Salisbury, NC (May 18, 2023) – Some drivers play golf. Some basketball. Each have their own way of finding time away from their hectic racing careers. For Chase Briscoe…He goes dirt racing.The NASCAR Cup Series star will climb back behind the wheel of his dirt Midget during the second annual DIAEDGE Double Down Showdown with the Xtreme Outlaw Midget Series presented by Toyota, May 23-24.“It helps me on Sunday,” Briscoe said about his dirt racing ventures. “I feel like any time I run a Sprint Car or a Midget or a Late Model, that following weekend… I definitely think it helps me. But at the same time, it is kind of like going playing golf. It helps you get your mind off everything. It is something I still love to do. I’m still passionate about. I still watch Outlaw races every chance I get. USAC races every chance I get. And still love competing in them. Just don’t get the time a lot of the time to do it.“These midweek races, especially at Millbridge, being so close to where we live now, make it easy to go do and it is something that I want to support. I’ve been going to Millbridge for a long time. When I first moved to Charlotte, (track owners) Jeremy and Ashly were the two first people I met. So, anytime I can help support one of their bigger races I try to do it.”With the track resting in the heart of NASCAR country and the backyard of several motorsport personalities – and leading to the Coke 600 weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway – the Xtreme Outlaw event attracts a diverse group of racing stars. Briscoe is helping to bring one of them with UMP Modified champion and Late Model star Kyle Strickler set to drive one of Briscoe’s cars.Through the connection of a former Stewart-Haas Racing team member, Briscoe got to drive Strickler’s Late Model earlier in the year. As a trade, Briscoe is helping Strickler check more boxes in his illustrious racing career, piloting a Midget at Millbridge and potentially more races – including the 2024 Chili Bowl.“It’s just something I’ve wanted to do,” Strickler said. “I’ve wanted to run a Midget for a while now. Originally, being from Sinking Spring, Pennsylvania and central Pennsylvania, I grew up around the Sprint Car guys and it’s kind of odd that I never drove one or didn’t dabble in any of that. My mom had a lot to do with that too. I kind of went the Northeast Big Block Modified way and she wanted to keep me out of the Winged Sprint Cars as much as possible. It still makes her nervous running a Midget now.“But, with the way short track racing is going now, you see a lot of guys jumping around and branching out. I think it is a really neat time in short track racing and racing in general to have these types of opportunities.”The Monday before the two-day event will be Strickler’s first time sitting behind the wheel of a Midget. However, he’s been running a Micro Sprint at Millbridge to prepare.Last year, Briscoe finished 12th and eighth, respectively, in the DIAEDGE Double Down Showdown – which was the debut event for the Xtreme Outlaw Midgets. He knows his team enters the event a step behind others since he only runs the Midget a few times a year. However, with Millbridge being his prime testing ground for Chili Bowl, Briscoe said he’s confident they should have a solid baseline.“Hopefully, we’re good,” he said. “I feel like we have a pretty good set up for there. It is hard though, because our team, outside of Chili Bowl, we only race three times during the year against some of these teams that run eight cars and 50 to 60 races a year. It is a little hard for us sometimes to be right where they are, at least those first couple laps – Hot Laps, Qualifying, Heat Race – trying to figure out where our stuff is and what we need to do to work on it. Where those guys, they race so often they know what they need out of the car and where they need to start.“Hopefully we’ll be good again. Millbridge, I feel like, is a place where we do have a pretty good package just because that’s where we always test for Chili Bowl. We should be good. But hopefully go in there and have a safe night and some fun.”Along with Millbridge being close to home for Briscoe, it’s also one of his favorite tracks to race a Midget at.“I love, in the Midget, running these tight little bullrings,” he said. “Du Quion, Illinois, the indoor track, is one of my favorite places to run because it is so small. Millbridge is kind of the same. Millbridge is still really fast for how small it is. The corners are really, really wide so you can throw these major sliders. The straightaways are a little narrow. The track just races awesome I feel like for the Midgets. I try to run the small tracks. Running there, Wayne County (Speedway in Wayne City, IL), those small tracks are what I enjoy doing. And Millbridge is just a lot of fun. No matter the car, the Outlaw Karts or the Midgets, I feel like always put on a good show.”After Millbridge, Briscoe plans on joining the Xtreme Outlaw Midgets again at Wayne County Speedway (IL) during the Xtreme Outlaw Midget Showdown, June 2-3.Tickets for the Xtreme Outlaw Midgets’ DIAEDGE Double Down will be available at the gate. If you can’t make it to the track, you can watch all the action live on DIRTVision.

The Xtreme Outlaw Midget Series is brought to fans by important sponsors and partners, including: DIRTVision (Official Live Broadcast Partner), Toyota (Title sponsor of the Midgets Series), Racing Electronics (Official Radio Supplier) and SIS Insurance (Official Insurance Provider). Other partners include: TJ Forged and Whitz Racing Products.

CHICAGO, IL (May 18, 2023) — Top Fuel racer TJ Zizzo has been chasing a dream that started in the fall of 2003 at the Route 66 Raceway in Joliet. The Chicago native will soon bring the Rust-Oleum Rocket Top Fuel dragster team to the Gerber Collision and Glass NHRA Nationals, May 19-21. Here, he hopes to secure a status he has come so very close to in recent years. 

Zizzo attempted to make his first professional Top Fuel start at the Fall NHRA national event at Route 66 Raceway, but he did not qualify. Undeterred, Zizzo entered the Chicago spring and now defunct fall national event 16 times. This weekend, he looks to build off the success he experienced in his most recent races at the track located 25 minutes from downtown Chicago.

TJ Zizzo’s Rust-Oleum Rocket Top Fuel dragster, photo credit Zizzo Racing

“I can still remember that first event in 2003. I was happy to be there for sure, but I also wanted to do my best and try to qualify,” said Zizzo, who raced to one final round in 2020. “That wasn’t in the cards for us that weekend, but we never gave up. Every time we went to the track, we wanted to do our best, represent our sponsors well and try to put ourselves in position to win. It has been a long and strange road to get us here. I have a lot of people to thank but really our team is about family. I have to thank my dad first, and then all my family and team for letting me chase this dream.”

Zizzo’s best qualifying effort came in 2018 when he raced to the No. 5 spot only to be upset in the first round by Scott Palmer. In 2017, Zizzo qualified No. 8 and took out Pat Dakin and Brittany Force in the first two rounds only to be ousted by eventual winner Steve Torrence in the semifinals. That finish would stand as Zizzo’s best effort, but not the most memorable race.

As the No. 16 qualifier in 2012, Zizzo upset No. 1 qualifier and fellow Chicagoan Tony Schumacher in the first round before losing to Hillary Will in the quarterfinals. The first round race was an epic effort for Zizzo who was first off the starting line against the sure-fire Hall of Famer Schumacher, .092 to .120, and he never trailed in the drag race. Prior to that race Zizzo was 0-5 versus the world champion. As Schumacher crossed the finish line, his engine let go in a huge fireball. Zizzo’s winning time of 3.872 seconds was his quickest run of the weekend.

“I think that win over Tony in 2012 was huge for our team,” said Zizzo. “He was a world champion. It was a Chicago guy versus Chicago guy race. We were David to his Goliath and on that day, David got the win light. As the No. 16 qualifier, I was so proud of our team for not giving up and just throwing everything we had at the No. 1 qualifier. Just a huge win.”

Zizzo recorded a No. 9 qualifying effort in his last appearance at Route 66 Raceway and on race day, he upset Leah Pruett in the first round. In the quarterfinals, he lost to eventual event runner-up Mike Salinas. Zizzo has raced at Rt. 66 Raceway more than any other facility on the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series tour. A close second is World Wide Technology Raceway outside of St. Louis.

“We love racing in Chicago,” said Zizzo. “It is our hometown track. Our sponsor Rust-Oleum is right up the road, so we get great support from them. I have family and friends from all over Chicago come to the races. The guys from the body shop come out. It will be an amazing weekend, and we want to put on a good show. I am so glad we are back here racing.”

In addition to the return to the track, Zizzo will bring back his traditional Saturday morning pancake breakfast for the fans and his fellow competitors. The fan-favorite event is a way for Zizzo and his team to say thank you for the support and have some fun engaging with his ever growing fanbase. The pancake breakfast will once again be held at the Rust-Oleum pit area on Saturday morning with an exact start time to be announced later.

Zizzo plans on racing five NHRA national events this season including his kick-off race in Chicago. He has a new race car thanks to his friend and Hall of Fame team owner, Don Schumacher. Rahn Tobler, crew chief legend, will lead tuning help alongside his amazing team. Crew chief Mike Kern, who’s prepared for this weekend for over two years, will also lend his talent and expertise to the weekend’s events.

“I have to thank Don Schumacher for helping me get a racecar that is on par with the competition,” said Zizzo. “We never really had that for nearly two decades. We always had good equipment, but it wasn’t the best equipment. We had to beat teams with smarts and a little bit of luck. Now we have smarts and lots of horsepower. We might still need some luck, but we are able to make our own luck now. I don’t know that I have ever been more excited to get to the racetrack. We had a really good test session and this Rust-Oleum Rocket will be ready to go on Friday night,” said Zizzo.

Qualifying for the Gerber Collision and Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals will begin on Friday, May 19 with one session of the four professional categories. On Saturday, fans will be treated to two more qualifying sessions. The quickest 16 race cars, dragsters and motorcycles will race for the famed Wally trophy beginning at 11 a.m. on Sunday. The race will be broadcast nationally on FS1 Sunday evening.

TEAM CHEVY ADVANCE

WELCOMING THE RETURN OF NORTH WILKESBOROThe long-awaited return of one of NASCAR’s most historic venues is up next as the NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) takes on North Wilkesboro Speedway for the annual NASCAR All-Star Race. The .625-mile oval located just north of Charlotte, North Carolina, will become the fifth different venue to hold the annual non-points paying race for NASCAR’s premier series. Enriched in the sport’s history as one of NASCAR’s first tracks, this weekend will mark NASCAR’s return to North Wilkesboro Speedway for the first time in more than 25 years – making the track a fitting addition to the schedule as part of NASCAR’s 75th anniversary season. The weekend kicks off Friday with the return of the Pit Crew Challenge, where crews will power off a four-tire stop with the pit stop time determining the lineup for the All-Star Heat Races and the All-Star Open Race. Saturday night will feature a set of two, 60-lap heat races to determine the lineup of the All-Star Race. The weekend will be capped off Sunday starting with the All-Star Open Race where drivers not already eligible for the main event will compete in a 100-lap race with the top-two finishers moving on to the 200-lap All-Star Race and a chance to compete for the one-million-dollar grand prize. Drivers eligible for the All-Star Race include those who won a points event in 2022 or 2023, full-time drivers who are past All-Star Race winners and full-time drivers who have won a NCS championship.Nine drivers from five different Chevrolet teams have met at least one of those requirements and have clinched a spot in the All-Star Race: Hendrick Motorsports: Kyle Larson, Chase Elliott and William ByronRichard Childress Racing: Austin Dillon and Kyle BuschTrackhouse Racing: Ross Chastain and Daniel SuarezLEGACY MOTOR CLUB: Erik JonesJTG Daugherty Racing: Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Chevrolet – the winningest manufacturer in NCS’ history – will help celebrate the return of North Wilkesboro Speedway as the official pace vehicle for the monumental race weekend. The Camaro ZL1 will pace NASCAR’s premier series in Sunday’s All-Star Open and the All-Star Race, and the Silverado RST will pace the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (NCTS) in Saturday’s Tyson 250.

CHEVROLET TOPS IN ALL-STAR TRIUMPHSThe annual non-points paying event was added to the NASCAR Cup Series’ schedule in 1985 with Charlotte Motor Speedway hosting the inaugural event. In the event’s 38-race history, Chevrolet has recorded a series-best 20 victories. The Bowtie brand’s first All-Star Race triumph came in the inaugural event in May 1985 – recorded by Darrell Waltrip behind the wheel of the No. 11 Chevrolet for Junior Johnson & Associates. Team Chevy drivers have found recent success in the event, taking the one-million-dollar grand prize in three of the past four events – all captured at three different race tracks (Kyle Larson – May 2019 at Charlotte Motor Speedway; Chase Elliott – July 2020 at Bristol Motor Speedway; and Kyle Larson – June 2021 at Texas Motor Speedway).

Kyle Larson, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Camaro ZL1NASCAR All-Star win at Texas Motor Speedway – June 13, 2021

Kyle Larson, No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing Camaro ZL1NASCAR All-Star win at Charlotte Motor SpeedwayMay 18, 2019Chase Elliott, No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Camaro ZL1 1LENASCAR All-Star win at Bristol Motor Speedway July 15, 2020

The All-Star Race has seen 26 different winners in the event’s history with career Chevrolet driver Jimmie Johnson leading the charge with four total All-Star wins (2003, 2006, 2012 and 2013). Just behind Johnson on the all-time wins list includes NASCAR Hall of Famers Dale Earnhardt Sr. and Jeff Gordon with three wins each – all recorded behind the wheel of a Chevrolet.

WINNING RECORD AT NORTH WILKESBORO NASCAR Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon parked Chevrolet in victory lane in the NASCAR Cup Series’ last appearance at North Wilkesboro Speedway in September 1996 – a battle between two of the greatest names in stock car racing, Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Sr., that saw the iconic No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet take the triumph.  The .625-mile North Carolina short-track has hosted 93 races for NASCAR’s premier series. Chevrolet has collected 32 all-time NCS victories at North Wilkesboro Speedway, with the manufacturer’s first coming in October 1957 with Jack Smith’s win in the Wilkes 160. The Bowtie brand went on a streak of wins at the track on a couple of different occasions with Cale Yarborough and Darrell Waltrip collectively scoring five-in-a-row between April 1976 and April 1978, as well as five different drivers recording a combined eight-consecutive wins within the timespan of October 1984 to April 1988.

THE SITE OF A MILESTONE VICTORYNorth Wilkesboro Speedway holds a special place in Chevrolet’s storied NASCAR Cup Series history as the site of the manufacturer’s 300th all-time win in NASCAR’s premier series. The milestone victory came after Dale Earnhardt Sr. drove the famed No. 3 Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing to the win in the First Union 400 on April 20, 1986 – a season that saw the pairing of Earnhardt Sr. and Childress record their first of six championships.

MAKE THAT ANOTHER WEEKEND SWEEPChevrolet is coming off yet another powerhouse performance across all three NASCAR national series with the manufacturer making it three-for-three in trips to victory lane in last weekend’s NASCAR tripleheader at Darlington Raceway. A familiar feat for the Bowtie brand, this marks the third time this season that Chevrolet swept the weekend’s wins when all three NASCAR national series were in competition on the same weekend:

–        Las Vegas Motor Speedway: NASCAR Cup Series – William Byron, No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Camaro ZL1NASCAR Xfinity Series – Austin Hill, No. 21 Richard Childress Racing Camaro SSNASCAR Craftsman Truck Series – Kyle Busch, No. 51 KBM Silverado RST –        Richmond Raceway/Texas Motor Speedway: NASCAR Cup Series – Kyle Larson, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Camaro ZL1NASCAR Xfinity Series – Chandler Smith, No. 16 Kaulig Racing Camaro SSNASCAR Craftsman Truck Series – Carson Hocevar, No. 42 Niece Motorsports Silverado RST –        Darlington Raceway: NASCAR Cup Series – William Byron, No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Camaro ZL1NASCAR Xfinity Series – Kyle Larson, No. 10 Kaulig Racing Camaro SSNASCAR Craftsman Truck Series – Christian Eckes, No. 19 McAnally-Hilgemann Racing Silverado RST

LEADING AT THE HALFWAY-POINTThe 2023 NASCAR Cup Series regular-season has officially met the halfway-point with 13 points-paying races remaining for drivers and teams to either win or point their way into the 16-driver playoff field and a shot at the series’ championship title. A look at Chevrolet’s 2023 NCS season highlights, to date:

–       Four drivers from three different Chevrolet teams have collected a combined eight wins in 13 NCS points-paying races, giving the manufacturer a winning percentage of 61.5% heading into the second-half of the series’ regular-season. The manufacturer’s first NCS win of 2023 came in series’ season opener with Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and the No. 47 JTG Daugherty Racing Camaro ZL1 team’s victory in the Daytona 500. The Bowtie brand went on to make it four-straight trips to victory lane in the series – marking the first time since 2001 that a manufacturer has swept the first four races in a single season in NASCAR’s premier series. –       Only three different drivers have become repeat winners in the series this season – all coming from the Bowtie brigade (William Byron – Las Vegas, Phoenix & Darlington; Kyle Larson – Richmond & Martinsville; Kyle Busch – Auto Club and Talladega). Byron’s win at Darlington Raceway last weekend took him one step ahead, making him the only three-time winner thus far this season.  –       The reigning NCS Manufacturer’s Champion, Chevrolet has maintained the top position of the series’ manufacturer points standings through the duration of the 2023 season. Heading into the second-half of the series’ regular-season, Chevrolet holds a 38-point lead over its competitors.

KEEPING THE MOMENTUM ROLLING Coming off back-to-back trips to victory lane in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, Chevrolet will look to continue the hot streak and capture its first NCTS win at North Wilkesboro Speedway in Saturday’s Tyson 250.  The .625-mile North Carolina oval has a short history with the series – only hosting two races in NCTS’ history. The iconic venue found a spot on the NCTS schedule in the series’ debut season in 1995. The second – and most recent – appearance by the series came one year later with Jack Sprague and Hendrick Motorsports leading Chevrolet with a runner-up finish in the 1996 event.

With the second-half of the NCTS’ regular-season underway, Team Chevy’s Christian Eckes quickly became the series’ second repeat winner of the season after his victory at Darlington Raceway last weekend. Eckes’ win brought Chevrolet to its fifth victory in nine NCTS races this season – more than its manufacturer competitors combined. Chevrolet continues to sit atop the NCTS manufacturer points standings, extending its lead to 25-points.

Christian Eckes, No. 19 McAnally-Hilgemann Racing Silverado RSTNCTS win at Darlington Raceway – May 12, 2023

BOWTIE BULLETS:·       Chevrolet leads all manufacturers with 20 NASCAR All-Star Race victories, including three of the past four events: Kyle Larson, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Camaro ZL1 at Texas Motor Speedway (2021)Chase Elliott, No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Camaro ZL1 at Bristol Motor Speedway 2020)Kyle Larson, No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing Camaro ZL1 1LE at Charlotte Motor Speedway (2019) ·       Chevrolet is the most recent manufacturer to win in the NASCAR Cup Series at North Wilkesboro Speedway – courtesy of Jeff Gordon and the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet team in September 1996.  ·       Hendrick Motorsports leads all NASCAR Cup Series teams with 10 All-Star wins among five different drivers: Jimmie Johnson (four, series-best), Jeff Gordon (three), Terry Labonte (one), Chase Elliott (one), and Kyle Larson (one).  ·       Only three drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series are repeat winners this season, all coming from Team Chevy (William Byron – Las Vegas, Phoenix & Darlington; Kyle Larson – Richmond & Martinsville; Kyle Busch – Auto Club and Talladega).  ·       In 13 points-paying NASCAR Cup Series race this season, Chevrolet continues to lead the series in wins (eight), top-fives (30), top-10s (55), stage wins (14) and laps led (1,748). ·       Chevrolet leads the series in wins across all three NASCAR national series this season with eight victories in 13 NASCAR Cup Series races, seven victories in 11 NASCAR Xfinity Series races and five wins in nine NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series races – all with a win percentage of more than 50%.  ·       With Grant Enfinger’s NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series win at Kansas Speedway, GMS Racing is tied with Kevin Harvick Incorporated as the winningest Chevrolet organization in NCTS history with 43 all-time wins.  ·       Chevrolet’s series-leading eight NASCAR Cup Series wins this season have been recorded by drivers from three different Chevrolet teams: Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (JTG Daugherty Racing), Kyle Busch (Richard Childress Racing), William Byron and Kyle Larson (Hendrick Motorsports). ·       Chevrolet drivers have recorded 14 of the 26 NASCAR Cup Series stage wins this season: William Byron (six; series-leading), Ross Chastain (five), Kyle Larson (two) and Chase Elliott (one).  ·       Chevrolet continues to sit atop the manufacturer points standings in all three NASCAR national series, leading by 38 points in the NASCAR Cup Series, 36 points in the NASCAR Xfinity Series and 25 points in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.  ·       With its 41 NASCAR Cup Series Manufacturer’s Championships, 33 NASCAR Cup Series Driver’s Championships, and 841 all-time NASCAR Cup Series wins, Chevrolet continues to hold the title of winningest brand in NASCAR Cup Series history.

FOR THE FANS: ·       Fans can visit the Team Chevy Racing Display in the Fan Midway at North Wilkesboro Speedway.     ·       Fans can check out an assortment of Chevrolet vehicles in the Fan Midway including: NASCAR 75th Anniversary Camaro ZL1, Silverado 1500 Crew ZR2, Corvette Coupe 3LT Z51, Trailblazer RS, Blazer RS.  ·       Fans can also view Chase Elliott’s No. 9 Camaro ZL1 show car at the Chevrolet Display in the Fan Midway.  Team Chevy Driver Appearances at the Display: Friday, May 19 ·       Matt DiBenedetto: 1:15 p.m. ·       Carson Hocevar & Lawless Alan: 1:30 p.m. ·       Christian Eckes & Jake Garcia: 1:45 p.m. ·       Nick Sanchez: 2 p.m.  Sunday, May 21·       Austin Dillon: 12:15 p.m.  ·       Kyle Larson: 4:45 p.m. ·       Chase Elliott: 5 p.m.  Chevrolet Display Hours of Operation: Wednesday, May 17: 3 p.m. – 8 p.m. Friday, May 19: 12 p.m. – 6 p.m.  Saturday, May 20: 10 a.m. – 8 p.m. Sunday, May 21: 11 a.m. – 6 p.m.   Tune In: NASCAR Cup Series: – NASCAR All-Star Open: 5:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, May 21- NASCAR All-Star Race: 8 p.m. ET on Sunday, May 21(FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90) NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series: – Tyson 250; 1:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, May 20(FOX, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90)

QUOTABLE QUOTES:ROSS CHASTAIN, NO. 1 WORLDWIDE EXPRESS CAMARO ZL1 What do you think about going to North Wilkesboro this weekend?“I’ve only ever driven by North Wilkesboro and known it as a closed racetrack. There has been a lot of hype over this race weekend and obviously Marcus Smith and a lot of others have put a lot of effort into making it happen. It will be fun to go up there and check it all out. I’m going to get my feet wet with the late model race and hopefully get more comfortable with the track, and then the truck race on Saturday afternoon before going for the million dollars on Sunday night.” Everyone has a different perspective of North Wilkesboro, what do you remember about it?“It’s neat to hear the different perspectives everyone has on North Wilkesboro. You hear a lot people talk about going there back when the Cup Series still ran there. And then you have guys like me who were little kids when the series stopped racing there and a fair amount of people who weren’t born yet. I hope everything goes smoothly with all of the different events and that the fans pack the stands and we can have a little fun this weekend.” AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 BREZTRI CAMARO ZL1A lot of drivers have North Wilkesboro Speedway circled as one of the most exciting races on the schedule this season. What are your thoughts about racing there?“I’m excited to race in the All-Star race at North Wilkesboro Speedway.. It’s such a huge event for our sport. I remember as a kid my dad won a Late Model race there and we got to take the elevator ride up to victory lane. Hopefully, we can do it for $1 million. We participated in the tire test in March. The tire fall-off is going to be fast, so managing tires during a long run will be important. I personally love old-school short-track racing. It’s going to be a physical race that my Richard Childress team is ready for.” What does it mean to you to be a part of the group of drivers that gets to bring back racing at this historic track,?“I think it’s very cool and important for our sport, and I’m thrilled that I get to be a part of history as one of the drivers competing in this year’s All-Star race at North Wilkesboro Speedway. I know they’ve done so much work to the track and the community is excited about having us there. North Wilkesboro Speedway is one of those racetracks where Richard Childress Racing has had a lot of success. I think we won five times with Dale Earnhardt. When I tested a couple of months ago, it was clear that it’s just a nostalgic place and I’m excited to run the All-Star race and see what we can do. Having a sold-out crowd to race in front of, there’s going to be nothing like it.” What are you most looking forward to about the All-Star Race?“I think the atmosphere is going to be electric. I love the format NASCAR came up with getting the pit crews involved. People are excited about it. I think this can become our Master’s event for NASCAR. It’s pretty much a second throwback weekend in a row, following Darlington Raceway. It’s going to be electric and we all want to have fun at the All-Star race. This is the track we can do that at. It’s going to be an experience – maybe even the best experience of the year for our sport. It’s something different, and I personally love the nostalgia associated with the track. I’m sure everybody is excited to see how the racing turns out and I think it will be great. It will be a blast from the past.” The Dillon family has a lot of history at North Wilkesboro Speedway..“It’s pretty cool because Mike Dillon was really good at North Wilkesboro Speedway. He earned two trophies there in the Late Model division, and has a second-place finish there as well. I’ll be walking the track with him to see if I can get any pointers. It’s been a minute since he earned one of those trophies, but I feel like a guy that’s good at a track is always good at it. My dad’s nickname back in the day was The Hurricane. One of the newspapers in Myrtle Beach named him that. He went to Myrtle Beach Speedway and rocked them like a Hurricane, I guess. The name Hurricane Mike definitely fits my dad very well. As a kid, when he would get mad he was like a hurricane.” You’re racing for a Million dollars this weekend. You are one of the few drivers who had the opportunity to test there. Do you have an edge up on the competition, and how are you going to capitalize?“It was great to participate in the Goodyear tire test to see the track, get on the track and test it out a little bit. We’ve got to get our car a little better. I think we’ve done that. It’s one of those things where you always want to make it better, and we can use what we learned at the test to try and do that. Racing at North Wilkesboro is going to be so special. We’re racing for a million dollars and those opportunities don’t happen every weekend for us. It’s a huge weekend for our sport and we’re going to do our best.” KYLE LARSON, NO. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM CAMARO ZL1Larson on racing at North Wilkesboro Speedway: “I don’t know what to expect at all. I feel like we’ve done really well on the short tracks this year and we won at Richmond (Raceway) and Martinsville (Speedway), two tracks I typically wouldn’t be good at. I’m excited to go to North Wilkesboro (Speedway). It’s got worn out pavement. I’m typically not the best at saving my tires, so I’m a little nervous about that. Going into North Wilkesboro this weekend, I think that the atmosphere is going to be great. We’ll see how it goes, but I think that this could be a great spot to just leave the All-Star Race. I do love going to different venues and I think that really shows who the “all-star” is and who the best driver in the sport is. It’s definitely an honor to have won at Charlotte (Motor Speedway) and Texas (Motor Speedway). If I could win at North Wilkesboro, that would be pretty amazing and something to be proud of. I’m really excited about the opportunity to go there and I never thought that I would race at that track.” CLIFF DANIELS, CREW CHIEF, NO. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM CAMARO ZL1Daniels on the team’s approach to the weekend: “I think it will be interesting for us to get there (North Wilkesboro Speedway), touch the track, feel it and see what it’s all about. There is certainly a lot of excitement and anticipation. Kudos to SMI (Speedway Motorsports, LLC.), NASCAR, North Carolina and everybody who has taken the initiative to get us back to this place. I know that it’s going to be really special to all of us to be there and feel the excitement of the event. For us, it’s still a competitive race and it has a trophy. We still want to go put our best foot forward so we are going to study and do all of the things that we can to be good and be competitive. There are certainly a lot of unknowns, which will be fun to battle through and is of course going to be the same for the whole (NASCAR) Cup (Series) field. Hopefully, we shake out on the good end of things.”  CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CAMARO ZL1Elliott on returning to North Wilkesboro: “Yeah, it’s been a little while (since I’ve been here). I guess about 13 years ago, kind of hard to believe. It is cool to be back. It has changed a lot. Doesn’t look anything like I remember it. All the infield and everything has changed. Hats off to whoever has done all the work in here because they’ve done a lot in a short time. It’s good to be back and there’s a lot of energy here obviously around this entire week. Not only from the spectators but as you can see there’s a lot of excitement to be here at a race as well.” Elliott on what to expect in the All-Star Race this weekend: “This place is old and worn out. It’s going to be hard to get a hold of throughout the All-Star Race. I hope it puts on a good show. I think it has the potential to do that. They’ve done a lot of work on the track in some different areas so that’s going to impact the way the race looks, too. I think I know about as little as anybody else at this point but certainly excited to be here.” ALAN GUSTAFSON, CREW CHIEF, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CAMARO ZL1Gustafson on racing at North Wilkesboro: “I don’t think anyone really knows what to expect at North Wilkesboro (Speedway) exactly. There was a tire test there and there was some wheel force testing. It’s not the same until the teams and the drivers get there and they get them all on the track and run. Looking forward to it. It’s going to be a huge learning curve for all of us. It should be fun.” WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 LIBERTY UNIVERSITY CAMARO ZL1Byron on his thoughts heading to North Wilkesboro: “It’s going to be cool for sure. We’re nervous about the weekend and not knowing what to expect. Luckily, I’m running the late model race this week. I’m excited to run that and get back in a Super Late Model again. It should be a lot of fun as well as give me a good idea of what the track is going to be like, and we can go from there. Right now, I’m just telling my guys to set it up how you think is best since we don’t really have any simulation for the track. It’s going to be pretty fun to see who hits the set up and who needs to make changes after practice.” RUDY FUGLE, CREW CHIEF, NO. 24 LIBERTY UNIVERSITY CAMARO ZL1Fugle on how to prepare for North Wilkesboro: “I have as good of an idea on what the starting point is as anyone. We can kind of simulate what our travels should be here and there but otherwise we don’t have any data. There was a tire test earlier with three cars, but the track is going to be way different from then. The track will be more rubbered in this time from racing all week. It’s going to be some form of Richmond (Raceway) and Martinsville (Speedway) mixed – we think – but it’s North Wilkesboro (Speedway) and we don’t know what is going to happen really. We’ll have an hour to figure it out and I’m not sure how well anyone is going to hit the set up right away. Hopefully, by the end of Sunday night, we’re the group that has hit it.” JUSTIN HALEY, NO. 31 LEAFFILTER GUTTER PROTECTION CAMARO ZL1“I’m very curious to see what North Wilkesboro has to offer. Obviously, we are not locked into the big show, so we will have to race our way in. It will be interesting to see what the tires do, as it’s a low-grip racetrack with a lot of tire wear. Coming off a strong run in Darlington, I’m excited to see if we can turn some heads and get a Kaulig Racing car into the All-Star Race.” NOAH GRAGSON, NO. 42 SUNSEEKER RESORTS CAMARO ZL1“I’ve been looking forward to the All-Star race weekend. The “Vote for Noah” fan vote campaign has been pretty fun and the fans have really gotten into it. We’ve been handing out buttons and posting flyers everywhere. I hope to win the Open race and not need the vote, but either way, I want the No. 42 Sunseeker Resorts Chevrolet in the main event. It’s going to be a wild race at a historic track where we can highlight our pit crews and team, have some fun and go for it all. I hope the fans have a blast. It’s going to be a special weekend and I am really just happy to have the opportunity to be a part of it.” ERIK JONES, NO. 43 STP CAMARO ZL1“It’s always exciting to get the chance to participate in an All-Star race and to get to do it at a historic track like North Wilkesboro is even more special. I took some advice from ‘The King’ as he said the track is so worn out it, tire fall off will be high. That kind of track really suits my driving style, With the iconic STP paint scheme on the No. 43 Chevrolet it will be like going back in time at North Wilkesboro. We hope to put on a good show for the fans of the No. 43. Richard (Petty) told me with this “Day Glo Red” I can’t hide from him – and with no points and a million bucks on the line, it’s going to be an aggressive race. It would be historic to put this car in victory lane again so we are going to do everything we can to make that happen.” RICKY STENHOUSE JR., NO. 47 KROGER / COCA-COLA CAMARO ZL1“Obviously, it’s nice to be locked into the NASCAR All-Star Race. When we show up, we’ll have a different agenda and focus on the car. Then we will see how strategy plays out through the race because everything is an unknown. One thing we do know is that tires will fall off a lot, and I’ve been watching old films where they had a lot of green flag runs. I’ve never made laps there, so I’m looking forward to getting on track.” BLAKE HARRIS, CREW CHIEF, NO. 48 ALLY CAMARO ZL1Harris on his thoughts of racing at North Wilkesboro: “I am looking forward to getting to North Wilkesboro (Speedway) this weekend. I have never been there for a Cup race, but I did make the Late Model Stock race last year when Dale (Earnhardt Jr.) raced and that was fun to watch. I love the old tracks, like the ones with history, and it’s really cool to see what they have done with the place to bring it back. We would go hiking with my family and drive through that place and see what it used to be. It’s super exciting to be able to go there and race on it. Josh (Berry) is familiar with that place and has made some laps around there in a Late Model, so I think we have an opportunity to play into his driving style. He was there Tuesday and was shooting us pictures of the track. For him to be plugged in the whole week with that and simulator time, it will keep him completely bought in on North Wilkesboro this week.” Harris on what he thinks the biggest obstacles will be at North Wilkesboro: “I think the whole weekend will be along our normal lines as far as execution goes. We have to unload as close as we can since we only have one practice. We don’t have the luxury of unloading with something far off since we have to go straight into the Open to qualify in that way. We will lean on our pit crew to get us a good qualifying position in the Pit Crew Challenge. I do think our setup will come into play and how well we can manage our stuff throughout the race, but starting with some decent track position will be key as well.” GRANT ENFINGER, NO. 23 CHAMPION POWER EQUIPMENT SILVERADO RSTHow cool is it that we get to return to North Wilkesboro Speedway with all its history this weekend?“I am really excited for this weekend at North Wilkesboro. I never thought they would open it back up, but it is going to be really special to be the first NASCAR race back since it closed. They didn’t repave the track surface so it’s going to be the most tire wear and falloff that we’ve ever experienced. I was able to run a super late model there earlier in the week and learn a few things. We want to keep the momentum rolling in these next few races. My team has been working really hard and we are ready for another win.” RAJAH CARUTH, NO. 24 WENDELL SCOTT FOUNDATION SILVERADO RSTAs a driver who started your career on iRacing, how awesome is it that this track was basically reborn because of the sim?“It’s pretty cool to head to a racetrack that became revitalized from the resurgence of sim racing. To see all of the hard work from everybody at iRacing, Dale Jr. and his team, and the Smith family has put in has been pretty awesome to see a racetrack that hasn’t been raced on since before I was born come back to life. I can’t wait to get to compete on it, and I feel confident that we should be able to have ourselves a good run. We’ve had some very strong trucks over the past couple of weeks and are starting to turn the page and have the tide turned in our favor. Hopefully we will have another good finish for the Wendell Scott Foundation, the men and woman on my No. 24 team, along with everyone at GMS Racing, GMS Fabrication, our body hangers, Chevrolet, Maury Gallagher, Mike Beam, and Ron Booth.” DANIEL DYE, NO. 43 CHAMPION CONTAINER CORPORATION SILVERADO RSTLast year, you were able to race a Super Late Model around North Wilkesboro when the track was revived. How can you take that experience and translate it to the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series this weekend?“It definitely doesn’t hurt that we ran a Super Late Model there last year! I wasn’t able to get the finish that we were hoping for, but to be able to feel the surface and get a general sense on the grip that this track has was a good thing. I’m looking forward to our first primary race with Champion Container on our No. 43 GMS Racing Chevrolet this weekend; the truck looks great and I’m thankful to have their support in front of a large viewing audience in person and on FOX.” CHRISTIAN ECKES, NO. 19 GATES HYDRAULICS SILVERADO RSTEckes on returning to race at North Wilkesboro:“It’s pretty crazy to see everything that’s happened with North Wilkesboro in the last couple years and to be able to have a full race weekend there is going to be exciting. Our Gates Hydraulics team is looking forward to racing there. We had a lot of speed at Martinsville, so we’re anxious to get back to a short track and try to get another win. The win at Darlington last week was such a huge honor, and to join names that have won there is really special. This week wouldn’t be any different. There’s so much history at Wilkesboro, and it’d be awesome to join that list of winners too. Tire management is going to be the big key to getting it done this weekend. Whoever can keep the tires under them the best is probably going to come out on top, so we’ll try to do everything we can to save tires and be up front at the end.” JAKE GARCIA, NO. 35 QUANTA SILVERADO RSTGarcia on racing at North Wilkesboro Speedway:“It’s a cool opportunity to race at such a historic track. I obviously never was able to see races at Wilkesboro, but that track means a lot to the sport, so it’s great to be able to race there. Tires are going to be everything on Saturday, and how you manage them. I’ve raced at a lot of tracks in super late models that chew tires up, but Wilkesboro might be more abrasive than any other racetrack. Everybody at MHR has built great trucks and we’ve had a lot of speed the last several weeks. I think we’ll have another strong Quanta Services Chevrolet on Saturday, and if we can manage the race and our tires the right way, I think we can be up front at the end of the day.” CHASE PURDY, NO. 4 BAMA BUGGIES SILVERADO RSTAre you looking forward to being a part of NASCAR’s return to North Wilkesboro?“It’s such an iconic place and has a lot of history. The last race that they held out there I wasn’t even born yet, but I’ve seen the videos since the time I was a kid. It’s going to be really cool to race at a place that has a lot of history. Short tracks are my thing — what I grew up doing and made my career off of, so I’m excited to go there. We’ve had a really tough two weeks, but there is no reason we can’t get back to where we started the first five weeks of the season — knocking off top fives and top 10s.” How do you prepare for a track you’ve never been to, and the series hasn’t raced at in years?“I think the only thing you can do is go back and watch old race videos. I know myself personally and a few others that I’ve talked to, they’ve gone back and watched the last race from the 90’s that was held there just to see what racing stock cars was like out there. Some people say it hasn’t changed that much, but I have no idea what to expect and I think that levels the playing field. Everybody will be trying to figure it out at the same time and he who figures it out the best will probably win the race.” Is there a track that you’ve raced at that you feel is similar to North Wilkesboro?“The only thing similar that I can think of is when I used to run Late Models at Myrtle Beach and Greenville-Pickens. Very rough race tracks, very abrasive race tracks. I think tire saving is going to be big this weekend. Even though you get tires, I think you can burn your stuff up in a couple laps from what people are saying. I think managing your tires and knowing when to take off and when not to is going to be the key.” WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 51 HENDRICKCARS.COM SILVERADO RSTAre you excited to be running three races this week at North Wilkesboro?“I’m excited for it for sure. The track looks gorgeous — it just really looks nice. The whole layout of the place has that feel of kind of a Wrigley Field or just a historic place that has a newness to it. I think the late model race will get me ready, running the truck race after that and running the Cup race on Sunday. Lots to do and feel like we don’t really know what we’re getting into yet. I think I practice at one o’clock on Tuesday, so I’ll tell you after that.”

Chevrolet NASCAR Cup Series Statistics Manufacturers Championships:Total (1949-2022): 41First title for Chevrolet: 1958Highest number of consecutive titles: 13 (2003-15) Years Won: 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1998, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2021, 2022 Drivers Championships:Total (1949-2021): 33First Chevrolet champion: Buck Baker (1957)Highest number of consecutive titles: 7 (2005-11)Most Recent: Kyle Larson (2021) Years Won: 1957, 1960, 1961, 1973, 1976, 1977, 1979, 1980, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2020, 2021 Event Victories:Record for total race wins in single season: 26 (2007)                2023 STATISTICS:                                                                                                    Wins: 8Poles: 4Laps Led: 1,748Top-five finishes: 30Top-10 finishes: 55Stage wins: 14·       Ross Chastain – 5 (Daytona), (Auto Club x2), (Dover), (Darlington)·       William Byron – 6 (Las Vegas x2), (Phoenix), (COTA), (Richmond), (Dover)·       Kyle Larson – 2 (Phoenix), (Bristol Dirt)·       Chase Elliott – 1 (Talladega)  CHEVROLET IN NASCAR CUMULATIVE STATISTICS:Total Chevrolet race wins: 841 (1949 to date)Poles won to date: 738Laps led to date: 247,292Top-five finishes to date: 4,251Top-10 finishes to date: 8,767                                                                                                          Total NASCAR Cup Wins by Corporation, 1949 to Date:                    General Motors: 1,175           Chevrolet: 841           Pontiac: 154           Oldsmobile: 115           Buick: 65            Ford: 821                                                                      Ford: 721           Mercury: 96           Lincoln: 4            Fiat Chrysler Automobiles: 467           Dodge: 217           Plymouth: 191           Chrysler: 59            Toyota: 174

JOLIET, Ill. (May 18, 2023) – Whilst there may have been a two-week break in the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series, there was no rest for Elite Motorsports as the largest professional team in drag racing worked nonstop to improve performance in all areas of its robust racing program.  To prepare for the Gerber Collision & Glass NHRA Route 66 Nationals presented by PEAK Performance, the team utilized an AVL system to monitor engine behavior in real-time during testing. The system provided additional data that will contribute to tuning decisions made at the track. Armed with this additional information, the Elite Pro Stock fleet is primed for competition at the iconic Route 66 Raceway just outside of Chicago. The series returns to traditional side-by-side racing after having completed back-to-back four-wide races.  This race will be a pinnacle event this season as four Elite Motorsports Pro Stock drivers will compete in the Pro Stock All-Star Callout, a race-within-a-race that will take place during qualifying on Saturday. Current Pro Stock world champion Erica Enders will compete in the Callout with her teammates Aaron Stanfield, Troy Coughlin Jr. and Cristian Cuadra. Additionally, four KB-powered Pro Stock drivers – Dallas Glenn, Matt Hartford, Kyle Koretsky and Camrie Caruso – will vie for victory in this specialty race. Drivers will have the opportunity to call out their competitors and, if similar competitions in Top Fuel and Funny Car are to serve as any indicators, there will likely be several side bets increasing the level of heated competition. The Pro Stock All-Star Callout will be televised in a specially dedicated broadcast on NHRA on FOX. The Elite Motorsports team has a solid history at Route 66 Raceway. Enders achieved one of the most memorable milestones in the sport during the 2012 season when she defeated Greg Anderson in the final round to become NHRA’s first female Pro Stock winner. She also appeared in final rounds in Joliet in 2005, 2011, 2017, and 2019, the last time NHRA held a national event at the facility. Coughlin is looking forward to continuing his family’s legacy of success in Chicago. His uncle, Jeg Coughlin Jr., has won more than any other professional driver at Route 66 Raceway.  Former Pro Stock world champion Bo Butner has been gaining traction all season long and plans to make some big moves over the course of the next few weeks in his Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage Camaro. His teammate, rookie Jerry Tucker, will be competing for the first time at Route 66 Raceway and his team is also primed and ready for a successful performance.  The Cuadra Boys, Fernando Cuadra Sr. and his sons, Fernando Cuadra Jr., Cristian Cuadra and David Cuadra, have become a force to be reckoned with in the Pro Stock ranks. This talented drag racing family is poised to bring their first victory back to their home in Leon, Mexico.  Mountain Motor Pro Stock will take to the track for the first time this season at Route 66 Raceway. Elite Motorsports driver Pete Berner will be making his Mountain Motor debut with his teammate Enders. Both talented drivers are eager to compete in this exciting category. In the FuelTech NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by Type A Motorsports, Mason Wright will once again compete behind the wheel of his Elite-powered Pro Mod machine. He is within striking distance of the top ten and is looking to make some big moves this weekend.  Stanfield will not only be competing in Pro Stock, but he will also race in the Flexjet NHRA Factory Stock Showdown. Qualifying opens on Friday, May 19 at 5 p.m. CT, leading into qualifying at 1 and 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, May 20. Eliminations begin at 11 a.m. CT on Sunday, May 21. The opening round of the NHRA Pro Stock All-Star Callout takes place at 1 p.m. CT on Saturday, followed by the semifinals at 3:15 p.m. and the final round at 4:55 p.m. CT. ***

Driver Quotes

Erica Enders”Route 66 Raceway is so special to me because it was where I became the first woman in the history of the NHRA to win a Pro Stock national event. It’s also where I made my first final-round appearance in 2005. In those 11 years since my first win, we’ve come so far and I’m excited to return to the place where it all began. We also have the Pro Stock All-Stars Callout this weekend so that’s going to be very exciting and add something to the normal race weekend. I’m also pumped to play double-duty and compete in not only 500” Pro Stock but Mountain Motor Pro Stock as well. The Elite Motorsports team is ready to give it their all!”

Aaron Stanfield“I’m pumped up about the All-Star Callout. It is something new for our class and we look to do good! Chicago has been good to me in other categories in the past. We will see if our luck can continue.”

Troy Coughlin Jr.”I’m looking forward to going back to Chicago! There’s a lot of great racing on tap with the NHRA Pro Stock All-Star Callout. Team Yellow is loaded and ready for any and all that comes our way!”

Bo Butner“I’m thrilled to get to return to Route 66 Raceway. It’s been too long and I’m ready to see all of these fans again! This JHG Camaro is ready to give them a great show.”

Fernando Cuadra Sr.”The Cuadra Boys are making our mark on Pro Stock. All of my sons are doing very well and I’m so proud of them. We can’t wait to compete this weekend!”

Fernando Cuadra Jr.”After the Charlotte race we found some stuff in my race car that we think will benefit all the Elite cars so I feel really excited about Chicago. Plus I’m looking forward to returning to Route 66 Raceway because the first time I raced there I didn’t qualify.”

Cristian Cuadra”I’m excited to compete in Chicago and I’m really looking forward to the NHRA Pro Stock All-Star Callout. It’s going to put a great spotlight on Pro Stock.”

David Cuadra”I’m feeling confident as I enter my second Pro Stock event. Pro Stock is very complex and I have a lot to learn. I’m just excited to get more time behind the wheel.”

CHEVROLET IN NTT INDYCAR SERIES INDIANAPOLIS 500 INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA TEAM CHEVY PRACTICE REPORT MAY 17, 2023 SANTINO FERRUCCI AND THE NO. 14 AJ FOYT RACING TEAM LEAD TEAM CHEVY AT THE FIRST INDIANAPOLIS 500 PRACTICE DAY AT INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY Santino Ferrucci, in the No. 14 Homes for Our Troops Chevrolet with AJ Foyt Racing led the Bowtie brand at the conclusion of first on-track practice at Indianapolis Motor Speedway with his fastest speed of 228.977 MPH.Ed Carpenter Racing’s Rinus VeeKay led the no-tow speed of the day at 223.212 MPH, followed by his teammate and team owner Ed Carpenter at 222.341 MPH. Will Power rounded out the top three no-tow speeds and giving Team Chevy a sweep of the first three spots with his lap at 221.803 MPH.Four Chevrolets finished in the top-10 of first practice at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, with four drivers representing three teams.RC Enerson, in the No. 50 Abel Motorsports Chevrolet, completed his rookie orientation and officially becomes the 34th entry for the 107th Running of the Indianapolis 500. TEAM CHEVY TOP-10 PRACTICE RESULT:Pos.  Driver3rd     Santino Ferrucci5th     Scott McLaughlin8th     Ryan Hunter-Reay9th     Josef Newgarden WHAT THEY’RE SAYING (QUOTES)Santino Ferrucci, No. 14 Chevrolet at AJ Foyt Racing:“After the Open Test, I don’t think we were feeling too strong, so to roll out of the box here and after the first few laps in the car, I just got out and said hey, look, the car’s good. We just broke for lunch, went down for a couple of hours to get things sorted, but the raw speed of the car out of the box was phenomenal. To make two or three small changes, a couple of little aero or ride height things, you’re not looking at mind-blowing reinventing-the-wheel changes. By the time we were done, we went out with new tires and even passed some cars. We were just working on trying to follow closer, and the lap time was there. To be the fastest Chevy in the No. 14 is pretty cool. Start the month of May off, and we just have to carry the momentum.” Talk about some of the passing and gains you feel like you made today…“I’ve said this all year, and I feel Chevys have been really good on top-end. And I felt that not just on the ovals, but on the road courses as well. So, I think today to be in your fastest lap and then pass a car, and almost pass another into Turn 1, on the same second half of the track is pretty impressive and pretty stout. I feel really comfortable being in the Chevy for the top-end wise this year, especially in race trim. I’d like to see if we can obviously bring home the Borg Warner (trophy) for Chevy. That’d be pretty awesome and spectacular for our team.” Ryan Hunter-Reay, No. 23 Chevrolet at Dreyer & Reinbold Racing:“Today was a very productive day for us. We got through a lot of the checklist we hoped to. We lost a little bit yesterday with rainout. But the car has some good speed in it. We have some things to sort out tomorrow. I am cautiously optimistic with it. We are keeping our heads down and working hard. The track conditions were good today, not too hot. Track temperature got up a bit in the afternoon and the surface got greasy. It was beautiful day to be at the Speedway. We expect it to be much hotter and more difficult on race day. We are looking forward to Thursday’s action.” Josef Newgarden, No. 2 Chevrolet at Team Penske:“Felt really good in the No. 2 car. I think most of us here at Team Penske were really happy with the progress we made. It was a good, clean day all six hours which was welcome after yesterday’s rain. Feeling good, confident in the Shell car. Just need to keep it up. This weekend, we’re really going to find out where we’re at. A lot of work to do, but stay tuned with us.” Scott McLaughlin, No. 3 Chevrolet at Team Penske:“Awesome to get back on track in the Pennzoil Chevy. The yellow sub is always a crowd favorite, but yeah, really good day for us. We ticked a lot of boxes. Don’t know where we are speed-wise right now, but every time we wanted to do some speed, we managed to do a reasonable time. It feels nice. We’ll see what we’ve got for the rest of the week.” Will Power, No. 12 Chevrolet at Team Penske:“We got through a bunch of stuff early in the session, working on qualifying configurations. We felt really happy about that. We got three good race runs in after that and the Verizon Chevy was really good. It’s the first day and we have a lot more on our list to work through, but it’s hard to say this wasn’t a good first day here at Indy.” Conor Daly, No. 20 Chevrolet at Ed Carpenter Racing:“Today was interesting and we worked through a lot of our list today. We got in over 120 laps today which is nice on the first day. We are decent in traffic which will come in handy on race day. Looking forward to getting back tomorrow and working some more.”  Rinus VeeKay, No. 21 Chevrolet at Ed Carpenter Racing:“Today was good, then it was bad and then it was good again. That is Indy for you. Overall, today was productive. We tried a lot of stuff on the No. 21 BITNILE.COM Chevrolet and at the end of the day we found the speed for traffic runs. Of course, being on top of the no-tow is always a plus.” Ed Carpenter, No. 33 Chevrolet at Ed Carpenter Racing:“We had a pretty productive day. I would have liked to be up a little higher on the timesheet – just for egotistical reasons, but it felt productive. We worked through some things with our race trim that we wanted to investigate further after the Open Test. I am excited to get back to debrief and look through everything. There are thousands of configurations now with the new downforce options we have this year. We are a lot more competitive than what the big board says today.”  Pato O’Ward, No. 5 Chevrolet at Arrow McLaren INDYCAR:“Today was interesting and we worked through a lot of our list today. We got in over 120 laps today which is nice on the first day. We are decent in traffic which will come in handy on race day. Looking forward to getting back tomorrow and working some more.”  Felix Roseqvist, No. 6 Chevrolet at Arrow McLaren INDYCAR:”It was good to get some actual runs in. They were mostly error runs in the beginning with a little race running in the end, but that was fun. I think we’re in a good window. We had some issues in the end; we couldn’t do a full run and we had to do a couple pit stops. I think we’re pretty much where we left off last year. It’s very tight. We want to catch the Ganassis, they were really strong last year and they continue to be strong. We have to bridge that gap, but otherwise, we feel really strong. I think we’re in the mix.” Alexander Rossi, No. 7 Chevrolet at Arrow McLaren INDYCAR:”It was a good day, lot of laps ran. We’re still learning, but a lot of positives to take from today, and we’re happy with where we are. We’ll just continue to work tomorrow.” Tony Kanaan, No. 66 Chevrolet at Arrow McLaren INDYCAR:”Good day for us, we did almost a hundred laps trying to make big changes, changes that take a lot of time to figure out, so from tomorrow on it’s just going to be tweaking the car. All in all, an awesome day for the No. 66 team. I think the whole team looked pretty strong, we did a lot of laps, and now on to tomorrow.” Gavin Ward, Race Director at Arrow McLaren INDYCAR:“Strong first day running for the team. We’re focused on our own program here, a lot of race prep work. We’re pretty pleased with everything, got through a lot of tests today and we have a lot of data to chew through this evening. The drivers all seem reasonably comfortable for day one on track. Looking at the notes, we’re pretty happy where we sit. It’s always hard to judge around this place, but so far so good.” Agustin Canapino, No. 78 Chevrolet at Juncos Hollinger Racing:“We did some laps in a big pack. It was really, really good. Of course, it’s tough. It’s really difficult, but at the end of the day, I think we had a good first day for us.” Stefan Wilson, No. 24 Chevrolet at Dreyer & Reinbold Racing:“We finished day two of practice which was really day one after Tuesday’s rainout. It was a very solid day in the No. 24 Cusick Motorsports/CareKeepers Chevy. We just worked on race setup today and focused on the race car to make it better each time out. We tried things in traffic and found some things that worked well and some which didn’t work. We are now going through all of the data that was accumulated today. We are accessing some of the changes we made and see where we can improve. We’ll look at some of the things we want to try later in the week too. Overall, it was good first day for the team.” RC Enerson, No. 50 Chevrolet at Abel Motorsports:“We finally concluded day two, but day one got washed out on us. We finally got a chance to run ROP and went through that pretty flawlessly. Got to finally come our for our practice at the end of the day here. We’d come to the garage, and lost a bit of time there trying to get gears changed and all of that. But we finally got back out, got to see what our single car speed is like. Got to dabble a little bit in traffic, which I think that’s something that’s going to have to get more comfortable for me. Overall, a pretty productive day.” SANTINO FERRUCCI, NO. 14 CHEVROLET AT AJ FOYT RACING, AND RINUS VEEKAY, NO. 21 CHEVROLET AT ED CARPENTER RACING – End of Day Press Conference:MODERATOR: We are joined by Rinus VeeKay, driver of the No. 21 Bitnile.com Chevrolet for Ed Carpenter Racing, the top no-tow speed today at 223.212 miles an hour, pretty important as you look ahead to qualifying this weekend Saturday and Sunday, and also Santino Ferrucci, 228.977 miles an hour in the 14 Sexton Properties Chevrolet for AJ Foyt Racing. Rinus, overall your thoughts on your day today, P1 on the no-tow. RINUS VEEKAY: “Yeah, it was a good day, good to be out here, and got that first day over with.It was pretty good, good no-tow speeds. We think there’s still a lot more in it, so that’s a good sign, but also mostly the focus all afternoon has been race running, just making sure the car is good enough for the race, getting behind the backup cars, and yeah, we found out a lot about bad and good changes.” THE MODERATOR: “Santino, you’ve always been good at the speedway. I’m thinking back a couple years ago, a fourth here in 2020. You liked your car so far today, so far this month?” SANTINO FERRUCCI: “It sure looks like that. We didn’t really change much today, just a couple small things. We rolled out actually — we weren’t strong on the open test at all, but we didn’t really have everything together, and to have all that extra day, especially the rain day yesterday to roll out today and to immediately just be comfortable was really, really nice. I haven’t been this comfortable in a couple of years.” Q. Santino, obviously it’s hard to know what everybody else is doing up and down the pit lane and it’s probably difficult to know where you should exactly be on the leaderboard, but I guess are you feeling very confident after today’s run?SANTINO FERRUCCI: “Yeah, no, we’re in full race trim, nose down, rear wing is pretty stacked on there. Honestly, we were looking for a tow lap like everybody else. What I didn’t expect was to be passing people in that lap, and to be able to follow as closely as we did because we did make a change before we put the set of stickers on because the left rear is a little bit softer this year, so with the track being as green as it is, they’re not quite lasting as long as we probably would have liked the first day, but expect that to obviously change. No, I’m pretty comfortable, and this is definitely a car that I can see not needing too much adjustments for next Sunday. It’s nice to see that.” Q. For both of you, we know one car is going home. Does that fact add any tension to the briefings or anything else, or is it just business as usual, we’re not going to worry about it, we’re just going to do what we do?RINUS VEEKAY: “Not for us. I think ECR is not going to be worried.” SANTINO FERRUCCI: “I don’t know, I don’t ever give it any thought.” SANTINO FERRUCCI: “If you go back a couple years, maybe 20 years ago, there was like 40 of them. I think that would make people more stressful. I think one is what it is.” Q. Rinus, you led last year’s first practice on the no-tow chart, too. Is that something you work on as a team on the first day, and can you really gain anything by working on your qualifying stuff?RINUS VEEKAY: “It’s good to get a feel on it. It feels like far away, but in two days we’re at Fast Friday. It’s good to get a feel for it, get some data on a lower downforce trim, see what that gives us, and where the balance migrates. It’s good to be fast on my own. It’s a consistent battle to be faster in a group of cars because things change all the time and one little change can make a lot of difference, but just raw pace, you don’t find that with the quick change.” Q. Rinus and Santino, Conor was talking this morning about how you guys have lacked grip, you just don’t have the pace so far this season. It’s been a tough season, that you needed a good two weeks here. What’s this season been like, and how does it feel to have the fastest non-tow speed on day one?RINUS VEEKAY: “It’s definitely been my hardest season so far. It’s been a struggle, but we keep working, and hopefully we can find back that pace. This might be the turnaround. I know we have a fast car here. It showed again today. The whole team does. And of course driving we get a bit more data, and hopefully it just lifts up the spirits of the team and hopefully we nail that setup coming to road and street courses later in the season, and yeah, hopefully it gets better. That’s the goal.” Q. Did you have this circled as sort of like hey, Indy 500, I’ve qualified well there, I know we’re good there, we’re good on ovals? Through the road and street courses where you guys were struggling, were you looking at this as a place could you make your speed?RINUS VEEKAY: “Definitely. One thing is for certain, ECR has fast cars on the speedway. That makes me excited, but also it’s just nice to really only have to fine tune the car, not the little details, because we’re already right at the top. It feels really good, but it’s Indy; we keep working on the car, and one day is good, the other might be worse, and it’s a roller coaster always. Don’t be too relaxed; tomorrow is another day, and only on Saturday and Sunday it counts this week.” Q. Santino, you said you haven’t felt this kind of comfort in two years or whatever, and I saw Larry Foyt and some other people out there smiling. What’s it meant for the team to just have day like this where things are clicking when they haven’t that much this year?SANTINO FERRUCCI: “I think a lot of people know that this year at the team there’s been a lot of changes, a lot of personal changes, and I’m commenting as the veteran driver. With Michael Cannon coming in, a lot of his focus has been put towards this race and the second half of the season. I think we actually showed quite a bit of speed in the GP, especially for the race, to go from last up to about 13th before we had a small issue. I think our season is going to turn around hopefully starting with this race. But it’s not for lack of trying. We’ve definitely had some really good pace and results up to certain points that I think people can see if they pay attention. No, it’s just keeping our heads down, and today I think was a huge relief because we didn’t really know what we were going to have, and to just roll out and be straight comfortable, I don’t know, I don’t feel like that’s something we’re going to lose this month. I think the team is really proud of themselves. I’m really proud of the team. We’ll just keep the Homes for Troops car up there.” Q. Along those lines, AJ said he really didn’t want to come this month, but then he decided it would get his mind off of things. A day like today probably makes him pretty happy. I don’t know what kind of conversations you’ve had with him, if any, since he’s arrived, but —SANTINO FERRUCCI: “Yeah, no, I think it was good to see him in the GP, in the stand, and I think obviously we were having a really good day. He was really happy to see that. I think he’s happy to see the program coming along. I know for a fact in the garage on Sunday and on Monday he was really, really happy to see the car and to see the progress, to see I think something he hasn’t seen out of this team in a long time as far as build quality and all of the work that’s gone into it and all of the development that’s gone towards this car. He’s super excited, so I think to have a day like today to back that up is huge. It’s a huge confidence boost for the whole organization, for the sponsors, for everybody, and to be honest with you, I think to maintain it, it’s difficult. It’s the most difficult race of the year. It’s very stressful, ever-changing. But I think we’ll be able to stay somewhere in that really top realm. I think the Ganassi cars are obviously really, really good and competitive, and I think that’s what we’re going to strive to get to.” Q. Do you feel like you need to do that for AJ?SANTINO FERRUCCI: “I feel like yeah, I feel like it’s definitely — I wouldn’t say need. I feel like it’s kind of deserved to see that. Yeah.”.Q. Santino, Michael Cannon is widely respected in this business. Talk just a little bit about your working relationship and how that’s been to date for you.SANTINO FERRUCCI: “Yeah, you know, I met Michael Cannon in 2018 when I came into the sport and worked with him as a young driver and as a rookie and in my first rookie season in 2019. To be honest, we finished seventh here as Rookie of the Year, then we went on to have three fourth-place finishes and almost a win at Gateway. He’s just someone that I grew really close to, and we had a lot of success for me, who’s never really seen any of the tracks before and didn’t grow up in the Indy Lights series. So speaking with him this winter and getting him — before I did anything in my career, I’d always talk to him, moving forward with my path, because he’s someone that I’ve always trusted. So given that opportunity for the stars to align at AJ Foyt, it was really cool that he wanted to come on board, work together again, and try and get some of that unfinished business out of the way a couple of the races that we felt like we gave away in ’19, particularly this being one of them that we knew we had a hell of a car back then, and we were definitely in contention to win, I just had no idea what I was doing as a rookie. But the dynamic is awesome. Seeing him in the team working with my race engineer Daniele and with Benjamin’s race engineer Roberto has been phenomenal, and a lot of his focus is taking the pressure off of those guys and doing different things and working in different areas so they can focus on the day-to-day tasks with the race car. It’s paying off. I think we do show a lot of success in the races regardless where the results say we are, and I think coming here where Mike has put a lot of his efforts into this car, today I think it shows.”

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Maiden Voyage for the Abel Motorsports Chevy a “dream come true”

(May 17, 2023) SPEEDWAY, In- FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Rookie Indy 500 competitor RC Enerson, 26, from New Port Richey, FL, wheeled the #50 ABEL Motorsports Chevy/Dallara IndyCar to impressive results on Day One of official practice for the 107th Indy 500. 

Enerson spent the morning completing his rookie orientation program and earned quick approval from IndyCar to run in the afternoon practice session.

After resetting the car, the ABEL team brought the #50 back to pit lane for the afternoon practice, preparing for Indy 500 qualifying this Saturday. Enerson settled into the car quickly and began the search for single-car speed. “We got solid speed on our own, we got a little bit of data in traffic, and overall it was a pretty productive day. (In traffic) it’s a little tough in the dirty air. I’m still getting comfortable in the car after a year and a half away…it’s just gonna take some time. But a lot of progress for us today and we’ll get set for tomorrow.”

Team Manager John Brunner, a true Indy 500 veteran, was equally pleased.  

“I don’t know how our first day could have been a whole lot better.  I’m very happy with the car, and having RC get through (his Rookie refresher) quickly was a big boost.”   

Brunner has assembled an all-star squad of 500 veteran crewmembers to support ABEL Motorsports and Enerson in their quest to make this year’s 500 field. “That’s the reason you put these guys together. When you have challenges, nobody’s going to get too excited, and that’s why we have this group. We have the speed, we trust the Chevy power, and we know there’s more in the car.”

Team Principal Bill Abel liked how his team opened the week of 500 practice.  “It was a great first day.  RC got right down to it and checked all the boxes he needed to.  Couldn’t be more proud of the way the team has come together and the job everybody has done.   RC got to run in traffic a bit, without a tow he was good. I’m super happy with all of that.”

Enerson completed 29 laps Wednesday with a fast lap of 224.017 mph, good for 30th fastest lap of the day.

The goal Thursday will be to build on what Enerson and the team learned today and find sufficient single-car speed to solidly make the top 30 Saturday.  If Enerson and ABEL Motorsports can accomplish that, they’ll be firmly locked into the starting lineup for this year’s edition of “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing”.

Next up, Day 2 of Practice for the 500, from Noon to 6pm ET.

CHEVROLET IN NHRA

2023 GERBER COLLISION AND GLASS ROUTE 66 NHRA NATIONALS

ROUTE 66 RACEWAY

JOLIET, ILLINOIS

MAY 19-21, 2023

TEAM CHEVY RACE ADVANCE

DETROIT (May 17, 2023) – Making their return for the first time since 2019 to Route 66 Raceway near Chicago, the Chevrolet Top Fuel, Funny Car, and Pro Stock drivers and teams look to take on the Gerber Collision and Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals this weekend.

Coming off of a four-series sweep in the Circle K NHRA Four-Wide Nationals at zMAX Dragway near Charlotte, North Carolina by the Bowtie brand, drivers and teams enter the fifth round of the season carrying strong momentum and keeping their eyes on the Windy City’s Winner’s Circle.

Last finishing runner-up at Route 66 Raceway, John Force Racing’s Robert Hight, driver of the Auto Club/Cornwell Tools Flav-R-Pac Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car, reflects on his last run at the Joliet, Illinois track with excitement, saying, “I’m excited to get back to Chicago. I love the facility. It’s close to our shop in Indiana so we have a lot of the crew guys’ families and our Force American Made shop guys come out. There’s an extra layer of excitement for me debuting the Cornwell Tools Chevy. It’s a beautiful car and I’m looking forward to showing it off. I honestly didn’t realize I was getting that close to 600 round wins. That’s really amazing and I’m really proud of that. Hopefully I get well beyond that 600, we’ll see.”

With his win in Top Fuel at zMAX Dragway, the most recent winner Austin Prock of John Force Racing, in his Montana Brand/Rocky Mountain Twist Chevrolet dragster, heads to the track this weekend looking for redemption from his 2019 Round 1 elimination. “I’m looking forward to getting back in my Montana Brand / Rocky Mountain Twist hotrod this weekend in Chicago. We are looking to pick up right where we left off in Charlotte,” Prock said. “The team did an outstanding job and I feel like we’re really hitting our strides. With our performance in Pomona, it allows us our first stab at the Mission Foods #2Fast2Tasty Challenge and gives us a chance to make some extra cash and gain valuable points. It’s going to be a great weekend of racing being back at a beautiful facility and we’re hoping to pack the stands.”

Seeking his sixth career NHRA Pro Stock win, Sterling, Colorado’s Deric Kramer of KB Titan Racing last raced at Route 66 to the Winner’s Circle, defeating Elite Motorsports’ Erica Enders in the final. “I was already excited that Chicago was back on the schedule this season since I was the last person to win Pro Stock there in 2019 and now coming off our first win in four years a few weeks ago in Charlotte, I couldn’t ask for a better time to get to Chicago. The GetBioFuel.com Camaro tested right after Vegas and I think we found what’s been plaguing us for a few years now. Our performance has picked up and our consistency has too. Our team is excited to get to Chicago to defend our title.”

Defending his win in Charlotte and helping make the Chevrolet sweep complete, Factory Stock Showdown winner Len Lottig joins the rest of the COPO Camaro competitors in seeking the Route 66 Raceway Winner’s Circle. For the first time in series history since its inception in 2016, the Factory Stock Showdown field will compete in Joliet at Route 66 Raceway.

In addition to four rounds of elimination racing Sunday, the Route 66 NHRA Nationals welcome both the Pro Stock All-Star Call Out, as well as the #2Fast2Tasty Mission NHRA Challenge in the Top Fuel and Funny Car nitro ranks throughout the weekend.

Introduced last season, the Pep Boys NHRA All Star Callout takes the top-seeded driver in their respective class and allows for them to “call out” an opponent of choice to face off for the potential of winning big money and bragging rights. This year’s #2Fast2Tasty Mission NHRA Challenge sees semifinalists from the race weekend prior facing off during qualifying sessions, a race within a race, that has cash prizes and bragging rights also on the line.

The 2023 Gerber Collision and Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals action from Route 66 Raceway airs first with Friday qualifying Friday, May 19, at 7 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1 (FS1). Saturday qualifying near Chicago airs Sunday, May 21 at 3 p.m. ET on FS1. Sunday’s Finals will also air on FS1, starting at 10 p.m. ET Sunday, May 21. Coverage streaming live throughout the weekend can be found through NHRA.tv, available via AppleTV, Android TV and Roku devices.

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING

Brittany Force, driver of the Monster Energy/Flav-R-Pac Chevrolet Top Fuel dragster for John Force Racing:

“I’m excited to be returning to Chicago with the Flav-R-Pac / Monster Energy team this weekend. Route 66 Raceway is going to be a challenging one with an added #2Fast2Tasty Challenge at a track we haven’t competed at in three years. A win this weekend would be huge for this team. We’ve held No. 1 qualifiers at this event and runnered-up so we’re ready to get to the racetrack and back with the Route 66 fans while hunting down our first win of the season.”

John Force, driver of the BlueDEF Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car for John Force Racing:

“I’m really looking forward to racing back in Chicago. We’ve already had a busy week. This being PEAK and Old World Industries’ hometown race, they had a hand in getting this race back. Just like they’ve kept me around, they’re helping keep our sport around too. Hurvis, he’s almost as old as me, we have a lot in common. He’s proud of what he’s built, brought his family in and I’m the same. He’s keeping me out here racing, I owe a lot of this to him, to PEAK, BlueDEF and all the Old World companies, they trust me, have faith in me, and that means a lot to me. It’s going to be a fun weekend with all their employees out at the race. We’re going to do our best to get them in the winner’s circle.”

Len Lottig, driver of the ITI Trailer and Truck Bodies Chevrolet COPO Camaro in Factory Stock Showdown:

“We had a great weekend in Charlotte. Really from start to finish. Low qualifier and getting the win is what every racer hopes for, especially in a competitive class like Factory Stock Showdown. The whole team was on it, we had to hustle with the weather, it was impressive. I’m lucky to be surrounded by great people. We’ve got a great team and we’re having fun and we all just want it to continue. Our new crew members, Tomi Laine and Dave Yedney, have been a huge part of our success this season, both myself and Jesse (Alexandra). We have a great team around us. So, we’re looking forward to Chicago. First time for us being at Route 66 Raceway in Factory Stock, should be a good show.”

TEAM CHEVY BY THE NUMBERS

1,426: Round wins for John Force (1st all-time)

599: Round wins for Robert Hight; 13th all-time. Cruz Pedregon (Funny Car), sits 12th, with 618.

371: Number of wins in Pro Stock since 1970; 252 won in the Chevrolet Camaro body

165: Number of career No. 1 qualifiers for John Force (1st all-time)

157: Number of Chevrolet Racing Funny Car wins since 1967

77: Number of career No. 1 qualifiers for Robert Hight (6th all-time)

76: Number of Chevrolet Racing Funny Car wins with the Camaro body

45: Number of career No. 1 qualifiers for Brittany Force

27: Number of NHRA championships Chevrolet holds as a manufacturer since entering the first in 1966. No other manufacturer has won it more than Chevrolet.

24: Wins by John Force in a Chevrolet-bodied Funny Car

18: Number of Pro Stock championships

20: Chevrolet career Top Fuel wins in NHRA

16: Number of Chevrolet career wins by Brittany Force

7: Number of Funny Car driver championships

2: Number of Top Fuel driver championships

MOST RECENT WIN IN NHRA BY CHEVROLET

Charlotte 1 (Four-Wide)

• Austin Prock (Top Fuel)
• Robert Hight (Funny Car)
• Deric Kramer (Pro Stock)
• Len Lottig (Factory Stock Showdown)

2019 NHRA CHICAGO WINS BY CHEVROLET

Deric Kramer, Pro Stock

2019 NHRA CHICAGO NO. 1 QUALIFIERS BY CHEVROLET

Robert Hight, Funny Car

Greg Anderson, Pro Stock

MOST RECENT DRIVER CHAMPIONSHIPS IN NHRA BY CHEVROLET

2022: Brittany Force, Top Fuel

2022: Erica Enders, Pro Stock

2022: David Barton, Factory Stock Showdown

2019: Robert Hight, Funny Car

UPCOMING NHRA MILESTONES

950: Greg Anderson (Pro Stock) is second all-time with 916 elimination round wins. He could reach 950 round wins with a decent run in the 18-race schedule.

600: Robert Hight has 599 Funny Car elimination wins to rank 13th on the all-time NHRA list; Cruz Pedregon (Funny Car) sits 12th with 615.

441: By qualifying for his next race, Greg Anderson (Pro Stock) will extend his NHRA record to 440 consecutive race day appearances. His first appearance came in 2002 at Pomona 2, and he holds the longest career qualifying streak in NHRA.

138: Greg Anderson (Pro Stock) ranks third on the NHRA all-time list with 121 No. 1 qualifiers. He will tie Warren Johnson (Pro Stock, 138) for second to John Force (165) on the list.

263: By qualifying for his next race, Robert Hight will extend his NHRA record to 262 consecutive race day appearances. His first appearance came in 2010 at Pomona 2, and he currently sits seventh in career qualifying streaks in NHRA (Doug Kalitta is sixth at 272).

65: Robert Hight moved into the top 10 on the all-time NHRA victory list with his win in Pomona 1 with 63. Jeg Coughlin Jr. (Pro Stock, retired) is next ninth on list with 65.

46: Erica Enders has 43 career Pro Stock victories (all with Chevrolet, first win coming at Chicago, 2012 and last win at Las Vegas 2, 2022). Angelle Sampey (Pro Stock Motorcycle) is the all-time NHRA female leader with 46. 

18: Brittany Force (16 Top Fuel career wins) will move past Shirley Muldowney (18 wins) into third on the NHRA all-time victory list for females. Erica Enders (Pro Stock, 43) and Angelle Sampey (Pro Stock Motorcycle, 46) are ahead.

6: Erica Enders (Pro Stock) could tie Warren Johnson (6 Pro Stock championships) for second on the class list. The same holds for Greg Anderson. Bob Glidden is the leader with 10.

3: Brittany Force (Top Fuel, 2 championships) would tie Shirley Muldowney (Top Fuel) and Angelle Sampey (Pro Stock Motorcycle) for second on the NHRA all-time championship list by females with another title in 2023. Erica Enders (Pro Stock, 5) is the leader.

Quick On the Tree

NMCA Announces First Three Events Of Its 2024 Schedule

Though the Red Line Oil NMCA Muscle Car Nationals series is just shifting this season into high gear, it’s never too soon to start prepping for the next round of action. With that in mind NMCA, the #1 muscle car motorsports show in the country, is pleased to announce the first three events of its 2024 season.

“NMCA is running wide-open this season with three exciting events that already crossed the finish line, but we aren’t ready to take our foot off the gas,” said Rollie Miller, General Manager & National Event Director of NMCA. “We’re always working ahead to create the events muscle car fans love, and we couldn’t wait to give our racers and fans a preview of what next season has in store.”

For the first time, the season kicks off farther north as NMCA joins the NMRA Ford Nationals series for an action-packed weekend in North Carolina, followed by another combined event as the two series square off with bragging rights on the line out west before revisiting a storied and scenic racetrack for the third race of the season. The first three events of the 2024 schedule are as follows:

April 11-14, 2024

16th Annual NMRA/NMCA All-Star Nationals

Rockingham Dragway, Rockingham, NC

May 2-5, 2024

19th Annual NMRA/NMCA Race for the Rings Shootout

World Wide Technology Raceway, Madison, IL

May 30 – June 2, 2024

22nd Annual NMCA Muscle Car Mayhem

Beech Bend Raceway Park, Bowling Green, KY

Expect the complete NMCA schedule in the near future. Until then, mark your calendars and put in your vacation requests, because you don’t want to miss out on all the muscle car action next year.

Staged & Ready For Launch

NMRA Reveals First Three Events Of 2024 Schedule

As the Holley NMRA Ford Nationals races toward the midpoint of the 2023 season, it’s not too early to start planning for next year’s high-performance festivities. With that in mind NMRA, the #1 All-Ford motorsports show in the country, is pleased to announce the first half of its 2024 event season.

“For 25 years and counting, NMRA leads the way as the only national event series dedicated to Blue Oval muscle,” said Steve Wolcott, Co-Founder of NMRA. “While we’re celebrating our silver anniversary this year, there’s no time like the present to start planning another season of action-packed Ford events, so we wanted to give our racers and fans something to look forward to.”

The 2024 season kicks off a bit earlier next season and takes place at a new facility with a storied drag racing legacy that provides a facility large enough to encompass Ford drag racing, drifting, car show & midway in close proximity to each other for the ultimate fan experience! The series then moves to two familiar tracks where the NMRA joins its sister series, the NMCA Muscle Car Nationals for action-packed weekends guaranteed to thrill fans of Detroit muscle.

Here’s the schedule for the first three events of next season:

February 22-25, 2024

30th Annual NMRA Spring Break Shootout

Gainesville Raceway, Gainesville, FL

April 11-14, 2024

16th Annual NMRA/NMCA All-Star Nationals

Rockingham Dragway, Rockingham, NC

May 2-5, 2024

19th Annual NMRA/NMCA Race for the Rings Shootout

World Wide Technology Raceway, Madison, IL

Expect the complete NMRA schedule in the near future. Until then, mark your calendars and put in your vacation requests, because you don’t want to miss out on all the Ford action next year.

JOLIET, Ill. (May 17, 2023) – John Force and his BlueDEF PLATINUM / PEAK Performance Chevrolet Camaro SS will have a bit of different look entering the Gerber Glass & Collision NHRA Route 66 Nationals presented by PEAK Performance. To celebrate the 50th anniversary of Old World Industries (OWI), PEAK and BlueDEF’s parent company, the hood of Force’s Chevy Camaro will dawn the names of OWI employees. The John Force Racing and OWI partnership started in 2014 as an associate sponsorship before PEAK became the primary sponsor of 16-time world champion Force in 2015. “I’m proud of the partnership Old World Industries and John Force Racing has developed. John has truly made us a part of the John Force Racing family. It’s been a partnership built on trust and faith,” said Tom Hurvis, Founder and Chairman of Old World Industries. “John, he’s an ideal ambassador for this company, we share many of the same beliefs and have built our success with family in mind. We treat our partners and our employees with the same respect, bringing them into the folds as family.” Returning to Route 66 Raceway for the first time since 2019, Force will be looking to land the OWI employee hood in the winner’s circle for the fourth time in his career, he has wins in 2000, 2004, and 2006. When he last competed at the historic facility, Force qualified 11th but had a semifinal finish. He’s also been the No. 1 qualifier of the event a total of five times (1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2012). “I’m really looking forward to racing back in Chicago. We’ve already had a busy week. This being PEAK and Old World Industries hometown race, they had a hand in getting this race back. Just like they’ve kept me around, they’re helping keep our sport around too,” Force said. “Hurvis, he’s almost as old as me, we have a lot in common. He’s proud of what he’s built, brought his family in and I’m the same. He’s keeping me out here racing, I owe a lot of this to him, to PEAK, BlueDEF and all the Old World companies, they trust me, have faith in me, and that means a lot to me. It’s going to be a fun weekend with all their employees out at the race. We’re going to do our best to get them in the winner’s circle.” In addition to his three wins, Force also was runner-up in 1999, 2001 and 2013 Route 66 Nationals and twice lost in the finals of the short-lived fall race (2001 and 2004). Force currently sits eighth in the NHRA Camping World points standings and is looking for his first win of the 2023 season. The Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 Nationals presented by PEAK Performance at Route 66 Raceway starts with qualifying Friday at 6:00 p.m. and Saturday at 2:00 and 5:30 p.m. Sunday eliminations are set to begin at 11:00 a.m. Television coverage will be aired on Friday at 7:00 p.m. ET and Sunday at 3:00 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1 (FS1). Sunday eliminations are slated to begin on Sunday at 10:00 p.m. ET on FS1.

JOLIET, Ill. (May 17, 2023) – For the first time in Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown history, Chevrolet COPO Camaros, Ford Cobra Jets and Dodge Challenger Drag Pakswill compete in heads up side-by-side racing at historic Route 66 Raceway at this weekend’s Gerber Glass & Collision NHRA Route 66 Nationals. 

Coming off a victory at the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals in Charlotte at zMAX Dragway, Lenny Lottig and his ITI Trailer and Truck Bodies Chevrolet COPO Camaro are hoping their momentum will continue in Chicago as the NHRA brings back national event competition to the facility for the first time since 2019. 

Lenny Lottig, Charlotte Four-Wide Nationals winner, photo credit Gary Nastase/Auto Imagery

Lottig’s victory at the second of 10 events on the Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown schedule moved Lottig, who has been low qualifier at both events this season, from fourth to second in the points standings behind only Aaron Stanfield and his Janac Brothers Chevrolet COPO Camaro. 

“We had a great weekend in Charlotte. Really from start to finish. Low qualifier and getting the win is what every racer hopes for, especially in a competitive class like Factory Stock Showdown,” Lottig said. “The whole team was on it, we had to hustle with the weather, it was impressive. I’m lucky to be surrounded by great people. We’ve got a great team and we’re having fun and we all just want it to continue. Our new crew members, Tomi Laine and Dave Yedney, have been a huge part of our success this season, both myself and Jesse (Alexandra). We have a great team around us. So, we’re looking forward to Chicago. First time for us being at Route 66 Raceway in Factory Stock, should be a good show.”

Lenny Lottig, Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown Series Charlotte winner, photo credit Gary Nastase/Auto Imagery

With the win, Lottig also picked up a bullseye on his back worth $1,000 for whoever can beat him in this weekend’s eliminations thanks to the Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown Bounty Program. The bounty will grow by $1,000 each race weekend until Lottig is defeated. 

“I said it before, I want to carry this bounty for a while. Really build it up so if someone gets it, there is a big pay day,” added Lottig.

Runner-up at Charlotte, Stanfield has been dominant in the class and holds the Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown points lead thanks to his performance at zMAX and a victory at the season opening Gatornationals. He’ll be looking to tally another victory as he competes in both Factory Stock and Pro Stock competition this weekend.

Competition at the Gerber Glass & Collision NHRA Route 66 Nationals for Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown will begin with qualifying runs Friday at 3:45 p.m. and Saturday at 11:45 a.m. and 3:45 p.m. Eliminations will begin with round one on Saturday at 6:50 p.m. and continue with round two on Sunday at 12:50 p.m. with semifinals at 2:05 p.m. and finals at 3:40 p.m. 

JOLIET, Ill. (May 17, 2023) – Debuting the Cornwell Tools / AAA Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car, Robert Hight enters the Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 Nationals presented by PEAK Performance at Route 66 Raceway pursuing history. With a win in the first round of competition, Hight will become just the 13th pro driver to win 600 rounds of racing and join John Force, Ron Capps and Cruz Pedregon as only the fourth Funny Car driver to do so. Coming off a statement victory at the Four-Wide Nationals in Charlotte, Hight and his Cornwell Tools team have the momentum and confidence to pull-off not only a 600th round win but a victory at the Route 66 Nationals. “I’m excited to get back to Chicago. I love the facility. It’s close to our shop in Indiana so we have a lot of the crew guys’ families and our Force American Made shop guys come out. There’s an extra layer of excitement for me debuting the Cornwell Tools Chevy. It’s a beautiful car and I’m looking forward to showing it off,” Hight said. “I honestly didn’t realize I was getting that close to 600 round wins. That’s really amazing and I’m really proud of that. Hopefully I get well beyond that 600, we’ll see.” Hight, who holds both ends of the Route 66 Raceway track records at 3.851-seconds and 334.73 mph set in 2017, also has one win at the historic facility in 2018 and a collection of four No. 1 qualifiers (2005, 2010, 2017, 2019) and three runner-up finishes (2006, 2010, 2019). The Cornwell Tools / AAA team currently sits third in the overall championship standings after five events thanks to two victories. Besides the Charlotte Four-Wides, Hight raised the Wally at the NHRA Arizona Nationals.   The Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 Nationals presented by PEAK Performance at Route 66 Raceway starts with qualifying Friday at 6:00 p.m. and Saturday at 2:00 and 5:30 p.m. Sunday eliminations are set to begin at 11:00 a.m. Television coverage will be aired on Friday at 7:00 p.m. ET and Sunday at 3:00 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1 (FS1). The NHRA Pro Stock All-Star Callout will air Sunday at 4:00 p.m. ET on FS1. Sunday eliminations are slated to begin on Sunday at 10:00 p.m. ET on FS1.

Inside Line Promotions – HANFORD, Calif. (May 17, 2023) – Dominic Scelzi earned his third straight triumph during the finale of the Peter Murphy Classic last Saturday at Kings Speedway.

The victory – his third of the season and second of the year with the NARC 410 Sprint Car Series – capped a stellar weekend that included top fives in both the 410 and 360 divisions on Friday.

“It’s huge,” said Scelzi, who celebrated in style with a shoey. “For me, Peter is a guy who has been very, very special in my racing career as well as a great friend. He’s done a lot for me. Winning as many times as we have now, it’s really special. Every year I circle that race on the calendar and I expect greatness out of myself. Jimmy (Carr) has given me a perfect race car three years in a row and we’ve been able to deliver. Three wins in a row at the same race, you don’t see that very often. I just hope we can continue this success year after year.”

The opening round featured Scelzi qualifying seventh quickest on Friday to kick off the NARC competition. He then won a heat race, placed fourth in the dash and gained a position to end third in the A Main.

Scelzi was efficient in the Kings of Thunder portion of the program as well, timing in fourth quickest and winning a heat race before picking up a spot in the feature to finish fourth.

“We were really, really good all weekend long,” he said. “The first night we made some changes to the car we don’t normally do because of the way we thought the track was going. We struggled a little in the 410 feature, but we had a good race car. In the 360 I felt as good as the leaders, but it was tough to pass. The top and the bottom were really even.”

The team improved in both divisions on Saturday as Scelzi set quick time in Sprint Car Challenge Series qualifying. He won a heat race from fourth and placed fifth in the dash. Scelzi was battling inside the top five throughout much of the main event before a flat tire sent him to the pits with a DNF.

“We just made some minor tweaks for Saturday,” he said. “We didn’t change a lot, but the track was a little slower. In the 360 feature we went fifth to second. I was running Corey Day down. The bleeder came out and caused the tire to go flat and explode with four laps to go.”

The highlight of the weekend was the NARC action as Scelzi qualified second quickest and maneuvered from fourth to second place in a heat race. He won the pole shuffle to garner the pole position for the main event.

“We were really good,” he said. “I ran the bottom and the top. I ran through the middle some as well. I got passed twice for the lead and was able to get them right back. At the end we pulled away for a five-second win. We’ve been really consistent and fast all year. We’re a top-three car and we’ve been knocking off a lot of wins lately so that’s been good.”

Scelzi’s victory was worth an $11,000 top prize and it was his fifth in the last six NARC A Mains during the Peter Murphy Classic.

Scelzi, who ranks second in the NARC championship standings, joins the series this Friday at Petaluma Speedway in Petaluma, Calif., during the Salute to the First Responders.

QUICK RESULTS –

May 12 – Kings Speedway in Hanford, Calif. (410 sprint car) – Qualifying: 7; Heat race: 1 (2); Dash: 4 (4); Feature: 3 (4).

May 12 – Kings Speedway in Hanford, Calif. (360 sprint car) – Qualifying: 4; Heat race: 1 (1); Feature: 4 (5).

May 13 – Kings Speedway in Hanford, Calif. (410 sprint car) – Qualifying: 2; Heat race: 2 (4); Pole shuffle: 1 (2); Feature: 1 (1).

May 13 – Kings Speedway in Hanford, Calif. (360 sprint car) – Qualifying: 1; Heat race: 1 (4); Dash: 5 (3); Feature: 19 (5).

SEASON STATS –

12 races, 3 wins, 9 top fives, 10 top 10s, 10 top 15s, 12 top 20s

UP NEXT –

Saturday at Petaluma Speedway in Petaluma, Calif., for the Salute to First Responders with the NARC 410 Sprint Car Series

MEDIA LINKS –

Website: http://www.GaryScelziMotorsports.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/DominicScelzi41

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Scelzi41

ENNIS, Texas – He only wanted to earn a trip to the NHRA U.S. Nationals. 
For Competition Eliminator racer Rick Brown, he’s not only in the driver’s seat for the $50,000 Rooftec NHRA Competition Eliminator Cash Clash, the special race-within-a-race at the Dodge Power Brokers NHRA U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park, but he could also get paid handsomely ($30,000) if he drives away with the win over 15 other contestants participating in the Rooftec Comp Eliminator Bonus Fund.
Brown faces a monumental challenge starting on Thursday, as the NHRA’s Div. 4 Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series heads to the Texas Motorplex for the double event, May 18 – 21, at one of the wonders of the drag racing world outside of Dallas, Texas. 
No driver has won a second Competition Eliminator race title in a season where all three NHRA D4 events have filled a 32-car field. This is why Brown has been sharpening up his index strategies for the upcoming race.
“I had my chance to win a second one,” Brown said. “I held the car. You have to make up your mind. Do you want to have more index for the rest of the year, or do you want to run a race and take the lead in the points even more? And I made a choice.”
Brown currently leads series sponsor Rodger Brogdon by one point, while Craig Bourgeois sits in third place, 21 points out of the lead. If he can hold the lead through the end of the NHRA FallNationals in October, also at the Texas Motorplex, Brown can win $100,000 if he emerges as the Rooftec Competition Eliminator Bonus champion. 
Brown knows it’s like a poker game when one has to know when to hold and fold. Competition Eliminator is a class of strategy that transcends reaction times and win lights. 
Brown scored his first win in the Rooftec Competition Eliminator Bonus fund by winning the final NHRA drag race held at Houston Raceway Park in April. He was only the No. 12 qualifier in a 32-car field. He stopped heavy-hitter Craig Bourgeois in the final round.
At 71 years old, Brown said he’s proud to be part of something big.
“I’ve always wanted to be part of an organization, and that being NHRA, any kind of a fund or a championship of any kind, you always want to do your best at what you can do at these events,” Brown said. “To be part of this Rooftec Comp Bonus Fund is the biggest thing that I’ve ever been a part of in my lifetime, other than going for the division championship, which I won twice, or winning national events. 
“The only thing I haven’t been able to do is to win the national championship, which would be a dream of most people’s lives. I’ve been in the Top 10 many times in almost every car I’ve driven since 1989. I really love doing this. I just can’t explain.”
As Brown understands, it’s self-explanatory if he wins big at the Texas Motorplex. 
Photos by Robert Grice

CURRENT ROOFTEC COMPETITION ELIMINATOR BONUS FUND POINTS

1. Rick Brown – 199
2. Rodger Brogdon – 198
3. Craig Bourgeois – 178
4. Monty Bogan – 177
5. Jeff Taylor – 156
6. Brad Brewer – 145
7. Cody Lane – 145
8. Taylor Chomiski – 134
9. Chase Williams – 134
10. Keith Hall – 123
11. Brooke Heckle – 112
12. Brad Plourd – 104
13. Sean Dodd – 104
14. Jim Kimbrough – 104
15. Adam Hickey – 101
16. Ashton Hudson – 90
17. Duane Robison – 90
18. Mike Depalma – 82
19. Greg Kamplain – 82
20. Keith Mawhee – 82

JOLIET, Ill. (May 17, 2023) – Austin Prock and the Montana Brand / Rocky Mountain Twist Chevrolet dragster team enter the Gerber Glass & Collision NHRA Route 66 Nationals presented by PEAK Performance as the most recent winners in the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series Top Fuel class moving them into fourth in the championship points standings. Prock started the 2023 season with two quarterfinal finishes at the Gatornationals and Arizona Nationals before having a runner-up performance at the Winternationals. After a first quad exit at the Four-Wide Nationals in Las Vegas, Prock and the Montana Brand / RMT team turned things around with a dominating victory at the Four-Wide Nationals at zMAX Dragway. The victory, the fourth in Prock’s career and first in the four-wide format, would be a double-up for John Force Racing with Robert Hight and his team led by Prock’s dad Jimmy as crew chief and brother Thomas as co-assistant crew chief, claiming victory in the Funny Car class. This weekend’s competition has added incentive for Prock and the Montana Brand team as they compete for the first time in the Mission Foods #2Fast2Tasty Challenge during Saturday qualifying. Their runner-up finish at the NHRA Winternationals in Pomona, California earned them a rematch against John Force Racing teammate Brittany Force, who they defeated in the semifinals. Performing in the race within a race not only earns drivers’ championship points at the end of the regular season but a chance at prize money as well. “I’m looking forward to getting back in my Montana Brand / Rocky Mountain Twist hotrod this weekend in Chicago. We are looking to pick up right where we left off in Charlotte,” Prock said. “The team did an outstanding job and I feel like we’re really hitting our strides. With our performance in Pomona, it allows us our first stab at the Mission Foods #2Fast2Tasty Challenge and gives us a chance to make some extra cash and gain valuable points. It’s going to be a great weekend of racing being back at a beautiful facility and we’re hoping to pack the stands.” Prock’s history at Route 66 Raceway is short with only one appearance in his rookie 2019 season where he lost in the first round. A win this week would make him the first John Force Racing Top Fuel competitor to have ever won in Joliet.  The Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 Nationals presented by PEAK Performance at Route 66 Raceway starts with qualifying Friday at 6:00 p.m. and Saturday at 2:00 and 5:30 p.m. Sunday eliminations are set to begin at 11:00 a.m. Television coverage will be aired on Friday at 7:00 p.m. ET and Sunday at 3:00 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1 (FS1). The NHRA Pro Stock All-Star Callout will air Sunday at 4:00 p.m. ET on FS1. Sunday eliminations are slated to begin on Sunday at 10:00 p.m. ET on FS1.

MOORESVILLE, NC (May 16, 2023) — Camrie Caruso, 2022 NHRA Rookie of the Year, will return to racing action this weekend at the Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals with her new look Tequila Comisario Chevrolet Camaro. The 210-mph, six-second race car will also sport the branding of new associate partner CR Towing, a family-owned Joliet business that has been serving the greater Chicago area since 1927.

“We could not be more excited to introduce everyone at CR Towing to the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series,” said Caruso, who has steadily incorporated local businesses into her marketing program. “At every race we have been looking to partner with a local business to expose them to the NHRA fanbase and CR Towing was a perfect fit for the Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 Nationals. This is their first drag racing sponsorship, but they have done some things with dirt racing.”

CR Towing & Recovery was founded in 1927 and was one of the pioneers in the towing industry for Joliet, Illinois. Their wreckers were a common sight at accident scenes in the Joliet area. Not only did they service the community, but the Joliet Police Department, Will County Sheriff’s Department, and Illinois State Police as well. Their driver operators have over 125 combined years of experience in the towing industry. The family run business also offers full-service auto repair, and has even begun to venture into the used auto sales business under the name Supreme Auto Sales Inc.

CR Towing has had sponsorship relationships with Fairbury Speedway, Kankakee Speedway, and The Dirt Oval at Route 66 which is adjacent to Route 66 Raceway. They have been involved with a variety of drivers from grass roots rookies to multi championship winning drivers over the years. 

“Getting the chance to work with Camrie and her team as a unique opportunity that we thought would be a great idea for our company. We sponsor people we are comfortable with,” said Anthony Craven, General Manager CR Towing & Recovery. “We have done some sponsorship deals in dirt racing, but this is our first time doing something with the NHRA. We are excited to see drag racing back at the track in Joliet and we are looking forward to the opportunity to raise our profile with Chicago area racing fans and potential customers.”

The CR Towing branding will adorn the Tequila Comisario Chevrolet Camaro and they will also be included in the team’s PA announcements and media events. Caruso will be joining fellow NHRA drivers at the Robert Quinn Fire Academy on Thursday afternoon for a pre-race media event before she competes in not just the NHRA national event but also the first ever NHRA Pro Stock All-Star Callout with seven other top Pro Stock drivers.

The first chance for fans to see the CR Towing logo on track will be Friday night during the first qualifying session. The team will get two more qualifying runs on Saturday before final eliminations get underway on Sunday at 11 a.m. The race will be broadcast nationally on Sunday night on FS1.

CHICAGO, IL (May 17, 2023) — Chris King has been working towards his 2023 debut at the Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals for almost two years. The full-time Chicago firefighter will be back on track in his Howards Cams/Competition Products Dodge Charger Funny Car this weekend for the first time since his last race in 2021. King will be competing in six NHRA national events this season, but he is most excited about getting the season started in front of his hometown friends and family at Route 66 Raceway in Joliet.

“Racing Funny Cars in the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series is something I think about every day,” said King. “I love my job as a firefighter and running King Training Innovations LLC, a firefighter training company, but getting the chance to race at over 300 mph is a rush you can’t explain to a lot of people. I also get to meet so many fans and talk about several charities I am involved with too.”

King volunteers his time with public safety charities including Ignite the Spirit, National Fallen Firefighters Foundation, The Ronnie Thames Foundation, and The Leary Firefighters Foundation. All these amazing groups dedicate resources and support to first responders and their families. King has seen firsthand the impact the job can have on men and women and their families.

“I have a personal connection to every charity I work with and that is one of the things I missed about not being at the racetrack, was the connection to something I loved,” said King. “When you are a member of the firefighter or first responder community it is a big family and racing is the same thing. I can’t wait to just be around the other drivers. They have all been welcoming and supportive in the past. This year we will be doing more races, so I hope to get to know some of these guys even better.“

The race weekend will get off to a hot start for King and a handful of NHRA drivers when they visit Robert Quinn Fire Academy on Thursday afternoon. The group will spend time with firefighter trainers and get hands-on experience. The drivers will get a firsthand experience at what King deals with on the job as well as what the NHRA Safety Safari experiences to some degree when they are called into action on the racetrack.

“I am excited to introduce my day-to-day job to some of my fellow competitors on Thursday,” said King. “We rely on the Safety Safari at the track and they are the best in the business. We are in our firesuits for just our run, but the Safety Safari people are suited up all day. We can’t thank them enough for what they do so being able to get just a taste of their experience. We are going to invite the media out as well so it will be a lot of fun.”

In 2021 King raced in three NHRA national events qualifying for the Mile High Nationals in Denver, The Kansas Nationals in Topeka and the Midwest Nationals in St. Louis. This season King is adding Chicago to the mix along with Norwalk and the historic U.S. Nationals Labor Day weekend in Indianapolis. The new races will put King into contention for NHRA Rookie of the Year and show off one of the possible new stars of the sport to new audiences.

“Denver, St. Louis and Topeka are great tracks and we had sponsors and the time to race there in 2021,” said King. “Adding Norwalk and Chicago made sense since they are easy to get to and I have always dreamed of racing Funny Car at the U.S. Nationals. There is so much history at that race and you never know what could happen. We are building this team for the long haul and we want to make sure that when we attend an event we can put on a good show and be competitive.”  

For King who will reunite with crew chief Terry Totten to run the Howards Cams/Competition Products Dodge Charger Funny Car the racing will be something he is 100% focused on when he gets to the track. They don’t have a huge crew, so it is all hands on deck all the time. The team will also be joined by Jack and Jason Beckman. The former Funny car driver and his son, who designed the look of King’s Funny Car will be on hand at the Chicago race.

“I can’t wait for people to see the Funny Car Jason designed,” said King. “I saw some of his work and thought it would be cool to get some designs from him. My sponsors and I loved the design that is on the race car so we can’t wait to show it off. It will be a busy and fun weekend that we are really using as a jumping off point for our season.”

The Howards Cams/Competition Products Dodge Charger Funny Car and King will get their first chance to make a lap on Friday afternoon when qualifying for the Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals get underway. There will be two more qualifying sessions on Saturday with final eliminations for the 16 quickest Funny Cars commencing at 11 a.m. on Sunday. The race will be televised nationally on FS1 Sunday evening.

The Series will battle at Marion Center Raceway (May 19), Port Royal Speedway (May 20), Stateline Speedway (May 23)

MARION CENTER, PA – May 17, 2023 – For the first and only time in 2023, the World of Outlaws CASE Construction will travel to Pennsylvania and New York, kicking off a two-week trip through the Northeast.  

The swing starts with a return to Marion Center Raceway in Marion Center, PA, for the Connor Bobik Memorial on Friday, May 19. Drivers will battle in a 40-lap affair, paying $10,000-to-win.  

Then, the Series heads east for a trip to Port Royal Speedway in Port Royal, PA (Saturday, May 20), for another 40-lap battle – this time with $15,000 on the line. 

A trip to New York finishes off the first half of the swing, as the Series visits Stateline Speedway in Busti, NY, for the first time since 2021 on Tuesday, May 23. The lone Empire State stop on the 2023 schedule will be another battle for $10,000. 

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

Here’s a look at what to keep an eye on at Marion Center, Port Royal, and Stateline: 

Pennsylvania Experience: A trip to Marion Center Raceway this weekend may be the recipe two Series champions need to return to Victory Lane.  

In the lone appearance at the Western Pennsylvania track, defending Series champion Dennis Erb Jr. scored the win, holding off 2015 Series champion Shane Clanton. 

On this same swing in 2022, Erb and Clanton earned top-10 finishes at Marion Center and Port Royal. They join Tanner English as the only drivers with two top 10s in that stretch. 

A win by any of the three drivers would be their first points-paying victory of the 2023 season. 

Prairie State Power: The World of Outlaws drivers hailing from Illinois are bringing momentum to the Keystone State.  

Series regulars won three of the four races contested in the Prairie State over the last week.  

Erb won at Spoon River Raceway, Bobby Pierce at Fairbury Speedway and Brandon Sheppard rounded out the trip with a win at Farmer City Raceway. 

All three hope that momentum leads to more success at Marion Center on Friday, a place both Sheppard and Pierce have yet to race at. 

However, Sheppard has succeeded at Port Royal and Stateline, winning at both facilities.  

Pierce had a top-10 finish at Port Royal in 2018 and scored a win in the Keystone State that season at Pittsburgh Pennsylvania Motor Speedway. 

Madden’s Port: While Series points leader Chris Madden didn’t race at Port Royal last season, the Gray Court, SC, has succeeded at the “Speed Palace.” 

When “Smokey” raced there with the Series in 2022, he dominated the weekend, sweeping both races.  

In 11 races at tracks 1/2-mile or larger in 2021, Madden enjoyed two wins at Port Royal, six top fives, and eight top 10s.  

He enters the weekend searching for his 34th career World of Outlaws win and hopes to extend his 18-point lead over Kyle Bronson at the top of the standings. 

A Slice of Variety: Out of the next three tracks the World of Outlaws CASE Late Models visit, Madden is the only driver to have multiple wins at one venue. 

While it’ll be the second appearance for the Series at Marion Center, six other drivers have won at Port Royal, including past Series champions Sheppard, Mike Marlar and Darrell Lanigan. 

Jared Miley scored his first World of Outlaws win the last time the Series visited the “Speed Palace” in 2022. 

There also yet to be a repeat winner at Stateline Speedway. Six drivers have scored World of Outlaws wins at the track, including Sheppard, Clanton, and Dave Hess – who won the most recent event in 2021. 

The Keystone Contingent: Several Pennsylvania natives will be vying for a home state and home region win during the upcoming swing. Among them are Dave Hess, Jared Miley, Greg Satterlee, original dirty dozen members Chub Frank and Rick Eckert – the 2011 Series champion.

“Chubzilla” comes into the weekend with momentum after winning a ULMS Feature at Stateline. The Bear Lake, PA driver’s last Series win came in 2009 at Atomic Speedway.

Eckert most recently won with the Series in 2021, when he made the trek to Plymouth Dirt Track in Plymouth, IN. Both of “Scrub’s” top-five finishes with the Series last season came on 1/2-mile tracks.

WHEN AND WHERE  

Marion Center Raceway (1/4-mile) in Marion Center Raceway on May 19 
Port Royal Speedway (1/2-mile) in Port Royal, PA on May 20 
Stateline Speedway (1/3-mile) in Busti, NY on May 23 

ONLINE   
Marion Center Raceway: www.marioncenterraceway.com  
Port Royal Speedway: www.portroyalspeedway.com  
Stateline Speedway: www.newstatelinespeedway.com  

TRACK RECORD   

Marion Center Raceway:    
14.282 by Max Blair on 5/20/22 

Port Royal Speedway:    
17.470 by Jeff Rine on 5/13/17  

Stateline Speedway:    
14.900 by Chub Frank  

On the Internet   
World of Outlaws CASE Late Models Series   
Twitter – Twitter.com/WoOLateModels – @WoOLateModels   
Instagram – Instagram.com/WoOLateModels – @woolatemodels   
Facebook – Facebook.com/WorldofOutlawsLateModelSeries   
YouTube – Youtube.com/WorldofOutlaws   
DIRTVision – DIRTVision.com – Platinum annual FAST PASS for $299 or monthly FAST PASS for $39/month   

Around the Turn: The World of Outlaws CASE Late Models head to Sharon Speedway in Hartford, OH for the Battle at the Border May 25-27. The epic three-day event features three complete shows, culminating in a $25,000-to-win finale on Saturday, May 27. FOR TICKETS: CLICK HERE. 

FEATURE WINNERS: (5 Drivers)
Rank- Driver- Hometown-Wins

1. Devin Moran, Dresden, OH-2
2. Bobby Pierce, Oakwood, IL-1
   Hudson O’Neal, Martinsville, IN-1
   Cory Hedgecock, Loudon, TN-1
   Brandon Overton, Evans, GA-1

HEAT RACE WINNERS (22 Drivers)
Rank- Driver- Hometown-Wins

1. Chris Madden, Gray Court, SC-4
2. Tim McCreadie, Watertown, NY-3
3. Nick Hoffman, Mooresville, NC-2
   Devin Moran, Dresden, OH-2
   Bobby Pierce, Oakwood, IL-2
   Brian Shirley, Chatham, IL-2
   Dale McDowell, Chickamauga, GA-2
4. Max Blair, Centerville, PA-1
   Ricky Thornton Jr, Martinsville, IN-1
   Kyle Strickler, Mooresville, NC-1
   Chase Junghans, Manhattan, KS-1
   Brandon Overton, Evans, GA-1
   Jonathan Davenport, Blairsville, GA-1
   Shane Clanton, Zebulon, GA-1
   Jensen Ford, Johnson City, TN-1
   Mike Marlar, Winfield, TN-1
   Drake Troutman, Hyndman, PA-1
   Kyle Larson, Elk Grove, CA-1
   Brandon Sheppard, New Berlin, IL-1
   Chris Ferguson, Mt. Holly, NC-1
   Ryan Gustin, Marshalltown, IA-1
   Todd Cooney, Des Moines, IA-1

LAST CHANCE SHOWDOWN WINNERS (11 Drivers)
Rank- Driver- Hometown-Wins

1. Mark Whitener, Middleburg, FL-2
   Ryan Gustin, Marshalltown, IA-2
2. Jimmy Owens, Newport, TN-1
   Daulton Wilson, Fayetteville, NC-1
   Tanner English, Benton, KY-1
   Mike Norris, Sarver, PA-1
   Dale McDowell, Chickamauga, GA-1
   Ricky Thornton, Jr, Martinsville, IN-1
   Mike Spatola, Manhattan, IL-1
   Brandon Sheppard, New Berlin, IL-1
   Stormy Scott, Las Cruces, NM-1
   Carson Ferguston, Concord, NC-1
   Garrett Smith, Eatonton, GA-1
   Garrett Alberson, Las Cruces, NM-1

PODIUM FINISHES (12 Drivers)
Rank – Driver, Hometown – Podiums

1. Tim McCreadie, Watertown, NY-3
   Devin Moran, Dresden, OH-3
   Ricky Thornton Jr., Martinsville, IN-3
2. Chris Madden, Gray Court, SC-1
   Bobby Pierce, Oakwood, IL-1
   Brandon Overton, Evans, GA-1
   Hudson O’Neal, Martinsville, IN-1
   Cory Hedgecock, Loudon, TN-1
   Kyle Bronson, Brandon, FL-1
   Brandon Overton, Evans, GA-1
   Tanner English, Benton, KY-1
   Ryan Gustin, Marshalltown, IA-1

FOX FACTORY HARD CHARGER (6 Drivers)
Rank – Driver, Hometown – H.C.

1. Brandon Sheppard, New Berlin, IL-1
   Ryan Gustin, Marshalltown, IA-1
   Chris Madden, Gray Court, SC-1
   Hudson O’Neal, Martinsville, IN-1
   Ricky Thornton Jr., Martinsville, IN-1
   Wil Herrington, Hawkinsville, GA-1

SIMPSON RACING PRODUCTS QUICK TIMES (5 Drivers)
Rank – Driver, Hometown – QTs

1. Brandon Overton, Evans, GA-3
2. Devin Moran, Dresden, OH-1
   Chris Madden, Gray Court, SC-1
   Drake Troutman, Hyndman, PA-1
   Jake Timm, Winona, MN-1

CASE FEATURE LAP LEADERS (12 Drivers)
Rank – Driver, Hometown – Laps Led

1. Tim McCreadie, Watertown, NY-60
2. Tanner English, Benton, KY-41
3. Brandon Overton, Evans, GA-29
4. Devin Moran, Dresden, OH-28
5. Mike Marlar, Winfield, TN-15
   Dale McDowell, Chickamauga, GA-15
   Brandon Overton, Evans, GA-15
   Bobby Pierce, Oakwood, IL-15
6. Cory Hedgecock, Loudon, TN-10
7. Nick Hoffman, Mooresville, NC-6
   Hudson O’Neal, Martinsville, IN-6
8. Ricky Thornton Jr., Martinsville, IN-1

2023 World of Outlaws Late Model Schedule & Winners

1. Thursday, Jan. 19 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / Devin Moran (1)
2. Friday, Jan. 20/ Volusia Speedway Park/ Barberville, FL/ Devin Moran (2)
3. Thursday, Feb. 16/Volusia Speedway Park/Barberville, FL/Bobby Pierce (1)
4. Saturday, Feb. 18/Volusia Speedway Park/Barberville, FL/Hudson O’Neal (1)
5. Thursday, April 20/ 411 Motor Speedway/ Seymour, TN/ Cory Hedgcock (1)
6. Friday, April 21/ Talladega Short Track/ Eastaboga, AL/ Tanner English, Kyle Bronson/Brandon Overton*
7. Saturday, April 22/ Talladega Short Track/ Eastaboga, AL/ Brandon Overton (1)
8. Thursday, May 4/Mississippi Thunder Speedway/Fountain City, WI/Brandon Sheppard, Cade Dillard*

JOLIET, Ill. (May 17, 2023) – Reigning world champion Brittany Force and the Flav-R-Pac / Monster Energy Chevrolet dragster team are seeking their first victory of the season as they enter the Gerber Glass & Collision NHRA Route 66 Nationals presented by PEAK Performance. The sixth event on the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series calendar marks the return of NHRA to Route 66 Raceway just outside of Chicago after a three-year hiatus following the COVID-19 pandemic. In seven appearances at Route 66 Raceway, Force has had one runner-up finish in 2014 and tallied two No. 1 qualifying positions in 2016 and 2017. At the most recent event at the facility in 2019 she qualified 15th and had a first-round loss.  This weekend’s competition has added incentive for Force and her Flav-R-Pac team as they compete for the first time in the Mission Foods #2Fast2Tasty Challenge during Saturday qualifying. Thanks to a semi-final round appearance at the NHRA Winternationals in Pomona, Calif., Force earned a rematch against John Force Racing teammate Austin Prock. Performing in the race within a race not only earns drivers’ championship points at the end of the regular season but a chance at extra cash as well. “I’m excited to be returning to Chicago with the Flav-R-Pac / Monster Energy team this weekend. Route 66 Raceway is going to be a challenging one with an added #2Fast2Tasty Challenge at a track we haven’t competed at in three years. A win this weekend would be huge for this team,” Force said. “We’ve held No. 1 qualifiers at this event and runnered-up so we’re ready to get to the racetrack and back with the Route 66 fans while hunting down our first win of the season.” In addition to her Winternationals semifinal finish, Force’s 2023 season so far also includes a final quad appearance at the Four-Wide Nationals in Las Vegas resulting in semifinal points and the Flav-R-Pac team most recently had a quarterfinal finish at the Four-Wide Nationals at zMAX Dragway near Charlotte. Force enters the Route 66 Nationals sitting fifth in points thanks partially in part to the Flav-R-Pac / Monster Energy team’s qualifying performance. They have been fastest of qualifying in three of the first five events, including back-to-back at the Las Vegas and Charlotte Four-Wides. The Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 Nationals presented by PEAK Performance at Route 66 Raceway starts with qualifying Friday at 6:00 p.m. and Saturday at 2:00 and 5:30 p.m. Sunday eliminations are set to begin at 11:00 a.m. Television coverage will be aired on Friday at 7:00 p.m. ET and Sunday at 3:00 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1 (FS1). The NHRA Pro Stock All-Star Callout will air Sunday at 4:00 p.m. ET on FS1. Sunday eliminations are slated to begin on Sunday at 10:00 p.m. ET on FS1.

News from Abel Motorsports

(May 16, 2023) SPEEDWAY, In- FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: IndyCar’s newest team, ABEL Motorsports, based in Louisville, KY, had expected to put their newly updated Chevy/Dallara Indy 500 entry on track today for the first time.   But a damp, soggy day forced IndyCar officials to scrub all on-track activity Tuesday, postponing the start of Indy 500 practice until Wednesday May 17 at noon ET. That delay though could well prove beneficial to the ABEL team and driver RC Enerson.   Enerson needs to complete an on-track refresher session at the wheel of the red and white #50 car before being cleared to practice and qualify for the 107th Indy 500 this weekend.If Tuesday had run as scheduled, that wouldn’t have been possible and the team would have missed the first practice period.   Now, with the rainout, Enerson will get his refresher laps in Wednesday morning and should be good to go with the rest of the 34 500 entries starting at noon. “Today was one of those classic “sit and wait” days.   It’s not a day we like.  But I think it might be a blessing in disguise, because I’ll get to do my refresher in the morning and we should be good to go after that”, commented the 26-year-old Floridian.   Enerson attempted to qualify for the Indy 500 two years ago but feels this year’s effort at the wheel of the ABEL Motorsports entry is a much better opportunity. Team Manager John Brunner was disappointed with the rainout as well.   “We would have liked to have had our install lap today, but nobody got to run.   We didn’t lose any track time to anyone today.   I like what they’ve done with the schedule for tomorrow.  We’ll get the (ROP) refresher done in the morning and then we can run all day with everybody.   I like where we’re sitting.” Team Principal Bill Abel is just looking forward to seeing the red and white #50 car get on track.  “For us (the rain) allowed us to get a few additional things done on the car that we needed to do.  We went through tech (inspection) and we went back through tech again, which let us correct a couple of things we needed to fix.  It just slowed things down a bit for us, kind of a reset time for us that’s probably good.” Abel is also soaking in the atmosphere of the Indy 500 for the first time as a competitor.   “For me it’s so unbelievable.  It still doesn’t feel real to me.  It’s such a cool thing, such a cool place to be.  I can’t thank John Brunner, Neil Enerson, and RC enough for helping give us the chance to do this.” ABEL Motorsports will be in action tomorrow, Wednesday May 17th starting at 10am.  Official practice begins at Noon ET, with all sessions being streamed live on Peacock TV.