| Orange County Fair Speedway celebrated 102 years of racing with Stewart Friesen, Chris Hile, and Matt Sheppard claiming the Centennial 102 podium MIDDLETOWN, NY – From the eighth-place starting position, Stewart Friesen took his #44 Halmar Racing Super DIRTcar Series Big Block Modified to the lead at the halfway point and drove to the $10,000 win after 102 laps of action celebrating 102 years of auto racing at Orange County Fair Speedway. Rookie runner Chris Hile in the #5H captured second place, which awarded him a guaranteed start in the Billy Whittaker Cars 200 at the 49th NAPA Super DIRT Week. Seven-time Series champion Matt Sheppard drove up from 16th to pick up the final step on the podium salvaging an otherwise difficult day. Stewart Friesen, out of Sprakers, NY, has been on an absolute tear on the Series trail in 2021. He has now won six out of 11 races. “This thing has been fast for the last month,” Friesen said gesturing to his black and blue #44. “Tonight, I was pretty good in the middle and top but this thing was fast everywhere. We haven’t been making a lot of changes, just a couple of small ones. The race team has been working so well together. That’s really the key to winning.”At the drop of the green flag, Friesen immediately started dispatching drivers for position and moved to the front. He then went on to track down pole-sitter Billy Decker and made the winning pass at the halfway point in lapped traffic. “I was just trying to roll the guys on the top and not overcook the tires,” noted Friesen. “I took care of them and they stayed with me the whole time. I saw some moisture up there early. Then it dusted up but there was a lot of moisture underneath. I went up there to clean it off and as it cleaned off the track widened out. I just kept chasing the grip up the track.”Runner-up Chris Hile was so close to netting his first Series win. He was fast throughout Time Trials and Heat Races and then redrew the outside pole to start the race. Decker got out ahead on the initial start but Hile was determined not to let the #91 run away. Before he could mount an attack on Decker, the #5H fell to Friesen’s run to the front. Hile still managed to wing his #5H around the outside of Decker for second in the closing stages. Then, Anthony Perrego charged by Decker and Hile and was in second for the final restart with three laps to go. Unfortunately, Perrego’s #44 ran out of gas with two laps on the board. “Early on we had a couple of brand new Hoosiers so it took a while for them to cycle in and start working for me,” noted the Syracuse, NY native Chris Hile. “Those early yellows worked out for us. We got to beat up on the tire a little bit and then idle around so they cycled in. It was tough to see the top on entry but once it widened out I could hit my marks better and saw that Friesen was up there. We were running third and then ran around Decker on the top for second. I would have been happy with no more yellows at that point.”It was razor close for Hile at the end. He ran out of VP Race Fuel on the scales and had to be pushed to the front stretch for Victory Lane celebrations. But while the car was low on fuel, it was not low on speed. “This is a new car for us,” Hile said. “We have like 5-6 starts and a couple of wins with it. This one was really close. That last restart the fuel pressure gauge was bouncing around and then it spit and sputtered the last three laps. Really proud of our team. Cool to run up there and stay inside the top 4 the whole time against those guys.” With Friesen already a NAPA Super DIRT Week guaranteed starter, Hile was awarded the status instead. “We don’t want to rely on it but it’s really nice to fall back on if we need it,” said of his automatic birth in the Billy Whittaker Cars 200. “The cream of the crop are all there so anything can happen.”It was a long way to go to the front for Matt Sheppard from Waterloo, NY. He was not his normally bad-fast self in Time Trials and Heat Races. The #9s finished one position out of a redraw position in his Heat Race. “We are really pleased to come up from 16th,” said Sheppard. “It was tough sledding out there.”Sheppard hauls his Big Block down to Middletown, NY every week and is currently leading the points there but Series racing is another animal. “It was a bit of a home track disadvantage as the track surface was not quite what we’d been used to,” Sheppard noted. “We got a little curveball thrown at us tonight but really for the way we started we’ll take it.”Mad Max McLaughlin was the Billy Whittaker Fast-Time Award winner in his #32c. McLaughlin pulled 11th for his starting position in the redraw and fought his way up to finish in the top-five. Defending Series champion Mat Williamson won the first Centennial race in 2019. After 102 laps, the Buzzchew Racing #88 finished in fourth. Rookie racer Tim Sears Jr. crossed the line in the sixth position after passing 18 cars for position. The driver of the #83X was named the Hard Charger of the race for his efforts. Next up, the Super DIRTcar Series storms into Brewerton Speedway for the Demon 100 NAPA Super DIRT Week qualifier on Tuesday, August 17. Discount pre-order tickets are available now.Feature (102 Laps) Full Results1. 44F-Stewart Friesen [8][$10,200]; 2. 5H-Chris Hile [2][$5,000]; 3. 9s-Matt Sheppard [16][$2,500]; 4. 88W-Mat Williamson [5][$1,800]; 5. 32CC-Max Mclaughlin [11][$1,600]; 6. 83X-Tim Sears [24][$1,400]; 7. 111D-Demetrios Drellos [14][$1,300]; 8. 21A-Peter Britten [6][$1,200]; 9. 35L-LJ Lombardo [3][$1,100]; 10. 35M-Mike Mahaney [10][$1,000]; 11. 43F-Keith Flach [21][$800]; 12. 91D-Billy Decker [1][$700]; 13. 28M-Jordan McCreadie [9][$600]; 14. 55R-Allison Ricci [20][$575]; 15. 44P-Anthony Perrego [7][$550]; 16. 88Jr-Olden Dywer [27][$525]; 17. 69-Tyler Boniface [13][$500]; 18. 21m-Bob McGannon [28][$500]; 19. 17S-Dillion Steuer [17][$500]; 20. 33.3M-Tommy Meier [19][$500]; 21. 4V-Billy VanInwegen [4][$500]; 22. 25R-Erick Rudolph [18][$500]; 23. 88T-Tyler Jashembowski [23][$500]; 24. 43H-Jimmy Horton [12][$500]; 25. 98H-Jimmy Phelps [15][$500]; 26. 2L-Jack Lehner [26][$500]; 27. 4H-Bobby Hentschel [22][$500]; 28. 99L-Larry Wight [25][$500]Hard Charger Award: 83X-Tim Sears[+18]PHOTO: Quentin Young |
| The Super DIRTcar Series is brought to fans by many important sponsors and partners, including: DIRTVision (Official Live Broadcast Partner), Hoosier Racing Tire (Official Tire), SIS Insurance (Official Insurance Provider), VP Racing Fuels (Official Racing Fuel), Chevy Performance Parts, iRacing (Official Online Racing Game) and NAPA Auto Parts. Contingency sponsors include: ARP (Automotive Racing Products), ASI Race Wear, Bicknell Racing Products, Billy Whittaker Cars & Trux, Cometic Gasket, COMP Cams, Drydene, Fox Factory, MSD, and Wrisco (Exclusive Racing Aluminum); along with manufacturer sponsors, including: FireAde, Intercomp, and Racing Electronics. |
Overton Wins Sunoco North South Shootout at Florence
| Union, KY (August 12, 2021) – Brandon Overton set Allstar Performance overall fast time, won his heat, and took the win at Florence Speedway for the Sunoco North-South Shootout Presented by Lucas Oil on Thursday Night for his third Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series win of 2021. Overton passed race leader Ricky Thornton Jr. on lap 14 after Thornton had led the first 13 laps of the 50-lap main event. With lightning in the area for most of the night, Overton raced to the checkers 2.235 seconds ahead of Thornton. Current Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series championship point leader, Tim McCreadie, came home in third followed by Jimmy Owens and Jonathan Davenport, who came from 23rd to finish fifth. In Lucas Oil Victory Lane for the 10th time in his career Overton started the week off right with the $10,000 victory, but has his eyes set on the $50,000 pay day on Saturday Night. “I guess I don’t drive hard enough in those first couple of laps. It was actually good for me because I got to move around there to see where I was good at. I was way too tight, and the car started shoving there at the end, but we got it done.” Overton started on the outside of the front row but fell to fourth at the start of the race. He climbed to third on lap 12, then to second a lap before his charge to the lead around Thornton. “It’s all about confidence, it just keeps rolling over and rolling over,” said the 30-year-old Georgian. “To win here Saturday Night would mean a lot to David and the whole Wells Family, to get us one here in Kentucky. I told them I would try my best and do all I can do.” Thornton, the Eibach Springs top rookie in the series, came home in second. “We had a really good car tonight. I want to thank Anthony Burroughs and everybody that helps us, they have been working their tails off. I feel like we have gotten a lot better here in the last week or so, hopefully we can keep this up.” The defending Sunoco Race Fuels North-South 100 winner, Tim McCreadie, ran third on Thursday Night. “We are just not good enough right now. I was running the cushion early on, but I wasn’t going anywhere. I didn’t get the attitude to do what I needed it too do. It’s a good start to the weekend. A little disappointing just because we should be better. Good job to the Lucas Oil and track officials for hurrying us along to get this in tonight.” The winner’s Wells and Sons Motorsports Longhorn Chassis is powered by a Clements Racing Engine and sponsored by Allstar Concrete, Crossfit Overton, ATC Site Construction, Garnto Southern, Big Dog Stump and Tree, R.W. Powell Construction, Clean Way Clearing and Grading, EZS-GO, Dirt Mafia, and Hurst Construction. Completing the top ten were Mike Marlar, Kyle Bronson, Hudson O’Neal, Spencer Hughes, and Zack Dohm. Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Race Summary Sunoco North South Shootout – Presented by Lucas OilThursday, August 12, 2021Florence Speedway – Florence, KY Allstar Performance Time TrialsFast Time Group A: Ricky Thornton Jr / 15.839 seconds Fast Time Group B: Brandon Overton / 15.712 seconds (overall) Penske Race Shocks Heat Race #1 Finish (8 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 20RT-Ricky Thornton Jr[1]; 2. 17D-Zack Dohm[2]; 3. 14-Josh Richards[3]; 4. 20-Jimmy Owens[4]; 5. 17M-Dale McDowell[5]; 6. 15-James Rice[7]; 7. 11B-Tommy Bailey[6]; 8. 66C-Matt Cosner[11]; 9. 49-Jonathan Davenport[8]; 10. 20C-Duane Chamberlain[9]; 11. 49G-Billy Green[10]; 12. 8A-Curt Addison[12] Summit Racing Equipment Heat Race #2 Finish (8 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 157-Mike Marlar[1]; 2. 11R-Josh Rice[2]; 3. 1-Earl Pearson Jr[5]; 4. 1ST-Johnny Scott[4]; 5. 16-Justin Rattliff[7]; 6. 40B-Kyle Bronson[3]; 7. 20B-Todd Brennan[9]; 8. 18L-Trevor Landrum[8]; 9. 20TC-Tristan Chamberlain[6]; 10. 23T-Ethan Toedter[10]; 11. 17C-Jeremy Creech[11] Simpson Race Products Heat Race #3 Finish (8 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 76-Brandon Overton[1]; 2. 11H-Spencer Hughes[3]; 3. 2S-Stormy Scott[5]; 4. 29-Darrell Lanigan[8]; 5. D8-Dustin Linville[4]; 6. 22-Gregg Satterlee[7]; 7. 7R-Kent Robinson[6]; 8. 8-Kyle Strickler[11]; 9. 12J-Jason Jameson[9]; 10. 13W-David Webb[10]; 11. 13-Vern Lefevers[12]; 12. 0H-Nick Hoffman[2] Ohlins Shocks Heat Race #4 Finish (8 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 39-Tim McCreadie[1]; 2. 1T-Tyler Erb[2]; 3. 71-Hudson O’Neal[4]; 4. 83-Scott James[3]; 5. 25-Shane Clanton[5]; 6. 97-Michael Chilton[6]; 7. 33-Jesse Lay[7]; 8. 75-Terry Phillips[8]; 9. 4G-Kody Evans[9]; 10. 21H-Robby Hensley[10]; 11. 1GK-Grant Garrison[11] LINE-X B-Main #1 Finish (10 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 15-James Rice[3]; 2. 40B-Kyle Bronson[4]; 3. 16-Justin Rattliff[2]; 4. 49-Jonathan Davenport[9]; 5. 18L-Trevor Landrum[8]; 6. 11B-Tommy Bailey[5]; 7. 66C-Matt Cosner[7]; 8. 20TC-Tristan Chamberlain[10]; 9. 23T-Ethan Toedter[12]; 10. 17C-Jeremy Creech[14]; 11. 17M-Dale McDowell[1]; 12. 20B-Todd Brennan[6]; 13. 8A-Curt Addison[15]; 14. (DNS) 20C-Duane Chamberlain; 15. (DNS) 49G-Billy Green UNOH B-Main #2 Finish (10 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 25-Shane Clanton[2]; 2. 22-Gregg Satterlee[3]; 3. D8-Dustin Linville[1]; 4. 7R-Kent Robinson[5]; 5. 21H-Robby Hensley[12]; 6. 75-Terry Phillips[8]; 7. 97-Michael Chilton[4]; 8. 8-Kyle Strickler[7]; 9. 4G-Kody Evans[10]; 10. 33-Jesse Lay[6]; 11. 1GK-Grant Garrison[14]; 12. 13-Vern Lefevers[13]; 13. 12J-Jason Jameson[9]; 14. (DNS) 13W-David Webb; 15. (DNS) 0H-Nick Hoffman |
Indy Road Course up Next for DiBenedetto, Motorcraft/Quick Lane Team
August 12, 2021
After finishes of 10th and 11th in their two most recent road course races, Matt DiBenedetto and the No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane team are hoping for another strong finish in Sunday’s inaugural Verizon 200 on the road course at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Although it will be the first appearance for the Cup Series on the 2.439-mile, 14-turn track inside the historic Speedway, it won’t be DiBenedetto’s first go at the layout.
“I got to be the first one to drive a stock car on the Indy road course when I tested the Xfinity Series car there [in January, 2020] which was cool,” he said. “So I have some experience there.”
As has been the case this year when the Cup Series visits a new venue, there will be a practice session prior to the race and a qualifying round to set the starting field.
DiBenedetto said the practice is important, as changes to the car are limited once the green flag flies. Last week at Watkins Glen, where there was no practice, he said he believed the team could have improved on its 11th-place finish had they had a chance to run some laps beforehand.
Even so, the team was close to backing up its 10th place finish at Road America, where there was a practice session prior to the race.
That finish at Road America was the start of a four-race stretch of finishes of 11th or better that the team will carry into this weekend’s race at Indianapolis, where the Cup Series raced on the 2.5-mile oval track from 1994 to 2020 but now will run the road course.
“We have been making gains on the road courses, and we as a team have a lot of consistency on our side,” DiBenedetto said.
Practice for the Verizon 200 is set for Saturday at 11:05 a.m., with qualifying on Sunday at 9:05 a.m.
The 82-lap race is scheduled to get the green flag just after 1 p.m., with TV coverage on NBC.
There will be Stage breaks at Laps 15 and 35.
chevy racing–indianaopolis road course advance
TEAM CHEVY ADVANCE VERIZON 200 AT THE BRICKYARD INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY ROAD COURSE INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA AUGUST 15, 2021
RACE #24 – INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY ROAD COURSEFresh off the 20th NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) victory in 38 races at Watkins Glen International, Chevrolet teams and drivers will tackle a new race course on the NCS schedule as the push to the Playoffs continues. The 82-lap/200-mile Verizon 200 at the Brickyard on Sunday, August 15, will mark the first time NASCAR’s premier series has raced on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s 2.439-mile road course since it began competing at historic venue in 1994. Chevrolet has recorded 17 wins in the 27 races on the 2.5-mile oval, including five by Jeff Gordon.
Team Chevy drivers turn their attention to the technical road course and turn their direction clockwise on the 14-turn course that incorporates Turns 1 and 2 and the front stretch of the famous oval.The race weekend will also include Chevrolet NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) drivers competing in the Pennzoil 150 and Chevrolet NTT INDYCAR SERIES teams racing in the Big Machine Spiked Coolers Grand Prix on Saturday, August 14.
Chevrolet has won four of the five NCS road course races this season, with Kyle Larson driving the No. 5 HendrickCars.com Camaro ZL1 1LE to victory lane at Watkins Glen International to lead a 1-2 sweep with Hendrick Motorsports teammate Chase Elliott in the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Camaro ZL1 1LE.Larson climbed into a tie for the lead in the Driver Standings with his second road course win and field-high fifth victory of the season. It marked the eighth Hendrick Motorsports victory in the last 11 races and the fourth time Larson and Elliott have finished 1-2 — the third time at a road-course event.
Chevrolet, which leads the NCS Manufacturer Standings, has posted 12 wins with three regular-season races left before the Playoff battle begins at Darlington Raceway. Both the NCS and NXS events will include qualifications. Chevrolet drivers Tyler Reddick (Circuit of the Americas) and William Byron (Road America) have earned the Busch Pole Award at the NCS road courses that utilized qualifying this season.
Six races remain to set the 12-driver NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoff field, starting with the Pennzoil 150. AJ Allmendinger, who was runner-up at Watkins Glen International in his No. 16 Kaulig Racing Camaro SS, is second in the standings and Justin Allgaier is third. Allmendinger finished fourth and Allgaier placed seventh in the 2020 race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course.
CHEVROLET, LARSON ATOP STANDINGSChevrolet strengthened its lead in the Manufacturer Standings in the run to its 40th NASCAR Cup Series title with Kyle Larson’s victory at Watkins Glen International. Larson moved into a tie for lead in the Driver Standings as he seeks his first regular-season title and its 15 Playoff bonus points. Larson has finished either first or second 10 times in the 23 races, including a field-high five wins.
Hendrick Motorsports teammates William Byron is third and Chase Elliott is sixth in the regular-season standings.
ELLIOTT: A ROAD COURSE FAVORITEReigning NASCAR Cup Series Champion Chase Elliott has won at the Circuit of the Americas and Road America and finished runner-up to Hendrick Motorsports teammate Kyle Larson at Sonoma Raceway and Watkins Glen International this season. The Team Chevy drivers will be co-favorites to win the inaugural NCS race on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course. Elliott, who has won seven of the last 12 road course races in NASCAR’s premier division, is third all-time behind Jeff Gordon (nine wins) and Tony Stewart (eight).
One road course race – on the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL in September – is part of the NCS Playoffs. Both Elliott and Larson have secured their spot for the 2021 Playofffs and the chance to battle for the coveted title of the NASCAR Cup Series Champion.
TEAMMATES COURTING SEVENTH PLAYOFF SPOTSix Team Chevy drivers have locked-up a spot in the Playoffs that begin Sept. 5 at Darlington Raceway. With three races left to set the 16-driver Playoff field, Richard Childress Racing’s Tyler Reddick holds the final transfer spot. Reddick, who will drive the No. 8 BETMGM Camaro ZL1 1LE this weekend, placed 10th and picked up seven stage points at Watkins Glen. Teammate Austin Dillon, driver of the No. 3 Dow Mobility Science Camaro ZL1 1LE, is 15 points behind.
BOWTIE BULLETS· Chevrolet leads all manufacturers with 12 victories, including four on road courses.· Chevrolet leads all manufacturers with 102 top-10 finishes and 2,472 laps led of 5,566 total this season.· Chevrolet drivers have led 225 of the 386 laps in the five road course races.· Team Chevy’s AJ Allmendinger and Austin Dillon will compete in both the NXS and NCS races this weekend.· Hendrick Motorsports cars have finished 1-2 in five of the 23 races.· Kyle Larson paces all drivers with 1,468 laps led.· Austin Dillon is second among drivers with 99.91% of laps completed (5,561 of 5,566).· Five Team Chevy drivers have combined for 20 stage wins: Chase Elliott (Daytona RC); William Byron (Homestead, Pocono2, Road America); Tyler Reddick (Road America); Kurt Busch (Nashville Superspeedway, Pocono1, Atlanta2); Kyle Larson (Las Vegas, Atlanta x2, Kansas, Dover x2, Charlotte x3, Sonoma x2, Nashville).
FOR THE FANS:
- Fans can visit the Team Chevy Racing Display in the Fan Midway at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
- Fans can check out an assortment of Chevrolet vehicles including: Bolt EV, Bolt EUV, Trax, Silverado 1500 Trailboss, Silverado HD 2500 LTZ, Corvette Conv. 3LT, Camaro Conv. 3LT, Trailblazer.
- At the Chevrolet Display, fans can also view Austin Dillon’s No. 3 Dow Camaro ZL1 1LE show car and an Ed Carpenter IndyCar show car.
TEAM CHEVY QUESTION AND ANSWER SESSIONS AT THE DISPLAY:Friday, August 13
- 5:05 p.m. – Conor Daly
- 5:30 p.m. – Pato O’Ward and Felix Rosenqvist
Saturday, August 14
- 9:45 a.m. – William Byron and Rinus VeeKay
- 10:00 a.m. – Daniel Suarez
Sunday, August 15
- 11:00 a.m. – Tyler Reddick
Chevrolet Display Hours of Operation:
- Friday, August 13: 2:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
- Saturday, August 14: 7:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
- Sunday, August 15: 8:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
TUNE INNBC will telecast the NASCAR Cup Series Verizon 200 at the Brickyard at 1 p.m. ET Sunday, Aug. 15. Live coverage is also on the IMS Radio Network and Sirius XM NASCAR Radio Channel 90. NCS Busch Pole Qualifying at 9 a.m. ET Aug. 15 will be on NBCSN and the NBC Sports App. NBCSN will telecast the NXS Pennzoil 150 at the Brickyard at 4 p.m. ET Saturday, Aug. 14, preceded by Pole Qualifying at 10 a.m. on the NBC Sports App.
QUOTABLE QUOTESKYLE LARSON, NO. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 1st IN STANDINGSLARSON ON RACING AT INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY AND ON ROAD COURSE LAYOUT: “There is just a different vibe at Indianapolis – the history, the fans, the facility. I think it’ll be cool to run the road course layout this weekend and we all want to say we won the inaugural event. With my racing (in Iowa) this week, I’ll be watching a lot of tape of other series on the road course layout to familiarize myself with it ahead of practice on Saturday.” CLIFF DANIELS, CREW CHIEF, NO. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM CAMARO ZL1 1LE DANIELS ON PIT STRATEGY AT INDIANAPOLIS ROAD COURSE: “We do think about the regular-season point standings and want to win it, but that hasn’t played into how we’ve called a race. All year long, we’ve been aggressive trying to get stage points and trying to maximize our day across the board. Everyone thought our strategy (of racing for stage wins and not pitting just prior to end of stages) at Sonoma (Raceway) was bananas, but it worked out. We’ll learn a lot during practice on Saturday, and that should help us refine the gameplan we have worked on this week.”
WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 AXALTA CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 3rd IN STANDINGSBYRON ON PREPARING AND RACING THE INDY ROAD COURSE FOR THE FIRST TIME: “I think it’s going to be really interesting. I honestly would compare it to the ROVAL just based on the laps I have run already on the Chevy simulator. I feel like a lot of the corners are low speed but there are also very high-speed braking zones to manage, as well, like the ROVAL. There’s a lot of tight radius corners, too, but I feel like that’s going to make for good racing. Continuing to prep for this weekend, I’m going to re-watch the Xfinity Series race from there last year and then Saturday’s race, as well. Their cars are pretty similar to us, especially on the road courses with their horsepower and downforce package. They’re a little bit slower than our cars but the characteristics are the same.”
CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 HOOTERS CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 6th IN STANDINGS“You know, that road course to me, is not going to be your average infield road course. That place was the host of an F-1 event, many INDYCAR events over the years, and obviously Xfinity last year. It was laid out probably more like a traditional road course, you know, a place that was kind of made for it and has a little more flow to it than some of the infield tracks that we see, like the ROVAL. A lot of these tracks have infield tracks. We just might not go to them. But I think it’ll be more like a normal road course, more so than the ROVAL. One thing about those types of tracks is they don’t have any elevation really. And that, to me, is kind of what makes them different. Charlotte has a little more elevation and up and down than you might think, but watching that race last year, the thing that stood out to me the most was it is super-flat. There is really no up and down to it. So, I think that could be a little different than the norm.”
ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 48 ALLY CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 11th IN STANDINGS“Going to Indy there is a lot of history, most of that comes on the oval. It’s cool to get the opportunity to run the road course. It will be a new challenge for us. I think having two road course events back-to-back will help me be more prepared for the second race. We have been racing ovals for quite a while. It would be really cool to be the next Hendrick Motorsports driver to win at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the first to win on the road course.”
GREG IVES, CREW CHIEF, NO. 48 ALLY CAMARO ZL1 1LE “We have a good game plan in place for the Indy Chevrolet, based on video and whatever you can to gain knowledge since we haven’t been there before. The foundation that you build is from the feedback from the driver and the things that hurt us in Watkins Glen that you can adjust and apply for Indy. You may adjust your game plan as far as what you are going to practice and try, but all in all you are always learning and can always apply what to do and what not to do.” TYLER REDDICK, NO. 8 BETMGM CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 12th IN STANDINGS“I think track position will be everything for Sunday’s race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course. I found that out at Watkins Glen. I’ve always seen it but really didn’t understand the magnitude of it until this past weekend. For example, stack-ups on a restart when you’re farther back, if someone runs into the back of your car and damages it, the next thing you know you’re flying around trying not to crash other people as well. When you get back there in that mix of guys who stayed out and you’re on tires, it’s chaotic. Having the right track position and having the strategy to not only maintain it, but also advance it, will be a challenge but it’s going to be so important to having a great race.” AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 DOW MOBILITY SCIENCE CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 13th IN STANDINGSDOES YOUR MINDSET CHANGE GOING INTO THIS RACE GIVEN THE POINTS SITUATION YOU ARE IN? “You just have to be aggressive. Points-wise, we’re just racing Tyler, really. But the problem is that it seems like anybody can win right now, so we’ve got to really focus on the rest of the field from that aspect so that the RCR Chevys aren’t put in a worse situation. When it comes down to it, we’ll race each other hard, but we would like to get a win. That’s the big opportunity for us. And I do think we can win. We’ve had moments throughout the season where we’ve been really fast. Things have to line up and we have to have a perfect day in order to get to Victory Lane. That means I have to do my job; the pit crew has to do their job and the strategy has to play out. In the SIM, I’ve been pretty good at the Indianapolis Road Course. It was a little surprising, actually, how the track came to me right away. I’d like to surprise some people at a road course.” THIS YEAR HAS BEEN ON OF YOUR MOST CONSISTENT TO-DATE. WHAT DO YOU ATTRIBUTE THAT TO? “It’s a combination of well-built race cars, power from ECR, and our team returning from last year. Everyone is pretty much the same with the exception of a couple of different guys on the pit crew. We’ve been able to get better each week. We’re having a solid year with Chevrolet doing a really good job of building a good racecar.”
HOW NERVOUS ARE YOU ABOUT MAKING THE NASCAR PLAYOFFS? DOES THE FACT THAT THIS IS ANOTHER ROAD COURSE MAKE IT EVEN MORE NERVE WRACKING? “No, I’ve been pretty calm, really, about it. I know the situation I’m in. It’s unfortunate the amount of winners that we’ve had this year. I feel like we’d be well in a safe place right now, but we’re not. It’s just the situation we’re in and we’re racing our teammate. But I’m pretty confident after being on the SIM a couple of weeks at Indy. I usually don’t pick-up the road courses on the simulator very fast, but for some reason, Indy came to me pretty quick, which is good, I think, for what we’re going into. I think qualifying is the biggest thing on my mind right now for this coming weekend and getting a good qualifying position, because I know how important it is. It’s so hard to pass on all these road courses that get strung out, so starting position matters.” “So, I’m putting a lot of focus into qualifying and trying to make sure that we start up front and give ourselves the best way to get points. We have a 15-point gap right now and if we can maintain or gain a little this weekend, I feel like the next two weeks are good tracks for us and we’ll be in a pretty decent situation going into Daytona, if it is a points game. Obviously, I’d like to lock ourselves in with a win and just don’t want any new winners. That would really put us out. So yeah, I’m in a pretty good, calm situation as far as my mental state. I’ve been working out and am ready to go race and see what it brings us. I think we have been very consistent this year. We just haven’t had the speed that we want at some of these tracks, but the road course stuff has been fun. It’s such an improvement for me that I’d love to go back to some of these road courses a second time with what I’ve learned this year.” OF ALL OF THE ROAD COURSES YOU’VE RUN THIS YEAR, WHICH ONE IS MOST COMPARABLE TO INDY?“Wow, it’s so flat. We’ve got elevation change at every track that we’ve gone to. I’d say Daytona has a little less elevation change. So, for me, I really don’t know because the asphalt at Indy is so different the way the grooves are cut in it and it’s using a lot of lateral grip there. Sonoma, I think braking force-wise, is probably going to be similar; the amount of brake force and stuff like that because it seems like the track falls off a little bit. So, I’m thinking maybe Sonoma and Daytona, in between there.” DANIEL SUAREZ, NO. 99 COMMSCOPE CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 23rd IN STANDINGSWHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON INDIANAPOLIS? “I love Indianapolis no matter what shape it is in. Whether it’s an oval or a road course, whether it’s in an IndyCar or a stock car. I love going there and seeing so much history. It’s funny, the oval at Indianapolis in Cup car is like racing on a road course. So now we will be racing on the road course. I love that we are adding more and more road courses. There are a lot of fans that love road course racing and it’s adding different markets. As for us at Trackhouse Racing, every time we get an opportunity to turn left and right we are better. We get another chance this weekend in Indianapolis.” DOES THE MOUNTING PRESSURE OF MAKING IT INTO THE PLAYOFFS BOTHER YOU? “I feel like if you’re a racecar driver and you don’t like pressure, you’re in the wrong business. As a driver, you always have pressure, whether it’s from sponsors to perform, the playoffs or something else. That’s why we race.” ERIK JONES, NO. 43 PETTY’S GARAGE CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 25th IN STANDINGSWITH HOW ICONIC INDIANAPOLIS IS TO NASCAR’S HISTORY, WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS WITH THE SERIES MOVING THE EVENT FROM THE TRACK’S OVAL TO THE ROAD COURSE? “I think it is kind of bittersweet in a way. Obviously, we have been on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval since 1994, and all of the races have been run there. It is always a cool feeling going in there and getting to run the oval, but I think we realized it was time to change it up and do something different. The road course will be its own unique race. I think it still holds a lot of prestige. Anytime you can win a race at Indianapolis, it is a big moment for anyone’s career.”
“I am excited to get there. It is going to be a totally different feeling than the normal of the ‘Brickyard,’ but I think it is going to be the same feeling if you can win that race.” COREY LAJOIE, NO. 7 DIAMOND CREEK WATER CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 29th IN STANDINGS“Based off the Xfinity race at the GP course last year, the Cup Series should put on a great show at Indianapolis Motor Speedway this weekend. I loved the Oval, but I’m excited for the challenge of learning a new track. It’s hard to learn without the tools that some teams have with Xfinity opportunities or simulators, but we’ll get it figured out during that single practice on Saturday. I’ve been gaining confidence on road courses so we’ll continue to push for a top 20 result with the Diamond Creek Water Chevy Camaro this weekend.” Chevrolet NASCAR Cup Series StatisticsManufacturers Championships:Total (1949-2020): 39First title for Chevrolet: 1958Highest number of consecutive titles: 13 (2003-15) Years Won: 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1998, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 Drivers Championships:Total (1949-2020): 32First Chevrolet champion: Buck Baker (1957)Highest number of consecutive titles: 7 (2005-11)Most Recent: Chase Elliott (2020) Years Won: 1957, 1960, 1961, 1973, 1976, 1977, 1979, 1980, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2020 Event Victories:Record for total race wins in single season: 26 (2007) 2021 STATISTICS: Wins: 12Poles: 4Laps Led: 2,472Top-five finishes: 46Top-10 finishes: 102 CHEVROLET IN NASCAR CUMULATIVE STATISTICS:Total Chevrolet race wins: 807 (1949 to date)Poles won to date: 721Laps led to date: 239,177Top-five finishes to date: 4,111Top-10 finishes to date: 8,504Stage wins: 20 – Chase Elliott (Daytona RC), William Byron (Homestead, Pocono 2, Road America), Kyle Larson (Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Atlanta x2, Kansas, Dover x2, Charlotte x3, Sonoma x2, Nashville), Kurt Busch (Nashville, Pocono 1, Atlanta 2), Tyler Reddick (Road America) Total NASCAR Cup wins by corporation, 1949 to date General Motors: 1,141 Chevrolet: 807 Pontiac: 154 Oldsmobile: 115 Buick: 65 Ford: 809 Ford: 709 Mercury: 96 Lincoln: 4 Fiat Chrysler Automobiles: 467 Dodge: 217 Plymouth: 191 Chrysler: 59 Toyota: 158
Rad dan drift–round 5 recap
chevy racing–nhra–topeka advance
CHEVROLET AT TOPEKA What: Menards NHRA Nationals presented by PetArmorWhen: Friday, Aug. 13-Sunday, Aug. 15Where: Heartland Motorsports Park in Topeka, KansasTV: FOX will telecast eliminations live at 3 p.m. ET Sunday, Aug. 15 Team Chevy heads to Topeka with confidence buildingDrivers looking to collect points with three regular-season races left
DETROIT (Aug. 12, 2021) – Brittany Force and the Monster Energy/Flav-R-Pac Chevrolet dragster have been consistently spectacular in National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Top Fuel qualifications, setting records and earning the No. 1 spot in half the events this season.
Climbing onto the victory platform is the only thing missing.
Force will look to claim her sixth top qualifier honor of the season and record her 11th career victory in the Menards NHRA Nationals presented by PetArmor this weekend at Heartland Motorsports Park in Topeka, Kansas.The 2017 Top Fuel champion is third in the standings with three regular-season races remaining before the Countdown to the Championship.
“After a weekend of match racing with my Monster Energy/Flav-R-Pac guys in Norwalk for Night Under Fire, we’re ready to get back to competition mode and go after a Topeka win,” said Force, who has been the No. 1 qualifier at the track in 2014 and ’16. “We’re going into this race third in points and with the Countdown around the corner, it’s time to step it up.”
The event was not contested in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Robert Hight, driver of the Automobile Club of Southern California Camaro SS, won the 2019 Funny Car race on the way to his third championship.
“We have a good car. Jimmy Prock and Chris Cunningham have this Chevy Funny Car figured out,” said Hight, who produced the lowest elapsed time (3.895 seconds) and speed (330.88 mph) of the 2019 Funny Car event. “I’m more than ready for Topeka. We’ve done well there in the past. I’m looking forward to getting back in the car.”
Teammate John Force, driving the PEAK/BlueDEF Platinum Camaro SS Funny Car, leads all drivers with nine wins at Heartland Motorsports Park. He sits third in the regular-season standings – 36 points out of the top and one point ahead of Hight. The event will mark Force’s 800th in Funny Car competition in his record-setting career.
Pro Stock racers will be competing at the facility for the first time since May 2018, when Deric Kramer won in his Camaro SS.
Greg Anderson continues his pursuit of tying Warren Johnson’s 97 career victories, which stands as the most in Pro Stock and second behind Force’s NHRA-record 153. Anderson, the No. 1 qualifier in eight of the nine Pro Stock races in his HendrickCars.com Camaro SS, has advanced to the final round in three of the past four races.
Competition will include the fifth round of the Constant Aviation Factory Stock Showdown. Chevrolet drivers have won three of the events in their COPO Camaros, most recently by Stephen Bell at Denver.
FOX will telecast eliminations live at 3 p.m. ET Sunday, Aug. 15.
CHEVROLET FROM THE COCKPIT
TOP FUEL:
BRITTANY FORCE, JOHN FORCE RACING, FLAV-R-PAC CHEVROLET DRAGSTER (five-time No. 1 qualifier; runner-up in Charlotte and Norwalk; third in points): “I’ve had some success over the years at Heartland Park Topeka with two No. 1 qualifiers. This Monster Energy / Flav-R-Pac team always plans to dominate. We want to pick up points wherever we can and are ready to get back in that winner’s circle.”
FUNNY CAR:
JOHN FORCE, JOHN FORCE RACING, PEAK/BLUEDEF PLATINUM CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (two-time winner this season; No. 1 qualifier in Charlotte four-wide; third in points; nine-time winner at the track):“Topeka is an old school race. Been coming there for years. A lot of good memories, wins, final rounds. Great fans and a great racetrack. Where we are in points, we need to keep it going. The Countdown is almost here. The Heartland race could really shake things up with how close everyone is. It’s tough out there, but we’re hanging in there. I just have to get out there and not screw it up. And that’s what I’m trying to do. I’m ready for Topeka. We tested and went match racing, Night Under Fire, and it kept me on my toes.”
ROBERT HIGHT, JOHN FORCE RACING, AUTO CLUB OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (two-time winner and two-time runner-up; No. 1 qualifier in Las Vegas four-wide; three-time winner at track; fourth in points): “It was 25 seasons ago that I flew in and met John’s team and went to work doing the clutch. Then I got my Funny Car license here. There’s a lot of fond memories for me here at Heartland Motorsports Park. I’ve won the race a few times too so it’s a good stop for me on the Camping World schedule. It’s a great racetrack, the fans are great, it’s one of my favorites.”
PRO STOCK:
GREG ANDERSON, KB RACING, HENDRICKCARS.COM CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (two-time winner; No. 1 qualifier in eight of nine races; points leader): “We got a lesson out of Pomona what to expect this weekend with hot air and track temperatures. It will be the same for everybody. I think we have something to go off of and we’ve raced at Topeka before when it’s been really hot. My group of guys like that and think we have the car for it.”
KYLE KORETSKY, KB RACING, LUCAS OIL CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (first-year full-time driver; three-time semifinalist; first Pro Stock appearance at track): “We surround ourselves with what I think are the best in the business and letting the clutch out on Friday night (in the first round of qualifying) I have nothing but confidence that the race car is going to go down the racetrack as fast as it can. We’re looking to get that No. 1 spot; I have a good feeling about it. Our car performs very well on hot tracks, and I think the KB guys have the tune-up for the hot track. Coming off Pomona with the semifinal was great, but obviously we want to win. It was a confidence booster, and we want to stay consistent and gain those points every round. My goal is to get in the top five before the Countdown.”
DALLAS GLENN, KB RACING, RAD TORQUE SYSTEMS CAMARO SS (first-year full-time driver; earned first win at Charlotte four-wide): “The last leg of the Western Swing was a little tough on our RAD Torque/KB Racing Chevrolet Camaro team because we couldn’t fix the engine how we wanted since we were so far from home. We were a little down on power but did the best considering. We came back home last week and found the problem so I see no reason why we can’t have a successful weekend in Topeka.”
AARON STANFIELD, ELITE MOTORSPORTS, JANAC BROTHERS CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (three-time winner this season; second in points; first Pro Stock appearance at track): “I’m extremely hungry and I have a lot of great people around me. I want to do well and continue to do well. I’m just thankful for the people I’m around and for the people who have given me these great opportunities.”
TROY COUGHLIN JR., ELITE MOTORSPORTS, JEGS MAIL ORDER CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (runner-up in season opener; transferred to final quad at Charlotte; semifinalist at Sonoma; first Pro Stock appearance at track): “I love this time of the year because everything starts to get more intense. It brings out the best in people and I love to race when stakes are high. We’ve had a steady first half of the season and I know without question we have a car and team capable of big things. These yellow and black guys have been making gains across the board, both in the engine shop and on the car itself, so we couldn’t be in a better position.”
chevrolet indycar–indianaopolis advance
CHEVROLET RACING IN NTT INDYCAR SERIES BIG MACHINE SPIKED COOLERS GRAND PRIX THE ROAD COURSE AT INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY TEAM CHEVY ADVANCE AUGUST 12, 2021
RACE 12 OF 2021 NTT INDYCAR SERIES SEASON Chevrolet returns to site of winning performancesTeam Chevy has recorded wins in past three races on IMS road courseDETROIT (Aug. 12, 2021) – After finding direction on their first foray on the streets of Nashville, Tennessee, last weekend, Chevrolet teams return to the familiar Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course as the drive to the NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship continues. Team Chevy will compete in the 85-lap/207-mile Big Machine Spiked Coolers Grand Prix on Saturday, Aug. 14. Chevrolet has won eight of the 10 NTT INDYCAR SERIES races, including the past three, on the technical 2.439-mile, 14-turn road course that incorporates Turns 1 and 2 and the front stretch of the famed oval. “Team Chevy has had success on the challenging Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course, most recently in May with Rinus VeeKay of Ed Carpenter Racing earning his first NTT INDYCAR SERIES victory,” Chevrolet INDYCAR program manager Rob Buckner said. “Teams and their Chevrolet trackside engineers will work together to incorporate the familiarity of the racetrack with performance gains to hopefully produce another victory and solid results by all drivers.” VeeKay, driving the No. 21 Sonax/Autogeek Chevrolet, led 33 laps and won by nearly five seconds on May 15. He has also recorded third- and fifth-place finishes and earned his maiden pole in 2020 on the IMS circuit. The team has produced a T-shirt, featuring VeeKay celebrating his first Series victory in his 19th race, for this weekend. “Getting my first podium here last year and now winning, it was a dream. We are going back to Indy and hopefully I can have some luck again,” said VeeKay, who turns 21 on Sept. 11. Team Penske’s Will Power and Josef Newgarden won the October 2020 races on the IMS road course in their Chevrolet-powered race cars. Power, driver of the No. 12 Verizon 5G Team Penske Chevrolet, is a four-time winner on the road course – all from the pole. Teammate Simon Pagenaud is a three-time winner. With five races left, Pato O’Ward is six points out of second place in the Driver Standings and Newgarden is fourth. O’Ward, a two-time winner this season, has a best finish of fifth on the IMS road course. RC Enerson, 24, will make his fourth NTT INDYCAR SERIES start and first since 2019 in the No. 75 Top Gun Racing Chevrolet. Enerson, of New Port Rickey, Florida, an Indy Lights graduate, posted a best finish of ninth at Watkins Glen International in three NTT INDYCAR SERIES races in 2016. The racing weekend includes Chevrolet teams competing in the NASCAR Xfinity Series race on Aug. 14 and the inaugural NASCAR Cup Series race on the road course on Sunday, Aug. 15. Chevrolet drivers won 17 of the 27 races on the 2.5-mile oval dating to 1994, including five by Jeff Gordon. “The race weekend at Indianapolis Motor Speedway will be extra special with the rare opportunity to catch up with our Chevrolet NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR Xfinity Series personnel and watch the races,” Buckner added. “We wish our Chevrolet teams good luck as they close in on regular-season championships and their respective Playoff events.” Spectators will have the opportunity to view some of Chevrolet’s newest production vehicles, including a Corvette convertible 3LT, Bolt EUV, Silverado 1500 Trailboss, and participate in a Q&A with NTT INDYCAR SERIES drivers at the Chevrolet display near Pagoda Plaza. The display will be open from 2-8 p.m. Friday, Aug. 13; 7 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 14; and 8 a.m.-1 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 15. Participating drivers include:Friday, Aug. 135:05-5:20 p.m. – Conor Daly5:30-5:45 p.m. – Pato O’Ward, Felix RosenqvistSaturday, Aug. 149:45-10 a.m. – Rinus VeeKay and NASCAR Cup Series driver William ByronNBCSN will telecast the 85-lap Big Machine Spiked Coolers Grand Prix at 12:30 p.m. ET Sunday, Aug. 14, and qualifying live at 7 p.m. ET Friday, Aug. 13. The race, qualifications and practice will also be broadcast live on INDYCAR Radio Network affiliates, Sirius 211, XM 205, Indycar.com, and on the INDYCAR Mobile app powered by NTT DATA. Practice and qualifications will stream on Peacock Premium.A Chevrolet Corvette C8 Stingray will lead the field to the green flag.
Team Chevy will be represented by:A.J. Foyt EnterprisesDalton Kellett, No. 4 K-Line Insulators AJ Foyt RacingSebastien Bourdais, No. 14 ROKiT AJ Foyt RacingArrow McLaren SPPato O’Ward, No. 5 Arrow McLaren SPFelix Rosenqvist, No. 7 Vuse Arrow McLaren SPCarlinMax Chilton, No. 59 Gallagher CarlinEd Carpenter RacingConor Daly, No. 20 U.S. Air ForceRinus VeeKay, No. 21 Sonax/AutogeekTeam PenskeJosef Newgarden, No. 2 XPEL Team PenskeScott McLaughlin, No. 3 CarShop Team PenskeWill Power, No. 12 Verizon 5G Team PenskeSimon Pagenaud, No. 22 Menards Team PenskeTop Gun RacingRC Enerson, No. 75 Top Gun Racing
Chevrolet IndyCar V6 Year-By-Year Results since 20122021 – 4 wins, 5 poles in 11 racesWins – Pato O’Ward (Texas2, Detroit2); Rinus VeeKay (Indy RC1); Josef Newgarden (Mid-Ohio). Pole – Pato O’Ward (Barber Motorsports Park, Detroit1); Josef Newgarden (Detroit2, Road America, Mid-Ohio).2020 – 7 wins, 11 poles in 14 racesWins – Simon Pagenaud (Iowa1); Josef Newgarden (Iowa2, St. Louis2, Indy RC2, St. Petersburg); Will Power (Mid-Ohio1, Indy RC3, St. Petersburg). Poles – Josef Newgarden (Texas, Road America1, Iowa2), Will Power (Indianapolis road course, St. Louis1, Mid-Ohio1, Indy RC3; St. Petersburg), Pato O’Ward (Road America2), Conor Daly (Iowa1), Rinus VeeKay (Indy road course October)2019 – 9 wins, 9 poles in 17 racesDriver/owner championship (Josef Newgarden/Roger Penske); Indianapolis 500 win (Simon Pagenaud)2018 – 6 wins, 9 poles in 17 racesIndianapolis 500 win (Will Power)2017 – 10 wins, 11 poles in 17 racesEngine Manufacturer Championship; driver/owner titles (Josef Newgarden/Roger Penske)2016 – 14 wins, 13 poles in 16 racesEngine Manufacturer Championship; driver/owner titles (Simon Pagenaud/Roger Penske)2015 – 10 wins, 16 poles in 16 racesEngine Manufacturer Championship; driver/owner titles (Scott Dixon/Chip Ganassi);Indianapolis 500 win (Juan Pablo Montoya). First manufacturer to capture all titles since Chevrolet returned to INDYCAR in 20122014 – 12 wins, 14 poles in 18 racesEngine Manufacturer Championship; driver/owner titles (Will Power/Roger Penske)2013 – 10 wins, 11 poles in 19 racesEngine Manufacturer Championship; Indianapolis 500 win (Tony Kanaan)2012 – 11 wins, 10 poles in 15 racesEngine Manufacturer Championship; driver/owner titles (Ryan Hunter-Reay/Michael Andretti)Total – 93 wins, 104 earned poles in 160 races
BACK FOR MORE: David Gravel Begins Knoxville Nationals Title Defense with Wednesday Win
Giovanni Scelzi Earns High Point Man Honors Following First of Two Prelims
KNOXVILLE, IA – August 11, 2021 – The 60th NOS Energy Drink Knoxville Nationals pres. by Casey’s is beginning to look a lot like the 59th edition.
In 2019, when The Granddaddy of ‘Em All was last held, the week started with a Capitani Classic victory and a preliminary win for David Gravel. He ultimately drove the Jason Johnson Racing #41 to his first Nationals title worth $150,000 on a day that came exactly two years ago yesterday.
In 2021, Gravel’s Nationals has started exactly the same way, except this time he’s piloting the Big Game Motorsports, Huset’s Speedway #2 owned by Tod Quiring. An equally potent machine that the Watertown, CT native is shining aboard.
Conquering Wednesday’s prelim at the Iowa 1/2-mile, Gravel’s victory was far from a surefire thing as Tea, SD native, and weekly Knoxville racer Justin Henderson led 21 of 25 laps in the A-Main before fading to 4th. Gravel’s saving grace was a car set up for the late stages, the timing of lap traffic, and a pitch-perfect slide job in turn one with four to go.
When it was all said and done, though, 19-year-old Giovanni Scelzi of Fresno, CA is who walked away as the Knoxville Nationals high point man following the first of two preliminary shows. The kid they call “Hot Sauce,” who just aced the 360 Nationals last week, was outstanding with a 410 under the hood of the KCP Racing #18. He racked up 487 points by qualifying second, finishing fourth-from-eighth in his Heat Race, and charging from eighth-to-second in the A-Main.
However, the talk of town remains 29-year-old Gravel and his ever-growing prowess on Knoxville’s black zook clay. He walked away from the night sitting third in the point standings, signs of a Saturday starting spot in rows two, three, or four.
“Knoxville has always been good to me,” Gravel noted in the post-race press conference. “I’ve always felt comfortable here. Obviously winning on Sunday gives you that bit of extra confidence and that is huge at a place like this. My car felt great everywhere I went, so that’s a good sign for Saturday.”
For the locals, the story of the night was Justin Henderson, who ultimately finished fourth. He started outside pole aboard the Morton Buildings #7 and paced the opening 21 circuits before Gravel cleared him with a turn one slidejob in lap traffic. He leaves Wednesday night sitting seventh in the points with a strong chance to make his fifth Knoxville Nationals A-Main.
“I just needed to be smarter, or maybe more aggressive,” Henderson admitted. “David drove by us really because he was just better, but I gave those spots away to Gio and Donny by searching around when I didn’t need to. I’ve got to make better decisions in that aspect next time.”
Capitalizing on Henderson’s mistake to claim podium positions was Scelzi in second and Donny Schatz in third.
For Giovanni, who is hot off a 360 Nationals title on Saturday and currently holds high point honors, it’s only more momentum for him heading into the biggest race of his life on Saturday.
“I feel like I’m ten times the racer that I used to be,” Scelzi said. “Knoxville is a huge confidence track and I have all the faith in the world in my car and my team right now when we unload here. I just love this place. I can’t wait for Saturday.”
Closing out the podium was ten-time Knoxville Nationals champion Donny Schatz aboard the Tony Stewart/Curb-Agajanian Racing, Ford Performance, Carquest #15. He leaves Wednesday second in the points with his 23rd consecutive A-Main appearance waiting for him on Saturday.
“This was a rewarding night,” Schatz noted. “We have speed again. We’re in a better spot than we’ve been all season long, I think. I’m looking forward to Saturday and hopefully competing for another title.”
Closing out the top five on Wednesday night was Justin Henderson in fourth and Justin Peck in fifth, who pilots “The Pink Panther” Kramer Williamson throwback design for Buch Motorsports.
Rounding out the top-ten at Knoxville was Sheldon Haudenschild in sixth aboard the Krypto-NOS throwback, Logan Schuchart in seventh driving the Bobby Allen Shark throwback, James McFadden in eighth with his Kasey Kahne Racing #9, Cory Eliason with a new look Rudeen Racing #26 in ninth, and Spencer Bayston in tenth for Sam McGhee Motorsports.
Another headline on Wednesday was the story of 18-year-old Zeb Wise, who hadn’t even planned on racing this week. A last-minute call from CJB Motorsports landed him in the #5XX and the rookie put it on the pole position. He led the opening lap of the A-Main and was running a solid fourth before the rear end broke on Lap 9 and shattered a dream run.
The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series will be back at Knoxville Raceway on Thursday night for the second preliminary show of the 60th NOS Energy Drink Knoxville Nationals pres. by Casey’s. If you can’t be here, you can watch Every Lap LIVE on DIRTVision.
NOS Energy Drink Feature (25 Laps): 1. 2-David Gravel [6]; 2. 18-Gio Scelzi [8]; 3. 15-Donny Schatz [7]; 4. 7-Justin Henderson [2]; 5. 73-Justin Peck [3]; 6. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild [12]; 7. 1S-Logan Schuchart [21]; 8. 9-James McFadden [5]; 9. 26-Cory Eliason [10]; 10. 11M-Spencer Bayston [9]; 11. 17X-Josh Baughman [4]; 12. O-Brooke Tatnell [22]; 13. 3-Ayrton Gennetten [13]; 14. 56N-Davey Heskin [17]; 15. 40-Clint Garner [11]; 16. 48-Danny Dietrich [23]; 17. 49J-Josh Schneiderman [14]; 18. 7S-Jason Sides [18]; 19. O7-Skylar Gee [16]; 20. 1X-Jake Bubak [20]; 21. 91-Kyle Reinhardt [15]; 22. 1M-Don Droud [24]; 23. 21W-Riley Goodno [19]; 24. 5XX-Zeb Wise [1]. Lap Leaders: Justin Henderson 1-21, David Gravel 22-25. KSE Hard Charger Award: 1S-Logan Schuchart[+14]
What To Watch For: Super DIRTcar Series set to ring in 102 years of racing at Orange County Fair Speedway
| MIDDLETOWN, NY – There’s no shortage of storylines going into this Thursday’s Centennial 102 at the Orange County Fair Speedway. The Super DIRTcar Series was initially scheduled for the Battle on the Midway but that was canceled due to rain. However, Series and track officials took those lemons and made lemonade by securing the Super DIRTcar Series for the prestigious Centennial 102.The spectacle of the Super DIRTcar Series at Orange County will satisfy race fans who are eager for the Series to return to the historic 5/8-mile speedway. WILLIAMSON LOOKS TO DEFEND: Mat Williamson is defending two titles going into the Centennial. Not only is the St. Catharines, Ontario driver the defending Super DIRTcar Series champion but he’s also the defending Centennial 100 race-winner. This year, the Buzz Chew #88 Big Block has been steadily making his way higher and higher in points now sitting fifth and 142 off of point leader Stewart Friesen. TEAM TRACK FOR FRIESEN: Friesen’s car owner Chris Larsen is also the promoter and operator of Orange County Fair Speedway making this race even more important for the #44 Halmar Racing Big Block team. “It’s Chris Larsen’s race and it means a lot to everyone at Halmar,” Friesen said. “I’m really excited to get down there to race.”Notably, the five-time NAPA Super DIRT Week champion will hit the Middletown, NY clay just a week later on Thursday, Aug. 19, with the World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Model Series. He’ll be shaking his late model down between Super DIRTcar Series sessions on Thursday. HEARN’S HOUSE: In 1919, multi-horsepower engines replaced real “horse power” at Orange County Fair Speedway. Since then, DIRTcar Big Block Modifieds have taken over as the main attraction for the race track. Buzzie Reutimann took the first Series race win at Middletown in 1972 but it’s been Brett Hearn dominating the record books since 1980, accumulating 15 Series wins. The 900-plus win driver from Sussex, NJ, and Orange County Fair Speedway promoter is strapping into his #20 once again. This time, it’s for the $10,000-to-win Centennial 102 to the delight of Super DIRTcar Series fans everywhere. RUN RUN RUDOLPH: Erick Rudolph, from Ransomville, NY, is surging in the points standings. “I think we are going to have to just figure it out,” noted Erick Rudolph from Ransomville, NY. “We don’t have any laps there this year and last year we only went to one where we didn’t get a lot of laps. We’re going in there with an open mind and make the proper adjustments as we see fit.”Rudolph has been snake bitten in Time Trials but his heroics coming from the back of the pack in Features have been noted. After a tough start to the season, the #25R was deep in the points standings but after his recent strong runs including a podium in Canandaigua, NY, Rudolph is seventh and only 15 points out of third. QUICK LEHNER: Jack Lehner has had a wild year so far in 2021. He destroyed a race car at Albany-Saratoga in Hoosier Weekly racing and had to make a Hail Mary come back run at Land of Legends Raceway after using a provisional to start the race. Lehner currently rides 13th in points and is looking for a strong run at a familiar yet imposing race track. “We’ve been there twice this year and did not have a lot of success,” Lehner said. “We ran there quite a bit in 2020 and had some good runs. I’m looking forward to it. I can be a little hit or miss there but hopefully we can hit on something and put a run together.”It’s difficult to describe the feeling at Orange County. Some liken it to the atmosphere of the New York State Fairgrounds and that’s something Super DIRTcar Series fans should come out to experience. “There’s a different feeling there,” Lehner said. “It’s a historic track. Everyone always talks about it. It’s in the middle of town and the venue is just great. It’s a track everyone wants to get a win at.” After the Centennial 102, the Super DIRTcar Series heads to Brewerton Speedway for the brand new Demon 100 NAPA Super DIRT Week qualifier on Tuesday, August 17. Discount pre-order tickets are available now.On the InternetTwitter – @SuperDIRTcarInstagram – @SuperDIRTcarFacebook – Facebook.com/SuperDIRTcarSeriesYouTube – Youtube.com/DIRTCarRacingDIRTVision – DIRTVision.com – Platinum annual FAST PASS for $299 or monthly FAST PASS for $39/monthPHOTO: Joe Grabianowski |
| The Super DIRTcar Series is brought to fans by many important sponsors and partners, including: DIRTVision (Official Live Broadcast Partner), Hoosier Racing Tire (Official Tire), SIS Insurance (Official Insurance Provider), VP Racing Fuels (Official Racing Fuel), Chevy Performance Parts, iRacing (Official Online Racing Game) and NAPA Auto Parts. Contingency sponsors include: ARP (Automotive Racing Products), ASI Race Wear, Bicknell Racing Products, Billy Whittaker Cars & Trux, Cometic Gasket, COMP Cams, Drydene, Fox Factory, MSD, and Wrisco (Exclusive Racing Aluminum); along with manufacturer sponsors, including: FireAde, Intercomp, and Racing Electronics. |
DeJoria Focusing on Stretch Run To Countdown
TOPEKA, KS (August 11, 2021) — With three races remaining in the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series regular season Alexis DeJoria and her ROKiT/Bandero Premium Tequila Toyota Camry Funny Car are riding a wave of momentum after a solid western swing. DeJoria raced to two semifinals and a quarterfinal with a race car that was near the top of the class at every event with low elapsed times and consistent performance. Heading into this weekend’s NHRA Topeka Nationals at Heartland Motorsports Park DeJoria and her team are looking to add to their round win totals.
“We have a great race car with this ROKiT/Bandero Tequila Toyota Funny Car,” said DeJoria. “We went a lot of rounds on the western swing and I think we will be able to continue to have success in Topeka this weekend. It will be another hot race and we made some good runs in the heat in Pomona.”
DeJoria is sitting seventh in the Funny Car points but the competition is tight and she is just 66 points out of third place with points and a half available at the U.S. Nationals, Labor Day weekend. The five-time national event winner is hitting tracks where she has had success with wins in Brainerd in 2017 and Indianapolis in 2014. Heartland Motorsports Park has been a challenge in her previous five appearances but the strength of her runs in Pomona on a track that reached temperatures over 140 degrees could assist her this weekend.
“I have a lot of confidence coming off the success we had in Denver and Sonoma with semifinal finishes,” said DeJoria. “In Pomona it was hot and we got down the track with some good runs. That information will be helpful this weekend and I think we can be in a good position for this stretch run of the regular season. I know the fans in Kansas are ready for some drag racing since we didn’t get to race in Topeka last year.”
In her last three appearances at the Topeka Nationals DeJoria qualified in the top half of the field and raced to the quarterfinals in 2016. This season she has started from the top half of the field in nine out of ten races with six of those starts coming from the No. 3 position or higher. DeJoria has advanced to at least the quarterfinals eight times this season.
Qualifying will begin at Heartland Motorsports Park on Friday, August 13, with an evening qualifying session which is sure to produce low elapsed times and high speeds. Two sessions will follow on Saturday with final eliminations beginning Sunday morning at 11 a.m. local time. The race will be broadcast on Fox from 2:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. CDT.
WHAT TO WATCH FOR: Highland, I-55 on Tap for Makeup Week
Sheppard returns, Winger full of momentum, Hoffman absent for remainder of tour
HIGHLAND, IL – Aug. 11, 2021 – After two-and-a-half weeks away from competition, the DIRTcar Summer Nationals gets set to enter the home stretch of the 36th annual tour with two makeup races this Fri-Sat night – Highland Speedway on Aug. 13 and Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 on Aug. 14.
The DIRTcar Summit Racing Equipment Modified Nationals will join the Late Models in the weekend swing, ending a two-week break since their most recent appearance in the 31st Prairie Dirt Classic at Fairbury Speedway.
After that, it’s off to Michigan for Championship Week, where both champions will be made official in the season-ending finale at Merritt Speedway on Aug. 21.
Remaining races
Friday, Aug. 13 | Highland Speedway | Highland, IL
Saturday, Aug. 14 | Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 | Pevely, MO
Wednesday, Aug. 18 | Butler Motor Speedway | Quincy, MI
Thursday, Aug. 19 | I-96 Speedway | Lake Odessa, MI
Friday, Aug. 20 | Tri-City Motor Speedway | Auburn, MI
Saturday, Aug. 21 | Merritt Speedway | Lake City, MI
If you can’t make it to the track, catch all the action live on the newly redesigned DIRTVision presented by Drydene.
Here are the drivers to watch and the storylines to follow this weekend…
LAKE CUMBERLAND CANCELED – The tours’ debut at Lake Cumberland Speedway in Burnside, KY, which was rained out on July 26, has officially been canceled and will not be made up. No suitable reschedule date could be found that works for all parties.
This will make both tours a 29-race season, still tying the record for the most races completed in the 36-year history of the Summer Nationals, which was set in 2010 and tied in 2014. $29,000 is now the highest amount of money the Late Model champion can earn, provided each of the remaining races are completed. Every driver’s finish will be counted toward their overall points total.
DOOR’S WIDE OPEN – After two successful outings with the World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Model Series, Nick Hoffman will continue his duties behind the wheel of the Scott Bloomquist Racing Drydene #0 Late Model for the coming weeks. Thus, the three-time Summit Modified champion will not be in attendance for any of the remaining races on the schedule, capping his season at an incredible 19 wins in 20 starts.
This leaves the door wide open for the entire DIRTcar UMP Modified world to come in and grab a victory before the season’s out on Aug. 21 – six chances in all. Six-time Summit Modified champion Mike Harrison, the only driver to defeat Hoffman on tour this season, is expected to attend both Highland and I-55 and will be a favorite to win at both venues.
Treb Jacoby, of O’Fallon, MO, is the current UMP Modified points leader at I-55 and is also expected to be in attendance this weekend. Jacoby wheeled his Beak Built Chassis #J82 to a runner-up finish on July 3 at Fayette County Speedway, marking his best career finish.
CRUNCH TIME – With only six races remaining, it’s now or never for Tanner English.
English, of Benton, KY, sits 186 points behind leader Bobby Pierce in the chase for the championship, heading into two tracks Pierce knows very well. Historically, Highland and I-55 have been Summer Nationals staples, and Pierce won with the Hell Tour at Highland in 2017.
However, good fortune and blessings have recently come over the English family, as Tanner and wife Mallorie welcomed their first child to the world together on Wednesday. With three top-fives in his last three starts, the good fortune and strong finishes have the potential to combine for one special weekend at the track.
JUST PEACHY – Ashton Winger is making himself look like less and less of a Hell Tour “rookie” every weekend. The 21-year-old wheelman from Hampton, GA, scored his second career World of Outlaws Feature win in the postponed Thursday night portion of the USA Nationals at Cedar Lake Speedway last weekend, beating Chase Junghans to the stripe by just .107 seconds to secure the $6,000 prize.
Winger returns to the Hell Tour this weekend in search of career win #5 at two Summer Nationals staple venues – Highland, a track he’s never been to before, and I-55, where he won a Feature in local competition last year.
BI-STATE BATTLE – Since the first weekend in April, a special Late Model points championship tally has been kept between select events at Highland and I-55, offering a $5,000 grand prize to the points leader at season’s end.
This Saturday will mark the 13th race of the miniseries. Michael Kloos leads the charge into Highland with the points lead and three Feature wins so far this year at the quarter-mile, accompanied by two checkered flags at I-55. Jordan Bauer is second in points with one win at Highland, trailed by Mark Voigt, who won the series opener at Highland on April 3.
ROOM FOR SECONDS – 2013 Summer Nationals champion Brandon Sheppard, of New Berlin, IL, will saddle up with the family-owned #B5 at both tracks this weekend, marking his second stint with the tour this season.
B-Shepp scored two victories in five starts during Week #3 and is coming off a strong weekend with the World of Outlaws at Cedar Lake, bagging two top-five finishes in the USA Nationals behind the wheel of the Rocket1 Racing machine.
He’s been downright dominant the past few years when he unloads at I-55, taking the checkered flag in each the last three Summer Nationals appearances at the high-banked third-mile oval (2017, 2018, 2020), plus a win in the Karl’s Chevrolet 50 last year.
WHAT TO WATCH FOR: Highland, I-55 on Tap for Makeup Week
Sheppard returns, Winger full of momentum, Hoffman absent for remainder of tour
HIGHLAND, IL – Aug. 11, 2021 – After two-and-a-half weeks away from competition, the DIRTcar Summer Nationals gets set to enter the home stretch of the 36th annual tour with two makeup races this Fri-Sat night – Highland Speedway on Aug. 13 and Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 on Aug. 14.
The DIRTcar Summit Racing Equipment Modified Nationals will join the Late Models in the weekend swing, ending a two-week break since their most recent appearance in the 31st Prairie Dirt Classic at Fairbury Speedway.
After that, it’s off to Michigan for Championship Week, where both champions will be made official in the season-ending finale at Merritt Speedway on Aug. 21.
Remaining races
Friday, Aug. 13 | Highland Speedway | Highland, IL
Saturday, Aug. 14 | Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 | Pevely, MO
Wednesday, Aug. 18 | Butler Motor Speedway | Quincy, MI
Thursday, Aug. 19 | I-96 Speedway | Lake Odessa, MI
Friday, Aug. 20 | Tri-City Motor Speedway | Auburn, MI
Saturday, Aug. 21 | Merritt Speedway | Lake City, MI
If you can’t make it to the track, catch all the action live on the newly redesigned DIRTVision presented by Drydene.
Here are the drivers to watch and the storylines to follow this weekend…
LAKE CUMBERLAND CANCELED – The tours’ debut at Lake Cumberland Speedway in Burnside, KY, which was rained out on July 26, has officially been canceled and will not be made up. No suitable reschedule date could be found that works for all parties.
This will make both tours a 29-race season, still tying the record for the most races completed in the 36-year history of the Summer Nationals, which was set in 2010 and tied in 2014. $29,000 is now the highest amount of money the Late Model champion can earn, provided each of the remaining races are completed. Every driver’s finish will be counted toward their overall points total.
DOOR’S WIDE OPEN – After two successful outings with the World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Model Series, Nick Hoffman will continue his duties behind the wheel of the Scott Bloomquist Racing Drydene #0 Late Model for the coming weeks. Thus, the three-time Summit Modified champion will not be in attendance for any of the remaining races on the schedule, capping his season at an incredible 19 wins in 20 starts.
This leaves the door wide open for the entire DIRTcar UMP Modified world to come in and grab a victory before the season’s out on Aug. 21 – six chances in all. Six-time Summit Modified champion Mike Harrison, the only driver to defeat Hoffman on tour this season, is expected to attend both Highland and I-55 and will be a favorite to win at both venues.
Treb Jacoby, of O’Fallon, MO, is the current UMP Modified points leader at I-55 and is also expected to be in attendance this weekend. Jacoby wheeled his Beak Built Chassis #J82 to a runner-up finish on July 3 at Fayette County Speedway, marking his best career finish.
CRUNCH TIME – With only six races remaining, it’s now or never for Tanner English.
English, of Benton, KY, sits 186 points behind leader Bobby Pierce in the chase for the championship, heading into two tracks Pierce knows very well. Historically, Highland and I-55 have been Summer Nationals staples, and Pierce won with the Hell Tour at Highland in 2017.
However, good fortune and blessings have recently come over the English family, as Tanner and wife Mallorie welcomed their first child to the world together on Wednesday. With three top-fives in his last three starts, the good fortune and strong finishes have the potential to combine for one special weekend at the track.
JUST PEACHY – Ashton Winger is making himself look like less and less of a Hell Tour “rookie” every weekend. The 21-year-old wheelman from Hampton, GA, scored his second career World of Outlaws Feature win in the postponed Thursday night portion of the USA Nationals at Cedar Lake Speedway last weekend, beating Chase Junghans to the stripe by just .107 seconds to secure the $6,000 prize.
Winger returns to the Hell Tour this weekend in search of career win #5 at two Summer Nationals staple venues – Highland, a track he’s never been to before, and I-55, where he won a Feature in local competition last year.
BI-STATE BATTLE – Since the first weekend in April, a special Late Model points championship tally has been kept between select events at Highland and I-55, offering a $5,000 grand prize to the points leader at season’s end.
This Saturday will mark the 13th race of the miniseries. Michael Kloos leads the charge into Highland with the points lead and three Feature wins so far this year at the quarter-mile, accompanied by two checkered flags at I-55. Jordan Bauer is second in points with one win at Highland, trailed by Mark Voigt, who won the series opener at Highland on April 3.
ROOM FOR SECONDS – 2013 Summer Nationals champion Brandon Sheppard, of New Berlin, IL, will saddle up with the family-owned #B5 at both tracks this weekend, marking his second stint with the tour this season.
B-Shepp scored two victories in five starts during Week #3 and is coming off a strong weekend with the World of Outlaws at Cedar Lake, bagging two top-five finishes in the USA Nationals behind the wheel of the Rocket1 Racing machine.
He’s been downright dominant the past few years when he unloads at I-55, taking the checkered flag in each the last three Summer Nationals appearances at the high-banked third-mile oval (2017, 2018, 2020), plus a win in the Karl’s Chevrolet 50 last year.
CORVETTE RACING AT LE MANS: Finally… the Return Trip
· Program makes return to 24 Hours of Le Mans after missing 2020· First race for mid-engine Corvette C8.R at Le Mans· Nine hours of testing Sunday to set stage for endurance classic· Catsburg, Sims rejoin regular IMSA lineup in pair of Corvette C8.Rs |
| ALEXANDER SIMS, NO. 64 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “The first thing that struck me about going to Le Mans the first time was the fans. Having done some junior single-seaters with one year on the Formula One calendar, I was used to seeing some decent-sized crowds. The pre-race procedure of going through scrutineering in the town center and then the pre-race grid itself, Le Mans was really something else. That was the big thing that stole the show from my point of view in terms of my impression of the race. It was incredible to see not only the amount of fans but also the passion and knowledge they had… plus seeing the number that goes back year after year after year! It’s a bug they get and struggle to shift it, which is lovely to see such commitment from fans. They really make it what it is.”Expectations for the C8.R: “From everything I know from the car, it seems to be very strong in a number of different areas. I haven’t really found a weakness in it yet. The car is super streamlined, has good power and good traction, and is well-balanced through the higher-speed corners that I experienced at Sebring. I really hope it’s going to be quite a force to be reckoned with at Le Mans.” |
As NHRA season heats up, Pro Stock driver Troy Coughlin Jr. stays cool
| TOPEKA, Kan. (Aug. 11) — Whether he’s on the drag strip executing 210-plus mph runs in the JEGS.com Elite Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro or relaxing in the pits mingling with the fans, Pro Stock driver Troy Coughlin Jr. is a pretty unflappable guy. His steady demeanor has yielded three championships in the NHRA’s sportsman ranks as well as eight national event titles, 10 divisional wins and four high-dollar bracket race victories. Heading into this weekend’s 32nd annual Menards NHRA Nationals presented by PetArmor, Coughlin Jr. knows if he can remain cool as the competition (and summertime temperatures) continue to heat up, he’ll be in great shape when the run into this year’s Camping World NHRA Championship takes shape. |
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| “I love this time of the year because everything starts to get more intense,” Coughlin Jr. said. “It brings out the best in people and I love to race when stakes are high. We’ve had a steady first half of the season and I know without question we have a car and team capable of big things. “These yellow and black guys have been making gains across the board, both in the engine shop and on the car itself, so we couldn’t be in a better position. I’m continually amazed at the effort put in (crew chief) Mark Ingersoll, Kelly Murphy, Steven Hurley, Eric Luzinski, and Kyle Bates.” |
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| Although a win has alluded Coughlin Jr. and crew so far this season, they’ve managed to reach two final rounds and qualify in the top half of the field at eight of nine races. At the last stop in Pomona, Calif., he qualified a season-best fourth. “We’d love to break through a get a win this weekend,” Coughlin Jr. said. “I just need to execute each run as perfectly as I can and then move on to the next one. If we do that seven times, we’ll be in the winner’s circle come Sunday afternoon.” |
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| Coughlin Jr. can rely on his family’s legacy at Heartland Park Topeka. His uncle Jeg Coughlin Jr. is a three-time champion at the facility, having won the Super Stock title in 1994 and the Pro Stock trophy in 2000 and 2013. His own father, Troy Coughlin Sr., also found success here when he took home the Pro Stock title in 2002. “Having the Coughlin name is such an honor,” Troy Jr. said. “I just try my best to uphold my end of the deal. I focus on the things I can control and always put forth my best effort. It’s what I owe my family name, my teammates and sponsors, and the fans. I say it all the time, I’m truly living a dream and I never forget how fortunate I am to be driving this car for this organization.” |
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| Prior to the event, Troy Jr., his wife Brenna, and JEGS manager Woody Woodruff plan to find the best bar-be-que in Kansas City. |
cruz pedregon–topeka advance
NHRA® Team Report
NHRA Nationals – Topeka, KS
Pre-Race Report
After a quarter final finish in Pomona, Cruz Pedregon and team put the team’s back-up car to the test at the “Night Under Fire” exhibition in Ohio before heading to Kansas. Topeka’s Heartland Motorsports Park is a historically good track for Cruz where he’s set several records with memorable wins such as the one in the notable “Batman Forever” all-black Funny car.
“Topeka is a consistently great event for me since I’ve won quite a few races here. I love the atmosphere, and the track is strong with really good grip. It’s maybe one of the best surfaces on the circuit, so the team and I are looking forward to it. We’re still working out some kinks to make our race car better, and I’m trying to do a better job as a driver. But overall, the needle is pointing up,” Cruz says. “Watch for the special paint scheme this weekend honoring all the hardworking Snap-on franchisees. Snap-on is our primary sponsor, so I get to meet and ride along with many of the franchisees throughout the year calling on shops and customers. I’ve even been through their training course, so I have a real appreciation for what they do and the Makers and Fixers they serve. I dedicate this race to all the first-rate franchisees who really inspire me, and the plan is to make them proud here at one of my favorite tracks.”
The new “franchise” paint scheme on the Snap-on® “Makers and Fixers” Dodge® SRT®Hellcat® Funny Car carries the signature Snap-on red and black colors with racing stripes featuring special messaging around SnaponFranchise.com. A large “Own It” badge stands out on the hood as a visual reminder of the opportunity to own a Snap-on franchise.
PREPARING TO STRIKE: Blair gains experience for World of Outlaws run
The Centerville, PA driver has six top-10’s with the Series in 2021
MIDDLETOWN, NY – AUGUST, 10 – Author Isaac Marion once wrote, “Every experience, good or bad, is a priceless collector’s item.”
For Pennsylvania’s Max Blair, those items equate to experience he’s gaining for a full-time World of Outlaws run in 2022 – and for a run against the Outlaws in his home state, Aug. 19-22.
In April, Blair teamed up with car-owner Shawn Martin and Viper Motorsports. Since then, the Centerville, PA driver has racked up multiple victories—most of them coming throughout New York and Pennsylvania.
Despite that success, Blair struggled before his team started moving in the right direction.
“It took us about a month or so to get everything to start clicking, but the last month and a half or so has been real good around home,” Blair said. “We’ve had some decent runs at these bigger races too; we’re learning a little bit every night we race this type of stuff.”
Those bigger races include the USA Nationals at Cedar Lake Speedway. Blair finished sixth in the $50,000-to-win finale—a strong showing against some of the best Late Model drivers in the country during his first trip to the Wisconsin track.
Blair’s decision to make the trek to the Badger State was a teaching moment, to gain more knowledge for next season. The Centerville, PA driver hopes the experience puts him on a path toward earning World of Outlaws Rookie of the Year honors next year.
“We’re going to run that ULMS deal around the house, but anytime we can go to any racetrack that has a race we have to be at next year, we’re going to try and hit them all just to try and build a notebook,” Blair said. ”I’m going to see a lot of race tracks I’ve never seen before and a lot of stuff that I’ve never really dealt with before. So, the more we can do this year, the faster it’s going to speed up that learning curve next year.”
Blair is no stranger to Victory Lane with the World of Outlaws, leading The Most Powerful Late Models on the Planet to the checkered flag three times in his career. The Series returns to his backyard for a four-race swing Aug. 19-22, including a stop at Eriez Speedway, where he’s won three times this year.
Blair has some confidence heading into the Northeast swing but knows racing is a sport with many ups and downs.
“We’ve been running pretty good at all of the big races at Eriez this year,” Blair said. “I’ve got a lot of laps around that place, so who knows. Hopefully, I like to think we have a chance at it.”
“You just never know about the other ones either. It’s one thing about this racing deal nowadays. Somebody could be really good today, and you’re going to run 15th tomorrow, and then it can go the other way around too.”
Blair leads a contingent of regional competitors who hope to keep drivers like three-time and defending champion Brandon Sheppard and four-time winner Chris Madden out of Victory Lane.
It’s already happened once this season, when Dave Hess won his second career Morton Buildings Feature at Stateline Speedway in June. Blair finished third in that race, showing how tough it is for the tour regulars to win.
“I’ve said it for years; we’ve got a group of really good guys up our way, especially at our racetracks,” Blair said. “If you look back over the years, it reflects that. Anytime you come to our area, there’s been a bunch of winners from our area, and even if they don’t win the race, there’s always local guys running in the top three or five at every single show.
“That just shows how good the competition is there week-in and week-out.”
Between racing against the tough competition in the Northeast and battlingthe World of Outlaws, Blair learns more with every corner. It’s valuable experience he’s collecting—items he’ll use to make a run toward a Series championship.
The World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Models return to action on Thursday, Aug. 19, at Orange County Fair Speedway in Middletown, NY.
chevy racing–nascar–brickyard–austin dillon
| NASCAR CUP SERIES VERIZON 200 AT THE BRICKYARD INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT AUGUST 10, 2021 AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 DOW MOBILITY SCIENCE CAMARO ZL1 1LE, Teleconference Transcript Highlights: KEVIN HARVICK SAID THAT HE FEELS LIKE INDY SHOULD BE A HERITAGE RACE WITH RACING ON THE TRADITIONAL OVAL. WHAT ARE YOUR FEELINGS ABOUT RACING THE ROAD COURSE?“It’s a good question. I think that the oval, I think we lose a crown jewel when we don’t go to the oval there. This history of it. I don’t think the road course will ever be what the oval history has. So, I’m kind of disappointed that we don’t get to race on the oval. Now, in saying that, I’ve had a lot of fun on the simulator running the road course at Indy. It seems like a cool track, and I wouldn’t mind going twice and doing it two different ways. If we have to run the road course, we still want to be able to run the oval because of the history and legacy there. Everybody wants a real Brickyard trophy. I feel like this weekend, when you win there, it’s not going to be like winning on the oval. That’s my viewpoint.” YOU’RE GOING TO RUN THE XFINITY RACE THERE. HOW MUCH WILL THAT LEND TO BE ABLE TO PULL IT OFF?“I think it’s going to be huge to get the Xfinity race in on Saturday. I think it was good this past weekend and anytime you can get on the track, I think you start fresh for the Cup race. I’m really excited about running the Indy road course race. Billy Scott and everybody at Our Motorsports has worked hard. It’s the same car we brought this past weekend. I had to fix the track bar this week and those guys have been working hard on it. So, it’ll be great to get track time and really see what that track is all about.” HOW NERVOUS ARE YOU ABOUT MAKING THE PLAYOFFS? DOES THE FACT THAT THIS IS ANOTHER ROAD COURSE, DOES THAT MAKE IT EVEN MORE NERVE WRACKING?“No, I’ve been pretty calm, really, about it. I know the situation I’m in. It’s unfortunate the amount of winners that we’ve had this year. I feel like we’d be well in a safe place right now, but we’re not. It’s just the situation we’re in and we’re racing our teammate. But I’m pretty confident after being on the SIM a couple of weeks at Indy. I usually don’t pick-up the road courses on the simulator very fast, but for some reason, Indy came to me pretty quick, which is good, I think, for what we’re going into. I think qualifying is the biggest thing on my mind right now for this coming weekend and getting a good qualifying position, because I know how important, the way it is, it’s so hard to pass on all these road courses that get strung out, that starting position matters. “So, I’m putting a lot of focus into qualifying and trying to make sure that we start up front and give ourselves the best way to get points. We have a 15-point gap right now and if we can maintain or gain a little this weekend, I feel like the next two weeks are good tracks for us and we’ll be in a pretty decent situation going into Daytona, if it is a points game. Obviously, I’d like to lock ourselves in with a win and just don’t want any new winners. That would really put us out. So yeah, I’m in a pretty good calm situation as far as my mental state. I’ve been working out and am ready to go race and see what it brings us. I think we have been very consistent this year. We just haven’t had the speed that we want at some of these tracks, but the road course stuff has been fun. It’s such an improvement for me that I’d love to go back to some of these road courses a second time with what I’ve learned this year.” OF ALL THE ROAD COURSES YOU’VE RUN THIS YEAR, WHICH ONE IS THE MOST COMPARABLE TO INDY?“Wow, it’s so flat. We’ve got elevation change at every track that we’ve gone to. I’d say Daytona has a little less elevation change. So for me, I really don’t know because the asphalt at Indy is so different the way the grooves are cut in it and it’s using a lot of lateral grip there. Sonoma, I think braking force-wise, is probably going to be similar; the amount of brake force and stuff like that because it seems like the track falls off a little bit. So, I’m thinking maybe Sonoma and Daytona, in between there.” LOOKING AHEAD TO MICHIGAN, FANS HAVEN’T BEEN THERE FOR TWO YEARS. YOU’VE GOT THE HERITAGE TROPHY ON THE LINE AND YOU’LL HAVE A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT RACING EXPERIENCE THERE EVEN THOUGH IT’S A BIG WIDE TRACK. TALK ABOUT RACING THIS PACKAGE THERE AND THE EXPERIENCE“Michigan has been a fun race for us on the No. 3 team for us the last couple of years, so we always circle it. We are really focused on this one and the points situation we’re in, we like going to places where we’ve had success in the past. Everybody at RCR has put a lot of focus on our car for that weekend, knowing it’s a good place for us. We’d like to go there and show out for our partners at Dow and Chevrolet. Dow is based out of Midland up there and it’s always good to put on a good show for everyone that helps us get to the track each and every weekend.” DO YOU THAT DAYTONA IS THE FINAL RACE OF THE REGULAR SEASON? WHAT IS YOUR CONFIDENCE LEVEL KNOWING THAT YOU HAVE THAT ON THE SCHEDULE WITH ONE LAST CHANCE TO GET INTO THE PLAYOFFS?“Yeah, that gives the confidence to you as being the last race of the year. And the situation I am in right now, I think I’ve been in other situations down the road, it would probably be more stressful. But for me, we’re in a little bit of a nothing to lose attitude right now because we’ve got to gain on our teammate, and if not, we’ve got to win somehow. So, Daytona is that place and it gives us an opportunity with our ECR horsepower. I don’t know. We’ve just had the ability to keep that No. 3 at the front when we go to Daytona. I like it. It’s a magical place and I’ve had some great runs there. I’m pumped that it’s the last race of our regular season.” IN TALKING ABOUT DAYTONA, LAST YEAR, AS THE REGULAR SEASON FINALE, YOU DIDN’T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT IT WITH YOUR WIN. DID YOU NOTICE THAT THE RACING WAS MUCH DIFFERENT?“For some reason, I can’t really recall that particular race. Usually, I’m pretty good at that. But I think we were kind of coasting in because we knew we were in the Playoffs. But Daytona and Talladega are always a chance because there’s an opportunity there. And with it being the final of the regular season, there are some that will go about it and say hey, I’ve got to get to the checkered flag to have a chance to have a chance to win and there are some that think they’ve got to lead every lap. I’ll definitely be re-watching it, and kind of seeing how people played it and who was aggressive in those moments. But it’s so easy to get aggressive and wipe out half the field there. So many things happen at the speedways with an errant move or an aggressive move and take a lot of people out early. So, you don’t want to be in that situation. But we’ve been pretty successful at the speedways by keeping ourselves up front. But I’ve seen guys get wrecked leading. So, anything can happen at these places. You’ve got to have a good strategy and also a fast car that kind of keeps you out of the way, and a bit of luck.” FOR INDIANAPOLIS AND YOUR WORK ON THE SIMULATOR, HAVE YOU NOTICED MUCH OF A TIRE FALLOFF? IS IT ANY MORE OR LESS THAN OTHER ROAD COURSES?“Our tire model, we do take grip away to see what it’s like on a 10 to 15-lap run. But it’s kind of hard to tell without getting there with that tire and really knowing. We have people at Chevrolet that kind of predict what that falloff is going to be. Those predictions, we try to get them as accurate as possible and kind of build around, knowing that our tires are going to fall off or whatnot. So, we’ve got a prediction. We just need to prove it out in practice.” YOU’VE BEEN HITTING THE GYM PRETTY HARD WITH PAUL SWAN EVERYDAY. WHAT DOES THAT DO FOR YOUR MENTALITY IN A PRESSURE SITUATION?“Hopefully, in any situation in the car, you feel good. You don’t want to have a point where you don’t feel strong enough to be the same driver every lap. Last weekend at Watkins Glen it was pretty hot. And it was a tough physical race. Anytime you can put yourself in a better situation with your heart rate and everything, health-wise, I think it’s better. You are more clear, mentally. I noticed a lot of the guys switching to those Cool Shirts. I’m definitely going to probably try that, coming up. Actually, this weekend is the first time we’re probably going to have that. I ran it in Michael Annett’s car when I jumped-in and it was a big game changer. Anytime you can keep yourself in good physical shape. I worked out with Paul during the off-week, and he’ll kill you. He works out for hours. So, I’ve been back at the gym with our trainer and it’s a little more based on what I do in the car and staying more mobile and keeping my body right, so I’m stretched out and feel good when I get in the race car. And yeah, healthy is a good thing.” |
WHAT TO WATCH FOR: Historic 60th Running of Knoxville Nationals is Here
100+ Entries, Four Nights, Million Dollar Purse, Incredible Racing, LIVE on DIRTVision
KNOXVILLE, IA – August 9, 2021 – The Granddaddy of ‘Em All has arrived. It’s the Knoxville Nationals, people.
On Wednesday, we officially kick off the 60th running of this historic event at Iowa’s famed Knoxville Raceway.
More than 100-plus NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars are already pre-entered and the anticipation continues to only climb for this mega event.
If you can’t make it to the track, watch all of the action live on DIRTVision at either DIRTVision.com or through the DIRTVision App on iPhone, Android, Roku, FireTV or Xbox One.
Here are just a few of the many notable storylines:
CHASING KINSER: With 10 Knoxville Nationals titles to his credit, Donny Schatz sits only two away from matching “The King” Steve Kinser with the most in event history at 12 wins. After a rather public roll-out of the new Ford Performance (FPS410) engine, Schatz’s struggles have been well documented all season long with only one win. However, he and the Tony Stewart/Curb-Agajanian Racing #15 team sure seemed unfazed on Sunday when they ran third at the Capitani Classic. The 300-time World of Outlaws winner will qualify the Carquest entry in Wednesday’s preliminary field.
SUNDAY SCORE: David Gravel and the Big Game Motorsports #2 won the first battle of the week, claiming Sunday’s 10th annual Capitani Classic atop the black zook clay. The reigning Knoxville Nationals champion will have a chance to become the eighth different driver to win back-to-back titles, and that quest begins with his Thursday night preliminary. The good news for Gravel is the last two Knoxville Nationals champions have started their week with a triumph at the Capitani Classic, including himself in 2019 when he swept all three races he ran.
360 NATIONALS: Winning the Knoxville 360 Nationals only four days before the Knoxville 410 Nationals is the kind of momentum every driver dreams of. For Giovanni Scelzi, that’s exactly what he did on Saturday at the 1/2-mile aboard his KCP Racing #18. He became the youngest winner in event history by outlasting former World of Outlaws champion Daryn Pittman in an instant classic that came down to the last lap. Both Scelzi and Pittman will look to carry that speed into their preliminary shows as they each chase their first 410 titles.
THE IRONMAN: For the second-straight Knoxville Nationals, Sheldon Haudenschild enters as the reigning Ironman following his victory at Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 on Saturday night. The only bad news for Sheldon is since the Pevely, MO event was created in 2009, every single winner has failed to win the Nationals one week later. With winning experience under his belt at Knoxville and a fifth-place finish in Sunday’s Capitani Classic, Haudenschild believes he can end that streak this week. His NOS Energy Drink #17 will qualify during Wednesday’s preliminary night.
BACK IT UP: In June, Carson Macedo was the talk of the town when the World of Outlaws swept through Knoxville. The Lemoore, CA native won both nights on the 1/2-mile, giving him his first and second career victories at The Sprint Car Capital of the World. With Crew Chief Philip Dietz, who won the 2016 Nationals with Jason Johnson and 2019 Nationals with David Gravel, Macedo feels more confident than ever entering the August tradition. They’ve left this particular Maxim Chassis sitting on the shelf since sweeping in June, threw in a new Kistler Engine for this week, and have a special design for Thursday’s preliminary night.
CLAWING FORWARD: The Big Cat Brad Sweet is sitting pretty with a third-straight World of Outlaws championship in sight, but he’s made it clear his goal remains winning the Crown Jewel races. The 2018 Knoxville Nationals winner is aiming to join an elite club as the eighth multi-time champion in event history with another score this week. However, the Kasey Kahne Racing squad will have to overcome some Knoxville struggles this season to get the job done. The NAPA Auto Parts #49 won once in weekly competition here, but finishes of 6th & 16th with the Outlaws and an 11th at the Capitani Classic will need improvement this week.
ROTH QUESTIONS: Since Aaron Reutzel’s suspension six days ago, Roth Motorsports has been the hottest topic in all of Sprint Car racing. The question around town in Knoxville and on social media is who will drive the #83 at the Knoxville Nationals. The Dennis Roth led operation tabbed Parker Price-Miller to run the #83 at I-55, and they shined bright setting QuickTime both nights and leading laps, but PPM has commitments to Guy Forbook’s #5 this week. The rumors have been flying off the wall left and right with names from sea to shining sea tossed around. The only concrete thing, though, is no official driver has been announced yet for their Thursday preliminary night.
KINGS COURT: Both King Kyle XXXVII and King Tyler XXXVIII will be in action at the Knoxville Nationals this week, and both will compete in Thursday’s stacked preliminary field. Larson, who just won Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Watkins Glen, is hopping on a plane and making his way to Iowa to drive the Paul Silva #57. The California sensation has five A-Main starts but has never conquered the Nationals. For Sunshine, he and the Clauson-Marshall Racing, NOS Energy Drink TURBO #7BC are chasing their first appearance in Saturday’s A-Main, which pays $10,000 just to start.
SLAMMIN’ SAMMY: No driver has contested more Knoxville Nationals than Slammin’ Sammy Swindell. He’ll make his 46th appearance this weekend with the potential to qualify for his 35th A-Main, which would tie him with Steve Kinser for the most A-Main appearances all-time. The 1983 Knoxville Nationals champion will pilot the Pete Grove owned #70 in Thursday’s preliminary field.
CHOMP CHOMP: With a fresh engine aboard the Shark Racing, Drydene Performance Products #1S, Logan Schuchart will be a lethal contender in Wednesday’s preliminary. Remember, the last Knoxville Nationals in 2019 is when the Hanover, PA native put together a miraculous 22nd-to-2nd charge and netted $75,000. Before racing begins, Schuchart and the Shark crew will be unveiling their Nationals designs on Tuesday at 2pm CT at the Sprint Car Hall of Fame.
‘MO MONEY: The prestige of the Knoxville Nationals alone is worthy of drawing 100+ cars, but the money is a whole different matter. With the added lap money, the 60th running this week boasts a purse of $1,064,855, the highest in the history of Sprint Car racing. Saturday’s champion takes home $150,000 for winning, but every lap led is an additional $1,000, meaning the potential is there for a $200,000 payday. The best part of Knoxville’s purse is the healthy structure of pay, offering a season-changing $75,000 for second, $37,500 for third, and $10,000 just to make the Feature.
FAREWELL KNOXVILLE: For the 39th and final time, Jac Haudenschild will contest this week’s Knoxville Nationals as part of his Farewell Tour. “The Wild Child” drives for Rico Abreu in the iconic Pennzoil #22, a replica of the car owned by Jack and Carol Elden in the 1990s. Jac won two preliminary Features and started on the pole of the 1998 Knoxville Nationals in that very car. On Thursday, he’ll begin his week in preliminary action, and on Saturday, the National Sprint Car Hall of Famer will run his final laps at the Knoxville Nationals.
ALL ABOUT POINTS: The best route to a Knoxville Nationals crown is through the front row, and the only way you make it there is with a phenomenal preliminary performance. The more points, the closer to the front. On prelims on Wednesday and Thursday, Qualifying rewards 200-198-196-etc. with Heat Races paying 100-97-94-etc. and the Feature again offering 200-198-196-etc. A perfect night would tally 500 points, something only done once in the last 25 years.
PERFECT TIMING: When you think of the most surprising drivers without a Knoxville Nationals, Brian Brown is right at the top of the list. Brownie is tied with Joey Saldana for the most second-place finishes (3, 2012-14) without a win to his credit. However, if any year were to be his year, 2021 would be quite fitting for #21. Since handing the wrenches to his uncle and Knoxville Raceway legend Danny Lasoski, the Casey’s General Stores, FVP Parts machine has found a whole new gear. The Grain Valley, MO native will try to win his third Nationals preliminary Feature in Thursday’s field.
THE INVERT: Arguably the most exciting racing of the week comes in the form of Heat Races during Wednesday and Thursday’s preliminary nights. Following Qualifying, the field is lined up in five, 10-lap Heat Races with an eight-car inversion. Meaning you go fastest and you start eighth in the first Heat. It gets tougher from there because only the top-four finishers in the Heat Races will transfer directly to the preliminary Feature.
MARION COUNTY LOCALS: One of the greatest aspects of the Knoxville Nationals is seeing the wide array of competitors all battle on the same turf. This week brings the World of Outlaws, the All Stars, the PA Posse, the Cali clique, and so many more to the Marion County Fairgrounds to race for big money and history. It’s the ultimate opportunity for Knoxville regulars to make a lasting mark. Among the contenders, this week are points leader Davey Heskin and two-time winner Justin Henderson on Wednesday, plus Austin McCarl and Brian Brown on Thursday.
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: Of the 100-plus entries, currently 16 of them will be vying for the Rookie of the Year honors. Those sticking out include Zeb Wise, an All Star Circuit of Champions full-timer substituting for Buddy Kofoid in the potent CJB Motorsports #5XX, and Missouri’s Ayrton Gennetten who has Knoxville ace Chad Morgan on the wrenches of his #3. Both young guns will participate in Wednesday’s preliminary.
MR. SPRINT CAR: Since 2002, the tradition of Southern Iowa Speedweek has seen one driver who consistently outperformed his competitors in a variety of events at different tracks crowned as Mr. Sprint Car. This year’s award in honor of Jesse Hockett is presented by Beaver Drill & Tool with a boosted purse of $6,000 to the winner, $2,500 to second, and $1,000 to third. As of now, Justin Henderson (132) leads the way with Shane Golobic (132), Cory Eliason (129), Giovanni Sceliz (128), and Tyler Courtney (114) following.
If you can’t make it to the track, watch all of the action live on DIRTVision at either DIRTVision.com or through the DIRTVision App on iPhone, Android, Roku, FireTV or Xbox One
Wayne Taylor Racing Retains IMSA Championship Lead Despite Difficult Day at Road America
Wayne Taylor Racing podium pace marred by puncture
Meyer Shank Racing unable to capitalize on strategy gamble
Gradient Racing takes eighth place GTD result in the Acura NSX GT3 Evo
ELKHART LAKE, WI (August 8, 2021) – Both Acura ARX-05 Prototypes hit late-race snags at Road America, resulting in the Wayne Taylor Racing #10 and Meyer Shank Racing #60 finishing off the podium in today’s IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship race.
The #10 WTR Acura started on the front row in the hands of Ricky Taylor, and spent most of the two-hour, 40-minute event in that second position. However, the team was forced to make an extra stop in the final half hour when contact with the #55 Mazda cut Taylor’s co-driver, Filipe Albuquerque’s left rear tire.
Albuquerque fell to the fifth position, but moved into fourth place on the final lap of the race. Despite the unfortunate result, the team still maintains a 41-point lead in the drivers’ championship with three races remaining.
Meyer Shank Racing’s Olivier Pla started the race in the sixth position in his #60 ARX-05, before handing over to co-driver Dan Cameron. The team would take a gamble on fuel strategy, propelling Cameron into the lead of the race for 31 laps. However, the gamble did not pay off for the team and they were forced to come back down pit road for a splash with three and a half minutes remaining and ultimately finish fifth.
Acura NSX GT3 Evo
In the production-based GTD division, Gradient Racing’s Till Bechtolsheimer and Marc Miller led the charge for Acura, finishing eighth in their Acura NSX GT3 Evo.
Magnus with Archangel’s Andy Lally and John Potter looked set for their best result of the season before their #44 NSX lost a wheel in the closing stages of the race. The #76 Compass Racing Acura NSX GT3 Evo of Mario Farnbacher and Jeff Kingsley were taken out of contention when the team was forced to make an extra stop to change tires. Despite finishing in the 12th position, the team showed pace with Farnbacher setting the fastest lap of the race in GTD.
Acura IMSA SportsCar Weekend at Road America Results
4th overall – #10 Wayne Taylor Racing Acura ARX-05 DPi
Drivers Ricky Taylor, Filipe Albuquerque
5th overall – #60 Meyer Shank Racing Acura ARX-05 DPi
Drivers Dane Cameron, Olivier Pla
8th GTD – Gradient Racing Acura NSX GT3 Evo
Drivers Till Bechtolsheimer, Marc Miller
12th GTD – Compass Racing Acura NSX GT3 Evo
Drivers Jeff Kingsley, Mario Farnbacher
13th GTD – Magnus with Archangel Acura NSX GT3 Evo
Drivers John Potter, Andy Lally –not running
DPi Manufacturers’ Championship Drivers’ Championship (after 7 of 10 rounds)
- Cadillac 2,574 1. Filipe Albuquerque, Ricky Taylor 2,380
- Acura 2,486 2. Pipo Derani, Felipe Nasr 2,339
- Mazda 2,409 3. Oliver Jarvis, Harry Tincknell 2,337
Quotes
Dane Cameron (#60 Meyer Shank Racing Acura ARX-05) finished fifth: “We’ve been struggling a little bit throughout the week, so we took a shot at it with a different strategy today. We made the car a little bit better this morning and it was good in the race. There has been a lot of weather around so we thought, you know, we just kind of need to take a shot here, and kind of roll the dice a little bit. So we were a little bit off sequence there and needed a little bit of help to be able to make it work, just came up a little bit short. But I’m proud of the guys for an aggressive call and glad we had a good fast car. They did a great job in the pits and it was a good strategy. We just kind of rolled the dice and needed a little bit of help and didn’t get it.”
Till Bechtolsheimer (#66 Gradient Racing Acura NSX GT3 Evo) finished eighth: “Today was good! That was really tiring. It was about twice as long as I’m normally in the car for, and I wasn’t able to drink any water while I was in there, so I was struggling a little at the end physically. But I really enjoyed the stint and I was glad I was able to hang in there with the guys in front. I had a great time this whole weekend, this is a fantastic circuit and the NSX was a pleasure to drive here. We had pretty mixed conditions all weekend, and the Acura NSX does great in variable conditions. We were kind of hoping for rain in the race, and even though that didn’t end up happening, I had a lot of fun out there.”
Marc Miller (#66 Gradient Racing Acura NSX GT3 Evo) finished eighth: “We were hoping to make it on one stop after that caution, and that very few other cars would be able to, but it seems that almost everyone was able to make it on fuel. Our pace, compared to Friday and Saturday, was much, much better. But, because of the strategy we went with, our second stop was significantly longer and we lost a lot of ground there. I think we’re happy to leave with a top-10, but you always want to finish higher. Till drove an absolute rockstar stint. I hope people are beginning to realize what a great bronze he is. He drove one of the best races of his life and I really see a bright future for him in this sport. He kept us up there and in the race all day, definitely would not have finished in the top 10 if he didn’t put that performance in.
David Salters (President, Honda Performance Development) on today’s race at Road America: “Everybody worked really hard this weekend and, as always, put everything on the line to do well here. But, this is racing, sometimes that works, and sometimes it doesn’t. If you get a puncture [as happened to the #10 Wayne Taylor Racing Acura], there’s not much you can do about that. It’s unfortunate because the WTR team was looking at a likely top-two finish prior to their issue. For Meyer Shank Racing, I think they needed to take a calculated risk on strategy to fight for the win, and unfortunately it didn’t pan out for them. That’s racing. However, we are still leading the drivers’ championship leaving this race. Everything is to play for in these final races, and from here we’re going to look forward and move on.”
Acura IMSA SportsCar Weekend at Road America Fast Facts
Acura Motorsports has scored eight victories at Road America, most recently in 2020 with Ricky Taylor and Helio Castroneves.
Acura’s first win at Road America came in 1993 with Parker Johnstone and Dan Marvin in their Comptech Racing Acura Spice SE92P.
Next
The WeatherTech SportsCar Championship next travels to WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca September 10-12.
Acura Motorsports Social media content and video links from this weekend are available on Instagram (www.instagram.com/hondaracing_hpd), Twitter (www.twitter.com/HondaRacing_HPD) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/HondaRacingHPD). Additional features and long-form videos can be found on the Ho
chevy racing indycar–grand prix of nashville–post race
CHEVROLET RACING IN NTT INDYCAR SERIES BIG MACHINE MUSIC CITY GRAND PRIX STREETS OF NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE TEAM CHEVY RACE RECAP AUGUST 8, 2021 FELIX ROSENQVIST CAPS STRONG WEEKEND IN NASHVILLE TO LEAD TEAM CHEVY CONTINGENT IN BIG MACHINE MUSIC CITY GRAND PRIX NASHVILLE (August 8, 2021) – Felix Rosenqvist, No. 7 Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet, liked the new street course in Downtown Nashville when he first laid eyes on it during the track walk prior to the start of the inaugural Big Machine Music City Grand Prix weekend. With extensive street course experience all over Europe early in his career, Rosenqvist adapted quickly to the intricacies of the tight, bumpy course. He was solid in practice, qualified well and brought home an eighth-place finish. The 80-lap race saw nine cautions for 33 laps from several multi-car accidents that damaged many of the front-runners and left them mired deep in the field. Two-time NTT INDYCAR Series champion Josef Newgarden, No. 2 Hitachi Team Penske Chevrolet, finished 10th after receiving damage from contact as drivers were trying to avoid cars stopped on course early in the race. He battled his way through the field to grab the top-10 and sits fourth in the standings with five races remaining. Pato O’Ward, No. 5 Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet, salvaged a 13th place finish after being involved in one of the numerous incidents. He dropped to third in the standings but remains in the title chase only six points out of second. Marcus Ericsson was the race winner. Next on the schedule is the historic NTT INDYCAR SERIES and NASCAR Cup Series weekend on the road course at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The Big Machine Spiked Coolers GP for INDYCAR will be Saturday, August 14, 2021. On Sunday, the Chevrolet teams and drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series will compete in the Verizon 200. TEAM CHEVY DRIVERS FINISHING POSITIONS:8th: Felix Rosenqvist, No. 7 Vuse Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet10th: Josef Newgarden, No. 2 Hitachi Team Penske Chevrolet12th: Conor Daly, No. 20 U.S. Air Force Chevrolet13th: Pato O’Ward, No. 5 Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet14th: Will Power, No. 12 Verizon 5G Team Penske Chevrolet18th: Max Chilton, No. 59 Carlin Chevrolet21st: Simon Pagenaud, No. 22 Menards Chevrolet22nd: Scott McLaughlin, No. 3 DEX Imaging Team Penske Chevrolet23rd : Dalton Kellett, No. 4 K-Line Insulators AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet24th: Rinus VeeKay, No. 21 Sonax/Autogeek Chevrolet27th: Sebastien Bourdais, No. 14 ROKiT AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet DRIVER QUOTES:FELIX ROSENQVIST, NO. 7 ARROW MCLAREN SP CHEVROLET, FINISHED 8TH: “We were solidly in sixth until the final red flag. Everyone around us was on reds and we were on blacks. I couldn’t get them up to temperature and I lost two positions in the final lap to finish eighth. I feel we never were quite able to build up enough momentum to attack. At the same time, it was a crazy race. I’m just happy to finish it to be honest, because a lot of cars ended up in the wall. The race was a special one, but at least we got some points and are a bit closer to where we should be. Definitely leaves us wanting a bit more next weekend on the IMS road course.” JOSEF NEWGARDEN, NO. 2 HITACHI TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET, FINISHED 10TH: “It was a really tough weekend, you know, it’s been a tough week. It was a great event and I’m really proud of the city of Nashville and IndyCar. I think just putting this together they did a great job. But specifically on the No. 2 Hitachi Chevy, just sort of a nightmare day. Up and down, you know just tried to fight and I think ultimately I can’t be too sad. I don’t think we can be dissatisfied with 10th. As up and down as the day was and as much chaos happened, 10th’s not the worst thing coming out of here, but very disappointed. I’m proud of my team. I think they did a great job and Team Chevy and the support from Hitachi and all our partners is always top-notch and the people on the 2 car are a pretty special bunch. I’ll be happy to go into the next race and keep fighting and come back here next year and hopefully redeem ourselves.” CONOR DALY, NO. 20 U.S. AIR FORCE CHEVROLET, FINISHED 12TH: “I don’t really know how to describe today. I saw a car with its nose 30 feet in the air, then that car won the race and I’m not really sure how that happened! We were in the right position for a podium, it seemed like we were doing the right things but we got unlucky the way the strategy fell. To be in the Top 12 today was good, but it’s really tough to be that close to a podium. We’ve done so much work to put ourselves in a good position and we just can’t quite get there. We were right there today, we will keep trying and hopefully get a podium soon!” PATO O’WARD, NO. 5 ARROW MCLAREN SP CHEVROLET, FINISHED 13TH: “What a weekend here for the first race in Nashville. Honestly, I feel I did a really good job at the beginning. The team was spot on with the strategy calls that they made. But we picked up two penalties and, while I might not agree with them, it is what it is. At one point we were 20th and were able to recover all the way to 13th, which is a positive. I saved some points there at the end with these No. 5 Arrow McLaren SP guys, but a disappointing day.” WILL POWER, NO. 12 VERIZON 5G TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET, FINISHED 14TH: “Pretty crazy day. I feel bad for Scott definitely. I thought he saw me and I was on new tires and he had like 15 laps on his and it was totally on me. Just a bad move. Rough day to say the least. A 14th-place finish is not a very good day for the No. 12 Verizon 5G Chevy, but I learned a lot.” SIMON PAGENAUD, NO. 22 MENARDS TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET, FINISHED 21ST: “Well, we didn’t have the day we expected with the Menards Chevy. We had a fantastic racecar, really fast. I wish we could have been at the front all day, but we got collected in two big incidents and ended up not finishing the race, which was a shame. I really enjoyed the racetrack this weekend and I love the town. I’m going to come back and visit. I want to see some good restaurants and music. The design of the track was fun and I look forward to coming back next year.” SCOTT MCLAUGHLIN, NO. 3 DEX IMAGING TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET—FINISHED 22ND : “Promising day, but unfortunately it turned into a bit of a negative. Our Dex Imaging Chevy looked good and we were coming through the field fast. I was having a lot of fun passing a few cars and passing people on strategy. But unfortunately I got taken out twice. It’s disappointing, but its part of it. I’m probably more disappointed for Dex Imaging. It is their first time back on the car since St. Pete. We were having a good run there. I learned a lot this weekend. It’s a promising sign for my INDYCAR career and I’ll continue to focus on just trying to be better and trying to put myself in better situations so we don’t get caught up in the mess. I learned a lot. I love Nashville, and I can hardly wait to come back next year.” RINUS VEEKAY, NO. 21 SONAX ED CARPENTER RACING CHEVROLET, FINISHED 24TH: “First, I just want to thank my guys for all of their hard work repairing the car. They did a great job and I wish I could have got a good result for them. I had a really good first 20 laps, I made it up to P12 from starting P22. I was on for a really good restart, but I got caught up with everyone stopping on track. The car was hit from the back and I got a lot of damage. We tried to get it repaired and back on track, but when I hit the brakes it locked up completely and I went right into the wall. That was the end for me, unfortunately. We are going back to Indy next week, which has been a good track for me and hopefully I can have some luck again!” SEBASTIEN BOURDAIS, NO. 14 ROCKIT AJ FOYT RACING CHEVROLET, INVOVED IN MULTICAR ACCIDENT EARLY IN THE RACE – FINISHED 27th:“I was looking forward to that race but unfortunately we won’t get anything out of it. Following a decent start, sitting 14th, Marcus was right in my gearbox before the restart, but the field started to check up and he ran right over us damaging our car very significantly, putting an end to our race…”