READING, Pa. (September 17, 2022) – Pennsylvania native David Barton and his Saw Mill Auto Chevrolet COPO Camaro continued their battle for the Constant Aviation Factory Stock Showdown Championship with a No. 1 qualifying position and first round win Saturday at the Pep Boys NHRA Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway.

David Barton, No. 1 qualifier Pep Boys NHRA Nationals, photo by Gary Nastase/Auto Imagery

Barton, who is from Robesonia, Pennsylvania, earned the No. 1 qualifying position with a 7.714-second pass at 177.56 mph during Friday night’s qualifying session. On Saturday, Barton would go 7.733 at 174.89 and 7.741 at 177.56.

“The first two qualifying runs I didn’t feel very comfortable in the car,” said Barton, who won the U.S. Nationals two weeks ago. “The track seemed greasy and the cars weren’t launching like they should. I wasn’t sure what was going on. On that last run we hit the nail on the head. I made some minor adjustments and the car finally pulled a normal wheelie. If I had that same set up in Indy the car would have wanted to flip over backwards. I am happy that we figured it out in that third run. I felt pretty good going into the first round.”

With the No. 1 start, Barton would face Jonathon Allegrucci in his Watson Racing Ford Mustang during the first round of eliminations Saturday evening. Barton would have the starting line advantage and never trailed, recording a 7.828-second pass at 177.18 mph to better Allegrucci’s, 7.954 at 173.96.

“With that first round win I will sleep better tonight. I am trying not to let the points race bother me. It is what it is, and I am just going to go out there and do my best especially with all the support we have at this race,” Barton said. “We love racing here at Maple Grove Raceway. I have a lot of people here from friends and family to employees that are here watching so it adds some pressure. I am not sure I really like that. I like having all the people here of course. We asked them to put this race on the schedule. There are no other Factory Stock Showdown races in Division 1 and there are a ton of fans in the Northeast. People come down from Canada to watch us race. It is exciting but honestly it is also a little nerve wracking.”

Bill Skillman, No. 2 in Constant Aviation Factory Stock Showdown points, photo by Gary Nastase/Auto Imagery

Barton, who has a $1,000 target on his back as the most recent event winner through the Constant Aviation Factory Stock Showdown Bounty Program will take on Lenny Lottig in the quarterfinals on Sunday.

Bill Skillman and his Ray Skillman Ford Cobra Jet, remain Barton’s closest rivals for the 2022 championship. Skillman qualified No. 2 with a 7.717-second pass at 184.19 mph and secured his first round win with a 7.774 pass at 171.62 defeating Lee Hartman’s 7.896 at 172.39 in his Carrier Services Group Dodge Challenger Drag Pak. Skillman will start Sunday with a matchup against Daniel Condon. The championship battle will wrap up at the Texas Fall Nationals October 14-16 at Texas Motorplex outside of Dallas.

The battle between Chevrolet COPO Camaros, Ford Cobra Jets and Dodge Challenger Drag Paks continues with the second round of eliminations at the Pep Boys NHRA Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway Sunday at 12:10 p.m.

First Round Results:

No. 1, David Barton def. No. 16, Jonathan Allegrucci

No. 2, Bill Skillman def. No. 15, Lee Hartman

No. 3, Ricky Hord def. No. 14, Anthony Troyer

No. 13, Jesse Alexandra def. No. 17 Scott Libersher

No. 12, David Janac def. No. 5, Doug Hamp

No. 11, Aaron Stanfield No. 6, Warren Walcher

No. 7, Dan Condon def. No. 10, Mark Pawuk

No. 8, Lenny Lottig def. No. 9, Stephen Bell

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BRITTANY FORCE WITH FLAV-R-PAC, ROBERT HIGHT WITH AUTO CLUB SWEEP NITRO NO. 1 QUALIFIERS

September 19, 2022 ARP Trish

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ASHLEY, CAPPS BEGIN COUNTDOWN WITH STRONG QUALIFYING EFFORTS

September 19, 2022 ARP Trish

Team Toyota’s top Countdown seeds each start second for eliminations

MOHNTON, Penn. (September 17, 2022) – Justin Ashley led Toyota in qualifying for the Pep Boys Nationals with a second-place effort in the Top Fuel class at Pennsylvania’s Maple Grove Raceway. Ashley is Toyota’s top-seed in the Top Fuel Countdown for the Championship and has earned four straight top-three qualifying efforts. Team Toyota’s Steve Torrence (fifth), Doug Kalitta (seventh) and Antron Brown (eighth) joined Ashley inside the top-half of the qualified field.

In Funny Car, Ron Capps closed the Saturday qualifying effort with his strongest run of the weekend – a 3.878 – to move him to second on the final qualifying grid. Capps earned three bonus points in the session to add to the bonus point he earned in Friday evening’s session. J.R. Todd also closed with a strong run to qualify his Toyota GR Supra Funny Car inside the top-half of the field in sixth.

Toyota Post-Qualifying Recap

NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series

Maple Grove Raceway

Race 17 of 22

TOYOTA TOP FUEL QUALIFYING POSITIONS

Name	Car	Qualifying Position	First Round Opponent
Brittany Force*	*Monster Energy Top Fuel Dragster*	*1st (3.696)*	*Ferre*
Justin Ashley	Phillips Connect Toyota Top Fuel Dragster	2nd (3.703)	Chatterson
Steve Torrence	Capco Contractors Toyota Top Fuel Dragster	5th (3.711)	Langdon
Doug Kalitta	CMR Roofing & Construction Toyota Top Fuel Dragster	7th (3.724)	Pruett
Antron Brown	Matco Tools Toyota Top Fuel Dragster	8th (3.731)	Hart
Shawn Langdon	DHL Toyota Top Fuel Dragster	12th (3.801)	Torrence

(*non-Toyota driver)

TOYOTA FUNNY CAR QUALIFYING POSITIONS

Name	Car	Qualifying Position	First Round Opponent
Robert Hight*	AAA of Southern California Chevy Camaro FC*	*1st (3.867)*	*Bye*
Ron Capps	NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota GR Supra Funny Car	2nd (3.878)	Burkhart
J.R. Todd	DHL Toyota GR Supra Funny Car	6th (3.912)	Green
Alexis DeJoria	Bandero Tequila Toyota GR Supra Funny Car	10th (3.966)	Wilkerson

(*non-Toyota driver)

TOYOTA QUOTES

RON CAPPS, NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota GR Supra Funny Car, Ron Capps Motorsports

FC Qualifying Result: 2nd

How do you approach race day?

“Great question. This place is historic for breaking your heart or making you feel so good. It’s the start of the Countdown obviously and so happy the fans came out like they did, it’s unbelievable. Robert (Hight) and I brag about it all the time. We have the two best seats in the house for some of the best runs, especially side-by-side stuff like this. Great job by Guido (Dean Antonelli) and John Medlen (crew chiefs) and the NAPA Auto Care team. Anytime I don’t see that whole car (Hight’s) out next to me, I know we’re running pretty well. The Countdown is going to be this same, exact stuff for all six races. All races and all qualifying. I hope I see a lot more of him (Hight) qualifying at the back of the pack. It’s going to be a lot of fun. Thank you to the fans, love you guys.”

JUSTIN ASHLEY, Phillips Connect Toyota Top Fuel Dragster, Davis Motorsports

TF Qualifying Result: 2nd

How were your qualifying efforts?

“It’s been a really good weekend for our team so far. Going into race day in the no. 2 position is really important just to try to position ourselves well. The way the depth of the Top Fuel field is – there is no easy matchups top-to-bottom, nonetheless, we feel good about where slotted in heading into race day. It’s the Countdown, so every run counts. Just proud of this Phillips Connect team. Mike Green, Tommy DeLago (crew chiefs) are doing a great job, and now that Friday and Saturday is behind us, we are focused on final eliminations.”

###

About Toyota

Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in North America for more than 60 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands, plus our more than 1,800 dealerships.

Toyota directly employs more than 48,000 people in North America who have contributed to the design, engineering, and assembly of nearly 43 million cars and trucks at our 13 manufacturing plants. By 2025, Toyota’s 14^th plant in North Carolina will begin to manufacture automotive batteries for electrified vehicles. With the more electrified vehicles on the road than any other automaker, more than a quarter of the company’s 2021 North American sales were electrified.

Through the Start Your Impossible campaign, Toyota highlights the way it partners with community, civic, academic and governmental organizations to address our society’s most pressing mobility challenges. We believe that when people are free to move, anything is possible. For more information about Toyota, visit www.ToyotaNewsroom.com.

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CALIFORNIA DREAMIN’: Logan Schuchart Wins Tom Tarlton Classic at Keller Auto Speedway

September 19, 2022 ARP Trish

The Hanover, PA driver passed Carson Macedo with three laps to go to earn his 34th career World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars triumphHANFORD, CA – September 16, 2022 – Just as a victory seemed out of reach for Logan Schuchart Friday night at Keller Auto Speedway, an opportunity to win came his way.The Hanover, PA driver needed a chance, and he took it, diving under race leader Carson Macedo with three laps to go—the two making contact as Schuchart slid up the racetrack in Turn 2.From there, Schuchart sprinted ahead, holding on to win the Tom Tarlton Classic and earn his 34th career World of Outlaws NOS Energy Sprint Cars Feature triumph.Schuchart said he couldn’t waste an opportunity with a $21,000 payday up for grabs.“I knew I wouldn’t have an opportunity unless I did something like that,” Schuchart said. “We weren’t going to get into lap traffic again. At this point in the year, I’m racing to win races. That’s the reason we’re out here. It’s a bigger paying race, and we’re racing for the lead. If I have a chance, I’m going to have to take it, and I felt like that was my only opportunity.“I’ll have to watch the replay and see exactly how it went down. The general consensus from what I’m hearing is that it was racing.”Macedo quickly drove away from the field in the first half of the race, remaining unchallenged until the first of several cautions came out on Lap 21.From there, the Golden State competitor continued his quick pace on multiple restarts, using the outside lane. However, a caution with six laps remaining for 10-time World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series champion Donny Schatz set up the final battle.Macedo pulled away on the restart, but Schuchart kept him in his sights before pulling the slide job with three laps left.The early race leader fell back to fourth and said he felt Schuchart didn’t give him enough room on the pass.“I’m going to have to look back and see the video,” Macedo said. “I just didn’t feel like I had very much room there. He slid me and came across so fast that we got on the brakes, but ultimately, he ran into me.“It is what it is. It’s just one of them deals I think you have to put into the memory bank and just remember. One of these nights coming up, I’ll probably have a shot with him. I feel like me, and the 1S raced pretty hard with each other a few times, and I’m sure I’ll have a shot in the future.”Despite his fourth-place finish, Macedo gained on Series points leader Brad Sweet, who finished sixth, and David Gravel, who finished seventh.Sweet leads Gravel by 74 points leaving the West Coast and Macedo by 94 points.Jacob Allen finished second, completing a one-two finish for Shark Racing in the second consecutive Feature.The Hanover, PA driver earned the KSE Hard Charger award after transferring through the Last Chance Showdown and charging from 22nd to the runner-up spot.Allen stated his team’s decisions throughout the night played a role in a second consecutive podium.“It was a great turnaround for our race team,” Allen said. “I kind of crashed there in Qualifying and had to run the [Last Chance Showdown]. All night long, we just kept working on our setup, and our racecar got better every time we hit the racetrack.“The decisions we made there after the [Last Chance Showdown] right before the Feature were very critical to having such a good run tonight.”James McFadden crossed the line third after falling back as far as eleventh.The Alice Sprints, NT, AU driver said he couldn’t get into a rhythm because of the cautions.“The restarts hurt me,” McFadden said. “I was back in 11th for a while. I could just never get going on the restart. Then once I cleared those, we’d start trucking. I’m just disappointed I couldn’t get a rhythm.“I’m disappointed in myself for not getting a good restart and pounded the top earlier.”Sheldon Haudenschild, from Wooster, OH, rounded out the top five.He said he was biding his time as he watched Sweet and McFadden battle in front of him, hoping to make a pass.“I feel like I did pretty good on the restarts; I just had one hiccup when I got over in (Turn) 2 and lost a few spots,” Haudenschild said. “I was really just dodging [Sweet] and [McFadden]. They were racing pretty hard in front of me. I was just kind of waiting and ended up getting [Sweet] there at the end.”UP NEXT: The Greatest Show on Dirt heads to Eldora Speedway for the final time in 2022 for the Before the Crowns Showdown on Friday, Sept. 23. For Tickets: CLICK HERE.NOS Energy Drink Feature (35 Laps)-1. 1S-Logan Schuchart [10][$21,000]; 2. 1A-Jacob Allen [22][$6,000]; 3. 83-James McFadden [9][$3,500]; 4. 41-Carson Macedo [1][$2,800]; 5. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild [16][$2,500]; 6. 49-Brad Sweet [4][$2,300]; 7. 2-David Gravel [11][$2,200]; 8. 2X-Justin Sanders [2][$2,100]; 9. 41S-Dominic Scelzi [17][$2,050]; 10. 88N-DJ Netto [21][$2,000]; 11. 14-Corey Day [7][$1,600]; 12. 5T-Ryan Timms [5][$1,400]; 13. 3Z-Brock Zearfoss [12][$1,200]; 14. 88-Austin McCarl [13][$1,100]; 15. 83JR-Kerry Madsen [15][$1,050]; 16. 5-Spencer Bayston [6][$1,000]; 17. 7S-Robbie Price [8][$1,000]; 18. 21-Mitchell Faccinto [24][$1,000]; 19. 5B-Colby Copeland [23][$1,000]; 20. 5V-Landon Brooks [19][$1,000]; 21. 46JR-Joel Myers [18][$1,000]; 22. 20G-Noah Gass [25][$]; 23. 15-Donny Schatz [3][$1,000]; 24. 57W-Shane Golobic [14][$1,000]; 25. 2K-Kaleb Montgomery [20][$1,000]Lap Leaders: Carson Macedo 1-32, Logan Schuchart 33-35
KSE Hard Charger Award: 1A-Jacob Allen[+20]

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Pierce Powers to Lucas Oil Preliminary Win at Knoxville

September 19, 2022 ARP Trish

KNOXVILLE, IA (September 16, 2022) – Bobby Pierce powered from his fifth starting position to take the lead from Brandon Overton on lap 15 – holding off Ricky Thornton Jr. in the closing laps to win Friday night’s preliminary feature of the Lucas Oil Late Model Knoxville Nationals. Thornton, who started alongside Pierce in row three, passed Overton for second with five laps to go and chased down Pierce. Thornton closed to within one car length of the Illinois driver before falling just .0479 seconds behind the winner, who scored his first career win at Knoxville. Iowa native Chris Simpson was in the hunt the entire distance, passing Overton on the last lap to round out the podium. Overton was fourth with another Iowa driver, Tyler Bruening completing the top five. On a racy surface that saw two and three-wide racing all night, Overton jumped to the lead at the start of the main event. Overton led until Pierce passed him for the top spot on the ninth lap. Pierce then started to pull away from Overton after a couple of laps until the first and only caution of the race flew on lap 13 for Tyler Erb. On the restart Overton was able to regain the lead, but his time out front was short-lived as Pierce retook the point on lap 15. Pierce then appeared to have a comfortable advantage until Thornton started showing momentum on the top side. Thornton dived to the inside of Pierce in turn four, but Pierce was able to gain enough of a distance on the final lap to seal the deal. Pierce, in Lucas Oil Victory Lane for the first time since 2020, became the 19th different winner this season, talked about his move to take the lead the first time in the race from Overton. “The first pass I made on him [Overton] I kind of caught him off guard a little bit. I think that was his first run on the bottom and he kind of missed it. I passed him on the top and then I thought I had it in the bag and then that caution came out, and I thought I had it under control, but the carburetor kind of stumbled off four and I thought something bad happened, but luckily it got going again.” Thornton, who currently sits third in the Lucas Oil championship standings, was pleased with his car in the final laps. “I knew I was pretty good when I got around those guys and then I got stuck behind Bruening and it slowed my pace down. We had a good restart Chris [Simpson] didn’t quite get a good enough restart, so I turned to the bottom and got to third there. Then [Brandon] Overton and Bobby [Pierce] were racing so hard it kind of let me get around Overton. Then Bobby moved up and I could still run up to him. I felt like I was a little better there in one and two.” Chris Simpson, who posted his first top five with the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series since 2018, rounded out the podium spot in third. “The car was good. Brandon [Overton] got by me there and I just wasn’t patient to stay on the bottom. I got up top and Bobby [Pierce] got by both of us. Then I started working the bottom again and got by Overton and got up to second. On the restart Bobby and I just messed up a little bit and I about gave it away.” The winner’s Pierce Race Cars Chassis is powered by a Vic Hill Racing Engine and sponsored by Hoker Trucking, Allgayer Inc., Base Racing Fuels, Mesilla Valley Transportation, Senior Life Insurance Company, First Spear, Rio Grande Waste Services, Extreme Electric, Vermilion County Bobcats, Leka Tree Service, and Toyota of Danville. Completing the top ten were Ricky Weiss, Hudson O’Neal, Jonathan Davenport, Tim McCreadie, and Jimmy Owens.
Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Race Summary Lucas Oil Late Model Knoxville Nationals – Night 2Friday, September 16th, 2022Knoxville Raceway – Knoxville, IA
Allstar Performance Time TrialsFast Time Group A: Tyler Bruening / 17.778 secondsFast Time Group B: Tad Pospisil / 17.717 seconds (overall)
Penske Race Shocks Heat Race #1 Finish (12 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 71-Hudson O’Neal[3]; 2. 16-Tyler Bruening[6]; 3. 32S-Chris Simpson[4]; 4. 3S-Brian Shirley[1]; 5. 25C-Shane Clanton[2]; 6. 18J-Chase Junghans[7]; 7. 58-Garrett Alberson[5]; 8. 18S-Jesse Sobbing[10]; 9. 7-Ross Robinson[8]; 10. 18D-Daulton Wilson[9]; 11. 6H-Al Humphrey[11]
Summit Racing Equipment Heat Race #2 Finish (12 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 32-Bobby Pierce[6]; 2. 20-Jimmy Owens[3]; 3. 46-Earl Pearson Jr[5]; 4. 11-Spencer Hughes[2]; 5. 1T-Tyler Erb[8]; 6. 44-Chris Madden[4]; 7. 22-Charlie McKenna[7]; 8. 157-Mike Marlar[9]; 9. 14M-Reid Millard[11]; 10. 42-Johnathan Huston[1]; 11. 56-Chris Spieker[10]
Simpson Race Products Heat Race #3 Finish (12 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 49-Jonathan Davenport[3]; 2. 8-Kyle Strickler[1]; 3. 20RT-Ricky Thornton Jr[5]; 4. 29D-Spencer Diercks[4]; 5. 04-Tad Pospisil[6]; 6. 1X-Aaron Marrant[8]; 7. 93-Chad Simpson[10]; 8. 15-Justin Duty[7]; 9. 33-Nick Marolf[9]; 10. 40B-Kyle Bronson[11]; 11. 19R-Ryan Gustin[2] Ohlins Shocks Heat Race #4 Finish (12 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 22H-Daniel Hilsabeck[2]; 2. 76-Brandon Overton[4]; 3. 99JR-Frank Heckenast Jr[1]; 4. 39-Tim McCreadie[6]; 5. 1-Brandon Sheppard[5]; 6. 7W-Ricky Weiss[3]; 7. 2S-Stormy Scott[8]; 8. 51-Matt Furman[7]; 9. 14W-Dustin Walker[9]; 10. 10-Junior Coover[10]
Fast Shafts B-Main #1 Finish (15 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 44-Chris Madden[2]; 2. 58-Garrett Alberson[1]; 3. 18J-Chase Junghans[4]; 4. 1T-Tyler Erb[6]; 5. 18D-Daulton Wilson[11]; 6. 22-Charlie McKenna[5]; 7. 14M-Reid Millard[8]; 8. 18S-Jesse Sobbing[7]; 9. 42-Johnathan Huston[12]; 10. 6H-Al Humphrey[13]; 11. 7-Ross Robinson[9]; 12. 157-Mike Marlar[10]; 13. (DNS) 25C-Shane Clanton; 14. (DNS) 56-Chris Spieker UNOH B-Main #2 Finish (15 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 7W-Ricky Weiss[3]; 2. 1-Brandon Sheppard[2]; 3. 04-Tad Pospisil[1]; 4. 1X-Aaron Marrant[4]; 5. 15-Justin Duty[7]; 6. 33-Nick Marolf[9]; 7. 51-Matt Furman[8]; 8. 14W-Dustin Walker[10]; 9. 10-Junior Coover[12]; 10. 93-Chad Simpson[6]; 11. 2S-Stormy Scott[5]; 12. (DNS) 40B-Kyle Bronson; 13. (DNS) 19R-Ryan Gustin
Lucas Oil Late Model Knoxville Nationals – Night 2 Feature Finish (25 Laps):

Race StatisticsEntrants: 43Lap Leaders: Brandon Overton (Laps 1-8); Bobby Pierce (Laps 9-13); Brandon Overton (Lap 14); Bobby Pierce (Laps 15-25)Wrisco Feature Winner: Bobby PierceArizona Sport Shirts Crown Jewel Cup Feature Winner: n/aBrandon Ford TV Challenge Feature Winner: Bobby PierceMargin of Victory: 0.479 secondsStop-Tech Cautions: Tyler Erb (Lap 13)Series Provisionals: n/aFast Time Provisional: n/aSeries Emergency Provisionals: n/aBig River Steel Podium Top 3: Bobby Pierce, Ricky Thornton, Jr., Chris SimpsonPenske Shocks Top 5: Bobby Pierce, Ricky Thornton, Jr., Chris Simpson, Brandon Overton, Tyler BrueningOptima Batteries Hard Charger of the Race: Ricky Weiss (Advanced 12 Positions)Hot Rod Processing Most Laps Led: Bobby Pierce (16 Laps)Sunoco Race for Gas Highest Finisher: Ricky Thornton, Jr.Midwest Sheet Metal Spoiler Challenge Point Leader: Tim McCreadieO’Reilly Auto Parts Rookie of the Race: Spencer HughesDirty Girl Racewear Fastest Lap of the Race: Brandon Overton (Lap 1 – 19.537 seconds)DirtonDirt.com Tough Break of the Race: Kyle BronsonOuterwears Crew Chief of the Race: Bob Pierce (Bobby Pierce)ARP Engine Builder of the Race: Vic Hill Race EnginesMiller Welders Chassis Builder of the Race: Pierce Race CarsDirt Draft Fastest in Hot Laps: Ricky Weiss (17.2103 seconds)Time of Race: 11 minutes 31 seconds

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RCR NXS Post Race Report: Bristol

September 19, 2022 ARP Trish

Accident Ends Strong Run by Sheldon Creed, Whelen Team at Bristol Motor Speedway

“I feel like we gave it a heck of a run the last few weeks. We started running top five, getting faster and almost won at Darlington Raceway. I thought the guys on the Whelen team did really well with adjustments after practice and qualifying today wt a Bristol Motor Speedway and they were getting me in the game. I was trying to hang in there and go as long as I could for the start of Stage 3. I was on older tires but had the top rolling pretty good. I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. The No. 9 got the No. 54 and then he got into me. Everyone at RCR and ECR have worked hard this season and they put so much effort into it. I’m proud of them.”

-Sheldon Creed

Austin Hill and the No. 21 Bennett Transportation & Logistics Chevrolet Team Pick Up Strong Third-Place Finish at Bristol Motor Speedway

“Man, I think if I didn’t have that damage on the front, we could have rallied back and won that thing tonight in the Bennett Transportation & Logistics Chevrolet. We didn’t have a great practice or qualifying session and I started the race extremely tight. We made it through the first stage and then my team gave me a big adjustment and the car was much better. My spotter got me through some crazy incidents on the track and we were there in the right place at the end. Unfortunately, I got into the back of the 19 with nowhere to go and that gave us damage on the nose. I’ll take a third-place finish and now we have positive momentum heading into the first race of the Playoffs at Texas. I’m proud of this team and everyone at RCR and ECR. We’re ready to win in the Playoffs.”
-Austin Hil

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ROBERT HIGHT AND AUTO CLUB CHEVY NO. 1 FRIDAY AT MAPLE GROVE RACEWAY

September 19, 2022 ARP Trish

READING, Pa. (Sept. 16, 2022) – Robert Hight and the Automobile Club of Southern California Chevrolet Camaro SS team land in the No. 1 spot after one qualifying session Friday at the Pep Boys NHRA Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway. John Force and the PEAK Antifreeze and Coolant Chevy trail in the No. 2 spot. Austin Prock also landed the Montana Brand / Rocky Mountain Twist dragster in the No. 2 spot while Brittany Force and the Flav-R-Pac / Monster Energy team will look to improve from No. 15.
Kicking off the NHRA Countdown to the Championship from the No. 1 spot, Robert Hight handled the Auto Club Chevy to a stout 3.867-second pass at 331.20 mph to take over the No. 1 qualifying position and gain three valuable bonus points.
“We have to be aggressive because we are going to need all the points we can get. It was a pretty humbling experience going to the website and seeing our almost 300-point lead turn into 20 after the points reset,” Hight said. “Anything can happen with a small lead. We need to pick up ever point we can. It’s one run at a time, get points every qualifying run and then get lane choice and go rounds on Sunday. I’ve lost a championship by 19=points and it sucks to say that if we only had one more run we could have gotten it done. We know we need to focus 100 percent on our car. But we don’t really have to tell this team that. It’s exciting to be part of this, to come back and see the smiles on their faces. Tomorrow, we have to come out and get another three points and the second run tomorrow, with Funny Car running last, someone may come up and get us so we’ll have to try to pick it up.”
Just two pair ahead of teammate Hight, John Force and the PEAK Chevy went 3.890-seconds at 329.99 mph that would be second quickest of the first session. Force will earn two bonus points for his efforts.
“Good way to start the weekend, start the Countdown. We have a good hot rod, Danny Hood, Tim Fabrisi all these PEAK guys, they’ve put this thing together right,” Force said. “Come out again tomorrow and see what we can do. Just keep doing my job, try to keep up with everyone else.”
Austin Prock and the Montana Brand / RMT team nearly had their first provisional No. 1 qualifier with their 3.706-second pass at 332.02 mph but had to settle for No. 2 by .003-seconds.
“That is exactly what this Montana Brand / Rocky Mountain Twist team needed. We’ve been working really hard and it’s nice to see it pay off. We went testing after Indy and ran pretty similar, even a little better,” said Prock, who earns two bonus points. “I just have to thank Frank Tiegs and all our sponsors and John Force Racing for sticking by us. Looking forward to keeping it going.”
Brittany Force and the Flav-R-Pac dragster had a rare misstep during their first qualifying run. Force started to lose traction early and had to shut off, coasting to a 6.617 at 91.19 mph.
“Tough start to the weekend here in Reading for our Flav-R-Pac / Monster Energy team. We tried to push the car too hard, got greedy, trying to run a high 3.60. We know what the problem is, and we know how to fix it for tomorrow which is the positive,” Force said. “We get two more runs tomorrow, 15 typically not where we’re at but we can definitely come back form that but we get two good runs tomorrow and we can reset before race day.”
Competition at the Pep Boys NHRA Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway continues with qualifying on Saturday at 1:15 and 4:45 p.m. Eliminations are scheduled to begin Sunday at 10:30 a.m. Television coverage of the event continues on Sunday at 11 a.m. ET on FOX Sports 1. Eliminations will be aired Sunday at 2 p.m. or 4:30 p.m. ET (check local listings) on FOX Broadcasting Network.
-30-

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Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Amends October Schedule

September 19, 2022 ARP Trish

BATAVIA, Ohio (September 16, 2022) – With racing at The Red Clay at Woodstock – Historic Dixie Speedway continuing hiatus for the remainder of 2022, the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series has amended the October 7th-8th weekend schedule. The 33rd running of the Lucas Oil Dixie Shootout at The Red Clay at Woodstock – Historic Dixie Speedway has been canceled. The scheduled event at Talladega Short Track in Eastaboga, Ala. will shift to Saturday, October 8th. The Swims family paused operations at The Red Clay at Woodstock – Historic Dixie Speedway, and its sister track Rome International Speedway, in 2022 to focus on the health of Martha Swims – who along with her husband Mickey and other family members have owned the legendary racetrack for 46 years. “We have always done everything as a family, including racing,” stated the Swims family. “We are so grateful for all the support that all our friends and family have offered both Martha and our family during this difficult time. We rejoice, for we know that she is with her Heavenly Father.” Until her diagnosis in September of 2021, Mrs. Swims was still handling payroll, inventory, and race night office operations for both Dixie and Rome Speedways. Martha Swims, age 80, passed away on Saturday, July 16, 2022, in her home following her battle with cancer, with her husband, Mickey, and her daughter, Mia, at her bedside. “Martha Swims was a matriarch of dirt track racing,” said Rick Schwallie, Lucas Oil late Model Dirt Series Director. “Dixie Speedway has been a pillar on the series schedule since its inception. We’re grateful for the dedication of the Swims family and their contributions to racing over the past six decades. The family remains in our thoughts and prayers during these difficult times.” The Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series will visit Talladega Short Track on Saturday, October 8th for a complete program of Dirt Draft Hot Laps, Allstar Performance Time Trials, Heat Race, B-Mains, and a 50-lap, $15,000-to-win main event. Advance tickets for the event can be purchased by visiting https://www.myracepass.com/events/383997/tickets/

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chevy racing–nascar–bristol–austin dillon

September 19, 2022 ARP Trish

NASCAR CUP SERIES BRISTOL MOTOR SPEEDWAY BASS PRO SHOPS NIGHT RACE TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT SEPTEMBER 16, 2022

AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 BASS PRO SHOPS / TRACKER OFF ROAD CAMARO ZL1, met with the media in advance of the NASCAR Cup Series practice and qualifying session at Bristol Motor Speedway. Press Conference Highlights: HAVE YOU TALKED TO TYLER REDDICK AT ALL SINCE THE DRIVER ANNOUNCEMENT?“Tyler’s a beast, man. He puts in a ton of work during the week. I know he’s super-focused on this race, just like myself. He does a really good job of tuning stuff out and just going to work. You can’t deny Tyler Reddick’s speed each and every weekend this year. I’m sure he’s going to fast today and he’ll be just fine. I talked to him. We were at the Catwalk for a Cause together so we had a little bit of fun there, and it was for a great cause. Now it’s time to qualify and practice. For us and the 3 team, we gotta gain as many points as possible this weekend to put us in a good position at the end of this race. So today’s very important when it comes to qualifying.”
YOUR GRANDFATHER SAID YOU WERE THE ONE WHO SUGGESTED YOU HIRE KYLE BUSCH. WHAT DID THAT CONVERSATION ENTAIL?“After the Tyler announcement, it was about what’s the future of the RCR look and where to go from here. In my mind, there was one guy in free agency who anyone who would love to have when it comes to a driver standpoint. It’s something he can bring and elevate your competition side right off the bat. And he moves the needle when it comes to marketing. He really does. He has a huge fanbase. So for me, it was just talking to my grandfather and saying, ‘Hey, what do you think about Kyle?’ He came back with if he would want to drive for us. I was like, why not because we have fast cars and good equipment. Truthfully when it comes to Kyle, he wants to go fast and win races. So he said to let him think about it, and about 30 minutes later. So I texted Kyle and then gave him a call and we talked. It was the same kind of conversation with Kyle… ‘Do you really think he wants me to drive for him?’ And I was like, yeah that’s what I called. It’s a great opportunity for both of them. For me, especially as a teammate, I get to learn a lot from him. The people in our shop are really excited to have a guy with his kind of experience… a two-time champion with over 200 wins. It’s awesome and it’s great for RCR. In the end, that’s what makes me happy. We want to make the Welcome North Carolina race team compete at the top each week and be looked at as a competitor. We’re on an upward trajectory, so we need to keep that going.”
HAVE YOU REACHED A POINT WHERE YOU’RE EXPECTED TO HAVE MAJOR INPUT INTO DECISIONS LIKE THIS THAT CAN HELP RCR MOVE FORWARD?“I was born across those railroad tracks, so I feel like it’s all I ever know. To me, everybody who works at RCR and all the faces that I see on a weekly basis… those decisions that my grandfather made for so many years, I’ve seen him have sleepless nights because he wants his people and his company to survive and do well. For me, it’s the same thing. I want the people at RCR to be happy and have jobs for a really long time. When it comes to helping him to make good decisions for the future, I think he takes my opinion. That’s cool, and I think I deserve that too from a competition standpoint, just being in this garage for a long time, seeing a lot and seeing how things work.”
THIS IS YOUR FIFTH APPEARANCE IN THE PLAYOFFS. IS THERE ANYTHING DIFFERENT THIS TIME?“The biggest thing is that the first two races were races that we really could have really capitalized on. We haven’t had the pace we needed to do that, but we’ve survived. So for this race, I’m really hoping we unload right here in practice and have a strong car. I think we’ve done a good job of finishing the first two first races but we need to get some stage points and put ourselves in a little better position come Saturday. We’ve been in this survive-and-advance point, but this is the advance point. We have to step it up another notch than what we’ve had these first two races. I think we’re capable of that. I love that this is a long race, and a lot of things can happen during that timeframe. It would sure be nice to qualify up front, run up front and put the pressure on the guys that are around us.”
ALTHOUGH THE NEXT-GEN CAR HASN’T BEEN TO TEXAS, WHAT HAVE YOU SEEN AT THE MILE-AND-A-HALFS AND HOW THAT MAY TRANSLATE?“The All-Star race was there earlier this season. It was surprisingly a pretty decent race. Texas has struggled a little bit from my standpoint since we’ve paved it. It seems like it’s getting a little bit better and getting a little racier. I saw some good racing since I was watching that one. I think every race we go to next year with this Next-Gen car, anything can happen. We’ve had 18 winners and that’s been special, so you might see a new winner.”
THIS IS GOING TO BE DIFFERENT WITH THIS BEING THE FIRST RACE HERE WITH THE NEXT-GEN CAR. DO YOU BELIEVE IT’LL BE SUCH A DIFFERENT RACE THAT THINGS WILL GET SHAKEN UP?“Bristol is a place where if your car does certain things well, you can make up ground and be a hero. It rewards you for being able to drive hard for a long period of time. If your car is bouncing all over the place and struggling, it’s a tough night and you kind of have to survive. I’m confident in the work that we’ve put in during the week that we can have a fast car this weekend. When we get it right, I’ve been good here before so I’m pretty confident when it comes to that.”
WHAT DO YOU EXPECT THE RACE TO BE LIKE WITH PRACTICE AND QUALIFYING GIVEN THAT WE HAVE A NEW CAR, OR WILL YOU GUYS FIGURE IT OUT BY THEN?“I really don’t know the practice will give us a tell-tale sign about what we’re going to have. I didn’t get to do the test. Speaking to some of guys about the test, the track is pretty rough from the removal of the dirt and it’s a little different. In the simulator, it’s not that bad. It’ll be interesting to see what the difference is when we get out there and move around.”
THEY ARE DIFFERENT SPORTS BUT ARE THERE THINGS YOU CAN CARRY OVER FROM THE MANAGEMENT VIEW OF RCR AND PBR?“For sure. The adrenaline-junky side of the athlete from both sides is very similar. On the team aspect, you can relate it to the pit crews and keeping the pit crews together. That’s another part of that. I don’t know if we announced it, but we signed our pit crew on the 3 team to a five-year deal – all of our guys. So they’ve signed up for the next five years. That’s really cool. They’ve been one of the best-performing pit crews on pit road. I’ll give credit to our pit coach for being forward-thinking on the youth that we have on that team and helping Andy Petree and myself getting into the boss man. For him, that’s a new way of thinking. He was receptive of that, and it’s important. It’s a culture-builder. That’s what we want to do at RCR, and that’s build the culture up.”
YOU SAID TUESDAY THAT YOU TOLD KYLE THAT THERE WON’T BE ANOTHER TEAM WHO WILL FIGHT FOR YOU. DOES THAT START WITH RICHARD CHILDRESS OR IS THAT BECAUSE HE KNOWS THE RIGHT PEOPLE TO HIRE?“It’s a little bit of the short-track mentality of bringing your friends to the track. In Welcome, we’re away from everyone in Mooresville by a bit. That makes us different because there is mostly a drive from people coming to Mooresville or that live around there. We’re kind of our team, and I like it down there. I feel like we’re in a different state than everyone else in Mooresville. I like it that way, and I think Kyle will too. He’s that type of guy that is a fiery competition, and I think that gets along with what RC has built.”
AS FAR AS THE POINTS SPREAD TOMORROW, HOW WILL THAT AFFECT THE WAY GUYS APPROACH THE RACE GIVEN THIS IS A SHORT TRACK?“It’s just a rough grind of a track and race. You don’t know the performance of the tire, either. There are a lot of things that can happen here in a very short period of time. First thing’s first and that’s qualify; qualify up front, try and get stage points and try to win the race, but don’t take yourself out of the race. A lot of things are going to happen. It’s very easy with this car to take yourself out of the race because you’re on edge very often. It’s very easy to get a little too much and put yourself in a bad situation. The moment you take yourself out of the fight, you’re probably out when it comes to points.”

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Chevy Racing–nascar–bristol–ross chastain

September 19, 2022 ARP Trish

NASCAR CUP SERIES BRISTOL MOTOR SPEEDWAYBASS PRO SHOPS NIGHT RACETEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT SEPTEMBER 16, 2022

ROSS CHASTAIN, NO. 1 WORLDWIDE EXPRESS CAMARO ZL1, met with the media in advance of the NASCAR Cup Series practice and qualifying session at Bristol Motor Speedway. Press Conference Transcript: LAST WEEK WAS YOUR FIRST TOP-10 FINISH SINCE NEW HAMPSHIRE. IT SEEMED LIKE THINGS HAD – NOT TAKEN A NOSE DIVE – BUT KIND OF TAILED OFF IN AUGUST AFTER THE POCONO RACE. WHAT DO YOU ATTRIBUTE GETTING IN THE TOP-10 TO AND HOW DO YOU FEEL THE PACE OF YOUR TEAM IS NOW COMPARED TO WHERE YOU WERE AT THE END OF THE REGULAR SEASON? “I feel like the pace has not left us. There’s been a lot of mistakes on my part; and then just stuff that’s going to happen in racing, just all kind of piled on for two months in a row there. But the pace never left.. I never questioned that. It was just a matter of me not messing; not speeding on pit road, debris in the drive pin holes at Darlington, or just crashing. It’s just eliminating that.”
YOU CERTAINLY HAD IDEAS IN YOUR HEAD OF WHAT IT WOULD BE LIKE TO BE IN THE PLAYOFFS BEFORE YOU GOT INTO THE PLAYOFFS. NOW, YOU’RE TWO RACES DEEP. DOES ANYTHING SURPRISE YOU ABOUT THE INTENSITY, FEELINGS OR DIFFERENT THINGS THAT YOU’VE GONE THROUGH DURING THESE FIRST TWO RACES?“A lot of surprises.. and I won’t sit up here and tell you that it feels like the rest of the season because it doesn’t. It’s different. I know that small mistakes can lead to ending our chance to run for a championship. So these races – three at a time, three rounds each – do mean more. I’m not immune to that.
But leaving Daytona and the Monday morning before Darlington, I was amazed about how normal it felt. I thought ‘well it’s going to come later in the week’.. and Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, all felt so normal. Race day morning, that was tough. I stayed down in Florence at a hotel. The drive over to the track, I just had a lot of nerves. Once I got into the rhythm of coming and doing stuff like this, meeting with sponsors, team meeting, dinner.. then it’s normal. These races are later in the day, so I’m curious to see how tomorrow feels. But the morning of Darlington, all the way until I got in the hauler and started my normal race day routine of meetings and appearances, it felt different. Looking back on it, it’s cool. But in the moment, it doesn’t feel good.”
DID YOU FEEL LIKE GOING INTO THE PLAYOFFS, YOU COULD HANDLE IT LIKE ‘HEY, IT’S JUST ANOTHER RACE’ AND YOU FOUND OUT YOU COULDN’T? DID YOU FEEL LIKE GOING INTO IT, YOU KNEW IT WAS GOING TO BE DIFFERENT?“I feel like once we got into the rhythm of Darlington and Kansas, we handled it. We did everything that we needed to do. You can look back and see things that could be done better, but we’re all experiencing this for the first time. Myself, my crew chief Phil Surgen and my spotter Brandon McReynolds – even just us three have never been in this position in our current roles. I expected the week leading up to it, the days leading up to the race, to be harder to get through. But they were actually more normal than I anticipated and I kind of calibrated to that. And then race day was like a flood of emotions. At the end of the day, I’m right where I’ve always wanted to be and realizing that, it’s all kind of hit me on each race day. It’s really cool and I’m trying to experience all of this as much as I can, but it’s also scary at the same time.”
WITH THIS BEING BRISTOL, A SHORT TRACK AND THE FIRST CUT-OFF RACE OF THE PLAYOFFS; I’M WONDERING IF YOU’RE GOING TO ASK YOUR TEAM TO KEEP YOU MORE AWARE OF OTHER DRIVERS AROUND YOU TOMORROW NIGHT IN CASE THERE IS ANY FALLOUT FROM INCIDENTS FROM EARLIER THIS YEAR? “If there is any fallout, I’ll be the first to know. They aren’t going to be able to tell me before it happens.”
IF YOU HAVE SOMEBODY BEHIND YOU THOUGH, ARE YOU GOING TO WANT TO BE AWARE OF THAT? “I’m aware of everything going on around the No. 1 car at all times.. especially with these new rearview cameras. I tell Brandon McReynolds all the time; spotter union up there better put a petition to get these things out of here because they’re nice and you can see everything.
Yeah, I’m aware. We’ve went through all of the points situations of finishing positions through each stage. So we re-evaluate through each stage, but it doesn’t even need to be said. I have a good enough working knowledge, I feel like. If a caution comes out for a stage break, we’ll see who got points and I’m going to know a ballpark of how it’s updating. I don’t need a read-out every stage.”
YOU HAVE FIVE STARTS AT BRISTOL WITH ONE TOP-15 FINISH AND AN AVERAGE FINISH OF 26. 800. HOWEVER, WITH THE NEXT GEN CAR, YOU CAN KIND OF THROW SOME OF THE STATS OUT THE WINDOW BECAUSE A LOT OF THE TEAMS DON’T KNOW WHAT TO EXPECT HERE. WE MIGHT SEE SOMEBODY WHO WE NEVER EXPECTED TO FINISH WELL, FINISH WELL. DO YOU WIPE THAT OUT OF YOUR MIND? WHAT DO YOU EXPECT OF THE CAR HERE? “When I look back on my Cup races here.. this is a good example. With Premium Motorsports for most of those races, aside from last year with the No. 42, my goal was to finish a single digit number of laps down. So that’s nine laps down to the leader or less. That was the challenge, that was the goal; to keep it at nine or less. Don’t be double digits. The things I learned through those races are invaluable. I can never learn that in a fast car.. how to get lapped nine times, eight times, whatever. That’s hard to do. I wouldn’t trade those days, but also I’m in a totally different space now. So transitioning that has been hard.. you all have witnessed that first-hand, my transition from slow cars in the Cup Series to fast cars and you’ve seen my mistakes along the way. I take all of those past races, even though the finishes don’t show. There were times where I crashed on lap one because I was too close to the field and I piled into a wreck when someone turned off of (turn) four. And then there’s other times where I did the right thing, stayed back and I finished the race.
Finishes aside, a lot of times 29th was a win. That was our goal.. or 25th. You run 25th in the No. 15 car back then and you’ve done your job. I know a lot of people look at averages and my average now will always be skewed with those early years. Whether at the end of my career I go back to a car like that, I don’t know. But for right now, I’m going to keep upping my average to where it’s supposed to be. But it will always be skewed because of those. I wouldn’t trade that for the world.”
HOW LONG DO YOU THINK WILL IT TAKE FOR YOU TO GET THE FEEL OF THE NEXT GEN CAR ON THIS TRACK? “I hope I can assess it faster than some people can turn off music on their phones (laughs).
Yeah, practice is going to be wild. Looking at what the wheel force cars did; all three manufacturers spun out and all three blew tires separate of each other. Separate of the tire blow outs to the spins, from what I was told.
I’m not going to be upset if we’re not the fastest because we’re probably not on the ragged edge of air pressure and tires blowing. We need solid runs.
And then driving with these shocks and the way they bottom out; you’re just spinning out kind of every practice. I could see that happening here. It’s going to be an experience. We haven’t run here on the concrete configuration in a year, so it really feels like to me – the unknowns of it – feel like the races early in the year when we went to each track for the first time. This is the first time with the new car coming to Bristol. You can’t count the dirt experience; it’s just going to drive so different.”
AT 26-POINTS ABOVE THE CUTLINE, DO YOU PLAY THIS A LITTLE BIT CONSERVATIVE BECAUSE OF THE UNKNOWNS?“Yeah, I think of course. You never want to crash in practice, especially this year with this car. You don’t want to crash. I think that the simple answer is yes.. but I still want to go fast. I know I say I don’t want to be the fastest in practice, but I do. I want to be the fastest. I want to qualify on the pole and I want to lead 500 laps.
There are going to be certain situations where it’s going to be in my best interest to not insert myself.”
WE OFTEN HEAR THAT THIS IS THE TIME OF THE YEAR WHERE TEAMS STEP IT UP. BUT WHEN A NON-PLAYOFF DRIVER WON AT DARLINGTON, IT DOESN’T SEEM LIKE WE’VE SEEN AS MUCH DOMINANCE FROM THE PLAYOFF TEAMS THAT WE HAVE IN PAST YEARS. WHAT’S YOUR PERSPECTIVE ON THAT? “It’s different. This car has reset that whole thing. Like you can’t bring different headers here. You can’t bring a new aero-package. You’re trying to maximize everything, but we all have the same parts. You can’t build a new right-front spindle and save it for the playoffs. You can’t bring different brake pads that they’ve found in testing to be better and bring them now. There’s nothing else to bring. We all order the same stuff.
This has been the greatest reset that this sport has ever seen.. ever. From the very first race, you could build a better car. Now, you can only assemble a better car. We all build off the same control arms, chassis, body panels. We all scan them in our hawkeyes. We bring them here and try not to let the sun hit them. We get them through tech and then we race them. They are so equal and it’s been the greatest reset.
Really, there’s geometry and setups. But you’re just moving stuff around on the car, you can’t bring different materials because we all buy the same stuff.”
A LOT OF PEOPLE POINT TO BRISTOL OR MARTINSVILLE WHERE YOU MIGHT SEE PAYBACKS. ESPECIALLY GIVEN THE CURRENT POINTS SITUATION AND ONLY (CHRISTOPHER) BELL HAVING LOCKED INTO THE NEXT ROUND; WILL GUYS BE ON SO MANY DIFFERENT AGENDAS TOMORROW NIGHT THAT IT SORT OF LESSENS THE POTENTIAL FOR GUYS WORRYING ABOUT PAYBACK? “I can’t speak for what other people are thinking. I just know that I hit the wall nice and hard at Pocono, so I don’t think track or speed matters.”
WHAT WAS YOUR PERSPECTIVE OF THE THING THAT HAPPENED LAST WEEK WITH BUBBA (WALLACE) AND (KEVIN) HARVICK, WHEN HARVICK ENDED UP HITTING THE WALL? “Yeah, I got tight under Bubba (Wallace). We were super close to each other; didn’t lift in time, didn’t leave him enough room, forced him into the wall. We got off of each other right before he hit the wall, but it was still my fault.
I think on that part, Harvick, no.. I think that’s the air of these cars. I felt bad and I apologized on the radio. But when I watched it, I can’t control the cars behind us. But I feel terrible that happened. He’s one of my heroes.. I don’t want an action in the middle of (turns) three and four to cause a wreck on the exit. I could have given him more room, especially looking back at lap 30-something, for sure.”
WHEN SOMETHING LIKE THAT HAPPENS.. YOU DIDIN’T HAVE ANY CONTACT WITH HARVICK, BUT OF COURSE EVERYBODY DOESN’T GIVE YOU THE BENEFIT OF THE DOUBT AT THIS POINT, SO YOU GET BLAMED FOR IT ON SOCIAL MEDIA. DO YOU PAY ATTENTION TO THAT? “I do know. I do hear it and I do get it sent to me. But it does not bother me that a tweet will go out from somebody and it names Harvick and me and leaves Bubba out. It’s like, why.. why does it have to be skewed that way. But it doesn’t bother me. I just see it and I understand how that person views it. And that’s what’s so great about social media.. it’s that everybody’s opinions are instantly out there. Whether somebody has zero followers or 300,000 followers, it does not matter. Their tweet is going to go out and people can take it for how it is. All it takes is a free download of an app and it’s out there.
It doesn’t bother me, it’s just good to know. It’s good to have your head to the ground. As we all co-exist through this sport, it’s good to know where people stand and how they view things. A lot of times social media can tell you a lot about a person. I know a lot of people call it a highlight real. You can tell a lot about somebody with how they talk and the characters they use on there.”
EXPLAIN WHAT FACTORS GO INTO WHETHER YOU SHIFT AT A PLACE LIKE BRISTOL OR NOT; AND IF SO, IS THAT DIFFICULT?“Super difficult. I tried it this week in the simulator. It’s possible, I think. I don’t think it’s going to be necessary, but I also didn’t think it would be necessary at Martinsville and it was every lap. I didn’t think it would be like it was at the Clash and it was. I don’t know that we slow down quite enough, but we’re not expecting a ton of tire falloff. But if it does slow down enough, I could see late in a run if we still have good forward drive, start trying it. Guys were doing it at Kansas that were really tight. It’s wild.. I never even thought about it at Kansas, but some guys are a little more openminded to that than me. I’m usually a little late to the game. They have to tell me they’re doing it and then I have to work up my confidence.”
DOES SHIFTING HELP WITH SPEED OR HANDLING? “Yes… (laughs). It’s going to help the handling, which is going to help the speed. I don’t know how exactly, but it does. I don’t understand these transaxles yet enough to know.”
GOING BACK TO BEING CONSERVATIVE; THAT GIVES ME THE SENSE THAT EVEN AT 26-POINTS ABOVE THE CUTLINE, THERE’S NO FEEL OF BEING SAFE OR COMFORTABLE WITH THAT ADVANTAGE.“No, it’s the Cup Series. These are the best driver and teams in the world. We all know the math and we know the points that need to be acquired. We just have to go race. I can’t ride around; I just have to go race. You can gain and lose points quick, for sure. Stuff happens so fast here that it can change in lap of the 500.”
DARLINGTON AND KANSAS – MULTIPLE PLAYOFF DRIVERS HAD PROBLEMS. IS THERE ANY REASON TO BELIEVE THAT BRISTOL COULD NOT BE JUST AS WILD TOMORROW NIGHT?“No, there’s no reason to think it wouldn’t be. It’s on this spot on the schedule for a reason.”

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RCR Event Preview – Bristol

September 19, 2022 ARP Trish

Richard Childress Racing at Bristol Motor Speedway … In 181 NASCAR Cup Series starts on the pavement at Bristol Motor Speedway, Richard Childress Racing has scored nine wins, seven by Dale Earnhardt (both races in 1985 and 1987, plus victories in 1988, 1994 and 1999) plus Kevin Harvick (2005) and Jeff Burton (2008). The organization has also racked up 35 top-five and 71 top-10 finishes. Back in the Playoffs … Richard Childress Racing enters Bristol Motor Speedway with three victories in NASCAR’s elite NASCAR Cup Series during the 2022 season. The Welcome, N.C., based company has two entries in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs for the first time since 2017 (Austin Dillon and Ryan Newman). NASCAR Xfinity Series Stats at Bristol Motor Speedway … RCR has nine NASCAR Xfinity Series victories at Bristol led by four wins by Kevin Harvick (2000, 2001, 2003 and 2005). Other drivers who have posted Bristol wins for the Welcome, N.C., based organization include Jeff Green (2002), Clint Bowyer (2008), Elliott Sadler (2012), Austin Dillon (2016) and Tyler Reddick (2019). The team has racked up 37 top-five and 62 top-10 finishes at the Tennessee short track. Introducing the Carolina Cowboys … Driven by the same passion for performance that guides his race team, Richard Childress’ latest endeavor brings Professional Bull Riding to the Carolinas. The Carolina Cowboys represent Winston-Salem, North Carolina, in the PBR Team Series, an elite new league featuring the world’s top bull riders in games that began in July 2022. The team is operated by Richard Childress Racing with 2018 Daytona 500 Champion Austin Dillon serving as General Manager. Catch the Action … The NASCAR Xfinity Series Food City 300 at Bristol Motor Speedway will be televised live Friday, September 16, beginning at 7:30 p.m. ET on USA Network. The race will be broadcast live on the Performance Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90. Follow Sunday’s Action at Bristol … The NASCAR Cup Series Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway will be televised live on Saturday, September 17 beginning at 7:30 p.m. ET on USA Network. The race will be broadcast live on the Performance Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

This Week’s Bass Pro Shops / TRACKER Off Road Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 at Bristol Motor Speedway … In 17 NASCAR Cup Series starts at Bristol Motor Speedway, Dillon has one top-five and three top-10 finishes, including a career-best fourth-place finish in August 2016. The 2013 NASCAR Xfinity Series Champion has nine NASCAR Xfinity Series starts at the half-mile track with a win in 2016. He has also made three NASCAR Truck Series starts at Bristol Motor Speedway. This weekend’s Bass Pro Shops Night Race is the cutoff race for the Round of 16 in the NASCAR Playoffs, and Dillon enters the race below the cutoff line in 14th, just two points shy of advancing to the Round of 12. Winner, Winner … Dillon has won at Bristol Motor Speedway on both the paved and dirt configurations. In addition to winning a NASCAR Xfinity Series race at the Tennessee track in August 2016 (paved), Dillon was among the first drivers to compete on the track’s dirt surface in 2021. He won two features and a heat race in dominating fashion in a 604 Crate Late Model for Corey Hedgecock Racing. TRACKER Off Road … Dillon’s No. 3 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 prominently features TRACKER ATVs, a game-changing new line of all-terrain vehicles and side-by-sides offering breakthrough performance, service and value in the off-road industry. TRACKER OFF ROAD was born out of a powerhouse partnership formed between Bass Pro Shops and TRACKER founder Johnny Morris and Textron Specialized Vehicles, bringing together the undisputed world leader in boating with a global leader in innovation and technology. Bass Pro Shops … Bass Pro Shops is North America’s premier outdoor and conservation company. Founded in 1972 when avid young angler Johnny Morris began selling tackle out of his father’s liquor store in Springfield, Missouri, today the company provides customers with unmatched offerings spanning premier destination retail, outdoor equipment manufacturing, world-class resort destinations and more. In 2017 Bass Pro Shops acquired Cabela’s to create a “best-of-the-best” experience with superior products, dynamic locations and outstanding customer service. Bass Pro Shops also operates White River Marine Group, offering an unsurpassed collection of industry-leading boat brands, and Big Cedar Lodge, America’s Premier Wilderness Resort. Under the visionary conservation leadership of Johnny Morris, Bass Pro Shops is a national leader in protecting habitat and introducing families to the outdoors and has been named by Forbes as “one of America’s Best Employers.” Bass Pro Shops has a long relationship with NASCAR, dating back to 1998. For more information, visit http://www.basspro.com/. AUSTIN DILLON QUOTES:What are your thoughts on Bristol Motor Speedway?“Anything can happen at Bristol Motor Speedway. It’s a short track and you can get caught up in things fast. Our goal as a team is to be consistent and to try and win and advance into the next round of the NASCAR Playoffs.” You’re below the cutline, but within striking distance. Do you feel like you can battle your way into the next round?“Yeah, for sure. Bristol is going to be wild and anything can happen. We’ve given ourselves a good shot. Nobody knows what to expect when we get there, but it’s a long race. If you’re there at the end of the day, you’ve got a good shot to make it.”

This Week’s Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 at Bristol Motor Speedway … Tyler Reddick will be making his fourth NASCAR Cup Series start on pavement at Bristol Motor Speedway on Saturday evening. His best finish at the .533-mile speedway is fourth-place in 2020. Reddick had five NASCAR Xfinity Series starts and Bristol, grabbing a win in 2019 and racking up four top-10 finishes. He claimed one top-10 finish and won one pole position in two Truck Series starts at Bristol. The driver of the Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen Chevrolet scored a second-place finish earlier this season on dirt at Bristol, one of nine top-fives he has racked up during the 2022 season.
NASCAR Playoff Outlook … Last weekend at Kansas Speedway, Reddick won his second pole position this season, third of his Cup Series career and first on an oval. He enters the Round 1 cutoff race at Bristol 11th in the Playoff standings, two points above the cutline. The Flying Croissants Are Back! … Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen is the primary for Tyler Reddick and the No. 8 Chevrolet this weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway. About Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen … Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen is the homestyle casual dining restaurant where guests always Get a lot. For not a lot™. The restaurant offers a variety of scratch-made meals and generous portions served up in a warm, welcoming atmosphere – all at an unbelievable price. After being welcomed with a signature Honey Butter Croissant on the house, guests can enjoy signature entrées like hand-breaded Chicken Tenders, Homemade Chicken Pot Pie and Fall-off-the-Plate Baby Back Ribs. Cheddar’s operates more than 170 restaurants in 28 states and employs more than 15,000 friendly and passionate team members. For more information or to locate the nearest restaurant, visit Cheddars.com. Fans can like or follow Cheddar’s on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. When Tyler Wins, You Win Tenders! … When Reddick crosses the finish line first in the Cup Series and grabs the checkered flag, all NASCAR fans will win a FREE No. 8 Special Chicken Tender Platter at Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen the Monday following the race with the purchase of an adult entree. Offer is valid for dine-in only. See cheddars.com/offer/race-day for full details. Infield Takeover with Tyler at Bristol! … Tyler Reddick will be participating in an infield takeover on Friday afternoon, September 16, at Bristol Motor Speedway from 2-3 p.m. ET, so don’t be surprised if Reddick visits your campsite. TYLER REDDICK QUOTE:This will be the first time the Next Gen car will be on the concrete surface at Bristol. What are your thoughts entering this weekend? “Every race in this round is very important for us. We have some really good tracks in this playoff run. Bristol has always been a good track but it is a bit of an unknown with this car. When I look at the trend of this car at the smaller tracks, you know, Bristol has always been an exciting place but I am certainly concerned with what the racing will look like. It may not be as crazy as some expect. There’s a lot of grip, we don’t have to peddle the car at all. We were actually working on Bristol a little bit on Saturday at Kansas. At first I was surprised, like wow, this is a lot of grip. It feels like you’re off the gas pedal as much as you would be on a mile-and-a-half. I think the speeds are going to be high enough there that I just don’t think someone is going to be able to move someone out of the way there. You’re pretty much going to have to go in there and hope you hit the guy because if you don’t, you’re going to go flying up into the wall and crash. It could be chaotic and if things stack up you could have some action but I don’t think it’s going to be the type of race where people are moving each other out the way because I don’t think you’re going to be able to get there.”

This Week’s Whelen Engineering Chevrolet Camaro SS at Bristol Motor Speedway … Sheldon Creed will head to Bristol Motor Speedway for the first time in his NASCAR Xfinity Series career. Creed has made three starts at the track during his time in the NASCAR Truck Series. In those three starts, he tallied a best finish of sixth in 2019 and in 2021, he started from the pole. He led 189 laps in 2021, too.
Playoff Goals … This weekend marks the last race before the start of the Playoffs, which means this is Creed’s last chance to make it into the 12-driver post-season field. He is in a close battle with Landon Cassill and Ryan Sieg. Creed is currently 32 points below the cutline, in 13th. His only way to make the Playoff field is with a win.
Whelen Celebrates 70 Years … From a small garage workshop in Connecticut in 1952 to a worldwide leader in emergency warning equipment today, Whelen Engineering continues to push the boundaries of innovation. As we mark our 70th anniversary, we’re proud to continue our founder’s mission of making it safer for those who serve and protect. Whelen has been manufacturing in America for 70 years—we never left, and we’re here to stay.
About Whelen … Whelen Engineering is a family-owned company with a pioneering spirit and a passion to protect the lives of those who protect and serve others. The company mission is to provide industry-defining safety solutions around the world, while creating a community of problem-solvers who are inspired to push boundaries and continue our legacy of delivering ground-breaking innovation. As a global leader in the emergency warning industry, Whelen has been trusted to perform since 1952, when George Whelen III invented the first rotating aviation beacon. Whelen now encompasses two state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities in Connecticut and New Hampshire with over 750,000 square feet of engineering and manufacturing space and the largest design staff in the industry. Every part of every Whelen product is proudly designed and manufactured in America. We embrace quality as our foundation, we celebrate innovative engineering in every product we produce. SHELDON CREED QUOTE:You are in a close battle for the final Playoff position. Does that change your approach to the race?“I mean, points racing is never fun. We’re just going to go out there and do our best, like this team always does. We’re going to show up with the best Whelen Chevrolet we can and treat it like we’re going to the Championship 4. We just need be on our A game and stay focused on the ultimate goal at Bristol, winning. We need to go out and practice well and qualify in a good spot to get max stage points and give ourselves a shot to win at the end. I’ve been doing a lot of research with my team, working hard on strategy and preparation for the race. We were looking at where Myatt Snider ran last year at Bristol and previous years with RCR because they’ve been pretty decent there. I’ve been doing my homework with Josh Wise this week, working in the simulator and I’m going to give it everything I’ve got this weekend.”

This Week’s Bennett Transportation & Logistics Chevrolet Camaro SS at Bristol Motor Speedway … Austin Hill will make his NASCAR Xfinity Series debut at Bristol Motor Speedway on Friday night in the No. 21 Bennett Transportation & Logistics Chevrolet. Hill has made six starts at the Tennessee track during his time in the NASCAR Truck Series. In those six starts, he has a best finish of 10th from 2019. Hill is currently locked into the Playoffs, which start next weekend at Texas Motor Speedway for the Xfinity Series. With his two wins, nine top fives and 15 top-10 finishes, Hill is currently sixth in the Playoff standings. About Bennett Family of Companies … McDonough, Ga.-based Bennett Family of Companies is a woman-owned, Women’s Enterprise Business Council (WBENC) certified, diversified transportation and logistics company. Through its 12 affiliated operating companies, the Bennett Family of Companies delivers integrated transportation and supply chain management solutions worldwide. The company will use race experiences to recruit and retain hundreds of truck drivers for their organization in 2022. For more information, visit www.Drive4Bennett.com.
National Truck Driver Appreciation Week … This week is an important time to pay respect and thank all the professional truck drivers for their hard work and commitment in undertaking one of our economy’s most demanding jobs. They ensure that things are delivered securely, safely and on time. Bennett and RCR thank all truck drivers and honor them this week. Check out the No. 21 Bennett Transportation & Logistics Chevrolet this weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway with a special message to truck drivers.
AUSTIN HILL QUOTE:You’re making your debut at Bristol Motor Speedway this weekend in the Xfinity Series. Are you looking forward to the race and will you race differently knowing there are guys battling for the final Playoff spot?“Well, I wouldn’t say that I’d race any different. We’re still out there competing for points and wins, just like everyone else, but I’m not going to wreck anyone or try to get myself in a position around those guys battling for that spot. I want to be there to help my teammate, Sheldon Creed, because he’s one of those guys. Obviously, we want him in the Playoffs, competing with us so if I can help him out, I will. Other than that, I’m focused on practicing well and getting a good starting position. Since I’ve never been to Bristol in an Xfinity car and the track is so unique. It’s definitely going to be a wild race and our team is ready. We’ve been studying and working hard in the simulator so I’m looking forward to it.”

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Clanton Claims Thursday Night Preliminary Win at Knoxville

September 19, 2022 ARP Trish

KNOXVILLE, IA (September 15, 2022) – Shane Clanton earned his first Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series victory of 2022, lead wire-to-wire in night one of the Lucas Oil Late Model Knoxville Nationals at Knoxville Raceway on Thursday night. Clanton took the lead at the start of the 25-lap event, first holding off Hudson O’Neal and then Earl Pearson Jr. to pick up his second career win at Knoxville and becoming the 18th different winner this year with the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series. Pearson came home in second, followed by Jonathan Davenport, Brandon Sheppard, and Kyle Strickler. The top finishers in Thursday night’s preliminary feature have never won the Saturday night finale that pays $50,000 to the victor for the second year in a row. The first caution of the race came with three laps complete when Chris Madden, who was making his first trip to Knoxville since 2019, slowed on the track ending his night. O’Neal stayed with Clanton on the restart, but just as it looked like O’Neal had something for Clanton, he slowed on the track with rear end issues to bring out the second and final caution of the race with ten laps scored. On the restart Pearson and Davenport had a tight battle for second as the two drivers who have a combined seven Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series National Championships tried to track down the high-flying Clanton. In Lucas Oil Victory Lane for the sixth time in his career, the 47-year-old Georgia native was pleased with the performance of his car. “I could pass cars there on the bottom, so I knew my car was pretty good. I think we have a good enough car right now to win this on Saturday, we just need to be up front and take advantage of it. You need a car that is balanced to win here Saturday. You can’t use a lot of brake getting into the corners you need it where it turns free, and it still has traction, and that’s what we have right now so hopefully the track will be the same on Saturday. We can put a harder tire on the right rear maybe it will be alright.” Pearson, whose win at Port Royal in August ended a two-year dry spell, came home in second. “The track was top dominate tonight, there is no doubt about it. We started fourth after transferring from our heat. The car was good all night with a lot of speed. We had a good points night. On the restarts you could do a little bit of a slide job. Jonathan [Davenport] drove me clean coming off of two, he could have slid on up and made me hit the brakes, but he didn’t.” Davenport, who accumulated the most points among the top finishers in Thursday night’s preliminary feature, was concerned about overheating issues. “I need a bigger motor and a bigger fan. Everybody was running hot. It was just wide open around the cushion really. We got going there early and I was just trying to run around the bottom. About the last ten laps I was just started rolling out of it going down the straightaway, my temperature gauge was pegging over there. I was just trying to cool it down.” The winners Greg Bruening-owned, Skyline Motorsports, Capital Race Car is powered by a Clements Racing Engine is sponsored by Olson Explosives, Inc., Brown’s Heavy Equipment, Truck Country, Carolina Concrete Finishing, Super K Express, Bennett Explosives, Penske Racing Shocks, Base Racing Fuels, and Go Lithium. Completing the top ten were Tim McCreadie, Jimmy Owens, Ryan Gustin, Brian Shirley, and Chase Junghans.
Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Race Summary Lucas Oil Late Model Knoxville Nationals – Night 1Thursday, September 15th, 2022Knoxville Raceway – Knoxville, IA
Allstar Performance Time TrialsFast Time Group A: Spencer Hughes / 17.557 seconds Fast Time Group B: Brandon Overton / 17.494 seconds (overall)
Penske Race Shocks Heat Race #1 Finish (12 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 25C-Shane Clanton[3]; 2. 7-Ross Robinson[2]; 3. 3S-Brian Shirley[1]; 4. 32-Bobby Pierce[5]; 5. 11-Spencer Hughes[6]; 6. 32S-Chris Simpson[4]; 7. 1T-Tyler Erb[7]; 8. 15-Justin Duty[8]
Summit Racing Equipment Heat Race #2 Finish (12 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 44-Chris Madden[2]; 2. 71-Hudson O’Neal[4]; 3. 62-Justin Zeitner[6]; 4. 157-Mike Marlar[3]; 5. 20RT-Ricky Thornton Jr[5]; 6. 22-Charlie McKenna[7]; 7. 40B-Kyle Bronson[1]; 8. 14M-Reid Millard[8]
Simpson Race Products Heat Race #3 Finish (12 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 19R-Ryan Gustin[2]; 2. 7W-Ricky Weiss[3]; 3. 39-Tim McCreadie[6]; 4. 18S-Jesse Sobbing[5]; 5. 53-Andrew Kosiski[7]; 6. 48-Tim Lance[1]; 7. 10-Junior Coover[8]; 8. 29D-Spencer Diercks[4] Ohlins Shocks Heat Race #4 Finish (12 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 18J-Chase Junghans[1]; 2. 8-Kyle Strickler[4]; 3. 46-Earl Pearson Jr[5]; 4. 76-Brandon Overton[6]; 5. 22H-Daniel Hilsabeck[2]; 6. 42-Johnathan Huston[7]; 7. 1ST-Johnny Scott[3]; 8. 25-Chad Simpson[8] Wrisco Industries Heat Race #5 Finish (12 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 1X-Aaron Marrant[2]; 2. 04-Tad Pospisil[5]; 3. 20-Jimmy Owens[6]; 4. 16-Tyler Bruening[7]; 5. 18D-Daulton Wilson[3]; 6. 56-Chris Spieker[1]; 7. 21M-Billy Moyer Sr[4]; 8. 6H-Al Humphrey[8]
Lucas Oil Heat Race #6 Finish (12 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 2S-Stormy Scott[1]; 2. 49-Jonathan Davenport[6]; 3. 1-Brandon Sheppard[5]; 4. 99JR-Frank Heckenast Jr[3]; 5. 58-Garrett Alberson[4]; 6. 33-Nick Marolf[2]; 7. 51-Matt Furman[7]; 8. 14W-Dustin Walker[8]
FAST Shafts B-Main #1 Finish (15 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 157-Mike Marlar[6]; 2. 20RT-Ricky Thornton Jr[3]; 3. 11-Spencer Hughes[1]; 4. 32S-Chris Simpson[5]; 5. 1T-Tyler Erb[10]; 6. 40B-Kyle Bronson[11]; 7. 22-Charlie McKenna[7]; 8. 53-Andrew Kosiski[8]; 9. 14M-Reid Millard[14]; 10. 18S-Jesse Sobbing[4]; 11. 32-Bobby Pierce[2]; 12. 10-Junior Coover[9]; 13. (DNS) 29D-Spencer Diercks; 14. (DNS) 15-Justin Duty; 15. (DNS) 48-Tim Lance UNOH B-Main #2 Finish (15 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 58-Garrett Alberson[2]; 2. 22H-Daniel Hilsabeck[5]; 3. 56-Chris Spieker[7]; 4. 99JR-Frank Heckenast Jr[4]; 5. 51-Matt Furman[12]; 6. 14W-Dustin Walker[15]; 7. 16-Tyler Bruening[9]; 8. 76-Brandon Overton[1]; 9. 33-Nick Marolf[6]; 10. 6H-Al Humphrey[14]; 11. 18D-Daulton Wilson[3]; 12. 42-Johnathan Huston[8]; 13. (DNS) 1ST-Johnny Scott; 14. (DNS) 21M-Billy Moyer Sr; 15. (DNS) 25-Chad Simpson
Lucas Oil Late Model Knoxville Nationals Feature – Night 1 Finish (25 Laps):

Race StatisticsEntrants: 48Lap Leaders: Shane Clanton (Laps 1-25)Wrisco Feature Winner: Shane ClantonArizona Sport Shirts Crown Jewel Cup Feature Winner: n/aBrandon Ford TV Challenge Feature Winner: Shane ClantonMargin of Victory: 0.703 secondsStop-Tech Cautions: Chris Madden (Lap 3); Hudson O’Neal (Lap 10)Series Provisionals: n/aFast Time Provisional: n/aEmergency Provisionals: n/aBig River Steel Podium Top 3: Shane Clanton, Earl Pearson, Jr., Jonathan DavenportPenske Shocks Top 5: Shane Clanton, Earl Pearson, Jr., Jonathan Davenport, Brandon Sheppard, Kyle StricklerOptima Batteries Hard Charger of the Race: Brian Shirley (Advanced 8 Positions)Hot Rod Processing Most Laps Led: Shane Clanton (25 Laps)Sunoco Race for Gas Highest Finisher: Earl Pearson, Jr.Midwest Sheet Metal Spoiler Challenge Point Leader: Tim McCreadieO’Reilly Auto Parts Rookie of the Race: Garrett AlbersonDirty Girl Racewear Fastest Lap of the Race: Hudson O’Neal (Lap 3 – 18.852 seconds)DirtonDirt.com Tough Break of the Race: Hudson O’NealOuterwears Crew Chief of the Race: Wyatt EichelbergerARP Engine Builder of the Race: Clements Racing EnginesMiller Welders Chassis Builder of the Race: Capital Race CarsDirt Draft Fastest in Hot Laps: Tad Pospisil (18.2059 seconds)Time of Race: 14 minutes 05 seconds

Results are unofficial until Close of Business on the Tuesday following Race Day

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BRITTANY FORCE AND FLAV-R-PAC LOOK TO KEEP TIGHT HOLD ON LEAD AT MAPLE GROVE RACEWAY

September 19, 2022 ARP Trish

READING, Pa. (Sept. 15, 2022) – Brittany Force and the Flav-R-Pac / Monster Energy Chevrolet dragster team will enter this weekend’s Pep Boys NHRA Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway, the first event of six in the NHRA Countdown to the Championship, with a 20 point cushion after finishing the regular season in the top spot.
Force, who has four victories in the Countdown to the Championship, is one of three women to have won multiple Countdown races (Erica Enders 10, Courtney Force 2) and one of only three to win a regular season championship (Erica in 2015 and 2021 and Courtney in 2018). Force is captured the No. 1 seed in the six race playoffs on the efforts of four wins in six final round appearances, a career best season for the 2017 world champion. Her top spot also makes her the first driver other than Steve Torrence to start the Countdown from No. 1 since 2016.
“The points have officially reset and our Flav-R-Pac / Monster Energy team is in the lead heading into the first race of the countdown in Reading, Pennsylvania. This first race is going to be a big one. I feel like it will set the tone for the final five,” Force said. “Our team is in the best position, and we plan to leave in that same position. Our game plan is a top qualifying spot, a good race day ladder and going rounds on Sunday. We’ve had luck in Maple Grove in the past and plan to build on that.”
When she won the series championship in 2017, Brittany started sixth. In her 2017 championship season, Force picked up the victory at Maple Grove Raceway, beating Tony Schumacher, Antron Brown and Steve Torrence in the last three rounds. In 2021, she was the No. 1 qualifier and went to the semifinals. She has been the No. 1 qualifier three times (2015, 2019 and 2021) and, in addition to her 2017 win, was runner-up in 2014 and 2016. She set the current track and national record on Sept. 14, 2019, when she ran 3.623-seconds. She also is the track speed record holder for Top Fuel at 335.57 mph, a mark she established Sept. 10 of 2021.

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ROBERT HIGHT AND AUTO CLUB CHEVY CARRY REGULAR SEASON CONFIDENCE INTO START OF NHRA COUNTDOWN AT MAPLE GROVE RACEWAY

September 19, 2022 ARP Trish

READING, Pa. (Sept. 15, 2022) – Robert Hight and the Automobile Club of Southern California Chevrolet Camaro SS team are perfectly poised for a fourth championship as they enter this weekend’s Pep Boys NHRA Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway, the first event in the NHRA Countdown to the Championship, as the top seed.
Hight and his Auto Club team “won” the regular season on the efforts of six victories in nine final round appearances, which ties a career single season high, and three No. 1 qualifiers. Bidding to become just the fourth driver to win as many as four NHRA Funny Car championships (after John Force, Kenny Bernstein and Don Prudhomme), Hight starts the Countdown from the No. 1 position for just the second time. He won his third championship from No. 1 in 2019. However, he has proven that it doesn’t matter where you start, winning his first championship in 2019 from last place. Hight is also tied with Matt Hagan for the most Countdown Funny Car wins at 12.
“It’s been a great season so far. Six wins, it matches a career best and, more importantly, reflects just how hard this Auto Club team has worked. These guys made sure we didn’t have a repeat of 2021, we struggled, and we weren’t happy with how things went,” Hight said. “This year has been a turnaround, Jimmy Prock and Chris Cunningham and this whole team have really come together and given us the best chance to win. We’re going to need a couple more to get the job done.”
Hight has only one career win at Maple Grove Raceway that came in 2011. However, he has won the opening event of the Countdown (previously held at zMAX Dragway in Charlotte) a total of three times, and of those three, won the championship on two occasions (2009 and 2017). Hight has been the No. 1 qualifier in Pennsylvania in both 2015 and 2017. Last year at Maple Grove, after qualifying No. 2, he lost to Force in the semifinals.

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Constant Aviation Factory Stock Showdown Championship Competition Ramping Up at Maple Grove Raceway

September 19, 2022 ARP Trish

READING, PA (September 15, 2022) – Competition between Chevrolet COPO Camaros, Ford Cobra Jets and Dodge Challenger Drag Paks in the Constant Aviation Factory Stock Showdown class is at an all-time high heading into this weekend’s Pep Boys NHRA Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway.

David Barton, a Robesonia, Pennsylvania native, and his Saw Mill Auto Chevrolet COPO Camaro picked up the most recent event victory, the U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis and in doing so took over the points lead from Bill Skillman and his Ray Skillman Ford Cobra Jet, who defeated in the quarterfinals to receive the $1,000 bounty through the Constant Aviation Factory Stock Showdown Bounty Program. Barton will now carry the bounty until he is defeated in an elimination round, something he hopes won’t happen anytime soon.

David Barton, U.S. Nationals winner, photo by Gary Nastase/Auto Imagery

“We’re really excited to be racing the Factory Showdown at our home track because there are a lot of Factory Stock Showdown fans in the Northeast that haven’t seen these cars run since the Englishtown days,” Barton said. “This class is bigger and better than ever. The competition is fierce and it’s going to take everything I have to stay in the No. 1 spot. I’m not going to put too much pressure on myself, I’m just going to do my own thing and keep a clear head.”

Barton holds only a 55-point lead over Skillman in the points with Aaron Stanfield, the defending series champion, and his Stanfield Racing Engines COPO Camaro sitting in third, 186 points back from the lead. After securing the No. 1 qualifying position and reaching the finals against Barton at the U.S. Nationals, that 186-point deficit isn’t unsurmountable for Stanfield who is also competing in the NHRA Pro Stock category.

“I think some crazy things would have to happen for us to win a championship, but we are still focused on going out there and winning,” Stanfield said. “I feel like we have a good of chance as anyone to win this weekend and that is our goal.”

Aaron Stanfield, Constant Aviation Factory Stock Showdown defending champion, photo by Gary Nastase/Auto Imagery

With just two races left in the 2022 Constant Aviation Factory Stock Showdown season, the results of the Pep Boys NHRA Nationals could be very telling in the grand scheme of the championship hunt. The racing action at Maple Grove Raceway will begin with qualifying rounds Friday at 4:15 p.m. and Saturday at 11:30 a.m. and 3:15 p.m. Eliminations will begin with round one on Saturday at 5:45 p.m. and continue Sunday at 12:10 p.m.

Constant Aviation Bounty Program

Gatornationals (Gainesville, FL)

$1,000 bounty collected by Anthony Troyer, defeated Aaron Stanfield, Las Vegas winner

Charlotte Four-Wide Nationals (Charlotte, NC)

$1,000 bounty collected by Stephen Bell, defeated Lenny Lottig, Gatornationals winner

Virginia Nationals (Richmond, VA)

Bounty unclaimed, Charlotte winner Bill Skillman undefeated

Thunder Valley Nationals (Bristol, Tenn.)

$2,000 bounty collected by Scott Libersher, defeated Bill Skillman, Charlotte Four-Wide and Virginia Nationals winner

Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals (Norwalk, Ohio)

$1,000 bounty collected by Bill Skillman, defeated David Barton, Thunder Valley Nationals winner

Dodge Power Brokers NHRA U.S. Nationals (Indianapolis)

$1,000 collected by David Barton, defeated Bill Skillman, Summit Racing Equipment Nationals winner

2022 Constant Aviation Factory Stock Showdown Schedule/Results

Gainesville – Lenny Lottig, winner; Anthony Troyer, runner-up

Charlotte1 – Bill Skillman, winner, David Barton, runner-up

Richmond – Bill Skillman, winner, Dan Condon, runner-up

Bristol – David Barton, winner, Stephen Bell, runner-up

Norwalk – Bill Skillman, winner, David Barton, runner-up

Indianapolis – David Barton, winner, Aaron Stanfield, runner-up

Reading, Dodge Nationals, September 15-18

Dallas, Fall Nationals, October 13-16

Constant Aviation Factory Stock Showdown Top Ten Points Standings:

1. David Barton 564

2. Bill Skillman 509

3. Aaron Stanfield 376

4. Lenny Lottig 352

5. Mark Pawuk 331

6. David Davies 296

7. Mark Pawuk 235

8. David Janac 284

9. Anthony Troyer 269

10. Stephen Bell 237

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Chevy racing–nhra–reading advance

September 19, 2022 ARP Trish

CHEVROLET AT READING
What: Pep Boys NHRA NationalsWhen: Friday, Sept. 16-Sunday, Sept. 18Where: Maple Grove Raceway in Mohnton, PennsylvaniaTV: FOX will telecast eliminations live at 2 p.m. ET Sunday, Sept. 18 Team Chevy looks to get jump in Countdown opening raceChevrolet Pro Stock driver Kyle Koretsky wearing multiple hats as track co-owner

DETROIT (Sept. 15, 2022) – When Kyle Koretsky isn’t competing in a National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Pro Stock national event weekend, you’ll find him at the racetrack. His family’s racetrack.
Maple Grove Raceway near Rading, Pennsylvania, will host the opening round of the NHRA Countdown to the Championship this weekend, and Koretsky is looking forward to welcoming racers, spectators and a national TV audience to the 457-acre facility that the Bucks County residents purchased in April.Chevrolet drivers Brittany Force (Top Fuel), Robert Hight (Funny Car) and Erica Enders (Pro Stock) enter the first of six playoff races as the No. 1 seeds.

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JOHN FORCE TO MAKE 800TH START AS HUNT FOR 17TH CHAMPIONSHIP KICKS OFF AT MAPLE GROVE RACEWAY

September 19, 2022 ARP Trish

READING, Pa. (Sept. 15, 2022) – John Force and the PEAK Antifreeze and Coolant Chevrolet Camaro SS team enter the Pep Boys NHRA Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway, the first race of the NRHA Countdown to the Championship, sitting fifth in the points standings, just 50 back from the lead after the points reset for the six race playoffs.
Force will make his 800th career start Sunday at Maple Grove Raceway, a track on which he has won a record seven times, most of any pro driver, regardless of category. His victories at Reading, Pennsylvania came in 1989, 1990, 1993, 1994, 1997, 2001, 2013. The 1989 win was just the fifth of his career and his only win of that season.
“Starting the Countdown, the points reset really is working in our favor. Robert Hight and the Auto Club team are up there but it’s within reach,” Force said. “Danny Hood and Tim Fabrisi they’ve made this PEAK Auto Chevy fast and we’ve found some consistency. These last six races are going to be exciting. Reading has been good to me in the past, be good to get some momentum going. We want to start with a good long weekend, keep ourselves in the conversation, a win this weekend would do just that.”
In 2021, after qualifying 12th, Force took his PEAK Chevy Camaro SS to the final round before losing to Tommy Johnson Jr., subbing for COVID-sidelined Matt Hagan. Force has qualified No. 1 seven times at Maple Grove Raceway, most recently in 2013 but also 1992, 1994, 1996, 1998, 2000 and 2001.
Competition at the Pep Boys NHRA Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway begins with qualifying on Friday at 5:45 p.m. and Saturday at 1:15 and 4:45 p.m. Eliminations are scheduled to begin Sunday at 10:30 a.m. Television coverage of the event begins Friday with a qualifying show at 7 p.m. ET and another on Sunday at 11 a.m. ET on FOX Sports 1. Eliminations will be aired Sunday at 2 p.m. or 4:30 p.m. ET (check local listings) on FOX Broadcasting Network.

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TEAM CHEVY ADVANCE Bass Pro Shops Night Race Bristol Motor Speedway Bristol, Tennessee September 17, 2022

September 19, 2022 ARP Trish

NCS PLAYOFFS ROUND OF 16 ELIMINATION: BRISTOL

500-laps around the high-banked, .533-mile, concrete oval of Bristol Motor Speedway will determine the 12 drivers that will continue in the NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) championship title hunt. Saturday’s Bass Pro Shops Night Race at the famed short track known as “The Last Great Colosseum” is the third race of the 2022 NCS playoffs, marking the first elimination race in the post-season run to the championship. This season is the third consecutive year that Bristol Motor Speedway has held the role as the Round of 16 cutoff race for the series. NASCAR’s premier series first made its debut at Bristol Motor Speedway in 1961; and since the inaugural event, the track has hosted 121 races for the series. The winningest manufacturer in the NCS at Bristol, Chevrolet leads the way in wins with 46, most recently coming with Kyle Larson and the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Camaro ZL1 team in the 2021 playoff race at the track. That triumph at the Tennessee short track was Larson’s first of five in the 2021 playoffs.. a feat that tied Tony Stewart’s record for the most wins recorded in a single post-season.

Sixth through 11th in the playoff standings are currently taken by Chevrolet drivers with Hendrick Motorsports’ Alex Bowman (6th), Chase Elliott (7th) and Kyle Larson (8th); Trackhouse Racing’s Ross Chastain (9th) and Daniel Suarez (10th); and Richard Childress Racing’s Tyler Reddick in 11th. While Reddick’s teammate Austin Dillon might be on the outside looking in, the No. 3 RCR Camaro ZL1 team is just three-points below the cutline.
A look at where the Team Chevy NCS playoff drivers stand heading into Round of 16 elimination race, including season numbers and career stats at Bristol Motor Speedway:

William Byron, No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Camaro ZL1 – 2nd in Playoff Standings (+48 points above the cutline)2022 Season To-Date: Victories: 2Top-Fives: 4; Top-10s: 7; Laps Led: 671; Average Finish: 17.3; Stage Wins: 4
At Bristol Motor Speedway: Top-Fives: 1; Top-10s: 2; Average Finish: 18.143
Of Note:– The 2022 season marks Byron’s fourth consecutive appearance in the NCS playoffs. – Bryon’s career-best finish in the NCS playoffs came in 2021, finishing the season 10th in the final standings.- Byron has recorded back-to-back top-10 finishes in the first two races of the Round of 16 (Darlington – 8th; Kansas – 6th).

Alex Bowman, No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Camaro ZL1 – 6th in Playoff Standings (+30 points above the cutline)2022 Season To-Date: Victories: 1Top-Fives: 4; Top-10s: 12; Laps Led: 136;Average Finish: 15.1; Stage Wins: 2
At Bristol Motor Speedway: Top-Fives: 2; Top-10s: 3; Average Finish; 20.455
Of Note:– The 2022 season marks Bowman’s fifth consecutive appearance in the NCS playoffs. – Bowman has raced his way into the Round of 12 in each of his NCS playoff appearances; making it to the Round of Eight in the 2020 season to score a career-best sixth in the final standings.- Bowman scored a stage win and led a race-high 107 laps en route to a fourth-place finish at Kansas; moving him from 10th to sixth in the playoff standings and 30-points above the cutline.

Chase Elliott, No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Camaro ZL1 – 7th in Playoff Standings (+28 points above the cutline)2022 NASCAR Cup Series Regular Season Champion2022 Season To-Date: Victories: 4 (series-leading)Top-Fives: 10; Top-10s: 17; Laps Led: 719; Average Finish: 11.5; Stage Wins: 5
At Bristol Motor Speedway: Pole Wins: 1; Top-Fives: 3; Top-10s: 5; Average Finish: 13.273
Of Note:– For the first time in his NCS career, Elliott was crowned the 2022 NCS Regular Season Champion. – The 2022 season marks Elliott’s seventh consecutive appearance in the NCS playoffs. – Elliott has advanced to the Championship 4 the past two seasons, winning his first career NCS Driver Championship in 2020. – Six of his 17 career NCS wins have come in the playoffs.

Kyle Larson, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Camaro ZL1 – 8th in Playoff Standings (+27 points above the cutline)2022 Season To-Date: Victories: 2 Pole Wins: 3; Top-Fives: 10; Top-10s: 14; Laps Led: 307; Average Finish: 14.0; Stage Wins: 3
At Bristol Motor Speedway: Victories: 1; Pole Wins; Top-fives: 3; Top-10s: 8; Average Finish: 13.385
Of Note:– In 2021, Larson scored his first career NCS Regular Season Championship, going on to win his first career NCS Driver Championship. – The 2022 season marks Larson’s sixth appearance in the NCS playoffs, with 2021 bringing Larson his first trip to the Championship 4. – During the playoff era (2004-present); Larson leads the series in ‘multiple playoff race wins in a single season’ with five in 2021 (Bristol, Charlotte ROVAL, Texas, Kansas, Phoenix).- Larson is the series’ most recent winner at Bristol Motor Speedway (September 2021).

Ross Chastain, No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Camaro ZL1 – 9th in Playoff Standings (+26 points above the cutline) 2022 Season To-Date: Victories: 2Top-Fives: 10; Top-10s: 15; Laps Led: 584; Average Finish: 14.5; Stage Wins: 5
At Bristol Motor Speedway: Average Finish: 26.8
Of Note:– The 2022 season marks Chastain’s first career appearance in the NCS playoffs. – Chastain secured a playoff berth with his first career NCS win at COTA in March; also marking Trackhouse Racing’s first win in the organization’s second season in the series.

Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Trackhouse Racing Camaro ZL1 – 10th in Playoff Standings (+6 points above the cutline)2022 Season To-Date: Victories: 1Top-Fives: 6; Top-10s: 11; Laps Led: 246; Average Finish: 16.3; Stage Wins: 2
At Bristol Motor Speedway: Top-10s: 2; Average Finish: 16
Of Note:– The 2022 season marks Suarez’s first career appearance in the NCS playoffs. – Suarez earned his playoff berth following his first career NCS win at Sonoma Raceway.

Tyler Reddick, No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Camaro ZL1 – 11th in Playoff Standings (+2 points above the cutline)2022 Season To-Date: Victories: 2Pole Wins: 2; Top-Fives: 9; Top-10s: 12; Laps Led: 369; Average Finish: 16.8; Stage Wins: 2
At Bristol Motor Speedway: Top-Fives: 1; Top-10s: 1; Average Finish: 17.333
Of Note: – The 2022 season marks Reddick’s second consecutive appearance in the NCS playoffs, with his first coming in 2021. – Reddick earned a playoff berth following his first career NCS win at Road America; going on to win his second of the season at the Indianapolis Road Course.

Austin Dillon, No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Camaro ZL1 – 14th in Playoff Standings (-3 points below the cutline)2022 Season To-Date: Victories: 1Top-Fives: 4; Top-10s: 8; Laps Led: 21; Average Finish: 16.6
At Bristol Motor Speedway: Top-10s: 1; Top-10s: 3; Average Finish: 16.867
Of Note:– The 2022 season marks Dillon’s fifth appearance in the NCS playoffs. – Dillon’s career-best finish in the NCS playoffs is 11th, accomplishing that feat in 2017 and 2020.

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

GRAGSON CONTINUES A CAREER-SEASON

As the season winds down, Noah Gragson and the No. 9 JR Motorsports Camaro SS team continues to heat up. Edging out teammate Justin Allgaier to capture the stage two win at Kansas Speedway – his series-leading 13th of the season – Gragson was at the top of the leaderboard when the skies opened up, with rain forcing the race to be called official. The victory was Gragson’s career-best and now series-leading fifth of the season, including second in a row.
Continuing its winning ways, the Camaro SS now sits at 18 victories in the series’ 25 races, more than double its manufacturer competitors combined. Chevrolet is also well on its way to its sixth consecutive NXS Manufacturer Championship, with another dominate weekend extending Chevrolet’s lead in the manufacturer points standings to 115-points over second.

NXS REGULAR-SEASON FINALE AT BRISTOL

While the NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series playoffs are already underway, the NASCAR Xfinity Series will head to Bristol Motor Speedway to conclude its regular-season and complete the 12-driver playoff field that will compete for the NXS championship title. Heading into Friday’s Food City 300, only two spots remain for drivers to either point or win their way into the 2022 NXS playoffs. Of the 10 drivers that have already clinched their playoff berth, seven come from the bowtie brigade. Six of those Chevrolet drivers have won their way into the playoff field, including NXS points leader AJ Allmendinger; JR Motorsports’ Justin Allgaier, Noah Gragson and Josh Berry; RCR’s Austin Hill; and Jeremy Clements. Following his 13th top-10 finish of the season at Kansas, JR Motorsports’ Sam Mayer secured his spot in the playoffs by points and the seventh Chevrolet driver to advance to the post-season. Kaulig Racing’s AJ Allmendinger is heading into the series’ regular-season finale looking to not only go back-to-back in wins at Bristol, but also defend his NXS regular-season championship title. The 40-year-old California native has been at the top of the points standings leaderboard for much of the season; and currently sitting at a 38-point lead over second, Allmendinger is a favorite for the regular-season title and the playoff bonus points.

ENFINGER REPRESENTING TEAM CHEVY IN NCWTS ROUND OF 8

The NCWTS Round of 8 is made up of three races on three very different racetrack configurations. First up is the short track of Bristol Motor Speedway, with Thursday’s UNOH 200 presented by Ohio Logistics also kicking off the NASCAR tripleheader race weekend. The second race of the Round of 8 will take place on a superspeedway (Talladega Superspeedway, October 1), with the 1.5-mile oval of Homestead-Miami Speedway hosting the elimination race that will determine the NCWTS Championship 4.

BOWTIE BULLETS

·       Victories by active Chevrolet drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series at Bristol Motor Speedway include: Kyle Larson, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Camaro ZL1 (2021) ·       Chevrolet has recorded a manufacturer-leading 46 NASCAR Cup Series wins at Bristol Motor Speedway. Chevrolet’s first win at the track came in July 1971 with Charlie Glotzbach, with the bowtie brand going on to win seven in a row.  ·       Erik Jones leads all active drivers in average finishing position at Bristol Motor Speedway with a 12.444 in nine career starts.
·       Three of the top-five NASCAR Cup Series drivers that have led the most laps thus far come from the bowtie brand, led by the 2022 NCS regular-season champion Chase Elliott (719 laps). Joining Elliott in the top-five of that chart includes William Byron in second (671 laps) and Ross Chastain in fourth (584 laps).
·       In 28 NASCAR Cup Series points-paying racing, Chevrolet continues to lead all manufacturers in NCS race wins (16), top-fives (66), top-10s (122), laps led (3,295) and stage wins (23). With a double-digit lead in wins over its manufacturer competitors with only eight races remaining; Chevrolet has already clinched the most NCS wins recorded in a single season among all manufacturers. ·       Chevrolet’s manufacturer-leading 16 NASCAR Cup Series wins in 2022 have been recorded by nine drivers from four different Chevrolet Teams. Eight of those drivers won their way into the 16-driver playoff field, giving Chevrolet 50 percent of the playoff field in the opening round.
·       Seven Team Chevy drivers have combined 23 NASCAR Cup Series stage wins: Tyler Reddick 2 – Fontana x2Alex Bowman 1 – Las Vegas, KansasRoss Chastain 4 – Las Vegas, Darlington, Charlotte, Pocono, RichmondWilliam Byron 4 – Phoenix, Atlanta, Talladega, DarlingtonDaniel Suarez 2 – COTA, CharlotteChase Elliott 3 – Martinsville x2, Charlotte, Atlanta x2 Kyle Larson 3 – Bristol, Sonoma, Pocono ·       Reigning NASCAR Cup Series and NASAR Xfinity Series Manufacturer Champions, Chevrolet, continues to lead in the manufacturer points standings in both series. The bowtie brand leads the NCS manufacturer points standings by 92-points, with the manufacturer’s lead in the NXS standings expanding to 115-points.
·       Heading into the NASCAR Xfinity Series regular-season finale at Bristol Motor Speedway, AJ Allmendinger will look to capture his second-career NXS regular-season championship title; entering the race with a 38-point lead over second. Of the 10 drivers that have already clinched their playoff berth in the series, seven come from the bowtie brand.  ·       With its 40 NASCAR Cup Series Manufacturer Championships, 33 NASCAR Cup Series Driver Championships, and 830 all-time NASCAR Cup Series wins, Chevrolet continues to hold the title of winningest brand in NASCAR.

FOR THE FANS

· Fans can visit the Team Chevy Racing Display in the Fan Midway at Bristol Motor Speedway. · Fans can check out an assortment of Chevrolet vehicles including: Tahoe Z71, Blazer RS, 1500 Silverado Crew ZR2, 2500 Silverado Crew LTZ, Equinox RS, Traverse RS, Corvette Z51, Camaro ZL1. Team Chevy Driver Appearances at the Display: Thursday, September 15· Rajah Caruth: 1:30 p.m. · Grant Enfinger & Jack Wood: 1:45 p.m. · Carson Hocevar & Lawless Alan: 3:30 p.m. Friday, September 16· Kris Wright: 12:15 p.m. · Brandon Brown: 12:30 p.m. · Nick Sanchez: 12:45 p.m. · Jeremy Clements: 4:45 p.m. Saturday, September 17· Corey LaJoie: 4 p.m. · Ty Dillon: 5 p.m. Chevrolet Display Hours of Operation: Thursday, September 15: 12 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. Friday, September 16: 12 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. Saturday, September 17: 12 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. Tune In: USA Network will broadcast the NASCAR Cup Series Bass Pro Shops Night Race at 7:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, September 17. Live coverage can also be found on the NBCSports Gold App, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90. USA Network will broadcast the NASCAR Xfinity Series Food City 300 at 7:30 p.m. ET on Friday, September 16. Live coverage can also be found on the NBCSports Gold App, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90. FS1 will broadcast the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series UNOH 200 presented by Ohio Logistics at 9 p.m. ET on Thursday, September 15. Live coverage can also be found on the NBCSports Gold App, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

QUOTABLE QUOTES

ROSS CHASTAIN, NO. 1 WORLDWIDE EXPRESS CAMARO ZL1This weekend is a playoff cutoff race, what’s it going to be like?“I’m so happy to be racing on the concrete at Bristol this time. It’s going to be an intense race because it’s an elimination race and I’m sure NASCAR knew what they were doing when they made it an elimination race. The atmosphere is always a little wild – walking through all of the fans and their excitement.”
What do you think the race at Bristol is going to be like?“I don’t think I have an answer for that. With the new car its changed how we drive so many tracks with the shifting and different things, so only time will tell, especially on the concrete at Bristol.”
Do you ever take time to think about all of the stuff you’ve been through in your career, and now you see your name and think ‘wow?’“I do. It’s interesting because with this current car, watching a ton of old races for each track you’re at doesn’t really apply anymore. You can really only look at the race earlier this year. So when I go back and look at races from earlier this year when we are headed back for the second time, and we had a winning car, that’s where I go ‘wow, that’s crazy to me.’ Seeing my name at the merchandise hauler is cool but where I really feel it is when I think about all of the winning cars I’ve had this year.”
KYLE LARSON, NO. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM CAMARO ZL1 Larson on if high-intensity dirt-track racing helps “slow down” the racing action at Bristol Motor Speedway for him: “I think Bristol (Motor Speedway) is definitely higher paced, higher intensity and more chaotic than any other track we go to. I’m used to high-intensity racing almost every week, so maybe the action ‘slows down’ a little bit for me at Bristol. I guarantee it doesn’t feel slow in the cockpit. It feels crazy and chaotic, and that’s why I love it.”
CLIFF DANIELS, CREW CHIEF, NO. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM CAMARO ZL1Daniels on if characteristics of concrete Dover Motor Speedway track carry over to Bristol: “We’ve studied the most relevant data points we can pull from for comparison from years past – Dover (Motor Speedway) being one of them and other short tracks being another. Bristol is not really a short track and it’s not really an intermediate – it’s a super-fast short track. There are characteristics from both styles of tracks that kind of blend for Bristol, so how we have blended things in the past is how we are preparing for this weekend.”
CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 HOOTERS CAMARO ZL1Elliott on the approach you must have heading into the first elimination race: “No one is safe in this grid and this format. You have to be willing to accept a hard challenge or accept a must-win situation. I’ve said that a lot over the last few years. Phoenix (Raceway) is a must win, so you are just preparing yourself to embrace moments like that more and be more comfortable in situations of that magnitude. We’ll see what it brings.”
Elliott on the unknowns of racing the Next Gen for the first time on the concrete Bristol layout: “That one is really interesting in my opinion. I’m excited to get to Bristol (Motor Speedway). It’s a really iconic event on our schedule. That fall night race is one that I always look forward to going to. I’m excited about that. Hopefully, you get it (the setup) right because it will be a bit of a guess for everyone.”
ALAN GUSTAFSON, CREW CHIEF, NO. 9 HOOTERS CAMARO ZL1Gustafson on the challenge of the Next Gen car at Bristol: “It’s going to be a challenge for sure since we haven’t raced there with this car. Bristol (Motor Speedway) is super unique. There’s not a whole lot you can find a lot of parallels with. It’s going to be a clean sheet of paper setup and you have no experience running there. This is going to be one of the tougher ones for sure. The key is to have a good car and have good speed. That will open up a lot of opportunities to score a lot of points and I certainly think that we’re capable of doing that.”
WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 ACRONIS CAMARO ZL1Byron on what it will take to continue momentum through the final race of the Round of 16: “I think we need just one more solid, smooth race to say that we’ve turned things around from the summer. We’ve had two good races so far to open this round. It’s really about continuing to limit the damage and mistakes in the first round especially with how a lot of things are different this year. The competition seems to fluctuate more at different style tracks. It’s more about racing your own race and not the competition. You need to be the best version of yourself and can’t overthink too much. It’s race the way we know how and definitely not do anything too crazy right now to jeopardize that. We just need to make sure we continue to have all the little details buttoned up so we don’t cost us our own race and we’ll advance on.”
RUDY FUGLE, CREW CHIEF, NO. 24 ACRONIS CAMARO ZL1Fugle on the strategy involved for Saturday’s race: “This weekend is a little bit of an unknown since we haven’t race at Bristol (Motor Speedway) yet with the Next Gen car, not on dirt. We have a good short-track package from previous races this season that gives us a good starting point. I think historically this race, similar to the first two races of the playoffs, have more of a strategy element to them. You have a chance of long green-flag runs and having to manage lap traffic. That brings up the decision on when to pit or when not to pit. Those types of races are the ones we live for. If a caution comes out at the right time, you can’t control that. Once and awhile you have a straight forward race where everything lines up and you consistently pit within the same five-lap window. Those races are nice but it doesn’t happen often. We get paid to make those decisions on what to do when. It makes it interesting to watch especially with points on the line. Saturday night’s race could come down to who made the right calls when.”
ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 48 ALLY CAMARO ZL1Bowman on his approach to Saturday’s race at Bristol: “I think we have a lot of momentum heading to Bristol (Motor Speedway) and our team is focused on making a championship run. Greg (Ives) and the team back at the shop have been building really fast No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaros and our pit crew has been firing on all cylinders. Getting a top-10 finish at Darlington Raceway and then a top-five finish at Kansas Speedway really puts our best foot forward this postseason.”
GREG IVES, CREW CHIEF, NO. 48 ALLY CAMARO ZL1Ives on heading to Bristol for the first elimination race: “We are in a good place heading into the elimination race at Bristol Motor Speedway – 30 points ahead of the cut line is nice but more is always good. Alex (Bowman) has done a great job the last couple of weeks, maximizing every opportunity and getting all the points we can. We are going to approach Bristol like we do every other weekend and try to maximize points.”
TY DILLON, NO. 42 EG3 TECHNOLOGIES CAMARO ZL1When we last visited Bristol in the spring, you fought hard to secure your first Top-10 of the season. What mindset do you bring as we head back there this weekend?“For sure, when we raced on Bristol’s dirt configuration in the spring time, our No. 42 team put together a fantastic race. We were able to win our heat race, which gave us the track position that we needed to be in contention throughout the entire race. However, as we return this weekend, it’s going to be a completely different animal because nobody has any laps on this surface with the NextGen car. At the end of the day though, Bristol will always be Bristol in the sense that you need to survive all 500 laps to have a shot at a decent result. If we can unload our EG3 Technologies Chevy with speed right off the truck, I think we can have another solid showing.”
DANIEL SUAREZ, NO. 99 TOOTSIES ORCHID LOUNGE CAMARO ZL1William Byron said you are the most dangerous driver in the playoffs and the driver to watch out for that might win it all. How does that make you feel?“He said I’m the most dangerous in the playoffs? I get goosebumps by you saying that because I’ve been working really hard to do that. I’m the kind of guy where I like to do it that way. If you think about it – the year I won the (Xfinity) championship – not a lot of people would bet on me. I did and I won it. I like it that way. I like to be under the radar and not to make a lot of noise. Go out there and beat them, but quietly.”
What are the challenges of racing the Next Gen car on the concrete at Bristol for the first time?“That’s a very good question. The only racetrack that we’ve been that is similar to Bristol – but not the same by any means – is Dover. Nobody really knows what to expect at Bristol. It’s a racetrack that is by itself. It’s completely different than anything else and it’s a tough place. With 20 minutes of practice; if you miss it during the week, you’re going to have a long weekend and a long 500 laps.
I love Bristol. It’s actually one of my favorite racetracks and I’m really looking forward to the challenge. I’m not really thinking about it too much once I’m in the race. But during the week, there are a lot of conversations about that. I think the preparation we do during the week is going to be important because nobody really knows what is going to work in Bristol, just because it’s so different than everything else that we’ve done.”
Are you satisfied with your season?“Somebody asked me if I was happy and excited to be in the playoffs, and honestly it feels normal to me. This is not a surprise. I think the fun part is about to begin. The winning was a lot of fun. I proved to myself that I can do it. I knew I could do it, but now everybody knows as well. They do know that I can do it and my team can do it, and we have everything that it takes to get it done. Now we have to do it on a consistent basis. In the last two months, we’ve been extremely consistent.”
As a first time playoff driver, are you at a disadvantage going up against drivers who have already won a championship?“I feel like those guys are already champions, they already know the feeling. So the advantage that they have mostly is mental, not so much physically in the car. But they already know what it feels like. I’ve had this feeling in the Xfinity Series, which is different. But at the same time, it’s the same thing, just multiple it by three or four. I think if we can stay calm, relax and continue to do exactly the same thing that we’ve been doing the last few months, we’re going to be in good shape.”
GRANT ENFINGER, NO. 23 CHAMPION POWER EQUIPMENT SILVERADO RSTEnfinger’s thoughts on beginning this next round of the playoffs at Bristol:“Honestly, our strategy for the other races in this round won’t matter until we get past Bristol. Jeff (Hensley, Crew Chief) and the rest of the No. 23 Champion Power Equipment team have put a lot of effort behind our chassis this week – it’s the same one that we raced at IRP with. So hopefully, that goes well for us, but you never know how it’s going to play out at that track. There are eight of us that want to go out there and lock ourselves into the championship, so it’s going to be a tough fight no doubt. We can’t really look past this race, because depending on how our race at Bristol goes to open this next round will determine our outlook moving forward.”
JACK WOOD, NO. 24 CHEVYLINERS.COM SILVERADO RSTWood’s thoughts on making his first truck start at Bristol:“I’m excited to return to short track racing this weekend; I think Bristol is a track that provides us with an opportunity to have a solid night, but there is also an opportunity to showcase a lot of attrition. If we can just keep our nose clean and put ourselves in the right spot at the right time, it should hopefully allow for us to have a good finish which will help us build momentum for the final four races of the season. It will be a short trip up to Tennessee, and I’m excited to hit the high banks with my No. 24 ChevyLiners.comSilverado RST.”

Chevrolet NASCAR Cup Series Statistics Manufacturers Championships:Total (1949-2021): 40First title for Chevrolet: 1958Highest number of consecutive titles: 13 (2003-15) Years Won: 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1998, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2021 Drivers Championships:Total (1949-2021): 33First Chevrolet champion: Buck Baker (1957)Highest number of consecutive titles: 7 (2005-11)Most Recent: Kyle Larson (2021) Years Won: 1957, 1960, 1961, 1973, 1976, 1977, 1979, 1980, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2020, 2021 Event Victories:Record for total race wins in single season: 26 (2007) 2022 STATISTICS: Wins: 16Poles: 8Laps Led: 3,295Top-five finishes: 66Top-10 finishes: 122Stage wins: 23Tyler Reddick (Fontanax2)Alex Bowman (Las Vegas), (Kansas)Ross Chastain (Las Vegas), (Darlington), (Charlotte), (Pocono), (Richmond)William Byron (Phoenix), (Atlanta), (Talladega), (Darlington)Daniel Suarez (COTA), (Charlotte)Chase Elliott (Martinsvillex2), (Charlotte), (Atlantax2)Kyle Larson (Bristol Dirt), (Sonoma), (Pocono) CHEVROLET IN NASCAR CUMULATIVE STATISTICS:Total Chevrolet race wins: 830 (1949 to date)Poles won to date: 731Laps led to date: 244,631Top-five finishes to date: 4,204Top-10 finishes to date: 8,677 Total NASCAR Cup Wins by Corporation, 1949 to Date: General Motors: 1,164 Chevrolet: 830 Pontiac: 154 Oldsmobile: 115 Buick: 65 Ford: 817 Ford: 717 Mercury: 96 Lincoln: 4 Fiat Chrysler Automobiles: 467 Dodge: 217 Plymouth: 191 Chrysler: 59
Toyota: 168

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A BOOST OF CONFIDENCE: Ryan Gustin Reflects on Eldora ‘Chasing the Dream’ Win

September 19, 2022 ARP Trish

The Marshalltown, IA driver earned his first victory at the iconic Ohio trackRINGGOLD, GA – September 14, 2022– Ryan Gustin’s 2022 season has been a sequence of ups and downs. The ups: a win at DIRTcar Nationals and his first career World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Series triumph. The downs: numerous heartbreaks while in contention for several high-profile wins. However, the Marshalltown, IA driver boosted his confidence during the DIRTcar Late Model World 100 weekend at Eldora Speedway, reaching the track’s iconic Victory Lane for the first time. It’s a win that gives “The “Reaper” momentum entering the next World of Outlaws CASE Late Models event—the Stateline Showdown at Boyd’s Speedway in Ringgold, GA, Sept. 23-24. “It was pretty cool,” Gustin said. “Anytime that you can stand up on that stage where all of the greats have, it’s definitely a satisfying feeling for sure.” Gustin’s win was part of a program called “Chasing the Dream,” a chance for drivers who’ve never won a race at the Ohio venue to battle for $5,000. Despite his triumph not being a crown jewel victory, it adds another notch to his budding dirt Late Model resume. “Our team is not nearly as experienced as what most of them are out here,” Gustin said. “But we have a lot of good people behind us, good sponsors, a lot of good people helping with the race car, and we’ve been fortunate. “Hopefully, we can just keep the ball rolling on that.” His win wasn’t the only accomplishment Gustin achieved last week at Eldora. He also qualified for the 52nd World 100—a feat only 28 of the country’s best dirt Late Model drivers earned. He attributed that to what he’s learned visiting tracks a second and third time. “I feel like anywhere that we go that we get to race at multiple times, we get better,” Gustin said. “Especially [Eldora], where I feel like I’ve gotten better anytime I’m on the racetrack. In some of the Heat Races, we weren’t where we needed to be, but I feel like we were pretty decent. We kind of found some things, and maybe with more of that, we’ll be pretty decent.” With 10 races left on the World of Outlaws CASE Late Models schedule, he’ll be able to apply that knowledge to places he’s been before, like Cherokee Speedway, Senoia Raceway, and The Dirt Track at Charlotte for the World of Outlaws World Finals Nov. 2-5. TICKETS: https://bit.ly/3U3CNNH If Gustin can mix what he’s learned with the Series and the confidence from one of the sport’s most significant tracks, it might lead to more “ups” and another trip to World of Outlaws Victory Lane. “The Reaper” and the World of Outlaws CASE Late Models head to Boyd’s Speedway in Ringgold, GA, Sept. 23-24 for the Stateline Showdown—the Series’ first trip to the Peach State facility. For Tickets: CLICK HERE. If you can’t make it to the track, you can watch the World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Models live on DIRTVision – either online or with the DIRTVision App.

The World of Outlaws Case Construction Late Model Series is brought to fans across the country by many important sponsors and partners, including: Case Construction Equipment (Official Construction Equipment), DIRTVision (Official Live Broadcast Partner), Hoosier Racing Tire (Official Tire), iRacing (Official Online Racing Game), SIS Insurance (Official Insurance Provider) VP Racing Fuels (Official Racing Fuel); contingency sponsors include Arizona Sport Shirts/Gotta Race, ARP (Automotive Racing Products), Cometic Gasket, COMP Cams, Fox Factory (Hard Charger Award), MSD, My Place Hotels, Penske Racing Shocks, Quarter Master, Swift Springs, and Wrisco–Wieland Metal Services (Exclusive Racing Aluminum); along with manufacturer sponsors, including Dirt Car Lift, Capital Race Cars, Behrent’s Performance Warehouse, FIREBULL, Integra Shocks, Intercomp, K1 Race Gear, Racing Electronics, Reliable Painting, Rocket Chassis, and Sea Foam.Founded in 1978, the World of Outlaws®, based in Concord, NC, is the premier national touring series for dirt track racing in North America, featuring the most powerful cars on dirt, the World of Outlaws NOS® Energy Drink Sprint Car Series and the World of Outlaws Late Model Series. Annually, the two series race nearly 140 times at tracks across the United States and Canada. CBS Sports Network is the official broadcast partner of the World of Outlaws. DIRTVision ® also broadcasts World of Outlaws events over the Internet to fans around the world. Learn more about the World of Outlaws .

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IN A LOADED PRO STOCK CATEGORY, ELITE MOTORSPORTS IS READY FOR BATTLE AT MAPLE GROVE

September 19, 2022 ARP Trish

Elite Motorsports Pre-Race Preview

NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series
READING, Pa. (September 14, 2022) – As the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series enters the Countdown to the Championship, NHRA’s version of the playoffs, the Elite Motorsports Pro Stock team is ready to get down to business at the Pep Boys NHRA Nationals this weekend at Maple Grove Raceway.
In drag racing, milestones are important, and drivers measure success in different ways. For Pro Stock powerhouse Erica Enders, one of her career goals is to score wins at each track on the current NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series schedule. This season, among her six regular season wins, she earned victories at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona and Sonoma Raceway, both tracks that had previously eluded her. This weekend, she will look to add Maple Grove Raceway to the list in her Melling Performance/Elite Motorsports Camaro.
Going into the Countdown to the Championship as the No. 1 seed, Enders knows that now is the time to focus. She had a large lead – more than 200 points ahead of her Elite Motorsports teammate, Aaron Stanfield, the No.2 competitor and she had a 300+ points lead on all other Pro Stock drivers. Because points reset for the Countdown, now there are only 10 points between each of the Countdown contenders. Being in the top spot does come with the advantage of a 20 point lead over the second-place competitor, so Enders is in the best position possible as she enters the Countdown.
“We had a tremendous regular season,” said Enders, a four-time Pro Stock world champion. “I’m so grateful for the six wins and eight final round appearances. It stinks to have to give up such a substantial lead, but we are ready to battle it out. These six final races are what it’s all about. I have the greatest team in motorsports and I wouldn’t want to go into battle with anyone else. We are going to do our best, to show these guys what we can bring.”
Stanfield is ready to battle it out among his fellow Pro Stock competitors. He’s no stranger to the winners circle as he’s raced to two national event wins in his Janac Brothers/JC3 Energy Camaro this season. The talented driver has amassed several sportsman world championships in his career as well. Stanfield plans to attack the Countdown with the same unshakable focus and determination he brings to all competition.
Troy Coughlin Jr. will enter the Countdown from the No. 6 position and is poised for a powerful performance. He’s won at Maple Grove twice before, in Top Alcohol Dragster. That familiarity with the track will certainly be an advantage for him this weekend. He’s looking for his third Pro Stock win of the season in his JEGS.com/Elite Motorsports Camaro.
Wrapping up the Top Ten in the Countdown to the Championship, Fernando Cuadra Jr.expects to make some waves in Maple Grove this weekend. On the verge of a win all season, his Corral Boots Mustang gave a wonderful performance last week at the prestigious U.S. Nationals.
Bo Butner will compete from the No. 11 spot in the Countdown in his Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage Camaro. A previous Pro Stock world champion, Butner knows this terrain well and understands the strategic efforts needed to work his way to the top of the pack over the final six events of the season. The last time he won this event in Pro Stock, he went on to win the world championship.
Cristian Cuadra and his father, Fernando Cuadra Sr., are coming to the Countdown from the No. 13 and No. 15 spots, respectively. The Cuadra Boys have been getting better and better all season long. As much as they are competing against all of their fellow Pro Stock drivers, they are perhaps more focused on competing against one another as they each have their eye on being the first in the Cuadra family to bring a national event Wally to their home in Leon, Mexico.
Pro Stock racing action for the Pep Boys NHRA Nationals kicks off this Friday afternoon at Maple Grove Raceway. ***

Photos

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