LA Honda World Racing’s Mike LaMarra and Mat Pombo fight to finish second
Back-to-back poles for Atlanta Speedwerks
VGMC shows pace, perseveres following penalties in the two-hour race

SEBRING, Fla. (March 19, 2021) – It was a welcome return to the podium for the #73 LA Honda World Honda Civic Type R TCR pair of Mike LaMarra and Mat Pombo in today’s IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge race from Sebring International Raceway.

Starting third in the Alan Jay Automotive Network 120, LaMarra moved into second at the start of the two-hour contest. Pushing hard during his stint, but keeping his nose clean, LaMarra handed the #73 Honda over to co-driver Pombo under yellow, just after the halfway mark of the event.

Pombo restarted sixth and was able to make his way through to second position in the closing stages of the contest. Pombo closed the gap to within a half second of the leader, challenging for the win before GS class traffic interfered with his passing attempts in the final laps. The LA Honda World team would cross the line in just one and a half seconds behind the TCR class winner, marking the second consecutive second place finish for Honda in IMPC competition.

Starting from pole, the first third of the race was dominated by the #84 Atlanta Speedwerks car, driven by Brian Henderson. Henderson maintained control of the field from the drop of the green flag until a brake line issue ultimately ended his, and teammate Robert Noaker’s, day early.

The sister Atlanta Speedwerks car stormed to a seventh-place finish in today’s event, after starting in 14th place. Ryan Eversley and Greg Strelzoff made the most of traffic and pit strategy, as well as a fast pit crew, to catapult themselves well into the top 10.

Rounding out the quartet of Honda Civic Type R TCRs was VGMC Racing, who came home with an 11th place result. Struggling with a throttle issue in qualifying, the VGMC team of Victor Gonzalez and Ruben Iglesias overcame their issue and at one point was the fastest TCR car on track. They made their way up to the top five before a pair of penalties dropped them back in the field.

Alan Jay Automotive Network 120 Race Results
2nd TCR – #73 Mat Pombo and Mike LaMarra, LA Honda World Honda Civic Type R TCR
7th TCR – #94 Ryan Eversley and Greg Strelzoff, Atlanta Speedwerks Honda Civic Type R TCR
11th TCR – #88 Victor Gonzalez and Ruben Iglesias, VGMC Racing Honda Civic Type R TCR
15th TCR – #84 Robert Noaker and Brian Henderson, Atlanta Speedwerks Honda Civic Type R TCR – not running

Quotes
Mike LaMarra (#73 LA Honda World Honda Civic Type R TCR), finished second: “It was great! We finally got the car handling better than we have before. We had a really strong engine, thanks to JAS and HPD this weekend, and it was fun out there! The team did a great job, Mat, of course, did a great job, we just needed a few more things to fall our way [to win]. Those didn’t happen, but we’re still incredibly happy to be here on the podium.”

Mat Pombo (#73 LA Honda World Honda Civic Type R TCR), finished second: “To be able to race and be up front and have a competitive car feels like a long time coming. Especially at Sebring – which is probably not one of our best track. To do well here is always exciting for the future and the next few races. I have to thank LA Honda World, HPD, JAS. They sent a motor over to do some testing with and flew over from Europe to help us troubleshoot some stuff. It was really a whole Honda team effort today. Mike drove a great stint. As he said, a couple of lapped cars at the end ended up hurting me instead of the [the leader]. I don’t know if I could have passed [the winning Road Shagger entry] without the help, but they didn’t make any mistakes so congratulations to the #61 guys. But, we feel really excited going into the next few races so hopefully we can get up on the top step here soon!”

Front Row Start for Acura at Sebring
Ricky Taylor, Wayne Taylor Racing qualifies second for Acura
Olivier Pla to start fourth in his Meyer Shank Racing ARX-05
John Potter, Andy Lally to start 13th in their Acura NSX GT3 Evo

SEBRING, Fla. (March 19, 2021) – Defending IMSA series champion and Rolex 24 winner Ricky Taylor secured a front-row start for Acura today at Sebring International Raceway for Saturday’s Mobil-1 Twelve Hours of Sebring, qualifying second fastest in his Konica Minolta Wayne Taylor Racing Acura ARX-05.

The 15-minute session, to set the starting field for this weekend’s endurance classic, saw Olivier Pla also have a strong run, posting the fifth-fastest time in his Sirius XM Meyer Shank Racing Acura prototype, just a second off the pole around the nearly four-mile long Sebring circuit.

In the production-based GTD category, John Potter qualifying his Magnus with Archangel Acura NSX GT3 Evo 11th; and will share driving duties tomorrow with Andy Lally and Spencer Pumpelly.

Twelve Hours of Sebring Qualifying Results
2nd overall – #10 Ricky Taylor, Wayne Taylor Racing Acura ARX-05 DPi
5th overall – #60 Olivier Pla, Meyer Shank Racing Acura ARX-05 DPi
11th GTD – #44 John Potter, Magnus with Archangel Acura NSX GT3 Evo

Quotes
Ricky Taylor (#10 Wayne Taylor Racing ARX-05) qualified 2nd; race co-drivers will include Filipe Albuquerque and Alexander Rossi: “Really happy with our Konica Minolta Acura. Everyone on the team has been working really hard since [the season opening race at] Daytona. Alex [Rossi] and Filipe [Albuquerque] are both really fast as well. Our plan for tomorrow is to really start to put the pressure on as we approach the night time and the track cools down. We’re really looking forward to a good race.”

Olivier Pla (#60 Meyer Shank Racing Acura ARX-05): Qualified 5th; co-drivers will be Dane Cameron and Juan Pablo Montoya: “We worked a lot on the car balance yesterday. With good balance, we will be in a better position for the end of the race tomorrow. Our qualifying session was difficult and we aren’t in the position that we wanted to be, but now it is time to focus ahead on the race. The Meyer Shank Racing team will get the car setup for tomorrow so that we can race through the field and be in the front in the last few hours.”

David Salters (President, Honda Performance Development) on today’s qualifying: “A reasonable day at Sebring, fighting for pole, the difference [0.110 seconds] is about as close as it gets in sports car racing. Well done to Ricky [Taylor] and the Wayne Taylor Racing organization, maintaining their momentum from the victory at the [season-opening] Daytona race. Looking forward to another great race tomorrow from our teams, all of whom know how to race well here, and another demonstration of Acura’s performance on track.”

Fast Facts
Acura comes to this year’s Twelve Hours of Sebring as two-time defending IMSA Manufacturers’ Champion in the premier DPi category with the Acura ARX-05 prototype, and defending Manufacturers’ Champion in the production-based GTD class with the Acura NSX GT3 Evo.
Following the Rolex 24 season-opening victory for Acura and Wayne Taylor Racing and fourth-place finish for Meyer Shank Racing, Acura leads the IMSA Manufacturer, Driver and Endurance Cup championships.
In the premier Manufacturers’ Title chase, Acura has 380 points to 335 for second-ranked Cadillac. Acura holds a two-point lead over Cadillac in the Endurance Cup standings. In the drivers’ points chase, Taylor, Albuquerque and Rossi have a 31-point advantage over Jimmie Johnson, Mike Rockenfeller and Simon Pagenaud, in second with 345 points.
New for 2021 Type S graphics on the two ARX-05 prototypes are intended to reinforce the connection between Acura’s racing and productions vehicles, and our theme of Precision Crafted Performance.
Acura has recently announced production plans for Type S versions of the TLX performance sedan and MDX. Both models will be powered by turbocharged V6 engines, similar to the production-based engine used in the ARX-05 prototype.

Where to Watch the Rolex 24 at Daytona
Television coverage from Sebring begins at 10 a.m. ET Saturday on the NBC Sports Network. Complete, flag-to-flag race coverage also will be available on the NBC Sports App and TrackPass on NBC Gold.

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

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

CORVETTE RACING AT SEBRING: Garcia Leads Corvette 1-2 Milner second in ultra-close GTLM qualifying between two Corvette C8.Rs

SEBRING, Fla. (March 19, 2021) – Antonio Garcia put Corvette Racing on the GT Le Mans (GTLM) pole position Friday for the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring presented by Advance Auto Parts as the team looks to continue its strong opening to the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. Garcia, driving the No. 3 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R, set a GTLM record with a 1:54.910 (117.169 mph) around the 3.74-mile, 17-turn circuit for Saturday’s race in central Florida. He was a sliver quicker – by just 0.034 seconds – than teammate Tommy Milner in the No. 4 Corvette. His time was a 1:54.944 (117.135 mph). Garcia was the GTLM pole-winner for November’s rescheduled 2020 Sebring 12 Hours, and he shared the GTLM Drivers Championship with teammate Jordan Taylor. The pairing, along with Nicky Catsburg, won the Rolex 24 At Daytona to open the 2021 season. Milner, Nick Tandy and Alexander Sims were second at the Rolex but were the GTLM pole-sitters there. Milner also won a two-hour, 40-minute sprint race at Sebring in July with Oliver Gavin. Corvette Racing and Chevrolet sit 1-2 in the early-season GTLM points standings. The No. 3 Corvette group leads over the No. 4 C8.R in full-season points, but the positions are switched in the Michelin Endurance Cup. The four-race championship is made of IMSA’s four long-distance races with Milner, Tandy and Sims claiming the most points at the pre-determined marks of the Rolex 24. Sebring serves as the second round of the MEC. All signs point toward Corvette Racing contending for its 13th victory at Sebring International Raceway and 12th in the annual 12-hour enduro. The program’s last two Rolex 24 victories in 2015 and 2016 led to race wins at Sebring only weeks later.  The mid-engine C8.R and Corvette Stingray street car were developed simultaneously, and the race car and production vehicle share more technology and parts than any previous-generation Corvette. When initial Corvette C8.R design and development work began more than six years ago, Corvette Racing engineers worked closely alongside Corvette production personnel with a heavy emphasis on wind tunnel and simulation testing. The Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. ET on Saturday. The race will air on NBCSN from 10 a.m.-noon and 7-10:30 p.m. ET. The full race will be streamed on TrackPass via NBC Sports Gold and the NBC Sports App. IMSA Radio will air full qualifying and race coverage at IMSA.comalong with Sirius 216, XM 392 and SiriusXM Online 992.

ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – GTLM POLE-WINNER: “It was very stressful! We are not used to qualifying together with the GTD cars, so initially it was very difficult for us to gauge how much room you had to fall back in order not to catch them. It seemed like no matter how much we were back, we were still catching them. I knew Tommy was coming from behind me, so I couldn’t really open a gap; I didn’t want to bother him. The first attempt was really bad. The second one I thought I had enough gap but had to dive for a pass going into Turn 17. I knew it was a good lap, so I had to go for it. I’m very happy for Corvette. It’s always good to have Corvette Racing up there 1-2 even if it is a long race. Let’s see if we can keep those positions like we did at Daytona.”ON QUALIFYING WITH GTD CARS: “We are just used to qualifying alone, so we need to get used to it. For the first race, it was a little bit of a shock for us because we didn’t know how to place ourselves on track not to interfere with them and for them to not interfere with us. That’s the key thing. They have 12-13 cars in that category so it’s always difficult around Sebring anyway. When it comes to shorter races, I don’t know what’s going to happen. Sebring is a long track. I think we all more or less got a clean lap but for sure it was stressful.”TELL US ABOUT THE POLE RUN WHICH IS A NEW TRACK RECORD AND BEING BACK WITH JORDAN AND NICKY AFTER WINNING THE ROLEX 24: “It is always good to be back at Sebring and always special to do qualifying with lighter tanks and going for it. I really enjoy doing that even though with the new rules this year we are sharing the track with the GTD category, so that brings a little more excitement into the qualifying because you need to place yourself in the right position not to catch them. It was very stressful and I didn’t know what the gap would be between the two categories. On my fast lap, I had to pass a car into (Turn) 17 but it didn’t seem to disturb me too much. I think it was (Earl) Bamber driving the other car. He didn’t block me or put me in a bad situation, so sorry if I destroyed his lap but I had to go. I’m pretty happy with that and a 1-2 for Corvette Racing. We will see if we can keep this for tomorrow’s race.”DO YOU FEEL LIKE THERE IS UNFINISHED BUSINESS HERE FOR THE C8.R?“I think so. Last year we were in position as we proved by setting the pole and then being up there fighting with the BMWs and Porsches. I think we had the pace at the end, but unfortunately we couldn’t fight for it. So tomorrow is just another race, and we need to focus on that… on trying to win this thing. It’s going to be tough as Sebring has always been. It’s different conditions. Hopefully it won’t be as hot as it was  yesterday. Maybe things will be a tiny bit easier. We will go through all three different conditions – cooler at the beginning, then very hot, then cooler again at night. We just need to survive out there and then when it gets to the last two hours, it’s game on. Let’s see how it goes, and as you said, unfinished business from last year so let’s see if we can take home this one.”

TOMMY MILNER, NO. 4 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – QUALIFIED SECOND IN GTLM: “We can’t be unhappy with first and second. To be that close and not having scored a pole in IMSA competition is frustrating! But the cars were obviously super-quick today. The competition is also close, too. It looks like we will have a pretty tough race tomorrow. It’s tough no matter what at Sebring, but when you have three other cars that are going to be competitive for the whole race, that makes it trickier. We still have a little work to do with car setup and get it as good as we can for the whole 12 hours. We’re starting from a good spot in terms of position on the track but from a comfort standpoint, we’re in a good place too. We’ll do a little more in the warmup, and we have 12 hours to make little tweaks and tunes as we need.”EVOLUTION OF C8.R FROM FIRST TIME AT SEBRING IN 2020: “It’s hard to compare to our first time here. Every time we go to the track, the guys are taking lessons from data and from the simulator to improve things. If we went back to exactly how we ran for the first time here in February of last year, I’m sure the cars would feel significantly different. It’s being refined and evolving over time. Certainly we are going in the right direction.”

CORVETTE RACING AT SEBRING: Antonio Garcia Pole-Winner Quote

SEBRING, Fla. (March 19, 2021) – Antonio Garcia put Corvette Racing on the GT Le Mans (GTLM) pole position Friday for the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring presented by Advance Auto Parts as the team looks to continue its strong opening to the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. Garcia, driving the No. 3 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R, set a lap of 1:54.910 around the 3.74-mile, 17-turn circuit for Saturday’s race in central Florida. He was a sliver quicker – by just 0.034 seconds – than teammate Tommy Milner in the No. 4 Corvette. Garcia was the GTLM pole-winner for November’s rescheduled 2020 Sebring 12 Hours. He also was part of the class-winning lineup for the Rolex 24 At Daytona with Jordan Taylor and Nicky Catsburg. ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – GTLM POLE-WINNER: “It was very stressful! We are not used to qualifying together with the GTD cars, so initially it was very difficult for us to gauge how much room you had to fall back in order not to catch them. It seemed like no matter how much we were back, we were still catching them. I knew Tommy was coming from behind me, so I couldn’t really open a gap; I didn’t want to bother him. The first attempt was really bad. The second one I thought I had enough gap but had to dive for a pass going into Turn 17. I knew it was a good lap, so I had to go for it. I’m very happy for Corvette. It’s always good to have Corvette Racing up there 1-2 even if it is a long race. Let’s see if we can keep those positions like we did at Daytona.”ON QUALIFYING WITH GTD CARS: “We are just used to qualifying alone, so we need to get used to it. For the first race, it was a little bit of a shock for us because we didn’t know how to place ourselves on track not to interfere with them and for them to not interfere with us. That’s the key thing. They have 12-13 cars in that category so it’s always difficult around Sebring anyway. When it comes to shorter races, I don’t know what’s going to happen. Sebring is a long track. I think we all more or less got a clean lap but for sure it was stressful.”

TEAM CHEVY ADVANCE FOLDS OF HONOR QUIKTRIP 500 ATLANTA MOTOR SPEEDWAY HAMPTON, GEORGIA MARCH 21, 2021

RACE #6 – ATLANTA MOTOR SPEEDWAYNASCAR’s three national series head back east this weekend for races on the 1.54-mile, 24-degree banked oval of Atlanta Motor Speedway. Chevrolet will aim for its 41st NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) victory at the track in the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500. FOX will telecast the 325-lap race at 3:00 p.m. ET Sunday, March 21.
Kurt Busch, No. 1 Monster Energy Camaro ZL1 1LE, is one of two active drivers with three victories (2002, 2009, 2010) at the racetrack that has hosted 113 NCS races since July 1960 and was the site of the season finale from 1987 to 2000. In 29 starts, Busch has collected 15 top-10 finishes and led 803 laps.
AJ Allmendinger, who won the NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) race at Atlanta Motor Speedway in 2020, will seek to take the checkered flag again in the 163-lap Echo Park 250 that will be telecast on FS1 at 5:00 p.m. ET Saturday, March 20. Allmendinger, who will start on the inside of Row 2 in the No. 16 Kaulig Racing Camaro SS, won the NXS race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway earlier this month. Brandon Brown, who posted a career-high third place at Phoenix Raceway last weekend, will start fourth in the No. 68 Brandonbilt Motorsports Camaro SS.
Chip Ganassi Racing Cup Series driver, Ross Chastain, will take on the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) in the F8Auctions 200, piloting the No. 44 Niece Motorsports Chevrolet Silverado. FS1 will telecast the 130-lap race at 2:30 p.m. ET Saturday, March 20. 
FOUR IN THE TOP-10Chevrolet leads all manufacturers with four drivers in the top-10 of the points standings. Kyle Larson and Georgia native, Chase Elliott, both have 179 points, just one point out of fourth place. Their Hendrick Motorsports’ teammate, William Byron, currently sits in the ninth position, while Chip Ganassi Racing’s, Kurt Busch, rounds out the top-10. 
Larson, who won at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in the No. 5 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, is among just three drivers with four top-10 finishes in the five races. He has a career-best finish of second at Atlanta Motors Speedway came in 2017.
LESSON IN RESILIENCYHendrick Motorsports’ Chase Elliott, Kyle Larson and William Byron, who all had to start from the rear of the field at Phoenix, rallied to claim top-10 finishes. Larson, in particular, was resilient. After racing to eighth, he was sent to the rear of the lead lap because of a pit lane speed violation. He then weaved his way through the field to second, but again was assessed a pit lane speed violation. Larson again rose to second and eventually finished seventh.
ON THE WAY TO THE GREENWith no practice or qualifying for the race, the starting lineup is determined by NASCAR’s metrics system that was introduced to the series last year and incorporates results from both individual races and season-long results. Here are Team Chevy’s top-20 starters: 5th      Chase Elliott, No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Camaro ZL1 1LE6th      Kyle Larson, No. 5 HendrickCars.com Camaro ZL1 1LE9th      William Byron, No. 24 Liberty University Camaro ZL1 1LE11th    Kurt Busch, No. 1 Monster Energy Camaro ZL1 1LE12th    Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 Kroger Camaro ZL1 1LE13th    Austin Dillon, No. 3 Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Off Road Camaro ZL1 1LE14th    Alex Bowman, No. 48 Ally Camaro ZL1 1LE
BOWTIE BULLETS·       Chevrolet is tied for the lead in the NASCAR Cup Series Manufacturer Points Standings and leads in top-10 finishes (22) after five races.
·       Chevrolet has registered four consecutive wins at Atlanta Motor Speedway on three occasions: sweeps in 1983-84, 1995-96 and 2003-04.
·       In addition to its 40 wins at Atlanta Motor Speedway, the Bowtie Brand has recorded 25 poles, 190 top-five and 381 top-10 finishes.
·       Chevrolet has 797 NASCAR Cup Series wins to lead all manufacturers. ·       Hendrick Motorsports teammates, Chase Elliott and Kyle Larson, are among just three drivers to complete all 1,116 laps through the five races. ·       JTG Daugherty Racing’s, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Ryan Preece, each have three top-15 finishes through five races. Last year, the team had one at the same point. ·       Rick Stenhouse Jr. Stenhouse claimed his first NCS pole at Atlanta Motor Speedway in September 2013.  ·       Chase Elliott (Daytona Road Course), William Byron (Homestead-Miami Speedway) and Kyle Larson (Las Vegas Motor Speedway) have captured stage wins thus far this season.
TUNE INFOX will telecast the 325-lap Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 live at 3 p.m. ET Sunday, March 21. Live coverage can also be found on PRN and Sirius XM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.
QUOTABLE QUOTESKYLE LARSON, NO. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 5th IN STANDINGSLARSON ON RACING AT ATLANTA: “Atlanta is a fun place to race that many of us enjoy. The surface is so worn out that you have to manage your tires. The preferred line is the ‘Harvick’ line – on the bottom – and I’ve worked hard in the past to really get that line working in turns three and four. In turns one and two, you can run the top but it’s really hard on the tires. I’m looking forward to it because I think we’ll have a really fast car there.”
CLIFF DANIELS, CREW CHIEF, NO. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM CAMARO ZL1 1LE DANIELS ON THE CHALLENGES AT ATLANTA: “Our focus is on setting up the car so that Kyle can run the line he wants to run – whether that is low or high or wherever in the turns. Another challenge there is tire wear and fall off. If you go one lap under green and then the caution comes out, everybody is probably putting on new tires. Hopefully, we don’t have so many cautions that you run out of tires. I don’t believe that will happen.”
DANIELS ON PREPARING FOR LATE-RACE PIT STOPS: “Calling a race is a little bit difficult under green, especially if the run goes long at the end of the race. Do you try to short pit which will guarantee you gain track position? Late in the run with 10 to go or less, newer tires with fewer laps, even if just a couple, can show speed. While you may leapfrog some early in the run, they can get you back at the end of that run. The challenge is defending against the opposite decision you made.”
CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 6th IN STANDINGSELLIOTT ON THE CHALLENGING ATLANTA TRACK: “Atlanta is definitely a tough place. The racetrack has a lot of wear to it – the surface is one of the oldest that we go to – so finding grip is a challenge. The track has a lot of character and is very line sensitive to where you can and can’t run to find that. You really have to hit your marks well in Atlanta to have success. I think the track conditions this weekend will be pretty similar to last year in a lot of ways. The No. 9 team and I have talked a lot about last year’s event. That’s how we are going about the set up for Sunday is from last year and taking things away from how we did, what we did good and what we can improve on.”
ELLIOTT ON RETURNING TO ATLANTA:  “It’s always nice to race in Atlanta. I’ve been racing here for a long time, raced a lot of legend cars and bandolero races here, so it’s a special place to me. Atlanta is just a fun track to come to. I think anywhere that you run three or four laps and the lap times have fallen off significantly like they are here all the time, I think that makes it fun. It makes it fun from a strategy standpoint.”
ALAN GUSTAFSON, CREW CHIEF, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CAMARO ZL1 1LEGUSTAFSON ON WHAT THE TEAM HAS LEARNED AT INTERMEDIATE TRACKS IN 2021: “As we head to another 1.5-mile track, we learned some deficiencies we had at Homestead and are certainly going to improve on that. At Las Vegas our NAPA Chevy was really fast, but we just had some execution issues so we need to clean those up. I really like Atlanta; it has always been a fun track and super difficult to get a hold of. I think we can take some things from those first two intermediate tracks and some of our past experience at Atlanta and try to put our best foot forward on Sunday.”
GUSTAFSON ON RACING AT ATLANTA:“We were at Atlanta in June last year and it was fairly sunny, it wasn’t a terribly hot day so I think that the hotter it is the less grip the track is going to have. I still think it will be a place that is difficult even though it is projected to be in the 60s when we are there. I think the truth is that it’s never the same no matter what you do. We could go race there a week later and it’s just never the same. You just have to piece together all the little experiences you have and ultimately try to hit on it.”
WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 LIBERTY UNIVERSITY CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 9th IN STANDINGSBYRON ON HOW DIFFICULT IT IS TO RACE AT ATLANTA: “Atlanta is just a tough track. It’s a little bit easier at this time of the year because it’s a bit cooler, but it’s not easy to run there ever by any means. You’re going to need to have a car that can do all the right things throughout the entire race. Luckily, I feel like this Sunday’s race will be similar to Homestead, and it gives us a good idea of what we need in our car. We can use past Atlanta notes and pair them with our Homestead notes from this year to, hopefully, continue this stretch of good runs we have going.”
BYRON ON THE TIRE FALL-OFF AT ALTANTA:“You notice the tire fall-off really every corner at Atlanta. You may have a couple laps that the tires feel good, but after that with every corner you can feel the tires fall off and lose grip. It’s a challenge to keep the car straight at times. Add to that that you’re racing against other guys and if they take your lane away it becomes really hard to find another lane to be as fast in. It’s all really difficult to manage for that long of a period of time consistently.”
RUDY FUGLE, CREW CHIEF, NO. 24 LIBERTY UNIVERSITY CAMARO ZL1 1LE FUGLE ON THE NO. 24 TEAM’S START TO 2021:  “I’m proud of what this team has accomplished so far this year. While we started off with a couple of hard races, we still had small victories along the way. This group never got down and worked on righting the ship to put together good solid races. Phoenix last week was a good example of that. It was just a solid mistake-free day all the way around. We need to continue to have more of those races and keep our foot on the gas.”
FUGLE ON RACING ATLANTA: “Atlanta is a track that I have a lot of laps at. It’s a track that we use to test at with rookie drivers in the truck series, which has been the majority of my career. I feel like I have a really good idea of what we can expect the track to do, not only at this time of year, but also throughout the entirety of the race. With Atlanta having such an old, worn out surface, consistency will be key Sunday. We need to make sure not to abuse the tires early on and maintain track position at the same time. If you can manage the track and your tires throughout the run, you’ll pick up positions when other cars begin to struggle. We were able to do that at Homestead, so hopefully that carries over to this weekend’s race as well.”
AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 BASS PRO SHOPS/TRACKER OFF ROAD CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 12th IN STANDINGSATLANTA MOTOR SPEEDWAY IS ANOTHER TRACK WHERE THE ASPHALT THERE IS AMONG THE FAVORITE OF THE DRIVERS, AM I RIGHT? “It’s old, but I’m glad they’ve kept it the same. It’s a place that drivers love because you know it’s going to be slick and over time you might be able to find some grip by moving around or changing your line and being disciplined with the throttle.”
ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 48 ALLY CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 17th IN STANDINGSBOWMAN ON RACING AT ATLANTA:“Atlanta is a fun track. We haven’t had the results there that we should have, but it is a track where I think we can be really strong. The track is one that you can move around a lot and tire management is going to be key on Sunday. Our intermediate program at Hendrick Motorsports is definitely a strong one and I think we have a good notebook going into this weekend’s race.”
GREG IVES, CREW CHIEF, NO. 48 ALLY CAMARO ZL1 1LE IVES ON BOUNCING BACK AFTER A DIFFICULT RACE:  “You always wish there was something that would invert the field or something like that following a tough week. Ultimately, it is up to us to perform and to get those finishes and move up in the points. It is a gift that you definitely don’t want to open every week if it is on the bad side. You look at Daytona and getting wrecked while running second, having a flat left-rear at Vegas and then getting wrecked on whatever lap last week (at Phoenix). Some of those things are in our control and some of them aren’t. We have to stay focused on the positives, work on the negatives and move forward.”
ERIK JONES, NO. 43 PETTY’S GARAGE CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 23rd IN STANDINGSTHOUGHTS LOOKING AHEAD AT ATLANTA WITH YOUR PAST EXPERIENCE AT THE TRACK. “Atlanta Motor Speedway is one of my favorite tracks with the way it wears out, how slick it is and how it wears out tires. I really enjoy that style of racing. It lends its hand to save some tire on the front side of a run and trying to be good on the second half of it. As a driver, that is fun. You want the options; you want the chance to go out and be better on old tires, be better than the guy in front of you and just manage your stuff better. That’s kind of the old-school feel of NASCAR for me, and how you grow up racing is managing that run and managing your tires to try and be there at the end of the race. I always look forward to the Atlanta race. It’s a really technical place for a 1.5-mile track and that’s what makes it fun.”
DANIEL SUAREZ, NO. 99 COMMSCOPE CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 24th IN STANDINGSWHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON RACING AT ATLANTA MOTOR SPEEDWAY THIS WEEKEND? “Atlanta is a lot of fun. I can’t even remember exactly what happened the last time we were there, but I love that place. It has a lot of character. It’s very difficult. It has a lot of bumps. It’s very rough on tires. Every driver is going to be screaming for grip and for downforce. But it’s a fun place. I really enjoy it a lot and I’m looking forward to going back.”
TYLER REDDICK, NO. 8 ALSCO UNIFORMS CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 27th IN STANDINGS“Tires will be very important to having a successful race at Atlanta Motor Speedway this weekend. Even with the downforce package we have, tires still remain as a key to this track due to the extremely worn-out surface. Last year, I was still getting a feel for a Cup car when we raced at Atlanta and thought I had a tire going down during the first Stage, so now that I know what that feels like I know what to watch out for. We had some handling issues during last year’s race too where our Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE would swing from being way too loose to way too tight, so my team has looked back at last year’s notes a lot this week to prepare and have a better handling No. 8 Alsco Uniforms Chevrolet this time around. I enjoy racing at Atlanta with its old track surface, so I’m excited for this weekend.”
COREY LAJOIE, NO. 7 NFL ALUMNI/FOLDS OF HONOR CAMARO ZL1 1LE- 29th IN STANDINGS“Atlanta is the most worn-out track on the schedule, so it’s important the car is dialed in for the long runs. Our Crew Chief, Ryan Sparks, has a solid game plan together to get our NFL Alumni/Folds of Honor Camaro ZL1 1LE towards the front from a 30th starting position. The NFL Alumni does incredible work within their community. To have them integrate the Folds of Honor to support scholarship opportunities for veterans and their families is incredibly admirable. I’m proud to represent both organizations this weekend in the QuikTrip Folds of Honor 500.”

IMSA WEATHERTECH SPORTSCAR CHAMPIONSHIP SEBRING INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY MOBIL 1 TWELVE HOURS OF SEBRING CORVETTE RACING JORDAN TAYLOR AND NICK TANDY MEDIA AVAILABILITY TRANSCRIPT MARCH 18, 2021 Corvette Racing drivers Jordan Taylor and Nick Tandy met with members of the media during a Zoom conference call Thursday ahead of the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Presented by Advance Auto Parts. FULL TRANSCRIPT: JORDAN TAYLOR, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.RIMPRESSIONS OF FIRST PRACTICE AND THE SILVER MOBIL 1 LIVERY ON THE CORVETTES:“Practice was good. We did a test here last month, coming off last year where we raced here twice and had some good success. We had some stuff we wanted to work on and felt like we learned some stuff during that day and rolled off the truck well today. There are still some things work on and things to understand about tire life for the weekend, which we will do later today. It is weird driving a silver car. Obviously the 4 car was silver last year, but it’s cool to commemorate the 25-year relationship with Mobil 1. It’s why Corvette Racing… to develop technology that transfers to the street, and that goes hand-in-hand with what Mobil 1 does as well. That relationship has been super strong and brings a lot of success to the team. It’s super cool to be part of this 25-year anniversary.” WHAT’S YOUR REACTION TO THE NEW LIVERIES?“I think it’s cool. Racecars are iconic with their look. You can look at the history of Corvette Racing, and it’s been predominantly yellow. Those one-off and unique paint schemes are just as famous because it’s so rare that Corvette changes its color. For us to do a one-off livery like this shows how much the Mobil 1 relationship means to the team.” REMIND US HOW FAR YOU LIVE FROM THE TRACK AND HOW MUCH THIS RACE MEANS TO YOU BEING A LOCAL.“It’s two hours for me from home. I’ve been coming here since the mid-90s to watch my dad race here. It was the first place where I drove a racecar in my Skip Barber Racing School car for a three-day session. I’ve been coming here since I was a driver since I was 15 and as a fan since I was four or five. It’s definitely a special place, and it’s rare you get to grow up around such an iconic track.” DID YOU EVER GET LOST FROM YOUR PARENTS WHEN YOU WERE A KID?“I think when we were here as a kid, we were looked after pretty close! I don’t think we were able to get away too far. Daytona was where I got into the most trouble as a kid!” ARE FANS PROTECTIVE OF LIVERIES, NUMBERS AND THEIR FAVORITE THINGS?“Just because there is a bad reaction, I don’t necessarily think it’s bad; it just means they are passionate about something, they care about it and it means a lot to them. So when you see a bad reaction to something, it can be looked at as a positive that they are so involved and so into it. Like Nick said, liveries can be iconic. You look at the past in sports car racing at something like the Brumos livery was so simple and basic. It’s an iconic look. If you saw Brumos with some different color, I’m sure it would be it odd or if it didn’t have a 59 on it, it would be weird. I understand people’s reactions but at the same time when the Mobil 1 livery come out, it was cool to see people posting the old Corvette liveries like the Goodwrench one, which is iconic on its own. When Dale (Earnhardt) Sr. drove the car, there were some subtle changes when they changed the font on the number when he drove it. Those are iconic looks. After this weekend, this will be an iconic look and we’ll be seeing pictures and videos of the Mobil 1 livery that we did for the Sebring 12 Hours in 2021 for years to come.” BEING BACK IN MARCH AND WITH MORE FANS BACK, DOES IT FEEL A LITTLE MORE NORMAL AND A 12 HOURS OF SEBRING WEEKEND?“Yes and no. This morning, I got to do the install lap, so you drive around slowly before driving back to the pits. You’re able to look around, and it’s great to see all the fans throughout the infield. It definitely gives you that aura that the fans are back and it’s the Sebring 12 Hours. I think it’s only going to feel the same again when fans are allowed back in the paddock. Sports car racing is known for being fan-friendly where fans can come talk to the drivers and get close to the cars. That’s the way we grew up racing here in sports car racing, so until we get back to that where we can have an autograph session and we can go back to the Corvette Corral and talk to them in person, it’s not going to have that same effect and you’re not going to have that same kind of build-up before the race.” ARE YOU BREAKING OUT THE BEEKEEPPER SUIT AGAIN THIS YEAR?“Last year it was brutally hot, and I think it’s just as hot this weekend! It’s not going to make it out this weekend. That also was the finale last year, so I think I got away with it. This weekend would have taken some more negotiating!”  NICK TANDY, NO. 4 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.RA LOT OF PAST SUCCESS AT SEBRING, SO HOW DOES YOU FEEL COMING INTO THE WEEKEND?“Feeling good. We tested here a couple of weeks ago after Daytona. It was a good test. The car feels very suited to this style of racetrack. The C8.R, with the development that happened over the course of last year and the winter, it seems like a pretty tough car. It handles the bumps well, it has good downforce, so it handles the bumps at Sebring well. So it feels good to drive. It’s different to what I’ve been used to at Sebring, but we have done a couple of tests here since the end of last season. Tommy (Milner) drove most of the session this morning and Alexander (Sims) turned some laps toward the end to get involved back to the race circuit. I’ll be heading off into FP2. Tommy says the car feels good. Obviously the track changes a lot here at Sebring from week to week, let alone year to year. Getting the cars dialed in and the right tire choice selected for the track conditions is part of the challenge of the 12 Hours. I’ve been able to win here the last three years luckily enough, and the previous three were taken by Corvette Racing. We’re hoping to keep that streak going for the pair of us.” WHAT’S YOUR REACTION TO THE NEW LIVERIES?“The special liveries are pretty spectacular. Racecar liveries are iconic. The good liveries and the winning liveries go down in history. The cars are reproduced in other forms. The liveries are seen in pictures for years to come. It’s great that Mobil 1 are on board with us. Personally, it was nice to walk in, and the first time I saw the cars was as I walked into the race paddock yesterday morning. We’re just as big a fan of racecars, how they look, the special liveries and things like this as much as anyone else. It’s good to see.” HOW OFTEN DURING A LAP AROUND SEBRING WHERE THE CAR IS SO FAR OUT OF THE TRACK AND OFF THE LINE?“The obvious one and the one we see most often is under the bridge at Turn 17. In this sort of area, you’re typically in an off-throttle or just going back-to-throttle phase. It’s not too difficult to deal with. The one that we struggle with most is when you are hard on power at the exit of Turn One. There’s a couple of big bumps; you’re going back hard on power and the car snaps loose. There’s a big dip and bump in Turn 13, which is quite a critical corner to get speed on the straight down to Turn 15. This track is pretty challenging all the way around.” NASCAR IS LOOKING AT CHANGING THE NUMBER PLACEMENT ON CARS, AND SOME PEOPLE THINK THE SKY IS FALLING. IN SPORTS CARS, DO FANS REACT DIFFERENTLY THAN NASCAR FANS WHEN YOU DO THIS KIND OF THING?“I’m kind of with you a bit, to be honest, on the number placement. One of the big things about stock car racing and especially with Cup stuff is that the liveries are based around the big number being on the roof or a door. As far as sports car racing, it’s probably similar. Going back to what we said before, the Corvette Racing colors have always been yellow. When something changes after what’s been iconic for such a long time, it brings out reactions. Everything I’ve seen so far is positive. It’s not like we are ditching the yellow and the normal color scheme forever. It’s a celebration of what we’ve done in the past. I think people appreciate that and we appreciate the fact that we are part of these partnerships that allow us to do these iconic color schemes because of certain successes and reasons. I think it’s all good.”  KEYS TO PERSONAL SUCCESS AT SEBRING?“It’s a good question and I’m not really sure, to be honest. Last year, we were pretty lucky to be quite fair. We probably had a third- or fourth-place car, but things happened and we were there to pick up the pieces. It wasn’t undeserved, I would say. One of the unique things about the 12 Hours of Sebring typically for the finishing driver… the penultimate time you get out of the car is in the middle of the day and bright sunshine, and the next time you get in for the run to the flag, it’s pitch black. As a driver, you have to deal with this. Maybe there’s something about night racing that suits some people better than others. I know from previous years that we’ve always looked to have cars that were very good in the cool of the night; the track is very different to how it is in the middle of the day. But then everyone knows this, so there’s probably no difference in how you go about setting the car up for the run to the flag. Maybe it’s just a bit of experience. I’ve been coming here since 2013 in the GT or GT Le Mans class, so maybe a bit of experience helps as well.”

NASCAR CUP SERIES ATLANTA MOTOR SPEEDWAY FOLDS OF HONOR QUICKTRIP 500 TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT MARCH 18, 2021

CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CAMARO ZL1 1LE, Press Conference Transcript:  NOW THAT YOU’VE GOT A CUP CHAMPIONSHIP UNDER YOUR BELT AND SOME WINS AT BIG TRACKS, IS A WIN AT ATLANTA MOTOR SPEEDWAY KIND OF ONE OF THOSE THAT YOU SAVE A SPOT ON YOUR MANTEL FOR, LIKE YOU WOULD FOR THE DAYTONA 500? WHERE DOES THIS ONE RANK FOR YOU?“I would love to have a win at Atlanta (Motor Speedway). I feel like anybody’s home track, you want to have a win at, for sure, if you can get it. But like I’ve said in the past, I’m not super picky when it comes to wins; I’m good with wherever. They’re too hard to win. Atlanta would be great. I would love to get it done one day and be able to have one there, for sure.”
YOU’RE DOING THE BRISTOL DIRT NATIONALS HERE IN THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS. SOME DRIVERS ARE DOING THE TRUCKS NEXT WEEK. DID YOU TRY TO GET A TRUCK AND/OR IS THERE SOMETHING BETTER ABOUT DOING THE BRISTOL DIRT THIS WEEK THAN TRYING TO GET A LEARNING EXPERIENCE IN THE TRUCKS ON SATURDAY FOR THE CUP ON SUNDAY. “Yeah, I put some effort in trying to get into a truck next week. I would have liked to; it just didn’t pan out. So, this was a great opportunity I thought. I don’t necessarily think the cars are going to drive very similar to the Cup cars next week, but just to see the race track and be able to just get some hands-on experience with it before we show up next week I think will be helpful. I do think the trucks will drive way more like the Cup cars next week, when it comes to the actual driving capability of them.”
“Yeah, I would have loved to have gotten in a truck. It didn’t work out, but I think going and doing this will help me just be able to visualize things, understand the racetrack a little more and just kind of get a little bit of a feel for what dirt is like there at Bristol before we just show up. I’m excited about it; I haven’t been in a late model in a long time. I’m not really sure what to expect, but looking forward to trying.”
WE TALKED ABOUT AT ALANTA MOTOR SPEEDWAY AND HOW YOU’D LIKE TO GET YOUR FIRST WIN HERE. WHAT MAKES THIS TRACK SO CHALLENGING AND WHAT’S IT GOING TO TAKE FOR YOUR TEAM TO KIND OF LOCK UP YOUR FIRST WIN HERE? “Atlanta (Motor Speedway) is tough. It’s an old surface, for sure, which I think makes it fun for the drivers. I feel like a lot of people enjoy going there because of that. But, overall for us, it’s been super hit or miss and I really don’t know why. We’ve gone there and we’ve had some really good runs; a couple of days that I thought we were capable of winning. And then we’ve been there and just been way out to lunch. So, I’m not exactly sure what that is all the time. Obviously, car configuration, rules, different packages and all that stuff plays a role in it. Hopefully this week we can be more on the hit side and execute a good race. Obviously, you have to have things going well for you to have a shot to win anywhere, but definitely have to execute a good race to put yourself in position to win. So, hopefully we can check both of those boxes.”
THERE’S SO MUCH TALK ABOUT THE DIRT RACE THAT SOME PEOPLE EVEN SAID YESTERDAY THAT IT WAS OVERSHADOWING ATLANTA. I KNOW HOW MUCH YOU’D LIKE TO WIN ANYWHERE. IS THERE SOMETHING SPECIAL STILL ABOUT THAT FOR YOU TO GO THERE AND GET IT DONE? “Yeah, I would love to go have a good run at Atlanta. It’s always going to be a special place for me. I spent a lot of time racing Legend cars and things like that down there. So, for sure, I would love to go and have a good run.”“But, yeah, a lot of people are talking about Bristol, for sure. I hate that for Atlanta that people feel that way, but I anticipate the same people who are saying that it’s overshadowing the race will likely tune in on Sunday at the same time. Hopefully it’s a good race for everybody and we can have a good run.”
CAN YOU ALSO TALK ABOUT WHAT IT’S LIKE TO RACE ON A TRACK LIKE ATLANTA, WHERE YOU NEED TIRES EVERY SINGLE TIME YOU GO IN, THE TIRES FALL OFF AND IT’S SO DIFFICULT. AS A DRIVER, WHAT DOES THAT FEEL LIKE, WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT AND HOW MUCH CAN THAT EFFECT IT? “ust the pace fall-off is massive. Every lap you run, you’re pretty much losing time. If you can run two laps the same in the first 10-15 laps of a run, you’ve really done well, at least in the past. This package, you might be able to run a couple the same; maybe a little longer than you could before. But, still, the fall-off is definitely there. That’s what makes the race track so challenging; just trying to find some consistency, trying to get in a rhythm and not beat up your tires. That’s a hard thing to do when you’re trying to go really fast and trying to set a good pace at the same time. It’s always been a challenge and I’d say always will be, as long as the surface is like it is.”
WHAT HAVE YOU NOTICED ABOUT HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS THIS YEAR, WHERE ALL FOUR TEAMS SEEM TO HAVE SPEED CONSISTENTLY WEEK-TO-WEEK, AS OPPOSED TO MAYBE THE LAST TWO YEARS, WHERE ONE OR TWO OF YOU GUYS WERE REALLY GOOD?“I think it’s really a testament to everybody at the shop putting in a lot of effort; each individual team putting in a lot of effort to go and be the best we can and that’s really what it comes down to. I don’t think any of the drivers are trying any harder than we have in the past. I think it’s just a really nice effort from the top to the bottom of trying to take four fast racecars to the track every weekend. I do feel like everybody is, I don’t want to say sharing information because we’ve always done that, but just working together a little more from all aspects. You might have some people who work really good together sometimes and other people don’t. Where I feel like, right now, it’s super fluid and everybody’s open about anything and everything, and I feel like it’s showing on track. But beyond that, I really feel it’s fundamental upgrades, things that are important on track, being improved upon in the shop and I think each car is benefitting from it.”
YOU MENTIONED EVERYONE SHARING INFORMATION AND KIND OF BEING ON THE SAME PAGE. IS THAT PART OF THE RE-ORGANIZATION, PUTTING CHAD (KNAUS) IN A POSITION WHERE HE’S KIND OF OVERSEEING COMPETITION TO SOME DEGREE OR ARE THERE OTHER FACTORS?“I don’t think Chad’s (Knaus) position hurts anything, for sure. I think he’s a nice addition to that. Obviously, he’s been taking cars at a high level to the racetrack for a long time. So, to have him at the shop and to be able to oversee everyone’s car. And really, more than anything, I feel like where his position has been helpful is when a crew chief sees his car for the first time a week before the race or something, I feel like that crew chief has less work to do on his car to get it ready to go to the track to his standards and I think Chad has had a big impact in having that car show up in a manner that particular crew chief wants it to be in before he sees it for the first time. That makes a big difference.”
WE’VE HAD KIND OF AN UNPREDICTABLE YEAR WHEN IT COMES TO WINNERS. WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THAT AND IS IT GOOD FOR THE SPORT?“Well, it’s certainly not bad. Having different people win I think is good, right. Why would it be bad, I guess is what I’m thinking in my head. I feel like it’s a good thing from a fan’s perspective. I think it’s exciting when you have different people winning and it’s been that way kind of every week I guess since we started the season. Yeah, I don’t see anything bad about that at all. I think it adds excitement and predicting these first four or five weeks, for sure, would have been tough. But none of them have been fluke wins. Michael (McDowell) was fast at Daytona; Christopher (Bell) was good at the (Daytona) Road Course; William (Byron) was really fast; Kyle (Larson) was really fast at Vegas; and obviously (Martin) Truex (Jr.) got his car in a position to be super good at Phoenix. I don’t see where it’s a bad thing for the sport at all.”
YOU STARTED DIRT RACING AND YOU GOT HIGH PRAISE FROM PEOPLE, LIKE KYLE LARSON, THAT WATCHED YOU. DID YOU SEEM TO TAKE TO IT NATURALLY AND HAVE YOU ENJOYED THE DIRT RACING?“Yeah, I’ve had a lot of fun with it. I’m not very good at it, I don’t think, but I’m looking forward to trying to get better. I think, more than anything, I enjoy the challenge of it and it’s just a discipline that I haven’t spent much time trying to work on my craft in and try to get better at. I think that the fact that it is something new intrigues me, has my attention and I want to get better at it. I think I can get better at it and I think that’s where I have some motivation and drive to want to do more of it, is that I don’t feel like I have learned all the things I need to learn to be the best I can at it and I think I can do better. So, that’s why I want to keep going and trying.”
THE IDEA OF HOME TRACK ADVANTAGE IS SUCH A PART OF SPORT’S CULTURE AND, OBVIOUSLY, NASCAR IS A BIT DIFFERENT FROM THE OTHERS. FROM YOUR PERSPECTIVE AS A DRIVER, IS THERE SUCH A THING AS A TRADITIONAL HOME TRACK ADVANTAGE IN NASCAR AND, IF SO, HOW DO YOU EXPLAIN IT SOMEBODY THAT’S NEW TO THE SPORT? “Yeah, it’s super tough. NASCAR is definitely unique in that way and I don’t really have a good way of describing that for you. But, it’s definitely not like having home field; it’s not like the Brave’s having home field advantage for their Playoff run or whatever. So, very different. I wish Atlanta was like that for me, but there’s a lot of people there that want to see other drivers do well, too. Granted, I think a lot of them are from around here and will want to see us do well. But I guess the reason is there are 39 other people in the event, not just the two teams. Logically thinking, I guess that would be why it’s different.”
WHAT HAS THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN YOU AND KYLE LARSON BEEN LIKE THUS FAR AND HOW GREAT HAS IT BEEN TO SEE HIM HAVE THE SPEED SO EARLY IN HIS HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS’ CAREER?“Our relationship has been good. I’ve always respected Kyle (Larson); I feel like we’ve mutually respected each other since we both kind of came on the scene. He came in a little earlier than me, but we were Chevy teammates through those years that he was at Ganassi and then obviously now being teammates at Hendrick Motorsports. Like I said, we’ve always gotten along fine and I’m not surprised at all by his performance. He’s done very well for himself; I feel like he’s earned is spot back in NASCAR and then some. And obviously his on-track performance speaks for itself. I’m just happy to see him back where he belongs. I feel like he belongs in the Cup Series and I think he’ll do very well at it.”
THE RACING YOU DID OVER THE OFF SEASON, IT GOT A LOT OF ATTENTION. WHAT DID YOU LEARN ABOUT YOURSELF AS A RACER IN THOSE ENDEAVORS AND HAVE YOU BEEN ABLE TO APPLY ANY LESSONS THAT YOU’VE LEARNED FROM THOSE EXPERIENCES INTO THE FIRST FIVE RACES OF 2021?“Yeah, I have, for sure. Number one, I didn’t do very well at all in any of it. So, you go and when you challenge yourself in different ways, it’s good for you. It’s good for you to go and push yourself to new levels. Coming off a great season, it’s great to go and kind of find new limits. Understand more about yourself in different ways, ways that you haven’t experienced before. And all those new experiences – if you take one thing from all of them combined, you’ve spent your time in a good place and it was worth doing it.”
“I think the bottom line is just a new challenge, a new set of circumstances, a new discipline – all of those things just are pushing yourself in ways that I haven’t done in the past and I think it’s a good thing. I hope I can do some more of it.”
AFTER FIVE RACES THIS SEASON ON A BUNCH OF DIFFERENT DISCIPLINES OF TRACKS, WHERE DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOUR CAR’S SPEED IS NOW COMPARED TO MAYBE THE END OF THE SEASON LAST YEAR? IS THERE ANYWHERE YOU FEEL LIKE MAYBE YOU GUYS CAN IMPROVE UPON STILL?“Yeah, I mean I think we could have improved last year too. We were really bad at Homestead there this year, which last year Homestead was one, I guess it’s kind of interesting, we had our best run we’ve ever had at Homestead last year earlier on in the season, after the break and what not. So, I was really excited to get there and that one was a struggle; I’m not really sure about that. But it’s just so hard to predict, with just how close everybody is nowadays in the garage and how good these teams are, bringing that next upgrade the next week and trying to get better. I don’t really know what to call it, other than just racing. That’s just what it is; it’s close, it’s tight, a little bit goes a long way when you’re fighting for literal tenths of a second. A half of a tenth can go a long way; that’s just the world we live in.”
BUBBA WALLACE TESTED THE NEXT GEN CAR YESTERDAY AT RICHMOND RACEWAY. I’M NOT SURE THAT YOU’VE HAD A CHANCE TO TEST IT OR NOT, BUT IF NOT, WHEN DO YOU ANTICIPATE YOU MIGHT HAVE A SHOT OF TESTING THE NEXT GEN CAR AND WHAT YOUR EARLY IMPRESSIONS OF IT ARE, IF ANY?“Yeah, I mean it seems fine. To be honest with you, I don’t really know much about it. If I had a choice, I would love for them to have everything done – I want them to have that car complete, these are the rules for 2022, this is what the car has to be and I want to go drive that car because I think that’s going to help myself and my team be better prepared for the season and what we’re actually going to see on-track. I still think they have question marks on what is going to be on the car, what’s not going to be on the car, and I would rather go test with my guys that I’m going to go fight the battle with every week and the car that we’re going to be racing on-track within the rules of what the rule book will be for 2022.”
WITH ALL THE NEW TRACKS ON THE SCHEDULE, ARE YOU THINKING ABOUT GOING TO TRUCKS OR XFINITY TO TRY TO GET EXPERIENCE THERE?“Yeah, I’ve thought about it, for sure. The Bristol dirt race comes to mind; that was a big one for me. I feel like the Truck event would have been a good one to do there. So, places like that, for sure I’ve concerned. I don’t think it would hurt anything to go and do some of that stuff. But obviously the circumstances have to be right; you have to find the right team, a sponsor and the whole deal. So, it’s not just as easy as me wanting to do it, unfortunately.”
WE SAW HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS SCORE TWO OF THE FIRST FIVE RACES IN WINS. WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS’ PROGRAM RIGHT NOW, IN RELATION TO YOUR COMPETITION? “I feel like HMS is an exciting place to be. There’s a lot of talented people, there’s been a lot of talented people there for as long as I’ve been there. But I feel like everybody is just pushing really hard, working well together. Chad’s (Knaus) new role at HMS I think is rolling these cars to the crew chiefs in a better place than they’ve been in the past. I think he’s a guy who pays the attention to detail that it takes to be successful at the Cup level and he’s fought the battle for however many years, a long time. I mean how long has he been around NASCAR, working at all different types of jobs within race teams. Absolutely, I think there are some good things going on and we just need to keep pushing. The whole season is important, but having your stuff right at the right time is also important, as well. So, we’ve got to keep our heads down and keep going.”
WHERE DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOU GUYS NEED TO WORK ON TO IMPROVE THE PROGRAM?“Every area – everything has to be perfect. There’s not a place where you can be slacking, I feel like, and expect to do well. Boring answer, but if everything’s not right, you’re probably not going to run good.”
GIVEN THAT YOU DON’T HAVE A TON OF DIRT EXPERIENCE, HOW DOES A DRIVER LIKE YOURSELF PREPARE TO RUN A STOCK CAR ON DIRT NEXT WEEK?“I’m going to show up and get in the car for hot laps. That is my plan; I don’t really know what else to do from that front. Just go up there and give it a shot. Lean on some help from friends who have been around those cars for a long time and hope I can get going and pick up on it quick. That’s about all I can do.”

NASCAR CUP SERIES ATLANTA MOTOR SPEEDWAY FOLDS OF HONOR QUICKTRIP 500 TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT MARCH 17, 2021
RYAN PREECE, NO. 37 PLANTERS CAMARO ZL1 1LE, Teleconference Transcript: HOW’S THE CAR AND WHAT’S IT LIKE BEING BACK IN A MODIFIED TODAY AT MARTINSVILLE?“Man, this place was made for it I can tell you that. Modifieds are light and fast, and they’ve got a lot of tire and a lot of grip. So, all smiles out of me today. It’s pretty cool.”
IN THE TOUR-TYPE MODIFIED COMMUNITY HERE IN THE SOUTH, IT’S STARTING TO HAVE A RESURGENCE. WHAT HAS TO BE DONE TO HOOK SOUTHERNERS ON TOUR-TYPE MODIFIED RACING?“We’re all racers. We all enjoy racing. To be honest with you, there’s plenty of racing to go around; whether you’re a Late Model fan or a full-body fan, or if you’re an open wheel Sprint Car guy. Modifieds are just special, right? They’re a fun race car to go out and basically drive really, really hard. The harder you drive it, the more rewarded you are. That’s what is exciting about it. It was actually really cool. I saw a picture Matt Dillner posted of Caraway, and they actually had a really great crowd. They had a good car count. And it is cool to see how healthy Modified racing is in general is becoming; and obviously healthy the Modified Tour is, where they’re getting 35-plus cars week-in and week-out. That’s what you want to see as a racer. It’s really cool to see the direction the Tour is heading in and all the changes that have been put in place to help the teams and to make it easier for newer teams to come in.”
THE TOUR IS BEING CHALLENGED AND THERE ARE A LOT OF ALTERNATIVES IN THE NEW ENGLAND AREA. SO, WHAT ARE THE THINGS THAT YOU GUYS AS RACERS AND TEAMS, PRIORITIZE AS IT PERTAINS TO THE NASCAR TOUR. WHAT DO THEY NEED TO DO TO MAKE SURE THEY’RE STILL P1 ON THE TOUR-TYPE HUBS?“Well, I think they did a really important step, which was releasing some of those purse structures that usually most people don’t get to see. The majority of the races on the Modified Tour, I think all of them, are over $10,000 to win, which is a great step. That’s something some of the other series and shows, they’ve been really making a big effort and paying more money. I know the Modified Tour does a great job in doing that and also making it pay throughout the field for people who are just showing up, or if you have a bad night, or whatever it might be. At the end of the day, I don’t kind of look at which series I’m going to run or not run. Obviously, the Modified Tour has always been the spotlight, kind of like the World of Outlaws, I feel, or the All-Star Series are kind of like the two big series in Sprint Cars. Really, I just want to race. That’s what I’m concerned about. It’s really awesome that NASCAR and the Whelen Modified Tour have been able to put this all together to come to Martinsville and to go to Richmond and go to these premier race tracks because it’s a great opportunity for guys like myself and Ryan Newman and other drivers that wouldn’t necessarily have the opportunity to run at a historic race track like here or Richmond; and go out and race and put on a great race for the fans.”
WHAT’S MORE FUN TO DRIVE?  A MODIFIED OR A CUP CAR?“Man, I love race cars. I love racing. A Cup car is a lot of fun. I really enjoy it. I love working with JTG and the No. 37 guys and just fine-tuning those things. But I also enjoy racing Modifieds, just like I’m sure Kyle Larson enjoys racing his Sprint car or Christopher Bell enjoys running his Midget or some of these guys doing those things. So, it’s a nice refresher to kind of come out here and it’s no different than if you’re a kid going and racing a Go Kart in a sense. You get excited. I’m having a lot of fun here today. I’m lucky enough that Ed and Connie Partridge, who own the Modified team that I race for, they have a new guy that’s taken over maintaining and setting these cars up. He’s a young kid that I have a lot of faith in, and I’m really excited about working with him this year.”
YOU GET TO HAVE YOUR CAKE AND EAT IT TOO BY RACING IN NASCAR CUP AND ALSO THE MODIFIED TOUR. DO YOU FEEL BLESSED TO BE ABLE TO JUMP BACK AND FORTH A LITTLE BIT?“Yeah, for sure. As a racer, your ultimate goal is to get to NASCAR’s Cup Series. That’s where it is. That’s where you want to be. But at the same time, I know where my roots are. I know where I’ve cut my teeth. I know where I’ve put many hours in the race shop to go and win races. And I enjoy racing these race cars and I know quite a bit about them and they’re a lot of fun to race. So, I obviously enjoy doing it, for sure. But yeah, I’m definitely pretty blessed to be able to have owners like Tad and Jodi (Geschickter) that allow me to come do things like this and do these races, and it’s a lot of fun. The best thing for a race car driver is to be in the seat all the time.”
YOU ARE 14TH IN THE NASCAR CUP SERIES SEASON. HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THE START OF THE SEASON SO FAR?“I feel like it’s important to get off to a good start like that. We had two really solid runs back-to-back with the Daytona Superspeedway and the Daytona Road Course; capitalizing on getting some Stage points, which I knew was going to be extremely important. And, we had a pretty good run at Las Vegas. It probably, I felt like, could have been a Top 10. And then just a bad weekend last weekend. It’s just part of those things. It’s like I was talking to my crew chief yesterday, we want to forget about Phoenix. We want to learn from it but we want to look forward to Atlanta and rebounding and putting a solid run together because right now, it’s important to stay consistent and stay out of wrecks and we do our job an execute, we can really shock some people this year. So, we’re excited about it and I’m definitely pumped about how we started the season.
ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO BRISTOL DIRT AND POTENTIALLY ANOTHER RACE WHERE YOU’RE GOING TO HAVE TO QUALIFY IN?‘’Yes. Pressure doesn’t bother me. We talked about it for the 500, trying to qualify in or even race your way in, it’s just part of the deal. This isn’t the first time I’ve had to race my way in. I’ve been to races where I’ve had to qualify and there have been 60-plus cars there and I’ve done it. So, ultimately you do as much preparation as you can, as a race car driver, which, dirt stuff, I haven’t done a whole lot of dirt experience but, I have been watching their broadcasts and kind of seeing what the track is doing. And I do have a teammate that does run a lot of dirt races, so I’m sure I’m going to lean on him. I’ve also been lucky enough to have a sponsor like Mohawk Construction, who owns Big Block Dirt Modifieds and a race track in New York. So, I’m going to be on quite a few people over the next week, but right now I’m focused on Atlanta and having a solid run there.”
ANY UPDATES ON YOUR CUP SCHEDULE? IF THERE IS A POINT WHERE YOU HAVE TO SKIP A RACE, HAS THAT BEEN DETERMINED?“Every week I’m focused on whatever race is scheduled. So, I I know Tad and JTG and their entire marketing team have been working extremely hard to sell the rest of the races. But my job as a race car driver is to be as well-prepared as I possibly can and to keep pushing out good finishes so we can stay up there in points.”
WHAT TRACK WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE ADDED TO THE MODIFIED TOUR?“How about Daytona Superspeedway? No, I’m kidding. I don’t really know. You start talking about those 1-mile plus race tracks, it starts getting really, really fast; and things can happen there. But I’d like to see a road course again. They’re pretty fun. But I don’t really know. I haven’t put a whole lot of thought into it. I guess there are some really cool short tracks out there. New Smyrna would be a really cool race track to see open up on the Modified Tour. Hopefully it can happen soon.”

More than 40 of the best Late Model drivers in the country will compete at Bristol April 8-10By Mike WarrenBRISTOL, TN – March 19, 2021 – The invites were sent, and all the RSVPs have returned.The stars of the World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Model Series, along with a plethora of Late Model standouts, are set to battle at the iconic Bristol Motor Speedway for the World of Outlaws Bristol Bash, April 8-10.The prospective list of drivers attending the historic event include: B1 Brent LarsonOE Rick EckertOS Ryan ScottO Scott Bloomquist1 Brandon Sheppard1G Devin Gilpin6 Blake Spencer6JR Parker Martin Jr.7 Ross Robinson7 Ricky Weiss8  Kyle Strickler9  Devon Moran11 Gordy Gundaker14 Josh Richards16 Tyler Bruening18 Chase Junghans18D Daulton Wilson19R Ryan Gustin20 Jimmy Owens20RT Ricky Thornton Jr.22 Chris Ferguson24D Michael Brown25 Mason Zeigler25 Shane Clanton28 Dennis Erb Jr.29 Darrell Lanigan32 Bobby Pierce40B Kyle Bronson42 Cla Knight44 Chris Madden44F Stewart Friesen49 Jonathan Davenport54 David Breazeale56 Tony Jackson Jr.57 Zach Mitchell58 Ross Bailes76 Brandon Overton81E Tanner English97 Cade Dillard99B Boom Briggs157 Mike MarlarSome invites were not accepted as some drivers had other commitments on those dates. World of Outlaws Late Model Series Director Casey Shuman addressed how the invitation process worked.“There have been a lot of questions on why certain people weren’t invited,” Shuman said. “We looked to invite not only our full-time World of Outlaws teams but also the top-25 drivers across the county, including the DIRTcar Summer Nationals and the Xtreme Late Model Series.”Some of the tour regulars have already made some laps around the track, covered in dirt for the first time in 20 years.Ricky Weiss was the fastest in that test session, clocking in with a time of 15.266 sec., going around the half-mile oval with an average speed of 125mph. While he wasn’t the fastest car during the test session a few weeks ago, three-time defending champion Brandon Sheppard can say he has the most experience. The New Berlin, IL native ran 156 laps around the speedway and is the only driver who ran more than 100 laps during the test session.Sheppard’s crew made a lot of changes during that five-hour test session, which is something that many drivers expect to do throughout the weekend. They also expect the two races to be a different animal than what they’re used to.“The track’s a lot bigger, and a lot different than we usually run on, so you’re going to have to change your car around, and it’s going to have to be kind of like an endurance deal,” Dennis Erb Jr. said.While the drivers are preparing for those changes, they’re also excited to hit the track, at a speedway with such a rich history.“It’s definitely going to be exciting,” Chase Junghans said. “I think the atmosphere’s going to be really cool, it’s going to be really fast.“Hopefully we come out of there with two cars and have a good finish.”All drivers will get a practice session on Thursday, April 8, before the Features on Friday, April 9, and Saturday, April 10. Both Feature events will be 40 laps, with $10,000 on the line Friday, and $25,000 to the winner Saturday. The DIRTcar UMP Modifieds will also accompany the World of Outlaws Late Models throughout the event.While the excitement continues to build for the Bristol Bash, the World of Outlaws Morton Building Late Models are in action the two weekends prior.The Series will stop at Cherokee Speedway in Gaffney, SC Friday and Saturday, March 26-27, for the inaugural Rock Gault Memorial, paying $35,000 to the winner of Saturday’s race.Then, the Series returns for the Illini 100 at Farmer City Raceway Friday and Saturday, April 1-3, with $20,000 going to the winner.For tickets to the World of Outlaws Bristol Bash, go to BristolMotorSpeedway.com.If you can’t make it to the track, catch all of the action on DIRTVision with the annual Platinum FAST PASS subscription for $299/year or the monthly FAST PASS subscription for $39/month.

The World of Outlaws Morton Buildings® Late Model Series is brought to fans across the country by many important sponsors and partners, including: DIRTVision (Official Live Broadcast Partner), Drydene (Official Motor Oil), Hoosier Racing Tire (Official Tire), iRacing (Official Online Racing Game), Morton Buildings (Official Building), SIS Insurance (Official Insurance Provider) VP Racing Fuels (Official Racing Fuel); in addition to contingency sponsors, including: Arizona Sport Shirts/Gotta Race, ARP (Automotive Racing Products), Cometic Gasket, COMP Cams, MSD, Penske Racing Shocks, Quarter Master, Slick Woody’s (Quick Time Award), and Wrisco (Exclusive Racing Aluminum); along with manufacturer sponsors, including: Capital Race Cars, FireAde, Integra Shocks, Intercomp, K1 Race Gear, Racing Electronics, Reliable Painting, and Rocket Chassis.

• Mopar and Dodge//SRT continue support of HEMI^® Shootout for a fourth season of competition in National Muscle Car Association (NMCA)
• HEMI Shootout provides Dodge, Chrysler, and Jeep^® performance vehicle owners a safe, controlled environment to hone their driving skills on a drag strip
• First of six 2021 NMCA season events take place this weekend at Bradenton Motorsports Park in Florida
• Vehicle owners can register their modern muscle cars online for Mopar Dodge//SRT  HEMI Shootout by visiting www.NMCAdigital.com/hemi

March 19, Auburn Hills, Mich. – For a fourth consecutive year, Mopar and Dodge//SRT will present the HEMI^® Shootout competition at all six 2021 National Muscle Car Association (NMCA) events, beginning this weekend at the 19th Annual Muscle Car Mayhem at Bradenton Motorsports Park in Florida.

The brands have partnered to bring back the popular program that provides enthusiasts and owners of model year 2005 and later Gen III HEMI-powered Dodge Challenger, Demon, Hellcat, Charger, Durango, Chrysler 300 and Jeep^® performance vehicles with a secure, controlled environment to hone their driving skills and race on the quarter-mile drag strip at a sanctioned event. 

Each NMCA event will have a dedicated tent for Mopar Dodge//SRT HEMI Shootout competitors to register, receive a gift bag and socialize with other Dodge, Chrysler and Jeep performance enthusiasts. The first 75 enthusiasts to register their Mopar-powered modern day muscle car for the HEMI Shootout will receive complimentary entry; a $175 value.

The HEMI Shootout offers competitors the opportunity to race at their own pace and comfort level, along with personalized, step-by-step instruction from dedicated, trained personnel. There will be tablets available with “how-to” videos for burnouts, properly staging the car at the tree and using various vehicle features.

Early registration and test sessions are available on Thursday and Friday, with the Mopar Dodge//SRT HEMI Shootout scheduled to take place on Saturday at each event. The NMCA will provide a special winner’s circle experience, along with awards and payout prizes for winners and runner-up finishers.

For a complete schedule, rules, entry guidelines and registration information on the NMCA Mopar Dodge//SRT HEMI Shootout, visit www.NMCAdigital.com/hemi.

Mopar  

Mopar (a simple contraction of the words MOtor and PARts) offers exceptional service, parts and customer-care. Born in 1937 as the name of a line of antifreeze products, the Mopar brand has evolved over more than 80 years to represent both complete vehicle care and authentic performance for owners and enthusiasts worldwide.

Mopar made its mark in the 1960s during the muscle-car era with performance parts to enhance speed and handling for both on-road and racing use. Later, the brand expanded to include technical service and customer support. Today, Mopar integrates service, parts and customer-care operations in order to enhance customer and dealer support worldwide.

Complete information on the Mopar brand is available at www.mopar.com. Mopar is part of the portfolio of brands offered by leading global automaker and mobility provider Stellantis. For more information regarding Stellantis (NYSE: STLA), please visit www.stellantis.com. 

Dodge//SRT

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

2021 marks the year that Dodge is distilled into a pure performance brand, offering Hellcat-powered, 700-plus-horsepower SRT versions of every model across the lineup. For the 2021 model year, Dodge delivers the drag-strip dominating 807-horsepower Dodge Challenger SRT Super Stock, the new 797-horsepower Dodge Charger SRT Redeye, the most powerful and fastest mass-produced sedan in the world, and the new 710-horsepower Dodge Durango SRT Hellcat, the most powerful SUV ever. Combined, these three muscle cars make Dodge the industry’s most powerful brand, offering more horsepower than any other American brand across its entire lineup.

In 2020, Dodge was named the “#1 Brand in Initial Quality,” making it the first domestic brand ever to rank No. 1 in the J.D. Power Initial Quality Study (IQS). The Dodge brand also ranked No. 1 in the J.D. Power APEAL Study (mass market). These results are historic because it marks the first time a domestic brand has earned top spots in both J.D. Power studies in the same year.

Richard Childress Racing at Atlanta Motor Speedway… In 147 NASCAR Cup Series starts at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Richard Childress Racing has earned nine wins and three pole awards, including Kevin Harvick’s emotional victory in the Cracker Barrel 500 on March 11, 2001. Dale Earnhardt won eight times at the Hampton, Ga.-based track under the RCR banner. Additionally, RCR boasts 29 top-five and 57 top-10 finishes at AMS and RCR-prepared Chevrolets have led 2,955 laps at the ultra-fast, 1.54-mile oval. Richard Childress, a former driver on NASCAR’s senior circuit, recorded his best finish at AMS, ninth, in the Atlanta Journal 500 on Nov. 2, 1980. Catch the Action… The NASCAR Xfinity Series Xfinity 250 will be televised live Saturday, March 20, beginning at 5 p.m. ET on FS1 and will be broadcast live on the Performance Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.  The NASCAR Cup Series Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 will be televised live Sunday, March 21, beginning at 3 p.m. ET on FOX and will be broadcast live on the Performance Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

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Austin Dillon and the No. 3 Bass Pro Shops / TRACKER Off Road Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE at Atlanta Motor Speedway… Dillon has eight NASCAR Cup Series starts at Atlanta Motor Speedway to his credit, earning a best finish of 11th twice in 2020 and 2016.  About Tracker Off Road… Dillon’s No. 3 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE prominently features TRACKER ATVs, a game-changing new line of all-terrain vehicles and side-by-sides offering breakthrough performance, service and value in the off-road industry. TRACKER OFF ROAD was born out of a powerhouse partnership formed between Bass Pro Shops and TRACKER founder Johnny Morris and Textron Specialized Vehicles, bringing together the undisputed world leader in boating with a global leader in innovation and technology.  About Bass Pro Shops… Bass Pro Shops is North America’s premier outdoor and conservation company. Founded in 1972 when avid young angler Johnny Morris began selling tackle out of his father’s liquor store in Springfield, Missouri, today the company provides customers with unmatched offerings spanning premier destination retail, outdoor equipment manufacturing, world-class resort destinations and more. In 2017 Bass Pro Shops acquired Cabela’s to create a “best-of-the-best” experience with superior products, dynamic locations and outstanding customer service. Bass Pro Shops also operates White River Marine Group, offering an unsurpassed collection of industry-leading boat brands, and Big Cedar Lodge, America’s Premier Wilderness Resort. Under the visionary conservation leadership of Johnny Morris, Bass Pro Shops is a national leader in protecting habitat and introducing families to the outdoors and has been named by Forbes as “one of America’s Best Employers.” Bass Pro Shops has a long relationship with NASCAR, dating back to 1998. For more information, visit http://www.basspro.com/. AUSTIN DILLON QUOTE:Atlanta Motor Speedway is a track where the asphalt there is among the favorite of the drivers, am I right?“It’s old, but I’m glad they’ve kept it the same. It’s a place that drivers love because you know it’s going to be slick and over time you might be able to find some grip by moving around or changing your line and being disciplined with the throttle.”

Tyler Reddick and the No. 8 Alsco Uniforms Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE at Atlanta Motor Speedway… Tyler Reddick has one previous NASCAR Cup Series start at Atlanta Motor Speedway, finishing 16th there during last year’s race. Reddick also has two NASCAR Xfinity Series starts and one top-five finish at the 1.5-mile speedway, as well as two NASCAR Truck Series starts and one top-five finish from 2015. About Alsco… Alsco is a fifth-generation family-owned and -operated uniform company founded in 1889 and recognized by the prestigious Hohenstein Institute for having invented the uniform rental industry. Celebrating over 130 years of business, Alsco provides uniform laundry services and other products that keep businesses clean and safe to all kinds of customers in the healthcare, automotive, industrial and hospitality industries. With more than 180 locations and 20,000 employees, Alsco provides laundry rental services to more than 355,000 customers in 14 countries, which makes Alsco Uniforms the largest uniform company in the world. Visit alsco.com to learn more about how Alsco Uniforms is the industry’s best kept secret. Making His Broadcast Debut… Reddick will be making his debut in the FOX Sports booth this weekend to help call the action during Saturday’s Xfinity Series race at Atlanta. Catch the race live starting at 5 p.m. ET on FS1.  TYLER REDDICK QUOTE: What will be the key to success this weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway?“Tires will be very important to having a successful race at Atlanta Motor Speedway this weekend. Even with the downforce package we have, tires still remain as a key to this track due to the extremely worn-out surface. Last year, I was still getting a feel for a Cup car when we raced at Atlanta and thought I had a tire going down during the first stage, so now that I know what that feels like I know what to watch out for. We had some handling issues during last year’s race too where our Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE would swing from being way too loose to way too tight, so my team has looked back at last year’s notes a lot this week to prepare and have a better handling No. 8 Alsco Uniforms Chevrolet this time around. I enjoy racing at Atlanta with its old track surface, so I’m excited for this weekend.”

Myatt Snider and the No. 2 TaxSlayer Chevrolet Camaro at Atlanta Motor Speedway… Snider has one career NASCAR Xfinity Series start at Atlanta Motor Speedway, which came one season ago in 2020. The 26-year-old has also competed in one NASCAR Truck Series race at the Georgia quad-oval, earning a seventh-place finish in 2018.  About TaxSlayer… TaxSlayer makes online tax filing accessible for millions of Americans, with an easy-to-use platform and unlimited support at a fraction of the cost of the competition. Trusted for over 50 years, the Augusta-based tech company successfully completed more than 10 million federal and state e-filed tax returns in 2020 and processed $15 billion in refunds. TaxSlayer achieved a 4.5/5 TrustScore on consumer review site Trustpilot, with 87% of its customers rating the tax filing platform Great or Excellent. For more information, visit www.TaxSlayer.com. MYATT SNIDER QUOTE:What are your expectations heading into Atlanta Motor Speedway?“Atlanta’s track surface is old and worn out, which makes it really fast. I personally don’t have a ton of experience there, so our TaxSlayer team has been working hard in the sim and watching film to prepare for Saturday’s race. We will need to manage the race and our tires to be there at the end with a shot at another victory.”

The Series will make its first trip back to the track since 2018 for a doubleheader weekendPAIGE, TX – March 18, 2021 – There’s no quit in Texas. Cotton Bowl Speedway, in Paige, TX, is a prime example of that.It’s had to suffer rain, a pandemic and a severe snowstorm in the past two years, forcing the cancellation of multiple World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series events. However, its determination to host the World of Outlaws again has never faltered.That Texas-tough attitude is bringing The Greatest Show on Dirt back to Cotton Bowl Speedway this Friday and Saturday, March 19-20, for the Drydene Texas Two-Step presented by American Lube Supply. This will be the Series’ first time back at the 3/8-mile track since 2018.“It’s a shame the Series hasn’t been able to race at Cotton Bowl the past few years due to varying factors, so we’re excited to bring the World of Outlaws back to Texas this weekend for a fun two-night event,” said Carlton Reimers, World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series Director and Texas-native. “Cotton Bowl Speedway is a great facility and its team did a good job getting it ready in a short amount of time to allow for this weekend to happen.”Rain plagued the Series’ return to the speedway in 2019 and then hours before the start of the event in 2020, the growing emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic forced the cancellation of the event. Knowing the level of interest from the fans and the track’s ability to produce thrilling racing, the World of Outlaws worked with the speedway to create a doubleheader event this year in February. Then, as Mary Ann Naumann, the owner and operator of Cotton Speedway called it, “Snowvid” hit Texas.A massive snowstorm, accompanied by record-setting freezing temperatures, hit nearly the entire state, creating hazardous conditions. Millions were initially left without power. Thousands were stuck in their homes. And a few deaths were reported.Cotton Bowl Speedway was prepared for the storm to hit, according to Naumann, but no one expected the impact to be as severe as it was.“We really prepped the track really well with the plumbing and everything like that,” Naumann said. “We were completely ready. The first night of the storm, we lost electricity. So, we froze almost from the first night. Then, we couldn’t get to the racetrack. When the water finally unfroze, we had flooding issues. We had flooding in VIP (suite) and race control. Flooding in the restrooms. We lost the ceilings in the restrooms in the pit area. Our concessions got flooded. It was really a nightmare.“It’s been none stop for us. But things are looking up. We had a race last weekend, and everything went great. We were like, ‘How did we even do this?’ But we pulled it off. We’re excited. Everyone is excited.”With the track crew’s ability to get the facility ready in time, and, coincidentally enough, the cancellation of the West Coast Swing due to COVID, the Series was able to push the Texas Two-Step to a new date a couple of weeks later.The excitement for the event is growing among the local communities, Naumann said. Not only does the arrival of teams and fans bring in more business to the town, but the locals are just ready to see the World of Outlaws back at the speedway.“I think even more so (this year) because the couple of years of excitement was there and then wasn’t able to happen,” Naumann said. “I know there’s been a lot of chatter going on in the town close to us, which is Bastrop. It has the haulers in there at different hotels and stuff. The excitement is even more because they see the big haulers and everything. I think the community is excited. We love that we’re an outdoor venue and blessed that we’re able to do this. And that people get to be out and about and be safe at the same time. I think they can have good family fun and see exciting action on the racetrack.”Fans could see multiple historic milestones reached at the track this weekend. It starts with the doubleheader being the Series’ first two-day event at the track. Currently, the Series has only made two visits to Cotton Bowl Speedway – in 2016 and 2018.Two-time defending Series champion Brad Sweet picked up the win in 2016 and 2019 Knoxville Nationals champion David Gravel won in 2018. A win for either of them at the track would be their 60th career World of Outlaws victory. Both have one win this year. Gravel is the most recent winner, outdueling Sweet for the win in a spectacular race at The Rev.Another milestone win could come from 10-time Series champion Donny Schatz. He’s on the verge of his 300th career World of Outlaws victory.Aaron Reutzel, of Clute, TX – less than 3 hours from Cotton Bowl – will be on the hunt for his first home-state win with the World of Outlaws. The leading Rookie of the Year contender picked up his third career win, and first of the year, at East Bay Raceway Park, by following the driving style of his idol and fellow Texas native Gary Wright.So far, in six races, there have been six different winners in 2021. That streak could go to seven and eight this weekend – a streak that hasn’t been reached since 2015.“I’m so excited,” Naumann said. “I’m excited about the double night. The enthusiasm is great. We’ve worked really hard on the track even though we’ve had to overcome a lot of objectives. But the track looks good and we’re so excited.”For tickets to the Drydene Texas Two-Step presented by American Lube Supply, CLICK HERE.If you’re unable to make it to the track, you can watch all the action live on DIRTVision with the annual Platinum FAST PASS subscription for $299/year or the monthly FAST PASS subscription for $39/month.

The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink® Sprint Car Series is brought to fans across the country by many important sponsors and partners, including: DIRTVision (Official Live Broadcast Partner), Drydene (Official Motor Oil), Hoosier Racing Tire (Official Tire), iRacing (Official Online Racing Game), Morton Buildings (Official Building), NOS Energy (Official Energy Product), SIS Insurance (Official Insurance Provider) and VP Racing Fuels (Official Racing Fuel); contingency sponsors include ARP (Automotive Racing Products), Cometic Gasket, COMP Cams, KSE Racing Products (Hard Charger Award), MSD and Slick Woody’s (Quick Time Award); manufacturer sponsors include FireAde, Intercomp, K1 Race Gear, and Racing Electronics.Founded in 1978, the World of Outlaws®, based in Concord, NC, is the premier national touring series for dirt track racing in North America, featuring the most powerful cars on dirt, the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series and the World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Model Series. Annually, the two series race nearly 140 times at tracks across the United States and Canada. CBS Sports Network is the official broadcast partner of the World of Outlaws. DIRTVision® also broadcasts all World of Outlaws events over the Internet to fans around the world. Learn more about the World of Outlaws.

Texas Outlaw Nationals Offers $20,000/Win at World of Outlaws BirthplaceLAWTON, OK – March 17, 2021 – 43 years ago in 1978, Lawton Speedway and Devil’s Bowl Speedway hosted the brand-new World of Outlaws in year one.43 years later in 2021, Lawton and Devil’s Bowl are two of only eight original tracks still on the NOS Energy DrinkSprint Car Series scheduleThis time next month, on Friday and Saturday, April 16-17, The Greatest Show on Dirt writes its next chapter at these iconic facilities. It’s the Series’ first and only appearance in Oklahoma this year, as well as the third and final stop in Texas, preceded by this weekend’s doubleheader at Cotton Bowl Speedway.LAWTON TICKETS (4/16) DEVIL’S BOWL TICKETS (4/17)The April doubleheader, which is the final weekend before the World of Outlaws race at dirt-covered Bristol Motor Speedway, begins on Friday, April 16 at the Lawton, OK quarter-mile.Eight events through the Series’ first eight years (1978-85) ran through Lawton with legends Steve Kinser and Sammy Swindell each scoring three wins, while Rick Ferkel and Jeff Swindell both had one victory. After a 25-year hiatus, the Outlaws returned in 2020 highlighted by an emotional home-state win for Owasso, OK native and 2013 World of Outlaws champion, Daryn Pittman.Notables Brad Sweet, David Gravel, Sheldon Haudenschild, and Logan Schuchart were top five finishers in last year’s event.For Wayne Johnson, the defending Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year, it’s his only chance to race close to his Oklahoma City, OK home. He’s a multi-time winner at the track in ASCS competition, including a victory as recent as summer of 2018. In his only World of Outlaws start at Lawton in 2020, Johnson finished 14thth.”Lawton is my home track,” Johnson noted on how special it is. “I live just about 70 miles from there, and I’ve been racing there since I was 16 years old. You’d think I’d have some sort of home field advantage there, really. We’ve won a lot of races there with ASCS. If I’m ever gonna win one of these Outlaw races, this is the one I want to win in front of my family and friends.”The next night on Saturday, April 17, the World of Outlaws Sprint Cars return home to Devil’s Bowl Speedway, where the Series was born on March 18, 1978. The Mesquite, TX half-mile has Outlaw heritage dating back four decades with countless iconic moments from beginning to now. With 87 previous events, Devil’s Bowl ranks fifth behind Williams Grove, Eldora, Knoxville and Lernerville for most Series events.Logan Schuchart, who currently leads the World of Outlaws chmpionship standings, has topped the last two appearances at Devil’s Bowl. 10-time Series champion Donny Schatz and reigning Series champion Brad Sweet are also former Outlaw winners at Devil’s Bowl.Paying $20,000-to-win the Texas Outlaw Nationals, the April 17 date at Devil’s Bowl will be the highest-paying show of the season for at least one week until Bristol takes that honor.A native of Sunnyvale, TX, Sam Hafertepe Jr. has been turning laps around Devil’s Bowl since he was a little boy. Now, he’s returning to the half-mile with his best shot ever at winning a World of Outlaws feature at his home track. The five-time ASCS National Tour champion already has a bundle of 360 victories at the track, but a 410 win would be extra special.”I grew up racing there, so it just means a little bit more to me,” Hafertepe spoke on his home track, “Racing there for me, that’s where the Outlaws started and it’s got a ton of history. Turns three and four at Devil’s Bowl is probably my favorite two turns in racing, period. It’s just a place I’ve really gotten comfortable around. I feel like I could drive blindfolded there sometimes. I always feel like we have an advantage when we pull into the gate, whether it’s a 360 or 410 under the hood. It’s cool to have so many family and friends come out to support you as well.”Heading into this weekend’s first Texas trip to Cotton Bowl Speedway, the Series has provided six different winners in six races; a near-historic start to the 2021 campaign. Winners have included Brad Sweet, Logan Schuchart, Carson Macedo, Aaron Reutzel, Sheldon Haudenschild and David Gravel.Anyone unable to make it to the track can watch all of the action live on DIRTVision with the annual Platinum FAST PASS subscription for $299/year or the monthly FAST PASS subscription for $39/month.

The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink® Sprint Car Series is brought to fans across the country by many important sponsors and partners, including: DIRTVision (Official Live Broadcast Partner), Drydene (Official Motor Oil), Hoosier Racing Tire (Official Tire), iRacing (Official Online Racing Game), Morton Buildings (Official Building), NOS Energy (Official Energy Product), SIS Insurance (Official Insurance Provider) and VP Racing Fuels (Official Racing Fuel); contingency sponsors include ARP (Automotive Racing Products), Cometic Gasket, COMP Cams, KSE Racing Products (Hard Charger Award), MSD and Slick Woody’s (Quick Time Award); manufacturer sponsors include FireAde, Intercomp, K1 Race Gear, and Racing Electronics.Founded in 1978, the World of Outlaws®, based in Concord, NC, is the premier national touring series for dirt track racing in North America, featuring the most powerful cars on dirt, the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series and the World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Model Series. Annually, the two series race nearly 140 times at tracks across the United States and Canada. CBS Sports Network is the official broadcast partner of the World of Outlaws. DIRTVision® also broadcasts all World of Outlaws events over the Internet to fans around the world. Learn more about the World of Outlaws.

March 17, 2021

The last time Atlanta Motor Speedway got a new coat of asphalt was during the middle of the 1997 season.

Bill Clinton was President at that time. Gasoline was $1.23 a gallon, “Titanic” was playing in theaters and “Candle in the Wind” was the top song. In the NASCAR world, Michael Waltrip was driving the Wood Brothers’ No. 21 Taurus, North Wilkesboro Speedway has been dropped from the Cup Series schedule, and inaugural races were held at Texas Motor Speedway and Auto Club Speedway.

There have been lots of changes since – in America, in NASCAR and at the Atlanta track. The old Weaver grandstands, named for one of the track’s first presidents, Nelson Weaver, have been removed as have the Elliott Family Grandstand in Turn Three. The track lost and then regained its second Cup race, which will be run in July.

But through it all, the original pavement, laid down when the track was reconfigured from a true oval to the current quad-oval, has remained. The surface has faded from black to a light gray, and multiple cracks have been sealed with ribbons of tar.
 
Plans to repave have been nixed, largely due to pleas from drivers like Matt DiBenedetto, who will start the No. 21 Menards/Maytag Mustang from 20^th place in Sunday’s Folds of Honor/QuikTrip 500.
 
Despite the excessive tire wear and other issues that arise from the work surface, drivers love it.

“The old pavement gives the track character,” DiBenedetto said. “It’s fun to race on, and it has multiple grooves. Tracks get better with age, and Atlanta is definitely an old one. It’s extremely fun.”
 
Last year, in his first Atlanta drive in the Menards Mustang, DiBenedetto showed top-10 speed and was poised to finish well until an unscheduled pit stop forced the team to try to make a set of tires last through a long-green flag run. The track chewed them up, and DiBenedetto was forced to pit in the closing laps.
 
Still, he’s optimistic headed into Sunday’s race.
 
“This could be a pretty good place for our Menards/Maytag team,” he said. “Last year, we started out really loose, got it fixed and had a top-10 car.”
  
There are other reasons for his optimism.
 
“The mile-and-a-half tracks are a strong point for us,” he said. “I feel pretty good.”

There will be no practice or qualifying prior to Sunday’s 500-miler, which is set to start just after 3 p.m. Eastern Time with TV coverage on FOX.

Australia’s James McFadden Begins Full-Time Ride in KKR #9 This Weekend at Cotton BowlMOORESVILLE, NC – March 16, 2021 – Statistically, Kasey Kahne just completed the greatest six-race stretch of his career with the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series.His four top-ten finishes were highlighted by a hard charging 23rd-to-fifth bid at Magnolia and a pole position at The Rev. The Enumclaw, WA native didn’t just fill the seat and turn some laps to collect points; he became a true contender to win on a nightly basis with The Greatest Show on Dirt.By result of Kahne’s impressive numbers, his early-season success has the Kasey Kahne Racing, Karavan Trailers #9 in a good position with the World of Outlaws Owners Championship in mind. Beginning this weekend at Cotton Bowl Speedway, James McFadden will begin his tenure – sitting -82 out of the points lead – and Kahne will return to his role as team owner of McFadden’s #9 and Brad Sweet’s NAPA Auto Parts #49.”It’s been a lot of fun,” Kahne said on his driving duties. “I don’t really remember driving to every race this early in the year before, just running the World of Outlaws tour is pretty cool. I’ve really enjoyed it this last month or so. I’ve been working with the team more and more, and that’s been fun. Racing and running up and down the road, though, I kind of feel like a real World of Outlaws driver at the moment.”Since established in 2006, the KKR #9 has been one of the most potent rides in the sport, and Kahne takes immense pride in that. McFadden, of Warrnambool, VIC, AUS, will become only the third driver in 16 years to pilot the #9 on a full-time basis with the World of Outlaws.The Brownsburg Bullet Joey Saldana first drove the #9 for seven years from 2006-12 and collected 68 wins before Daryn Pittman took the wheel from 2013-18, another highly-successful relationship which brought 47 victories and Kasey Kahne Racing’s first-ever World of Outlaws championship in 2013. Now, it’s McFadden’s turn to build that heritage.”To me, I think the #9 car is one of the best sprint cars in the country when we put it on the track,” Kahne spoke on his passion for the #9. “We want it to be in the title hunt and competitive every single night, which is tough with the guys out here. Overall, that’s our biggest goal, though. I’m excited to get James in the car this week. We’ve worked to get everything in a good spot these first few weeks of the season.”For McFadden, a sensational Australian talent, this new full-time opportunity marks his third season at KKR. He began driving the #9 in 2019 and has since racked up 40 starts, one win, 13 top-five finishes, and 22 top-tens with the World of Outlaws. His lone win came at Lake Ozark Speedway last October, where he’ll return as the defending Jason Johnson Classic champion next weekend on Saturday, March 27.For Kahne, this is his chance to continue bonding with the well-established organization he has built at Kasey Kahne Racing. The 18-time NASCAR Cup Series winner believes their team environment is partially responsible for his early-season success behind the wheel.”I’ve really enjoyed racing this year, but I enjoy a lot of just because of the team that I’m with,” Kahne mentioned. “Working with these guys is why I think I’m having the most fun right now. I won’t be driving anymore, but I’ll still have the same group on both teams and I’ll still be working with everybody and traveling up and down the road.”Justin Adams will continue as crew chief on McFadden’s #9 with Rob Beattie and Gary “Woodman” also on board. For Sweet’s championship-winning #49, it’s still crew chief Eric Prutzman, Joe Mooney, and Andrew Bowman.UP NEXT – James McFadden makes his first start of the 2021 World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car season this Friday and Saturday, March 19-20 at Cotton Bowl Speedway in Paige, TX.Anyone unable to make it to the track can watch all of the action live on DIRTVision with the annual Platinum FAST PASS subscription for $299/year or the monthly FAST PASS subscription for $39/month.

The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink® Sprint Car Series is brought to fans across the country by many important sponsors and partners, including: DIRTVision (Official Live Broadcast Partner), Drydene (Official Motor Oil), Hoosier Racing Tire (Official Tire), iRacing (Official Online Racing Game), Morton Buildings (Official Building), NOS Energy (Official Energy Product), SIS Insurance (Official Insurance Provider) and VP Racing Fuels (Official Racing Fuel); contingency sponsors include ARP (Automotive Racing Products), Cometic Gasket, COMP Cams, KSE Racing Products (Hard Charger Award), MSD and Slick Woody’s (Quick Time Award); manufacturer sponsors include FireAde, Intercomp, K1 Race Gear, and Racing Electronics.

SUPER SUB: Kasey Kahne’s Success is Crucial for KKR #9’s Owner Title HopesAustralia’s James McFadden Begins Full-Time Ride in KKR #9 This Weekend at Cotton BowlMOORESVILLE, NC – March 16, 2021 – Statistically, Kasey Kahne just completed the greatest six-race stretch of his career with the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series.His four top-ten finishes were highlighted by a hard charging 23rd-to-fifth bid at Magnolia and a pole position at The Rev. The Enumclaw, WA native didn’t just fill the seat and turn some laps to collect points; he became a true contender to win on a nightly basis with The Greatest Show on Dirt.By result of Kahne’s impressive numbers, his early-season success has the Kasey Kahne Racing, Karavan Trailers #9 in a good position with the World of Outlaws Owners Championship in mind. Beginning this weekend at Cotton Bowl Speedway, James McFadden will begin his tenure – sitting -82 out of the points lead – and Kahne will return to his role as team owner of McFadden’s #9 and Brad Sweet’s NAPA Auto Parts #49.”It’s been a lot of fun,” Kahne said on his driving duties. “I don’t really remember driving to every race this early in the year before, just running the World of Outlaws tour is pretty cool. I’ve really enjoyed it this last month or so. I’ve been working with the team more and more, and that’s been fun. Racing and running up and down the road, though, I kind of feel like a real World of Outlaws driver at the moment.”Since established in 2006, the KKR #9 has been one of the most potent rides in the sport, and Kahne takes immense pride in that. McFadden, of Warrnambool, VIC, AUS, will become only the third driver in 16 years to pilot the #9 on a full-time basis with the World of Outlaws.The Brownsburg Bullet Joey Saldana first drove the #9 for seven years from 2006-12 and collected 68 wins before Daryn Pittman took the wheel from 2013-18, another highly-successful relationship which brought 47 victories and Kasey Kahne Racing’s first-ever World of Outlaws championship in 2013. Now, it’s McFadden’s turn to build that heritage.”To me, I think the #9 car is one of the best sprint cars in the country when we put it on the track,” Kahne spoke on his passion for the #9. “We want it to be in the title hunt and competitive every single night, which is tough with the guys out here. Overall, that’s our biggest goal, though. I’m excited to get James in the car this week. We’ve worked to get everything in a good spot these first few weeks of the season.”For McFadden, a sensational Australian talent, this new full-time opportunity marks his third season at KKR. He began driving the #9 in 2019 and has since racked up 40 starts, one win, 13 top-five finishes, and 22 top-tens with the World of Outlaws. His lone win came at Lake Ozark Speedway last October, where he’ll return as the defending Jason Johnson Classic champion next weekend on Saturday, March 27.For Kahne, this is his chance to continue bonding with the well-established organization he has built at Kasey Kahne Racing. The 18-time NASCAR Cup Series winner believes their team environment is partially responsible for his early-season success behind the wheel.”I’ve really enjoyed racing this year, but I enjoy a lot of just because of the team that I’m with,” Kahne mentioned. “Working with these guys is why I think I’m having the most fun right now. I won’t be driving anymore, but I’ll still have the same group on both teams and I’ll still be working with everybody and traveling up and down the road.”Justin Adams will continue as crew chief on McFadden’s #9 with Rob Beattie and Gary “Woodman” also on board. For Sweet’s championship-winning #49, it’s still crew chief Eric Prutzman, Joe Mooney, and Andrew Bowman.UP NEXT – James McFadden makes his first start of the 2021 World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car season this Friday and Saturday, March 19-20 at Cotton Bowl Speedway in Paige, TX.Anyone unable to make it to the track can watch all of the action live on DIRTVision with the annual Platinum FAST PASS subscription for $299/year or the monthly FAST PASS subscription for $39/month.

The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink® Sprint Car Series is brought to fans across the country by many important sponsors and partners, including: DIRTVision (Official Live Broadcast Partner), Drydene (Official Motor Oil), Hoosier Racing Tire (Official Tire), iRacing (Official Online Racing Game), Morton Buildings (Official Building), NOS Energy (Official Energy Product), SIS Insurance (Official Insurance Provider) and VP Racing Fuels (Official Racing Fuel); contingency sponsors include ARP (Automotive Racing Products), Cometic Gasket, COMP Cams, KSE Racing Products (Hard Charger Award), MSD and Slick Woody’s (Quick Time Award); manufacturer sponsors include FireAde, Intercomp, K1 Race Gear, and Racing Electronics.

SUPER SB: Kasey Kahne’s Success is Crucial for KKR #9’s Owner Title HopesAustralia’s James McFadden Begins Full-Time Ride in KKR #9 This Weekend at Cotton BowlMOORESVILLE, NC – March 16, 2021 – Statistically, Kasey Kahne just completed the greatest six-race stretch of his career with the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series.His four top-ten finishes were highlighted by a hard charging 23rd-to-fifth bid at Magnolia and a pole position at The Rev. The Enumclaw, WA native didn’t just fill the seat and turn some laps to collect points; he became a true contender to win on a nightly basis with The Greatest Show on Dirt.By result of Kahne’s impressive numbers, his early-season success has the Kasey Kahne Racing, Karavan Trailers #9 in a good position with the World of Outlaws Owners Championship in mind. Beginning this weekend at Cotton Bowl Speedway, James McFadden will begin his tenure – sitting -82 out of the points lead – and Kahne will return to his role as team owner of McFadden’s #9 and Brad Sweet’s NAPA Auto Parts #49.”It’s been a lot of fun,” Kahne said on his driving duties. “I don’t really remember driving to every race this early in the year before, just running the World of Outlaws tour is pretty cool. I’ve really enjoyed it this last month or so. I’ve been working with the team more and more, and that’s been fun. Racing and running up and down the road, though, I kind of feel like a real World of Outlaws driver at the moment.”Since established in 2006, the KKR #9 has been one of the most potent rides in the sport, and Kahne takes immense pride in that. McFadden, of Warrnambool, VIC, AUS, will become only the third driver in 16 years to pilot the #9 on a full-time basis with the World of Outlaws.The Brownsburg Bullet Joey Saldana first drove the #9 for seven years from 2006-12 and collected 68 wins before Daryn Pittman took the wheel from 2013-18, another highly-successful relationship which brought 47 victories and Kasey Kahne Racing’s first-ever World of Outlaws championship in 2013. Now, it’s McFadden’s turn to build that heritage.”To me, I think the #9 car is one of the best sprint cars in the country when we put it on the track,” Kahne spoke on his passion for the #9. “We want it to be in the title hunt and competitive every single night, which is tough with the guys out here. Overall, that’s our biggest goal, though. I’m excited to get James in the car this week. We’ve worked to get everything in a good spot these first few weeks of the season.”For McFadden, a sensational Australian talent, this new full-time opportunity marks his third season at KKR. He began driving the #9 in 2019 and has since racked up 40 starts, one win, 13 top-five finishes, and 22 top-tens with the World of Outlaws. His lone win came at Lake Ozark Speedway last October, where he’ll return as the defending Jason Johnson Classic champion next weekend on Saturday, March 27.For Kahne, this is his chance to continue bonding with the well-established organization he has built at Kasey Kahne Racing. The 18-time NASCAR Cup Series winner believes their team environment is partially responsible for his early-season success behind the wheel.”I’ve really enjoyed racing this year, but I enjoy a lot of just because of the team that I’m with,” Kahne mentioned. “Working with these guys is why I think I’m having the most fun right now. I won’t be driving anymore, but I’ll still have the same group on both teams and I’ll still be working with everybody and traveling up and down the road.”Justin Adams will continue as crew chief on McFadden’s #9 with Rob Beattie and Gary “Woodman” also on board. For Sweet’s championship-winning #49, it’s still crew chief Eric Prutzman, Joe Mooney, and Andrew Bowman.UP NEXT – James McFadden makes his first start of the 2021 World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car season this Friday and Saturday, March 19-20 at Cotton Bowl Speedway in Paige, TX.Anyone unable to make it to the track can watch all of the action live on DIRTVision with the annual Platinum FAST PASS subscription for $299/year or the monthly FAST PASS subscription for $39/month.

The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink® Sprint Car Series is brought to fans across the country by many important sponsors and partners, including: DIRTVision (Official Live Broadcast Partner), Drydene (Official Motor Oil), Hoosier Racing Tire (Official Tire), iRacing (Official Online Racing Game), Morton Buildings (Official Building), NOS Energy (Official Energy Product), SIS Insurance (Official Insurance Provider) and VP Racing Fuels (Official Racing Fuel); contingency sponsors include ARP (Automotive Racing Products), Cometic Gasket, COMP Cams, KSE Racing Products (Hard Charger Award), MSD and Slick Woody’s (Quick Time Award); manufacturer sponsors include FireAde, Intercomp, K1 Race Gear, and Racing Electronics.

February 2021

It was a sweet 3rd attempt. Giving him enough wow factor for the fans to secure the 1st of many wins for Team War Wizard. We sat the remainder of racing out checking the truck out to make sure all was well before freestyle. With this happening they put RJ out 1st in the line up for freestyle. He ran a soft run but gave the fans a show, with big air, clearing the center pod a few times as well as a stoppie or two to close out his run. Leaving the fans with a lasting impression being 1st in the line up securing his 2nd win of the weekend.

The picture above says it all. With nearly 6 months out of the seat RJ was happy to be back in his office! February 5th & 6th we hit the ground full of excitement and ready to greet our fans.

We started the Friday night show on fire. In racing qualifying RJ flat tracked the Ole Wizard around the Chicago track with the fast time earning him a bi run in the 1st round of racing. Only to let the fans down when he was on a great run yet again but the truck hooked hiking the left front tire up over the turn post a little to much. Which lead to a roll over in his bi run! Not much body damage was cause. We rolled him over and he fired up and went and got ready for the rest of the show.

In the skilled event contested RJ said I’m going to try a stoppie and see what happens.

5006 General Stuart CT. Sharpsburg, MD 21782 Office: 407-314-6936 wwr@warwizardracing.com

qualifier run, but this time RJ made sure to keep the truck on all 4’s in the bi run going to the next round. Only to make his way to semi finals to lose gracefully when the truck hooked and hiked again but this time he saved it and road it out and down to finish the run. Skilled contest was another win with a good sky wheelie followed up with a stoppie. Then there was freestyle!, 2nd to last in the line up RJ went out on fire. Clearing the pod several times, big air, cross threading the jumps, yet another stoppie and then he stepped it up one more time with his 1st attempt at a bicycle. The fans loved it. Locking in the 5th win out of 9 events and 2 fastest qualifying pasts was a great welcome back for our team and our marketing partners.

Kicking Friday night off with some good luck we still had two more shows Saturday. Saturday running on the conservative side RJ fell a little shy of fastest qualifier but advanced a round of racing only to have rear steer issues putting him out of racing. The skills contest was soft for us as well taking in a close 2nd. But the fan’s favorite was next, RJ made up for the slacking in the other events. With a very nice freestyle run the included big air, cross threading and a few more stoppie’s but this time he stepped it up and back the truck up the ramp putting the grill on the ground crunching it just a tad. Claiming the 3rd win for the weekend.

The 3rd and final show was here. With body work done, oil changed & truck doubled checked between shows we were ready. RJ came out hot nailing yet another fastest

5006 General Stuart CT. Sharpsburg, MD 21782 Office: 407-314-6936 wwr@warwizardracing.com

5006 General Stuart CT. Sharpsburg, MD 21782 Office: 407-314-6936 wwr@warwizardracing.com

$40,000 in total winnings and three trophies on the line between two nights of racing, March 26-27, for the World of Outlaws Late ModelsGAFFNEY, SC – March 16, 2021 – The month of money continues for the World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Models, March 26-27, at Cherokee Speedway for the first annual Rock Gault Memorial with $40,000 in winnings and three trophies waiting for a new home.Friday night’s event – giving show-up points only – will feature twin 25-lap Features – splitting the night’s field of cars – each paying $5,000-to-win/$500-to-start. Then, Saturday’s event – a regular points night – will award the winner with one of the biggest payouts of the year: $30,000-to-win/$1,200-to-start.“We’re excited to team with Cherokee Speedway for a doubleheader weekend that presents the drivers with a great opportunity to run for an impressive payout and presents fans with two nights of exciting racing,” said Casey Shuman, World of Outlaws Late Model Series Director. “The event is one of many examples this year of the Series’ commitment to continually provide opportunities to put more money in driver’s pockets and the best racing possible for the present and years to come.”The format for Friday’s twin-Features will look like a normal race night with Qualifying, Heat Races, a Redraw and Last Chance Showdown. However, the A/B split in Qualifying will determine which of the twin Features a driver will race in. Saturday’s event will be a normal race night.There will be a practice night for all classes on Thursday, March 25.COMPETITOR NOTES: https://bit.ly/2P3DedFThe event is set to see the biggest names in Late Model racing take on the stars of the World of Outlaws. Chris Madden, a South Carolina native, made the decision to join the Series full-time after claiming the win at the Series’ most recent event. He has 27 victories in total at the 3/8-mile track, most recently in February with the Drydene Xtreme DIRTcar Series. However, he’s still searching for his first Series win at the speedway.Fellow South Carolina-native Ross Bailes, who is running for Rookie of the Year honors with the Series this year, earned his first career World of Outlaws victory at Cherokee in 2019 and has 10 wins there overall.“I feel like any car I get in there, I just feel comfortable at that track,” Bailes said on the Stick Signals podcast. “I don’t think there are many other drivers that have more laps than I do at that track. That’s a comfortable track to me.”Brandon Overton, who won with the Series at Volusia in February, has won the last two Series events there.They’ll be joined by the likes of three-time defending Series champion Brandon Sheppard – still looking for his first win in 2021 – current Series points leader Kyle Strickler, 2004 Series champion Scott Bloomquist, 2015 Series champion and 2017 Series winner at Cherokee Shane Clanton, 2019 Rookie of the Year Ricky Weiss and a plethora of regional standouts.If you’re unable to make it to the track, you can watch all the action live on DIRTVision with the annual Platinum FAST PASS subscription for $299/year or the monthly FAST PASS subscription for $39/month.

The World of Outlaws Morton Buildings® Late Model Series is brought to fans across the country by many important sponsors and partners, including: DIRTVision (Official Live Broadcast Partner), Drydene (Official Motor Oil), Hoosier Racing Tire (Official Tire), iRacing (Official Online Racing Game), Morton Buildings (Official Building), SIS Insurance (Official Insurance Provider) VP Racing Fuels (Official Racing Fuel); in addition to contingency sponsors, including: Arizona Sport Shirts/Gotta Race, ARP (Automotive Racing Products), Cometic Gasket, COMP Cams, MSD, Penske Racing Shocks, Quarter Master, Slick Woody’s (Quick Time Award), and Wrisco (Exclusive Racing Aluminum); along with manufacturer sponsors, including: Capital Race Cars, FireAde, Integra Shocks, Intercomp, K1 Race Gear, Racing Electronics, Reliable Painting, and Rocket Chassis.Founded in 1978, the World of Outlaws®, based in Concord, NC, is the premier national touring series for dirt track racing in North America, featuring the most powerful cars on dirt, the World of Outlaws NOS® Energy Drink Sprint Car Series and the World of Outlaws Morton Buildings® Late Model Series. Annually, the two series race nearly 140 times at tracks across the United States and Canada. CBS Sports Network is the official broadcast partner of the World of Outlaws. DIRTVision® also broadcasts World of Outlaws events over the Internet to fans around the world. Learn more about the World of Outlaws.

Batavia, OH (March 16, 2021) – Due to the forecasted weather and chilly temperatures on Friday, March 19th, the Buckeye Spring 50 at Atomic Speedway has been rescheduled for Sunday, March 21st, with starting times being moved up one hour earlier. The Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series will still visit Brownstown Speedway on Saturday, March 20th, as originally scheduled. Both events are expected to attract a powerful field of entries as drivers battle in a complete program of: Allstar Performance Time Trials, Heat Races, B-Mains, and a 50-lap main event. Brownstown Speedway, located on the Jackson County Fairgrounds, will kick off their 2021 racing season on Saturday, March 20. In addition to the pulse-pounding action of the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series, the 24th Annual Indiana Icebreaker paying $15,000-to-win, will also include Modifieds and Pure Stocks. Both the pit gate and general admission gates at Brownstown Speedway will open at noon. On-track action will begin at 6:00pm ET. For more information, visit: www.brownstownspeedway.com. Sunday’s event at Atomic Speedway, the 7th Annual Buckeye Spring 50, will pay $12,000-to-win and include an $800-to-win event for the Sport Modifieds. Both the pit gates and general admission gates will open at 2:00pm ET. Hot laps will begin at 5:00pm, followed by action-packed racing. For more information, visit: www.atomicspeedway.net. The 24th Annual Indiana Icebreaker at Brownstown Speedway and 7th Annual Buckeye Spring 50 from Atomic Speedway will also be streamed live on MAVTVPlus.com starting with hot laps.  Brownstown SpeedwayPhone Number: 812-358-5332Location: 476 East CR 100, Brownstown, IN 47220Website: www.brownstownspeedway.com Tire Rule:Left Rear/Fronts – Hoosier Rib (28.5) 1350Right Rear – Hoosier (29.0) 1350 NRM, (29.0) 1350 NRMW, (92) LM40*Must use the same set of 4 tires for Time Trials, Heat Races, and B-Mains.*For the A-Main, competitors may use 2 new rear tires.*Flat tire must be replaced with a used tire of the same compound and construction to retain starting position. Purse:$15,000-to-win – 1. $15,000, 2. $6,500, 3. $3,500, 4. $3,000, 5. $2,500, 6. $2,400, 7. $2,300, 8. $2,200, 9. $2,100, 10. $2,000, 11. $1,600, 12. $1,400, 13. $1,300, 14. $1,200, 15. $1,050, 16. $1,000, 17. $1,000, 18. $1,000, 19. $1,000, 20. $1,000, 21. $1,000, 22. $1,000, 23. $1,000, 24. $1,000.  Atomic SpeedwayPhone Number: 740-703-9749Location: 2535 Blain Hwy, Waverly, OH 45690Website: www.atomicspeedway.net Tire Rule:Left Rear/Fronts – Hoosier Rib (28.5) 1300Right Rear – Hoosier (29.0) 1300 NRM, (29.0) 1300 NRMW, (29.0) 1425 NRM, (29.0) 1425 NRMW*Must use the same set of 4 tires for Time Trials, Heat Races, and B-Mains.*For the A-Main, competitors may use 2 new rear tires.*Flat tire must be replaced with a used tire of the same compound and construction to retain starting position. Purse:$12,000-to-win- 1. $12,000, 2. $6,000, 3. $3,500, 4. $2,800, 5. $2,500, 6. $2,300, 7. $2,200, 8. $2,100, 9. $2,050, 10. $2,000, 11. $1,600, 12. $1,400, 13. $1,200, 14. $1,100, 15. $1,050, 16. $1,000, 17. $1,000, 18. $1,000, 19. $1,000, 20. $1,000, 21. $1,000, 22. $1,000, 23. $1,000, 24. $1,000.

About Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt SeriesFounded in 2005, the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series showcases the talents of the top dirt late model drivers from across the country. In 2021, the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series will sanction 59 events across 18 states, including some of the biggest marquee events in the industry, providing dirt slinging, sideways, door-to-door racing action lap after lap.  The series receives national exposure through a television package filmed, produced and edited by Lucas Oil Production Studios. Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series events will broadcast on four networks including CBS, NBC Sports, CBS Sports Network and the MAVTV Motorsports Network.   The in your face excitement of the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series is second to none in motorsports. For more information, including the latest news, tour schedule, driver information, and more, visit the official website at: www.LucasDirt.com.

(March 15, 2021 – Jim Allen) Sacramento, CA …  The high powered NARC King of the West Fujitsu General Series will kick off its highly anticipated 2021 sprint car campaign on Saturday, March 20th, with the Salute to LeRoy Van Conett at theStockton Dirt Track.  The event is in honor of legendary eight-time Northern Auto Racing Club champion LeRoy Van Conett.

This marks the first of 20 scheduled championship racing events at 10 different dirt track venues this season.  The traveling series and its loyal teams are attempting to return to some form of normalcy after getting sidetracked by the pandemic last year.  Only four of the planned 19-events were run season and the Northern Auto Racing Club did not crown a champion for the first time in 61-years.

The sanctioning body is realistic on what is possible this season with the pandemic still looming strong in the background.  A few setbacks and cancellations are expected, but a majority of the schedule is should run as scheduled.

“We are looking to get back to the business of dirt track racing and put on some entertaining shows for the fans,” said 13-time series champion and Series Board Member Brent Kaeding of Campbell.  “It’s been a rough year for motorsports in California and everybody is anxious to get back to doing what they love the most.  We should have a great show at Stockton on Saturday.”

Admission is $30 per person.  Seniors 65+ and Military personnel will be admitted for $25.  Pit passes are $40.  

All NARC King of the West races are are available on PPV at Floracing.com.

Hanford driver DJ Netto will be defending his 2019 series title this season and the competition is expected to be fierce.  Several teams have already declared their intentions to make a championship run including Dominic Scelzi of Fresno; three-time series titlist Tim Kaeding of San Jose; 2018 champ Bud Kaeding of Campbell; Aromas driver Justin Sanders; Sean Becker of Roseville, the 2005 series champion; Roseville’s Willie Croft; Hanford’s Mitchell Faccinto; and Austin McCarl of Iowa.  Collectively, this group has 148 NARC King of the West feature event victories to their credit.

Others expected to compete include four-time King of the West champion Kyle Hirst of Paradise; Elk Grove’s Shane Golobic; Rico Abreu of Rutherford; Clovis driver Sean Watts; Kyle Offill of Tracy; Chico’s Kenny Allen; Mark Barroso of Merced and many more.

The NARC King of the West Hoosier Tire format will include qualifying, three 8-lap heat races, a six-lap Sunnyvalley Bacon trophy dash, and the $3000 to win Fujitsu feature event headliner.

Pit gates will open at noon.  Qualifying is set to get underway at 5:00 p.m., followed by racing at 6:00 p.m.  Also on the racing card is Nor Cal Dwarf Cars.

The Stockton Dirt Track is located on the San Joaquin County Fairgrounds, located at 1658 S Airport Way, Stockton, CA 95206.  For more information, call 916-370-9417.

Race fans and teams are required to wear mask and maintain social distance as much as possible to help reduce the spread of COVID-19.

ED NOTE:  Commemorative LeRoy Van Conett event shirts will be sold near victory lane between 4:00 – 7:00 p.m.  Proceeds benefit the NARC Benevolent Fund.

The King of the West-NARC Fujitsu General Racing Series is also sponsored by Hoosier Racing Tires.  Associate and product award sponsors include ATL Racing Cells, Automotive Racing Products (ARP), Autometer, Brown & Miller Racing Solutions, Bullet Impressions, FK Rod Ends, FloRacing.com, Hooker Harness, Johnstone Supply, Kaeding Performance Center, KSE Racing Products, Maxim, PAC Racing Springs, Pyrotect, Racing Optics, Saldana Racing Products, Schoenfeld Headers, SCI Racing Products, Swift Metal Finishing, Sunnyvalley Bacon, System 1 Ignition, Ultra Light Brakes, Wilwood Disc Brakes, and Winters Performance Products.

Intense Action and Thrilling Races Move to The Lone Star State This WeekendPAIGE, TX – March 15, 2021 – The Dirty South Swing was epic. Now, it’s time for the Drydene Texas Two-Step presented by American Lube Supply.This Friday and Saturday, March 19-20, the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series is coming to Cotton Bowl Speedway.BUY TICKETS HEREFor the Lone Star State fans, this return to the Paige, TX 3/8-mile is a special one. From Mother Nature’s rain to the COVID-19 pandemic to State of Emergencies, fans have been stripped of the Outlaws at Cotton Bowl far too many times for too many different reasons. This weekend, that’s not happening.A pair of previous Outlaw visits in 2016 and 2018 gave the Austin area fans a taste of The Greatest Show on Dirt with exciting last-lap passes and thrilling green-to-checkered wins. This weekend, fans get not only one show, but two full nights with the 900-horsepower machines.Before the fun begins on Friday night, let’s catch you up on the storylines to follow:HISTORY IN THE MAKING: The 2021 season is officially tied for the second-most diverse start in 44 years of competition for the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series. The current streak of six winners – Brad Sweet, Logan Schuchart, Carson Macedo, Aaron Reutzel, Sheldon Haudenschild & David Gravel – is tied for the second-longest streak without a repeat winner alongside seasons in 1984, 2006 and 2007.The all-time record is held by the 2015 campaign, which featured eight different winners to start the year with wins from Daryn Pittman, Donny Schatz, Brad Sweet, Shane Stewart, Terry McCarl, Brian Brown, Tim Kaeding and Rico Abreu.THE GREATEST SHOW ON DIRT – FOR A REASON: You get yours monies worth at a World of Outlaws show. Four of the last five races have featured a pass for the lead with less than ten laps remaining. There was Schuchart capitalizing on Schatz’s ignition box failure with two to go at Volusia; then Macedo’s charge from tenth to steal a Volusia victory from Hafertepe; then Haudenschild snookering Schuchart through lap traffic at The Mag; and most recently, Gravel beating Sweet in a barnburner at The Rev.The good news? We’re heading to a track that has already proven to create some instant classics. During Cotton Bowl Speedway’s World of Outlaws debut in 2016, the feature provided three different leaders, two lead changes in the last ten laps, and a last-lap, last-corner pass for the win. Relive those highlights below for an idea of what to expect this weekend.IT’S GOOD TO BE HOME: For Aaron Reutzel of Clute, TX, this weekend is a chance to get some much-needed and enjoyed time in his native state. A resident of Knoxville, IA these days, the leading Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year contender appreciates every moment he gets to spend back home at his parents’ house with his family. He says “it’s like a weeklong vacation” any chance he gets to go racing in Texas.Returning to Cotton Bowl Speedway for the first time as a full-time Outlaw, Reutzel will have a previous experience to rely on as he and Roth Motorsports chase their second win of the year. The multi-time ASCS National Tour champion ran second in a pair of ASCS regional races in 2013 and 2014, and he also has a top ten finish during the World of Outlaws debut at Cotton Bowl in 2016.DONNY WANTS NEXT: Surprisingly enough, 10-time Series champion Donny Schatz is not one of the six winners this season. A win this weekend at Cotton Bowl would not only extend that streak to seven, it would also mean his 300th career World of Outlaws Sprint Car feature victory. In two previous trips to the Paige, TX facility, the Fargo, ND has finishes of fifth and ninth.Although winless, Schatz and his Tony Stewart/Curb-Agajanian Racing, Carquest, Ford Performance #15 have been incredibly consistent, proven by their fourth-place points position. Through six races, Schatz has five top-five finishes and it would be a perfect six if it wasn’t for an ignition box failure while leading at Volusia. Could this be the weekend for #300?THE RACE TO WIN AGAIN: If any of the early-season track were to provide a repeat winner, Cotton Bowl would be among the favorites looking at previous results. Fresh off their jaw-dropping battle at The Rev, David Gravel and Brad Sweet return to a track they’ve both already won at. Sweet, driving his Kasey Kahne Racing #49, won the Series’ debut at Cotton Bowl in 2016 with a last-lap pass over Daryn Pittman. Gravel, now with Big Game Motorsports, is the most recent winner at the track with a wire-to-wire route in 2018.Along with Sweet and Gravel, any of four including of Logan Schuchart, Carson Macedo, Aaron Reutzel, or Sheldon Haudenschild could be the first repeat winner of 2021 this weekend.Photo – Tim Aylwin

The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink® Sprint Car Series is brought to fans across the country by many important sponsors and partners, including: DIRTVision (Official Live Broadcast Partner), Drydene (Official Motor Oil), Hoosier Racing Tire (Official Tire), iRacing (Official Online Racing Game), Morton Buildings (Official Building), NOS Energy (Official Energy Product), SIS Insurance (Official Insurance Provider) and VP Racing Fuels (Official Racing Fuel); contingency sponsors include ARP (Automotive Racing Products), Cometic Gasket, COMP Cams, KSE Racing Products (Hard Charger Award), MSD and Slick Woody’s (Quick Time Award); manufacturer sponsors include FireAde, Intercomp, K1 Race Gear, and Racing Electronics.Founded in 1978, the World of Outlaws®, based in Concord, NC, is the premier national touring series for dirt track racing in North America, featuring the most powerful cars on dirt, the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series and the World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Model Series. Annually, the two series race nearly 140 times at tracks across the United States and Canada. CBS Sports Network is the official broadcast partner of the World of Outlaws. DIRTVision® also broadcasts all World of Outlaws events over the Internet to fans around the world. Learn more about the World of Outlaws.