TEAM CHEVY SEEKS WIN #60 AT MARTINSVILLENASCAR’s three national touring series will take on the oldest track on the circuit this weekend with the .526-mile Martinsville Speedway on tap to host the fifth tripleheader race weekend of the season. Famously known as “The Paperclip”, Martinsville is the only track that has hosted a NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) race every year since the inception of the series in 1949. Chevrolet has a storied history at the iconic short-track with the series’ winningest manufacturer heading into the weekend with 59 NCS wins at the track – just shy of double the next ranking manufacturer competitor. The first of Chevrolet’s series-leading wins at Martinsville came in 1957 when Buck Baker drove his Chevrolet 150 to victory lane. The Bowtie brand went on a winning streak at the track on a couple of different occasions including seven in a row from October 2004 to October 2007, as well as eight consecutive triumphs from April 2011 to October 2014. Other models that have also collected a win at the .526-mile Virginia oval include Bel Air, Biscayne, Impala, Monte Carlo, Lumina, Impala SS and SS.

HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS SHINES ON SHORT-TRACKSHendrick Motorsports leads all active organizations in NASCAR’s premier series with 56 short-track wins – all captured behind the wheel of a Chevrolet. 14 different drivers have contributed to the organization’s series-best short-track record, including all four of its current drivers. Of Hendrick Motorsports’ 56 NCS short-track wins, 27 have come at Martinsville Speedway. Eight different drivers have powered the organization to a victory at the .526-mile oval, led by Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson who each have nine wins to their name. Hendrick Motorsports’ most recent win at the track came one year ago when William Byron took his first career grandfather clock in the April 2022 event. The organization posted a dominating performance in that race with Byron and teammate Chase Elliott leading a combined 397 of the race’s 403-laps, giving the organization a laps-led percentage of 98.5%.

NXS BACK ON-TRACK AT MARTINSILLEThe NASCAR Xfinity Series will make its 40th all-time appearance at Martinsville Speedway in Saturday’s ‘Call811.com Before You Dig. 250’. Chevrolet has recorded six NXS wins at the “The Paperclip” with two coming in 2021 courtesy of a JR Motorsports sweep (Josh Berry – April 2021; and Noah Gragson – October 2021). Chevrolet – the reigning NXS Manufacturer Champion – already has one short-track victory in the books this season with Kaulig Racing’s Chandler Smith’s first career win at Richmond Raceway just two weeks ago.

Returning to competition following the series’ first off-weekend of the season, Chevrolet continues to sit in command of the NXS driver and manufacturer points standings. Three drivers have powered the Camaro SS to a combined five wins in seven NXS races this season. Joining Smith on that list is series’ points leader Austin Hill (No. 2 Richard Childress Racing Camaro SS), who has amassed a series-best three wins thus far. AJ Allmendinger also contributed to the manufacturer’s win count this season at Circuit of The Americas when he returned to the series for the first time since moving up to full-time NCS competition.

SILVERADO RST LOOKING FOR A THREE-PEAT AT MARTINSVILLEThe NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series’ Long John Silver’s 200 at Martinsville Speedway will mark the series’ second short-track race of the season, but the first on asphalt. The Bowtie brand is coming off four top-10 finishes at Bristol Motor Speedway last weekend with the effort led by NCS regular William Byron in his first of three starts of 2023 behind the wheel of the No. 51 Kyle Busch Motorsports Silverado RST.

BOWTIE BULLETS:·       Active Chevrolet drivers with a NASCAR Cup Series win at Martinsville Speedway:Kyle Busch – 2 (2016 & 2017)William Byron – 1 (2022)Chase Elliott – 1 (2020)
·       In 148 NASCAR Cup Series races at Martinsville Speedway, Chevrolet has recorded 59 wins and 55 poles – both of which are series-best.
·       Hendrick Motorsports leads all active organizations with 56 all-time short-track wins in NASCAR’s premier series – all recorded behind the wheel of a Chevrolet. Of those victories, the organization has recorded a series-best 27 wins at Martinsville Speedway.
·       Heading into the ninth points-paying NASCAR Cup Series race of the season, Chevrolet continues to lead the series in wins (five), top-fives (21), top-10s (36), stage wins (10) and laps led (1,079). Chevrolet’s win count, top-five finishes, stage wins and laps led thus far this season is more than double its manufacturer competitors.
·       Chevrolet’s series-leading five NASCAR Cup Series wins this season have been recorded by drivers from three different Chevrolet teams: Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (JTG Daugherty Racing), Kyle Busch (Richard Childress Racing), William Byron and Kyle Larson (Hendrick Motorsports).
·       Richard Childress Racing’s Austin Dillon, JTG Daugherty’s Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Kaulig Racing’s Justin Haley delivered top-10 finishes at Bristol Motor Speedway marking the sixth time in eight points-paying NASCAR Cup Series races this season that at least three different Chevrolet teams were represented in the top-10.
·       Chevrolet drivers have recorded 10 of the 16 NASCAR Cup Series stage wins this season: William Byron (five; series-leading), Ross Chastain (three) and Kyle Larson (two).
·       Hendrick Motorsports’ Alex Bowman is the only driver in the NASCAR Cup Series to have a single-digit average finish this season with 9.9. The Chevrolet driver is also tied at the top of the leaderboard for top-10 finishes this season with six.
·       Chevrolet sits atop the manufacturer points standings in all three NASCAR national series, leading by 23 points in the NASCAR Cup Series, 20 points in the NASCAR Xfinity Series and three points in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.
·       With its 41 NASCAR Cup Series Manufacturer’s Championships, 33 NASCAR Cup Series Driver’s Championships, and 838 all-time NASCAR Cup Series wins, Chevrolet continues to hold the title of winningest brand in NASCAR Cup Series history.

FOR THE FANS:·       Fans can visit the Team Chevy Racing Display in the Fan Midway at Martinsville Speedway.
·       Fans can check out an assortment of Chevrolet vehicles at the Team Chevy Racing Display including: Tahoe Premier, Blazer RS, Trailblazer RS, Traverse Premier, 1500 Crew ZR2, 2500HD Crew Carhartt Diesel, Corvette Coupe 3LT Z51, Camaro ZL1.
Team Chevy Driver Appearances at the Display:Friday, April 14·       Grant Enfinger & Daniel Dye: 12:45 p.m.·       Nick Sanchez: 1 p.m. ·       Chase Purdy: 1:30 p.m.·       Christian Eckes & Jake Garcia: 1:45 p.m.
Saturday, April 15·       Jeremy Clements: 4 p.m. ·       Parker Kligerman: 4:15 p.m. ·       Sheldon Creed: 5:05 p.m.
Sunday, April 16·       Noah Gragson: 11:50 a.m.·       Ricky Stenhouse Jr: 12:10 p.m.·       Ty Dillon: 12:45 p.m.
Chevrolet Display Hours of Operation:·       Friday, April 14: 12 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.·       Saturday, April 15: 12 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.·       Sunday, April 16: 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. Tune In: NASCAR Cup Series – NOCO 400; 3 p.m. ET on Sunday, April 16(FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90)
NASCAR Xfinity Series – Call811.com Before you Dig. 250; 7:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, April 15(FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90)
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series – Long John Silver’s 200; 7:30 p.m. ET on Friday, April 14 (FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90)

QUOTABLE QUOTES:ROSS CHASTAIN, NO. 1 UNISHIPPERS CAMARO ZL1How cool is it to have the “Hail Melon” move so well-known now?“What’s really cool about it now, and what I’m most proud of is it’s never going to happen again. If it does happen in NASCAR, they’ll get penalized so that will probably deter people from doing it again. I didn’t realize it at the time how historical it was but it’s neat now to look back on it and think about how it’s a moment NASCAR’s history.”
There were so many fan reactions to the move at the end of the Martinsville, what was it like for you to see all of that?“The cell phone camera views from Turns 3 and 4 looking down. They were filming the end of the race and most of them were following the 20 car around the whole track and there is a blur in the middle of all of their screens of my car. It was fun to hear their natural reactions when the cars slow down and to hear the roar, people yelling and asking what happened. I was on pit road and the car was broken and destroyed, and I’m trying to navigate crew members high-fiving me and I could hear the fans through my helmet and over the sound of the engine idling coming down pit road. I glanced up and people were pointing, cheering and high-fiving, and a few weren’t so kind gestures.”

KYLE LARSON, NO. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM CAMARO ZL1 Larson on his desire to get his first win at Martinsville Speedway: “I want to win at any track that I haven’t won at. Martinsville (Speedway) has been a place I’ve struggled at pretty regularly. Last year, we had two good races at Martinsville. I feel like it is potentially in our future to win a race there. If I did, that would probably be the all-time biggest win of my life, because any time you can accomplish something that is difficult to you or you don’t think you can accomplish, it means a lot.”
CLIFF DANIELS, CREW CHIEF, NO. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM CAMARO ZL1Daniels on building on the foundation of last year’s results at Martinsville: “(I’m) certainly optimistic going to Martinsville Speedway. Hendrick Motorsports, as a whole with the Next Gen car last year, had decent performance there. It is a different aerodynamic package than what we had last year, so there are some question marks around that. We will just have to work through it this weekend. It’s nice knowing that we have the foundation of performance last year with our company and hopefully we can build on that.”

KYLE BUSCH, NO. 8 MARK III EMPLOYEE BENEFITS CAMARO ZL1 Do you think that Martinsville is the most challenging short track on the schedule? How physically and mentally demanding is racing at Martinsville?“Martinsville is a challenging short track. I think with the Next Gen race car it’s become a bigger challenge just with the fact that everybody being a lot closer. Little setup differences with the old car meant an awful lot in speed and it seems like little setup differences with this car doesn’t really mean a whole lot so everybody runs the same speed no matter what so it just makes it tough to pass. Track position is everything. The aero affects when you get behind guys makes it tough to move around and find grip in other grooves in order to make moves. It seemed like with the old car you could definitely follow a lot better and keep yourself closer to the guy in front of you so if he made a little, tiny mistake you could pounce on that and make a pass.
The racing there is pretty demanding. I mean, you’re on the brakes all the time and steering all the time. You’re trying to feel that grip and not slip. You want to carry your speed as fast as you can while off the gas. The biggest thing that I learned that made me better at Martinsville is how fast can you go slow. You actually spend more of the lap off the throttle than you do on the throttle so it’s about figuring out how to go slow fast.”
How important is it to qualify well at Martinsville, not only for track position to start the race but also regarding pit selection?“Qualifying well at Martinsville I think now is more important than what it once was. I remember it used to be that it didn’t matter how you qualified. I was never a really good qualifier at Martinsville but you could always race towards the front, pick up some positions on pit road, and get yourself in a good position for the end of the race. I think track position and pit selection with qualifying well is very important. There’s four to five really, really good pit stalls on pit road and if you can get one of those pit stalls then that can really make or break your day on pit road.”
You ran well in the Busch Clash. Does that give you optimism for a good run at Martinsville? Can you apply anything you learned there to Martinsville?“Running well at the Clash I think gives me some pretty good optimism for Martinsville. I think we’re running the lower downforce package at Martinsville so to me, unfortunately, right now we’re kind of at a deficit with the lower downforce package. But if we can figure that out, then I feel like what we were able to do at the Clash will resonate and give us something for Martinsville that will keep us up front.”

ALAN GUSTAFSON, CREW CHIEF, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CAMARO ZL1 Gustafson on racing at Martinsville: “Martinsville (Speedway) is just such a unique place and it’s so tied to the roots of short-track racing that I came from and I think most people that compete in the sport have come from. I think that just makes it special. I enjoy racing there. You can see the car all the way around the track. You can see when you’re good and when you’re not good. You can see the contact. It’s just fun. A lot of things have changed over the years, generations of cars, tires and rules packages, but Martinsville for the most part stays pretty much the same, which is cool.”

AJ ALLMENDINGER, NO. 16 ACTION INDUSTRIES CAMARO ZL1“We’re hoping we can make improvements on our short track program this weekend. We really struggled in Richmond so our primary focus is to improve on what we had there and keep moving forward.”

WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 LIBERTY UNIVERSITY CAMARO ZL1Byron on his thoughts about Martinsville: “Martinsville (Speedway) means a lot to me. I remember going there as a kid. Then, getting the win last April, especially with everything that was going on with my family, it meant a lot. I’ve always run well there, short tracks in general really. I think we have had really strong cars there lately, but we do have some room for improvement from the fall race last year. With how we’re running this season, though, I’m optimistic for this weekend.”
RUDY FUGLE, CREW CHIEF, NO. 24 LIBERTY UNIVERSITY CAMARO ZL1Fugle on what’s important at Martinsville: “I feel like we’ve always run well at Martinsville (Speedway). Not only run well but we finish well. I think the biggest thing, though, to be good there is to put together a solid weekend. We learned that in the fall when we didn’t qualify well and it put us behind almost all race. Qualifying is important any time, but it’s probably most important at a place like Martinsville. If we have a good Saturday, it will propel us to have a good Sunday, and that’s out goal this weekend.”

NOAH GRAGSON, NO. 42 SUNSEEKER RESORTS CAMARO ZL1Gragson on how he feels going into Martinsville: “I am really excited for Martinsville, I had the opportunity to drive there in the 48-car last year, so going in with an idea in mind of what it is going to be like is a big learning opportunity from last year. I am excited to get the chance to battle with the 42 Sunseeker team this weekend, Martinsville has always been a good track for us. Trucks in Xfinity we won races there, so I am excited for it.”

ERIK JONES, NO. 43 ALLEGIANT CAMARO ZL1Jones on how he feels going into Martinsville: “I am excited about Martinsville, last year I thought in the fall there we ran pretty well, so hopefully we can take some of that momentum and learn a little bit about the short track package and what we had in Richmond to try and make it a little bit better. I am ready to get out there, hoping for another solid run, hopefully get up in the top 10 and contend.”

RICKY STENHOUSE JR., NO. 47 KROGER / TREE TOP CAMARO ZL1“A strong run (fourth-place finish) at Bristol (Motor Speedway Dirt Race) is the way we needed things to go for us especially going into Martinsville Speedway. Martinsville is not one of our best tracks, but we are looking forward to going there because I feel like we’ve made some big improvements. At Martinsville, it’s all about qualifying well / good track position and staying out of trouble with our No. 47 Kroger / Tree Top Camaro.”

ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 48 ALLY CAMARO ZL1Bowman on having crew chief Blake Harris back: “It’s nice having him back, obviously. I think not having him at the track in the early part of the season was a setback. At the same time, I had Greg Ives back and we had a lot of time together, so communication wasn’t something we had to develop. Blake and I still worked closely at the shop on what I needed in the car, so I think it will just go back to business as usual this weekend.”
BLAKE HARRIS, CREW CHIEF, NO. 48 ALLY CAMARO ZL1Harris getting back on top of the pit box: “I am excited to get to Martinsville Speedway this weekend and have my first trip there with Alex (Bowman). He’s had success in the past there as have I with other drivers. I think it is one of his best short tracks and he runs really well there. There are a lot of specifics and driver inputs at Martinsville that complement his driving style really well. Hendrick Motorsports has a massive history of success there. Last year, they had speed in qualifying and in the race. Alex has only raced there once in the Next Gen car, so we have a year’s worth of development to get through and will hopefully go have a good weekend.”
Harris on reviewing the recent success of the No. 48 team for prep heading to Martinsville: “I think when you look at the past success and every week this year, we have had speed. Most of the tracks we have gone to, we have had top-five speed. Just carrying Hendrick Motorsports’ speed and performance that we have had all season and using that as a solid baseline will help us a lot.”

DANIEL SUAREZ, NO. 99 WORLDWIDE EXPRESS CAMARO ZL1How is your season so far?“Obviously, we want better finishes than what we have had the last few weeks. But if you look deeper you see that we had chances to win the race at Atlanta and COTA. We have some things to clean up, but everyone has a great attitude and we know if we can keep running well the finishes will come.”
What are your thoughts on Martinsville?“I’m glad to be back on concrete and asphalt in Martinsville after last weekend on dirt in Bristol. We feel pretty confident in our Martinsville package. I’m ready to get back up front.”

GRANT ENFINGER, NO. 23 CHAMPION POWER EQUIPMENT SILVERADO RSTWhat does it take to be successful around Martinsville?“Martinsville is definitely a ‘true’ short track. You’ve got to manage your fenders, you’ve got to manage your tires, and you’ve got to manage your temper when it comes to racing at that place. It feels like it’s a shorter race relatively compared to some of the intermediate races we run, and 100 laps goes by really quickly. You want to go there and qualify pretty well, because you’ve got to stay up front. It seems like if you get cycled to the back when you’re on equal tires, man you just use everything up. Maybe if you have to go to the back and you have a tire advantage, you could make it back up, but it’s tough. Hopefully we have a Champion Power Equipment Chevy good enough to win the race; Hensley and I have ran well here in the past and we have a pretty good record together on the short tracks, so hopefully we can rely on that and build off of what we had going for us in Bristol.”

RAJAH CARUTH, NO. 24 WENDELL SCOTT FOUNDATION SILVERADO RSTMartinsville Speedway was the site of your best-career NASCAR Xfinity Series finish; you haven’t raced there before in a truck, but do you have high expectations heading into this race?“Honestly, I have the same expectations every week. I work just as hard heading into a racetrack that I’ve competed at 10 times just as hard as how I work heading into a track I’ve never seen before. I’m confident in my team for bringing a fast Wendell Scott Foundation Silverado RST for every race; we’ve certainly had the pace this year but it just hasn’t quite fallen our way. My preparations and my expectations don’t necessarily change week-to-week, but I would say that my confidence is a little higher since I was able to have the good run in the NASCAR Xfinity Series car in the fall and was also able to get some track time in a late model as well the past couple of years. I’m looking forward to getting there in a truck, I’ve seen the photos of several GMS Racing drivers have success there in years past, and hopefully we can do the same this weekend.”

DANIEL DYE, NO. 43 HEISE LED LIGHTING SYSTEMS SILVERADO RSTMartinsville Speedway seems to be a return to your short track racing roots, are you the most comfortable with this type of racing?“Yeah, I’m pretty comfortable with short track racing, Martinsville is way different than anything I’ve ran before short track wise. But, it still is a half-mile track so I’m looking forward to it. We’ll see what Friday has in store for us through practice and qualifying. I’ve been looking at the weather, and with the new rain package that we have in the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series it will be interesting to see if we run in the wet conditions or not. All in all, I’m happy to get back on the short tracks and get after it with our No. 43 Heise LED Lighting Systems team.”

CHASE PURDY, NO. 4 BAMA BUGGIES SILVERADO RSTAfter a tough week at the Bristol Dirt Race will it be good to get right back on track again Friday?“I think you have to have short-term memory when you have a weekend like we had at Bristol. Especially when you were fast and had a shot at a really good finish and it was all taken away. We’ll debrief the Bristol race and move onto Martinsville.”
Do you enjoy short track racing?“I’m really excited to get back to the roots of my racing, what me and a lot of other guys started in — short track racing. Martinsville is a fun place. There is always a lot of drama there and it is always action packed. I think it should be a good track for our No. 4 Bama Buggies team and I think it’ll put on a great show for the fans. I look forward to competing with the boss (Kyle Busch) and trying to get that 100th win before he does.”
What does it take to have a fast truck at Martinsville?“You don’t want to be too free on entry and then you have to be able to turn the center and have drive up off. You have to make sure it really turns at the two-thirds mark and get off the corner with a lot of rear drive. If you can do that, then I think you’ll be good. And then of course you have to keep your nose clean because it’s a long race. You need to make sure you don’t tear stuff up early so that you are there at the end.”

KYLE BUSCH, NO. 51 ZARIZ TRANSPORT SILVERADO RSTWhat does it take to be successful in a truck at Martinsville?“You have to have a truck that will turn the center without getting too loose in and too loose off. You also have to play the strategy right so that you can be up front at the end of the race and have enough tire left to hold people off. The last two truck races that I’ve won at Martinsville have been 250-lap races, with the race being 200 laps now things play out a little bit differently. With the new practice system, we’ll only have 20 minutes of practice to get our Zariz Silverado dialed in — that’s if the weather holds off. So, we’ll need to make sure we unload with a truck that is close because there isn’t much you can do to improve the handling with limited or no practice and then limited pit stops in the race. Last year we didn’t get a chance to practice or qualify and we didn’t do a good job of unloading close, so I had to drive way too hard just to run in the top five and used my stuff up and we were probably lucky to finish third. Hopefully, this year we’ll do a better job of unloading with a fast Zariz Silverado and we can go out and bring home KBM’s 100th win.”

Chevrolet NASCAR Cup Series Statistics Manufacturers Championships:Total (1949-2022): 41First title for Chevrolet: 1958Highest number of consecutive titles: 13 (2003-15) Years Won: 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1998, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2021, 2022 Drivers Championships:Total (1949-2021): 33First Chevrolet champion: Buck Baker (1957)Highest number of consecutive titles: 7 (2005-11)Most Recent: Kyle Larson (2021) Years Won: 1957, 1960, 1961, 1973, 1976, 1977, 1979, 1980, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2020, 2021 Event Victories:Record for total race wins in single season: 26 (2007) 2023 STATISTICS: Wins: 5Poles: 3Laps Led: 1,079Top-five finishes: 21Top-10 finishes: 36Stage wins: 10· Ross Chastain – 3 (Daytona), (Auto Club x2)· William Byron – 5 (Las Vegas x2), (Phoenix), (COTA), (Richmond)· Kyle Larson – 2 (Phoenix), (Bristol Dirt) CHEVROLET IN NASCAR CUMULATIVE STATISTICS:Total Chevrolet race wins: 838 (1949 to date)Poles won to date: 737Laps led to date: 246,623Top-five finishes to date: 4,242Top-10 finishes to date: 8,748 Total NASCAR Cup Wins by Corporation, 1949 to Date: General Motors: 1,172 Chevrolet: 838 Pontiac: 154 Oldsmobile: 115 Buick: 65 Ford: 821 Ford: 721 Mercury: 96 Lincoln: 4 Fiat Chrysler Automobiles: 467 Dodge: 217 Plymouth: 191 Chrysler: 59 Toyota: 172

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Megan Meyer Unveils 2023-2024 Gunk Livery with Shop Squad

April 18, 2023 ARP Trish

Apr 11, 2023 | Featured, Megan Meyer, Pre-Race Releases

Two-time Top Alcohol Dragster World Champion Megan Meyer will be making a new championship run this season in the inaugural Nitro Chaos Championship Series, a four-race gauntlet across the Midwest. Meyer will be competing at Nitro Chaos events beginning with Edgewater Sports Park near Cincinnati on April 28-29 with the attitude of having fun but also feeding the competitive fire that led her to two NHRA world championships. The popular world champion unveiled a new look racecar yesterday through her new YouTube channel with primary sponsor Gunk and new associate sponsor Shop Squad from NGK NTK. The racer and mother of one is looking forward to building on her Nitro Chaos success from last year. https://www.youtube.com/embed/U07cN-4h2Uc

“After we won the Nitro Chaos last year at Mo-Kan, it planted a seed in my head that maybe I could come back and do more of it,” said Megan, who stepped away from full-time competition after winning back-to-back NHRA Top Alcohol Dragster world championships in 2019-2020. “Representing Gunk and expanding our relationship with NGK and Shop Squad will make this adventure possible. We have so many exciting programs coming up this season I can’t wait to get to the track.”

Shop Squad is a support program from NGK NTK to advance the automotive repair industry through education, resources, and dialogue. Their Training Program is designed to educate automotive professionals on their parts and service channels and offers an online portal for on-demand learning. When automotive professionals sign up for Shop Squad an account is automatically created, and they have access to the expansive tech training portal.

“I can’t think of a better representative for the Shop Squad program than Megan Meyer,” said Jacklyn Donahue, Group Marketing Manager – Aftermarket, Niterra. “Her team knows all the ins and outs of what it takes to be an automotive professional. We are working together to build content and a community through her reach, creativity, and education and that is the goal of the Shop Squad program.”

Megan and Shop Squad are partnering up Boxo USA Tools and Chad Green Motorsports to promote a monthly Student Appreciation Contest for college students studying to become an automotive professional. Students can sign up each month using their simple online form and one winner each month will win prizes valued at over $500.

Last season Meyer represented Shop Squad at the Mo-Kan event with a local community event and display of the dragster and took top honors in the “A” Field outrunning teammate Julie Nataas in the final. This year Meyer will be racing for the championship and will also be taking fans along for the ride. Fans can follow Meyer’s journey through a five-part series called “Chasing Chaos” on her new YouTube channel. The team will have a videographer capturing behind-the-scenes footage as well as on track action. Fans can subscribe to “Chasing Chaos” here.

The unique Nitro Chaos series, which has a rules-free format that only requires entries to burn a minimum of 80% nitromethane, will hold championship events at Edgewater Sports Park near Cincinnati on April 28-29, Eddyville Raceway Park on May 26-28, Mo-Kan Dragway on July 14-15, and Thunder Valley Raceway Park on Sept. 22-23.

“I know there’s going to be a lot of tough competition and a lot more cars this year,” Megan continued. “It’s going to be tough. We don’t really know exactly what we’re going up against, whereas in NHRA Top Alcohol Dragster you know every person, every car, what they can run, and what their strategies are. Now, it’s a completely different ballgame. I’m excited for this new challenge. I’m going to do the best th

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BRITTANY FORCE AND MONSTER ENERGY LOOKING FOR CONTINUED SUCCESS AT THE STRIP AT LVMS

April 12, 2023 ARP Trish

LAS VEGAS (April 12, 2023) – Brittany Force and the Monster Energy / Flav-R-Pac Chevrolet dragster team have luck on their side at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Heading into this weekend’s NHRA Four-Wide Nationals they’ll be hoping to cash in on their lucky streak for their first win of the 2023 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series season. When they swept the two tour events at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in 2022, Force and the Monster-Energy team became just the fifth pro team to win four-wide races on both coasts and the first John Force Racing driver to do so. She also became the first JFR driver to win the spring race at Vegas since it went four-wide in 2018. She is the 10th driver to sweep the spring and fall events at LVMS but just the third to do so in Top Fuel, along with Torrence and Larry Dixon. “Heading to the first Four-Wide event of the season at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and we’re looking forward to returning to a track we’ve been successful in the past. We had a strong performance last season sweeping both events, the Four-Wide in the Spring and the Arizona nationals in the fall during the Countdown to the Championship,” said Force. “We’re back in our Monster Energy colors this weekend and are excited to turn things up with some exciting four-wide racing. There are more challenges but it’s definitely worth it when you end the day in the winners circle. The Strip at LVMS is one of my favorite tracks on the circuit and after a week off, I’m ready to chase down a Sin City win.” Force also won the fall NHRA Nevada Nationals in 2019 when she also qualified No. 1 and drove the Flav-R-Pac/Monster Energy dragster to track records of 3.652 seconds and 338.17 mph. Force and the Monster Energy team enter the weekend sitting No. 4 in the points standings after a semifinal finish at the Winternationals and a quarterfinal exit in at the NHRA Arizona Nationals. The NHRA Four-Wide Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway begins with four rounds of qualifying with sessions on Friday and Saturday at noon and 2:30 p.m. Eliminations are scheduled for Sunday at noon. Television coverage on FOX Sports 1 (FS1) begins with qualifying shows Friday and Saturday at 9:30 p.m. ET. Eliminations will air on FS1 Sunday at 9:30 p.m.

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AUSTIN PROCK AND MONTANA BRAND / RMT RIDING MOMENTUM INTO LAS VEGAS FOUR-WIDE

April 12, 2023 ARP Trish

LAS VEGAS (April 12, 2023) – Austin Prock and the Montana Brand / Rocky Mountain Twist Chevrolet dragster team enter this weekend’s NHRA Four-Wide Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway with confidence after a runner-up finish at the most recent event, the NHRA Winternationals. Prock is coming off his third consecutive final-round appearance in the Winternationals, a performance that enabled him and his Montana Brand / RMT dragster to move up from eighth to fifth in NHRA Camping World championship points, just behind teammate Brittany Force. The runner-up performance came after two quarterfinal exits in Gainesville, Florida, and at the Arizona Nationals. “I’m ready to get going after coming of a great weekend in Pomona at the Winternationals. I know we’re all hungry to get back to racing on this Montana Brand / Rocky Mountain Twist team,” Prock said. “Winning in Las Vegas at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway has always been on my bucket list and maybe this weekend will be our time to shine.” Prock had his best outing at Las Vegas during last fall’s Nevada Nationals in which he qualified No. 2 before losing to Mike Salinas in the semifinals. At last year’s Four-Wide Nationals, Prock qualified No. 12 but made it to the second round of quads. The NHRA Four-Wide Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway begins with four rounds of qualifying with sessions on Friday and Saturday at noon and 2:30 p.m. Eliminations are scheduled for Sunday at noon. Television coverage on FOX Sports 1 (FS1) begins with qualifying shows Friday and Saturday at 9:30 p.m. ET. Eliminations will air on FS1 Sunday at 9:30 p.m.

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Chevy Racing–INDYCAR–Long Beach Grand Prix advance

April 12, 2023 ARP Trish

CHEVROLET IN NTT INDYCAR SERIES ACURA GRAND PRIX OF LONG BEACH STREETS OF LONG BEACH, CALIFORNIA TEAM CHEVY ADVANCE APRIL 12, 2023
TEAM CHEVY LOOKS TO GO BACK-TO-BACK IN LONG BEACH
The demanding 1.968-mile, 11-turn temporary street circuit on the Streets of Long Beach hosts the NTT INDYCAR Series for the third event of the 2023 season. Capturing five victories at the southern California event since 2012, Chevrolet enters the race this year looking to go back-to-back. Team Penske and driver Josef Newgarden raced to the checkered flag in 2022, leading 34 of 80 laps and notching another victory for the Bowtie brand. Additionally, Chevrolet has 300 laps led as well as 15 podiums at Long Beach, controlling the 2015 and 2016 events with 76 and all 80 laps led in each, respectively.
Making his 100th INDYCAR start, Conor Daly looks forward to Long Beach this weekend saying, “I am obviously super excited to get to Long Beach and make my 100th NTT INDYCAR SERIES start! It is a track that I have many great memories at, from going to the race as a kid to winning in Indy Lights to racing there in an Indy car. Last year, we had a very strong race and made some great improvements,” noted Daly. “We were challenging for a Top 10 before I had to make a massive save near the end of the race. This year, we are in a position to make race number 100 be a great one!”
Alexander Rossi, driver of the No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet, has won twice at Long Beach previously back-to-back in 2018 and 2019. “I’ve been fortunate to have good cars there and it’s a track that suits my driving style,” noted Rossi. “It’s pretty medium- to high-speed corners. There’s only one and the fountain that are slow-speed corners, so you can make time up from that standpoint. (…) We’re still learning as we go at this point. Yeah, I mean, I think based on St. Pete, I think based on the fact that I think Felix (Rosenqvist) was in the top six in qualifying last year, their cars are good. Certainly, there is a step we need to make to be as strong as Andretti or Penske on the street courses in general. But I think we’re close. I think we have just as good of a shot as anyone this weekend.”
”As we head to Long Beach for the second street course of the season, our Chevrolet engineers working with our teams understand the challenge of the track is significantly different than the Streets of St. Petersburg,” said Rob Buckner, IndyCar Program Manager at General Motors. “At Long Beach the track layout creates difficulty for drivers to overtake and creates multiple levels of contact between cars and cars and cars and walls. The track surface goes from mostly concrete to a few asphalt sections which creates differences in speed that tasks engineers with working to discover the optimum car setup and engine calibration.
“We are fortunate to have several drivers with successful records on the street courses and understand the nuances of the track, and the finesse needed to turn consistent fast laps,” noted Buckner. “At Long Beach, there is the measure of risk versus reward so if we can put all those components together and give our drivers the tools they need to compete, it will be another great weekend for Team Chevy.”
The Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach kicks off with Practice 1 on Friday, April 14 at 6 p.m. ET, with Practice two starting Saturday, April 15 at 11:45 a.m. ET. Qualifications then start at 3:05 p.m. ET on Saturday. A final warm-up will start race day on Sunday at 12 p.m. ET. All practice and qualifying will be live on Peacock, INDYCAR Radio and SiriusXM Channel 160. The 85-lap, 167.28-mile race Sunday, April 16 will take the green flag at 3 p.m. ET live on NBC.
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING (QUOTES)Rinus VeeKay, No. 21 Chevrolet at Ed Carpenter Racing:“I am very ready to go to Long Beach and excited for the West Coast, always! Such a cool event, lots of celebrities, just a really special race for the NTT INDYCAR SERIES. I haven’t had the results I was looking for at Long Beach yet, I am looking to make it happen on this one! I know the team is working very hard to get every bit of speed out of the BITNILE.COM cars. I am ready to race in the sunshine!” Pato O’Ward, No. 5 Chevrolet at Arrow McLaren INDYCAR:“Long Beach is a massive market for Latinos, and every time I go back I get to see more and more Pato jerseys. I love the town and atmosphere, and I can’t wait to give everyone a great show. Historically, this hasn’t been our best track, so we need to keep pushing to find that little extra bit we need.” Felix Rosenqvist, No. 6 Chevrolet at Arrow McLaren INDYCAR:“It’s awesome to get back to the West Coast again. Long Beach is one of the highlights of the season, and we’re curious as a team to see if we have made the same improvements there as we did in St. Petersburg.” Alexander Rossi, No. 7 Chevrolet at Arrow McLaren INDYCAR:”It’s always a special feeling racing in Long Beach. The atmosphere, the fans and the history make this event one of the highlights of the season. We’ve been working hard on our setup and strategy for this race, and I’m confident that our team can deliver a strong performance. We’ll be pushing to bounce back from the Texas disappointment, and I can’t wait to get out there and put on a show for our fans.” Santino Ferrucci, No. 14 Chevrolet at AJ Foyt Racing:“Looking forward to Long Beach. I haven’t raced there since 2019, so I’m rather excited to be back. Hopefully the track hasn’t changed too much. As long as we don’t make any mistakes this weekend, I think the team will be in really good shape, and we will keep building on what we learned in St. Pete.” Benjamin Pedersen, No. 55 Chevrolet at AJ Foyt Racing:“Long Beach race weekend, I’m very excited. It’s my first time racing at Long Beach. I’ll be learning a new track. Very excited. It’s going to be an awesome atmosphere event. Historically, the team has done pretty well there. Just getting caught up to speed as quickly as I can, and pushing as hard as I can, and see if I can deliver a strong result.”
CHEVROLET ON THE STREETS OF LONG BEACHWins at Long Beach (since 2012): 52012 – Will Power2014 – Mike Conway2015 – Scott Dixon2016 – Simon Pagenaud2022 – Josef Newgarden
Number of Team Chevy Pole Awards at Long Beach (since 2012): 5 (2012, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2021)Chevrolet Driver with the Most Long Beach Pole Awards (since 2012): Helio Castroneves – 3 (2015, 2016, 2017)Number of Team Chevy Podiums at Long Beach (since 2012): 15Number of laps led by Team Chevy at Long Beach (since 2012): 300 2023 CHEVROLET BY THE NUMBERS184: NTT INDYCAR SERIES races as V6 engine supplier since 2012 return to INDYCAR. 107: Wins in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES since 2012. 121: Earned poles since 2012. 5: Chevrolet drivers have won five of the 12 races since 2012 on the 1.968-mile, 11-turn temporary street circuit in Long Beach, California.7: Manufacturer Championships since 2012. 7: Driver/entrant champions since 2012. 26: Wins by Will Power since 2012 – all with Chevrolet power – most of any driver with same manufacturer. 14: Consecutive seasons with at least one win by Will Power, including past 11 with Chevrolet power. 9: Wins from pole by Will Power with Chevrolet power since 2012, most by any driver. 44: Pole starts by Will Power since 2012 in a Chevrolet-powered car, most of any driver.*Will Power’s career total of 68 poles makes him the all-time pole winner in INDYCAR.

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ROBERT HIGHT AND FLAV-R-PAC ALL IN FOR THEIR SECOND VICTORY OF 2023

April 12, 2023 ARP Trish

LAS VEGAS (April 12, 2023) – Sitting fourth in the championship points standings, Robert Hight and the Flav-R-Pac / Cornwell Tools / AAA Chevrolet Camaro SS team enter this weekend’s NHRA Four-Wide Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway ready to lay all the cards on the table as they chase their second win of the season. Hight and the Flav-R-Pac crew, headed by Jimmy Prock, will be looking to rebound from a first-round loss at the Winternationals that snapped the three-time championship team’s streak of first-round victories at 24, one of the longest in history. After winning last month in the final race at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park just outside of Phoenix, Hight is looking for his 63rd career victory and a chance to break a tie with Larry Dixon for 10th on the NHRA all-time winner’s list. “It was a bummer leaving Pomona, one of our team’s home race tracks, with a first-round loss. Then to have to wait two weeks to get back in the seat, it’s painful and not just for me. I know Jimmy Prock along with assistant crew chiefs Thomas Prock and Nate Hildahl and the whole team are anxious to get back to racing,” Hight said. “This Flav-R-Pac team is definitely looking forward to Vegas and going four-wide racing. It’s exciting for the fans more than anything. We just need to focus and do what we know how to do.” Although he has yet to win the Vegas four-wide, Hight has two four-wide wins at Charlotte (2012 and 2014) and three wins at The Strip in the spring before it transitioned to four-wide in 2018 (2007, 2011 and 2012). At last year’s Four-Wide Nationals at LVMS, Hight reached the final quad. He has also been No. 1 in the spring in 2006, 2008, 2012, 2013 and 2021. The NHRA Four-Wide Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway begins with four rounds of qualifying with sessions on Friday and Saturday at noon and 2:30 p.m. Eliminations are scheduled for Sunday at noon. Television coverage on FOX Sports 1 (FS1) begins with qualifying shows Friday and Saturday at 9:30 p.m. ET. Eliminations will air on FS1 Sunday at 9:30 p.m. ET.

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Buddy Hull Eager to Roll Dice at Vegas Four-Wide Nationals

April 12, 2023 ARP Trish

DALLAS, TX (April 12, 2023) — Top Fuel racer Buddy Hull is not much of a gambler. The businessman from Texas has built several companies and he is applying the same process to his Top Fuel racing operation. He uses hard work, good people, savvy business opportunities and networking to take on the best of the best at over 330 mph in under four seconds. This season Hull is scheduled to race eight NHRA national events and this weekend’s Vegas Four-Wide Nationals is the first of two stops in Sin City for Hull and his Methanol Moonshine Top Fuel team. This will be Hull’s first attempt at four-wide racing at The Strip at Las Vegas Speedway and the Top Fuel racer is eager to take on the unique style of racing that is a fan favorite across the country.

Buddy Hull and Methanol Moonshine Top Fuel dragster, photo credit Ron Lewis Photography

“There is a lot going on when you race four-wide in addition to just the sheer power on the starting line,” said Hull. “You have over 40,000-horsepower all bunched up and the sound and vibrations just really get everyone fired up. I am glad I have a team led by Mike Guger behind me because I think we can have some fun and go some rounds. Phoenix was our first race of the season, and we learned a lot. We aren’t in the position to test in the off-season so that race was a great chance for our whole team to come together and get ready for the rest of the year.”

The Arizona Nationals three weeks ago provided Hull and his Methanol Moonshine Top Fuel dragster a great chance to make some laps and get experience under the pressures of qualifying and race day schedules. The team qualified No. 13 and drew Leah Pruett from Tony Stewart Racing in the first round. The excitement of being back in competition may have gotten the best of Hull combined with the knowledge that he knew he would have to be lights out of the Christmas Tree and he jumped the start.

“I knew I was going to have to steal as much off the starting line as I could. I have never red-lit before and now I have,” said Hull. “I learned from that run and then I put it behind me. It made the most sense to take the rig to Vegas after the Phoenix race and then we could prep this week. We will have all the parts we need to make four qualifying runs and then we will be ready for three rounds on Sunday.”

This season Hull hired veteran Top Fuel crew chief Mike Guger to lead his team and the results are starting to come together. Guger, who lives in Austin, Texas, has been at the shop helping prep the car as well as having a wealth of knowledge to assist just about everyone on the team including Hull. After the Arizona Nationals the team left the rig out west and had new parts mailed to the track. They also enlisted help from other teams to deliver parts in advance of the Vegas Four-Wide Nationals.

“I can’t thank everyone on our team and other team for rallying around us and helping us get ready for Vegas,” said Hull. “Having Mike as part of the team has really taken us to the next level. I buy the best parts and I will stack my equipment up against anyone else out here in the pits. We needed some help in the tuning department and Mike brings a ton of knowledge and experience to the table. I got my start with the help of Tim Wilkerson who I will always be appreciative of and now having Mike involved I just can’t wait to get the track in Las Vegas and start making passes.”

Hull brought on Methanol Moonshine this season as well as Renegade Racing Fuels and Go Lithium. He and his marketing director Madi Smith have also been actively working with local businesses who want to be a part of a major motorsports event. Hull’s team will be using a tow vehicle from Findlay Automotive Group and Primal Steakhouse will be feeding the team. Each of these local businesses will be branded on Hull’s Top Fuel dragster and will receive social media support.

“We try and reach out in every market to local companies to have them involved with the team,” said Hull. “It is great for everyone. We get to save some money which we can pour back into the racing program and we also get to introduce some new people to the sport and let them experience bug time racing from the sponsors perspective. I can’t thank everyone at Findlay and Primal Steakhouse for their support.”

The Methanol Moonshine Top Fuel team will have two qualifying runs on Friday followed by two more runs on Saturday. The quickest 16 Top Fuel dragsters will race for the infamous Wally trophy on Sunday beginning at noon. The Las Vegas NHRA Four-Wide Nationals will be broadcast on FS1 as well as nhra.tv.

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JOHN FORCE AND BLUEDEF LOOKING FOR A RESET AT LAS VEGAS FOUR-WIDE

April 12, 2023 ARP Trish

LAS VEGAS (April 12, 2023) – John Force and his BlueDEF PLATINUM Chevrolet Camaro SS team enter this weekend’s NHRA Four-Wide Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway looking to put the first three races of the 2023 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series season behind them. What better way than with a win in the first four-wide event of the year? Since the debut of four-wide racing at Charlotte in 2010, no one has won more quads than John Force. His 14 quad-round wins include three overall four-wide race wins. Despite his most recent three consecutive second quad exits at The Strip, Force has two victories at the spring event in Las Vegas, 2010 and 2015, both before the transition to four-wide racing, in addition to four wins in the fall competition. Force has two No. 1 qualifying positions in the spring at The Strip and has started each of the last two years from the No. 2 position. “Four-wide racing in Las Vegas, the perfect place to put on a show. I’ve had some success there, it’s a Bruton Smith track, but really, I’m just really ready to get back into my BlueDEF Chevy,” Force said. “The team, Danny Hood, Tim Fabrisi, Mac Savage, they’ve evaluated everything and looked over the car closely. We’ll be ready to race. Get things started with four qualifying rounds, make some clean runs and then see how things go on race day. I’m excited, though.” Force and the BlueDEF Chevy are currently sitting 13th in the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series Championship points standings, the lowest the 16-time champion has ever been after three races. Force started the season with a quarterfinal exit at the NHRA Gatornationals after qualifying No. 2. At the final event at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park, Force qualified eighth before falling in the first round to eventual race winner and teammate Robert Hight. At his hometown track, In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip for the Winternationals, Force had a string of bad luck with two centerline infractions that put him in the No. 16 qualifying spot and then had tire smoke for a first-round loss. The NHRA Four-Wide Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway begins with four rounds of qualifying with sessions on Friday and Saturday at noon and 2:30 p.m. Eliminations are scheduled for Sunday at noon. Television coverage on FOX Sports 1 (FS1) begins with qualifying shows Friday and Saturday at 9:30 p.m. ET. Eliminations will air on FS1 Sunday at 9:30 p.m.

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CARUSO INTRODUCES BIG JEFF AUDIO TO NHRA STARTING IN CHARLOTTE

April 12, 2023 ARP Trish

MOORESVILLE, NC (April 12, 2023) — The reigning NHRA rookie of the year, Camrie Caruso is off to a fast start this season winning the NHRA Arizona Nationals and grabbing her second career No. 1 qualifier at the NHRA Winternationals. The third generation drag racer is also making noise with new sponsors including the addition of Big Jeff Audio who will be the primary sponsor on her Chevrolet Camaro for the Circle K NHRA Four-Wide Nationals in Charlotte, NC, April 28-30, and an associate sponsor the rest of the season. Caruso is looking forward to introducing a brand-new sponsor to the NHRA and its massive consumer audience.

Big Jeff Audio Chevrolet Camaro which Camrie Caruso will race at Circle K Four-Wide Nationals

“This deal came together quickly, and I am looking forward to introducing Big Jeff Audio to the NHRA community,” said Caruso, who will be racing four-wide in Charlotte for the first time. “They are doing amazing things with not just car audio but side-by-sides, home audio and marine audio, Power Sports and CCTV Needs. We are heading into the summer months so now is the time to update your audio needs for the lake, pool or your road trips. I can’t wait to show off the Big Jeff Audio Chevrolet Camaro in Charlotte. It is going to be an eye-catching car and Big Jeff is going to make an impact in the NHRA I know.”

Big Jeff Audio is a part of Big Jeff Online Inc., a family-owned business that has been thriving since 2014, initially starting out on eBay and Amazon. With a strong commitment to customer satisfaction, they have now expanded to offer a vast array of products on their site, including car audio and CCTV security systems, all backed by their authorization as an online seller. They have a website full of products for everyone at www.BigJeffAudio.com and have a large social media platform that you can see by searching BigJeffAudio on all major platforms.

“We have never done anything like this before but after talking with Camrie we saw this as a great opportunity to introduce our company and customer service to a whole new audience,” said Jeff Goldman, President of Big Jeff Online, Inc. “We love working with our customers to give them the best audio service for their cars, boats, side-by-sides or Power Sports. We have a tremendous online business. I know NHRA is all about the noise and thrill of the racing and everyone at Big Jeff Audio is looking forward to bringing even more sound to the races and the pits.”

Big Jeff Audio takes pride in their exceptional customer service, and they are always available to help customers with any questions or concerns. Big Jeff Online Inc, values customer satisfaction and trust, and they are committed to providing their customers with the best products and services possible.

Caruso will get the Big Jeff Audio Chevrolet Camaro on the track for the first time Friday, April 28 for two qualifying sessions at 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. followed by two sessions on Saturday, April 29, at 12:30 p.m. and 3:45 p.m. Final eliminations will begin for the 16 quickest Pro Stock cars at noon on Sunday. The race will be televised nationally on FS1.

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Josh Hart Moving in Right Direction Heading to Las Vegas Four-Wide Nationals

April 12, 2023 ARP Trish

OCALA, FL (April 12, 2023) — After a big win at the Pep Boys Top Fuel Allstar Callout race Josh Hart, one of the rising stars of the NHRA, has cooled off, missing the opportunity to race beyond the quarterfinals in the first three races of the season. The entrepreneur from Ocala, Florida knows his fortunes will change for the better and he is focusing on the Las Vegas NHRA Four-Wide Nationals as the race to make a move this weekend. This will be Hart and the R+L Carriers second four-wide national event at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and fourth four-wide event of his career. The two-time Top Fuel national event winner is looking to bring some of his successes on the east coast in the four-wide races to the desert.

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

“I think it is just a coincidence that we have raced to the final round both races in Charlotte, and we haven’t been able to do that in Las Vegas,” said Hart. “This weekend I feel good about our chances because we really figured some things out over the past two races, especially in Pomona. I am comfortable and the R+L Carriers Top Fuel dragster is running well.”

Last year Hart qualified No. 10 at the Las Vegas Four-Wide Nationals and failed to advance to the second round in a close race with Steve Torrence and Brittany Force. In each of his Charlotte four-wide national events Hart has advanced to the final quad posting semifinal finishes in each of those races.

“The four-wide format is unique but from the driver’s perspective you just have to focus on doing your routine,” said Hart. “There are twice as many people up on the line, but my job is still the same. I need to pay attention to (crew chief) Ron (Douglas) and focus on my job. I am more comfortable in my racecar so I feel good about the race this weekend.”

Since Hart made the jump to Top Fuel in 2021 the former Top Alcohol Dragster racer has made a name for himself as a calm and cool competitor. His opponents have come to realize that while he might not be an outwardly vocal driver there is a serious competitor behind the visor and steering wheel. Hart’s success his rookie season and the victory at the Pep Boys Top Fuel Allstar Callout event have shown Hart belongs with the top tier racers and teams. The goal of winning more national events and an NHRA world championship is what drives Hart.

“I don’t take anything for granted and I know this sport will humble you in less than four seconds,” said Hart. “We didn’t have the season we wanted last year after a great rookie season. We started this season winning the Pep Boys race at our hometown track in front of our family and friends and we have stubbed our toes a couple times since then. I know anything’s possible. We will try and get the most out of the four qualifying runs and then see what happens on Sunday.”

Hart and the rest of the Top Fuel field will get two shots at the track on Friday and two qualifying runs on Saturday to provide each team with data to head into Sunday’s eliminations. The teams will use this valuable information to make quality runs no matter which lane they choose or are assigned on race day. The race will begin at noon and all three rounds will be televised nationally on FS1.

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Justin Ashley Looking to Keep Rolling in Las Vegas

April 12, 2023 ARP Trish

PLAINVIEW, NY (April 11, 2023) — Fourth year pro Justin Ashley is heading to Las Vegas trying to keep his hot streak rolling with the Phillips Connect Toyota Top Fuel dragster. The past two races have seen Ashley turn on ten consecutive win lights in competition, score a No. 1 qualifier and pocket $10,000 as the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge Top Fuel winner. The 2020 NHRA Rookie of the Year is showing that his team has championship momentum leading up to the NHRA Las Vegas Four-Wide Nationals. If Ashley and the Phillips Connect Top Fuel team are going to continue to stack rounds on the competition, they will be facing one of their toughest foes this weekend at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

“Four-Wide racing is a different beast,” said Ashley. “Anything can happen when you have over 40,000 horsepower on the starting line at the same time. It’s easy to get caught up in all the variables. But instead, our Phillips Connect Toyota team is focused on being the best version of ourselves we can be. We’ll put our best foot forward and let the rest take care of itself.”

Ashley has yet to record a round win at the Vegas Four-Wide Nationals in two previous attempts. Last year as the No. 4 qualifier Ashley got a great jump off the starting line but overpowered lane four and had to watch as Austin Prock and Clay Millican advanced to the next round. In his first Vegas Four-Wide Ashley lost a close race to Brittany Force and Antron Brown. Ashley was first off of the line but did not have the power at the finish line. The experiences from his two previous races have given Ashley some great insight into racing four-wide.

Justin Ashley, two-time Winternationals Top Fuel winner, photo by Gary Nastase/Auto Imagery

“The main thing about four-wide is that it’s so different from what we’re used to doing,” said Ashley. “In addition to the different staging protocols, each team gets one qualifying run in each lane and race day consists of only three rounds. The last few four-wide races have certainly opened my eyes to the subtle nuances that come with this type of event. It’s a challenge that we’re excited for as a team.”

Through three races this season Ashley has recorded two wins and a No. 1 qualifier. His first No. 1 came at the four-wide national event last year in Charlotte. The consistency both in qualifying and on race day has the Phillips Connect Toyota team positioned as a threat every time it rolls to the starting line.

“No one is going to win the championship in the first four races of the season. But this is an opportunity to put ourselves in a better position to do so when the time comes,” said Ashley. “It’s a long season and the competition is better now than ever before. Whether it’s our teammate Antron Brown, or any of the other Top Fuel teams, it’s an absolute fight to win. Winning two races in a row is a testament to the talent of Mike Green, Tommy DeLago and the entire Phillips Connect team.”

Since that early exit at the Gatornationals Ashley and the Phillips Connect Toyota Top Fuel team have been making solid passes in qualifying and on race day. The prime example of their resurgence was the Saturday qualifying sessions at the Winternationals that also doubled as the two elimination rounds of the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge. Ashley’s team made a great run in the opening qualifying session in their rematch with Steve Torrence and in the final qualifying session with $10,000 and three championship points on the line Ashley outran Leah Pruett of Tony Stewart Racing taking the win and snaring the No. 1 qualifier spot from Brittany Force in the process.

“That Saturday afternoon run in Pomona when we won the Mission Challenge and went to No. 1 was incredible,” said Ashley. “It meant so much to take in that experience with Rob Phillips and the entire Phillips Family. Making big time runs when it counts most gives the whole team confidence. We feel really good about this team, but the key is to not get ahead of ourselves. There is a long season left and we need to focus on winning rounds this weekend at the Four-Wide Nationals. That is our next team challenge and we are up to the task.”

Ashley will get to tackle the four-wide racing format on Friday afternoon with two runs and then Saturday will give him two more chances. Sunday’s three rounds of eliminations will be a tough gauntlet of competition. The race will be broadcast nationally on FS1.

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DESTINATION ‘DEGA: World of Outlaws Late Models Headline Alabama Gang 100 Talladega Weekend

April 12, 2023 ARP Trish

The World of Outlaws Late Models will battle for $50,000 the same weekend the NASCAR Cup Series stops at Talladega Superspeedway

EASTABOGA, AL – April 12, 2023– When Talladega Short Track owner and promoter Adam Stewart was searching for a weekend for the World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Models to make their debut, he had a significant one in mind.

After looking at the 2023 calendar, Stewart and his business partner David Miller picked a spring weekend where thousands of people were already planning to go – the NASCAR weekend at Talladega Superspeedway.

Before the high-speed action happens on Sunday, the World of Outlaws CASE Late Models take center stage at Talladega Short Track – just outside the superspeedway – for the inaugural Alabama Gang 100 on Friday and Saturday, April 21-April 22—the first $50,000-to-win race of the season for the Series.

It’s an event Stewart hopes shows what the red-clay oval is all about.

“If we wanted to do something of this caliber, this was the best opportunity to do it,” Stewart said. “We’ve got 80,000 people in our front yard essentially that we know are race fans, and we also hope to capitalize on some of the newfound love from some of the Cup drivers that come and race.

“We hope that’ll help highlight a little more on what we do.”

While the weekend will host some of the best dirt Late Model drivers in the country, the Alabama Gang 100 name is a tribute to those who put racing in the “Cotton State” on the map.

NASCAR Hall of Famers Bobby Allison, Donnie Allison, and Red Farmer picked up their racing headquarters from Florida and moved to Hueytown, Alabama. Stewart named the race the Alabama Gang 100 as a way to give back to them, he said.

“That’s a name that ties old-school race fans to new-school people,” Stewart said. “All three of the folks we’re honoring there are NASCAR Hall of Fame members, and Red races with us every week.

“It’s a way to pay them back and honor what they’ve done to basically put Alabama racing on the map.”

The weekend will connect with NASCAR drivers of the past and the present.

A few NASCAR drivers will pull double duty at the short track and the superspeedway, including 2023 Daytona 500 winner Ricky Stenhouse Jr. who’s expected to race his Sprint Car.

That’s only the beginning of what fans can expect at the event.

“You’ll have some NASCAR Cup teams doing VIP Hospitality stuff on the back straightaway just to get some of those executives over there and be involved,” Stewart said.

Stewart and his team have worked to improve the facility throughout the offseason, ensuring Talladega Short Track looks its best when fans arrive. Those improvements include an outside retaining wall in Turns 1 and 2, new sponsor billboards, and new clay.

However, the Series isn’t the first to race on the new surface, an honor that went to the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars in March.

Stewart expects his team to build off that momentum and create a destination for race fans nationwide.

“The new clay reacted well,” Stewart said. “We had a really good race, a good crowd. It’s something the racetrack needed with a shot in the arm.

“The surface in the past five years has been hit or miss, so if we can get a handle on that like we did the Sprint Car race, it’ll put us in a positive light compared to where we’ve been in the past.”

Stewart stated he knows more eyes will be on his track for Alabama Gang 100 weekend than before, especially with NASCAR in town on Sunday. That’s why he’s confident Talladega is a destination where race fans of all disciplines can get their money’s worth.

“You can see everything from short track, elbows up, racing to superspeedway racing that’s all within a half-mile of each other,” Stewart said.

The epic Alabama Gang 100 weekend kicks off on Friday, April 21, before its $50,000 finale for the World of Outlaws CASE Late Models on Saturday, April 22.

TICKETS: bit.ly/3zJfaRv

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

Uncategorized

chevy racing–indycar–long beach grand prix– alexander rossi

April 12, 2023 ARP Trish

CHEVROLET IN NTT INDYCAR SERIES

ACCURA GRAND PRIX OF LONG BEACH

STREETS OF LONG BEACH

LONG BEACH, CALIFORNIA

TEAM CHEVY DRIVER VIDEO CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT

ALEXANDER ROSSI, NO. 7 ARROW MCLAREN CHEVROLET

APRIL 12, 2023

ALEXANDER ROSSI, NO. 7 ARROW MCLAREN CHEVROLET, met with media on NTT INDYCAR Series weekly video conference leading up to Accura Grand Prix of Long Beach. Full transcript:

THE MODERATOR: Welcome, everybody. Glad you’re here. Another race week here in 2023. 2023 resumes this Sunday on the beautiful streets of Long Beach for another edition of the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach, one of the longest running races on the schedule outside of, of course, the Indy 500.

Few have had the type of success that Alexander Rossi has had on the streets of Long Beach. Back-to-back wins, back-to-back poles, 2018 and 2019. Driver of the No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet joins us today after a visit to the White House and the annual Easter egg hunt yesterday.

I got to ask you about the Easter egg hunt. How cool was that?

ALEXANDER ROSSI: It was awesome, man. I didn’t really know what I was getting myself into. When the opportunity presented itself to go to the White House, like why wouldn’t you? I had also never been to D.C. before, so I got kind of spoiled on my first trip there.

No, just an amazing event for not only INDYCAR to be there but for all of some 30,000 kids that got the opportunity to kind of learn about their favorite sports and kind of the physical and mental aspect that it takes to get into that sport.

We were sandwiched between the NFL and the MLB, so pretty great company for INDYCAR to be around. I think it was a pretty amazing activation that we had in terms of having the show car there, Jim Leo from PitFit Training there, a little bit of a glimpse into what it’s like. I think we definitely created some new race fans. It was really exciting to be a part of.

THE MODERATOR: You’re from California, won a couple times at Long Beach. How much are you looking forward to leading Arrow McLaren there this coming weekend?

ALEXANDER ROSSI: Yeah, man. I say it all the time, outside the Indy 500 I think this is one of our flagship races if not the flagship race. It’s always such an amazing event from not only an entertainment on-and-off-the-track standpoint but a turnout standpoint. The fans there are passionate, they’re incredibly knowledgeable about the sport, there’s obviously a huge amount of history that exists with that city and that track.

Jim Michaelian and his whole group do an amazing job for us every year. Real excited to get back there. As you mentioned, we’ve had some success there in the past. With the new team and the momentum that the Arrow McLaren group has at the moment, we’re very much looking forward to the weekend.

THE MODERATOR: We’ll open it up for questions.

Q. Could you give us an idea of how different you feel the setups are between St. Pete and Long Beach, how much confidence you take from the pace you had in St. Pete, whether you think that’s going to apply to Long Beach.

ALEXANDER ROSSI: They are different. I think St. Pete’s borderline getting to the point where it’s almost a road course, it’s so smooth and the grip level is what it is. I think you definitely take a little bit of a different approach there than you do other street courses.

Yeah, there are obviously some similarities. I think as a whole, obviously I didn’t drive the car last year, but I think the team has taken a step forward in terms of the street course program. I think Chevrolet has made monumental steps, especially coming from 2021, their evolution of ’22, then again a step this year.

I think it’s going to be the normal competitive obviously qualifying and race. I think your normal participants are going to be fighting for pole. It’s going to take perfect execution from everyone and exciting to see how it shakes out.

Q. What is your level of excitement being inside the team? You’ve had two races under your belt, where is your mind at? How do you feel with this team settling in now?

ALEXANDER ROSSI: Yeah, I mean, for sure we’re two races, but also only two races, right? It’s still early days.

I think the entire atmosphere and the positivity within the team is obvious from the outside. I think the cohesiveness that they were able to keep and also the continuity of adding a third car, the people we’ve talked about many times, it’s a testament to everyone there from the top all the way to the bottom.

It’s a real privilege and joy to be part of that team every single week. I think we’re only going to get stronger as time goes on.

Q. You mentioned Chevy feel good on a street course. Is it a different feel inside the car, torque? What is different coming from a Honda to Chevrolet now?

ALEXANDER ROSSI: I mean, again, I can’t speak for what it was like. I think they had a huge focus on the bottom-end drivability side of things. Even when it was a challenge, they were still obviously very successful. Even when it was difficult in ’21, they were still winning races.

Again, it’s very hard to have that big of a difference when the engine architecture is similar or the same, and the rules have been around for so long, everyone kind of follows to the same point.

But, yes, there are still subtle differences. It’s kind of about maximizing the strengths and weaknesses of each engine, right? Honda might go about that a different way than Chevy does. For us as drivers, me making the transition from one to the other, you’ve got to understand the areas that the Chevy is working in a better range, and you got to focus on those areas to make sure you maximize the performance available.

Q. What about street course races makes you jump to another level? Do you treat these races differently?

ALEXANDER ROSSI: I won Pocono, and that’s not a really big race (laughter). Pretty random actually.

It’s obviously cool to be able to have success in those types of races. But, no, it’s all the same. If you’re fortunate enough to get it right on that day, it’s cool.

Q. How crucial in INDYCAR, seems like milliseconds separate a gap from first to 10th, is pit selection? This week you’re pitting third. Do you have any input? Is there a study behind that?

ALEXANDER ROSSI: Yeah, I mean, it really depends on the track. For example, Long Beach, you want to be towards the front. I assume everyone knows, but if you don’t know, it goes in order of qualifying. For example, Felix got to pick first at Long Beach based on Texas, then down the qualifying order.

For Long Beach it’s important to be in the front in terms of pit selection just so that when you’re leaving to go to practice, qualifying sims, whatever, you have as much clear track in front of you as possible.

For the ovals it’s a pretty big advantage to have an open in just because of the way the cross weight is set up, you can carry more speed into the pit box. On a track where we have a lot of cars and a small pit lane, at Mid-Ohio or Toronto, an open in or open out is kind of the preferred choice. You’ll see guys, even if they qualify third, they’ll choose the 15th box because it’s an open in or open out.

Indy is a little bit similar, but there’s the added superstition that goes into that. There’s metrics that are run on these pit boxes historically have been the most successful. There’s really no rhyme or reason to it other than odds. That’s kind of what goes into it.

It’s a little bit of everything.

Q. You have teammates around you, is there a reason you guys chose between Dixie and Josef?

ALEXANDER ROSSI: No, I mean, I think that was the order of qualifying. It went Felix, Scott, me, Josef, which just shows how important track position is.

Again, track position is that important that we all wanted to be up front. It’s the order of qualifying.

Q. What do you put down to your success in Long Beach? Do you think the track suits your driving style or just a track you enjoy?

ALEXANDER ROSSI: I don’t know. I don’t have an answer for you. I think for me it’s always an exciting event there in Laguna. It’s a home race in the sense that I’m from California. I always have a lot of friends and family turn out that come. I think everyone kind of gets a little bit of a subconscious boost and a little bit extra motivation. We hear Josef talk all the time about how much he’d love to win Nashville, his home race. That sort of exists.

Beyond that, I’ve been fortunate to have good cars there and it’s a track that suits my driving style. It’s pretty medium- to high-speed corners. There’s only one and the fountain that are slow-speed corners, so you can make time up from that standpoint.

Yeah, I mean, it’s a little bit of everything. If I had an answer for you, I’d probably win every race. I don’t think it comes down to just one thing. It’s a combination of things that work out ending up to be in your favor.

Q. Do you think traffic is going to be a big issue?

ALEXANDER ROSSI: At this point with the grid size we have, it’s an issue every weekend, aside from really Road America or Road America (laughter). That’s just the nature of it. It’s the same for everyone. You manage it as best you can.

For sure at some point throughout the weekend you’re going to get caught up in it. Everyone is. You just hope it’s not on a super critical part of the session.

Q. Qualifying is important at almost every race, but it seems like the leader is really favored at Long Beach. Does that make Saturday’s qualifications one of the more important ones of the season?

ALEXANDER ROSSI: Yeah, I mean, for sure. I think you’re right: every qualifying is very critical, but especially Long Beach because the way it works out, it’s a two-stop race, pretty straightforward two-stop race.

There’s not many yellows. It’s a pretty clean race, historically speaking. The leader doesn’t really get hung out by a close pit situation type of thing.

Yeah, I mean, it’s very important to start in the top two or three I think if you’re going to want to try to win that race.

Q. A couple of the wins you had there, once you were out front, it was smooth sailing. Before you caught the end of the field, did it feel like you were on a qualifying run?

ALEXANDER ROSSI: Yeah, it’s an easy two-stop race. Everyone is kind of flat out from the drop of the green. The tire life is usually pretty good there. There’s not a whole lot of strategy or saving, like, different fuel. Everyone does the same thing, so you can push pretty hard from the green.

Q. As far as the vibe, it’s one of a kind, southern California, fans turn out for it. Celebrities, glitz, glamour. Is it always one of those where you’re not only excited about racing but just excited to be there?

ALEXANDER ROSSI: Yeah, 100% right. It’s an awesome event. It’s one of those ones where you feel kind of like a Super Hero when you get to go do driver introductions. It’s annoying sometimes how busy pit lane is, but that’s just a testament to the excitement and energy that exists at that track.

It’s certainly one that we try and model as many of our street courses after it. I think St. Pete comes close. Nashville comes close. I think Detroit this year is going to be phenomenal.

Yes, the pedigree it has in terms of its history, just the location, all of the extracurricular activities that you can find throughout the weekend just makes it pretty unique.

Q. Next week you switch gears and it’s the two-day open test for the Indy 500. How important is it to have everything sorted before you hit the track in May?

ALEXANDER ROSSI: Yeah, it’s hugely important. That’s a really good time to really understand. Everyone has been working on their speedway cars probably since June 1st of last year. It’s such small details that add up to make a really big difference at Indy.

April is a good opportunity for you to get an understanding of what your car is lacking, and also the areas where it’s strong. Then you have a couple weeks. It’s not much time. You have a couple weeks to really dive into why maybe there’s a deficit to a teammate or to another car, whatever, and resolve that.

It’s a great test for us as drivers. Great test for the team. Then obviously it’s great to get fans out there and start to see cars on track at the greatest track in the world.

Q. You’ve talked about Long Beach being an easy two-stopper. For you as a driver, it must be better than the fuel-saving races.

ALEXANDER ROSSI: I kind of am of the opinion that we could make Long Beach a little bit longer so you have the two options. Some of our best races are when you have guys on a fuel save two-stop, other guys on a flat-out three-stop race trying to make up that pit lane difference.

It’s been this length for a long time. It’s put on some great shows. Colton, I think it was ’21 or ’20, where he started 14th and ended up winning, no yellows to help him.

If you have a strong car, like always in INDYCAR, you can usually have a pretty good result. But yes, in the perfect world we’d probably extend it a little bit, but that’s for people that are paid more than me, so we’ll leave it to them.

Q. You are in your eighth season of INDYCAR. Is it something you could imagine when you came back from Europe into INDYCAR? Maybe something that surpasses your wildest dreams?

ALEXANDER ROSSI: Yeah, I mean, I certainly didn’t realize that I would have the longevity that I’ve had so far. Obviously very thankful for that. It doesn’t feel like eight years, but there you go.

Yeah, I mean, obviously I think it surprised everyone. I talked about it at length. Surprised everyone, including myself, the fact that we were able to do what we did in 2016 at the 500. Yeah, I’ve been very fortunate to have the amount of time in the series that I have had.

There’s still a lot of things left that I’d like to accomplish. That’s really all we’re focusing on right now.

Q. With the variety of cars that run at Long Beach, how does it impact on how the track rubbers in for the INDYCAR guys?

ALEXANDER ROSSI: Yeah, that’s a good question.

Last year was a weird one. They put a sealant down, the city did. The track grip was, like, insane from lap one of practice one. The other running of the other cars didn’t really change anything because the grip level started incredibly high anyways. Pole was a new record, crazy fast all weekend.

Usually it’s a really beneficial thing because it starts out as a very low grip, green surface, because it hasn’t been use as a racetrack in a year. Having all the different stuff, especially IMSA on track, really speeds up the evolution of the track.

I don’t know what it’s going to be like this year, if that sealant will still have that effect or if it’s worn off after California got pummeled with rain for seemingly five months. I don’t know. We’ll have to see. Usually it’s a good thing in terms of getting the cars up to speed.

Q. Looking more towards the month of May, you’ve come from a team that’s run four or five cars at the 500, you mentioned McLaren have geared up to take on your car. Going into Indy with four cars, do you feel the team is in a good position to be able to cope with the number of cars they’re now running?

ALEXANDER ROSSI: Yeah, 100%. We have a lot of people, like, a significant amount of people. I don’t think that’s any concern of anyone.

Obviously numbers aren’t everything. You got to make sure that they’re the right people in the right positions. I think the team has done a very good job. We have access to a lot of people from the McLaren F1 side of things in terms of testing, so they’re very skilled mechanics. I think Tony is in great hands.

Yeah, I don’t foresee it being any issue whatsoever.

Q. Since McLaren joined INDYCAR in 2020, I think this is the best car we seen they give to you. How important it is for the sport of the season have this Long Beach race which you actually won twice, how important is it to have the Long Beach Grand Prix as opportunity to get into the championship mix?

ALEXANDER ROSSI: Yeah, I mean, every race is important. But, yes, obviously you highlight the tracks that you’ve been historically good at, either for yourself or team perspective. It was a missed opportunity for two of the cars in Texas with very fast race cars not ending up getting a result.

I think you’re correct in saying that the program that the team has this year and the performance of the cars has been really strong through the first two races. There’s no reason to not think that that won’t continue.

Yeah, we’re excited about Long Beach. We feel very confident in what we have, what we can do there. It’s just about hoping a couple things go your way and you can come out of there with a strong result.

Q. How are things with Kyle after the Texas incident?

ALEXANDER ROSSI: I mean, that’s a long time ago now. So it’s all behind us.

Q. This is the first full season you’ve been competing against Pato. Now you’re in the same team. How impressed are you by his ability and speed? Do you think he’s right now the toughest driver to beat in INDYCAR?

ALEXANDER ROSSI: Yeah, I mean, I think everyone’s been impressed with Pato since day one that he came into the series. I think his speed was obvious. Obviously he’s very exciting to watch from his in-car videos. I think his nickname is the Ninja or whatever.

He’s very good. I didn’t have to be on his team to realize that. I think the three of us are pushing each other very hard. It’s important that we have three cars kind of at the front every single weekend. That’s the goal of the team. That’s what McLaren as a brand expects and demands from us.

Quite honestly, Pato, you could argue, he maybe should have two wins to start the year. He’s done a very, very good job. It’s going to be a fun remaining 15 races with him and everyone else.

Everyone at this level is pretty good. I think you can pick 10 guys that are hard to beat every single weekend.

THE MODERATOR: Are you worried about Kanaan and Pato together during the month of May? They’re pretty similar, aren’t they?

ALEXANDER ROSSI: I don’t think anyone’s really the same as Pato. He’s very unique (smiling).

Yeah, I mean, they’re both South American, highly energized and excited about seemingly everything (smiling).

Q. You’ve driven for the greatest names in all of motorsports. You’re considered one of the best race car drivers on the planet. Can you put into words what it means to race for Arrow McLaren?

ALEXANDER ROSSI: First of all, thank you (smiling).

It’s amazing. This year is the 60th anniversary of McLaren being founded as a race team. To be able to kind of be a part of that and be in history at one point a part of all of the great drivers that have gotten the opportunity to drive for this brand, it’s something very, very special. It’s something that I don’t take lightly. I take a lot of pride in. It certainly forces all of us that kind of wear (indiscernible) to elevate ourselves on and off the track.

It’s an honor, but obviously there’s responsibility that comes along with it.

Q. As a race car driver, how do you feel ending a race under caution?

ALEXANDER ROSSI: It’s a tough one. I think INDYCAR does races on distance. I think that is an important thing to remember, especially when you’re comparing it to other championships. You can’t necessarily, because of the circumstance, just change the distance of a race because you want to see a certain finish.

I think INDYCAR in the past has done a really good job at red flagging races when there is enough laps, once the cleanup is over, to kind of go through the restart process, whatever the correct terminology for that is.

For example, at Texas, it was one lap. Even if they red flagged it, there wasn’t enough laps left to get the field around and do a restart. That was a tough situation. I think obviously everyone would have liked to see it go green to the finish. Pato would obviously have liked that as well. It wasn’t meant to be. That’s just racing sometimes.

Q. How are you feeling from the mileage you’ve done on the new tires? Does the info you get from the tires get shared within the team or do you provide some feedback to the manufacturer, as well?

ALEXANDER ROSSI: So all of the above. At the end of every weekend we kind of have a debrief, every driver and team I believe has a debrief with Firestone, kind of going through the pros and cons of the primary and the alternate, what needs to be adjusted for the future. I think they take that into account, not for 2023, but certainly for 2024.

Yeah, I mean, using the tires in practice, there’s usually a pretty big grip increase that comes on the alternate that you got to make an adjustment to the balance of the car so you can’t just go out with the same race car, put softer tires on, expect to maximize it. You’ve got to change something. Usually you’re trying to figure out how big the offset needs to be.

I think Firestone has done an amazing job in the sense that we have a sustainable tire that really produces the same level of performance as a non-sustainable tire. I think that was proved in Nashville last year, and that’s why we’re using them on all the street courses this year. I think it’s a huge step for INDYCAR, huge step for Firestone, something we should all be very proud to be a part of.

Q. You have been successful at Long Beach with Andretti. With McLaren, how do you feel with a new team for this weekend?

ALEXANDER ROSSI: We’re still learning as we go at this point. Yeah, I mean, I think based on St. Pete, I think based on the fact that I think Felix was in the top six in qualifying last year, their cars are good.

Certainly there is a step we need to make to be as strong as Andretti or Penske I think on the street courses in general. But I think we’re close. I think we have just as good of a shot as anyone this weekend.

Q. You’ve been with Formula 1 before. You know what it’s like to travel internationally with a team. How do you feel about INDYCAR going to Argentina and how will it benefit INDYCAR as a whole to go international?

ALEXANDER ROSSI: Yeah, I mean, I think as drivers we all would love to see not only international races but still an expanded calendar, right? I think certainly the interest that exists from Argentina, as you mentioned, obviously from Mexico, makes a very strong case to have races in a place like that.

But there’s a lot of factors other than just wanting to do it, right? I actually was talking about this with someone earlier today, talking about adding a race that we used to go to in the States. It’s like you can talk and dream and think it’s going to be this great idea, but you got to actually go out there and buy tickets, show up. You can’t just say it’s a great idea.

I think there is momentum building. I think there is an interest that exists that we certainly are looking to exploit, but there’s a lot of different factors that go into it.

I look forward to seeing how it goes. But certainly Argentina and Mexico with the interest we’ve seen there in the past 12 months, it’s certainly on the top of the list.

Q. Have you had any sort of change of opinion in terms of pit lane incident in Texas, how that played out? You made it clear you thought it was Kyle’s fault.

ALEXANDER ROSSI: No change of opinion. I think hopefully we can, as a series, learn about communication and continuity, just take lessons from it. It’s a shame to have situations exist and not really learn anything from it.

It’s something that we all talked about at length. At the end of the day it’s history now. We just got to make sure going forward everyone is on the same page.

Q. Looking back at St. Pete, there was a couple of incidents where cars were airborne. Going into another street course, do you think the street courses could be widened or changed in any way to avoid situations where cars have nowhere to go but up?

ALEXANDER ROSSI: That’s a good question, good observation. Obviously there’s airborne cars in Texas, too.

But, yeah, I think racing is dangerous. I think INDYCAR has done a really good job at putting driver safety, team safety at the forefront of what they do.

I think we’ve all seen the images of – who was the red car – Benjamin, we’ve seen the images of his car, kind of all the impact marks that went up the aeroscreen.

Everyone, despite the magnitude of that incident, walked away totally fine. I think that just goes to show that these cars are safe and the advancements that we’ve made have not been for nothing.

But, yeah, racing is always going to have risk to it. That’s just a part of life. Everything you do has risk. I think you’re always looking at ways to make it safer, but I certainly don’t think there’s any issues with street courses, and I don’t expect that to be a normal thing going forward.

THE MODERATOR: Alex, safe travels.

ALEXANDER ROSSI: Thank you, guys. Appreciate it. We’ll see you out there.

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Cruz Pedregon Las Vegas advance

April 12, 2023 ARP Trish

NHRA^® Team Report

NHRA Four-Wide Nationals – Las Vegas

Pre-Race Report

Heading to Vegas after the team’s best performance of the season and a quarterfinals finish is the fuel Cruz Pedregon and team needed to ready the Snap-on^®“Makers and Fixers” Dodge^®SRT^®Hellcat^® for the Four-Wide Nationals.

“Our low ET of 3.86 held throughout the weekend, so it shows the great thing about having a fast car is that it wants to go fast all of the time,” says Cruz who was the number 1 qualifier going into race day in Pomona. “John and the guys are doing a really good job on the car, really studying the timing of the clutch application and adjusting it to the track conditions. The team took the week off to head home and come back strong in Vegas especially since we’ve had some memorable wins and runs on The Strip.”

On the side of Cruz’s car this weekend is the name of local Snap-on Nitro Franchisee Kellie Smith. She’s the first female franchisee in the history of Nitro Franchisee recognitions to have her name on the Snap-on “Makers and Fixers” Funny Car. Kellie was a school teacher before she became a franchisee and says she loves the freedom outside of the four walls in which she used to teach. She has a husband and son who are mechanics so Kellie researched something important to them, and that led her to Snap-on. She’s meeting Cruz for the first time this week when he rides along to shops on her mobile tools’ sales route, and she and her husband will be guests in Cruz’s pit this weekend.

The Snap-on Funny Car will continue to highlight “Makers & Fixers” as a call out by the team’s sponsor, Snap-on, for the Makers and Fixers among us to share their stories at makersandfixers.com.

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IMSA preview: Cadillac seeks to extend win streak

April 12, 2023 ARP Trish

Two Cadillac V-Series.Rs aim to tame Long Beach street circuit in sprint race

DETROIT (April 12, 2023) – Though IMSA has raced on the temporary street circuit in Long Beach, California, since 2006, each year presents teams and drivers some unknowns.
Questions in 2023 will be magnified with the new Grand Touring Prototype racecars. What is the impact of recently resurfaced sections of the 1.968-mile, 11-turn circuit on tire grip and wear? Will cornering speed be a concern while defending or attempting to overtake? What about traffic management in the 28-car field across three classes? One set of tires for the 100-minute race duration or change on the sole scheduled pit stop?
All that, and more, will come into play this weekend in the third race of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.
Cadillac Racing will aim to extend its winning streak at Long Beach to six races with the No. 01 Cadillac V-Series.R and No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac V-Series.R competing in the GTP class.

What they’re saying

2022: Overall winner (No. 01 V-Performance Academy Cadillac DPi-V.R) start first – Renger van der Zande, Sebastien Bourdais Second (No. 02 Cadillac Accessories Cadillac DPi-V.R) start second – Earl Bamber, Alex Lynn Third (No. 5 Mustang Sampling Racing Cadillac DPi-V.R) start fifth – Tristan Vautier, Richard Westbrook Fifth (No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac DPi-V.R) start fourth – Pipo Derani, Tristan Nunez2021: Overall winner (No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac DPi-V.R) start first – Pipo Derani, Felipe Nasr Second (No. 01 Cadillac Chip Ganassi Racing Cadillac DPi-V.R) start second – Renger van der Zande, Kevin Magnussen Third (No. 5 Mustang Sampling Racing Cadillac DPi-V.R) start third – Tristan Vautier, Loic Duval2019: Overall winner (No. 5 Mustang Sampling Cadillac DPi-V.R) start fourth – Felipe Albuquerque, Joao Barbosa Fifth (No. 84 JDC-Miller MotorSports Cadillac DPi-V.R) start seventh – Stephen Simpson, Simon Trummer Sixth (No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac DPi-V.R) start second – Pipo Derani, Felipe Nasr Seventh (No. 50 Juncos Racing Cadillac DPi-V.R) start ninth – Kyle Kaiser, Will Owen 10th (No. 10 Konica Minolta Cadillac DPi-V.R) start 10th – Renger van der Zande, Jordan Taylor2018: Overall winner (No. 5 Mustang Sampling Racing Cadillac DPi-V.R) start fifth — Felipe Albuquerque, Joao Barbosa Third (No. 10 Konica Minolta Cadillac DPi-V.R) start sixth – Renger van der Zande, Jordan Taylor Seventh (No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac DPi-V.R) start second – Felipe Nasr, Eric Curran2017: Overall winner (No. 10 Konica Minolta Cadillac DPi-V.R) start first – Jordan Taylor, Ricky Taylor 29th overall, seventh in class (No. 5 Mustang Sampling Racing Cadillac DPi-V.R) start second – Joao Barbosa, Christian Fittipaldi 32nd overall, eighth in class (No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac DPi-V.R) start fifth – Eric Curran, Dane Cameron

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IMSA Long Beach GTP preview with Pipo Derani

April 12, 2023 ARP Trish

Transcript: Championship leader discusses his outlook for the sprint race on street circuit

Pipo Derani, co-driver with Alexander Sims of the No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac V-Series.R in the Grand Touring Prototype class of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, met with the media via Zoom conference to preview the April 14-15 race in Long Beach, California.
Derani and Sims, along with Jack Aitken, co-drove to victory March 18 in the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring. Derani co-drove to victory at Long Beach in 2021 for Cadillac Racing, which has won every IMSA prototype race at Long Beach since the start of the DPi era in 2017.
Q&A with Derani transcript:

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World Champ Megan Meyer Ready to Bring New Energy

April 12, 2023 ARP Trish

New Sponsors to Nitro Chaos Championship Chase

OLATHE, KS (April 11, 2023) — Two-time Top Alcohol Dragster World Champion Megan Meyer will be making a new championship run this season in the inaugural Nitro Chaos Championship Series, a four-race gauntlet across the Midwest. Meyer will be competing at Nitro Chaos events beginning with Edgewater Sports Park near Cincinnati on April 28-29 with the attitude of having fun but also feeding the competitive fire that led her to two NHRA world championships. The popular world champion unveiled a new look racecar yesterday through her new YouTube channel with primary sponsor Gunk and new associate sponsor Shop Squad from NGK NTK. The racer and mother of one is looking forward to building on her Nitro Chaos success from last year.

Megan Meyer and Gunk/Shop Squad Dragster, photo courtesy of Megan Meyer Racing

Megan and Shop Squad are partnering up with Boxo USA Tools and Chad Green Motorsports to promote a monthly Student Appreciation Contest for college students studying to become an automotive professional. Students can sign up each month using their simple online form and one winner each month will win prizes valued at over $500.

“I know I’m going to be 100% committed to chasing points and trying to get a championship in a different series,” Megan said. “From my point of view, if I want to race, I want to do the best that I can and try to compete for a championship. The fact that there’s only four races is perfect for me and our family. At the same time, I’m trying not to get too serious about it, just have fun.”

“I know there’s going to be a lot of tough competition and a lot more cars this year,” Megan continued. “It’s going to be tough. We don’t really know exactly what we’re going up against, whereas in NHRA Top Alcohol Dragster you know every person, every car, what they can run, and what their strategies are. Now, it’s a completely different ballgame. I’m excited for this new challenge. I’m going to do the best that I can, and hopefully it works out in our favor.”

Fans can follow Megan on YouTube HERE

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WHAT TO WATCH FOR: Double Dose of Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 Ahead for World of Outlaws

April 12, 2023 ARP Trish

The Pevely, MO oval is set for its first of two doubleheaders this yearPEVELY, MO (April 11, 2023) – The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars are heading to one of the country’s best bullrings.Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 may be a third of a mile in distance, but it races every bit like a quarter mile with its narrow confines and high banks. The Pevely, MO racetrack routinely produces some of the sport’s most unforgettable moments and is one of the fastest tracks for its size.After a weekend in the northwest corner of Missouri and southeast region of Kansas, The Greatest Show on Dirt is headed south of St. Louis this weekend (April 14-15) to I-55 for the first of a pair of Pevely doubleheaders. The Series will return for the Ironman 55 (August 4-5), which puts $20,000 on the line for whoever conquers the demanding 55-lap finale.As an added bonus, the best Sprint Car drivers will be joined by the Xtreme Outlaw Midgets presented by Toyota each night and will again for Ironman weekend in August.BUY TWO DAY TICKET PACKAGE HERE BUY FRIDAY TICKETS HERE BUY SATURDAY TICKETS HERELet’s look at some of the weekend’s top storylines:CHAMPIONSHIP FIGHT: This past weekend at U.S. 36 Raceway and 81 Speedway proved to be eventful within the standings as the top three jockeyed for positioning on both nights.Carson Macedo came out looking the best with a rise from third to the lead. A pair of podiums elevated the Lemoore, CA native atop the points for the first time this year.It was a rollercoaster weekend for Brad Sweet with a Friday ascent before Saturday’s descent. The four-time and defending champion jumped into the top spot thanks to a third place effort to open the weekend. Then an incident Saturday at 81 Speedway resulting in a 14th-place finish dropped him to third.David Gravel entered as the points leader, but a Friday crash caused him to slip to third. The Big Game Motorsports driver rebounded on Saturday with a podium to rise to the runner-up spot.PEVELY PROS: In recent years, it’s been nearly a guarantee that Brad Sweet or Sheldon Haudenschild will be in the running for the win in Pevely. The duo has combined to win nine of the last 13 trips to I-55.Haudenschild’s success has been highlighted by his famed 2019 Ironman victory when he lapped up to sixth place and won by more than 10 seconds. The Wooster, OH native owns three more I-55 triumphs – one in 2020 and a weekend sweep of the Ironman in 2021. The pilot of the Stenhouse Jr./Marshall Racing #17 has also posted top fives in 12 of his 17 starts at the track.Sweet’s recent record in Pevely is wildly consistent. In his last 14 starts at the third-mile, the Kasey Kahne Racing driver has posted five wins, 12 podiums (including the last seven), and a 2.86 average finish.I-55 IMPROVEMENT: Early on in his career, Carson Macedo struggled at I-55, but he’s completed turned that narrative around.The driver of the Jason Johnson Racing #41 has made 14 World of Outlaws starts in Pevely. In the first seven starts, Macedo’s best finish was seventh with an average finish of 14.4. The seven since yielded a pair of victories – both last year – and a 4.6 average finish.Macedo looks to keep the momentum rolling to pad his points lead.SCHUCHART SEEKING WIN: The driver highest in points yet to visit Victory Lane this season is Shark Racing’s Logan Schuchart.The Hanover, PA native has been close this year with five top fives through 12 races, but the top spot has eluded him.I-55 has been kind to Schuchart. He triumphed in the 2018 Ironman 55 and owns 12 top fives in his most recent 15 starts.J-MAC MOTORING IN MISSOURI: James McFadden has already won twice this season, and his record at I-55 suggests another triumph could arrive this weekend.The Roth Motorsports driver is yet to win in Pevely, but he’s earned top fives in five of his last six starts including a trio of podiums.McFadden is coming off tallying his third top five of 2023 at 81 Speedway.SCELZI’S STEPPINGSTONES: After a tough start to the year, Gio Scelzi continues to improve during his rookie campaign.The Fresno, CA native has only missed the top 10 once in the last seven races, and this past weekend Scelzi posted his two best finishes of the season. On Friday at U.S. 36 Raceway he brought the KCP Racing #18 home seventh, then improved to sixth Saturday at 81 Speedway.Scelzi’s I-55 experience is limited, but in three starts at the Missouri oval he has earned one of his 14 career Series podiums.INVADERS: Plenty of drivers are expected to be on hand to complete a stout field.Among those who could best the World of Outlaws is Rico Abreu. The St. Helena, CA native has already won twice with The Greatest Show on Dirt in 2023 including the most recent event – the $20,000 to win Jason Johnson Classic. Pevely is one of two tracks where Abreu has won multiple Series events. He topped the 2016 Ironman finale and the 2018 Ironman opener.Justin Peck and Buch Motorsports plan to be in action. The 24-year-old finished eighth on both nights of the Ironman weekend last year. The Monrovia, IN native is also a former I-55 winner in MOWA Sprint Car action (’18). Buddy Kofoid is yet to miss a 2023 World of Outlaws race, and he expects that to continue in Pevely. Despite not being a full-time competitor, Kofoid still sits fifth in points courtesy of he and CMS Racing’s early season strength that’s including a Talladega Short Track victory and four podiums.Others expected to compete include Joe B. Miller (Millersville, MO), Ryan Timms (Oklahoma City, OK), Ayrton Gennetten (Versailles, MO), Jake Neuman (New Berlin, IL), Blake Hahn (Sapulpa, OK), and more.CURRENT CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS (12/84 Races)1. 41 – Carson Macedo (1684 PTS) 2. 2 – David Gravel (-8PTS) 3. 49 – Brad Sweet (-20PTS) 4. 1S – Logan Schuchart (-58PTS) 5. 11 – Michael Kofoid (-66PTS) 6. 17 – Sheldon Haudenschild (-88PTS) 7. 15 – Donny Schatz (-136PTS) 8. 83 – James McFadden (-138PTS) 9. 5 – Spencer Bayston (-140PTS) 10. 18 – Gio Scelzi (-170PTS)NOS ENERGY DRINK FEATURE WINNERS (7 Drivers):3 wins – David Gravel (Big Game Motorsports #2)2 wins – Brad Sweet (Kasey Kahne Racing #49), James McFadden (Roth Motorsports #83), Rico Abreu (Rico Abreu Racing #24)1 win – Carson Macedo (Jason Johnson Racing #41), Rico Abreu Buddy Kofoid (CMS Racing #11), Sheldon Haudenschild (Stenhouse Jr./Marshall Racing #17)FEATURE LAPS LED (9 Drivers):64 laps – Brad Sweet60 laps – James McFadden54 laps – David Gravel46 laps – Buddy Kofoid43 laps – Rico Abreu39 laps – Carson Macedo21 laps – Sheldon Haudenschild10 laps – Anthony Macri, Cory Eliason9 laps – Gio Scelzi, Brent MarksLOW-E INSULATION QUICKTIME AWARDS (8 Drivers):4 QuickTimes – Carson Macedo2 QuickTimes – David Gravel1 QuickTime – Anthony Macri, Logan Schuchart, Brian Brown, Donny Schatz, Buddy Kofoid, Rico AbreuHEAT RACE WINNERS (16 Drivers):6 Heat Wins – Buddy Kofoid, David Gravel5 Heat Wins – Carson Macedo4 Heat Wins – Brent Marks3 Heat Wins – Logan Schuchart, Sheldon Haudenschild2 Heat Wins – Spencer Bayston, Gio Scelzi, Brad Sweet, Jacob Allen1 Heat Win – James McFadden, Brian Brown, Donny Schatz, Danny Dietrich, Freddie Rahmer, Rico AbreuTOYOTA DASH APPEARANCES (23 Drivers):9 Dashes – David Gravel8 Dashes – Carson Macedo7 Dashes – Logan Schuchart, Brad Sweet6 Dashes – Buddy Kofoid, Jacob Allen 5 Dashes – Spencer Bayston4 Dashes – Brent Marks, Rico Abreu, Gio Scelzi, Sheldon Haudenschild3 Dashes – Donny Schatz, James McFadden2 Dashes – Brian Brown, Danny Dietrich, Brock Zearfoss1 Dash – Anthony Macri, Robbie Price, Cory Eliason, Justin Peck, Kasey Kahne, Freddie Rahmer, Devon BordenMICROLITE LAST CHANCE SHOWDOWN WINS (10 Drivers):1 LCS Win – Brock Zearfoss, Parker Price-Miller, Sheldon Haudenschild, Gio Scelzi, Noah Gass, Hunter Schuerenberg, James McFadden, Wayne Johnson, Ryan Timms, Ayrton GennettenKSE HARD CHARGER AWARDS (9 Drivers):2 Hard Chargers – Brock Zearfoss, James McFadden, Tyler Courtney1 Hard Charger – Donny Schatz, Gio Scelzi, Robbie Price, David Gravel, Logan Schuchart, Justin PeckPODIUM FINISHES (15 Drivers):6 Podiums – Brad Sweet, David Gravel5 Podiums – Carson Macedo4 Podiums – Buddy Kofoid2 Podiums – Jacob Allen, James McFadden, Sheldon Haudenschild, Rico Abreu1 Podium – Danny Dietrich, Logan Schuchart, Brian Brown, Kasey Kahne, Devon Borden, Spencer Bayston, Brent MarksTOP 10 FINISHES (26 Drivers):12 Top 10s – Carson Macedo10 Top 10s – Brad Sweet, David Gravel, Logan Schuchart9 Top 10s – Sheldon Haudenschild8 Top 10s – Michael Kofoid6 Top 10s – James McFadden, Spencer Bayston, Gio Scelzi, Rico Abreu5 Top 10s – Donny Schatz4 Top 10s – Brent Marks, Jacob Allen, Justin Peck3 Top 10s – Kasey Kahne, Tyler Courtney2 Top 10s – Aaron Reutzel, Brian Brown, Danny Dietrich, Brock Zearfoss1 Top 10 – Cory Eliason, Robbie Price, Zeb Wise, Devon Borden, Blake Hahn, Sam Hafertepe Jr.2023 WORLD OF OUTLAWS SPRINT CAR SCHEDULE & WINNERS:No. / Day, Date / Track / Location / Winner (Total Wins)1. Fri, Feb 10 / 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)

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Camrie Caruso Returns to Vegas Looking to Continue Hot Streak

April 12, 2023 ARP Trish

MOORESVILLE, NC (April 11, 2023) — The four-wide style of racing is an acquired taste for many of the NHRA professional drivers. For reigning NHRA Rookie of the Year Camrie Caruso her return to The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway for the Vegas Four-Wide Nationals will be slightly bittersweet. Over the past two races Caruso has collected her first career Pro Stock win at the Arizona Nationals and her second career No. 1 qualifier at the Winternationals where she also raced to the semifinals before losing to eventual winner Dallas Glenn. Her fortunes have not been as successful in the four-wide format but the resilient and determined racer who currently lives in Mooresville, North Carolina is ready to give it another shot.

“I am trying to get used to the four-wide format,” said Caruso, a multi-category winner. “There is a lot going on when you stage and last year during my rookie year it was tough. I know the fans love it and we are here to put on a great show for the fans and our sponsors. My goal this year is to just get better and have some fun with it. Luckily, The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway is an awesome racetrack.”

Camrie Caruso and Powerbuilt Tools Chevrolet Camaro, photo by SR Driven Media

Last year Caruso rolled into the Vegas Four-Wide Nationals for her fourth professional Pro Stock race. The young driver was still figuring out a tremendous amount of information and procedures as she tried to acclimatize herself to the unique four-wide staging and racing procedure. Now with over 20 NHRA national events under her belt Caruso is ready to tackle the four-wide nationals again.

“I really feel a lot more comfortable in my Powerbuilt Tools Camaro this season,” said Caruso. “I am excited to see what we can do in Las Vegas. We have some momentum coming off Phoenix and Pomona and I just want to keep turning on win lights.”

Through three races this season Caruso has picked up the Arizona Nationals win and recorded the No. 1 qualifier at the Winternationals. She also participated in the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge on Saturday of the Winternationals and while she did not advance to the final round, she picked up a championship point for her quick qualifying run during the qualifying and elimination round. The second-year pro knows that her goal of winning her first Pro Stock world championship will not happen during the regular season but picking up Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge points will give her a leg up at the end of the year.

“I love everything about the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge and I am so glad we have been able to participate already,” said Caruso. “Once we get into the heart of the schedule this season it is going to be an awesome opportunity to pick up some money and more importantly those championship points. I know we will be counting them and so will a lot of the other Pro Stock teams.”

Caruso has added some off-track commitments to her schedule this season as well. At each NHRA national event Caruso participates in the “Just the Basics with Camrie Caruso” stage show joined by NHRA announcer Jason Galvin. The 20-25 minutes casual conversation is a chance for Caruso to let fans in on some of the ins and outs of being a first time NHRA guest as well as insider tips on what goes on at the racetrack. The show has been a welcome addition to the entertainment elements the NHRA has put together throughout the weekend to highlight many of the drivers and crew chiefs.

“I have loved the first couple of stage shows with Jason,” said Caruso. “We have talked about racing, where to get the best French Fries, the best time and worst time to ask for an autograph as well as what I like about each track. It is cool to talk with some of the fans before and after to get an idea of what they like about NHRA. This is one of the things that makes NHRA so unique is the drivers get out amongst the fans and really try to give them a unique experience. I can’t wait to get on the stage at the Las Vegas race on Friday.”

After Caruso spends time with the fans, she will have two qualifying sessions on Friday and two on Saturday to race her way into the 16-car qualified field. Final eliminations will begin for all the pro classes at noon on Sunday. There will be three rounds of racing which will all be broadcast nationally on FS1.

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CORVETTE RACING AT LONG BEACH: Expect the Unexpected

April 12, 2023 ARP Trish

Team looking to extend southern California success after bizarre 2022 race DETROIT (April 11, 2023) – With its two longest races of the season in the rear-view mirror, Corvette Racing now faces its shortest contest of the season as it heads west to southern California for its only street race of the season.
The Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach is an intense 100-minute dash for the Corvette Racing program and the rest of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. It’s an event that the team has won more than another team in series history – four times since 2014 – to go along with four more victories in the American Le Mans Series era from 2007-2013.

The familiar pairing of Antonio Garcia and Jordan Taylor will pilot the No. 3 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R in the GT Daytona (GTD) PRO class. The two finished third in last year’s Long Beach race – the first street race for the GTD-spec C8.R – despite a bizarre pitlane incident that took the Corvette out of contention for the victory.

CORVETTE RACING MEDIA INFORMATION
Corvette Racing media information is updated and available ahead of this weekend’s races at Long Beach (IMSA) and Portimao (WEC). Materials include:
· IMSA & WEC race advances and quotes· Corvette Racing stats and figures· Corvette Racing racecar comparisons· Corvette Racing Fast Facts· Driver biographies

Taylor was the class pole-winner after a last-lap flyer and led the entirety of his first stint. A loose wheel nut during the pit stop escaped the Corvette pit, hit a stone and flew into the radiator of another car – a one-in-a-million occurrence that unfortunately netted the Corvette a drive-through penalty.
Aside from that round of bad luck, there is reason to be confident again. Corvette Racing has a full year of data on the GTD-spec configuration, most notably the customer Michelin tire that all GTD teams must run in IMSA competition. Simulation tools aided the team’s preparation last year, and expectations are that 12 more months of work in the virtual world – plus sessions in the Chevrolet Driver in the Loop simulator – will put the C8.R in contention again.
The results through the first two races are encouraging for this weekend. Garcia and Taylor – along with Tommy Milner – finished second in class to open the season in the Rolex 24 and ran out front most of the Sebring 12 Hours before late-race contact and on-track chaos meant a fifth-place result.
The Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach is scheduled for 5:05 p.m. ET / 2:05 p.m. PT on Saturday, April 15. The race will air live on USA Network from 5-7 p.m. ET with full streaming coverage on Peacock. IMSA Radio will air qualifying and the race at IMSA.com along with Sirius 217, XM 207 and SiriusXM Online 992.

ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “It’s been a long time since I’ve won at Long Beach. I feel like I’ve been through more ways of losing this race than winning it! There was a crash in the Hairpin that blocked the track one year, I had a shifting issue on the restart another and then last year with the wheel nut coming off in pitlane and going into another car… I’m ready for one normal year! But this is a fun event that is very unique. The fans are great and there are so many that come to watch us race. I hope we can give them a good show and finally another win for the 3 Corvette. We are due for it.”

JORDAN TAYLOR, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “It’s always nice to go back to Long Beach. It’s the first sprint race of the year. We’ve settled in with Daytona and Sebring with endurance races, and the end of those races gets pretty intense. But Long Beach, the whole event is intense, right from the start with practice. Last year we had a great car. We were on the pole and led for the whole first stint and then had a that crazy fluke incident on pitlane which kind of put us out of contention for the win. It would be nice to go back there and be as competitive as we were and execute as well as we did last year. Having a year under our belt with this car and this class, we learned a lot throughout last season that already has been beneficial this year.”

2023 WeatherTech SportsCar Championship – GTD PRO (After two of 11 events)Driver Standings1. Daniel Juncadella/Jules Gounon/Maro Engel – 7082. Ben Barnicoat/Jack Hawksworth – 6823. Klaus Bachler/Laurens Vanthoor/Patrick Pilet – 6594. Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor/Tommy Milner – 6435. Jordan Pepper/Romain Grosjean – 612
Team Standings1. No. 79 WeatherTech Racing – 7082. No. 14 Vasser Sullivan – 6823. No. 9 Pfaff Motorsports – 6594. No. 3 Corvette Racing – 6435. No. 63 Iron Lynx – 612 Manufacturer Standings1. Mercedes-AMG – 7082. Lexus – 6823. Porsche – 6594. Chevrolet – 6435. Lamborghini – 612
CORVETTE RACING AT LONG BEACH: By the Numbers• 1: As in one team, one manufacturer and one model of car for 16 years at Long Beach: Corvette Racing, Chevrolet and the Chevrolet Corvette.• 3: Generations of Corvette Racing entries at Long Beach since 2007 – Corvette C6.R (2007-13) and Corvette C7.R (2014-2019) and Corvette C8.R (2021-current). All three generations have won at least once at Long Beach.• 4: Number of Long Beach race victories for Corvette Racing’s duo of Antonio Garcia and Jordan Taylor.• 8: Number of drivers who have competed at Long Beach for Corvette Racing – Olivier Beretta, Antonio Garcia, Oliver Gavin, Jan Magnussen, Tommy Milner, Johnny O’Connell, Nick Tandy and Jordan Taylor. Each driver won at least once at Long Beach.• 8: Number of Long Beach victories in 15 appearances for Corvette Racing – more than any other IMSA entrant at the circuit.• 10: Number of Long Beach sports car victories for Chevrolet. Throw in 12 IndyCar wins, and Chevrolet has claimed 22 victories in the event’s two premier races.• 14: Manufacturer Championships for Chevrolet and Corvette Racing since 2001.• 19: Number of street circuit victories for Corvette Racing – more than any other IMSA entrant at the circuit.• 26: 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, Portland, Road America, Road Atlanta, Sebring, Sonoma, St. Petersburg, Texas, Trois Rivieres, Utah, VIR, Washington DC and Watkins Glen• 30: Number of wins in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship for Corvette Racing since the start of 2014.• 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.• 123: Victories worldwide for Corvette Racing – 113 in North America and eight at Le Mans.• 269: Event starts by Corvette Racing since 1999.• 4,081.61: Number of racing miles completed by Corvette Racing in its 15 previous trips to Long Beach. That represents 2,074 laps around the 1.968-mile street circuit.• 353,311.01: 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 Long Beach (wins in bold)2007No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Johnny O’Connell – 2nd in GT1 (Magnussen fastest race lap)No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin – 1st in GT1 (Gavin pole)
2008No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Johnny O’Connell/Jan Magnussen – 1st in GT1 (Magnussen pole)No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin – 1st in GT1 (Gavin fastest race lap)
2009No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Johnny O’Connell – 2nd in GT1No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin – 1st in GT1 (Beretta pole, fastest race lap)
2010No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Johnny O’Connell – 2nd in GT2No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Oliver Gavin/Jan Magnussen – 9th in GT2 (Gavin fastest race lap)
2011No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Tommy Milner – 5th in GTNo. 4 Corvette C6.R: Oliver Gavin/Jan Magnussen – 2nd in GT (Magnussen fastest race lap)
2012No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 4th in GTNo. 4 Corvette C6.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 1st in GT (Gavin fastest race lap)
2013No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 5th in GTNo. 4 Corvette C6.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 4th in GT (Gavin fastest race lap)
2014No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 1st in GTLM (Magnussen pole)No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 3rd in GTLM (Milner fastest race lap)
2015No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 3rd in GTLMNo. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 7th in GTLM
2016No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 9th in GTLMNo. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 2nd in GTLM
2017No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 5th in GTLM (Magnussen pole)No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 1st in GTLM
2018No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 4th in GTLMNo. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 1st in GTLM
2019No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 2nd in GTLMNo. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 3rd in GTLM 2021No. 3 Corvette C8.R: Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor – 2nd in GTLM (Taylor pole)No. 4 Corvette C8.R: Tommy Milner/Nick Tandy – 1st in GTLM (Tandy fastest race lap) 2022No. 3 Corvette C8.R: Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor – 3rd in GTD PRO (Taylor pole)

ARP Racing News

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Camrie Caruso Returns to Vegas Looking to Continue Hot Streak

CORVETTE RACING AT LONG BEACH: Expect the Unexpected

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