Final Appearances of 2022 in New Mexico, Oklahoma & Texas

VADO, NM – March 22, 2022 – The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars have a long way to go, and a short time to get there.

Following the conclusion of the California swing this weekend, The Greatest Show on Dirt has a 10-hour haul to find the first-midweek show of the year, and then another 10-hour drive from there to hit the weekend destination as April begins.

It’s a three-race trip through three states over five days with some historical significance along the way.

Included in next week’s schedule is the debut of New Mexico’s Vado Speedway Park on Tuesday, March 29, the Series’ only visit to Oklahoma at Lawton Speedway on Friday, April 1, and a $20,000 payday in the DuraMAX/Drydene Texas Outlaw Nationals at Devil’s Bowl Speedway on Saturday, April 2.

VADO TICKETS (Tues, March 29)
LAWTON TICKETS (Fri, April 1)
DEVIL’S BOWL TICKETS (Sat, April 2)

Leading the charge into the week is current championship leader David Gravel aboard the Big Game Motorsports #2. The Watertown, CT native is enjoying the spoils of controlling the points for the first time in his career thanks to a stellar start to 2022 with one win and six top-fives through the opening eight races. The 29-year-old star will be going for his first win at both Lawton and Devil’s Bowl, and particularly loves visiting new venues like Vado.

“I think it’s great for our Series and our sport to venture out and give these new places a chance,” Gravel said. “Especially when it comes to a place like Vado, I think everything we’ve seen has shown this is a state-of-the-art facility we’re heading into. I’m excited to meet a bunch of new fans and keep the momentum rolling with our team.”

The beauty of a brand new track means the best Sprint Car drivers and teams in the world will be unloading at Vado with a clean sheet and no notes to reference. However, it’s not entirely new to 10-time Series champion Donny Schatz. The Tony Stewart/Curb-Agajanian Racing driver has competed at the Vado 3/8-mile in his dirt late model but has yet to rip around the joint in his Ford Performance, Carquest #15.

Schatz, along with Gravel, will be eyeing his first win at Lawton Speedway when the Series visits the Sooner State for the first and only time in 2022 on Friday, April 1. Lemoore, CA native Carson Macedo, who has already recorded two wins this year with Jason Johnson Racing, enters as the defending winner at the Oklahoma oval.

That Friday night April Fools showdown will mark the only home state race for Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year contender, Noah Gass. The Mounds, OK 18-year-old has continued to commit to the Series’ steep learning curve and could potentially use his run back home as a momentum booster to his first-career top-10 finish.

“You know Lawton is still kind of unfamiliar territory being three hours from my house, but it will still be nice to be back in Oklahoma and around friends and family again,” Gass said. “It’s been a tough, but rewarding season so far. There’s nothing easy about racing at new tracks every night all while going against the best Sprint Car drivers in the world.”

On Saturday, April 2, the World of Outlaws awaits a $20,000-to-win showdown at the DurMAX/Drydene Texas Outlaw Nationals. It’s a homecoming of sorts at Devil’s Bowl Speedway, the site of the first-ever race in Series history on March 18, 1978. Donny Schatz and Brad Sweet are both former winners in Mesquite, TX, but one man in specific has ruled the 1/2-mile of late.

Logan Schuchart of Hanover, PA enters with three consecutive wins at Devil’s Bowl aboard the Shark Racing, DuraMAX, Drydene #1S. The 30-time World of Outlaws winner will pass his grandfather Bobby Allen on the All-Time Win List with his next victory and still has Sammy Swindell’s Devil’s Bowl record of five-straight wins within sight.

“There’s just something magical about that place,” Schuchart spoke on Devil’s Bowl. “I really appreciate the history of our sport and Devil’s Bowl is kind of like hallowed grounds to me when you think of the first-ever World of Outlaws race. We’ve really hit our stride there and hopefully can keep that streak going next week. Every race is important, but you always feel a little extra motivation when you see more money on the line.”

Other full-time Outlaws to watch next week include Sheldon Haudenschild in the Stenhouse Jr. Marshall Racing #17, James McFadden in the Roth Motorsports #83, and Spencer Bayston in the CJB Motorsports #5, among others.

That’s only a small preview of the many contenders in action next week. For fans unable to attend, you can watch every lap LIVE on DIRTVision.

DEVIL’S BOWL SPEEDWAY WINNERS (91 races):
19 wins – Sammy Swindell
16 wins – Steve Kinser
6 wins – Mark Kinser
5 wins – Gary Wright
4 wins – Danny Lasoski
3 wins – Andy Hillenburg, Bobby Davis Jr, Daryn Pittman, Donny Schatz, Doug Wolfgang, Joey Saldana, Logan Schuchart
2 wins – Dave Blaney, Jeff Swindell, Ron Shuman, Shane Stewart, Stevie Smith
1 win – Bobby Allen, Brad Doty, Brad Furr, Brad Sweet, Craig Dollansky, Danny Smith, Jason Johnson, Jimmy Boyd, Tim Green, Tyler Walker

LAWTON SPEEDWAY WINNERS (10 races):
3 wins – Steve Kinser, Sammy Swindell
1 win – Carson Macedo, Daryn Pittman, Jeff Swindell, Rick Ferkel

Watkins, Bailes, Ferguson separated by 40 points with three races left NICHOLS, SC – March 22, 2022 – A storm of Southeastern Super Late Model talent is brewing in South Carolina this weekend. For the first time in its history, the Drydene Xtreme DIRTcar Series faces three races in three days to close the season and crown a champion. It all begins this Thursday, March 24, with a return to Lake View Motor Speedway before the first-ever matchup against the national touring superstars of the World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Model Series on Friday-Saturday, March 25-26, at Cherokee Speedway in the second-annual Rock Gault Memorial. After five races, the points battle has reached a fever pitch. Ben Watkins, Ross Bailes and Carson Ferguson are all in the thick of a winter-long quest for their first Xtreme Series title; none willing to give an inch before the final checkered flag falls Saturday night. To the victor go the spoils – $15,000 worth of which will be awarded alongside the iconic Drydene oil barrel championship trophy to the one driver who can top the rest. Don’t miss a moment of this exciting season finale – buy a ticket at the gate on race day, purchase in advance at worldofoutlaws.com, or stream every lap live on DIRTVision. Here are the drivers to watch for and the storylines to follow this weekend… SWEET SIXTEEN – Back-to-back podium finishes in the doubleheader weekend at Lavonia Speedway last month earned Ben Watkins a 16-point lead over Ross Bailes in the standings as he shoots for his second career regional Super Late Model championship. This past Saturday, Watkins and Bailes engaged in an epic pre-championship weekend throwdown in the Carolina Clash Super Late Model Series event at Lancaster Motor Speedway, trading the lead back-and-forth several times before lapped traffic stalled the battle and brought out caution. Watkins had the lead for the restart and drove away with the win, giving fans a taste at what’s to come this weekend with championship gold on the line. STREET SMARTS – If there’s anyone in the Xtreme Series field that knows how to get around Lake View and Cherokee, it’s Ross Bailes. He’s got three races to make up a 16-point gap on the man who bested him last Saturday, heading into two of his best tracks in Xtreme competition. The veteran racer from Clover, SC, won the inaugural Series visit to Lake View last year, defeating Matthew Nance in a race through lapped traffic. He’s got several wins at Cherokee, including the Xtreme Series’ second-ever visit in January 2020, and defeated the Outlaws there in May 2019 for his second win in two months against national-level racers. Bailes has at least one Feature win at Cherokee in each of his last three seasons against drivers from the local, regional and national level. DOWN, BUT NOT OUT – In what’s been a head-turning start to his Super Late Model career on the Xtreme circuit, Carson Ferguson has since lost the points lead he was tied for during the Lavonia weekend, getting caught in a wreck Saturday night and going off on the hook. The 21-year-old rookie now faces a 40-point deficit to make up in the final three races. He’s never raced with the Series at Lake View but did have an impressive run from eighth-to-fourth over 100 laps of the Blue Gray 100 at Cherokee in November. Even better – he did it on one set of tires. Ferguson’s championship rivals have the experience in points racing, but he has the drive. Piloting a high-profile ride for national championship-winning car owners Donald & Gena Bradsher of Paylor Motorsports, Ferguson would love nothing more than to win them their first Xtreme Series championship and bolster his own presence in the Late Model ranks. FRIENDLY COMPETITION – For the first time in tour history, the Xtreme stars will go head-to-head with the World of Outlaws in a double-headed duel for big money. The local and regional drivers will play defense on their home turf, racing to keep the Outlaws out of Victory Lane. Historically, the Southeastern heroes have been successful when the Outlaws make their annual invasions, winning six of the nine World of Outlaws Features contested at the 3/8-mile oval. Watkins, Bailes and Ferguson will match up with the likes of Brandon Sheppard, Dennis Erb Jr. and Josh Richards and battle it out in the ultimate challenge for Southeastern supremacy. BIG MONEY – Among the many other firsts this week is the potential for one driver to walk away with the biggest winner’s share in Xtreme Series history. A $20,000 check is up for grabs in the 60-lap Saturday night finale of the Rock Gault, succeeding a $10,000 grand prize on Friday night and $5,000 at Lake View. Additionally, Lake View has posted an extra $2,000 bonus if any driver can win the Lake View race and one at Cherokee, plus a $5,000 bonus if someone can sweep all three.

Watkins, Bailes, Ferguson separated by 40 points with three races left

NICHOLS, SC – March 22, 2022 – A storm of Southeastern Super Late Model talent is brewing in South Carolina this weekend.

For the first time in its history, the Drydene Xtreme DIRTcar Series faces three races in three days to close the season and crown a champion. It all begins this Thursday, March 24, with a return to Lake View Motor Speedway before the first-ever matchup against the national touring superstars of the World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Model Series on Friday-Saturday, March 25-26, at Cherokee Speedway in the second-annual Rock Gault Memorial.

After five races, the points battle has reached a fever pitch. Ben Watkins, Ross Bailes and Carson Ferguson are all in the thick of a winter-long quest for their first Xtreme Series title; none willing to give an inch before the final checkered flag falls Saturday night. To the victor go the spoils – $15,000 worth of which will be awarded alongside the iconic Drydene oil barrel championship trophy to the one driver who can top the rest.

Don’t miss a moment of this exciting season finale – buy a ticket at the gate on race day, purchase in advance at worldofoutlaws.com, or stream every lap live on DIRTVision.

Here are the drivers to watch for and the storylines to follow this weekend…

SWEET SIXTEEN – Back-to-back podium finishes in the doubleheader weekend at Lavonia Speedway last month earned Ben Watkins a 16-point lead over Ross Bailes in the standings as he shoots for his second career regional Super Late Model championship.

This past Saturday, Watkins and Bailes engaged in an epic pre-championship weekend throwdown in the Carolina Clash Super Late Model Series event at Lancaster Motor Speedway, trading the lead back-and-forth several times before lapped traffic stalled the battle and brought out caution. Watkins had the lead for the restart and drove away with the win, giving fans a taste at what’s to come this weekend with championship gold on the line.

STREET SMARTS – If there’s anyone in the Xtreme Series field that knows how to get around Lake View and Cherokee, it’s Ross Bailes. He’s got three races to make up a 16-point gap on the man who bested him last Saturday, heading into two of his best tracks in Xtreme competition.

The veteran racer from Clover, SC, won the inaugural Series visit to Lake View last year, defeating Matthew Nance in a race through lapped traffic. He’s got several wins at Cherokee, including the Xtreme Series’ second-ever visit in January 2020, and defeated the Outlaws there in May 2019 for his second win in two months against national-level racers.

Bailes has at least one Feature win at Cherokee in each of his last three seasons against drivers from the local, regional and national level.

DOWN, BUT NOT OUT – In what’s been a head-turning start to his Super Late Model career on the Xtreme circuit, Carson Ferguson has since lost the points lead he was tied for during the Lavonia weekend, getting caught in a wreck Saturday night and going off on the hook.

The 21-year-old rookie now faces a 40-point deficit to make up in the final three races. He’s never raced with the Series at Lake View but did have an impressive run from eighth-to-fourth over 100 laps of the Blue Gray 100 at Cherokee in November. Even better – he did it on one set of tires.

Ferguson’s championship rivals have the experience in points racing, but he has the drive. Piloting a high-profile ride for national championship-winning car owners Donald & Gena Bradsher of Paylor Motorsports, Ferguson would love nothing more than to win them their first Xtreme Series championship and bolster his own presence in the Late Model ranks.

FRIENDLY COMPETITION – For the first time in tour history, the Xtreme stars will go head-to-head with the World of Outlaws in a double-headed duel for big money.

The local and regional drivers will play defense on their home turf, racing to keep the Outlaws out of Victory Lane. Historically, the Southeastern heroes have been successful when the Outlaws make their annual invasions, winning six of the nine World of Outlaws Features contested at the 3/8-mile oval.

Watkins, Bailes and Ferguson will match up with the likes of Brandon Sheppard, Dennis Erb Jr. and Josh Richards and battle it out in the ultimate challenge for Southeastern supremacy.

BIG MONEY – Among the many other firsts this week is the potential for one driver to walk away with the biggest winner’s share in Xtreme Series history. A $20,000 check is up for grabs in the 60-lap Saturday night finale of the Rock Gault, succeeding a $10,000 grand prize on Friday night and $5,000 at Lake View.

Additionally, Lake View has posted an extra $2,000 bonus if any driver can win the Lake View race and one at Cherokee, plus a $5,000 bonus if someone can sweep all three.

March 22, 2022

This weekend, in the Echopark Texas Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, NASCAR’s Next Gen car gets its first real test on a road course. 

Brian Wilson, crew chief of the No. 21 Freightliner Mustang driven by Harrison Burton, expects the new car to ace that test.

“The Next Gen car should be really well suited to road-course racing,” Wilson said. “A lot of the new technology -or at least new to NASCAR – has been on sports cars for a long time.”

“The independent rear suspension gives us new ways to tune the setup that we didn’t previously have. I believe the Next Gen car will take our road course races, which already were highly entertaining, and make for a great weekend of racing.”

Wilson said COTA, which has hosted many forms of racing including Formula One, is a great and challenging facility.

“Like every world-class road course it has some hard braking zones, long straights, elevation changes and switchback rhythm sections,” he said.

Wilson said that while his rookie driver hasn’t raced COTA in a Cup car, young Burton does have the benefit of lots of laps run there last year, when he finished sixth in an Xfinity Series race.

“I think any experience at a track helps, and Harrison has a lot of laps around COTA since we had a practice session and race there in the Xfinity series last year,” said Wilson, who was crew chief on the Mustang that Austin Cindric drove to a fifth-place finish in that race. 

The Freightliner team also will take advantage of the resources provided by Ford Motor Co. as they prepare for the first road-course race of the Cup Series season. 

 “Through Ford we will also utilize their simulator to make even more laps with the setups that we’re preparing for this weekend,” Wilson said. “I’m sure that Harrison and the team will be ready when practice starts on Saturday.”

Practice for the Echopark Texas Grand Prix is set for Saturday morning at 9 a.m. (10 a.m. Eastern Time) followed by qualifying an hour later. FOX Sports 1 will carry the live coverage.

The 68-lap, 232-mile race is scheduled to start just after 2:30 p.m. (3:30 p.m. Eastern Time) with TV coverage on FOX. Stage breaks are set for Laps 15 and 30.

California Natives Eyeing Clean Sweep of Home State

BAKERSFIELD, CA – March 22, 2022 – A three-week stay on the west coast wraps up this weekend for the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series with one more doubleheader.

The Greatest Show on Dirt is returning to a pair of race tracks for the first time in more than three years, one located in the San Joaquin Valley and one in the heart of Southern California. The 1/3-mile oval at Bakersfield Speedway has first dibs with a Friday night under the lights, while Perris Auto Speedway takes center stage in Saturday’s SoCal Showdown.

Through three races, California’s homegrown talent has shined bright with Fresno’s Giovanni Scelzi, Elk Grove’s Kyle Larson, and Lemoore’s Carson Macedo combining to claim all three World of Outlaws races to this point for their home state. Golden State fans have seen exciting action around every corner between Gio’s survival of a Thunderbowl thriller, Larson’s drive through the field at Tulare, and Macedo’s denial of Sweet in a bullring battle.

More of the same intense racing will be seen on DIRTVision this weekend for fans unable to attend in person.

BUY BAKERSFIELD TICKETS (Fri)
BUY PERRIS TICKETS (Sat)

Here’s what to watch for:

GOLDEN STATE GANG: The state of California has hosted 403 World of Outlaws Features dating back to the Series’ inaugural season in 1978, and is currently amid their greatest streak ever. Natives of the Golden State have won four consecutive World of Outlaws races in their home state, an all-time record spanning 45 seasons, 19 tracks, and 66 total winners.

The aforementioned Scelzi, Larson & Macedo (2) are responsible for the current streak, but a host of other Californians hope to add their name to the list this weekend.

A quick look at the many contenders that could extend the streak is Grass Valley’s Brad Sweet, Fresno’s Dominic Scelzi, St. Helena’s Rico Abreu, Visalia’s Cory Eliason, Roseville’s Colby Copeland, Clovis’ Corey Day, Fremont’s Shane Golobic, Hanford’s Mitchell Faccinto, and Lincon’s Tanner Carrick, among others.

READY TO POUNCE: For only the third time in nine full-time seasons, Brad Sweet didn’t score a World of Outlaws win within the opening five races; and depending on this weekend, he could go winless within the first 10 races for the first time ever. In total, it’s been 24 races since The Big Cat last won on September 4, 2021 at Skagit (WA), his longest victory lane drought in more than four years prior to his three championship seasons.

Albeit absent in the W column, the Kasey Kahne Racing, NAPA Auto Parts #49 has still been as consistent as ever. They boast an average finish of 3.8 over the last seven races and currently ride back-to-back runner-up finishes into the weekend. The defending Series champion is a proven frontrunner at both venues on deck, winning previously at Bakersfield and finishing as high as second at Perris.

BACK TO REALITY: After an extraordinary start to the 2022 campaign with seven-straight top-seven finishes, David Gravel and Big Game Motorsports finally saw their first misfortune with a work area trip while running sixth and a subsequent 15th-place finish at Merced. As a result, the Watertown, CT native saw his championship advantage slim down to +10 points over Brad Sweet ahead of the final weekend in California.

On the bright side, Gravel has enjoyed success at both tracks on the schedule this weekend. He’s a former podium finisher at Bakersfield and owns a 2017 SoCal Showdown victory at Perris.

TROUBLE IN PERRIS: Throughout Donny Schatz’s 26 seasons as a full-time World of Outlaws star, the Fargo, ND native has seen hundreds of race tracks and won at nearly 100 of them – 88 to be exact. However, the 10-time Series champion still remains winless at two facilities with 20+ starts, and he returns to one of those this Saturday night at Perris Auto Speedway for the SoCal Showdown.

Schatz has raced at PAS on 21 occasions with an average finish of 11.50 to his credit but has turned it around lately with six-straight top-seven finishes including a career-best finish of third at the Perris, CA 1/2-mile. Having never won at either Bakersfield or Perris, Schatz has a fresh shot at redemption this week following three-straight finishes outside of the top-10 in his Tony Stewart/Curb-Agajanian Racing, Ford Performance, Carquest #15.

HARD CHARGIN’ HAUD: Sheldon Haudenschild’s fourth-place position in the standings can evenly be attributed to his early success with two victories, but also his never-day-die attitude proven by his Series-best +45 positions gained. When not celebrating with a NOS Energy Drink in victory lane, the Stenhouse Jr. / Marshall Racing #17 driver is most likely rebounding in the MicroLite Last Chance Showdown and driving through the field to collect a Series-best three KSE Hard Charger Awards.

Based on past success, it’s likely you see the Wooster, OH native return to the front of the field this weekend. He’s the defending winner at Bakersfield (an impressive 9th-to-1st drive) and owns results of third and sixth in two trips to the Perris 1/2-mile.

ROTH RIDE(S): In less than three months, Dennis Roth will be enshrined into the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame. After three decades of fielding winning machines, the Central California car owner is still yet to slow down. As the Series concludes the spring swing in his home state, a pair of Roth racers have a chance to add more records to Dennis & Teresa’s banners.

A win from either full-timer James McFadden (#83) or ringer Kerry Madsen (#83JR) would make them the 15th driver to win a World of Outlaws race (most all-time) with Roth Motorsports. It would also be the 99th career win for Dennis Roth as he patiently awaits becoming the sixth car owner in Series history to reach 100 wins.

THIS WEEK AT A GLANCE

Friday, March 25 at Bakersfield Speedway in Bakersfield, CA
Saturday, March 26 at Perris Auto Speedway in Perris, CA

On the Internet
World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series
Twitter – @WorldofOutlaws
Instagram – @WoOSprint
Facebook – Facebook.com/WorldofOutlawsSprintCarSeries
YouTube – Youtube.com/WorldofOutlaws
DIRTVision – DIRTVision.com – Platinum annual FAST PASS for $299 or monthly FAST PASS for $39/month

CURRENT CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS (8/85 Nights):
1. 2-David Gravel (1,124 PTS); 2. 49-Brad Sweet (-10 PTS); 3. 41-Carson Macedo (-30 PTS); 4. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild (-32 PTS); 5. 83-James McFadden (-64 PTS); 6. 1S-Logan Schuchart (-68 PTS); 7. 18-Giovanni Scelzi (-90 PTS); 8. 15-Donny Schatz (-92 PTS); 9. 26-Cory Eliason (-98 PTS); 10. 5-Spencer Bayston (-124 PTS).

NOS ENERGY DRINK FEATURE WINNERS (6 Drivers):
2 wins – Sheldon Haudenschild, Stenhouse Jr. / Marshall Racing #17
2 wins – Carson Macedo, Jason Johnson Racing #41
1 win – Donny Schatz, Tony Stewart/Curb-Agajanian Racing #15
1 win – David Gravel, Big Game Motorsports #2
1 win – Giovanni Scelzi, KCP Racing #18
1 win – Kyle Larson, Kevin Kozlowski #57

FEATURE LAPS LED (12 Drivers):
52 laps – David Gravel
29 laps – Giovanni Scelzi
28 laps – Brad Sweet
26 laps – Sam Hafertepe Jr.
25 laps – Donny Schatz
18 laps – Carson Macedo
17 laps – Kyle Larson
15 laps – Spencer Bayston
13 laps – Cory Eliason
10 laps – Sheldon Haudenschild
9 laps – Dominic Scelzi
8 laps – James McFadden

SLICK WOODY’S QUICKTIME AWARDS (8 Drivers):
1 QuickTime – David Gravel, Aaron Reutzel, Cory Eliason, Jacob Allen, Sam Hafertepe Jr, Carson Macedo, Brad Sweet, Giovanni Scelzi*
* Denotes New Track Record

HEAT RACE WINNERS (15 Drivers):
4 Heat Wins – Jacob Allen
3 Heat Wins – David Gravel, Brad Sweet, Giovanni Scelzi
2 Heat Wins – Sheldon Haudenschild, Carson Macedo, James McFadden, Kraig Kinser, Aaron Reutzel, Tyler Courtney
1 Heat Win – Cory Eliason, Brock Zearfoss, Sam Hafertepe Jr, Dominic Scelzi, Kerry Madsen

DIRTVISION FAST PASS DASH APPEARANCES (24 Drivers):
6 Dashes – David Gravel, Brad Sweet
5 Dashes – Jacob Allen
4 Dashes – Carson Macedo, Kraig Kinser, Cory Eliason
3 Dashes – Spencer Bayston, Giovanni Scelzi, Tyler Courtney, Aaron Reutzel
2 Dashes – Sheldon Haudenschild, James McFadden, Donny Schatz, Kyle Larson, Kerry Madsen
1 Dash – Brock Zearfoss, Logan Schuchart, Anthony Macri, Kerry Madsen, Brent Marks, Sam Hafertepe Jr, Rico Abreu, Dominic Scelzi, Colby Copeland, Tanner Carrick

MICROLITE LAST CHANCE SHOWDOWN WINS (5 Drivers):
3 LCS Wins – Sheldon Haudenschild
2 LCS Wins – Ayrton Gennetten
1 LCS Win – James McFadden, Spencer Bayston, Anthony Macri

KSE HARD CHARGER AWARDS (5 Drivers):
3 Hard Chargers – Sheldon Haudenschild
2 Hard Chargers – Logan Schuchart
1 Hard Chargers – Carson Macedo, Donny Schatz, James McFadden

PODIUM FINISHES (12 Drivers):
4 Podiums – David Gravel, Brad Sweet
3 Podiums – Kyle Larson
2 Podiums – Carson Macedo, Sheldon Haudenschild, James McFadden, Giovanni Scelzi
1 Podium – Donny Schatz, Cory Eliason, Aaron Reutzel, Brent Marks, Sam Hafertepe Jr.

TOP 10 FINISHES (23 Drivers):
7 Top 10s – David Gravel, Brad Sweet, Sheldon Haudenschild
6 Top 10s – Carson Macedo, Giovanni Scelzi
5 Top 10s – James McFadden, Logan Schuchart, Donny Schatz
4 Top 10s – Cory Eliason, Tyler Courtney, Rico Abreu
3 Top 10s – Spencer Bayston, Kyle Larson
2 Top 10s – Brock Zearfoss, Jacob Allen, Aaron Reutzel, Dominic Scelzi
1 Top 10 – Anthony Macri, Justin Peck, Brent Marks, Sam Hafertepe Jr, Shane Golobic, Kerry Madsen

2022 WORLD OF OUTLAWS SPRINT CAR SCHEDULE & WINNERS:
No. / Day, Date / Track / Location / Winner (Total Wins)
1. Thur, Feb. 10 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / Donny Schatz (1)
2. Fri, Feb. 11 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / Sheldon Haudenschild (1)
3. Sat, Feb. 12 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / David Gravel (1)
4. Fri, March 4 / Cotton Bowl Speedway / Paige, TX / Sheldon Haudenschild (2)
5. Sat, March 5 / Cotton Bowl Speedway / Paige, TX / Carson Macedo (1)
6. Fri, March 11 / Thunderbowl Raceway / Tulare, CA / Giovanni Scelzi (1)
7. Sat, March 12 / Thunderbowl Raceway / Tulare, CA / Kyle Larson (1)
8. Fri, March 18 / Merced Speedway / Merced, CA / Carson Macedo (2)
9. Fri, March 25 / Bakersfield Speedway / Bakersfield, CA
10. Sat, March 26 / Perris Auto Speedway / Perris, CA
11. Tues, March 29 / Vado Speedway Park / Vado, NM
12. Fri, April 1 / Lawton Speedway / Lawton, OK
13. Sat, April 2 / Devil’s Bowl Speedway / Mesquite, TX
14. Fri, April 8 / US-36 Raceway / Osborn, MO
15. Sat, April 9 / Lake Ozark Speedway / Eldon, MO
16. Fri, April 15 / Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 / Pevely, MO
17. Sat, April 16 / Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 / Pevely, MO
18. Fri, April 22 / Tri-City Speedway / Granite City, IL
19. Sat, April 23 / Tri-State Speedway / Haubstadt, IN
20. Fri, April 29 / Bristol Motor Speedway / Bristol, TN
21. Sat, April 30 / Bristol Motor Speedway / Bristol, TN
22. Fri, May 6 / Eldora Speedway / Rossburg, OH
23. Sat, May 7 / Eldora Speedway / Rossburg, OH
24. Wed, May 11 / Lincoln Speedway / Abbottstown, PA
25. Fri, May 13 / Williams Grove Speedway / Mechanicsburg, PA
26. Sat, May 14 / Williams Grove Speedway / Mechanicsburg, PA
27. Tues, May 17 / Bridgeport Speedway / Swedesboro, NJ
28. Fri, May 20 / Attica Raceway Park / Attica, OH
29. Sat, May 21 / Sharon Speedway / Hartford, OH
30. Sat, May 28 / Atomic Speedway / Waverly, OH
31. Mon, May 30 / Lawrenceburg Speedway / Lawrenceburg, IN
32. Fri, June 3 / River Cities Speedway / Grand Forks, ND
33. Sun, June 5 / Huset’s Speedway / Brandon, SD
34. Fri, June 10 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA
35. Sat, June 11 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA
36. Fri, June 17 / Beaver Dam Raceway / Beaver Dam, IA
37. Sat, June 18 / Beaver Dam Raceway / Beaver Dam, IA
38. Thur, June 23 / Huset’s Speedway / Brandon, SD
39. Fri, June 24 / Huset’s Speedway / Brandon, SD
40. Sat, June 25 / Huset’s Speedway / Brandon, SD
41. Fri, July 1 / Cedar Lake Speedway / New Richmond, WI
42. Sat, July 2 / Cedar Lake Speedway / New Richmond, WI
43. Fri, July 8 / 34 Raceway / West Burlington, IA
44. Sat, July 9 / Wilmot Raceway / Wilmot, WI
45. Tues, July 12 / Attica Raceway Park / Attica, OH
46. Wed, July 13 / Eldora Speedway / Rossburg, OH
47. Thur, July 14 / Eldora Speedway / Rossburg, OH
48. Fri, July 15 / Eldora Speedway / Rossburg, OH
49. Sat, July 16 / Eldora Speedway / Rossburg, OH
50. Wed, July 20 / Port Royal Speedway / Port Royal, PA
51. Fri, July 22 / Williams Grove Speedway / Mechanicsburg, PA
52. Sat, July 23 / Williams Grove Speedway / Mechanicsburg, PA
53. Sat, July 30 / Weedsport Speedway / Weedsport, NY
54. Sun, July 31 / Weedsport Speedway / Weedsport, NY
55. Fri, Aug. 5 / Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 / Pevely, MO
56. Sat, Aug. 6 / Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 / Pevely, MO
57. Wed, Aug. 10 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA
58. Thur, Aug. 11 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA
69. Fri, Aug, 12 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA
60. Sat, Aug. 13 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA
61. Thur, Aug. 18 / Jackson Motorplex / Jackson, MN
62. Fri, Aug. 19 / Jackson Motorplex / Jackson, MN
63. Sat, Aug. 20 / Jackson Motorplex / Jackson, MN
64. Fri, Aug. 26 / River Cities Speedway / Grand Forks, ND
65. Sat, Aug. 27 / Red River Valley Speedway / West Fargo, ND
66. Thur, Sept. 1 / Skagit Speedway / Alger, WA
67. Fri, Sept. 2 / Skagit Speedway / Alger, WA
68. Sat, Sept. 3 / Skagit Speedway / Alger, WA
69. Mon, Sept. 5 / Gray’s Harbor Raceway / Elma, WA
70. Fri, Sept. 9 / Silver Dollar Speedway / Chico, CA
71. Sat, Sept. 10 / Silver Dollar Speedway / Chico, CA
72. Fri, Sept. 16 / Keller Auto Speedway / Hanford, CA
73. Sat, Sept. 17 / Placerville Speedway / Placerville, CA
74. Fri, Sept. 23 / Eldora Speedway / Rossburg, OH
75. Sat, Sept. 24 / Sharon Speedway / Hartford, OH
76. Fri, Sept. 30 / Williams Grove Speedway / Mechanicsburg, PA
77. Sat, Oct. 1 / Williams Grove Speedway / Mechanicsburg, PA
78. Fri, Oct. 7 / Port Royal Speedway / Port Royal, PA
79. Sat, Oct. 8 / Port Royal Speedway / Port Royal, PA
80. Fri, Oct. 14 / I-80 Speedway / Greenwood, NE
81. Sat, Oct. 15 / Lakeside Speedway / Kansas City, KS
82. Thur, Nov. 3 / The Dirt Track at Charlotte / Concord, NC
83. Fri, Nov. 4 / The Dirt Track at Charlotte / Concord, NC
84. Sat, Nov. 5 The Dirt Track at Charlotte / Concord, NC

Mar 22, 2022 | Featured, Julie Nataas, Special Announcements

After winning the last three NHRA Lucas Oil Series Top Alcohol Dragster world championships with daughters Megan and Rachel, A/Fuel tuner and team owner Randy Meyer is looking for a new challenge. He’s found one – or built one, rather – as he plans to debut his new A/Fuel Funny Car this weekend at the Funny Car Chaos Classic, March 24-26 at the Texas Motorplex. Julie Nataas, Randy Meyer Racing’s primary driver this season, will drive the new car. 

“We’re doing this for multiple reasons,” Meyer said. “I wanted a new challenge and we’re looking to diversify our operation and help drivers that want to eventually move up to fuel Funny Car but can’t get experience anywhere else. The Funny Car Chaos deal is becoming more popular here in the Midwest, so it’s an opportunity for us to go race close to home, have some fun, and take on a new challenge.”

Nataas has spent the last three seasons racing full-time in NHRA Top Alcohol Dragster behind the wheel of one of Meyer’s nitro-injected A/Fuel dragsters. Like Meyer, she’s looking forward to a new experience. 

“I can’t even describe how excited I am,” Nataas said. “Not just for me to drive the car but for the whole team. I’ve been wanting to drive a Funny Car for a while, so when Randy asked me if I wanted to drive, I couldn’t say no. It’s going to be a new and exciting project for all of us.”

“She might not want to drive a dragster again after this, who knows,” Meyer laughed. “She’s been first on the list to drive this car for a while. The time’s right to bring it out.”

The car is a 2016 Murf McKinney-built chassis formerly campaigned by Brian Hough in NHRA Top Alcohol Funny Car. It sustained damage in a minor crash, but racer and chassis builder Jonnie Lindberg fixed it up before Meyer bought it for the A/Fuel project. The car then underwent a series of changes in Meyer’s shop to prepare it for an injected nitro engine. 

“For the last eight months, I’ve been building a lot of pieces and modifying a lot of stuff on the car,” Meyer said. “The car was never made for nitro or A/Fuel, so we had to do heavy modifications to get it to where I wanted it. Once we run it, we’ll probably modify it more to get it to where it works like it needs to, but we have to start somewhere. We’re starting with what we have and we’ll go from there.”

The car isn’t 100% ready from a cosmetic standpoint, as it hasn’t been painted yet, but Meyer wanted to take advantage of a break in the team’s hectic NHRA Lucas Oil Series schedule to get the car on track. 

“We’ll only probably run it three times this year because of our NHRA schedule,” Meyer said. “Running the dragsters and chasing the world championship with Julie is still our priority for this year. Next year we look to run the Funny Car a lot more.”

Over the past two decades, Meyer has rented his cars out to other drivers, providing them with the opportunity to race at a high level and contend for race wins and championships. Some drivers use the A/Fuel dragster as proving grounds and a stepping stone for Top Fuel. Meyer’s goal for the A/Fuel Funny Car is to provide that same opportunity for drivers looking to make the move to a 330-mph nitro Funny Car.

“There’s a lot of crossover between an A/Fuel dragster and a Top Fuel dragster, but comparing an A/Fuel dragster to a fuel Funny Car is like comparing apples and oranges,” Meyer said. “We’re thinking this will be a good alternative for people who want to explore and see if they like a Funny Car. It’s a good stepping stone.”

Nataas, a two-time NHRA North Central Region champion, is one of those drivers hoping to get the feel for a Funny Car’s enclosed flip-top body and shorter wheelbase to prepare for a potential move to a quicker and faster Funny Car. 

“This can definitely be a stepping stone to nitro Funny Car,” Nataas said. “The last couple years I’ve said I can see myself in a nitro Funny Car, but I really don’t know what it’s actually like to drive one compared to a dragster or anything else I’ve driven. We’re about to find out.”

The Funny Car chassis will also give Meyer the option to swap out the Funny Car body for an Altered body to run Fuel Altered events or match races. It’s all part of Meyer’s plan to diversify his options 

“This will allow us to race closer to home and still mess around with the A/Fuel stuff,” Meyer said. “We’re going to have the option to do the Funny Car, the dragsters or the Altered. That’s kind of my plan. We’ll have them sitting there and if someone wants to rent one, we’ll go run it. We’re looking forward to going out and having some fun with this new car.”

Meyer has been secretly working on this project for months, and it’s finally ready to hit the track. 

“I just want to thank the handful of people who’ve donated parts and helped me on this deal,” Meyer said. “They want to see what it can do and what the potential is. There are a lot of people watching to see what happens.”

The Funny Car Chaos Classic is billed as the “biggest Funny Car race in the world,” with 60-plus cars entered. Qualifying is set to begin at noon on Friday, with another session Friday night and a final session at noon on Saturday. Eliminations will begin Saturday at 5 p.m.

Inside Line Promotions – MERCED, Calif. (March 21, 2022) – Dominic Scelzi earned his second straight top-10 result with the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series last Friday at Merced Speedway.

The event began with Scelzi qualifying 14^th quickest despite being one of the final qualifiers to hit the high-banked dirt oval.

“We went out pretty late in qualifying and didn’t have a great time, but we were 14^th quick to put ourselves in a decent position,” he said. “The good times were still possible. It was just really hard to hit a killer lap so I was happy with our lap.”

Scelzi gained a position to finish third in a heat race, which lined him up on the outside of the fifth row for the main event.

“We got up to sixth and were racing with fifth place,” he said. “He checked up and I had to check up to miss him so I fell to eighth. We raced our way back to fifth and got racing with some guys before we fell to eighth at the end. We could have run anywhere from fourth to 12^th. It was really even and there was so much stuff going on the entire race. It was wild.”

Scelzi’s eighth-place outing was his 29^th career top 10 with the World of Outlaws.

“I had a great time and it was racy,” he said. “There was a minute the bottom was fast and a minute the top was fast. The last few laps it was getting abrasive and we started running just off the top. The race track changed tremendously. Picking up another top 10 is really good for our team.”

Last Saturday’s show at Ocean Speedway in Watsonville, Calif., rained out.

Next up for the team is the final World of Outlaws weekend in California this spring as Bakersfield Speedway in Bakersfield hosts a race on Friday followed by the SoCal Showdown on Saturday at Perris Auto Speedway in Perris.

“I haven’t been to Bakersfield since I think 2018,” Scelzi said. “I remember I was fourth quick, won the heat and then finished third in the dash. We were good all night and then we hit a hole in the first corner of the feature and fell backwards.

“I’ve raced at Perris two or three times. I think it’s laid rubber every time we’ve been there so it hasn’t allowed for great racing. Hopefully it’ll be a good event this year and we can end our time with the Outlaws on a positive note.”

QUICK RESULTS –

March 18 – Merced Speedway in Merced, Calif. – Qualifying: 14; Heat race: 3 (4); Feature: 8 (10).

SEASON STATS –

6 races, 0 wins, 3 top fives, 5 top 10s, 5 top 15s, 5 top 20s

UP NEXT –

Friday at Bakersfield Speedway in Bakersfield, Calif., and Saturday at Perris Auto Speedway in Perris, Calif., for the SoCal Showdown with the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series

The Drydene Xtreme DIRTcar Series will join the World of Outlaws for the first time on March 25-26Gaffney, SC – March 21, 2022 – A history-making weekend is on the horizon as the World of Outlaws CASE Construction Late Models return to Cherokee Speedway, March 25-26.Joining The Most Powerful Late Models on the Planet for the first time is the Drydene Xtreme DIRTcar Series, which will crown a champion Saturday night at the 2nd annual Rock Gault Memorial. The highly anticipated event kicks off Friday, March 25, in a 40-lap, $10,000-to-win Feature. More money is on the line Saturday, March 26, as the two Series battle for 60-laps paying $20,000 to the winner. If a driver finds Victory Lane on both nights at Cherokee, they could walk away with a $30,000 payday. It’s also the highest-paying weekend in Xtreme DIRTcar Series history.  Even more money is on the line if any driver chooses to run the Xtreme DIRTcar Series event on Thursday, March 24 at Lake View Speedway. The Nichols, SC venue is putting up a weekend bonus. If a driver wins a race at Lake View and Cherokee, they’ll earn an extra $2,000. If someone sweeps the weekend, that driver will receive $5,000. This weekend will serve as the highest paying weekend in Xtreme DIRTcar Series history.  Local divisions are also on the racing card during both nights at Cherokee. Mid-East 602 Late Models will race on Friday, while Mid-East 602 Modifieds race on Saturday. The Mid-East Street Stocks will run both nights.  TICKETS: bit.ly/3J8ghNM If you can’t make it to the track, watch all the action live on DIRTVision – either online on with the DIRTVision App. Here are some of the storylines to keep an eye on entering Cherokee:  A New Contender: Dennis Erb’s Georgia-Florida Speedweeks put him on the map as a contender to knock Brandon Sheppard off the World of Outlaws throne in 2022.  The Carpentersville, IL driver has already found Victory Lane three times this season and shows no signs of slowing down entering Cherokee.  Erb has shown versatility, winning at Volusia Speedway Park, East Bay Raceway, and Clarksville Speedway—three different types of racetracks.  He has the chance to make it four, but “The Place Your Mama Warned You About” hasn’t been kind to the veteran driver in the past. In three Features in 2021, Erb only finished in the top-10 during a split-field Feature last March.  His best finish at the South Carolina facility since becoming a full-time World of Outlaws driver was sixth in 2019.  Rocket Launch: While he didn’t find Victory Lane at Cherokee Speedway in 2021, four-time and defending champion Brandon Sheppard made the most of his Feature finishes.  He opened last year’s Rock Gault Memorial with a split-field Feature victory and backed it up with a second in last October’s Mike Duvall Memorial.  While the “Rocket Shepp’s” worst finish at Cherokee was a 10th last September, the resiliency of Rocket1 Racing showed that night, as they battled back to the top-10 after a flat tire in the Heat Race.  Sheppard hopes to take the next step toward World of Outlaws history at Cherokee, as his next win ties Josh Richards at the top of the all-time wins list (78).  The New Berlin, IL driver, enters the weekend with two top-fives and five top-10s in six World of Outlaws races this season. Capital Consistency: A factor in Tyler Bruening’s Rookie of the Year run in 2021 was his success on red clay late in the season. The Decorah, IA driver proved he’s a contender on that surface in last year’s three-race Labor Day weekend swing.  Bruening scored two top-fives and a top-10 in that stretch, including a ninth during last year’s Rock Gault Memorial. That recent success gives Bruening confidence heading into the weekend. He’s already scored a top-fives, and three top-10’s in 2022.  Reaper Rebound: Ryan Gustin is one driver hoping to rebound after an up and down DIRTcar Nationals. The Marshalltown, IA driver won a DIRTcar Late Model Feature at Volusia but struggled during the World of Outlaws portion of the event.  Gustin got his first crack at Cherokee in 2021, but like fellow Iowa driver Bruening, got better as the season moved along. While he cracked the top-10 with a ninth in one of March’s split-field Features, things didn’t go his way as he finished 16th in September.  “The Reaper” had his best finish at Cherokee in last October’s Mike Duvall Memorial—a sixth. He hopes to build off that finish in his return to “The Place Your Mama Warned You About.”  Rookies Collide: After six races at Volusia Speedway Park, two drivers have jumped ahead in the battle for Rookie of the Year—Max Blair and Tanner English.  The Centerville, PA driver leads the battle by 10 points entering Cherokee. Gordy Gundaker is third—86 points behind Blair.   While he didn’t have the results he hoped for at Volusia, Kyle Hammer also showed early season promise. He scored a top-five finish on the final night of DIRTcar Nationals and led 17 laps in a Feature earlier in the week before running into bad luck.  Championship to the Xtreme: While the World of Outlaws is in the early portion of its season, the Drydene Xtreme DIRTcar Series will crown a champion on Saturday, March 26 at Cherokee. Co-sanctioning the event at Cherokee with the World of Outlaws, the Xtreme DIRTcar Series championship battle will be the race within the race this weekend. Those racing for the Xtreme title will also being racing against the Outlaws at the same time for the Rock Gault win.  Three races remain on the Xtreme DIRTcar schedule, including a night at Lake View Speedway on Thursday, March 24, and the doubleheader at Cherokee.  Ben Watkins leads the Series standings entering the weekend—16 points ahead of Ross Bailes and 40 points ahead of Carson Ferguson. World of Outlaws drivers are familiar with South Carolina natives Bailes and Watkins as both have pulled an upset win against the Outlaws before. Bailes scored his first career World of Outlaws win at Cherokee in 2019, while Watkins bested Tyler Bruening at Lavonia last year.While both drivers hope to find Victory Lane, and potentially claim the Lake View Motor Speedway bonus, they’ll be eyeing their first Xtreme DIRTcar Series title.  2022 WORLD OF OUTLAWS SEASON STATSFeature Winners: (5 Drivers) Rank- Driver- Hometown-WinsDale McDowell, Chickamauga, GA- 2 Ashton Winger, Hampton, GA-1 Brandon Overton, Evans, GA-1 Dennis Erb Jr., Carpentersville, IL-1 Chris Madden, Gray Court, SC-1HEAT RACE WINNERS (16 Drivers) Rank- Driver- Hometown-WinsDale McDowell-Chickamauga, GA-6Chris Madden-Gray Court, SC-5Darrell Lanigan, Union, KY-2 Brandon Sheppard- New Berlin, IL-2 Brandon Overton, Evans, GA-2 Dennis Erb Jr., Carpentersville, IL-2 Ricky Thornton Jr., Chandler, AZ-2 Kyle Strickler, Mooresville, NC-2 Mike Marlar, Winfield, TN-2Devin Moran-Dresden, OH-1 Ashton Winger, Hampton, GA-1 Ross Robinson, Georgetown, DE-1 Kyle Hammer, Clinton, IL-1 Mark Whitener, Middleburg, FL-1 Frank Heckenast, Jr., Frankfort, IL-1 Max Blair, Centerville, PA-1Last Chance Showdown Winners (12 Drivers) Rank- Driver- Hometown-WinsMax Blair, Centerville, PA-3Cade Dillard-Robeline, LA-2 Devin Moran, Dresden, OH-2Hudson O’Neal- Martinsville, IN-1 Logan Martin, Plains, MO-1 Tyler Bruening, Decorah, IA-1 Chris Simpson, Oxford, IA-1 Shane Clanton, Zebulon, GA-1 Spencer Hughes, Meridian, MS-1 Mike Norris, Sarver, PA-1 Chase Osterhoff, Kankakee, IL-1 Tyler Erb, New Waverly, TX-1PODIUM FINISHES (11 Drivers) Rank – Driver, Hometown – PodiumsDale McDowell, Chickamauga, GA-4Devin Moran, Dresden, OH-2 Dennis Erb Jr., Carpentersville, IL-2 Darrell Lanigan, Union, KY-2 Chris Madden, Gray Court, NC-2Kyle Larson, Elk Grove, CA-1 Brandon Overton, Evans, GA-1 Brandon Sheppard, New Berlin, IL-1 Ashton Winger, Hampton, GA-1 Chase Junghans, Manhattan, KS-1 Mike Marlar, Winfield, TN-1FOX FACTORY HARD CHARGER (6 Drivers) Rank – Driver, Hometown – H.C.Hudson O’Neal, Martinsville, IN-1 Brandon Sheppard, New Berlin, IL-1 Tanner English, Benton, KY-1 Max Blair, Centerville, PA-1 Gordy Gundaker, St. Charles, MO-1 Devin Moran, Dresden, OH-1SLICK WOODY’S QUICK TIME Award (5 Drivers) Rank – Driver, Hometown – QTsChris Madden, Gray Court, SC-2Kyle Hammer, Clinton, IL-1 Dale McDowell, Chickamauga, GA-1 Brandon Overton, Evans, GA-1 Shane Clanton, Zebulon, GA-1CASE Feature Lap Leaders (8 Drivers) Rank – Driver, Hometown – Laps LedDale McDowell, Chickamauga, GA-65Dennis Erb Jr., Carpentersville, IL-39 Ashton Winger, Hampton, GA-39Chris Madden, Gray Court, SC-29Brandon Overton, Evans, GA-25Kyle Hammer, Clinton, IL-17Kyle Strickler, Mooresville, NC-15Brandon Sheppard, New Berlin, IL-12022 World of Outlaws Late Model Schedule & WinnersNo./ Day, Date / Track / Location / Winner (Total Wins) 1. Thursday, Jan. 20 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / Dale McDowell (1) 2. Friday, Jan. 21/Volusia Speedway Park/Barberville, FL/Ashton Winger (1) 3. Wednesday, Feb. 16/Volusia Speedway Park, Barberville, FL/Brandon Overton (1) 4. Thursday, Feb. 17/Volusia Speedway Park, Barberville, FL/Dale McDowell (2) 5. Friday, Feb. 18/Volusia Speedway Park, Barberville, FL/Dennis Erb Jr. (1) 6. Saturday, Feb. 19/Volusia Speedway Park, Barberville, FL/Chris Madden (1)

The World of Outlaws Case Construction Equipment 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, 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.Founded in 1978, the World of Outlaws®, based in Concord, NC, is the premier national touring series for dirt track racing in North America, featuring the most powerful cars on dirt, the World of Outlaws NOS® Energy Drink Sprint Car Series and the World of Outlaws Late Model Series. Annually, the two series race nearly 140 times at tracks across the United States and Canada. CBS Sports Network is the official broadcast partner of the World of Outlaws. DIRTVision® also broadcasts World of Outlaws events over the Internet to fans around the world. Learn more about the World of Outlaws.

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March 21, 2022 — East Liberty, Ohio

• State-of-the-art facility ushers in new era of auto development testing capabilities
• Wind tunnel will play key role as Honda prepares for electrified future

Honda today opened its new $124 million state-of-the-art wind tunnel facility, ushering in a new era of development testing capabilities for Honda and Acura products, as well as the company’s race vehicles. The new Honda Automotive Laboratories of Ohio (HALO) facility, located at the independent Transportation Research Center Inc. (TRC) in Central Ohio, is the world’s most advanced wind tunnel, with three separate state-of-the art testing functions — aerodynamics, aeroacoustics, and racing — in one location.

Honda created the multifunctional HALO facility to reinforce its commitment to developing fuel-efficient and fun-to-drive vehicles. One of the most advanced of its kind anywhere, the wind tunnel uses a unique interchangeable modular ground plane system capable of aerodynamic vehicle testing of production vehicles and race machines.

With a five-belt rolling road system designed for production vehicle development and a second single wide-belt system for testing both high-performance sports cars and purpose-built race vehicles, the tunnel can generate wind speeds of more than 190 miles per hour.

Even more, the wind tunnel can quickly enable a sophisticated acoustic test system for an aeroacoustic testing mode that utilizes a powerful system of acoustic arrays, made up of microphones and cameras, able to collect real-time data and precision measurement. This becomes even more important as an element of vehicle design as Honda moves toward its electrified future.

As Honda continues to move toward its electrified future, noise reduction becomes an even more important element in vehicle design. Absent engine and exhaust sounds, wind noise will be more noticeable inside the cabin of an electric vehicle. Using the acoustic test system, Honda engineers will be able to identify the precise locations of both interior and exterior noise issues more quickly than ever before.

“Honda’s product development capabilities will advance to new heights thanks to this investment in our Ohio research operations,” said Jim Keller, executive vice president of Honda Development & Manufacturing of America, LLC (HDMA), and leader of the company’s North American Auto Development Center. “With this new facility, Honda is not simply investing in an advanced technology facility but in the future of the Honda engineers and other researchers who will work here.”

The new wind tunnel, coupled with the company’s advanced safety research center, provides Honda’s R&D engineers with two world-class facilities in Ohio; both supporting the design and development of products built in America using domestic and globally sourced parts. This also is an opportunity for Honda engineers to build relationships with other companies interested in aerodynamic and aeroacoustic research, support STEM activities, and sustain the general aerodynamic community’s testing needs.

Additionally, the wind tunnel’s aerodynamic test capabilities will help increase the range and performance of the company’s future full-electric vehicles, supporting Honda’s efforts to continually advance its current position as America’s most fuel efficient and lowest CO2 full-line automaker.

The HALO wind tunnel is Honda’s latest major investment in Ohio, where the company has been advancing its ability to develop and build products for over 40 years – now totaling $14 billion.

Wind Tunnel Fact Sheet
Investment	$124 million
Facility size	• 110,000 square feet • 1/8-mile wind tunnel circuit
3/4 Open Test Section	• 3 meters x 5 meters x 15 meters
Test Capabilities	• Aerodynamic • Aeroacoustic • Motorsports/Racing Less than one hour to change to acoustic mode
Variable Nozzle Area	• 25 square meters = 250 kph (155 mph) • 18 square meters = 310 kph (192 mph)
Heat exchanger temperature range	• 10-50 degrees Celsius    (50-122 degrees Fahrenheit)    Maintaining constant temperature
Fan Specifications	• Diameter: 8 meters • Blades: 12 hollow carbon fiber fixed-pitch blades • Max rpm ≈ 250 rpm at max air speed 310 kph • Electric motor: 5-megawatt, 6700 HP
Max Wind Speed	• 192.63 mph (310 kph)
Acoustic Test System	• Acoustic environment: ˂ 57 dBA @140 kph (87 mph) • Series of acoustic arrays: top, front, sides, and interior • 502 external directional microphones and cameras • 54 internal microphones (inside cabin for sound source        detection)
Turntable	• Diameter: 12 meters • 180-degree rotation    (Most wind tunnels rotate only + / – 15 degrees)
Modular ground plane system	• Two 40-ton belt modules 5-belt: one belt under each vehicle tire and one larger belt under vehicle center Wide belt: one large belt under vehicle Max speed of 310 kph (193 mph) Acoustic cover • Module changeover takes approx. 4 hours
Balance (scale): Measures Aerodynamic Load	• 3-Axis Load Cell in Tower • Drag Force Sensitivity = +/- 2.5 Newtons (2.5 N) (about the    weight of one standard D battery)
Traverse System Diagnostic Robotic Arm	• Weight: 80 tons (160,000 lbs.) • Dimensions: 45 feet long x 16 feet tall x 8 feet wide • Stopping Position Accuracy = +/- 0.5mm • Moving Path Accuracy = 1.0 mm • Max Deflection Under Max Load = < 1.0 mm
Third-party Customer Workspace	• Four secure customer bays

Honda Research & Development in America
Honda began establishing research and development operations in America in 1975, today operating 19 R&D facilities across the country responsible for creating advanced products and technologies that provide new value to Honda and Acura customers. Honda conducts all phases of product development in the U.S., from market and technology research and styling through engineering design to prototype fabrication and testing, local parts procurement and support for mass production preparation. With major R&D facilities in California, Ohio, and North Carolina, Honda’s U.S. associates are engaged in the development and testing of Honda and Acura automobiles, Honda powersports and power equipment products, and also play a lead role in the development of leading-edge safety, driver-assistive and environmental technologies. Learn more at http://www.hondaresearch.com/. Explore more of Honda in the Digital Fact Book. 

Chillicothe, OH (March 20, 2022) – Jimmy Owens passed polesitter Devin Moran to lead lap two and never looked back on his way to victory lane in the Super Clean Buckeye Spring 50 Presented by Protect the Harvest on Sunday Night at Atomic Speedway. The Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series-sanctioned event took just barely over 17 minutes to complete the 50-lap race. For Owens, it was his second win of the 2022 season and the 79th career victory in the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series. Moran came into the event as the #1 ranked dirt late model driver in the country and continued his stride by finishing second, just 0.785 seconds behind the winner. Moving into third in the points with his third-place finish, Tyler Erb finished ahead of Hudson O’Neal, the defending race winner, and Brandon Sheppard, who entered the event as the series points leader. Only one caution flag slowed the event as Owens held a consistent lead throughout the race, which was postponed to Sunday from Friday. Moran made a last-ditch effort in the final laps but came up short of his fourth series win of the year. An emotional Owens in Lucas Oil Victory for the first time since his car owner Leon Ramirez’ passing last month thanked the Ramirez family for their continued support. “This says a lot for the Ramirez family to keep pushing and putting us in the best equipment money can buy. I have said it before and I will say it again, I am very blessed to have had him in my life.” “I could hear someone behind me, and I had a couple of lapped cars coming up in front of me. I knew if I could just hold a good line and keep the car good and straight, I could hold on until the finish. I know Devin has been extremely good this year. I knew if I were going to beat him it would be on the take off. We got a good run there on him on the second lap. I ran him up the backstretch a little bit, I thought I had him cleared. It’s all good racing, there was a bunch of good racers here.” Moran, who regained the series points lead continued his impressive early season success. “I got the lead on the first lap and then I missed the bottom in three and four and he got underneath me. I was reeling him in and then a lapped car didn’t realize I was there in turn four and it cost me some momentum. I fell back to third and then got back to second. I saw the five to go signal, that late in the race I just tried to stay away from the fence.” Erb battled with Moran for several laps to round out the podium in third. “If things would have played out differently there, I might have had something for Jimmy. I was trying to figure out a line in three and four to run, it would have been easy to get up there and tear the fence down.” The winner’s Ramirez Motorsports Rocket Chassis is powered by a Vic Hill Racing Engine and sponsored by Reece Monument Company, Tim Short Auto Group, Boomtest Well Service, Georgia Arms, Red Line Oil, Midwest Sheet Metal, Sunoco Race Fuels, Go Lithium Batteries, and Bilstein Shocks. Completing the top ten were Ricky Thornton Jr., Garrett Alberson, Earl Pearson Jr., Josh Rice, and Dennis Erb Jr. Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Race Summary Super Clean Buckeye Spring 50 Presented by Protect the HarvestSunday, March 20th, 2022Atomic Speedway – Chillicothe, OH Allstar Performance Time TrialsFast Time Group A: Devin Moran /13.109 seconds (overall)Fast Time Group B: Garrett Alberson / 13.429 seconds Penske Race Shocks Heat Race #1 Finish (8 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 9-Devin Moran[1]; 2. 1T-Tyler Erb[2]; 3. 46-Earl Pearson Jr[3]; 4. C9-Steve Casebolt[4]; 5. 89-Ashton Winger[7]; 6. 71R-Rod Conley[6]; 7. 0K-Freddie Carpenter[5]; 8. 03-Matt Isaac[8] Summit Racing Equipment Heat Race #2 Finish (8 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 1S-Brandon Sheppard[1]; 2. 71-Hudson O’Neal[3]; 3. 11-Spencer Hughes[2]; 4. 7-Ross Robinson[4]; 5. 18D-Daulton Wilson[5]; 6. 20B-Todd Brennan[6]; 7. 6C-Travis Carr[7] Simpson Race Products Heat Race #3 Finish (8 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 20-Jimmy Owens[2]; 2. 58-Garrett Alberson[1]; 3. 39-Tim McCreadie[4]; 4. 28E-Dennis Erb Jr[6]; 5. 28C-Tyler Carpenter[3]; 6. 71C-RJ Conley[5]; 7. 511-Chris Lockhart[7]; 8. 32A-Robert Starret[8] Ohlins Shocks Heat Race #4 Finish (8 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 20RT-Ricky Thornton Jr[5]; 2. 32-Bobby Pierce[2]; 3. 11R-Josh Rice[3]; 4. 25-Shane Clanton[1]; 5. 95J-Jerry Bowersock[6]; 6. 21K-Kirk Phillips[4]; 7. 13W-Clay Wenzlick[7] Fast Shafts B-Main #1 Finish (10 Laps, Top 6 Transfer): 1. 89-Ashton Winger[1]; 2. 28C-Tyler Carpenter[2]; 3. 18D-Daulton Wilson[3]; 4. 71C-RJ Conley[6]; 5. 71R-Rod Conley[5]; 6. 21K-Kirk Phillips[8]; 7. 511-Chris Lockhart[10]; 8. 20B-Todd Brennan[7]; 9. 6C-Travis Carr[11]; 10. 32A-Robert Starret[14]; 11. 95J-Jerry Bowersock[4]; 12. 13W-Clay Wenzlick[12]; 13. (DNS) 0K-Freddie Carpenter; 14. (DNS) 03-Matt Isaac Lucas Oil Feature Finish (50 Laps):

Race StatisticsEntrants: 31Lap Leaders: Devin Moran (Lap 1); Jimmy Owens (Laps 2 – 50)Wrisco Feature Winner: Jimmy OwensArizona Sport Shirts Crown Jewel Cup Feature Winner: n/aBrandon Ford TV Challenge Feature Winner: Jimmy OwensMargin of Victory: 0.785 secondsStop-Tech Cautions: Ross Robinson (Lap 31)Series Provisionals: n/aFast Time Provisional: Freddie Carpenter, Todd BrennanSeries Emergency Provisionals: n/aTrack Provisionals: n/aBig River Steel Podium Top 3: Jimmy Owens, Devin Moran, Tyler ErbPenske Shocks Top 5: Jimmy Owens, Devin Moran, Tyler Erb, Hudson O’Neal, Brandon SheppardOptima Batteries Hard Charger of the Race: Ashton Winger (Advanced 5 Positions)Midwest Sheet Metal Spoiler Challenge Point Leader: Brandon SheppardHot Rod Processing Most Laps Led: Jimmy Owens (49 Laps)Sunoco Race for Gas Highest Finisher: Jimmy OwensO’Reilly Auto Parts Rookie of the Race: n/aDirty Girl Racewear Fastest Lap of the Race: Jimmy Owens (Lap 4 – 15.057 seconds)DirtonDirt.com Tough Break of the Race: Ross RobinsonOuterwears Crew Chief of the Race: Cory Fostvedt (Jimmy Owens)ARP Engine Builder of the Race: Vic Hill Racing EnginesMiller Multimatic Chassis Builder of the Race: Longhorn ChassisDirt Draft Fastest in Hot Laps: Ricky Thornton Jr (13.450 seconds)Time of Race: 17 minutes 07 seconds Lucas Oil Championship Point Standings:

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

About Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt SeriesFounded in 2005, the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series showcases the talents of the top dirt late model drivers from across the country. In 2022, the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series will sanction 65 events across 18 states, including some of the biggest marquee events in the industry, providing dirt slinging, sideways, door-to-door racing action lap after lap.

March 20, 2022

Harrison Burton and the No. 21 DEX Imaging team were among the numerous teams and drivers collected in crashes in the first Cup Series race on the reconfigured Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Burton was set to start Sunday’s Folds of Honor/QuikTrip 500 from 31st but had to move to the rear due to issues in pre-race inspection. 

He battled a brake issue in the early going of the first Cup race since a remake of AMS, which now races more like Daytona or Talladega than the other intermediate-length tracks on the circuit. 

His fortunes seemed to be improving until he was swept up in a multi-car melee on Lap 145 that left his DEX Imaging Mustang with significant suspension damage on the right front and right rear of the car.

From that point on, the team’s goal was to make it to the checkered flag. That was accomplished as Burton came home 25^th in the 325-lap race.

Eddie Wood said Burton, crew chief Brian Wilson and the entire DEX team deserve credit for hanging tough on a challenging afternoon.

“Considering the amount of damage to the car we were lucky to finish the race,” Wood said.

“Harrison did his part, and the crew did a good job getting the car back out there.
 
“They worked on it every pit stop, but you can only do so much in that situation.”
 
Next up for Burton and the No. 21 team is a trip to the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, for the Echopark Texas Grand Prix. 

Austin Dillon and the No. 3 Bass Pro Shops/TRACKER Off Road Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 Team Show Speed at Atlanta Motor Speedway Before Stage 1 Incident

35th

17th

21st

“We had a really fast Bass Pro Shops/TRACKER Off Road Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 today, so it’s a real shame we didn’t get to finish the race. Handling-wise and speed-wise, we had a great car. At the end of Stage 1, William Byron and I had a good run through Turns 1 and 2. I got to the lead and he pushed me down the backstretch. I knew the Toyotas were going to go opposite of us, so I felt like having the No. 24 car block bottom and me go to the top would keep the Chevys up front. The No. 18 car decided to stick with me. I know he probably thought he was doing us a favor, but you can’t push on the left rear on exit off Turn 4 going as fast as we’re going. He just turned me and it took us both out of the race. It was the end of Stage 1. We were going to get a run down the front stretch right there, so I don’t know why he’s pushing dead center, at the three-quarter mark. It’s part of it I guess. It was fun racing there for a while with a really fast No. 3 Bass Pro Shops/TRACKER Off Road Chevy. My feelings are hurt. It’s been two weeks in a row we’ve been taken out of the race.”-Austin Dillon

Tyler Reddick and the No. 8 3CHI Chevrolet Team Run Up Front at Atlanta Motor Speedway Before On-Track Incident

28th

5th

15th

“Man, what a day. This was a tough one because this team brought me a really fast 3CHI Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 and we were up there battling hard for the lead for most of the first stage. We cut a tire while running at the front of the field and spun in front of everyone. Our RCR team worked really hard to repair the damage and keep us out on the track, but we were no where near competitive after that and it ultimately ended our race. This new Atlanta is wild and hopefully the tire issues can be resolved so we can come back next time and put on a really good show for the fans. My team has been working really hard to bring fast cars to the track each week and I’m proud of the effort of the No. 8 team today. Thank you to 3CHI for their support today and we’re looking forward to a better race at COTA.”-Tyler Reddick

NASCAR CUP SERIES ATLANTA MOTOR SPEEDWAY FOLDS OF HONOR QUIKTRIP 500 TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT MARCH 20, 2022

 WILLIAM BYRON GIVES CAMARO ZL1 THE THIRD WIN OF 2022 AT ATLANTATeam Chevy Drivers Take Four of Top-Five, Six of Top-10 HAMPTON, Ga. (March 20, 2022) – In the debut of the repaved, revamped Atlanta Motor Speedway, William Byron drove the No. 24 Liberty University Camaro ZL1 to his first NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) victory of the 2022 season in the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500. In a race that saw 11 cautions and 46 lead changes – a record at Atlanta Motor Speedway – Byron led the final 10 laps of the 325-lap race to capture his third career victory in 149 starts in NASCAR’s premier series. “The Liberty University Chevrolet was awesome there,” said Byron. “We had a pretty rough practice; worked hard on it and got it handling well. Like I told you, it was kind of an intermediate style with a little bit of superspeedway to it, so it was lot of fun. Thanks to everyone at Hendrick Motorsports.” Byron’s win gives Chevrolet its 42nd trip to victory lane at Atlanta Motor Speedway, extending its all-time win record lead over all manufacturers. The feat also marks the bowtie brand’s third NASCAR Cup Series victory thus far this season. The winningest brand in NASCAR history, Chevrolet now sits at 817 all-time wins in NASCAR’s premier series. In just the fifth points-paying race of the season, three different Chevrolet drivers have now secured their spots in the 16-driver NCS Playoff field, with Byron joining Hendrick Motorsports teammates Kyle Larson and Alex Bowman.  For the third race this season, the Camaro ZL1 took four of the top-five and six of the top-10 of the final running order. Ross Chastain and his No. 1 Trackhouse Racing team showcased their speed all day, rallying from a blown tire while leading to fight back to a back-to-back runner-up finish. Joining Chastain in the top-five was his Trackhouse Racing teammate, Daniel Suarez, who brought his No. 99 CommScope Camaro ZL1 to the checkered flags in the fourth position. Rounding out the Team Chevy top-five was Corey LaJoie, who drove his No. 7 Spire Motorsports Camaro ZL1 to his career-best finish of fifth. Byron’s victory was also celebrated by fellow Hendrick Motorsports teammate, Chase Elliott, who drove his No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Camaro ZL1 to a sixth-place finish. Elliott, the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series Champion, leaves his home state track in the lead of the driver standings, seven points over second-place Joey Logano. Alex Bowman, No. 48 Ally Camaro ZL1, finished 10th to give Chevrolet an impressive six of the top-10.  The NASCAR Cup Series season continues next weekend at Circuit of The Americas with the EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix on Sunday, March 27, at 3:30 P.M. ET. Live coverage can be found on FOX, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90. WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 LIBERTY UNIVERSITY CAMARO ZL1, RACE WIN PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT: 
THE MODERATOR: We roll into our post-race media availability now with our race winner, William Byron. We will continue with questions.
Q.William, just kind of curious your thoughts overall after what we went through with the practice and getting through the race, getting the win? What was your overall thoughts on the track, the layouts, and this style of racing on a mile and a half, which we’ve never seen before?WILLIAM BYRON: Yeah, certainly a lot to learn this weekend. I think that through all the things that we did to prepare, like nothing came close to what practice ended up being like, so I was shocked how crazy it was, how big the runs were.
My spotter, we talked overnight. It was like you couldn’t talk fast enough to get all the things you needed to say. I thought he really worked hard overnight and got a clear idea of kind of what needed to be said so we could work on that.
But we were not very good in practice. I felt like we were really tight and had some things that we had to work through. And Rudy and my engineers and all the guys on the car worked extremely hard to get it better. And today was awesome, obviously. We led a bunch of laps. It felt like we had the best car the way we could move through the field, and just awesome to win on kind of the inaugural race of Atlanta in this style, so always cool to do something like that.
Q.With the way the Truck and Xfinity races ended, did you think you were in the best position there the last couple of laps or did you feel like that you were in trouble and/or did you see something in those races that you were able to apply to the finish here?WILLIAM BYRON: That’s a good question. I didn’t really have a chance to watch the races because I was racing last night at Hickory, but I watched a little bit of the Truck race. And I saw the last lap with Chandler leading and kind of how that developed.
So I was always trying to guard against getting too far out in front. But as soon as it got double file, I would say into turn one that really helped my cause to kind of be able to just manage the momentum. But single file, surprisingly, I mean, it might have looked like we were staying single file relatively easy, but it was hard to run single file.
It was difficult to manage the lead in the front and not have somebody get a run on you to easily pass you. So I think those things were interesting as the day developed. I felt like single file was my most vulnerable place to be, and then as soon as they would get kind of doubled up throughout the field, that was probably a little bit easier to handle.
Q.What is your QuikTrip pastry of choice?WILLIAM BYRON: It looks like one of those sour cream donuts, so I’m a big sweet tooth, so I — my girlfriend knows I just eat constantly. So it’s not great, but it’s the way it is.
Q.Two for you. Being able to go back and forth and win at Hickory last night and then win here today, it’s kind of old-school. It’s like the old Busch Series run at a short track and then come run the super speedway on a Sunday. What do you think of that experience, being able to fly back and forth and do that?WILLIAM BYRON: Yeah, I love it. I think it was — I hope for my sake that it doesn’t get overcrowded and a bunch of guys start doing that because I think it’s unique and cool, but it was a lot of fun to go to Hickory last night. That was the most nervous Saturday I’ve ever had. I was nervous in the Cup car. How was that going to go? How was the travel going to be going back to the other race track, and what is that going to feel like once I get back on the track?
Really just having good people around me to calm my nerves and just get me in the right state of mind, it was really nice to have something to kind of fill the space and be able to put my mind to something on Saturday night.
Hickory is such an iconic track, and the tire management that I had to go through last night was such a cool thing to go do, and really kind of challenged my mind completely different than this, but at the same time just the ability to adapt to stuff I think was a lot of fun and definitely hope to do more of that.I hope to do Nashville in May, the Darlington weekend, and I think it’s just a lot of fun.
Q.You’ve worked with Branden Lines for a long time going back to your late model days. I believe this is his first Cup win. How cool is it to be able to give that to him after he has pretty much coached you throughout your career?WILLIAM BYRON: Very cool. I mean, he — yeah, you said it best. I feel like he has been there really every step of the way. I mean, we’ve always kept in touch. Very similar to Rudy. Now I feel like at the Cup level, I have that triangle that we talk about with the spotter, crew chief, driver.
I have people that I’ve known for most of my racing career, so I think that’s very, very cool. You don’t see that a lot, but for someone as young as me, I feel like it’s really critical because my comfort level with him is very high. I can tell Branden whatever, whatever I think, and I can tell Rudy whatever I think.
So, yeah, it’s cool to see him kind of break through that bubble that is your first Cup win because it’s hard to get that. He did a great job throughout the last few laps, and I just had a good feeling coming into this race that we could do something good and pretty awesome to pull it off.
Q.William, some tires were popping, particularly on the Chevrolets. Were you kept abreast of what was happening there, and did you have a concern about that?WILLIAM BYRON: So yes and no. I don’t think it was a Chevrolet thing. I think it was just the fact that whoever was leading for a long time when it got single file. Just the way that the cars felt on corner entry, you put a lot of load into the right-side tires a lot of time in the back traffic, you put a lot of load into the front, and that’s usually what you find on a repave is right front tire issues.
I think Goodyear has done a good job of working through and making sure that the right front does last, but the right rear is a little bit of an unpredictable thing because typically you’re not on the right rear that hard on a repave because you can’t be loose.
It was unique that that was an issue, but I’m sure it’s just something new with the track and something we’ll work through.
Q.I was just curious if today’s race was as mentally challenging or exhausting as Daytona or Talladega?WILLIAM BYRON: More. More, for sure. Daytona and Talladega, when you get single file, can you relax. Today when you were single-file, you were constantly working to stay single file so you didn’t lose the lead. I think that was a lot different. I’m not used to that.
And the way that you — I told Branden at one point and Rudy, I was, like, man, I can’t believe we’re not halfway yet because this is — this just feels long mentally. Just all the energy that I’m spending to do all the moves that we need to make. Pretty crazy race, but definitely good to come out on top.
Q.You mentioned a few minutes ago about the triangle and having the right people around you. At this point do you feel like this is the most comfortable that you have been as a Cup Series driver and one the Hendrick organization since you have been there?WILLIAM BYRON: Yeah, definitely. I think that comfort has come in the last few years. I would say even back to working with Chad I felt more and more comfortable in the debriefs, more comfortable at the shop, and it was kind of one thing after another.
I would say the first thing I felt comfortable was walking into the shop and feeling like I could speak my mind and say what the car did, be critical. Then I think it slowly trickled to Rudy coming on board, somebody that I’ve worked with in the past, and then Branden was a nice addition to somebody I’ve worked with in the past as well.
Then ultimately, just having that good group around you and people that you trust and can work with. It’s been a great start to the year. We’ve had a ton of speed. Obviously had some wrecks and things, but I felt like today was due.
Q.I’m just kind of curious. You said a couple of times after you were climbing from the car. I’ve got to say the excitement, the screaming and the yelling was pretty intense, but you also said you were out of breath. And I’m just kind of wondering, was the out of breath from the exertion, from the emotion, from just the intensity of the racing? And if it was the latter, where would this stack up as just being nerve-wracking compared to a Talladega or a Daytona?WILLIAM BYRON: Yeah, I think the excitement was just from, obviously, winning a Cup race. Cup races are so hard to win, and I feel like anytime you win one it’s just such an exciting feeling.
It’s a little bit different, though, when you have a nice lead or you’ve got a dominant car all day, but when you come to a speedway, you really don’t know you’re going to win until you come on to the front stretch and if you are by yourself.
So it’s just a crazy, exhilarating feeling when you win at a kind of super speedway style race because you’re constantly working, and you never — it’s never really guaranteed. That was where the excitement I think came from. But, yeah, I think it was a lot of fun.
Q.You ran the lower horsepower package here this weekend. You guys come back in July. Would you be in favor of a higher horsepower package to kind of get the cars separated, or did you like what you had today and come back with the same package?WILLIAM BYRON: I doubt they’re going to change it after the way today was, but, yeah, I think repaves are tricky. You’re never going to — you’re probably going to have a hard time making the tires last for a couple of years with the pavement and the grip that this place would have if we had low downforce.It is what it is, and just learning to adapt as we go and try to be the best we can at it.
Q.There’s parts of this track that some people say are kind of angry. It has its own little nuances already, and one of those it seems to be coming out of two in the back stretch. I was back there on the terrace watching, and you could see the cars kind of bottoming out. What did you feel in the car when you were out there, and how did that throw you guys around?WILLIAM BYRON: Certainly the bump off two was kind of your lap counter because it was such a big bump that I felt like every time I got to that, it was like, all right, there’s another lap. Definitely kind of feeling it in your back. I’m sure they’ll smooth that out, and the cars are — as we saw at California, bumps are difficult sometimes with quick jolts, but overall I think that was the only thing I saw that was kind of puzzling, but I think the rest of the track definitely did have some character that I was interested the way it worked out.
The painted line definitely has a lot of grip. Not that you really need to use that, but certainly the way that the lanes work in the corner is kind of weird. There’s kind of like a snake effect to the lanes. It’s not just a smooth constant progression like it is at Daytona, so that’s a little different. I don’t know how that will change as the years go.
Q.First off, congratulations on your big win. I saw Alex Bowman come into victory lane congratulate you. Walk me through what he said to you, and how crucial is it to have such a tight-knit relationship in the Hendrick Motorsports family.WILLIAM BYRON: It’s great to have really awesome teammates. I feel like Kyle, Chase, and Alex are awesome teammates. They’re really good race car drivers, and I feel like we all learn things from each other. We all have kind of our — as I have spent more time around all of them, I feel like we all have our tendencies and tracks that we like or dislike. It’s cool to learn from each of them. I feel like we continue to strengthen each other because we’re constantly kind of learning from each other, which is good.
THE MODERATOR: William, that seems to be all the questions we have. Thank you, again, for joining us. Congratulations, again, on the win. We wish you the best of luck next weekend as well.
WILLIAM BYRON: Appreciate it.
RUDY FUGLE, CREW CHIEF, NO. 24 LIBERTY UNIVERSITY CAMARO ZL1; AND RICK HENDRICK, OWNER, HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS – PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT
THE MODERATOR: We are going to go ahead and get started here with our post-race availability for this afternoon’s Fold of Honors 500 here at Atlanta Motor Speedway. We’ve been joined by our race-winning crew chief, Rudy Fugle.
First of all, congrats on the win. We appreciate you coming in and joining us after the victory lane celebration. Tell us just a little bit about those final laps from your vantage point.
RUDY FUGLE: Thanks for the congrats. It’s really exciting to be able to get a win. Just the restart and the final — led to the final set of laps, and then we had one of the strongest cars, if not the strongest car.But it’s all about getting the pushes and trying to stay ahead of that. So our spotter, Branden Lines and William did awesome. They were able to control the lanes and go back and forth. Even just getting the lead back was phenomenal.
Holding our breath, hoping to get back to the lead, and then once we got there, just holding your breath to control it. So super proud of everybody.
THE MODERATOR: We’ve now been joined by Rick Hendrick as well, so we’ll go ahead and open up for questions for both Rick and Rudy. I know I saw a few hands raised.
Q.Rudy, two things. First off, it was said over the radio after you won the race, and William said it in his TV interview, with the hard work that went in overnight in changing some things, working late. Can you walk us through the work that was done on this 24 car after what you saw in practice?RUDY FUGLE: For the first time this year really we were off in practice. Just had some wrong philosophies, wrong setup items, and the way practice was we were just trying to get laps so William could get comfortable. But we really needed to work on the car more, but needed to make a plan.Once we got out of here and got back to the hotel, our engineers, and even at the shop and here we worked until 9:00. We had some dinner, and then there was emails going out until midnight, so coming up with a plan.
Came up with a good plan thanks to — we used a lot of the 9 stuff to help guide us and made good decisions otherwise, and then give that to the guys to come in this morning. And they got an hour and a half to pretty much rebuild the race car.
So they did phenomenal getting the car built, getting through tech and put a race car on the track capable of winning, and not dominating, but being really, really fast. Close to dominating.
Q.Did you guys come here with a super speedway philosophy in car setup, or did you come here with the typical Atlanta setup?RUDY FUGLE: No, it was a blend. A lot of super speedway thoughts and then some Michigan, some Texas repave and just trying to — and this car is still brand new, so there’s a ton we’re learning that you’re trying to apply. So missed it on a couple of things, but it didn’t take much to get it where we needed to be.
Q.I have a question for each of you gentlemen. Rudy, from your perspective as a crew chief, old Atlanta configuration and type of racing versus what we saw today. Your thoughts?RUDY FUGLE: Yeah, it was — I thought racing really was really good today. There’s some things with the track, some big bumps and some character. It’s difficult. It’s stressful. It’s a different type of racing.Crew chiefs, we love coming to Atlanta just like drivers did because if you got it right, if you were perfect, you did your homework and you could go dominate. You could have eight, ten-second leads. That’s snoozers for TV, but it’s something to be proud of from our side of things.
So we really enjoyed that challenge of how hard Atlanta was and how much fun it was with tire falloff making it good. But when you have to repave tracks, this was a good product today. I thought it was really, really good.
Q.Rick, from a car owner’s perspective, Daytona, Talladega races tend to be expensive. You guys tear up a lot of equipment. It seems like this is going to be kind of in that same vein. As a car owner, are you okay with adding two additional super speedway type races to a schedule and what may be your bottom line?RICK HENDRICK: We have not had very good luck at finishing plate races. We’ve been in a great position, but we’ve seemed to get in wrecks all the time, and I don’t think this is going to be quite as bad.These cars are more durable, and you saw it today. Usually when you have a wreck down at Talladega, Daytona, it’s just trashed. But a lot of cars were able to finish, and also I think it’s going to be easier and better with this car and I think the speeds here at this track. I believe it’s going to be a great show.
Q.I have one for each. Rudy, were you concerned at all about right rears blowing after seeing what happened to the others, you know, Goodyear said they were looking at it, but they didn’t notice it was all Chevrolets and all ones who were running up front.RUDY FUGLE: Yeah, definitely. The speed and having to run pretty much wide open to lead compared to 70% throttle for a full lap to be second or third is definitely putting a lot more stress on the tires, so it’s kind of managing ourselves there.
I was trying to coach William into doing some lifts and just if we could lift a little bit and slow the pace down a little bit and not get passed, then we could save the tires. Definitely at a repave you are always worried about tires. You got hard tires because you have so much load, but eventually you put enough heat in them, and they blow out. Definitely on our mind.
We kind of knew because we share information. We kind of knew where some of these guys were and thought we may be — we weren’t in worse shape at least than they were. Just try to manage it.
Q.And, Rick, I would think that most of you feel that kind of four plate races is enough as far as when it comes to Daytona and Talladega. This kind of makes it six. Do you want to cap it, or is there any thought of some people say, well, if this works, then maybe they should do it at Texas or any of the other mile and a halfs?RICK HENDRICK: No, I vote to cap it. With our record at plate races with finishing, I just — I think this is enough.
Q.For Rudy. I believe this is the first win as a spotter for Branden Lines, so just the job that he did with a really chaotic style of race, and how important was it to get his first Cup win as a spotter?RUDY FUGLE: It’s huge. I’m really proud of Branden. I’ve known Branden for a really long time going back to Erik Jones’ late model and truck days and kind of been friends with him since. So getting a chance to work with him is really exciting.
How much passion he has for racing and how much hard work he puts in during the week. He has been working really, really hard. Him and William have a good relationship, so they’ve been working outside of even what I know and this lingo, you know, all these — like I said, he was — I think he changed two batteries today because he talked so much. He talked more here than you do at Daytona and Talladega because when you get in that top riding lane in Daytona and Talladega, you know what to expect, and the runs aren’t as quick. And here the runs were gigantic, and they were so fast, so spotter had to be on it, and Branden did a great job.
Q.Rudy, it looked like with about ten or 12 laps to go you might not want to be first the way the runs were taking place and all that, but William got out with some — got some space. Was that the approach you wanted to take, or were you feeling pretty safe being in front there in the last few laps?RUDY FUGLE: Yeah. William stated it during the first stage that he thought being second was a better spot to be, and we were — the 1 was fast, and we were fast. I think it was the 8 we were kind of all making runs and just kind of learning.
If you get the right run, it’s tough to be the leader for sure. But we just had a lot of things go right. And Mr. H talked about it before the race. Sometimes at some point things have to go right for you. We’ve had a lot of bad luck and bad circumstances this year that have kept us from winning races I feel like, and today we just had some things go right.
Some guys, Blaney and whoever got up together and got out a lane, and then the 20 going underneath the line with the 1 getting side-by-side, just kind of generated — it stopped the runs from generating. It kind of worked out for us. I’ll take anything we can get.
Q.I have one for Rudy and one for Rick. Rudy, two of William’s three Cup victories have been on super speedway style racing. What makes him so good at that?RUDY FUGLE: Yeah, no, he has become a great restrictor plate racer. He is really aggressive and knows how to use the runs and take the pushes and give pushes. I mean, it’s hard to say what makes somebody great. You know, everybody talks about Denny when we come to these places, but you have to have good cars, you have to have good engines, and then he has just done an awesome job of learning what makes the car stay up front at these places. When we’re not wrecked, he is usually up front.
Q.And, Rick, with William’s victory three of your four drivers have now won three of the first five races. It’s the first time that it’s been done since Carl Kiekhaefer did it in 1956. What does this mean to you?RICK HENDRICK: Well, you know, I’m awful proud of the organization and the guys the way they worked together, and we’ve been fortunate. We had a couple of breaks to win one of the races, but I’m proud of them.
And it’s really hard today with the cars that we have and everything is equal, but I think the talent of our guys, like Rudy said, William has just been unbelievable on the plate races. I’m just proud of them. We might hit a streak here and not win one, but I’m really proud of the speed and the way they’re staying up front, and hopefully we’ll continue to win more races.
Q.Rick, already this season there’s been a race in a stadium. You’ve got a super speedway race at a mile and a half track. You know, here in a couple of weeks you’ll be going back to a dirt track. What do these changes mean, and what do you hope to see or what are you looking forward to more as the sport seems to continue to evolve?RICK HENDRICK: I think it’s great for NASCAR. The stadium brought a lot of new fans in. The dirt track, I’ve got people coming out of the woodwork wanting to go to Bristol now for that race, and I think it’s exciting for the fans and the drivers are adapting well.
This car, we basically run the same car everywhere, and so I think it’s great for the sport, and I would like to see a street race. Hopefully we’ll just continue to work outside the box, and I think that’s growing a lot of new fans for us.
Q.Why do you want to see a street race? And also, secondly, I know the Texas race ended. This one got started. I don’t know if you had any contact with Jimmie or your thoughts of Jimmie having his top ten today?RICK HENDRICK: I did not see the race. What happened to him?
Q.He was sixth.RICK HENDRICK: We felt like when Jimmie got on oval he would be more competitive. I’m proud of him. I’m really proud of Jimmie for jumping into a sport and trying to relearn against all these guys or learn the sport. But I felt like when we got to ovals, when they got to ovals, he was going to be good.
Q.Why a street race?RICK HENDRICK: I just think it’s exciting. I think it’s different. I think it would be why the Coliseum race? I mean, if there’s a right street circuit that we could race on, I just think something different brings in a new level of fans. And it’s exciting. It’s something different to talk about.
I think keep changing it up, and it just seems to bring in a lot of new people that we haven’t seen. The age group at the Coliseum were people — I think they said, like, 60% had never been to a NASCAR race. I think just doing something different than you’ve done for years and years is good for the sport.
THE MODERATOR: For Rick and Rudy, congratulations again on the victory. Thank you, again, for joining us. 

 TOP TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL RACE RESULTS:POS.   DRIVER1st      WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 LIBERTY UNIVERSITY CAMARO ZL12nd     ROSS CHASTAIN, NO. 1 ADVENT HEALTH CAMARO ZL14th      DANIEL SUAREZ, NO. 99 COMMSCOPE CAMARO ZL15th      COREY LAJOIE, NO. 7 FRATERNAL ORDER OF EAGLES CAMARO ZL16th      CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CAMARO ZL1 10th    ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 48 ALLY CAMARO ZL1  TOP FIVE UNOFFICIAL RACE RESULTS: POS.  DRIVER1st      William Byron (Chevrolet)2nd   Ross Chastain (Chevrolet)3rd      Kurt Busch (Toyota)4th      Daniel Suarez (Chevrolet)5th      Corey LaJoie (Chevrolet)
The NASCAR Cup Series season continues next weekend at Circuit of The Americas with the EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix on Sunday, March 27, at 3:30 P.M. ET. Live coverage can be found on FOX, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90. TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE NOTES AND QUOTES:WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 LIBERTY UNIVERSITY CAMARO ZL1 – Race Winner WILLIAM BYRON BRINGS IT HOME FOR HIS THIRD CAREER WIN. YOU JUST GOT OUT OF THE CAR AND SAID “THAT WAS FUN.” YOU HAVE A SUPERSPEEDWAY CAR, AN INTERMEDIATE SET UP – WHAT WAS THIS DAY LIKE IN THE END?“It was so different. You know honestly the last few laps there, just trying to manage the gap to Bubba (Wallace) and trying to not get too far out front. My spotter Brandon (Lines), it’s his first win so congrats to him and just thanks to this whole team. They’ve done a great job this year. There’s a lot of changes with the Next Gen car.  The Liberty University Chevrolet was awesome there. We had a pretty rough practice; worked hard on it and got it handling well. Like I told you, it was kind of an intermediate style with a little bit of superspeedway to it, so it was lot of fun. Thanks to everyone at Hendrick Motorsports. Super exciting.” HOW ABOUT THIS CROWD? PACKED STANDS HERE TO SEE AN ATLANTA RACE LIKE WE’VE NEVER SEEN BEFORE.“It’s so cool. I think these fans saw one heck of a race. It was certainly long from my seat. It was mentally taxing. Just thanks to all the fans for coming out. Been an awesome weekend. I got the win last night in the Late Model too, so it’s been a lot of fun.”                                                                                                    ROSS CHASTAIN, NO. 1 ADVENT HEALTH CAMARO ZL1 – Finished 2ndLOSE SOME LAPS, GET THE LAPS BACK. IN POSITION AT THE END OF THIS RACE, ENDED UP THIRD.“Maybe second. What a day, Regan. That’s the fight, that’s the fight in Trackhouse. This Gen 7 car to take a lick like that, blow a tire out of nowhere leading. Just cruising, blow a right rear, slam the wall, I thought our day was over. Our guys went underneath the car, got the tow closer and we got the balance back where I could drive it and this Advent Health Chevy was fast. It was so fast. I mean we were fighting with William (Byron) there at the beginning. So cool to race with buddies again. I only have a few, but the last two weeks I’ve been able to race with buddies. Can’t thank everybody at Trackhouse, the Moose, Advent Health, everybody that’s been on this car. Justin Marks and his family for what they do for me and Daniel Suarez. What a teammate to push me there at the end.” DANIEL SUAREZ, NO. 99 COMMSCOPE CAMARO ZL1 – Finished 4th SECOND TOP-FIVE ALREADY THIS SEASON. YOU GUYS BOUNCED OFF THE WALL. YOU HAD A PENALTY ON PIT ROAD. WHAT WAS YOUR DAY LIKE? “It was just like that, up and down. Our No. 99 CommScope Chevrolet was fast. We did a good job on pit road. We had fast pit stops. When we have a fast Chevrolet Camaro, it makes things easier. Everyone at Trackhouse Racing has been working very, very hard to build cars like this. We just have to keep it up. We have a few trophies coming in the near future.”  COREY LAJOIE, NO. 7 FRATERNAL ORDER OF EAGLES CAMARO ZL1 – Finished 5th“We did exactly what we set out to do today. We made Atlanta Motor Speedway like a superspeedway. We missed the wrecks and put our No. 7 Fraternal Order of Eagles Camaro ZL1 there at the end and got a top-five finish. It’s great to start our season with three top-15’s and now one top-five. Hopefully, we can maintain the momentum over the next couple of weeks and put ourselves in a good points position through the summer. Thank you to everyone at Spire Motorsports and the No. 7 team for all the hard work to continue to build fast Chevy’s.”  CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CAMARO ZL1 – Finished 6th“It was crazy, for sure. Hopefully it was fun to watch because I felt like it was wild from my seat. It was very much so like a Daytona or Talladega. Just trying to position yourself there at the right spot and hope it goes your way.”  JUSTIN HALEY, NO. 31 LEAFFILTER GUTTER PROTECTION CAMARO ZL1 – Finished 11th“Obviously, Chris (Buescher) and I were going for the same real estate there at the end, so neither of us were really to blame. I did not want to be forced down below the red and white line. I have been bitten by that rule in the past, so I obviously did not want to go below it, and I was not going to check up either. We had a really strong No. 31 LeafFilter Gutter Protection Camaro ZL1 all day, but we were just unlucky at the end.” KYLE LARSON, NO. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM CAMARO ZL1 – Sidelined due to damage sustained in an accident on lap 208. “We were just coming to the end of the stage. He (Denny Hamlin) was just trying to help me get a run down the front stretch. He just got to me in the corner and got me loose. I hate that happened, but it’s a product of this racing and product of pushing; trying to draft and get your lane going. Nothing is intentional.  Obviously, I wish we were still out there and both of us racing. The good thing is we have a win already. Two DNF’s in a row isn’t what we want, but our No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevy is fast. We were able to drive to the front a few different times and avoid a couple different wrecks. I was happy with the car. The handling was off early, but we got it better. I know the speed was there to contend. We’ll move along and go have some fun on a road course.”  RICKY STENHOUSE JR., NO. 47 KROGER/SWEETLEAF CAMARO ZL1 – Sidelined by damage sustained in an accident on lap 200. YOU WERE LEADING AND HAD A FAST CAR. I HEARD YOUR CREW CHIEF SAY ON THE RADIO THAT YOU HAD A TIRE GO DOWN. DID YOU HAVE ANY INDICATION?“No, I was just riding around and I felt really good with our No. 47. Kroger / SweetLeaf Camaro. It was really, really fast. We drove right up to the front from the back there at the start of the race. You saw a few tires let go with people leading, running in the front. I don’t know if with all the speed we have here, if the right rear can’t hang on or what.  The JTG Daugherty guys brought a really fast car. It was another race where I felt like we were running up front. We’ve done that quite often this year. We missed it last weekend in Phoenix, but we’ll go get them at COTA. Our guys are continuing to build really good race cars and that’s all we can ask for. We’ll keep trying to put ourselves in position. I had fun.”  AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 BASS PRO SHOPS/TRACKER OFF ROAD CAMARO ZL1 – Sidelined by damage sustained in an accident on lap 100. “William (Byron) and I had a good run through (turns) one and two. Got to the lead and he pushed me down the backstretch. I knew the Toyotas were going to go opposite of us, so I felt like having the No. 24 block bottom and me go to the top would keep the Chevy’s up front. The No. 18 (Kyle Busch) decided to stick with me. I know he probably thought he was doing us a favor, but you can’t push on the left rear on exit off turn four going as fast as we’re going. He just turned me and it took us both out of the race.”  “It was the end of Stage One. We were going to get a run down the front stretch right there, so I don’t know why he’s pushing dead center, at the three-quarter mark. It’s part of it I guess. It was fun racing there for a while with a really fast No. 3 Bass Pro Shops Chevy. My feelings are hurt. Just two weeks in a row we’ve been taken out of the race.”  TY DILLON, NO. 42 ALSCO UNIFORMS CAMARO ZL1 – Sidelined by damage sustained in an accident on lap 100. WHAT HAPPENED OUT THERE AND WHAT DID YOU SEE?“I don’t know. We were taking it easy. We had a penalty on pit road, so we had to restart last there. I was just kind of chilling. I was trying to slow down with the wreck and the No. 14 (Chase Briscoe), I don’t know what he was looking at or doing. He just ran right through me and ended our day. I knew we had a good enough No. 42 Alsco Uniforms Camaro ZL1 to hopefully get up front with good track position and good pit stops. Just hate that it ended our day early.”  WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE NEW ATLANTA MOTOR SPEEDWAY? “It’s really hard to pass and you need help (to pass). I wasn’t up front enough to really tell you a lot, but it was really hard to pass. Even if you were handling better, if somebody could just stay in the middle lane, you could hardly get around them unless you had a massive run and they messed up. Track position matters. We were going to need to have good pit stops. Hopefully we would have been up front, but it wasn’t our day.”  NOAH GRAGSON, NO. 16 CHEVYLINERS.COM CAMARO ZL1 – Sidelined by damage sustained in an accident on lap 24. “I just got loose there through (turns) one and two. It was still early in the race, so I wasn’t pushing it. I was just trying to bide my time and stay patient. It’s such a long race. It’s unfortunate. I hate it for the ChevyLiners.com team and everyone at Kaulig Racing. They’ve been putting in so many hours this year. My goal was to complete all the laps and finish the race. The No. 16 Camaro ZL1 was fast, it was just a mistake.”

CHEVROLET RACING IN NTT INDYCAR SERIES XPEL 375 TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY JUSTIN, TEXAS TEAM CHEVY RACE POST RACE RECAP WITH TRANSCRIPT MARCH 20, 2022

• JOSEF NEWGARDEN, NO. 2 PPG TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET, MADE LAST CORNER, LAST LAP PASS ON TEAMMATE SCOTT MCLAUGHLIN TO CAPTURE HIS 2ND WIN IN THE XPEL 375 AT TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY. 
• CHEVROLET HAS CAPTURED TWO WINS, AND FOUR PODIUMS IN THE FIRST TWO RACES
• TODAY’S VICTORY ON THE 1.5-MILE OVAL IS NEWGARDEN’S 21ST CAREER WIN AND THE 600TH WIN FOR ROGER PENSKE AND TEAM PENSKE 
• ALSO IS THE 97TH VICTORY SINCE 2012 FOR THE CHEVY 2.2 LITER V6 TWIN TURBO DIRECT INJECTED ENGINE

FT. WORTH (MARCH 20,2022) – A lap and a half from the checkered flag, Josef Newgarden, No. 2 PPG Team Penske Chevrolet, was behind his teammate, race leader and St. Petersburg winner Scott McLaughlin, No. 3 XPEL Team Penske Chevrolet, and had about decided to stay where he was, and take the second-place finish. 
But, as if commanded, the opportunity opened up for Newgarden to dare to take the highline around McLaughlin, knowing there was a risk of the resin that had bitten several other drivers earlier in the race could be his demise.
Coming out of turn four Newgarden completed the pass of McLaughlin for the win at the checkered by .0669 seconds to score the 21st win of his career, his second at Texas Motor Speedway and the 97th for Chevrolet since 2012. 
“Unbelievable (to have the) PPG car in victory lane,” said a jubilant Newgarden from Victory Lane. “Also, our XPEL car. How about Scott (McLaughlin)? I think he led like 95 percent of the laps. I hate doing that to a teammate, but I was going for it just like he was. We were driving hard. Man, I was loose. I was driving things sideways off of three and four every lap. I was trying to get a run, but Team Chevy what an unbelievable job right? We showed up, got the pole, got the win for Team Chevy’s camp, and just so pleased for everybody. It was so good to drive this PPG car again with Team Chevy.”
Two races into the 17-race 2022 NTT INDYCAR Series schedule, Chevrolet powered drivers have scored two wins, four podiums, four top-fives and six top-10 finishes. 
“Congratulations to Josef Newgarden on his exciting win,” said Rob Buckner, Chevrolet Racing Engineering Program Manager for INDYCAR. “Great day again for Scott McLaughlin as well. I am so proud of the work that has been put in by the Chevrolet engineering group with our technical partners and teams that is giving us a strong start to the 2022 INDYCAR Series. It is awesome to help Team Penske capture its 600th win as an organization. What a tremendous achievement. Now we get ready for Long Beach but it is great to head to race three with momentum for all of our teams and drivers.”
With his second-place finish after leading 186 laps, McLaughlin leaves Texas with a 28 point lead in the standings. 
Team Penske’s Will Power just missed another podium with a strong fourth-place finish, and heads to Long Beach second in points to give Team Chevy the three of the top-four finishers in today’s 248-lap exciting race.
Rinus VeeKayf battled for the lead around the two-thirds point of the race, and brought his No. 21 Sonax Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet, finished in 10th position. 
Two Chevrolet drivers were forced to retire early from the race. Kyle Kirkwood driving the No. 14 Rokit AJ Foyt Chevrolet, was involved in a single-car incident on lap 113 making hard contact with the outside wall. He was checked and released at the infield care center and scored 25th in the final order. 
Pole winner Felix Rosenqvist, No. 7 Vuse Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet, retired from the race on lap 138 with a non-engine related mechanical problem. He is credited with the 21st finishing position
Other Chevy powered drivers finished as follows:ED CARPENTER, NO. 33 ALZAMEND ED CARPENTER RACING, ., FINISHED 13thJR HILDEBRAND, NO. 11 ROKIT AJ FOYT RACING CHEVROLET, FINISHED 14thPATO O’WARD, NO.5 ARROW MCLAREN SP RACING CHEVROLET, FINISHED 15thCALLUM ILLOT, NO. 77 JUNCOS HOLLINGER RACING CHEVROLET, FINISHED 16thDALTON KELLET, NO. 4 K-LINE AJ FOYT RACING CHEVROLET, FINISHED 17thCONOR DALY, NO. 20 BITNILE ED CARPENTER RACING CHEVROLET, FINISHED 18th
Next for Team Chevy in the NTT INDYCAR Series is the Streets of Long Beach on April 10, 2022.
Scott McLaughlinJosef NewgardenPress Conference
THE MODERATOR: We welcome in Scott McLaughlin, who almost went back to back. What happened at the end?SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: Looking back at it, if I would have thought about it in my head, which I already have done a million times, my car was tightening up, especially in traffic. It probably wasn’t handling exactly how it had at the start earlier in the race. I was sort of maxed out on my tools. I was trying to control the traffic, couldn’t catch the traffic too much. At the end the traffic checked up into me.I knew there were going to be dramas in three and four. I struggled with my turns at three and four. I guess I wasn’t prepared to take the risk on the outside at 3-4, which looking back at it I should have. My teammate Josef, obviously Josef chose to. Once he was on the outside of me, I can’t do anything.Yeah, look, I’m gutted. I’ll reevaluate everything over the next few days. But it’s funny, like last year I was fist pumping and jumping out of the car finishing second. I’m like today, It sucks. That’s how it is. That’s how we’re growing. I’ll learn from this, get better.Yeah, I probably just need to expand, maybe risk a little bit more when I need, to try different lines. I’ll learn for the big one coming up in May.One thing is great, 600 wins for the captain. Literally if anyone else beat me, I would be pissed. I’m kind of pissed now, but you know what I mean. 600 wins for the team. We led a lot of laps, extended the championship lead.Yeah, I’m a race driver. I want to win. It definitely hurts.
THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.Q.How do you feel the conditions were as the race went on?SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: Look, obviously the first stint went for a long time. I actually battled with the vibration on the run. We still had pretty good speed. I managed to pull away.But definitely the wind, the conditions, changed towards the end of the race. Very gusty off turn two, which made it quite loose. A lot of push, quite tight through 3-4.Maybe my car wasn’t quite set up for the gustier conditions, but all in all I think we had a really solid race car today. We were right there, thereabouts, throughout the whole race. I passed Dixon into one, a few others into one, able to demand track position when we needed to, that’s what we needed to do: get the right track positions at the right time.
Q.A little more in detail. When you’re coming around out of three, going into four, you know he is where he is, was there any possible thing you could have done to close the line without it being risky?SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: No. Like I said, I was battling already on the exit of three and four. It would have been risky for me, for both of us, if I had moved. I mean, when I got told that he’s in the second lane, I was like, Oh, here we go (laughter).Looking back at it, I was just too tentative. At the end of the day I’ll learn from that. I just didn’t want to go out the last corner, hit the fence, not have either of us win, because I quite easily could have taken Josef out.It is what it is. At the end of the day it’s one of those days when you look back at the end of the year, championship-wise it might work out very good.
Q.(No microphone.)SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: Yeah, around when I was sort of like the leader, I had a good lead, I was sort of lapping him a little bit. He was fast. He was doing some really good moves. I saw him pass a guy on the outside in one, a few others.J.J., we hang out a bit. He’s certainly coming strong. I’m sure he feels a lot more confident on the ovals. He’s going to be good at Indy. I’m really excited for him. He’s in a good car. I’m excited for what’s ahead.For INDYCAR itself it’s exciting, a guy like that, with so much talent. There’s not many people in America who don’t know who Jimmie Johnson is. If he’s going to compete at the front of the Indy 500, hopefully just behind me, we’re good (smiling). I’ll lead him across the bricks at the end of the race, no dramas. Tuck in, mate, it’s good prize money.
THE MODERATOR: Probably that many people globally who don’t know who Jimmie is.SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: Everywhere has NASCAR on television knows who J.J. is. I flipped out when I got his mobile number. It was pretty cool.
Q.(No microphone.)SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: I don’t know, maybe.
THE MODERATOR: Obviously Josef has his cowboy hat on.JIMMIE JOHNSON: Head it much bigger now.THE MODERATOR: Three laps led, but the most important ones.JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Was it three? I thought I only got one.THE MODERATOR: Generally your thoughts coming up on Scott there on the last lap, what was going through your mind?JOSEF NEWGARDEN: It was a race of patience, for sure, for us at least. We tried to manage all the way throughout. We had a lot of adversities to work through. We had a right front that was coming apart on the first stint. We got through that. It actually worked out pretty well. We cycled up to second. Scott was way up the road, started closing the gap. Obviously had the big yellow in the middle.Kind of the final restart, I just got my doors blown off by everybody. There was a ton of fuel to save at that point. Seemed like no one was worried about doing that right away. I must have went back to sixth or seventh. Kind of methodically got back forward.At the end I was like Scott is going to be hard to beat with traffic. He’s been strong this whole time. He was strong last year, strong at the test. I thought if we just had clear running, we would have a great fight. We probably would have been dicing back and forth the entire time.It gets so difficult when you have cars that are about to go a lap down, fighting each other. Scott is trying to manage that. Hurts me to be able to close up on end.At the end I literally conceded with two laps to go. It’s just not going to happen. I literally almost lost it off four pushing hard to go ahead close. He did a good job. He was in position. He’s in position, he’s going to win this rails, bring it home.SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: You could have held on for one more corner.JOSEF NEWGARDEN: I could have kept that mindset. But that mindset changed as soon as I got to corner three (laughter). The traffic just presented a great opportunity to really, I don’t want to say the words, but get after it, try to do something to win this race.I went high side. If I hit the fence, I hit the fence. Scott is still the winner, it will be a great day for the team. I was so pumped. I’ve never been so excited. I got on the radio like in the middle of 3-4, I was like, No way.SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: One thing that was cool, almost like one of the old Penske races when they used de Ferran and Castroneves used to run across the line? At the end of the day it was kind of cool.JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Much more old school. You might have had something like that even if there was no traffic to deal with, just Scott and me.SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: The restarts, whoever led…JOSEF NEWGARDEN: I think you would have had a finish like that where it was real close. With two cars battling, you could really do a lot.The drag race down the frontstretch was big today. Because of headwind versus yesterday, you could get such a big run off of four. It would have been an exciting finish the other way around, but it worked out the way it did today.THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.Q.What did you learn today that will help you out for the next time you run into a situation like this on an oval? Can you think of another race in your career where you had a lead position and then you lost at the end?SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: I lost the championship on the last lap in 2017. That is very similar, but not as hectic.What would I do different? Probably take the high line. Like I said, I didn’t risk that today. I think, yeah, should I have? Yeah, probably. That’s an experience thing that I’ll learn and come back with, maybe think about that for next year.Like I said to you guys before, I was pushing out of three. I didn’t have the confidence to run that line, that groove behind those cars. Once he was up there, like I had nothing. I mean, it is what it is. I’ll learn from it.Yeah, that’s INDYCAR racing, oval racing. It’s why we love it. I think today’s package, I had a lot of fun out there regardless. Passing. When we ended up having the fuel race, I slipped back to fourth, had to work my way back to second, almost the lead. That was fun. It’s what I remember watching when I was a kid.I certainly hope we continue to build with this package and get this better. Once you have a bit of two lanes through this track, it’s going to be a lot of fun and we’ll have races like we did today.Q.Do you think racing in daytime played a factor seeing more passing than you had been in the past?JOSEF NEWGARDEN: It wasn’t the daytime running, it’s the changes to the aerodynamic package. We were running quite a bit more downforce than last year. The wind direction was different today than normal. Normally we’re getting a tailwind down the frontstretch. Today we had a headwind. It aids the passing.I think the session they ran yesterday cleaned up a little bit of the second lane. It really did. I wouldn’t have been able to do what I did in three and four last year. There’s just no way. I would have hit the fence for sure.SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: They almost need to do that not only here but everywhere. No one’s going to run the slower lane. People don’t do that. We’re focused. Like Gateway, I’m sure Iowa. I agree with Josef. I think extra downforce was helpful.Personally I like a night race. I think prime time is always awesome. But we don’t make those decisions. Our boss does, this bloke.Q.One year on now at Texas, how is racing on an oval now compared to coming in as a rookie?SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: It’s awesome. I enjoy oval racing. I wouldn’t say I prefer it. I love just INDYCAR racing. Like I said yesterday, INDYCAR racing is oval racing. I love it. I enjoy it. I learn off this car last year, Simon, some really good teachers that got me comfortable on the ovals, where I want the setup, where I want to go. I feel now I’m going a little bit my way with the step, which I think is helping the team overall.Yeah, look, I love it. I love it. I can’t way for more of it, can’t wait for May. As a team we’re going to have a very strong race car. Very exciting.Q.Your thoughts on the captain picking up win 600?JOSEF NEWGARDEN: The captain is so true to his word. He gave me $600 in pit lane, in cash. We’re going to In-N-Out is what we’re going to do.Q.(No microphone.)JOSEF NEWGARDEN: There you go, she said it.It’s funny. I was answering the question in pit lane. I wasn’t suggesting that.SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: That sounds like a fun time. You, too?JOSEF NEWGARDEN: You guys should just go if we don’t make it. Send us photos. We were literally talking about it before the race in the trailer. I think we were just getting to the 400 point, 2017. You had just joined the team like a year before or something.SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: Yes.JOSEF NEWGARDEN: I came in in ’17, they ripped from 400 to 500 to 600. Amazing.SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: I said to Roger, let’s celebrate at 500. A testament to the team globally. The super car we had down under, NASCAR series. The best thing about it, everyone is a part of it, whether you’re on the NASCAR side, the INDYCAR side, the sports car side, back in the day the super car side. Whenever somebody wins, there’s an award for the whole organization. That’s what super cool about it. Happy for everyone at home. Hopefully I’m here for 700. We get 700, we’re going all right. Have like five kids.THE MODERATOR: Scott, we’ll cut you loose on that.SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: Thank you.THE MODERATOR: Questions for Josef.Q.In 2012, 2013, your first and second year of INDYCAR on an oval, would you in his situation have done the same thing?JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Oh, yeah. I mean, look, Scott didn’t do anything wrong. I took a risk. I mean, I took a big risk there at the end. I just held it in 3-4 to see if it would work. If it didn’t work, it was going to be on me that I took a risk and I didn’t work out.I made that in a very split-second decision. I’m serious when I say I was pretty much conceding with a lap and a half to go. It was going to be what it was going to be. I wasn’t in position correctly for the final stint.I just went for it. He didn’t do anything wrong, up on traffic, getting loose. I was a little stronger than him at the end for sure. It would be unwise, it actually shows his wisdom. It would have been very unwise for him to take a flyer and go high side without knowing what’s going to happen. He won the first race, leading the championship. That would have been silly for him to do that decision.For me it was a risk but I think it was somewhat calculated. I saw people going up there toward the beginning and middle of the race. I took a calculated risk and it worked out.Q.How much (indiscernible) help you?JOSEF NEWGARDEN: It helps tremendously. I have been here a lot more than he has. This is my 11th appearance at Texas. I have a lot more to draw from experience-wise. I’ve seen these situations a lot more than he has. From that standpoint, it’s an unfair advantage for me experience-wise on what to do or not do.Q.New team for you. New engineer. You had an average finish at St. Pete. You’re the two-time champion. You’re kind of protective of all these new people, make sure you’re the leader. What does this do to win in race two with a team for the most part that is pretty much brand-new?JOSEF NEWGARDEN: High turnover on the 2 car.It’s big. We’ve got a lot of people on that car that are just learning. I should temper that. We have people that have experience, too, that are bringing a lot to the table and trying to rally this new crew that we’re working together with.There’s a chemistry that you just have to build. Unfortunately I think for some of the people on the team that are new, less experienced in their roles, you can’t accelerate experience, you just can’t. You can try and talk about it. You can try and spend a lot of time, to develop it away from the track. You can’t replace going to the track and doing the job. The experience is what matters. You have to go through these times together.Getting a win so early is just going to help the overall morale. It’s going to help the confidence of everyone on the team.St. Pete was so incredibly disappointing to me. We had a great test going into it. I felt fantastic heading into the weekend. A lot of hurdles that weekend on the track. It wasn’t a good weekend.I tell everybody, These things happen. It’s not what we wanted, but it’s okay. We’re going to see this at times, so let’s just stay on our plan, keep moving forward, it will eventually get there.Some of these times, even if you don’t feel confident in the way things are going to come together, you have to stay positive because you’re in the situation together. You’re kind of with a brotherhood there almost. You have each other’s backs. You have to lift each other up.I’ve been trying to do that from my side. But it takes everybody. It’s not just me that is going to make the difference. You have to make everyone believe that. When they all do it, that’s what really accelerates the program.Q.You’re in more of a leadership role. Would you describe it as a little bit different? Do you relish it?JOSEF NEWGARDEN: I don’t like saying that I am. It’s inevitable, right? This is my 11th year in INDYCAR. Of course I’m in more of a senior position, I would say, from an experience, observative standpoint. I’ve seen a lot more than some of these people on the team.Doesn’t matter that I don’t have an engineering degree, but I’ve been in the trenches working on this stuff with other people and knowing where we’ve been, how we got to where we have gotten to in 2021 or 2022.That inherently gives you more of a senior leadership role, I would say. But I don’t think we try and operate that way. Everyone is a leader in the team. You got to get buy-in from everybody. Can’t be just one person holding the torch. We all have to believe that and pick each other up.That’s more of the discussions we’ve had in the off-season, is getting everyone to buy into the program. A team effort. When you have the whole group feeling that way, that’s when magic happens.Q.Every driver dreams of winning a race in the fashion that you won today. How big of an adrenaline rush was it?JOSEF NEWGARDEN: I’m telling you, I was yelling. I was on the radio way before the line, which I don’t normally do that. You don’t do that. You stay in the race. I was just so pumped up that, one, the car was sticking, I wasn’t flying towards the fence. But I’ve never had a race end that way. I’ve never been in a position to capitalize on that type of victory.I was really excited. Still really am. That’s one of the coolest wins, probably the coolest win I’ve ever had in the 2 car. Hopefully we have more of those. Yeah, really, really neat to be a part of that.Q.You had a competitor who ran his first oval race today and finished sixth. Jimmie Johnson.JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Did Jimmie finish sixth?Q.He was fifth with a few laps to go.JOSEF NEWGARDEN: That’s legit. Hard to finish sixth at Texas. It’s hard. Like, that’s really good.Q.You could say he’s a legit contender for an Indy 500. To add another guy like that into the mix, along with Scott McLaughlin, that race seems to get more difficult competitive-wise every year.JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Well, look, not to take away from Jimmie, but it has been a steep learning curve. He’s had to unlearn an entire career of operating procedures. The INDYCAR is so removed from what a stockcar is. For him to be able to get on top of that so quickly, it makes sense it’s going better here at Texas, it’s closer to what he’s used to procedurally. I don’t want to act too surprised because he is a seven-time champ, incredible worker and teammate.Man, that’s really good, though. First INDYCAR oval race, sixth at Texas. These cars are hard to drive. The way that we draft, the way the groove works for us, you can’t go up a lane or two like in a stockcar. They’re scrubbing the car before he gets there. I need to watch this race back, see how he got there. I’m sure he’ll be a huge threat at Indy then. Great news.Q.Winning in your engineer’s second race as an engineer, tell us about that. Remarkable stuff.JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Well, look, I don’t think you can discount the tall order that Eric has in front of him. I mean, he’s a very smart individual, really great person, good personality, total team player.Eric has never engineered a car like this. Not even anything close to this. He hasn’t been in an engineering position like this in, I don’t know, eight years. That position was very, very different than the position he’s in now.He’s had a lot to learn, a lot. He is just trying to soak up information from everybody. He’s been leaning on Dave, Ben, all the other engineers. They have done a great job of trying to inject as much knowledge into Eric as quickly as possible.The same point I was making before, you can’t force this stuff. You can give Eric a binder with every piece of information he would ever need, he could read the thing three times over before the season starts. Until he does it, he’s never really going to understand it, he’s not going to get good at that instinctual ability he has to have.He has a super tall order in front of him. He’s staying positive. A day like today is very validating for a person like Eric. I’m really happy for him. I’m happy for our group. It’s only one race, let’s not get too excited, but this is a good boost for everybody. Eric is doing a tremendous job of being a team player for all of us.Q.(No microphone.)JOSEF NEWGARDEN: We haven’t divvied out the amounts yet. It’s a gift. Clean and clear. Don’t have to pay taxes on this. What am I talking about? I should gloat more about this $600.We haven’t divvied it out. But we’re going to get burgers. I should give him one.THE MODERATOR: $10,000 to your favorite charity. What is your favorite charity?JOSEF NEWGARDEN: I’m splitting it between (indiscernible) Network, who I have done a lot of work with, and Wags and Walks out of Nashville. Wags and Walks is a rescue organization, they started in L.A., actually where we got our dog. They do a really great job. Growing, but they’re really small. I hope this is going to help. That’s my plan, split it between those two.THE MODERATOR: Thank you.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (March 19, 2022) – Progressive American Flat Track superstar Jared Mees (No. 1 Indian Motorcycle/Progressive Insurance FTR750) rebounded like a champion with a convincing victory in Saturday night’s Mission Texas Half-Mile presented by Roof Systems at the Dirt Track at Texas Motor Speedway.

Few expected Mees to kick off his Mission SuperTwins presented by S&S Cycle title defense as a relative non-factor, running in fifth in last weekend’s season opener at Volusia Speedway Park. That muted performance made this weekend’s showdown all that more important, and given a second chance, Mees made clear the path to the #1 plate still goes through him.

Mees looked virtually unbeatable all night long, a trend he continued once he dove underneath a quick-starting JD Beach (No. 95 Estenson Racing Yamaha MT-07 DT) to take control of the Main Event while still in its opening stages.

The defending champ pulled clear and cruised to the checkered flag, only suffering a minor scare when Beach and his Estenson teammate, Dallas Daniels (No. 32 Estenson Racing Yamaha MT-07 DT), used traffic and their own battle for second to reduce the gap to back under a second over the race’s final two laps.

“It felt really good,” Mees said. “Last weekend we were a little off for sure, but it felt good to rebound. That Main Event was really hectic with all the lappers, but the Indian Motorcycle backed by Progressive Insurance worked awesome tonight. It was so hooked up. My guys are all working so hard.

“I really wanted to come in and have a good result today with the break we have coming up. Last week didn’t sit well… I wanted this one bad.”

The Yamaha 2-3 was another sign that the series’ attempts to balance the field are working as hoped, while also providing positive feedback for Estenson Racing in regards to their offseason MT-07 DT upgrades.

It also underlined the potency of the talented Beach-Daniels tandem. That was made especially clear when Mission SuperTwins rookie Daniels not only diced with two-time class champion Briar Bauman (No. 3 Indian Motorcycle/Progressive Insurance FTR750) but got the better of him.

A bobble on Bauman’s part put him out of podium contention, but he was well clear of the pack behind and finished alone in a safe fourth. Some five seconds back, Jarod Vanderkooi (No. 20 Mission Roof Systems Indian FTR750) won out over teammate Brandon Robinson (No. 44 Mission Roof Systems Indian FTR750) in their scrap for fifth.

Meanwhile, Davis Fisher (No. 67 Bob Lanphere’s BMC Racing Indian FTR750), Bronson Bauman (No. 37 Latus Motors Racing Harley-Davidson XG750R), and Brandon Price (No. 92 Briggsauto.com/Martin Trucking Indian FTR750) came home seventh through ninth, respectively, while Ben Lowe (No. 25 Helipower Racing/Mission Foods Harley-Davidson XG750R) turned his Mission Production Twins Challenge entry into a top-ten premier-class finish.

Mission Production Twins presented by Vance & Hines

While reigning Mission Production Twins presented by Vance & Hines champion Cory Texter (No. 1 G&G Racing/Yamaha Racing Yamaha MT-07) got his own title defense off to a bit of a quiet start last weekend, all it took was a return to the scene of his maiden class victory in 2019 to remind the paddock of the pecking order he’s worked so hard to maintain ever since. That and a lot of perseverance.

Texter was in control throughout the Main Event despite the numerous potential pitfalls thrown his way. Moments after he claimed the initial holeshot, Chad Cose (No. 49 DPC Racing/Voodoo Ranger Harley-Davidson XG750R)crashed after coming together with Jesse Janisch (No. 33 Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson XG750R), bringing out an early red.

Then after getting a second holeshot and opening up a healthy advantage, Texter was forced to do it a third time when a second red flag was shown following a Jeffery Lowery (No. 223 Lowery Racing/Gray Hogs Yamaha MT-07) fall. Make that a fourth time, as Billy Ross (No. 109 Pro 1 Industries/Campbells Services Kawasaki 650 Ninja) was the next to crash and cause another stoppage.

Texter then had to set the pace and avoid any mistakes of his own on an extremely tricky dry surface before at last securing his first win of the young 2022 season.

“You don’t like to see red flags when you’re leading,” Texter said. “When you have a gap, it’s like, ‘Man…’ But I’ve been in that situation before so I just stayed calm, had confidence in my starts, and trusted my instincts. The boys said to keep doing what I was doing, so at that point you just don’t want to mess up.

“This is such an emotional win for me. The last time we were here and I won, I gave my mechanic, Jon (Reid), the victory lap, and he passed away at the end of the season. So I really wanted to win this one for him. This one means a lot.”

Ben Lowe (No. 25 Helipower Racing/Mission Foods Harley-Davidson XG750R) kept Texter honest in the final leg of the Main and was well positioned to capitalize on any mistake. While that mistake never came, Lowe did finish as the runner-up, earning a strong result at his primary sponsors’ home round.

The still-mending Kolby Carlile (No. 36 KC36 Las Vegas Harley-Davidson XG750R) rounded out the podium. He did so only after fending off last weekend’s surprise winner, Nick Armstrong (No. 60 Competitive Racing Frames/Lessley Brothers Yamaha MT-07), who proved that his opening-weekend performance was no fluke with a close fourth.

New class contender Cole Zabala (No. 51 Memphis Shades/Corbin/Vinson Yamaha MT-07) made a late move around Johnny Lewis (No. 10 Moto Anatomy X Powered by Royal Enfield Twins FT) to complete the top five.

Parts Unlimited AFT Singles presented by KICKER

Best known for epic, come-from-behind rides exploiting the high line, Morgen Mischler (No. 13 American Honda/Progressive Insurance CRF450R) won in the complete opposite fashion on Saturday night. After beating polesitter Max Whale (No. 18 Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 450 SX-FFE) into the opening corner, Mischler immediately set about what would ultimately prove to be a race-long defense of the low line.

It was actually Trevor Brunner (No. 21 Estenson Racing Yamaha YZ450F) who was the rider on the move in the early stages, blasting his way up from the third row and into third place on a track where no one else seemed to have much success overtaking.

However, the reason for that was made evident with the manner in which Brunner’s charge ended. His aggressive attempts to overhaul Whale for second concluded with the Yamaha pilot on the dirt. Making matters worse, Tanner Dean (No. 38 Waters Autobody Racing KTM 450 SX-F) had nowhere to go but over top of Brunner’s downed machine, the incident provoking a red-flag stoppage.

Mischler resumed the lead at the restart, but Whale lost another spot off the line. This time it was teammate Kody Kopp (No. 12 Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 450 SX-FFE) who displaced him, diving into second to take over the pursuit for the lead.

The three then raced in close formation for the remainder of the race. Despite Kopp sizing Mischler up for a final-lap attack, he thought better of it and accepted second rather than risk disaster.

Race-winner Mischer said, “Our team has a lot of great pieces that pull this whole program together. The whole Turner Factory Honda team is amazing and they have a wealth of knowledge. I felt really bad because in practice I wadded one of these bikes up pretty bad. This is actually my ‘B bike,’ but she got the job done today. Those guys put in a ton of work, and I wouldn’t be here without them.”

Mischler’s teammate, Dalton Gauthier (No. 79 American Honda/Progressive Insurance CRF450R), put in a relatively lonely ride to fourth, followed by Michael Inderbitzin (No. 54 1st Impressions Services of Florida Honda CRF450R) and Trent Lowe (No. 48 Mission Foods/Al Lamb’s Dallas Honda CRF450R).

The Mission Texas Half-Mile will premiere on FS1 on Sunday, March 27, at 1:00 p.m. ET/10:00 a.m. PT., including exclusive features, cutting-edge aerial drone and onboard footage, and expert commentary.

Next Up:

Progressive AFT will make its inaugural stop at I-70 Motorsports Park in Odessa, Missouri, on Saturday, April 23. Visit https://store.americanflattrack.com/ebooking/ticket/view/id/3775 to reserve your tickets today!

For those viewing from home, you can catch the livestream free via Facebook up until Opening Ceremonies. Fans can then purchase access to watch Opening Ceremonies, Semis, Main Events, and podium celebrations via Facebook Paid Online Events for $3.99 if purchased 24 hours or more in advance, or $4.99 if purchased on the day of the event.

For more information on Progressive AFT visit https://www.americanflattrack.com.

No. 02 Cadillac Accessories Cadillac DPi-V.R races to victory in 70th annual event

SEBRING, Fla. (March 19, 2022) – The No. 01 V-Performance Cadillac DPi-V.R was quick as lightning in qualifications for the in the 70th Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring. The No. 02 Cadillac Accessories Cadillac DPi-V stole the thunder in the endurance race.

Led by the winning Cadillac Racing entry fielded by Chip Ganassi Racing, Cadillac swept the podium for the second time and won for the fourth time in the six 12-hour races on the 3.741-mile, 17-turn Sebring International Raceway in the DPi era. The No. 5 Mustang Sampling Cadillac DPi-V.R – the 2021 race winner – co-driven by Tristan Vautier, Richard Westbrook and Loic Duval, finished second. The No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac DPi-V.R, co-driven by Pipo Derani, Tristan Nunez and Mike Conway, placed third.

“We have tremendous teams that work with us and today was an awesome performance by Cadillac,” said Rory Harvey, Vice President (Global) Cadillac. “It is exciting times for us overall, and to be able to get a clean sweep is awesome. We went into today with strong ambitions and the teams delivered.” Alex Lynn, Earl Bamber and Neel Jani overcame drive-thru penalties, contact and the draining Central Florida humidity to earn the victory after starting fourth. Bamber overtook Westbrook in the No. 5 Cadillac with 45 minutes left, and after the top three Cadillacs pitted for the final time, Bamber held off the challenges on the 3.741-mile, 17-turn Sebring International Raceway course to win by 6.471 seconds. “It comes down to the drivers. Those guys have to push the buttons and make it happen. They’re the ultimate quarterbacks for the team and we try to give them the tools they need to win races and today they did that,” said team principal Chip Ganassi of the first-year IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship entry. The JDC-Miller MotorSports No. 5 Mustang Sampling Cadillac DPi-V.R earned its second podium finish in as many races this season. The No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac DPi-V.R was also in contention throughout the race that covered 351 laps. Mike Conway, whose father passed away early Friday, laid down the quickest race lap at 1 minute, 47.018 seconds on Lap 126. “It would have been nice to win this one,” Conway said. “It was hard. the first few stints, thinking of him out there. I was just trying to do him proud.” The No. 01 V-Performance Academy Cadillac DPi-V.R, which started from the pole after Sebastien Bourdais recorded a qualifying lap-record time of 1 minute, 45.116 seconds, experienced a gearbox issue early on and finished several laps down. “We took the No. 01 to the garage and changed the gearbox after having downshifting problems. We tried a number of counter measures in the pits to correct, but later realized we needed to change the whole gearbox to eliminate the issue,” Chip Ganassi Racing team manager Steve Eriksen said. The No. 48 Ally Cadillac DPi-V.R, which pitted from the lead on Lap 253, developed a left-front brake rotor issue and had to pit early on Lap 280 (2 hours, 9 minutes left in the race) and fell out of contention.  Next up for Cadillac Racing teams is the IMSA Sportscar Grand Prix of Long Beach on the 1.968-mile street course. Practice and qualifying are on April 8, with the 100-minute race April 9. The No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac DPi-V.R was the 2021 race winner.

Cadillac Racing results: No. 02 Cadillac Accessories Cadillac DPi-V.R (Chip Ganassi Racing)Earl Bamber, Alex Lynn, Neel JaniFinish: First. Start: FourthEarl Bamber: “Chip Ganassi Racing and Cadillac was amazing this weekend. We had such a good lead and I managed to throw it away twice. I’m just exhausted. To everyone from the team and Cadillac, thank you. I’m just so happy to get the first win for the 02. Thank you to Alex and Neel, who came in and did a great job.” Alex Lynn: “It was a great race to be honest. First, thanks to everyone on the 02 team. The car was flying all week and yeah, we got the strategy right there at the end. It was a fantastic result to win and thank you to the whole team. We were driving an amazing car today. It made our job behind the wheel that much easier, if it could ever be called easy. It’s a big result for us in the championship and it’s an iconic race, the 12 Hours. With Ganassi winning it once before, it’s a huge result for us as a team.” Neel Jani: “I had 30 laps before the race, but it couldn’t have been better. Two weeks ago I didn’t know I would be here. I’m hugely thankful to Cadillac and Chip Ganassi Racing to call me up and ask me to drive. We made it happen. We had a fantastic car and that made it easier for me. To drive that car is fantastic. My teammates did a fantastic job and the whole team welcomed me. That’s why it works. I know now why I miss prototypes. It’s where I belong and what I like. I loved every minute this weekend.”  No. 5 Mustang Sampling Cadillac DPi-V.R (JDC-Miller MotorSports)Tristan Vautier, Richard Westbrook, Loic DuvalFinish: Second. Start: 10th overall, seventh in class Tristan Vautier: “We gave it a good go. Man, I drove my heart out in the last stint. I thought I had him (Bamber) for a while, but a couple of bad breaks catching GT cars in Turns 3, 4 and 5. We had the pace. I think we can be proud of what we achieved. We’re the smallest team here. Two amazing solid races at Daytona and Sebring. The team did an amazing job again, and just thankful to Cadillac and JDC-Miller MotorSports. I feels good to know I left it all on the racetrack.” Loic Duval: “It’s always difficult when you’re leading like an hour before the end and all the traffic. I think we drove the best we could and Ganassi deserved the win. I think we can be proud when you know the budget of our operation compared to the big boys and fight against them. Two podiums. We can be proud of that.” Richard Westbrook: “All you can ask is for us to be in the hunt. We were in the hunt for the whole 12 hours. We had some issues with the cooling in the car, so we could only single stint at the end. I found myself in the lead with an hour to go and I got (held up) by a GTD car in Turn 16. Do I try to overtake him on the outside in Turn 16? Second is really a good result. We’ve won a podium in both races. Everyone should be proud. Great day for Cadillac and a great day for JDC.” No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac DPi-V.R (Action Express Racing)Pipo Derani, Tristan Nunez, Mike ConwayFinish: Third. Start: Second Pipo Derani: “It was a tough day at the office, but it was a good points day. Unfortunately, we couldn’t win. We didn’t get a yellow at the end so we could try to catch the front runners. It was a Cadillac 1-2-3 (finish). We’ll take the points. It’s a long championship. I wanted my fourth (Sebring 12-Hour) win, but I will have to wait a little longer.” Tristan Nunez: “It was a long, hot day. It was a tough one from start to finish. The heat did not help with that. We had a great car all race. We just had a couple of bad luck moments throughout the race that affected us from taking the win. But no doubt, a podium is good. It was a Cadillac sweep. So, it’s good for the brand. Now we move onto Long Beach.” Mike Conway: “We were up there all day. We were going for the win, but we came up short at the end. It was a great job by the whole team. The car was really solid all day long. I think we had the car to win. But it just didn’t quite work out.” No. 48 Ally Cadillac DPi-V.R (Action Express Racing)Mike Rockenfeller, Kamui Kobayashi, Jose Maria LopezFinish: Sixth. Start: Fifth Mike Rockenfeller: “We knew we had an issue earlier in the day because we could see a lot of smoke coming out of our brakes. When I was in the car, I was thinking about it. I hit the brakes in Turn 7 and the front left rotor completely exploded. I was happy not to lose the car even though I went off. The race was over. It’s a shame because I think we had a chance, with a clean race, to fight for a podium or a victory.” Kamui Kobayashi: “We had a competitive Ally Cadillac throughout the race and then Mike had the brake issue. It put us down a few laps, but the team performed well, and we were competitive. It was tough to just jump in the car this morning and then run the race. But we showed good pace and teamwork, but it just wasn’t our day. Congratulations to the 31 guys on their podium.” Jose Maria Lopez: “It was very hot today. Every time I was in the car, I was able to find speed, be quick in the car and have that feeling that we had the pace to fight at the end. Unfortunately, we had a brake failure. That’s endurance racing. It can be tough sometimes” No. 01 V-Performance Academy Cadillac DPi-V.R (Chip Ganassi Racing)Renger van der Zande, Sebastien Bourdais, Ryan Hunter-ReayFinish: 35th overall, seventh in class Start: First

Garcia, Taylor, Catsburg, No. 3 Corvette C8.R take 12th victory in 12 Hours

SEBRING, Fla. (March 19, 2022) – Corvette Racing made it a dozen victories in the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring on Saturday, the first victory in America’s oldest sports car race for the mid-engine Chevrolet Corvette C8.R. Antonio Garcia, Jordan Taylor and Nicky Catsburg teamed for the landmark win with the No. 3 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Corvette in the second round of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. The trio combined to led 247 laps or 913.9 miles for Corvette Racing’s first Sebring 12 Hours win since 2017 and 12th since 2002. It also marks the first win for the GTD PRO-spec Corvette C8.R in its second race as part of the new class. The result goes along with a runner-up GTE Pro finish for Tommy Milner and Nick Tandy in Friday’s 1,000 Miles of Sebring for the FIA World Endurance Championship. “Congratulations to Antonio Garcia, Jordan Taylor, Nicky Catsburg and everyone on the No. 3 Corvette C8.R team,” said Jim Campbell, Chevrolet U.S. vice president, Performance and Motorsports. “Winning in class for the 12th time at the 12 Hours of Sebring is the result of great driving, race strategy and execution of pit stops. The Corvette C8.R’s 5.5-liter, flat-plane V-8 engine delivered the right combination of performance, reliability and efficiency throughout the race. “This win is even more special thanks to the support of so many Corvette owners and fans at the track and around the world,” Campbell added. “This has been a great weekend with a runner-up class finish in the World Endurance Championship on Friday and now this win in IMSA. I’m proud of everyone at Corvette Racing and our technical partners at Mobil 1 and Michelin.” The No. 3 Corvette also won the Sebring round of the Michelin Endurance Cup – a championship consisting of Sebring, the Rolex 24 At Daytona, Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen and Petit Le Mans. Points were awarded at the four-, eight- and 12-hour marks. Corvette Racing wasted little time going to the front in the race. Garcia set the table from the beginning as he advanced from his third-place starting position to the head of GTD PRO. He passed six cars in his opening two hours before handing off to Taylor for an impressive three-hour run. Catsburg drove an equally stirring three hours, 18 minutes in the middle of the race. He soldiered through four full-course caution periods and enjoyed a highlight-reel battle with Pfaff Motorsports’ Matt Campbell for the GTD PRO lead at the seven-and-a-half-hour mark. The two raced side-by-side for three corners before Catsburg pulled ahead. That left Taylor to drive one stint before Garcia closed with a triple-stint to score the victory. Corvette Racing engineers dedicated significant time at a February test to gain a better understanding of the performance and degradation levels of the GTD Michelin tires, which are different than what the team has used in past seasons. That combined with more than 51,000 racing miles across the familiar bumps around the 3.7-mile, 17-turn Sebring circuit was the right combination. Corvette Racing’s next event in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship is April 8-9 at the Long Beach (Calif.) street circuit.

ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – GTD PRO WINNER: “We had to carry on after Daytona and do all we can. There we didn’t have the pace and little issues we had put us back and out of contention. The main thing here was to stay up front, don’t make any mistakes and have no failures that would set us back. That was the first goal. I was the first guy surprised about our pace. We started seventh and slowly started to make our way through. I wasn’t expecting to be leading after the first stop. I thought our car was the best during the day and when it was as warm as possible. I was a little bit afraid of the rest of the field at night. It seemed like everything was switching on for them, the track would go toward them and maybe all the advantage we had went away a little bit. It was up to us to control the pace and keep the gap. If we had been in a situation to catch another car, it would have been difficult. It was perfectly executed by everyone at Corvette Racing, good strategy and amazing drives by Jordan and Nicky.”ON 12TH WIN FOR CORVETTE RACING AT SEBRING: “It’s amazing. I said before the race that whenever you come to Sebring in a Corvette, it is always a good feeling. You know something good is going to happen. In the end and having the pace or not having pace, there is still a Corvette factor. It’s the best team to be on when you race here. I’m very happy with that.”

JORDAN TAYLOR, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – GTD PRO WINNER: “Daytona was frustrating for us. We lacked pace there and had a mechanical issue in the middle of the night. We learned a lot after that and used it as a test session. That really helped us here. Zero issues around here is a big feat in itself. Twelve hours at Sebring is tougher than 24 at Daytona or Le Mans. It’s a big accomplishment for the team. We won Daytona and the championship last year, so it’s nice to get another major endurance race for the C8.R and start our championship fight again.”HOLDING THE LEAD THROUGHOUT: “I was surprised how quick we were. I think we were quick in clean air. If we had been stuck behind guys, it would have been difficult for us to get ahead. Once we got to the front, the name of the game was to maintain our track position whether it be saving fuel and extending windows or saving tires. The guys nailed the strategy and kept us out front all day. That’s what really won us the race.”IMPORTANCE OF FEBRUARY TIRE TEST: “That was big for us. If we showed up here with no test time or setup and development for this track, we would have been out to lunch. Two days here of testing with the guys doing the development and going back and doing their homework really made our weekend.”

NICKY CATSBURG, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – GTD PRO WINNER: “Daytona is a lot about going in a straight line on the banking. This was difficult for us. Sebring was always going to be a bit easier. At the start of the weekend, we really struggled. We got a little break which definitely helped us and brought us back into contention, but it wasn’t easy. Not at all… definitely not. I was struggling on the tires in the middle of the race. It was tough. You never know where you really are until the race. In practice, you don’t know what people are doing in terms of fuel loads, qualifying runs or race runs. It’s difficult to say how much we picked up.”GETTING THE CORVETTE BACK UP FRONT MID-RACE: “We stuck to our initial plan. We didn’t try anything too crazy. The Lexus and Porsche were going out of sequence but we always stuck to our original plan. It worked out well.”IMPORTANCE OF FEBRUARY TIRE TEST: “That was huge. It was a huge role. We are still quite new to this tire and to this class. The team had two really good days here. They learned a lot and turned the car around. If we hadn’t done that, we would have had to do it here this week and we probably wouldn’t have won the race. It made a lot of sense.”

Sheldon Creed Battles Back for Ninth-Place Finish at Atlanta Motor Speedway

9th

13th

12th

“We had a fast No. 2 Whelen Chevrolet Camaro today. During practice this morning, we spent a lot of time just trying to figure out the track and how to run in the pack. We were really confident heading into the race and then it just felt like we were playing catch-up. We had a really good stop after Stage 2, the pit crew was on it. My teammate, Austin Hill, had a great stop too, so we were able to start up front together. After that restart and running up front for a little while, all the cautions came out. We had that incident that forced us to come down pit road for some repairs to the right rear quarter panel and we had to restart pretty far back. This team really rallied back and to get a ninth-place finish is huge after a very up and down day. Proud of this team and everyone at RCR and ECR. We’ll learn from this and get ready for road course racing at COTA in a week.” -Sheldon Creed

Austin Hill and the No. 21 Bennett Chevrolet Fight Hard in Final Laps for Second-Place Finish at Atlanta

2nd

14th

8th

“We can’t hang our heads. We brought a really fast Bennett Transportation and Logistics Chevrolet Camaro today. Everyone at RCR put a very fast car under me and gave me everything we needed to win the race. The biggest difference was when we had the restart where the 39 [Ryan Sieg] edged me out and then the caution came out. If we had been able to have kept the lead there and controlled the restart, I think we had a fast enough car to get the job done. On that last restart coming off Turn 4, I was sloshing it back and forth seeing if I had fuel in the pickup and it started cutting in and out. I immediately came over the radio and said I was out, and I almost came down pit road, but I decided to go for it. We knew we were really close on fuel, but were fortunate to finish the race. Finishing second stings a little more since Atlanta is my home track, but again, we can’t hang our heads.” -Austin Hill

Charlotte, NORTH CAROLINA – March 19, 2022 – Driving the No. 6 Franklin Road Apparel Showtime Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro, former TA2 Champion Cameron Lawrence toughed out a challenging and mixed weather weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Lawrence delivered a positive result in a race that put strength and endurance at a premium for the Franklin Road Tennessee team. After starting on the grid in P16, and in a surprisingly almost contact free event until the later part of the race, Lawrence climbed an impressive seven places to finish the TA2 race in P9 of 30 entrants. Lawrence posted up a best lap of 1:24:565. Cameron is still getting to know both the team and the car and the weekend could certainly be regarded as a successful building block towards success, “This started off as a character building weekend. We came off a pretty strong finish at Sebring but out of the gate we weren’t so sure and we didn’t have a lot of track time here. Little nagging issues kept us back from really getting a lot faster and making some big changes but the guys worked really hard. We kind of missed it in qualifying but saved the car and the tires for the race and I think that paid off.” Unusual for a big field TA2 event, the yellow flag was hardly seen, “I don’t think anyone expected a long green flag run in the race but it was green almost all the way to the end. I think everyone’s happy. The car is in one piece and there was no contact in the race.” The guys did a great job giving me a car that I could drive from start to finish and I’m happy with that. We got some useful points. We’re going to put our heads down now and focus on Atlanta.” The races at Charlotte and Atlanta form a unique spring double header with the teams moving straight across to Georgia this coming weekend. The TA2 race at Atlanta is on Saturday March 26 at 1pm and fans can buy tickets through this link: http://speedtour.net/events/ If you were unable to attend the Racing in person or watch the race live, you can catch up with all the action on YouTube Channel: https://youtube.com/c/TheTransAmSeries Fans can find the Franklin Road Apparel Trans Am clothing here: https://www.franklinroad.com/search/trans+am/   Visit the team’s website for Showtime Motorsports showtimemotorsports.net. Learn more about the Showtime Motorsports team partner, Road Apparel, at franklinroad.com and keep up to date with the Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli at gotransam.com. #GoTransAm   Check out the Showtime Motorsports Facebook page: facebook.com/showtimemotorsp/ and @ShowtimeMotorsp on Instagram. About Showtime Motorsports: The Showtime Motorsports brand includes Ken Thwaits’ racing team and racecars, and an outstanding classic Camaro collection. Showtime Motorsports brings together a dynamic staff who employ diverse talents and share a passion for cars, racing and caring for clients like they are our own family members.