Richard Childress Racing at Kansas Speedway … In 94 NASCAR Cup Series starts at Kansas Speedway, Richard Childress Racing has one win with Kevin Harvick in 2013 along with five top-five and 26 top-10 finishes. The victory was Harvick’s first at Kansas and it came in dominating fashion with Harvick winning the pole and leading the most laps in the race. In 2021, Austin Dillon claimed a pair of 10th-place finishes at Kansas while Tyler Reddick scored a seventh-place finish in the spring event at the 1.5-mile speedway.  

Back in the Playoffs … Richard Childress Racing enters Kansas with three victories in NASCAR’s elite Cup Series during the 2022 season. The Welcome, N.C., based company has two entries in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs for the first time since 2017 (Austin Dillon and Ryan Newman). 

Xfinity Series Stats at Kansas … RCR has one NASCAR Xfinity Series victory at Kansas: Kevin Harvick in 2006. Harvick, who led twice for 18 laps, would go on to win the 2006 series title with RCR, the second of his career. The Welcome, N.C., based organization has three poles at Kansas by three different drivers: Austin Dillon (2013), Ty Dillon (2014) and Daniel Hemric (2018).

Introducing the Carolina Cowboys … Driven by the same passion for performance that guides his race team, Richard Childress’ latest endeavor brings Professional Bull Riding to the Carolinas. The Carolina Cowboys represent Winston-Salem, North Carolina, in the PBR Team Series, an elite new league featuring the world’s top bull riders in games that began in July 2022. The team is operated by Richard Childress Racing with 2018 Daytona 500 Champion Austin Dillon serving as General Manager.  

Don’t miss the Carolina Cowboys inaugural “Cowboy Days” Home Stand September 9-11 at Wake Forest’s Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum. Friends of RCR have the opportunity to save 15% on tickets by entering code RCR15. To purchase tickets, click here: https://www.ticketmaster.com/pbr-professional-bull-riders-tickets/artist/2859854?venueId=369555

Catch the Action … The NASCAR Xfinity Series Kansas Lottery 300 at Kansas Speedway will be televised live Saturday, September 10, beginning at 3:00 p.m. ET on USA Network. The race will be broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90. 

Follow Sunday’s Action at Kansas … The NASCAR Cup Series Kansas 400 at Kansas Speedway will be televised live on Sunday, September 11 beginning at 3:00 p.m. ET on USA Network. The race will be broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90. 

NASCAR CUP SERIES

KANSAS SPEEDWAY

HOLLYWOOD CASINO 400

TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT

SEPTEMBER 8, 2022

ROSS CHASTAIN, NO. 1 ADVENTHEALTH CAMARO ZL1, met with the media via teleconference in advance of the NASCAR Cup Series race weekend at Kansas Speedway. Press Conference Transcript:

TAKE US THROUGH YOUR THOUGHTS GOING INTO THE WEEKEND AT KANSAS SPEEDWAY AND THE SECOND RACE OF THE PLAYOFFS ROUND OF 16. 

“Yeah, Darlington (Raceway) was fine for our team.. it wasn’t a great finish, but we had speed. So as long as that keeps happening, we’ll be OK.”

YOU FINISHED TOP-10 AT KANSAS IN THE SPRING. WHAT IS IT GOING TO TAKE THIS TIME TO JUST GAIN A FEW SPOTS THERE AND FIND YOURSELF IN VICTORY LANE? 

“The sport is evolving this year; really I’d say across the board more than I’ve ever seen, for sure. The race cars are just evolving. We got them basically on pallets over the off season. We started assembling them; we started testing them and we started racing them in February. We’ve been on this continuous learning curve that this sport always goes through, but it’s just steeper. We just started with cars that we’ve never raced before; we’ve never wrecked before and we’ve never pushed them to the limits before. So the teams are constantly evolving and finding what geometry and setups work better and keep pushing the limits. 

I think Kansas (Speedway) is going to feel similar; the track has only aged a few months and it’s going to be warmer, but it’s not going to be too different from the spring. I think just like then, when we were contending within the top-five, I think we’ll have that same speed again.”

TALK ABOUT JUST RACING, IN GENERAL, AT KANSAS SPEEDWAY WITH THIS CAR. WHAT DO YOU NEED TO BE ABLE TO DO WELL? 

“With the progressive banking, we continue to move up. I don’t know exactly what the weather is going to be like Sunday. There are some chances of some stuff we don’t like to talk about and some cooler air. But definitely practice on Saturday will be just using that top lane. We’ve seen that for quite a few years now. These cars like momentum. They like more racetrack to turn on, so they want the widest corner possible. If the guy in front of you is similar in speed and he’s running your line up top, it’s not great. But the great thing about Kansas (Speedway) is that you can make the bottom work if you’re better. And if you’re not, I feel like I’ll be patient and I just have to wait for the next opportunity. You’re not stuck in line, but you don’t want to give the guy behind you momentum and clean air. So it’s a mix of offense and defense.”

WINNING IS OBVIOUSLY IMPORTANT IN THE PLAYOFFS.. IT’S YOU’RE GUARANTEED CHANCE INTO THE NEXT ROUND. TALK ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF POINTS, ESPECIALLY WHERE WE ARE NOW IN THIS ROUND WHEN WE HAVE TWO RACES LEFT.

“Winning solves everything. Running good will give you the most points. 

So yeah, there’s ultimately 16 cars – including me – that will be the test of if we score enough points or not. If you win, you’re automatically locked in. It all just pays to run well. The difference for us – from last year to this year – has been eye-opening in the amount of points we can earn. It’s amazing.”

DO YOU FEEL LIKE KANSAS SPEEDWAY IS A PLACE THAT YOU CAN CAPITALIZE THIS WEEKEND? 

“Yeah, for sure. It’s pretty wild that our wins have not come on 1.5-mile tracks because I feel like those have been our strongest races. I don’t know how we’ll qualify.. we’re working on that. But the main thing is that we’re fast throughout the race for 400 miles.”

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THE ANNOUCEMENT TODAY WITH NORTH WILKESBORO HOSTING THE ALL-STAR RACE NEXT YEAR?

“I love it. I never thought I would see the day. I’ve driven by the track, but I’ve never stopped and never seen it. I’ve watched a lot of old videos over the years of races there and I’ve done some iRacing on it. 

I do think there is a reason why they left it, right? There’s a reason they stopped racing there. But I don’t know, we’ll go back and experience it. It’s going to be cool. Hopefully we’re locked-in.”

HOW MUCH DO YOU KNOW ABOUT NORTH WILKESBORO OR HAVE YOU WATCHED OR LEARNED ABOUT IT? 

“I’d be making stuff up if I said I did. Like I said, I’ve iRaced and watched some old videos when I can’t sleep, but that’s about it.

HOW ARE YOU LOOKING AT WHAT CAME OUT OF DARLINGTON? WHAT DID YOU MAKE OF EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENED.. ALL THE PLAYOFF CONTENDERS THAT HAD ISSUES AND YOUR RACE?

“Yeah, it’s crazy. We prepare all year and then a lot of us did have issues. I expected it.. Obviously I don’t expect for the No. 1 car to have issues. But it was said in our pre-race meeting, teams are going to take themselves out… let’s just not do that. Not that the No. 99 or us had the race and the finish that we wanted, but we survived and we didn’t hurt ourselves, so far. Time will tell if the points lost ultimately account for anything. But the only reason that we’ll look back on Darlington (Raceway) and say it cost us anything is if we have more issues. As long as we just have clean races, we’ll be fine. We have plenty of speed.”

HOW DO YOU LOOK AT KANSAS, ITSELF, THEN?

“I can’t wait.. the hotter the better. I hope the wet stuff and cooler weather doesn’t come in until Monday and it stays nice and warm. Just being able to move around on the track. Even though everybody wants the top, if you’re car is better, you can move down the hill and pass. Restarts, you have a lot of options. We don’t have to spray anything on the track to make it good. We don’t have to do anything.. we can just go race and in today’s world, that’s nice to just be able to naturally race on a racetrack.”

IS THERE ANYTHING YOU CAN DO TO PREVENT THE DEAL WITH THE PIN HOLES AND THE DEBRIS THAT GOT CAUGHT UP IN THERE LAST WEEKEND?

“I don’t know.. that would be a question for somebody on the team way smarter than me. I don’t think so, but I don’t want to say for sure. I don’t think we could have done anything to prevent that.”

THE TIRES ARE A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT THAN BEFORE WITH THE NEW CONSTRUCTION THEY DEBUTED IN POCONO OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT. DO YOU HAVE ANY SENSE IF THAT WILL CHANGE THINGS VERY MUCH FOR THIS WEEKEND?

“Well, first of all, I’m thankful that they have. I’m glad that it’s been awhile since we’ve been blowing left-rear tires like we were at the beginning of the year, so that’s good. There are still things that I do, we do, to hopefully guard ourselves as much as we can against blowing left rear tires. I know there’s going to be less stagger. So like Michigan (International Speedway), the cars are going to be tighter if you just go back with the same setup. You would have less stagger in the tires than you would in the spring. So that will be something to work through and hopefully the GM/Chevrolet group have that balance figured out for us.”

DO YOU HAVE A TARGETED POINTS CUSHION THAT YOU’D LIKE TO HAVE GOING INTO BRISTOL? 

“I want to go get 60-points this weekend (laughs). There’s nothing comfortable about racing in the Cup Series and I like it that way.” 

YOU’RE EIGHTH IN THE PLAYOFF STANDINGS HEADING INTO KANSAS.. KIND OF MID-PACK. HOW DO YOU DEFINE WHERE YOU’RE AT? OBVIOUSLY, NOT ENOUGH AND YOU’D LIKE TO WIN TO ADVANCE ON. BUT HOW DO YOU LOOK AT WHERE YOU’RE AT?

“Even with the issues at Darlington (Raceway), we cleared two more points above the cutline. Yeah, a lot of guys passed us, but we actually distanced ourselves, only by two, but we’re up to 15-points ahead. If we do that again for a few more weeks and we add two points to the cutline, then we’re fine and we move on. 

Ultimately, that’s what I’m looking for, right? Yeah, I want to go win, but I really just want good races. I don’t want to be in the news for the obvious reasons earlier in the year. But right now, for points-wise, if I’m not in the news, then that means that I’m just solidly scoring points and we’ll move. That’s all that’s on my plan right now.”

WHEN YOU WERE ENTERING THE PLAYOFFS, YOU SAID IT WAS SORT OF SURREAL. WHAT DID YOU MAKE OF HOW IT FELT TO BE A PLAYOFF DRIVER AT DARLINGTON WITH EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENED? 

“The whole week was really normal. I was almost scared that it was so normal that it was going to end up not being. And to an extent, that did happen. On Sunday, I had butterflies. I had nerves. It was a late race and I didn’t really leave for the track until like 2 p.m. I hung around with the family and just killed time. I think that’s going to bring in some nerves a bit, but it was weighing on me that my actions tonight could forever dictate the outcome of what we’ve worked to accomplish. Fortunately, we survived.. we put a few points on them and lived to fight through Kansas.”

NOW THAT YOU’VE BEEN THROUGH PLAYOFF RACE ONE, HOW DO YOU ENTER KANSAS? MAYBE MORE AGGRESSIVE, MAYBE MORE RELAXED, NO BUTTERFLIES.. WILL IT BE DIFFERENT YOU THINK?

“I don’t know. For me, I think that’s what’s so cool about all of this.. is that I’m experiencing it. I expect to feel similar at Kansas. They give out just as many points at Kansas as they did at Darlington. Running right up against the fence for 400 miles is no easy feat. I’m not expecting Kansas to be easy. I’m not expecting it to be calm. We can have issues; we can make mistakes. What was so great about Darlington – like throughout the second half of the race – was how calm we all stayed. We talked through the problem; we got it fixed, we cleaned up the pins and we finished the race. We got three of our four laps back. Half of a Southern 500 to make up three laps on the field, that’s the beginnings of a storybook ending if we get one more caution.”

Sep 8, 2022 | Featured, Julie Nataas, Race Results

This past weekend’s Dodge Power Broker’s NHRA U.S. Nationals was one of the biggest weekends yet for the Randy Meyer Racing team as Julie Nataas pulled a double-up as she took the top prize in the JEGS AllStars and the regular event. Teammate Hunter Green inked a quarterfinal finish at the event as well in his newly branded Bond-Coat scheme.

“Coming in to the weekend I was confident in me and my team that we could do really good at both the Jegs Allstars and U.S. Nationals as the car has been running good lately,” said Julie. “I think we all went through a lot of different emotions as the weekend went by. There were highs, lows and back to highs.”

Before the JEGS AllStars kicked off, the competitors had two rounds of qualifying to set the order for the elimination ladder. Julie came into the JEGS AllStars as the No. 3 qualifier with a 5.306-second pass at 273.66 mph and the defending AllStars champion from 2021.

In first round of the AllStars, the Randy Meyer-tuned dragster took on James Stevens. Knowing all the racers in the competition would bring their best tune-ups to the stage, Julie clocked in with a career best 5.151, 283.19 to defeat Stevens’ 5.356, 266.74; this run would also count towards her qualifying effort and landed her in the No. 1 spot. 

Second round, Julie used a 5.185, 279.90 to defeat Casey Grisel’s 5.358, 270.70 and advance to the final round of the Jegs AllStars for the second year in a row.

For the final round of the AllStars, Julie staged up against multi-time Top Alcohol Dragster champion Joey Severance. Julie started the race off strong with a starting line advantage over Joey Severance but then the race got real exciting. Severance lost traction and Julie started to shake but with a quick pedal job a parachute escaped slowing her down. But she reached the finish line first for the win with a 5.586, 239.57. However, at the finish line, Julie’s dragster bowed and almost the entire body of her OTG dragster blew off.

The team is still unsure of what caused the body to bend and break at the finish line, but we are glad Julie got the car stopped safely. With her old 2021 body in tow overnight, it was time for eliminations for the 68th U.S. Nationals for Julie Nataas and Hunter Green. Julie Nataas was No. 1 qualifier with her 5.151, 283.19 and Hunter was qualified No. 6 with a stout 5.302, 269.35.

“It was both a disappointing and awesome moment when we blew the body off the car and won the Jegs Allstars all at once. I couldn’t believe what had just happened and my mind went straight to the U.S. Nationals race the next day: ‘Are we going to be able to race? Can we find a new body? Do we have a wing? Is anything else broke? Can someone drive up an old body from the shop?’ 

Thank you to Megan and her husband Adam for helping out and making sure my old body from last year was delivered on time for first round! Without their help I would be able to double up in Indy. 

I’m usually not sick to my stomach before a round on race day, but I was after the Jegs Allstars. I wanted to throw up before every single round on Sunday and Monday of the U.S. Nationals. Not because I was scared of being in the race car, but I was nervous to mess it up for my crew that worked so hard to get my car back together for race day. It’s also the U.S. Nationals; it’s huge” Julie claimed.

First round, Julie continued her domination from the day before with a win over Steve Collier as she clocked in at the top end with a 5.204, 279.44 to his troubled 15.929, 69.02. Hunter ran a career best 5.285, 270.75 to defeat Mick Steele’s 5.376, 267.06.

Second round, Julie crossed the finish line with the win with a 5.192, 280.14 to defeat Tom Fox Jr.’s perfect reaction time and 5.395, 266.79. Hunter Green bettered his career best 5.250, 270.48 against Shawn Cowie but red lit at the launch and gave the win to Cowie.

In the semifinals, Julie faced up against Joey Severance for the second time in the same weekend. She continued her domination with a solid 5.240, 278.75 to turn on the win light against Severance’s tire-shaking 16.780, 40.34. This win would advance her to her 13th career national event final round and her fourth of the season.

In the finals, Julie remained consistent with a 5.237, 277.15 to take out heavy hitter Mike Coughlin’s 5.342, 241.28; this win inked her second national event win of the season and her fourth of her career. This was the first time a No. 1 qualifier won the Top Alcohol Dragster category at the U.S. Nationals since Ashley Force-Hood in 2004.

“It was a huge reliefs and an unbelievable moment for me when I saw the win light in my lane in the final. It felt like I could breathe again. I’m proud of everything this team has accomplished this weekend. Thank you to OTG, Right Trailers, Lucas Oil and NGK for making weekends like this happened,” said Julie.

CHEVROLET RACING IN NTT INDYCAR SERIES

GRAND PRIX OF MONTEREY

WEATHERTECH RACEWAY LAGUNA SECA

MONTEREY, CALIFORNIA

TEAM CHEVY ADVANCE

SEPTEMBER 8, 2022

ONE TO GO – THREE TEAM CHEVY DRIVERS TO VIE FOR NTT INDYCAR SERIES CHAMPIONSHIP

Point leader Will Power and teammates Josef Newgarden and Scott McLaughlin are among five drivers mathematically eligible to win the Astor Cup

DETROIT (Sept. 8, 2022) – As the 2022 NTT INDYCAR Series (NICS) season roars to a close at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca (WTLS) on Sunday, three Team Chevy drivers are among the five that are mathematically eligible to win the INDYCAR Championship and take home the Astor Cup.

Will Power, No.12 Verizon 5G Team Penske Chevrolet, heads to the Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey season finale as the points leader with 523 points. Power led the standings twice earlier in the season and retook the top spot after Race 13 (Indianapolis road course-July 30). He has one win, four poles and 11 top-five finishes (the latter two are most in INDYCAR this year).

Teammate Josef Newgarden, No. 2 Hitachi Team Penske Chevrolet, is tied for second, 20 points down to Power, and holds the tiebreaker with five wins (most in INDYCAR this year). He also has one pole and seven top-five finishes.

Sitting fifth is Scott McLaughlin, No. 3 XPEL Team Penske Chevrolet, fresh off his convincing win at Portland and the announcement of a contract extension. He is 41 points behind Power and has recorded three wins, three poles and eight top-five finishes.

Scott Dixon (Honda) is tied with Newgarden, and Marcus Ericsson (Honda) is fourth in the standings.

A total of 54 points is available Sunday: 50 points for the race win, one point each for pole position and leading one lap, plus two points for leading the most laps in the 95-lap race around the 2.238-mile, 11-turn road course.

“To have five drivers vying for the championship, three of which are Chevy-powered, going into the final race of the INDYCAR season is remarkable,” said Rob Buckner, Chevrolet program manager for the NTT INDYCAR Series. “With 11 wins in 16 races, I am extremely proud of the effort put forth by our teams, the Chevrolet engineers and Ilmor, our engine partner. We had our challenges from time to time, but everyone pulled together and moved forward. And here we are … poised for a final run for the title times three.

“We feel well-prepared for Sunday’s race at Laguna Seca to support not only our title-contending teams, but all of our Bowtie teams as they engage in the final 95-lap battle of the season. Good luck to Will, Josef and Scott as they all drive to cap off their season off by winning the Astor Cup.”

TIDBITS:

·      Points leader Power has one previous podium at WTLS (second in 2019).

·      Newgarden was crowned the 2019 NTCS champion at WTLS without winning the race (eighth in 2019).

The Grand Prix of Monterey will commence with practice on Friday, Sept. 9, at 2:30 p.m. local (5:30 p.m. ET). On Saturday, practice will start at 10:15 a.m. local (1:15 p.m. ET); Firestone Fast Six qualifying will start at 2:05 p.m. local (5:05 p.m. ET). The morning warmup on Sunday is at 9 a.m. local (noon ET). All practice and qualifying will be live on Peacock, INDYCAR Radio and XM Channel 160. The 95-lap race will take the green flag at 12:30 p.m. local (3:30 p.m. ET) live on NBC.

BY THE NUMBERS: Chevrolet in INDYCAR

· 1: Chevrolet’s position in the INDYCAR Engine Manufacturer standings after 16 races

· 2: Consecutive front-row starts in the Indianapolis 500 for Rinus Veekay of Ed Carpenter Racing

· 4: Consecutive victories by Chevrolet to open the 2022 NTT INDYCAR SERIES. Team Penske’s Scott McLaughlin won the pole and race at St. Petersburg. Penske teammate Josef Newgarden won at Texas and Long Beach, and Pato O’Ward was victorious at Barber Motorsport Park for Arrow McLaren SP

· 5: Wins by Chevrolet-powered entries in CART/Champ Car World Series at Laguna Seca in the late 1980s-early 1990s. Four came via Team Penske including Paul Tracy’s victory in 1993

· 6: Different Chevrolet drivers to win races dating to the start of 2020. Scott McLaughlin was the most recent at St. Petersburg

· 6: Number of Manufacturer Championships in the NTT INDYCAR Series since 2012

· 6: Number of Team Chevy Driver/Entrant championships since 2012

· 14: Consecutive seasons with at least one win by Will Power, including past 11 with Chevrolet. He won at Belle Isle in 2022

· 26: Wins by Will Power since 2012. All have come with Chevrolet, giving him the most of any driver with same manufacturer

· 42: Pole starts by Will Power since 2012 in a Chevrolet-powered car, most of any driver

· 106: Chevrolet victories in NTT INDYCAR SERIES since 2012

· 116: Earned poles by Chevrolet since 2012

· 181: NTT INDYCAR SERIES races as V6 engine supplier since 2012 return to INDYCAR

TEAM CHEVY ADVANCE Hollywood Casino 400 Kansas Speedway Kansas City, Kansas September 11, 2022

NCS PLAYOFFS ROUND OF 16: RACE #2 AT KANSAS SPEEDWAY

One last trek to the Midwest lies ahead for all three NASCAR national touring series, with the 1.5-mile tri-oval of Kansas Speedway set to host a tripleheader race weekend. While it will be the first time that the NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) will take on the Kansas venue this season; it will be a return trip for the NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS), but this time with playoff implications on the line for both series. With the playoffs in full swing for NASCAR’s premier series, Sunday’s Hollywood Casino 400 will mark the second of three races in the NCS Playoffs Round of 16 and the next opportunity for playoff drivers to clinch their spot in the next round with a victory.  Kansas Speedway has held a spot on the NCS post-season schedule since the debut of the playoffs to the series in 2004. While the series saw the track during the Round of 8 in 2021; this season marks the first time that Kansas has hosted the second race of the playoffs. Last season’s Kansas playoff race – race two of the Round of 8 – Kyle Larson and the No. 5 Hendrickcars.com Camaro ZL1 posted a dominating performance to go two-for-two in wins during the round. Larson became the third driver to record the win in the NCS playoff race at Kansas Speedway and go on to win the championship title that season.  In 33 NCS races held at Kansas Speedway, Chevrolet has made the trip to victory lane 13 times to lead all manufacturers. Of those triumphs include the series’ inaugural race at the track in 2001, where Jeff Gordon powered the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet to victory lane. The NASCAR Hall of Famer went on to become a repeat winner the following season; and to-date, Gordon is one of only four drivers to record back-to-back wins at the track.  A look at where the Team Chevy NCS playoff drivers stand heading into race two of three in the Round of 16, including season numbers and career stats at Kansas Speedway:

William Byron, No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Camaro ZL1 – 2nd in Playoff Standings2022 Season To-Date: Victories: 2Top-Fives: 4; Top-10s: 6; Laps Led: 662; Average Finish: 17.7; Stage Wins: 4 At Kansas Speedway (9 starts):Top-Fives: 1; Top-10s: 5; Laps Led 117; Average Finish: 16.1 Of Note:– The 2022 season marks Byron’s fourth consecutive appearance in the NCS playoffs. – Bryon’s career-best finish in the NCS playoffs came in 2021, finishing the season 10th in the final standings.- Following a stage win and a top-10 finish at Darlington, Byron moved from 5th in the playoff standings to 2nd.. just six-points out of the lead. Tyler Reddick, No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Camaro ZL1 – 5th in Playoff Standings2022 Season To-Date: Victories: 2Top-Fives: 9; Top-10s: 12; Laps Led: 331; Average Finish: 16.1; Stage Wins: 2 At Kansas Speedway (6 starts): Top-10s: 2; Average Running Position: 14.262; Average Finish: 17.667 Of Note:  – The 2022 season marks Reddick’s second consecutive appearance in the NCS playoffs, with his first coming in 2021. – Reddick earned a playoff berth following his first career NCS win at Road America; going on to win his second of the season at the Indianapolis Road Course.- Following his ninth top-five of the season, Reddick jumped from eighth to fifth in the playoff standings.

Kyle Larson, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Camaro ZL1 – 7th in Playoff Standings2022 Season To-Date: Victories: 2 Pole Wins: 3; Top-Fives: 10 (tied for series-leading); Top-10s: 13; Laps Led: 307; Average Finish: 14.3; Stage Wins: 3 At Kansas Speedway (15 starts): Victories: 1; top-fives: 5; top-10s: 7; Average Finish: 14.6 Of Note:– In 2021, Larson scored his first career NCS Regular Season Championship, going on to win his first career NCS Driver Championship. – The 2022 season marks Larson’s sixth appearance in the NCS playoffs, with 2021 bringing Larson his first trip to the Championship 4. – During the playoff era (2004-present); Larson leads the series in ‘multiple playoff race wins in a single season’ with five in 2021 (Bristol, Charlotte ROVAL, Texas, Kansas, Phoenix).Ross Chastain, No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Camaro ZL1 – 8th in Playoff Standings2022 Season To-Date: Victories: 2Top-Fives: 10 (tied for series-leading); Top-10s: 14; Laps Led: 584;  Average Finish: 14.8; Stage Wins: 5 At Kansas Speedway (7 starts)Top-10s: 1; Average Finish: 22.429 Of Note:– The 2022 season marks Chastain’s first career appearance in the NCS playoffs. – Chastain secured a playoff berth with his first career NCS win at COTA in March; also marking Trackhouse Racing’s first win in the organization’s second season in the series.

Chase Elliott, No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Camaro ZL1 – 9th in Playoff Standings2022 NASCAR Cup Series Regular-Season Champion2022 Season To-Date: Victories: 4 (series-leading)Top-Fives: 10; Top-10s: 17; Laps Led: 719; Average Finish: 11.5 (all are series-leading)Stage Wins: 5 At Kansas Speedway (13 starts): Victories: 1; Top-Fives: 6; Top-10s: 8; Average Finish: 11.231 Of Note:– For the first time in his NCS career, Elliott was crowned the 2022 NCS Regular Season Champion. – The 2022 season marks Elliott’s seventh consecutive appearance in the NCS playoffs. – Elliott has advanced to the Championship 4 the past two seasons, winning his first career NCS Driver Championship in 2020. – Six of his 17 career NCS wins have come in the playoffs.Alex Bowman, No. 48 Ally Camaro ZL1 – 10th in Playoff Standings2022 Season To-Date: Victories: 1Top-Fives: 3 Top-10s: 11; Laps Led: 29 Average Finish: 15.5; Stage Wins: 1 At Kansas Speedway (14 starts):Top-Fives: 2; Top-10s: 6; Average Finish; 16.929 Of Note:– The 2022 season marks Bowman’s fifth consecutive appearance in the NCS playoffs. – Bowman has raced his way into the Round of 12 in each of his NCS playoff appearances; making it to the Round of Eight in the 2020 season to score a career-best sixth in the final standings.- With his 11th top-10 finish of the season, Bowman moved from below the cutline, up to the 10th position in the playoff standings.

Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Trackhouse Racing Camaro ZL1 – 12th in Playoff Standings2022 Season To-Date: Victories: 1Top-Fives: 6; Top-10s: 10; Laps Led: 238; Average Finish: 16.6; Stage Wins: 2 At Kansas Speedway (11 starts):Top-10s: 1; Average Finish: 22.273 Of Note:– The 2022 season marks Suarez’s first career appearance in the NCS playoffs. – Suarez earned his playoff berth following his first career NCS win at Sonoma Raceway. Austin Dillon, No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Camaro ZL1 – 14th in Playoff Standings2022 Season To-Date: Victories: 1Top-Fives: 4; Top-10s: 8; Laps Led: 18; Average Finish: 16.7 At Kansas Speedway (18 starts):Top-10s: 5; Average Finish: 16.333 Of Note:– The 2022 season marks Dillon’s fifth appearance in the NCS playoffs. – Dillon’s career-best finish in the NCS playoffs is 11th, accomplishing that feat in 2017 and 2020.

Chevrolet All-Time NASCAR Cup SeriesChampionships: Manufacturer Championships:1st Chevy Title: 1958Most Recent Title: 2021Highest Number of Consecutive Titles: 13 (2003-2015) Driver Championships:1st Chevy title: Buck Baker (1957)Most Recent: Kyle Larson (2021)Highest Number of Consecutive Titles: 7 (2005-2011)

ERIK JONES BECOMES NINTH VICTORIOUS TEAM CHEVY DRIVER OF 2022

Erik Jones and the No. 43 Petty GMS Camaro ZL1 stole the headlines of the NASCAR Cup Series playoff opener, taking the crown jewel win in Sunday’s Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway. The win – Jones’ first since taking the seat in the iconic No. 43 – is the first time that a non-playoff driver has won the opening race of the playoffs since NASCAR started the playoff format in 2004. The win was even more special for the Chevrolet team, Petty GMS, as it marks the first win for the organization since the team merged and entered NASCAR’s premier series at the beginning of the 2022 season.  The 26-year-old Michigan native is now the ninth Chevrolet driver – from the fourth different Chevrolet team – to score a NCS win this season, extending the Camaro ZL1’s win total to a manufacturer-leading 16 victories in 2022. Now with a double-digit lead in wins over its manufacturer competitors with only nine races remaining; Chevrolet has already clinched the most NCS wins recorded in a single season among all manufacturers.

THREE IN A ROW IN WEEKEND SWEEPS

For the past three consecutive race weekends, the NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR Xfinity Series has seen an all-Chevrolet victory lane in each race to sweep the race weekend. All three bowtie sweeps have been performed on drastically different racetrack configurations, including: road course (Kyle Larson’s NXS and NCS wins at Watkins Glen International); superspeedway (at Daytona: Austin Dillon – NCS; Jeremy Clements – NXS); and an intermediate oval (at Darlington: Erik Jones – NCS; Noah Gragson – NXS).  With the pair of trips to victory lane at Darlington; Chevrolet has now swept the wins when the NCS and NXS are in competition on the same weekend for the 10th time, the most of all manufacturers. Of that series-leading feat, two of those race weekends included a NCWTS win, making it a sweep across the board of all three NASCAR national series.

A RECORD WIN FOR JR MOTORSPORTS

In a three-way battle of the bowties in the closing laps of the NASCAR Xfinity Series race at the “Lady in Black”; Noah Gragson made a last-lap pass on both the race leader Sheldon Creed and second-place Kyle Larson to take the checkered flag for a career-best fourth time this season. Gragson’s victory was not only JR Motorsports’ fourth consecutive win at Darlington Raceway, but the organization’s 10th NXS win of 2022.. breaking the team’s record for the most wins recorded in a single season, all behind the wheel of a Chevrolet-powered machine. The victory – Chevrolet’s third consecutive NXS win – brought the manufacturer’s series-leading win count to 17 in 24 races this season.. 14 of which have been recorded in the past 16 races.  Saturday’s Kansas Lottery 300 marks the first of two remaining opportunities for Chevrolet drivers to secure their place in the 2022 NXS playoffs and their chance to take part in the championship title hunt. Five of the seven NXS drivers that have clinched their playoff berth by virtue of a win comes from the bowtie camp, including series points leader AJ Allmendinger, who’s also looking to go back-to-back in NXS regular-season championship titles.

NCWTS: ONE LAST CHANCE TO ADVANCE

The stakes are high for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series playoff drivers, as Friday night’s Kansas Lottery 200 is the Round of 10 elimination race, cutting the playoff field from 10 to eight drivers. Thanks to his win in the series’ playoff opener at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park; Chevrolet playoff contender Grant Enfinger and the No. 23 GMS Racing Silverado RST team has already secured their spot in the Round of Eight. Also representing the bowtie brand in the NCWTS playoff battle, Niece Motorsports’ Carson Hocevar is heading into the pressure-packed event below the cutline, but only three points out of the top-eight in the points standings.

BOWTIE BULLETS

·       Victories by active Chevrolet drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series at Kansas Speedway include:    Kyle Larson, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Camaro ZL1 (2021)    Chase Elliott, No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Camaro ZL1 (2018) ·       In addition to its 13 manufacturer-leading NASCAR Cup Series wins at Kansas Speedway, Chevrolet has also recorded 11 pole wins – the most of all manufacturers – as well as 65 top-fives and 141 top-10s. ·       Career Chevrolet drivers, Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon, are among five drivers tied for the most NASCAR Cup Series wins (3) at Kansas Speedway. Of those wins for Gordon includes the inaugural NCS race at the 1.5-mile Kansas venue (2001). ·       Erik Jones’ win at Darlington Raceway made him the ninth Chevrolet driver, from the fourth different Chevrolet team, to score a NASCAR Cup Series win in 2022. The victory also marked the first for Chevrolet team, Petty GMS, since the organization merged and entered NASCAR’s premier series at the beginning of the season. ·       With the pair of trips to victory lane at Darlington Raceway; Chevrolet has now swept the wins when the NCS and NXS are in competition on the same weekend for a manufacturer-leading 10th time, including the past three weekends.  ·       In 27 NASCAR Cup Series points-paying racing, Chevrolet continue to lead all manufacturers in NCS race wins (16), top-fives (65), top-10s (117), laps led (3,130) and stage wins (22). With a double-digit lead in wins over its manufacturer competitors with only nine races remaining; Chevrolet has already clinched the most NCS wins recorded in a single season among all manufacturers. ·       Seven Team Chevy drivers have combined 22 NASCAR Cup Series stage wins:        Tyler Reddick 2 – Fontana x2       Alex Bowman 1 – Las Vegas       Ross Chastain 4 – Las Vegas, Darlington, Charlotte, Pocono, Richmond       William Byron 4 – Phoenix, Atlanta, Talladega, Darlington       Daniel Suarez 2 – COTA, Charlotte       Chase Elliott 3 – Martinsville x2, Charlotte, Atlanta x2        Kyle Larson 3 – Bristol, Sonoma, Pocono ·       Reigning NASCAR Cup Series and NASAR Xfinity Series Manufacturer Champions, Chevrolet, continues to lead in the manufacturer points standings in both series. The bowtie brand leads the NCS manufacturer points standings by 87-points, with the manufacturer’s lead in the NXS standings expanding to 109-points.  ·       With its 40 NASCAR Cup Series Manufacturer Championships, 33 NASCAR Cup Series Driver Championships, and 830 all-time NASCAR Cup Series wins, Chevrolet continues to hold the title of winningest brand in NASCAR.

FOR THE FANS

·       Fans can visit the Team Chevy Racing Display in the Fan Midway at Kansas Speedway.  ·       Fans can check out an assortment of Chevrolet vehicles including: 2023 Bolt EUV 2LZ, 2022 Colorado ZR2, 2023 Corvette 3LT, 2023 Tahoe Z71, 2022 Silverado 1500 ZR2, 2022 Trailblazer ACTIV.·       At the Chevrolet Display, fans can also view Kyle Larson’s No. 5 Camaro ZL1 show car. Team Chevy Driver Appearances at the Display: Friday, September 9·       Grant Enfinger & Jack Wood: 4 p.m. ·       Derek Kraus & Colby Howard: 4:15 p.m. ·       Matt DiBenedetto & Tate Fogleman: 4:30 p.m.  Saturday, September 10 ·       Stefan Parsons: 10:45 a.m. ·       Rajah Caruth & Nick Sanchez: 11 ·       Josh Berry: 11:45 a.m. ·       Daniel Dye: 1:30 p.m.  Sunday, September 11·       Ross Chastain: 11:05 a.m. ·       Ty Dillon: 11:30 a.m.  Chevrolet Display Hours of Operation:  Friday, September 9: 1 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. Saturday, September 10: 8:30 a.m. – 3 p.m. Sunday, September 11: 9 a.m. – 2 p.m.  Tune In: USA Network will broadcast the NASCAR Cup Series Hollywood Casino 400 at 3 p.m. ET on Sunday, September 11. Live coverage can also be found on the NBCSports Gold App, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.  USA Network will broadcast the NASCAR Xfinity Series Sport Clips Kansas Lottery 300 at 3 p.m. ET on Saturday, September 10. Live coverage can also be found on the NBCSports Gold App, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90. FS1 will broadcast the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Kansas Lottery 200 at 7:30 p.m. ET on Friday, September 9. Live coverage can also be found on the NBCSports Gold App, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

QUOTABLE QUOTES

ROSS CHASTAIN, NO. 1 ADVENT HEALTH CAMARO ZL1What is the key to have a long, successful run in the playoffs?“I don’t really know what it takes to have a long, successful run in the playoffs because I’ve never been in this position before. I’m just taking it week by week, just like I would do in the regular season.” How does it feel to be in the playoffs for your first time?“As a fan, I remember watching some of these guys growing up. Now, to be in the playoffs with them is really cool.” Can you describe Kansas and what you think of it?“Kansas is in a group of tracks that you run pretty high on, up near the wall, and early in my career, that was not normal or comfortable for me. I’ve put a lot of effort in, just like a lot of guys have. I truly enjoy running at the top there now and up against the wall. I didn’t grow up racing at tracks on the high groove. I grew up racing around the bottom groove. I go to Kansas now and confidently run the wall. I’m super happy I get to run the Xfinity car at Kansas. It was on my priority list to run the Xfinity race to get more track time and more reps.” If you were to win the pole at Kansas, would you put an engine in the pedal car that they give away to pole winner?“I think the chances of me doing that could be pretty high. Growing up, a lot of things that I had would have a motor in it.” AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 GET BIOETHANOL CAMARO ZL1How is Kansas unique compared to some of the other 1.5-mile tracks?“Kansas Speedway has done a really good job with their banking. There’s a line right up by the fence that has a little extra grip. There’s an angle up there that I don’t think many tracks have figured out yet, but Kansas got it right. You can run from top to bottom there. The bottom groove is the preferred groove at the beginning, but it becomes too tight to try and run around there in turns one and two sometimes depending on what the balance of your race car is. I’ve enjoyed that track a lot ever since they repaved it. I wish every track could do as good as a job as Kansas has with repaves.” Can this team win the trophy from where it starts in the NASCAR Playoffs?“Why not? I’m confident at the tracks in the playoffs. RCR has shown speed at every type of track with Tyler Reddick winning the road courses, and the No. 3 team winning the speedway. At Martinsville Speedway, I finished third but was probably the second-best car there, and we probably should have won the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. I was really close there. I’m happy to be in this spot and I think we’re the underdog. Some people are already putting us out, which is just fine with me because it takes pressure off and we’ll go have fun and try to upset some of these guys. We’re taking it as survive and advance mode from here on out.” Is there any problem flipping the switch for the NASCAR Playoffs?“If anything, I’ve learned with 15 winners that you need to stay aggressive. I talked to the guys about it the other day. Some of the strategy calls we made over the last couple of weeks we probably wouldn’t have done it if we were racing for points. We maximize more points by being aggressive on strategy and putting ourselves in better position. So, I don’t think a whole lot is going to change. We’ll monitor where everybody is running during the race and go from there. I believe we should stay on the same strategy path that we’ve been on.” How does your previous NASCAR Playoffs experience help you?“Just knowing how every position matters. Looking back at a couple of times when you’re outside looking in and it came down to a point or two points, knowing that you have to get it at all cost.” KYLE LARSON, NO. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM CAMARO ZL1Larson on why Kansas Speedway fits his driving style: “I think Kansas (Speedway) fits my driving style because it’s an intermediate track with multiple grooves so you can move around to find grip. Usually the fastest lane is right up next to the wall – and at times that is where I am most comfortable.” CLIFF DANIELS, CREW CHIEF, NO. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM CAMARO ZL1Daniels on if the win last year and runner-up result this year provides confidence at Kansas: “I don’t have a good feel at all. The reasons that I say that is at the end of the race (in May) – yes, we ran second and we were up front – we didn’t run as well as we needed to and we’re on a different tire (compound) this weekend. No one has been on this tire for a Cup weekend. We have things from May that we need to work on and now we’re going to add a new tire, so that’s a very tough equation to understand exactly what we’re going to need.” CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CAMARO ZL1Elliott on racing at Kansas: “Kansas (Speedway) is a place that typically has some groove options. It seems like the cooler it is, the more groove options we have. When it’s hotter, the outside lane tends to become more dominant. To me, that place feels like a shorter mile-and-a-half for some reason – it just feels a little tighter than some of the other ones. Momentum is going to be tough to beat and the track is aging too. They have some pretty hot summers and some pretty harsh winters, so that place is getting some age to it now. Typically as those tracks age, momentum starts to be king over time and that outside lane tends to give you that. I think as time goes the top will continue to be more and more dominant unless you just have that perfect weather situation where it’s cool and the short way around has enough grip to not break momentum. It’s going to be a fight for track position and how well you can get around the top.” ALAN GUSTAFSON, CREW CHIEF, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CAMARO ZL1Gustafson on the team’s mindset heading into the final two races of the Round of 16: “One of the great things about our team is when we have a bad race, we learn from it and move on. We don’t dwell on it. Chase is so good at being able to do that, putting the previous race in the rearview and focusing on the week ahead. That’s what you have to do – take things week by week. I think that’s key to being able to survive in these playoffs.” WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 LIBERTY UNIVERSITY CAMARO ZL1Byron on what he expects during Sunday’s race at Kansas: “Honestly, Kansas (Speedway) might be the one track in the playoffs that I’m the most worried about. I feel like we know what to expect at a place like Talladega (Superspeedway) or the (Charlotte Motor Speedway) ROVAL and other tracks we have already raced at this year so we have notes. We raced at Kansas in May and had speed, led laps early and then had a flat tire that damaged the underneath of the car. We kept going but the car never handled the same. That means we don’t have our own notes on how we expect the Next Gen car to handle throughout the run, etc. The good thing is we can lean on our teammates some and use our past mile-and-a-half notes as well. The good news is I like racing at Kansas, and it’s a place that both Rudy (Fugle) and I seem to have taken to really well. Hopefully, we can do what we did at Darlington (Raceway) last week, put together a solid points day and be there at the end to possibly lock ourselves into the next round.” RUDY FUGLE, CREW CHIEF, NO. 24 LIBERTY UNIVERSITY CAMARO ZL1Fugle on wanting to improve their mile-and-a-half track package: “We’re excited for the chance to continue to get better at mile-and-a -half tracks early on in the playoffs. We have Texas (Motor Speedway), Las Vegas (Motor Speedway) and Homestead (Miami Speedway) coming up even though Homestead is kind of its own animal. Having a solid race, stay in it all day long and try to get another building block to be competing for a win this weekend. And if we’re not, then to get to a point that we’re competing for the win at Texas. William (Byron) is great at Kansas (Speedway). We ran well there at the first race, led laps and had a flat left-rear tire land damaged the car. We should have won that race last year but we had a loose wheel late in the race. We came back to finish six after leading a bunch of laps. I love Kansas and I’m excited to get back there.” Fugle on why he thinks Byron is good at tracks like Kansas: “Any time you have a lot of throttle time, William is really good at those tracks. Places like Texas (Motor Speedway), Michigan (International Speedway), Kansas (Speedway), places like that. He’s really good at keeping momentum up, using the throttle and running high speed. I think he’s a very underrated guy who runs against the wall. People don’t really think about him with that, but I think he does an amazing job at it. That’s what we’ll be doing for a lot of the run in Kansas. He’s also good at just driving underneath the tire. Kansas is a track that still has a lot of grip, but in the right condition if you overheat the tires, you go from a lot of grip to not a lot of grip really quick. That’s why you see the races spread out there in my opinion.” TY DILLON, NO. 42 SUNSEEKERRESORTS.COM CAMARO ZL1Heading to Kansas Speedway this weekend, what is it about this track that excites you as a driver?“I’m excited to be returning to Kansas this week, this track is a fun place with a lot of different grooves, which allows the drivers to have a lot of options getting going on restarts and on long runs. We’re looking to have a strong finish there with our No. 42 Sunseeker Resorts Chevrolet.” ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 48 ALLY CAMARO ZL1Bowman on heading to Kansas: “I really like that track. Kansas (Speedway) is one of the tracks that has widened out and has multiple lanes and ways to get around it. I feel like I have always gone there and been competitive and this weekend doesn’t feel any different from any other weekend I have headed there. I know our team will build a fast No 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 like they do every week and we will go there and race just as hard as we always do. Hopefully, it is enough to grab a win.” GREG IVES, CREW CHIEF, NO. 48 ALLY CAMARO ZL1Ives on where they stand in the playoffs after Darlington Raceway: “I think we made a lot of progress with our 10th-place result at Darlington Raceway last Sunday. Moving from 15th to 10th is a nice jump, but the points are still so close, so we need to go to Kansas Speedway this Sunday and have another solid day. Alex (Bowman) really likes Kansas and coming off a top-10 finish, I think our team has a lot of wind in our sails right now. He (Bowman) has said it before, we always feel like underdogs, so there is a little bit of a fire lit under the No. 48 team right now and I think that’s exactly what this team needs as we navigate the playoffs.” DANIEL SUAREZ, NO. 99 COMMSCOPE CAMARO ZL1What are your thoughts going into Kansas?“We are ready. We had a really fast car at Darlington Sunday. I made a mistake (speeding on pit road) and you can’t have that. We have some things to clean up, but if we are as fast at every playoff race as we were in Darlington then we are going to be fine.” How does it feel to be part of the playoffs?“It feels nice, but honestly it feels normal. I believe that I belong here. When you have a team like the one I have, I feel like it’s more like a must to be in this position. I think we’re in a great position. I have an amazing team behind me. Trackhouse Racing has done a tremendous job this year. We have to continue to evolve. It’s the most important part of the season, of course. We have to continue to do the same thing that we’ve been doing and continue to get better.” Can anyone win the championship in 2022?“Yeah, I think so. If it was last year, I would tell you ‘this guy is going to win it or this guy is going to win it’ because the gaps were so big. With this car, if you’re telling me who is going to win any race and you get it right, I’ll give you a thousand dollars (laughs). I don’t think you’re going to get it right. There is not one guy.. anyone can be good. I love that about this car. It’s unpredictable. Everyone has an opportunity.” GRANT ENFINGER, NO. 23 ALLEGIANT SILVERADO RST“It will be nice to be able to return to Kansas for a second time this season with our No. 23 team. I feel like we learned some stuff that helped us gain speed towards the end of the race in the spring, and also as a whole, we have really improved on our intermediate program, so I feel like we are bringing a better truck this time around. I want to say thank you to Allegiant for coming onboard this week, and I’m hoping that we give everyone a good run to be proud of on Friday night.” JACK WOOD, NO. 24 SEVWINS SILVERADO RST“Kansas is the only track on our schedule that we’re going to visit twice this year, so I think there’s definitely some expectations set by both of us driver, crew members, and everyone in the organization to head back to the track stronger than how we unloaded earlier in the year. I definitely have high hopes for this race, and we have implemented some different parts on our setup that we are excited to try out, so hopefully we will have a better showing this time around. I’m looking forward to having Sevwins back on my Chevy, it’s always great to bring some cool partners like them back to the racetrack. More importantly, I’m looking forward to getting back in our truck. I’ve been very blessed to have this opportunity to be a part of this team, and we have five more races this year to make the most of it. All of our guys on the No. 24 team have our heads down and will continue to be fighting hard in these races!”

Chevrolet NASCAR Cup Series Statistics Manufacturers Championships:Total (1949-2021): 40First 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 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)                2022 STATISTICS:                                                                                                    Wins: 16Poles: 7Laps Led: 3,130Top-five finishes: 65Top-10 finishes: 117Stage wins: 22Tyler Reddick (Fontanax2)Alex Bowman (Las Vegas)Ross Chastain (Las Vegas), (Darlington), (Charlotte), (Pocono), (Richmond)William Byron (Phoenix), (Atlanta), (Talladega), (Darlington)Daniel Suarez (COTA), (Charlotte)Chase Elliott (Martinsvillex2), (Charlotte), (Atlantax2)Kyle Larson (Bristol Dirt), (Sonoma), (Pocono) CHEVROLET IN NASCAR CUMULATIVE STATISTICS:Total Chevrolet race wins: 830 (1949 to date)Poles won to date: 730Laps led to date: 244,466Top-five finishes to date: 4,203Top-10 finishes to date: 8,672                                                                                                          Total NASCAR Cup Wins by Corporation, 1949 to Date:                    General Motors: 1,164           Chevrolet: 830           Pontiac: 154           Oldsmobile: 115           Buick: 65            Ford: 817                                                                    Ford: 717           Mercury: 96           Lincoln: 4            Fiat Chrysler Automobiles: 467           Dodge: 217           Plymouth: 191           Chrysler: 59            Toyota: 167

-Stampede of Speed weekend opens with throwback race and music-

ENNIS, TX (September 8, 2022) — The opening weekend of the 2nd annual Stampede of Speed will rev up with the series-ending Funny Car Chaos Finals followed by a high energy After Party in the Pits featuring country stars Niko Moon and Kolby Cooper on Saturday, October 8. Featuring ten days of racing events, concerts and special events the Stampede of Speed has quickly established itself as the must-attend for motorsports and music fans across the country. The Saturday program will feature some of the best Nostalgia Funny Car racing in the country followed by two rising stars in the country music scene.

“Hosting the Funny Car Chaos Finals is a great way to start the Stampede of Speed. We always say Texas Motorplex is where speed was born and these Funny Cars are a throwback to the history of drag racing,” said Christie Meyer Johnson. “The variety of race cars that will be on the track will be highly entertaining. Just walking the pits and seeing these cool looking Funny Cars is amazing. They are fast, wild and unpredictable so they put on a great show.” 

Known as an adventurous artist, writer and musician Niko Moon wins over fans with an enduring optimism and a flair for challenging boundaries. His newest songs “Good Time” and “Drunk Over You” are quickly becoming favorites and will be featured on his fourth album set for release later this year. Kolby Cooper, a prolific songwriter has an uncanny ability to turn his and his friends’ life stories into relatable songs his rabidly zealous fanbase can’t get enough of, and his upcoming EP is no different, stacking the release with high-energy rockers, scorching break-up anthems and reflective love songs. Cooper has amassed over 113.5 million on demand streams to date.

“Wrapping up the race with a concert with Niko and Kolby will give the race fans a great treat,” said Johnson. “We are hoping some Niko and Kolby fans will come out early and check out the racing. We have put the schedule together to make it a seamless transition from racing to music so it will be a great event.”

Pre-race ceremonies will begin on Saturday at 1 p.m. and will lead into the first round of eliminations for the Funny Car Chaos Finals. The semifinals of Funny Car Chaos are scheduled for approximately 3 p.m. with additional classes of Outlaw Fuel Altered, Old School Back Half and Gassers running eliminations throughout the day. The final rounds for all classes including Funny Car Chaos will begin at 5:45 p.m. followed by the Jet Funny Car Finale and Winner’s Circle. The After Party in the Pits concerts are scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. with a spectacular fireworks show to close out the evening.

Tickets for Funny Car Chaos and the After Party in the Pits can be purchased here and more information about all the events surrounding the Stampede of Speed can be found at www.stampedeofspeed.com.

 

September 8, 2022

Harrison Burton and the No. 21 Menards/Masterforce team are headed to Kansas Speedway hoping to build on a steady performance when the Cup Series visited the Kansas track back in May. In that race, Burton qualified 26^th but moved into the top 15 midway through the second Stage and ran there for much of the remainder of the race before dropping to 21^st at the checkered flag.

Crew chief Brian Wilson said that gives him a dose of optimism headed into this weekend’s 22^nd running of the Hollywood Casino 400 on the 1.5-mile track.
 
“Any return trip to a track is welcomed when you’re a team that’s building a notebook,” Wilson said. “Kansas is especially welcomed by everyone on the Menard’s Ford since we raced in the top 15 for most of the first race there.
 
“During that race weekend there were multiple tire failures for other teams. This weekend Goodyear has brought a new tire combination. With the added durability there’s also a stagger change. 
 
“This change is the biggest source of conversation and concern as we study the notes from the first race.”
  
Wilson said he believes the Menards/Masterforce team can adapt to the changes.
 
“I’m confident that through our simulation work, previous notes on stagger changes as well as the simulator time provided by Ford that we’ll unload with all the necessary adjustments,” he said, adding that the team also will be focusing on Saturday’s qualifying session. “We know that a great starting position also comes with a great pit stall.
 
“All of that would give our pit crew a huge advantage. Our guys have been doing a tremendous job lately, and we want to help them capitalize on that.”
 
Practice for the Hollywood Casino 400 is set for Saturday at 11:05 a.m. (12:05 p.m. Eastern Time) to be immediately followed by qualifying.
 
Sunday’s 400-mile, 267-lap race is scheduled to start just after 2 p.m. (3 p.m. Eastern) with TV coverage on USA Network. Stage breaks are planned for Laps 80 and 165. 
 

Elite Pro Stock Teams Prepare For The Countdown To The Championship

Elite Motorsports Event Preview

NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series EARLVILLE, Iowa (September 8, 2022) – It’s going to be a big weekend for the Patterson-Elite team as they travel to Earlville, Iowa for the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series Division 5 points meet at Tri State Raceway. This is the final meet of the season for Division 5 and the competition will be fierce.  In Super Stock, Todd Patterson is ready to race to the winners circle with his 2019 COPO Camaro FSS/D. His sons A.J. (2001 S10 Pickup GT/TD) and Aydan (2014 COPO FSS/F) will be competing against him in the very competitive category. All three of these skilled drivers are in the top ten in the Division 5 points standings right now and they hope to solidify their positions as the season comes to an end. In Stock, Ryan Montford is looking to go rounds in his 2013 COPO Camaro FS/C this weekend and will face a host of talented drag racers vying for the last divisional victory of the season.  Due to an unfavorable weather forecast, NHRA officials have revised the competition schedule and will conduct all qualifying sessions on Friday, September 9 followed by eliminations on Saturday, September 10.

DID YOU KNOW?While COPO Camaro is the name given to the special line of Chevrolet Camaros built specifically for racing, COPO actually stands for Central Office Production Order and it was originally Chevrolet’s special-order system used by dealers to build high-performance models in the 1960s.

NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series The famed Countdown To The Championship in the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series will kick off next week at the Pep Boys NHRA Nationals in Reading, Penn. Pro Stock, however, will not begin competition for the Countdown until the Betway NHRA Carolina Nationals, September 23-25 at zMAX Dragway in Charlotte, N.C. All Elite Motorsports Pro Stock drivers are entered into the Countdown with more than half of the team in the top ten. All points reset for the Countdown To The Championship so it’s really anyone’s game. Four-time Pro Stock world champion Erica Enders has been leading the points most of the season and she’s eager to continue that momentum into the Countdown. Her teammate Aaron Stanfield is right behind her, sitting second in the points. Having won 10 out of the 13 regular season Pro Stock events, Elite Motorsports has been performing well all season and each of its drivers have a true shot at the title as they enter playoff competition. ***

Photos

Aydan Patterson launches with a fantastic wheelstand. Photo credit: Auto ImageryTodd Patterson races to to the finish line in Brainerd, Minn. Photo credit: Auto Imagery

A.J. Patterson at the ready line. Photo credit: Alex OwensRyan Montford powers to the finish line in Topeka. Photo credit: Alex Owens

The Evans, GA driver joins Scott Bloomquist as the only other driver to win the event more than twice

ROSSBURG, OH – September 7, 2022 –Brandon Overton thought he was destined to finish second Wednesday night during the 28th Dirt Late Model Dream at Eldora Speedway after waiting more than two months to finish the postponed race.

As Lap 90 clicked off the scoreboard in “The Dream,” he was running out of time to catch Chris Madden. However, his fortune changed when a caution brought the field together on Lap 91.

The Evans, GA driver, seized his opportunity on the restart, charging past Madden and holding on to earn his third consecutive Dirt Late Model Dream—this one worth $128,000.

Overton stated that without the yellow, Madden would’ve won the race. However, he used a lesson from his past at Eldora to gain the upper hand on the restart.

“I shouldn’t have won that race,” Overton said. “I probably had a second-place car, but I got a couple of guardian angels riding on this thing with me.

“All I was thinking is, I forgot which one it was when I was leading, and I chose the bottom, and he blew around my ass on the top. So, when he chose the bottom, I was kind of grinning, and I didn’t want to jinx it, and I drove it down in there and knew I had him clear, so I just let ‘er rip.”

“Big Sexy” is now the second driver to win “The Dream” more than twice, joining eight-time winner Scott Bloomquist on that list.

He remained just as satisfied with his third “Dream” win as he was with his first once he learned of the statistic in Victory Lane.

“Like I said the first time I won, if I don’t ever win another one, I did more than I’d thought I’d do,” Overton said. “It’s a good start to the week; let’s keep it rolling.”

The race resumed on Lap 15 Wednesday after being postponed due to rain, with 14 laps completed in June. Madden led all 14 laps at the beginning of the event and had to wait 88 days to see the green flag again at “The House that Earl Built.”

He settled for second, again falling short of his first Eldora crown jewel triumph.

The Gray Court, SC driver, who also finished second in the Eldora Million, said he knew his lead was in jeopardy when the caution for Bobby Pierce and Devin Moran came out with nine laps left.

“We were fine as long as we didn’t have a caution,” Madden said. “I knew if we had a caution, we were in trouble. We were down a cylinder. We had a plug wire fall off with probably 25 (laps) to go, and we were just on seven cylinders putt-putting around.

“I knew if we had a restart, we were a dead duck. It didn’t matter which line I chose; I just couldn’t take off. I hate it. The best car didn’t win tonight.”

Tim McCreadie, from Watertown, NY, finished third, his sixth top five in “The Dream.” He said his experience at Eldora paid off, despite struggling with his tires during the Feature.

“Since we went to the tire rule for this track, it’s slowed me down a little,” McCreadie said. “We squeezed a top five out of it based off of experience and knowing where to be on the track. I had a real bad chatter issue with the right front I never had with the 20s.

“We need to go back to work. What worked here for three, four, 10, 15 races where we were a threat just isn’t the same. Hats off to Brandon and Chris and everybody in the top five.”

Eldora Million winner Jonathan Davenport finished fourth after restarting 20th.

The Blairsville, GA driver charged into the top five and stated if he got around Brandon Sheppard sooner, it might have changed the race’s outcome.

“I really needed to get by Sheppard,” Davenport said. “I needed to restart fourth; I needed to be on that second row. But I was a tick-tight, and when I got to fourth, I just ran too hard.

“I thought I could just rail the top and get by [McCreadie], and then when he slid me back, he was just dirtying the air up just enough to where I couldn’t make the turn down in the corner like I needed to.”

Sheppard, the 2019 Dirt Late Model Dream winner, rounded out the top five. The New Berlin, IL driver charged from 14th but said his tires were too hot when he tried to pass McCreadie.

“My car was really good and really maneuverable all the way through halfway,” Sheppard said. “I truthfully think I stayed up top just about 10 laps too long, and I got my tires overheated and sealed up a little bit.

“Once I got to McCreadie, I got my tires hot, and I was trying to move around, and I couldn’t at that point.”

Before the conclusion of “The Dream,” drivers who hadn’t won a race at Eldora had their chance to reach the iconic Victory Lane stage for the first time.

Ryan Gustin, Mike Marlar, and Daulton Wilson each scored $5,000 “Chasing the Dream” victories, giving them momentum for the 52nd World 100.

UP NEXT: The DIRTcar Late Models return to Eldora Speedway on Thursday, Sept. 8, for night one of the 52nd World 100.

The Evans, GA driver joins Scott Bloomquist as the only other driver to win the event more than twice

ROSSBURG, OH – September 7, 2022 –Brandon Overton thought he was destined to finish second Wednesday night during the 28th Dirt Late Model Dream at Eldora Speedway after waiting more than two months to finish the postponed race.

As Lap 90 clicked off the scoreboard in “The Dream,” he was running out of time to catch Chris Madden. However, his fortune changed when a caution brought the field together on Lap 91.

The Evans, GA driver, seized his opportunity on the restart, charging past Madden and holding on to earn his third consecutive Dirt Late Model Dream—this one worth $128,000.

Overton stated that without the yellow, Madden would’ve won the race. However, he used a lesson from his past at Eldora to gain the upper hand on the restart.

“I shouldn’t have won that race,” Overton said. “I probably had a second-place car, but I got a couple of guardian angels riding on this thing with me.

“All I was thinking is, I forgot which one it was when I was leading, and I chose the bottom, and he blew around my ass on the top. So, when he chose the bottom, I was kind of grinning, and I didn’t want to jinx it, and I drove it down in there and knew I had him clear, so I just let ‘er rip.”

“Big Sexy” is now the second driver to win “The Dream” more than twice, joining eight-time winner Scott Bloomquist on that list.

He remained just as satisfied with his third “Dream” win as he was with his first once he learned of the statistic in Victory Lane.

“Like I said the first time I won, if I don’t ever win another one, I did more than I’d thought I’d do,” Overton said. “It’s a good start to the week; let’s keep it rolling.”

The race resumed on Lap 15 Wednesday after being postponed due to rain, with 14 laps completed in June. Madden led all 14 laps at the beginning of the event and had to wait 88 days to see the green flag again at “The House that Earl Built.”

He settled for second, again falling short of his first Eldora crown jewel triumph.

The Gray Court, SC driver, who also finished second in the Eldora Million, said he knew his lead was in jeopardy when the caution for Bobby Pierce and Devin Moran came out with nine laps left.

“We were fine as long as we didn’t have a caution,” Madden said. “I knew if we had a caution, we were in trouble. We were down a cylinder. We had a plug wire fall off with probably 25 (laps) to go, and we were just on seven cylinders putt-putting around.

“I knew if we had a restart, we were a dead duck. It didn’t matter which line I chose; I just couldn’t take off. I hate it. The best car didn’t win tonight.”

Tim McCreadie, from Watertown, NY, finished third, his sixth top five in “The Dream.” He said his experience at Eldora paid off, despite struggling with his tires during the Feature.

“Since we went to the tire rule for this track, it’s slowed me down a little,” McCreadie said. “We squeezed a top five out of it based off of experience and knowing where to be on the track. I had a real bad chatter issue with the right front I never had with the 20s.

“We need to go back to work. What worked here for three, four, 10, 15 races where we were a threat just isn’t the same. Hats off to Brandon and Chris and everybody in the top five.”

Eldora Million winner Jonathan Davenport finished fourth after restarting 20th.

The Blairsville, GA driver charged into the top five and stated if he got around Brandon Sheppard sooner, it might have changed the race’s outcome.

“I really needed to get by Sheppard,” Davenport said. “I needed to restart fourth; I needed to be on that second row. But I was a tick-tight, and when I got to fourth, I just ran too hard.

“I thought I could just rail the top and get by [McCreadie], and then when he slid me back, he was just dirtying the air up just enough to where I couldn’t make the turn down in the corner like I needed to.”

Sheppard, the 2019 Dirt Late Model Dream winner, rounded out the top five. The New Berlin, IL driver charged from 14th but said his tires were too hot when he tried to pass McCreadie.

“My car was really good and really maneuverable all the way through halfway,” Sheppard said. “I truthfully think I stayed up top just about 10 laps too long, and I got my tires overheated and sealed up a little bit.

“Once I got to McCreadie, I got my tires hot, and I was trying to move around, and I couldn’t at that point.”

Before the conclusion of “The Dream,” drivers who hadn’t won a race at Eldora had their chance to reach the iconic Victory Lane stage for the first time.

Ryan Gustin, Mike Marlar, and Daulton Wilson each scored $5,000 “Chasing the Dream” victories, giving them momentum for the 52nd World 100.

UP NEXT: The DIRTcar Late Models return to Eldora Speedway on Thursday, Sept. 8, for night one of the 52nd World 100.

TICKETS: https://bit.ly/3epLMIw

Follow live coverage and updates of everything at Eldora Speedway on all of DIRTcar’s social media channels and DIRTcar.com.

Dream Feature Continued (100 Laps): 1. 76-Brandon Overton[2]; 2. 44-Chris Madden[1]; 3. 39-Tim McCreadie[5]; 4. 49-Jonathan Davenport[20]; 5. 1S-Brandon Sheppard[14]; 6. 17M-Dale McDowell[12]; 7. 8-Kyle Strickler[6]; 8. 11-Josh Rice[11]; 9. 3S-Brian Shirley[15]; 10. 40-Kyle Bronson[9]; 11. 1-Tyler Erb[16]; 12. 20RT-Ricky Thornton Jr[18]; 13. 71-Hudson O’Neal[3]; 14. 9-Devin Moran[13]; 15. 32-Bobby Pierce[17]; 16. 93-Carson Ferguson[4]; 17. 17-Zack Dohm[7]; 18. 1ST-Johnny Scott[22]; 19. 22S-Gregg Satterlee[10]; 20. 18-Shannon Babb[19]; 21. 9Z-Mason Zeigler[23]; 22. 46-Earl Pearson Jr[24]; 23. 22-Chris Ferguson[8]; 24. 0-Scott Bloomquist[21]

Chasing the Dream Feature 1 (20 Laps): 1. 19R-Ryan Gustin[2]; 2. 58-Garrett Alberson[7]; 3. 2S-Stormy Scott[13]; 4. 11K-Austin Kirkpatrick[3]; 5. 22R-Will Roland[4]; 6. 23H-Cory Hedgecock[11]; 7. 995-Manny Falcon[1]; 8. 6-Victor Lee[10]; 9. 101T-Forrest Trent[15]; 10. 2X-John Henderson[8]; 11. 88-Trent Ivey[14]; 12. 86-Drew Smith[17]; 13. 29-Clint Keenan[12]; 14. 17C-Jeremy Creech[18]; 15. 39M-Brandon Moore[21]; 16. 54N-Chris Nash[19]; 17. 16-Steve Sabo[20]; 18. J8-Jadon Frame[9]; 19. 99-Camaron Marlar[5]; 20. 88R-Andrew Reaume[16]; 21. 2R-Tom Ramey[22]; 22. 1J-Jeremy Shaw[6]

Chasing the Dream Feature 2 (20 Laps): 1. 157-Mike Marlar[4]; 2. 18C-Chase Junghans[6]; 3. 10S-Garrett Smith[14]; 4. 10-Joseph Joiner[8]; 5. 25-Mike Benedum[1]; 6. 81JR-Jason Riggs[13]; 7. 6JR-Parker Martin[10]; 8. 4BG-Bob Gardner[11]; 9. 31K-Kye Blight[16]; 10. 51-Dean Carpenter[19]; 11. 83F-Jensen Ford[9]; 12. 17SS-Brenden Smith; 13. 4G-Kody Evans[3]; 14. 19M-Wil Herrington[5]; 15. 57-Zack Mitchell[7]; 16. 22F-Nicholas Fenner[22]; 17. C4-Freddie Carpenter[2]; 18. P0-Jeff Robertson[20]; 19. 5-Mark Whitener[12]; 20. P3-Josh Robertson[21]; 21. 71C-RJ Conley[15]; 22. 1C-Kenny Collins[17]; 23. M27-Mike Provenzano[18]

Chasing the Dream Feature 3 (20 Laps): 1. 18D-Daulton Wilson[2]; 2. 58W-Ashton Winger[4]; 3. 11G-Gordy Gundaker[12]; 4. 16T-Tyler Bruening[5]; 5. 111-Steven Roberts[8]; 6. 15-James Rice[6]; 7. 3-Jon Henry[10]; 8. 21K-Dakotah Knuckles[1]; 9. 28C-Tyler Carpenter[15]; 10. 130-Chase Osterhoff[16]; 11. 42-Carson Hocevar[19]; 12. 5N-Dustin Nobbe[3]; 13. 8A-Rob Anderzack[18]; 14. 145-Chase Frohnapfel[17]; 15. 3N-Austin Neely[11]; 16. 11J-Jon Kirby[20]; 17. 5*-Bryant Dickinson[21]; 18. 63R-Terry Rushlow[14]; 19. 22

Gold Cup Returns to Glory with Split Prelims, New Format, More Money, Added Fun CHICO, CA – September 7, 2022 – The 68th Gold Cup Race of Champions presented by Riebes Auto Parts has finally arrived.Silver Dollar Speedway in Chico, CA is set to host 60 World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series competitors this weekend as the most famous Sprint Car event on the West Coast returns for another year. Marking the first running for SLC Promotions, they’ve brought back the split-field preliminary shows, they’ve changed up the format, they’ve added more money to the purse, and they’ve brought back the pre/post-race fun.The four-day event officially begins on Wednesday with a Sprint Car Challenge Tour 360 race and Tim Dugger concert, then The Greatest Show on Dirt headlines the slate from Thursday-Saturday. After the split-field races on Thursday and Friday, they’ll all come back on Saturday to battle for the famed Gold Cup and a $25,000 payday.BUY TICKETS HERELet’s look at what to watch for this weekend on DIRTVision.com:SPLIT-FIELD: For the first time since 2009, the Gold Cup Race of Champions returns to split-field tradition with half the field racing in Thursday’s preliminary and the other half in Friday’s preliminary. It’s a unique claim that only the Knoxville Nationals and Gold Cup can make on the current World of Outlaws schedule. Like Knoxville, Thursday & Friday victories will not count as official Series wins, but Saturday’s $25,000-to-win finale will count in the record books.Thursday’s list includes the likes of Kyle Larson, Brad Sweet, Logan Schuchart, Sheldon Haudenschild, James McFadden, Corey Day, Ryan Timms, Justin Sanders, Mitchell Faccinto, Willie Croft, Tanner Carrick, Andy Forsberg, and more.Friday’s field features names such as Donny Schatz, David Gravel, Carson Macedo, Jacob Allen, Spencer Bayston, Dominic Scelzi, Tim Kaeding, Shane Golobic, Bud Kaeding, Kerry Madsen, Austin McCarl, DJ Netto, Colby Copeland, and more. TITLE DEFENSE: Last year, Logan Schuchart became the first Pennsylvania native to win the Gold Cup since “The Black Bandit” Stevie Smith did it in 1993. He’ll return to Silver Dollar Speedway this weekend trying to become the fifth driver in World of Outlaws history to win back-to-back Gold Cup titles – joining Kyle Larson (2011-12), Steve Kinser (2002-03), Jac Haudenschild (1998-99), and Andy Hillenburg (1994-95).A three-time World of Outlaws winner in 2022, Schuchart’s Shark Racing team has collected wins at Bristol (TN) Motor Speedway, Jackson (MN) Motorplex, and Skagit (WA) Speedway last week. If it can’t be the #1S, his #1A teammate could be a contender to follow him up as well. Jacob Allen is another three-time winner this year, enjoying a career-year and a career-best streak with nine consecutive top-10 finishes entering this week.KEEPING THE CUP: For a pair of California natives on the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series trail, the Gold Cup Race of Champions offers a chance to win the biggest race in their home state. Both Brad Sweet, of Grass Valley, CA, and Carson Macedo, of Lemoore, CA, are multi-time winners at Silver Dollar Speedway, yet neither have claimed the prestigious Gold Cup finale to this point. Sweet, who currently leads the standings in pursuit of a fourth straight World of Outlaws title, will have no thoughts of point-racing this week. The Kasey Kahne Racing, NAPA Auto Parts #49 has topped two Gold Cup prelims and finished on the podium of Saturday’s finale multiple times, but still chases that elusive title in the event he now promotes.Macedo, who leads the Series with an impressive 11 victories, returns to the site of his first-career World of Outlaws win this week. He’s conquered Silver Dollar in the Tarlton Racing #21, Kyle Larson Racing #2, and now hopes to add the Jason Johnson Racing #41 to that list this week.They’re trying to become the seventh Californian in the World of Outlaws era to win Gold Cup, a list headlined by Johnny Anderson (1980), Darrell Hanestad (1989), Jason Meyers (2010, 2013), Kyle Larson (2011-12), Jonathan Allard (2014), and Rico Abreu (2016, 2018).LOCAL LOVE: As usual, when the World of Outlaws roll into California the home-state heroes are ready to step up and showcase their talents to the world. That will be no different this weekend as the race they all grew up idolizing begins the return to glory. The names to watch are plentiful.The top-seven in NARC 410 points will all be in action including Dominic Scelzi, Willie Croft, Bud Kaeding, Mitchell Faccinto, Max Mittry, Shane Golobic, and Justin Sanders. There’s also Tanner Carrick, who led half of last year’s Feature before his tail tank come loose. Don’t forget about Core Day either, the 16-year-old sensation topped a NARC show at Silver Dollar earlier this year and already owns two World of Outlaws runner-up finishes.There are several others to look for including Tim Kaeding, Andy Forsberg, Kaleb Montgomery, Sean Becker, DJ Netto, Joel Myers Jr., Ryan Bernal, Chase Johnson, Blake Carrick, and more. MEN OF MANY HATS: The 2022 edition of Gold Cup is the first to be operated by new Silver Dollar Speedway promoters SLC Promotions – Brad Sweet, Kyle Larson, Colby Copeland. The three California friends, who grew up in the golden era of Gold Cup, are committed to bringing the West Coast staple back to national fame. They’ve split the field, they’ve added more money, they’ve brought back the party atmosphere, and so much more as they begin to fulfill that dream this week.Along with their managerial duties, each of the three promoters will be swapping out their radio for a helmet at some point this week. Larson and Sweet will compete in Thursday’s preliminary with Copeland running in Friday’s preliminary before the big dance on Saturday.THE FORMAT: With roughly 60 cars entered for this weekend’s Gold Cup, fans can expect 30-ish cars to qualify on both Thursday and Friday before Saturday’s finale. The prelim format includes Qualifying, four Heat Races, a Last Chance Showdown, and Feature. Racers will be battling for points every time they hit the track with each session progressively weighing more to incentivize the competition. It starts with Qualifying at 100 down by one-point, then Heats at 100 down by two-points, and then Features at 200 down by three-points.A Heat Race inversion will also be used with the top-24 overall qualifiers flip-flopped into Heats, placing QuickTime sixth and needing a top-five transfer to make his preliminary Feature. After prelims, the top-two point-getters from both Thursday and Friday will lock-in for Saturday’s $25,000-to-win finale. The next 40 in points will go to Heat Races on Saturday with winners earning a ticket to the DIRTVision Fast Pass Dash alongside the locked-in drivers.THIS WEEKEND AT A GLANCEWHEN AND WHERE Thursday-Saturday, September 8-10 at Silver Dollar Speedway in Chico, CAON THE INTERNET World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series Twitter – @WorldofOutlaws Instagram – @WoOSprint Facebook – Facebook.com/WorldofOutlawsSprintCarSeries YouTube – Youtube.com/WorldofOutlaws DIRTVision – DIRTVision.com – Platinum annual FAST PASS for $299 or monthly FAST PASS for $39/monthCURRENT CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS (59/75 Races): 1. 49-Brad Sweet (7,556 PTS); 2. 2-David Gravel (-72 PTS); 3. 41-Carson Macedo (-98 PTS); 4. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild (-206 PTS); 5. 15-Donny Schatz (-208 PTS); 6. 1S-Logan Schuchart (-310 PTS); 7. 83-James McFadden (-466 PTS); 8. 5-Spencer Bayston (-500 PTS); 9. 1A-Jacob Allen (-652 PTS); 10. 3Z-Brock Zearfoss (-820 PTS)NOS ENERGY DRINK FEATURE WINNERS (15 Drivers): 11 wins – Carson Macedo, Jason Johnson Racing #41 9 wins – Sheldon Haudenschild, Stenhouse Jr. / Marshall Racing #17 6 wins – David Gravel, Big Game Motorsports #2 5 wins – Brent Marks, Murray-Marks Motorsports #19 4 wins – Kyle Larson, Kevin Kozlowski/Paul Silva #57 4 wins – Brad Sweet, Kasey Kahne Racing #49 3 wins – Donny Schatz, Tony Stewart/Curb-Agajanian Racing #15 3 wins – Logan Schuchart, Shark Racing #1S 3 wins – Jacob Allen, Shark Racing #1A 2 wins – Spencer Bayston, CJB Motorsports #5 2 wins – Giovanni Scelzi, KCP Racing #18 1 win – Brock Zearfoss, Zearfoss Racing #3Z 1 win – Brian Brown, Brian Brown Racing #21 1 win – Buddy Kofoid, Crouch Motorsports #11 1 win – Lance Dewease, Don Kreitz Jr. Racing #69KFEATURE LAPS LED (30 Drivers): 272 laps – Brad Sweet 253 laps – Carson Macedo 189 laps – Sheldon Haudenschild 186 laps – David Gravel 119 laps – Kyle Larson 109 laps – Brent Marks 99 laps – Donny Schatz 94 laps – Jacob Allen 67 laps – Logan Schuchart 66 laps – Spencer Bayston 61 laps – Giovanni Scelzi 52 laps – Brian Brown 46 laps – Tyler Courtney 31 laps – Buddy Kofoid 30 laps – James McFadden 26 laps – Sam Hafertepe Jr. 23 laps – Kasey Kahne 22 laps – Brock Zearfoss 15 laps – Justin Peck 13 laps – Cory Eliason 12 laps – Rico Abreu 9 laps – Dominic Scelzi, Brady Bacon 8 laps – Anthony Macri, Riley Goodno 7 laps – Kerry Madsen 5 laps – Lance Dewease 1 lap – Corey Day, Aaron Reutzel, Austin McCarlQUICKTIME AWARDS (20 Drivers): 9 QuickTimes – Carson Macedo* 8 QuickTimes – Brad Sweet 6 QuickTimes – David Gravel 4 QuickTimes – Sheldon Haudenschild*, Jacob Allen 3 QuickTimes – Giovanni Scelzi* 2 QuickTimes – Donny Schatz, Logan Schuchart, Spencer Bayston, James McFadden, Rico Abreu, Justin Peck 1 QuickTime – Aaron Reutzel, Cory Eliason, Sam Hafertepe Jr, Buddy Kofoid, Brent Marks, Kerry Madsen, Daryn Pittman, Anthony Macri * Denotes New Track RecordHEAT RACE WINNERS (48 Drivers): 20 Heat Wins – David Gravel, Carson Macedo 17 Heat Wins – Jacob Allen 16 Heat Wins – Brad Sweet 15 Heat Wins – Logan Schuchart 12 Heat Wins – Sheldon Haudenschild, Donny Schatz, James McFadden 6 Heat Wins – Giovanni Scelzi 5 Heat Wins – Brock Zearfoss, Rico Abreu, Kerry Madsen, Brian Brown 4 Heat Wins – Spencer Bayston, Kraig Kinser, Aaron Reutzel 3 Heat Wins – Kasey Kahne, Tyler Courtney, Cory Eliason, Kyle Larson, Hunter Schuerenberg 2 Heat Wins – Austin McCarl, Justin Peck, Brent Marks, Marcus Dumesny, Matt Juhl 1 Heat Win – Sam Hafertepe Jr, Dominic Scelzi, Corey Day, Anthony Macri, Justin Whittall, Ian Madsen, Parker Price-Miller, Buddy Kofoid, Mark Dobmeier, Mitchel Moles, Brooke Tatnell, Riley Goodno, Jack Croaker, Paige Polyak, Carson McCarl, Sye Lynch, Daryn Pittman, Danny Dietrich, Devon Borden, Larry Wight, Noah Gass, Tim Kaeding DIRTVISION FAST PASS DASH APPEARANCES (55 Drivers): 33 Dashes – Brad Sweet, David Gravel 32 Dashes – Carson Macedo 24 Dashes – Sheldon Haudenschild, Logan Schuchart, Jacob Allen 22 Dashes – Donny Schatz, Spencer Bayston 20 Dashes – James McFadden 10 Dashes – Rico Abreu, Giovanni Scelzi 8 Dashes – Brock Zearfoss, Kraig Kinser 7 Dashes – Kyle Larson 6 Dashes – Cory Eliason, Kasey Kahne 5 Dashes – Aaron Reutzel, Brent Marks, Brian Brown, Kerry Madsen 4 Dashes – Tyler Courtney, Anthony Macri 3 Dashes – Robbie Price, Danny Dietrich, Justin Peck, Corey Day 2 Dashes – Dominic Scelzi, Hunter Schuerenberg 1 Dash – Sam Hafertepe Jr, Colby Copeland, Tanner Carrick, DJ Netto, Brady Bacon, Matt Campbell, Justin Whittall, Ian Madsen, Cole Duncan, Parker Price-Miller, Austin McCarl, Matt Juhl, Buddy Kofoid, Scotty Thiel, Robbie Price, Zeb Wise, Ayrton Gennetten, Daryn Pittman, Jeff Halligan, Lance Dewease, Devon Borden, Larry Wight, Danny Varin, Marcus Dumesny, Mark Dobmeier, Ryan Timms, Joel Myers Jr, Mitchell FaccintoMICROLITE LAST CHANCE SHOWDOWN WINS (34 Drivers): 4 LCS Wins – Sheldon Haudenschild, Logan Schuchart, James McFadden 3 LCS Wins – Ayrton Gennetten, Spencer Bayston 2 LCS Wins – Brock Zearfoss, Noah Gass, Kerry Madsen, Rico Abreu, Anthony Macri, Jesse Schlotfeldt 1 LCS Win – Donny Schatz, Kraig Kinser, Mitchell Faccinto, Sam Hafertepe Jr, Brent Marks, DJ Foos, Christopher Bell, Austin Pierce, Jake Blackhurst, Robbie Price, Giovanni Scelzi, Scotty Thiel, Josh Schneiderman, Brian Brown, Lachlan McHugh, Justin Whittall, Chase Dietz, Brandon Rahmer, Jordan Thomas, Joe B. Miller, Hunter Schuerenberg, Brendan Mullen, Tanner HolmesKSE HARD CHARGER AWARDS (28 Drivers): 10 Hard Chargers – Sheldon Haudenschild 6 Hard Chargers – Logan Schuchart 4 Hard Chargers – Noah Gass 3 Hard Chargers – David Gravel, Carson Macedo, Donny Schatz 2 Hard Chargers – James McFadden, Brock Zearfoss, Anthony Macri 1 Hard Charger – Spencer Bayston, Kraig Kinser, Jason Sides, Rico Abreu, Sam Hafertepe Jr, Tanner Thorson, Alan Krimes, Devon Borden, Greg Wilson, Travis Philo, Kyle Larson, Russell Borland, Aaron Reutzel, Scotty Thiel, Freddie Rahmer, Larry Wight, Tim Kaeding, Ryan Timms, Kevin Ingle, Tyler Thompson, Kerry MadsenPODIUM FINISHES (31 Drivers): 22 Podiums – Carson Macedo 21 Podiums – Brad Sweet 18 Podiums – David Gravel 14 Podiums – Sheldon Haudenschild 12 Podiums – Donny Schatz 11 Podiums – Logan Schuchart 9 Podiums – Kyle Larson 8 Podiums – James McFadden, Jacob Allen 7 Podiums – Brent Marks 5 Podiums – Spencer Bayston, Brian Brown 3 Podiums – Giovanni Scelzi, Rico Abreu 2 Podiums – Aaron Reutzel, Corey Day, Buddy Kofoid, Anthony Macri, Danny Dietrich 1 Podium – Brock Zearfoss, Kraig Kinser, Kasey Kahne, Cory Eliason, Sam Hafertepe Jr, Justin Peck, Parker Price-Miller, Riley Goodno, Tyler Courtney, Lance Dewease, Paulie Colagiovanni, Ryan TimmsTOP 10 FINISHES (59 Drivers): 49 Top 10s – David Gravel 48 Top 10s – Brad Sweet 45 Top 10s – Donny Schatz 44 Top 10s – Carson Macedo 42 Top 10s – Sheldon Haudenschild 37 Top 10s – Logan Schuchart 32 Top 10s – James McFadden 31 Top 10s – Spencer Bayston 29 Top 10s – Jacob Allen 23 Top 10s – Giovanni Scelzi 16 Top 10s – Brock Zearfoss, Rico Abreu 14 Top 10s – Kyle Larson 11 Top 10s – Brent Marks, Anthony Macri 8 Top 10s – Cory Eliason, Brian Brown 7 Top 10s – Aaron Reutzel, Tyler Courtney, Kerry Madsen 6 Top 10s – Justin Peck 5 Top 10s – Kasey Kahne, 4 Top 10s – Hunter Schuerenberg, Danny Dietrich, Corey Day 3 Top 10s – Kraig Kinser, Buddy Kofoid, Scotty Thiel, Lance Dewease, Dominic Scelzi, Trey Starks 2 Top 10s – Noah Gass, Robbie Price, Sam Hafertepe Jr, Larry Wight, Danny Varin, Ryan Timms 1 Top 10 – Shane Golobic, DJ Netto, Carson Short, Tanner Thorson, Greg Wilson, Cole Duncan, Cale Thomas, Cole Macedo, Mark Dobmeier, Parker Price-Miller, Riley Goodno, Ayrton Gennetten, Zeb Wise, Jeff Halligan, Devon Borden, Freddie Rahmer, Paulie Colagiovanni, Lachlan McHugh, Marcus Dumesny, Daryn Pittman, Joel Myers Jr, Mitchell Faccinto2022 WORLD OF OUTLAWS SPRINT CAR SCHEDULE & WINNERS: No. / Day, Date / Track / Location / Winner (Total Wins) 1. Thur, Feb. 10 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / Donny Schatz (1) 2. Fri, Feb. 11 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / Sheldon Haudenschild (1) 3. Sat, Feb. 12 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / David Gravel (1) 4. Fri, March 4 / Cotton Bowl Speedway / Paige, TX / Sheldon Haudenschild (2) 5. Sat, March 5 / Cotton Bowl Speedway / Paige, TX / Carson Macedo (1) 6. Fri, March 11 / Thunderbowl Raceway / Tulare, CA / Giovanni Scelzi (1) 7. Sat, March 12 / Thunderbowl Raceway / Tulare, CA / Kyle Larson (1) 8. Fri, March 18 / Merced Speedway / Merced, CA / Carson Macedo (2) 9. Fri, March 25 / Bakersfield Speedway / Bakersfield, CA / Giovanni Scelzi (2) 10. Sat, March 26 / Perris Auto Speedway / Perris, CA / David Gravel (2) 11. Tues, March 29 / Vado Speedway Park / Vado, NM / Brad Sweet (1) 12. Sat, April 2 / Devil’s Bowl Speedway / Mesquite, TX / Brent Marks (1) 13. Sat, April 9 / Lake Ozark Speedway / Eldon, MO / Jacob Allen (1) 14. Fri, April 15 / Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 / Pevely, MO / Carson Macedo (3) 15. Sat, April 23 / Tri-State Speedway / Haubstadt, IN / Carson Macedo (4) 16. Fri, April 29 / Bristol Motor Speedway / Bristol, TN / Logan Schuchart (1) 17. Sat, April 30 / Bristol Motor Speedway / Bristol, TN / Spencer Bayston (1) 18. Wed, May 11 / Lincoln Speedway / Abbottstown, PA / Jacob Allen (2) 19. Sat, May 14 / Williams Grove Speedway / Mechanicsburg, PA / Brent Marks (2) 20. Tues, May 17 / Bridgeport Motorsports Park / Swedesboro, NJ / Sheldon Haudenschild (3) 21. Fri, May 20 / Attica Raceway Park / Attica, OH / Kyle Larson (2) 22. Sat, May 28 / Atomic Speedway / Waverly, OH / Sheldon Haudenschild (4) 23. Mon, May 30 / Lawrenceburg Speedway / Lawrenceburg, IN / Sheldon Haudenschild (5) 24. Fri, June 3 / River Cities Speedway / Grand Forks, ND / Carson Macedo (5) 25. Fri, June 10 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA / Brent Marks (3) 26. Sat, June 11 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA / Brian Brown (1) 27. Fri, June 17 / Beaver Dam Raceway / Beaver Dam, WI / Sheldon Haudenschild (6) 28. Sat, June 18 / Beaver Dam Raceway / Beaver Dam, WI / Sheldon Haudenschild (7) 29. Wed, June 22 / Huset’s Speedway / Brandon, SD / Spencer Bayston (2) 30. Thur, June 23 / Huset’s Speedway / Brandon, SD / Buddy Kofoid (1) 31. Fri, June 24 / Huset’s Speedway / Brandon, SD / Carson Macedo (6) 32. Sat, June 25 / Huset’s Speedway / Brandon, SD / Sheldon Haudenschild (8) 33. Fri, July 1 / Cedar Lake Speedway / New Richmond, WI / Jacob Allen (3) 34. Sat, July 2 / Cedar Lake Speedway / New Richmond, WI / Brock Zearfoss (1) 35. Sat, July 9 / Wilmot Raceway / Wilmot, WI / Carson Macedo (7) 36. Tues, July 12 / Attica Raceway Park / Attica, OH / Kyle Larson (3) 37. Wed, July 13 / Eldora Speedway / Rossburg, OH / David Gravel (3) 38. Thur, July 14 / Eldora Speedway / Rossburg, OH / Brent Marks (4) 39. Sat, July 16 / Eldora Speedway / Rossburg, OH / David Gravel (4) 40. Sat, July 16 / Eldora Speedway / Rossburg, OH / Brent Marks (5) 41. Wed, July 20 / Port Royal Speedway / Port Royal, PA / Kyle Larson (4) 42. Fri, July 22 / Williams Grove Speedway / Mechanicsburg, PA / Lance Dewease (1) 43. Sat, July 23 / Williams Grove Speedway / Mechanicsburg, PA / Brad Sweet (2) 44. Sat, July 30 / Weedsport Speedway / Weedsport, NY / David Gravel (5) 45. Sun, July 31 / Weedsport Speedway / Weedsport, NY / Donny Schatz (2) 46. Fri, Aug. 5 / I-55 Raceway / Pevely, MO / Carson Macedo (8) 47. Sat, Aug. 6 / I-55 Raceway / Pevely, MO / Brad Sweet (3) 48. Wed, Aug. 10 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA / Logan Schuchart (NP) 49. Thur, Aug. 11 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA / Jacob Allen (NP) 50. Fri, Aug. 12 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA / Rico Abreu (NP) 51. Sat, Aug. 13 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA / Donny Schatz (3) 52. Sat, Aug. 20 / Jackson Motorplex / Jackson, MN / Logan Schuchart (2) 53. Sat. Aug. 20 / Jackson Motorplex / Jackson, MN / Carson Macedo (9) 54. Fri, Aug. 26 / River Cities Speedway / Grand Forks, ND / Brad Sweet (4) 55. Sat, Aug. 27 / Red River Valley Speedway / West Fargo, ND / Carson Macedo (10) 56. Thur, Sept. 1 / Skagit Speedway / Alger, WA / Logan Schuchart (3) 57. Fri, Sept. 2 / Skagit Speedway / Alger, WA / Sheldon Haudenschild (9) 58. Sat, Sept. 3 / Skagit Speedway / Alger, WA / David Gravel (6) 69. Mon, Sept. 5 / Grays Harbor Raceway / Elma, WA / Carson Macedo (11)

NASCAR CUP SERIES

KANSAS SPEEDWAY

HOLLYWOOD CASINO 400

TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT

SEPTEMBER 7, 2022

KYLE LARSON, NO. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM CAMARO ZL1, met with the media via teleconference in advance of the NASCAR Cup Series race weekend at Kansas Speedway. Press Conference Transcript: 

BACK IN MAY AT KANSAS (SPEEDWAY), YOU HIT THE WALL A LOT AND STILL FINISHED SECOND. DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOU CAN DO THE SAME; OR WITH YOUR PLAYOFF POSITION, DO YOU HAVE TO PLAY IT ANY MORE CONSERVATIVE?

“Well, I wasn’t trying to hit the wall back then (laughs), so yeah I would rather not hit the wall. 

I think in the playoffs, you have to be extra careful about everything, for sure in this first round. I think if you can get through each race somewhat safely, you should make it to the next round safely. I think being cautious and not super aggressive, unless you have to be, is the objective.

Like I said, I don’t ever plan on going to a track and running the wall and hitting the wall; but it happened more than a few times earlier this year. So just try and learn from the mistakes that I made to get me into the wall, and maybe the positions that I got put in that I overstepped the line and got into the wall. Just try to be more aware and not put our car in harm’s way.”

NASCAR SENT TO TEAMS SOME UPDATES TO TRY AND PREVENT FIRES AND PREVENT FIRES FROM SPREADING. HAS CLIFF (DANIELS, CREW CHIEF) SHARED THOSE AT ALL WITH YOU? WILL HE SHARE THOSE WITH YOU OR DO YOU NOT REALLY GET THAT DEEP INTO THE WEEDS?

“I flew out to California Monday morning. We had our debrief and stuff, talking about the race, but I haven’t talked to him (Cliff Daniels, crew chief) about the changes to the rule or just changes to the car. I don’t know what’s gone on. I’m sure he’ll fill me in later on this week. But I know even leading up to this, our team has been doing everything they can to be prepared if that situation does happen. Obviously nobody wants that to happen, so it’s good that NASCAR is being proactive in what they’re doing. Hopefully the problem gets resolved in the near future and teams don’t have to worry about freak fires and taking them out of the race, like what happened to (Kevin) Harvick and a few other guys this season.”

IN THE SPRING AT KANSAS, THERE WAS TALK ABOUT AERO AND WHAT YOU GUYS HAVE LEARNED. WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED, SO FAR, SINCE THEN AND HOW MUCH MORE DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOU UNDERSTAND ABOUT THE CAR AND HOW FAR YOU CAN TAKE IT AT KANSAS IN PARTICULAR? 

“I don’t know.. There were a couple of times when Kurt (Busch) and I were racing that where he positioned his car had an effect on me. I had kind of known that up to that point, but it was very apparent that what I was feeling was a thing. Every single driver in the field has learned a lot about aero and the differences around cars compared to last season or other seasons in the past. I think each week that you go on; you put yourself in better spots because of it and not put yourself in bad situations that you have in the past. 

Going back to Kansas (Speedway) this week, all that stuff will be on my mind like it is every week, and hopefully me being better prepared will keep me away from making any mistakes like I did last time.”

WHEN YOU HEAR WHAT KEVIN HARVICK SAYS AS HE’S TALKING TO THE MEDIA; DO YOU EVALUATE WHAT HE SAYS AND REACT TO IT? DO YOU GUYS TALK WHEN HE’S TALKING ABOUT SAFETY IN YOUR PRIVATE MEETINGS; OR DOES EACH INDIVIDUAL DRIVER HAVE THEIR OWN VERSION OF WHAT THEY FEEL AND YOU KIND OF WORK INDEPENDENTLY? 

“I think all of the drivers are on the same page, and it’s honestly a topic every single week in our drivers chat that we have. They are in communication with NASCAR a lot. I would say most months, I think they have conversations with them. It’s just probably tough to make moves, decisions and changes as quickly as us drivers – who are in the cars and the ones that are at risk of getting injured – it’s hard for them to make changes quickly. But I think it’s an ongoing topic and discussion, and I think NASCAR is always working on figuring out ways to make the cars safer. With the Next Gen cars, make parts and pieces last longer, where they don’t cost teams as much money and take you out of races with freak accidents. 

Like I said, it’s an ongoing discussion. It just doesn’t happen as quickly as we would all love it to.”

DARLINGTON WAS A PRETTY FREAKY KIND OF RACE, WITH AN UNUSUAL WINNER AND THE POINTS CHANGING A LOT. DO YOU EXPECT KANSAS TO BE SOMEWHAT SANER OR MAYBE MORE OF THE SAME?

“I don’t know.. I feel like every week has been pretty wild and unpredictable. Darlington (Raceway) was maybe a little bit more than normal compared to other races this year, but I feel like every race this year, the majority of the field has had some sort of issue go on throughout the race. As much as I want to say Kansas (Speedway) will be different, I just don’t know. It could be even crazier. But I hope that we can have a smooth week; get some points and try and put ourselves into a better position as we go to Bristol (Motor Speedway).”

AT KANSAS IN THE SPRING, THE TOYOTA’S WERE REALLY STRONG. WHAT DID YOU SEE OUT OF THEM AND HOW MUCH DO THEY STILL HAVE THAT ADVANTAGE ON THOSE TYPES OF TRACKS?

“From what I remember, I feel like Kansas (Speedway) was one of the first races where they really stood out as being extremely good. And I would say nothing has changed since then, if not gotten even more in their direction on the intermediate-style tracks. They’ve been super good the majority of the season on that style of track and I don’t foresee this weekend being any different. I think all of the Toyota’s will be the ones to beat and it will be up to other teams to just execute as good as they can and win that way.

This year – after all the mess that I put myself in to almost win – we’ll just need to keep fighting all race long and we’ll have a shot to beat them. I’m sure they’ll get the pole, I’m sure they’ll be in the hunt all race long. It’ll be tough, but they can be beat, for sure.”

WHAT’S THEIR ADVANTAGE? IS THAT JUST THROUGH THE CORNERS OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.. THEY’RE JUST GETTING THROUGH? AND IF SO, IS IT SOMETHING THAT CAN BE CARRIED ON SINCE THERE ARE SO MANY 1.5-MILE TRACKS IN THE PLAYOFFS?

“I don’t know.. I’m not really sure. I think just their overall speed and grip. And as much as I feel like I hear them complain about dirty air being effected by that, I feel like they are twice as good as any of the other manufacturers in traffic. They are just able to put their cars in different situations that I feel like I can’t do as well. I don’t know where the advantage comes from, but me racing with them, I feel like it’s more of an aero advantage.”

WHEN I WAS WATCHING YOU COMING BACK SUNDAY NIGHT, IT LOOKED VERY SIMILAR TO WHAT WE SAW THE NO. 48 DO TIME AND TIME AGAIN. THEY ALWAYS FOUGHT AGAINST ADVERSITY AND THE FACT THAT CLIFF (DANIELS) WAS AN UNDERSTUDY OF CHAD KNAUS; HOW MUCH DO YOU THINK HE PICKED UP THE ‘NEVER GIVE UP’ ATTITUDE AND MAKING THAT HIS OWN PHILOSPHY WITH YOUR TEAM? 

“Cliff (Daniels) has had a very competitive upbringing through his childhood; through racing and sports. And then yes, I think him being with Chad Knaus on the leadership side of it and the crew chief role, I think all of those together has molded him into a great crew chief. I love having him on top of our pit box, especially for situations like we’ve been put in like this past Sunday, as well as what feels like many other times this year and even some races last year with how he keeps everyone calm. He’s very direct with the questions that he asks, the answers that he gives and the picture that he paints. 

I think it’s just the way he’s wired. He’s very good at keeping everyone calm and leading the team; to follow his lead to be focused and not too down or depressed and let your mind wander.”

HE REALLY SEEMS TO HAVE A WAY TO GET YOU BACK UP AND IN THE GAME. AS LONG AS I’VE KNOWN YOU, YOU’VE NEVER FALLEN OUT OF THE SEAT, BUT HE GIVES YOU THAT EXTRA 10 PERCENT YOU NEED TO GO OUT THERE AND KEEP FIGHTING. IS THAT ACCURATE?

“Yeah, definitely. I know sometimes, like when things aren’t going well for me, I might sound negative and mopey on the radio. But inside the helmet, inside the car; I’m just as driven as he is to get ourselves out of that situation. I never give up with or without words of encouragement from him. I don’t know if it gives me any more desire or that 10 percent; it just kind of refocuses me a little bit quicker and allows me to focus on trying to get the best finish that I can.”

WHERE IS YOUR FRUSTRATION LEVEL NOW WITH ANOTHER ENGINE FAILURE? DO YOU GUYS KIND OF HAVE AN IDEA IF IT’S THE SAME THING THAT KEEPS POPPING UP?

“Had I actually blown up, I would have been really frustrated with back-to-back weeks, but that wasn’t the case. We don’t honestly know exactly what happened or what the cause of it was, but it sounds like William (Byron) had a very similar issue that we had during the race. I think he just didn’t react as quickly as maybe I did and it kind of cured itself as he was on the track. 

I don’t know.. I’ve never had that happen to me ever in my career of racing anything, and I’ve probably raced more than anybody has in the field. I don’t know, it was weird, but I hope something like that doesn’t pop up ever again because it could have ended up really badly for us.”

I ASSUME THIS ISN’T SOMETHING THAT NEEDS TO BE TALKED ABOUT WITHIN THE TEAM. EVERYBODY KNOWS THIS CAN’T KEEP HAPPENING, SO WHAT IS THE VIBE WITHIN THE TEAM AS YOU GUYS TRY TO GET THROUGH AND NOT HAVE THESE ISSUES?

“I think even when things are going great, you’re winning a lot of races and not blowing up engines; they’re always continuing to try and figure out how to make the engines faster and also even more reliable. That’s ongoing at the engine shop at HMS and they do an amazing job. They’re all working really hard and trying to figure out what’s been going on. I think it’s been different things each time for us. And each time out of it, they come up with something that better your odds of it not happening again.”

LAST TIME WE WERE AT KANSAS, YOU ENDED UP RACING KURT BUSCH FOR THE WIN. OBVIOUSLY IN MONTHS SINCE THEN, THINGS HAVE CHANGED WITH KURT. WITH THE MEMORY OF THAT IN MIND AND WITH WHAT’S GOING ON WITH KURT NOW, HOW MUCH DO YOU NOTICE KURT’S ABSENCE? 

“I haven’t seen Kurt (Busch) since before his accident at Pocono (Raceway). His accident, him himself and his wellbeing is on all of our minds every day. Any time I’m racing a stock car, he kind of pops into my mind with what could happen. I hope all the best for him and I hope that he can get healthy again soon and get back on the race track.  

But I hope all the best for him. He’s an extremely great competitor. I’ve been fortunate enough to be teammates with him for a couple of seasons, and he’s a great guy and a great person. Really more than anything, I think we all just want him feeling 100 percent, feeling better and be able to go about his day like normal.”

FROM A SAFETY STANDPOINT, ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THAT ANY DIFFERENT THAN WHAT YOUR THOUGHTS ARE SAY WHAT COULD HAPPEN WHEN YOU GET INTO A SPRINT CAR? 

“Even before this year, injuries and safety is always on your mind no matter what car I’m in. I know every time I strap into anything, the risk of getting injured is up there, just because it is a dangerous sport. But when you’re in the car, you can’t really think about that. You just have to focus on going fast. When those situations start where you’re getting ready to crash, you’re just kind of praying that nothing happens and you can walk out of it. 

And then yeah, I think with these cars now with the hits feeling way bigger than ever before; I think when crashes do start to happen, you’re just even more nervous of something happening to you. I think your concern is even higher for your competitors, as well. We all don’t want to see anybody get hurt out there. Now it seems like this year and these cars and the hits being bigger, I feel like – at least in my mind – when I see somebody crash, I’m more concerned about them than I was before. Before you didn’t really see guys getting injured or complaining about their heads hurting and stuff like that. Hopefully they can come up with a fix.”

The Series will make its debut at Jacksonville Speedway, Sept. 9, and Spoon River Speedway, Sept. 10.

JACKSONVILLE, IL – Sept. 6, 2022 – The Xtreme Outlaw Sprint Car Series presented by Low-E Insulation is back in action this weekend with back-to-back races in Illinois – Friday, Sept. 9, at Jacksonville Speedway and Saturday, Sept. 10, at Spoon River Speedway.

While the Series hasn’t seen action since the inaugural St. Louis Firecracker Faceoff at Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 in late June, it has seen a list of five different winners in the first six races and presents drivers with a chance at a sixth or seventh different winner this weekend.

Among those five victors is current points leader Shane Cockrum, who prepares for the first Series races in his home state, maintaining a 47-point lead over Alex Bright. Matt Westfall sits third, 69 points out of first place, while Mario Clouser (-107) and Jake Swanson (-116) complete the top-five at the halfway point in the chase for the inaugural season championship.

Both races will be run in conjunction with the POWRi WAR Sprint Car League, bringing racers and championship chasers from both Series to both venues for an all-out Non-Wing Sprint Car brawl in the Land of Lincoln.

Tickets for this weekend’s races will be available at the gate on race day. If you can’t be there in person, stream all the action live on DIRTVision.com or on the official DIRTVision app.

Here are the drivers to watch and the storylines to follow this weekend:

FIGHTING ILLINI – Current points leader Shane Cockrum, of Benton, IL, has been a wealth of consistency so far this season, posting top-10 finishes in all but one Series race – one of only two drivers with that accolade thus far.

Though he hasn’t seen Victory Lane on tour yet, he’ll have his best chance Friday at Jacksonville. Cockrum won a POWRi National Midget League race there in 2013 and charged from 15th-to-5th in a 2016 POWRi WAR Sprint Car League event.

His last two Xtreme Outlaw starts ended with finishes of fifth and sixth, boosting him into the Series points lead.

THE FUTURE IS BRIGHT – Alex Bright’s first Xtreme Outlaw victory of the season came at a perfect time. The Collegeville, PA-driver bagged a victory in the opening night of the STL Firecracker Faceoff at Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 in June, two Series races after suffering a DNF at Lake Ozark Speedway in April.

He and the Hummer Motorsports team now turn their attention to Illinois, where they aim for their first Non-Wing Sprint Car wins together at Jacksonville and Spoon River. They’re coming off a big weekend in Pennsylvania, scoring back-to-back Feature wins with the USAC East Coast Sprint Cars, and aim to keep that momentum rolling as they head for the Midwest.

SUPER MARIO – Currently sitting fourth in Series points, Mario Clouser is one of three drivers in the top-five without a win thus far. However, signs do point to a potential trip to Victory Lane this weekend.

Clouser, of Chatham, IL, won the most recent 410 Non-Wing Sprint Car event at Spoon River, taking the checkers in June of last year en route to his first WAR Sprint Car League championship. He also won a POWRi Midget event at Jacksonville in 2012, showing he knows his way around both tracks.

In recent Xtreme competition, Clouser was contending for his first win in both nights at I-55, leading laps in both Features and bagging a runner-up finish to Jake Swanson in the Saturday night finale.

WAR LORDS – Current POWRi WAR Sprint Car League points leader Kory Schudy, of Battlefield, MO, has ruled over the Missouri-heavy schedule in 2022, winning a league-high three Features in the first 14 races.

He leads the WAR charge into Illinois for the first time this season with a 490-point lead on second-place Steven Russell, a native Illinoisan, and a 500-point gap on Anthony Nicholson.

Nicholson, of Bartlett, TN, won a WAR event at Spoon River in June 2019.

SIZE MATTERS – Already having competed on a 1/2-mile and two 1/3-mile ovals, the Xtreme Outlaw field now takes on the 1/4-mile of Jacksonville and 3/8-mile of Spoon River.

Wesley Smith, of Nixa, MO, currently sits sixth in Series points and already owns a WAR Feature win at the 1/4-mile Double X Speedway and 3/8-mile Central Missouri Speedway this year.

The Series will make its debut at Jacksonville Speedway, Sept. 9, and Spoon River Speedway, Sept. 10.

JACKSONVILLE, IL – Sept. 6, 2022 – The Xtreme Outlaw Sprint Car Series presented by Low-E Insulation is back in action this weekend with back-to-back races in Illinois – Friday, Sept. 9, at Jacksonville Speedway and Saturday, Sept. 10, at Spoon River Speedway.

While the Series hasn’t seen action since the inaugural St. Louis Firecracker Faceoff at Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 in late June, it has seen a list of five different winners in the first six races and presents drivers with a chance at a sixth or seventh different winner this weekend.

Among those five victors is current points leader Shane Cockrum, who prepares for the first Series races in his home state, maintaining a 47-point lead over Alex Bright. Matt Westfall sits third, 69 points out of first place, while Mario Clouser (-107) and Jake Swanson (-116) complete the top-five at the halfway point in the chase for the inaugural season championship.

Both races will be run in conjunction with the POWRi WAR Sprint Car League, bringing racers and championship chasers from both Series to both venues for an all-out Non-Wing Sprint Car brawl in the Land of Lincoln.

Tickets for this weekend’s races will be available at the gate on race day. If you can’t be there in person, stream all the action live on DIRTVision.com or on the official DIRTVision app.

Here are the drivers to watch and the storylines to follow this weekend:

FIGHTING ILLINI – Current points leader Shane Cockrum, of Benton, IL, has been a wealth of consistency so far this season, posting top-10 finishes in all but one Series race – one of only two drivers with that accolade thus far.

Though he hasn’t seen Victory Lane on tour yet, he’ll have his best chance Friday at Jacksonville. Cockrum won a POWRi National Midget League race there in 2013 and charged from 15th-to-5th in a 2016 POWRi WAR Sprint Car League event.

His last two Xtreme Outlaw starts ended with finishes of fifth and sixth, boosting him into the Series points lead.

THE FUTURE IS BRIGHT – Alex Bright’s first Xtreme Outlaw victory of the season came at a perfect time. The Collegeville, PA-driver bagged a victory in the opening night of the STL Firecracker Faceoff at Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 in June, two Series races after suffering a DNF at Lake Ozark Speedway in April.

He and the Hummer Motorsports team now turn their attention to Illinois, where they aim for their first Non-Wing Sprint Car wins together at Jacksonville and Spoon River. They’re coming off a big weekend in Pennsylvania, scoring back-to-back Feature wins with the USAC East Coast Sprint Cars, and aim to keep that momentum rolling as they head for the Midwest.

SUPER MARIO – Currently sitting fourth in Series points, Mario Clouser is one of three drivers in the top-five without a win thus far. However, signs do point to a potential trip to Victory Lane this weekend.

Clouser, of Chatham, IL, won the most recent 410 Non-Wing Sprint Car event at Spoon River, taking the checkers in June of last year en route to his first WAR Sprint Car League championship. He also won a POWRi Midget event at Jacksonville in 2012, showing he knows his way around both tracks.

In recent Xtreme competition, Clouser was contending for his first win in both nights at I-55, leading laps in both Features and bagging a runner-up finish to Jake Swanson in the Saturday night finale.

WAR LORDS – Current POWRi WAR Sprint Car League points leader Kory Schudy, of Battlefield, MO, has ruled over the Missouri-heavy schedule in 2022, winning a league-high three Features in the first 14 races.

He leads the WAR charge into Illinois for the first time this season with a 490-point lead on second-place Steven Russell, a native Illinoisan, and a 500-point gap on Anthony Nicholson.

Nicholson, of Bartlett, TN, won a WAR event at Spoon River in June 2019.

SIZE MATTERS – Already having competed on a 1/2-mile and two 1/3-mile ovals, the Xtreme Outlaw field now takes on the 1/4-mile of Jacksonville and 3/8-mile of Spoon River.

Wesley Smith, of Nixa, MO, currently sits sixth in Series points and already owns a WAR Feature win at the 1/4-mile Double X Speedway and 3/8-mile Central Missouri Speedway this year.

INDIANAPOLIS (Sept. 05, 2022) – Brittany Force and the Monster Energy / Flav-R-Pac Chevrolet dragster team had their second consecutive runner-up finish at the Dodge Power Brokers NHRA U.S. Nationals while Robert Hight took the Automobile Club of Southern California Chevy Camaro SS to its seventh final round at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park. John Force and the PEAK Antifreeze and Coolant Chevy had a semifinal finish while Austin Prock and the Montana Brand / Rocky Mountain Twist team had a first-round exit. Entering the day as the No. 1 qualifiers, Brittany Force and the Monster Energy / Flav-R-Pac team opened eliminations with a 3.695-second 334.98 mph winning pass against Don Mercier who was up in smoke at the hit and coasted to 10.464. In the second round, matched with Josh Hart, Force would handle the Monster Energy machine to a 3.699 run at 335.48 mph to send Hart and his 3.719 at 327.66 pass home. In the semifinals, Force lined up with Doug Kalitta who was unable to make a clean pass going 6.518 at 137.60. The David Grubnic and Mac Savage tuned Monster Energy dragster laid down a 3.767 at 335.07 to advance to the finals for the second consecutive year. Racing against Antron Brown for her first U.S. Nationals win, Force and the Monster Energy team were side-by-side with the three-time champion but came up short at the finish line. Brown would go 3.706-seconds at 321.65 mph to defeat Force’s 3.714 at 333.00. “Overall, not a bad weekend for this Monster Energy / Flav-R-Pac team. We can’t complain. We qualified No. 1, ran for the Pep Boys Callout money, got beat in the final. Race day, Monday, had another final round appearance. So, it’s positive all around,” Force said. “Our biggest objective coming in was leaving with the points lead and we did just that. Everything resets in the Countdown but we’re in the position we want to be in, and we head to Reading, Pennsylvania next.” Robert Hight and the Auto Club team picked up right where they left off from qualifying in their first-round victory lighting up the score board with a 3.891-second pass at 329.18 mph bettering John Smith’s 4.388 at 221.82. The win would bring on a slew of monster matchups for the three-time championship Auto Club team. First up would be Matt Hagan. In one of the most exciting side-by-side races of the event, Hight would handle his Auto Club Chevy to a stout 3.861-second pass narrowly defeating Hagan’s 3.867 at 334.65. It would a pedalfest in the semifinals against long-time rival Bob Tasca III. Hight would have the better drive with 5.751-second pass at 250.92 mph to Tasca’s 7.473 at 120.68. Hight’s efforts would send the Auto Club team to their ninth final round of the season. In his seventh U.S. Nationals final, Hight would take on reigning world champion Ron Capps, who earlier in the weekend picked up the Pep Boys NHRA All-Star Callout victory. Hight would run into trouble with tire smoke and wouldn’t be able to pedal his way to the win with only a 7.649-second pass at 85.73 mph while “Not a bad day for this Auto Club team, granted not the way we wanted this afternoon to go, but we’re not putting our heads down. The Auto Club guys have been working hard all weekend, it’s a marathon here at the U.S. Nationals. We made some really good passes, went some rounds and we’re going into the Countdown in that number one spot. Now the real work starts, only ahead 20 points with the standings resetting for the Countdown, just have to take it one weekend at a time, one run at a time. I’ve said it before, it’s going to take another two or three wins to get that championship, that’s what we’re looking for.” John Force and the PEAK Chevrolet kicked off race day with a victory over Paul Lee. The Camaro would go 3.931-seconds at 321.58 mph while Lee would go up in smoke at the hit for an 8.855 at 81.45. In the second round, Force would have a 3.937 pass at 331.12 that was no match for Blake Alexander’s 4.861 at 164.85 after his tires got loose and he had to click his Funny Car off. The semifinals wouldn’t prove to be so lucky for the PEAK team. It would be Force who hazed the tires early for only a 6.006 run at 77.18. “Well, we went some rounds, had some good runs in this PEAK Chevrolet. We were able to find some consistency. That’s good, especially heading into the Countdown in two weeks,” Force said. “We’re fifth in points, which means after the reset, only 50 points out of the lead. Things can change quickly but we’re in it, we have a chance and that’s what we’re going after. Huge thank you to all the fans out here. You’re who we do this for, you bring us motivation.” Austin Prock and the Montana Brand / RMT dragster had a clean pass of 3.774-seconds at 325.61 mph in the first round, but it wasn’t enough to get around four-time reigning world champion Steve Torrence and his 3.693 at 328.62. “Thought this Montana Brand / RMT dragster had a little more out there to get around the champ. When you go up and duke it out with Torrence there’s always some extra motivation and a little extra competition at the line. I left on him so I did my job but it’s a team sport, win as a team, lose as a team, it can go both ways,” Prock said. “We made a full pull which we struggled to do through qualifying so hopefully that’s something we can consistently do and gain some power heading into the Countdown. We get a charity spot but hopefully we can hurt some feelings during the last six races.” The NHRA Countdown to the Championship, NHRA’s six race playoffs, kicks off with the Dodge NHRA Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway in Reading, Pennsylvania, September 16-18.

Fernando Cuadra Jr. And Erica Enders Power To Semifinal Finishes At The Big Go

Elite Motorsports Race Recap

FuelTech NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by D-Wagon INDIANAPOLIS (September 5, 2022) – After struggling in qualifying, Pro Mod driver Lyle Barnett landed in the winners circle today at the world’s biggest drag race, the Dodge Power Brokers NHRA U.S. Nationals. This is his first national event win of the 2022 FuelTech NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by D-Wagon season. In what will forever be a milestone event in the skilled driver’s career, Barnett kept turning on win lights throughout the day, as everything came together in his favor after a string of recent challenges.  “The weekend started out as a carbon copy of how the majority of our year has been going,” said Barnett. “We couldn’t get down the racetrack. The car was acting a fool. In the final round of qualifying, I was on the bump spot, outside looking in, essentially. The car acted a fool again. I pedaled it to the finish line. We got in the show in the 15 spot. That night we found out what was wrong and fixed it.” Indeed they did fix it. Barnett’s Elite Motorsports Camaro came off the line with a powerful run of 5.785 seconds at 253.71 mph to defeat the No. 2 qualifier, Mike Castellana, in the first round of eliminations.  “We had what we thought would be a pretty good tuneup for the first round of eliminations,” Barnett continued. “I happened to let go on time to beat Castellana by two-thousandths (approximately 11 inches). Round One of eliminations is what won this race. I had JR in the quarterfinals. Something happened to their car, and we made a pretty good run. In the semis and the finals, both of them turned it red against me. I was pretty good on the tree today. I drove like I had some sense and we got it done. This is the Big Go; this is the biggest one there is. Next to winning a championship, everybody wants to win this one. Ron Capps won his first today and he’s been here for 30 years. This is my second year here and we’re taking home the cheese. It’s unbelievable. I’ve got a new son at home. He’s three months old. My wife’s been holding the fort down at home. My mom came in to give her a little assistance, and they got to watch me win it on TV today and that’s something pretty special.” This bump in points and confidence is coming at the right time for the Elite Motorsports Pro Mod team. There are only three races left in the season for the FuelTech NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by D-Wagon. Barnett will compete next at his home track, zMAX Dragway in Charlotte, N.C. for the Betway NHRA Carolina Nationals, September 23-25.

NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series The Elite Motorsports Pro Stock team had two semifinal finishes today at the prestigious Dodge Power Brokers NHRA U.S. Nationals at Indianapolis Raceway Park. Fernando Cuadra Jr. and Erica Enders raced to the semifinals on opposite sides of the ladder thanks to solid performances round after round at the Big Go. In his third semifinal appearance of the season, Cuadra Jr. started race day from the No. 12 position on the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series Pro Stock ladder, facing his Elite Motorsports teammate, Bo Butner, who was driving his new Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage Chevrolet Camaro. Cuadra Jr. defeated Butner on a holeshot with a pass of 6.623 seconds at 206.54 mph. In the next round, he knocked off Matt Hartford in his Corral Boots Ford Mustang before being bested by Greg Anderson in the semifinal. Anderson went on to win the event. “The whole weekend was amazing,” said Cuadra Jr. “It was like a roller coaster. In qualifying, we were struggling because we knew that the car could perform better than it did in qualifying. Then in the first round, it was like, ‘OK. It’s getting better.’ In two it got better again. Here, in round 3, something failed on the car but it that’s racing. Parts fail. “To go this many rounds at the U.S. Nationals was amazing because it got me into the Countdown – in the Top Ten. I may be number ten or nine. I don’t know. But it was really good. It helped a lot in the emotional part, to go rounds. It gave me a lot of confidence.” Enders powered her Melling Performance/Elite Motorsports to defeat Mason McGaha with a run of 6.609 at 208.30. She then faced Pro Stock rookie Camrie Caruso. Caruso left a bit too early giving Enders the quarterfinal win. In the semifinal round, Enders faced the 2021 NHRA Rookie Of The Year Dallas Glenn who cut an impressive light to snag a holeshot win.  Troy Coughlin Jr. went two rounds in his JEGS.com/Elite Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro defeating Deric Kramer in Round One before losing to Anderson in the quarterfinal. Cristian Cuadra, Aaron Stanfield and Fernando Cuadra Sr. experienced first-round losses today but each of their Elite Motorsports Pro Stock machines performed consistently throughout the weekend. The team is ready for the Countdown To The Championship and plans to come out of the gate strong at the Betway NHRA Carolina Nationals at zMAX Dragway in Charlotte, N.C., September 23-25. ***

Photos

Lyle Barnett lays down a smokey burnout at the Big Go. Photo credit: Auto ImageryErica Enders drives past cheering fans at the NHRA U.S. Nationals. Photo credit: Auto Imagery

Fernando Cuadra Jr. powers down the track at Indianapolis Raceway Park. Photo credit: Auto Imagery Cristian Cuadra drives his Corral Boots Ford Mustang past the packed stands at the NHRA U.S. Nationals. Photo credit: Auto Imagery

Aaron Stanfield makes a picture-perfect launch in his Janac Brothers/JC3 Energy Chevrolet Camaro. Photo credit: Auto ImageryBo Butner in his Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage Chevrolet Camaro. Photo credit: Auto Imagery

Fernando Cuadra Sr. pops the parachutes on his Corral Boots Ford Mustang. Photo credit: Auto ImageryTroy Coughlin Jr. warms up the tires of his Pro Stock machine. Photo credit: Auto Imagery

Milner, Tandy, No. 64 C8.R aim to keep momentum from Monza class win DETROIT (Sept. 6, 2022) – The last time Corvette Racing visited a ‘new’ track, it resulted in its first victory as an entrant in the FIA World Endurance Championship.

It’s time again for the team to venture to a new venue as the WEC resumes with the Six Hours of Fuji at historic Fuji Speedway. It’s the fourth round of this year’s GTE Pro championship with Tommy Milner and Nick Tandy the most recent winners at Monza in the No. 64 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R. The 16-turn 2.84-mile Fuji circuit has a good blend of technical and high-speed sections that will put a premium on engineering setup and strategy.  As is the case at the majority of circuits on the WEC calendar, Corvette Racing can lean on the knowledge of past experience of Tandy at Fuji, where he has made two career WEC starts albeit in prototype machinery.

CORVETTE RACING MEDIA INFORMATION Corvette Racing media information is updated and available ahead of this weekend’s Six Hours of Fuji in the FIA WEC. Materials include: · Fuji race advance and quotes· Corvette Racing Fast Facts· Corvette Racing history· Driver biographies

While Fuji will be new to Milner, he does have experience racing in Japan as part of the Asian Le Mans Series more than a decade ago. That doesn’t mean that he and Corvette Racing will go in blind as the engineering team has spent many days in Chevrolet’s Driver in the Loop simulator to explore and establish baseline setups with Milner assisting and getting to know the circuit.Fuji will be Corvette Racing’s 32nd venue during its nearly 25-year run of racetracks around the world with Bahrain still to go in the WEC’s season finale. The No. 64 Corvette opened the WEC season with a strong second-place showing at the rain-shortened 1,000 Miles of Sebring. Things were trending the right way for the Tandy/Milner pairing at the Six Hours of Spa before a red flag just past the one-hour mark wiped out the team’s first planned pit stop and effectively put the Corvette a lap down before finishing fourth. The 24 Hours of Le Mans was a cruel blow with the No. 64 C8.R eliminated while leading just shy of the 18-hour mark. Spirits lifted within the team following a thrilling class victory at Monza where the team won a fuel-mileage race for its first WEC win outside of Le Mans. The Six Hours of Fuji for the FIA World Endurance Championship is scheduled for 11 a.m. JST Sunday /10 p.m. ET Saturday from Fuji Speedway in Japan. Qualifying is set for 2:40 p.m. JST/1:40 a.m. ET on Saturday. The race will air live on MotorTrend with live streaming coverage of the race and qualifying on the MotorTrend Plus app. Radio Le Mans will broadcast qualifying and the race.

TOMMY MILNER, NO. 64 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: : “I’ve done four days in the sim on Fuji. We’ve done quite a bit of work on it so far. It’s a super cool track. It’s really fast in a lot of places. It’s unique in some ways in that there are a lot of long-duration corners there. Car balance and tire life will be super important. There are things we can do on the setup side to help us put all of those things together. The sim also gives us a chance to take some really big swings at it and experiments so to speak with setup to find something with the car that we haven’t tried before. While it’s nice for me to be able to drive these tracks on the sim beforehand, I feel like it’s definitely a big help to go to these tracks and get in the car and get going right away. It’s for sure speeding up the learning process for me and but it’s also helping us quite a bit on car setup as well. I think we’re pretty happy with our simulator program and the benefits that it offers us.Continuing momentum from Monza: “Just because we won Monza doesn’t mean we are on a streak or a roll or whatever. We have to work as hard as we have to be as competitive as we possibly can to get the most out of the car. Focusing on yourself is always the best strategy to get the most out of package. While it’s nice to think we were owed something, we did a good job to get the car where we wanted it to be. The Corvette basically from the first practice was already really good; we were able to just tweak it a little bit throughout the weekend. We have to continue on that path – working really hard on the simulator and in engineering as they always do to figure out ways to get more out of it, which we’re doing. If we continue putting in the hard work, the results will continue.”

NICK TANDY, NO. 64 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “Fuji is an F1-type of circuit where the surface is pretty smooth. It’s on quite a flat area. But it’s a track where it’s difficult to know the best way to go about setup philosophy. There’s this huge straight where you need obviously straight-line speed, but there are a couple other high-downforce corners. Turn Three there is a long right that is one of the fastest and most committed sections of racetrack anywhere in the world. Of course you want to trim your car out to be fast on the straight, but you can’t afford to give up downforce in these areas. It lends itself to good racing because there is a slipstream effect if you can stay close to the cars in front of you through the last sector and down the start/finish straight. There’s also the weather aspect. Fuji in September can see very changeable conditions and the rain can come in quickly. I’ve only been there twice but it’s the track where I have the least level of experience personally. It will be one of our toughest challenges as a team, I expect, being new to the circuit for the first time.”Motorsport culture in Japan: “Japan is a motorsport country and they have a huge following. There always is a massive turnout for the World Endurance Championship. They want to see the cars, and they want to see the racing. I’m sure having Corvette Racing for the first time in Japan will be a big thing for the Japanese who have never come to America or come to Le Mans to see the Corvettes. They’re always super excited about seeing the cars, and the people are super nice and respectful for everyone who comes over to race in front of them. I’m looking forward to being in the car and with the team to show them about Corvette Racing.”

Macedo’s 11th Win of Season Matches Career-Best with 14 Features Left

ELMA, WA – September 5, 2022 – After qualifying 13th at Grays Harbor Raceway, Carson Macedo rolled out to start fifth in his Heat Race and his Vegas odds quickly dropped. However, if there is anything that America loves on the opening weekend of College Football, it’s a good comeback; Carson Macedo offered just that in Monday’s Labor Day Spectacular.

Driving from fifth-to-first in seven laps during Heat One, Macedo passed the likes of Brad Sweet and James McFaddento put his Jason Johnson Racing, Albaugh #41 in a crucial redraw position. From there, he took care of business with a DIRTVision Fast Pass Dash win and then led wire-to-wire for his 11th World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series win of 2022.

His come-from-behind rally makes Macedo only the second driver this year to win a Feature after starting row three in the Heat Race. He went fifth-to-first to join Kyle Larson, who qualified 22nd and advanced from sixth-to-second in his Heat before ultimately winning at Tulare (CA) Thunderbowl in March. Those two, plus David Gravel at Volusia (FL) Speedway Park, are the only drivers this year to win after qualifying outside the top-10.

It was never a matter of being down and out, but a matter of how bad this team was willing to work their way out of a hole. They quickly proved they were up for the task and thought of that iconic quote from the team’s namesake, Jason Johnson – “S**T, I WANTED TO WIN.”

“I was pretty let down after qualifying because we executed really well for when we out, but we just got buried as the track fell off,” Macedo mentioned. “Starting fifth and winning your Heat is usually unheard of these days against this kind of field. The minute we got behind the eight-ball, these guys stepped up. I can’t say enough about this car and the work that Philip [Dietz], Clyde [Knipp], and Nate [Repetz] do.”

Leading from flag to flag in the 30-lap Feature, Macedo was forced to fend off early attacks from Brad Sweet, a middle-stage surge from Jacob Allen, and a late-race run from David Gravel. The 26-year-old welcomed every challenge and sent them all packing as he claimed his 28th career win with The Greatest Show on Dirt, placing him 23rd on the All-Time Win List.

“I was pretty nervous, honestly,” Macedo explained. “I don’t think I’ve ever run a race that patient before and actually won it. I thought I would try and detour from my plan because I felt unsure at times, but I’m glad I stayed down. I’ve been moving around recently while out front and it has got me in trouble. I wanted to make them drive around me if anything.”

Advancing from eighth to second and offering a last-minute bid for the win was David Gravel aboard the Big Game Motorsports, Huset’s Speedway, Billion Automotive #2. The current championship runner-up drove by Schatz, then Sweet, then Allen as he found himself hunting down Macedo over the closing circuits. Working a lane lower than the #41, Gravel made his way to the rear bumper but ultimately fell short of a seventh win by 0.557-seconds.

“I was staying lower down the straightaways and gaining a ton of grip that way,” Gravel noted. “We had a great car, I just didn’t get there in time. I was super comfortable on the bottom and knew I was making ground on him. That was a pretty good rebound considering how much we struggled in the Heat Race. We definitely got it right in the Feature.”

Rounding out the podium with another noteworthy performance was Jacob Allen in third aboard the Shark Racing, Pells Tire Service, Low-E Insulation #1A. The Hanover, PA native earned a career-best finish at Grays Harbor, extended his career-best streak of nine consecutive top-10 finishes, and padded his career-best numbers with an eighth podium finish of the season.

“I started to try the middle when I got stuck on the outside, but the track felt too dirty on the exit,” Allen added. “I tried to clean it off and maybe find some rubber, but it never worked out. I’m glad that I was trying stuff because I wouldn’t have passed him if I didn’t move around. It always feels good to be on the podium against the Outlaws.”

The only two World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series champions in the field closed out the top five with Brad Sweet’s Kasey Kahne Racing #49 in fourth and Donny Schatz’s Tony Stewart/Curb-Agajanian Racing #15 in fifth.

Finishing out the top-10 at Grays Harbor was Australian James McFadden in sixth, the KSE Hard Charger Kerry Madsen in seventh-from-22nd, 16-year-old California sensation Corey Day in eighth, dominant Washington native Trey Starks in ninth, and Tarlton Racing’s Mitchell Faccinto in the tenth spot.

UP NEXT (Thur-Sat) – The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series now heads south for the first of two weeks in California. It all begins on Thursday-Saturday, September 8-10 with the famed 68th Gold Cup Race of Champions at Silver Dollar Speedway in Chico, CA. Fans can BUY TICKETS HERE, or watch every lap LIVE on DIRTVision.

NOS Energy Drink Feature Results (30 Laps) – 1. 41-Carson Macedo [1][$10,000]; 2. 2-David Gravel [8][$6,000]; 3. 1A-Jacob Allen [4][$3,500]; 4. 49-Brad Sweet [2][$2,800]; 5. 15-Donny Schatz [11][$2,500]; 6. 83-James McFadden [7][$2,300]; 7. 83JR-Kerry Madsen [22][$2,200]; 8. 14-Corey Day [12][$2,100]; 9. 55-Trey Starks [17][$2,050]; 10. 21-Mitchell Faccinto [5][$2,000]; 11. 11K-Kraig Kinser [24][$1,600]; 12. 17S-JJ Hickle [10][$1,400]; 13. 41S-Dominic Scelzi [20][$1,200]; 14. 21S-Jesse Schlotfeldt [21][$1,100]; 15. 20G-Noah Gass [15][$1,050]; 16. 7-Tyler Thompson [23][$1,000]; 17. 3Z-Brock Zearfoss [9][$1,000]; 18. 5T-Ryan Timms [13][$1,000]; 19. 5-Spencer Bayston [14][$1,000]; 20. 18T-Tanner Holmes [19][$1,000]; 21. 7S-Robbie Price [18][$1,000]; 22. 1S-Logan Schuchart [3][$1,000]; 23. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild [6][$1,000]; 24. 2L-Logan Forler [16][$1,000]. Lap Leaders: Carson Macedo 1-30. KSE Hard Charger Award: 83JR-Kerry Madsen[+15]

NEW Championship Standings (56/72 Races) – 1. Brad Sweet (7,556); 2. David Gravel (-72); 3. Carson Macedo (-98); 4. Sheldon Haudenschild (-206); 5. Donny Schatz (-208); 6. Logan Schuchart (-310); 7. James McFadden (-466); 8. Spencer Bayston (-500); 9. Jacob Allen (-652); 10. Brock Zearfoss (-820).

INDIANAPOLIS, IN (September 5, 2022) —- NHRA Rookie of the Year front-runner Camrie Caruso took her first U.S. Nationals experience in stride, extending her qualifying streak to thirteen races and advancing out of the first round for the seventh time. Caruso drove the Tequila Comisario Chevrolet Camaro that was also branded with NGK’s Shop Squad program to the quarterfinals at the 68th NHRA U.S. Nationals today at Indianapolis Raceway Park. For the first time Caruso got five qualifying sessions which her team parlayed into a No. 11 qualifying position on the strength of her final run, a solid 6.621 sec, 207.18 mph pass.

Camrie Caruso, Tequila Comisario Camaro, photo by Gary Nastase/Auto Imagery

“This race felt a little different, but it wasn’t overwhelming,” said Caruso, a third generation drag racer whose father, Marc, made his Pro Mod debut at Indy in 2018. “I tried to get as much rest as possible every day because I knew it would be a long race. You could tell it was longer, but I liked getting all the runs and the atmosphere.”

For her qualifying effort Caruso lined up against Aaron Stanfield, the No. 6 qualifier, in a tough first round match-up. Stanfield had raced to six final rounds with two wins already this season. The 26-year-old who resides in Denver, North Carolina, knew her Titan Racing Engine powered Camaro would keep her competitive if she did her job on the starting line. Caruso jumped off the starting line with an excellent .011 reaction time and her Tequila Comisario Camaro held off a charging Stanfield for the win on a hole shot, 6.638 to 6.619 seconds. It was her second hole shot round win of the season.

“To get that first round win after we have struggled the past couple of races was big for our Tequila Comisario Chevrolet Camaro team,” said Caruso. “It was a team effort. The guys did their job with the set up and I did my job on the starting line. The first round we meshed perfectly to get that win.”

In Pro Stock there are no easy rounds and Caruso’s quarterfinal race pitted her against three-time Pro Stock champion and 2022 points leader Erica Enders. The pair previously raced in the first all-female Pro Stock final round at the SpringNationals in Houston and Caruso was looking to even her record against the veteran driver. Unfortunately, in another attempt to grab a starting line advantage Caruso left early recording a red-light disqualification. The second round exit was frustrating but did not dampen the enthusiasm and excitement for her first foray into the NHRA Countdown over the next six races.

“I am excited about the Countdown,” said Caruso, who will start from eighth place in Pro Stock. “(Crew chief) Jim (Yates) suggested I adjust my goals when we started this season because they were extremely high, but we have six races to get some wins and race for the championship. Those are still my goals. I am going to go home and focus on me. I’ll be in the simulator as much as possible and I am also going to make sure I am in the best shape for these last few races.”

Entering the first Countdown race at Maple Grove Raceway in two weeks the points will be reset for all the Countdown eligible Pro Stock drivers. Caruso will trail the points leader by 65 points which equates to just over three rounds of points. The Tequila Comisario Chevrolet Camaro will return to the track with the additional backing of GESI, Right Trailers, Powerbuilt Tools, Sand Haulers of America, NGK Spark Plugs and VP Racing Lubricants.

Qualifying Results

Q1: 6.633 sec, 207.59 mph; Qual. 12

Q2: 10.684 sec, 85.45 mph; Qual. 12

Q3: 6.643 sec, 207.46 mph; Qual. 12

Q4: 6.617 sec, 207.27 mph; Qual. 11

Q5: 6.621 sec, 207.18 mph; Qual. 11

Bonus Points:  0

Race Results

First Round

Camrie Caruso, Denver, NC, Tequila Comisario Chevrolet Camaro, (.011) 6.638, 206.48 mph def. Aaron Stanfield, Bossier City, La., Janac Brothers Chevrolet Camaro, (.043) 6.619, 207.02 mph

Second Round

Erica Enders, Houston, Texas, Melling Chevrolet Camaro, 6.595, 208.26 mph def. Camrie Caruso, Denver, NC, Tequila Comisario Chevrolet Camaro, DQ – red-light mph

Camping World Drag Racing Series Top Ten – Pro Stock

1. Erica Enders                             1286

2. Aaron Stanfield                       1082

3. Greg Anderson                        962

4. Kyle Koretsky                           877

5. Dallas Glenn                            819

6. Troy Coughlin Jr                       775

7. Mason McGaha                       652

8. Camrie Caruso                         649

9. Matt Hartford                          644

10. Fernando Cuadra Jr               632

• Tony Stewart Racing (TSR) driver Matt Hagan took his No. 7 qualified Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat to a quarterfinal appearance at the prestigious 68th annual Dodge Power Brokers Hot Rod Association’s (NHRA) U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park
• Hagan closes out the regular season with three wins, three runner-up finishes, five No. 1 qualifier awards, and sits third in the Funny Car standings behind Robert Hight and Ron Capps as the points reset for the upcoming NHRA “Countdown to the Championship” six-event playoff series
• TSR Top Fuel pilot Leah Pruett and her Dodge Power Brokers dragster kicked off race day at the “Big Go” from the tenth spot but saw her run cut short by a dropped cylinder in the opening round
• Pruett sits seventh in the Top Fuel points standings heading into the playoffs having earned her team’s first category win at the Dodge Power Brokers Mile-High Nationals in Denver and a No. 1 qualifier award in Sonoma 
• Funny Car driver Cruz Pedregon qualified ninth aboard his Snap-on Tools Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat but was unable to advance past the first round after losing cylinders on his first lap and will start the playoffs seeded eighth

September 5, 2022, Indianapolis, Indiana – After finishing runner-up in an exciting National Hot Rod Association’s (NHRA) All-Star Callout specialty race final during qualifying at the 68th annual Dodge Power Brokers U.S. Nationals, Tony Stewart Racing’s (TSR) Matt Hagan found himself in another tremendous battle in the quarterfinals of the world’s biggest and best known drag race at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park.

Hagan, whose quicker 3.900-second elapsed time run in Sunday’s Callout race-within-a race was just 0.004-seconds short of beating Ron Capps’ holeshot effort, had another tremendous drag race in the elimination rounds of the “Big Go” against points leader Robert Hight.

Prior to facing Hight, the Dodge Power Brokers Charger SRT Hellcat set the tone by recording the top speed of the event (at that point) with Hagan’s 3.881-second winning run at 334.07 mph against No. 10 seed Alexis DeJoria in the opening round. Once staged for the quarterfinal showdown, Hagan hit the throttle just 0.004-seconds behind Hight as the two adversaries battled side-by-side the entire length of the legendary dragstrip. While Hagan took his HEMI-powered ride for his quickest run of the weekend at 3.867 sec./ 334.65 mph it was 0.006-seconds short of turning on the win lights ahead of Hight’s 3.861 sec./ 331.77 mph lap.

The quarterfinal finish brought Hagan’s regular season to a close and, with three wins, three runner-up finishes, and five No. 1 qualifier awards, puts the TSR driver third in Funny Car standings (behind Hight and Dodge Power Brokers U.S. Nationals winner Ron Capps) as the points reset for the upcoming NHRA “Countdown to the Championship” six-event playoff series.

TSR pilot Leah Pruett qualified tenth on the Top Fuel eliminations ladder and staged her Dodge Power Brokers dragster in the right lane next to seventh-seed Billy Torrence for the opening round. Pruett had the quicker launch but lost a cylinder early in the run, ending her hopes of advancing further. Pruett, who earned the TSR team’s first Top Fuel Wally at the Dodge Power Brokers NHRA Mile-High Nationals in Denver in July, closes out the regular season in seventh place.

Three-time Funny Car winner at the “Big Go”, Cruz Pedregon qualified in the No. 9 spot aboard his Snap-on Tools Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat and had No. 8 seed J.R. Todd as his first round opponent. Both competitors had a good light, but when the Cruz Pedregon Racing machine began to drop cylinders, the driver/owner opted to abandon the run. Pedregon will head to the playoffs seeded eighth in the category.

The NHRA “Countdown to the Championship” begins with the first of six playoff events, the Pep Boys NHRA Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway in Pennsylvania, Sept. 15-18. FS1 will air qualifying highlights on Friday, Sept. 16, at 7 p.m. ET and Sunday, Sept 18, at 11 a.m. ET, while FOX will have race day coverage beginning at 2 p.m. ET.

ADDITIONAL NOTES and QUOTES: 

Leah Pruett, Dodge Power Brokers Top Fuel Dragster  

(No. 10 Qualifier – 3.725 seconds at 332.51 mph)

Round 1: (0.068-second reaction time, 5.129-second elapsed time run at 146.56 mph) loss to No.7 Billy Torrence (0.081/3.740/324.20)

“Indy always brings the unexpected. We said that at the beginning of the week. Our team is not known for dropping cylinders at the hit. Roll the dice and about every 50 laps or so, it might give you one of those and that’s exactly what happened in the first round. As a sensitive driver, after our Q5 run, I felt something wasn’t right. I gave the car a pedal and you can’t out-recover a cylinder. It’s disappointing for sure because we had high hopes and high expectations and a high-performing Dodge Power Brokers dragster that showed glimpses of victory during qualifying. To go out early in the weekend is definitely below our standards. This is the end of the regular season, so it’s better to have it happen now. We have plans of potentially testing before the Countdown. We’re going to figure out as much as we can and then hit it from there to solve these little glitches. It’s not the most ideal weekend we’ve ever had, but we have the power of our Power Brokers behind us and that’s going to give us momentum into the Countdown.”

Matt Hagan, Dodge Power Brokers Charger SRT Hellcat Funny Car  

(No. 7 Qualifier – 3.892 seconds at 333.41 mph)

Round 1: (0.067-second reaction time, 3.881 seconds at 334.07 mph) defeats No.10 Alexis DeJoria (-0.149/10.086/78.68)

Round 2: (0.060/3.867/334.65) loss to No. 2 Robert Hight (0.056/3.861/331.77)

“What a wild, crazy weekend but what a special weekend because it is the U.S. Nationals. You don’t know how many years you get to race here and be a part of the Big Go and to have the pinnacle of our season right here before the Countdown, it’s just awesome. Our team really came together and put a great race car underneath me. We just came up short in two really close drag races this weekend that were within thousandths-of-a-second apart. You’re talking about inches on the finish line. It’s tough to be on the backside of a good drag race but what’s positive about it is that our Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat is running good and it’s responding to the changes that the crew chief is making.

We really rallied around each other and that really showed this weekend. We’re putting all those rounds together and (Crew Chief) Dickie (Venables) is really stepping up and throwing down against (Robert Hight’s crew chief Jimmy) Prock. I feel we’re moving in the right direction and we’re going into this Countdown really strong. (Ron) Capps is going to be tough. There’s a bunch of cars out here that are tough. We’ve just got to keep digging, working hard, and I’ve got to hit the practice tree more and as a team we have to come together and make that happen if we’re going to win championships.”

“I think we’re all chasing Robert (Hight) right now. He’s running good. He’s won six races. They have a very consistent car in the heat and in the cool, but we’ve got (Crew Chief) Dickie Venables who is one of the best out there and I wouldn’t trade him for anybody. Right now we’ve just got to get into throwdown mode and a Countdown mode. We’ve got to win two or three of those six (playoff) races to really run for a championship and win this thing. I know we can do that. 

We had a great start to the season winning three races and a bunch of No. 1 qualifiers, but then it kind of fell off a little bit. These things come in cycles and peaks and valleys, and I feel like it’s our time to get back into the cycle. We’ve got to go out there and just bring everything that we can to the table. I’ve got to dig deep on the tree and these guys got to dig deep as far as putting a good tune up in it. I think if we do that collectively, we’ll be really hard to beat.”

Cruz Pedregon, Pedregon Racing Snap-on® Tools Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat

(No. 9 Qualifier –   seconds at   mph)

Round 1: (0.043-second reaction time, 7.086 second elapsed time run at 101.45 mph) loss to No.8 J.R. Todd (0.036/3.856/330.88)

“I don’t think we ever had three dropped cylinders in a row at the step of the throttle, so there’s definitely something mechanical going on. We’re going to really take everything apart and probably try going to go test somewhere and get it figured out before Reading. Our Dodge Funny Car just ran so easy on Friday night with that 3.90 and it was right where we wanted and then we just struggled from that point on. 

We’re disappointed but at the same time we know we have a championship caliber car here and the team’s upbeat. We’re just going to figure it out and go to Reading prepared. The great part is that our second season starts now. Throughout my career, I have always finished strong, and I believe we are shaping up to have that happen again this year. My dad taught me this; ‘Things happen for a reason.’ Sometimes you learn more from tough weekends than ones when you are at the top of your game.”

NHRA CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS STANDINGS:

Following the Dodge Power Brokers U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park

FUNNY CAR (season wins in parentheses)

1.  Robert Hight 1570 (6)

2.  Ron Capps: 1291 (3)

3.  Matt Hagan (Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat): 1244 (3)

4.  Bob Tasca III: 1164 (3) 

5.  John Force: 1149 (1)

6.  J.R. Todd: 871

7.  Alexis DeJoria: 824

8. Cruz Pedregon (Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat): 801

9.  Tim Wilkerson: 730

10. Blake Alexander: 582

TOP FUEL (season wins in parentheses)

1.  Brittany Force: 1356 (4)

2.  Mike Salinas: 1200 (4) 

3.  Justin Ashley: 1195 (2) 

4.  Steve Torrence: 1169 (1)

5.  Josh Hart: 882

6.  Antron Brown 839 (2)

7.  Leah Pruett (Dodge Power Brokers): 810 (1)

8.  Shawn Langdon: 809

9. Doug Kalitta: 801 

10. Tony Schumacher: 703 (1)

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