| Batavia, OH (May 13, 2022) – The Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series heads to the Midwest with a duo of races in the Hawkeye State of Iowa this weekend. Friday, May 20th – Saturday, May 21st the Series returns to 300 Raceway and 34 Raceway in Farley and West Burlington, IA. 300 Raceway, the 3/8-mile oval, will host the stars of the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series for the Truck Country 50 on Friday, May 20th. There will be a complete program of: Allstar Performance Time Trials, Heat Races, and B-Mains – highlighted by a 50-lap, $12,000-to-win main event. Modifieds and Sport Modifieds will also be in action. The action doesn’t stop with racing at 300 Raceway as there will be a live band playing from 10:00 PM CT – 1:00 AM CT. On Friday, the pit gate will open at 2:00 PM CT, followed by general admission gates at 5:00 PM CT. A drivers meeting will take place at 6:00 PM CT, with on-track action beginning at 6:30pm. To learn more, visit: www.300Raceway.com. The $15,000-to-win CRST, The Transportation Solution 50 at 34 Raceway on Saturday will feature a complete program of: Allstar Performance Time Trials, Heat Races, B-Mains, and a 50-lap, $15,000-to-win main event around the 3/8-mile, semi-banked, clay oval. The Stock Cars and Sport Mods will serve as support divisions. 34 Raceway’s pit gate will open at 2:00 PM CT, with general admission gates opening at 4:00 PM CT. A drivers meeting will take place at 5:45 PM CT followed by hot laps at 6:15 PM CT. To purchase advance tickets, visit: www.myracepass.com/events/383865/tickets/ or find more information concerning 34 Raceway, visit: www.34Raceway.com. Brandon Sheppard currently leads the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Championship Points, with Devin Moran within striking distance, just 15 points behind. Tyler Erb currently holds down the third position in points followed by reigning series champion, Tim McCreadie. Track and Event Information:300 RacewayPhone Number: 563-744-3620Location: 27317 Olde Farley Rd. Farley, IA 52046Directions: Located just west of Highway 20 in Farley.Website: www.300raceway.com 34 RacewayPhone Number: 319-752-3434Location: 10463 S Prairie Grove Rd. West Burlington, IA 52655Directions: Located about 6 miles west of Burlington, just North of Hwy. 34Website: www.34raceway.com Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Tire Rules:300 Raceway:Left Rear/Fronts – Hoosier (90) LM30s, (90) W30sRight Rear – Hoosier (92) LM30s, (92) W30s, (92) LM40*Must use the same set of 4 tires for Time Trials, Heat Races, and B-Mains*For the A-Main, competitors may use a new right rear tire.*Flat tire must be replaced with a used tire of the same compound and construction to retain starting position. 34 Raceway:Left Rear/Fronts – Hoosier (90) LM20Right Rear – Hoosier (92) LM30s*Must use the same set of 4 tires for Time Trials, Heat Races, B-Mains and A-Main*Flat tire must be replaced with a used tire of the same compound and construction to retain starting position. Event Purses:300 Raceway Event Purse (50 laps): 1. $12,000, 2. $6,000, 3. $3,500, 4. $2,800, 5. $2,500, 6. $2,300, 7. $2,200, 8. $2,100, 9. $2,050, 10. $2,000, 11. $1,600, 12. $1,400, 13. $1,200, 14. $1,100, 15. $1,050, 16. $1,000, 17. $1,000,18. $1,000, 19. $1,000, 20. $1,000, 21. $1,000, 22. $1,000, 23. $1,000, 24. $1,000. = $52,800 34 Raceway Event Purse (50 laps): 1. $15,000, 2. $6,500, 3. $3,500, 4. $3,000, 5. $2,500, 6. $2,400, 7. $2,300, 8. $2,200, 9. $2,100, 10. $2,000, 11. $1,600, 12. $1,400, 13. $1,300, 14. $1,200, 15. $1,050, 16. $1,000, 17. $1,000, 18. $1,000, 19. $1,000, 20. $1,000, 21. $1,000, 22. $1,000, 23. $1,000, 24. $1,000. = $57,050 |
chevy racing–nascar–kansas advance
TEAM CHEVY ADVANCE
ADVENTHEALTH 400
KANSAS SPEEDWAY
KANSAS CITY, KS
MAY 15, 2022
RACE #13 – KANSAS SPEEDWAY
NASCAR heads to the heartland this weekend to Kansas Speedway, where the 1.5-mile tri-oval will host the NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) for the first trip to the Midwest in 2022. Kansas Speedway holds two spots on the NASCAR schedule, with the return trip in September making the venue one of the 10 tracks to hold a Playoff race for all three NASCAR touring series.
Chevrolet looks to become back-to-back winners at Kansas Speedway in Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series AdventHealth 400. The series’ last appearance at the Kansas venue in October 2021 saw Kyle Larson capture his ninth win of the season. The victory also marked the second time in the 2021 season that Larson won three-consecutive races; a feat that hadn’t been accomplished since Dale Earnhardt set the record in 1987. Of the 32 NCS races held at Kansas Speedway, Chevrolet has recorded a manufacturer-leading 13 wins, including the track’s inaugural NCS race, a win that was captured by career-Chevrolet driver Jeff Gordon (September 2001).
The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) kicks off the doubleheader race weekend under the lights with the Heart of America 200 on Saturday night. The Silverado RST is coming off of a strong runner-up finish at Darlington, with eyes set on its first victory of the season. Kansas Speedway has held 23 NCWTS races since the venue was built in 2001, with Chevrolet visiting victory lane eight times in the series. Those triumphs include the series’ first race at the track, captured by Ricky Hendrick in a Chevrolet-powered machine for Hendrick Motorsports, which also marked his first-career NASCAR win.
THREE IN-A-ROW FOR CAMARO SS
At the track where he captured his most recent win one year ago, Justin Allgaier returned to victory lane at Darlington Raceway, driving his No. 7 JR Motorsports Camaro SS to his 17th-career NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) win and a spot into the NXS Playoff field. After being forced to start at the rear of the field due to a battery change during the pace laps, strong pitstops throughout the day put the Chevrolet driver in position to contend for the lead. With a fresh set of tires on a two-lap dash to the finish, Allgaier powered to the lead on the final restart to give Chevrolet its sixth NXS win of 2022, extending its season win count lead over all manufacturers. The feat also marks JR Motorsports third-consecutive race win, with all three captured by different drivers (Noah Gragson at Talladega; Josh Berry at Dover; Justin Allgaier at Darlington).
With its now six wins in 11 races for 2022, Justin Allgaier is the fifth Chevrolet driver to secure his spot into the NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoff field and his chance at battling for the championship title. The other Chevrolet drivers already locked into the Playoffs by virtue of a win includes NXS rookie, Austin Hill; Kaulig Racing’s AJ Allmendinger; and Allgaier’s two JR Motorsports teammates, Noah Gragson and Josh Berry.
Entering into the NASCAR Xfinity Series off-weekend, Chevrolet continues to lead in both the driver and manufacturer points standings. Atop the NXS driver standings is AJ Allmendinger, who continues to hold onto the lead by 25-points over second place. Allmendinger’s eighth-place finish at Darlington continued his record as the only driver in the series to have placed in the top-10 of every race thus far this season. Joining Allmendinger in the top-10 is all four of the JR Motorsports drivers (Noah Gragson – second; Justin Allgaier – fourth; Josh Berry – fifth; Sam Mayer – sixth) and NXS season opener winner, Austin Hill, in tenth to give the bowtie brigade four of the top-five and six of the top-10 in the driver standings.
Also extending its lead in the NXS manufacturer standings, Chevrolet now sits at a 43-point advantage over second. With six wins, 37 top-five’s and 73 top-10’s, the bowtie brand is continuing in the right direction in pursuit of its 24th NXS manufacturer championship title. The series will be back in action at Texas Motor Speedway with the Texas 250 on Saturday, May 21, at 1:30 p.m. ET.
CLOSING IN ON HALFWAY
The trip to Kansas Speedway marks the 13th points-paying race of the season for the NASCAR Cup Series, also indicating the halfway point of the regular season. Chevrolet has taken the debut season of the Next Gen car by storm, sitting at seven victories for a winning percentage of over 50 percent for the Camaro ZL1. Chevrolet also continues to lead all manufacturers in top-five’s (35), top-10’s (59), laps led (1,789) and stage wins (12).
With eyes set on defending its NASCAR Cup Series driver and manufacturer championship titles, Chevrolet continues to lead in both the driver and manufacturer points standings. Chevrolet’s most recent NCS winner, Chase Elliott, extended his points lead to 65-points following a top-five finish at Darlington; his ninth top-10 finish in 2022. Five of the top-10 of the driver standings are occupied by Chevrolet drivers, including Elliott’s Hendrick Motorsports teammates (William Byron – second; Alex Bowman – eighth; Kyle Larson – ninth) and Trackhouse Racing’s Ross Chastain in fifth, all of which have recorded at least one victory in 2022 to secure a spot in the 16-driver NCS Playoff field.
Falling just one spot short of another victory at Darlington Raceway, the bowtie brand made a strong showing in the final running order of the Goodyear 400 last weekend. The Camaro ZL1 placed three in the top-five and six in the top-10 finishing positions, with five different Chevrolet teams contributing to those finishes:
2nd Tyler Reddick (Richard Childress Racing)
3rd Justin Haley (Kaulig Racing): season-best finish
5th Chase Elliott (Hendrick Motorsports)
8th Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (JTG Daugherty Racing): second-consecutive top-10 finish
9th Austin Dillon (Richard Childress Racing)
10th Daniel Suarez (Trackhouse Racing)
This marks the seventh race this season that Chevrolet has placed six Camaro ZL1’s in the top-10, with at least three different Chevrolet teams represented in each. Looking to keep that momentum going, Chevrolet enters the Kansas race weekend atop the NCS manufacturer standings, building its lead to a 40-point advantage over second.
BOWTIE BULLETS
· Victories by active Chevrolet drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series at Kansas Speedway include:
Kyle Larson, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Camaro ZL1 (2021)
Chase Elliott, No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Camaro ZL1 (2018)
· In addition to its 13 manufacturer-leading NASCAR Cup Series wins at Kansas Speedway, Chevrolet has also recorded 11 pole wins – the most of all manufacturers – as well as 64 top-five’s and 137 top-10’s. Chevrolet drivers have also led 3,011 laps at the 1.5-mile Kansas venue.
· With 12 NASCAR Cup Series races complete in the 2022 season, Chevrolet continues to lead all manufacturers in NCS wins (7), top-five’s (35), top-10’s (59), laps led (1,789) and stage wins (12). Chevrolet’s NCS wins, top-five’s, laps led and stage wins count are more than double its manufacturer competitors.
· In seven of the 12 NASCAR Cup Series races in 2022, Chevrolet has placed six Camaro ZL1’s in the top-10, with at least three different Chevrolet teams represented in each.
· The title of the youngest NASCAR Cup Series winner at Kansas Speedway belongs to Chase Elliott, who took the win in the October 2018 event at the age of 22 years, 10 months, 23 days.
· Career Chevrolet drivers, Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon, are among five drivers tied for the most NASCAR Cup Series wins (3) at Kansas Speedway.
· Only four drivers in NASCAR Cup Series history have captured consecutive wins at Kansas Speedway, one of which being career Chevrolet driver Jeff Gordon. The NASCAR Hall of Famer also recorded the win in the inaugural race at Kansas Speedway in 2001, behind the wheel of a Chevrolet-powered machine.
· Justin Haley recorded a season-high third-place finish at Darlington Raceway, also marking a career-best finish since moving to full-time NASCAR Cup series competition with Kaulig Racing this season.
· Following a runner-up finish at Dover Motor Speedway, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. powered his No. 47 JTG Daugherty Camaro ZL1 to an eighth-place finish at Darlington Raceway for a second-consecutive top-10 finish.
· A special place to Erik Jones, Kansas Speedway is the site of his first-career Cup Series start where he filled in for an injured Kyle Busch on May 9, 2015. Jones started the race from the 12th position and ran in the top-10 most of the day, leading one lap. Unfortunately, a rookie mistake late in the race cost Jones a solid finish after he made contact with the outside wall and was credited with a 40th-place finish.
· Seven Team Chevy drivers have combined 12 NASCAR Cup Series stage wins:
Tyler Reddick 2 – (Fontanax2)
Alex Bowman 1 – (Las Vegas)
Ross Chastain 2 – (Las Vegas), (Darlington)
William Byron 3 – (Phoenix), (Atlanta), (Talladega)
Daniel Suarez 1 – (COTA)
Chase Elliott 2 – (Martinsvillex2)
Kyle Larson 1 – (Bristol)
· Chevrolet leads in the driver points standing in both the NASCAR Cup Series and the NASCAR Xfinity Series. Chase Elliott remains in the top position in the NCS standings with a 65-point advantage over second place; and AJ Allmendinger continues to lead the NXS standings by 25-points. Chevrolet remains atop both the NCS and NXS manufacturer points standings.
· With its 40 NASCAR Cup Series Manufacturer Championships; 33 NASCAR Cup Series Driver Championships; and 821 all-time NASCAR Cup Series wins, Chevrolet continues to hold the title of winningest brand in NASCAR.
TUNE IN
The NASCAR Cup Series AdventHealth 400 will air on FS1 on Sunday, May 15, at 3 p.m. ET. FS1 will broadcast the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Heart of America 200 on Saturday, May 14, at 8 p.m. ET. Live coverage of both events can also be found on MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.
QUOTABLE QUOTES
ROSS CHASTAIN, NO. 1 ADVENT HEALTH CAMARO ZL1
HOW IMPORTANT IS KANSAS TO YOUR CAREER?
“Kansas brings back so many memories. I think back to my Truck Series win there in 2019 and winning is the ultimate goal. I think that win saved my career, honestly. Everything went away with my Xfinity Series ride and Chip Ganassi kept me on as a reserve driver and just to be nice is what it basically came down to. Doug Duchardt told me to just race whatever I could and we would figure it out. When things got serious about the No. 42 car going into the 2021 season, Doug brought up the fact that even though they didn’t have anything for me to drive and Niece gave me the opportunity to drive their truck and we were able to win, Doug said it told him more about me than anything else, and I put a lot of stock in what Doug says. If I didn’t go win those races with Niece, I don’t know if I am in the Cup car where I am today.”
WHAT DO YOU FIND CHALLENGING ABOUT RACING AT KANSAS SPEEDWAY?
“It’s wild because it is a mile-and-a-half and it has some of the same bones that most mile-and-a-half tracks have but there are intricacies at each intermediate track. The progressive banking at Kansas really rewards running higher on the track. It’s windy at Kansas and when you run up high you’re almost hidden from the wind a little bit and blocked from some of the cross winds.”
NOW THAT YOU HAVE A COUPLE OF WINS UNDER YOUR BELT AND YOU’VE CHECKED OFF GETTING THAT FIRST CAREER WIN, WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR SEASON SO FAR?
“This year has been incredible. I feel grateful, but I also realize that we deserve to be where we are at. We’ve put in the effort and this car has been the greatest reset this sport has ever seen. Never before have you been able to take a car raced at a road course and change some suspension parts, run the same chassis and same body, and some of the same suspension, and pass tech and compete for wins.”
AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 BASS PRO SHOPS / TRACKER OFF ROAD CAMARO ZL1
WHAT IS IT ABOUT KANSAS SPEEDWAY THAT YOU’RE FOCUSING ON TO GET TO VICTORY LANE THIS WEEKEND?
“I think it’s running the top. Everybody is going to be up there running right against the fence and ripping the wall this weekend. From what I heard at the test, the rubber really laid down up there and there was a big difference in speed from the top to the bottom. I feel like I’ve just been focused on making my car in the simulator handle up by the wall. I think the next thing that’s on my mind is where to make a pass; where to attempt to make a pass. When you pull out of line, you have to get yourself clear and then back in line. It will be important to do a good job of making your car have the ability to run against the wall, but also when you need to make a move to slide someone, that it can happen.”
KYLE LARSON, NO. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM CAMARO ZL1
LARSON ON THE RACING GROOVE AT KANSAS SPEEDWAY:
“At Fontana, we were able to run really close to the wall, so I would imagine it’s pretty easy to run next to the wall at Kansas. I love Kansas – it’s definitely one of my favorite tracks. It does have multiple lanes, typically. If that top lane gets going really fast, it does make it hard to pass. I hope we can run the bottom, middle and top.”
CLIFF DANIELS, CREW CHIEF, NO. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM CAMARO ZL1
DANIELS ON IF 2021 SUCCESS TRANSLATES TO THIS YEAR:
“We had success there last year, but this weekend is another track we are visiting for the first time with the Next Gen car so there is still a lot to learn. Kansas is just one of those tracks where you have to respect the track because it can draw you into thinking it’s pretty straightforward, but the lanes can change a lot throughout the race. Everybody thinks you can run up top, then everybody does and it’ll fall off, so you have to be good enough to move down the track. And right as you think the strategy will be simple, a caution will come out and change everything you’re doing. You really have to be on your game in the moment and respect the track and the race. Past success always gives you confidence, but it’s still the new car at a track we haven’t competed on with it yet.”
TYLER REDDICK, NO. 8 BETMGM CAMARO ZL1
DO YOU THINK THIS WEEKEND’S RACE AT KANSAS WILL BE LIKE THE RACE WE SAW EARLIER THIS SEASON AT ATLANTA?
“I think this weekend’s race at Kansas Speedway is going to be a lot like the races we’ve seen at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The race will be a very unforgiving one. There will be a lot of running the wall with little to no room for error. The margin of error is so small and if you make one mistake, you could take yourself and others out of the race. It’s going to be a lot of strategy and deciding when the right time is to take a risk. Certainly, with my driving style, running the wall is going to be a huge part of my race but it’s also important to listen to my crew chief and spotter and weight the risk versus reward. You don’t want to get out there in the first stage and dive into the wall and end up finishing 38th.”
WE’RE A HANDFUL OF RACES INTO THE SEASON. HOW CAN YOU BEST DESCRIBE THE NEXT GEN CAR AT THIS TIME?
“The Next Gen car is super fun to drive but is also extremely challenging. We’ve seen how much it’s leveled the field for all the drivers. The tracks are so different with the new car, and you’re pretty much using all the practice and qualifying time to take notes and let your team know how the car is running. The practice sessions aren’t very long so you want to use all that time to feel the car and the track out. Our team has gotten out on the track and the car has been completely wrong and then you have to go back to the drawing board and decide what you can and cannot fix. The racing is so competitive and there’s still so much to learn, it makes every weekend even more crucial and also exciting. I think every race is giving the fans a great show.”
CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 UNIFIRST CAMARO ZL1
ELLIOTT ON RACING AT KANSAS:
“We’ve had some pretty good finishes at Kansas in recent years and had built up a solid playbook, but I feel like a lot of that is out the window with this new car. We weren’t that great at Vegas earlier this year, but we were pretty decent in Atlanta. I think we’ve learned a lot more about the car in general since those races and the changes that we can make to get the most out of it. Each track presents its own set of challenges, but I think our team as a whole has done a good job of adapting and I don’t think that will be any different this weekend.”
ALAN GUSTAFSON, CREW CHIEF, NO. 9 UNIFIRST CAMARO ZL1
GUSTAFSON ON THE CHALLENGE OF THE NEXT GEN CAR AS TEAMS CONTINUE TO HEAD TO TRACKS FOR THE FIRST TIME:
“It’s a big challenge. Probably a bigger challenge than what’s conveyed, just watching the races and what the fans would see at home. There’s a huge amount of unknowns and there’s a lot of pressure and focus for us to get the car right off the truck, because with just 15 minutes of practice there’s really few things you can do. And then I think for the drivers too, there’s a lot of pressure.”
WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 RAPTORTOUGH.COM CAMARO ZL1
BYRON ON WHAT HE EXPECTS THIS WEEKEND AT KANSAS:
“While most of these tracks this year we’ve had to re-learn because of the Next Gen car, I think I’m a bit more confident on what to expect heading to Kansas this weekend. Not all mile-and-a-half tracks are the same but I feel like Kansas and Las Vegas are the most similar to each other. We raced at Vegas earlier this year and ran really well. The only real difference is I feel like Kansas is a more temperature sensitive racetrack and has less grip. We’ve ran well at Kansas over the past couple years, so I think with the notebook we’ve built so far and our past experiences there, we should have a good shot at the win this weekend.”
RUDY FUGLE, CREW CHIEF, NO. 24 RAPTORTOUGH.COM CAMARO ZL1
FUGLE ON PREPARING FOR KANSAS:
“We’re continuing to build on our intermediate package as the season goes with the Next Gen car. Since the second Charlotte test, we’ve raced at Las Vegas and Atlanta and been able to add those notes in. I think we can really use some of our notes from Vegas for this weekend especially since we will be using the same right side tire we ran there. I also think some of our notes from the fall race at Kansas last season will correlate as well. With its progressive banking and with how sensitive it is to temperature, we’ll have to keep up with the track not only throughout the weekend but throughout the race on Sunday to be in contention at the end.”
TY DILLON, NO. 42 CHEVYLINERS.COM CAMARO ZL1
WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO GET AROUND KANSAS SPEEDWAY? WHAT ARE YOUR FEELINGS ABOUT THE TRACK?
“For me personally, in the early years of my Cup career, I really wished they would have turned Kansas into a parking lot. It honestly has been one of my biggest struggles as a track. What’s frustrating is that to me it’s not that hard of a track to get around and it’s very simple, but it takes minor, finite details to be strong there. My focus this week has been putting in a lot of time in the simulator on running right against the wall and getting myself comfortable in that line. I want to have that line down pat so I can use it to my advantage all day on Sunday. That’s my go to. Hopefully, we turn it around and I’ll have a different opinion about the racetrack when we leave. Going to Kansas with a new organization and a new car has given me new life and new blood for going out there and making the most of it.”
ERIK JONES, NO. 43 FOCUSFACTOR CAMARO ZL1
WHAT DO YOU EXPECT AT KANSAS WITH THE NEXT GEN CAR?
“I think it’s going to be a great race. I want to compare it to Vegas, but there is something about it that doesn’t sit right with me that it’s going to be like that. It’s going to be interesting to see how it races. I think it’s going to race well. Kansas is always fun with as wide as it gets and where you can run. This car I think will be challenging there. I think back to the low-down force package with the old Cup car and it was easy to make mistakes and I think it will be pretty similar with this car.”
DO YOU THINK IT WILL BE A RACE OF “RIM RIDING”?
“I think so. Between the gear ratios we’ve had, they’ve been a little low I feel like, and you have to kind of keep these cars wound up. They’re just “draggy,” you have to keep the momentum going. If you really have to slow them down and get on the bottom, it hurts your speed a lot, so just keeping them wound up has been the name of the game.”
RICKY STENHOUSE JR., NO. 47 DILLONS / LOUISIANA HOT SAUCE CAMARO ZL1
“Kansas always has been a good track for me. I’ve won there in the Xfinity Series. We’ve ran really well there in the Cup car. I felt like 2013, I was going to get a win there and a caution came out at the wrong time. All in all, I enjoy Kansas and I feel we’ve learned a lot over the past couple of weeks that we will hopefully have a fast car like we’ve been having. You can move all around at Kanas. I assume we’ll run the top of the race track a lot, but with downshifting and things like that different lines come into play. It should be a good race and we’re definitely looking forward to getting there with our No. 47 Dillons/Louisiana Hot Sauce Camaro.”
ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 48 ALLY CAMARO ZL1
BOWMAN ON HEADING TO ONE OF HIS FAVORITE TRACKS:
“Kansas Speedway has always been a place I feel like I run well at. Getting the win at Las Vegas this season helps our confidence at a similar track. We have to stay focused and take it one race at a time and this week, it is a place that I enjoy racing at.”
GREG IVES, CREW CHIEF, NO. 48 ALLY CAMARO ZL1
IVES ON RESETTING HIS FOCUS FOR KANSAS:
“We had a tough weekend in Darlington and didn’t get it right when it came time to adjust the No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, but that stays at Darlington. We have a brand new weekend ahead of us at a track that Alex (Bowman) really likes. We will go back to what works for us and get the car in a place that we think will give Bowman the best chance to be competitive and work on it during practice to get the little details right.”
DANIEL SUAREZ, NO. 99 COMMSCOPE CAMARO ZL1
WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON KANSAS AND THE ADVENTHEALTH 400?
“Darlington (10th) and Dover (13th) finishes have both come despite us having lots of issues we had to overcome. Air guns jamming, things like that. So our car has been fast. If we can get by those issues, we have a fast enough car to do really well. I hope that happens Sunday in Kansas.”
Chevrolet NASCAR Cup Series Statistics
Manufacturers Championships:
Total (1949-2021): 40
First title for Chevrolet: 1958
Highest 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): 33
First 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: 7
Poles: 2
Laps Led: 1,789
Top-five finishes: 35
Top-10 finishes: 59
Stage wins: 12
- Tyler Reddick (Fontanax2)
- Alex Bowman (Las Vegas)
- Ross Chastain (Las Vegas), (Darlington)
- William Byron (Phoenix), (Atlanta), (Talladega)
- Daniel Suarez (COTA)
- Chase Elliott (Martinsvillex2)
- Kyle Larson (Bristol Dirt)
CHEVROLET IN NASCAR CUMULATIVE STATISTICS:
Total Chevrolet race wins: 821 (1949 to date)
Poles won to date: 725
Laps led to date: 243,125
Top-five finishes to date: 4,173
Top-10 finishes to date: 8,614
Total NASCAR Cup Wins by Corporation, 1949 to Date:
General Motors: 1,155
Chevrolet: 821
Pontiac: 154
Oldsmobile: 115
Buick: 65
Ford: 814
Ford: 714
Mercury: 96
Lincoln: 4
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles: 467
Dodge: 217
Plymouth: 191
Chrysler: 59
Toyota: 164
Constant Aviation Factory Stock Showdown Returns to Virginia Motorsports Park for Virginia NHRA Nationals
DINWIDDIE, Va. (May 12, 2022) – Making just the second appearance at Virginia Motorsports Park, the Constant Aviation Factory Stock Showdown class that puts Chevrolet COPO Camaros, Ford Cobra Jetsand Dodge Challenger Drag Paks against each other in heated battle, is making its third of eight stops on their NHRA schedule, the Virginia NHRA Nationals.
Coming off a victory at the most recent event, the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals in Charlotte, Bill Skillman and his Ray Skillman Ford head into this weekend’s Virginia NHRA Nationals as the current series points leader.
“I think the Charlotte win has sunk in. I am ready for this weekend. Your accomplishments are short lived. You always have your next journey coming up. It was great to win but that is in the past. It is time to go win the next race. You want to try and get as many points as you can at the next race,” Skillman said. “You have some tough racers out here. This deal for the championship will go down to the wire. I don’t think anyone is going to run off from the field. The cars are too competitive. I think you will see a lot of different winners this year.”
Bill Skillman, Charlotte Four-Wide Nationals winner, photo by Auto Imagery
One of those hoping to dethrone Skillman is David Barton driving his Saw Mill Auto Chevrolet. Barton looks forward to returning to the Virginia Motorsports Park after several years away.
“We had the Factory Stock Showdown there at Virginia Motorsports Park a few years ago and when we raced there it was a really nice turnout,” Barton said. “It was the first time NHRA was back at the track there and it was packed. It was really cool because there were just loads of people. The weather was nice then too. This weekend looks a little sketchy.”
David Barton (foreground) in Charlotte final, photo by CAFSS
In order to come out on top, Barton has no plans on holding back, and knows what’s required of him to get the job done.
“We have to get down the track every time and cut a better light and use every trick there is to win a round. It is working between us and (defending champion Aaron) Stanfield. In the last two years a Chevrolet has won every single race except (Chuck) Watson won Norwalk and (Bill) Skillman won last week. That is the big argument. They say you guys are still winning so what are you complaining about. We have to work way harder.”
With his win at the Virginia NHRA Nationals, Skillman now has the Constant Aviation Factory Stock Showdown Bounty Program target on his back worth $1,000.
The bounty on Skillman will increase until another driver defeats him during eliminations.
Qualifying for Constant Aviation Factory Stock Showdown at the Virginia NHRA Nationals will begin Friday with a session at 6:15 p.m. and continues Saturday with sessions at noon and 3:00 p.m. Eliminations are set to begin Sunday at 1:30 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
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, Virginia Nationals, May 13-15
Bristol, Thunder Valley Nationals, June 17-19
Norwalk, Summit Nationals, June 23-25
Indianapolis, U.S. Nationals, August 30- September 5
Reading, Dodge Nationals, September 15-18
Dallas, Fall Nationals, October 13-16
Constant Aviation Factory Stock Showdown Top Ten
1. Bill Skillman 166
2. David Barton 165
3. Lenny Lottig 163
4. Anthony Troyer 123
5. Stephen Bell 110
6. Warren Walcher 109
7. Mark Pawuk 93
8. Aaron Stanfield 89
9. Ricky Hrd 86
10. Scott Libersher 74
chevy racing–nascar–kansas–austin dillon
KANSAS SPEEDWAY
ADVENTHEALTH 400
TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT
MAY 12, 2022
AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 BASS PRO SHOPS / TRACKER OFF ROAD CAMARO ZL1, met with the media via teleconference in advance of this weekend’s NASCAR Cup Series AdventHealth 400 at Kansas Speedway. Press Conference Transcript:
LOOKING AHEAD TO THE ALL-STAR RACE NEXT WEEK, DO YOU LOOK FORWARD TO IT WITH IT AT TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY SINCE THAT WAS THE PLACE WHERE YOU LAST WON? ALSO, DO YOU WANT TO SEE THE ALL-STAR RACE MOVE AROUND SOME; OR WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE IT FIND A PERMANENT HOME?
“Yeah, I think it’s good to move it around. It’s not bad also to give it a permanent home. It was pretty awesome when we had it at Charlotte (Motor Speedway) for so many years because you knew where you were going to be.
I like it when it was at Charlotte because it was close to home; you knew what it was. Texas (Motor Speedway), it’s cool going there for one year. I think you should move it around a couple of times. Plus, Texas hasn’t provided the best of racing yet. So, I would be voting for another track, possibly. But you never know. I think as the surface wears out, Texas could be a better race for the All-Star race. It just needs to lose some more grip and then maybe that will create more of an exciting All-Star race.”
HAVE YOU LOOKED AT THE FORMAT AT ALL; OR IS THAT SOMETHING YOU START PAYING ATTENTION TO THE DAY OR TWO BEFORE?
“The week of, probably. I’m focused on Kansas (Speedway) this week. I’ve been in the simulator a lot. Hopefully we get through Kansas and get a win so that we’re locked into the All-Star race. Then, I’ll really focus on the format. Other than that, I know we have to race our way in or get voted in. Right now, I’m focused on Kansas.”
LOOKING AHEAD TO THE COCA-COLA 600, YOU’VE HAD THREE TOP-10 FINISHES THERE IN THE LAST THREE COCA-COLA 600’S. IS THAT A TRACK THAT YOU GUYS ARE CIRCLING THIS YEAR AS ONE OF YOUR POTENTIALLY BEST RACES WHERE YOU CAN LOCK-IN A WIN? WHAT HAS MADE THE NO. 3 TEAM SO STRONG THERE?
“I don’t know what it is about Charlotte (Motor Speedway). I’ve always had really good success there. I enjoy the track. I understand what it takes to be fast there in a race car and I have a feel for it. Obviously, I won my first Cup race at Charlotte, so I definitely circle it every year as a place where we go and compete well at. Last year, we were really fast. One of our pit crew members went down leading into that race, so we kind of struggled on pit road that week.
I’m really excited about it and taking the Next Gen car there. We did get one test there this off season when it was really cold. I’m always excited to go to Charlotte. It’s a good place for me.”
LOOKING BEYOND THE RACING AND THE EVENT OF THAT WEEKEND, THERE’S BEEN SO MUCH CHANGE IN THE CUP SCHEDULE AND SO MUCH INNOVATION. WHAT DO YOU SEE AS THE BENEFIT OF KEEPING SOMETHING LIKE THE COCA-COLA 600 A CROWN JEWEL EVENT ON THE NASCAR SCHEDULE? DO THEY TAKE IT OFF THE SCHEDULE AT SOME POINT?
“I hope not. To me, it’s an iconic weekend – being Memorial Day weekend and seeing all the different military branches; the men and women that protect our country out there. I always get excited for that race – the national anthem, the show that goes on before and really paying homage to all of those that have fought for this country. To me, I hope it doesn’t change. It is a crown jewel. Being 600-miles, your preparation changes a little bit because you know you’re going to be in the race car for such a long period of time. I think it’s a very special race and I hope it never goes away.”
I THINK THERE IS A FEELING THAT THE ORGANIZATION THIS YEAR IS STRONGER AT THIS POINT OF THE SEASON. BUT LOOKING AT WHAT YOU DID LAST YEAR COMPARED TO THIS YEAR AT THIS TIME, LAST YEAR YOU HAD SIX TOP-10’S AND YOU WERE A LITTLE HIGHER IN POINTS. FIVE TOP-10’S THIS SEASON AND SOME RUNNER-UP FINISHES. HAS MUCH REALLY CHANGED? ARE YOU GUYS REALLY THAT MUCH STRONGER?
“We were pretty strong last year and we kind of got overlooked because we didn’t make the Playoffs. We were a consistent team all of last year. This year, I do feel like we’ve had way more opportunities to win races. I think the disappointing part is that we’ve had more bigger catastrophes at the race track, like getting wrecked at Phoenix (Raceway) and finishing 21st in that race; getting wrecked at Atlanta (Motor Speedway) coming to a stage end for a possibility of top-three points there; and blowing up at Daytona (International Speedway) and Bristol (Motor Speedway).
We didn’t have those types of bad days at this point last year. We had a couple more average days, but we’ve also had some bigger days with two second-place finishes (Auto Club Speedway, Talladega Superspeedway) and a third (Martinsville Speedway). We’ve definitely had more opportunities to win than last year. My teammate (Tyler Reddick) has two or three second-place finishes, as well. If you look at the total of it, we’ve done a good job and should be in victory lane at this point. That’s the disappointing part – I feel like we’ve had some really close calls and not been able to capitalize. That’s why you see us where we’re at in points. I feel confident that we can go to victory lane this year and I think it will happen.”
THREE OF THE LAST SIX RACES, THERE HAS BEEN SOME SORT OF CONTACT AT THE END OF THE RACE AMONG THE LEADERS. WE SAW IT LAST WEEKEND AT DARLINGTON RACEWAY. WITH AS TIGHT AS THE COMPETITION IS AND WITH WHAT WINNING MEANS, ARE BIGGER TRACKS MORE IN-PLAY NOW FOR SOME SORT OF CONTACT; OR IS DARLINGTON A UNIQUE CASE?
“I think at Darlington (Raceway), you’re constantly fighting tire wear and you see guys come and go. So, the ability to make a run is a bit easier. But you’re asking about 1.5-mile tracks and the contact part of it – if you get a run and you can get a guy up the track, you’d probably do it. But it’s much tougher at a 1.5-mile track to not take yourself out of the race, as well. I feel like there’s usually plenty of room at a 1.5-mile. You’ve seen some slide jobs go wrong at 1.5-mile tracks. Those types of opportunities are kind of the only way to make something happen, when it comes to a last lap moving a guy for a win. I think that’s what NASCAR has put together with this Playoff system, that wins mean so much and you do what it takes when it comes down to it to go to victory lane. I think everybody’s organizations would be upset if they didn’t.”
WILL THERE EVER BE A POINT WHERE YOU WIN A RACE AND FEEL BAD ABOUT IT THEN?
“I don’t know – I guess that’s for everybody else to worry about. I’m under the opinion that, there’s 36 to 40 of us out there every weekend – if you have the opportunity to make it happen, you probably will. I didn’t think Chase Briscoe had a shot to win at Bristol (Motor Speedway) and he took out (Tyler) Reddick and himself. If you’re going to do it, you better win. That was a boneheaded move, if you ask me, and it didn’t work out. But he was trying to make something happen. I don’t think he ever had a shot of making it happen, that’s the part that sucks about that kind of a deal. When you’re within range and you’ve got an opportunity with the way it is to pass and what wins mean, you’ve got to do it. It just sucks when it doesn’t work out. It’s part of the game and how much importance has been put on winning races. Yeah, some might feel bad if it comes down to that. But if you take home a trophy to your organization and all the guys that put in hours on hours on hours of time into these race cars, they’ll probably have your back in the end.”
I KNOW IT’S STILL EARLY IN THE SEASON, BUT HOW MUCH DO YOU WORRY ABOUT THE PLAYOFFS AT THIS POINT IN TIME OF THE YEAR?
“I think it’s on your mind no matter what. It stays there because that’s kind of the measuring stick when it comes to your end of the season. You can have a good season and not make the Playoffs. I did that last year. I felt like I had a decent season, but it didn’t matter because I didn’t make the Playoffs. The Playoffs are what starts clicking off those bonuses and contracts. It changes your end of the year for your entire organization. So, to me, the Playoffs is everything. It’s always on your mind. No matter how much you try to conceal it, it’s what determines a solid season, a good season. Getting a win, getting in the Playoffs and making progress.”
IS THAT SOMETHING YOU PAY ATTENTION TO MORE THIS YEAR BECAUSE YOU MISSED THE PLAYOFFS LAST YEAR?
“No – every year I pay attention to it, really push for it and want to be in it. I’ve been able to make it to the next round of the Playoffs a couple of times. Every year it’s on your mind. I definitely know where we are in the points situation, but I truly think that the way this year has gone, you’re going to need a win. I think there could be 16 winners. I feel like it’s important to win.
From a points standpoint, once you get in the Playoffs, I think things change a little bit. Winning always stays important, but points-racing in the Playoffs is more important, I feel like, than right now in the regular season because I do feel like in the regular season, we’re going to have right at 16 winners.”
WHAT IS IT ABOUT KANSAS SPEEDWAY THAT YOU’RE FOCUSING ON TO GET TO VICTORY LANE THIS WEEKEND?
“I think it’s running the top. Everybody is going to be up there running right against the fence and ripping the wall this weekend. From what I heard at the test, the rubber really laid down up there and there was a big difference in speed from the top to the bottom. I feel like I’ve just been focused on making my car in the simulator handle up by the wall. I think the next thing that’s on my mind is where to make a pass; where to attempt to make a pass. When you pull out of line, you have to get yourself clear and then back in line. It will be important to do a good job of making your car have the ability to run against the wall, but also when you need to make a move to slide someone, that it can happen.”
Team Chevy Takes Momentum to Indy for Month of May
| Victory at GMR Grand Prix would be 100th in INDYCAR for Chevy since 2012 DETROIT (May 12, 2022) – Chevrolet continues its roll in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES as the calendar has turned to the month of May and the countdown to the Indianapolis 500. First up is Saturday’s GMR Grand Prix, the fifth round of this year’s championship. Momentum is clearly on the side of Team Chevy with victories in the season’s first four events. It’s the first time since 2016 that the Bowtie Brand has started 5-0 and opens the door for the 100th Chevrolet victory since rejoining INDYCAR in 2012. There couldn’t a much better venue to continue the streak than Indianapolis Motor Speedway… particularly the 2.439-mile, 14-turn road course layout. Chevrolet is unbeaten in May at the Indy Road Course since 2015 and enters Indianapolis leading the series’ Engine Manufacturer Championship. “The month of May takes on more importance year after year,” said Rob Buckner, Chevrolet Program Manager for the NTT INDYCAR SERIES. “We feel that way this season with the phenomenal start our Chevrolet-powered teams have experienced. The GMR Grand Prix is beneficial to ease our teams into what is a very significant month coming up. Another victory this weekend would be a great start to our month in Indianapolis. “While there isn’t much direct correlation between our road-course and speedway packages, there are little things we can pick up such as surface conditions and degree of tire degradation that can help us prepare for the Indy 500 later this month,” Buckner added.Three different drivers have won using the 2.2L, V6 twin-turbo Chevrolet engine including Team Penske’s Will Power three times (2015, 2017, 2018) and Ed Carpenter Racing’s Rinus VeeKay in 2021. VeeKay was the pole-winner in the last INDYCAR race at Barber Motorsports Park in mid-April, a race where Arrow McLaren SP’s Pato O’Ward claimed victory. He joined Team Penske’s Scott McLaughlin (St. Petersburg) and Josef Newgarden (Texas and Long Beach) in Victory Lane this year. In addition to an unbeaten start and attempt at its 100thh win, Chevrolet can watch one of its drivers – Team Penske’s Josef Newgarden – take the PeopleReady Force for Good Challenge, which rewards the first driver to win on an oval, street circuit and road course in the same season. That driver will share $500,000 with his or her team and donate $500,000 to that driver and team’s chosen charity. On the way to the green flag, the field for the GMR Grand Prix will follow a red Corvette Stingray, which will serve as Official Pace Car. While at the GMR Grand Prix, Team Chevy fans can enjoy all that the Chevrolet display, located near the Pagoda plaza, has to offer. Included in the display activities will be two Q & A sessions with some of the star Chevrolet drivers. Friday· 12:00-12:15 p.m.: Team Penske – Josef Newgarden, Scott McLaughlin and Will Power· 2:15-2:30 p.m.: Ed Carpenter Racing – Rinus Veekay and Conor Daly· 2:30-2:45 p.m.: AJ Foyt Racing – Dalton Kellet, Kyle Kirkwood, Tatiana Calderon· 3:00-3:15 p.m.: Arrow McLaren SP – Pato O’Ward, Felix Rosenqvist and Juan Pablo Montoya Saturday· 12:00-12:15 p.m.: Juncos Hollinger Racing – Callum Illott The Chevrolet Motorsports Display opens at 7:30 a.m. Friday and 8 a.m. Saturday. Numerous Chevrolet vehicles and other highlights include: • The Corvette Stingray R concept• Additional Chevrolet products such as Blazer, Silverado, Trailblazer, Traverse, Tahoe, Camaro and Bolt • A cutaway chassis of the 2023 Corvette Z06 and IndyCar showcar• An opportunity to receive a 2022 Chevrolet Racing t-shirt Chevrolet and the NTT INDYCAR Series continue the 2022 season at 3 p.m. ET on Saturday, May 14 from the Indianapolis Road Course. The race will air live on NBC, the Peacock streaming service and SiriusXM IndyCar Nation (Channel 160). Live timing and scoring will be available at racecontrol.indycar.com. TEAM CHEVY QUOTESJOSEF NEWGARDEN, NO. 2 HITACHI CHEVROLET, TEAM PENSKE: “We’re trying to keep our eye on the ball and make sure we are staying concentrated on the next race. We can have a good run at the Indy GP. We’ve had good cars there the last couple of years. May is the biggest thing for us, and for the 500 specifically. We’ve worked really hard as a team and with Chevrolet to maximize this year. I hope that comes true.” CONOR DALY, NO. 20 BITNILE CHEVROLET, ED CARPENTER RACING: “The GMR Grand Prix of one of my favorite events in the schedule. I love getting into the Month of May and starting it off on the road course. We were obviously very, very fast there this time last year. We made it into the Fast 6 so we definitely want to do that again, but not be taken out in the first corner this time! I can’t wait to get May started off right, we already had a strong oval test a few weeks ago. All signs point to us being able to have a great weekend and start the Month of May strong!” RINUS VEEKAY, NO. 21 ALZAMEND NEURO CHEVROLET, ED CARPENTER RACING: “Going back to the Racing Capital of the World is always awesome and starting the Month of May is always a very exciting time. I have a very good feeling! The Indy road course a place where I have had a lot of success. I had my first pole position, first-ever podium and eventually first-ever NTT INDYCAR SERIES win! I am very happy with how the season is progressing, we are only improving and we’re heading into the Indy GP stronger than ever. ECR has been putting in a lot of work and it’s really paying off. It makes me even more eager to defend my race win in the GMR Grand Prix!” CALLUM ILOTT, NO. 77 DYNAMIC EDGE CHEVROLET, JUNCOS HOLLINGER RACING: “I’m excited to start my month of May her in Indy for the GMR GP. I have a bit of experience of the road course as I conducted my first NTT INDYCAR SERIES test here towards the end of last year. Also coming off of the improvements we made last time in Barber, I’m excited to show what we can do with the Chevy Juncos Hollinger car.” BY THE NUMBERS: CHEVROLET IN INDYCAR· 1: Chevrolet’s position in the INDYCAR Engine Manufacturer standings after three races· 3: Career GMR Grand Prix wins for Will Power in the month of May. All have been in Chevrolet-powered entries· 4: Consecutive victories by Chevrolet to open the 2022 NTT INDYCAR SERIES. Team Penske’s Scott McLaughlin won the pole and race at St. Petersburg. Penske teammate Josef Newgarden won at Texas and Long Beach, and Pato O’Ward was victorious at Barber Motorsport Park for Arrow McLaren SP.· 5: Wins and pole positions for Will Power on the Indianapolis Road Course since 2015, including races in the spring, summer and fall.· 6: Wins for Chevrolet IndyCar teams in May at the Indianapolis Road Course – all consecutively dating back to 2015.· 6: Different Chevrolet drivers to win races dating back to the start of 2020. Scott McLaughlin was the most recent at St. Petersburg· 6: Number of Manufacturer Championships in the NTT INDYCAR Series since 2012· 6: Number of Team Chevy Driver/Entrant championships since 2012· 8: Wins by Team Penske on the Indianapolis Road Course – all with Chevrolet power.· 9: Wins from pole by Will Power with Chevrolet power since 2012, most by any driver· 13: Consecutive seasons with at least one win by Will Power, including past 10 with Chevrolet· 25: Wins by Will Power since 2012. All have come with Chevrolet, giving him the most of any driver with same manufacturer· 39: Pole starts by Will Power since 2012 in a Chevrolet-powered car, most of any driver· 99: Chevrolet victories in NTT INDYCAR SERIES since 2012· 110: Earned poles by Chevrolet since 2012· 169: NTT INDYCAR SERIES races as V6 engine supplier since 2012 return to INDYCAR |
Inaugural St. Louis Firecracker Faceoff June 24-25 Showcases Dirt Late Models, Non-Wing Sprints, and UMP Modifieds
| Huge Weekend Set for Federated Autoparts Raceway at I-55 in Midwest’s Sports MeccaPEVELY, MO – May 12, 2022– St. Louis is one of the biggest sports cities in the country, with some of the most ardent fans anywhere. The Blues are once again skating toward another the Stanley Cup and the Cardinals are seeking a 13th World Series title, but this summer in the “Gateway to the West” motorsports is playing a huge part in the region’s sports landscape.From NASCAR and INDYCAR returning to World Wide Technology Raceway to major dirt racing events at Federated Auto Parts Raceway and Tri-City Speedway, the motorsports scene in St. Louis has never been bigger. With that in mind, a massive new event June 24-25 at Federated Auto Parts Raceway aims to draw fans of multiple disciplines of racing. Do you like Dirt Late Models? Check. Like Non-Wing Sprint Cars? Check. Like DIRTcar UMP Modifieds? Check. Like a good time with friends at the track? Check. The one event that checks all the boxes for dirt racing fans is the all-new St. Louis Firecracker Faceoff. It features a showdown with the World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Models taking on the DIRTcar Summer Nationals Late Models for $10,000 on Friday, June 24, and $20,000 on Saturday, June 25. In addition, the new Xtreme Outlaw Sprint Cars presented by Low-E Insulation and the DIRTcar Summit Racing Equipment Modifieds will also be in action with their unique styles of racing on the fan-favorite high-banked, 1/3-mile oval just down Interstate 55 from Busch Stadium. Current World of Outlaws CASE Late Models championship leader and three-time DIRTcar Summer Nationals champion Dennis Erb Jr. aims to capture the magic again on the 1/3-mile oval, having won there in 2012. Plus, a couple of other drivers with roots in the DIRTcar Summer Nationals who are now competing on the World of Outlaws tour — Gordy Gundaker and Kyle Hammer — hope to score their first wins at the track and with the World of Outlaws. They’ll battle DIRTcar Summer Nationals stars past and present, which are expected to include Shannon Babb, Brian Shirley, and Frank Heckenast Jr. While the Late Model showdown will be in the spotlight, the Xtreme Outlaw Sprints presented by Low-E Insulation will make its debut at the iconic track with two chances for drivers to etch their names in the record book. The Non-Wing Sprint Car drivers will battle for a potential $11,000 payday with $5,000-to-win on Friday and $6,000 on Saturday. After three races in the Series’ inaugural season, C.J. Leary has a leg up on the competition, scoring two Xtreme wins and three top-five finishes. The Greenfield, IN driver, hopes to keep that momentum rolling in Pevely. Then, the most popular racers in Illinois hit the track as the DIRTcar Summit Racing Equipment Modified Nationals stars complete the four Series extravaganza in Pevely. Modified drivers throughout the Midwest hope to try and end defending champion Nick Hoffman’s reign with a star-studded win at I-55. Don’t miss your chance to see the World of Outlaws CASE Late Models take on the DIRTcar Summer Nationals to see who takes home bragging rights from the first-ever St. Louis Firecracker Faceoff. TICKETS: https://bit.ly/3P7r3qS If you can’t make it to the tracks, watch all the action live on DIRTVision – either online on 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, Slick Woody’s (Quick Time Award), 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 |
CHEVROLET AT VIRGINIA
| What: Virginia NHRA NationalsWhen: Friday, May 13-Sunday, May 15Where: Virginia Motorsports Park in North Dinwiddie, VirginiaTV: FS1 will telecast eliminations at 6:30 p.m. ET May 15 Chevrolet seeks to carry momentum to Virginia trackJohn Force Racing has recorded five victories in six Top Fuel and Funny Car events |
| DETROIT (May 12, 2022) – John Force doesn’t plan to slow down. When the 16-time National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Funny Car champion can crack a .05-of-a-second light, blast off to a 335.07 mph run in the 11,000 horsepower PEAK BlueDEF Platinum Chevrolet Camaro SS and keep winning, why should he? Even at age 73. |
LINCOLN LEGACY: Jacob Allen & Shark Racing Score Special Win at Home Track
Jacob Allen is Fourth Family Member of Shark Racing to Win at Lincoln Speedway
ABBOTTSTOWN, PA – May 11, 2022 – The Fabulous Lincoln Speedway has been hosting Sprint Car races for 60 seasons in the heart of Pennsylvania’s Pigeon Hills, and the Allen family has been winning at the track for more than five decades.
On Wednesday night, that synonymous relationship of Shark Racing stars at the Abbottstown, PA 1/3-mile took the next step with the next generation.
Leading the final 12 laps thanks to brilliant craftsmanship in lap traffic, Jacob Allen of nearby Hanover, PA earned his first-ever victory at his home track, located a whopping six minutes from the Shark Racing shop. To make it even sweeter, he did it against arguably the toughest field of the year with 55 World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars in action.
Allen’s win in the Dura MAX Oil / Drydene Performance Products Gettysburg Clash is already his second of the 2022 season, and the third of his storybook career with The Greatest Show on Dirt. He’s the fourth member of his legendary family to win at Lincoln Speedway with his dad Bobby Allen (75 wins), nephew Logan Schuchart (2 wins), and uncle Joey Allen (1 win) previously tasting victory at the local land.
In the 50th Series race at Lincoln, Bobby & Jacob Allen also became the third father/son duo to win with the World of Outlaws at the track, joining another pair of iconic Pennsylvania racing families in Steve & Stevie Smith and Fred & Freddie Rahmer.
“I feel like the moral of my entire racing career is never give up,” Allen told an ecstatic crowd at Lincoln Speedway. “If anyone has followed me, you know I could have easily called it quits through all the struggles, all the bad times, all the poor finishes, but I never did. This shows that with a great family, a great team, and a great attitude you can make it happen one day.
“This is just so amazing. I can’t tell you how surreal it feels to look around and see all of these people cheering for me. I’m so damn happy. It makes me feel even better knowing I can share this with all of you.”
[Before Allen sent the hometown fans into a frenzy, the Pells Tire Service #1A was forced to maneuver from fifth to first with Outlaws, Posse, All Stars & Invaders blocking his path. The 27-year-old pilot rode around in fourth for the first 10 laps, but it was a Lap 12 restart that changed everything.
After leading laps 1-8, Anthony Macri of Dillsburg, PA succumb to Justin Peck of Monrovia, IN amid lap traffic just prior to the first restart of the race. It was that launch back to the green where Macri struggled on the high side and allowed Allen to soar into contention with Peck thanks to a big move. It was a clash of three fairytale stories with Macri & Peck both eyeing their first-career World of Outlaws win, but Allen going for his first-career Lincoln Speedway win.
The breaking point was Lap 24 as traffic ramped up and Allen closed on Peck for the top spot. He set him up through turns one and two as Peck rode high and then Allen aced the bottom of turns three and four to slide up and take it away with 11 to go. He had to survive a final restart with five laps left, but there were no issues at all as Allen cruised to a 1.336-second margin of victory.
“I knew it would be a tough call on where to go at the end,” Allen noted on the mounting pressure. “I passed Justin [Peck] on the bottom in traffic, but I knew he was super good up top. I’m glad I made the decisions that I did and we got this done. This is such a huge win.”
Although that first-career win will have to wait, it was still a phenomenal night for Justin Peck and the Buch Motorsports #13. The Monrovia, IN native set a new career-best World of Outlaws finish with his runner-up result, worth $6,000 to the All Star Circuit of Champions full-timer.
“We put a whole night together against the Outlaws, that’s big for us,” Peck added afterward. “I told Sean [Strausbaugh] that were three-to-four laps prior to getting passed that I had terrible exit and no straightaway speed, so I think that’s what hurt us the most. I knew starting up on the front row you’re kind of playing victim to be that sitting duck. It’s tough when you can’t search around, but this is a step in the right direction for us.
Rounding out the podium at Lincoln Speedway was Carson Macedo in the Jason Johnson Racing #41. The Lemoore, CA native used another consistent night to cut Brad Sweet’s championship lead down to only eight points entering Williams Grove.
“Phil [Dietz], Clyde [Knipp], and Nate [Repetz] just keep delivering some incredible race cars for me,” Macedo mentioned. I think we might’ve had a car capable of winning if some things played out better. I had to go into defense mode on that last restart and got caught up battling Spencer [Bayston]. I’m excited to get to Williams Grove and hopefully keep this momentum rolling.”
Closing out the top-10 finishers in the Gettysburg Clash was Spencer Bayston, Anthony Macri, Rico Abreu, David Gravel, Danny Dietrich, Brad Sweet & Lance Dewease.
NOS Notebook (Lincoln Speedway, 5/11/22)
Jacob Allen has now won more (twice) in six starts over the last 33 days than he did in his first 449 starts (once) over 10 years. He’s the 245th driver to add his name to the Lincoln Speedway All-Time Win List, and the fourth member of his family to do so. His victory also makes it 11 different winners in the past 11 runnings of the Gettysburg Clash.
Wednesday’s massive field of 55 entries is easily the new season-high record for car count with the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series.
Championship leader Brad Sweet finished outside the top-five for the third straight race (9th tonight) and allowed Carson Macedo to cut the gap down to eight points in the early-season chase. David Gravel also narrowed his margin to the #49 down to -26 points.
Justin Peck earned his first-career Slick Woody’s QuickTime Award on Wednesday, topping My Place Hotels Qualifying with a lap of 13.027 seconds at Lincoln Speedway. He earned a NOS Energy Drink Heat Race win as did David Gravel, Rico Abreu & Anthony Macri.
Anthony Macri won his first-career DIRTVision Fast Pass Dash, thus earning his first-career pole position, and then led his first-career lap (8 total) with the World of Outlaws.
For the second year in a row at the Gettysburg Clash, former Lincoln Speedway track champion Alan Krimes claimed the KSE Hard Charger Award with a +14 performance in the Wayne Corini CPA #87.
UP NEXT (Fri-Sat) – The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series will move the battle against the Pennsylvania Posse down the road to Williams Grove Speedway in Mechanicsburg, PA this Friday & Saturday, May 13-14 for the annual Morgan Cup. Fans can BUY TICKETS HERE, or watch every lap LIVE on DIRTVision.
NOS Energy Drink Feature Results (35 Laps) – 1. 1A-Jacob Allen [5][$10,000]; 2. 13-Justin Peck [2][$6,000]; 3. 41-Carson Macedo [6][$3,500]; 4. 5-Spencer Bayston [3][$2,800]; 5. 39M-Anthony Macri [1][$2,500]; 6. 24-Rico Abreu [4][$2,300]; 7. 2-David Gravel [7][$2,200]; 8. 48-Danny Dietrich [18][$2,100]; 9. 49-Brad Sweet [8][$2,050]; 10. 69K-Lance Dewease [13][$2,000]; 11. 1S-Logan Schuchart [11][$1,600]; 12. 83-James McFadden [20][$1,400]; 13. 15-Donny Schatz [21][$1,200]; 14. 87-Alan Krimes [28][$100]; 15. 27-Devon Borden [22][$1,050]; 16. 44-Dylan Norris [26][$]; 17. 16-Gerard McIntyre [19][$1,000]; 18. 3Z-Brock Zearfoss [15][$1,000]; 19. 18-Giovanni Scelzi [16][$1,000]; 20. 71-Buddy Kofoid [10][$1,000]; 21. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild [9][$1,000]; 22. 9-Kasey Kahne [23][$1,000]; 23. 11K-Kraig Kinser [25][$]; 24. 6-Bill Rose [27][$]; 25. 8-Freddie Rahmer [14][$1,000]; 26. 55K-Robbie Kendall [12][$1,000]; 27. 39D-Chase Dietz [24][$1,000]; 28. 19-Brent Marks [17][$1,000]. Lap Leaders: Anthony Macri 1-8, Justin Peck 9-23, Jacob Allen 24-35. KSE Hard Charger Award: 87-Alan Krimes[+14]
NEW Championship Standings (After 18/79 Races): 1. Brad Sweet (2,502); 2. Carson Macedo (-8); 3. David Gravel (-26); 4. Sheldon Haudenschild (-92); 5. Logan Schuchart (-106); 6. Spencer Bayston (-130); 7. Donny Schatz (-150); 8. James McFadden (-158); 9. Jacob Allen (-206); 10. Brock Zearfoss (-310).
World of Outlaws Late Models Kick off June with Illinois Doubleheader
The Series Visits Tri-City Speedway and The Dirt Oval at Route 66 June 3-4
PONTOON BEACH, IL – May 9, 2022 – As the calendar turns to June, the World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Model Series visits The Prairie State for the first time in 2022.
Two nights of high-octane action in Illinois start Friday, June 3, as the Series visits Tri-City Speedway in Pontoon Beach, IL. $10,000 is on the line in a 40-lap CASE Construction Equipment Feature.
It’s only the second time the Series will race at the facility—the first in 2004 when three-time Series Champion Darrell Lanigan scored a victory on its 1/2-mile configuration.
Tri-City Speedway is also the home of current World of Outlaws full-time driver Gordy Gundaker. The St. Charles, MO driver is excited to race in front of his home fans.
“Man, I can’t wait,” Gundaker said. “It’ll be so nice to go home and race my home track in front of home fans and go to a place I know. I’m obviously super excited to get there and hopefully find a way to get our first Outlaw win.”
The event at Tri-City will also be the World of Outlaws CASE Late Models debut of NASCAR star Chase Briscoe.
He plans to pull double-duty in a Late model and Sprint Car as the MOWA Sprints and UMP Modifieds join the card.
The Most Powerful Late Models on the Planet finish the weekend with a trip to the Dirt Oval at Route 66, in another 40-lap affair paying $10,000-to-win.
It’ll also be the second appearance for the Series at the Joliet, IL track after Chris Madden dominated 2017’s Chi-Town Showdown.
TICKETS: https://bit.ly/3wi1evN
Illinois driver Dennis Erb Jr. leads the World of Outlaws CASE Late Models into his home state. The Carpentersville, IL driver has a 98-point lead over Max Blair on the strength of a win, six top fives, and 11 top-10’s through 15 races.
Fellow Land of Lincoln competitor Kyle Hammer will also be in action. The Clinton, IL driver has shown he can hang with some of the best drivers in the country with a top-five at Volusia Speedway Park during DIRTcar Nationals.
Erb, Hammer, Gundaker, and the rest of the World of Outlaws hope to keep their momentum rolling as they battle toward the 2022 championship.
Cruz pedregon virginia advance
NHRA® Team Report
Virginia NHRA Nationals
Pre-Race Report
Cruz Pedregon and team are ready to win in Virginia again and have been putting in the work during the week off from the NHRA schedule to ready the car and make it happen. The Snap-on® “Makers and Fixers” Dodge® SRT® Hellcat® has been in the top five, five out of the first six 2022 races with Cruz in fifth place in the Funny Car standings.
“It’s like a prize fight, a lot of these rounds we’re trying to work our way up and get better every week…I’m getting better as a driver, the team’s getting better, so we’re really looking forward to going back to Virginia this weekend and getting after the business of winning,” says Cruz. “It will be great to be back in Richmond again, so many good times there through the years and really great events in the late 90’s. We won there in 2008 and it’s time to win again.”
During the off week, the team re-grouped at the shop while Cruz and a couple of team reps took the Snap-on Dodge to a Cleveland-area STEM high school and fired up the car to demonstrate for students the “cutting edge technology used in Funny Car drag racing vehicles.” Cruz’s quote from the event was, “I’m passionate about STEM Programs, so it was a privilege to meet the students today and explain a little more about the boundary-busting technology that we use to get our car to hit zero to 100 in under 0.8 seconds. With the quickest acceleration on the planet, Nitro Funny Cars are the king of the drag racing world.”
These future Makers and Fixers can now watch the car they saw in person this weekend during the NHRA on FOX broadcasts and check out Snap-on’s makersandfixers.com to find out more about STEM careers from hundreds of professionals already in the field who share their stories on the site.
Burton Finishes 14th at Darlington
May 8, 2022
On Sunday afternoon at Darlington Raceway, rookie Harrison Burton and the No. 21 DEX Imaging team were able to make significant mid-race gains at one of the toughest tracks in motorsports.
After starting 25th, Burton and the No. 21 Mustang were mired in 30th place at the end of the first 90-lap Stage of Sunday’s Goodyear 400 at the “Track Too Tough To Tame.” But when the checkered flag fell, they had rallied to finish a season-best 14th.
Burton didn’t gain much ground until the second Stage got underway. By Lap 185, the end of that segment, he had moved up to 20th place and was showing more speed as the race progressed.
He was running solidly inside the top 20 when a multi-car crash on a restart with 33 laps remaining scrambled the line-up.
Burton steered clear of trouble as the incident unfolded ahead of him, but flat-spotted his tires in the process, resulting in a trip to pit road for fresh rubber.
He rejoined the race in 12th place and wound up 14th at the finish, giving him the honors for being the highest finishing rookie.
Crew chief Brian Wilson described Sunday’s work by the DEX Imaging crew as “an outstanding result for the team.”
He said he, the crew and Burton are figuring out which adjustments to the No. 21 Mustang are best suited for Burton’s driving style.
“We are continuing to build the team and making progress on giving Harrison the feel he’s looking for,” Wilson said, adding that a successful performance at Darlington comes at a good time for the team. “It’s something we can build on heading into a stretch of similar, intermediate tracks at Kansas, Texas and Charlotte.
And, Wilson said, a top-15 finish also gives the team a bump up in the points standings, from 31st to 29th.
Burton and the DEX Imaging team now head to Kansas Speedway for the AdventHealth 400 on May 15.
TENNESEE THUNDER: Marlar Nets $50,000 in Dairyland Showdown Finale
It’s the Winfield, TN driver’s 9th Career World of Outlaws Victory
FOUNTAIN CITY, WI – May 7, 2022 – Mike Marlar found himself in a position to capitalize Saturday at Mississippi Thunder Speedway.
The 2018 World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Model Series Champion was in second with seven laps to go when heartbreak struck race leader Tyler Bruening.
As the 2021 Rookie of the Year caught the tail of the field, he tangled with Lance Mathees, sending them both spinning in Turn 2.
Marlar inherited the lead from Bruening and held on to win the $50,000 prize in the Dairyland Showdown finale.
The Winfield, TN driver started on the pole and tried to conserve his Longhorn chassis early in the 75-lap Feature. That strategy almost cost him as Tyler Erb swung around the outside to take the lead on Lap 19.
“I was kind of milking it there the first part of the race, trying to conserve my tires,” Marlar said. “I was just trying to keep a distance and not kill my tires, and I just messed up. I was driving too easy, and I just let [Tyler Erb] get to my outside and pass me, and after that, it was a long race.”
The “Winfield Warrior” admitted luck played into the race’s outcome, being in a position to strike after he passed Erb back with 16 laps to go.
“[The win] fell back in my lap; I definitely got lucky to end up winning it,” Marlar said. “I hate it for Tyler Bruening, he definitely was deserving of the win there, and it just didn’t work out for him.
“Hopefully, if he stays after it and keeps working hard, he’s definitely going to get some [wins].”
The Dairyland Showdown win is Marlar’s 10th career World of Outlaws win and first of 2022.
Tyler Erb crossed the line second, his second podium finish in as many days. The New Waverly, TX driver battled with Tyler Bruening for the lead before relinquishing the top spot.
“I knew Bruening was underneath me there, and we really raced hard and clean,” Erb said. “I kept getting lower in [Turns] 3 and 4, and then in [Turns] 1 and 2, I’d kind of washout, and never got quite low enough to where I needed to be.
“We raced back and forth for four or five laps, and I finally got clear, but I drove in too hard into 1 and 2, and that’s how I realized how rubbered it was. I just got back in line and unfortunately had a caution, and Mikey [Marlar] got by me on the [Lap 59] restart.”
Josh Richards finished third, his first top-five of the 2022 season. The four-time Series champion stated he feels it’s a step in the right direction for the Boom Briggs-owned team.
“It feels like a win,” Richards said. “This year’s been a struggle, to say the least. The team hasn’t stopped, there’s a lot of heart and determination, and thankfully we’re able to have a nice, solid run tonight, and hopefully, we have something to build on.”
James Giossi, from Hudson, WI, crossed the line fourth—his first top-five with the World of Outlaws CASE Late Models. “Nitro” was happy just to make the Feature, let alone score a top-five finish.
“I would’ve taken the [$2,000] just to start,” Giossi said. “We got lucky there at the beginning, and the cards kind of went our way. Our car was pretty good; our pro-powered MB Customs was rolling along pretty well.
“It still hasn’t set in yet, but anytime you can run in the top five or top 10 with these guys, they do it for a living, and they’re the best at what they do, so coming home fourth tonight really made the weekend.”
Series points leader Dennis Erb Jr. finished fifth. The Carpentersville, IL driver started 18th, needing every lap to crack the top five.
“We didn’t have a good heat race, but we made some adjustments, and the car was real good in that [Last Chance Showdown],” Erb said. “Starting that far back, I was getting nervous, but we had a good enough car to work our way up through there, so we’re just glad to get up into the top-five for sure.”
Erb also extended his points lead for the third straight night—98 points ahead of Max Blair.
UP NEXT: The World of Outlaws CASE Late Models make their first Northeast swing of the season with a three-race weekend in Pennsylvania. The Series visits Bloomsburg Fair Raceway on Thursday, May 19, Marion Center Raceway on Friday, May 20, and Port Royal Speedway on Saturday, May 21.
CASE CONSTRUCTION EQUIPMENT FEATURE- 75 Laps- 1. 157-Mike Marlar[1]; 2. 1T-Tyler Erb[3]; 3. 1-Josh Richards[21]; 4. 11J-James Giossi[9]; 5. 28-Dennis Erb Jr[18]; 6. 20-Jimmy Owens[7]; 7. 97-Cade Dillard[8]; 8. 19R-Ryan Gustin[13]; 9. 49T-Jake Timm[10]; 10. 49-Jonathan Davenport[2]; 11. 18C-Chase Junghans[14]; 12. 25S-Chad Simpson[19]; 13. B1-Brent Larson[24]; 14. 18-Shannon Babb[17]; 15. 81E-Tanner English[23]; 16. 7X-Jesse Glenz[22]; 17. 45-Kyle Hammer[26]; 18. B9-Brandon Sheppard[4]; 19. 32P-Bobby Pierce[6]; 20. 16-Tyler Bruening[5]; 21. 99B-Boom Briggs[27]; 22. 77-Jordan Yaggy[11]; 23. 90-Lance Matthees[25]; 24. 58-Garrett Alberson[20]; 25. 111V-Max Blair[15]; 26. 2S-Stormy Scott[16]; 27. 99JR-Frank Heckenast Jr[12] FOX FACTORY HARD CHARGER: Josh Richards [+18]
BRITTANY FORCE AND FLAV-R-PAC PLAN TO GROW POINTS LEAD AT VIRGINIA NHRA NATIONALS
| DINWIDDIE, Va. (May 11, 2022) – Sitting at the top of the NHRA points standings, Brittany Force and the Flav-R-Pac / Monster Energy team are looking to continue their early season success at the Virginia NHRA Nationals at Virginia Motorsports Park with a third victory at just the seventh event on the Camping World Drag Racing Series schedule. Force and the Flav-R-Pac team capitalized on their consistency at the first four-wide event of the season, the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, with a dominant victory. It was her first win at the spring Vegas race and set her up to enter the SpringNationals sitting a measly four points out of the lead. With a close to flawless performance at Houston Raceway Park, Force took the points lead and despite a second-quad exit at zMAX Dragway for it’s Four-Wide Nationals, Force maintains the lead by 17 points. “Richmond is next on the list and after a couple of years away, our Flav-R-Pac / Monster Energy team is excited to return,” Force said. “We head into the Virginia Motorsports Park in the points lead after back-to-back wins and are looking to leave in the same position. Our goals are to qualify in the top three, make three consistent qualifying runs and have a long race day so we can grow that points lead.” Force has made two starts at the Virginia Nationals, No. 2 in 2018 and a No. 3 in 2019, the last time the event was contested. Virginia Motorsports Park is one of only five tracks at which Force and her Flav-R-Pac / Monster Energy dragster don’t own either the track ET or speed record. She currently is the ET record holder at 10 of the 17 tracks that host events in the series and the speed record holder at eight. Qualifying at the Virginia NHRA Nationals at Virginia Motorsports Park begins Friday with a night session at 8:10 p.m. and continues Saturday at 1:30 and 4:30 p.m. Eliminations are slated for Sunday at noon. The Virginia NHRA Nationals will be televised on FOX Sports 1 (FS1) beginning with a qualifying show Saturday at 10:30 p.m. ET and a second qualifying show Sunday at 9:00 a.m. ET. Finals coverage will air Sunday at 6:30 p.m. ET. |
ROBERT HIGHT AND AUTO CLUB LOOKING FOR POINTS LEAD AT VIRGINIA NHRA NATIONALS
| DINWIDDIE, Va. (May 11, 2022) – Three-time world champion Robert Hight and the Automobile Club of Southern California Chevrolet Camaro SS team have kept themselves top two in the points standings through six events on the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series schedule. A victory at this weekend’s Virginia NHRA Nationals at Virginia Motorsports Park will put Hight and the Auto Club team back on top. After winning the season opening Winternationals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona, Calif. and the Arizona Nationals at Phoenix, Hight went onto secure the No. 1 qualifying position at the Gatornationals in Gainesville and then went No. 2 in Houston before a second-round exit. The Auto Club Chevy kept up its consistency racing to a runner-up finish at zMAX Dragway for the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals, beaten by only teammate and boss John Force. The steady performance from Hight and his Auto Club team has kept them second in the points standings, now just 22 points away from leader Matt Hagan. “It’s been a decent start to the season for this Auto Club team. We’ve had some consistency which is what we lacked last year,” Hight said. “We just need to keep it going. There’s room for improvement, there’s always room for improvement and I think this team has high expectations. Jimmy Prock and Christ Cunningham are two of the best so it’s hard not to be confident with them on your side. I’m looking forward to seeing what we can do in Richmond. Really glad to be heading back after a couple years. Hopefully we can pull out a win and get this Auto Club Chevy in the winners circle and back in the points lead.” Hight is the track record holder for speed at Virginia Motorsports Park at 326.32 mph (May 17, 2019). The Virginia Nationals is the only event in which Robert hasn’t either reached the final round or qualified No. 1 in his Auto Club Chevrolet SS. In five starts at Virginia Motorsports Park, Hight has advanced as far as the second round but holds the track speed record at 326.32 mph from May 17, 2019, the last time the Virginia NHRA Nationals were contested. Qualifying at the Virginia NHRA Nationals at Virginia Motorsports Park begins Friday with a night session at 8:10 p.m. and continues Saturday at 1:30 and 4:30 p.m. Eliminations are slated for Sunday at noon. The Virginia NHRA Nationals will be televised on FOX Sports 1 (FS1) beginning with a qualifying show Saturday at 10:30 p.m. ET and a second qualifying show Sunday at 9:00 a.m. ET. Finals coverage will air Sunday at 6:30 p.m. ET. |
Burton Headed to Kansas Hoping To Build on Darlington Speed
May 11, 2022
With his confidence boosted by the speed he and the No. 21 DEX Imaging team found at Darlington, Harrison Burton is headed to Kansas Speedway with renewed determination to step up his and the team’s performance.
“I think there’s been some growing pains there, and I feel like now we’re getting rolling in the right direction,” Burton said on a call with reporters Wednesday morning. “So I’m excited to get back to the race track and hopefully be in that spot to try and contend for wins and just take it one step at a time and get some top 10s, get some top fives and build there.”
He said last Sunday’s Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway, which saw him have his best Cup run to date, leads him to believe he and the DEX Imaging team are on the verge of a significant improvement in performance.
“It’s like the first time where I wasn’t uncomfortable in this race car, which is pretty wild when you think about it,” he said. “This [Next Gen] is a hard race car to drive, which is great for our sport, I think.
“When you hit it right, it drives really well, so we had some notes to build off of now, things that I like…and hopefully that can carry over.
“For me, it was like, ‘Oh my gosh, I can finally get be aggressive in this car.’ I hadn’t felt that yet, and now I kind of feel like we’ll be able to replicate that and go get after it more.”
Burton said that having been to several different kinds of race tracks this season gives him and crew chief Brian Wilson some notes to use in preparing for upcoming events.
“Now we’re going to places that you can relate to other places and when we first started with the car it was Daytona, California, Vegas, Phoenix, all different tracks,” he said. “Every time we went there it was kind of a guess.”
“Now we have a notebook of every kind of race track that you could think of, and we can go try to build off of that and show up off the truck closer than what we have been in the past.”
And he said that he, Wilson and the rest of his team members, who are rookies at their positions in the Cup series are trying to start to benefit from the experiences they’ve had so far.
“I think the first few weeks were pretty eye-opening for us about what was so different about Cup from Xfinity,” he said. “Then you look at us now, and we feel like we’re in a rhythm of we know our jobs. We know what we’re responsible for. We know what the other person is kind of thinking before they say it now, and so that’s really good.
“As a team, I think we’ve really grown.”
He also said it’s been good to know for the team to know that their car owners, the Wood Brothers, have had their backs through the early season struggles.
“The biggest positive for me has just been getting to know the Wood family and learning about their history and trying to represent them well has been really cool,” he said. “Something that I’ll always remember is their support in us and belief in us as a group has never wavered, and the same with our relationship with the Penske organization as an alliance team.
“That group has been really helpful for us and believes in us.”
Practice for the AdventHealth 400 at Kansas Speedway is is set for Saturday at 3 p.m. (4 p.m. Eastern Time) to be followed by qualifying at 3:35 (4:35 Eastern).
Sunday’s 267-lap, 400-mile race is scheduled to start just after 2 p.m. (3 p.m. Eastern Time) with TV coverage on FOX Sports 1.
Stage breaks are planned for Laps 80 and 165.
AUSTIN PROCK AND MONTANA BRAND / RMT ON THE RIGHTTRACK HEADING TO VIRGINIA NHRA NATIONALS
| DINWIDDIE, Va. (May 11, 2022) – Making just his second appearance in the Virginia NHRA Nationals at Virginia Motorsports Park, Austin Prock is trying to regain the form that took him and the Montana Brand / Rocky Mountain Twist dragster team to the final round in the season-opening Winternationals at Pomona, Calif. With a new crew for 2022 anchored by crew chiefs Joe Barlam and Rahn Tobler, the 2019 NHRA Rookie-of-the-Year is in search of consistency after glimpses of the performance they’ve been working so hard for. As of late, the Montana Brand team have been edging up the points standings. Prock comes into the Virginia NHRA Nationals seventh in the Camping World Drag Racing Series points although he is just 41 points (roughly two rounds) out of the No. 5 position. “It was a good weekend off celebrating Mother’s Day, always nice to spend time with family and friends, but this Montana Brand team is excited to get back to business,” Prock said. “We’ve been getting this car back into winning form and can’t wait to see what our performance looks like this weekend. Hoping the weather holds off, and we can put on a showing for our awesome NHRA fans. We haven’t been back to Richmond since my rookie season, so it’ll be great to be back.” In 2019, Prock raced the Montana Brand / RMT dragster to a second-round exit at Virginia Motorsports Park. Prock will be looking for just his second career victory when he heads to Richmond. The third-generation racer is also in search of his first No. 1 qualifying position. Qualifying at the Virginia NHRA Nationals at Virginia Motorsports Park begins Friday with a night session at 8:10 p.m. and continues Saturday at 1:30 and 4:30 p.m. Eliminations are slated for Sunday at noon. The Virginia NHRA Nationals will be televised on FOX Sports 1 (FS1) beginning with a qualifying show Saturday at 10:30 p.m. ET and a second qualifying show Sunday at 9:00 a.m. ET. Finals coverage will air Sunday at 6:30 p.m. ET. |
JOHN FORCE AND PEAK / BLUEDEF CONTINUING TO BUILDCONSISTENCY HEADING TO VIRGINIA NHRA NATIONALS
| DINWIDDIE, Va. (May 11, 2022) – Having raced his PEAK / BlueDEF PLATINUM Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car into fourth in the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series points standings after his second consecutive win at zMAX Dragway’s Four-Wide Nationals, John Force heads to the Virginia NHRA Nationals at Virginia Motorsports Park with regained confidence. Coming off a victory just two weeks ago in Charlotte that extended to 34 the number of seasons in which he has won at least one NHRA tour event, Force returns this week a year older (73) to Virginia Motorsports Park. It’s a track on which he has won a career best 78.8 percent of his two-car matches (26-7) on the way to Funny Car wins in 1995, 1996, 1999 and 2000. He is the track record holder at 3.899-seconds, a mark he set on May 17, 2019, the last time the race was contested. “I’m excited to be heading back to Richmond. Love the area, love the fans, love that track. I know it’s been a couple of years so it’s going to be exciting,” Force said. “We’ll be really trying to put on a show, maybe set some more records. I’m feeling good coming off a win. The credit really goes to Danny Hood and Tim Fabrisi who run the PEAK BlueDEF Chevy. I know drivers always get all the credit, but it really is those guys and the whole team that help get the job done, couldn’t do it without them.” Sixteenth in points after the season-opening Winternationals at Pomona, Calif., Force will start qualifying his PEAK Chevy Camaro SS on Friday in fourth place behind Matt Hagan, teammate Robert Hight and reigning World Champion Ron Capps. In addition to 2019, John also was the No. 1 qualifier at Virginia in 1996, 1997, 1998 and 2000. Qualifying at the Virginia NHRA Nationals at Virginia Motorsports Park begins Friday with a night session at 8:10 p.m. and continues Saturday at 1:30 and 4:30 p.m. Eliminations are slated for Sunday at noon. The Virginia NHRA Nationals will be televised on FOX Sports 1 (FS1) beginning with a qualifying show Saturday at 10:30 p.m. ET and a second qualifying show Sunday at 9:00 a.m. ET. Finals coverage will air Sunday at 6:30 p.m. ET. |
Heading to Richmond Michael Handras Finds Redemption and First Wally in Super Comp at Charlotte
BROOKLYN, NY (May 10, 2022) — After a runner up finish due to an -.002 redlight last October in Charlotte, Michael Handras returned to ZMax Dragway two weeks ago determined to redeem himself and did just that in his debut race with new primary sponsor VP Racing Fuels and Lubricants.
The reigning Division One Super Gas Champion, who calls Brooklyn home, is fielding three cars this season in partnership with Duane Shields Racing. With a new hauler, new sponsors, and full-time crew member Jason Oteri joining the team, Handras’ win is the first National Event win in a career that spans more than 15 years.
Michael Handras Charlotte winner
“We had a great car this weekend,” said Handras. “The Eastburn’s put this dragster together for me last year and I knew if I did my part, we’d get to the winner’s circle sooner than later. Having Jason Oteri on board to dial it in at ZMax was key as we continued to advance through the weekend.”
Handras squared off with Jeremy Mason in round four, who had eliminated him in Super Gas earlier in the day. “Racing Jeremy I knew I had to bring my A-game. I always have to bring it, but with Jeremy I knew I had to be sharp. He is one of the best.”
Another close race in the semi-finals against Mitchell Harkey set up a final round square off with multi-Lucas Oil Drag Racing Championship winner John Labbous. Handras grabbed the lead in the final with a .008 to .016 reaction time advantage over Labbous. Labbous took .009 at the finish line, breaking out with an 8.892 and handing the win to Handras who ran 8.909.
Michael Handras
“I’ve raced John a couple of times and it’s no secret he is one of the best in the sport. We were fortunate to have a consistent car and luck on our side this weekend to get us to the winner circle. I’ve been chasing this Wally in Super Comp since 2014 and wanted this particular win so badly after runner-upping last fall,” added Handras.
Handras grew up at Long Island Dragway where his family owned and operated the concession stands. “Mikey” quickly gave up his dreams of being a collegiate swimmer to get behind the wheel in Super Street in 2007. He continued in both Top Sportsman and Pro Mod until starting his own Super Comp Operation in 2014.
“We made a couple of changes over the winter to make the car more consistent including switching back to VP Race Fuel Q15,” said Handras. “Winning our first race under the VP umbrella was a great way to launch our multi-year partnership.”
“There are so many people behind the scenes to thank when you finally make it to the winner’s circle and I don’t plan on missing one. Thanks to my family, Duane and Betsy Shields who have been a huge part of my race program. Billy Rieck, Liz Esteban and Jeff Stricker from VP Race Fuel and Lubricants, Shane Sweigart at Competitive Suspension, Lee and Barb at C2 Converter & Machine, Kyle and Kenny from NitroFish, everyone at JEGS, NGK, Hoopes Fire Prevention, and Muscle Milk. Thanks to Bill Frederick and Larry Strickland at Elite Chassis Fabrication, Scotty G Race Engines, Gary Stinett, Jake and Kelli Barbato, Joseph Charles Gallucci III and Joseph Gallucci Jr., Michele Costa and Rich Rose, Duke Bodnar, John Murphy Jr., Harry Pappas, Colin Richards, Paul Stalba, Genti Smaci, Logan Klein, Scott McCracken, Travis Shumake, Christopher Mullins, Bo Smith, Frank Anthony Volpe, my stepbrothers Cory Ream, Chase Ream and Mike Bodnar, Tinker, the Eastburns, McAuleys, Letelliers, Tavares, Frickes, Iaconos, Richards, Kenny’s, Volpes and Davidowskis. I couldn’t have done this without any of you,” added Handras.
Coming off this win, Handras has added the upcoming Virginia Nationals to his calendar in hopes of keeping the momentum alive and will field entries in both Super Comp and Super Gas.
MILLION DOLLAR DREAM: Eldora Immortality on the Line for DIRTcar Late Models
The Best Drivers in the Country are set to battle for Four nights at “The House That Earl Built”
ROSSBURG, OH – May 10, 2022 – Nestled in a small Western, OH town, Eldora Speedway sets the stage for one of the biggest weeks in Dirt Late Model History.
While the second week of June usually means drivers work to make their “Dream” a reality—2022 boasts a life-changing prize.
The Eldora Million returns to “The House that Earl Built” June 8-9, a dollar amount only given out once in the track’s storied history. From Dresden, OH, Donnie Moran scored his Million Dollar triumph in 2001, passing Martinsville, IN driver Don O’Neal for the victory in 2001, etching his place in history as “The Million Dollar Man.”
More than 20 years later, the sons of both drivers (Devin Moran and Hudson O’Neal) are part of a new generation of stars set to battle on the famed 1/2-mile, with a $1,022,022 prize on the line on June 9.
The battle for the Million starts on Wednesday, June 8, under an Every Lap Matters Format.
Drivers accumulate points during Qualifying, Heat Races, and twin $12,000-to-win Features. Those points determine the lineups for Eldora’s traditional six Heat Races on Thursday, June 9, battling to enter the 100-lap Eldora Million.
While one driver will put his name in the record books as the second man to win a million dollars, the week doesn’t end there.
Friday, June 10, marks the start of the 28th Dirt Late Model Dream, another 100-lap affair paying $128,000-to-win on Saturday, June 11.
Drivers will follow the same traditional format for two nights, hoping to end their week on the iconic Eldora Stage.
TICKETS: https://bit.ly/3M4EXrR
Crown Jewel events at Eldora in 2021 boasted two winners, including one who reached the peak for this first time and backed it up twice.
Brandon Overton swept the two Dirt Late Model Dream’s in 2021, along with two preliminary Feature wins throughout the week. He also won the 51st World 100 last September, showing he has the chance to be a dominant force at the Ohio facility.
Last season, Jonathan Davenport was the other Eldora winner, capturing the 50th World 100—his fifth Crown Jewel win at the track.
Both drivers are off to fast starts in 2022. Overton scored his seventh win of the season last weekend at East Alabama Speedway, while Davenport won his fourth event of the year at Mississippi Thunder Speedway.
Those two drivers will have to contend with a pair of Illinois standouts currently leading their respective National Tours.
Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series points leader Brandon Sheppard, like Overton, has seven wins so far in 2022. The New Berlin, IL driver, is searching for his second Crown Jewel win at Eldora after capturing the Dirt Late Model Dream in 2019.
His Illinois companion Dennis Erb Jr. also has a Dirt Late Model Dream Victory—his triumph coming in 2016. The World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Model Series points leader has three wins in 2022, including one on a half-mile at Volusia Speedway Park.
Another driver to watch is the son of “The Million Dollar Man,” Devin Moran. The Dresden, OH driver has three wins in 2022 and a “Big Gator” trophy from DIRTcar Nationals at Volusia. But one thing has eluded the “Mailman” in his career, a win at Eldora.
Moran hopes to break the so-called “Moran curse” at the track, as neither Donnie nor Devin has won since the elder Moran’s million-dollar triumph.
Those drivers lead a contingent of several contenders like McDowell, Madden, Bloomquist, Marlar, McCreadie, Pierce, and more, hoping to etch their names in history during the richest week Dirt Late Model racing has to offer.
MILLION DOLLAR DREAM: Eldora Immortality on the Line for DIRTcar Late Models
The Best Drivers in the Country are set to battle for Four nights at “The House That Earl Built”
ROSSBURG, OH – May 10, 2022 – Nestled in a small Western, OH town, Eldora Speedway sets the stage for one of the biggest weeks in Dirt Late Model History.
While the second week of June usually means drivers work to make their “Dream” a reality—2022 boasts a life-changing prize.
The Eldora Million returns to “The House that Earl Built” June 8-9, a dollar amount only given out once in the track’s storied history. From Dresden, OH, Donnie Moran scored his Million Dollar triumph in 2001, passing Martinsville, IN driver Don O’Neal for the victory in 2001, etching his place in history as “The Million Dollar Man.”
More than 20 years later, the sons of both drivers (Devin Moran and Hudson O’Neal) are part of a new generation of stars set to battle on the famed 1/2-mile, with a $1,022,022 prize on the line on June 9.
The battle for the Million starts on Wednesday, June 8, under an Every Lap Matters Format.
Drivers accumulate points during Qualifying, Heat Races, and twin $12,000-to-win Features. Those points determine the lineups for Eldora’s traditional six Heat Races on Thursday, June 9, battling to enter the 100-lap Eldora Million.
While one driver will put his name in the record books as the second man to win a million dollars, the week doesn’t end there.
Friday, June 10, marks the start of the 28th Dirt Late Model Dream, another 100-lap affair paying $128,000-to-win on Saturday, June 11.
Drivers will follow the same traditional format for two nights, hoping to end their week on the iconic Eldora Stage.
TICKETS: https://bit.ly/3M4EXrR
Crown Jewel events at Eldora in 2021 boasted two winners, including one who reached the peak for this first time and backed it up twice.
Brandon Overton swept the two Dirt Late Model Dream’s in 2021, along with two preliminary Feature wins throughout the week. He also won the 51st World 100 last September, showing he has the chance to be a dominant force at the Ohio facility.
Last season, Jonathan Davenport was the other Eldora winner, capturing the 50th World 100—his fifth Crown Jewel win at the track.
Both drivers are off to fast starts in 2022. Overton scored his seventh win of the season last weekend at East Alabama Speedway, while Davenport won his fourth event of the year at Mississippi Thunder Speedway.
Those two drivers will have to contend with a pair of Illinois standouts currently leading their respective National Tours.
Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series points leader Brandon Sheppard, like Overton, has seven wins so far in 2022. The New Berlin, IL driver, is searching for his second Crown Jewel win at Eldora after capturing the Dirt Late Model Dream in 2019.
His Illinois companion Dennis Erb Jr. also has a Dirt Late Model Dream Victory—his triumph coming in 2016. The World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Model Series points leader has three wins in 2022, including one on a half-mile at Volusia Speedway Park.
Another driver to watch is the son of “The Million Dollar Man,” Devin Moran. The Dresden, OH driver has three wins in 2022 and a “Big Gator” trophy from DIRTcar Nationals at Volusia. But one thing has eluded the “Mailman” in his career, a win at Eldora.
Moran hopes to break the so-called “Moran curse” at the track, as neither Donnie nor Devin has won since the elder Moran’s million-dollar triumph.
Those drivers lead a contingent of several contenders like McDowell, Madden, Bloomquist, Marlar, McCreadie, Pierce, and more, hoping to etch their names in history during the richest week Dirt Late Model racing has to offer.