Tri-City Speedway and Tri-State Speedway are next to host The Greatest Show on Dirt, April 28-29GRANITE CITY, IL (April 25, 2023) – A pair of historic racetracks await the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series this weekend.First up is the highly anticipated return to Granite City, IL’s Tri-City Speedway on Friday, April 28. The World of Outlaws haven’t circled the Illinois 3/8 mile in 15 years. Then, a two-and-a-half-hour drive east takes the tour to Haubstadt, IN’s Tri-State Speedway on Saturday, April 29.Both facilities own the honor of being the most visited by The Greatest Show on Dirt for their respective states. Tri-City Speedway has hosted the World of Outlaws on 55 occasions. Tri-State Speedway’s 42 trips outrank all fellow Hoosier state facilities. Both ovals first hosted a race during the World of Outlaws’ second year of existence – 1979. Let’s look at some of the weekend’s top storylines:TRI-CITY RETURN: Despite being the 14th most visited track in Series history, Friday at Tri-City Speedway will present a new challenge for many drivers. The World of Outlaws haven’t competed in Granite City since 2008.Of the current full-time roster, only Donny Schatz and Bill Rose have turned Tri-City laps in World of Outlaws competition.Schatz’s extensive experience may prove to be an advantage as the 10-time champion owns 16 starts. During the last visit in 2008 it was none other than Schatz coming out on top. The driver of the Tony Stewart/Curb Agajanian Racing #15 also has podiumed in half of his six most recent races at Tri-City.Rose has made a pair of Tri-City appearances with the World of Outlaws (’01 & ’05). The Plainfield, IN native posted a top 10 in Granite City with the MOWA Sprints in 2013. He’s also been productive there without a wing – earning two USAC National Sprint Car top fives, including a podium effort in 2005.MACEDO’S TRI-STATE MASTERY: Last year, Carson Macedo made history when he became the first driver to top three consecutive World of Outlaws races at Tri-State Speedway.The Lemoore, CA native could continue to cement himself as one of the best to race around the paperclip shaped track this Saturday. Only Steve Kinser (8 wins), Sammy Swindell (5 wins), and Craig Dollansky (4 wins) have won more at Haubstadt. A victory Saturday would equal him with Dollansky.Macedo and his Jason Johnson Racing crew enter the weekend atop the championship standings and hope to add to the lead.GRAVEL EYES REBOUND: After appearing invincible early in the season, misfortune has struck David Gravel in recent weeks. A crash at U.S. 36 Raceway resulted in a 21st place finish, and contact with Carson Macedo in Pevely turned a potential win into a 10th. The Watertown, CT native sits third in points after leading through the first 10 races.Fortunately for Gravel, this weekend presents a prime opportunity to rebound. The Big Game Motorsports driver’s only Tri-City experience is a 2010 American Sprint Car Series (ASCS) race, but he’s been one of the best at Tri-State. Gravel has won twice and podiumed on five occasions in 13 Haubstadt starts.HAUD’S HAUBSTADT ROLLERCOASTER: It’s been an up and down relationship for Sheldon Haudenschild at Tri-State Speedway.The Wooster, OH native always has the speed to contend for a win at the Indiana bullring, but Victory Lane has eluded him despite leading laps in three different Features. In 2017, Haudenschild looked poised for victory until an incident with a lapped car. The next year a crash while fighting for the lead ended his bid. Fast forward to 2021 when Haudenschild rocketed from the ninth starting spot to the lead before a flat tire with less than 10 laps to go extinguished his hopes.Despite the misfortune keeping him from the top spot, the Stenhouse Jr./Marshall Racing driver’s results in Haubstadt are still impressive with three podiums and a 7.78 average finish in nine starts. “Haud” hopes to seal the deal on that elusive victory this Saturday.CAN SWEET STRIKE?: Despite being one of the most consistent competitors at Tri-State Speedway, Victory Lane has eluded Brad Sweet.In his last 10 starts at the quarter mile, Sweet has finished no worse than eighth aboard the Kasey Kahne Racing #49 and owns a 5.4 average finish over that stretch. Two of his last three attempts have resulted in second-place finishes.“The Big Cat” enters the weekend as the most recent winner this year and sits tied for the Series lead in victories with three.FIRST TIMERS: The unique oval that is Tri-State Speedway has proven to present an opportunity at first career World of Outlaws wins.A new Series winner has arisen twice in the last seven visits to Haubstadt. In 2017, it was Kokomo, IN’s Parker Price-Miller experiencing the thrill of his inaugural triumph. Three years later, Marion, IL native Carson Short bested The Greatest Show on Dirt in only his 11th career Feature start.In total, Tri-State Speedway has produced six first time winners through its 42 World of Outlaws races.Full-time Series drivers eying their first victory – Bill Rose, Kasey Kahne, Noah Gass, and Robbie Price will hope the trend continues.MOWA MOTORS: The World of Outlaws may have not competed recently at Tri-City, but the track has still hosted some Sprint Car action over the last few years – mainly the Midwest Open Wheel Association (MOWA) Sprints.Drivers such as Ayrton Gennetten, Joe B. Miller, Zach Hampton, and others have all performed well with MOWA in Granite City recently and could be factors on Friday with the benefit of added experience.This weekend is also expected to attract a stout crop of invaders with Anthony Macri, Tyler Courtney, Buddy Kofoid, and more all planning to be in action.For tickets to Tri City Speedway, CLICK HERE. For tickets to Tri-State Speedway, call (812) – 768-6025.If you can’t make it to the track, catch all the action on DIRTVision.THIS WEEKEND AT A GLANCEFriday, April 28 at Tri-City Speedway in Granite City, ILSaturday, April 29 at Tri-State Speedway in Haubstadt, INON THE INTERNETWorld of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series Twitter – @WorldofOutlaws Instagram – @WoOSprint Facebook – Facebook.com/WorldofOutlawsSprintCarSeries YouTube – Youtube.com/WorldofOutlaws DIRTVision – DIRTVision.com – Platinum annual FAST PASS for $299 or monthly FAST PASS for $39/monthCURRENT CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS (13/81 Races)1. 41 – Carson Macedo (1826PTS) 2. 49 – Brad Sweet (-12PTS) 3. 2 – David Gravel (-20PTS) 4. 1S – Logan Schuchart (-56PTS) 5. 11 – Michael Kofoid (-72PTS) 6. 17 – Sheldon Haudenschild (-108PTS) 7. 83 – James McFadden (-134PTS) 8. 5 – Spencer Bayston (-148PTS) 9. 15 – Donny Schatz (-162PTS) 10. 18 – Gio Scelzi (-172PTS)NOS ENERGY DRINK FEATURE WINNERS (7 Drivers):3 wins – David Gravel (Big Game Motorsports #2), Brad Sweet (Kasey Kahne Racing #49)2 wins – James McFadden (Roth Motorsports #83), Rico Abreu (Rico Abreu Racing #24)1 win – Carson Macedo (Jason Johnson Racing #41), Buddy Kofoid (CMS Racing #11), Sheldon Haudenschild (Stenhouse Jr./Marshall Racing #17)FEATURE LAPS LED (11 Drivers):79 laps – Brad Sweet77 laps – David Gravel60 laps – James McFadden46 laps – Buddy Kofoid43 laps – Rico Abreu41 laps – Carson Macedo21 laps – Sheldon Haudenschild10 laps – Anthony Macri, Cory Eliason9 laps – Gio Scelzi, Brent MarksSIMPSON PERFORMANCE PRODUCTS QUICKTIME AWARDS (8 Drivers):5 QuickTimes – Carson Macedo2 QuickTimes – David Gravel1 QuickTime – Anthony Macri, Logan Schuchart, Brian Brown, Donny Schatz, Buddy Kofoid, Rico AbreuHEAT RACE WINNERS (17 Drivers):7 Heat Wins – David Gravel6 Heat Wins – Buddy Kofoid, Carson Macedo4 Heat Wins – Brent Marks3 Heat Wins – Logan Schuchart, Sheldon Haudenschild, Brad Sweet2 Heat Wins – Spencer Bayston, Gio Scelzi, Jacob Allen1 Heat Win – James McFadden, Brian Brown, Donny Schatz, Danny Dietrich, Freddie Rahmer, Rico Abreu, Brock ZearfossTOYOTA DASH APPEARANCES (24 Drivers):10 Dashes – David Gravel9 Dashes – Carson Macedo8 Dashes – Logan Schuchart, Brad Sweet6 Dashes – Buddy Kofoid, Jacob Allen 5 Dashes – Spencer Bayston, Gio Scelzi4 Dashes – Brent Marks, Rico Abreu, Sheldon Haudenschild, Donny Schatz3 Dashes – James McFadden, Brock Zearfoss2 Dashes – Brian Brown, Danny Dietrich 1 Dash – Anthony Macri, Robbie Price, Cory Eliason, Justin Peck, Kasey Kahne, Freddie Rahmer, Devon Borden, Garet WilliamsonMICRO-LITE LAST CHANCE SHOWDOWN WINS (11 Drivers):1 LCS Win – Brock Zearfoss, Parker Price-Miller, Sheldon Haudenschild, Gio Scelzi, Noah Gass, Hunter Schuerenberg, James McFadden, Wayne Johnson, Ryan Timms, Ayrton Gennetten, Robbie PriceKSE HARD CHARGER AWARDS (10 Drivers):2 Hard Chargers – Brock Zearfoss, James McFadden, Tyler Courtney1 Hard Charger – Donny Schatz, Gio Scelzi, Robbie Price, David Gravel, Logan Schuchart, Justin Peck, Blake HahnPODIUM FINISHES (15 Drivers):7 Podiums – Brad Sweet6 Podiums – David Gravel5 Podiums – Carson Macedo4 Podiums – Buddy Kofoid3 Podiums – James McFadden2 Podiums – Jacob Allen, Sheldon Haudenschild, Rico Abreu, Logan Schuchart1 Podium – Danny Dietrich, Brian Brown, Kasey Kahne, Devon Borden, Spencer Bayston, Brent MarksTOP 10 FINISHES (26 Drivers):13 Top 10s – Carson Macedo11 Top 10s – Brad Sweet, David Gravel, Logan Schuchart9 Top 10s – Sheldon Haudenschild, Michael Kofoid7 Top 10s – James McFadden, Spencer Bayston, Gio Scelzi,6 Top 10s – Rico Abreu5 Top 10s – Donny Schatz4 Top 10s – Brent Marks, Jacob Allen, Justin Peck, Kasey Kahne3 Top 10s – Tyler Courtney2 Top 10s – Aaron Reutzel, Brian Brown, Danny Dietrich, Brock Zearfoss, Blake Hahn1 Top 10 – Cory Eliason, Robbie Price, Zeb Wise, Devon Borden, Sam Hafertepe Jr.2023 WORLD OF OUTLAWS SPRINT CAR SCHEDULE & WINNERS:No. / Day, Date / Track / Location / Winner (Total Wins)1. Thurs, Feb 9 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / David Gravel (1)2. Fri, Feb 10 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / David Gravel (2)3. Sat, Feb 11* / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / James McFadden (1)4. Sun, March 5 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / Carson Macedo (1)5. Mon, March 6 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / David Gravel (3)6. Sat, March 18 / Lincoln Speedway / Abbottstown, PA / Rico Abreu (1)7. Fri, March 24 / Talladega Short Track / Eastaboga, AL / Buddy Kofoid (1)8. Sat, March 25 / Magnolia Motor Speedway / Columbus, MS / Brad Sweet (1)9. Fri, March 31 / Devil’s Bowl Speedway / Mesquite, TX / Brad Sweet (2)10. Sat, April 1 / Devil’s Bowl Speedway / Mesquite, TX / James McFadden (2)11. Fri, April 7 / U.S. 36 Raceway / Osborn, MO / Sheldon Haudenschild (1)12. Sat, April 8 / 81 Speedway / Wichita, KS / Rico Abreu (2)13. Fri, April 14 / Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 / Pevely, MO / Brad Sweet (3)

Tri-City Speedway and Tri-State Speedway are next to host The Greatest Show on Dirt, April 28-29GRANITE CITY, IL (April 25, 2023) – A pair of historic racetracks await the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series this weekend.First up is the highly anticipated return to Granite City, IL’s Tri-City Speedway on Friday, April 28. The World of Outlaws haven’t circled the Illinois 3/8 mile in 15 years. Then, a two-and-a-half-hour drive east takes the tour to Haubstadt, IN’s Tri-State Speedway on Saturday, April 29.Both facilities own the honor of being the most visited by The Greatest Show on Dirt for their respective states. Tri-City Speedway has hosted the World of Outlaws on 55 occasions. Tri-State Speedway’s 42 trips outrank all fellow Hoosier state facilities. Both ovals first hosted a race during the World of Outlaws’ second year of existence – 1979. Let’s look at some of the weekend’s top storylines:TRI-CITY RETURN: Despite being the 14th most visited track in Series history, Friday at Tri-City Speedway will present a new challenge for many drivers. The World of Outlaws haven’t competed in Granite City since 2008.Of the current full-time roster, only Donny Schatz and Bill Rose have turned Tri-City laps in World of Outlaws competition.Schatz’s extensive experience may prove to be an advantage as the 10-time champion owns 16 starts. During the last visit in 2008 it was none other than Schatz coming out on top. The driver of the Tony Stewart/Curb Agajanian Racing #15 also has podiumed in half of his six most recent races at Tri-City.Rose has made a pair of Tri-City appearances with the World of Outlaws (’01 & ’05). The Plainfield, IN native posted a top 10 in Granite City with the MOWA Sprints in 2013. He’s also been productive there without a wing – earning two USAC National Sprint Car top fives, including a podium effort in 2005.MACEDO’S TRI-STATE MASTERY: Last year, Carson Macedo made history when he became the first driver to top three consecutive World of Outlaws races at Tri-State Speedway.The Lemoore, CA native could continue to cement himself as one of the best to race around the paperclip shaped track this Saturday. Only Steve Kinser (8 wins), Sammy Swindell (5 wins), and Craig Dollansky (4 wins) have won more at Haubstadt. A victory Saturday would equal him with Dollansky.Macedo and his Jason Johnson Racing crew enter the weekend atop the championship standings and hope to add to the lead.GRAVEL EYES REBOUND: After appearing invincible early in the season, misfortune has struck David Gravel in recent weeks. A crash at U.S. 36 Raceway resulted in a 21st place finish, and contact with Carson Macedo in Pevely turned a potential win into a 10th. The Watertown, CT native sits third in points after leading through the first 10 races.Fortunately for Gravel, this weekend presents a prime opportunity to rebound. The Big Game Motorsports driver’s only Tri-City experience is a 2010 American Sprint Car Series (ASCS) race, but he’s been one of the best at Tri-State. Gravel has won twice and podiumed on five occasions in 13 Haubstadt starts.HAUD’S HAUBSTADT ROLLERCOASTER: It’s been an up and down relationship for Sheldon Haudenschild at Tri-State Speedway.The Wooster, OH native always has the speed to contend for a win at the Indiana bullring, but Victory Lane has eluded him despite leading laps in three different Features. In 2017, Haudenschild looked poised for victory until an incident with a lapped car. The next year a crash while fighting for the lead ended his bid. Fast forward to 2021 when Haudenschild rocketed from the ninth starting spot to the lead before a flat tire with less than 10 laps to go extinguished his hopes.Despite the misfortune keeping him from the top spot, the Stenhouse Jr./Marshall Racing driver’s results in Haubstadt are still impressive with three podiums and a 7.78 average finish in nine starts. “Haud” hopes to seal the deal on that elusive victory this Saturday.CAN SWEET STRIKE?: Despite being one of the most consistent competitors at Tri-State Speedway, Victory Lane has eluded Brad Sweet.In his last 10 starts at the quarter mile, Sweet has finished no worse than eighth aboard the Kasey Kahne Racing #49 and owns a 5.4 average finish over that stretch. Two of his last three attempts have resulted in second-place finishes.“The Big Cat” enters the weekend as the most recent winner this year and sits tied for the Series lead in victories with three.FIRST TIMERS: The unique oval that is Tri-State Speedway has proven to present an opportunity at first career World of Outlaws wins.A new Series winner has arisen twice in the last seven visits to Haubstadt. In 2017, it was Kokomo, IN’s Parker Price-Miller experiencing the thrill of his inaugural triumph. Three years later, Marion, IL native Carson Short bested The Greatest Show on Dirt in only his 11th career Feature start.In total, Tri-State Speedway has produced six first time winners through its 42 World of Outlaws races.Full-time Series drivers eying their first victory – Bill Rose, Kasey Kahne, Noah Gass, and Robbie Price will hope the trend continues.MOWA MOTORS: The World of Outlaws may have not competed recently at Tri-City, but the track has still hosted some Sprint Car action over the last few years – mainly the Midwest Open Wheel Association (MOWA) Sprints.Drivers such as Ayrton Gennetten, Joe B. Miller, Zach Hampton, and others have all performed well with MOWA in Granite City recently and could be factors on Friday with the benefit of added experience.This weekend is also expected to attract a stout crop of invaders with Anthony Macri, Tyler Courtney, Buddy Kofoid, and more all planning to be in action.For tickets to Tri City Speedway, CLICK HERE. For tickets to Tri-State Speedway, call (812) – 768-6025.If you can’t make it to the track, catch all the action on DIRTVision.THIS WEEKEND AT A GLANCEFriday, April 28 at Tri-City Speedway in Granite City, ILSaturday, April 29 at Tri-State Speedway in Haubstadt, INON THE INTERNETWorld of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series Twitter – @WorldofOutlaws Instagram – @WoOSprint Facebook – Facebook.com/WorldofOutlawsSprintCarSeries YouTube – Youtube.com/WorldofOutlaws DIRTVision – DIRTVision.com – Platinum annual FAST PASS for $299 or monthly FAST PASS for $39/monthCURRENT CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS (13/81 Races)1. 41 – Carson Macedo (1826PTS) 2. 49 – Brad Sweet (-12PTS) 3. 2 – David Gravel (-20PTS) 4. 1S – Logan Schuchart (-56PTS) 5. 11 – Michael Kofoid (-72PTS) 6. 17 – Sheldon Haudenschild (-108PTS) 7. 83 – James McFadden (-134PTS) 8. 5 – Spencer Bayston (-148PTS) 9. 15 – Donny Schatz (-162PTS) 10. 18 – Gio Scelzi (-172PTS)NOS ENERGY DRINK FEATURE WINNERS (7 Drivers):3 wins – David Gravel (Big Game Motorsports #2), Brad Sweet (Kasey Kahne Racing #49)2 wins – James McFadden (Roth Motorsports #83), Rico Abreu (Rico Abreu Racing #24)1 win – Carson Macedo (Jason Johnson Racing #41), Buddy Kofoid (CMS Racing #11), Sheldon Haudenschild (Stenhouse Jr./Marshall Racing #17)FEATURE LAPS LED (11 Drivers):79 laps – Brad Sweet77 laps – David Gravel60 laps – James McFadden46 laps – Buddy Kofoid43 laps – Rico Abreu41 laps – Carson Macedo21 laps – Sheldon Haudenschild10 laps – Anthony Macri, Cory Eliason9 laps – Gio Scelzi, Brent MarksSIMPSON PERFORMANCE PRODUCTS QUICKTIME AWARDS (8 Drivers):5 QuickTimes – Carson Macedo2 QuickTimes – David Gravel1 QuickTime – Anthony Macri, Logan Schuchart, Brian Brown, Donny Schatz, Buddy Kofoid, Rico AbreuHEAT RACE WINNERS (17 Drivers):7 Heat Wins – David Gravel6 Heat Wins – Buddy Kofoid, Carson Macedo4 Heat Wins – Brent Marks3 Heat Wins – Logan Schuchart, Sheldon Haudenschild, Brad Sweet2 Heat Wins – Spencer Bayston, Gio Scelzi, Jacob Allen1 Heat Win – James McFadden, Brian Brown, Donny Schatz, Danny Dietrich, Freddie Rahmer, Rico Abreu, Brock ZearfossTOYOTA DASH APPEARANCES (24 Drivers):10 Dashes – David Gravel9 Dashes – Carson Macedo8 Dashes – Logan Schuchart, Brad Sweet6 Dashes – Buddy Kofoid, Jacob Allen 5 Dashes – Spencer Bayston, Gio Scelzi4 Dashes – Brent Marks, Rico Abreu, Sheldon Haudenschild, Donny Schatz3 Dashes – James McFadden, Brock Zearfoss2 Dashes – Brian Brown, Danny Dietrich 1 Dash – Anthony Macri, Robbie Price, Cory Eliason, Justin Peck, Kasey Kahne, Freddie Rahmer, Devon Borden, Garet WilliamsonMICRO-LITE LAST CHANCE SHOWDOWN WINS (11 Drivers):1 LCS Win – Brock Zearfoss, Parker Price-Miller, Sheldon Haudenschild, Gio Scelzi, Noah Gass, Hunter Schuerenberg, James McFadden, Wayne Johnson, Ryan Timms, Ayrton Gennetten, Robbie PriceKSE HARD CHARGER AWARDS (10 Drivers):2 Hard Chargers – Brock Zearfoss, James McFadden, Tyler Courtney1 Hard Charger – Donny Schatz, Gio Scelzi, Robbie Price, David Gravel, Logan Schuchart, Justin Peck, Blake HahnPODIUM FINISHES (15 Drivers):7 Podiums – Brad Sweet6 Podiums – David Gravel5 Podiums – Carson Macedo4 Podiums – Buddy Kofoid3 Podiums – James McFadden2 Podiums – Jacob Allen, Sheldon Haudenschild, Rico Abreu, Logan Schuchart1 Podium – Danny Dietrich, Brian Brown, Kasey Kahne, Devon Borden, Spencer Bayston, Brent MarksTOP 10 FINISHES (26 Drivers):13 Top 10s – Carson Macedo11 Top 10s – Brad Sweet, David Gravel, Logan Schuchart9 Top 10s – Sheldon Haudenschild, Michael Kofoid7 Top 10s – James McFadden, Spencer Bayston, Gio Scelzi,6 Top 10s – Rico Abreu5 Top 10s – Donny Schatz4 Top 10s – Brent Marks, Jacob Allen, Justin Peck, Kasey Kahne3 Top 10s – Tyler Courtney2 Top 10s – Aaron Reutzel, Brian Brown, Danny Dietrich, Brock Zearfoss, Blake Hahn1 Top 10 – Cory Eliason, Robbie Price, Zeb Wise, Devon Borden, Sam Hafertepe Jr.2023 WORLD OF OUTLAWS SPRINT CAR SCHEDULE & WINNERS:No. / Day, Date / Track / Location / Winner (Total Wins)1. Thurs, Feb 9 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / David Gravel (1)2. Fri, Feb 10 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / David Gravel (2)3. Sat, Feb 11* / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / James McFadden (1)4. Sun, March 5 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / Carson Macedo (1)5. Mon, March 6 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / David Gravel (3)6. Sat, March 18 / Lincoln Speedway / Abbottstown, PA / Rico Abreu (1)7. Fri, March 24 / Talladega Short Track / Eastaboga, AL / Buddy Kofoid (1)8. Sat, March 25 / Magnolia Motor Speedway / Columbus, MS / Brad Sweet (1)9. Fri, March 31 / Devil’s Bowl Speedway / Mesquite, TX / Brad Sweet (2)10. Sat, April 1 / Devil’s Bowl Speedway / Mesquite, TX / James McFadden (2)11. Fri, April 7 / U.S. 36 Raceway / Osborn, MO / Sheldon Haudenschild (1)12. Sat, April 8 / 81 Speedway / Wichita, KS / Rico Abreu (2)13. Fri, April 14 / Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 / Pevely, MO / Brad Sweet (3)

Stellar start to WEC season for No. 33 C8.R team with back-to-back GTE Am wins  DETROIT (April 25, 2023) – Two wins, one pole position and a 31-point lead in the GTE Am Drivers and Team championships. Any way you put it, it’s been a dream start to the FIA World Endurance Championship for Corvette Racing. Less than two weeks after a stunning triumph in the Six Hours of Portimão, the No. 33 Corvette C8.R is back in action Thursday through Saturday at famed Spa-Francorchamps for the Six Hours of Spa – the team’s final WEC race before the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

CORVETTE RACING MEDIA INFORMATION Corvette Racing media information is updated and available ahead of this weekend’s WEC round at Spa.  Materials include: · WEC race advance and quotes· Corvette Racing stats and figures· Corvette Racing racecar comparisons· Corvette Racing Fast Facts· Driver biographies

The championship-leading trio of Ben Keating, Nicky Catsburg and Nico Varrone will share the wheel of the Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R, which will race at Spa for the third time.

While each of the drivers have been fantastic in the two wins so far this year – Catsburg’s final hour in Portimão is an early leader for drive of the season – the results are equally due to the work by the Corvette Racing pit crew and engineering team. The strategy calls through two rounds has been spot-on with precise decisions on race and pit stop strategy. Once in the pitlane, the Corvette Racing crew has been a difference-maker. That was never more evident than on the final stop in Portugal when the Corvette crew completed their final stop five seconds faster than the runner-up Ferrari with a margin of 0.260 seconds at the finish. That result means that regardless of what happens at Spa, Corvette Racing will enter Le Mans – a double-points event – with the championship lead. It also means the No. 33 C8.R will carry 45 kilograms of “rewards weight”, per the GTE Am sporting regulations. Cars that finish the previous two races first, second or third must on-board additional weight on a sliding scale of 15-10-5 kilograms. In addition, the same amounts of ballast apply to the top-three entries in the GTE Am championship standings. The Corvette ran with 30 additional kilograms at Portimão, but it didn’t deter Keating from taking pole position – his first in the C8.R. While the task will be that much tougher to repeat at Spa, Corvette Racing can take lessons it learned from the previous two years in the Six Hours of Spa with the mid-engine C8.R. Aside from the additional ballast, the C8.R will race in much the same shape as 2021 and 2022 – similar engine power, same mechanical configuration and Corvette-specific Michelin tires. The Six Hours of Spa for the FIA World Endurance Championship is scheduled for 6:45 a.m. ET / 12:45 p.m. Central European time Saturday. MotorTrend and MotorTrend Plus will provide both live television and streaming coverage. Radio Le Mans will stream audio coverage of qualifying and the race. Live streaming video of qualifying and the race also is available through a subscription on the FIA WEC app.

NICKY CATSBURG, NO. 33 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “Spa is one of my favorite tracks. Compared to Portimão, we have a lot more information from the last two years. But we also will have a very heavy car due to the rewards weight, so it will be difficult for us there. It’s also a good sign though; it means we have won two races, which is the best thing you can do at the start of the season. So I’m looking forward to going to Spa. It’s an amazing track with high speeds. I don’t think I’ve raced a mid-engine car around Spa, so that will be a new thing. But I’m looking forward to this event. It’s almost like a home race for me, so it should be a good weekend.”

BEN KEATING, NO. 33 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “Going into Spa, it’s my favorite track on the WEC schedule. I really love Spa. I qualified very well last year and put together a really good lap. Based on what I know about the track and the characteristics of the Corvette, I expect us to be strong. Both of my co-drivers have a lot of experience there so it should be good. Because we won Sebring and Portimão, and we’re still leading the points, we’ll still have more weight in the car than anyone else. But the Corvette manages the weight very well. I have a ton of convince in the team and my teammates. We all love the track. Usually, the track you love ends up loving you back! We hope that’s the case at Spa.”

NICO VARRONE, NO. 33 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “I’m really looking forward to this race. Spa is one of my favorite tracks in the world. It will be really nice to drive the C8.R there and I know I’ll love it. We’ll see how it goes. We will have more success ballast but we’ll do our best and get the maximum result and points as possible. It would be good to arrive at Le Mans with good points in the championship. Let’s see what happens first at Spa.”

2023 FIA World Endurance Championship – GTE Am (After two of seven events)Driver Standings1. Ben Keating/Nicky Catsburg/Nico Varrone – 642. Christian Ried/Julien Andlauer/Mikkel Pedersen – 333. Simon Mann/Stefano Constantini/Ulysse De Pauw – 284. Davide Rigon/Francesco Castellacci/Thomas Flohr – 275. Daniel Serra/Scott Huffaker/Takeshi Kimura – 24 Team Standings1. No. 33 Corvette Racing – 642. No. 77 Dempsey-Proton Racing – 333. No. 21 AF Corse – 284. No. 54 AF Corse – 275. No. 57 Kessel Racing – 24 CORVETTE RACING AT SPA: By the Numbers• 1: As in one team, one manufacturer and one model of car for 25 years of racing: Corvette Racing, Chevrolet and the Chevrolet Corvette.• 3: Tracks where Corvette Racing has competed in each of its 24 previous years: Sebring, WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca and Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta (later this year). • 4: Generations of Corvette Racing entries since 1999 – Corvette C5-R (2000-04), Corvette C6.R (2005-13), Corvette C7.R (2014-2019) and Corvette C8.R (2020-present).• 14: Manufacturer Championships for Chevrolet and Corvette Racing since 2001.• 27: Tracks at which Corvette Racing has won races – Baltimore, Charlotte Motor Speedway, COTA, Canadian Tire Motorsport Park/Mosport, Daytona, Detroit, Houston, Laguna Seca, Le Mans, Lime Rock, Long Beach, Miami, Mid-Ohio, Monza, Portimão, Portland, Road America, Road Atlanta, Sebring, Sonoma, St. Petersburg, Texas, Trois Rivieres, Utah, VIR, Washington DC and Watkins Glen• 34: Number of drivers for Corvette Racing since 1999. Ben Keating and Nico Varrone joined that list with their participation – and victory – in the 1,000 Miles of Sebring for the World Endurance Championship.• 124: Victories worldwide for Corvette Racing – 113 in North America and eight at Le Mans.• 271: Event starts by Corvette Racing since 1999.• 354,050.01: Total number of racing miles completed by Corvette Racing since its inception. To put that in perspective, Corvette Racing is more than halfway to the distance traveled by Apollo 13 – the longest manned spaceflight in history: 622,268 miles. That means Corvette Racing has raced to the moon… and then some! Corvette Racing at Spa-Francorchamps2021No. 63 Corvette C8.R: Antonio Garcia/Oliver Gavin – 4th in GTE Pro (Gavin’s final Corvette race) 2022No. 64 Corvette C8.R: Tommy Milner/Nick Tandy – 4th in GTE Pro

BATAVIA, Ohio (April 25, 2023) – The stars of the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series will trek to the Mid-Atlantic this weekend for three events at three tracks across three states, spanning from Friday, April 28 through Sunday, April 30. Each night will include a complete program of Dirt Draft Hot Laps, Allstar Performance Time Trials, Heat Races, B-Mains, and their respective A-Mains. The weekend will ignite with Georgetown Speedway hosting the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series for the first time. The annual Melvin L. Joseph Memorial will include a complete program for the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series, culminating in a 50-lap, $18,049 main event for the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series. For the April 28 Melvin L. Joseph Memorial, pit gates open at 4:00PM ET. Grandstand gates unlock at 5:00PM ET with Hot Laps set for 6:30 PM ET. The Delmarva Chargers, Delaware Super Trucks, and Little Lincolns are also on the racing card. Tickets for the Melvin L. Joseph Memorial can be purchased at the gate on race day. The historic Georgetown oval was constructed by First State business and auto racing icon Melvin L. Joseph in 1949, hosting its first event in March 1950. Annually, the racing community honors Joseph’s memory with a memorial race at the four-tenths-mile oval. Joseph’s lucky number – 49 – is incorporated into the event each year.  Georgetown Speedway is a half-mile clay oval that produces high speeds and thrilling racing action. The facility has spacious grandstands, ample parking, a large, flat pit area, room for overnight camping and more. Georgetown Speedway is located at the intersection of Route 113 and Speedway Road in Georgetown, De. – a 40-minute drive from Ocean City, Md. To learn more, visit www.thegeorgetownspeedway.com.  The action shifts to Hagerstown Speedway on Saturday for the annual Conococheague 50. The stars of the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series will join a strong contingent of regional standouts to tackle the half-mile oval in pursuit of the $15,000 top prize. The Semi Late Models will serve as a support division. Hagerstown Speedway is located six miles west of Hagerstown, Md. On U.S. Route 40 (Old National Pike).  The pit gate will open at 2:00PM ET with the general admission gate opening at 5:00PM ET. Hot laps will begin at 7:00PM ET to kick off the on-track action. Tickets can be purchased in advance at https://www.myracepass.com/tracks/1634/tickets/1313073 or onsite the day of the event. For other information, visit www.hagerstownspeedway.com.  Port Royal Speedway, better known as “The Speed Palace,” will close out the weekend on Sunday, April 30. The Battle in The Borough will be a 40-lap main boasting a $10,000 top prize. In addition to the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series action, the Limited Late Models will be chasing a $1,500 winner’s check. Port Royal Speedway is a half-mile oval located on the Juniata County Fairgrounds in Port Royal, Pa. The pits will close and be cleared at 2:30PM ET before re-opening at 3:00PM ET. General admission opens at 4:00PM ET with Hot Laps slated for 5:30PM ET. Tickets can be purchased at the gates on race day. To learn more about Port Royal Speedway, visit www.portroyalspeedway.com.    Ricky Thornton Jr. is atop the Big River Steel Chase for the Championship – presented by ARP standings, followed by Hudson O’Neal and Brandon Overton. Tim McCreadie and Devin Moran round out the top five in championship point standings. For the latest news, results, championship standings and more about the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series, please visit www.lucasdirt.com. Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Event Purses:Georgetown Speedway – April 28th1. $18,049, 2. $7,000, 3. $5,000, 4. $4,000, 5. $3,000, 6. $2,500, 7. $2,400, 8. $2,300, 9. $2,200, 10. $2,100, 11. $2,000, 12. $1,800, 13. $1,600, 14. $1,500, 15. $1,400, 16. $1,300, 17. $1,200, 18. $1,100, 19. $1,000, 20. $1,000, 21. $1,000, 22. $1,000, 23. $1,000, 24. $1,000 = Total $65,449 Hagerstown Speedway – April 29th1. $15,000, 2. $7,000, 3. $5,000, 4. $4,000, 5. $3,000, 6. $2,500, 7. $2,400, 8. $2,300, 9. $2,200, 10. $2,100, 11. $2,000, 12. $1,800, 13. $1,600, 14. $1,500, 15. $1,400, 16. $1,300, 17. $1,200, 18. $1,100, 19. $1,000, 20. $1,000, 21. $1,000, 22. $1,000, 23. $1,000, 24. $1,000, = Total $63,400 Port Royal Speedway – April 30th 1. $10,000, 2. $5,500, 3. $3,500, 4. $2,700, 5. $2,500, 6. $2,300, 7. $2,200, 8. $2,100, 9. $2,050, 10. $2,000, 11. $1,600, 12. $1,400, 13. $1,200, 14. $1,000, 15. $950, 16. $925, 17. $900, 18. $875, 19. $850, 20. $825, 21. $800, 22. $800, 23. $800, 24. $800 = Total $48,575 Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Tire Rules:Georgetown Speedway – April 28thLeft Front – Any Hoosier (28.5) or (90) CompoundLeft Rear/Right Front – Hoosier (90) NLMT2, (90) LM20, (90) NLMT3, (90) LM30sRight Rear – Hoosier (92) NLMT2, (92) LM20, (92) NLMT3, (92) LM30s, (92) NLMT4, (92) LM40 *Must use the same set of 4 tires for Time Trials, Heat Races, and B-Mains*For the A-Main, competitors may use 3 new tires.*Can cut and/or sipe any tire.*Flat tire must be replaced with a used tire of the same compound and construction to retain starting position. Hagerstown Speedway – April 29thLeft Front – Any Hoosier (28.5) or (90) CompoundLeft Rear/Right Front – Hoosier (90) NLMT2, (90) LM20, (90) NLMT3, (90) LM30sRight Rear – Hoosier (92) NLMT2, (92) LM20, (92) NLMT3, (92) LM30s, (92) NLMT4, (92) LM40 *Must use the same set of 4 tires for Time Trials, Heat Races, and B-Mains*For the A-Main, competitors may use 3 new tires.*Can cut and/or sipe any tire.*Flat tire must be replaced with a used tire of the same compound and construction to retain starting position. Port Royal Speedway – April 30th Left Front – Any Hoosier (28.5) or (90) CompoundLeft Rear/Right Front – Hoosier (90) NLMT2, (90) LM20, (90) NLMT3, (90) LM30sRight Rear – Hoosier (92) NLMT2, (92) LM20, (92) NLMT3, (92) LM30s, (92) NLMT4, (92) LM40 *Must use the same set of 4 tires for Time Trials, Heat Races, and B-Mains*For the A-Main, competitors may use 3 new tires.*Can cut and/or sipe any tire.*Flat tire must be replaced with a used tire of the same compound and construction to retain starting position.

Dominic Scelzi Earns First Triumph of Season and First Career Win at Merced Speedway

Inside Line Promotions – MERCED, Calif. (April 24, 2023) – Dominic Scelzi captured his first feature victory of the season last Saturday during a Sprint Car Challenge Tour event at Merced Speedway.

Scelzi qualified second quickest in his group – and fifth overall out of the 40 drivers – before he won a heat race to advance into the dash. A run from fifth to third in the dash lined Scelzi up on the inside of the second row in the main event.

“That place notoriously takes rubber, but it always races good up to that point,” he said. “They reworked the track before the feature. I ran fourth for a little bit and then got to third. First and second started racing and I was able to get by second. I raced the leader for three or four laps. We went back and forth before I was able to get the lead around halfway. Around 10 or 12 laps to go we had a restart. Carson (Macedo) drove up to second by that point. He and I slid each other for three or four laps before I was able to put it away and get away to lead the last eight laps or so untouched.”

The victory was Scelzi’s first of the season and first career at Merced Speedway. It marked his seventh career triumph with the Sprint Car Challenge Tour.

“It was cool to finally get a win there,” he said. “I feel we’ve been in contention every time we’ve raced there and we’ve led a bunch of laps, but stupid stuff had kept us from winning. We’ve had awesome speed so it felt good to show some dominance on Saturday night.”

The win had been on the horizon as Scelzi has been hamstrung while leading his previous two outings.

After advancing from 10^th to third during the Dennis Roth Classic opener on April 14 at Thunderbowl Raceway in Tulare, Calif., Scelzi was leading the event finale the following night when contact with another competitor resulted in Scelzi crashing. He rallied from the back of the field to finish 10^th.

Scelzi then kicked off last weekend on Friday at Ocean Speedway in Watsonville, Calif., where he qualified third quickest in his group, placed third in a heat race and started on the outside of the front row in the A Main.

“We started second and took the lead,” he said. “The track had big holes on the bottom and the top. They reworked it so it was fast in turns one and two. Turns three and four started getting slick so you could run the bottom or top. We were good in clean air, but lapped traffic was all over. We were just past the halfway point when a lapped car hit a hole, turned right and stopped right in front of me. I tried to spin to miss him, but slid him into him and got hit from behind.”

The contact ended Scelzi’s bid for the victory and he was credited with a 19^th-place finish.

Fortunately, the team rebounded in a big way on Saturday with the win and looks to take that momentum into a NARC 410 Sprint Car Series race this Saturday at Antioch Speedway in Antioch, Calif.

QUICK RESULTS –

April 14 – Thunderbowl Raceway in Tulare, Calif. – Qualifying: 11; Heat race: 3 (3); Feature: 3 (10).

April 15 – Thunderbowl Raceway in Tulare, Calif. – Qualifying: 5; Heat race: 1 (1); Dash: 1 (2); Feature: 10 (1).

April 21 – Ocean Speedway in Watsonville, Calif. – Qualifying: 3; Heat race: 3 (4); Feature: 19 (2).

April 22 – Merced Speedway in Merced, Calif. – Qualifying: 2; Heat race: 1 (1); Dash: 3 (5); Feature: 1 (3).

SEASON STATS –

7 races, 1 win, 5 top fives, 6 top 10s, 6 top 15s, 7 top 20s

UP NEXT –

Saturday at Antioch Speedway in Antioch, Calif., for the Contra Costa County Clash with the NARC 410 Sprint Car Series

Concord, North Carolina – Tens of millions of people all over the world are about to say the word “Trackhouse.”In a remarkable next step for the Trackhouse brand promise of merging the worlds of motorsports and entertainment, multi-platinum Grammy-award winning artist Pitbull will release his 12th internationally distributed album on July 7, under the title “Trackhouse.”     Justin Marks, Ross Chastain, Pitbull, Daniel Suárez

Pitbull, aka “Mr. Worldwide,” joined Trackhouse Racing in 2021 in a partnership with Trackhouse Entertainment Group founder Justin Marks, with a mission to promote positivity through the unifying love of music and sports.  The team will celebrate the “Trackhouse” album drop with a co-branded primary paint scheme on its No. 99 Freeway Insurance Chevrolet driven by Daniel Suárez in Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Dover (Del.) Motor Speedway. The “Trackhouse” album will be featured on the hood of the No. 99 along with with Freeway Insurance, who will be co-promoting the album release with Trackhouse Entertainment. Pitbull was intimately involved with the album cover artwork created by Trackhouse which includes the familiar Trackhouse blue, a cityscape of his hometown of Miami, the historic landmark Freedom Tower overlayed in a form of street art as a reminder of his rise from the streets of Miami.  “When I joined Trackhouse in 2021, I told the team, we wanted to make history,” said Pitbull who became a fan of NASCAR after watching the movie Days of Thunder as a kid and is now a business partner with Trackhouse Racing.“Music is the universal language and music is culture. Our mission has been to build a culture at Trackhouse. We want to share it with the world. This is just the beginning of all we are going to do together not only in racing but music and more importantly education. Want to say Justin, Ty (Norris), Daniel, Ross (Chastain) and the entire Trackhouse team it’s an honor to make history together… now let’s step on the gas, Dale!”

Trackhouse Racing is in its third season, following a 2022 season which saw trips to victory lane for Suárez and Chastain. The team is a finalist for the Sports Business Journal’s “2022 Breakthrough Sports Team of the Year” award.

“I am honored that one of the most influential and recognized artists in the world would be so proud of his association with us that he would name his album Trackhouse,” said Marks. “He shares the vision and passion for impacting the lives of the underrepresented. We are creating and compelling a movement of positivity and possibility, using the platform and excitement of sports and music. With this album we are going to have the attention of a global demographic that is ready to be inspired into action for themselves, their families and their future.”The bilingual Trackhouse album features new singles “Me Pone Mal” with Omar Courtz and “Jumpin” with Lil Jon.Not only is Pitbull a GRAMMY® winning independent international superstar, he is also an education advocate, business entrepreneur and motivational speaker.

NHRA^® Team Report

NHRA Four-Wide Nationals – Concord, NC

Pre-Race Report

Coming off back-to-back #1 qualifying sessions for the Snap-on^® “Makers and Fixers” Dodge^® SRT^® Hellcat^®, Cruz Pedregon and team are on the road to North Carolina for the second of two NHRA season four-wide races. Cruz has taken home the Wally from the zMAX Dragway Four-Wide Nationals before and the team is looking to repeat that kind of performance. 

“We’ve been racing to the limits the tracks can hold, and I love the track in Charlotte. I’ve made some of my best runs here, so it will be exciting to watch the weekend unfold with the power we’re getting out of the Snap-on car,” says Cruz. “We plan to stick with the tuning program we have in place to continue the momentum we’ve gained in the last two races. We’ve actually had to slow the car down some, but we’re ready to see what it can do here in Charlotte.”  

On the side of Cruz’s car this weekend is Snap-on Nitro Franchisee Adam Lambert. He’s an avid drag racing fan who’s working on a car of his when he’s not busy with his Snap-on business. He’s had his franchise for almost three years now. Adam says his customers have become friends, and his favorite part of the work is getting to see them each week on his route. Even though he’s been to the Four-Wides here before, it will be his first time to meet Cruz and hang out with him in the pit. 

The Snap-on Funny Car continues to highlight “Makers & Fixers.” Check out the Makers and Fixers among us on Instagram and share your stories at makersandfixers.com. 

Follow Cruz and Snap-on on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram

To see the latest Cruz news, like his Facebook page. Follow Cruz on Twitter and Instagram. Be sure to follow @MakersandFixers on Instagram and share your stories at makersandfixers.com.

Second Hypercar joins the full-season No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R as prelude to Le Mans

DETROIT (April 24, 2023) – After two strong performances as a solo, the No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R will welcome its sister racecar to form a formidable Hypercar duo this week at Spa-Francorchamps. The No. 3 Cadillac V-Series.R, co-driven by Sebastien Bourdais, Renger van der Vande and Jack Aitken, will make its FIA World Endurance Championship debut in the Six Hours of Spa..

The three drivers are familiar with the 7.004km (4.35-mile), 20-turn circuit that hosted its inaugural car race in 1922 and has been part of every WEC season. “I’ve done many races there since my first season in 2004,” said van der Zande, an Amsterdam resident who has amassed 18 IMSA victories. “My greatest memory is we finished second in the 24 Hours of Spa with a one-minute penalty at the start of the race, so it was an amazing drive with Felix Rosenqvist and Tristan Vautier as teammates. It’s special for me personally to drive in my own Cadillac to Spa, have a race there so close to my home with my American team and Cadillac.”

Media resources * Cadillac Spa guide (English):Driver bios, team infoCadillac Racing statisticsA look at the HypercarCar and driver photos* Cadillac Racing ‘pit notes’ * Cadillac Spa preview (French)* Cadillac Spa guide (French)* Cadillac ‘pit notes’ (French)Spa layoutTrack details: 7004km (4.35 miles), 20 turnsLocation: Stavelot, BelgiumHypercar entries: 13Race: 12:30 p.m. local/6:30 a.m. ET Saturday Up-close look: Watch the six-hour race from the driver’s view via the camera in the No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R.

The No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R, co-driven by Earl Bamber, Alex Lynn and Richard Westbrook, has finished fourth in each of the two rounds of the season. The first-year WEC team has advanced a total of five positions – more than twice as many as any other Hypercar entry — from its qualifying spots. “We continue to learn with the program, and to have the strong performance that we did at Portimão gets us even more energized going into Spa,” GM sports car program manager Laura Wontrop Klauser said. “Cadillac will have two cars there, which will give us the opportunity to really get the team ready for Le Mans as well as think about strategy differently for the Spa race. We’re looking forward to seeing how everything goes at that racetrack.” Cadillac is tied for third in the WEC Manufacturer Championship.The gold No. 3 Cadillac V-Series.R, running as the No. 01 in IMSA, earned a podium finish in the season-opening Rolex 24 At Daytona in January and qualified second and third in the succeeding races. “Cadillac and Chip Ganassi Racing believe that we are stronger when we race multiple cars on any given race weekend,” said Mike O’Gara, director of operations for Chip Ganassi Racing which campaigns the Nos. 2 and 3 entries. “The Spa event will serve as a much-needed dress rehearsal for the Le Mans 24-hour race. It will be a great opportunity for our ‘IMSA regulars’ to be immersed in the WEC rules and race procedures in anticipation of the big event in June.” The No. 311 Whelen Engineering Cadillac V-Series.R will join the Cadillac stable for the centenary 24 Hours of Le Mans in June. The Action Express Racing-prepared car claimed the pole for the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship’s Twelve Hours of Sebring and went on to post Cadillac’s 28th prototype victory since 2017 and its third in a row at Sebring International Raceway with Pipo Derani, Alexander Sims and Aitken sharing the wheel. The Cadillac V-Series.R features an all-new Cadillac 5.5-liter DOHC V8 naturally aspirated engine developed by GM’s Performance and Racing propulsion team based in Pontiac, Michigan. The body, codeveloped by Cadillac Design, Cadillac Racing and chassis constructor Dallara, incorporates key Cadillac V-Series production car design elements.

What they’re saying

No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R Earl Bamber: “Really looking forward to Spa. It’s one of my favorite tracks in Europe and I’ve spent a lot of time there. Won one of my first big races in Europe there in Porsche Mobil 1 Super Cup, so I really looking forward to going back there especially with this Cadillac. I think we’re making strides as a team. We’re learning the WEC and I think we’ll continue to improve. Two cars will be a challenge for Chip Ganassi Racing, but it’s all in preparation to bring three for Le Mans. Obviously for us, being year one, it’s all about Le Mans mainly because it’s our first season. You saw with the Corvette program first time coming to Le Mans there’s a lot to learn. We’ve got the true test at Spa. They say Spa is the closest representation with the downforce level ahead of Le Mans.”  Alex Lynn: “I love Spa and I think this car is going to be so much fun to drive there. The WEC races there always throw off something crazy with the weather. It’s always an amazing race with everything mixed in, so super excited for Spa and challenge for the podium again.” Richard Westbrook: “It will be great to get back to Spa. It feels too long since I’ve been there; over 10 years actually. It’s been that long racing in America. The only downside of racing in America is missing tracks like Monza and Spa and Silverstone. Can’t wait to get our Cadillac around there. I think it will come alive. We worked hard in Portugal to sort of tune the car for a European track and hopefully bridge that gap to the Toyotas.”No. 3 Cadillac V-Series.R Renger van der Zande: “The Spa track is very technical from a driver’s perspective and the setup is crucial to set it up for the high speed because that’s where all the time is and we don’t have many tracks like that in North America — maybe only Mosport, so it’s a good practice for that and obviously Le Mans. It’s special for me personally to drive from home in my own Cadillac, drive to Spa, have a race there so close to my home with my American team and Cadillac. It’s only about Le Mans and I think that race is a way to get into the groove of the WEC rules.” Sebastien Bourdais: “I miss the old Spa where the grass was the limit, but the layout hasn’t changed and the challenge remains. It’s one of the coolest tracks in Europe and it’s always a tough track to get the balance right and get in the window, and that’s really important or otherwise you hurt your tires. The track is a nice rehearsal for Le Mans. It’s still somewhat specific and Le Mans remains the outlier because of the straights and the different asphalt if you compare it to Spa. A lot of guys used to run their Le Mans kit at Spa to try to understand the car better, so it was always a compromise because you’ll sacrifice the Spa weekend a little bit. There’s no consideration in Hypercar because it’s the same level of downforce wherever you go, so there’s no head-scratching with this one.”

Jack Aitken: “Driving at such an incredible circuit with the Cadillac V.Series R will be an invaluable addition to our prep for Le Mans. It will be a pleasure to integrate with Chip Ganassi and work together to push the Cadillac program forward, as we have a great deal of respect between us. Partnering up with Seb and Renger will be great for me personally, as I’ll be learning off two great guys.”

NASCAR CUP SERIESTALLADEGA SUPERSPEEDWAYGEICO 500TEAM CHEVY RACE WIN RECAPAPRIL 23, 2023 Kyle Busch Prevails in Overtime Finish for Talladega VictoryChevrolet’s Seventh NCS Win of 2023; Chevrolet Sweeps Talladega Doubleheader Weekend

·       The win is Busch’s second NASCAR Cup Series win of the 2023 season and his 62nd career win in NASCAR’s premier series. ·       Busch is now the third repeat winner in the series this season, joining fellow Chevrolet drivers William Byron and Kyle Larson.·       The victory extended Chevrolet’s series-leading NASCAR Cup Series win record at Talladega Superspeedway to 44 all-time victories, including the past three races at the Alabama superspeedway. ·       Chevrolet has now won the past five NASCAR Cup Series superspeedway races, dating back to Ross Chastain’s win at Talladega Superspeedway one year ago. ·       The winningest manufacturer in NASCAR Cup Series history, Chevrolet now sits at 840 all-time wins in NASCAR’s premier series. ·       Chevrolet swept the NASCAR doubleheader race weekend at Talladega Superspeedway, with Jeb Burton and the No. 27 Jordan Anderson Racing Camaro SS team taking the victory in the Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series race.

TALLADEGA, Ala. (April 23, 2023) – In a double attempt at an overtime finish, Kyle Busch and the No. 8 McLaren Custom Grills Camaro ZL1 team came out on top to score Chevrolet’s series-leading seventh NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) win of the season at Talladega Superspeedway. The victory is Busch’s second trip to victory lane since joining Chevrolet and Richard Childress Racing at the beginning of 2023. The 37-year-old Las Vegas native is now alongside fellow Chevrolet drivers William Byron and Kyle Larson as the third repeat winner in NASCAR’s premier series with 10 points-paying races in the books.  “I know RCR had a lot of superspeedway love for a long, long time,” said Busch. “One of the best to ever do it and was obviously one of the winningest ones. It’s fun to be able to come out here and be a part of this team and work with Randall (Burnett, crew chief) and all my guys.” A pair of late-race cautions setup two attempts at an overtime finish at the 2.66-mile Alabama superspeedway. Forgoing pit road during the race’s eighth and final caution put Busch in the third position for the second overtime attempt. When the top-two cars (Ryan Blaney and Bubba Wallace) made contact on the final lap, the gamble for track position paid off as Busch took over the lead before the race ultimately ended under caution.  The victory added to Chevrolet’s storied history at NASCAR’s longest oval with Busch’s victory extending the manufacturer’s series-leading record to 44 all-time NCS wins at Talladega Superspeedway. The Camaro ZL1 has made its way to victory lane in the past five consecutive superspeedway races in NASCAR’s top series, with Busch becoming the fifth different driver to add to the manufacturer’s superspeedway win streak.  “We have a great time being able to come out here and race; be a part of Team Chevy and Chevrolet and get this Camaro in Victory Lane,” added Busch.  Four drivers from four different Chevrolet teams logged top-10 finishes in the series’ second superspeedway race of the season. A favorite in superspeedway competition, Erik Jones and the No. 43 U.S. Air Force Camaro ZL1 team took the checkered flag in the sixth-position. William Byron (No. 24 Liberty University Camaro ZL1) finished seventh, with Daniel Suarez (No. 99 Tootsies Orchid Lounge Camaro ZL1) rounding out the Team Chevy top-10 in the ninth-position. Another notable run came from series’ rookie Noah Gragson and the No. 42 Wendy’s Biggie Bag Camaro ZL1 team. Gragson took top-10 finishes in both of the race’s stages – the first time this season he has accomplished this feat. The young LEGACY MOTOR CLUB driver ran in the top-five for much of the final stage, proving to be a contender for the triumph before getting collected in an accident in the closing laps.  The Bowtie brand swept the NASCAR doubleheader weekend at Talladega Superspeedway. Joining Busch with a trip to victory lane at the famed superspeedway was Jeb Burton and the No. 27 Jordan Anderson Racing Camaro SS team who took the victory in Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series event. The 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season continues at Dover Motor Speedway with the Würth 400 on Sunday, April 30, at 2 p.m. ET. Live coverage can be found on FS1, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

KYLE BUSCH, NO. 8 MCLAREN CUSTOM GRILLS CAMARO ZL1 – Race Win Press Conference Transcript THE MODERATOR: We are joined by our race winner, Kyle Busch. Kyle, congratulations on that win. 10 races into the season, you now have two wins with your team at RCR. Tell us about those final laps, what it means to have two wins in the books at this point in the season. KYLE BUSCH: It means a lot obviously. Last time I won here, 15 years ago, my first year with JGR. Here we are with my first year in RCR being able to get back into Victory Lane at Talladega. It’s been a little bit.It is really cool to welcome on a new partner of ours with McLaren Custom Grills, to score a win with them and RCR, Team Chevy, to get the Camaro in Victory Lane here, really good for us. We were obviously short on fuel, kind of stretching it. I don’t think we would have taken that chance, I probably wouldn’t have taken that chance of staying out but for the win in Fontana. That opened up our playbook, gave us a chance to be up front, restart up front and go for a win today.Yeah, just being in the right place at the right time. Sometimes you got to be lucky. Feels good to have that. I’m sure all of you guys are going to be going to Cheddar’s tomorrow for your free tender meal as I probably need to send Brexton over there, we’ll get some of our own. THE MODERATOR: We’ll now go to questions. Q. It sounded like Randall was trying to call you to pit road too late, you were past it. What exactly was the sequence there of you talking about that?KYLE BUSCH: Yeah, on my own mind, I was like there’s no way you come to pit road and just throw away your day, like your day is done. We didn’t have any stage points, we had nothing at that point in the race. I was why not take the chance. He said, Pit, pit, pit. I was like, It’s a good thing it’s too late anyway. I knew I wasn’t going to get it in there, but also I wouldn’t have anyways. I would have taken the chance and said, You know what, roll the dice, let’s go. Q. You struggled at superspeedways before you came to RCR. How much has joining RCR helped you gain your confidence? First two plate races this year, you have been a contender.KYLE BUSCH: I wouldn’t say today we contended much. We got up front there for a little bit, then we came off of pit road really, really good in that second stage I believe behind Chase, and the 24 was with us. Then we caught up with the Fords. Then we all got misconjobulated, shucked me to the back, I was in the back again. The 9, I think he won that stage. That must have been the finish of stage two.Yeah, our average running position and where we ran for most of the day wouldn’t have showed we contended much. But take ’em as they come. It was just like a 200-mile-an-hour parade lap. Hard to make passes, get enough room in the middle to make a move up the middle, get enough of a gap to the inside where you can fall in, try to cycle up, get a gap to the outside, cycle up. It was really hard. Q. You referenced the 15 years. Did you ever feel Lady Luck was going to shine back on you?KYLE BUSCH: Well, ever since 2015 struck, I’ve always just hoped to walk out of a speedway race at the end of the day. When you’re able to do that, you might as well take solace in it. It’s not a win, but at least you’re going home on your own two feet. Races, they’re all hard to win, but especially speedway races are hard to win. You got 30 guys out there vying for it, that have a legit shot to win, barring different circumstances. There were some wrecks in front of us today. We were able to squeak through, not get caught up in it fortunately, which isn’t a whole lot of my luck here. We’ll take this one, for sure. Q. I asked Randall about having a driver that maybe doesn’t overrule him on a call, but will say this is where we’re at, go against what he called. He said it was almost refreshing to have somebody like that. What does that mean to hear that from your crew chief?KYLE BUSCH: Yeah, I mean, I didn’t really voice that over the radio about, Hey, we got to win, we might as well stay out and ride this thing out. I just thought it in my head.It’s cool to work with Randall. Obviously, he gives me a lot of leeway just with my experience and stuff like that, being here. Probably a few years ago I would have pitted and just taken the finish, whatever that might have been. We probably would have been caught up in that wreck. But when I thought that we’d have a shot for a front row start at the end, I was like there’s no way we can pit. If we run out of gas coming off of turn two after we take the green flag, so be it.Yeah, just go for it, roll the dice. Q. When Richard was in here, he said you were helping build back the organization to where it used to be. Is there an area where you feel you’ve made the biggest impact so far?KYLE BUSCH: No, not yet. Have you watched our short track program (laughter)? It’s a struggle. We’re working on that. I’ve always known these guys have had a good restrictor plate program. We showed that in Daytona, we were really fast. It was fun to run as quick as we did, as good as we did with Austin to try to win that. Fontana, we were super fast there, too. They had a really good car there last year. The short track stuff has been head-scratching for sure. On my front and Randall’s front, I know we’re trying to work through what it takes to turn that around. Hopefully we can get there to make the short track stuff go our way. Q. Do you feel like you did anything better on a superspeedway today?KYLE BUSCH: No. Q. You just got lucky?KYLE BUSCH: I got lucky, yeah (smiling). Q. Do you consider the Blaney-Wallace portion of that luck or do you expect that at the end of a race?KYLE BUSCH: Well, so Bubba was pushing me on the restart. He had me squirreled up a little bit down the backstretch. Then we got separated from each other. He went back to grab whoever was behind him, brought the momentum back forward. I got out a little too far. Off of four, Bubba was coming with a head of steam. I could have turned up to get in front of him and tried to block. I’m going to get wrecked. My stuff would not take pushes anyways. I was not going to put myself in a spot where I was going to try to take one. I just let those guys go by and say we’ll sort it out down the backstretch and see what happens. We have four more corners to see what happens in this race, two and a half more miles. They got to pushing real hard, and Bubba went to block. You can’t make more than one turn being pushed. By the time you make that second one, you’re wrecked. Q. Has there been anything noticeably different about superspeedway races when it comes to now being in the Chevy camp compared to what you had for so many years?KYLE BUSCH: We’ve talked a lot about that. We’ve actually worked through some of that. The key partner group, had our meeting and stuff on trying to have our eight guys align and be part of the deal together. There was a couple moments today where that really helped, being able to get down to the bottom, have those guys build a gap so you can get in line before you come to pit road. I thought our pit road execution today was really, really good. We all come in, do our deal, ride pit road, do our stops, got organized really quick. I thought the overall orchestration of that was really good. I wouldn’t say it really materialized on the racetrack a whole lot. I saw the Toyota guys, they were I think four or five of ’em in a row on the outside towards the end of the race. We never really showed that. But there was some good cohesion. Q. Eight months ago at Watkins Glen you opened up about how it had been a hard year. Now two wins, a new organization, having success. What is it like to be Kyle Busch, what is your mindset now? How did you get from, maybe you’ll say it’s a dark place, but a darker place to this point? Eight months is a short period of time.KYLE BUSCH: Yeah, just having a good, strong support system. Obviously Samantha, Brexton, my family first. But then from there, having a great bunch of guys that I’m surrounded by that when Richard made comment to Randall about there being a chance I come over there, he was really pumped up about it, he was really excited about it. Petree was, as well, too. I remember Petree blowing me up for a couple weeks on phone calls. They didn’t think that Kyle Busch was washed up or anything like that. It was really a breath of fresh air to get over there and get to work. Trust me, I’ve probably done more, worked harder in this year than I have in the last four just because of feeling like it’s my duty, it’s my service to them to give them everything that I’ve got, absolutely everything that I’ve got, for them sticking their neck out for me at RCR. We’re working really hard in a lot of areas. I keep pushing these guys on some stuff. I hope that it will continue to get better as we progress through the year. I think next week is another big test for us as the RCR group statistically speaking at Dover was horrendous a year ago. Hopefully we can turn that around. Q. You’re among the greats, no doubt about that. I’m sure every driver has ego or self doubt. To get two wins quickly, even though you are Kyle Busch, how important is that to have come out of the gate like that as opposed to get your two wins at race 25 or 26?KYLE BUSCH: Yeah, right. No, I mean, trust me, I think I said it in Fontana, I’ll say it again: the more wins you can get, the earlier you get ’em, the better your season is going to go. The points buildup is obviously what you strive for. Winning races in the Playoffs obviously moves you through automatically to the next round. That’s a good plus, you get to carry the points late in the year too. I’ve always looked at having strong starts to seasons, that kind of solidifying your base for the remainder of your season. Somebody told me this a long time ago, that any time you get to Charlotte, Coke 600, from there to the end of the season, points fluctuation, one or two spots barring something stupid happening. Three blown up motors in a row will hurt that. Other than that, the cycle of racing naturally, you’ll end up about the same spot. I always like to be having a good, strong start to build that foundation. Q. It seems like this new Next Gen racing more preaches patience than the aggressive style. Do you think this suits you more with the more mature Kyle Busch?KYLE BUSCH: What number Kyle are we talking about (smiling)? Q. 2018 Kyle Busch, how does that compare and contrast to other generations you’ve raced?KYLE BUSCH: This style is by far a lot of patience, which I don’t think the consensus within the garage area with the drivers is that we enjoy it very much. You’d like to have some areas of opportunities to where you can make some moves, cycle yourself around a little bit. Man, when you ride around there parade formation for 10s of laps at a time, it gets a bit frustrating. You know that you can do better than that. But you pull out of the line, try to make something happen, you hit a block wall of air, go backwards. Everybody is just the same. It’s just so equal. There’s not enough separation within everything to put on, in my opinion, good, exciting racing at the speedway races. I think there’s a bit of a struggle right now. Q. Can you speak a little bit on the partnership with RCR and the give-and-take in the transition?KYLE BUSCH: Yeah, to us coming onboard and being a part of RCR for me this year, I’ve had a lot of great things so far that we’ve been able to work on and really show some positivity, show some good momentum in a direction that we need for success for this year. Then there’s just some of the other areas where we’re not really seeing the fruits of our labor yet. Again, we’re all striving for the same thing. That’s one goal, and that’s to win. We want to see Austin get a win. Unfortunately he had some bum luck today. Want to get him in the Playoffs, as well, too.The Xfinity program has been on fire. They’ve been super, super strong this year. That’s been fun to see.  We just need to keep it going in the right way. THE MODERATOR: Kyle, congratulations again on that win. KYLE BUSCH: Thanks. RICHARD CHILDRESS, OWNER OF RICHARD CHILDRESS RACING, and RANDALL BURNETT, CREW CHIEF, NO. 8 MCLAREN CUSTOM GRILLS CAMARO ZL1 – Race Win Press Conference Transcript THE MODERATOR: Good evening, everyone. We’ve been joined by team owner Richard Childress of Richard Childress Racing. Richard, congratulations on another win. Tell us a little bit about the final laps from your vantage point. RICHARD CHILDRESS: I think my stomach was in knots, but not as bad as the crew chief.Randall was, Pit, pit. Kyle said, Look, we done made this deal, we done made our decision, let’s ride it out no matter what.He just stayed out. We were on the border of running out of fuel. I was just holding my breath. It wasn’t going to be fun if we run out of fuel. It was a good day, a great day. Great crowd. One of the best crowds I understand at Talladega since Dale Jr. won in 2008 or last one that he won. THE MODERATOR: We’ll take questions for Richard. Q. Your 13th win here at Talladega, second only to Hendrick. What does it feel like to win at Talladega? Such a difficult place to win.RICHARD CHILDRESS: It’s such an important win. If you win at Talladega, so much can happen during the race. But Talladega has been so great to RC. I raced here in 1969. One of the biggest breaks I got. I left here with about 1,500, 2,000 dollars, thought I’d never have to work again. Here I am still racing (smiling). Talladega has been great. Winning with Dale here in the Winston I guess 2000 was the last win for him here. Q. RCR has had such a resurgence with Kyle. How do you feel as an organization?RICHARD CHILDRESS: I think he’s helping us build RCR back to where we want to be. I have to give all the credit to Austin Dillon. He’s the one that came to me, he knew Tyler was going somewhere else. He said, Pop, what do you think about bringing Kyle Busch over here?I said, I’ll talk to him if he wants to. We sat down, put a program together. The credit goes to Austin for bringing him on. Q. You talk about Austin. How do you keep that team from not maybe getting into desperation mode?RICHARD CHILDRESS: Which team? Q. Austin’s team, considering how far back they are in points, looking at the Playoffs. Last year they won the last race to get in. Is there anything you do or want them to do to avoid being in desperation mode?RICHARD CHILDRESS: Well, you start the season out in desperation mode. That’s the way we always look at this deal. He knows now he’s got to win. We know we’ve got to get a win for him. We’ll be digging extra hard to get him there, those 60 points, we got an appeal. I feel we have a decent chance. I don’t know who the panel will be, but that will be who will decide it. I think we got a decent chance. Q. You’ve had some struggles in recent years, but now when you go back to last season, you’ve won six of the last 29 races. I don’t know if you’re going to say you’re back or you consider yourself back, but what does it mean to be more of a player than what you had been for a number of years?RICHARD CHILDRESS: Thank you, Dustin. That’s a good question. Racing is like life: there’s peaks and valleys. When you get in on a peak, it’s harder to stay there. You got to be prepared when you’re at the top. We’ve been there. We’ve also been in the valley, the very bottom. You got to work harder and have the right drive and emotion to put you up to the top. That’s what we’ve worked hard to get there. It’s took a long road. It’s been a fun deal. Q. What does it mean to you personally?RICHARD CHILDRESS: Me personally, it means a lot. I’m still doing this. People say, Why do you do it? If you see all those fans up there, that’s why we do it. We’re all in this for that reason.We got some great partners that we’ve been involved with. Chevy, Bass Pro, so many of them over the years. Just long-term partnerships drive you. And our crew chief, Randall Burnett. Can you breathe yet (laughter)? RANDALL BURNETT: Yes (smiling). Q. A lot of people dread coming to this place. It’s been good to you over the years. Why do you think it’s been good to you? What is it about this place?RICHARD CHILDRESS: Back even when I was driving, they used to say it was an Indian burial ground. I don’t know if any of you remember that. It was always supposed to be the ghost of Talladega to be here.I just always shook it off and just enjoyed it. I loved racing here as a driver. I love being an owner here. We’ve had some great runs, great wins. I’m excited about the future of RCR, Kyle, Austin, the whole team. Q. Richard, it’s been 15 races for Kyle since he’s won here. 22 for you, back since Clint Bowyer won here in 2011. Did you wonder if you would ever get back to Victory Lane? Did you see this as being one of those it’s just going to be a battle?RICHARD CHILDRESS: Talladega is always a battle of survival. That’s what the battle really is. If you can be there at the end, you got a chance to win. That’s what we wanted to do. That’s always our goal here and Daytona. You got to be there at the end. Both drivers talked about coming out here racing, racing as hard as they could, and they did. It was a good day for one. Austin didn’t have that good of a day, he was involved in that crash. But Talladega will give you that, give you the peaks and valleys. Q. Randall, obviously the pit strategy, a big question. What does it mean to you to be on the box, have your driver say, This is what we’re doing, I have control?RANDALL BURNETT: It’s hugely helpful. For him to buy into what we’re doing, the communication is there, Hey, man, this is where we’re at in the race, this is what we’ve got going on. For him to understand that, process that, do everything he can to help us along the way, is huge for us, how we play our strategy. Q. The opposite side of that is can you look at Talladega Superspeedway and say if we need something great to happen, can you come to Talladega and say maybe this is where things turn around for us?RANDALL BURNETT: Well, yeah, it’s a nice shot in the arm for us, honestly. We kind of hung out, tried to stay out of trouble all day. Everybody was kind of along the same lines of just being conscious of how much fuel they were using, all that. We’ve came off a rough three or four races for us. To be able to come back out and win this race, it’s good for everybody on the team, get a good shot in the arm. Really looking forward to going back to some of these mile-and-a-half tracks, get back to the meat and potatoes of the schedule, seeing what we’ve got there. We’ve got some work obviously to do on our short track stuff. That will give us a little bit of a break, realign on that, come back, see what we got. Q. Richard, you’ve seen a lot of races, ups and downs at Talladega. The optimism of coming to Talladega…RICHARD CHILDRESS: Like I said earlier, it’s all about survival here, one thing, to put yourself in a position to win. All day long, Kyle sit there in that bottom line, when some other lines were moving, kept moving up, moving up. Pit strategy, the calls that Randall made there for the amount of fuel, saving fuel, use less fuel to get you out in front of them. That paid off. That’s what it takes.I’m going to go celebrate with my friend J.P. Morris, Johnny Morris, all the friends at Bass Pro because we’re going turkey hunting tomorrow (smiling). Q. Randall, what happened on the final sequence when you called Kyle in? When did you make the decision?RANDALL BURNETT: Yeah, we’d had the talk when the first caution came out there like 184, 185. I’m like, Hey, man, we’re going to be in a bad spot here possibly if we get too many green-white-checkereds.He was like, Let’s try to give it a go, the first one, see what happens. He was fully aware. He was aggressively saving us fuel, doing everything he could. He knew the situation at that point. I saw a couple of ’em getting ready to duck off in front of us. They were kind of in the same fuel situation as we were. There were a bunch of us. Honestly, I called it too late. It was a fortunate mistake, you know what I mean? We kind of lucked out there. He saved enough under those cautions to make it till the end. The caution coming out on the white flag lap there, who knows if we would have ran all the way to the end. We might not have made it.Just kind of better be lucky than good at that point. Q. 11 races with him. He’s a unique talent, temperamental. Never know what you’re going to get. How has it been working with him?RANDALL BURNETT: It’s been great. His ability speaks for itself obviously. What he knows about the cars and the strategy, just how the race plays out, what he needs in a car, all that is hugely helpful.I think it helps me be better, be more detailed, and really be on top of my game because he’s going to challenge you if you’re not. I think everybody on the 8 team has really stepped it up in that manner. I think it’s been good so far. I think everything has been great. We have a good relationship, communicate a lot, communicate well. I think that shows. Q. Kyle hasn’t won at one of these tracks in a points race in a long time. When you talk about this style of racing, does he tell you he’s good or that he hasn’t won in over a decade?RANDALL BURNETT: Well, no, honestly, when he got there, that was one of the big things that he wanted to get with Derek on. He knows Derek has had some success, our spotter Derek. He came over, Man, I’ll tell you what, I’ve really struggled at these places. I don’t know what it is about my approach, what we do, but I’ve struggled at these superspeedway tracks. He was very interested to see how Derek goes about approaching his day and how that communication goes. They spent a lot of time over the winter talking about it, listening to tape, doing all that. I think it paid off. Obviously we were in a great spot at the 500. Really fast there all weekend. Just kind of missed out on winning that one. Got wadded up at the end. Obviously put ourselves in position there, as well.I think their relationship is really good. I think Kyle has put a lot of trust in Derek at these places. It’s been paying off. Q. Since you won with Tyler at Road America, you’ve won five races among the two drivers. How have you been able to build this team that when you have the talent, you can take advantage?RANDALL BURNETT: I mean, this 8 team, it’s strong. The road crew guys, they’re all racers. They’ve grown up racing. We’ve got great engineers. This team’s really strong. We’re really close, really connected. We’ve spent the last three or four years together all through Tyler’s coming up through the Cup side, now with Kyle. Everybody’s really dedicated. Everybody wants to come out and win races. Everybody works hard. They pull their weight. They take their responsibility for their part in it. It just makes a great team.Obviously we’ve been fortunate enough to have two very talented drivers. Tyler is an incredible talent. Now we got Kyle. His résumé speaks for itself. Just very fortunate to have those kind of caliber of drivers drive the car, and for our team to stay close-knit and work as hard as they do. It’s been great. Q. Even with the talent you have, how did you have to build it up as a coach?RANDALL BURNETT: It’s one of those deals, we missed a lot of opportunities when Tyler was driving the car. We finished second I don’t know how many times. Everybody sees that and they taste that and they want it, right? It’s not hard when you’re running up front to keep everybody motivated. It’s when you’re struggling and things aren’t going right. It’s tough to keep everybody pulling together in the same direction. Fortunately, like last year, we had a lot of fast cars all year long. Tyler did a great job. We finally figured out how to break that barrier. Once we did, it started working out better for us. Kyle came aboard. He’s been great to work with. He’s a proven winner many times over. Just to be able to get him in the car, us kind of adapt to him, him adapt to us, we kind of found a good middle road I think.  Looking forward to getting to more of these tracks. THE MODERATOR: Congratulations on the win.

(4/24/23 – Ben Deatherage) Antioch, California … It has been several seasons since the NARC 410 Sprint Car Series has made the trip to Antioch Speedway in the East Bay of the Golden State. The 3/8-mile clay oval will host the traveling tour on Saturday, April 29th, for the “Contra Costa County Clash.”

“The Northern Auto Racing Club is looking forward to returning to Antioch Speedway,” said NARC 410 Sprint Series General Manager Jim Allen. “It’s been a long time, 2017 to be exact; and we anticipate putting on a good show at a facility that used to be a mainstay on the NARC schedule. Hopefully, this show will get something started for the future.”

This marks the fourth of 22 scheduled events that will visit 15 different dirt oval tracks in California, Oregon, and Washington.

Thirteen drivers have hit pay dirt at Antioch since 2003 with the series out of their last twenty-one visits. Brent Kaeding and Jonathan Allard are tied with the most triumphs with four each. Giovanni Scelzi, who now competes full time on the World of Outlaw tour, scored the most recent Antioch outing on June 3rd, 2017.

 Who To Watch For

 Corey Day is one of the many NARC regulars that have yet to visit Antioch Speedway. The Clovis teenager, racing for car owner Jason Meyers, has yet to finish off the podium in the 2023 season and enters the vent as the championship point leader. Day is still the only driver to have more than one win in the current campaign.  He has already won in Hanford and Tulare.

Two-time defending champion Dominic Scelzi will be in series competition at Antioch for the first time in ten years. He ended the night seventh in 2013 and was sixth in his debut the year before. Despite two top five finishes this season, the Fresno driver is still looking for his first NARC win of the year.

Justin Sanders hopes to score a significant result for the Mittry Racing Team in Antioch. He was tenth in his lone 410 appearance at the facility, but that was all the way back in 2011. The Aromas-based driver has amassed two podium finishes in three starts with the NARC series and is still on the cusp of that breakthrough win.

The Bay Area will be well represented by the significant youth movement from Penngrove’s Chase Johnson, Oakley teenager Dylan Bloomfield, Joey Ancona of Concord, and fresh from New Zealand Joel Myers Jr. representing Sebastopol. Amazingly all four drivers have Antioch experience, but none have it with the NARC series.

Others expected in the star-studded field are Roseville’s Justyn Cox, Andy Forsberg from Auburn, Bud Kaeding of Campbell, Benicia’s Billy Aton, Shane Golobic from Fremont, Dylan Bloomfield of Oakley, Arizona driver Nick Parker, Nevada driver Bill Smith, and many more.

 Fan & Competitor Info

Antioch Speedway is located on the Contra Costa Fairgrounds in Antioch, CA.  The address is 1201 W 10th Street. Grandstand tickets are priced at $30.00 for Adults, $28.00 for Seniors, and Children (6-12) $15.00. Bleacher tickets are priced at $25.00 for Adults, $25.00 for Senior/Military, and for Children (12 and Under) $20.00. For more information, log on to www.antiochspeedway.com.

Also on the race card is IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Stock Cars, Delta Dwarf Cars.  Pit Gates open at noon.  The front gate open at 4:00 p.m. with qualifying set to get underway at at 5:30 p.m.  Racing starts at 6:00 p.m.

Race teams are required to put down tarps in their respective pit areas.

 The NARC 410 Sprint Series, presented by Hoosier Racing Tires and Floracing.com, is the leading 410 Sprint Car tour west of the Rocky Mountains. Since 1960, they have enthralled countless thousands of fans at tracks up and down the Pacific Coast. For more information, visit their website at www.narc410.com or social media pages.

 The Contra Costa County Clash can be viewed live on Floracing.com, along with every NARC 410 Sprint Car Series race.

The NARC 410 Sprint Car Racing Series is also sponsored by Hoosier Racing Tires, Floracing.com, and NAPA Auto Parts. Associate and product award sponsors include Automotive Racing Products (ARP), Beacon Wealth Strategies-Raymond James Financial, Brown & Miller Racing Solutions, Bullet Impressions, D & D Roofing, Diversified Machine Inc., Johnstone Supply, Kaeding Performance Center, Kimo’s Tropical Car Wash, KSE Racing Enterprises,  Lifeline LLC, Maxim Racing Products, Mettec Titanium, Pyrotect, Safecraft Safety Equipment, Saldana Racing Products, Schoenfeld Headers, Scelzi Enterprises, SCI Racing Products, Starr Property Management, Sunnyvalley Bacon, System 1 Ignition, Ultra Lite Brakes, Williams Roofing, Wilwood Disc Brakes, and Winters Performance Products.

NARC 410 SPRINT CAR SERIES 
CHAMPIONSHIP POINT STANDINGS
(AFTER THREE EVENTS IN 22-RACE SERIES)

1. Corey Day, Clovis – 423
2. Justin Sanders, Aromas – 413
3. Chase Johnson, Penngrove – 406
4. Dominic Scelzi, Fresno – 405
5. Justyn Cox, Roseville – 403
6. Tim Kaeding, San Jose – 402
7. Bud Kaeding, Campbell – 497
8. Shane Golobic, Fremont – 394
9. Ryan Bernal, Roseville – 389
10. Joey Ancona, Concord – 385
11. Tanner Holmes, Central Point, OR – 383
12. Dylan Bloomfield, Oakley – 378
13. DJ Netto, Hanford – 374
14. Craig Stidham, Fresno – 369
15. Michael Pombo, Easton – 367
16. Kaleb Montgomery, Templeton – 365
17. Nick Parker, Tucson, AZ – 357
18. Bill Smith, Sparks, NV – 330
19. Billy Aton, Benicia – 329
20. Trey Starks, Puyallup, WA – 274

UPCOMING EVENTS:
May 6th- Silver Dollar Speedway – David Tarter Memorial
May 13th-14th-Kings Speedway-Peter Murphy Classic
May 20th-Petaluma Speedway
 
Former NARC 410 Sprint Series Winners At Antioch Speedway (Since 2001)
Brent Kaeding-4
Jonathan Allard
Tim Kaeding-3
Craig Stidham-1
Dennis Moore Jr.
Giovanni Scelzi
Jason Statler
Kyle Hirst
Kyle Larson
Lawrence Edlund
Robert Ballou
Tyler Walker
Willie Croft

April 23, 2023

After starting 25^th, Harrison Burton and the No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Mustang worked their way to the front and showed good speed midway through Sunday’s GEICO 500 at Talladega Superspeedway. But like a lot of their competitors they ended up being knocked out of the race in a multi-car crash. Burton wound up 36th in the final rundown.

After finishing fifth in the second Stage, earning six bonus points, Burton restarted the third segment of the race from third place. He took the lead for the first time on Lap 127 and led on two other occasions for a total of 11 laps, swapping the lead several times with fellow Ford driver Ryan Blaney. But on Lap 142 Burton spun from the lead after a drafting push from Noah Gragson didn’t produce the desired result.

Burton managed to regain control of the Motorcraft/Quick Lane Mustang without incurring significant damage. He rejoined the field at the back of the pack and worked his way up into the top 20. 

With five of the scheduled 188 laps left to run, Burton was swept up in a crash that started ahead of him. He was knocked into a skid and struck the inside wall. The Motorcraft/Quick Lane Mustang was too damaged to continue.
 
“Proud of our team!” Burton posted on Twitter after the race. “Always fun to put the 21 in the wind. Sorry [it] didn’t work out, but we’re working.”
 
Next up for Burton and the No. 21 team is next Sunday’s Wurth 400 at Dover Motor Speedway.
 

NASCAR CUP SERIES TALLADEGA SUPERSPEEDWAY GEICO 500 TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE NOTES & QUOTES APRIL 23, 2023 Kyle Busch Prevails in Overtime Finish for Talladega VictoryChevrolet’s Seventh NCS Win of 2023; Chevrolet Sweeps Talladega Doubleheader Weekend

In a double attempt at an overtime finish, Kyle Busch and the No. 8 McLaren Custom Grills Camaro ZL1 team came out on top to score Chevrolet’s seventh NASCAR Cup Series win of the 2023 season.  ·       The win is Busch’s second NASCAR Cup Series win of the 2023 season and his 62nd career win in NASCAR’s premier series. ·       Busch is now the third repeat winner in the series this season, joining fellow Chevrolet drivers William Byron and Kyle Larson.·       The victory extended Chevrolet’s series-leading NASCAR Cup Series win record at Talladega Superspeedway to 44 all-time victories, including the past three races at the Alabama superspeedway. ·       Chevrolet has now won the past five NASCAR Cup Series superspeedway races, dating back to Ross Chastain’s win at Talladega Superspeedway one year ago. ·       The winningest manufacturer in NASCAR Cup Series history, Chevrolet now sits at 840 all-time wins in NASCAR’s premier series. ·       Chevrolet swept the NASCAR doubleheader race weekend at Talladega Superspeedway, with Jeb Burton and the No. 27 Jordan Anderson Racing Camaro SS team taking the victory in the Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series race.  Kyle Busch, No. 8 McLaren Custom Grills Camaro ZL1 – Race Winner Quotes“Sometimes you gotta be lucky. Some of these races comes down to that, and you have to take them when they come your way. The seas kind of parted there when they went up the racetrack. They were trying push draft, and these cars just aren’t stable enough to do that. I saw the 23 just turn a little bit sideways and I was like, ‘Get out of the way.’ Just missed it and tried to see if I was ahead of the 12 when it was called. A great day for another new sponsor at RCR with McLaren Custom Grills. If you ain’t got a custom grill yet, these McLarens are pretty bomb so you gotta check them out. We have a great time being able to come out here and race and be a part of Team Chevy and Chevrolet and get this Camaro in Victory Lane.”HOW CLOSE WERE YOU ON FUEL? “Well, it shut off here when I was trying to do a burnout so maybe it’s out. I went left instead of right. The fuel-pickup is on the right so maybe I ran it out. We were sweating it being close. I thought back to California and Fontana earlier this year where we have a win, and I’m like we have to gamble. We’re up here, you have to take the track position when you have it and go give it what you can on the restart and see what happens. Lo and behold, it worked out.”MORE ON THE WIN: “You never know what’s going to happen, right? We had the track position and had the opportunity to be up front there. Short on fuel, you just don’t know so you take that chance. Luckily I thought about it, and I’m like, ‘We gotta take the chance.’ That win at Fontana really opened that door for us today. If we didn’t have that, I felt like we would have to come in to get some fuel to get points. You know, I guess I’d rather be lucky somedays and we were certainly that today. It feels good to see the seas part finally and me squeeze through and not get torn up in a couple of those wrecks late. Thanks to McLaren Custom Grills. Appreciate them, another new RCR partner for us this year. It’s awesome to get them up to Victory Lane. I hope their website is blowing up right now and they’re getting a lot of likes and selling some grills. We need all the help we can get. Our sport is doing well but things can always be better. We want to see full fields of sponsored cars.”HOW WAS YOUR DAY BEFORE THE LAST LAPS? “Every time I got near the front, I got shuffled. That’s about what happens in these restrictor plate races for me. There in that last lap, Bubba Wallace was helping push and getting us out there and getting us to the lead. I got a little too far out, and I knew they were going to have a run so I was like, ‘You know what… take the run. We’ll see what happens in the next corner.’ Lo and behold they got crossed up. Sometimes you’re quiet sometimes and you just kind of squeak one out.”WINNING FOR RCR WITH RICHARD CHILDRESS AT THE RACE: “It’s awesome. I know they’ve had a lot of superspeedway love for a long, long time. One of the best to ever do it was obviously one of the winningest ones. It’s fun to be able to come out here and be a part of this team and work with Randall (Burnett, crew chief) and all my guys. Pit stops today were fine. We were never really in a position to push hard, but we got everything to go our way and came out on top.” TOP TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL TOP-10 RESULTS:POS.   DRIVER1st      Kyle Busch, No. 8 McLaren Custom Grills Camaro ZL16th      Erik Jones, No. 43 U.S. Air Force Camaro ZL17th      William Byron, No. 24 Liberty University Camaro ZL19th      Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Tootsies Orchid Lounge Camaro ZL1  TOP-FIVE UNOFFICIAL RESULTS: POS.  DRIVER1st      Kyle Busch (Chevrolet)2nd      Ryan Blaney (Ford)3rd      Chris Buescher (Ford)4th      Chase Briscoe (Ford)5th      Brad Keselowski (Ford) The 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season continues at Dover Motor Speedway with the Würth 400 on Sunday, April 30, at 2 p.m. ET. Live coverage can be found on FS1, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE QUOTES:Kyle Larson, No. 5 HendrickCars.com Camaro ZL1 Finished: 33rd“Thankfully I’m OK but my car is absolutely destroyed. The cockpit’s a mess. I’m just thankful that I’m alright and all that. It’s just a bummer. We put ourselves in position once again on a superspeedway and the results don’t show it. Another wreck not of my doing on a superspeedway. I just hate it but we’ll keep getting better, and eventually it’ll have to work out I would think.” Justin Haley, No. 31 LeafFilter Gutter Protection Camaro ZL1Finished: 18th “This one stung a little. We had a fast No. 31 LeafFilter Gutter Protection Chevy and had really good pit strategy all day. We thought we would set ourselves up for the end there and avoided all the wrecks, but we just couldn’t quite the track position back that we had all day.” Noah Gragson, No. 42 Wendy’s Biggie Bag Camaro ZL1Involved in a crash on Lap 189“I’m good. It was a really solid day for our Wendy’s Biggie Bag team and Legacy Motor Club. This 42 team was really on top of it today. Good pit stops and a fast car there in the race. I felt like we were in a good position restarting on the front row on a green-white-checkered. I got kind of shoved out there and bobbled a little bit by the 1. I just gotta look back and see what I could do better. Obviously not let the 1 get inside me. Overall it was a good day until it wasn’t. The results have sucked here lately, but we’ve been running strong. We ran in the top-five, the top-10 all day and I’m really proud of that. I appreciate Wendy’s and everybody coming out to Talladega and all the fans. We’re close. We’ll get there one day.” Erik Jones, No. 43 U.S. Air Force Camaro ZL1Finished sixth“It was kind of an up and down day. We weren’t really running how we wanted to during the day. But obviously there at the end some attrition got us toward the front. I felt like our car was good and that the Air Force Chevy had speed. We just weren’t up there to show it. We’ll take it, thought. A (top-six) is obviously a strong run. I was hoping to come here and have a good day for us and get us rolling with some momentum to Dover and forward. We’re on to some good tracks for us, so hopefully we can repeat the same next week – bring a good car and kind of keep this momentum rolling.”GRAGSON WAS UP THERE UP FRONT PRETTY MUCH ALL DAY, SO WHAT DOES THAT MEAN FOR YOU GUYS GOING TO DOVER? “It was good. I was rooting for him at the end. Obviously I, at that point, didn’t have much of a shot. I was hoping just to get up in the top-10. I saw he was up there on the front row and was hoping he could grab one for us. It would have been pretty cool for him and the team. I hate to see how it worked out for him. I felt like we had good speed too, but just some stuff didn’t go our way to get track position. Some runs didn’t work out. I thought it was good. The team definitely had more speed this weekend than what we’ve had. Hopefully we can translate it.”WHY DID THREE-WIDE SEEM A BIT EASIER TODAY? “I don’t know. We were a big proponent of most of them up there kind of pushing and leading. I felt like we could get the third lane rolling really well a couple of times. We got to the front and just couldn’t quite clear myself down. I think people are just getting more confident with their pushes and more aggressive with them. I think that’s leading to more three-wide racing.” Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Tootsies Orchid Lounge Camaro ZL1Finished: 9th “It was an up and down day for the No. 99 Tootsies Orchid Lounge Chevy team. I felt like we had a very, very fast car. The guys did a very, very good job with that. This is probably one of the best cars I’ve had at a superspeedway. We did a good job in the first stage. In the second stage, we just couldn’t recover on track position and the final stage was the same story. It’s part of it. We will learn from it and see what we could have done differently. But the positive is that we finished in one piece for the most part and the car was very fast.”

TEAM CHEVY RACE HIGHLIGHTS: Stage One ·       Defending NASCAR Cup Series winner Kyle Larson led Chevrolet to the green flag from the ninth starting position in today’s GEICO 500 at Talladega Superspeedway. ·       A single-car spin brought out an early caution on lap three. A handful of cars opted to hit pit road during the caution, including Team Chevy’s Chase Elliott, Ross Chastain and Daniel Suarez to make a fuel only stop. ·       The first green flag pit cycle started during the latter part of Stage One, with a majority of the Bowtie brigade coming to pit road together on lap 39. ·       The second caution of the day flew after an incident entering pit road on lap 43. The top-six of the running order were occupied by Team Chevy drivers that had yet to make a pit stop, led by LEGACY MOTOR CLUB’s Erik Jones and the No. 43 U.S. Air Force Camaro ZL1 team. ·       The field took the green for the restart at lap 47, with the top-six positions taken by Team Chevy drivers who had already made a green flap pit stop. ·       After starting 29th, Elliott moved his way up through the field throughout the stage, ultimately taking the green-white checkered flag for his first stage win of 2023. ·       Seven Team Chevy drivers scored stage points in Stage One, including a sweep of the top-five positions: 1st Chase Elliott, No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Camaro ZL12nd Alex Bowman, No. 48 Ally Camaro ZL13rd Ross Chastain, No. 1 Moose Fraternity Camaro ZL14th William Byron, No. 24 Liberty University Camaro ZL15th Kyle Larson, No. 5 HendrickCars.com Camaro ZL17th Noah Gragson, No. 42 Wendy’s Biggie Bag Camaro ZL110th Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Tootsies Orchid Lounge Camaro ZL1 Stage Two·       The majority of the field came to pit road during the Stage One break. Kaulig Racing’s Justin Haley came down for a fuel only stop, gaining 14 spots on pit road to take a front-row spot for the start of Stage Two. ·       A relatively quiet race throughout the first half of Stage Two, a third line began to form with 24 laps remaining in the stage, led by a string of Camaro ZL1’s coming from four different Chevrolet teams.·       During the closing laps of Stage Two, manufacturers began another round of green-flag pit stops with Chevrolet leading the charge to pit road with 17 laps to go in the stage. ·       Once green-flag pit stops cycled through, Elliott regained the top spot with a continued battle for the lead building in the closing laps of the stage. ·       With a side-by-side battle to the line, Aric Almirola edged out Elliott at the line for the Stage Two win, with Elliott taking second-place stage points. ·       Elliott led Chevrolet to three top-10 finishes in the stage, including Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (ninth) and Noah Gragson (10th). This is the first time this season that Gragson has tallied top-10 finishes in both stages in a single race.

After Bobby Pierce suffered a broke wheel, Overton ran away with the race to win the inaugural Alabama Gang 100 at the Talladega Short Track

EASTABOGA, AL (April 23, 2023) – Brandon Overton paused as he sat on the door on his Late Model before climbing to the roof to celebrate a $50,000 win.

He needed it.

Not the money. Not the trophy. Not the confetti bath. The pause. The win.

It took every ounce of his energy to show up to the inaugural Alabama Gang 100 at the Talladega Short Track with the World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Models. He questioned even going.

Continuous struggles haunted his mental enthusiasm, spinning questions of doubt.

But minutes before climbing from his #76 machine, that vile cloud in his head dissipated when he inherited the lead with 18 laps to go. Race leader Bobby Pierce suffered a broken wheel and brake failure, taking him out of the race. That opened the door for Overton to inherit the lead and run away with a needed win.

“I saw real quick how mental [this sport] is,” Overton said. “You get in your feelings and in your head, and you start doubting everything you ever done. It feels good to get it back on your side and I just want to thank my crew. They’ve been busting their butt and it’s been miserable the last couple of weeks.”

The Evans, GA driver was strong all weekend, winning one of three Prelim Features Friday night, locking himself into Saturday’s main event and then finished second to Tanner English in the CASE Construction Equipment Dash to start on the outside pole for the 60-lap Feature.

When the green flag flew for the main event, the record crowd at the Talladega Short Track were treated to a barn burner brawl.

English jumped to the early with Overton hanging on to his tail. The early portion of the Feature was hindered by multiple cautions with Overton and Kyle Bronson taking shots at the lead but having them halted by a yellow flag.

When the race found its rhythm, you could throw a blanket over the top four competitors for most of the race. English led, but was given little breathing room with Overton, Bronson and Bobby Pierce keeping him in their crosshairs.

At the halfway point of the race, English found himself in lap traffic, but navigated through the slower cars with ease, putting about a two car-length gap between he and Overton – who was also trying to keep Bronson behind him.

And while Overton and Bronson argued over second, Pierce was on a charge, finding himself in fourth at that point after starting 14th.

Ripping the top of the track, Pierce timed his moves, pulling back the hammer on the entrance into the turn and squeezing the trigger by the exit to rocket around the outside of everyone he came across. In doing so, he made quick work of getting by Bronson, Overton and English to steal the lead with 18 laps to go.

However, his moment of glory was short lived. After a brief caution and another full speed trip around the track, Pierce suffered the part failures and saw his night come to an end.

His misfortune became Overton’s chance for solace. With the lead in hand, Overton used every ounce of confidence he had in himself and his car, pulling ahead by half a straightaway when the race resumed.

At the checkered flag, Overton had a 2.6 second lead over second-place Tanner English.

“I hate it for [Pierce],” Overton said. “He took one away from me earlier in the year, shit, what goes around comes around.

“Like I said, hats off to him, he was giving it hell up there on the top.”

While English fell a spot short from the victory after starting on the pole, the runner-up result is still the best points finish for he and his Viper Motorsports team, so far, this season.

“I was way too tight to run the top like they were,” English said. “They could sail it off in there and still turn. I would go in there and kind of skate and shove up the racetrack. I could kill them [in Turns 3 and 4] I think. I don’t know. I was pretty good over here the whole race on the bottom, but he rolled up there on the top and got some momentum going.

“People don’t know how hard we’re working in there. Especially when we’re dealing with an ill-handling race car. I’d put it up there with just about anything. It’s tough for sure. We’re working hard. I know [Overton] was probably doing the same thing and he was a little tight, too. I don’t know, we got to give congratulations to Brandon and just have to thank everybody on my team.”

In the closing laps of the race, Ryan Gustin continued his sneaky climb from 11th, finding his way into third with four laps to go and settled there for his first podium of the season.

“I knew we were pretty good at the drop of the green,” Gustin said. “I don’t know, it just seemed watching Overton he was a little bit higher, but I missed it down here on the bottom one time and I felt like I was in crumbs.

“I don’t know if he was that much better, or if there was something up there but it was a good run for us from 11th or wherever to third. We’ll take it for sure.”

Jonathan Davenport finished fourth and, after spinning twice, Chris Madden had the rebound of the night with his fifth-place finish – now with an 18-point lead over Bronson in the championship battle. Wil Herrington won the Fox Factory Hard Charger Award with his charge from 24th to 11th.

After parking in Victory Lane with the World of Outlaws for the 20th time in his career, Overton paused as he sat on the door on his Late Model before climbing to the roof to celebrate his $50,000 win. Then, he stood atop his car with his arms out and checkered flag in hand.

“We needed this,” Overton said. “I wasn’t even going to come here. It took every ounce of energy for me to pull into this gate. So, thank a lot to my good friends, my fiancé. They were keeping us pumped up.

“Like I said, we really, really needed this. We’ll take them any way we can get them.”

UP NEXT: The World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Models return to Mississippi Thunder Speedway for the Dairyland Showdown, Thursday-Saturday, May 4-6 – featuring another $50,000-to-win Feature on Saturday.

RESULTS
CASE Construction Equipment Feature (60 Laps): 1. 76-Brandon Overton[2]; 2. 96V-Tanner English[1]; 3. 19R-Ryan Gustin[11]; 4. 49-Jonathan Davenport[5]; 5. 44-Chris Madden[13]; 6. 9-Nick Hoffman[15]; 7. 3S-Brian Shirley[4]; 8. 6-Kyle Larson[8]; 9. 40B-Kyle Bronson[3]; 10. 58-Garrett Alberson[21]; 11. 19M-Wil Herrington[24]; 12. 25-Shane Clanton[16]; 13. 1ST-Johnny Scott[26]; 14. B5-Brandon Sheppard[9]; 15. 11-Gordy Gundaker[6]; 16. 97-Cade Dillard[27]; 17. 111-Max Blair[23]; 18. B1-Brent Larson[25]; 19. 28-Dennis Erb Jr[22]; 20. 11H-Spencer Hughes[17]; 21. 32-Bobby Pierce[14]; 22. 22-Chris Ferguson[10]; 23. 10S-Garrett Smith[20]; 24. 2S-Stormy Scott[18]; 25. 7T-Drake Troutman[7]; 26. 30-Todd Cooney[12]; 27. 93-Carson Ferguson[19]; 28. 99B-Boom Briggs[28]

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (April 22, 2023) – Reigning Grand National Champion Jared Mees (No. 1 Indian Motorcycle/Rogers Racing/SDI Racing FTR750) penned the latest chapter of a career of Half-Mile heroics with a victorious run in Saturday night’s Mission Dallas Half-Mile presented by Roof Systems at Devil’s Bowl Speedway in Mesquite, Texas. The premier-class king was one-fourth of an early scrap for the lead in the Mission SuperTwins presented by S&S Cycle Main Event, along with a trio of Yamaha-mounted challengers in JD Beach (No. 95 Estenson Racing Yamaha MT-07 DT), Dallas Daniels (No. 32 Estenson Racing Yamaha MT-07 DT), and Dan Bromley (No. 62 Memphis Shades/Corbin/Vinson Construction Yamaha MT-07). The opening stages of the contest proved to be a battle of extreme high and low lines. The high line showed itself to be the fast track up the order initially before giving way to a high-risk, high-reward tight-rope line at the bottom. Just prior to half-distance, Mees and Daniels exploited that tricky low line to break free and settle into a rematch of their Senoia shootout. Meanwhile, Beach and Bromley fell into a five-rider fight for the final spot on the podium after being reeled in by the charging Brandon Robinson (No. 44 Mission Roof Systems Indian FTR750), Davis Fisher (No. 67 Rackley Racing/Bob Lanphere’s BMC Racing Indian FTR750), and Briar Bauman (No. 3 Parts Plus/Jacob Companies KTM 890 Duke). Daniels made a couple of determined attempts to zero in on Mees but never got quite close enough to make a serious attempt at an overtake. A small bobble on the part of Daniels with less than a minute remaining gave the champ a bit of breathing space. He was then ceded even more as his young rival called off the assault to accept second. The triumph was the 34th Half-Mile win of Mees’ historic career, placing him just one shy of the all-time record held by Scott Parker. Afterward, Mees said, “Honestly, this was one of the hardest races to win. Going into Turn 1 and through Turn 2, you had to be so delicate going into the corners. You had to hit your brake mark right, get your throttle position right, and if you messed it up, it screwed your whole momentum up. It was definitely a hard race to win. “Hats off to my entire team. We had a little mess up in Arizona, but we came back pretty strong all day long.” Adding to Mees’ big evening was the misfortune of Beach, who crashed out of podium contention and dropped from second to fourth in the championship standings in the process. Robinson – who wasn’t even sure he’d be able to ride in Dallas after getting banged up in practice crashes at the previous two rounds – earned the final spot on the box. Bauman railed his way around the outside to climb to fourth in the end with Fisher behind in fifth. Bromley ended his impressive run in sixth, while positions 7-10 were filled by Jarod Vanderkooi (No. 20 JMC Motorsports/Fairway Ford Indian FTR750), Bronson Bauman (No. 37 Fastrack Racing/2 Wheelz KTM 890 Duke), Ben Lowe (No. 25 Rackley Racing/Mission Foods Indian FTR750), and Kolby Carlile (No. 36 G&G Racing/Yamaha Racing Yamaha MT-07), in that order. Daniels continues to hold down the championship lead with 113 points in his pocket following his 1-1-2-2-2 start. Mees now ranks second with 96 points, while two-time champ Bauman (78) also edged ahead of Beach (76) for third. Parts Unlimited AFT Singles presented by KICKER Trent Lowe (No. 48 American Honda/Mission Foods CRF450R) can finally call himself a Parts Unlimited AFT Singles presented by KICKER Main Event winner after repeatedly knocking on the door of that landmark achievement for years. Lowe’s maiden Progressive AFT victory headlined a race that represented a monumental reversal of fortune compared with the four that led into it. After getting off to a slower-than-expected start to the season, the American Honda-backed Turner Racing team entered the day with just one podium between its talented trio of Lowe, Morgen Mischler (No. 13 American Honda/Mission Foods CRF450R), and Chase Saathoff (No. 88 American Honda/Mission Foods CRF450R). They tripled that number in a single outing in Dallas after fighting back in furious fashion at Devil’s Bowl Speedway. The three immediately went to the front and turned the first half of the race into a glorified poster shoot for the team, running side-by-side-by-side with the field struggling to stay in their wake. Lowe eventually shook free while the pack closed in on second-placed Saathoff and third-placed Mischler, but they ultimately held strong to secure the podium lockout. Lowe said, “I’m so happy, and I think the entire team is so happy – it’s going to be a party in our pit area tonight. The whole Turner Racing team pulled it together. We were kind of on the struggle bus at the beginning of the season, but we definitely made a big improvement on this one with the three of us on the podium. I can’t thank the team enough.” Meanwhile, the championship’s usual suspects struggled mightily before finally coming good in the end. Defending champ Kody Kopp (No. 1 Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 450 SX-F) ran as low as eighth, while Dalton Gauthier (No. 79 D&D Racing/Certified KTM 450 SX-F) and Max Whale (No. 18 Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 450 SX-F) found themselves buried outside the top ten. Kopp and Whale finally found their groove, weaving their way up through the field with Kopp earning fourth at the checkered flag, just 0.172 seconds short of the podium. Aussie Whale came home just behind his teammate, outdueling Trevor Brunner (No. 21 Estenson Racing Yamaha YZ450F) to complete the top five. Meanwhile, Gauthier executed a charge of his own to finish in seventh, while Chad Cose (No. 49 1st Impressions Race Team/Husqvarna Racing FC450), Shayna Texter-Bauman (No. 52 Parts Plus/Jacob Companies KTM 450 SX-F) and Brunner’s Estenson Racing Yamaha teammate Tom Drane (No. 59 Estenson Racing Yamaha YZ450F) rounded out the top ten. As a result, Kopp continues to lead a tight title fight over Gauthier (102-98) with Whale third (86) and Brunner fourth (78). Not surprisingly, the Turner Racing entrants made a big push in the rankings, as they are now positioned fifth (Saathoff – 76), sixth (Lowe – 57), and seventh (Mischler – 56) and still very much in the hunt. Next Up: The 2023 Progressive American Flat Track season will tackle its fourth and final Short Track of the year with its first-ever trip to Ventura Raceway in Ventura, California, for the inaugural Ventura Short Track on Saturday, May 6. Visit https://www.tixr.com/promoters/americanflattrack to secure your tickets today. For those that can’t catch the live action from the circuit, FansChoice.tv is the live streaming home of Progressive AFT. Sign up now and catch every second of on-track action starting with Practice & Qualifying and ending with the Victory Podium at the end of the night at https://www.fanschoice.tv. FOX Sports coverage of the Mission Dallas Half-Mile presented by Roof Systems, featuring in-depth features and thrilling onboard cameras, will premiere on FS1 on Sunday, April 30, at 11:00 a.m. ET (8:00 a.m. PT).

NASCAR CUP SERIES

TALLADEGA SUPERSPEEDWAY

GEICO 500

TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT

APRIL 22, 2023

RICKY STENHOUSE JR., NO. 47 KROGER/CHEEZ-IT CAMARO ZL1, met with the media prior to the NASCAR Cup Series qualifying session at Talladega Superspeedway. Press Conference Transcript: 

YOU HAVE A WIN HERE AT TALLADEGA SUPERSPEEDWAY. TALK ABOUT WHAT IT’S LIKE RACING HERE AGAIN THIS WEEKEND?

“It’s cool to be back at the site of your first win, especially after starting your season off with a win on a superspeedway. Just bringing some confidence in that hopefully we can do it again. Always love being at Talladega and being able to race the sprint car across the street last night and tonight. Just getting extra racing in. 

This race track is really wide. It’s four lanes wide pretty comfortably, so it’ll be interesting to kind of see if we can get more than two lanes going. At Daytona and Atlanta, it seems like those two lanes were about all we could get going. Hopefully we can get at least three so we can start making moves and get up through the field when we need to. But feeling really confident coming in.”

WHEN YOUR TEAM LEASES A PIT CREW FROM ANOTHER ORGANIZATION, WHAT ARE THE EXPECTATIONS AS FAR AS YOU KNOW IF THEY DO WELL, I ASSUME YOU KNOW THERE’S A CHANCE YOU CAN LOSE THEM? 

“Yes, that is the case most of the time and a case we’ve been in my first two years at JTG Daugherty Racing. We signed on at Roush with a two-year deal with the outline that specified that we did not want our pit crew taken. We would commit for two years if we could keep our guys together. We did that last year, all year long. When it came down towards the end of the season, we were really happy with all of the guys we had last year. We felt like our fuel guy was a little bit slower than where we needed to be at the end of last year, and so we had kind of requested a change there. But wanted to keep all of our guys in-tact for this season because I feel like that chemistry is really important when you’re kind of choregraphing those pit stops. We were really happy with all of our guys. At the end of last year, they let us know they were changing one of our guys. We weren’t really thrilled about that, but they kind of guaranteed us that the guy they were going to replace him with was going to make our pit stops a lot faster. We started the season off and we actually were struggling on pit road quite a bit. We kind of asked – hey, I thought this new change was going to be good. And they said – well, we actually put him on the No. 6 car, so we didn’t actually get the one that they were going to replace one of our guys with last year. So that was a little bit of a bummer. We did get a new guy last week going into Martinsville and our pit stops were great. And then Monday morning, they took the whole team. 

I hate it for my guys. Obviously we went to battle with them and won Daytona with them. We had most of them all last year as well and just felt like we really had that good chemistry of a solid team together, and now that’s kind of all mixed up and gone away. So I hate it for those guys having to switch teams, but I know a few of the guys on the team coming in that were on the No. 17 car and Mike Kelley (crew chief) has worked with some of those guys obviously with us both being over there. They had a really good pit practice this week. I feel really confident that I know Mike Kelley can get the most out of guys. Those guys have a little chip on their shoulders, so that never hurts anything, as well. They want to show their worth and what they can do going over the wall. I think we’ll be fine as a race team, but I do hate it for my guys that started going to battle with us last year. That’s the biggest bummer. But yeah, I think the expectation going into it was that would not happen to us. I don’t really know what all the contracts and stuff look like, but that was kind of the mindset going in. I guess that’s what you get when you have the people over there running that place. 

But I am not worried about our over the wall guys. I know those guys will get it done.”

THERE’S BEEN A COUPLE OF TIMES WHERE YOU GUYS WOULD GET THREE-WIDE AT VARIOUS TRACKS WITH THIS NEW CAR. AND THEN EVERYONE GOES – SEE, THE DRIVERS CAN DO IT IF THEY WANTED TO. IT SEEMS LIKE THE OTHER SIDE OF THAT IS – PHYSICS, THE NEW CAR JUST DOES NOT ALLOW YOU GUYS TO RACE THREE-WIDE VERY OFTEN. WHICH IS MORE OF THE TRUTH IN THERE, OR IS IT A MIX? 

“It’s definitely a mix. You look down at the end of the races and we all just kind of take any gap that we can. At Atlanta, I should have shot the middle. I think I saw an onboard video of Erik Jones kind of running up through the middle there and he gained a lot of spots. I was kind of committed to the No. 48 and the No. 1 that were on the bottom at Atlanta. But it works for a few laps, it seems like. And again, it could be somewhat driver-driven. You watch when cars get single-file on the outside line at Daytona – the inside lane, you start making a run and as soon as one of the cars finds a gap close enough to the front where they’re comfortable being in that ninth- or tenth-spot in line on the top, then they bail and all of a sudden you start hurting the energy of that bottom lane. So I do think that’s driven by the drivers. But for sure, two-wide, you can get it working as long as you have enough guys to stay committed to it. 

Three lanes is tough because you’ve got guys that want to either be on the top or the bottom. The middle works really well for a while, but it is a little bit more risky, at least at Daytona and definitely at Atlanta. Here at Talladega, three-wide is super easy to do. 

It will be interesting to see. The bottom lane here gets so flat in the tri-oval that I do feel like the middle or top lane can make its way up to the front because you end up running the bottom here more than you do at Daytona and Atlanta. It’s hard to do. The car has a lot of drag and you really have to stay in line to do it. But it’s a little bit of both.”

IS IT YOUR UNDERSTANDING THAT THE PIT CREW CHANGE IS FOR AWHILE, OR WAS IT JUST FOR THIS WEEK? 

“No, it’s for the rest of the season. Or I guess until the new ones start doing well on our team (laughs).. I don’t really know how it works now, but I know everybody wasn’t really thrilled about it. But like I said, I know that Mike (Kelley, crew chief) has talked to the new guys coming in and they’re super committed to showing what they’ve got, so I’ve excited about that.”

DO THEY HAVE THE LUXURY TO DO THAT BECAUSE YOU’VE GOT A WIN ALREADY? 

“That’s above my level. I don’t know. I’m not sure of their understanding of why they feel like that was the best move. Normally when something happens like that, we’re requesting something different or whatnot. But I think our guys last week averaged first on pit road. We were thrilled with that obviously, and then we kind of got the rug pulled out from under us. 

But like I said, I think it’s going to be great for our team. I think Mike Kelley will get our guys dialed in like he always does. I just hate it for the guys that have to leave our team.”

DID THEY GET THEIR RINGS BEFORE THEY GOT TAKEN? 

“We haven’t yet, but I’m sure they will. We won’t leave them hanging.”

HOW DID YOU FIND OUT ABOUT THE PIT CREW CHANGE? I THINK I HAD READ ON NASCAR.COM THAT IT WAS AN EMAIL?

“I did not receive an email. Jenn received an email of talking points, but I don’t think I followed those (laughs). 

Yeah, it goes through our Competition Director with Ernie (Cope) and those guys, and then I get filled in. Mike Kelley actually called me Monday night. He kind of waited all day Monday, trying to figure out if they could change what was being done. But he called me at probably 9:00 p.m. on Monday night.”

YOU TALKED ABOUT HOW YOU DIDN’T WANT TO LOSE YOUR GUYS.. YOU’VE BEEN ONE OF THE BEST ON PIT ROAD. WHEN A CHANGE LIKE THIS DOES HAPPEN, DOES IT UPSET THE CHEMISTRY A LITTLE BIT? 

“Definitely. There’s a lot that goes into this sport – not just over the wall. We have a brand-new pit box this year that the guys have been working on during the off-season; getting it setup, getting it put down, getting it put back together and getting it ready to go. There’s just a lot of different little things that the pit crew guys have to kind of manage, and I know our pit boxes are totally different than the pit boxes that they’re used to. So just little things like that. Now I’m sure this weekend, our road crew guys are going to have to go out there on pit road and kind of walk through the whole scenario of our pit box with them. There’s just a lot more work for some of our road crew guys and then obviously our pit crew guys have to kind of figure that out, as well. But the actual – I’d say choreography going over the wall and stuff is the same. They practice at the same place. They’ll have to get used to me coming in and out of the pit box, which is obviously a little bit different. Our guys have been with me for over a year now. You can go to pit practice and kind of practice that, but it’s nothing like when you’re actually on pit road. It’s really easy to pull in your pit box at pit practice; a little more chaotic in live time. So things like that are definitely going to be different for them.” 

HOW WILLING DO YOU HAVE TO BE IF YOU WANT TO BE A GREAT SUPERSPEEDWAY RACER, WILLING TO CRASH, TAKE THOSE CHANCES ALONG WITH WINNING, AND HOW YOU HAVE TO BALANCE THAT OUT? 

“Yeah, I think we all strap-in willing to crash. Going out there, we all know that a major, high probability is that we’re going to crash. For me most of the time, the wrecks I’ve gotten in or when you lose track position, you’re trying to come up through the field and something generally happens. Back when I first started, it seemed like everything kind of happened in the center of the field, and now everything happens at the front of the field. You want to be leading, you want to be at the front of the field. But when we’re throwing blocks on each other like we do now, those crashes happen a lot further forward in the field and collect way more cars. I know there are a lot of drivers that come in here and don’t really care about any of the stats and just see how it works out. 

I wouldn’t say that I have a style here that is different than anybody else’s. (INAUDIBLE).. things like that, you have a better shot of winning. For me, that’s all we really focus on.”

CAN YOU TALK ABOUT HOW YOUR QUALIFYING POSITION CHANGES HOW YOU THINK ABOUT YOUR RACE ON SUNDAY? 

“Qualifying, I feel like it’s important, obviously. A lot of people write it off at superspeedways, but I think for me, it kind of dictates that first stage of the race. So at Daytona, we didn’t qualify well. You don’t push to get stage points in that first stage, unless things just work out. Like I was just saying, going up through the field is generally at some point when (a wreck) happens and you don’t necessarily want that to happen in the first stage. For me, qualifying up front, it’s a lot easier to keep your track position with this car than it is to gain your track position, at least out on the race track. You have a bad qualifying effort, then you’re looking at different strategies – two tires, no tires, things like that – to get your track position so that you can get to the front and try to keep it from there.” 

CAN YOU TALK ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF THE CHEMISTRY WITH THE PIT CREWS AND HOW YOU PLAN TO BUILD THE CHEMISTRY NOW THAT WE’RE ALREADY INTO THE SEASON? 

“Yeah, I think for us and our team, it might be a little awkward for our guys that left because I don’t think they wanted to leave, so it might be a little worse for them. But I think for our team, like I said, Mike Kelley (crew chief) is one of those guys that can really bring the team together and make sure he gets the most out of everybody on our team in every position. The chemistry – at least we didn’t insert one guy and take one out or whatnot.. the whole team basically swapped. I’m confident that when I come in the pit box and I get stopped, those guys are going to be able to get the job done. They’re not learning each other, which is a good thing. They’re going to have to learn Mike Kelley talking on the radio of what adjustments to do and kind of how we go about our business on race day. But like I said, Mike Kelley has worked with a few of those guys – some of them have been on Mike Kelley’s pit crews for a long time. The team captain over there, a long time Roush guy and known him for a long time. He guaranteed Mike that they’d be up to par, so we’re really to rip with them.”

FOR THE DAYTONA 500, YOU KIND OF CAME FROM THE THIRD POSITION AND WORKED YOUR WAY UP AND MADE THE PASS IN THE CHAOS OF THE GREEN-WHITE-CHECKERED. IN ORDER TO WIN HERE AT TALLADEGA ON SUNDAY, DO YOU NEED TO BE IN THAT POSITION WHERE YOU’RE THE THIRD CAR IN LINE AND HAVE THAT BIG RUN TO TAKE THAT LEAD, OR IS THIS MORE WHERE YOU CAN WORK FROM FARTHER BACK OR BE UP FRONT IN ORDER TO WIN HERE? 

“I would take leading in race on a green-white-checkered. You control the race. I think the biggest issue that happened (at Daytona) – the No. 8 was leading the race and their mistake was trying to do the teammate restart where the No. 3 backed off a little bit and let the No. 8 pull down. That killed all of their momentum. I think if they would have just lined up together, the move that (Joey) Logano, (Kyle) Larson and I made down the backstretch, I don’t think that happens if they would have started in the same lane together. But for me, I would definitely take leading over anything. I think that’s your best shot to win.”

HOW DOES YOUR FAITH AFFECT THE UPS AND DOWNS OF RACING? 

“Yeah, the ups and downs are tough. That’s part of this sport. I know that our purpose isn’t always for what we do every weekend; it’s more for what we do before the race in chapel. I grew up going to church at an early age with my family. If I wanted to race on Saturday nights, mom made sure that we needed to be at church on Sunday morning. That was always a big thing throughout my life and I still do that today. I know we race on Sunday’s, but we got to chapel on Sunday mornings. I think it really just puts into perspective how important your priorities are in your life. Racing is important, but it’s not the top priority. It’s been a journey. My career has been up and down, and I think you could probably talk to a lot of people in the garage that they’ve had ups and downs in racing. You just have to keep pushing through and have the faith that you can get it done. I feel really confident in where I am right now.”

Tanner English will start on the pole of the CASE Construction Equipment Dash on SaturdayEASTABOGA, AL (April 22, 2023) – The opening night of the Alabama Gang 100 at the Talladega Short Track gave drivers and fans more than they were expecting.Initially set to showcase two 20-lap, $4,000-to-win, Prelim Features, the World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Model Series and the track agreed to add a third Feature due to more than 60 cars in attendance.Each Feature gave fans an enticing tease of what’s to come on Saturday for the 60-lap, $50,000-to-win main event.The top two drivers from each Feature locked themselves into Saturday’s event and placed themselves in the CASE Construction Equipment Dash, which will lineup the top six spots for Saturday’s Feature. Tanner English drew the pole for the Dash with Kyle Bronson set to start on his outside, Brian Shirley third, Brandon Overton fourth, Gordy Gundaker fifth and Jonathan Davenport sixth.Here’s how the three Prelim Features went.FEATURE #1: Tanner English’s familiarity with red dirt bullrings gave him the confidence he needed to earn a spot in Saturday’s $50,000-to-win Feature at Talladega Short Track.The Benton, KY driver and reigning World of Outlaws CASE Late Models Rookie of the Year wrestled the lead from Drake Troutman on Lap 2 to win Friday’s first Alabama Gang 100 Qualifier.Troutman, Friday’s Simpson Racing Products Quick Time Award winner, grabbed the lead at the drop of the green but had English’s Viper Motorsports #96 following off Turn 2.English snuck underneath Troutman, racing side by side with him to finish Lap 1. The Viper car carried its momentum around Turns 3 and 4, nosing ahead of the Troutman at the flag stand to lead Lap 2.From there, English pulled away from the 17-year-old driver to grab the evening’s first checkered flag, worth $4,000.English said Talladega reminds him of Clarksville Speedway—one of his home tracks.“This place reminds me of kind of my home track Clarksville Speedway,” English said. “This red dirt, this small, tight bullring. I’m pretty comfortable here.“I’m just glad to bust off a good Qualifying lap so I start on the front row, and that’s what it was all about. So, we’re happy.”Brian Shirley crossed the line second, after he powered past Troutman for the runner-up spot on Lap 5.Like English, Shirley also locked himself into Saturday’s Feature. The Chatham, IL driver found some challenges being in the first 20-lap race on Friday.“It’s definitely one of those deals where being in that first Feature was a little trickier than the second two, especially the third,” Shirley said. “It was getting to a bit of a sweet spot there where it wasn’t as rough.“All in all, I’m just glad to do a little better tonight and not have to worry about (Saturday’s) race.”Troutman finished third, Chris Ferguson was fourth, and Series points leader Chris Madden rounded out the top five.FEATURE #2: Kyle Bronson proved how well his team can perform on red clay tracks for the second straight night.After finishing third on Thursday at 411 Motor Speedway, the Brandon, FL driver backed it up by winning Friday’s second 20-lap Feature at Talladega Short Track.Bronson took control of the race on Lap 1 and never looked back, leading every lap to score the $4,000 prize.Despite the win, the Sunshine State competitor said he isn’t satisfied but feels he’s on the right track.“Our car has been really good here,” Bronson said. “Just got to thank all of the guys that have been helping me. Tanner and Josh have been busting their butt. Wayne and Shirlene (Hammond) give me what I need to win the race, and like I said, we just have to do our job and go win the races.“We’ve been struggling a little bit, but I feel like we’re on the right track. But we’re still not where we need to be yet.”Jonathan Davenport finished second, also locking himself into Saturday’s Feature.Rounding out the top five were Bobby Pierce, Spencer Hughes, and Kyle Larson.FEATURE #3: A pair of restarts in the third 20-lap Feature couldn’t keep Brandon Overton out of Victory Lane Friday at Talladega Short Track.The Evans, GA driver aced all three green flags to go unchallenged in the battle for $4,000. “Big Sexy” is one step closer to a potential $50,000 payday on Saturday, as he’s guaranteed to start in the first three rows in the Alabama Gang 100 finale.Overton said he believes his Longhorn by Wells chassis is going in the right direction after struggling over the past few weeks.“[I feel] a lot better than I have in the past couple of weeks,” Overton said. “The track is definitely different. I’m obviously way better at this Talladega than I am at the normal one.“I just appreciate the fans coming out, this is really neat. I’ve seen so many people and superstars walking through the pits. So yeah, it’s a fun weekend, and I’m looking forward to tomorrow.”While Overton led all 20 laps, Gordy Gundaker needed the second and final restart to move into the runner-up spot.The St. Charles, MO driver got around second-place Garrett Smith on a Lap 6 restart but quickly gave back the spot when he bobbled in Turn 1. However, Gundaker got another chance after the caution flew for Michael Page and Tyler Milwood tangling on Lap 14.Restarting in third, Gundaker thundered around Smith on the outside of Turn 1 to take the final transfer spot away, holding on to punch his ticket into Saturday’s Feature.Gundaker is happy to lock into the $50,000-to-win finale, he said.“The yellows kind of worked out there,” Gundaker said. “I got past [Smith] the first time and then screwed up in (Turn 1), and he got me back. So, I got to retry it.“I’m just thankful we got the races in. I know it’s been a hectic night, and I’m just thankful to run second and lock ourselves into (Saturday).”Smith rounded out the podium, Todd Cooney finished fourth, and four-time Series champion Brandon Sheppard rounded out the top five.UP NEXT: The World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Models return to the Talladega Short Track on Saturday, April 22, for the Alabama Gang 100 finale, boasting a $50,000 to win payday.If you can’t make it to the track, you can watch all the action live on DIRTVision.RESULTS: Feature 1 (20 Laps): 1. 96V-Tanner English[2]; 2. 3S-Brian Shirley[4]; 3. 7T-Drake Troutman[1]; 4. 22-Chris Ferguson[3]; 5. 44-Chris Madden[7]; 6. 17M-Dale McDowell[6]; 7. 36-Logan Martin[8]; 8. 25-Shane Clanton[10]; 9. 78-Matthew Brocato[5]; 10. 54-David Breazeale[9]; 11. 28-Dennis Erb Jr[13]; 12. 29-Donald McIntosh[11]; 13. B1-Brent Larson[14]; 14. 97-Cade Dillard[15]; 15. 111-Max Blair[17]; 16. 19M-Wil Herrington[21]; 17. 91-Heath Hindman[18]; 18. 16H-Austin Horton[12]; 19. 58C-Tyler Clem[16]; 20. 57-Josh Adkins[19]; 21. 35-Dallas Cooper[20]Feature 2 (20 Laps): 1. 40B-Kyle Bronson[2]; 2. 49-Jonathan Davenport[1]; 3. 32-Bobby Pierce[6]; 4. 11H-Spencer Hughes[4]; 5. 6-Kyle Larson[3]; 6. 19R-Ryan Gustin[9]; 7. 12-Ashton Winger[7]; 8. 58-Garrett Alberson[5]; 9. 93-Carson Ferguson[8]; 10. 10-Joseph Joiner[18]; 11. 14M-Morgan Bagley[10]; 12. 1-Jason Hiett[16]; 13. 99B-Boom Briggs[13]; 14. 25B-Mike Benedum[15]; 15. T1-Todd Morrow[20]; 16. 1ST-Johnny Scott[14]; 17. 18L-Trevor Landrum[19]; 18. 25R-Tim Roszell[21]; 19. 16-Sam Seawright[12]; 20. 20RT-Ricky Thornton Jr[11]; 21. 157-Mike Marlar[17]Feature 3 (20 Laps): 1. 76-Brandon Overton[1]; 2. 11-Gordy Gundaker[4]; 3. 10S-Garrett Smith[3]; 4. 30-Todd Cooney[10]; 5. B5-Brandon Sheppard[5]; 6. 2S-Stormy Scott[11]; 7. 9-Nick Hoffman[20]; 8. 38-Dillon Tidmore[7]; 9. 27B-Brad Berry[16]; 10. 27-Jadon Frame[15]; 11. J27-Jay Scott[14]; 12. 4-Ryan Wilson[13]; 13. 7-Jeremy Cropper[19]; 14. 31-Tyler Millwood[6]; 15. 18X-Michael Page[8]; 16. 11K-Austin Kirkpatrick[18]; 17. 66K-Dylan Knowles[2]; 18. 20-Jimmy Owens[9]; 19. 14W-Dustin Walker[17]; 20. 1S-Jeremy Shaw[12]

The World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Model Series is brought to fans across the country by many important sponsors and partners, including: CASE Construction Equipment (Official Construction Equipment), CASE No.1 Engine Oil™ (Official Oil and Lubricant), DIRTVision (Official Live Broadcast Partner), Hoosier Racing Tire (Official Tire), iRacing (Official Online Racing Game), Simpson Performance Products (Preferred Safety Gear Partner), SIS Insurance (Official Insurance Provider), Toyota (Official Vehicle), and VP Racing Fuels (Official Racing Fuel); contingency sponsors include Arizona Sport Shirts/Gotta Race, ARP (Automotive Racing Products), Cometic Gasket, COMP Cams, Fox Factory (Hard Charger Award), Low-E Insulation, MSD, Penske Racing Shocks, Quarter Master, Swift Springs, and Wieland Metal Services (Exclusive Racing Aluminum); along with manufacturer sponsors, including, Behrent’s Performance Warehouse, Capital Race Cars, FIREBULL, Germfree, Integra Shocks, Intercomp, Racing Electronics, Reliable Painting, Rocket Chassis, and Sea Foam.

Aitken to co-drive with Bourdais, van der Zande as example of ‘one team’ approach

DETROIT (April 21, 2023) – Cadillac Racing announced today an expansion of its driver roster for the upcoming Six Hours of Spa in the FIA World Endurance Championship. Jack Aitken, part of the lineup that delivered the first victory with Cadllac’s V-Series.R last month in the Twelve Hours of Sebring, will co-drive the No. 3 Cadillac at Spa with Sebastien Bourdais and Renger van der Zande.The trio will race in the 13-car Hypercar category alongside the No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R, co-driven by Earl Bamber, Alex Lynn and Richard Westbrook, on the 7.004km (4.35-mile), 20-turn Spa-Francorchamps circuit for the third round of the WEC season.

“Chip Ganassi Racing is excited to have Jack join Sebastien and Renger in sharing driver duties for the No. 3 Cadillac V-Series.R at the Spa WEC race next week,” said Mike O’Gara, director of operations for Chip Ganassi Racing that runs the Cadillac Racing entry. “This is just another example of the ‘One Team’ concept that Cadillac Racing is all about. We value Jack’s feedback in the car, and hope that this strengthens the preparation for Cadillac Racing’s assault on the 24 Hours of Le Mans this June.” In addition to going for the win, the Spa weekend presents opportunities to absorb information about the hybrid Cadillac racecar on a European circuit as Cadillac Racing prepares a three-car lineup for its Le Mans return after two decades. “We are grateful for all the entities in this program collaborating and increasing our strengths and capabilities,” GM sports car racing program manager Laura Wontrop Klauser said. Aitken already is confirmed for Le Mans as he will reunite with Pipo Derani and Alexander Sims in the No. 311 Whelen Engineering Cadillac V-Series.R. They co-drove to a dramatic victory at Sebring International Raceway as part of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. “This further expands our opportunity to learn and work as one team going into Le Mans,” said Chris Mitchum, director of operations for Action Express Racing, which runs the No. 31 and No. 311Cadillac Racing entries across IMSA and Le Mans.

Aitken, a former Williams F1 reserve driver, competed in the European Le Mans Series in 2022 for TF Sport in the LMP2 class. He also competed in the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup and ADAC GT Masters with Emil Frey Racing. He made his 24 Hours of Le Mans debut in LMP2 with Algarve Pro Racing. “Driving at such an incredible circuit with the Cadillac V.Series R will be an invaluable addition to our prep for Le Mans,” he said. “It will be a pleasure to integrate with Chip Ganassi Racing and work together to push the Cadillac program forward, as we have a great deal of respect between us. Partnering up with Seb and Renger will be great for me personally, as I’ll be learning off two great guys.” The gold No. 3 Cadillac V-Series.R, running as the No. 01 in IMSA, earned a podium finish in the season-opening Rolex 24 At Daytona in January and qualified second and third in the succeeding races. The No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R has displayed reliability and strong pace with consecutive fourth-place finishes to start its maiden WEC season. It has advanced a total of five positions – more than twice as many as any other Hypercar entry — from its qualifying spots in the two races.Cadillac is tied for third in the WEC Manufacturer Championship.The Cadillac V-Series.R features an all-new Cadillac 5.5-liter DOHC V8 naturally aspirated engine developed by GM’s Performance and Racing propulsion team based in Pontiac, Michigan. The body, codeveloped by Cadillac Design, Cadillac Racing and chassis constructor Dallara, incorporates key Cadillac V-Series production car design elements.

Richard Childress began his driving career at Talladega Superspeedway in the inaugural Talladega 500 on September 14, 1969. Childress has won 12 NASCAR Cup Series victories as an owner at the Alabama superspeedway. Dale Earnhardt earned nine Talladega wins under the RCR banner, his first coming in 1984. Earnhardt scored his 76th and final Cup win in the 2000 fall race at Talladega which earned the team and a lucky fan each a $1 million bonus from the series sponsor. Other victories by Earnhardt include a sweep of both races in 1990 and 1999, plus 1991 (July), 1993 (July) and 1994 (spring). Clint Bowyer won twice for RCR (fall races in 2010 and 2011) while Kevin Harvick won the 2010 spring event.  RCR in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at Talladega Superspeedway… Richard Childress Racing has also found success in the NASCAR Xfinity Series with one win, 11 top-five, and 20 top-10 finishes at Talladega Superspeedway. Two-time Xfinity Series Champion Tyler Reddick drove his No. 2 Chevrolet to Victory Lane in April 2019. In 2022, RCR won both pole positions at Talladega (Jeffrey Earnhardt in the spring, Austin Hill in the fall race). Leading the Way… In 2022, RCR’s Xfinity Series drivers (Hill, J. Earnhardt and Sheldon Creed) combined to lead 140 of a possible 237 laps at Talladega. RCR led 59.07% of possible laps (372.40 miles) one year ago at the 2.66-mile superspeedway.    Catch the Action… The NASCAR Xfinity Series Ag-Pro 300 at Talladega Superspeedway will be televised live on Saturday, April 22, beginning at 4 p.m. ET on FS1. The race will be broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.  Follow Sunday’s Action at Talladega… The NASCAR Cup Series GEICO 500 at Talladega Superspeedway will be televised live on Sunday, April 23, beginning at 3 p.m. ET on FOX. The race will be broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

Austin Dillon and the No. 3 Bass Pro Shops/TRACKER Off Road Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 at Talladega Superspeedway… In 19 NASCAR Cup Series starts at Talladega Superspeedway, Austin Dillon has two top-five and five top-10 finishes, including a strong second-place performance at the track in April 2022. The 2013 NASCAR Xfinity Series Champion has four starts at Talladega Superspeedway in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, earning one pole (2015), and a career-best finish of third among three top-10 finishes. In two NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series races at Talladega, Dillon has two top-10 finishes.   About TRACKER Off Road… Dillon’s No. 3 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 prominently features TRACKER ATVs, a game-changing new line of all-terrain vehicles and side-by-sides offering breakthrough performance, service, and value in the off-road industry. TRACKER OFF ROAD was born out of a powerhouse partnership formed between Bass Pro Shops and TRACKER founder Johnny Morris and Textron Specialized Vehicles, bringing together the undisputed world leader in boating with a global leader in innovation and technology.  About Bass Pro Shops… Bass Pro Shops is North America’s premier outdoor and conservation company. Founded in 1972 when avid young angler Johnny Morris began selling tackle out of his father’s liquor store in Springfield, Missouri, today the company provides customers with unmatched offerings spanning premier destination retail, outdoor equipment manufacturing, world-class resort destinations and more. In 2017 Bass Pro Shops acquired Cabela’s to create a “best-of-the-best” experience with superior products, dynamic locations and outstanding customer service. Bass Pro Shops also operates White River Marine Group, offering an unsurpassed collection of industry-leading boat brands, and Big Cedar Lodge, America’s Premier Wilderness Resort. Under the visionary conservation leadership of Johnny Morris, Bass Pro Shops is a national leader in protecting habitat and introducing families to the outdoors and has been named by Forbes as “one of America’s Best Employers.” Bass Pro Shops has a long relationship with NASCAR, dating back to 1998. For more information, visit http://www.basspro.com/. Calling All Team Chevy Fans… Dillon is scheduled to participate in a Q&A session on the Team Chevy Stage located in the Talladega Superspeedway fan midway on Sunday, April 23 at 11 a.m. Local Time.  AUSTIN DILLON QUOTES:You’ve won on superspeedways. What kind of race do you expect we will see at Talladega Superspeedway? Is it a tougher race than Daytona International Speedway?“I have Talladega Superspeedway circled on my calendar. I love racing there and I can’t wait to get on track in the Bass Pro Shops/TRACKER Off Road Chevrolet Camaro. Talladega is a little bit different real estate then Daytona International Speedway. At Daytona, you’re packed in there and it’s hard to get to someone’s inside or outside, and there is less movement in the draft. At Talladega, there’s a lot of movement in the draft, the packs are big and wide, and with the way this package works there is more two-lane racing around the bottom. It’s going to be interesting to see if we can make that third lane work at some point and can move around.” Racing at Talladega Superspeedway always seems to come down to the last lap and everybody fans out. How do you keep track of all of that and try to make the right moves?“You have got to be in the right place at the right time for the right run. A lot goes into it. You can get far forward on that last lap depending on what people pull out and put you in a position to move forward. It can be a parking lot at times then suddenly, the seas part and you have to take advantage of it. You’re kind of holding on at times waiting to see what happens. Everybody is pushing, and you’re hoping you can get through the mess.”

Kyle Busch and the No. 8 McLaren Custom Grills Chevrolet Camaro ZL1… Kyle Busch will be making his 36th start at Talladega Superspeedway and his 75th career restrictor plate start in the NASCAR Cup Series. Busch has one Cup Series victory at Talladega, capturing the spring event in 2008. The Las Vegas, Nevada native didn’t lead until late in the race, pacing the field for 12 of the final 15 laps, and was leading on the last lap when a caution flag ended the race. The victory came in Busch’s seventh start at the 2.66-mile facility. Busch has two NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series victories at Talladega (2009 and 2010) and one win in the NASCAR Xfinity Series (2011). The driver of the McLaren Custom Grills Chevrolet is eighth in the NASCAR Cup Series driver standings, 52 points behind the leader.  About McLaren Custom Grills… McLaren Custom Grills, a Winnipeg, Canada-based BBQ company, specializes in custom BBQ grills for sports fans. The company is dedicated to making a barbeque that any sports fan would be thrilled to call their own, and a brand name that customers are proud to stand behind. In addition to their partnership with Richard Childress Racing, McLaren Custom Grills is the Official Barbeque Grill of the NBA. McLaren Custom Grills can be purchased at mclarencustomgrills.com.  KYLE BUSCH QUOTES:Are you optimistic entering Talladega considering how well you ran at Daytona International Speedway?“You know considering how well we ran at Daytona I would say that there is optimism going into Talladega. We definitely had some fast race cars in Daytona but I’ve also found over the years that Daytona cars aren’t the same as Talladega cars and it doesn’t correlate. You can take the same car from Daytona and go straight to Talladega with it and be slow. I’m optimistic and certainly looking forward to going to Talladega, although I’ve been known to get myself caught up in crashes there. I think the only three or four times I’ve ever finished a race there with a clean race car I’ve finished in the top three, top four including winning once. It just goes to show you that if you can stay clean then you can have a good day.” Why were you and your RCR teammate Austin Dillon able to work so well together at Daytona International Speedway?   “Austin and I were really able to work together well at Daytona, I think, because we both had fast race cars. We were both able to find each other and continue to work together and help each other. Austin was my wingman towards the later stages of the race and really gave me a good push to get to the lead and then we were riding there together to finish it out strong before that late caution came. Overall, it’s been really fun to work with Austin. I think he’s been a great piece to the puzzle of our success early on in the year and I want to continue that at Talladega.” You won the 2008 spring race at Talladega Superspeedway and didn’t lead a lap until late in the race. How special was that win?“Winning that race in 2008 was super-cool. Being up front and having a fast car and dicing through traffic was cool. We got pushed by Juan Pablo Montoya there, got some really big pushes that got us to the lead. Once we got the lead, we were able to control it the last couple of laps. The race was actually cut short while we were out front and we were able to win. Winning at Talladega in 2008 was pretty special because it gave me a win at Talladega, although I haven’t been able to back it up since then. I feel like there’s been plenty of other opportunities to win a race there that haven’t come to fruition. There’s a lot of other guys who are a lot more aggressive in restrictor plate racing and the draft and pushing the issue at times and putting themselves in some sticky situations.”

Sheldon Creed and the No. 2 Whelen Engineering Chevrolet Camaro SS at Talladega Superspeedway… Sheldon Creed has made two career NASCAR Xfinity Series starts at Talladega Superspeedway, both of which have come behind the wheel of the No. 2 Whelen Engineering Chevrolet. Last fall, Creed started from the third position and finished in 12th-place. In addition, Creed has three NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series starts (one pole, best finish of ninth) and two ARCA Menards Series events (best finish of fourth) under his belt at the 2.66-mile superspeedway.  Meet Creed… On Saturday, April 22 at 12:25 p.m. CT, Creed is scheduled to sign autographs at the RCR Merchandise Trailer located in the Fan Midway at Talladega Superspeedway. Directly after at 12:45 p.m. CT, the California native will head to the Chevrolet Display located in the Fan Midway at Talladega Superspeedway for a question and answer session with host Johnny D. Stop by to see Creed before the green flag waves.  About Whelen Engineering… Whelen Engineering is a family-owned company with a pioneering spirit and a passion to protect the lives of those who protect and serve others. The company mission is to provide industry-defining safety solutions around the world, while creating a community of problem-solvers who are inspired to push boundaries and continue our legacy of delivering ground-breaking innovation. As a global leader in the emergency warning industry, Whelen has been trusted to perform since 1952, when George Whelen III invented the first rotating aviation beacon. Whelen now encompasses two state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities in Connecticut and New Hampshire with over 750,000 square feet of engineering and manufacturing space and the largest design staff in the industry. Every part of every Whelen product is proudly designed and manufactured in America. We embrace quality as our foundation, we celebrate innovative engineering in every product we produce. SHELDON CREED QUOTE:This will be the third superspeedway race of 2023. What is the outlook heading to Talladega Superspeedway? “Racing at superspeedways is not my favorite. As a viewer, it’s really fun to watch, but as a driver in the race car, it’s a lot of calculating moves and being in the right place at the right time. With that being said though, our Whelen Camaros have had a ton of speed at both Daytona and Atlanta this season. We don’t have the results to show for it, but I feel confident that our No. 2 Chevrolet will be fast once again this weekend. Our goal remains the same – to win and lock ourselves into the Playoffs. Myself, Jeff Stankiewicz (crew chief) and all the guys on my team have been working hard to improve our performance and I believe we are getting closer to our first win together in the Xfinity Series.”

Austin Hill and the No. 21 Bennett Transportation and Logistics/Realtree Chevrolet Camaro SS at Talladega Superspeedway… Austin Hill has made three career NASCAR Xfinity Series starts at Talladega Superspeedway. Last fall while piloting the No. 21 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet, Hill earned the pole position, led 60 laps, and was in position to capture the victory before a late block relegated the 29-year-old to a 14th-place finish. In the two Xfinity Series events at the Alabama superspeedway in 2022, the Winston, Ga. native led a combined 127 laps – a dominating 53.6% of laps competed. Hill has also participated in five NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series events, securing a best finish of sixth in 2019.  Superspeedway Dominance… Hill enters Talladega Superspeedway as the winner of both Xfinity Series drafting races – Daytona International Speedway and Atlanta Motor Speedway – in 2023. In those two events, the driver of the No. 21 Camaro has led 142 of 288 total laps (49.3%). In eight superspeedway starts since joining RCR in the Xfinity Series, Hill has paced the field for 410 of 1,098 laps, leading 37.3% of the time.  Double Duty… Hill will make his second career NASCAR Cup Series start as he pilots the No. 62 Realtree Chevrolet for Beard Motorsports on Sunday. The pair is also slated to compete in four additional Cup Series events in 2023 – Michigan International Speedway and Daytona International Speedway in August and Talladega Superspeedway and Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval in October.  Birthday Boy… Hill celebrates his 29th birthday on Friday, April 21.  Meet Hill… On Saturday, April 22 at 12:25 p.m. CT, Hill will sign autographs at the Bennett Transportation and Logistics booth in the Fan Midway at Talladega Superspeedway. About Bennett Family of Companies… McDonough-Ga. based Bennett Family of Companies is a woman-owned, Women’s Enterprise Business Council (WBENC) certified, diversified transportation and logistics company. Through its 14 affiliated operating companies, the Bennett Family of Companies delivers integrated transportation and supply chain management solutions worldwide. Bennett has 4,625 drivers/owner-operators, over 1,000 employees and 600 agents located across the United States. For more information, visit www.bennettig.com. About Realtree… Realtree is the world’s leading designer of photorealistic camouflage, marketer, and licensor with over 2,000 licensees utilizing the Realtree patterns and brand. Thousands of outdoor and lifestyle products are available in Realtree camouflage patterns. In addition, Realtree is committed to supporting individuals and groups that work to ensure our outdoor heritage, veterans and military affairs, the conservation of natural places, and the wildlife that resides there. AUSTIN HILL QUOTES:Talladega Superspeedway and Daytona International Speedway are both superspeedways but tend to produce different races in that it seems cars can get really strung out at Talladega. What has been your experience with racing at Talladega versus Daytona? “I’ve had success and have found myself up front at both Talladega and Daytona. I’m a firm believer that every superspeedway race races a little bit different than the last. You have to go into superspeedway weekends with a clear mindset. The things that maybe worked for you in Talladega last year, may not work for you this year. A lot has to do with the temperature outside, track temperature, the wind. There are a lot of different factors that play into the superspeedways with how the draft is that day. Every time we go to a superspeedway, it feels like I have to do something a little different inside the car to still get the performance out of the car that I’m looking for. When you get behind someone, the bubble is a lot different in each race that you run. I led laps and had a shot at winning at Talladega last season in the Xfinity car and it’s not a guarantee that what I did last year will work going into this weekend.”  You’ve had a lot of success on superspeedways in your career. Is there a reason why? “The biggest thing for me is I feel like Derek Kneeland (Xfinity Series spotter) and I are really aggressive from the start of the race. During Stage 1, we learn to set ourselves up for Stage 2 and Stage 3. That is not going to change any; it’s just something that we have always done. If we get big runs, we pull out of line to see if it works. The more that you can learn in Stage 1 to apply to Stage 2 and 3, it sets you up better for when you get in the final 10 or 20 laps. You can apply everything that has been learned early in the race. This is something that is carried over for every race I’ve ever run on a superspeedway and probably won’t change going forward.”

Terry Poovey to Serve as Grand Marshal for Dallas Half-MilePhoto Credit: Dave HoenigDAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (April 21, 2023) – Progressive American Flat Track is thrilled to announce that dirt track legend Terry Poovey has been named the Grand Marshal ofthe Mission Dallas Half-Mile presented by Roof Systems at Devil’s Bowl Speedway in Mesquite, Texas on Saturday, April 22. It’s only fitting that the native Texan and winner of five Grand National Championship Half-Miles will serve in the role as Progressive AFT returns to the Dallas Fort-Worth area where he resides for the first of the ‘23 season’s five Half Miles. Poovey enjoyed a 30-year AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame career, in which he won a total of 11 Grand National Championship Main Events aboard Harley-Davidson, Honda, Bultaco, and Rotax-powered racebikes. An oval specialist and Daytona Short Track hero, Poovey earned multiple wins on Miles, Half-Miles, and Short Tracks alike. While, like so many of his contemporaries, the majority of Poovey’s wins came aboard Harley-Davidson’s iconic XR750, Poovey also has the distinction of being the rider American Honda handpicked to debut and develop its revered RS750 race bike that later went on to win four consecutive Grand National Championships with Ricky Graham and Bubba Shobert at the controls. After finally hanging up his helmet in 2005, Poovey joined forces with his brother-in-law and fellow Hall of Famer Kenny Tolbert to serve as the crew for multi-time champion Chris Carr.

Visit https://www.tixr.com/groups/americanflattrack/events/dallas-half-mile-57732 to purchase your tickets today! Gates will open for fans at 5:00 p.m. ET (2:00 p.m. PT) with Opening Ceremonies scheduled to begin at 8:30 p.m. ET (5:30 p.m. PT). For those that can’t catch the live action from the circuit, FansChoice.tv is the live streaming home of Progressive AFT. Sign up now and catch every second of on-track action starting with Practice & Qualifying and ending with the Victory Podium at the end of the night at https://www.fanschoice.tv. FOX Sports coverage of the Mission Dallas Half-Mile presented by Roof Systems, featuring in-depth features and thrilling onboard cameras, will premiere on FS1 on Sunday, April 30, at 11:00 a.m. ET (8:00 a.m. PT). For more information on Progressive AFT visit https://www.americanflattrack.com.

“The Granddaddy of ‘Em All” ranked third on the 10Best Reader’s Choice list for Best Motorsports Race, beating out NASCAR, INDYCAR and Sports Car eventsKNOXVILLE, IA (April 21, 2023) – The mecca. A crown jewel. “Our” Super Bowl. The greatest week of the year.Talk to any Sprint Car driver or fan and you’ll hear one, if not all, of those sentences to describe the NOS Energy Drink Knoxville Nationals at Knoxville Raceway in Iowa.For more than 60 years, the Knoxville Nationals has been turning Sprint Car drivers into motorsport legends and providing fans with one of the most unique event experiences. And because of that, fans voted the Knoxville Nationals to third on USA Today’s 10Best Reader’s Choice list for Best Motorsports Race – behind only the Indianapolis 500 and Formula 1’s U.S. Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas.The Knoxville Nationals, featuring the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series (Aug, 9-12), ranked higher than the likes of NASCAR’s Daytona 500, INDYCAR’s Grand Prix of Long Beach – which set an attendance record this year – the Rolex 24 at Daytona and Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, among others.“I think Knoxville separates itself from every other event, due to the fact of where it is at and the history behind the event, everything that goes on in the little town of Knoxville during the week,” said Brad Sweet, four-time and reigning World of Outlaws champion and 2018 Knoxville Nationals champion. “There is so much to do for the fans, such a great atmosphere. It’s a really quiet town when you’re there for not the Knoxville Nationals. But, when the Knoxville Nationals is there, it’s like a buzzing little city with all Sprint Car enthusiasts and race car fans.“So, you bring 25-30 thousand people into one place that all love to do the same thing, which is race and have fun and there is Dingus (the bar across the street), there is the atmosphere around the vendors, there’s concerts going on. There is so much to do and the race is also such a big deal for the drivers.”Twenty-seven drivers have claimed the Knoxville Nationals title since the first race in 1961. Of them, only seven have won it multiple times – adding to the prestige of the event. Steve Kinser, the 20-time World of Outlaws champion, has the most wins at the event with 12. Ten-time World of Outlaws champion Donny Schatz continued his climb to that benchmark last year by scoring his 11th triumph at the event.And while Schatz continues to add Knoxville trophies to his collection, he iterated there is nothing easy about conquering the week-long event.“It’s been the mecca of our biggest races since I was a kid sitting in the grandstands,” Schatz said. “And you know, the size of the racetrack, the big half mile, the flat surface, the tricky berm on the bottom, the river gumbo dirt that can be super hooky when it’s wet and when it starts to dry out it gets ultra-slick like glass. You get all ends of the spectrum with Knoxville, and it makes it a feast or famine type of scenario when you’re there racing.“It makes it a lot of fun and it’s ever-changing. So, it’s an incredible place… you always have to be up to the challenge at Knoxville as it’s changing, and they can change the berm on the bottom a little bit and it changes your whole entry to the corner and the way your car responds and it’s tricky to stay down there. It’s a game of cat and mouse with both pedals and a steering wheel and even the thought process, so it makes it a lot of fun as a driver for someone like myself to be able to go there and try to master that craft.”Along with the prestige and trophy, the Knoxville Nationals pays out one of the biggest purses in Sprint Car racing.This year, the event boasts a record-high $1,159,005 overall purse, paying $185,000 to the winner and $15,000 to start the Feature.Outside of the perks for the drivers and on track action for the fans, when it comes time for the Knoxville Nationals, the town of Knoxville morphs into a Sprint Car haven. Race haulers are parked in parking lots of local businesses along North Lincoln Street. Campers are packed in like Tetris blocks on residents’ lawns. Vendors and driver merchandise trailers occupy sidewalks across from the track.For the week, race cars being pushed up and down the street by four wheels becomes normal. You feel like you’ve entered a racer’s fantasy as the town becomes an annex of the track.“It’s such a unique area,” said David Gravel, the 2019 Knoxville Nationals champion. “When that event is going on, the whole town shuts down. Campers surround the whole area and, you know, there are 25 to 30 thousand people. It just has an atmosphere and a buzz around it.“You always get butterflies and goose bumps when you’re getting ready to race there. Having the Hall of Fame there and the suites all packed, having fans all the way down the front stretch and back, it’s just a one-of-a-kind event. Probably, definitely, my number one for sure still in Sprint Car racing.”The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series will first visit Knoxville Raceway on June 9-10 before venturing back to Iowa’s Marion County Fairgrounds for the 62nd NOS Energy Drink Knoxville Nationals, Aug. 9-12. For tickets, CLICK HERE.If you can’t make it to the races, you can watch both live – along with weekly racing from Knoxville Raceway – on DIRTVision.

The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink® Sprint Car Series is brought to fans across the country by many important sponsors and partners, including: NOS Energy Drink (Official Energy Product), CASE Construction Equipment (Official Construction Equipment), CASE No.1 Engine Oil™ (Official Oil and Lubricant), DIRTVision (Official Live Broadcast Partner), Hoosier Racing Tire (Official Tire), iRacing (Official Online Racing Game), Simpson Performance Products (Preferred Safety Gear Partner), SIS Insurance (Official Insurance Provider), Toyota (Official Vehicle), and VP Racing Fuels (Official Racing Fuel); contingency sponsors include ACME Trading, ARP (Automotive Racing Products), Cometic Gasket, COMP Cams, Federated Auto Parts, KSE Racing Products (Hard Charger Award), Lifeline USA, Low-E Insulation, Micro-Lite LLC, Milton Hershey School, MSD, and Whiskey Myers; manufacturer sponsors include, FIREBULL, Intercomp, Racing Electronics, and Sea Foam.Founded in 1978, the World of Outlaws®, based in Concord, NC, is the premier national touring series for dirt track racing in North America, featuring the most powerful cars on dirt, the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series and the World of Outlaws Late Model Series. Annually, the two series race nearly 140 times at tracks across the United States and Canada. CBS Sports Network is the official broadcast partner of the World of Outlaws. DIRTVision® also broadcasts all World of Outlaws events over the Internet to fans around the world. Learn more about the World of Outlaws.