Filipe Albuquerque, Ricky Taylor prevail in changing weather conditions to win the IMSA Fast Lane Sports Car Weekend at Road America
Meyer Shank Racing duo of Tom Blomqvist, Oliver Jarvis contend for victory until late race spin, contact, results in fourth-place finish
Acura unofficially clinches 2022 IMSA DPi Manufacturers’, Drivers’ and Teams’ championships

ELKHART LAKE, Wis. (August 7, 2022) – A daring late-race pass, while negotiating slower GT traffic, secured the win today for Acura, Wayne Taylor Racing, and drivers Filipe Albuquerque and Ricky Taylor. Acura’s fifth WeatherTech SportsCar Championship win of the year has unofficially secured a sweep of the 2022 IMSA Manufacturers’, Drivers’ and Teams’ titles for the manufacturer and its partner teams.

Battling fellow Acura team Meyer Shank Racing with drivers Tom Blomqvist and Oliver Jarvis for the race win and championship lead, Albuquerque in the #10 WTR ARX-05 pulled off a daring, two-wheels-in-the-grass pass on Jarvis in the #60 MSR Acura as both prototypes weaved their way through GTD traffic on the downhill run from Turn 3 to Turn 5.

The two Acuras, and a competing prototype from Chip Ganassi Racing, continued to battle for the race win into the closing laps of the two-hour, 40-minute contest – which was marked by frequently changing weather conditions. With just a few minutes remaining, Jarvis lost control exiting the high-speed Road America “Kink” and made heavy contact with the inside wall.

With the caution flag waving for the final two laps, Albuquerque and co-driver Taylor went on to record their fourth victory of the season, while Jarvis was able to nurse his damaged MSR Acura home in fourth, despite heavy front end damage and a deflating left front tire.

With just one race remaining, Acura has unofficially clinched the 2022 IMSA DPi Manufacturers’ Championship, and will formally claim the title when the field takes the green flag for the season finale at Road Atlanta in October. Meanwhile, the drivers’ and teams’ titles will be decided between Meyer Shank Racing and Wayne Taylor Racing, with all other contenders also mathematically eliminated with the start at Road Atlanta.

Acura NSX GT3 Evo22
In the production-based GTD class, the Rick Ware Racing team driver pairing of Ryan Eversely and Aidan Read attempted to run the race on just two pit stops, running as high as third in class at one point as a result, but needed to come in for a splash of fuel near the end of the race that dropped the pair to ninth at the finish.

IMSA Fast Lane SportsCar Weekend at Road America Acura Race Results
1st overall – #10 Filipe Albuquerque, Ricky Taylor, Wayne Taylor Racing Acura ARX-05 DPi
4th overall – #60 Tom Blomqvist, Oliver Jarvis, Meyer Shank Racing Acura ARX-05 DPi
9th GTD – #51 Ryan Eversley, Aidan Read, Rick Ware Racing Acura NSX GT3 Evo22

DPi Manufacturers’ Championship Drivers’ Championship (after 9 of 10 rounds)

1. Acura 3.333 1. Filipe Albuquerque, Ricky Taylor 3,066
2. Cadillac 3,300 2. Tom Blomqvist, Oliver Jarvis 3,047
   3. Sebastien Bourdais, Renger van der Zande 2,914

Quotes
Filipe Albuquerque (#10 Wayne Taylor Racing Acura ARX-05) Race winner: “What a crazy race. We started in first place and we led the first stint, and then the drizzle came. Ricky had a really tough time with a slick track and new, cold, slick tires. He did a hell of a job keeping the car on the track. We were almost last and were nearly lapped by the guys that took a gamble on rain tires, which was the right choice. At that point, our championship was completely over, but the beauty of IMSA and endurance racing is exactly this: it can shuffle unpredictably. I went back in the car even though I would’ve trusted Ricky to go to the end. I had driven in qualifying so I was confident, and it was dry again. We pushed again—maximum attack—dragging the championship fight to the last race. It came off perfectly for us. Another win, our fourth of the season is just brilliant. We set the goal to win. So far, so good.”

Ricky Taylor (#10 Wayne Taylor Racing ARX-05) Race winner: “My job was to survive the conditions during my stint today. We were looking on for an Acura 1-2 towards the end, which was great and the strategy was strong. It’s the first win for the #10 Konica Minolta Acura ARX-05 at Road America. Finally, crew member Bill Mullen got a [Road America] win after 36 years of coming here, so congratulations to him. On top of everything, that feels the best—Bill Mullen got his win. I can’t say enough about Filipe’s drive. Acura’s been a force since coming into the DPi category. Winning the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship DPi Manufacturers title today is huge. They do such an amazing job. You can see it in the standings over the years. Looking at it from the outside, if you’re going to join the championship, you should get an Acura. They give us such reliable cars and the car has been lightning fast for five years. We’re proud to represent the brand, and to effectively clinch that championship today—hats off to everyone at Acura, HPD and American Honda.”

Lee Niffenegger (HPD IMSA Program Manager) On today’s Acura win at Road America: “Congratulations to everyone at HPD and our Acura Motorsports teams on a great day. Wayne Taylor Racing won for the very first time at Road America—the last of the current IMSA tracks for them to take a victory at. With a start at Petit Le Mans, Acura will win the Manufacturers’ Championship in 2022. It’s a massive achievement that everyone has worked so hard for. And, additionally, our Wayne Taylor and Meyer Shank Racing teams will have the chance to battle it out for the Team and Driver titles.”

Fast Facts
This is the fifth IMSA overall race win of 2022 for Acura. Meyer Shank Racing won the season-opening Rolex 24 at Daytona – and also collected five consecutive second-place finishes prior to today’s race – while Wayne Taylor Racing has been victorious at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Watkins Glen International Raceway and today at Road America; along with a second-place finish at the Rolex 24.

This is the 49th IMSA prototype victory for Wayne Taylor Racing, but the first at Road America. WTR and drivers Filipe Albuquerque and Ricky Taylor will unofficially take a narrow, 19-point lead in the Drivers’ and Teams’ championship battle over fellow Acura-equipped MSR with drivers Tom Blomqvist and Oliver Jarvis.

Next
The GT classes of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, GTD Pro and GTD, travel next to VIRginia International Raceway in Danville, Va., for the August 26-28 Michelin GT Challenge at VIR.

The full IMSA field next runs October 6-8 for the season ending, 10-hour Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta in Braselton, Ga.

August 7, 2022

A week after posting a career-best third-place finish at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Harrison Burton was involved in an early multi-car crash at Michigan International Speedway that resulted in a 32^nd-place finish.

Burton, driving the No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Mustang with a special paint scheme honoring 20-year Senior Master Technicians, started the FireKeepers Casino 400 from 27^th place.

He was running 30^th when the Competition Caution flag flew at Lap 20. The caution period allowed the Motorcraft/Quick Lane crew to make adjustments to the No. 21 Mustang, and Burton rejoined the race in 33^rd place.

On the restart a wreck began ahead of him.

Burton’s No. 21 Mustang was tagged in the ensuing melee. While the contact didn’t initially appear to be race-ending, damage to the steering system put the Motorcraft/Quick Lane team out of the race.
 
“I couldn’t really see much of what happened,” Burton told reporters. “I really didn’t hit anything hard.  
 
“I guess we just broke a part in the steering rack or something, but I couldn’t steer the car.” He concluded that he wasn’t going to be able to make minimum speed and that it was too dangerous to try.
 
“I felt like we weren’t really that good to start, but I knew we had some good changes coming I was excited for,” Burton said. “We fired up on that last restart and through [Turns] One and Two I thought I was going to gain a lot of spots and then, all of a sudden, the world came crashing in. It’s just a bummer, but we’ll keep pushing on.” 
 
Eddie Wood said that while the on-track results weren’t what anyone on the team wanted, the day was a success in many ways.
 
He and his fellow team members got to spend time with the 20-year Senior Master Technicians that attended the race and with Ford executives including CEO Jim Farley and Edsel Ford.
 
“I hate that we didn’t have a better finish for all our guests,” Wood said. “Their support means everything to us.
 
“It was good that a Ford won the race and that Ford Motor Company got the Michigan Heritage Trophy and the bragging rights that go with it.”
 
Wood, Burton and the No. 21 team now turn their attention to the 400 lapper at Richmond Raceway on Aug. 14.

NASCAR CUP SERIES MICHIGAN INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY FIREKEEPERS CASINO 400TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE NOTES & QUOTES AUGUST 7, 2022 TOP TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL TOP-20 RACE RESULTS:POS.   DRIVER7th      KYLE LARSON, NO. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM CAMARO ZL18th      ERIK JONES, NO. 43 FOCUSFACTOR CAMARO ZL19th      ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 48 ALLY CAMARO ZL111th    CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 UNIFIRST CAMARO ZL112th    WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 LIBERTY UNIVERSITY CAMARO ZL113th    AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 DOW MOBILITYSCIENCE CAMARO ZL114th    TY DILLON, NO. 42 FERRIS CAMARO ZL117th    JUSTIN HALEY, NO. 31 LEAFFILTER GUTTER PROTECTION CAMARO ZL118th    AUSTIN HILL, NO. 33 BENNETT TRANSPORTATION CAMARO ZL119th    COREY LAJOIE, NO. 7 SCHULTER SYSTEMS CAMARO ZL1 TOP FIVE UNOFFICIAL RACE RESULTS: POS.  DRIVER1st      Kevin Harvick (Ford)2nd     Bubba Wallace (Toyota)3rd      Denny Hamlin (Toyota)4th      Joey Logano (Ford)5th      Ryan Blaney (Ford) The NASCAR Cup Series season continues next Sunday, August 14, at Richmond Raceway with the Federated Auto Parts 400 at 3 p.m. ET. Live coverage can be found on USA Network, the NBCSports Gold App, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.                                                                                                                                           TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE NOTES AND QUOTES: ERIK JONES, NO. 43 FOCUSFACTOR CAMARO ZL1 – Finished 8th“It was an up and down day for the FOCUSfactor Chevy.   We had track position early and got up there towards the top five and just kind of got farther and farther back through the day a little bit.   Lost the handle a bit toward the back half of the top ten and thankfully we got that late yellow and were able to make some changes and get a good restart with about 37 laps to go and drive back up to a top 10 finish.  So, solid day, had a decent car and just needed to do things a little bit cleaner, little bit smoother and I think we could have had a better finish.” ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 48 ALLY CAMARO ZL1 – Finished 9th“We just started super deep and played some strategy to get some track position back. We were too tight on the short run. Really too tight on the long run too, but the short runs hurt us a little bit more.I’m happy to get the No. 48 Ally Chevy is back in the top-10. Can’t say enough about Greg (Ives) and the guys – we’ll keep digging as we close out the season.” TEAM CHEVY RACE QUICK NOTES Stage One:·       With a competition caution on lap 20, Tyler Reddick led Chevrolet in the second position in his No. 8 Guaranteed Rate Camaro ZL1. Varying pit strategies along pit road, crew chief Randall Burnett brought Reddick down pit road for fuel and an adjustment.  ·       Mid-pack chaos ensued on the restart, collecting the No. 47 Kroger Health/SweetLeaf Camaro ZL1 of Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Bringing his Chevrolet behind the wall, damage sustained ultimately ended the team’s day. ·       Michigan native, Erik Jones, led Chevrolet to the end of Stage One in the third position. ·       Team Chevy Stage One: Top-103rd      Erik Jones, No. 43 FOCUSfactor Camaro ZL16th      Ross Chastain, No. 1 Advent Health Camaro ZL17th      William Byron, No. 24 Liberty University Camaro ZL1 Stage Two: ·       Taking the green for Stage Two, Ross Chastain took the lead in his No. 1 Advent Health Camaro ZL1. ·       With green flag stops starting to cycle through, an uncontrolled tire during Chastain’s pit stop forced the team to return back to pit road to serve a pass through penalty. ·       While the green flag stops continued, Erik Jones had cycled to the top position when a caution flew, allowing the team to pit under the caution. ·       There was a strong showing by the bowtie brigade at the end of Stage Two, with six Chevrolet drivers taking the green/white checkered flag in the top-10. ·       Team Chevy Stage Two: Top-102nd     Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Worldwide Express Camaro ZL13rd      Kyle Larson, No. 5 HendrickCars.com Camaro ZL16th      Erik Jones, No. 43 FOCUSfactor Camaro ZL17th      Austin Dillon, No. 3 Dow MobilityScience Camaro ZL18th      Alex Bowman, No. 48 Ally Camaro ZL19th      William Byron, No. 24 Liberty University Camaro ZL1 Final Stage / Post-Race Notes: ·       Kyle Larson (7th) led Chevrolet to three top-10 finishes at Michigan International Speedway, three drivers from two different Chevrolet teams represented in the top-10 of the final running order. ·       With 23 NASCAR Cup Series races in the books, Chevrolet continues to lead in lead the series in wins (13), top-fives (54), top-10s (102), and stage wins (20).

Scott Dixon vaults into championship contention with victory at Big Machine Music City Grand Prix in Nashville
Late charge sees defending champion Alex Palou finish third
Dixon’s 53rd career win moves him to second on the all-time victory list

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Aug. 7, 2022) – Despite early race contact that left his Chip Ganassi Racing Honda without a large portion of its downforce-producing floor – and an additional four pit stops to repair the damage – Scott Dixon went on to win today’s Big Machine Music City Grand Prix in downtown Nashville, and jump to second in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES Drivers’ Championship, just six points behind leader Will Power with three races remaining.

Key to Dixon’s 53rd career Indy car victory today was pitting just prior to a Lap 51 full-course caution, enabled him to move to second place, then take over the lead when Josef Newgarden made his final stop of the day. The win also moves Dixon to sole possession of second in career Indy car victories, ahead of Mario Andretti and behind only the legendary A.J. Foyt with 67.

For a third consecutive race weekend, Rahal Letterman Lanigan rookie Christian Lundgaard looked to be in contention for a podium finish, until a flurry of late-race cautions and restarts saw him bumped down the order to eighth. In his place, defending series champion Alex Palou put on a late race charge that saw him go from fifth to third at the finish.

Involved in separate incidents in the opening laps, Andretti Autosport teammates Alexander Rossi and Colton Herta clawed their way from the rear of the field – and one lap down to the leaders – to finish fourth and fifth, respectively.

Big Machine Music City Grand Prix Honda Race Results
1st Scott Dixon Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
3rd Alex Palou Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
4th Alexander Rossi Andretti Autosport Honda
5th Colton Herta Andretti Autosport Honda
8th Christian Lundgaard-R Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda
9th Jack Harvey Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda
10th Simon Pagenaud Meyer Shank Racing Honda
13th Helio Castroneves Meyer Shank Racing Honda
14th Marcus Ericsson Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
16th Romain Grosjean Andretti Autosport Honda
18th Jimmie Johnson Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
19th David Malukas-R Dale Coyne Racing with HMD Honda
21st Takuma Sato Dale Coyne Racing with RWR Honda
22nd Devlin DeFrancesco-R Andretti Autosport Honda
23rd Graham Rahal Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda
R – Rookie

Quotes
Scott Dixon (#9 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda) Race winner, his second victory of 2022 and 53rd career Indy car win: “That was a brutal race. We were involved in a crash just after the start that broke the wheel and took the underwing out of the car. We had to take a bunch of front wing out to try and get it at least a little bit balanced, and the steering was all bent. Just kudos to the team and Honda. Our strategy was right-on, but we still did almost 50 laps on that last set of tires. We didn’t take tires on that last stop [that enabled him to exit the pits in second] so I knew some of those cars [behind him in the closing laps] would be coming fast. But it feels special, very special, to get this [53rd] race win here in Nashville. This is cool.”

Alex Palou (#10 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda) Finished third: “The NTT Data Honda was awesome, and the team did an amazing job with our pit stops and strategies, so I’m happy, and congratulations to Scott [Dixon] for his win. This was good for our championship [effort], but we still need to push hard. We got one step closer today closing to within 33 points of the championship lead], but there still is a long way to go. I’m a bit lucky today that the contact I had with [Will] Power didn’t do any more damage [than a cracked/bent front wing] and I need apologize to him. I didn’t realize he was in trouble and slowing so much [when they made contact]. But yeah, overall, I have to be very happy with today’s result.”

Wayne Gross (Manager of Trackside Support, Honda Performance Development) on today’s Honda win in Nashville: “It was another wild race here in Nashville, which looks like might become the norm here, with a lot of attrition. Congratulations to Scott Dixon, now second on the all-time IndyCar winners list, the entire Chip Ganassi Racing organization for all their efforts. In a lot of ways, this race was a repeat of last year, with the winner encountering a major problem early in the race, but never giving up, making multiple pit stops to repair the car as much as possible. Then Scott [Dixon] putting in a champions-caliber drive, now just six points out of the championship lead. It was a similar race for Colton [Herta] and Alexander [Rossi], netting them fourth and fifth. A great day for Honda and everyone at HPD.”

Fast Facts
Honda drivers and Chip Ganassi Racing have now won both Big Machine Music City Grands Prix in Nashville.

In the inaugural race last year, Honda drivers and teams dominated the results sheet, as Marcus Ericsson recovered from an opening lap contact and brief “flight” to head a Honda sweep of the first seven finishing positions, and eight of the top 10. Today’s winner, Scott Dixon, finished second and James Hincliffe third to complete the Honda sweep.

Previously, INDYCAR and the Indy Racing League conducted eight races on the 1.33-mile Nashville Super Speedway oval in Lebanon, Tennessee, from 2001-2008. Honda drivers and teams won five of the six races the manufacturer contested, from 2003-08.

Next
After a run of five races on four consecutive weekends, the NTT INDYCAR SERIES now takes a one-week break before resuming August 20-21 for the final oval race of the 2022 season, the Bommarito Automotive Group 500 at World Wide Technology Raceway, just outside downtown St. Louis, Mo.

Honda Racing social media content and video links from Nashville can be found on Instagram (www.instagram.com/hondaracing_hpd), Twitter (twitter.com/HondaRacing_HPD) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/HondaRacingHPD). Additional features and long-form videos can be found on the Honda Racing/HPD YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/HondaRacingHPDTV).

Challenges with weather, pace work against Garcia and Taylor in GTD PRO ELKHART LAKE, Wisc. (Aug. 7, 2022) – Corvette Racing came home third in class Sunday at Road America in the IMSA Fastline SportsCar Weekend. Antonio Garcia and Jordan Taylor finished on the GT Daytona (GTD) PRO podium in the No. 3 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R for their second straight top-three finish at the circuit in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.

Garcia started third and drove the first 40 minutes in mostly dry conditions, although track conditions grew more treacherous on his slick Michelin tires toward the end of his stint. The Corvette Racing crew got the No. 3 Corvette and Taylor out at the head of GTD PRO after the first stop. Unfortunately, Taylor had the worst of the conditions as he rejoined the race on wet-weather tires. Even more frustrating was the No. 3 Corvette’s lack of straight-line speed also started to rear its head as Taylor went from first to third on the restart in a matter of two corners. He fell down to fourth behind the No. 23 Aston Martin, but more than once he took back the position into one of Road America’s brake zones only to fall back again on the long runs between corners. Meanwhile, the rain was somewhat consistent at the start of Taylor’s stint but moved to drying conditions as the second of three full-course yellows flew with 78 minutes remaining. Garcia got back in on slick tires and restarted fourth in class.  He finally got the No. 3 Corvette back onto the podium with less than hour to go while a number of GTD cars were in a fuel-savings mode to try and make the end in case the race went green the rest of the way. That didn’t happen as a third yellow came out with 54 minutes to go. Corvette Racing engineers elected to keep Garcia out to try and gain an advantage in track position, but a number of GTD cars had the same idea – including the eventual race-winning Lexus. The race went green with 36 minutes to go but Garcia was swallowed up and passed by two more lapped GTD cars on the run from the final corner to the start-finish line. He was able to hold on to the third position in GTD PRO before a final yellow ended the race with eight minutes left. Corvette Racing’s next event is the Michelin GT Challenge at VIR from Virginia International Raceway on August 26-28.

ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – FINISHED THIRD IN GTD PRO:“The way to you get laptime in our car is completely different to everyone else. On every restart we lost at least one or two positions. So you feel helpless and frustrated. There’s nothing we can do to make our car faster. Hopefully the next race at VIR is better.”

JORDAN TAYLOR, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – FINISHED THIRD IN GTD PRO: “It was a frustrating day as a whole. It seems our pace over a lap isn’t too horrible, but where our pace is made against everyone else makes it almost impossible to race anyone. It’s the same story on a different weekend from the last five or six races. It’s frustrating overall, so hopefully we can go to Virginia and be a little more competitive than this.”

Nos. 02 and 01 Cadillac DPi-V.Rs finish second and third in 2-hour, 40-minute race

ELKHART LAKE, Wis. (Aug. 7, 2022) – Cadillac Racing claimed two spots on the podium in the IMSA Fastlane SportsCar Weekend in a drama-filled 2-hour, 40-minute race at Road America. Alex Lynn and Earl Bamber co-drove the No. 02 Cadillac Accessories Cadillac DPi-V.R to a runner-up finish – its fourth podium of the season – after starting second. The No. 01 V-Performance Academy Cadillac DPi-V.R co-driven by Sebastien Bourdais and Renger van der Zande earned its fourth consecutive podium, which includes two victories, with a third-place finish.

The ninth race of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season included mixed weather conditions that played with strategy and tire choices on the 4.048-mile natural-terrain road course, four full-course cautions and hard racing late between the No. 01 V-Performance Academy Cadillac DPi-V.R and the No. 5 Mustang Sampling Racing Cadillac DPi-V.R that benefitted Bamber in the end as the race ended under caution. “That was a mixed race and pretty difficult up and down the whole way,” said Bamber, who drove around both Cadillac DPi-V.Rs that went wide while braking in the Kink. “We had the pace and had the fuel to do it at the end. It’s just a shame we didn’t get all the laps.” The pole-sitting No. 10 Acura won the race. “I think it’s a really good podium,” added Bamber. “It shows we have a really good car and pace. It’s so close in this championship, a little bit of strategy, a little bit of track position and you win.”The No. 5 Mustang Sampling Cadillac DPi-V.R, co-driven by Tristan Vautier and Richard Westbrook finished fifth after leading Laps 20 through 45 rain-soaked laps. The No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac DPi-V.R, co-driven by Olivier Pla and Pipo Derani, placed sixth. Cadillac Racing teams conclude the 2022 season and the DPi era at the Motul Petit Le Mans on Sept. 28-Oct. 1 at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta. Five Cadillac Racing DPi-V.R entries will contest the 10-hour race on the 2.54-mile, 12-turn natural-terrain road course. In 2021, Cadillac Racing locked up its third Manufacturer Championship since 2017 while the No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac DPi-V.R earned the Team and Driver championships with a runner-up finish at the racecourse in Georgia.

Cadillac Racing from the cockpit No. 02 Cadillac Accessories Cadillac DPi-V.R (finished second)Earl Bamber: “That was a mixed race and pretty difficult up and down the whole way. We were at the front; we were at the back. Tire choice was difficult. The last stop we went to the back and were just trying to make our way forward. The 01 got together with the 5 and we went to third and we were racing the 60 when it went in narrow (in the Carousel) and went off. We had the pace and had the fuel to do it at the end. It’s just a shame we didn’t get all the laps. I think it’s a really good podium. It shows we have a really good car and pace. It’s so close in this championship, a little bit of strategy, a little bit of track position and you win.”  Alex Lynn: “Crazy race with the weather, starting on slicks, then going to the wets and back again. Difficult one, but a good one for the fans. Happy with second.” No. 01 V-Performance Academy Cadillac DPi-V.R (finished third)Renger van der Zande: “We all race hard in IMSA. I wanted to win this one really bad, so I gave it all. We made one mistake on the class split – the last one – and that was the important one, so we lost (position) to the 5 car. I got behind him; that’s out own mistake. Then I had to just barge through to get by. He braked on the wet and we stayed wide and lost a position. It’s another podium, so we should be happy with that.” Sebastien Bourdais: “I had to make up for my mistake yesterday. It’s shame that we can’t put ourselves back in the championship mix. We were behind the 10 car and the rain started to fall, and at that point the team made the call to stay on slicks with the information they had. Unfortunately, the 5 car was on wets, so we lost track position there. From there, the race kind of unfolded in a bit of a weird way. We gave ourselves a chance, though we didn’t quite execute everything strategy-wise. We’ll just keep digging and try to win Petit.” No. 5 Mustang Sampling Cadillac DPi-V.R (finished fifth)Richard Westbrook: “We’re obviously disappointed with the result. We showed again that we can fly at the front and made some great calls, particularly tire-wise, and had good pace in the wet. The car was awesome. The yellows didn’t help us. We had a nice, healthy lead and it wasn’t to be. Tristan did a great job keeping everyone behind him, but then we got stuck in the pit stop and went down to fifth. Tough day, but it was good for bits and pieces.” Tristan Vautier: “We were in the fight for a podium with Renger (van der Zande) and it was a tough battle. Eventually, he got a run on me when I got behind a GT entering the Kink. We raced really hard, knowing it was for a podium spot. He squeezed me quite hard on the inside to brake on the damp side of the track and we both broke really late and that got us off-line and allowed the 02 to go through. No regrets. The team worked really hard and had a great strategy. We gave it a fight; it just didn’t play out our way today. It was good to be in the lead in mixed conditions. We showed as a team that we could be in the lead and manage it. It was good to be at the front, but only the result counts. We have to move forward to the next one because this one hurts.” No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac DPi-V.R (finished sixth)Olivier Pla: “From the beginning of my stint there was a drizzle all the time. Overall, we were missing speed this weekend for some reason. We were expecting much more and Pipo and I are not happy. We need keep our heads down, keep working going to Petit Le Mans. I think it’s going to be a good place for us.” Pipo Derani: “It wasn’t an easy race. Unfortunately, we were caught up in all sorts of situations. Unlucky in most of them. Eventually, when we were going to be really close to the other DPis on the restart, a P3 moves and I had to take avoiding action hitting the board. So, just before the restart I had to come in and clear the board that was stuck to the front of the car. Difficult race for us. Never really getting a break to try something. It’s been a difficult season, so we’re going to regroup and we have one more chance to finish on a high. Despite a difficult season we never give up and see if we can have a good race next time around.”

Championship Leader Controls All 55 Laps for $20,000 Payday

PEVELY, MO – August 6, 2022 – There was simply no denying Brad Sweet on Saturday night at Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55.

As a three-time champion and winner of 77 career Features with the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series, the Grass Valley, CA native is still finding ways to knock out those first-career achievements with The Greatest Show on Dirt.

In July, he finally earned his first-career win at Williams Grove Speedway, and on Saturday, he finally tamed the iconic Ironman 55 presented by Festus Tourism Commission. “The Big Cat” has long been successful at the Pevely, MO 1/3-mile – proven by his now five-career wins at the track – but the track’s flagship event had always eluded him until tonight.

Earning the pole position with his Series-best fifth win in the DIRTVision Fast Pass Dash, Sweet quickly assumed the point and never relinquished it throughout 55 laps. The Kasey Kahne Racing, NAPA Auto Parts #49 was in impeccable form, building an advantage as large as 4+ seconds at one point, and surviving a trio of restarts with ease.

It was a bit of redemption for the current championship leader, who lost Friday’s Night Before the Ironman in heartbreaking fashion when lap traffic allowed Carson Macedo to instantly close and complete a Hail Mary slider. The 36-year-old kept that in mind as he destroyed the field in Saturday’s $20,000-to-win Feature.

“After last night, I felt like we had something to prove and I was pretty pissed off to be honest,” Sweet admitted. “I let my guys down and I didn’t do my job to deliver the win we needed and deserved. Team morale and confidence are a big thing in this sport and now we’re heading to the Knoxville Nationals after dominating 55 laps on the hardest track of the year. It’s nice to finally add this one to the resume.”

Although the 2018 Knoxville Nationals champion controlled Saturday’s show from green to checkered, he never felt at ease in the cockpit.

“You just don’t have any time to relax at this race track,” Sweet continued. “You’re constantly searching for a faster line and I felt like I drove 48 good laps, but there were some mistakes in there when I went looking for things. Luckily this car was so good that I could maneuver a little better than others. I was definitely a little extra tense about getting this one.”

Trailing Sweet’s NAPA #49 for all 55 laps was Carson Macedo in the Jason Johnson Racing, Albaugh #41. Unlike Friday night, there was no late-race magic to spoil Sweet’s party this time. The Lemoore, CA native did receive his golden opportunity when the caution flew on Lap 50 and lined him up on Sweet’s rear bumper, but nothing could deter the #49 from cruising to a 1.396-second margin of victory.

“I think we were competitive again and felt like we executed really well, but Brad was just so damn good in that Feature,” Macedo mentioned on chasing Sweet. “He could move around and make it work wherever he needed. I feel like last year we weren’t nearly this good at Pevely, so to come here with two wins and a second is pretty awesome. I’m pumped up for Knoxville.”

Completing the exact same trio of podium finishers for the second night in a row was James McFadden in his Roth Motorsports #83. He’ll head to the Knoxville Nationals carrying loads of speed and confidence hoping to add that first win of the season to his belt.

“He spanked us,” McFadden said on Sweet. “When there’s a middle like that, Brad is the guy to beat. We were competitive with Carson and I had a really good battle with Donny, too. I love racing with Donny, a guy as good as him, and how he races you. Those guys out front were in another world, but it was fun battling our little bubble tonight. I hope I can win this race one day, we’ve been close several times now. Onto Knoxville.”

Donny Schatz finished in fourth for the second straight night aboard his Tony Stewart/Curb-Agajanian Racing, Ford Performance, Carquest Auto Parts #15. Rounding out the top five was Sheldon Haudenschild, who charged from 19th to fifth to earn KSE Hard Charger honors in the Stenhouse Jr. / Marshall Racing, NOS Energy Drink #17.

Closing out the top-10 in Saturday’s 55-lapper was Rico Abreu in sixth, Brock Zearfoss in seventh, Justin Peck in eighth, Noah Gass in ninth, and Spencer Bayston in tenth.

NOS NOTEBOOK (I-55 Raceway, 8/6/22)

Brad Sweet’s 77th career World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series win brings him to seven wins away from tying Stevie Smith (84) for 10th on the All-Time Wins List.

David Gravel opened the night with his 95th career World of Outlaws QuickTime, circling I-55 in 10.512 seconds to lead My Place Hotels Qualifying. Gravel, Hunter Schuerenberg, Logan Schuchart, and Brock Zearfoss scored Saturday’s NOS Energy Drink Heat Races.

Following his actions at Weedsport Speedway last Sunday – which included pushing and pulling a Series official, throwing safety equipment onto a live track, and making obscene gestures towards the crowd – Sheldon Haudenshild received a fine of $1,000 to be paid by September 1, 2022.

UP NEXT (Wed-Sat) – The Greatest Show on Dirt now prepares for The Granddaddy of ‘Em All. The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series is heading for The Sprint Car Capital of the World, Knoxville, Iowa. A field of 100+ entries will compete for a million-dollar purse in the 61st NOS Energy Drink Knoxville Nationals presented by Casey’s from Wednesday-Saturday, August 10-13. Fans can BUY TICKETS HERE, or watch every lap LIVE on DIRTVision.

NOS Energy Drink Feature Results (55 Laps) – 1. 49-Brad Sweet [1][$20,000]; 2. 41-Carson Macedo [2][$6,000]; 3. 83-James McFadden [3][$3,500]; 4. 15-Donny Schatz [4][$2,800]; 5. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild [19][$2,500]; 6. 24-Rico Abreu [13][$2,300]; 7. 3Z-Brock Zearfoss [7][$2,200]; 8. 13-Justin Peck [10][$2,100]; 9. 20G-Noah Gass [11][$2,050]; 10. 5-Spencer Bayston [12][$2,000]; 11. 83JR-Kerry Madsen [9][$1,600]; 12. 2-David Gravel [5][$1,400]; 13. 1AU-Marcus Dumesny [14][$1,200]; 14. 51B-Joe B-Miller [21][$1,100]; 15. 11K-Kraig Kinser [20][$1,050]; 16. 84-Brandon Hanks [23][$1,000]; 17. 1S-Logan Schuchart [6][$1,000]; 18. 9JR-Derek Hagar [22][$1,000]; 19. 3N-Jake Neuman [24][$1,000]; 20. 7S-Robbie Price [15][$1,000]; 21. 101-Lachlan McHugh [17][$1,000]; 22. 25-JJ Hickle [16][$1,000]; 23. 1A-Jacob Allen [18][$1,000]; 24. 55-Hunter Schuerenberg [8][$1,000]. Lap Leaders: Brad Sweet 1-55. KSE Hard Charger Award: 17-Sheldon Haudenschild[+14]

NEW Championship Standings (After 47/77 Races) – 1. Brad Sweet (6,380); 2. David Gravel (-68); 3. Carson Macedo (-114); 4. Sheldon Haudenschild (-150); 5. Donny Schatz (-184); 6. Logan Schuchart (-224); 7. James McFadden (-356); 8. Spencer Bayston (-372); 9. Jacob Allen (-616); 10. Brock Zearfoss (-688).

Championship Leader Controls All 55 Laps for $20,000 Payday

PEVELY, MO – August 6, 2022 – There was simply no denying Brad Sweet on Saturday night at Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55.

As a three-time champion and winner of 77 career Features with the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series, the Grass Valley, CA native is still finding ways to knock out those first-career achievements with The Greatest Show on Dirt.

In July, he finally earned his first-career win at Williams Grove Speedway, and on Saturday, he finally tamed the iconic Ironman 55 presented by Festus Tourism Commission. “The Big Cat” has long been successful at the Pevely, MO 1/3-mile – proven by his now five-career wins at the track – but the track’s flagship event had always eluded him until tonight.

Earning the pole position with his Series-best fifth win in the DIRTVision Fast Pass Dash, Sweet quickly assumed the point and never relinquished it throughout 55 laps. The Kasey Kahne Racing, NAPA Auto Parts #49 was in impeccable form, building an advantage as large as 4+ seconds at one point, and surviving a trio of restarts with ease.

It was a bit of redemption for the current championship leader, who lost Friday’s Night Before the Ironman in heartbreaking fashion when lap traffic allowed Carson Macedo to instantly close and complete a Hail Mary slider. The 36-year-old kept that in mind as he destroyed the field in Saturday’s $20,000-to-win Feature.

“After last night, I felt like we had something to prove and I was pretty pissed off to be honest,” Sweet admitted. “I let my guys down and I didn’t do my job to deliver the win we needed and deserved. Team morale and confidence are a big thing in this sport and now we’re heading to the Knoxville Nationals after dominating 55 laps on the hardest track of the year. It’s nice to finally add this one to the resume.”

Although the 2018 Knoxville Nationals champion controlled Saturday’s show from green to checkered, he never felt at ease in the cockpit.

“You just don’t have any time to relax at this race track,” Sweet continued. “You’re constantly searching for a faster line and I felt like I drove 48 good laps, but there were some mistakes in there when I went looking for things. Luckily this car was so good that I could maneuver a little better than others. I was definitely a little extra tense about getting this one.”

Trailing Sweet’s NAPA #49 for all 55 laps was Carson Macedo in the Jason Johnson Racing, Albaugh #41. Unlike Friday night, there was no late-race magic to spoil Sweet’s party this time. The Lemoore, CA native did receive his golden opportunity when the caution flew on Lap 50 and lined him up on Sweet’s rear bumper, but nothing could deter the #49 from cruising to a 1.396-second margin of victory.

“I think we were competitive again and felt like we executed really well, but Brad was just so damn good in that Feature,” Macedo mentioned on chasing Sweet. “He could move around and make it work wherever he needed. I feel like last year we weren’t nearly this good at Pevely, so to come here with two wins and a second is pretty awesome. I’m pumped up for Knoxville.”

Completing the exact same trio of podium finishers for the second night in a row was James McFadden in his Roth Motorsports #83. He’ll head to the Knoxville Nationals carrying loads of speed and confidence hoping to add that first win of the season to his belt.

“He spanked us,” McFadden said on Sweet. “When there’s a middle like that, Brad is the guy to beat. We were competitive with Carson and I had a really good battle with Donny, too. I love racing with Donny, a guy as good as him, and how he races you. Those guys out front were in another world, but it was fun battling our little bubble tonight. I hope I can win this race one day, we’ve been close several times now. Onto Knoxville.”

Donny Schatz finished in fourth for the second straight night aboard his Tony Stewart/Curb-Agajanian Racing, Ford Performance, Carquest Auto Parts #15. Rounding out the top five was Sheldon Haudenschild, who charged from 19th to fifth to earn KSE Hard Charger honors in the Stenhouse Jr. / Marshall Racing, NOS Energy Drink #17.

Closing out the top-10 in Saturday’s 55-lapper was Rico Abreu in sixth, Brock Zearfoss in seventh, Justin Peck in eighth, Noah Gass in ninth, and Spencer Bayston in tenth.

NOS NOTEBOOK (I-55 Raceway, 8/6/22)

Brad Sweet’s 77th career World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series win brings him to seven wins away from tying Stevie Smith (84) for 10th on the All-Time Wins List.

David Gravel opened the night with his 95th career World of Outlaws QuickTime, circling I-55 in 10.512 seconds to lead My Place Hotels Qualifying. Gravel, Hunter Schuerenberg, Logan Schuchart, and Brock Zearfoss scored Saturday’s NOS Energy Drink Heat Races.

Following his actions at Weedsport Speedway last Sunday – which included pushing and pulling a Series official, throwing safety equipment onto a live track, and making obscene gestures towards the crowd – Sheldon Haudenshild received a fine of $1,000 to be paid by September 1, 2022.

UP NEXT (Wed-Sat) – The Greatest Show on Dirt now prepares for The Granddaddy of ‘Em All. The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series is heading for The Sprint Car Capital of the World, Knoxville, Iowa. A field of 100+ entries will compete for a million-dollar purse in the 61st NOS Energy Drink Knoxville Nationals presented by Casey’s from Wednesday-Saturday, August 10-13. Fans can BUY TICKETS HERE, or watch every lap LIVE on DIRTVision.

NOS Energy Drink Feature Results (55 Laps) – 1. 49-Brad Sweet [1][$20,000]; 2. 41-Carson Macedo [2][$6,000]; 3. 83-James McFadden [3][$3,500]; 4. 15-Donny Schatz [4][$2,800]; 5. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild [19][$2,500]; 6. 24-Rico Abreu [13][$2,300]; 7. 3Z-Brock Zearfoss [7][$2,200]; 8. 13-Justin Peck [10][$2,100]; 9. 20G-Noah Gass [11][$2,050]; 10. 5-Spencer Bayston [12][$2,000]; 11. 83JR-Kerry Madsen [9][$1,600]; 12. 2-David Gravel [5][$1,400]; 13. 1AU-Marcus Dumesny [14][$1,200]; 14. 51B-Joe B-Miller [21][$1,100]; 15. 11K-Kraig Kinser [20][$1,050]; 16. 84-Brandon Hanks [23][$1,000]; 17. 1S-Logan Schuchart [6][$1,000]; 18. 9JR-Derek Hagar [22][$1,000]; 19. 3N-Jake Neuman [24][$1,000]; 20. 7S-Robbie Price [15][$1,000]; 21. 101-Lachlan McHugh [17][$1,000]; 22. 25-JJ Hickle [16][$1,000]; 23. 1A-Jacob Allen [18][$1,000]; 24. 55-Hunter Schuerenberg [8][$1,000]. Lap Leaders: Brad Sweet 1-55. KSE Hard Charger Award: 17-Sheldon Haudenschild[+14]

NEW Championship Standings (After 47/77 Races) – 1. Brad Sweet (6,380); 2. David Gravel (-68); 3. Carson Macedo (-114); 4. Sheldon Haudenschild (-150); 5. Donny Schatz (-184); 6. Logan Schuchart (-224); 7. James McFadden (-356); 8. Spencer Bayston (-372); 9. Jacob Allen (-616); 10. Brock Zearfoss (-688).

New Zealander is Fifth Different Winner through First Five Series Races

PEVELY, MO – August 7, 2022 – Michael Pickens had just enough momentum coming off Turn 4 to the checkers for a last-second surge past Jacob Denney, earning his first victory at Federated Auto Parts Raceway in Saturday night’s Xtreme Outlaw Midget Series presented Toyota main event.

Denney grabbed the lead on a restart with 12 to go and was holding off the field by circling the very bottom of the track. Pickens gave chase on a restart with three to go, putting his car on top and blasting around the outside on the last lap. In the final corner, it looked as if Denney would have just enough to hang onto the win, but Pickens’ Toyota-powered Dave Mac Dalby Motorsports car carried enough momentum to edge Denney at the finish by just over a tenth of a second.

Pickens, an accomplished racer from Auckland, New Zealand, became the fifth different winner through the Series’ first five races in its inaugural season.

“I’m not sure if he missed his marks or what, but we made a ton of ground coming off Turn 2 and Turn 4,” said Pickens, 39, who pocketed $5,000 for the victory and is now headed back to his native New Zealand. “It was super tricky trying to hit my marks down there, it was like a long, big run. I had to lay my right rear over it in the black.

“I’ve got a to say a massive, massive thank you to Dave Mac Dalby Motorsports. They put me in this car just for this weekend. I’ve heard so many cool stories about this place. It’s a privilege to race in America, but especially to race at Pevely and get a win. Sitting on that plane for 15 hours out of Houston is going to be a lot shorter ride than it would have been without a win.”

Pickens started from the outside of the front row and grabbed the lead on the initial start of the 30-lapper, but polesitter Chase McDermand recovered and led until the caution on Lap 18. McDermand bounced through the middle of Turns 1 and 2 on the restart and Denney pounced on the opportunity.

Denney led through four more restarts, including one following a red flag when Emillio Hoover flipped with seven to go.

“It definitely sucks, but congratulations to Michael and the whole Dave Mac Dalby crew,” said Denney, of Galloway, OH. “Michael ran a better last three laps than I did. I just didn’t do the best laps I could do when it counted.”

Xtreme Outlaw Midget Series championship points leader Zach Daum charged from 11th to finish third, maintaining a streak of five top-10 finishes, the only driver to accomplish the feat.

“Michael made the middle and the top work,” said Daum, of Pocahontas, IL. “We passed a lot of cars on the bottom and then we kind of fell in line towards the end. We just kept chugging. We’ve been battling some electrical gremlins the past week, I think we finally got those straightened out. The motor runs good, we just need to finish one of these.

Consistency wins championships. I’ve been in championship deals before, I know what it takes. If we keep putting ourselves in this position we’re going to win a race. We just have a few more things to fine tune and then we’ll be alright.”

News & Notes: This weekend’s Xtreme Outlaw Series races at Federated Auto Parts Raceway were run in conjunction with POWRi. … Michael Pickens was quickest overall in Whitz Racing Products Group Qualifying, turning a lap around the high-banked 1/3-mile oval in 12.770 seconds. … Heat race winners included Brenham Crouch, Karter Sarff, Cade Lewis and Chase McDermand, who pulled a “0” for the inversion. … Bryant Wiedeman won the Last Chance Showdown with former NASCAR Truck Series champion Ben Rhodes earning the final transfer to the main event. … Emillio Hoover and Branigan Roark used provisionals to start the Feature.

Xtreme Outlaw Midget Series Feature Results (30 laps) – 1. 08$-Michael Pickens[2][$5,000]; 2. 61-Jacob Denney[3]; 3. 9M-Zach Daum[11]; 4. 21K-Karter Sarff[8]; 5. 01-Bryant Wiedeman[17]; 6. 40-Chase McDermand[1]; 7. 26-Chance Crum[5]; 8. 97-Brenham Crouch[6]; 9. 25K-Taylor Reimer[12]; 10. 84X-Jesse Love[9]; 11. 71M-Cade Lewis[7]; 12. 7U-Kyle Jones[4]; 13. 51B-Joe B Miller[14]; 14. 84-Jade Avedisian[15]; 15. 06-Rylan Gray[13]; 16. 97K-Ben Rhodes[20]; 17. 71K-Dominic Gorden[18]; 18. 44-Branigan Roark[22]; 19. 19AZ-Hayden Reinbold[16]; 20. 21E-Emilio Hoover[21]; 21. 7-Shannon McQueen[19]; 22. 97A-Mitchell Davis[10].

NEW Championship Standings (After 5/10 races) – 1. Zach Daum (1062); 2. Brenham Crouch (-60); 3. Bryant Wiedeman (-78); 4. Kyle Jones (-136); 5. Taylor Reimer (-155); 6. Chance Crum (-167); 7. Sam Johnson (-250); 8. Jade Avedisian (-261); 9. Dominic Gorden (-283); 10. Ethan Mitchell (-344).

Next Up: The Xtreme Outlaw Midget Series presented by Toyota joins the World of Outlaws CASE Late Models Aug. 26-27 at Davenport Speedway in a couple of $4,000-to-win showdowns.

New Zealander is Fifth Different Winner through First Five Series Races

PEVELY, MO – August 7, 2022 – Michael Pickens had just enough momentum coming off Turn 4 to the checkers for a last-second surge past Jacob Denney, earning his first victory at Federated Auto Parts Raceway in Saturday night’s Xtreme Outlaw Midget Series presented Toyota main event.

Denney grabbed the lead on a restart with 12 to go and was holding off the field by circling the very bottom of the track. Pickens gave chase on a restart with three to go, putting his car on top and blasting around the outside on the last lap. In the final corner, it looked as if Denney would have just enough to hang onto the win, but Pickens’ Toyota-powered Dave Mac Dalby Motorsports car carried enough momentum to edge Denney at the finish by just over a tenth of a second.

Pickens, an accomplished racer from Auckland, New Zealand, became the fifth different winner through the Series’ first five races in its inaugural season.

“I’m not sure if he missed his marks or what, but we made a ton of ground coming off Turn 2 and Turn 4,” said Pickens, 39, who pocketed $5,000 for the victory and is now headed back to his native New Zealand. “It was super tricky trying to hit my marks down there, it was like a long, big run. I had to lay my right rear over it in the black.

“I’ve got a to say a massive, massive thank you to Dave Mac Dalby Motorsports. They put me in this car just for this weekend. I’ve heard so many cool stories about this place. It’s a privilege to race in America, but especially to race at Pevely and get a win. Sitting on that plane for 15 hours out of Houston is going to be a lot shorter ride than it would have been without a win.”

Pickens started from the outside of the front row and grabbed the lead on the initial start of the 30-lapper, but polesitter Chase McDermand recovered and led until the caution on Lap 18. McDermand bounced through the middle of Turns 1 and 2 on the restart and Denney pounced on the opportunity.

Denney led through four more restarts, including one following a red flag when Emillio Hoover flipped with seven to go.

“It definitely sucks, but congratulations to Michael and the whole Dave Mac Dalby crew,” said Denney, of Galloway, OH. “Michael ran a better last three laps than I did. I just didn’t do the best laps I could do when it counted.”

Xtreme Outlaw Midget Series championship points leader Zach Daum charged from 11th to finish third, maintaining a streak of five top-10 finishes, the only driver to accomplish the feat.

“Michael made the middle and the top work,” said Daum, of Pocahontas, IL. “We passed a lot of cars on the bottom and then we kind of fell in line towards the end. We just kept chugging. We’ve been battling some electrical gremlins the past week, I think we finally got those straightened out. The motor runs good, we just need to finish one of these.

Consistency wins championships. I’ve been in championship deals before, I know what it takes. If we keep putting ourselves in this position we’re going to win a race. We just have a few more things to fine tune and then we’ll be alright.”

News & Notes: This weekend’s Xtreme Outlaw Series races at Federated Auto Parts Raceway were run in conjunction with POWRi. … Michael Pickens was quickest overall in Whitz Racing Products Group Qualifying, turning a lap around the high-banked 1/3-mile oval in 12.770 seconds. … Heat race winners included Brenham Crouch, Karter Sarff, Cade Lewis and Chase McDermand, who pulled a “0” for the inversion. … Bryant Wiedeman won the Last Chance Showdown with former NASCAR Truck Series champion Ben Rhodes earning the final transfer to the main event. … Emillio Hoover and Branigan Roark used provisionals to start the Feature.

Xtreme Outlaw Midget Series Feature Results (30 laps) – 1. 08$-Michael Pickens[2][$5,000]; 2. 61-Jacob Denney[3]; 3. 9M-Zach Daum[11]; 4. 21K-Karter Sarff[8]; 5. 01-Bryant Wiedeman[17]; 6. 40-Chase McDermand[1]; 7. 26-Chance Crum[5]; 8. 97-Brenham Crouch[6]; 9. 25K-Taylor Reimer[12]; 10. 84X-Jesse Love[9]; 11. 71M-Cade Lewis[7]; 12. 7U-Kyle Jones[4]; 13. 51B-Joe B Miller[14]; 14. 84-Jade Avedisian[15]; 15. 06-Rylan Gray[13]; 16. 97K-Ben Rhodes[20]; 17. 71K-Dominic Gorden[18]; 18. 44-Branigan Roark[22]; 19. 19AZ-Hayden Reinbold[16]; 20. 21E-Emilio Hoover[21]; 21. 7-Shannon McQueen[19]; 22. 97A-Mitchell Davis[10].

NEW Championship Standings (After 5/10 races) – 1. Zach Daum (1062); 2. Brenham Crouch (-60); 3. Bryant Wiedeman (-78); 4. Kyle Jones (-136); 5. Taylor Reimer (-155); 6. Chance Crum (-167); 7. Sam Johnson (-250); 8. Jade Avedisian (-261); 9. Dominic Gorden (-283); 10. Ethan Mitchell (-344).

Next Up: The Xtreme Outlaw Midget Series presented by Toyota joins the World of Outlaws CASE Late Models Aug. 26-27 at Davenport Speedway in a couple of $4,000-to-win showdowns.

The Blairsville, GA driver led all 100-laps to earn $50,000 prizeNEW RICHMOND, WI – AUGUST 7, 2022 – Jonathan Davenport added another piece of history to his impressive 2022 resume Saturday night at Cedar Lake Speedway.The Blairsville, GA driver held off Chris Madden in the final 10 laps Saturday at Cedar Lake to win his second consecutive USA Nationals, joining Billy Moyer and Jackie Boggs as the only drivers to win the event in back-to-back seasons.  Davenport led all 100 laps to score his fourth World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Model Series Feature win of 2022. However, it came one night after he felt his car needed to get better.  A few small changes helped him get back on track and score the $50,000 prize.  “We just made minor changes,” Davenport said. “I felt the balance was pretty good; there’s a couple of stipulations to the car and a couple of things I didn’t really like about it. So, we made some minor shock adjustments, a shock change, a spring change, and just some little stuff here and there.  “We didn’t get crazy, but just a few adjustments to make me a little bit more comfortable.” Despite leading every lap, Tyler Erb nosed ahead of Davenport on two occasions, throwing a slide job to take the spot each time. Davenport stole the lead back on the first attempt, and then a caution negated “Terbo’s” pass the second time. Once that happened, Davenport knew what to expect from the New Waverly, TX driver.  “I knew where he was at, “Davenport said. “Obviously, if he slid me in (Turn) 3, I knew he was running the top in (Turns) 1 and 2. I was just moving my line around. It moved quite a few times there. It started out in the middle, and finally, it went all the way to the wall around the cushion, and then I kind of moved back to the bottom.” Erb slipped to third at the end of the race, despite challenging for the lead in the middle stages. “Terbo’s” face had a smile showing satisfaction, but his eyes were burning in frustration knowing he had a chance to be “Superman’s” kryptonite. “I was trying to save, save, and save [my stuff], and when [a chance] presented itself, I let it rip for all she had,” Erb said. “I was honestly able to get by him fairly easy, I thought. The problem is the way him and Madden were running, the only way I was going to pass them was to slide them, and I couldn’t keep my momentum all the way around them.  “So, I slid him the first time and slid him the second time, and I was finally going to be clear the next lap. We were good enough to have a chance, just not good enough to finish it all the way off.” While Erb battled with Davenport for the lead, he also waged war with Madden several times for second. The Gray Court, SC driver, won that battle but fell short of a potential fifth $50,000 prize of the season. “Smokey” stated he couldn’t get the momentum he needed to sneak by Davenport in traffic.  “We just caught those lap cars at the right time,” Madden said. “[Garrett Smith) was running kind of low, and then when we caught him, I was running the middle and the [top] just carrying my momentum, and I guess [Davenport] just got his nose under him and moved him up. When he moved up, he was right in my line.” “We had a great race car, but we had a lot of cautions that broke my momentum quite a few times. That hurt us, but that’s part of it. We’re trying to keep working on this thing and find what we can do to get better on some shorter runs.” Ricky Weiss crossed the line fourth. The Headingly, MB driver made the battle for second a three-car affair with Madden and Erb a few times but fell behind them in the final few laps.  He stated his right front tire went away, costing him a chance at the win. “The right front gave up a little bit when I got alongside Madden,” Weiss said. “We were real good; I could see [Davenport’s] right front give up and change his line, and then Madden was next, so then mine was next.” Four-time and reigning Series champion Brandon Sheppard rounded out the top-five. The New Berlin, IL driver felt the track threw him a curveball, with rain in the New Richmond, WI area throughout the day.  “The track was not your typical Cedar Lake, for sure,” Sheppard said. “I think we had a good car, but I was just moving around trying to pass guys so much that you’d overheat your tires really fast. Then, you kind of have to just get back in that middle line.  “I think our car was overall pretty decent. Like I said, we just didn’t pass cars earlier in the race, and I was kind of trying to save my stuff for the end. But at the end, it was really hard to pass. It was not the typical Cedar Lake racetrack for sure, and I’m sure the rain had a lot to do with it.” A second consecutive USA Nationals victory for Jonathan Davenport continues his impressive resume of high dollar wins in 2022. It’s a historical victory that Blairsville, GA driver will cherish. “Something’s got to pay off,” Davenport said. “It’s very rewarding to come out here and do good.” UP NEXT: The Most Powerful Late Models on the Planet travel to the Northeast for three nights of high-octane action. The weekend kicks off on Friday, Aug. 19, with a trip to Williams Grove Speedway in Mechanicsburg, PA. Then, the Series returns to Sharon Speedway in Hartford, OH, on Saturday, Aug. 20. Finally, the World of Outlaws CASE Late Models head to Tri-City Raceway Park in Franklin, PA, on Sunday, Aug. 21. If you can’t make it to the track, watch all the action live on DIRTVision – either online on with the DIRTVision App.35th Annual USA Nationals (100 Laps): 1. 49-Jonathan Davenport[1]; 2. 44-Chris Madden[2]; 3. 1T-Tyler Erb[4]; 4. 7-Ricky Weiss[10]; 5. 1S-Brandon Sheppard[5]; 6. 157-Mike Marlar[20]; 7. 111V-Max Blair[15]; 8. 28-Dennis Erb Jr[25]; 9. 18-Shannon Babb[22]; 10. 97-Cade Dillard[21]; 11. 76-Brandon Overton[18]; 12. 81E-Tanner English[7]; 13. B1-Brent Larson[26]; 14. 10S-Garrett Smith[17]; 15. 49T-Jake Timm[3]; 16. 99JR-Frank Heckenast Jr[9]; 17. 58-Ashton Winger[8]; 18. 16-Tyler Bruening[23]; 19. 32-Bobby Pierce[6]; 20. 8-Kyle Strickler[13]; 21. 19R-Ryan Gustin[14]; 22. 11T-Trevor Gundaker[27]; 23. 25-Shane Clanton[12]; 24. 25F-Jason Feger[19]; 25. 55C-Chad Mahder[16]; 26. 11-Gordy Gundaker[24]; 27. 20-Jimmy Owens[11]; 28. 10-Joseph Joiner[28] FOX FACTORY HARD CHARGER: Dennis Erb Jr. [+17]

The World of Outlaws Case Construction Late Model Series is brought to fans across the country by many important sponsors and partners, including: Case Construction Equipment (Official Construction Equipment), DIRTVision (Official Live Broadcast Partner), Hoosier Racing Tire (Official Tire), iRacing (Official Online Racing Game), SIS Insurance (Official Insurance Provider) VP Racing Fuels (Official Racing Fuel); contingency sponsors include Arizona Sport Shirts/Gotta Race, ARP (Automotive Racing Products), Cometic Gasket, COMP Cams, Fox Factory (Hard Charger Award), MSD, My Place Hotels, Penske Racing Shocks, Quarter Master, Swift Springs, and Wrisco–Wieland Metal Services (Exclusive Racing Aluminum); along with manufacturer sponsors, including Dirt Car Lift, Capital Race Cars, Behrent’s Performance Warehouse, FIREBULL, Integra Shocks, Intercomp, K1 Race Gear, Racing Electronics, Reliable Painting, Rocket Chassis, and Sea Foam.

CHEVROLET RACING IN NTT INDYCAR SERIES BIG MACHINE MUSIC CITY GRAND PRIX STREETS OF NASHVILLE NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE TEAM CHEVY POLE QUALIFYING RECAP AUGUST 6, 2022

SCOTT MCLAUGHLIN PUTS CHEVY ON POLE AT NASHVILLECOLLECTS 2ND CAREER NTT INDYCAR SERIES P1 AWARD  NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE (August 6, 2022) – Mother Nature played havoc with NTT Qualifying for the Big Machine Music City Grand Prix for the NTT INDYCAR Series. With heavy rain and lightning, the 3:15 p.m. scheduled start time was delayed until 5:00 p.m. Scott McLaughlin knew if he got the opportunity to qualify the No. 3 Dex Imaging Team Penske  Chevrolet , and things went as planned, he would be in the conversation for the pole. He wasn’t just in the conversation, he is the talk of Music City. With a lap of one minute, 14.555 seconds, he carried the second NTT P1 Award of his INDYCAR career back to his crew after topping the other five drivers in the Firestone Fast Six. Fellow Team Chevy Drivers Pato O’Ward, No. 5 Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet, and teammate Josef Newgarden, No. 2 PPG Chevrolet, will also start in the first three rows. O’Ward will roll off fifth and Newgarden will start sixth in his hometown race.Romain Grojean, Christian Lundgaard and Alex Palou were the other drivers in the final round of qualifying. Sunday’s race coverage starts at 2:00 CT on NBC and the race will be 80-laps/168-miles. .TEAM PENSKEJOSEF NEWGARDEN, NO. 2 PPG CHE22ND:VROLET, QUALIFIED 6TH:“I think we had really good potential to be in the pole conversation. Getting into the Fast Six was positive but we tried a different tire strategy than everyone else and it didn’t quite pan out for us. It’s a little frustrating but I do think we’re in a really good spot for Sunday. Team Penske has had really fast cars all weekend and that always bodes well for the race. We’re excited to be here racing in Nashville with PPG and Team Chevy and we’ll be looking for a good day tomorrow.” SCOTT MCLAUGHLIN, NO. 3 DEX IMAGING CHEVROLET, POLE WINNER:“This Dex car has been really good. We won St. Pete with it. Won at Mid-Ohio when the guys were wearing these suits. Now I’m on Pole at Nashville which is a great track. I’m really proud of the Dex Chevy and the guys. The car was phenomenal. To do that on one lap used tires is amazing. Oh man, really good lap. “I think more of the same Kevin, I don’t know. We just got our heads down and our bums up and then just wondering. I’m proud of this group, proud of this team. If I have really good pit stops tomorrow, my Thirsty Threes have got plenty support. So we’ll have a bit of fun. “ WILL POWER, NO. 12 VERIZON 5G CHEVROLET, QUALIFIED 7TH“It’s definitely disappointing to not get a chance to fight for the pole because we’ve had a fast Verizon 5G Chevy all weekend. But that’s the rules and we weren’t able to advance to the final round. We know we have good cars here and we will have to work on our strategy to try and get to the front. We know what we have to do tomorrow.” ED CARPENTER RACINGCONOR DALY, NO. 20 BITNILE CHEVROLET, QUALIFIED 22ND: “Today was a tough day for us. We have made the car better in every session, but we just seem to be missing a bit still. Hopefully, we can keep working on it overnight and go racing tomorrow. Anything can happen here obviously, we’ll just try to take advantage of everything situation we can and keep moving forward.” RINUS VEEKEY, NO, 21 BITCOIN RACING WITH BITNILE CHEVROLET, QUALIFIED 10TH: “After being 22nd in practice, I am pretty happy to be starting P10! We were almost two seconds faster than we were in practice, we took a really big chunk of time off. It’s important at this place to stay as far ahead of as much as you can. We are ahead of a lot, I think we will be fine. And I probably deserve to wear my cowboy hat again!” ARROW MCLAREN SPPATO O’WARD, NO.5 ARROW MCLAREN SP CHEVROLET, QUALIFIED 5TH:“After qualifying, we are P5 in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet. That was pretty good considering where we were in practice. We executed, but it was pretty sketchy out there. We got some work to do. It’s going to be a crazy race once again. I don’t think it’s going to be a calm race, and many are on the same page as I am. So, we’ll see what we’ve got tomorrow in warmup and then try to be on the right strategy for the race.” FELIX ROSENQVIST, NO. 7 ARROW MCLAREN SP CHEVROLET, QUALIFIED 15TH:“We didn’t really have the opportunity to do a lap in qualifying, and it was the same for Rossi. I mean, we just didn’t do anything all session; we just pounded around yellows and red flags, then all of a sudden we’re out in Round 1. So, it’s a shame, especially when I had one more turn to finish that last lap. I definitely thought we could have another pole here and we’ve felt really strong all weekend, so it sucks. We’ll try to go through the field tomorrow.” AJ FOYT RACINGDALTON KELLETT, NO. 4 K-LINE CHEVROLET, QUALIFED 12TH: “We just posted our best qualifying of the 2022 season so far and it feels really great just to get that No. 4 K-Line Chevy into the Firestone Fast 12 on a great weekend here in Nashville. Lots of interesting stuff going on, we had the Firestone guayule green alternate tires on which were coming up to temp really quick. It was kind of a parallel to the St. Pete qualifying where we did quite well. It seems like when we can get the tires to activate quickly and really just make it happen on that first lap, we seem to have an advantage there. We really press that advantage by just making sure we got ahead of the order of things as far as greens coming out to transfer so that’s something to look at. Very proud of this team overall for the result that we got here today.” KYLE KIRKWOOD, NO. 14 SEXTON PROPERTIES CHEVROLET, QUALIFED 16TH“I have to say we don’t really have the pace that everyone else gets out of their cars on the green tires for whatever reason. Fortunately, we assume it’s going to be a primary race tomorrow with the primary black tires, which we’ve been very quick on. Very quick on them in practice one, and we’re super quick on them practice two. We’ve got the car in a good place. So tomorrow if it’s black race, a primary race and everything stays dry, we’re going to be quick.”  JUNCOS HOLLIGER RACINGCALLUM ILOTT, NO.77 JUNCOS HOLLINGER RACING CHEVROLET, QUALIFIED, 19TH: “I didn’t get one flying lap in because every time I came out there was a car in the wall. I don’t understand why we can’t pause the time in qualifying, we have had this argument quite a few times, so in the end it just causes problems. The car felt good, I was up for a good lap when I put the greens on, but obviously it ended. I’m not very happy, but I can’t change the outcome.”  PARETTA AUTOSPORTSIMONA DE SILVESTRO, NO. 16 ACUMATICA CHEVROLET, QUALIFIED 21ST: NTT INDYCAR SERIES News ConferenceScott McLaughlinPato O’WardPress Conference THE MODERATOR: We are joined by the pole winner for tomorrow’s race, Scott McLaughlin, second career pole, 61st in your Team Penske career, which snaps the tie you previously had with Helio Castroneves. You lead the way. Congratulations for that.SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: Yeah, I really wanted that one. Thank you.THE MODERATOR: Scott, your thoughts about P1?SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: Yeah, just stoked, man. The car has been just absolutely phenomenal all weekend since we really rolled out the truck. We massaged it overnight, came out with a beauty today. Really haven’t touch it apart from a little bit of front wing.It’s a credit to Ben and then the team, DEX Imaging Chevy car is good. I’m really excited for tomorrow. I think it’s obviously going to be a pretty blockbuster, crazy race. To start from the front, last year I think I started from Narnia last year, I don’t know where I was. I was 20th. So it’s going to be a lot easier to start, control the pace hopefully, and see where we go.Q. Scott, pole here. This could be a crazy race. Four races to go. Team Penske is definitely strong at Gateway. Do you feel you still have an outside shot at this championship with where you are starting tomorrow?SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: Yeah, the belief is there absolutely. I’ve said it all along, I feel like a little bit of an underdog in this. There’s no reason why we can’t go on a run. These are four tracks that I really enjoy.I mean, Gateway we ran fourth. Portland I out-qualified my teammates. Feel like our cars are quicker there this year. No reason why we can’t be fast there again. Laguna, I love that track. I just made a mess of qualifying, as I did all last year.Really excited for this final run. Anything can happen. It’s INDYCAR. We have a solid week, focus on ourselves, who knows what will happen.Yeah, certainly a position I’m not unfamiliar with, that’s for sure.THE MODERATOR: Joined also by Pato O’Ward, fifth in the championship. He’ll start fifth tomorrow.Advancing to the Firestone Fast Six, fifth place, you’ll take it I’m assuming?PATO O’WARD: Yeah, we’ll take it. I think tomorrow’s race is going to be maybe not quite as hectic as last year, but I think it’s going to be pretty crazy.It’s pretty unpredictable out there. I think all you guys can agree, no?PATO O’WARD: Oh, it’s going to rain. Even better (smiling).So, yeah, we’ll take that. I think we can work from there, for sure.THE MODERATOR: Questions for all four.Q. Scott, you had a forgettable race here last year. How do you prepare mentally to come back this year?SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: Yeah, just another race, man. I think we just knew we had (indiscernible). It was a matter of getting a car that could feel a bit more at home with. I liked the track instantly. Yeah, just put it together once we got here.No, I feel really ready to go for tomorrow. Felt ready to go for this weekend. Can’t wait for what’s ahead.Q. Scott, if I understand it right, leader has discretion in INDYCAR, they want you to go middle of the bridge. Josef was saying wait until the end. Do you have any plan?SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: Where should I go?SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: We will sort it out. I’m a nice guy. Don’t know what you’re talking about.Yeah, I don’t know. I got to look back at the notes honestly. I look at that briefly. If we qualify well, I’ll focus on that and see where I’m going to go.Q. You haven’t even thought about it?SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: No, nothing. I’m just glad that the race starts on that side. I think it’s going to make it flow a lot better, help the race get going, get into a bit of a rhythm. I’m sure there’s going to be a few dive bombs out there, but I’m sure it’s going to be fine.Q. Pato, in the morning practice you looked like you were pretty hot. You said they don’t let you run a cool suit.PATO O’WARD: Yeah, we don’t have them. It’s horrible in the car. It’s unbearable. Like, I think this is probably going to be the worst race. Yeah, I cannot explain how horrendous it is inside of the car.Like tomorrow they’ll probably mandate the roof scoops. But, yeah, I mean, every braking zone, I’m having to clear my sweat because there’s no ventilation in the car. Every braking zone, even with me trying to clear it out, I’m still like splatting sweat all over my visor. It’s horrible.Q. Is that a team performance thing?PATO O’WARD: No. I think first of all we don’t have the systems. Two, I think as a team we just haven’t looked into it. We have sort of, but, yeah, we don’t have ’em here. Maybe something to look into next year for sure.I didn’t think it was going to be this bad. It’s worse than what I remember last year being. It’s really, really bad.Q. With all of you being in group two, did you learn anything from the cars that went out before you guys with all the rain washing away the rubber on the track?SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: Showed how much the track had lost grip. As soon as there was a run on it, it was pretty quick. I think a second run for them would have been pretty similar to a first run for us probably.Q. Pato, starting in the second row for this race, knowing where you are in the championship, is this starting to become an almost must-win?PATO O’WARD: I feel like this year, whether you start — I mean, the worst crash last year, or I guess the worst crash that could continue, won last year. I guess it doesn’t really matter where you start, thinking of what the history has been here.It’s a good place to start. There’s just going to be I think a lot of yellows. Maybe I’ll be proven wrong. I don’t think we’re going to go full green. I just don’t see that happening with how hot it’s getting inside the cars, with how long the races are, with how hot it’s going to be. People are going to get tired, touch a wall here or there. There’s going to be mishaps for sure.You can be pole, you can be second or third. We’re starting in the first three rows. A yellow falls not in your favor, you’re going straight to the back.I think tomorrow it’s going to be all about nailing and having some Lady Luck with the strategy because I don’t think it’s going to matter where you start. I think someone with a good car in the back, they nail on a good yellow, they’re going to go straight to the front and they’re going to stay there.Q. Scott, if we get a mixed bag weather-wise tomorrow, what’s that going to do to the grip levels, bearing in mind there’s different types of surfaces around this track? Is that going to upset the balance of the car for you?SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: Yeah, look, no doubt it’s going to be a pretty crazy race. Last year’s was pretty long in bone-dry conditions. I’m sure with a little bit of rain it’s going to be crazy.A lot of painted lines in the middle of apexes here on tight corners with no room for error. I sort of looked at that before. I thought we might have had a bit of wet then. I was trying to figure out where the lines were and whatnot.Yeah, it’s pretty crazy. We’ll see what happens during the race.Q. Watching in the sessions, it reminds me a lot of the backside of the Adelaide street circuit. Probably with the impact you’re seeing in terms of ventilation, how hot you’re getting in the car…SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: It’s pretty warm. The biggest problem is the humidity, I think. When you slow down and come into the pits, the heat soak just builds so quickly.But I’m sort of like ever since my Super Car days have always been a guy that doesn’t wear a cool suit because I think it’s worse if you have one fail. It’s just boiling water rolling around your body.I’m actually okay with running the top duct and the helmet fan, or the helmet air. But it’s going to be a hot race. Like Pato said, it’s going to be the hottest race that we’ve had. Hopefully with all the training all season is going to set us up well for that and we’ll be all right.Q. For you young guys, what do you think of the vibe of this event? Is it really kind of a place…SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: I’m still in my 20s, but that’s fine. Don’t worry about me (laughter).PATO O’WARD: The vibe’s dope, bro.Q. Is it almost difficult to not want to go out?PATO O’WARD: Oh, I’m not a big party-er.PATO O’WARD: No, seriously. I enjoy staying in my hotel. I love the food that’s around here. There’s some great spots. I’m going to a great one tonight. I forgot the name. It’s a sushi/Chinese.Q. Really in the heart of everything in Nashville. All you have to go is go across the river…PATO O’WARD: These guys are doing it right. The guys here from this event and what Hy-Vee did in Iowa, they packed up a place in Newton, Iowa. Like if you can pack up a place in Newton, Iowa, you can pack up any other place that we go. They did a phenomenal job.I think everyone can learn from what they’re doing. Like, it’s what it should be. The standard should be this. Yesterday, even Friday, there was quite a bit of people coming out to watch for a Friday. Today was even better. I’m sure tomorrow’s going to be fantastic.Q. When you’re this close to this much activity, you think, I wish I could just go out?PATO O’WARD: Scottie likes it, I can tell.SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: My wife is probably having more fun than any of us. She comes straight in from Broadway. She’s having a good time. But we’re all good. She’s a superstar. Definitely loves this race. Josef is definitely trying to sell the dream about living here, that’s for sure.Q. (No microphone.)PATO O’WARD: Yeah, yeah. Absolutely. I think I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again, it’s going to be a sold-out show when we go. I don’t see it not working out because I know the whole country is super up on all the F1 stuff, racing there. I think if INDYCAR goes there, the series as a whole is going to gain a ton of fans.PATO O’WARD: That’s what I’m saying. It also depends, maybe it can be Mexico City or Monterrey, my hometown. I think that could be really cool for INDYCAR to go to Monterrey. If it’s a success, maybe a street course in Cancun or something. That would be good, huh? You like Mexico?PATO O’WARD: To-do list. Add it on there.PATO O’WARD: You’ll love it. It’s awesome.THE MODERATOR: Thank you so much for your time.

Romain Grosjean qualifies his Andretti Autosport Honda second for Sunday’s Big Machine Music Grand Prix
Christian Lundgaard continues run of strong qualifying efforts, will start third
Defending series champion Alex Palou qualifies fourth

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Aug. 6, 2022) – In his best qualifying performance of 2022, Romain Grosjean advanced through all three rounds of NTT INDYCAR SERIES “knockout” qualifying today in his Andretti Autosport Honda, and will start on the outside front row – second – in Sunday’s second annual Big Machine Music City Grand Prix on the downtown Nashville temporary street circuit.

For the second consecutive race weekend, Rahal Letterman Lanigan’s Christian Lundgaard also advanced to the final, “Firestone Fast Six” qualifying round, and will start third, his career best INDYCAR start and best among the rookies in the field. Defending series champion Alex Palou will start fourth in his Chip Ganassi Racing Honda as the top 10 all posted times within a second of the 1:14.555 pole time.

Big Machine Music City Grand Prix Honda Qualifying Results
2nd Romain Grosjean Andretti Autosport Honda
3rd Christian Lundgaard-R Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda
4th Alex Palou Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
7th David Malukas-R Dale Coyne Racing with HMD Honda
9th Graham Rahal Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda
11th Jack Harvey Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda
13th Simon Pagenaud Meyer Shank Racing Honda
14th Scott Dixon Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
17th Alexander Rossi Andretti Autosport Honda
18th Marcus Ericsson Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
20th Takuma Sato Dale Coyne Racing with RWR Honda
23rd Colton Herta Andretti Autosport Honda
24th Helio Castroneves Meyer Shank Racing Honda
25th Devlin DeFrancesco-R Andretti Autosport Honda
26th Jimmie Johnson Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
R – Rookie

Quotes
Romain Grosjean (#28 Andretti Autosport Honda) will start second: “I think this is a very good result for all of us on the #28 car. We’ve worked very hard to get the car working the way I wanted it to be. I knew from the opening practice that we were headed in the right direction, and every change we made on the car was in the right direction, thanks to my engineer Olivier [Boisson], Honda and everyone on the team, who have been working just as hard. Now we have to continue on and finish the job tomorrow.”

Christian Lundgaard (#30 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda) will start third: “I think the rain [prior to qualifying] actually helped us. It just cooled everything down from earlier in the day. It definitely helped stabilize our car under braking. I think it was a very exciting qualifying. And we’re making progress as a team, which is the most important thing. I’ve always liked street circuits, but after Toronto [where he started 10th and finished 8th] and today I’m starting to like them even more!”

Fast Facts
Honda drivers and teams dominated the results sheets of last year’s inaugural Big Machine Music City Grand Prix, as Marcus Ericsson recovered from an opening lap contact and brief “flight” to head a Honda sweep of the first seven finishing positions, and eight of the top 10.

Scott Dixon made it a Honda and Chip Ganassi Racing 1-2 result last year in Nashville, with James Hinchcliffe running third to complete the podium sweep for the manufacturer. Honda drivers Ryan Hunter-Reay, Graham Rahal, Ed Jones, and eventual series champion Alex Palou completed the top seven for Honda, with Helio Castroneves finishing ninth.

Previously, INDYCAR and the Indy Racing League conducted eight races on the 1.33-mile Nashville Super Speedway oval in Lebanon, Tennessee, from 2001-2008. Honda drivers and teams won five of the six races the manufacturer contested, from 2003-08.

CHEVROLET RACING IN NTT INDYCAR SERIES BIG MACHINE MUSIC CITY GRAND PRIXS TREETS OF NASHVILLE NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE TEAM CHEVY POLE WINNER QUOTE AUGUST 6, 2022

SCOTT MCLAUGHLIN PUTS CHEVROLET ON POLE AT NASHVILLECAPTURES SECOND NTT P1 AWARD OF NTT INDYCAR SERIES CAREER Team Penske’s Scott McLaughlin, No. 3 Dex Imaging Chevrolet, captured his second career NTT Pole Award on the Streets of Nashville for the Big Machine Music City Grand Prix: “This Dex car has been really good. We won St. Pete with it. Won at Mid-Ohio when the guys were wearing these suits. Now I’m on Pole at Nashville which is a great track. I’m really proud of the Dex Chevy and the guys.  The car was phenomenal. To do that on one lap used tires is amazing. Oh man, really good lap. “I think more of the same Kevin, I don’t know. We just got our heads down and our bums up and then just wondering. I’m proud of this group, proud of this team.  If I have really good pit stops tomorrow, my Thirsty Threes have got plenty support. So  we’ll have a bit of fun. “

Sheldon Creed and the No. 2 Whelen Chevrolet Team Earn 11th-Place Finish at Michigan International Speedway

11th

11th

13th

“At the start of the race the balance on our Whelen Chevrolet was too tight, but by the end we were running solid lap times. My crew chief, Jeff Stankiewicz, did a great job with the adjustments. We got a little behind after Stage 1, but we were able to steadily work our back through the field and by the end of the race we had a chance to score a top-10. For sure we were hoping for a better finish, but we’ll take it and move on to Richmond next week.”   -Sheldon Creed

Austin Hill and the No. 21 United Rentals Chevrolet Team Extend Top-10 Streak at Michigan International Speedway With Fifth-Place Finish

5th

16th

6th

“I’ve always loved Michigan International Speedway and have had some success in the past here, so we were really looking forward to the race today with our United Rentals Chevrolet. We started the race 16th, so we were back in traffic. Our Chevy was really loose. I should have known better, but I called for an adjustment that I didn’t need and put us behind. Even though I’m frustrated with myself, we still finished in the top five. There’s a lot we can hold our heads up high on. We’re on a pretty good streak and have some momentum. I’ll keep learning these cars and working to get better.” -Austin Hill

August 6, 2022

Harrison Burton and the No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane team are set to start 27^th in Sunday’s FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway.

Burton, driving the No. 21 Mustang carrying a special paint scheme honoring Ford and Lincoln’s 20-year Senior Master Technicians, turned a lap at 186.331 miles per hour on Saturday.
 
That speed represented an increase from practice earlier in the day when he was 29^th fastest with a best lap at 184.914 mph. His best lap was the fourth of the 18 laps he ran. 
 
Burton was ninth among drivers who ran 10 consecutive laps in the session. He averaged 183.432 mph on his first 10 laps on the track.
 
Sunday’s 200-lap, 400-mile race is scheduled to start just after 3 p.m., with TV coverage on USA Network.
 
Stage breaks are set for Laps 45 and 120.
 

NASCAR CUP SERIES

MICHIGAN INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY

FIREKEEPERS CASINO 400

TEAM CHEVY POST-QUALIFYING NOTES

AUGUST 6, 2022

TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL TOP-20 STARTING LINEUP:  

POS.   DRIVER

6th      TYLER REDDICK, NO. 8 GUARANTEED RATE CAMARO ZL1

8th      KYLE LARSON, NO. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM CAMARO ZL1

10th    ERIK JONES, NO. 43 FOCUSFACTOR CAMARO ZL1

12th    NOAH GRAGSON, NO. 16 CHEVY ACCESSORIES CAMARO ZL1

13th    CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 UNIFIRST CAMARO ZL1

15th    DANIEL SUAREZ, NO. 99 WORLDWIDE EXPRESS CAMARO ZL1

20th    WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 LIBERTY UNIVERSITY CAMARO ZL1

TOP-FIVE UNOFFICIAL STARTING LINEUP:  

POS.  DRIVER

1st      Bubba Wallace (Toyota)

2nd     Christopher Bell (Toyota)

3rd      Kyle Busch (Toyota)  

4th      Joey Logano (Ford)

5th      Austin Cindric (Ford)

·       Last week’s NASCAR Cup Series winner, Tyler Reddick, will lead Chevrolet to the green in tomorrow’s FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway from the sixth position. 

·       Reddick led three Chevrolet drivers to top-10 qualifying positions, including three-time Michigan race winner Kyle Larson, No. 5 HendrickCars.com Camaro ZL1, in eighth; and Michigan native Erik Jones, No. 43 FOCUSfactor Camaro ZL1, rounded out the top-10. 

·       USA Network will broadcast the NASCAR Cup Series FireKeepers Casino 400 at 3 p.m. ET on Sunday, August 7. Live coverage can also be found on the NBCSports Gold App, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90. 

No. 3 Corvette C8.R on inside of second row in chase for ninth Road America win

ELKHART LAKE, Wisc. (Aug. 6, 2022) – Antonio Garcia qualified third in GT Daytona (GTD) PRO as Corvette Racing’s No. 3 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R will start on the inside of the second row for Sunday’s IMSA Fastlane Sports Weekend at Road America. Garcia set a time of 2:05.829 (115.814 mph) Saturday around the spacious 4.048-mile, 14-turn circuit in scenic eastern Wisconsin. That put him 0.464 seconds off Jack Hawksworth’s pole-winning time in the class. Garcia qualified at Road America for the first time since 2018 but knows how to go fast around the track with a pair of fastest race laps in 2018 and 2020. The contrast in weather between Saturday’s ideal conditions and predicted rain Sunday will play a major role in the race’s outcome.  Garcia and Taylor are seeking their second win of the year and second victory at Road America as a tandem following a GT Le Mans class in 2020. After seven races, the pairing sits second in the Drivers Championship.Road America and the Corvette brand have a lengthy history dating back nearly 60 years. Chevrolet routinely used the track to test and validate the performance of early-generation Corvettes with that tradition continuing into the present day.  Road America was the site of the first on-track running of the Corvette C8.R in 2018, and the mid-engine Corvette continues to write new chapters each weekend. The IMSA Fastlane SportsCar Weekend from Road America is scheduled for 10:40 a.m. CT on Sunday, August 7. The race will stream live on Peacock and air same-day beginning at noon ET on USA. IMSA Radio’s race call Sunday also will be available on IMSA.com, XM 207 and SiriusXM Online 992.

ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – QUALIFIED THIRD IN GTD PRO:“That definitely was the maximum. I must say that I had really good prep so the tires were where they needed to be. Even I improved fractionally on the second lap, I thought my first was probably it. Maybe if you put together both, you could shave off a tenth. I’m happy with how the car felt and how I approached the actual qualifying session and how I built up temperature and pressure on the tires. Now we’re focused on the race. It’s good we are on the second row where yesterday we didn’t know where we would be. We are ready for tomorrow. Let’s see what the weather brings. From that point on, we can see the leaders right there so we need to stay in contact with them and do the job.”I qualified once or twice on pole here but it’s been awhile since I qualified at Road America. It’s always very enjoyable. You feel like you have the track to yourself. Traffic didn’t play a part; it was perfect. This is the best track to have low fuel, new tires and space. It’s the best part of the weekend for sure.”

Alex Lynn, Earl Bamber to take green flag for 2-hour, 40-minute race from second position

ELKHART LAKE, Wis. (Aug. 6, 2022) – Alex Lynn delivered a front-row start for Cadillac Racing for the 2-hour, 40-minute IMSA Fastlane SportsCar Weekend race Aug. 7. Lynn drove the No. 02 Cadillac Accessories Cadillac DPi-V.R to a best lap of 1 minute, 49.097 seconds on the 4.048-mile, 14-turn Road America natural-terrain course to claim the second spot in the 15-minute qualifying session. “I think our car was ballistic today,” said Lynn, who will alternate in the seat with Earl Bamber. “We had a car that was good enough to be on pole, and big thanks to our 02 crew. Tomorrow is a new day and we’re going to go for the win.”

Race day could deliver different track conditions than the ambient 85-degree Fahrenheit and 130-degree track temperatures during qualifying. The forecast is for a 70 percent chance of rain with a high of 79 for the late-morning green flag (11:30 a.m. ET on Peacock and noon on USA). “Tomorrow is a going to be a different day and I’m quite excited to race in the wet,” added Lynn. “The Cadillac is definitely the car to have in mixed conditions, so from our side we haven’t had a wet race all year so why not?” Richard Westbrook drove the No. 5 Mustang Sampling Cadillac DPi-V.R to the fourth starting position, while Olivier Pla qualified fifth in the No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac DPi-V.R. Filipe Albuquerque, driving the No. 10 Wayne Taylor Racing Acura, earned the pole with a best lap of 1:48.915. Sebastien Bourdais looked to be on a pole-challenging lap late in the session before sliding in Turn 14 and the No. 01 V-Performance Cadillac DPi-V.R making left-side contact with the tire barrier. Bourdais was checked at the infield medical center and cleared to drive. “The car was wonderful,” said Bourdais, who will start sixth as he shares driving duties with Renger van der Zande. “The guys gave us a rocket ship again. I did one prep lap and went for it. Essentially, it was a clean lap, and I was going really strong. Probably lit up all the sectors. Just got to that last corner and I got in there with quite a bit more speed and took the bump and the front just jumped on the white line and I just sabotaged myself. From there, once you’re on the white line and touch the grass it’s no getting past it.” Bourdais and van der Zande won the last IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship race – July 3 at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park – from the sixth starting position. The No. 01 V-Performance Academy Cadillac DPi-V.R drivers have secured three podiums, including two wins, in the past three races. Cadillac Racing has registered two podium finishes in each of the past two years at Road America.

Cadillac Racing lineup, starting position and quotes No. 02 Cadillac Accessories Cadillac DPi-V.R (Chip Ganassi Racing)Earl Bamber, Alex LynnLynn drove in the qualifying session (start second, 1:49.097): “I think our car was ballistic today. We had a car that was good enough to be on pole, and big thanks to our 02 crew. Tomorrow is a new day and we’re going to go for the win. Tomorrow is a going to be a different day and I’m quote excited to race in the wet. The Cadillac is definitely the car to have in mixed conditions, so from our side we haven’t had a wet race all year so why not?”Car chief-Jamie CoatesLead engineer-Danielle ShephardRace strategist-Michael Harvey No. 5 Mustang Sampling Cadillac DPi-V.R (JDC-Miller MotorSports)Tristan Vautier, Richard WestbrookWestbrook drove in the qualifying session (start fourth, 1:50.322): “We struggled yesterday with the balance of the car, so we threw everything at it today and completely changed the setup. It was going into the unknown a bit but a pleasant surprise. In some areas, we cured some of our understeer issues, which has been bugging us for the last three races. That was really encouraging. But we had a bit of a braking issue. In the end, happy with the position but never happy with the gap to the front row. I’ve never driven one of these monsters in the wet, but I love the rain, which is obviously no surprise being from England. I know from the Ford GT days it’s all about switching that tire on in the rain. I love a challenge.”Car chief-Josh KerriganLead engineer-Rick CameronRace strategist-John Church No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac DPi-V.R (Action Express Racing)Pipo Derani, Olivier PlaPla drove in the qualifying session (start fifth, 1:50.369): “Obviously, not what we were expecting in qualifying. Tomorrow is a different day with different conditions, so we’ll have to see if the rain helps us. We’ll take what we have and try to do the best.”Car chief-Bill KeulerTechnical director/lead engineer-Iain WattRace strategist-Tim Keene No. 01 V-Performance Academy Cadillac DPi-V.R (Chip Ganassi Racing)Renger van der Zande, Sebastien BourdaisBourdais drove in the qualifying session (start sixth). “It’s a real shame. The car was wonderful. The guys gave us a rocket ship again. I did one prep lap and went for it. Essentially, it was a clean lap, and I was going really strong. Probably lit up all the sectors. Just got to that last corner and I got in there with quite a bit more speed and took the bump and the front just jumped on the white line and I just sabotaged myself. From there, once you’re on the white line and touch the grass it’s no getting past it. Tomorrow is obviously going to be a different scenario. We knew that all along and we focused on qualifying because the fry on full tanks wasn’t really a priority. We knew it was going to be wet tomorrow and the goal was to start on pole with a clear view. Now we have some work to do.”Car chief-Phil BinksLead engineer-John HennekRace strategist-Peter Baron

Filipe Albuquerque puts Wayne Taylor Racing’s Acura ARX-05 on the pole for Sunday’s IMSA Fast Lane SportsCar Weekend at Road America
Tom Blomqvist to start third in the Meyer Shank Racing Acura ARX-05
Rick Ware Racing NSX GT-3 Evo22 looks to move forward in potentially rain-affected race

ELKHART LAKE, Wis. (August 6, 2022) – It’s a P1 start for Filipe Albuquerque, Ricky Taylor and the Wayne Taylor Racing team as Albuquerque qualified their #10 Acura ARX-05 on the pole today for Sunday’s IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Fastlane SportsCar Weekend at Road America. 

The pole position comes at a vital time in the championship for Wayne Taylor Racing, as the team battles for the championship with fellow Acura team Meyer Shank Racing. For their efforts, the #60 Meyer Shank Racing Acura ARX-05 will start third with co-drivers Tom Blomqvist and Oliver Jarvis. 

In the production-based GTD class, Aidan Read set the ninth fastest qualifying time aboard the #51 Acura NSX GT3 Evo22, however Read and co-driver Ryan Eversley will start at the rear of the field due to a pit lane infraction in qualifying. The pair will be looking to capitalize on the forecast rainy conditions for tomorrow and hope to make their way through the field. 

Road America Acura Qualifying Results
1st overall – #10 Filipe Albuquerqye, Wayne Taylor Racing Acura ARX-05 DPi
3rd overall – #60 Tom Blomqvist, Meyer Shank Racing Acura ARX-05 DPi [new lap record]
9th GTD – #51 Aidan Read, Rick Ware Racing Acura NSX GT3 Evo22

Quote
Filipe Albuquerque (#10 Wayne Taylor Racing ARX-05) pole qualifier: “It all came together with pole position and the championship points [earned for pole]. The satisfaction is for me, from the drivers point of view, and for the team as well. They gave me the perfect car and I just felt great right away, from Turn 1, the car was really, really good, with a lot of grip. Tomorrow’s race is going to be really rainy, so starting from P1 in a potentially chaotic race, that should help keep us out of trouble. It’s ideal! The pressure is on now, though, we cannot finish behind the #60 and those guys are so fast. We are going to keep fighting for the championship and we’ll see how it goes tomorrow!”

Fast Fact
This is the fifth IMSA pole of the season for Acura. At the season-opening Rolex 24 at Daytona, Albuquerque and Taylor combined to win the qualifying race that set the starting field; and Taylor led another Acura front-row qualifying sweep at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. Blomqvist scored consecutive poles at Watkins Glen International Raceway and Canadian Tire Motorsport Park; followed by Albuquerque’s pole today at Road America.

Where to Watch IMSA Racing from Canadian Tire Motorsport Park
The IMSA Fastlane Sportscar Weekend gets underway Sunday at 11:40 a.m. EDT with live streaming coverage on NBC Peacock. Television coverage on the USA Network begins at 12 p.m. EDT.

Fans can listen to audio commentary via IMSA.com, RadioLeMans.com and XM Radio; and follow the race live via in-car cameras, IMSA Radio and timing & scoring available worldwide on IMSA.com and the IMSA mobile device App.

Acura Motorsports social media content and video links from Canadian Tire Motorsport Park can be found on Instagram (www.instagram.com/hondaracing_hpd), Twitter (twitter.com/HondaRacing_HPD) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/HondaRacingHPD). Additional features and long-form videos can be found on the Honda Racing/HPD YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/HondaRacingHPDTV).