sixth) and Kyle Larson (eighth). 4th William Byron, No. 24 Relay Payments Camaro ZL16th Ross Chastain, No. 1 Worldwide Express Camaro ZL18th Kyle Larson, No. 5 Valvoline Camaro ZL1 STAGE TWO · While under the stage break, a brief rain cell overcame the Tennessee short-track, forcing the field to bring their cars to pit road as the race was brought under red-flag conditions. · Getting the signal to return to competition, a handful of the top-10 finishers in the stage elected to stay out for track position including Team Chevy’s Kyle Larson after driving from the rear of the field to an eighth-place finish in Stage One. Larson chose the third position for the start of Stage Two. Quickly making gains on the top-two positions as the leaders hit lap traffic, Larson ultimately took the lead for the first time on lap 179. · Continuing to work traffic during a long green-flag run, Larson lost the lead on lap 200, but was able to hold onto the third position to close-out Stage Two. · Team Chevy Stage Two: Top-103rd Kyle Larson, No. 5 Valvoline Camaro ZL15th Carson Hocevar, No. 42 Sunseeker Resorts Camaro ZL18th William Byron, No. 24 Relay Payments Camaro ZL110th Chase Elliott, No. 9 NAPA Gold Filters Camaro ZL1 FINAL STAGE / POST-RACE NOTES · Following top-10 finishes in both stages, William Byron and the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Camaro ZL1 team clinched a spot into the Round of 12. · After a third-place finish in Stage Two, Larson reported to the No. 5 Valvoline Camaro ZL1 team that he was fighting loose conditions with his Chevrolet. Crew Chief Cliff Daniels called for a pit stop for four tires, fuel and an adjustment – maintaining the third position in the race off pit road. Larson elected the outside lane of the second row for the start of the final stage. · Larson remained in the third position as the race continued under green-flag conditions for nearly 100 laps. Closing in on the top-two drivers, Ty Gibbs and Denny Hamlin, Larson was looking to setup a pass for the lead when a caution flew at lap 361 that nearly collected the leaders. · Scored in the second position, Daniels called Larson to pit road for four tires and fuel under the caution. Second off pit road, Larson opted for the inside lane of the front-row for the restart with 131 laps to go. · Battling side-by-side with Hamlin on the restart, Larson got loose while entering the corner, forcing the driver to settle his Chevrolet into the second position. The Team Chevy driver maintained the position as the leaders were once again faced with lap traffic – progressively closing the gap to then-race leader Hamlin to under a one-second margin with 50 laps to go, but ultimately took the checkered flag in the runner-up position. |
BRITTANY FORCE AND MONSTER ENERGY HOLD ON TO NO. 2 SPOT AT MAPLE GROVE RACEWAY
| READING, Pa. (Sept. 16, 2023) – Brittany Force in the Monster Energy / Flav-R-Pac Chevrolet dragster team locked into the No. 2 qualifying spot in front of a sold-out crowd Saturday at the Pep Boys NHRA Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway. Robert Hight and the Cornwell Tools / AAA Chevrolet Camaro SS secured the No. 3 spot while John Force in the PEAK Antifreeze and Coolant Chevy Camaro SS went No. 7 and Austin Prock in the Montana Brand / Rocky Mountain Twist dragster went No. 8. Brittany Force and the Monster Energy team didn’t miss a beat coming out in the first session of the day to run a clean 3.790-second pass at 330.39 mph. In the final session, Force laid down a 3.712 at 333.33. She locked in the No. 2 qualifying spot with her 3.689 pass from Friday evening. She’ll start her chase for a first win at Maple Grove Raceway with a matchup against first-time opponent Jacob Opatrny in the first round. “Good two days of qualifying for the Monster Energy / Flav-R-Pac team. We qualified in the number two spot and face Jacob Opatrny first round during Sunday’s eliminations,” Force said. “We really made use of every four of those qualifying runs. We got down the racetrack with solid passes and we were low in two of the four sessions. This car is running well. This team is ready for race day and ready for the rest of the Countdown.” Robert Hight and the Cornwell Tools team stayed consistent from their high performance Friday. The Cornwell Tools Chevy would go 3.909 seconds at 332.02 mph. In the final session, Hight and his Jimmy Prock-tuned Camaro would push a bit too hard and smoke the tires for a 4.597 at 178.71. Hight and the Cornwell Tools team would shift into the No. 3 qualifying position with his 3.879 pass from Friday and will try to repeat as the event winner with a first-round race against Jim Campbell. “Pretty good weekend so far for this Cornwell Tools team. Jimmy Prock and his son Thomas and Nate Hildahl have gotten a handle on this Chevy Camaro. It’s exciting to get in the seat,” Hight said. “We had three good runs getting down the racetrack, we just need to carry it over to tomorrow. I think we’ll do that. It’s going to be really cool conditions starting so early so things could be interesting. I’m confident, this whole Cornwell Tools team is confident.” John Force and the PEAK Chevy had tire smoke mid-track for a 4.679-second pass at 174.84 mph in their first attempt of the day. In the final session, Force and the PEAK team had their third solid run of the weekend with a 3.947 pass at 320.20. They weren’t able to improve from their 3.898 pass from Friday night and locked in the No. 7 spot. In the first round of eliminations Force will face Cruz Pedregon for the 121st time in their careers. We came out and ran well, ran a 3.92 and then we went out there and ran a 3.89. Then we pushed it and it didn’t go. But we got it back, ran a 3.94,” Force said. “Bottom line I stayed in that top half so at least I get that right lane, I like it. Cruz is a great racer but this PEAK Chevrolet we’ve got a lot of customers out here, NK Seeds, Baldwin Filters, PEAK, and everybody so I have to perform, it’s what I’ve got to do and this PEAK Chevrolet, we will.” Opening day two at Maple Grove Raceway, Austin Prock hazed the tires and shut off the Montana Brand dragster for a pass at only 5.321 seconds at 125.89 mph. Prock turned things around in the last session with a 3.764 pass at 321.19 despite dropping a cylinder. His No. 8 starting position is thanks to the 3.728 pass from Friday night. He’ll line up alongside veteran Tony Schumacher in round one. “It’s been a decent start to our weekend. This Montana Brand / Rocky Mountain Twist dragster was competitive enough to qualify in the top half but it has so much more potential left in it,” Prock said. “My crew chiefs, Chris Cunningham and Joe Barlam, are really close to making this thing absolutely fly and I hope we see that tomorrow.” Competition at the Pep Boys NHRA Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway continues with eliminations Sunday at 9:30 a.m. Television coverage of the first of six NHRA Countdown to the Championship events continues with a second qualifying show Sunday at 12:30 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1 (FS1). Eliminations will be covered by FOX Broadcasting Network with shows Sunday at either 4:30 p.m. or 2:00 p.m. ET, check your local listings. -30- |
| AUSTIN PROCK, 28, Montana Brand / Rocky Mountain Twist dragsterQualifying:8th; 3.728-seconds; 329.83 mphBonus Qualifying Points:0BRITTANY FORCE, 37, Monster Energy / Flav-R-Pac dragsterQualifying:2nd; 3.689-seconds; 336.57 mphBonus Qualifying Points:+8 (quickest Q1&Q4; 2nd quickest Q2) JOHN FORCE, 74, PEAK Antifreeze and Coolant Chevrolet Camaro SSQualifying:7th; 3.898-seconds; 334.32 mphBonus Qualifying Points: 0 ROBERT HIGHT, 54, Cornwell Tools / AAA Chevrolet Camaro SSQualifying:3rd; 3.879-seconds; 329.34Bonus Qualifying Points:+5 (quickest Q1; 2nd quickest Q2) |
ASHLEY EARNS NO. 1 QUALIFIER POSITION AT MAPLE GROVE AS COUNTOWN BEGINS
Kalitta, Torrence, Brown and Capps also qualify in the top five
MOHNTON, Pa. (September 16, 2023) – Toyota Top Fuel driver, Justin Ashley, will start from the top spot in tomorrow’s Pep Boys NHRA Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway. Sitting atop the Top Fuel standings to begin the Countdown to the Championship, Ashley heads a Top Fuel top five dominated by Toyotas with Doug Kalitta qualifying third, Steve Torrence in fourth and Antron Brown in fifth.
In Funny Car, Ron Capps led the way for Toyota by qualifying fourth with Alexis DeJoria in eighth and J.R. Todd in 10th.
Toyota Post-Qualifying Recap
NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series
Maple Grove Raceway
Race 16 of 21
TOYOTA TOP FUEL QUALIFYING POSITIONS
| Name | Car | Qualifying Position | First Round Opponent |
| Justin Ashley | Phillips Connect Toyota Top Fuel Dragster | 1st (3.687) | S. Farley |
| Doug Kalitta | Mac Tools Toyota Top Fuel Dragster | 3rd (3.696) | J. Hart |
| Steve Torrence | Capco Contractors Toyota Top Fuel Dragster | 4th (3.698) | M. Salinas |
| Antron Brown | Matco Tools Toyota Top Fuel Dragster | 5th (3.716) | D. Foley |
| Shawn Langdon | Kalitta Air Careers Toyota Top Fuel Dragster | 6th (3.719) | D. Mercier |
TOYOTA FUNNY CAR QUALIFYING POSITIONS
| Name | Car | Qualifying Position | First Round Opponent |
| Bob Tasca* | Motorcraft Ford Mustang Funny Car | 1st (3.874) | C. Lee |
| Ron Capps | NAPA Auto Parts Toyota GR Supra Funny Car | 4th (3.879) | A. Laughlin |
| Alexis DeJoria | Bandero Tequila Toyota GR Supra Funny Car | 8th (3.915) | B. Alexander |
| J.R. Todd | DHL Toyota GR Supra Funny Car | 10th (3.923) | T. Wilkerson |
(*non-Toyota driver)
TOYOTA QUOTES
JUSTIN ASHLEY, Phillips Connect Toyota Top Fuel Dragster, Maynard-Ashley Racing
TF Qualifying Result: 1st
How good do you guys feel starting off the Countdown with the No. 1 qualifying position?
“We feel great. Obviously, qualifying is very important. Once race day comes, it’s all behind you, but nonetheless, theoretically, you’re putting yourself in the best position to win on Sunday and I think we accomplished that. We went down the track three out of four times. Obviously, we had the 3.687, the quickest time of the weekend, but tomorrow is going to be different and faster than we’ve seen. Nonetheless, we feel very good about the position we’ve put ourselves coming into this race and the reminder of the Countdown, and obviously so far this weekend.”
You talked about the three out of the four runs, with the first not being what you wanted. I’m sure you were confident you guys would bounce back in a hurry from Q1 on Friday.
“Absolutely, I think it’s a good problem to have when you don’t make it down in the first session and you’re wondering why it happened. That’s always the position you want to be in. It’s going to happen. We have four sessions and you’re not going to make it down each and every time, but one of the amazing things about Mike Green and Tommy DeLago (crew chiefs) is how consistent they are and how they’re able to find a way wherever we qualify. They make sure the car goes up and down the racetrack and they have a very methodical approach in how they tune this race car.
RON CAPPS, NAPA Auto Parts Toyota GR Supra Funny Car, Ron Capps Motorsports
FC Qualifying Result: 4th
Can you describe your qualifying runs today?
“What a great ending to qualifying! I can’t say enough about Guido (Dean Antonelli crew chief) and the NAPA Auto Parts team. They had a plan going up there and we discussed with the Toyota engineers, and we felt like we could improve on our time earlier today. With the sun still out, a lot of people would’ve questioned if we could have improved. It’s what makes this team great. The data we get from our Toyota engineers at the racetrack, Guido’s confidence in going up there and my ability to try to keep the car in the groove and go 3.87 seconds and over 330 mph really makes this Toyota GR Supra really fun to drive, especially when you’re trying to improve on qualifying and throw down your quickest time of the day. Great job by the guys and looking forward to Sunday! It’s going to be an early start and great conditions, and we’ll probably see the quickest time of the weekend, so we have to be on our game.”
NASCAR CUP SERIES BRISTOL MOTOR SPEEDWAY TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT SEPTEMBER 16, 2023
| JUSTIN MARKS, OWNER AND FOUNDER OF TRACKHOUSE RACING; BILL ANTHONY, PRESIDENT OF SPIRE MOTORSPORTS; and ZANE SMITH met with the media at Bristol Motor Speedway to announce that Trackhouse Racing has made a multi-year driving agreement with Zane Smith, beginning in January of 2024. Press Conference Quotes: Justin Marks: “This is a really, really exciting moment for us at Trackhouse. Expansion is something that has been important to us since we first got on the racetrack, getting to a place where we felt like we could be the most competitive organization as possible. Expansion can look a lot of different ways. With our alliance with Spire and the opportunity to have Zane drive over there next year gives us the ability to grow in 2024 to an organization where we can put three cars on the racetrack full-time in 2025 and beyond. As that conversation started happening and conversations around the garage area about what growth looks like for Trackhouse, there was a short list of names and Zane was pretty much at the top of that list the whole time. Huge fan of him, what he’s accomplished in the racecar, his talent and his grind. Probably most importantly and a core tenant of what we do at Trackhouse is he’s a good human and a good person. We try to have good people in our company no matter what they’re capable or not capable of doing. Zane proved that to us really, really quickly in our early conversations. I’m really excited to facilitate a Cup ride for him in 2024 and then go to work as Trackhouse Racing to expand and put three racecars on the racetrack in ’25 and beyond and have Zane be a part of that for a while.” ZANE, TELL US WHAT THIS DAY MEANS TO YOU.“Obviously it’s a huge day. I can’t thank both you guys enough. It’s been a crazy road… I had held it together during the championship speech but I thought I was all good today. This just means the world to me. I almost didn’t have anything a couple of years ago. This is the place I want to be. Three hundred sixty-five days ago, I sat at Bob Evans with a very close friend, and he had asked me where I want to race someday. I think he expected maybe some different answer, but my answer was Trackhouse. Almost 365 days later, I’ve signed a contract with them. It means the world to me. It’s all I’ve ever wanted do to. The sacrifices that have been made are where the emotion comes from and how bad I want it… I’ll do whatever it takes to win on Sunday and I have that chance thanks to Justin Marks. I’m just so, so thankful for the people that are around me. I’m ready to go compete on Sunday. It’s crazy to say.” BILL, TALK ABOUT THE EXPANSION FOR YOU AS WELL.“There are a lot of ties. It’s actually pretty interesting how close we’ve been over the years, and that makes this a special moment. When Justin was a driver, we had a close relationship with him as a management agency. Ty (Norris) actually worked with us for a couple of years. We also had a connection through Ross (Chastain). You think of all those connections and ties and being members of the Chevy family, a lot of this made sense. It’s unique in many regards. You don’t see this type of alliance and collaboration. We’ve had the great fortune of being affiliated with some pretty special companies and people over the years. Hendrick Motorsports and all they’ve done for us… We really relish this opportunity to offer support to someone in the garage that is important. Our ability to offer support tells a lot about our organization. TJ (Puchyr) and Jeff (Dickerson) have made some bold decisions to stay the least. They’ve taken some big swings. I think that they’ve proven step after step that they are willing to take the chances and make the decisions that you need to progress in this sport. This collaboration and affiliation shows everybody’s commitment to the sport. It shows that we’re optimistic about the future of NASCAR and what it can be and what we can be in it. There’s no doubt that Trackhouse has set the standard for coming out of the block as a new competitive team. It challenges people like us, and we accept that challenge and we embrace that challenge. In fact, we want to be a part of that challenge as well. It speaks very well to our ownership, the willingness and transparency to do that. I will say that the ties for Spire also really go back to their driver management days. It means a lot to help very talented drivers and to help them progress in the sport and do things that help push the sport forward. Part of this also is giving a little bit of a nod to Zane and allowing him to move up and achieve his dream. I know that’s important to us as well.” MORE ON ZANE SMITH JOINING TRACKHOUSE…Justin Marks: It’s been an interesting story arc for Trackhouse from the beginning. It’s a reuniting of people. I think it shows that when you build something and you operate authentically and you stay committed to the vision and who you are, things just kind of work out. We’ve told the story ad nauseum about Ross buying his first racing seats for me when he moved up to North Carolina, the fact that I raced for Ganassi and the way the CGR thing went and we put Ross in the car and he won his first race for us and all that. It’s fascinating. This is another really interesting anecdote about this journey… the fact that we didn’t know Zane was under any kind of contract or anything with Chip. When I got the text I was like, ‘Oh… ok. We’re not in a spot right now to do anything.’ It was a moment that went on Ty’s world-famous whiteboard and sat there for a long time. It’s that kind of thing. It’s like when Ross texted me after we announced the CGR thing, and he said ‘I want this.’ When someone like Zane reaches out and says ‘How can I be a part of this, whatever you’re doing?’ at that stage of Trackhouse, it shows the drive that he has and the commitment that he’s got and how he’s constantly thinking about how to create opportunities for himself. It’s another element to a great story that we’re all writing together.” ZANE, WHAT ABOUT THAT TEXT?“Yeah. I haven’t recovered, now that I got it out. I mean, it’s crazy how this has all gone, and full circle. Not many years before that, I was walking through the gift shop getting (Chip Ganassi Racing) diecast cars, and now it was the gym, and I went there a couple of days ago. What attracted me to Trackhouse, obviously, I want to be a part of it. I feel like every driver is always winning a race on Sunday. It’s so dang hard to get there. I don’t know. I said it over and over again to the people that were around me of ‘Man, that’s a group I really want to be with and I don’t know how we’re going to make it happen, but I want to be there. I see the leadership Justin (Marks) has. I see the sponsors and the people; it’s such a people sport. I believe those are some of the best people at that race team. I just wanted to be a part of it. Unfortunately, it was a weird situation we were all in but truthfully, I don’t know if I was ready as a driver to take on Sunday now that I’ve got my feet wet in the Cup series. I truly do believe I’m ready now. I’m excited for next year with Spire to learn. Sunday is a whole different ball game, and I’m just ready to attack it and take advantage of the opportunity in front of me. It’s everything I’ve ever wanted. Just really believe what (Trackhouse) is doing and thankful it’s a big enough word to be a part of it.” Bill Anthony: “Speaking of thankful, I’m not getting out of this room without thanking Shawn and Lucy Holt. Shawn Holt has been there since the spring when we started talking about things with Zane (Smith), and obviously he has relationship with Zane. Going to dinner, having conversations, keeping up with him, he’s been an huge part of keeping us up to date and being a part of this future. So Shawn, thank you for that.” Justin Marks: “I just want to thank BJ McLeod and Matt Tifft, and everyone over at LiveFast and everyone working on this transaction with us. I appreciate everything they’ve done and what they’ve contributed to this sport, and are still involved in this sport, but I just wanted to put that out there that they’ve been really great to work with.” JUSTIN, YOU’RE NOT AFRAID TO SWING FOR THE FENCES, BUT IT SEEMS LIKE THE LAST COUPLE OF DECISIONS HAVE BEEN METHODICAL AND THOUGHT OUT. IT SHOWS THE PRECISE PLAN YOU HAVE. CAN YOU ELABORATE ON THAT?“I think it depends on the opportunity and what we’re trying to do. Every project or development scenario within the company is unique, and the players and what we’re trying to do. Growth and expansion in this sport is difficult. There are a lot of moving pieces and there’s a lot of different ways to envision what growth looks like. I think it’s no small feat to grow to a third team. We have to be very methodical and cerebral about how we approach all of the elements to get something like this. All I know is we didn’t want to get all that stuff put together and then go, ‘Okay, who is our driver? Who’s at the end of a contract?’ To me, it’s the driver that has been the most important part of the puzzle. And at the end of the day, it’s always been about the 147 people working in the shop. It’s one guy holding a steering wheel at the end of the race. So that has to be the tip of the spear, and I wanted to make sure we started this journey knowing who our driver is going to be and then filling in kind of everything around it. We were able to do it with great friends at Spire (Motorsports), to be looking at experience next year as we work intelligently and methodically about growing the business.” JUSTIN, YOU HAVE FOUR DRIVERS NOW WITH SHANE (VAN GISBERGEN) CAN YOU EXPAND ON BEING FOUR, OR DO YOU THINK YOU’RE GOING TO HAVE THREE FOR 2025?“Shane’s (van Gisbergen) program is about 2024. There’s a lot of unknowns around Shane and how he’s going to do on the ovals, if he’s even going to enjoy it. There’s so many unknowns around him, but I’m really excited about that program but that’s one where we’re going to have to see how things play out and see how things go. We’ll be able to make some more announcements and talk about that, but I’m just really excited about what we’ve got with Zane (Smith).” JUSTIN, TRYING TO CONNECT DOTS, WITH SPIRE ACQUIRING THIS CHARTER, WAS THERE EVER A THOUGHT IN YOUR MIND TO LEASE THE CHARTER AND RUN IT UNDER THE TRACKHOUSE BANNER? WHY PUT ZANE (SMITH) IN A TRACKHOUSE CAR?“Because of where we are at, with expanding to a third team, it takes time and a lot of money. We have to be strategic in how we capitalize that third team. It sounds stupid, but Featherlite Trailers are eight months out and there’s none in the used market. We have to take our time in doing this stuff. Where it makes sense for us, is putting Zane (Smith) in an established team where he can focus on the driving and we can focus on everything we can to support him and that car over there while we expand over the course of the year. We can’t rush it, and we didn’t want to throw it together late. It’s a process that’s going to have to take course over time.” JUSTIN, THIS ALLIANCE WITH SPIRE, IS THIS JUST WITH ZANE’S CAR OR IS THIS MORE ORGANIZATIONAL TYPE OF THING INCLUDING INFORMATION FROM THE NO. 7 AND NO. 77?“This is just mainly focused on Zane (Smith). Zane has signed a contract with Trackhouse. Zane will have a presence in our shop and in our systems, meetings. Zane is a driver we have placed with the help of Spire in another car that we’re going to be supporting. It’s really to make sure all of Zane’s opportunities develop in experiences. Everything next year is in the context of him learning in the first year in the Cup series and becoming a Trackhouse driver under our roof.” BILL, SPIRE HAS BEEN A PLAYER THROUGH THE YEARS WITH THE CHARTER SYSTEM. SOME TEAM OWNERS WERE HESITANT MOVING FORWARD ON THIS AGREEMENT WITH THE TEAMS. WHAT LED TO GOING OUT AND PURCHASING THIS, AND MUCH MORE SIGNIFICANT NUMBER THAN FIVE, SIX YEARS AGO?“I was just talking to Justin (Marks) about this on our walk over. I think if you look down the list of organizations in the Cup series, you’d be hard pressed to find any that are more transparent about their ambitions and intentions than these two organizations. Jeff and TJ have consistently, I think this move is consistent with their prior ambitions and intentions. People question, there was cynicism when there was one charter, and there was cynicism when there were two charters. Corey (LaJoie) signing and re-signing. We’ve proven and come through in each of those circumstances; that is certainly a double-down on the future of the sport. My guess is it’s a triple-down now and a showing of belief in the sport. That’s not to say there isn’t work to be done with NASCAR and the charter agreement, but I think we believe in all the people in the garage and all the people in the NASCAR.” ZANE, WITH BEING SO CLOSE TO THE CUP SERIES FOR SO LONG NOW, TO KNOW THAT YOU ARE FOR SURE COMING TO A CUP SERIES RIDE IN 2024, HOW MUCH MORE SIGNIFICANT DOES THAT MAKE TODAY FOR YOU?“I mean, yeah, for me it’s all I’ve ever wanted, but to have that weight lifted off my shoulders and knowing that I’m doing next year is huge. I feel like it’s just so nice to have clarity in this industry. But then again, it’s another weight added on my shoulders because these are my final three races left in a Truck, and I want to make those the best races I’ve ever had and hopefully get into this Final Four, and walk off into the sunset with a back-to-back championship.” |
Trackhouse Racing Inks Zane Smith to Multi-Year Agreement
| Forms Alliance with Spire Motorsports, Moving Smith to Full Time Cup in 2024 |
| CONCORD, N.C. – Zane Smith is in the House.Trackhouse Racing today announced a multi-year driving agreement with the 2022 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Champion and its aim to operate three full-time NASCAR Cup Series entries in 2025.Smith will officially join Trackhouse in January of 2024, teaming with a talented stable of Trackhouse drivers which includes 2022 NASCAR Cup Series championship runner-up Ross Chastain, the only foreign-born touring series champion in NASCAR history, Daniel Suárez, and Shane van Gisbergen, the New Zealander who shocked the NASCAR world in July by winning his Cup Series debut at the Chicago Street Course.In 2024, Smith will race full time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving a Chevrolet for Spire Motorsports in an alliance with Trackhouse. “Expansion is not something to be taken lightly, but we feel Trackhouse is commercially and technically positioned for growth,” said Trackhouse founder and owner Justin Marks. “You need good timing, very good partners and great drivers. Adding Zane is like signing the No. 1 draft pick and we are proud that he is now a member of the Trackhouse family.”Smith is a nine-time NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series winner completing his fourth full-time season this year. He has also run seven Cup Series races in the last two seasons highlighted by a 10th-place finish in the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway in May. |
“This is an incredible moment for me,” said Smith. “Trackhouse is one of the most progressive organizations in the garage. I told some friends a year ago that I wanted to be a part of what Trackhouse is doing and I just can’t believe this is all coming true. I am very excited and thankful to have a future with the organization.“The Cup series is the pinnacle of racing in America, and I cannot wait to compete, learn and hone my skills against the best in the world. I am really looking forward to working with the Spire Motorsports team in 2024 and believe the alliance with Trackhouse will help continue Spire’s ascent up the grid.” |
| The Huntington Beach, California native began racing go-karts in 2004 and won championships five consecutive years before moving to legends car racing and super late models. He recorded victories in the World Series of Asphalt, Pro All Stars Series and the CARS Tour, as well as garnering a runner-up finish in the Snowball Derby. He moved to ARCA racing winning four races and finishing second in the standings in 2018. He ran 10 Xfinity Series races in 2019 scoring two top-five finishes and moved to the truck series fulltime finishing second in the standings in 2020 and 2021. He won the 2022 title and is still in the truck series playoffs as he seeks a second consecutive championship. Spire Motorsports was founded in 2018 by long-time NASCAR industry executives Jeff Dickerson and Thaddeus “T.J.” Puchyr. The team currently fields two full-time NASCAR Cup Series teams with drivers Corey LaJoie and Ty Dillon and fields select entries in NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and NASCAR Xfinity Series competition. The team earned its inaugural NASCAR Cup Series victory in the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway on July 7, 2019. Less than three years later, William Byron drove Spire Motorsports’ No. 7 Chevrolet Silverado to its inaugural NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series win on April 7, 2022, at Martinsville Speedway. The team’s most recent win came on May 20, 2023 when Kyle Larson took the checkered flag in the Tyson 250 at North Wilkesboro Speedway.“Spire Motorsports will acquire a NASCAR charter from Live Fast Motorsports prior to the 2024 season and we’re thrilled to offer our support to Trackhouse Racing, a key member of the Chevrolet family,” said Spire Motorsports co-owner Jeff Dickerson. “Spire has a longstanding relationship with Justin Marks and we are proud of everything he and all the men and women at Trackhouse have accomplished in a relatively short time. “This cooperative agreement is also proof-positive of the hard work of everyone at Spire Motorsports. We certainly wouldn’t be in this position without Mr. Hendrick and the competition group at Hendrick Motorsports so we continue to be grateful for that relationship. T.J. and I are also grateful to B.J. McLeod and Matt Tifft for working with us on the charter acquisition. We’re looking at a watershed moment for our organization that further demonstrates our commitment to the sport.” Smith joins a Trackhouse Racing team that began when Marks retired from a fulltime driving career in NASCAR and sports car racing to create Trackhouse Entertainment Group in 2020 with the goal of creating a racing brand that transcends the sport. Marks formed Trackhouse Racing that took to the track in 2021 with Suárez behind the wheel. In January 2021, the team announced a partnership with international superstar entertainer Pitbull who has been a frequent guest at NASCAR races and elevated Trackhouse’s presence through inclusion in several of his songs, music videos and named his upcoming album “Trackhouse.” Midway through the 2021 season, Trackhouse Racing bought the NASCAR assets of Chip Ganassi Racing and began the 2022 season as its own two-car team with Suárez and Chastain as drivers. Chastain gave the organization its first victory at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas on March 27 and won again at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway on April 24. Suárez became the first Mexican (Monterrey) driver to win a Cup race when he dominated the Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway race in June 20. In 2023, Chastain won the Nashville (Tenn.) Superspeedway race on June 25 and van Gisbergen won the inaugural Chicago Street race on July 2 driving for Trackhouse’s PROJECT91 program Marks created to offer NASCAR opportunities to international driving stars. Trackhouse Entertainment Group operates out of Nashville, Tenn. while the race shop is in Concord, North Carolina |