BEAVERTON, Ore. (February 16, 2022) – Coming off a spectacular 2021 Progressive American Flat Track season finale, in which Davis Fisher earned his maiden win in the premier Mission SuperTwins class, BMC/Sixty-Seven Racing is ready for the 2022 season.

Beaverton Motor Cycle Racing will once again be the title sponsor. With BMC Racing behind him in 2021, Fisher finished sixth in the Grand National Championship on the strength of four top fives, including the epic victory that saw him become the 163rd rider to ever win a premier-class race in the long history of America’s Original Extreme Sport.

Before the ‘21 season was even complete, Bob Lanphere Jr., owner of Beaverton Motorcycles and Oregon’s Best Wine, was already planning improvements for the team ahead for the 2022 season, both underlining his passion for the sport and his deep belief in the extremely talented and dedicated Fisher.

Lanphere said, “Working with Davis and the entire Fisher family has been a sponsor’s dream over the years. The ups and downs of racing isn’t always easy, but watching Davis and his family live the journey has been remarkable.

“I’ve been delighted to sponsor Davis and watch the growth he has made over the years, especially the 2021 racing season with the Grand National win. I’m excited to see the success that 2022 racing brings to Davis, and I’m looking forward to working with Davis and the Fisher family in order to achieve his dream.”

Along with BMC Racing, a number of additional sponsors have signed on to play a critical role in supporting Fisher’s 2022 efforts. 

Dan Wall of Wall 60 has been a long-time major supporter of Fisher’s career, just as he was of his father’s (Rex Fisher) racing career. New to the team his year is support from Mission Foods and Elkhart Indian Motorcycle. Both had previously established significant presences in the Progressive AFT paddock, which put them in a position to observe Fisher’s work ethic and determination and want to get involved with his program for ‘22. 

Davis will again be traveling the country in his GMC Savana Van with his trailer in tow. He’ll maintain his Indian FTR750s between the races, while his dad, Rex, will fly in on the weekends to spin the wrenches.

Fisher said, “I am really looking forward to getting the 2022 season started with more support backing me this upcoming season. It is a lot of work between driving, racing, training, and doing all the bike work. However, I feel being involved in every aspect has made me stronger as a racer. And I believe we moved in the right direction towards the end of the season and will carry that momentum into the new season.”

Progressive AFT will kick off the 2022 season with the Mission Volusia Half-Mile I & II doubleheader during Daytona Bike Week on Thursday, March 10 and Friday, March 11 at Volusia Speedway Park. Be sure to look for the #67 on track and cheer Davis on.

Special thanks to BMC Racing, Oregon’s Best Wine, Mission Foods, Elkhart Indian Motorcycle, Wall 60, Celorie Bros. Trucking, Allied Motors, and Arai Helmets.

NASCAR CUP SERIES DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY DAYTONA 500 TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT FEBRUARY 16, 2022
AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 RICHARD CHILDRESS RACING CAMARO ZL1; and TYLER REDDICK, NO. 8 RICHARD CHILDRESS RACING CAMARO ZL1 – Daytona 500 Media Availability Transcript:  BEFORE WE BEGIN, AUSTIN, WE KNOW YOU HAVE TEAMED UP WITH GM AND MARCUS BY GOLDMAN SACHS TO LAUNCH THE ALL-NEW GM MY REWARDS CARD.  CAN YOU TELL US A LITTLE MORE ABOUT THAT?
“Really pumped to be working with Marcus by Goldman Sachs and the GM My Rewards Card and I am a big Chevrolet fan and GM in general and to be able to be partnered with them this year is very cool and I am excited to push the card.”
AUSTIN, IT’S BEEN TWO YEARS AND CHANGE SINCE YOU WERE ONE OF THE FIRST DRIVERS TO TAKE THE NEXT GEN CAR ON TRACK AT RICHMOND. TWO YEARS AND CHANGE LATER, HOW FAR HAS THIS CAR COME FROM WHAT YOU EXPERIENCED AND WHAT IS YOUR OVERALL SENSE OF WHAT IT CAN DO AS A CAR AT THIS POINT?
“Well, I think since two years ago the car has really developed to something that you guys have been seeing this weekend. I think it’s a good piece and we are still developing it as we go. These guys in the garage are so good at what they do as far as the engineers and the mechanics, it’s hard to build things and take it to the track like we have been able to and not find big things wrong, and I feel like we are finding little things and making those better each and every week.  NASCAR has done a good job of working with the teams and I feel like the ability that this car has that the old car didn’t are a lot different. I can turn in a circle a lot faster I feel like.  (It has) the ability to take away the wheel hop and the things an independent rear suspension can do that we couldn’t get away with in the old car. It’s got a lot more ability than the old car.”
TYLER, I AM DOING A FEATURE ON THE RACE AT COTA AND YOU FINISHED EIGHTH IN THE COLD AND THE RAIN. HOW CRAZY WAS IT TO GET THROUGH THAT RACE AND DO YOU FEEL THAT YOU WERE LUCKY OR GRATEFUL TO SURVIVE IT?
“Yeah, there were some pretty wild moments in that race certainly. For me it kind of falls in line with a number of races we had last year where we were kind of defeating ourselves.  In that particular race multiple times getting to the top ten and making mistakes, spinning out and going back to the mid-20s and then do it all over again. That was just one of those type of days. But certainly some of the chaos that was developing between turn 11 and turn 12 on that long back straightaway was some of the scariest stuff I have ever done in my life. I remember being wide open and seeing a car crash, stop and getting out and before I realized what had happened, I had already passed him. And I was like, ‘he was getting out of his race car’. And I am wide open and I can’t even see where I am going. So, it was a bit chaotic.  We were in control of our cars for the most part, but the big issue was just seeing where we were going. Mostly with how the air came out from under the Gen 6 car, but hopefully with the diffuser on this car it’s a lot better, but we don’t know yet.”
TYLER, ANY LEFTOVER CONCERNS FROM THE CLASH? DO YOU FEEL GOOD ABOUT THE CAR GOING INTO THIS WEEK?
“Yeah, it’s definitely something that when we get to bigger tracks, like speedways, where we run on harder tires. Just that alone is enough to really kind of ward off some of the concerns that were from the Clash. But NASCAR did a really good job right away from taking information from my car, (Chase) Briscoe’s car, and some of the other cars that had issues and going to work right away and kind of recreating the loads and situations in general. And then coming up with an updated part to beef it up a little bit. It seems like they were able to make it a lot better, so I was really happy to see how quick they were in getting something out there and getting something back to the teams. Us, I saw a cars and teams putting in the pieces here at the track before we got underway for practice. They did a really good job of tackling that issue and having it what they think is resolved and hopefully it is.”
WAS THERE ANY CONVERSATION BETWEEN YOU GUYS IN THE CAR SHORTAGE AND HOW YOU WANTED TO HANDLE PUTTING YOURSELVES IN PRECARIOUS SITUATIONS AND HAS THERE BEEN ANY DISCUSSION ON HOW YOU ARE GOING TO APPROACH THE DUELS?
TYLER “Yeah, we have, right? (laughs)”
AUSTIN “We have had some pretty extensive conversations between our teams and for myself and Tyler, we were talking last night. It’s very hard because you want to pick and approach and attack that approach, but for the situation we are in, what is right? You know what I mean? So when it comes to when the green flag drops, it’s a feel thing, but you are still going to have this mentality built into your head that, ‘okay, you really would like to get this car to the 500’. Because if you don’t, it definitely sets you back for the next three races after this and going to the west coast.  I think it will be interesting to see how the Duels play out because I think there are definitely some guys that are going to go for it and there are some that aren’t. Then there are going to be some guys in the middle, and does the middle get you in trouble. It’s one of those things and our goal is to take these cars to the 500 and try and get there.”
AUSTIN, RCR HAS MADE SOME GREAT PERFORMANCE PROGRESS OVER THE LAST TWO YEARS. AS MUCH AS YOU LIKE THE NEW CAR, HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THE CAR BEING RE-SET?
“Well, I think it’s good. I think change is good and everyone is on the same playing field right now and we are learning as fast as we can. I like the situation that RCR is in as a whole and truthfully, I think Tyler and I work really well together, and our teammate growth is growing. I think that is a great position to be in. He drives a certain way and I drive a certain way and we can kind of build off of that to elevate our team fast. So, I think it’s been, since I have been here, in the best position RCR has been in from our standpoint.”
AUSTIN, YOU AS MUCH AS ANYONE HAS EXPERIENCED THE HIGHS AND THE LOWS OF THE DAYTONA 500.  WITH THAT SAID, WHAT HAS YOUR MINDSET COMING INTO THE RACE THIS WEEK?
“I try to take advantage of every Daytona 500 that you get to drive in. I have approached them a couple of different ways throughout my career and kind of feel like I have found a happy place that I feel after practice, qualifying, and going into the Duels, that if I have this car, then the ability is this and I know what my approach is going to be in the race. Obviously, there are a lot of things that happen during that timeframe, but I just try to control what I can control going into it. Then hopefully that leads to a solid finish and like you said we have had some solid ones and had some wild ones too. Its Daytona man, you just have to kind of live in it this week and take it all in because there is a different atmosphere when you get here for the 500.” AUSTIN, WHY ARE YOU PART OF THE DRIVER’S ADVISORY COUNCIL?
“Well, I think Jeff Burton kind of reached out to me and felt that they could use me on the board, and I felt like I would be doing a disservice if I didn’t. I feel like the driver’s opinion is very important in this sport and trying to establish a relationship with NASCAR and the owners and connect it altogether. You know what I mean?  You have seen what the owners have been able to do with the RTA and seeing other players associations around the different leagues, I think it could build into something great that all the drivers that put their lives on the line each and every weekend, that their voices should be heard as much as anyone’s. I think Jeff is the perfect person for that I feel. And he has built a good board around that in trying to get the drivers together as much as we can. There are small things that we have opinions on, and they don’t get expressed because we are all doing our own things throughout the week. I think that Jeff Burton is a great person for that, and he has already proven it with his ability to talk with TV, with NASCAR, and having a great relationship with a lot of people. He comes across well and I think it is a good start for the driver advisory board.” 
TYLER, BASED OFF OF BEING ABLE TO DO THE TEST, DOES THAT FACTOR IN TO WHAT YOU MIGHT DO IN THE DUELS?  OR IS THAT LIKE IT WAS A MONTH AGO AND YOU HAVE TO LEARN AS YOU GO?
“Well, unfortunately I didn’t get to do any drafting while we were here. So, it’s really kind of opposite and I really want to learn what the car is capable of. I had Randall (Burnett, Crew Chief) all pissed off last night because I was dragging the brake and laying back into (Kevin) Harvick so he could push me around the racetrack. So, I am already being a little bit more aggressive than I should be, but what’s new. But kind of the same as Austin, we really want to get this car into the 500.  I would really like to get this car through the whole 500 and maybe just replace a body panel or two and then go race on the west coast.  So, it’s a weird spot to be in for our biggest race of the year but I am trying to navigate it as smart as possible.”
AUSTIN, GOING BACK TO THE DRIVER’S COUNCIL, DO YOU FEEL YOU ALSO BRING A UNIQUE PERSPECTIVE BECAUSE YOU ARE ONE OF THE THIRD GENERATION DRIVERS IN THE SPORT AND YOU HAVE SEEN IT FROM EVERY SIDE?
“Yeah, I think so. I think that is why Jeff talked to me from racing different, multiple ways around time. I have been around him when he was a teammate at RCR when I was in the Truck and Xfinity Series. I think he sees my perspective from driver, owner, and just being around the sport since I was a kid. So, hopefully I bring just and unbiased opinion to the group and hopefully try to bring some information to them that as drivers sometimes we don’t always see.”
AUSTIN, HOW DO YOU LOOK AT THE MULTIPLE SATELLITE TEAMS ON YOUR CAMPUS? DO YOU SEE THEM AS HELPING, OR CUSTOMERS, AND HOW DO THEY EFFECT RCR AS A WHOLE?
“Well, I think there are multiple ways to look at it.  From a driving standpoint, I think that we get to bring in more minds to think about this new car.  With Kaulig Racing and Petty GMS, I think it does elevate us as a whole. We are just bigger and better together, I think.  I think that is the approach we have to take, especially with the new car and trying to learn as much as we can, as fast as we can. But Chevrolet as a whole is doing a lot right now.  I think Chevrolet is where a lot of the focus should be, they are putting a huge campus together near Hendrick Motorsports and the ability to bring a lot of simulators in there and get us more time on the simulators. I know that Tyler and I are constantly fighting for time to get on the simulators and learn. And I feel like they are doing a really good job with that. That is an advantage where Chevrolet is taking the next step and I feel like in investing in our teams.”
NASCAR HAS PARTNERED WITH SEVERAL SPORTS BOOKS AND NOW THERE ARE ODDS AND SEVERAL THINGS BEING PLAYED OUT. AUSTIN YOU ARE 18 TO 1 ODDS AND TYLER YOU HAVE DROPPED FROM A 40 TO 1 TO 30 TO 1 ODDS TO WIN THE DAYTONA 500. HOW DO YOU GUYS LOOK AT THOSE AND HOW DO YOU THINK ABOUT THAT WHEN YOU HAVE FANS OUT THERE THAT ARE TAKING SOME OF THESE NEW SPORTS BETTING OPTIONS?
AUSTIN “I am not allowed to look at those odds. No, I mean if you see them its cool to see and you want to see that you are the favorite going into these races like some guys have been able to accomplish in their career. I feel like in other sports, I know how good Vegas is, so when your line gets lower, they must think pretty good of you.  And that is cool and all, but I do wonder how in NASCAR that there are more ways that betting should be used in NASCAR than other sports positions. I feel like there is only certain bets you can make in NASCAR, and I feel like Vegas needs to open that up to more competitive bets.”
TYLER “It is pretty cool.  You will see it on your Twitter feed. Like, ‘hey, I got my money on Tyler, or I got my money on Austin’. It is kind of fun to see pick you for certain things. I have been the underdog or the dark horse or whatever for that race. So, it is kind of cool to see it, but it doesn’t really change anything for me. I am already going into the race wanting to do everything I can anyways.  But it is fun to see fans engaging in it and taking part in it in a lot of different ways.”
YOU WILL HAVE SOME TEAMMATES POTENTIALLY THAT WILL BE TRYING TO GET INTO THE FIELD. ARE YOU MINDFUL OF THAT WITH SOME OF THE ECR ENGINES THAT ARE OUT THERE AND DO YOU GUYS TRY TO GET THOSE GUYS INTO THE FIELD FOR SUNDAY?
TYLER “Absolutely, but like what we were just talking about, at what cost to ourselves. That is where it gets challenging. We’d love for every car that has an ECR engine under the hood to make it, but again, it becomes a very difficult situation. Do we want to risk tearing our car up in going back there and helping or they may not be battling at the back, they may be one of the cars up near the front. So, it’s just a risk reward situation, but anything we can do to get more of our engines in the field is going to be a great thing for us. But again, helping get someone in and wrecking one of our own cars does us no good. So, just got to manage it.”
AUSTIN “I would say one of the best positions to be in is one of those guys trying to make it in for the Duel. They have the best Duel position as far as aggression goes. Because they have one speed. So they have less to think about than us, but it’s still not great, and I like that we are locked in. But as far as just the Duel, their mind is already set as far as what they have got to do.”                                                 

NASCAR CUP SERIES DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY DAYTONA 500 TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT FEBRUARY 16, 2022

CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS CAMARO ZL1, Daytona 500 Media Availability Transcript:  WINNING THE POLE AT DAYTONA IS SORT OF A HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS TRADITION AND EVEN MORE SO FOR CHEVROLET, WHICH I THINK GOES BACK TO 2013 AND DANICA PATRICK’S POLE. IT LOOKED LIKE YOU GUYS HAD REALLY GOOD SINGLE-CAR SPEED YESTERDAY, AS WELL. IS THAT A REALLY IMPORTANT ASPECT OF YOUR TRIP TO DAYTONA – THE EMPHASIS ON THE POLE? “I would much rather win on Sunday, personally. I think anybody on our team would tell you the same. I feel like we’ve always had fast cars down here. Speedway racing has never been overlooked at HMS; and Alan (Gustafson, Crew Chief) does a really good job of massaging and really paying attention to all the details that I feel like it takes to be good here. I feel like that’s shown over the course of my time with him and even going back before me. There’s been a lot of success there. I do think it’s an area where they put a lot of emphasis and put a lot of work into the cars, but we all want to win on Sunday more than anything.”
TOMORROW NIGHT IS GOING TO BE THE FIRST REAL, HIGH-SPEED COMPETITION FOR THIS CAR. HOW MUCH DO YOU KNOW ABOUT IT IN THAT CONTEXT AND WHAT DO YOU EXPECT THAT WE HAVEN’T SEEN YET, IF ANYTHING? “Yeah to me, that’s probably the question that hasn’t really been answered and until we get into that environment, it probably won’t be. The little bit of drafting that has gone on, there’s just not really been enough – at least of what I’ve been a part of – there hasn’t been enough cars to really create the energy, the things that are real and that you’re going to see on Sunday. I have even often – in my experience – have noticed that in the Duels, there’s really not enough cars in that event and enough sense of urgency in the runs that happen on Thursday night as they do on Sunday. Until we get in that environment, it’s really honestly hard to say.”
I ASKED SOMEBODY EARLIER IF THE NEW CAR – I DON’T WANT TO SAY LEVEL THE FIELD – BUT MAYBE BRINGS THE GAP CLOSER TOGETHER. OR DO YOU SEE THAT IT’S STILL THE GOOD TEAMS ARE STILL GOING TO BE THE GOOD TEAMS AND WILL ALWAYS HAVE AN EDGE.“That’s my opinion. I think that’s going to be tough to ever debunk that, in my opinion. Hopefully it opens the opportunity for people to come in and get up to speed a little quicker. But I definitely think that the teams that have the experience and have the resources to study, R&D and do all the things that you need to do are likely going to have the edge.”
YOU WON THE RACE AT COTA LAST YEAR. HOW GRATEFUL WERE YOU THAT IT WAS OVER AND YOU HAD WON? JUST TALK ABOUT WHAT YOU HAD TO DO TO SURVIVE THAT RACE. “Yeah, that was a crazy race. Definitely the hardest rain that I’ve ever raced in. I actually thought it was kind of fun. You couldn’t see much. That back straightaway, it was pretty crazy how little you could see. But I thought it was good. It was different. Why not? I enjoyed it.”
“Obviously, we got fortunate with them calling the race early. We were in a situation where we probably weren’t going to make it on fuel. We had plenty enough pace, I feel like, to compete with those guys. But just the way our strategy worked out; we were probably going to be in trouble. So, kind of just took a gamble at staying out as long as we could. Fortunately, it went in our favor. I can’t complain.”
ANY CLOSE CALLS? ONE OF THE DRIVERS THAT WERE IN HERE EARLIER SAID HE BLEW BY A GUY THAT WAS LITERALLY GETTING OUT OF HIS CAR. HE HAD WRECKED AND NEVER EVEN SAW HIM. DID YOU HAVE ANY SCENARIOS WHERE YOU FLASHED BY SOMETHING AND DIDN’T SEE IT? “That’s scary. Fortunately, I didn’t have one like that.”
A LOT OF TIMES, QUALIFYING ISN’T A BIG DEAL HERE. WE WERE TALKING TO CHRISTOPHER BELL AND HE SAID A LOT OF THE TIMES, IT DOESN’T MEAN A WHOLE LOT, BUT TEAMS LIKE HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS PUT A LOT OF ATTENTION INTO QUALIFYING. YOU’VE DONE REALLY WELL AT QUALIFYING HERE. WITH THE NEW CAR, IS THERE THE SAME AMOUNT OF ATTENTION ON QUALIFYING? HOW DO YOU LOOK AT QUALIFYING? HOW WILL IT BE DIFFERENT WITH THE NEW CAR?“I don’t think qualifying will likely be a ton different. And it probably doesn’t matter any more this week than it does typically. I don’t think you have to qualify well to be really good on Sunday or even to have a shot to win. But like I said earlier, HMS has always done a really nice job on putting emphasis on qualifying.”
“I think it’s easy to kind of overlook the speedways, just because there’s so few of them. I think across the garage, that probably does happen some amongst some of the other teams. But I think for us, it’s been a great opportunity to give our sponsors some great exposure and to me, that’s probably the biggest piece of value of qualifying well here. For NAPA, they’ve had the chance twice now to be on the front page of the paper down here and kind of be the headline leading into the Daytona 500, which I think has value and I don’t see how they couldn’t see that as value, too. So our team does a good job of putting themselves in a position where our partners can take advantage of the start of our year.”
DO YOU FEEL LIKE WITH THIS BEING A NEW CAR AND EVERYBODY SO FOCUSED ON THE ATTENTION THAT TAKES, THE PARTS, ETC. – SAME AMOUNT OF ENERY AND EMPHASIS ON QUALIFYING HERE FOR YOU GUYS AT HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS?“Yeah, I feel like a lot of emphasis has been put into our speedway cars for this race and we want to race the car that we unloaded with on Sunday, too. We’re excited and prepared. I feel like we’ve put as much effort and energy into it as we always have.”
WE’VE HEARD A LOT ABOUT DRIVERS LOOKING OUTSIDE THEIR COMFORT ZONE. WHAT MIGHT BE NEXT ON YOUR ‘WISH LIST’?“Yeah, I enjoyed all the stuff I did over the winter. I enjoyed the rally cross thing. I enjoyed the Chili Bowl. I know it didn’t go well, but enjoyed the Chili Bowl. I feel like I made gains on that stuff through the winter, which I was excited about. I don’t know what I’m going to do this year just yet. We’ll see how it kind of unfolds, but I don’t really have anything locked down right now to go and run. Just currently focused on this deal – wanting to get into a good place here and try to have a really strong season. We’ll see – I’m certainly not ruling anything out. If something comes along that I like and feel like is a good opportunity, I’ll likely take it.”
JEFF GORDON HAD SOME QUOTES THIS WEEK ABOUT PUSHING YOU TO GET OUTSIDE YOUR COMFORT ZONE. WHAT DOES THAT MEAN AND WHAT DOES THAT MEAN TO YOU?“I think Jeff (Gordon) wants us to broaden our horizons. And, like I said a second ago about getting sponsors exposure and things, I think that’s really the root of what he was probably getting at. And he wants us to grow – grow not only ourselves individually, but our sport as a whole. If the drivers are growing their following, then likely the sport is benefiting from it too. I think he’s just trying to help everybody win. At the end of the day, if we’re all gaining a following or popularity in a different area that we typically wouldn’t be in, you’re likely going to benefit. And likely, we’re all going to benefit.”
DO YOU HAVE A COMFORT ZONE? DO YOU KNOW WHAT’S OUTSIDE OF IT? “Yeah, I mean we all have a comfort zone, for sure. I think for me, I don’t mind stepping outside my comfort zone. Where I sometimes struggle with wanting to go do things is I want to feel like those people want me there too. You want to feel like somebody cares about having you as a part of their show or whatever it may be; not just to check a box for them. When I feel appreciated and respect, I’m all in and I’ll go as far outside of my comfort zone as they want to get.”
WE HEAR A LOT ABOUT THE DUELS AS A PLACEMENT RACE OF THE DAYTONA 500 AND WE HEAR A LOT ABOUT PROTECTING THAT CAR BECAUSE YOU CAN’T WRECK YOUR CAR IN THE DUELS. BUT THE FANS ALSO WANT TO SEE A RACE. HAS THERE BEEN A LOT OF TALK AMONG THE DRIVERS ON HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF, BUT ALSO GIVE THE FANS A RACE? “Yeah, well that is the race. That’s part of racing somedays and you either like that or you don’t. I hate to be that way; but at the end of the day, we’re going to do what we feel like is going to give us the best shot to win at the end of the day on Sunday. What that looks like sometimes might not be what people want to see all the time. But that’s just the way it unfolds. Would I love to mix it up for 500 miles? Absolutely I would love to put on the most exciting thing ever for four hours. But I also want to win; I want to win worse than I want to just make sure it’s super entertaining. That keeps integrity in our sport and as long as we have integrity in what we do and we all want to win, then I think the fans and the people are going to appreciate it. I think that’s an important piece; just keeping the integrity in what we have going on and making sure everybody still wants to win and make all of those right decisions to put themselves in the right position to do that.”
THE LAST TIME A HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS DRIVER MADE IT TO VICTORY LANE DURING THE DAYTONA 500 WAS DALE EARNHARDT JR. BACK IN 2014. YOU GUYS HAVE WON EVERY SINGLE POLE SINCE THEN, EXCEPT FOR 2020. DO YOU FEEL LIKE YU GUYS ARE FOCUSING TOO MUCH ON QUALIFYING DAY AND NOT SO MUCH ON RACE DAY? HOW DO YOU GUYS GO ABOUT TRYING TO FIX THAT FOR THIS YEAR’S DAYTONA 500? “No – I don’t think we’ve put too much emphasis on that. Qualifying day is really just kind of a testament of how much speed your car has. I would rather have that than not. I feel like we have – on more than one occasion down here – I’ve probably crashed one of the fastest cars during the Daytona 500 and I was driving it. I think we’ve had plenty of opportunities, we just have to be smart about our decisions and do better jobs behind the wheel.”
BEFORE THIS EVENT TWO YEARS, THERE WASN’T A DIRT RACE ON THE SCHEDULE. THERE WEREN’T SOME OF THE ROAD COURSES ON THE SCHEDULE. WE’VE SEEN CHANGES TO THE SCHEDULE, THE CAR AND THINGS LIKE THAT. CAN YOU GIVE ME A SENSE FROM YOUR PERSPECTIVE HOW MUCH YOU’VE SEEN THE SPORT EVOLVE JUST IN THE LAST TWO YEARS? BUT ALSO WITH ALL THESE BIG CHANGES, HOW MUCH MORE CAN THINGS HANDLE? IS IT GOOD TO STILL CONTINUE TO BE AGGRESSIVE OR WHERE IS THAT LINE FROM WHAT YOU’VE EXPERIENCED?“Yeah, that’s tough. I don’t make those decisions, so I don’t have to worry about it too much. I’ve been supportive of the leadership group at NASCAR here currently. I feel like they’ve changed more in the past two or three years than they’ve changed in the prior 25 the way it feels; just kind of looking back at history. But I don’t know where that line is. We have a sold out crowd on Sunday for the Daytona 500 and this place is expected to be packed in the infield and out there. So, I guess they’re doing it right. It seemed like everyone liked the Clash, which was definitely outside the norm. It seems fine to me from my end, but it’s hard to know where that line is. I’m not sure. That’s a great question.”
WHEN IT COMES TO SPONSORS AND STUFF, HAS THERE BEEN ANYTHING IN THE LAST FEW YEARS IN YOUR CUP CAREER WHERE A SPONSOR CAME TO YOU WITH AN IDEA FOR HOW TO UTILIZE YOU THAT MAYBE YOU SAID ‘NO’ TO BECAUSE IT CLASHED WITH YOUR PERSONALITY OR WHAT YOU WANT. ARE THERE ANY BOXES YOU CHECK OFF BEFORE YOU SAY ‘YES’ TO SOMETHING?“Yeah, I’m sure there have been things I’ve said ‘no’ to at some point. But it doesn’t just mean it doesn’t happen; there might just be a little different way of getting there or achieving what the partner wanted. I feel like we typically try to make it work. If they have an idea of something that’s going to give you some exposure or whatever it may be, I feel like nine times out of ten, I find a way to make that happen. I don’t know how to answer that, but we pretty much do what we can to please our partners. And also too, it is sometimes super useful on our end too. When a partner activates with you, it’s not just them that’s benefiting. If you’re being activated on a national level, you’re benefiting too just by being there. It goes both ways. Also, I’m appreciative of the opportunities that I’ve had – to get on that stage and be able to do that; and that’s all because of a partner likely.”
WE’VE HEARD A LOT ABOUT MERCHANDISING AND MARKETING TODAY. DO YOU HAVE ANY MEMORIES AS A CHILD, OR HAVE YOU DISCUSSED WITH YOUR DAD, HOW DIFFERENT A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A NASCAR DRIVER IS NOW COMPARED TO HIS DAYS OF MORE HANDS-ON IN THE SHOP?“Yeah, a little bit. His days of racing in the 80’s was much different than his days of racing were in the early-2000’s. 2002 was 20 years ago, right? So, that’s still a long time ago, if you think about it. And at that point, I feel like the model of how things work is really similar from jobs being more individualized at the shop. Guys starting to be hired to do specific things and then the drivers being hired to do their specific things too; as it pertains to driving, taking care of partners and making sure we’re doing the things we need to be doing. I feel like the model has been pretty similar for a number of years now. I think people will think about the heyday; what they think is the heyday. And yeah, it was different in the 80’s and 90’s. But I feel like when we got to the early to mid-2000’s, I feel like we were well on the path to what we have now and not far from it.”                                                                

Maidstone, Kent, UK — Geoff Stilwell, owner/driver of the record-holding 7707 Land Speed Racecar announced two awards garnered at the recent Grand National Roadster Show.
 
“It has been a tough couple of years for land speed racing,” said Geoff, CEO and MD of Beech Underwriting Agencies, “we were only able to attend one event last year at El Mirage where we successfully made licensing passes. It was therefore great fun to get the car out and be a part of the Mick’s Paint display at this year’s Grand National Roadster Show held in Pomona, California.
 
“Showing is not like racing, the winner is subjective, nevertheless, we managed to get first place in the Unlimited class and received the award for Outstanding Engineering. The latter accolade is a huge testament to the crew at Mick’s who built and maintain the car including engine builder John Beck, Donny Cummins, Steve Davies, Mickey Larson, Pauly Rivera, Robin ‘Silky’ Silk, Tony Thacker and team leader Mick Jenkins. 
 
7707 is also supported by our UK crew Nick Davies, Rob Loaring and Scott Barnes of ICE Automotive, Ron Hope’s Rat Trap Racing and CARS Recon Inc., and Mick’s Paint the builder/painter of the car.
 
“Our current plans are to attend the May 14-15 event at El Mirage in preparation for the August 6-12 Bonneville Speed Week.” Concluded Geoff.

About 7707
Based on a highly modified 1927 Ford Roadster, 7707 is a purpose-built land speed racer that currently holds the A/Blown Fuel Rear-engine Modified Roadster record at 258.569 mph. 7707 was built entirely at Mick’s Paint, Pomona, CA, and features a 496 ci Brad Anderson-based engine built by John Beck of Vintage Hot Rod Design & Fabrication, Chico, CA. The 5,000 hp engine features Bill Miller pistons and rods, a Blower Shop 14-71 supercharger and Enderle injector with MSD ignition and Racepak data acquisition. The transmission is a B&J 2-speed and the rear end a Winters quick-change.

NASCAR CUP SERIES DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY DAYTONA 500 TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT FEBRUARY 16, 2022

ERIK JONES, NO. 43 PETTY GMS MOTORSPORTS CAMARO ZL1, Daytona 500 Media Availability Transcript:  AFTER WHAT HAPPENED AT THE CLASH, HAS RYAN BLANEY REACHED OUT TO YOU?“No, he hasn’t reached out to me. So I guess it’s resolved. I don’t know… if I had a problem with someone I would talk to them. So I guess it’s over.”
WHAT WAS IT LIKE LAST YEAR NOT HAVING A TEAMMATE AND HOW HAS THAT CHANGED THIS YEAR?“It’s good. Last year was a totally different year for me, going from a four-car team to a single-car team; plus with a new organization, a new manufacturer and everything. We kind of worked through that and learned every side of it. Working through the year on our own was a good experience. I felt like we learned a lot. We had some good runs, but we just didn’t have the consistency. We went to Las Vegas early in the year and ran ninth or 10th; then we went back to Vegas later in the year and ran 20th or whatever. We just struggled with that consistency and keeping things where they needed to be.”
“GMS coming on board is going to be good for us. So far it’s been good; merging with them. Ty (Dillon) coming on board on that side, it’s nice to have someone to bounce ideas off of. For me, it’s nice in some ways being a single-car team. You can kind of do what you want and lead your own direction, but there’s no one there to have a stop-check for you. You can go down the wrong path pretty easily. Having someone there, especially with a new car, to try different stuff and see what works and what doesn’t work – and maybe you can go in a different direction – is pretty helpful. Hopefully it pays off.”
LOOKING DOWN THE ROAD TO PHOENIX WITH THE NEXT GEN CAR, SOME DRIVERS SAID THE CAR IS MORE NIMBLE AND MORE SHORT-TRACK FRIENDLY. DO YOU SEE THAT, AND WILL IT CHANGE THE RACE AT PHOENIX?“I see it, for sure. I look at the Coliseum specifically – and obviously that is the shortest of short tracks we’ve been to – and I think about what the old car would have been like there. I don’t think the race would have been nearly as entertaining as what it was. Number one, it wouldn’t have raced very well in general around that track. Number two, the durability and body and stuff, it wouldn’t have held up nearly as well through that track. I think the short-track stuff is going to change a lot. You’re going to be able to push the car way harder. Drivers are going to be able to drive a lot harder and get there around a lot quicker. I watched the Phoenix test – I didn’t get out there to run it but watched it from afar – and I was encouraged. I think it’s fun. I enjoyed the way the car drove the way at the Coliseum. If it drives anything at Phoenix like it did there, it’s going to be a fun race.”
YOU AND TY HAD GOOD RUNS AT L.A. IS THAT A RESULT OF A LITTLE MORE FREEDOM WITH A NEW OWNERSHIP GROUP, AND ARE YOU ABLE TO APPROACH THINGS A LITTLE MORE AGGRESSIVELY?“I don’t think so. There was nothing last year that was holding me back or saying I couldn’t be aggressive. I think it was the nature of the track – the quarter-mile Coliseum and the way the track was laid out. Tempers were high, guys were getting frustrated and things were happening quick. It reminded me a lot of growing up racing. I did a lot of Super Late Model racing growing up, and a lot of those were quarter-miles or three-eighths miles. The racing we saw at the Clash at the Coliseum, I immediately thought of all those nights of that racing… jack handles flying after the race and angry people. That’s what I thought of. I thought it was great. When I think of short-track racing, that’s what I think of and that’s how I remember it growing up. I think that’s kind of what it was.”
HOW DO YOU ANTICIPATING THE DUELS BEING? YOU’RE BALANCING KEEPING THE CAR IN ONE PIECE BUT GETTING A GOOD STARTING SPOT. DO YOU EXPECT THINGS TO BE A LITTLE MORE CHILL THAN PAST YEARS?“I hope so. I feel like we’re in a spot where we need to race this car in the 500. I think most people are in that spot, but I think we’re a little more than some with the parts and pieces and the cars we have lined up going forward from here onto Fontana and on from there. We’ll have to race a little bit in the (Duels). From what we’ve talked about, we’re not too concerned where we start in the 500. You can race your way to the front in the 500 if you need to, especially with seeing how these cars draft, the way you can move through the field and things you can do to pick up a lot of speed. I honestly don’t know totally what my approach is going to be yet. It’s going to depend on where we start and where we qualify. There are some pretty fast guys in single-car runs that are going to have a shot for the pole. I don’t know if we’re quite in that mix. We’ll see where we stack up. I think we’re going to be timid for sure.”
YOU’VE RACED WITH TY A LOT OVER THE YEARS AS A COMPETITOR. AS A TEAMMATE, WHAT’S THAT RELATIONSHIP LIKE?“I didn’t really know Ty. I knew Ty as a competitor but I never talked to him too much or worked with him obviously on the competition side of things. We came up at a similar time and raced together a lot. We just never worked together. I’m kind of learning him right now… going into the simulator and seeing what his driving style is like and him going in and vice-versa. That’s a big thing as teammates – seeing what each guy needs out of the car, respectful of each other and working through that. That helps too with feedback and the comments on the racecar of what you’re looking for. If the driving styles are a bit different, guys are going to want different stuff. So that helps working through the competition side of things. That’s a big thing now that I’m trying to learn. I’ve been talking with him a lot about what he’s looking for in his racecar and how he’s looking to approach the year.”
DOES HAVING PARTNERSHIPS WITH TEAMS ON THE RCR CAMPUS GET A LOT OF FEEDBACK FROM A LOT OF DIFFERENT TEAMS RATHER THAN BEING OUT ON ISLAND?“It does. This year, we’ve actually moved off campus. We’re in the GMS shop now but we still have our alliance with RCR. That communication always helps, right? We just don’t have the engineering power that a team like that does. We don’t have the people working consistently on one piece of the car at a time to try and develop it to make it better. That’s where the alliance with RCR is just huge for us. It’s important. I don’t think without it that we could do nearly the things we could do so far with the racecar and learn about the Next Gen car as much as we have. We have great people at GMS. Dave (Elenz) our new crew chief and Danny (Efland) our engineer do a really good job, but they still need the information to put the pieces together. Having that to go back on and look at is pretty big for us.”
WERE YOU SURPRISED THAT RYAN BLANEY GOT TICKED OFF ENOUGH TO THROW HIS HANS DEVICE AT YOU?“I don’t know. The way I look at it, if I’m racing somebody and I brake-checked them then I guess I’d expect to get wrecked. It’s not like I meant to take the guy out of the race. I didn’t just intentionally right-rear him into the wall. Moving up the track, he got into the wall and broke a piece unfortunately that took him further out of the race. He was probably upset about that, for sure. He was having a solid run and we were moving forward together. I wasn’t shocked to see it at all. I knew he’d probably be mad about it. I was just kind of waiting on it.”
YOU’VE GONE FROM HAVING MULTIPLE TEAMMATES TO NO TEAMMATES AND NOW TO ONE TEAMMATE. HOW DOES THAT ROUTINE PREPARING FOR A RACE CHANGE?“It changes it. Last year, we kind of had our own program. It was just us so I’d go into the shop Mondays or Tuesdays and meet with the guys, then go up and run the simulator and go through our week-long preparation with what we were looking for on the racecar. We’d run through our setup and run through some changes and figure it out. It’s changed a bit now. Ty and I both have to split the sim time and get on there to run different packages and different stuff. It’s like I said earlier about learning each other’s styles and what we want from the racecar. Eventually it would be great to get to the points where we could run setups for each other and know either he’s going to like that or he’s not going to like that change. That’s the goal to get to. It’s nice having two people working out what we need from a racecar. Every driver wants something different, right? Even something that I don’t think I need in a racecar that Ty is calling for could probably help me at the end of the day. That’s the nice part about it. You can work through a lot of different stuff and probably end up with a stronger racecar than you would have with one person working on it or developing it while asking for changes. I’m excited about it. Ty’s a good driver. He’s shown that and he’s worked through a lot of different organizations through his career. I think this is one of the better opportunities he’s had at the Cup level.”
WHAT’S BEEN THE COLLABORATION BETWEEN THE RCR DRIVERS AND THE ENGINES YOU HAVE WITH THIS ALLIANCE?“We’ve talked about and what our plan is for the 500… not so much the Duels or just practice. I think you’ll see us probably trying to work together in the 500. It’s always tough. I’ve done it with two different manufacturers trying to work together in the race and what you do there and what the plan is. It’s hard. It’s never easy to actually work together once you get in the heat of the battle, trying to stay connected and stay with each other and work your way to the front. If it does work, then it works great. I’ve seen it work great and been part of it working great. It’s just hard to get everyone together. We have talked about it and what we want to do for the 500.”
HAVE YOU TALKED ABOUT SOME OF THE OPEN TEAMS IN THE RCR ALLIANCE AND HELPING THEM MAKE THEIR WAY INTO THE 500 ON THURSDAY NIGHT?“We haven’t specifically talked about that in our group. For us, we’re just really focusing on racing this car in the 500. Unfortunately we’re in a spot where we cannot wreck this car before the 500. We have to get it into the race and start it. As much as it would be nice to help those guys out and get some more help in the 500 from those guys – because obviously they would be on our side – I don’t think we’re going to be able to do much for them.”
WITH ALL THAT SAID FOR THE DUELS, DOES IT MAKE SENSE TO RIDE IN THE BACK? WHERE’S THE LINE BETWEEN BEING SAFE BUT PICKING UP AND LEARNING THINGS FOR SUNDAY?“It’s a fine balance. From what we’ve talked about, you obviously have to race in the Duels a bit. You like to learn, like you said. We just haven’t been in a big enough pack even at the test to know what these cars are going to do and how they’re going to drive in the draft. There is going to be some point where we have to race in the Duel, learn about the car and go from there. It’ll be an eyes-wide-open type of deal. If anything gets really dicey or out of hand, we’re going to have to be extra cautious. I don’t think us riding around by ourselves is going to be an option just because we do have to learn a little bit. But we definitely are going to err on the heavy side of caution.”
YOU HAVE SOMETHING LIKE HALF THE FIELD IN CHEVROLETS THAT YOU COULD WORK WITH. HOW DOES THAT AFFECT YOU AS A DRIVER KNOWING THAT YOU HAVE MORE POSSIBILITIES WHEN IT COMES TO LATE IN THE RACE?“When it was only a few cars, we’d always complain that we didn’t have enough people. That was always the issue of pitting by ourselves or doing that kind of thing where we don’t have enough cars and we couldn’t maintain the speed we need to. Now over here it’s almost the opposite issue. You’ve got so many cars, how is everyone going to work together? It’s just not possible. It’s a struggle either way. You have to find the right balance and settle in with the group you’re going to really work with and what you’re going to do to make that work. There’s just no way you can have that many cars working together. You have to keep your eyes open. If there’s a time where you can help a guy out that’s with your manufacturer, you kind of have to do that depending on the point in the race. It just goes both ways. It’s funny when you’re on both sides of it that there is such a different mentality each way. You have to do what you can do help out.”
SEVERAL DRIVERS HAVE TALKED ABOUT THE LACK OF PARTS FOR THE CAR. IF THERE ARE A COUPLE THAT ARE WRECKED, CAN YOU SEE A TEAM LENDING PARTS OVER TO ANOTHER OPERATION TO HELP GET THEM PUT BACK TOGETHER?“Depending on what it is, yes. Some parts and pieces are harder to get than others right now. I’d say we have a good chunk of parts and pieces here to put a bit of a car back together. If we were to completely destroy a car, it’s not possible. We’d have to go back home, get a car and bring it back down, which would be very unfortunate. I could probably see that in an alliance situation depending on the part and piece. I don’t think the chassis is necessarily the struggle as much. It’s the parts and pieces to put it together. Depending on what it is, you could probably see that happen.”

·         Direct Connection, the Dodge brand’s exclusive new source of factory-backed performance parts, offers $10,000-to-win contingency rewards for Dodge Challenger Mopar Drag Pak racers

·         Direct Connection Contingency Program will put a $10,000 winner’s purse up for grabs for Drag Pak racers at NHRA Factory Stock Showdown and NMCA Factory Super Cars events

·         Direct Connection will also help racers build their own custom Drag Pak with 13 race-ready kits, four graphics packages and Direct Connection catalog performance “recipes”

·         Contingency program also extends long-running support for NHRA grassroots racers in additional classes who win or runner-up while using specified Direct Connection parts

·         Direct Connection parts available for purchase through Dodge Power Brokers dealers starting March 9, 2022

·         Direct Connection Contingency Program builds on momentum of the Dodge Never Lift campaign, a two-year road map to the brand’s performance future

·         Dodge 24 Months of Muscle Never Lift calendar can be viewed at Dodgegarage.com/never-lift

·         For complete information and details on the Direct Connection Contingency Program, visit DodgeGarage.com/racing-hq or NHRARacer.com

February 16, 2022,  Auburn Hills, Mich. – Dodge is putting its money where its parts are when it comes to Direct Connection, the brand’s exclusive new source of factory-backed performance parts. The Direct Connection Contingency Program will offer Dodge Challenger Mopar Drag Pak racers $10,000 to win at National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Factory Stock Showdown and National Muscle Car Association (NMCA) Factory Super Cars events, giving Drag Pak competitors multiple shots at taking home a five-figure winner’s purse during the 2022 season.

 
The $10,000 purse, the largest available contingency award from a manufacturer in both NHRA Factory Stock Showdown and NMCA Super Cars classes, will be up for grabs for Drag Pak drivers at 14 total events. The NHRA Factory Stock Showdown schedule includes eight stops during the 2022 season, while NMCA Factory Super Cars will feature a slate of six races.
 
The Direct Connection Contingency Program continues the march forward of the Dodge Never Lift campaign, which offers a 24-month road map to the brand’s performance future. The Dodge 24 Months of Muscle Never Lift calendar can be viewed at Dodgegarage.com/never-lift.
 
Last month, the Never Lift campaign announced the Dodge brand’s partnership with Tony Stewart Racing, which will feature Top Fuel driver Leah Pruett and three-time Funny Car World Champion Matt Hagan carrying Direct Connection and Dodge Power Brokers colors in professional competition. With the announcement of the new contingency program, the reach of Direct Connection extends to provide support for drag racers in the amateur ranks.
 
“Dodge remains committed to the grassroots racers and enthusiasts who build our brand, and the $10,000-to-win Direct Connection Contingency Program is a perfect pipeline to feed the spirit and enthusiasm that fuels us,” said Tim Kuniskis, Dodge brand CEO – Stellantis. “We’re not only offering our Drag Pak drivers Direct Connection performance parts to help them dominate, but we’re also rewarding those who compete and win with the largest contingency award available in NHRA Factory Stock Showdown and NMCA Factory Super Cars.”
 
In addition to the new $10,000-to-win Drag Pak purse, the Direct Connection Contingency Program will also offer $1,000 for each victory and $500 for a runner-up by a Drag Pak driver in the NHRA Stock and Super Stock classes. The program will also continue the long-running support from Dodge and Mopar for a variety of grassroots NHRA racers competing in the Stock, Super Stock, Super Gas and Super Street classes. The Dodge Top Finisher Award will again provide monetary rewards to the Stock, Super Stock, Super Gas and Super Street class drivers of Dodge, Chrysler or Plymouth race cars that advance the furthest in eliminations at 22 NHRA national events.  
 
Racers carrying the Direct Connection decal and using specified parts, including the brand’s valve covers, intake manifolds and Drag Pak engine assembly, will also receive monetary rewards for victories or runner-up finishes in NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing competition.
 
Complete details and rules for the 2022 Direct Connection Contingency Program are available at DodgeGarage.com/racing-hq or NHRARacer.com.
 
Direct Connection for Dodge Challenger Mopar Drag Pak Racers

The new Direct Connection performance parts lineup will offer 13 race-ready kits and four graphics packages for the Dodge Challenger Mopar Drag Pak, a factory-built, turn-key drag car for NHRA and NMCA competitors. The new Direct Connection parts catalog, available now for download at DodgeGarage, also includes suggested Direct Connection performance “recipes” to help Drag Pak racers dial-in their race cars.
 
Direct Connection parts for the Drag Pak will be available for purchase through the new Dodge Power Brokers dealer network – the authorized source for Direct Connection parts with staff trained to deliver performance-focused customer service – starting March 9, 2022. For customers with parts questions, the Direct Connection hotline is live now at (800) 998-1110 with tech support available straight from the performance experts.
 
Direction Connection race-ready kits and graphics packages for the Drag Pak include: 

• NHRA 7.50 ET Certified Body Kit  
• 354 cu. in. Supercharged HEMI® Engine
• Race Drive Line Kit 
• RaceTech Base Seat Kit 
• RaceTech Head Restraint Seat Kit 
• Bogart Base Wheel/Tire Kit 
• Weld Racing Beadlock Lightweight Wheel/Tire Kit 
• Exterior Kit 
• Interior Kit 
• Race Suspension Kit 
• Body Electrical and Fuel Kit
• Engine Controller Kit 
• Engine Systems Kit 
• Graphics (four available unique packages)

DodgeGarage: Digital Hub for Drag Racing News

Fans can follow all the NHRA action this season at DodgeGarage, the one-stop portal for Dodge//SRT and Mopar drag-racing news. The site includes daily updates and access to an online racing HQ, news, events, galleries, available downloads and merchandise. For more information, visit www.dodgegarage.com.
 

The Marshalltown, IA driver held off challenges from Devin Moran, Tim McCreadie, and Brandon Sheppard on the path to victory BARBERVILLE, FL – February 15, 2022 – Ryan Gustin came into DIRTcar Nationals with one mission— to win a race for his friend and sponsor Leon Ramirez.  The Marshalltown, IA driver accomplished that mission Tuesday at Volusia Speedway Park, holding off several challenges to grab the $7,000 payday and his first DIRTcar Nationals win.  Tears flowed from Gustin’s eyes as he spoke in Victory Lane, winning in honor of Ramirez, who passed away last Sunday.   “This one right here is for Leon Ramirez,” Gustin said. “He was a very good friend, a great sponsor, and this one’s for the whole Ramirez family. I wanted to win one really bad for them, and we did it. Hopefully, we can keep on doing it.” Gustin charged through the field at the first green flag, driving from sixth to second in one lap. At that point, only Brandon Sheppard stood between him and the checkered flag.  A restart with 16 laps to go gave Gustin the opportunity he needed—setting up a battle for the top spot.  Gustin outran Sheppard and Tim McCreadie in the middle of an epic three-wide war, taking advantage through Turns 1 and 2 and thundering down the backstretch with the lead.   While a victory was close, Devin Moran hoped Gustin’s chances would slip away. The Dresden, OH driver used the bottom to try and pass him, but nothing stopped the Iowa campaigner from taking the checkered flag.  The emotional win also boosted Gustin’s confidence as his crew found something to build on. “It feels really good,” Gustin said. “We’ve been working really hard; I think we stumbled upon some things that work really good. I just can’t thank everyone enough who’s behind this.”  Moran finished second, one night after a third-place run. After back-to-back podium finishes, he currently leads the chase for a “Big Gator” trophy. The defending DIRTcar Nationals Champion hoped Gustin would make a mistake but couldn’t get past him in the end. “[Gustin] just did a good job,” Moran said. “I tried to get him to make a bigger mistake than what he did, but congratulations to them guys; I know it’s a big win for them. “We’re just staying consistent; the car is just really, really good, and we just got to keep working on it. I can’t quite finish the corner, so there’s some things we need to work on.” Tanner English crossed the line third, moving up eight spots from his eleventh starting position. The Benton, KY driver, stated the restarts were critical to his ascension through the field. “The restarts helped out a bunch for me,” English said. “I knew I had a good car, but we just had to get close to them so I could pass them, and we just rolled around the bottom, and I didn’t see anyone else as low as I was.” Ashton Winger finished fourth, and Tim McCreadie rounded out the top five.  Ryan Gustin accomplished the mission he set out for himself at DIRTcar Nationals—giving himself a boost of confidence along the way. It’s a win he’ll never forget, celebrating on the Volusia stage with Leon Ramirez smiling down.  The World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Model Series takes center stage for the rest of the week as the “Big Gator” quest continues. They’ll be joined on the card by the Super DIRTcar Series. For Tickets: CLICK HERE. If you can’t make it to the track, watch all the action live on DIRTVision – either online on with the DIRTVision App. Feature (30 Laps): 1. 19R-Ryan Gustin[6]; 2. 9-Devin Moran[8]; 3. 99-Tanner English[11]; 4. 89-Ashton Winger[3]; 5. 39-Tim McCreadie[5]; 6. 44-Chris Madden[16]; 7. 17M-Dale McDowell[9]; 8. 1-Brandon Sheppard[2]; 9. 16-Tyler Bruening[25]; 10. 111V-Max Blair[18]; 11. 15-Donny Schatz[23]; 12. 28-Dennis Erb Jr[10]; 13. 18D-Daulton Wilson[13]; 14. 31-Tyler Millwood[1]; 15. 76N-Blair Nothdurft[17]; 16. 11-Gordy Gundaker[26]; 17. 157-Mike Marlar[12]; 18. 58-Mark Whitener[19]; 19. 46-Earl Pearson Jr[4]; 20. 76-Brandon Overton[14]; 21. 8-Kyle Strickler[22]; 22. 99JR-Frank Heckenast Jr[15]; 23. 20RT-Ricky Thornton Jr[7]; 24. 97C-Cody Overton[24]; 25. 3S-Brian Shirley[20]; 26. 25-Shane Clanton[21]

DIRTcar Racing is brought to fans by many important sponsors and partners, including: DIRTVision (Official Live Broadcast Partner), Hoosier Racing Tire (Official Tire), SIS Insurance (Official Insurance Provider), VP Racing Fuels (Official Racing Fuel), iRacing (Official Online Racing Game), Arizona Sport Shirts/Gotta Race, Chevy Performance Parts, and NAPA Auto Parts (SDS). Contingency sponsors include: ARP (Automotive Racing Products), ASI Race Wear (SDS), Bassett Racing Wheel, Bell Helmets, Beyea Custom Headers, Bicknell Racing Products (SDS), Billy Whittaker Cars & Trux (SDS), Cometic Gasket (SDS), COMP Cams, Fast Shafts, Fox Factory, Jerovetz Motorsports Shock Service, K1 Race Gear, KSE Racing Products, MSD, Mulit FireX, Quarter Master, Schoenfeld Headers, Summit Racing Equipment, Swift Springs, Velocita USA, Wehrs Machine & Racing Products, Wrisco-Wieland Metal Services (Exclusive Racing Aluminum). Along with manufacturer sponsors, including: FIREBULL, Intercomp, and Racing Electronics.

Xtreme Outlaw Sprint Car Series Closes Out Spectacular Opening EventBARBERVILLE, FL – February 15, 2022 – The Xtreme Outlaw Sprint Car Series presented by Low-E Insulation wrapped up a historic two days at Volusia Speedway Park on Tuesday night.Not one, but two DIRTcar Nationals gator trophies were handed out and a big $10,000 check was on the line for the 35 gassers who supported the debut of the new Series.In the end, nobody could touch Thomas Meseraull. The San Jose, CA native led all 30 laps at the Barberville, FL 1/2-mile in dominating fashion, never receiving a single challenge even when forced to handle two green-white-checkered finishes to close out the Feature.Crossing the line with a 0.953-second margin of victory, T-Mez controlled the entirety of the race with a much more commanding lead aboard the Chris Dyson owned and Sean Michael wrenched #20M than what the final box score shows. In classic T-Mez fashion, his post-race interview was full of theatrics and sound bites.”Hats off to Sean Michael for believing in me,” Meseraull said. “I’ve torn up a lot of stuff, even this week, but here we are on the frontstretch. All you haters can hate all you want, but I keep on winning races. I kept thinking $10,000-to-win, so you better crash it before you even think of giving it up. I just kept giving it all she had, this thing was on rails tonight.”While T-Mez cashed a five-figure check, CJ Leary of Greenfield, IN scored the inaugural DIRTcar Nationals Big Gator Championship for the Xtreme Outlaw Series. The Michael Motorsports pilot was the most consistent driver with finishes of first and fifth, good enough to win him his first career golden gator.”This is really special to win the first one,” noted Leary, who also won Monday’s debut. “We weren’t good enough to get the win tonight, but winning this Big Gator is pretty damn cool. Now we’ve got a little one and a big one!”The most intriguing storyline of the week came in the form of Brady Bacon and Dennis Gile. On Monday, Gile broke a driveline (thus breaking his foot) and leaving Bacon with nowhere to go as they collided and sent Bacon flipping into the fence. On Tuesday, they were suddenly teaming up together for a run at the gator.Bacon climbed aboard Gile’s #13 and showed speed right out of the box, setting QuickTime in his group and eventually earning high point man honors. The Broken Arrow, OK native advanced from sixth to second and had a chance at T-Mez on the final restarts, but fell just short of bringing “Big Money Brady” to Xtreme Outlaw victory lane.”We’re just making lemonade out of lemons,” Bacon said flipping on Monday and running second on Tuesday. “I can’t thank Dennis and his whole team enough for letting me run this car, otherwise I would’ve been up there in the standings. A huge thank you to the Xtreme Outlaw Series for putting this on and giving us some extra races for good money. We tried giving it a little hail mary on the bottom, but there just wasn’t enough left to get a run at Thomas.”Closing out the podium with his second-straight TJ Forged Hard Charger Award was Chase Stockon, advancing from 10th to third aboard the KO Motorsports, Hutson John Deer #5S. Of 15 drivers committed to the full schedule, the Fort Branch, IN native will leave Volusia as the early-season favorite at claiming the inaugural $20,000 Xtreme Outlaw Sprint Car championship.”We’ve got a lot of momentum on our side right now,” Stockon said. “Hopefully, we can finish out the Florida swing and keep rolling with the Xtreme Outlaw guys. My guys have given me such awesome pieces both nights down here.”Robert Ballou and CJ Leary rounded out the top-five at Volusia, while Shane Cottle, Carson Short, Justin Grant, Shane Cockrum, and Alex Bright finished out the top-10 on Tuesday night.UP NEXT – The Xtreme Outlaw Sprint Car Series presented by Low-E Insulation will next compete in early April alongside the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series. A Missouri doubleheader is on tap with trips to US-36 Raceway in Osborn, MO on Friday, April 8 and Lake Ozark Speedway in Eldon, MO on Saturday, April 9.Xtreme Sprint Car Results (30 Laps): 1. Thomas Meseraull (2); 2. Brady Bacon (6); 3. Chase Stockon (10); 4. Robert Ballou (8); 5. CJ Leary (5); 6. Shane Cottle (1); 7. Carson Short (13); 8. Justin Grant (9); 9. Shane Cockrum (4); 10. Alex Bright (12); 11. Charles Davis Jr. (17); 12. Briggs Danner (14); 13. Mario Clouser (16); 14. Wesley Smith (20); 15. Logan Seavey (15); 16. Cole Bodine (7); 17. Jake Swanson (3); 18. Matt Westfall (21); 19. Landon Simon (11); 20. Braxton Cummings (22); 21. Brandon Mattox (18); 22. Dustin Clark (19).NEW Championship Standings (2/14 Races): 1. CJ Leary (441); 2. Robert Ballou (-14); 3. Chase Stockon (-19); 4. Justin Grant (-20); 5. Carson Short (-27); 6. Thomas Meseraull (-47); 7. Shane Cottle (-48); 8. Alex Bright (-53); 9. Charles Davis Jr. (-66); 10. Shane Cockrum (-67).

The Xtreme Outlaw Series is brought to fans by important sponsors and partners, including: DIRTVision (Official Live Broadcast Partner), Low-E Insulation (Presenting sponsor of the non-wing Sprint Car Series), Racing Electronics (Official Radio Supplier), and SIS Insurance (Official Insurance Provider). Other partners include:  DRC Chassis, Pace Dyno Services, TJ Forged and Whitz Racing Products.

TEAM CHEVY ADVANCE 64TH DAYTONA 500 DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY DAYTONA, FLORIDA FEBRUARY 20, 2022 TAKING THE GREEN FOR 2022The 2022 Daytona Speedweeks Presented by AdventHealth officially kicks off the NASCAR season with action packed events across NASCAR’s three national series, with the finale being the “The Great American Race”: The 64th running of the Daytona 500. Speedweeks also marks the official points-paying debut of the Next Gen Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 in the NASCAR Cup Series (NCS). Daytona Speedweeks kicks off on Tuesday, February 15, when the Next Gen Camaro ZL1 first hits the track for two sets of practice. On Wednesday, the stars of the NASCAR’s premier series will return for Daytona 500 Qualifying presented by Busch Light at 8:05 p.m. ET. Next on tap for the NCS are the Bluegreen Vacations Duels, taking the green under the lights on Thursday, February 17, at 7 p.m. ET. The two 60-lap, 150-mile events will determine the remaining starting lineup for Sunday’s Daytona 500. Friday, February 18, marks the first of three days of points-paying racing action at the 2.5-mile Florida superspeedway, starting with the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) season opener, the NextEra Energy 250, at 7:30 p.m. ET on FS1. The ‘World Center of Racing’ has been the host of the season opener for the NCWTS since 2000. The excitement continues on Saturday with the NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) season opening “Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner. 300” at 5 p.m. ET on FS1. Capping off the 2022 Speedweeks is the 64th running of the Daytona 500 on Sunday, February 20, at 2:30 p.m. ET on FOX. “The Great American Race” will lead off the NASCAR Cup Series 36-race season for the 41st consecutive year. On February 14, 2022, Daytona International Speedway announced that the 2022 Daytona 500 is completely sold out. Prior to last season’s reduced capacity limitations due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the event had five consecutive sellouts. LOOKING FOR ANOTHER FRONT ROW SWEEPA full season of qualifying returns to the NASCAR Cup Series after being limited to select events in 2021. The front row of the prestigious event has been swept by the Bowtie Brand an impressive 19 times, including nine of the last 11 years. For the second time in his four-season NCS career, Alex Bowman put his No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet on the pole in 2021. Chevrolet went on to take over the front row when Bowman was accompanied by his Hendrick Motorsports teammate, William Byron, and his No. 24 Chevrolet team. With the front row set by qualifying, Thursday’s two 60-lap, 150-mile Bluegreen Vacations Duels at Daytona will determine the starting lineup and fill the remaining opening spots of the 40-car field. Richard Childress Racing’s Austin Dillon is the latest Chevrolet driver to score a Duel win when he took his No. 3 Chevrolet to victory lane in the 2021 event. EYES SET ON BACK-TO-BACK TITLESFollowing the 2021 season finale at Phoenix Raceway, Chevrolet closed the season with three titles: the 2021 NASCAR Xfinity Series Manufacturer’s Championship; the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series Manufacturer’s Championship; and the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series Driver Championship. After a dominating performance during his debut season with Hendrick Motorsports – including double-digit wins and a Regular Season Championship – Kyle Larson captured his first-career NASCAR Cup Series Championship title, giving Chevrolet its 33rd NCS Driver Championship. It was a record year for the 29-year-old California native, becoming the 11th different driver in the modern era (1972-present) to score 10 wins in a single NCS season. The last time this feat was accomplished was in 2007, when career Chevrolet driver Jimmie Johnson won 10 times to go on to win his second of seven NCS Championship titles. The Chevrolet driver also led an impressive 2,581 laps during the 2021 season, breaking career Chevrolet driver Jeff Gordon’s record set in 2001. Momentum is on his side as the Hendrick Motorsports No. 5 Chevrolet team has their eyes set on back-to-back titles. The 2021 season also brought Chevrolet its record-extending 40th NASCAR Cup Series Manufacturer’s Championship. The Bowtie Brand won its first Manufacturer’s Championship in 1958, later recording a streak of 13 consecutive Manufacturer’s Championship titles between 2003 – 2015. Team Chevy drivers and teams earned 19 wins in the 36-race NCS schedule to lead all manufacturers, marking the most victories in a NCS season for Chevrolet since 2014.  For the second consecutive year, Chevrolet won the Bill France Performance Cup in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. This marks the 23rd Manufacturer’s Championship title in the series, the most of any other manufacturer. Of the 34-race NXS schedule, Chevrolet led all manufacturers in wins with 16. THE SEASON OF ‘NEW’A season full of new kicked off last weekend when NASCAR’s premier series took on the .25-mile track built within the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum for the traditional Busch Light Clash. Not only was it a new venue for the series, but the event marked the on-track competition debut of the NASCAR Next Gen cars. All eyes are set on the 2.5-mile high-banked superspeedway as the Daytona 500 officially starts the points-paying action for the Next Gen Camaro ZL1. “With the Clash race at the LA Coliseum behind us, it’s time to look forward to the points racing debut of the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series Camaro ZL1 Next Gen car,” said Pat Suhy, GM Manager, NASCAR Competition. “While there was an organizational test at the track in January, there wasn’t a full field of cars. Drivers practiced drafting together at that test at various times, but nowhere near as aggressively as we’ll see with 40 of them trying to win the biggest race of the season and lock themselves into the first round of the playoffs. The 2022 Daytona 500 is going to be an exciting learning experience for Chevrolet and our teams.” Chevrolet engineers and designers, alongside the Chevrolet race teams, worked closely together to develop the Next Gen Camaro ZL1, creating a race car that looks and performs more like the production Camaro. “The Daytona 500 is always an exciting start to the NASCAR Cup Series race season,” said Dr. Eric Warren, Chevrolet Director of NASCAR Programs. “This year that excitement is magnified by the introduction of the Next Gen Chevy Camaro ZL1. Everyone on the teams and OEM partners will be anxiously waiting for those first competitive laps in practice and qualifying where many years of testing and industry collaboration on this car ends and the drive to beat competitors begins. I am excited for the challenge a totally new car presents and we at Chevy look forward to bringing our engineering resources and racing heritage to the competition.” Bringing the track and the street closer together, the Next Gen Camaro ZL1’s new lower greenhouse, shortened deck lid and widened track width contribute to a coupe-like appearance. Like the production Camaro ZL1, the Next Gen Camaro ZL1 features hood air extractors to enhance track performance. With its fully symmetrical body design, the Next Gen Camaro ZL1 race car looks even more like the production Camaro. 2022 BOWTIE LINEUP UPDATESThe 2022 NASCAR Cup Series field will see a number of growing teams that will contribute to a stout Chevrolet driver lineup for the upcoming season. ·       Trackhouse Racing is entering into their second full-time season in NASCAR’s premier series, now fielding two full-time Camaro ZL1’s. After purchasing Chip Ganassi Racing’s NASCAR assets at the conclusion of the 2021 season, Trackhouse Racing is taking their team to the next level. Daniel Suarez will return to the team, piloting the No. 99 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 in his sixth season of NCS competition. The team’s second seat will be filled by Ross Chastain after previously driving for Chip Ganassi Racing in 2021. The 29-year-old Florida native will be behind the wheel of the No. 1 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for the team. Chastain had a solid 2021 season in his Chevrolet, contending for the win on several different occasions and scoring his NCS career-best finish of second at Nashville. ·       Chevrolet teams, GMS Racing and Richard Petty Motorsports, will have a whole new look for the 2022 season. Team owners Maury Gallagher and Richard Petty have merged to form a new organization: Petty GMS Motorsports. The new team with field two Camaro ZL1’s full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driven by two familiar faces to the Bowtie Brand. Erik Jones will return to the seat of the iconic No. 43 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1. The team’s second entry will see the return of Ty Dillon to NCS competition, driving the No. 42 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, a number that holds deep ties to the Petty family legacy. ·       Having much success in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, Kaulig Racing will also be taking on the NASCAR Cup Series, operating a two-car team for the 2022 season. Justin Haley is no stranger to NCS competition, previously scoring his first NCS win in 2019 at Daytona International Speedway driving the No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet. The 22-year-old will make the jump from the NXS to NASCAR’s premier series, piloting the Kaulig Racing No. 31 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 full-time this season. The Chevrolet team’s second team, the No. 16 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, will see a rotation of familiar Team Chevy drivers, including AJ Allmendinger, Noah Gragson and Daniel Hemric. Kaulig Racing captured the attention of competitors in 2021 when AJ Allmendinger gave the team its first NCS win in the series’ debut at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course in only the team’s seventh NCS start. BOWTIE BULLETS:·       NASCAR Cup Series victories by current Chevrolet drivers at Daytona International Speedway:Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 JTG Daugherty Racing Camaro ZL1, has one win (July 2017)Austin Dillon, No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Camaro ZL1, has one win (February 2018)Justin Haley, No. 31 Kaulig Racing Camaro ZL1, has one win (July 2019)William Byron, No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Camaro ZL1, has one win (August 2020) ·       Of the 149 appearances made in NASCAR’s premier series at the “World Center of Racing”, Chevrolet has recorded 48 wins, 51 poles, 222 top-five’s, 449 top-10’s, and led 8,092 laps. ·       Coming off of his first-career NASCAR Cup Series Championship title, Larson could potentially become just the sixth champion in NASCAR history to claim the Harley J. Early trophy the following season. He would join the company of NASCAR Cup Series Champions Dale Jarrett (2000), Jeff Gordon (1999), Cale Yarborough (1977), Richard Petty (1973) and Lee Petty (1959). ·       Chevrolet has sat on the pole for the Daytona 500 29 times, topping all manufacturers. This includes a string of nine consecutive years, a streak that holds the record over any manufacturer at the 2.5-mile Florida superspeedway. The Bowtie Brand has also swept the Daytona 500 front row 19 times in the event’s history, including nine of the past 11 years. ·       Chevrolet has captured the Daytona 500 victory 24 times, more than all other manufacturers. In addition, Chevrolet has won 93 times at the 2.5-mile Florida superspeedway across all three NASCAR National Series, making Chevrolet the winningest manufacturer at Daytona International Speedway in NASCAR history. ·       Hendrick Motorsports has won 14 Daytona 500 poles, the most of all teams in the NASCAR Cup Series: Ken Schrader (1988, 1989, 1990), Jeff Gordon (1999, 2015), Jimmie Johnson (2002, 2008), Mark Martin (2010), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (2011), Chase Elliott (2016, 2017), Alex Bowman (2018, 2021), William Byron (2019). FOR THE FANS·       Fans can visit the Team Chevy Racing Display in the Fan Midway at Daytona International Speedway. ·       Fans can check out an assortment of Chevrolet vehicles including: Tahoe RST Z71, Blazer RS, Colorado Z71​​, Corvette Z51​​, Camaro ZL1​​, Equinox RS​​, Silverado HC​, Silverado ZR2​.·       At the Chevrolet Display, fans can also view Kyle Larson’s No. 5 Camaro ZL1 show car. TEAM CHEVY QUESTION AND ANSWER SESSIONS AT THE DISPLAY:Thursday, February 17·      Derek Kraus and Colby Howard: 2:45 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.·      Carson Hocevar and Dean Thompson: 3:30 p.m. – 3:45 p.m.·      Lawless Alan and Kris Wright: 3:30 p.m. – 3:45 p.m. Friday, February 18·      Myatt Snider: 12:15 p.m. – 12:30 p.m.·      Grant Enfinger, Jack Wood and Thad Moffitt: 1:00 p.m. – 1:15 p.m.·      Sheldon Creed and Austin Hill: 1:30 p.m. – 1:45 p.m.·      Noah Gragson: 2:00 p.m. – 2:15 p.m. Saturday, February 19·       AJ Allmendinger and Landon Cassill: 9:15 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.·       Brett Moffitt, Jeb Burton and Anthony Alfredo: 9:30 a.m. – 9:45 a.m.·       Jesse Iwuji: 9:45 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.·       Sam Mayer: 10:00 a.m. – 10:15 a.m.·       Justin Allgaier: 10:15 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.·       Josh Berry: 1:10 p.m. – 1:25 p.m. Sunday, February 20·       Daniel Suarez: 10:10 a.m. – 10:25 a.m.·       Corey LaJoie: 10:30 a.m. – 10:45 a.m.·       Ross Chastain: 11:00 a.m. – 11:15 a.m.·       Justin Haley and Daniel Hemric: 11:15 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.·       Chase Elliott: 11:35 a.m. – 11:50 a.m.·       Austin Dillon and Tyler Reddick: 11:50 a.m. – 12:05 p.m.·       William Byron: 12:15 p.m. – 12:30 p.m. Chevrolet Display Hours of Operation:·       Thursday, February 17: 2:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.·       Friday, February 18: 11:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.·       Saturday, February 19: 8:00 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.·       Sunday, February 20: 8:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. TUNE INFOX will telecast the 64th running of the Daytona 500 at 2:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, February 20. FS1 will telecast the NASCAR Xfinity Series ‘Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner. 300’ at 5 p.m. ET on Saturday, February 19. FS1 will telecast the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series NextEra Energy 250 at 7:30 p.m. ET on Friday, February 18. Live coverage for all three events will also be broadcasted on MRN and Sirius XM NASCAR Radio Channel 90. QUOTABLE QUOTES:ROSS CHASTAIN, NO. 1 ADVENT HEALTH CAMARO ZL1 IF THERE IS ONE RACE YOU WANT TO WIN, WHICH ONE IS IT AND WHY? “The Daytona 500 because you’re not a Daytona 500 winner, you never hear that phrase. It’s Daytona 500 champion. It’s a single race. I’m from Florida and I hold Daytona as my home track. We always went to the summer race because we had watermelons in the ground in February. I almost don’t even like calling it the ‘Great American Race’ because it’s world renowned. It’s one of the crown jewel races in the world of auto racing.” WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST DAYTONA 500 EXPERIENCE LIKE? “When you’re in the car and hear the roar of the fans, and to think I sat in those grandstands as a kid…It gives me chills just to think about it.” AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 BASS PRO SHOPS / TRACKER OFF ROAD CAMARO ZL1 LOOKING BACK NOW, WHAT STANDS OUT TO YOU ABOUT YOUR DAYTONA 500 WIN? “A lot stands out about my Daytona 500 win. Mostly, how special it was to our entire organization. All of the people at RCR that have put so much into my career. Going to Victory Lane at Daytona International Speedway is an epic feeling. It’s a dream come true. Nothing compares to that feeling of racing to the start/finish line and no one is in front of you. Everyone is behind you.” YOU’VE HAD SUCCESS AT DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY. HOW DO YOU NEGOTIATE STAYING OUT OF THE WRECKS THROUGHOUT THE RACE SO THAT YOU CAN BE IN CONTENTION AT THE END? “It’s tough. It’s a game of putting yourself in position. I call it high-speed chess because you know at some point in time you’re going to be vulnerable. You hope that someone doesn’t take advantage of that too much and cause a big wreck. It’s one of those things where you are constantly moving and trying to guess the flow of the pack. I think the best place to be is in the front most of the time, but it’s impossible now with the way we race to keep yourself up there for the entire race. You see guys do it for long periods of time. Denny Hamlin has been pretty amazing at putting himself in the right position as of late. I’m going to do my best this time around to put ourselves in position for another shot at the Daytona 500.” DO YOU FEEL THE “BIG ONE” COMING, OR DOES IT HAPPEN SO FAST THAT YOU’RE JUST IN IT? “Sometimes you’re in it, and there is nothing you can do about it because you know time is running out and you’re in it either way. It’s an odd feeling knowing your putting yourself out there and something is about to happen. It’s an issue of timing. You’re hoping you just get through it. I’ve been fortunate to sneak through some of them, or be in front of some of them. You usually know when the intensity is rising and the pack is starting to get a little bit out of control. You try to do your best to give yourself an out or be in front of it.” KYLE LARSON, NO. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM CAMARO ZL1LARSON ON DAYTONA DRAFTING: “I wasn’t at Daytona for the test (in January), so I don’t know how the new Chevrolet drafts. I’ve watched video of past races and studied how I could have done things differently since I don’t usually finish well in these types of races. I seem to always end up in the middle of the mess, so I watched to see how others stay ahead of it.” CLIFF DANIELS, CREW CHIEF, NO. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM CAMARO ZL1DANIELS ON DAYTONA PREPARATION: “Our team did not participate in the test (at Daytona in January), but we were able to follow a lot of what was going on in the test live. We had a lot of great feedback from our teams that were there and are absolutely leaning on them.” DANIELS ON DAYTONA 500 QUALIFYING WEDNESDAY NIGHT: “We’d love to qualify on the front row. Hendrick Motorsports cars have a great history of being on the front row because everyone here puts in a lot of hard work to build fast race cars. Wednesday night is important but, ultimately, we want to be in position to battle for the win on Sunday coming off turn four of the final lap.” COREY LAJOIE, NO. 7 BUILT.COM CAMARO ZL1“It’s the big one, The Daytona 500. Can’t wait to hit the track with our Built Bar Camaro. It’s been a long and grueling off season and I’m proud of the effort Spire Motorsports has been putting in to get us here. There are so many unknowns going into this race with the Next Gen car that our goal is to put together a solid week and be in position to take home the Harley J Earl trophy.” TYLER REDDICK, NO. 8 3CHI CAMARO ZL1 WHEN YOU THINK OF THE DAYTONA 500 AND ALL OF THE UNKNOWNS, LIKE “THE BIG ONE”, HOW DO YOU APPROACH SUCH A LONG RACE WITH MANY CHALLENGES? “When it comes to running the DAYTONA 500, it’s always a very interesting challenge. Every single lap of the entire race, you have to wager risk versus reward. Any moment on the racetrack, your race can end. You can make a decision that takes you from the lead to last. You can make a decision that wrecks your racecar. You can make a decision that leads to you being in a wreck. When it comes to this race, there are so many decisions you have to make from Lap 1 to Lap 200 that have to be absolutely perfect. One decision throughout that entire race, a race filled with thousands of decisions that are made in split-second moments, can dictate whether you win, lose or crash. Because of that, it makes it one of the most challenging races of the year. And it makes it one of the most exciting, too.” THE DAYTONA 500 ALWAYS PRODUCES EXCITING RACING BUT WITH THE NEW NEXT GEN CAR, WHAT ARE YOU ANTICIPATING HEADING INTO THE GREAT AMERICAN RACE? “Kicking off the season with the DAYTONA 500 is something special every single year. As a racecar driver, this race is one of the biggest, exciting, and highly anticipated races. With the new car, all of the teams are on a level playing field. We all had the same opportunities to test the car and work with our teams and manufacturers to prepare for the season. I’m excited to see all the hard work that RCR and Chevrolet have put into this car be on display on the track.” YOU’VE TALKED ABOUT NEVER REALLY SLOWING DOWN DURING THE OFFSEASON OR STOPPING TO TAKE A BREAK. WHAT DOES THAT DO FOR YOU AND YOUR PREPARATION HEADING INTO A NEW SEASON? “I’ve never really been one to slow down during the offseason because I want to keep improving and working during that time to get better for the next season. I spent a lot of my time working out and getting stronger all while learning more about the Next Gen car, participating in the tests and preparing for 2022. The goals are the same for me week in and week out, and that is to go out on the track, contend for wins, be up front and in the mix and leave with positive results. I feel like this is our year and couldn’t be more excited to get to Daytona for the 500.” THE PARTNERSHIP WITH RCR AND 3CHI IS ONE THAT IS VERY NEW AND VERY DIFFERENT IN THE NASCAR INDUSTRY. HOW EXCITED ARE YOU TO REPRESENT THEM IN THE NO. 8 CHEVROLET? “The partnership with 3CHI is one that RCR is very proud of. A lot of hard work went into making it happen and I can’t thank NASCAR, 3CHI and my colleagues at RCR enough for all the time and effort they put into making this partnership come to life. 3CHI wanted to be a part of NASCAR throughout all of last year and we made it our goal to make it happen in 2022. I can’t wait to get that awesome paint scheme on track in a few days.” CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CAMARO ZL1ELLIOTT ON THE 2021 SEASON AND HOW THE TEAM CAN IMPROVE FOR 2022: “Not consistently winning, that was the piece we were kind of missing last year. I actually felt like we ran better last year in a lot of ways than we did in 2020. We just didn’t get hot at the end of the year. I was really proud of a lot of things that we did last season and I think we have a lot to build off of. If we can combine the consistency of last year with the number of wins we had in 2020, I think we really have a shot at another championship in 2022.” ELLIOTT ON THE RACING IN THE DAYTONA 500:“The 500 is a race that everyone wants to win. The history behind this event and just how special it is, it’s unlike any other race on the schedule. Last year, we came the closest we ever have (second place), but in the past things haven’t worked out so great for us.” ALAN GUSTAFSON, CREW CHIEF, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CAMARO ZL1GUSTAFSON ON 2022 GOALS: “Our goal for a successful season never changes. We want to win the championship and win races. Be there in Phoenix (in November) to compete for it, so that’s really our main goal again. The steps to get there are different than they typically are. It’s going to start in a different place and end in a different place as far as what we’ll focus a lot of our energy on. But the goal is still the same, to be the best team in the series.” GUSTAFSON ON TACKLING 2022 WITH A NEW CAR: “It’s a new challenge with the car and what I’m most looking forward to is that challenge and then ultimately being successful. Taking that challenge and overcoming all the issues that are there and the challenge it creates and being able to be successful, be competitive and ultimately win. It’s always fun to get to the track. It’s been a busy offseason. I just like getting to the track and getting down to business.” DANIEL HEMRIC, NO. 16 HERITAGE POOL SUPPLY COMPANY CAMARO ZL1“I’ve been fortunate to have experience at Daytona over the last handful of years in many different series, but this year, I’m going into it with my new home, Kaulig Racing. We’ve been spending time preparing as a team during the offseason and building on relationships that attribute to the culture at this team. This is our first opportunity to officially do that, and given the history of Kaulig Racing’s success, especially at superspeedways, makes it even more exciting. I look forward to the chance to being part of this Kaulig Racing family, working with my teammates on the Xfinity side, as well as the cup side, and continue building towards the vision that Matt Kaulig, Chris rice and everyone at Kaulig Racing has built prior to me being here.” WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 AXALTA CAMARO ZL1BYRON ON WHAT RACING MAY LOOK LIKE IN THE DAYTONA 500 WITH THE NEW RACE CAR: “I think it’s going to be similar to what we normally see there. If anything, the test at Daytona in January was more aggressive than we thought it would be. I think the new car allows you to be a bit more aggressive than in the past. I do think the Duels may be somewhat calm just because guys don’t want to tear up their race cars since there’s not many backups available. But the DAYTONA 500 will be just as crazy as it normally is. No one is going to hold anything back and everyone is going to race as hard as they can. Everyone wants to win the DAYTONA 500.” BYRON ON HOW SPECIAL IT IS TO WIN AT DAYTONA: “It’s super special to get a win there in any series. Daytona is one of those places that you have to be aggressive to win. That night in (August) 2020 was a big deal for me, trying to get my first Cup Series win but also with the window we were up against to try and make the playoffs. It was stressful, but the DAYTONA 500 is a different feeling than the summer race. It’s a longer race that’s more about setting yourself up for the end. You use the race to learn throughout, but you still want to go for the stage wins to gain points and not start the season in a hole should something happen. You want to make it to the end first and foremost, but you want to really try stay up front all day, if possible, to put yourself in a good spot.” RUDY FUGLE, CREW CHIEF, NO. 24 AXALTA CAMARO ZL1FUGLE ON THE TEAM’S APPROACH TO DAYTONA: “We are one of only a handful of teams who participated in both tests at Daytona with the Next Gen car this off season. We have some really good notes from those sessions that I think we can apply and will give us a slight advantage heading in. That allows us to work on some more specific areas and changes to really get the car dialed in to William’s liking. I think there will be slight caution from everyone this week given the limited amount of cars teams have, but I think it’s not much more than the normal level of caution you have leading into Speedweeks and superspeedway racing where anything can happen at any moment.” JUSTIN HALEY, NO. 31 LEAFFILTER GUTTER PROTECTION CAMARO ZL1“This is an exciting weekend for myself and Kaulig Racing. I was fortunate enough to run both my first and Kaulig Racing’s first Daytona 500 together a couple years ago. To be entering our second Daytona 500 together, but this time to kick off our first, full Cup Series season together, is truly special. Kaulig Racing has been a huge part of my growth as a driver, and I’m looking forward to seeing what we can do together this year starting at the biggest race in motorsports.” RICKY STENHOUSE JR., NO. 47 KROGER / IRISH SPRING CAMARO ZL1“For me, it’s like a new start to everything and we have a good opportunity as a team to get started on the right foot. Our No. 47 Kroger/Irish Spring Camaro drove good while we were down here for the test, and we did some drafting sessions that were beneficial. I think that will pay off come Sunday for the 500. We know temps will be warmer for the race and there are also a lot of unknowns for all of us. It will be interesting to see how much we are going to practicing pushing and then how the Duels will go. We’re really prepared, and my team worked hard making sure we have everything we need to be successful.”  ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 48 ALLY CAMARO ZL1BOWMAN ON RACING IN THE DAYTONA 500: “I am excited to get to Daytona and kick off the season. Greg (Ives) and the guys back at the shop have been working super hard to get the No. 48 Ally Chevrolet ready for this week. Hopefully, we continue our streak of front row starts at the 500 and get the momentum rolling early. We just have to try and stay out of the mess and start the year with a win.” GREG IVES, CREW CHIEF, NO. 48 ALLY CAMARO ZL1IVES ON RACING IN THE DAYTONA 500: “Heading to Daytona is always a fun and exciting time. Not only are you getting the season started, but everyone here at Hendrick Motorsports always produces fast speedway Chevrolets, so I am looking forward to getting down there. We have started on the front row for four consecutive years because of what everyone does here at Hendrick Motorsports. Our main goal this year is to go down there and have a car capable of having speed and being there at the end. Whether that is pole-winning speed, I’m not sure, but our goal is to have a car that handles well and be there at the end when it counts at the 500. Having the Harley J. Earl trophy in your collection is something that is really cool, so hopefully we can add it to our shelves this year.” DANIEL SUAREZ, NO. 99 TOOTSIES ORCHID LOUNGE CAMARO ZL1 WHERE IS TRACKHOUSE RACING IN ITS GROWTH?  “It is a process. I think today, thanks to a lot of people, we are in a pretty good spot. Last year, we started the season with a close partnership with RCR and without them we wouldn’t be here. It was a huge help to be able to start strong. Without that support, it is almost impossible to be competitive. There is so much information, so much data out there that require years and people and manufacturers to be able get. It’s a process. Trackhouse Racing, Justin Marks, Ty Norris, this great group of people, Pitbull they have done a great job you know. “We had to start the right way, like I said with help from Chevrolet and RCR. Now we are kind of like doing our own thing, but we are still under the umbrella of Chevrolet. It’s been great and I feel like when it comes to sponsors we have to do a good job, not just in the racetrack but also outside the racetrack. I feel like so far we have done a pretty decent job, but really we could push it and there is always room for improvement.” WHAT WOULD IT MEAN TO YOU TO WIN THE DAYTONA 500? “That’s why I race. Every driver in this sport wants to win a Daytona 500 and a championship. I have won the Xfinity title, and now is a good time to add more trophies to the trophy case.” WHAT WILL YOU DO IF YOU WIN THE DAYTONA 500? “We will spend the week at Tootsie’s in Nashville and hope we make it to Fontana for the next race!” Chevrolet NASCAR Cup Series Statistics Manufacturers Championships:Total (1949-2021): 40First title for Chevrolet: 1958Highest number of consecutive titles: 13 (2003-15) Years Won: 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1998, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2021 Drivers Championships:Total (1949-2021): 33First Chevrolet champion: Buck Baker (1957)Highest number of consecutive titles: 7 (2005-11)Most Recent: Kyle Larson (2021) Years Won: 1957, 1960, 1961, 1973, 1976, 1977, 1979, 1980, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2020, 2021 Event Victories:Record for total race wins in single season: 26 (2007)                CHEVROLET IN NASCAR CUMULATIVE STATISTICS:Total Chevrolet race wins: 814 (1949 to date)Poles won to date: 723Laps led to date: 241,336Top-five finishes to date: 4,138Top-10 finishes to date: 8,555                                                                                                          Total NASCAR Cup Wins by Corporation, 1949 to Date:                    General Motors: 1,148           Chevrolet: 814           Pontiac: 154           Oldsmobile: 115           Buick: 65            Ford: 811                                                                    Ford: 711           Mercury: 96           Lincoln: 4            Fiat Chrysler Automobiles: 467           Dodge: 217           Plymouth: 191           Chrysler: 59            Toyota: 162

• Dodge//SRT and Mopar are ready for a new season of National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Camping World Drag Racing, beginning with the 62nd annual Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals presented by ProtectTheHarvest.com at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona, California, on February 17-20
• Dodge//SRT and Mopar partner with newly formed Tony Stewart Racing (TSR), continue relationship with drivers Leah Pruett in Top Fuel and Matt Hagan in Funny Car who will both sport new Dodge Power Brokers and Direct Connection primary branding on their race cars this season
• Three-time Funny Car world champion Hagan heads into a new season with Tony Stewart Racing and a new livery for his Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat, looking to power his way to Pomona’s winner circle for a seventh time
• Nine-time national event winner Pruett is excited to stage her new Dodge Power Brokers Top Fuel dragster and defend her Winternationals victory last July
• Dodge Power Brokers and Direct Connection performance parts offerings will be on display in the NHRA Manufacturers Midway throughout the season, in addition to race simulators for enthusiasts to test their skills 
• All 22 NHRA national events will air on FOX or FS1 and will stream live on NHRA.TV
• For more information on Dodge and the 24-month Dodge Never Lift campaign, visit Dodge.com or DodgeGarage.com

February 15, 2022, Auburn Hills, Michigan — A new season, new team, new livery, new performance parts offerings for racers and enthusiasts, and a new track surface have Dodge//SRT (Street and Racing Technology) and Mopar brands excited to hit the throttle on the 2022 National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Camping World Drag Racing Series season February 17-20 with the season-opening 62nd annual Lucas Oil Winternationals presented by ProtectTheHarvest.com at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona, California. 

Dodge//SRT and Mopar recently announced their partnership with the NHRA’s newest team, Tony Stewart Racing (TSR), which is set to make its competition debut in Pomona this weekend with Dodge Power Brokers and Direct Connection primary sponsorship of Top Fuel driver Leah Pruett and three-time Funny Car world champion Matt Hagan. 

The new Dodge Power Brokers program will roll out ready to serve as the exclusive source for all new Direct Connection, Dodge’s factory-backed performance parts program, and equipped with staff trained to deliver a performance-focused customer service experience.

“Dodge//SRT performance enthusiasts have plenty to look forward to this NHRA season as we launch our new partnership with Tony Stewart Racing,” said Tim Kuniskis, Dodge Brand CEO – Stellantis. “Fans will see the new Dodge Power Brokers and Direct Connection colors for us this year, and also have the chance to check out Direct Connection factory-backed performance products at the display in the Manufacturers Midway. It’s a brand new season, a brand new team with brand new Dodge programs we’re bringing to the NHRA.”

The Winternationals return as the traditional season opener for the NHRA’s 22-race calendar and will (literally) present a new level playing field for racers to kick off a season of tough competition with a freshly prepped track after the historic California dragstrip was ground and polished for its first facelift in 20 years. The action kicks off Friday, February 18, with one qualifying session for pro categories, followed by two more nitro runs on Saturday, February 19, and elimination rounds scheduled to start at 11 a.m. Pacific on Sunday, February 20.

Hagan, a three-time (2011, 2014, 2020) NHRA Funny Car World Champion, closed out the 2021 season as runner-up in the title fight after taking his 11,000-horsepower Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye to a category-best four national wins to finish the year with a top-10 result for the 11th time in his career.  

While he begins the new chapter in his career with his new team and the new Dodge Power Brokers livery, Hagan is confident that he’ll benefit from the consistency provided by once again having his HEMI®-powered machine tuned by longtime crew chief Dickie Venables and fully expects to add to his 39 career victories tally that currently has him fifth on the all-time Funny Car win list. 

“I have an amazing crew headed by Dickie Venables, Mike Knudson and Alex Conaway who have been with me for many years and provide the confidence and expectation that even with a new team, we’re going into this weekend and a new season looking to win,” said Hagan, who is second on the win-list at the Pomona dragstrip with six victories (2018, 2017, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2011) and set the current 3.822-second track record run in 2017. “They’re pumped up, focused, excited and more motivated than ever before. We have renewed energy, a new livery and a great race car. We know we’re going to contend from the start and we’re focused on driving the Dodge Power Brokers Funny Car to the winner’s circle.”

Nine-time national event winner Pruett begins her 10th year of Top Fuel competition after a sixth consecutive season with a top-10 finish that included a win at the July edition of the 2021 Winternationals that came on the heels of her runner-up finish at Sonoma Raceway. She’ll work again with Neal Strausbaugh, who takes on crew chief duties for her TSR Dodge Power Brokers Top Fuel dragster along with Mike Domagala and car chief Ryan McGilvery. 

The California native has two career wins (2021 and 2017) at her hometown track, which is also the site of her quickest career run of 3.631-seconds in 2018, but she expects her first competition pass with the fledgling Tony Stewart Racing team to be just as memorable.

“After such extensive structuring, planning, and being alongside the team, working through ordering of parts, building of racecars and partner programs, I do truly believe that first burnout to turnout will be one of the most fulfilling passes I will have personally made,” said Pruett. “Stepping on the grounds of Pomona and rolling out our Dodge Power Brokers race cars will initially have the feeling of a win itself, but I am also ready for that moment to go away as soon as it comes, appreciate it, then welcome the feeling of a new era of competition. 

“We will be making every performance-enhancing attempt to defend last year’s Winternationals win but we are focused on the fundamentals and coming together as a new team. A win would be nothing short of magical but we’ll strive for creating continuity amongst our people and parts at a faster rate than anyone has seen before.”

Additional Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat drivers set to battle for national event wins and the Funny Car crown include two-time world champion Cruz Pedregon and reigning world champion Ron Capps.

Pedregon hopes this year to build on his Cruz Pedregon Racing team’s positive performance after driving his Snap-on Tools Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat to the winner’s circle twice in 2021 and finishing fourth in the final standings. Capps will drive the NAPA Auto Parts Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat into his 28th NHRA season of competition and also make his debut in the dual role of driver and team owner of Ron Capps Motorsports, all while looking to defend his second Funny Car world title. 

Dodge//SRT and Mopar Manufacturers Midway Exhibit

Fans attending national events are invited to visit Dodge//SRT and Mopar’s massive 4,800-square-foot display, one of the largest exhibits in the NHRA’s Manufacturers Midway, where they can meet their favorite Dodge//SRT drivers for autographs and check out a selection of Direct Connection performance parts and vehicles. The interactive exhibit also features a pair of Dodge Challenger SRT Demon simulators to test their virtual race skills and experience a nitro run from the driver’s seat of the Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Funny Car simulator. 

For a fourth season, the exhibit will also host Mopar Career Automotive Program (CAP) activations at seven NHRA national events, beginning at the NHRA Gatornationals in March. The Mopar CAP program is dedicated to recruiting, training, and placing the best service technicians in the industry in Stellantis dealerships. Students are invited to visit the informational booth which features a subject matter expert, program information, games and giveaways. More information is available at Moparcap.com.

NHRA on FOX and NHRA.TV

This season Dodge//SRT and Mopar brands will continue to partner with the NHRA as part of their multi-year full media package which includes NHRA on FOX commercials and integration. All 22 national events will be broadcast on either FOX or FS1. Non-stop track action will also stream live on NHRA.TV.

Winternationals television coverage will air on FS1 with qualifying highlights on Friday, February 18, at 10 p.m. and Sunday, February 20, at 7 a.m. Eastern. Three hours of eliminations will be broadcast Sunday on FS1 beginning at 10 p.m. Eastern.

DodgeGarage: Digital Hub for Drag Racing News

Fans can follow all the NHRA action this season at DodgeGarage, the one-stop portal for Dodge//SRT and Mopar drag-racing news. The site includes daily updates and access to an online racing HQ, news, events, galleries, available downloads and merchandise. For more information, visit www.dodgegarage.com.

@DodgeMoparMotorsports on Instagram

The @DodgeMoparMotorsports Instagram channel continues to share content capturing Dodge//SRT Mopar drivers on the track. Fans can see action from the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series and NHRA Sportsman grassroots racers, competing in classes such as Factory Stock Showdown, Stock and Super Stock, as well as additional motorsports series.

Dodge//SRT

For more than 100 years, the Dodge brand has carried on the spirit of brothers John and Horace Dodge. Their influence continues today as Dodge shifts into high gear with muscle cars and SUVs that deliver unrivaled performance in each of the segments where they compete.

Dodge drives forward as a pure performance brand, offering SRT versions of every model across the lineup. For the 2022 model year, Dodge delivers the drag-strip dominating 807-horsepower Dodge Challenger SRT Super Stock, the 797-horsepower Dodge Charger SRT Redeye, the most powerful and fastest mass-produced sedan in the world, and the Dodge Durango SRT 392, America’s fastest, most powerful and most capable three-row SUV. Combined, these three muscle cars make Dodge the industry’s most powerful brand, offering more horsepower than any other American brand across its entire lineup.

In 2020, Dodge was named the “#1 Brand in Initial Quality,” making it the first domestic brand ever to rank No. 1 in the J.D. Power Initial Quality Study (IQS). In 2021, Dodge brand ranked No. 1 in the J.D. Power APEAL Study (mass market) — making it the only domestic brand ever to do so two years in a row.

Dodge is part of the portfolio of brands offered by leading global automaker and mobility provider Stellantis. For more information regarding Stellantis (NYSE: STLA), please visit www.stellantis.com.

NHRA^® Team Report

NHRA Winternationals – Pomona, CA

Pre-Race Report

Cruz Pedregon and the Snap-on^® “Makers and Fixers” Dodge^® SRT^® Hellcat^® are coming off solid testing runs in Phoenix as he and the team gear-up for kick-off of the 2022 NHRA Season. This is Cruz’s 30th season to pilot a Nitro Funny Car backed by sponsor Snap-on for more than 25 of those years.

“I love the fresh energy I feel with this team, even as a seasoned driver. It was a big decision to bring J.C. (John Collins) and Rip (Reynolds) on last year, and man has that investment paid off. We finished fourth overall in 2021 with two great wins and some really close finishes. We took what we learned from our first year together and are improving on what we know works,” says Cruz, who has finished in the top five NHRA Funny Car standings 11 of his career seasons. “If you take a look at the results from testing where all our runs were threes and the best was 3.92, we can see that we’re chipping away at getting the Snap-on Dodge in the consistent place we need it to be for the Winternationals and the competitive season ahead. It’s a really exciting place to be.”

During the off-season, Cruz was in the shop every day but took time to race in the iconic Tulsa Chili Bowl on a quarter mile dirt track. Also, during the off-season, the team added Austin Hord and Nate Hamm. Austin spent time with DSR before joining Cruz Pedregon Racing, while Nate’s first track experience with a Nitro car was at testing.

The new look on Cruz’s Funny Car is an evolution from the 2021 design carrying the signature Snap-on red and black colors in a fade pattern keeping the company’s “S” wrench logo as a prominent feature. An updated Makers & Fixers logo and theme will once again highlight a call to the Makers and Fixers to share their stories at makersandfixers.com. The car’s bodies will remain the same as last year and carry Cruz’s chosen names of Gato Malo, bad cat; Gato Loco, crazy cat; and El Conquistador, the conqueror.

Follow Cruz and Snap-on on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram

To see the latest Cruz news, like his Facebook page, where you can also check out his Vlog “Kickin’ It With The Cruzer.” Follow Cruz on Twitter and Instagram.

IMSA race winner to co-drive No. 01 V-Performance Academy Cadillac DPi-V.R entry

DETROIT (Feb. 15, 2022) – IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship race winner and INDYCAR champion Ryan Hunter-Reay will co-drive the No. 01 V-Performance Academy Cadillac DPi-V.R in the 70th Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Presented by Advance Auto Parts.

Hunter-Reay, a resident of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., will reconnect with full-season drivers Renger van der Zande and Sebastien Bourdais in the No. 01 Cadillac Racing entry fielded by Chip Ganassi Racing for the March 17-19 event on the 3.74-mile, 17-turn Sebring International Raceway road course. Hunter-Reay and van der Zande teamed with Jordan Taylor in the No. 10 Konica Minolta Cadillac DPi-V.R to win the 2018 Petit Le Mans, finish second in the Twelve Hours of Sebring and earn the pole for the season-opening Rolex 24 At Daytona. Hunter-Reay, the 2014 Indianapolis 500 winner and 2012 INDYCAR champion with Chevrolet power, competed against Bourdais – a four-time INDYCAR champion – throughout his INDYCAR career that has covered 282 races over 18 years. “It’s beyond belief that Ryan Hunter-Reay is available to be a Cadillac teammate at Sebring. Chip Ganassi Racing has admired his ability to consistently win major globally recognized events. He has that special knack to be a separator,” Chip Ganassi Racing managing director Mike Hull said. “We’re excited that Ryan’s an integral part of our team at the Twelve Hours of Sebring.” Hunter-Reay also co-drove to the overall victory in the 2020 Twelve Hours of Sebring with Mazda Motorsports. “I’m thrilled to be joining Chip Ganassi Racing and returning to Cadillac for the 70th running of the Twelve Hours of Sebring,” Hunter-Reay said. “This is a tremendous opportunity to work with one of the very best teams and manufacturers in motorsports. Sebring is my home track, and the Twelve Hours of Sebring is one of those iconic events that you focus on as a competitor. After winning the 2020 race overall, I’ve been eager to get back with a top team and compete for another win.” Cadillac has won three of the five 12-hour races at Sebring International Raceway in DPi competition dating to 2017. The No. 5 Mustang Sampling Cadillac DPi-V.R, which started on the front row and placed third in the Rolex 24 At Daytona on Jan. 30, is the defending Twelve Hours of Sebring race winner. Tristan Vautier and Loic Duval return to co-drive the No. 5 Cadillac DPi-V.R with Richard Westbrook. The No. 01 Cadillac DPi-V.R, co-driven by van der Zande, Kevin Magnussen and Scott Dixon, finished fifth in the 2021 race at Sebring. This year, Magnussen will share driving duties with Earl Bamber and Alex Lynn in the No. 02 Cadillac Accessories Cadillac DPi-V.R. Chip Ganassi Racing INDYCAR drivers Alex Palou and Dixon joined van der Zande and Bourdais to co-drive the No. 01 V-Performance Academy Cadillac DPi-V.R in the 60th Rolex 24 At Daytona. Palou set the race lap record time.

The Chandler, AZ driver, led all 30 laps en route to his first Volusia Speedway Park VictoryBARBERVILLE, FL – February 14, 2022 – A year ago, Ricky Thornton Jr. seemed destined for his first DIRTcar Nationals win—until heartbreak struck. He lost the lead on a late-race restart, spoiling his chances for victory. History didn’t have a chance to repeat itself Monday night. The Chandler, AZ driver took advantage of a caution-free Feature, leading all 30-laps to score his first DIRTcar Nationals win at Volusia Speedway Park.  Thornton jumped to the roof of his car in Victory Lane, raising two fists into the Florida sky and letting out a joyful scream—knowing he got his redemption and the $7,000 paycheck.  “I felt like we almost had one last year, and we gave it away there late in the race,” Thornton said. “This is pretty awesome.”  While Thornton dominated the event, he knew he had to be sharp at the start of the race. “RTJ” lined up next to Brandon Overton, who won the last DIRTcar Nationals Feature in 2021.  Thornton powered ahead of Overton on the outside lane, grabbing a lead he’d never relinquish off Turn 2. The outside was where Thornton wanted to go, allowing him to set his own pace in the early stages of the Feature.  “I actually preferred starting on the outside; that way, I could run into [Turn 1] as hard as I wanted,” Thornton said. “It worked out for us; I got a really good start and got out in front of [Overton]. “I was trying to distance myself as much as I could; that way, once we did get to traffic and I had to slow down, they wouldn’t get by me. The top never really slowed down all the way, so it’s pretty awesome.”   As Thornton drove away from the field, Chris Madden charged from his eighth starting position to finish second. The Gray Court, SC campaigner, took the opposite approach from Thornton, using the bottom en route to a runner-up finish.  Madden felt he could’ve had a shot at the win if he had a better starting position.  “We needed to start closer to the front,” Madden said. “We qualified good tonight, inverted back, and then started, I think eighth there. “We had a really good racecar tonight. I’m really proud of my guys; I’m proud of our finish; I’m proud of our car and what we learned tonight. It was a great racetrack, and we had a fun race.” Defending DIRTcar Nationals champion Devin Moran crossed the line third—his 13th straight top-10 finish in 2022.  The Dresden, OH driver felt he wasn’t good enough on the outside to contend with both Thornton and Madden.  “Ricky was checked out pretty good, and I think Chris [Madden] was a little better than us,” Moran said. “We were probably a third-place car, we were too tight to run the top, and we just need to work on it a little bit and get it ready for tomorrow.” Pole-sitter Brandon Overton finished fourth, and Dale McDowell rounded out the top five.  Ricky Thornton Jr. didn’t back down from a second chance at winning his first Gator—giving him DIRTcar Nationals redemption. It’s a momentum that keeps his eyes on a larger prize—a “Big Gator” trophy on his mantle.  The quest for a “Big Gator” continues Tuesday night at Volusia Speedway Park as the Late Models return for their second night of action at DIRTcar Nationals. For tickets, CLICK HERE. The Super DIRTcar Series and the Xtreme Outlaw Sprint Cars presented by Low-E Insulation will also join the racing card.  If you can’t make it to the track, watch all the action live on DIRTVision – either online on with the DIRTVision App. Feature (30 Laps): 1. 20RT-Ricky Thornton Jr[2]; 2. 44-Chris Madden[8]; 3. 9-Devin Moran[6]; 4. 76-Brandon Overton[1]; 5. 17M-Dale McDowell[4]; 6. 16-Tyler Bruening[7]; 7. 1-Brandon Sheppard[3]; 8. 157-Mike Marlar[12]; 9. 25-Shane Clanton[11]; 10. 28-Dennis Erb Jr[13]; 11. 32-Chris Simpson[10]; 12. 29-Darrell Lanigan[5]; 13. 19R-Ryan Gustin[14]; 14. 18D-Daulton Wilson[17]; 15. 40B-Kyle Bronson[15]; 16. 99JR-Frank Heckenast Jr[9]; 17. 89-Ashton Winger[24]; 18. 58-Mark Whitener[18]; 19. 36-Logan Martin[21]; 20. 11-Spencer Hughes[16]; 21. 14M-Morgan Bagley[22]; 22. 31-Tyler Millwood[19]; 23. 97-Cody Overton[23]; 24. 11B-Stacy Boles[20]

DIRTcar Racing is brought to fans by many important sponsors and partners, including: DIRTVision (Official Live Broadcast Partner), Hoosier Racing Tire (Official Tire), SIS Insurance (Official Insurance Provider), VP Racing Fuels (Official Racing Fuel), iRacing (Official Online Racing Game), Arizona Sport Shirts/Gotta Race, Chevy Performance Parts, and NAPA Auto Parts (SDS). Contingency sponsors include: ARP (Automotive Racing Products), ASI Race Wear (SDS), Bassett Racing Wheel, Bell Helmets, Beyea Custom Headers, Bicknell Racing Products (SDS), Billy Whittaker Cars & Trux (SDS), Cometic Gasket (SDS), COMP Cams, Fast Shafts, Fox Factory, Jerovetz Motorsports Shock Service, K1 Race Gear, KSE Racing Products, MSD, Mulit FireX, Quarter Master, Schoenfeld Headers, Summit Racing Equipment, Swift Springs, Velocita USA, Wehrs Machine & Racing Products, Wrisco-Wieland Metal Services (Exclusive Racing Aluminum). Along with manufacturer sponsors, including: FIREBULL, Intercomp, and Racing Electronics.

37-Car Field Returns on Tuesday for $10,000 Payday in DIRTcar Nationals Special

BARBERVILLE, FL – February 14, 2022 – When we look back on the record books in 20-30 years, CJ Leary of Greenfield, IN will forever be the first winner in the history of the Xtreme Outlaw Sprint Car Series presented by Low-E Insulation.

Advancing from third to first in two laps, Leary finessed the middle of the Volusia Speedway Park 1/2-mile and shot by polesitter Carson Short in the early running. The 25-year-old Michael Motorsports pilot then survived a pair of restarts, a late rally by Short, and one final charge from Justin Grant to bank the $5,000 victory LIVE on DIRTVision.

“I’ve always wanted to run a Non-Wing car around here at Volusia,” Leary said in victory lane. “I came and got my ass kicked by the World of Outlaws a few years ago with the wing, so to come back and win a gator tonight is pretty cool. The place is a blast to race.”

The former USAC National Sprint Car champion will lead the star-studded 37-car field back to the Barberville, FL facility on Tuesday night with a $10,000-to-win DIRTcar Nationals Feature on tap for the newly-created Xtreme Outlaw Sprint Cars.

“This new Xtreme Outlaw Series is a great deal, and the timing is really perfect,” Leary acknowledged. “It’s awesome to see more non-wing races and more money available for us who have committed to the sport. Hats off to everyone behind this deal. We tried some stuff tonight and I think it worked, so I hope we can keep it up for $10,000 tomorrow.”

Chasing Leary to the line with a runner-up effort on Monday was Justin Grant of Ione, CA aboard the TOPP Motorsports, NOS Energy Drink #4. After starting fifth, JG fell back to seventh at the start but recovered quickly and made his way to the second spot by Lap 21. He continually took large chunks out of Leary’s lead with every passing lap, but the checkered flag cut his run short by 1.356-seconds.

“I spent a while tuning on the shocks and finally got it happy around halfway,” Grant noted on his Maxim #4. “We gave a couple of spots away early, but once we moved up the top we were really good. Just came up short at the end. We knew it was 25 laps when it started, so you can say five more laps all you want, but we need to get there faster.”

Closing out the podium was polesitter Carson Short of Marion, IL with a third-place effort. The former World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series winner led the first-ever Xtreme Outlaw Feature lap, but he saw his bid for the inaugural win slip away when his #21 caught the front stretch wall trying to track down Leary.

“It’s just so hard to judge things starting up front, especially at a place we haven’t seen these cars at lately,” Short mentioned. “CJ was so good in the middle when he got by me, so I started his mimicking his line and made some ground. Once I hit the wall after the caution those guys ran away from me and I just hung on. We’ll work on it to go for the big money tomorrow.”

Chase Stockon of Fort Branch, IN earned Hard Charger honors with an impressive 15th-to-4th run aboard the KO Motorsports, Hutson John Deere #5S. Rounding out the top-five at Volusia was Monday’s QuickTime qualifier and high point man Robert Ballou of Rocklin, CA.

Following them was Arizona’s Charles Davis Jr. in sixth, Pennsylvania’s Alex Bright in seventh, California’s Jake Swanson in eighth, and Indiana’s Dustin Clark & Shane Cottle in ninth & tenth.

Group Qualifying at the Volusia 1/2-mile was topped by Ballou (16.783), Short (16.855), Dennis Gile (16.942), and Matt Westfall (16.972). Heat Race victories went to Grant, Ballou, Clark & Leary with Meseraull & Westfall topping the Last Chance Showdowns.

UP NEXT (Tues.) – The Xtreme Outlaw Sprint Car Series presented by Low-E Insulation will battle for a $10,000 prize in Tuesday’s appearance at Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, FL.

Xtreme Outlaw Feature (25 Laps) – 1. CJ Leary (3); 2. Justin Grant (5); 3. Carson Short (1); 4. Chase Stockon (15); 5. Robert Ballou (6); 6. Charles Davis Jr. (11); 7. Alex Bright (2); 8. Jake Swanson (16); 9. Dustin Clark (4); 10. Shane Cottle (8); 11. Mitchel Moles (13); 12. Shane Cockrum (10); 13. Thomas Meseraull (17); 14. Mario Clouser (14); 15. Briggs Danner (19); 16. Logan Seavey (12); 17. Wesley Smith (20); 18. Chad Boespflug (21); 19. Matt Westfall (18); 20. Kory Schudy (22); 21. Dennis Gile (7); 22. Brady Bacon (9). LAPS LED: Short 1; Leary 2-25. HARD CHARGER:Stockon +11.

NEW Championship Standings (1/14 Races) – 1. CJ Leary (229); 2. Justin Grant (-4); 3. Carson Short (-12); 4. Robert Ballou (-14); 5. Chase Stockon (-22); 6. Alex Bright (-27); 7. Charles Davis Jr. (-28); 8. Dustin Clark (-34); 9. Jake Swanson (-38); 10. Shane Cottle (-41).

Sent on behalf GOMR

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla.  (February 14, 2022) – GOMR (Grumpy Old Men Racing) is excited to announce it has signed Brandon Price to compete in the Mission SuperTwins presented by S&S Cycle class aboard an Indian FTR750 for the 2022 Progressive American Flat Track season. 

GOMR – which previously competed as BriggsAuto.com Racing – will continue to be overseen by Johnny and Sarah Goad with mechanical assistance from Tom Draina and Caylee Goad, while Russ and Illene Briggs will provide the resources to back the operation. 

Price’s aggressive style and tremendous work ethic – supported by a veteran, savvy tuner in Johnny Goad – promises to make GOMR a force to be reckoned with in the upcoming season.

Price has demonstrated great potential in his first three years in the premier class, highlighted by runner-up Main Event results each season. It seems only a matter of time before the Maryland native smashes down the door and secures a maiden Mission SuperTwins victory. 

He finished his rookie season ranked 12th with three top fives, including a second place finish at Williams Grove. Price improved to sixth in 2020 on the strength of five top fives, with a runner-up result in Atlanta. And last season, he ended the year seventh overall with five more top fives, including a second-place near-win at Port Royal. 

Price, who previously competed for the Mission Roof Systems team, will continue to be supported by Jerry Stinchfield and Mission Foods in ‘22.

GOMR will also field rising star Tyler Scott in the Parts Unlimited AFT Singles presented by KICKER class. Scott – the reigning MotoAmerica Junior Cup champion – will run a limited Progressive AFT schedule in conjunction with his roadracing efforts.

Before returning to the States to win the Junior Cup, Scott raced overseas in the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup and European Talent Cup. Prior to that, he’d established himself as a future flat track ace, earning the AMA Youth Dirt Track Racer of the Year Award on four occasions (2011, 2012, 2016, and 2017) along with 13 AMA Grand Championships at the amateur level.

Scott’s dad, former professional flat track racer Mike Scott, will serve as his builder/tuner, with Davey Loikits rounding out the crew.

BriggsAuto.com will continue in its long-time role as primary sponsor of GOMR with continued help from Martin Trucking. CD Martin is an avid dirt track fan/sponsor and enjoys helping young riders and competes in the vintage racing venue. Buddy and Miriam Pulliam of Precision Body Works will perform all the paint work and serve as a member of the pit crew on a limited basis. In addition to the long-standing sponsors, GOMR would like to thank Jerry Stinchfield and Roof Systems of Dallas, Texas, along with Juan Gonzales of Mission Foods, for their continued support of Brandon Price.

Reigning Pro Stock champion looking to reach milestone in 900th event of the class

DETROIT (Feb. 14, 2022) – Ninety days have passed quickly since Greg Anderson hoisted the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Pro Stock championship trophy for a fifth time. “I’m still smiling everywhere I go,” he said.With ample reasons. Anderson passed his mentor, Warren Johnson, last October as the all-time class leader with 98 victories. He added win No. 99 in the season finale on the way to wrapping up his first Pro Stock world championship since 2010. “It was a magical season in so many ways,” said Anderson, driver of the HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro SS.

Seeking to join select companyNow, he’s looking to make more magic during the 2022 season that begins this weekend with the Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals presented by ProtectTheHarvest.com at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona (Calif.). His immediate goal is 100 wins, which will put him in select company. Sixteen-time NHRA Funny Car champion John Force, driver of the BlueDEF Platinum Chevrolet Camaro SS, leads all drivers with 154 career victories. Sportsman drivers Dan Fletcher (105), Frank Manzo (105) and David Rampy (100) have also reached the milestone. “It’s far beyond belief. I’ve said it a million times that when I started this deal 20-some years ago I was hoping I could just win a race,” said Anderson, who piled up five wins in nine final-round appearances plus 12 No. 1 qualifier honors in 2021. “I didn’t have a plan of winning 50 races or 75 races or even 100 races. “It’s been quite a run. I guess we’ve overachieved our goals, but as you go along you set goals like that, achieve them, and start raising them. Once we got to 75, it was like, well, the next mark is the wins record for the class, which was 97. We set our goal on that and finally achieved that last year and that was tremendous. “To be honest, that 100 number just sounds a lot better than 97 or 98 or even 99,” he said. “We’ve got the record for the most wins in the class, but to get 100 is just a flat cool number, so I’m very much looking forward to it. I’m not thinking about it or worried about it because that’s the goal when you go to the racetrack is to win. I hope I can get it done at the first race out of the gate.” Chevrolet domination in classThat would be serendipitous. This weekend’s opening round of competition happens to be the 900th event in Pro Stock history and the 498th entered by Anderson.  Pro Stock Eliminator was introduced as an NHRA national event in January 1970, emerging from the popular Super Stock, Modified Production and Factory Experimental battles of the previous decade. Bill Jenkins, driving his ’68 big-block Chevrolet Camaro, was the first of 70 drivers to claim victory in the class by defeating Ronnie Sox in the final round at Pomona. Chevrolet has dominated the class with 347 wins, including 228 by the Camaro. The stout 2022 Camaro contingent is all but guaranteed to add to the total this weekend. Most Pro Stock drivers, including Anderson and his KB Racing teammates, tested last week in Arizona to get up to speed. “Every year when you go into Pomona, at least me, I’m very apprehensive and ask myself, ‘What have the other teams found?’ We’ve had almost three months to find some gains – and we’ve worked awfully hard – but you have no idea until you get to the first race what the other teams have done,” said Anderson, who will tie Bob Glidden for most wins in class history at seven with a victory in the Winternationals. “You can only control what you’ve done to prepare,” he said. “I know we’re going to be every bit as good or better than last year, and I have my hands full trying to beat my own team cars. The competition out there is incredible; the talent level is incredible. I’ll be looking forward to seeing how we stack up.” Around the bend, Anderson will be chasing his 900th elimination round win (he enters the season with 881 – second only to Force’s 1,387) — and down the road he’ll seek to earn his sixth Pro Stock title to tie Johnson for second to Glidden’s 10. “We had a great car all year long and I couldn’t have won if I didn’t have the horses,” Anderson said. “It’s a KB Racing team record. I wouldn’t be nothing without them. We’ll see what we can do this year, how we can improve.”

Chevrolet in Pro Stock347 wins: Camaro 228, Cobalt 54, Cavalier 36, Beretta 11, Vega 11, Monza 6, Lumina 1 17 driver championships103 wins in a row by a Camaro

DAVIDSON, N.C. (February 14, 2022) – Wally Brown Racing is excited to confirm that it has signed James Rispoli to ride for the team for the upcoming 2022 Progressive American Flat Track season.

Last month, WBR announced it was developing a KTM 890 Duke with plans to field it in a limited schedule in the Mission Production Twins presented by Vance & Hines class.

Rispoli earned the 2020 Mission Production Twins championship on the strength of seven wins and four runner-ups and returns to the class following a season competing in the premier Mission SuperTwins category.

The hugely popular Rispoli is a fan favorite on dirt and pavement and on both sides of the Atlantic. Along with his extensive Progressive AFT achievements, the New Hampshire native is a two-time AMA Pro roadracing national champion, a British Superbike vet, and a two-time AMA Bonneville Salt Flat Land Speed Record holder.

“James is a great match for us this year,” said WBR team owner Wally Brown. “Testing is a critical part of building this race machine. We sought a rider that understands data and how it fits into a race program. With James’ extensive background in racing, we feel he is going to be a great asset to the team. Not to mention that he is a Production Twins Champion who has proven he can win on the track.”

Rispoli said, “I am really looking forward to working on this new project. After meeting Wally and learning more about his plan for 2022, I knew I wanted to be part of it. With his extensive background in four-wheeled racing, and my varied experiences on two wheels, we should make a great team. It’s going to be a lot of work, but with the support of Wally, and his team I am hopeful we will make great progress in a short period of time.”

Development is well underway of the Wally Brown Racing KTM 890 Duke with plans to debut at the Mission Red Mile I & II.

Brown said, “We plan to finish up the test bike and put it through the paces next month. The team is excited to see what James can do with it. Putting in test laps will be critical to completing our final product.”

The Most Powerful Late Models on the Planet take Center Stage Feb. 16-19, DIRTcar Late Models on Feb. 14-15

BARBERVILLE, FL– February 14, 2022 – The yearly quest for a “Big Gator” is on at Volusia Speedway Park as the World of Outlaws Case Late Models make their second trip to the Florida this season for the 51st DIRTcar Nationals, Feb. 16-19.

On Wednesday, Feb. 16, the World of Outlaws return for the first of four DIRTcar Nationals 40-lap, $10,000-to-win Features, during the week. The held over 30-lap, $10,000-to-win Feature from January’s Sunshine Nationals will run at the end of Wednesday’s event. The DIRTcar Nationals Features will continue Feb. 17-19.

Also, before The Most Powerful Late Models on the Planet take center stage, two nights of DIRTcar Late Model action kick off the week with a pair of 30-lap, $7,000-to-win Features Feb. 14-15. 

Drivers will accumulate points on all six nights to determine who adds a “Big Gator” trophy to their mantle. Wednesday’s Sunshine Nationals Feature won’t count toward the Big Gator Championship

The Super DIRTcar Series will join the Late Models all week, along with the debut of the Xtreme Outlaw Sprint Cars presented by Low-E Insulation on Feb. 14-15.

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 DIRTcar Nationals:

Sheppard Rolls in Hot: Four-time and defending Series champion Brandon Sheppard is already off to a hot start in 2022. In January, he opened the season with two wins at the Wild West Shootout and backed it up with four wins across Florida. 

The “Rocket Shepp” is also no stranger to Victory Lane at Volusia, winning eight DIRTcar Nationals Features since 2017. Despite those wins, he’s hoping to rebound after his best finish was sixth at the Florida venue in 2021. 

He opened the 2022 season with a seventh-place finish at Sunshine Nationals and hopes to keep up that consistency during the seven-race week.

A World of Outlaws win at DIRTcar Nationals could give him a piece of World of Outlaws history, tying him with Josh Richards for most Series wins (78). 

Skyline’s the Limit: Skyline Motorsports has double the odds of walking away with a “Big Gator” at this year’s DIRTcar Nationals. 

Shane Clanton won the week-long chase in 2015, winning four out of five Features. The “Georgia Bulldog” has six DIRTcar Nationals victories and scored a top-10 when the Series visited Volusia in January.  

Meanwhile, his teammate, 2021 World of Outlaws Rookie of the Year Tyler Bruening, has been consistent at The World’s Fastest Half-Mile. The Decorah, IA driver, has four straight top-10’s at Volusia, including three in 2021 which kicked off his third-place points finish. 

Bruening is still trying to find Victory Lane with the World of Outlaws for the first time. He’s found success on tracks a half-mile or larger, grabbing three top-fives and nine top-10s in 2021.  

Erb is the Word: BrandonSheppard isn’t the only Illinois driver who’s had a fast start to 2022. Dennis Erb Jr. also enjoys the Florida sun, especially after his second-place finish in the season opener at Sunshine Nationals. 

The Carpentersville, IL driver backed it up with a Florida Speedweeks victory earlier this month, showing he’ll be a contender among the best dirt Late Model racing has to offer. 

While he’s yet to win a Feature at DIRTcar Nationals, he’s scored two top-fives, and three top-10s in his last three races at The World’s Fastest Half-Mile.

If Erb, flanked by 2021 Crew Chief of the Year Heather Lyne, can keep his consistency going at Volusia, it could put him in a position to contend for his first World of Outlaws Case Late Models championship.

Viper Strike: The 2022 World of Outlaws Rookie Class has six drivers vying to be at the top of the list. But after one Feature, Max Blair stands above the rest. 

In January, Blair opened the season with an eighth-place finish—nine spots ahead of the next highest finishing rookie Gordy Gundaker.

The Centerville, PA driver leads the Rookie of the Year standings heading into DIRTcar Nationals—18 points ahead of Gundaker and 20 points ahead of Tanner English. 

While Blair has the early jump on his competition, five World of Outlaws Features are up for grabs at Volusia, and any of the six rookies could take advantage into The Rev in March.   

Heat Seeking Mailman: When the quest for the “Big Gator” begins on Monday, Devin Moran is looking to go back-to-back.  

The Dresden, OH driver has entered 13 races in 2022, grabbing three wins and eight top-fives. He’s only finished outside the top-10 once. 

While “The Mailman” finished 22nd in the season opener at Volusia Speedway Park during Sunshine Nationals, he was in the top-five when bad luck sidelined him during the 30-lap Feature. 

Moran has found success on half-mile tracks in the past—winning a Feature at DIRTcar Nationals in 2021 and backing it up with a victory at Bristol Motor Speedway last April. 

Return of the Mac: Dale McDowell opened his 2022 season in style, winning the season opener at Sunshine Nationals just four months after being diagnosed with cancer. 

The “Mac Daddy” will be back for DIRTcar Nationals and has a great chance to build off his victory.   

In his last 10 races at Volusia Speedway Park, McDowell has a win, three top-fives, and five top-10s. The Chickamauga, GA driver is searching for his fourth DIRTcar Nationals win—his last coming in 2018. 

He’ll also start on the outside pole of the held over 30-lap Feature from Sunshine Nationals.  

Georgia Gator Hunt: Brandon Overton has accomplished a lot in his dirt Late Model career, including a 2021 season that may go unmatched. 

But there’s one thing missing from “Big Sexy’s” trophy case—a Big Gator. 

Overton’s success on a half-mile track in 2021 is one for the record books, winning both Dirt Late Model Dream’s and the 51st World 100 at Eldora Speedway. He also grabbed his first DIRTcar National Feature win last season. 

WHEN AND WHERE

Feb. 16-19 – Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, FL

ABOUT THE TRACK

Volusia Speedway Park is a half-mile oval
Online – https://volusiaspeedwaypark.com

Previous Volusia Speedway Park Winners

2022- Dale McDowell on Jan. 21
2021 – Kyle Bronson on Jan. 14, Kyle Strickler on Jan. 16, Kyle Strickler on Feb. 10, Devin Moran on Feb. 11, Brandon Overton on Feb. 12
2020 – Brandon Sheppard on Feb. 12, Jimmy Owens on Feb. 13, Feb. 14 & Feb. 15
2019 – Brandon Sheppard on Feb. 13, Feb. 14, Feb. 15 and Feb. 16
2018 – Tim McCreadie – Feb. 14; Dale McDowell – Feb. 15; Scott Bloomquist – Feb. 16; Brandon Sheppard – Feb. 17
2017- Shane Clanton on Feb. 24; Don O’Neal on Feb. 25
2016 – Josh Richards on Feb. 18, 19; Shane Clanton on Feb. 20
2015 – Shane Clanton on Feb. 19, 20, 21
2014 – Casey Roberts on Feb. 20; Kyle Bronson on Feb. 22
2013 – Scott Bloomquist on Feb. 21; Billy Moyer on Feb. 22; Darrell Lanigan on Feb. 23
2012 – Dennis Erb Jr. on Feb. 23; Billy Moyer on Feb. 25
2011 – Scott Bloomquist on Feb. 17; Scott Bloomquist on Feb. 19
2010 – Josh Richards on Feb. 11; Brady Smith on Feb. 13
2009 – Josh Richards on Feb. 12; Steve Francis on Feb. 14
2008 – Josh Richards on Feb. 14; Billy Moyer on Feb. 16
2007 – Josh Richards on Feb. 17
2006 – Earl Pearson Jr. on Feb. 16; Steve Francis on Feb. 18; Chris Madden on Oct. 14
2005 – Billy Moyer on Feb. 17; Tim McCreadie on Feb. 19; Scott Bloomquist on Oct. 29
2004 – Steve Francis on Feb. 3; Bart Hartman on Feb. 4; Shannon Babb on Feb. 6; Scott Bloomquist on Feb. 8

TRACK RECORDS

Volusia Speedway Park- 15.645 set by Tim McCreadie on Feb. 14, 2018

On the Internet
World of Outlaws Case Construction Late Models Series
Twitter – Twitter.com/WoOLateModels – @WoOLateModels
Instagram – Instagram.com/WoOLateModels – @woolatemodels
Facebook – Facebook.com/WorldofOutlawsLateModelSeries
YouTube – Youtube.com/WorldofOutlaws
DIRTVision – DIRTVision.com – Platinum annual FAST PASS for $299 or monthly FAST PASS for $39/month

Around the Turn: The Most Powerful Late Models on the Planet make their first appearance at The Rev in Monroe, LA March 11-12. CLICK HERE for Tickets.

Feature Winners: (1 Driver)
Rank- Driver- Hometown-Wins

1. Dale McDowell, Chickamauga, GA- 1

Heat Race Winners (6 Drivers)
Rank- Driver- Hometown-Wins

1. Dale McDowell-Chickamauga, GA-2
   Chris Madden-Gray Court, SC-2
2. Brandon Sheppard- New Berlin, IL-1
   Devin Moran-Dresden, OH-1
   Ashton Winger, Hampton, GA-1
   Ross Robinson, Georgetown, DE-1

Last Chance Showdown Winners (4 Drivers)
Rank- Driver- Hometown-Wins

1. Cade Dillard-Robeline, LA-1
   Hudson O’Neal- Martinsville, IN-1
   Max Blair, Centerville, PA-1
   Logan Martin, Plains, MO-1

Podium Finishes (3 Drivers)
Rank – Driver, Hometown – Podiums

1. Dale McDowell, Chickamauga, GA-1
   Dennis Erb Jr., Carpentersville, IL-1
   Kyle Larson, Elk Grove, CA-1

Fox Factory Hard Charger Award Winners (1 Drivers)
Rank – Driver, Hometown – H.C.

1. Hudson O’Neal, Martinsville, IN-1

Slick Woody’s Quick Time Award Winners (1 Drivers)
Rank – Driver, Hometown – QTs

1. Kyle Hammer, Clinton, IL-1
   Dale McDowell, Chickamauga, GA-1

2022 World of Outlaws Late Model Schedule & Winners

No./ Day, Date / Track / Location / Winner (Total Wins)
1. Thursday, Jan. 20 / Volusia Speedway Park/Barberville, FL / Dale McDowell (1)
2. Thursday, Jan. 21/Volusia Speedway Park/Barberville, FL/

DIRTcar Nationals Gator Trophy and $10,000 Payday Awaits Star-Studded FieldBARBERVILLE, FL – February 13, 2022 – History will be made this week at Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, FL as traditional sprint cars join the lineup at the 51st DIRTcar Nationals.The Xtreme Outlaw Sprint Car Series presented by Low-E Insulation will officially make their grand entrance on Monday & Tuesday with both nights streaming LIVE on DIRTVision.A group of 15 drivers has already committed to the entire 14-race schedule with hopes of claiming the inaugural Series championship in 2022. Joining those full-timers in action this week is a laundry list of well-known superstars in the non-wing world who have their sights set on winning one of the sought-after gator trophies at DIRTcar Nationals.It all begins on Monday, February 14 with a $5,000-to-win program on Valentine’s Day, followed by a big $10,000-to-win special on Tuesday, February 15. Fans can BUY TICKETS HERE to secure a seat for this historic happening at The World’s Fastest 1/2-Mile.Here are some of the stars you can expect to see over the next two nights in Volusia.FULL-TIME DRIVERS:Anthony Nicholson of Bartlett, TN will drive his own DHR Suspension #16. The 35-year-old is a multi-time winner with the POWRi WAR Sprints and ASCS Elite Non-Wing Series.Chad Boespflug of Hanford, CA has teamed up with legendary crew chief Scott Benic in 2022. The nine-time USAC Sprint Car winner will wheel the famed #2B in Xtreme Outlaw action.Chase Stockon of Fort Branch, IN owns the USAC Iron Man record for most consecutive starts and now finds a new challenge in chasing the Xtreme Outlaw title aboard the KO Motorsports #5S.Cole Bodine of Rossville, IN has graduated from the micro sprint and midget ranks to a full-time sprint car schedule between Xtreme Outlaw and USAC. The 23-year-old runs the DCT Racing #57B.Dallas Hewitt of Troy, OH has planned a special throwback #21 in honor of his iconic uncle Jack Hewitt. He’s a multi-time BOSS Sprint Car winner with his set on the Xtreme Outlaw Series in 2022.Dennis Gile of Glendale, AZ spearheads a two-car operation this year with the Xtreme Outlaw Series. He’s a four-time ASCS Desert Series victor.Jason McDougal of Broken Arrow, OK runs alongside Stockon aboard the KO Motorsports #5M. J-Mac is already a multi-time USAC Sprint Car and Midget winner at 24 years old.Kory Schudy of Springfield, MO is fresh off a championship season with USAC MWRA and now turns his focus to an Xtreme Outlaw title aboard the Jon Sawyer owned #28.Kyle Shipley of Peoria, AZ will embark on a full season with Xtreme Outlaw driving the Michael Dutcher #17 across the 14-race campaign.Landon Simon of Tipp City, OH will run the True North Cannabis #24 throughout the year with Xtreme Outlaw. He’s a winner with both the USAC Sprint Cars and POWRi WAR Sprint Cars.Mario Clouser of Auburn, IL bagged the POWRi WAR Sprint Car championship in 2021, and now prepares for an Xtreme Outlaw title run in 2022 aboard the Eberhardt/Zirzow #6.Mitchel Moles of Raisin City, CA will run a second Gile #13M entry as the micro sprint standout begins expanding his career into midgets and sprints in 2022.Shane Cockrum of Benton, IL brings the Amati Racing #66 back to the national stage this year with veteran Davey Jones on the wrenches.Wesley Smith of Nixa, MO recorded a breakout year with 10 total wins between WAR and MWRA, now he’s taking the Carquest Auto Parts #44 on the road with the Xtreme Outlaw Series.Zach Daum of Pocahontas, IL is a three-time POWRi National Midget champion, but his 2022 journey focuses on the Xtreme Outlaw Sprint Car title with the McGarry Motorsports #31GATOR CHASERS: Alex Bright of Collegeville, PA is a 13-time USAC East Coast Sprint Car winner and heading to Florida with the Hummer Motorsports #20.Brady Bacon of Broken Arrow, OK is a four-time USAC National Sprint Car Champion and he’s pumped to get his first chance at a gator this week aboard the Wedgewood Motorsports #98.Briggs Danner of Allentown, PA has turned plenty of heads at 20 years old and will get his next chance to leave a large impression this week in the Heffner Racing #5G.Carson Short of Marion, IL has his #21 dialed in for two nights at Volusia this week with the chance at becoming the first driver to win with both the World of Outlaws Sprint Cars and Xtreme Outlaw Series.C.J. Leary of Greenfield, IN heads south with the Michael Motorsports #77M and aims to kick off his 2022 campaign with a golden gator.Jake Swanson of Anaheim, CA made the move from the west coast to Indiana, but still represents Team AZ and looks to leave with the loot in the #21AZ.Justin Grant of Ione, CA will wheel the NOS Energy Drink, TOPP Motorsports #4 in pursuit of a potential $15,000 sweep only days after sweeping the USAC Midget opening weekend.Logan Seavey of Sutter, CA loves a big, slick 1/2-mile and gets just that this week as he brings the Baldwin-Fox #5 to Volusia for a shot at the Xtreme Outlaw gators.Matt Westfall of Pleasant Hill, OH runs the Marshall #33 as he’ll become the first driver to compete with both the World of Outlaws Late Models and Xtreme Outlaw Series.Robert Ballou of Rocklin, CA will try to bolster his already impressive resume with 31 USAC Sprint Car wins as he heads to Volusia with his sights set on the DIRTcar Nationals victory.Shane Cottle of Kokomo, IN gets to throttle the Hogue #39 at Volusia on Monday and Tuesday night.Thomas Meseraull of San Jose, CA will guide Chris Dyson’s #20 with Sean Michael on the wrenches.You can watch every lap of the Xtreme Outlaw Series debut LIVE on DIRTVision and follow along with lineups, results, live timing, points, and more on the MyRacePass app.Photo – Chris Owens

The Xtreme Outlaw Series is brought to fans by important sponsors and partners, including DIRTVision (Official Live Broadcast Partner), Low-E Insulation (Presenting sponsor of the non-wing Sprint Car Series), Racing Electronics (Official Radio Supplier), and SIS Insurance (Official Insurance Provider). Other partners include DRC Chassis, Pace Dyno Services, TJ Forged and, Whitz Racing Products.

Strickler second, Krup third in 30-lap main event BARBERVILLE, FL – Feb. 12, 2022 – An entire family of reptilian gold is headed back to Mooresville, NC, after yet another dominating DIRTcar UMP Modified performance at Volusia Speedway Park from the now seven-time DIRTcar Nationals champion, Nick Hoffman. Hoffman scored the win in Saturday’s Gator Championship Feature, the fourth of his career, giving him his seventh-straight Big Gator trophy as points champion of the division. No other driver has won more than two. Starting sixth, Hoffman had some work to do to get to the lead. Outside polesitter Kyle Strickler maintained the top spot through the first 11 laps before Hoffman caught him in traffic and blasted by on the bottom out of Turn 2.   “I got aero-tight a couple of times behind him, and then in lapped traffic too, when we were racing through,” Hoffman said of his chase with Strickler. “I just had to bide my time and slow down. I didn’t want to wear my tires out. We were killing tires earlier, so I didn’t know, being later in the night, how bad tires wear was going to be of an issue.” From that point forward, it was all Hoffman’s race to lose. He was never seriously challenged for the lead again. Meanwhile, the battle for second was heating up behind him. Strickler held second for a restart on Lap 13, but Will Krup made the most of the bottom lane that Strickler have him have at the drop of the green, swiping the spot away with a horsepower move down low. Krup’s time in second wouldn’t last, however, as Strickler got another chance on a restart at the halfway point. He ripped around the top groove and was able to carry enough momentum to get back around Krup on Lap 16. Looking back, Krup said he should’ve done more to miss a small patch in Turn 1 that upset the car, costing him some speed. “I clipped it a couple times off that restart once I got around him, and [Strickler] was able to roll back around me,” Krup said. “After that, I just kinda fell in line and tried to bring home a strong third-place finish.” Strickler gave it all he had to catch Hoffman in the final 10 laps but was unable to make up the gap. Hoffman’s lead was as large as four seconds at one point, further showcasing his dominance on the half-mile tracks. “Any of the places like this here or Eldora – those big places that you can just momentum and make speed through the corner ­­– I feel like that’s where my car is the best and it’s where I’m the best,” Hoffman said. After redrawing the sixth spot on the starting grid, Hoffman knew he was not going to be denied of his fourth Gator Championship Feature win. “Even with Kyle starting on the front row, I felt like my racecar was that good,” he said. “I had no doubt in my mind that my racecar was plenty good enough to do this deal from sixth.” Strickler crossed the line in second with a car he said he could handle, but just needed more speed. “We went a completely different direction for the Feature, and I got the feel I needed on the front-end, but we just weren’t stuck enough in the rear of the car,” Strickler said. Despite his relentless efforts to catch Strickler, Krup came up just a bit short. However, the podium finish goes down in the record books as one of his best-ever finishes in the Gator Championship at Volusia. “At the end of the race, I felt like I had a decent chance at [Strickler],” Krup said. “We kinda got in lapped traffic, but I couldn’t get around him. All-in-all, still a good run.” THURSDAY MAKEUP FEATURESSaturday’s program began with ten, 15-lap makeup Features from Thursday night’s postponed program. Winners:Feature 1 – Rob PitcherFeature 2 – Jonathan TaylorFeature 3 – Michael AltobelliFeature 4 – David StremmeFeature 5 – Justin AllgaierFeature 6 – Nick HoffmanFeature 7 – Jason GarverFeature 8 – Billy GreenFeature 9 – Tony AndersonFeature 10 – Rich Michael Jr. UP NEXT The UMP Modified portion of the 51st DIRTcar Nationals is complete, but DIRTcar Racing isn’t done at Volusia just yet. The event breaks on Sunday but will return to action on Monday with the DIRTcar Late Models alongside the debut of the Xtreme Outlaw Series Non-Wing Sprint Cars. Buy a ticket to watch it in person or stream every lap live on DIRTVision. Gator Championship (30 Laps): 1. 2H-Nick Hoffman[6]; 2. 8-Kyle Strickler[2]; 3. K9-Will Krup[3]; 4. 67-Garret Stewart[9]; 5. 99G-Hunt Gossum[11]; 6. 7-Justin Allgaier[10]; 7. 35-David Stremme[14]; 8. 5E-Rick Eckert[16]; 9. 8A-Austin Holcombe[13]; 10. 36-Kenny Wallace[4]; 11. 88C-Matt Crafton[17]; 12. 5CS-Curt Spalding[23]; 13. 12L-Lucas Lee[26]; 14. 1S-Brian Shaw[18]; 15. 21J-Clay Harris[5]; 16. 96M-Mike McKinney[33]; 17. 81-Steve Axtell Jr[19]; 18. 95-Michael Altobelli[29]; 19. 18L-Michael Long[8]; 20. 11M-Michael McGee[20]; 21. 242X-Dawson Cook[25]; 22. 90-Jason Beaulieu[21]; 23. 5-Jonathan Taylor[28]; 24. 7T-Evan Taylor[24]; 25. 242-Brandon Bollinger[30]; 26. 18-Eric Moon[27]; 27. 21A-Nick Allen[12]; 28. 24-Zeke McKenzie[1]; 29. 24H-Mike Harrison[7]; 30. 21D-Danny Schwartz[15]; 31. 14C-Rick Conoyer[22]; 32. 27G-Jason Garver[31]; 33. 00-Buzzie Reutimann[32]

DIRTcar Racing is brought to fans by many important sponsors and partners, including: DIRTVision (Official Live Broadcast Partner), Hoosier Racing Tire (Official Tire), SIS Insurance (Official Insurance Provider), VP Racing Fuels (Official Racing Fuel), Chevy Performance Parts, iRacing (Official Online Racing Game), Arizona Sport Shirts/Gotta Race, and NAPA Auto Parts (SDS). Contingency sponsors include: ARP (Automotive Racing Products), ASI Race Wear (SDS), Bassett Racing Wheel, Bell Helmets, Beyea Custom Headers, Bicknell Racing Products (SDS), Billy Whittaker Cars & Trux (SDS), Cometic Gasket (SDS), COMP Cams, Drydene, Fast Shafts, Fox Factory, Jerovetz Motorsports Shock Service, K1 Race Gear, KSE Racing Products, MSD, Mulit FireX, Quarter Master, Schoenfeld Headers, Summit Racing Equipment, Velocita USA, Wrisco (Exclusive Racing Aluminum), and Xceldyne. Along with manufacturer sponsors, including: FireAde, Intercomp, and Racing Electronics.