ALL DIRT ROADS: Brad Sweet prepared for ‘extremely intense battle’ with David Gravel at World Finals
Sweet, the three-time and defending champion, leads Gravel, looking for his first title, by 16 points entering the championship weekend

CONCORD, NC (Oct. 27, 2022) – You may see a 16-point difference between Brad Sweet and David Gravel in the 2022 championship battle, but to Sweet they’re “essentially tied.”

With that mindset, Sweet’s focus for the World of Outlaws World Finals (Nov. 2-5) season finale at The Dirt Track at Charlotte has changed. Rather than “milking” a healthy points gap, he’s now taking a more aggressive approach for the three nights of racing.

“If you’re going in there looking for a top five, you’re going to lose,” Sweet said. “You have to go in there, putting all the cards on the table and try to win each night. If you have a (large) point lead, I think, you don’t take the risks, or roll the dice. But when someone, basically, essentially, we’re pretty much tied going into a three-race weekend. We know [Gravel and his Big Game Motorsports team are] going to be hungry. They’re going to be good. They have been. Especially for the last eight to 10 races they’ve been on a good stretch. That’s what’s put them in this position.”

For Sweet, of Grass Valley, CA, and his NAPA Auto Parts Kasey Kahne Racing team, a fourth consecutive World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series title is on the line. For Gravel and his Big Game Motorsports team, it would be their first.

The two have battled all year, mirroring their season stats. While Sweet has been more consistent throughout the year, Gravel has been on a hot streak recently. The Watertown, CT driver has scored seven top-five finishes in the last seven races, including at win at I-80 Speedway, versus Sweet’s three top fives – one being a win at Sharon Speedway – and five top 10s in the last seven.

That’s helped Gravel close the points gap and take advantage of Sweet’s rare DNF at Williams Grove Speedway – where he suffered a broken rear end. Before then, Sweet and his KKR team were on a streak of 5,481 laps completed and 166 straight races without a DNF.

To ease the heartbreak of the situation, Sweet said he’s put all his focus on winning at Charlotte.

“Everybody probably handles emotion differently,” Sweet said. “For me, obviously, with doing this for so long, when something happens my mind just moves to the next thing… But I don’t want to dwell on any negativity or what could have been or what should have been. When you go down that path and spend time on the negative stuff, you’re not putting the time where it needs to be. Right now, that’s in preparation and studying where the car needs to be. What I need to do as a driver to get the job done and that’s the task in front of us.

“Williams Grove is done and dusted. Charlotte is ahead of us. It is what it is. I always tell the guys, ‘It could always be worse.’ We’re still ahead in points. We worked hard to get to this point. It’s going to be a great battle. It’s great for the Series. Great for the sport. Now there is going to be a lot of eyes on us. I’m just happy that I’m involved in that conversation.”

While Sweet is focused on the tasks ahead, he also admitted the intensity of the week is still high. He’s averaged a fifth-place finish at The Dirt Track at Charlotte in the last six races there – since winning his first title in 2019. But Charlotte is one of Gravel’s best tracks, averaging a 1.8 finish in the last six races – sweeping the doubleheader in 2019 and picking up a win there the last two years.

“The intensity level is more like when we went there only a couple of points ahead of (10-time Series champion) Donny (Schatz) in 2019, chasing our first championship,” Sweet said. “I guess the difference is we have three more (championships) than we did the situation before. I don’t know that I feel the same pressure. Getting that first one is always the most difficult.

“Pretty comfortable with our accomplishments as a team, where we’re at as a team. Obviously, you can’t help part failures. Things happen. I think at this point I’m looking at it one race at a time. Going in trying to win each race. If you do that, the points are going to fall into your favor. It just comes down to being as prepared as possible. Trying to execute the best that you possibly can.”

The biggest difference this time, he said, is he has a better control of his nerves.

“When you’ve been in the situation, you know the feeling that you get,” Sweet said. “I think that helps for me. It calms me down a little. I don’t think… that year (in 2019), there were just a lot of emotions. It was really hard to control but it was really intense with the team. We worked extremely hard to be as prepared as we possibly could. We have that knowledge and we’ve been in that situation. We’re not treating it any different.”

If Sweet can hold on for his fourth consecutive title, he’ll join Steve Kinser and Schatz as the only three drivers in Series history to have won four straight World of Outlaws championships, and four titles in general. If Gravel finds his way to the top, he’ll become the 11th different World of Outlaws champion.

“All I do is plan on running the best I can every night and hopefully running up front and just keep applying that pressure,” Gravel said. “You never know what could happen.”

With Sweet’s view on the championship battle situation entering World Finals, his only goal is to win.

“I think we need to win a race [at World Finals],” Sweet said. “I think it is important for us to finish strong and for the points, as well. If you’re winning, no one can win points on you.”

Fans can meet Sweet and Gravel, along with the rest of the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series stars on Thursday, Nov. 3, during the World Finals Fan Fest, from 2-4pm, along the front stretch – open to all ticketed fans. The World of Outlaws Sprint Car Features will take place on Wednesday, Nov. 2, Friday, Nov. 4, and Saturday, Nov. 5.

For tickets to the World of Outlaws World Finals, CLICK HERE.

What: NHRA Nevada NationalsWhen: Friday, Oct. 28-Sunday, Oct. 30Where: The Strip at Las Vegas Motor SpeedwayTV: FS1 will telecast eliminations at 5 p.m. ET Sunday, Oct. 30 Chevrolet drivers roll into Vegas aiming for big pointsEnders placing her bet on red Camaro SS to lock up fifth Pro Stock championship

DETROIT (Oct. 27, 2022) – Erica Enders is betting on red — her red Melling Performance Chevrolet Camaro SS — in the NHRA Nevada Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Enders takes a whopping 165-point advantage over Elite Motorsports teammate Aaron Stanfield into the weekend – the penultimate NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series event of the season — and has the opportunity to wrap up her fifth NHRA Pro Stock world championship. With three wins in four NHRA Countdown to the Championship races and a history of success at the racetrack, the odds are in her favor.

“We have had a ton of success at The Strip and we are looking forward to what could potentially be an amazing weekend,” said Enders, who won the four-wide race in April to extend her streak with a victory at the track to four years. “This has been a tremendous season for us and we are going to do our best to finish strong. “With just two races remaining, we have no plans on letting up on our competition. We will keep our eyes on the prize and let the others worry about the rest.” A personal-best 10th victory of the season and sweeping the spring and fall races at The Strip for the third time are additional motivation. Enders earned her first victory with Elite Motorsports in 2014 at Las Vegas. “A personal goal coming into the year was the most wins we’ve ever had in one season. There’s still room to accomplish that goal,” said Enders, whose 42 career victories is second to Angelle Sampey on the all-time list among females in all categories.

Enders’ drive for fiveErica Enders will move into a tie for third with five NHRA Pro Stock championships. She has won in 2014, ’15, 2019 and ’20: 10: Bob Glidden (1974-75, ’78-80, ’85-89)6: Warren Johnson (1992-93, ’95, ’98-99, ’01)5: Greg Anderson (2003-05, ’10, ’21)5: Jeg Coughlin Jr. (2000, ’02, ’07-08, ’13)

She enters the race with the momentum of back-to-back Countdown victories, most recently defeating reigning and five-time Pro Stock champion Greg Anderson in the final at Dallas. Enders was runner-up to Dallas Glenn’s Camaro SS in the 2021 fall race at Las Vegas. Brittany Force, who won the four-wide Top Fuel race at The Strip in spring, is also in a title hunt. The driver of the Flav-R-Pac/Monster Energy Chevrolet dragster, who owns both ends of the track Top Fuel records, is second in the standings. She was the No. 1 qualifier for the 2021 fall race at the track. “We need four solid passes during qualifying and need to land back in the winner’s circle. We won this event in the spring and are confident we can do it again,” the 2017 Top Fuel champion said. John Force Racing teammate Robert Hight, who has won a class-high eight races this season, sits atop the Funny Car standings. The driver of the Automobile Club of Southern California Chevrolet Camaro SS is a five-time winner at The Strip. John Force remains in contention for his record-extending 17th NHRA Funny Car championship. The driver of the PEAK Antifreeze and Coolant Camaro SS is fourth in points. FOX Sports 1 will telecast eliminations at 5 p.m. ET Sunday, Oct. 30.

CHEVROLET FROM THE COCKPITTOP FUELBRITTANY FORCE, JOHN FORCE RACING, FLAV-R-PAC/MONSTER ENERGY CHEVROLET DRAGSTER (four-time winner this season; second in points): “Two races left in the season and our Flav-R-Pac/Monster Energy team heads to Sin City this weekend. We are currently sitting in second position and still have a shot at getting back the points lead. We need four solid passes during qualifying and need to land back in the winner’s circle. We won this event in the spring and are confident we can do it again.” AUSTIN PROCK, JOHN FORCE RACING, MONTANA BRAND/ROCKY MOUNTAIN TWIST CHEVROLET DRAGSTER (won at Reading, runner-up at Dallas): “This car has been running really well and we have been moving up in the points. I just hope we can keep it going these last two and try to sneak into the two three or top five in the points. I’ve put my heart and soul into this and I know how hard everybody else works.” FUNNY CARROBERT HIGHT, JOHN FORCE RACING, AUTOMOBILE CLUB OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (eight-time winner this season; points leader):  “We knew this championship hunt was going to come down to the end. We still have the lead but this Auto Club team needs to keep up their hard work, keep their focus and go and get every point we can. We don’t need to change anything, we just need to keep doing what we’ve been doing, it’s what got us here, now is not the time to switch things up. I have all the confidence in this Auto Club Chevy team. Jimmy Prock, Chris Cunningham and every crew member, they are truly the best group of guys I could have in my corner. We’re looking forward to getting to Vegas and putting on a good show. This competition really is exciting.” JOHN FORCE, JOHN FORCE RACING, PEAK ANTIFREEZE AND COOLANT CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (Charlotte four-wide winner in spring; fourth in points): “I’m going to head into Vegas to win. I never give up. This PEAK Chevy team doesn’t give up. We just don’t have a mindset like that. We never give up and it’s not over until we say it’s over.” PRO STOCKERICA ENDERS, ELITE MOTORSPORTS, MELLING PERFORMANCE CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (nine-time winner this season; points leader): “I want to go to Vegas and I want to lock it up there. I don’t think there’s a (point) cushion. I don’t want to have that mentality because I don’t want to let off the pedal. I want to go to battle like we’re coming from behind. I enjoyed being a driver that needed to come from the back. I’m not really sure what it about Las Vegas. The guys have a really great tune-up. Everything changes out here. It is a little bit of altitude, and it is definitely dry and crazy air, so you have to have your tune-up right. You don’t want to be too lean, or you will burn your motor up. I have to give a lot of the credit to my crew chiefs because they have a ton of data her and they do a great job.” AARON STANFIELD, ELITE MOTORSPORTS, JANAC BROTHERS CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (three-time winner and seven-time finalist this season; second in points): “I love racing in Vegas, it’s a great racetrack and we would love to get a win. I’m feeling confident about my hot rod. The guys have been working hard to make sure we finish the season strong, I just need to focus and do the job. As the season is coming to a close I think as a whole, the Elite team has been very strong and I am thankful to be part of it.” GREG ANDERSON, KB RACING, HENDRICKCARS.COM CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (reigning Pro Stock champion; third in standings): “No. 1 is probably out of reach. That’s what we were competing for, and it looks like we didn’t get it done this year. But we go to the next two races to win. I put just as much weight on race wins as I do a championship – that’s what I go for, to win races, and there are still two great days to be had this year. By the time we get to Vegas, hopefully we have a chance to win.” TROY COUGHLIN JR., ELITE MOTORSPORTS, JEGS.COM CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (two-time winner this season; fourth in standings): “The fall Vegas race is always one of the coolest races for me. I won my first national event in Super Comp at this race when I was 19 in 2009. The boys have been hard at it on the dyno pretty much seven days a week, so I have all the confidence in the world. I’m as proud as ever to wear the Elite Motorsports and JEGS colors and we’re ready to finish strong.” KYLE KORETSKY, KB RACING, LUCAS OIL CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (fifth in standings): “The last few races haven’t played out in our favor, but the KB Racing group keeps giving me a fast hot rod. I’m looking forward to returning to Vegas for the second time this season and get in the winner’s circle.” DALLAS GLENN, KB RACING, RAD TORQUE SYSTEMS CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (Gainesville winner; runner-up at Indianapolis and St. Louis; 2021 fall race winner at track): “We’re coming into Vegas as the defending event champion and that’s just the boost we need right now. We’re not in contention for the championship this year but we’ve still got a great car that can win these last two races.” CAMRIE CARUSO, CARUSO FAMILY RACING, POWERBUILT CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (first season in Pro Stock; No. 1 qualifier and runner-up at Houston; rookie of the year award candidate): “I love Las Vegas and I am glad we are coming back to a track like this for the Countdown. The four-wide nationals was a new experience so I am looking forward to traditional side-by-side racing this weekend. My crew chief Jim Yates has been working his tail off on our tune-up and I think we have a car that can go rounds. I have been trying to be super aggressive on the starting line. We just need a few things to go our way and we could have a long day on Sunday. This is Las Vegas so anything can happen.”

LAS VEGAS (October 27, 2022) – Robert Hight and the Automobile Club of Southern California Chevrolet Camaro SS team have the Funny Car points lead heading into the NHRA Nevada Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, but they’ll need a strong showing at the second-to-last event of the season to give them a boost in confidence as the title chase reaches the finish line. Hight has won a total of five times at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, two of those wins coming in the fall of 2009, when he won his first championship and 2015. Just last year, Hight qualified his Auto Club Chevy Camaro SS fifth and advanced to the semifinals before losing to Ron Capps, his closest pursuer for the 2022 championship.  “We knew this championship hunt was going to come down to the end. We still have the lead but this Auto Club team needs to keep up their hard work, keep their focus and go and get every point we can,” Hight said. “We don’t need to change anything, we just need to keep doing what we’ve been doing, it’s what got us here, now is not the time to switch things up. I have all the confidence in this Auto Club Chevy team. Jimmy Prock, Chris Cunningham and every crew member, they are truly the best group of guys I could have in my corner. We’re looking forward to getting to Vegas and putting on a good show. This competition really is exciting.” Hight has won eight times this season, a career best, but his lead over Ron Capps in second is only 10 points. Hight has history on his side as he continues his bid to become just the fourth driver in NHRA Funny Car history (after John Force, Kenny Bernstein and Don Prudhomme) to win as many as four series championships. He already is one of only three Funny Car drivers to have won as many as eight races in a single season and his 14 career Countdown races are the most in the Funny Car division and fourth most overall. Hight and Auto Club will look to add to those numbers this weekend. Competition at the NHRA Nevada Nationals, the second to last event on the NRHA Camping World Drag Racing Series season, begins with qualifying Friday at 1:00 and 4:15 p.m. and Saturday at 12:30 and 4:00 p.m. Eliminations are slated to begin Sunday at 11:00 a.m. Television coverage of the event will be on FOX Sports 1 (FS1) on Sunday beginning with qualifying at 2:00 p.m. ET and eliminations at 4 p.m. ET

ROUND OF 8 ELIMINATION: MARTINSVILLEOne final opportunity lies ahead for the remaining NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) and NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) playoff hopefuls to secure a berth into the Championship 4. For the third consecutive season, Martinsville Speedway will host the penultimate race of the playoffs for both series.   The .526-mile Virginia venue took over the post-season position as the Round of 8 elimination race in 2020. Entering the 2020 event below the cutline, Chase Elliott powered his Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet to victory lane, taking the prestigious grandfather clock and a ticket to the Championship 4 that ultimately led him to his first career championship title in NASCAR’s premier series.  Chevrolet has amassed a series-leading 59 NCS victories at Martinsville, most recently by Chevrolet playoff contender William Byron (April 2022), who lead a race-high 212 laps en route to the triumph to become the series’ first repeat winner of the season. The 24-year-old North Carolina native visited victory lane twice that weekend, also capturing the win in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) race behind the wheel of the No. 7 Spire Motorsports Silverado RST. Byron is heading into the playoff elimination race weekend looking to not only make it back-to-back trips to victory lane at Martinsville, but to grab a bid to the Championship 4 for the first time in his NCS career.  Heading into the final race of the Round of 8, all three of Chevrolet’s playoff drivers sit above the playoff cutline. After back-to-back runner-up finishes, Trackhouse Racing’s Ross Chastain maintained the second position in the standings, now with a 19-point advantage over the cutline. Hendrick Motorsports teammates Chase Elliott and William Byron collected top-10 finishes in both stages at Homestead, earning valuable stage points to help put them above the cutline in the third- and fourth-positions, respectively, in the standings.  A look at where the Team Chevy NCS playoff drivers stand heading into the Round of 8 elimination race, including season numbers and career stats at Martinsville Speedway:

Ross Chastain, No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Camaro ZL1 – 2nd in Playoff Standings (19-points above cutline)Victories: 2Top-Fives: 13 (series-leading)Top-10s: 19 (series-leading)Laps Led: 692Stage Wins: 6Average Finish: 13.8 At Martinsville Speedway:  Top-Fives: 1; Top-10s: 1Average Finish: 24.286Of Note: – The 2022 season marks Chastain’s first career appearance in the NCS playoffs. – Chastain posted top-five finishes earlier this season at two tracks in the Round of Eight, including Martinsville Speedway (5th). – In seven of the eight 2022 NCS playoff races thus far, Chastain has finished in the top-13, including back-to-back runner-up finishes in the Round of 8.

Chase Elliott, No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Camaro ZL1 – 3rd in Playoff Standings (11-points above cutline)2022 NASCAR Cup Series Regular Season ChampionVictories: 5 (series-leading)Top-Fives: 12; Top-10s: 19; (series-leading)Laps Led: 803Stage Wins: 6Average Finish: 12.1 At Martinsville Speedway:   Victories: 1Pole Wins: 1Top-Fives: 5; Top-10s: 8Average Finish: 13.429Of Note: – 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. – Elliott is one of just two former NCS champions that makeup the 2022 NCS Playoffs Round of 8. – Elliott’s one career NCS victory at Martinsville Speedway came in the series’ Round of 8 elimination race in 2020; a victory that led to his first career NCS championship title.

William Byron, No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Camaro ZL1 – 4th in Playoff Standings (5-points above the cutline)Victories: 2Top-Fives: 5Top-10s: 9Laps Led: 746Stage Wins: 4Average Finish: 16.1 At Martinsville Speedway:   Victories: 1Top-Fives: 4; Top-10s: 5Average Finish: 15.111Of 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 points standings. – Byron is the series’ most recent winner at Martinsville Speedway (April 2022), while also having collected three consecutive top-five finishes at the Virginia short track.

LARSON SET TO RACE FOR OWNER’S CHAMPIONSHIPWhile he may not be contending for a back-to-back NASCAR Cup Series Driver’s Championship, Kyle Larson piloted his No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Camaro ZL1 to the victory at Homestead-Miami Speedway, ultimately locking-in the team’s spot to compete for the owner’s championship title. Team owner, Rick Hendrick, has collected 14 owner’s championship titles in NASCAR’s premier series, all of which have been recorded behind the wheel of a Chevrolet. Larson’s third win of the 2022 season came after a dominating performance at the 1.5-mile South Florida oval; sweeping the stage wins and leading a race-high 199 of 267 laps on his way to the victory. His triumph extended Chevrolet’s series-leading win record to 19 wins in 34 NCS races, matching the manufacturer’s win count from the previous season with still two races remaining.Larson led a string of Chevrolet drivers to the checkered flag at Homestead, with Ross Chastain (2nd), AJ Allmendinger (3rd) and Austin Dillon (4th) giving the Bowtie brand a sweep of the top-four finishing positions.. a feat that was performed from drivers from four different Chevrolet teams. This accomplishment marks Chevrolet’s third time sweeping the top-four finishing positions this season (Auto Club Speedway, Road America and Homestead-Miami Speedway); and the manufacturer’s 10th time placing four drivers in the top-five in a single race in 2022.

GRAGSON ONTO NXS CHAMPIONSHIP 4JR Motorsports’ Noah Gragson added onto an already career-season, collecting his series-leading eighth NASCAR Xfinity Series victory of 2022 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. In dominating fashion, the 24-year-old driver powered his No. 9 Camaro SS to a sweep of the stage wins and led a race-high 127 of 200 laps en route to an automatic berth into the series’ Championship 4 for the second consecutive season. Gragson’s victory marked Chevrolet’s 24th win in 31 NCS races, while also extending the manufacturer’s current win streak to 10 in a row.   Gragson is the second Chevrolet driver to lock-in a spot in the Championship 4. Gragson’s JR Motorsports teammate, Josh Berry, already punched his ticket into the Championship 4 after driving his No. 8 Camaro SS to the victory in the series’ opening race of the Round of 8 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Berry’s victory – Chevrolet’s 500th all-time NXS win – also clinched Chevrolet’s series-leading 24th NXS Manufacturer’s Championship. 

ONE RACE, TWO SPOTS REMAINSaturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series Dead On Tools 250 will determine the final two drivers that will join Noah Gragson and Josh Berry in the battle for the 2022 NXS Driver’s Championship. Entering the playoff elimination race weekend at Martinsville, the series’ regular-season champion, AJ Allmendinger, is ranked fourth in the standings and five-points above the cutline. Justin Allgaier, Austin Hill and Sam Mayer sit in the fifth- through seventh-positions in the standings, respectively, but still within reach of the opportunity to either point or win their way into a spot in the Championship 4. Chevrolet’s most recent NXS victory at the .526-mile Virginia venue came in last season’s Round of 8 elimination race. Entering the race weekend in a “must-win” scenario, Gragson was able to power his No. 9 Camaro SS team to a walk-off win in an overtime finish to clinch a spot in the Championship 4.  

CHEVROLET CONTINUES ‘MAKING STRIDES AGAINST BREAST CANCER’ AT MARTINSVILLEChevrolet’s partnership with the American Cancer Society (ACS) and its “Making Strides Against Breast Cancer” initiative marks its 12th consecutive year in 2022. Proudly carrying the ACS logo, for every lap the specialty-themed pink Chevrolet Camaro SS 1LE pace car leads NASCAR’s premier series under caution during three select races in October, Chevrolet will donate $350 to the American Cancer Society to honor “Making Strides Against Breast Cancer.” The second of three NASCAR Cup Series events that are part of the initiative took place at Homestead-Miami Speedway this past weekend. With the pink Camaro pace car leading the NCS for 30 laps under caution during Sunday’s Dixie Vodka 400, Chevrolet will contribute $10,500 towards the campaign, bringing the total to $19,250 with one race remaining in the campaign.  The pink Camaro pace car will return to the track this weekend, serving as the pace car for the 500-lap/263-mile NCS playoff race at Martinsville Speedway as the third and final race of this year’s campaign.  

BOWTIE BULLETS·       Victories by active Chevrolet drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series at Martinsville Speedway:     William Byron, No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet (2022)    Alex Bowman, No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet (2021)    Chase Elliott, No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet (2020) ·       In 147 NASCAR Cup Series races held at Martinsville Speedway, Chevrolet has recorded a series-leading 59 victories, including the series’ most recent appearance at the .526-mile Virginia short track in April 2022, recorded by Chevrolet playoff contender William Byron. ·       Chase Elliott recorded the NASCAR Cup Series Round of 8 elimination race win at Martinsville Speedway in 2020.. a victory that led to his first career championship title. ·       Ross Chastain has recorded runner-up finishes in both of the NASCAR Cup Series Round of 8 races. Chastain will enter the elimination race weekend second in points, 19-points above the cutline, in his first career NCS playoff appearance. ·       Kyle Larson’s victory at Homestead-Miami Speedway delivered Chevrolet its 19th NASCAR Cup Series win in 34 points-paying races this season, more than its manufacturer competitors combined. The Bowtie brand also continues to lead its manufacturer competitors in top-fives (80), top-10s (150), laps led (4,084) and stage wins (28).  ·       Chevrolet drivers swept the top-four finishing positions in the NASCAR Cup Series playoff race at Homestead-Miami Speedway; a feat recorded by drivers from four different Chevrolet teams. This marks the third time the Bowtie brand has swept the top-four finishing positions this season; and the 10th time Chevrolet has placed four drivers in the top-five in a single race in 2022.  ·       Seven Team Chevy drivers have combined 28 NASCAR Cup Series stage wins:     Tyler Reddick 2 – Fontana x2    Alex Bowman 1 – Las Vegas, Kansas    Ross Chastain 6 – Las Vegas, Darlington, Charlotte, Pocono, Richmond, ROVAL    William Byron 4 – Phoenix, Atlanta, Talladega, Darlington    Daniel Suarez 2 – COTA, Charlotte    Chase Elliott 6 – Martinsville x2, Charlotte, Atlanta x2, Talladega     Kyle Larson 6 – Bristol, Sonoma, Pocono, Texas, Homesteadx2 ·       JR Motorsports has gone two-for-two in race wins in the NASCAR Xfinity Series Round of 8, with Noah Gragson recording his series-leading eighth NXS win of the season at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Gragson joins teammate, Josh Berry, as the second Chevrolet driver to already clinch a spot in the Championship 4.  ·       Following Josh Berry’s win at Las Vegas Motor Speedway – Chevrolet’s 500th all-time NXS victory – Chevrolet clinched its series-leading 24th NXS Manufacturer’s Championship. This marks the eighth title for the Camaro SS since becoming Chevrolet’s flagship vehicle in the series in 2013, including the past six consecutive years.

FOR THE FANS·       Fans can visit the Team Chevy Racing Display in the Fan Midway at Martinsville Speedway. ·       Fans can check out an assortment of Chevrolet vehicles including: Tahoe Z71, Silverado 2500HD LTZ Diesel, Silverado Crew ZR2, Blazer RS, Corvette Z51, Camaro ZL1, Pink Silverado 1500 Crew High Country Diesel. ·       At the Chevrolet Display, fans can also view Kyle Larson’s No. 5 Camaro ZL1 show car. Team Chevy Driver Appearances at the Display: Sunday, October 30·       Erik Jones: 10:25 a.m. ·       William Byron: 11:00 a.m. ·       Daniel Suarez: 11:15 a.m.·       Noah Gragson : 11:50 a.m.  Chevrolet Display Hours of Operation:  Friday, October 28: 12 pm – 5:30pmSaturday, October 29: 9 am – 3:30pmSunday, October 30: 9 am – 2:30pm Tune In: NBC will broadcast the NASCAR Cup Series Xfinity 500 at 2 p.m. ET on Sunday, October 30. Live coverage can also be found on the NBCSports Gold App, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.  NBC will broadcast the NASCAR Xfinity Series Dead On Tools 250 at 3 p.m. ET on Saturday, October 29. Live coverage can also be found on the NBCSports Gold App, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

QUOTABLE QUOTESROSS CHASTAIN, NO. 1 MOOSE FRATERNITY CAMARO ZL1What are your thoughts on Martinsville being the final race before the Championship race?“When NASCAR decided on the schedule, it was no accident that Martinsville was going to be the race to get into the Championship 4. We’ve seen year over year, it produces some crazy races. I don’t expect anything different. It’s another place that I am looking for a little bit of speed at. It was challenging to pass in the spring, but we were a car that went from around 27th and drove to fifth, but it took me all race to get there. It’s been high on my list to be better there. We tested there and I am still looking for more speed.” What do you think about Martinsville this weekend?“I want to qualify better there this weekend than I did last time. I had us starting pretty deep in the field and it takes a long time to get towards the front of the field there.” It seems you’re getting everything you can out of the racecar right now and really maximizing its potential.“Yeah, I’m so proud of the effort of this team and the execution of pit stops. The guys are doing a great job on pit road. We’re checking the boxes and doing what you need to do to run in the Cup Series and put ourselves in contention for wins. The points will stack as up they do.” KYLE LARSON, NO. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM CAMARO ZL1Larson on the team’s test at Martinsville Speedway in August: “It’s always good when you can get track time and can work on your car. Martinsville (Speedway) is my worst race track – I just don’t have a good feel for it. Anytime I can get more laps it helps me get into a better rhythm. For me and the type of racing I did growing up, the speed in the middle of the corner at Martinsville is so slow. I am used to trying to roll a corner as fast as possible in a sprint car or a midget or even now a dirt late model. That’s not the case at Martinsville. Usually, the driver going the slowest in the corner is turning the quick laps.” CLIFF DANIELS, CREW CHIEF, NO. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM CAMARO ZL1Daniels on the August test and what he expects this weekend: “Martinsville (Speedway) is certainly its own beast and a unique track. I grew up a couple hours away from it and I love the track. I’ve raced there (as a driver) in a late model and I’ve always enjoyed going there with a Cup (Series) car. We had a good test (in August). Kyle says he doesn’t have a lot of confidence in himself at Martinsville, but we’ve run really well with him and I have seen a lot of good things from him there. I’m cautiously optimistic about this weekend. It should be fun and exciting.” CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CAMARO ZL1Elliott on racing at Martinsville this weekend: “The Martinsville (Speedway) race in the spring was different than any Martinsville race I’ve ever really been a part of in the past. It was the craziest thing. You couldn’t pass. It was wild to be going that slow and to have a track position race like that. I’m sure it’s going to be more of that (this weekend), and look, that’s fine. It is what it is, right? As competitors, you have to figure out how to be successful in whatever environment is thrown at you, and I think that’s what we’re going to have there. I think a good qualifying effort is going to be really important in how your day’s going to unfold and how much opportunity you’re going to have. Hopefully we can just get it right all weekend because you’re going to have to be on from the beginning. There’s going to be no catching up.” ALAN GUSTAFSON, CREW CHIEF, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CAMARO ZL1Gustafson on heading into the final race of the Round of 8: “The strategy, ultimately, is no different than any other week. You try to score as many points as you can and you try to win the race, but obviously the sense of urgency is going to be much higher because you need to advance through this race. That means it’s all or nothing. So yeah, the strategy won’t be any different, but the sense of urgency will be really elevated and it will be the same for everybody besides Joey (Logano). No one else is in a really safe spot, so I think that is really going to generate some interesting situations.” WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 LIBERTY UNIVERSITY CAMARO ZL1 Byron on how he will approach Sunday’s race at Martinsville: “I think there’s a little we can apply this weekend from our win there in April. We had a good test at Martinsville (Speedway) a couple months ago that helped us be able to refine some things since we’ve raced there last. This weekend is going to be a bigger challenge, though, than usual given it’s the final playoff cutoff race. Everyone will be bringing their ‘A game’ and everything they’ve got. We just need to approach it how we have been so far. You can’t go in thinking about points because that (the points situation) changes every lap. You have to go in with the mindset of needing to win, and that’s what we will do this weekend to hopefully ensure our spot in the final four.” RUDY FUGLE, CREW CHIEF, NO. 24 LIBERTY UNIVERSITY CAMARO ZL1Fugle on preparing for Martinsville: “A lot has changed since the last time we raced at Martinsville (Speedway) but having the test a few months ago is really going to help us prepare for this weekend. We’re using a new tire than we did in the April race. We tested with it, so at least we have some idea of what falloff will look like, but there’s still some unknowns until you’re running 80 to 90 laps at a time in race conditions. This race is longer than the spring was as well, so that changes your strategy some. We saw in April that track position was a major key, and I think that will be the same this time. We need to have a good Saturday to really set us up well for Sunday and to hopefully maximize points and contend for the win.” TY DILLON, NO. 42 U.S. SPACE FORCE CAMARO ZL1“Every driver loves coming up to Martinsville! Growing up about an hour away from there, I have plenty of vivid memories going to the races with my family as a kid. We had a great run with our No. 42 team at Richmond, and I feel like our short track program continues to improve every time we hit the track. This weekend will be so cool for us to represent all the cadets in the US Space Force on our Camaro, I love the design and am very thankful for the opportunity. Hopefully we can avoid the typical short track carnage and come away with a solid finishing result that our guys deserve!” ERIK JONES, NO. 43 U.S. AIR FORCE CAMARO ZL1“Martinsville is another place that we tested a month or two ago and I felt like we learned a ton at that test that got ourselves and our car a lot better there than we were for the Spring race. I’m excited, Martinsville is always a place I’m trying to improve on. It’s definitely been, I’d say as far as tracks we go to in the Cup Series or any NASCAR Series, it’s probably been my toughest track. Just trying to continue to get better there as a driver and continuing to try to learn. I think overall what we learned at the test will pay off. Hopefully we have made the right changes and can go into it with a good race car and can have a good run. We ran top 10 last fall, which was really strong for us, so hopefully we can have a similar, if not a little better, run.” GREG IVES, CREW CHIEF, NO. 48 ALLY CAMARO ZL1Ives on heading to Martinsville as the defending the race winners: “Martinsville Speedway is a place where we have had success in the past. We won the fall race last year, and this season we are in a very different position but with the same goal – go maximize our race and compete for a win. Noah (Gragson) is still in the No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for Sunday’s race, and we will support him this weekend like we have since he stepped up to fill in for Alex (Bowman). We just have to stay focused on what’s in front of us and right now, and that’s Martinsville.” DANIEL SUAREZ, NO. 99 WORLDWIDE EXPRESS CAMARO ZL1How would you rank the success this year and did you see this coming last year?“I think that the season has been good. It’s tough, because as a race car driver, I am very greedy. If I don’t win the championship, I wouldn’t say that it is a perfect season. With that being said, I feel that it was a huge step from the first year of Trackhouse to the second year of Trackhouse. Right now, I feel like we are working hard to build up our house, and we have done that. I feel like the 99 team has a lot of things still to prove. And for me, with how we are running, I know that there is potential for more, and that is very exciting.I am very happy with where I am, I am very happy with Trackhouse, and the 99 team. I have an amazing team and we are going to continue to fight. I wish I was still in the playoffs and fighting for a championship, but it just wasn’t in the cards for us. But we have the speed and honestly everything to give these guys a fight. We are going to continue to do that and close this season as strong as possible so we can start building momentum for next year.”

Chevrolet NASCAR Cup Series Statistics Manufacturers Championships:Total (1949-2022): 41First title for Chevrolet: 1958Highest number of consecutive titles: 13 (2003-15) Years Won: 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1998, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2021, 2022 Drivers Championships:Total (1949-2021): 33First Chevrolet champion: Buck Baker (1957)Highest number of consecutive titles: 7 (2005-11)Most Recent: Kyle Larson (2021) Years Won: 1957, 1960, 1961, 1973, 1976, 1977, 1979, 1980, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2020, 2021 Event Victories:Record for total race wins in single season: 26 (2007)                2022 STATISTICS:                                                                                                    Wins: 19Poles: 10Laps Led: 4,084Top-five finishes: 80Top-10 finishes: 150Stage wins: 28Tyler Reddick (Fontanax2)Alex Bowman (Las Vegas), (Kansas)Ross Chastain (Las Vegas), (Darlington), (Charlotte), (Pocono), (Richmond), (Charlotte ROVAL)William Byron (Phoenix), (Atlanta), (Talladega), (Darlington)Daniel Suarez (COTA), (Charlotte)Chase Elliott (Martinsvillex2), (Charlotte), (Atlantax2), (Talladega)Kyle Larson (Bristol Dirt), (Sonoma), (Pocono), (Texas), (Homesteadx2) CHEVROLET IN NASCAR CUMULATIVE STATISTICS:Total Chevrolet race wins: 833 (1949 to date)Poles won to date: 733Laps led to date: 245,420Top-five finishes to date: 4,218Top-10 finishes to date: 8,705                                                                                                          Total NASCAR Cup Wins by Corporation, 1949 to Date:                    General Motors: 1,167           Chevrolet: 833           Pontiac: 154           Oldsmobile: 115           Buick: 65            Ford: 819                                                                      Ford: 719           Mercury: 96           Lincoln: 4            Fiat Chrysler Automobiles: 467           Dodge: 217           Plymouth: 191           Chrysler: 59            Toyota: 169

LAS VEGAS (Oct. 27, 2022) – Austin Prock and the Montana Brand / Rocky Mountain Twist Chevrolet dragster head to the NHRA Nevada Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, the second-to-last event on the NHRA Camping World schedule, looking to put an exclamation point at the end of their 2022 season. After struggling in mid-season, Prock, the 2019 NHRA Rookie of the Year, has turned his season around in the NHRA Countdown to the Championship, driving his Montana Brand/Rocky Mountain Twist entry to a compelling victory in Reading, Pennsylvania and to a runner-up finish in the most recent tour event in Dallas. “I’m looking forward to Vegas. John Force Racing has had success there in the past so, as a team, we’re looking for more of that all the way around,” Prock said. “This Montana Brand / Rocky Mountain Twist dragster is on good pace right now, and this team is hoping that continues into this weekend. We want to keep moving up the points standings.” Prock is making just his fourth overall appearance at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and his second at the NHRA Nevada Nationals. In 2019, Prock was the No. 10 qualifier and came up short to teammate Brittany Force in the second round. Competition at the NHRA Nevada Nationals, the second to last event on the NRHA Camping World Drag Racing Series season, begins with qualifying Friday at 1:00 and 4:15 p.m. and Saturday at 12:30 and 4:00 p.m. Eliminations are slated to begin Sunday at 11:00 a.m. Television coverage of the event will be on FOX Sports 1 (FS1) on Sunday beginning with qualifying at 2:00 p.m. ET and eliminations at 4 p.m. ET

Inside Line Promotions – TULARE, Calif. (Oct. 27, 2022) – Dominic Scelzi is bound for The Dirt Track at Kern County Raceway Park this Saturday during the second-to-last King of the West-NARC Fujitsu Series race of the season.

Scelzi enters the Sprint Car Showdown at the oval in Bakersfield, Calif., with a 64-point lead in the championship standings. He simply needs to make a qualify attempt during each of the final two series races to wrap up his second straight championship.

“It’s been a very consistent season and I’m excited we’ve set ourselves up to just go after wins during the last couple of races,” he said. “We’re one win away from our 10^th of the season and I really want to get to double digits again.”

Scelzi is tied for the series lead with four feature triumphs this season. He also leads the series with 148 feature laps led, five quick times in qualifying, six heat race victories and five dash wins.

“We’d love to have more wins at this point in the season, but I can’t complain about the success we’ve had,” he said. “We’ve done well at this track so I feel confident we will be a contender on Saturday.”

Scelzi placed second at The Dirt Track at Kern County Raceway Park last year. He swept a pair of series races there in 2019 and was third during his debut in 2018.

Scelzi is coming off a frustrating outing during the annual Trophy Cup, which features 80 of the top competitors from across the country vying for the coveted top prize. Scelzi capped the three-day event at Thunderbowl Raceway by rallying from 10^th to third place in a B Main to make the main event on Saturday. He finished 22^ndin the feature and 24^th in overall event points.

“It was definitely not the weekend we expected so we’re eager to get back to a race track to get the sour taste out of our mouth,” he said. “Fortunately we have another good track for us coming up this weekend and hopefully we can get back to Victory Lane.”

QUICK RESULTS –

Oct. 20 – Thunderbowl Raceway in Tulare, Calif. – Qualifying: 25; Heat race: 7 (7); B Main: 8 (17).

Oct. 21 – Thunderbowl Raceway in Tulare, Calif. – Qualifying: 5; Heat race: 5 (5); B Main: 6 (4).

Oct. 22 – Thunderbowl Raceway in Tulare, Calif. – Heat race: 4 (3); B Main: 3 (10); Feature: 22 (24).

SEASON STATS –

53 races, 9 wins, 27 top fives, 37 top 10s, 44 top 15s, 46 top 20s

UP NEXT – 

Saturday at The Dirt Track at Kern County Raceway Park in Bakersfield, Calif., for the Sprint Car Showdown with the King of the West-NARC Fujitsu Series

LAS VEGAS (Oct. 27, 2022) – Brittany Force and the Flav-R-Pac / Monster Energy Chevrolet dragster team head into the city that never sleeps sitting second in the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series. They’ll be looking for a win at the NHRA Nevada Nationals at the Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway to solidify their fight for a second title. Force has won both events at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway including the four-wide race this spring in which she beat Steve Torrence, Tony Schumacher and Antron Brown in the final. She also won the fall race in 2019, ending that season with two victories and a second-place finish in championship. As the No. 1 qualifier at the 2021 Nevada Nationals, Force raced her way to the semifinals and in 2017 finished runner-up at the fall, the year she became just the second woman to win a Top Fuel world championship and the first in 35 years. “Two races left in the season and our Flav-R-Pac / Monster Energy team heads to Sin City this weekend. We are currently sitting in second position and still have a shot at getting back the points lead,” Force said. “We need four solid passes during qualifying and need to land back in the winners circle. We won this event in the spring and are confident we can do it again.” Owner of the 10 fastest speeds in Top Fuel history, Force is trying to win five races for the first time in her career. Just 82-points off the lead and sitting second, she is well positioned to become the fourth woman in NHRA pro drag racing history to win multiple championships (after Shirley Muldowney, Enders and Angelle Sampey). Competition at the NHRA Nevada Nationals, the second to last event on the NRHA Camping World Drag Racing Series season, begins with qualifying Friday at 1:00 and 4:15 p.m. and Saturday at 12:30 and 4:00 p.m. Eliminations are slated to begin Sunday at 11:00 a.m. Television coverage of the event will be on FOX Sports 1 (FS1) on Sunday beginning with qualifying at 2:00 p.m. ET and eliminations at 4 p.m. ET

October 27, 2022

For Harrison Burton and the No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane team there’s no place to race quite like the team’s home track, Martinsville Speedway. The Wood Brothers, from nearby Stuart, Va., will be making their 123^rd start at the venerable half-mile oval, a string of starts that began when team founder Glenn Wood made his Cup Series debut in a 100-miler there in 1953.

“Any time the Wood Brothers team races at Martinsville, we treat it as a home race,” crew chief Brian Wilson said. “Many of our team members will stop by the shop in Stuart this weekend to see the Sweepstakes replica in person.”

The replica was built by Leonard Wood, who was the team’s crew chief back in the day and continues to crank out mechanical marvels at the age of 88.

Wilson said he and his fellow members of the current No. 21 team are proud to be carrying on the Wood family’s racing legacy.
 
“There’s a lot of pride in being a part of this team and knowing the history behind it,” he said.
 
Wilson said the Motorcraft/Quick Lane team and their rookie driver will be taking their biggest notebook yet to Martinsville, and are hoping to put that data to use in Sunday’s Xfinity 500.
 
“Similar to last weekend in Homestead, we tested at Martinsville earlier this year,” he said. “This was an extremely successful test for us. 
 
“We were able to make multiple long runs. Over the two-day test we ran a total of 636 laps. By the second day we were able to post some very competitive lap times.
 
“When you look at the notebook from the test, as well as what we learned in the spring race, we have the most information and seat time heading into this weekend of any event this year. 
 
“Everyone on the Motorcraft Ford is looking to capitalize on that information this Sunday.”
 
Practice for the Xfinity 500 is set for noon on Saturday, with qualifying at 12:45 p.m.
 
Sunday’s 500-lap race is scheduled to get the green flag just after 2 p.m. with TV coverage on NBC.
 
Stage breaks are planned for Laps 130 and 260.

 

FAN FAVORITE ELITE MOTORSPORTS PRO STOCK TEAM READY TO OUTPACE THE COMPETITION IN LAS VEGASPoints Leader Erica Enders Has Chance To Clinch Championship At Penultimate Event

Elite Motorsports Pre-Race Preview

NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series LAS VEGAS (October 26, 2022) – With a 165-point lead in the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series Countdown to the Championship, Pro Stock standout Erica Enders is experiencing the best season of her illustrious career that includes four Pro Stock world championships to date. As the talented driver seeks her fifth championship, she knows that she enters the penultimate event of the 2022 season with a target on her back as many of her fellow competitors including several of her Elite Motorsports teammates will seek to overtake her lead this weekend at the 22nd annual NHRA Nevada Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.  Las Vegas has been good to Enders in the past, including earlier this year when she walked away victorious at the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals in Las Vegas earlier this year, making her the winningest professional driver in the track’s history. Enders has picked up nine wins this year, tying her career-best for a single season, with two races remaining. “I’m really excited to head to Las Vegas,” Enders stated enthusiastically. “We have had a ton of success at The Strip and we are looking forward to what could potentially be an amazing weekend. I feel really great about my Melling Performance Chevy Camaro and the guys I have in my corner. This has been a tremendous season for us and we are going to do our best to finish strong. With just two races remaining, we have no plans on letting up on our competition. We will put our heads down and go to work like we always do! We will keep our eyes on the prize and let the others worry about the rest.” Enders’ Elite Motorsports teammates Aaron Stanfield (currently in second) and Troy Coughlin Jr. (currently in fourth) are prepared to make moves in the points standings this weekend in what will be an exciting and action-packed weekend of drag racing competition. In order to clinch the world championship this weekend, Enders will need to advance one more round than Stanfield.  “I love racing in Vegas, it’s a great racetrack and we would love to get a win,” said Stanfield. “I’m feeling confident about my hot rod. The guys have been working hard to make sure we finish the season strong, I just need to focus and do the job. As the season is coming to a close I think as a whole, the Elite team has been very strong and I am thankful to be part of it.” Coughlin is also feeling positive as he prepares to compete in his JEGS.com Camaro. The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway is a favorite for the young racer.  “The fall Vegas race is always one of the coolest races for me,” said Coughlin. “I won my first national event in Super Comp at this race when I was 19 in 2009. The boys have been hard at it on the dyno pretty much seven days a week so I have all the confidence in the world! I’m as proud as ever to wear the Elite Motorsports and JEGS colors and we’re ready to finish strong.” Additional members of the Elite Motorsports Pro Stock drag racing team, the largest professional race team in the NHRA, include Bo Butner and the Cuadra Boys – Fernando Sr. and his sons Fernando Jr. and Cristian. Bo Butner is currently just a few points away from the No. 8 spot in the Countdown to the Championship and as a former world champion, this highly-skilled competitor will certainly be one to watch this weekend in his Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage Camaro. He’s been a strong presence throughout the Countdown and he tends to shine in times of intense pressure.  The Cuadra Boys continue to compete amongst each other to determine who will be the first to bring a national event Pro Stock victory to their home in Leon, Mexico.   NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series competition kicks off this Friday, October 28 with the first session of qualifying at 12:30 p.m. local time. ***

Elite Motorsports Stats And Facts For Countdown Contention

The Elite Motorsports team will field seven Pro Stock entries during this week’s NHRA Nevada Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The Elite team is the largest in professional drag racing and features Erica Enders, Aaron Stanfield, Troy Coughlin Jr., Bo Butner, Fernando Cuadra and his two sons, Fernando Jr. and Cristian. This week’s event in Las Vegas marks the fifth round of the Countdown to the Championship, NHRA’s six-race playoff to determine season champions. Four-time world champion Enders is the leader followed by Stanfield (2), Coughlin Jr. (4), Butner (9), Cuadra Jr. (12), C. Cuadra (13), Cuadra Sr. (15). Two weeks ago in Dallas, Erica Enders won her ninth event of the season by beating Greg Anderson in the final round. As a result, Enders has a 165-point lead over teammate Aaron Stanfield in the battle for the championship. Enders can wrap up her fifth NHRA Pro Stock title by advancing one more round than Stanfield this weekend. Enders has won nine of the 17 events contested so far this season and has appeared in 11 of 17 possible final rounds. Out of the 17 Pro Stock events so far this season, Team Elite has won 14 of them. Enders has nine victories while Stanfield has three and Coughlin has two. Elite cars have also appeared in final rounds 24 times, as more than once, the final round has come down to two Elite-powered machines.

Erica EndersFour-time world champion Enders is experiencing the best season of her career with a record of 48-8 during eliminations, Enders has the highest winning percentage (.857) of any NHRA pro this season. Enders has enjoyed tremendous success in Las Vegas with eight victories including the Four-Wide event held earlier this season. She won the Fall events in 2014-15 and again in 2019-20. She was also a runner-up in 2013, 2018 and 2021. During her professional career, Enders has competed in 332 races and has 42 victories in 72 final rounds. Her overall win-loss record is 432-239. Enders currently holds both the elapsed time and speed record for the NHRA Pro Stock class with best of 6.450-seconds and 215.55 mph.

Aaron StanfieldStanfield, the driver of the Janac Bros/J3 Energy Camaro, finished the regular season as the No. 2 seed behind Enders thanks largely to victories in Phoenix and Bristol and four runner-up finishes in Pomona, Epping, Norwalk, and Denver. Stanfield is currently No. 2 in the Pro Stock class, 165 points out of first place following his most recent win in Charlotte and a semifinal finish in Dallas. Stanfield has a record of 35-14 this season and six of those losses have come against teammate Enders. Stanfield won back-to-back titles in the Constant Aviation Factory Stock Showdown in 2020-21 in Las Vegas. Stanfield has won seven Pro Stock events in 13 career final rounds. He is also a two-time world champion in the Constant Aviation Factory Stock Showdown. All told, Stanfield has 20 career wins in Pro Stock, Factory Stock, Super Stock, and Top Dragster. Stanfield’s career bests in Pro Stock are 6.457-seconds and 213.47 mph, both set this year in Gainesville.

Troy Coughlin Jr.Troy Coughlin Jr., the driver of the JEGS.comCamaro, finished the regular season as the No. 6 ranked Pro Stock driver but is currently fourth after his runner-up finish in Reading and semifinal finishes in Charlotte and Dallas. Earlier this year, Coughlin scored his first professional wins with back-to-back victories in Seattle and Topeka. In addition to his two Pro Stock victories this year, the multi-faceted Coughlin has additional wins in Top Alcohol Dragster, Super Comp, and Super Gas. Coughlin’s father, Troy Sr., is a 15-time national event winner in Pro Stock, Pro Mod, and Super Gas. Including his uncles, John, Mike, and Jeg Jr., the Coughlin family has combined to win 130 national event titles. Coughlin’s career bests in Pro Stock are 6.521-seconds and 211.93 mph, set this year in Sonoma and Gainesville, respectively.

Bo ButnerBo Butner is a two-time NHRA world champion in Pro Stock (2017) and Comp Eliminator (2006). He joined the Elite team this season driving the Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage Camaro. So far in 2022, Butner has an 8-17 round win record in Pro Stock competition. He is currently the No. 9 ranked driver in the class but is just eight points out of eighth place. Butner has 29 career national event victories including 11 in Pro Stock. He also has multiple wins in Comp, Super Stock, Stock, Super Gas, and Super Street to his name. Recently, Butner won back-to-back events in Indianapolis and Reading in the Super Gas class. Butner has also enjoyed tremendous success in Las Vegas with six victories including Pro Stock titles in 2018 and 2019. In 2012, Butner joined the short list of drivers who have doubled at a national event when he won Stock and Comp on the same day. Butner’s career bests in Pro Stock are 6.475-seconds and 214.28 mph, set in Dallas (2015) and Gainesville (2017), respectively.

The Cuadra BoysThe Cuadra family including Fernando Sr., and his sons Fernando Jr. and Cristian, joined Elite Motorsports this season with their three-car Corral Boots/Cuadra team. Fernando Sr. is a two-time national event runner-up with final round appearances at 2019 races in Reading and Pomona. Cristian Cuadra was the runner-up to Enders at the 2022 Four-Wide event in Las Vegas. All three Cuadra entries will contend for the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series Pro Stock title during the Countdown to the Championship playoffs. The Cuadra family has career-best elapsed times of 6.515 (Fernando Jr.), 6.524 (Fernando Sr.), and 6.528 (Cristian) – all of them recorded at the 2022 Gainesville event. Their career-best speeds are 212.13 (Fernando Sr.), 211.43 (Cristian), and 210.73 (Fernando Jr.).

Collectively, the seven Team Elite drivers have combined to win 103 NHRA national event titles across all classes including 62 in the ultra-competitive Pro Stock category.

For the first time, fans will get to celebrate each driver’s year-long accomplishments and then keep the party going with a concert by Country Music Artist Rick Monroe and The Hitmen

CONCORD, NC (Oct. 26, 2022) – When the fireworks fade and the champions lower their trophies Saturday night at the World of Outlaws World Finals, the year-end celebrations kick off with the special World of Outlaws Champions Celebration at The Dirt Track at Charlotte. And everyone is invited.

Taking place directly after Saturday night’s (Nov. 5) championship Victory Lane celebrations, the World of Outlaws Champions Celebration will be held at the NOS Energy Concert Stage in the lower pit area, featuring a concert, a parade of cars and the honoring of this year’s championship contenders.

“For the first time, fans will be able to celebrate each driver’s season-long accomplishments with them as they are honored on the NOS Energy Concert Stage Saturday night,” said World of Outlaws CEO Brian Carter. “Add in an electric concert and The Greatest Show on Dirt will go from on track to off track at the end of the night.”

The full field of championship contenders for the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series and World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Model Series will be honored on stage – given their trophy and check. World of Outlaws teams will also parade their cars to the stage.

There will also be a concert by Country Music Artist, Rick Monroe and The Hitmen, brought to you by NOS Energy. And it’s all free for fans to attend.

The World of Outlaws Championship Celebration will be a unique bookend to the epic four-day World of Outlaws World Finals, which will commence with the PRN at the Track Kick-off Party – in the zMax Pavilion – Tuesday, Nov. 1 at 6pm (ET). Then, racing will begin Wednesday, Nov. 2 with the World of Outlaws Sprint Cars and World of Outlaws Late Models.

And while the Super DIRTcar Series may not have on track action, its drivers will line the front stretch for a two-hour Fan Fest (2 to 4pm ET) before racing action, allowing fans to get up close to their favorite drivers and cars. World of Outlaws fans will have the same opportunity the next two days with a Fan Fest (from 2 to 4pm ET each night) for the Sprint Car drivers on Thursday and one for the Late Model drivers on Friday.

Thursday, Nov. 3, will see Feature action for the World of Outlaws Late Models and Super DIRTcar Series, while Friday, Nov. 5, will host Features for the World of Outlaws Sprint Cars and Super DIRTcar Series.

Then, three champions will be crowned on Saturday, Nov. 5, with a massive night of action. Points accumulated from the previous nights will determine the Heat Race lineups for each Series. After competing for $15,000-to-win races during the weekday races, both World of Outlaws series will battle for $25,000-to-win in Saturday’s Feature. The Super DIRTcar Series will compete for $10,000 paydays during the week and $15,000 in the finale.

Before the Features, the famed 3X4 Wide Salute – placing the fields for the World of Outlaws and Super DIRTcar Series on track at the same time – will grace the speedway for the most iconic photo opportunity in motorsports.

The Lake Elmo, MN driver enters the World of Outlaws World Finals fifth in the Series standings

CONCORD, NC – October 26, 2022– Basketball legend Michael Jordan once said, “Obstacles don’t have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don’t turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it.” 

While Brent Larson has faced multiple obstacles since joining the World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Model Series tour in 2018, he’s never turned around. Never given up. And continues to fight. 

Further proof of that will be on display during the World of Outlaws World Finals at The Dirt Track at Charlotte, where the Lake Elmo, MN will officially clinch his fifth-place finish in championship points – the best finish of his World of Outlaws career. 

He’s also improved his average finish by more than four positions from 2021. 

Larson’s growth is something he said comes from the experience of battling some of the best dirt Late Model drivers in the country on a nightly basis.  

“I think I continue to learn and grow, get more familiar with the tracks, get more familiar with the different tires,” Larson said. “And we just continue to grow as a person and as a team. I think our growth has been fairly steady over the past two or three years.  

“Last year, we got the most improved driver [award], and this year we’re a little better yet. I think it’s just a pattern of continual growth.” 

Any driver who runs a national touring schedule will likely face adversity throughout the season. 

This year was no different for Larson, and he dealt with new crew members and his wife Melanie’s shoulder injury, who’s also his tire specialist. 

“Even when [Melanie] wasn’t physically at the track or was out with her shoulder injury, we still worked together a lot,” Larson said. “I think a lot of my program, in general, has just been overcoming adversity and struggles and challenges.” 

Those new challenges came on top of old obstacles like travel. Larson’s home, just outside St. Paul, MN, is further north than any other full-time Series driver. However, it’s only part of how far his team has come in the past few years and how they face that adversity. 

“Just being located where I am physically presents a challenge as far as adversity and lack of experience across the different parts of the country,” Larson said. “But I think we’ve learned to overcome adversity largely over the last two or three years, that when we face adversity now, it’s not that big of a deal.” 

For the second consecutive season, Larson came close to scoring his first career World of Outlaws CASE Late Models victory—a second to Mike Marlar at Cedar Lake Speedway in August.  

Larson said he enjoyed that experience but is frustrated that he couldn’t grab the checkered flag. 

“It’s both rewarding and exciting to be that close, but it’s also frustrating being that close and not being able to close the deal,” Larson said. “It’s one of those things I look back on a lot and think what I could have done different to win that race. I guess you just hope that thought and that experience allows you to close the deal off the next time you get into that situation.” 

The final stop in Larson’s fifth year on tour is The Dirt Track at Charlotte for the World of Outlaws World Finals—a place where Larson has struggled at times.  

Despite those results, he said he believes he’s capable of winning on one of the biggest stages in dirt racing.  

“I haven’t been real great at Charlotte overall,” Larson said. “I’ve showed some speed at times, but I haven’t really put together a great night altogether there. I think I’m capable of it. It’d be a shocker to a lot of people, including me, to pull off my first win there. 

“But I look forward to being closer to the front and maybe having a chance. Charlotte’s kind of a crapshoot for everybody. Every year you see someone run well there you don’t expect to, and I’m doing everything I can to be one of those guys this year.” 

No matter the World of Outlaws World Finals result, Larson will cap off a successful year with the best showing of his career. It shows that no matter the obstacle he faces, the driver from the “Land of 10,000 Lakes” has shown how to climb, work around, or go through any wall he runs into. 

The World of Outlaws CASE Late Models finish an epic 2022 season with the World of Outlaws World Finals at The Dirt Track at Charlotte in Concord, NC, on November 2-5. And fans will get to meet Larson, along the rest of the World of Outlaws stars during the World Finals Fan Fest on Friday, Nov. 4, from 2-4 p.m. Drivers will be signing autographs and playing games with the fans. 

OCALA, FL (October 25, 2022) — Las Vegas is known as the city where fortunes can change in an instant and second year Top Fuel driver and team owner Josh Hart is hoping Lady Luck smiles on his R+L Carriers Top Fuel team this weekend at the NHRA Nevada Nationals. The accomplished driver who last year raced a partial schedule, took a huge step forward with his program this season, racing all 20 NHRA national events to date. He is in the thick of the battle for the Top Fuel world championship and with two races left Hart is sitting in sixth place just 147 points out of first in one of the most competitive Top Fuel battles in recent history. The NHRA Nevada Nationals will be an opportunity for Hart and the R+L Carriers team to close the gap with round wins on Sunday.

“We know what we need to do and our focus is on getting qualifying bonus points and going rounds on Sunday,” said Hart, a two-time Top Fuel national event winner. “In Dallas I let the team down but I put that behind me and now the only thing everyone on this team is thinking about is getting the most out of the Nevada Nationals.”

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

Two weeks ago, Hart suffered his first red-light start of his career in the first round against Leah Pruett losing out on the chance to advance to the quarterfinals with a strong first round pass. The silver lining for Hart was he was able to maintain his position in the points and not fall out of championship contention. The final race of the season will award points and a half (30 total) for every round win so Hart knows if he can cut into the lead this weekend, he will control his own destiny for the championship.

This season has been a learning process for the former weekend racer from Ocala, Florida who started his racing career in a Ford Lightning pick-up truck. After moving up through the Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series and a very successful stint behind the wheel of a Top Alcohol Dragster Hart made the jump to Top Fuel to race against the quickest and fastest drivers on the planet. As an independent team racing for the first time on a full-time schedule Hart has seen new parts of the country and battled some significant growing pains along the way.

Josh Hart, photo by Gary Nastase/Auto Imagery

“I really didn’t know what to expect this season with a brand-new race car and a young team,” said Hart. “We have a great leader in my crew chief Ron Douglas and our sponsors R+L Carriers and TechNet have been amazing. Our goal is bigger than wins on the race track. We are promoting career opportunities across the country with R+L Carriers, a family-owned business that has been successful for over 50 years. At every race I am talking with fans and guests about job opportunities that can change their lives.”

Hart has shown flashes of brilliance this season racing to the final round at the Norwalk Nationals and consistently holding off challengers throughout the season to secure his spot in the NHRA Countdown. Once the Countdown began Hart raced to a final round at the Midwest Nationals in St Louis and he has only suffered two first round losses in the past 11 races. That is the kind of consistency that has Hart knocking on the door of the Top Fuel championship.

“There are two races left in the season and I feel very confident in this R+L Carriers team,” said Hart. “We just raced in our 33^rd career Top Fuel race and we are competing with teams and drivers that have four or five times as many races under their belts. This level of competition is the best in the world and I want to show everyone that we belong at this level.”

Hart and the R+L Carriers Top Fuel team will have two qualifying runs on Friday followed by two more runs on Saturday to grab as many qualifying bonus points as possible and secure one of the 16 spots in the qualified field for race day. Final eliminations will begin at 1

DENVER, NC (October 25, 2022) — Rookie Pro Stock driver Camrie Caruso has raced her way through some of the toughest competition during the 2022 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series season and NHRA Countdown. The 24-year-old who resides in Denver, North Carolina, will bring a new look to the NHRA Nevada Nationals with the Powerbuilt Chevrolet Camaro powered by Titan Racing Engines looking to close out the season with a signature win at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Last season in Vegas rookie Dallas Glenn took the Pro Stock win and went on to Rookie of the Year honors. Caruso, one of two finalists for the 2022 top rookie award, would like nothing better than to duplicate Glenn’s feat this weekend.

Camrie Caruso and Powerbuilt Chevrolet Camaro, photo by Gary Nastase/Auto Imagery

“It is great to be a finalist for Rookie of the Year and winning that award was one of my pre-season goals,” said Caruso. “We have qualified for every race and I feel like the team is getting better but this is a marathon not a sprint. The homestretch is coming up with Las Vegas and Pomona and we want to finish strong.”

This will be a return engagement for Caruso at the Las Vegas track located 20 minutes from downtown. The rookie driver competed in her first NHRA Four-Wide Nationals here earlier this season. The familiarity will be a welcome element to the driver who has been competing on brand new track week in and week out throughout the season.

“I love Las Vegas and I am glad we are coming back to a track like this for the Countdown,” said Caruso. “The four-wide nationals was a new experience so I am looking forward to traditional side-by-side racing this weekend. My crew chief Jim Yates has been working his tail off on our tune-up and I think we have a car that can go rounds. I have been trying to be super aggressive on the starting line. We just need a few things to go our way and we could have a long day on Sunday. This is Las Vegas so anything can happen.”

Camrie Caruso, photo by Gary Nastase/Auto Imagery

Caruso has qualified for every event this season which is an impressive feat in the hyper-competitive Pro Stock category but even more impressive is the fact she and her Powerbuilt Chevrolet Camaro team have been going rounds in her rookie season. Historically, drivers and teams have significant hurdles, but Caruso and her Jim Yates tuned Chevrolet Camaro have established themselves as consistent performers grabbing a round win in just their second start and a No. 1 qualifier at the Houston SpringNationals. Caruso advanced to the final round of the Houston national event in just her fifth professional start.

“We have achieved some of my goals for this season, but there are a few we are still chasing,” said Caruso. “We have all the pieces to get into the winner’s circle, we just need to put them all together on race day. The Nevada Nationals would be a great race to get our first win and then roll into the Auto Club Finals in Pomona with some momentum. I have learned a lot this season and I am excited for these last two races.”

Prior to the Nevada Nationals Caruso will be joining several NHRA drivers at the Fremont Street Fan Experience on Thursday night signing free autographs from 5:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. and following the race she will be attending the SEMA show spending time in a number of marketing partners’ booths promoting their products and signing autographs. The Pro Stock rookie knows the off the track events can be just as impactful as win lights on Sunday.

“I enjoy spending time with our marketing partners away from the track and I especially like the fan fest events,” said Caruso. “Events like those are where you can make a connection with the fans and really talk about how great NHRA is or how one of our marketing partners can benefit their business or personal life. We have a lot of great partners that have supported us this season and we are looking forward to SEMA for sure.”

Pro Stock qualifying for the NHRA Nevada Nationals will begin Friday at 12:30 p.m. and 3:15 p.m. with Saturday’s sessions running at noon and 3:30 p.m. On Sunday final eliminations will begin at 11:00 a.m. with Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle. The race will be broadcast nationally on FS1.

PLAINVIEW, NY (October 25, 2022) — With two NHRA Countdown national events left on the schedule Justin Ashley and the Phillips Connect Toyota Top Fuel dragster powered by Vita C Energy are in control of the Top Fuel championship race sitting in the No. 1 spot. The third-year driver and team owner has dominated the first four Countdown races securing two runner-up finishes and a win at the Texas Fall Nationals, where he defended his 2021 title and extended his points lead to 82 points over his closest pursuer. The team knows there is no margin for error heading into this weekend’s NHRA Nevada Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

“We are not taking anything for granted and there is a lot of racing left before someone wins the championship,” said Ashley. “This Phillips Connect Toyota Top Fuel dragster powered by Vita C Energy has been running great thanks to the hard work of Dustin Davis, Mike Green, Tommy DeLago, our team and our partners. I am lucky to be the driver who gets to hit the throttle every race. This is a complete team effort and we are going into the Nevada Nationals focused on making quick qualifying runs and then racing within ourselves on Sunday.” 

Justin Ashley and Phillips Connect Toyota Top Fuel dragster powered by Vita C Energy, photo by Ron Lewis

Ashley started the season with a win at the Winternationals and since then the second generation drag racer has been on a rocket ship of success picking up an additional win in Bristol at the Thunder Valley Nationals on Father’s Day weekend. A string of semifinal finishes to close out the regular season set up Ashley for his run through the Countdown. In Reading and Charlotte starting from the No. 2 and No. 1 qualifying positions respectively, Ashley raced to the final round only to lose close races but two weeks ago in Dallas the 2020 Rookie of the Year broke through for his first 2022 Countdown win taking out Doug Kalitta, Kebin Kinsley, Shawn Langdon and Austin Prock for the win that included four straight runs in the 3.60s from the No. 10 qualifier position.

“We didn’t qualify as well as we would have hoped at Texas Motorplex, but we turned it around on race day which is a testament to the resiliency and mental fortitude of our team,” said Ashley. “We raced three Countdown contending teams on Sunday and got three win lights. We have been racing a lot of Countdown contenders which is what you need to do if you want to win the championship.

The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway has been a track where Ashley has had limited success racing to two semifinal finishes the past two NHRA Nevada Nationals. Last year he raced to the final four as the No. 3 qualifier and in 2020 he made the semis from the No. 12 spot. In each of those races he was ousted by eventual world champion Steve Torrence.

Through 20 national events this season Ashley and the Phillips Connect team have raced to at least the semifinals 13 times and they have started from No. 4 or higher 11 times including two No. 1 qualifiers. The consistency both in qualifying and on race day has Ashley confident but not cocky heading into the penultimate Countdown race.

The Phillips Connect Toyota Top Fuel team, photo by Ron Lewis

“This sport will get your attention really quick if you take anything for granted,” said Ashley. “We are going to just take every qualifying round one at a time and on race day we are going to race the racetrack to the best of our ability. This is an exciting time, but the key is not to get too high or too low. We are going to continue enjoying ourselves but stay focused on the task at hand.” 

Top Fuel will have two qualifying runs on Friday and two qualifying runs on Saturday where teams can earn qualifying bonus points heading into Sunday’s elimination rounds. The final eliminations will begin at 11 a.m. with FS1 broadcasting the race nationally.

NASCAR winner Justin Haley and World of Outlaws winner Chris Madden are set to join the field of short track stars

CONCORD, NC (Oct. 25, 2022) – The seventh annual World Short Track Championship at The Dirt Track at Charlotte, Oct. 27-29, is set to be one of the biggest yet.

With a record 10 divisions this year, more than 400 drivers from the across the country are expected to compete in the three-day event – more than half from North Carolina and South Carolina.

It’s a chance for short track stars to win on the biggest stage of their career and for some to compete against superstars of the sport like NASCAR Cup Series winner Justin Haley and World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Series winner Chris Madden.

The divisions competing in the event this year, include:
–FOX Factory Pro (604) Late Models
–Chevrolet Performance 602 Late Models
–Summit Racing Equipment UMP Modifieds
–Hoosier Racing Tire Pro Modifieds
–COMP Cams Monster Mini-Stocks
–DIRTVision Hornets
–VP Racing Fuels Sportsman Modifieds
–SRI Performance Thunder Bombers
–MSD Pro Stocks
–ARP Street Stocks

FULL LIST OF ENTRIES: CLICK HERE

TICKETS: CLICK HERE

If you can’t make it to the track, you can watch every lap of the World Short Track Championship live on DIRTVision – either at DIRTVision.com or by downloading the DIRTVision App.

Here are the top storylines to follow this weekend:

NASCAR POWER: NASCAR Cup Series winner and current full-time Cup driver for Kaulig Racing, Justin Haley, will make his World Short Track Championship debut this year. He will compete in the Summit Racing Equipment UMP Modified field, looking to claim the $4,000 top prize.

While this will be his first time racing at the 4/10-mile Dirt Track at Charlotte, Haley is no stranger to UMP Modified racing. He won a gator trophy during DIRTcar Nationals in 2019 at Volusia Speedway Park in his own DIRTcar UMP Modified.

Haley will pilot a brand-new Leaf Filter/Elite Chassis No. 99, built by three-time World Short Track Championship UMP Modified champion Nick Hoffman.

MADDEN IN A MOD: For the second time in two years, national dirt Late Model star Chris Madden will get behind the wheel of a UMP Modified and compete for the $4,000 grand prize.

The Grey Court, SC-racer will once again pilot Pennsylvanian Dan Davies’ Lethal Chassis No. 71 this weekend, following a head-turning debut in the event last year where Madden wheeled it to a runner-up finish to three-time national champion Nick Hoffman in the championship Feature and third in the All-Star Feature.

It will be Madden’s second-ever competitive start in the division; one week before he gets back in his Super Late Model and takes on the World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Model Series in the World of Outlaws World Finals at The Dirt Track at Charlotte, Nov. 2-5.

DOUBLE DUTY DRIVERS: Several pre-entered drivers are doubling-up and increasing their chances of taking home World Short Track Championship gold this year by entering in two divisions. More will likely follow suit as registration continues at the track this weekend.

Ryan Ayers (Newton, NC) – Ayers will pilot both a Summit Racing Equipment UMP Modified and a Hoosier Racing Tire Pro Modified in this year’s event, one year after his fifth-place finish with the UMP Modifieds in 2021.

Austin Holcombe (Elm City, NC) – The reigning Pro Modified World Short Track Champion returns to The Dirt Track this weekend, piloting both a Pro Modified and his more regularly raced UMP Modified. It’s been a career year for Holcombe, one in which he finished 15th in national DIRTcar points with 11 Feature wins in 46 starts.

Brian Carter (Concord, NC) – A World Short Track and Super DIRT Week regular for the past several seasons with his MSD Pro Stock, the World of Outlaws and DIRTcar Racing CEO has his new Chevy Performance 602 crate engine Late Model suited up and ready to go for this year’s event – his first time pulling double duty at the World Short Track Championship.

Steve Greene (Bostic, NC) – Green, a familiar face around the South Carolina/Georgia tracks of Cherokee Speedway, Harris Speedway and Lavonia Speedway, will pilot both an ARP Street Stock and an SRI Performance Thunder Bomber, going for his first event Feature win.

Preston Blalock (Clemmons, NC) – It’s an all-crate assault for Blalock this year, who takes on two divisions for the first time in this event (Pro Modified, 602 Late Model). He’s appeared in every Pro Modified championship Feature in event history, dating back to 2016, with a best finish of fourth in 2019.

NEW ADDITION: A new storm of V8 engine power is brewing over The Dirt Track at Charlotte this weekend as the SRI Performance Mid-East Racing Thunder Bomber division makes its event debut.

These Street Stock/Stock Car-type machines, commonly found racing around the weekly venues of the Southeast, offer a competitive roster of drivers that will be just as eager to get to Victory Lane as any other.

Leading the way with five Feature victories in local competition this year is former World Short Track Champion from Greenville, SC – Rod Tucker. Tucker proved his worth around the 4/10-mile of Charlotte in 2018, winning the COMP Cams Mini Stock Championship Feature for his first event title. He now has a shot to become the first driver in event history to win a Feature in multiple divisions but will have to defend against fellow heavy hitters Benji Knight (3 wins), Mark Towell (2 wins) and Hunter Funderburke (3 wins). 

NORTHEAST COMES SOUTH: A couple weeks after the Northeast’s biggest race, Super DIRT Week, the stars of the DIRTcar Sportsman and DIRTcar Pro Stock series will make their way south for a final shot at winning on a national stage this year.

Last year’s podium finishers in the DIRTcar Sportsman Series – David Rogers, Andrew Buff and Mike Fowler – are set to return and battle for the $4,000 top prize again. Rogers, of LaFargeville, NY, claimed his first World Short Track Championship win last year. And Fowler earned his first podium finish in the event, having finished 13th the two years prior.

The Pro Stock division will also see the return of its reigning champion, along with the return of several Canadian competitors. With the border between the United States and Canada, several drivers from Ontario and Quebec will make their return to North Carolina.

Last year’s Pro Stock winner Sheldon Martin, of Mooresville, NC, will try to claim the $3,000 top prize again. His victory in 2021 was his first ever win on dirt.

HORNET SWARM: Consistently one of the most entertaining classes of the World Short Track Championship, the Hornet division (also known as FWD/Sport Compacts) has currently has more than 50 entries – the highest car count of all divisions.

With the field split into multiple 15-lap Features throughout the week, multiple Hornet drivers will a chance to win the biggest race of their careers – one many of them call their Daytona 500.

Last year saw Dave Laney, Newman Presnell, Chase Hopper and Jonathan Sarratt pick up the victories.

PAST WINNERS
Pro Late Models
2021 – Dillon Brown / Tyler Nicely (All-Star Race)
2020 – John Ruggerio Jr. / Wil Herrington (All-Star Race)
2019 – Michael Brown / Matt Long (All-Star Race)
2018 – Michael Brown / Timbo Mangum (All-Star Race)
2017 – Jonathan Davenport
2016 – Corey Gordon / Dylan Brown (All-Star Race)

602 Late Models
2021 – John Ruggiero
2020 – Bryan Mullis
2019 – Billy Rushton
2018 – Dale Timms

UMP Modifieds
2021 – Nick Hoffman / Nick Hoffman (All-Star Race)
2020 – Kyle Strickler / David Stremme (All-Star Race)
2019 – Nick Hoffman / Kyle Strickler (All-Star Race)
2018 – Nick Hoffman / Nick Hoffman (All-Star Race)
2017 – Kyle Strickler / Taylor Cook (All-Star Race)
2016 – Kyle Strickler / Evan Taylor (All-Star Race)

Pro Modifieds
2021 – Austin Holcombe
2020 – Jeff Parsons
2019 – Jeff Parsons
2018 – Jesse Rockett
2017 – Jeff Parsons
2016 – Slade Parson / Buck Stevens

Sportsman Modifieds
2021 – David Rogers / Zach Payne (All-Star Race)
2019 – Jackon Gill / Kevin Ridley (All-Star Race)
2018 – Jackson Gill / Tyler Thompson (All-Star Race)
2017 – Dave Marcuccilli / Tyler Thompson (All-Star Race)
2016 – Ronnie Davis III / Danny Gagne (All-Star Race)

Pro Stocks
2021 – Sheldon Martin / Sean Corr (All-Star Race)
2019 – Luke Horning / Scott Towslee (All-Star Race)
2018 – Nick Stone / Rick Duzlak (All-Star Race)

Street Stocks
2021 – Ricky Greene
2020 – Calob McLaughlin
2019 – Mitchell Duvall
2018 – Mitchell Duvall
2017 – Mitchell Duvall
2016 – Mitchell Duvall

Mini Stocks
2021 – Johnny Raines
2020 – Brayden Pruitt
2019 – Brayden Pruitt
2018 – Rod Tucker
2017 – Justin Mintz
2016 – Austin Mintz

Hornets
2021 – Dave Laney / Newman Presnell / Chase Hopper / Newman Presnell / Jonathan Sarratt
2020 – John Windham / Walker Windham / Joey Kelly / John Windham / Joey Kelly / Chase Hopper
2019 – Paul Clayton / Eddie McGrew / Chase Webb / Joey Kelly / Payne Pickles
2018 – Jonathan Sarratt / Eddie McGrew / Robert Arch / Jonathan Sarratt
2017 – Eric Boozel / Chris Anderson / Andrew Smith / Adam Reseigh
2016 – Eric Boozel / Andrew Smith

Dennis Erb Jr. mathematically secures 2022 Series Championship, while Rookie of the Year battle tightens

OSBORN, MO – October 23, 2022 – After an up-and-down weekend with the World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Models, Mike Marlar saved his best performance for last Sunday night at US 36 Raceway. 

The Winfield, TN driver stormed past Chase Junghans for the lead on Lap 26 and led the final 14 laps to earn his fourth Series win of 2022.  

Marlar attributed his win to how well the car ran in the race’s later stages— something he said has been the case for most of the year. 

“The longer the race went, the better it got,” Marlar said. “The car, this year, has been doing that quite a bit. So, I was really happy with how the race went for sure.” 

Tyler Bruening led the first seven laps before Junghans, on the charge around the top of the track, made the pass for the lead on Lap 8. 

Junghans, who won on Friday night, quickly pulled away from the field until the race’s only caution came out for Tanner English, who broke the frame on the right front of his Longhorn Chassis, on Lap 18. 

On the restart, Marlar started his ascension toward the front. He passed Dennis Erb Jr. and Bruening to move into the runner up spot. Then, he set his sights on Junghans.  

The “Winfield Warrior” used the low line to gain ground on the Manhattan, KS driver, narrowly colliding with Junghans as the two battled through traffic.  

Marlar needed only one more lap to get to the front, as he powered his Longhorn underneath Junghans in Turn 2 to take a lead on Lap 26 he wouldn’t relinquish. 

From there, Marlar held on to score his 12th career World of Outlaws win. 

“[Traffic] was busy, but you know all of them guys were out there doing their thing, and I was doing my thing,” Marlar said. “They were racing each other hard, and there was not one inch of this racetrack that wasn’t having a heck of a race going on.  

“It was pretty crazy, there was a lot of stuff going on, but I was able to keep it clean up there.” 

Junghans settled for second, his third top five of the weekend. He stated the last thing he needed was the yellow with 23 laps left. 

“I didn’t want to see a caution there, but hats off to [Marlar],” Junghans said. “He was better than me after the restart. It was a hell of a race. I was holding my breath, getting through lap cars.  

“All in all, it was a good weekend. We’ll take this and regroup and hopefully come out strong the next time we race.” 

Bruening, the 2021 Series Rookie of the Year, rounded out the podium. He said he wasn’t eager to try the outside until he saw Junghans and Marlar use the lane to their advantage. 

“I got held up a little bit with lap traffic,” Bruening said. “[Junghans] got by me, and then I started trying to move around a little bit, and it gave Mikey an opportunity to get by me, too. Once I found them guys had a decent line up on the top, I was more confident to go up there and run there a little bit. 

“All in all, a darn good night. Quick Time. We won our (Heat Race). A podium finish, you can’t hang your head about that. When you start getting frustrated with seconds and thirds, you’re doing alright.” 

Dennis Erb Jr. finished fourth, also scoring his third top-five of the weekend. 

The Series points leader stated his goal was to make sure he made it through the night without any issues. 

“We were alright out there, but there was a lot going on,” Erb said. “We really had to make sure that we finished tonight for sure. We didn’t want to have any breaks on a night like tonight. We just kind of had to ride it out and get a good finish.” 

Erb’s finish, along with English’s 25th-place result, helped the Carpentersville, IL driver mathematically secured his first World of Outlaws CASE Late Models championship. He’ll officially claim that title at the World of Outlaws World Finals at The Dirt Track at Charlotte, Nov. 2-5.  

Ryan Gustin, from Marshalltown, IA, rounded out the top five. “The Reaper,” said his tire management may have kept him from finishing higher. 

“I felt pretty good before the caution came out,” Gustin said. “I don’t know if I didn’t take care of my tire under yellow or what, but I didn’t feel like we took off quite as good as we were going. But that’s part of it when you have a hard tire. It’s tough to keep them from sealing.” 

Max Blair finished sixth for the second consecutive night, gaining on English in the battle for Rookie of the Year after the Benton, KY driver’s misfortune. English leads Blair by 20 points with three races left.  

UP NEXT: The Most Powerful Late Models on the Planet head to The Dirt Track at Charlotte for the World of Outlaws World Finals, Nov. 2-5. 

NASCAR CUP SERIESHOMESTEAD-MIAMI SPEEDWAYDIXIE VODKA 400TEAM CHEVY PRESS RELEASE

• Kyle Larson recorded his third NASCAR Cup Series win of 2022, driving his No. 5 Valvoline Camaro ZL1 to a sweep of the stage wins to take the checkered flag in the Dixie Vodka 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.  • Larson led Chevrolet to a sweep of the top-four finishing positions of the race, recorded by drivers from four different Chevrolet teams.  • The win is Larson’s 19th all-time win in 293 career NASCAR Cup Series starts; and his first at Homestead-Miami Speedway.  • Larson delivered Chevrolet its seventh all-time NASCAR Cup Series win at Homestead-Miami Speedway.  • With 34 NASCAR Cup Series races complete, Chevrolet extended its series-leading NCS win count to 19 this season, now matching the manufacturer’s NCS win count in 2021.  • The winningest brand in NASCAR Cup Series history, Chevrolet now has 833 all-time NASCAR Cup Series victories. • With Race Two of the NASCAR Cup Series Round of 8 complete, all three of Chevrolet’s playoff contenders sit in the top-four of the playoff points standings.

HOMESTEAD, Fla. (October 23, 2022) – For the first time in his NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) career, Kyle Larson hoisted the trophy in victory lane at Homestead-Miami Speedway after piloting his No. 5 Valvoline Camaro ZL1 to the win in the Dixie Vodka 400. The 30-year-old California native posted a dominating performance in his Hendrick Motorsports’ Chevrolet-powered machine, sweeping the stage wins and leading 199 of the 267-lap race en route to his third win of the 2022 season and his 19th career win in NASCAR’s premier series. Larson’s victory also marked Chevrolet’s series-leading 19th NCS win of 2022, matching the manufacturer’s win count from the 2021 season with still two races remaining.  While the reigning champion is no longer in playoff competition, the victory secures the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Camaro ZL1 team’s eligibility to race for the owner’s championship title in the series’ season finale at Phoenix Raceway. “We had an amazing No. 5 Valvoline Chevy,” said Larson. “I knew that last run was going to be short enough where I was going to be in some sort of trouble there, but thankfully AJ (Allmendinger) and Ross (Chastain) were racing hard behind me.” “Happy for our team, and we get to go race for an owner’s title in Phoenix in a couple weeks,” continued Larson. “We’re still technically not out of it. I can’t win the championship, but it means more to me to win it as a team. We’re going to go to Phoenix and try to get another championship.” Larson’s triumph was celebrated by a strong Chevrolet showing on the final leaderboard at the 1.5-mile South Florida oval, with the Chevrolet drivers sweeping the top-four finishing positions. Florida native, Ross Chastain, drove his No. 1 Kubota Camaro ZL1 to back-to-back runner up finishes, with Chastain being one of just two playoff drivers to finish in the top-10 of the race. Kaulig Racing’s AJ Allmendinger finished third in his No. 16 Ed Morse Automotive Group Camaro ZL1, followed by Richard Childress Racing’s Austin Dillon and the No. 3 Huk Camaro ZL1 team in fourth. The Team Chevy top-four sweep was performed by drivers from four different Chevrolet teams, showcasing the speed across the Bowtie brigade.  With Race Two of the NASCAR Cup Series Round of 8 in the books, all three of Chevrolet’s playoff contenders will enter the elimination race above the playoff cutline. Ross Chastain maintained the second position in the playoff points standings, with the 29-year-old Trackhouse Racing driver now sitting at a 19-point advantage over the cutline. The 2022 NCS regular-season champion, Chase Elliott, continues to hold onto the third position in the standings and 11-points above the cutline. Entering the race weekend on the outside looking in, William Byron jumped up to the fourth spot in the standings and five-points above the cutline, giving Chevrolet three of the top-four spots in the standings as the Bowtie brand moves one race closer to defending its championship title in NASCAR’s premier series.

KYLE LARSON, NO. 5 VALVOLINE CAMARO ZL1; and CLIFF DANIELS, CREW CHIEF, NO. 5 VALVOLINE CAMARO ZL1 – Press Conference Transcript: THE MODERATOR: We are joined by the crew chief of the race-winning car, which was the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, Cliff Daniels. Q. I guess the big question is what was the speech that Kyle referred to and that you gave the team that really seemed to make a difference to them?CLIFF DANIELS: Yeah, it was pretty colorful. If you look at the 5 car throughout the course of the season, we’ve had great cars. So on performance, we have not been down. It’s been execution. It’s execution from me, the guys on pit road, Kyle at times, and we’ve had so many fast cars that I’ve been getting frustrated showing up at the racetrack knowing that we’re going to have another fast car, and even having a sliver of doubt of our execution — because I know that our team when we’re at our full potential, we have a lot of potential. I went through our playoffs and how many mistakes that we’ve made since the start of the playoffs and how many of those things have been in our hands that we have had control over, and we just haven’t — as a team and really it start with me, we haven’t done a great job of grasping. My words today were focus and discipline, and it takes a lot of focus and a lot of discipline to run the fence for all the laps that he did, and it takes a lot of focus and discipline to go through seven or eight pit stops like we did today, and the guys had a phenomenal day on pit road. That was really the moral of it, because he knows we’ve had great race cars, I know we’ve had great race cars, and for whatever reason, somewhere along the way, it’s been a little mistake over here in this department. Then we’d fix that and we’d come back over here and have a little mistake over here, over here, over here, and we just needed a day to get it all right, and finally we did. THE MODERATOR: We’re also joined by the driver of the No. 5, Kyle Larson. This win today puts the No. 5 in the owner’s championship for Phoenix. Q. Cliff, I guess both of you, what does this win mean after the last two weeks, being eliminated at the Roval and obviously what happened last week?CLIFF DANIELS: It means a lot. It means a lot to the team, because like I was just alluding to, we have such a core group and a lot of strength in our group. I told them all today, if we do our job, at our worst we’re going to be really good, and if we do our job, at our best we’re going to be great. So that’s the window, really good to great, if we would just do our job, and we did today. It means a lot to everybody at Hendrick Motorsports who have been giving us fast race cars all year long. I know it means a lot to Mr. H. I don’t think it quite sank into him yet when we were talking about it in Victory Lane that we were locked into the owner’s deal in Phoenix. But yeah, the Roval was disappointing to get knocked out of the driver championship. But to have the reflection on the team be that we’re still in it, we’ve had a very character-building year, and we’ve had to be tough through the adversity and learn from our mistakes to still be in it and have a lot is pretty special. Q. Will you approach next week like you’re racing for a championship?KYLE LARSON: I mean, the championship race isn’t in Martinsville. I don’t know. Go in there and try to win another one, I guess. Try and have a great day, which I haven’t had many of them at Martinsville, but I feel like we had a good test there a couple months back. I don’t know, it’s a difficult place for me. I would love to just honestly not set my goals that high but realistic, and I think a top 5 is realistic. I think our team is obviously capable of it. Our car is capable of it. Just got to put together 500 good laps and a good rhythm. That’s where I struggle is just — it takes me a minute to get into a rhythm, and it’s just a difficult place. Glad that we were able to win today. Like last year, we won the first race this round, and then today we won this race of this round. Haven’t had to quite worry about Martinsville. Yeah, thankful for that, and too, with the bad points day that we had last week, as well, I felt — not that we were in a must-win to make it to the owner’s title part of it, but we needed to have a great day, and we were able to win both stages and didn’t want to screw that up at the end of this race, either.But I knew winning was going to be the most important thing to not have to worry about next week. Q. I meant Phoenix; when you go to Phoenix are you going to be thinking championship?KYLE LARSON: Oh, yeah. Duh. CLIFF DANIELS: Yeah, we’re in. KYLE LARSON: Yeah, I view myself as — if I say we were to win Phoenix, like my name isn’t going to be on the championship, but having our team be the champion I think is honestly better than — like I would hate to be in Ryan Blaney’s position. I think he’s the one that’s only in on driver, not owner. I would hate to be in his position, and say he wins the championship and he is credited with a championship but not his team. If I was to have it one way or the other, I would rather be out on my end and be able to celebrate the team championship. I’m happy that we get to go compete for that again, and honestly that’s the paycheck, too. We’re going to go for that, and we’re fired up about it. Q. Kyle, the incident with Martin on pit road from your perspective, what happened?KYLE LARSON: Yeah, from my perspective, I’m just running my pit road speed. I’m running my lights. I’m trying to stay on those as consistent as I can. I think I had a few feet from my front bumper to his rear bumper. Usually you peel off and you’re still in the gas until you’ve got — the guy has got a lane to go by. He started to peel off and then all of a sudden he like slammed on the brakes. I hit him. I didn’t really have any time to react, I was so close to him. I didn’t know at the time if he was trying to get me to check up and play games or anything, but it sounded like he just misjudged where his pit stall was. This is the hardest pit road to find your pit stall when it gets to that time of day. The sun is about straight in your eyes. You’ve got debris all over your windshield. I’ve missed my pit stall here before because of that. So I assume that’s probably what happened. I haven’t heard his comments or anything, but I hope that’s what happened because — I mean, I’m just running my pit road lights. They’re not counting me into his pit stall, so I’m just trying to maintain what I’m doing, and he got to the brakes really hard. I hate that I spun him because he had a great day going and a great car, but just unfortunate. Q. You wear that Hendrick Motorsports thing proud, but when you talk about competing for the owner’s championship and all that, do you often think about the great drivers that have passed through like Jeff Gordon, and the list goes on, and how you’re trying to keep that continuity and that tradition that that brand holds?KYLE LARSON: Yeah, definitely. What is it, I think Rick is going for his 14th or 15th championship as a team owner? 15th. That’s remarkable. That’s obviously a great feat in itself being where he’s at currently. He’s got four great drivers, four great teams that he can be confident in that can go chase to win a championship. Yeah, I’m happy that we are locked in to try and bring him his 15th. It means a lot, too. He’s got such a successful history in this sport, and when you think of team owners and teams, Hendrick Motorsports is the bar. They are the best team. It’s an honor to race for him and everything that they have built. I hope that I can do my part to bring him his 15th. Q. Kyle, I talked to several drivers post-race and they said when you get up against the wall like you do and get hooked up, you are gone. We saw that kind of today. Ross and AJ, they couldn’t catch you. What is it about this track and the way you drive, because sometimes obviously you get into the wall and it doesn’t work out, but it paid off today.KYLE LARSON: Well, I think today honestly it paid off because I finally have a car strong enough for me. I can get in the wall and it’s not going to flatten your tire or mess up your aerodynamics. I got in the wall probably three or four times today a decent amount to where it would have been, with the old car, probably a pit stop, and I would have killed my race. Thankfully this car, I think, played into my favor a lot because I do push the limits more than others. You can see it in the right side of my car. That’s pretty obvious. But yeah, it’s just a fun track. It honestly reminds me so much of Eldora, both ends of the racetrack. They’re different. You’re running the wall, but they’re exactly the same to Eldora. 1 and 2 and Eldora, you run through — if you run into the wall it runs through a point where it’s really sharp. 3 and 4 is more sweeping. But same thing. The closer you can enter the wall, typically the faster you can go. I would say myself and Reddick and Noah in the Xfinity Series kind of have a feel for it, and it helps, too, when you have a great car. My car was amazing up against the wall. It also has to handle how you want it to. It did everything I wanted it to against the wall. The ride quality was great into 3. It turned where I needed it to turn on entry so I could carry speed. It turned on exit so I could just stay committed to the throttle. It wasn’t too loose on exit or too tight where I had to bail out of the throttle at all. It was a good car to go along with the comfort, I guess, that I have up there. Q. I want to talk about really that last caution that happened with roughly 21 laps to go where you were trying to chase down Martin Truex Jr. to the end. Once that caution came out, were there any adjustments, and if so, what kind of adjustments were those?KYLE LARSON: You should ask Cliff that. Q. Well, behind the wheel at least.KYLE LARSON: Small air pressure, I think, adjustments. It didn’t really feel like it did much for me. I was thankful for the caution because honestly, Ross let me go, and I was very thankful for that. I thought I was going to be able to catch Martin pretty quickly. I was looking at my lap times and running really strong lap times. I was running teens and 20s and a few 30s against the wall, and that was better than I was running all race long. I was like, man, if I keep this pace up, I’ll catch him quick. It seemed like I was probably only catching him a half a tenth or less a lap. I don’t think I would have been able to get to him and pass him. Was happy for the caution, just to give ourselves an opportunity for a restart and things to happen. Good pit stop, coming out the leader, get to pick the lane you want to pick, and yeah, it just worked out. Just grateful for a fast car and the caution when it came out. Q. It’s your first win at the Homestead-Miami Speedway in the NASCAR Cup Series. What does that mean for you, especially at a track that you really do relatively well at?KYLE LARSON: Yeah, I mean, it means a lot. I don’t know what my career laps led is here, but it’s got to be close to 1,000 laps led in the Cup Series, maybe 800 or so. Throw in the Xfinity Series, probably well over 1,000. That’s pretty remarkable I feel like for somebody under 10 years of Cup experience. Yeah, I haven’t gotten the win. Whether it be just — I’ve got a list of excuses of why I’ve never won here, but hey, it doesn’t matter. Got it done today, and I think it makes it feel even more special, too, that I’ve had to wait since — I think I ran my first Homestead Cup Series race here in 2013. Going on close to 10 years, nine years, I guess, since my first time here. Yeah, I love this place. Here and Bristol are by far my favorite tracks. They’re by far my most successful tracks, too, as far as laps led goes. Glad that I can add my name to the winners’ list finally. I wish the boat, though, was still part of the win, but I guess it’s not. Q. Kyle, you talk about this being one of your favorite tracks, but once upon a time, this was a very flat track when I was here a while back. Can you imagine what it would have been like if you had raced on an entirely different track versus what you are on now?KYLE LARSON: I think that was way before my time, so I’m glad I never had to race on that, just because I feel like this track suits my style a lot. I honestly haven’t even probably seen a lap of this track before it was reconfigured to this or any highlights or anything. I’d heard that it was kind of like Indianapolis, which I enjoy Indy. I had always ran good there when I would run the Brickyard 400.But this place just suits my style. I love tracks that have two straightaways, progressive banking and a wall that you can run. I wish there was more of these places on our circuit. It would benefit me. But that’s kind of selfish.But no, I hope they never repave this place, either. It’s perfect. It’s perfect, and it continues to get better.

(10/24/2022) Sacramento, CA… Just a pair of races remain of the 2022 NARC Fujitsu General Sprint Car campaign, and the first of the two is slated for this Saturday, October 29th at The Dirt Track at Kern County Raceway Park (KCRP) in Bakersfield.

This weekend’s Sprint Car Showdown will be the series’ lone trip to the racy bullring this year and first since Halloween weekend of 2021. The quarter mile’s tight confines routinely produces some of the most intense, wheel-to-wheel action of the season.

Saturday’s Fujitsu Feature will pay $3,500 to the winner, and on top of the standard $500 to start, each team who makes the trip will receive a $100 Amazon gift card (courtesy of Fujitsu General Heating & Air products) as a thanks for their travels.

Championship Chase

Fresno’s Dominic Scelzi is so close to his second straight NARC title, and he can effectively seal the deal this weekend. “The Dominator” currently holds a 54-point advantage over Colfax’s Willie Croft. Assuming Scelzi shows up to the season finale at Stockton on November 5th and earns, at the very least, the 75 show up points, all he needs to do is leave Kern County with a 43-point advantage. At that point, Croft could only tie him at Stockton, and even if Croft wins the final two races, Scelzi would still own the most wins tie breaker.

Behind the top-two, the battle for the final step on the points podium has tightened considerably. Campbell’s Bud Kaeding currently holds the spot, but Hanford’s Mitchell Faccinto trails him by only three markers.

Completing the top-five is Fremont’s Shane Golobic.

Who to Watch

The three current sprint car titans of California, Dominic Scelzi, Shane Golobic, and Justin Sanders have ruled KCRP in recent NARC competition. The trio have combined to win the last five series events at the Bakersfield bullring.

Most recently it was Justin Sanders picking up the win there, topping last year’s lone appearance in October. To nobody’s surprise, the drivers who completed the podium that night were Scelzi and Golobic.

In 2019 it was Scelzi sweeping the pair of Kern races aboard the Roth Motorsports car. The reigning champion hopes to add one in his family’s Scelzi Motorsports No. 41 this weekend. Factoring in his runner-up last year, Scelzi’s average finish in his last three series events in Bakersfield is 1.33.

Golobic claimed the two 2018 events while partnered with Tarlton Motorsports. The Fremont native is fresh off earning his third Trophy Cup title and will look to follow it up with a NARC victory behind the wheel of the Matt Wood Racing No. 17W.

An Oklahoma invader will be one to keep an eye on. After his top-10 points performance at Trophy Cup, Ryan Timms plans to set up shop in the Golden State for a little while longer and compete with California’s best on Saturday. It will mark Timms’ fourth career series appearance and first since competing at the same track last October.

Bud Kaeding will happily welcome the trip to Kern County in his pursuit to maintain a top-three position in points. In the last six NARC races at the facility, the 2017 series champion has finished no worse than ninth and owns top-five results in half of those outings.

Others expected to compete include San Jose’s Tim Kaeding, Hanford’s Mitchell Faccinto, Clovis’ Corey Day, Redding’s Max Mittry, Iowa’s Austin McCarl, Benicia’s Billy Aton, Discovery Bay’s Dylan Bloomfield, and more.

Fan & Competitor Info

The NARC-King of the West Hoosier Tire Format will feature ARP Fast Time Qualifying, 10-lap Heat Races, a six-lap Sunnyvalley Bacon Trophy Dash, and the 30-lap Fujitsu Feature.

Kern County Raceway Park is located at 13500 Raceway Blvd Interstate 5 and S Enos Ln, Bakersfield, CA 93311.

Tickets can be purchased at the gate on the day of the race. For more information visit kernraceway.com or call 661-835-1264.

The Sprint Car Showdown at Kern County Raceway Park can be viewed live on floracing.com along with the entire NARC Fujitsu General Sprint Car schedule.

2022 NARC King of the West Fujitsu 410 Sprint Car Series
Championship Points Standings (After 18 events in 20-race series – 10/24/22)

1. Dominic Scelzi, Fresno – 1998
2. Willie Croft, Colfax – 1934
3. Bud Kaeding, Campbell – 1898
4. Mitchell Faccinto, Hanford – 1895
5. Shane Golobic, Elk Grove – 1834
6. Justin Sanders, Aromas – 1825
7. Max Mittry, Redding (R) – 1820
8. Billy Aton, Benicia – 1662
9. Joel Myers Jr, Sebastopol – 1490
10. Logan Forler, Boise, ID – 1382
11. Tim Kaeding, San Jose – 1351
12. Corey Day, Salinas – 1293
13. DJ Netto, Hanford – 1269
14. Tanner Holmes, Jacksonville, OR (R) –  904
15. Nick Parker, Tucson, AZ (R) – 878
16. Tanner Carrick, Lincoln – 836
17. Chase Johnson, Penngrove – 815
18. Blake Carrick, Lincoln – 813
19. Garen Linder, Central Point, OR – 708
20. Kerry Madsen, Knoxville, IA – 687

NASCAR CUP SERIES HOMESTEAD-MIAMI SPEEDWAY DIXIE VODKA 400 TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE NOTES & QUOTES OCTOBER 23, 2022  KYLE LARSON DOMINATES AT HOMESTEAD-MIAMI SPEEDWAY FOR THIRD WIN OF 2022 Camaro ZL1’s 19th NCS Win of 2022

• Kyle Larson stole the NASCAR Cup Series playoff race win, driving his No. 5 Valvoline Camaro ZL1 to a sweep of the stage wins to take the checkered flag in the Dixie Vodka 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway, his third win of the 2022 season.   • Larson led Chevrolet to a sweep of the top-four finishing positions of the race, recorded by drivers from four different Chevrolet teams.  • The win is Larson’s 19th all-time win in 293 career NASCAR Cup Series starts; and his first at Homestead-Miami Speedway.  • Larson delivered Chevrolet its seventh all-time NASCAR Cup Series win at Homestead-Miami Speedway.  • With 34 NASCAR Cup Series races complete, Chevrolet extended its series-leading NCS win count to 19 this season, now matching the manufacturer’s NCS win count in 2021.  • The winningest brand in NASCAR Cup Series history, Chevrolet now has 833 all-time NASCAR Cup Series victories. TOP TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL RACE RESULTS:POS.   DRIVER1st      Kyle Larson, No. 5 Valvoline Camaro ZL12nd     Ross Chastain, No. 1 Kubota Camaro ZL13rd      AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 Ed Morse Automotive Camaro ZL14th      Austin Dillon, No. 3 Huk Camaro ZL110th    Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Princess Cruises Camaro ZL1 TOP FIVE UNOFFICIAL RACE RESULTSPOS.  DRIVER1st      Kyle Larson (Chevrolet)2nd     Ross Chastain (Chevrolet)3rd      AJ Allmendinger (Chevrolet)4th      Austin Dillon (Chevrolet)5th      Brad Keselowski (Ford) The NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs Round of 8 elimination race will get underway next Sunday, October 30, at Martinsville Speedway with the Xfinity 500 at 2 p.m. ET. Live coverage can be found on NBC, the NBCSports Gold App, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE NOTES AND QUOTES: ROSS CHASTAIN, NO. 1 KUBOTA CAMARO ZL1Finished: 2ndWhat a battle for Ross Chastain. Had a shot at the win and then it was a battle for second place. How would you describe the afternoon?“Not the way you would have scripted it. I feel like we had a top three or four car all day, all weekend. We were a little too tight in qualifying, and come behind that with a driver that chose the complete wrong lane in (turns) 3 and 4; against everything I’ve ever trained for and prepared for.We needed to get the car turning better from qualifying into the race. We were too tight. Phil Surgen (crew chief) and his whole Kubota team got it turning better, and pit stops were incredible again.Our guys were rock stars on pit road, and I’m so glad to go to battle with them.At the end of the day, I know we didn’t score a ton of stage points. We put ourselves in position at the end and just keep executing.I almost spun off Turn 2 in front of Daniel, and I had my arms all crossed up and I just took a deep breath down the back, and thought, what can I control here? I can control not spinning out, so let’s go a little slower next time, and had a shot at it.” Speaking of control, you can’t control what happens at Martinsville. I’m wondering how much comfort +19 is to the cut line going into that cutoff race?“I don’t know. What’s it supposed to feel like? I’ve never been here, and for AdventHealth, Worldwide Express, Jockey, Moose Fraternity and Kubota, we’ve never been here. For Trackhouse, we’re learning all this together; we’re experiencing this together.We’ve got a lot of knowledge in our shop and I’ll lean on a lot of teammates, both in the GM camp and inside our shop of how to approach it. But I’m a racer. We’re just going to race. Go practice as well as we can; we’ll go qualify as best we can. And I’m late all the time, so a grandfather clock might do me a little good for the rest of my life.” AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 HUK CAMARO ZL1Finished 4thIs there anything more you could have done to this race car? “I don’t know. We didn’t spend a lot of time right there in that clean air. If we got up there a little earlier, we might have been able to adjust the car and make some changes that probably could have taken us to be able to pass the next couple of cars. There were only three in front of us and at one point in that little run, I thought we were going to run them down. We gained a couple tenths on them. Our car was pretty tight all day, but we were able to free it up and get better and better. By the end of it, we had a pretty good No. 3 Huk Chevrolet.”  KYLE LARSON, NO. 5 VALVOLINE CAMARO ZL1 Finished 1stYou led all but 68 laps and for the Miami fans, you finally get a win at one of your best racetracks here at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Kyle, I know this was one you wanted bad. This is sort of reminiscent of last year when you guys were so dominant; maybe the best run you’ve had all year long.“Yeah, definitely the best run we’ve had all year long. We’ve been capable of it I feel like many weekends, we just haven’t quite put it all together. Cliff (Daniels, crew chief) gave a great speech this morning and got us all ready to go and focused, and I did my best to keep it out of the wall. I got in the wall a few times, but I could still make speed doing that. Amazing No. 5 Valvoline Chevy. I knew that that last run was going to be short enough where I was going to be in some sort of trouble there, but thankfully AJ (Allmendinger) and Ross (Chastain) were racing hard behind me. Huge thanks to Valvoline, Hendrickcars.com, everybody at Hendrick Motorsports, too. I think it was a good day for Chase (Elliott) and William (Byron). But yeah, happy for our team, and we get to go race for an owner’s title in Phoenix in a couple weeks. We’re still technically not out of it. I can’t win the championship, but it means more to me to win it as a team. We’re going to go to Phoenix and try to get another championship.” I have to ask you about the contact on pit road with Martin Truex Jr. What was your view of what happened?“Yeah, so I was just going behind him. He had a hard left and was hard on the brakes at the same time, and I ran right in the back of him. My team said he was late turning into his stall, but I don’t know. If it was my fault, I’m sorry. I don’t think it was. But it’s hard to see down this pit road. I don’t know if fans and people realize; when you’ve got debris all over your windshield, the sun is shining straight in your face, it’s hard to see your stall. So hate that that happened. He was definitely the one I was going to have to beat. He was really good that last long run, too. What a fun day. I’ve always wanted to race here during the day at Homestead where we could rip the wall. Finally have a car tough enough for me to be able to run the wall and finish the race. A lot of fun today. Hope you fans enjoyed it, and hope we can do it again in a couple of weeks.” CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CAMARO ZL1 Finished: 14th“We were playing defense all day, but we were doing a pretty good job of it and staying inside the top-five there, so that was great. But that’s what happens when you’re playing defense and you have something like that happen to you.. you just get stuck. The other guys that got buried; they drove right back to the front. That’s just the difference.” You’re around 11 points above the cutline. You were on the pole at Martinsville and won both stages. Do you feel good about being able to repeat that again or get in on points?“Yeah, I think if we execute next weekend, we’ll be fine.” AJ ALLMENDINGER, NO. 16 ED MORSE AUTOMOTIVE CAMARO ZL1 Finished: 3rdAJ Allmendinger, finishing third yesterday in the Xfinity race, and another podium day today. You were so good here today. Did it feel that good in the car?“The short runs it really did. The Ed Morris Automotive Group Chevy was really hooked up on the short runs. We still kind of have to work on our long run package just in general. That’s something that’s kind of been weak for us at Kaulig Racing. But when we got that caution with 18 to go; I was like, all right, we’ve got a shot at this. We lost a couple spots on pit road but restarted eighth, and Ross (Chastain) and I had a fun battle.I think I needed an 11-lap run to catch Kyle (Larson), but overall just proud of everybody at Kaulig Racing to get the No. 16 Ed Morse Automotive Group Chevy in the top-5 and just have another solid day.” WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 LIBERTY UNIVERSITY CAMARO ZL1Finished: 12thYou ended the race above the cutline. Talk about the end of the race, trying to gain spots after the last restart.“We just had one bad run. We restarted second and kind of maintained in second for maybe a couple of laps, and then the car fell off and disappeared. That one run was just really weird, so we lost a lot of track position. And then we had the deal on pit road, but everybody kept focused and tried to get as many spots as we could. 12th is how we netted out after all of that, but I’m proud of the effort of the No. 24 Liberty University Camaro ZL1 team. We have some things to work on for short runs to just get the balance right. Later in these races, it seems like that’s what it kind of comes down to more and we just struggled a little bit. Just have to work on that; but overall, really happy with the rebound and we’re in a decent spot, for sure.” ERIK JONES, NO. 43 THE MORGAN LAW GROUP CHEVROLET CAMARO ZL1Finished: 30th“Today just wasn’t our day. I thought we found some things at the test that would help us, but we struggled all race with the handling. We’ve got some work to do for sure before we come back here next year. You’ll have weeks like this, especially as we continue to learn this car. Glad to have this one behind us and move on to next week at Martinsville with our Air Force Chevy.” TY DILLON, NO. 42 SUNSEEKERRESORTS.COM CHEVROLET CAMARO ZL1Finished: 26th“We didn’t really have the speed we needed all day with our Sunseeker Resorts Camaro. In the first 15 or 20 laps, we just got so far behind and wasn’t really able to recover. It was definitely a struggle all day, and we lost some positions with the spin on the last lap too. Hopefully we will get better for the last two races.”

TEAM CHEVY RACE QUICK NOTESStage One:·       Defending Homestead-Miami Speedway NASCAR Cup Series winner, William Byron, led the field to the green from the pole position in Race Two of the Playoff Round of 8, his first pole win of the 2022 season. ·       Chevrolet drivers led all 80-laps of Stage One, with Kyle Larson piloting his No. 5 Valvoline Camaro ZL1 to 49 laps led to the stage win. Pole sitter William Byron led 31 laps in his No. 24 Liberty University Camaro ZL1. ·       Stage One Team Chevy Top-10: 1st      Kyle Larson, No. 5 Valvoline Camaro ZL12nd    William Byron, No. 24 Liberty University Camaro ZL14th      Tyler Reddick, No. 8 3CHI Camaro ZL15th      Austin Dillon, No. 3 Huk Camaro ZL16th      AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 Ed Morse Automotive Group Camaro ZL18th      Chase Elliott, No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Camaro ZL1 Stage Two: ·       In similar fashion, Kyle Larson cruises his No. 5 Valvoline Camaro ZL1 to the Stage Two win, marking the eighth time that the 30-year-old Hendrick Motorsports driver has swept the stage wins in a single race. ·       Larson’s stage sweep brought his 2022 NCS stage win count to six. ·       Larson added to his dominating performance, leading 129 of the 165 laps at the end of Stage Two:·       Stage Two Team Chevy Top-10:1st      Kyle Larson, No. 5 Valvoline Camaro ZL13rd      William Byron, No. 24 Liberty University Camaro ZL16th      Chase Elliott, No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Camaro ZL17th      Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Princess Cruises Camaro ZL18th      Ross Chastain, No. 1 Kubota Camaro ZL1

NASCAR CUP SERIES HOMESTEAD-MIAMI SPEEDWAY DIXIE VODKA 400 TEAM CHEVY RACE WIN QUOTE & NOTES OCTOBER 23, 2022    KYLE LARSON DOMINATES AT HOMESTEAD-MIAMI SPEEDWAY FOR THIRD WIN OF 2022 Camaro ZL1’s 19th NCS Win of 2022

• Kyle Larson stole the NASCAR Cup Series playoff race win, driving his No. 5 Valvoline Camaro ZL1 to a sweep of the stage wins to take the checkered flag in the Dixie Vodka 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway, his third win of the 2022 season.   • Larson led Chevrolet to a sweep of the top-four finishing positions of the race, recorded by drivers from four different Chevrolet teams.  • The win is Larson’s 19th all-time win in 293 career NASCAR Cup Series starts; and his first at Homestead-Miami Speedway.  • Larson delivered Chevrolet its seventh all-time NASCAR Cup Series win at Homestead-Miami Speedway.  • With 34 NASCAR Cup Series races complete, Chevrolet extended its series-leading NCS win count to 19 this season, now matching the manufacturer’s NCS win count in 2021.  • The winningest brand in NASCAR Cup Series history, Chevrolet now has 833 all-time NASCAR Cup Series victories.

KYLE LARSON, NO. 5 VALVOLINE CAMARO ZL1 – Race Winner Quote You led all but 68 laps and for the Miami fans, you finally get a win at one of your best racetracks here at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Kyle, I know this was one you wanted bad. This is sort of reminiscent of last year when you guys were so dominant; maybe the best run you’ve had all year long.“Yeah, definitely the best run we’ve had all year long. We’ve been capable of it I feel like many weekends, we just haven’t quite put it all together. Cliff (Daniels, crew chief) gave a great speech this morning and got us all ready to go and focused, and I did my best to keep it out of the wall. I got in the wall a few times, but I could still make speed doing that. Amazing No. 5 Valvoline Chevy. I knew that that last run was going to be short enough where I was going to be in some sort of trouble there, but thankfully AJ (Allmendinger) and Ross (Chastain) were racing hard behind me. Huge thanks to Valvoline, Hendrickcars.com, everybody at Hendrick Motorsports, too. I think it was a good day for Chase (Elliott) and William (Byron). But yeah, happy for our team, and we get to go race for an owner’s title in Phoenix in a couple weeks. We’re still technically not out of it. I can’t win the championship, but it means more to me to win it as a team. We’re going to go to Phoenix and try to get another championship.” I have to ask you about the contact on pit road with Martin Truex Jr. What was your view of what happened?“Yeah, so I was just going behind him. He had a hard left and was hard on the brakes at the same time, and I ran right in the back of him. My team said he was late turning into his stall, but I don’t know. If it was my fault, I’m sorry. I don’t think it was. But it’s hard to see down this pit road. I don’t know if fans and people realize; when you’ve got debris all over your windshield, the sun is shining straight in your face, it’s hard to see your stall. So hate that that happened. He was definitely the one I was going to have to beat. He was really good that last long run, too. What a fun day. I’ve always wanted to race here during the day at Homestead where we could rip the wall. Finally have a car tough enough for me to be able to run the wall and finish the race. A lot of fun today. Hope you fans enjoyed it, and hope we can do it again in a couple of weeks.”