KANSAS CITY, KS – October 19, 2020 – Joey Logano, won the Hollywood Casino 400 on Sunday, securing a spot in the NASCAR Cup Series Championship 4 for Team Penske and Ford Performance. Chase Briscoe, from Stewart-Haas Racing, also secured a spot in the NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship 4 by winning the Kansas Lottery 300 at Kansas Speedway on Saturday.

“A great weekend for Ford Performance, Team Penske, and Stewart-Haas Racing. Congratulations to Joey, Paul, Chase and Richard for their wins at Kansas. To be locked into the Championship 4 for both series at the beginning of the Round of 8 is awesome,” said Doug Yates, President and CEO of Roush Yates Engines. “Joey was able to take advantage of his experience and fast pit crew!  And to see Chase mature as driver, collect his ninth win in a single season, is a testament to his passion and character for our great sport.”

Kevin Harvick in the No. 4 Ford Mustang led three times for a race high 85-laps, but a late race caution shuffled up the field. It was the quick work of the No. 22 Team Penske pit crew, that provided the lead for Logano during the restart on lap 223. Logano led a total of 47 laps and was able to hold off a hard charging Harvick to win by .312 of a second.

“What an amazing team this Shell Pennzoil team is,” Logano commented. “Pit stops put us in position and got us the lead. We are going to Phoenix and racing for a championship again. Heck Yeah!”

Harvick finished P2 while Team Penske teammates Brad Keselowski finished P4 and Ryan Blaney P7 and Wood Brothers Racing’s, Matt DiBenedetto finished P12. With two races to go before the Championship, all three Ford Performance Playoff drivers are currently in the top four by wins or points.

Briscoe, driving the No. 98 Ford Performance Racing School Mustang, dominated the Xfinity Series race by sweeping both stages and leading 159 laps out of the 200-lap race. During a late race caution, Briscoe re-started mid-pack and muscled his way through the field to finish 1.199 seconds ahead of second place. Briscoe’s ninth win of the year is the highest numbers of wins for a Ford driver in the Xfinity Series.

During his victory lane interview, Briscoe commented, “I am super happy to be locked into Phoenix. It is going to be a lot less stressful the next two weeks. I can’t say enough to everybody at Stewart-Haas Racing. This Ford Performance Racing School Mustang was lights out. It has been an unbelievable year, but we have three more to go.”

Both Chase and Ford Performance teammate, Austin Cindric are currently in position to advance to the final Championship 4.

The Ford Mustangs of Multimatic Motorsports and PF Racing raced at Road Atlanta on Friday in the Fox Factory 120 in the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge Series. PF Racing finished P8 while Multimatic finished P18 due to an early race incident.

The NASCAR Playoffs head to Texas Motor Speedway this weekend for the second race in the Round of 8. The next race for the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenges Series is at Laguna Seca.   27 CHAMPIONSHIPS – 411 WINS – 367 POLES!

·        Don Schumacher Racing (DSR) wheelman Jack Beckman drives Infinite Hero Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat to winner’s circle at 35^th annual AAA Texas NHRA FallNationals 

·        Beckman’s victory over teammate Matt Hagan at Texas Motorplex gives DSR and the Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat a record 12 consecutive national event Funny Car wins

·        Win puts Beckman within four points of points leader and runner-up finisher Hagan in battle for Funny Car world championship with two events left in season

·        DSR Dodge Chargers of Beckman, Hagan, Tommy Johnson Jr. and Ron Capps are locked in a four-way battle for the Funny Car world championship heading to Houston for the rescheduled Mopar Express Lane NHRA SpringNationals next weekend

·        Leah Pruett and the Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye dragster remain third in the hunt for a Top Fuel world title after quarterfinal exit

·        Mark Pawuk takes his Mopar Drag Pak to two holeshot wins and a semifinal appearance in Factory Stock Showdown to remain second in the championship

October 18, 2020, Ennis, Texas – Don Schumacher Racing (DSR) wheelman Jack Beckman earned his third win of the 2020 National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Drag Racing Series season at 35^th annual AAA Texas FallNationals over Funny Car points leader Matt Hagan in an all-Dodge final. The win by Beckman extends his team’s undefeated streak to a NHRA record 12 consecutive Funny Car victories which DSR has maintained since last year’s event at Texas Motorplex.

Beckman made his way to the final elimination round by defeating Cruz Pedregon, Tim Wilkerson and Bob Tasca. He scored his first-ever victory at the Dallas track earning a Wally trophy, the 33rd of his career, and the track’s signature cowboy hat with a 0.070-second reaction time and 3.908 second pass at 328.46 mph to out run Hagan’s 0.069-sec. start and 3.943 sec./324.20 mph effort. 

“Maybe the best weekend ever,” said Beckman. “I mean doubling up at Indy in 2015 is going to be awfully hard to exceed, but I so wanted to win at Dallas. My dad (Bob Beckman) lives close to here and he’s been supporting me my whole career and he’s 83-years-old. That might have been my last shot at Dallas and it’s going to be extra special to give him that cowboy hat from the (Texas) Motorplex. It’s perfect. I don’t know that I’ve ever had a better weekend at a drag strip than this.”

With just two national events remaining to determine a Funny Car world champion, the victory keeps the Infinite Hero Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat driver within four markers of the category leader Hagan and also keeps fans guessing as to which of the four DSR drivers might take the crown as Tommy Johnson Jr. and Ron Capps also remain in the mix.

From his No. 1 seeded position on the eliminations ladder, Hagan drove his special edition Pennzoil paint scheme Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat through eliminations with wins over Todd Simpson, J.R. Todd and teammate Capps to advance to his fourth final round appearance of the year. Despite the loss to Beckman, Hagan’s runner-up finishes in back-to back events have helped him maintain the points lead.

“All-in-all another really good day here at Dallas for this Pennzoil/Mopar team,” said Hagan who made his third final round appearance at Texas following wins in 2016 and 2019. “(Jack) Beckman just had a little better day. They have a great race car, but we have a great race car too. We’ve been keeping pace and we’re going to keep doing our thing for the next two races and see how this thing plays out. I’m super excited we get to do it again in a few days at Houston next weekend. We have a lot of momentum. The team is working great. The guys are doing a great job. We just have a little more work to do.”

Winner of the Mopar Express Lane NHRA Midwest Nationals near St. Louis two weeks ago, No. 2 seed Johnson Jr. was looking to go rounds in his MD Anderson Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat and keep the battle for the championship as close as possible heading into the final two races of the season that will conclude with a “points-and-a-half” format at the season finale. Unfortunately, Johnson saw his racecar lose tire adhesion in the quarterfinals against Bob Tasca and lost a little traction in the points as well while remaining third in the standings.

From his fourth place position on the ladder, Capps joined his teammates Beckman and Hagan in advancing to the semifinals aboard his DSR Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat in order to gain valuable points. His day came to a disappointing end after his (0.067-sec.) 3.958 sec./ 318.84 mph effort wasn’t enough to halt Hagan’s (0.062-sec.) 3.907 sec./326.08 mph run.

From her fifth place position on the Top Fuel eliminations ladder, Leah Pruett took her Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye for a hotshot win against Scott Palmer in the first round to advance to the next round and keep her championship hopes alive. However, a quarterfinal loss to Shawn Langdon thwarted her plans to make any gains in the points, but she still maintains her third place position in the Top Fuel standings behind Steve Torrance and Doug Kalitta.

For a fifth time this season, Pruett also doubled up on track time by taking her Mopar Dodge Challenger Drag Pak for some laps in the Factory Stock Showdown (FSS) class alongside teammate Mark Pawuk. While her day was cut short with a first round loss to Arthur Kohn, her teammate had a more productive day.

Pawuk drove his Empaco Equipment Mopar Drag Pak to back-to-back holeshot wins against John Cerone and Jesse Alexandra to advance to the semifinals and face FSS points leader Aaron Stanfield. Pawuk’s 0.091-sec. reaction time and 7.992 sec./171.58 mph run wasn’t quite enough to beat Stanfield’s 0.051-second reaction time and 7.976/171.82 pass, but he remains second in class.

NHRA competition will head south from Dallas to a second consecutive national event in the Lone Star State and the penultimate of the 2020 season. Rescheduled from its original April date, the upcoming Mopar Express Lane NHRA SpringNationals Presented By Pennzoil will take place at Houston Raceway Park near Baytown, Texas from Oct. 23-25.

Two NHRA nitro qualifying sessions are scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 24, at 1:45 and 4:45 p.m. local time. Elimination rounds at the Mopar Express Lane NHRA SpringNationals Presented By Pennzoil are scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. ET on Sunday, Oct. 25, with the television broadcast on FS1 beginning at 2:00 p.m. ET featuring LIVE coverage of the final rounds.

ADDITIONAL NOTES and QUOTES: 

Jack Beckman, Infinite Hero Foundation Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Funny Car
(No.6  Qualifier – 3.917 seconds at 328.70 mph)
Round 1: (0.081-second reaction time, 3.933 seconds at 326.16 mph) defeated No. 11 Cruz Pedregon (0.071/3.981/324.98)

Round 2: (0.094/3.908/327.35) defeated No. 3 Tim Wilkerson (0.106 /4.796/164.43)

Round 3: (0.101/3.903/329.34) defeated No. 7 Bob Tasca (0.084/3.934/328.22)

Round 4: (0.070/3.908/328.46) defeated No. 1 Matt Hagan (0.069/3.943/324.20)

“Maybe the best weekend ever. I mean doubling up at Indy in 2015 is going to be awfully hard to exceed, but I so wanted to win at Dallas. My dad (Bob Beckman) lives close to here and he’s been supporting me my whole career and he’s 83-years-old. That might have been my last shot at Dallas and it’s going to be extra special to give him that cowboy hat from the (Texas) Motorplex. It’s perfect. I don’t know that I’ve ever had a better weekend at a drag strip than this.”

Matt Hagan, Pennzoil Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Funny Car  
(No. 1 Qualifier – 3.860 seconds at 328.54 mph)
Round 1: (0.082-second reaction time, 3.885 seconds at 330.63 mph) defeated No. 16 Todd Simpson (0.105/6.845/100.28)

Round 2: (0.055/3.928/326.63) defeated No. 8 J.R. Todd (0.078/3.987/326.00)

Round 3: (0.062/3.907/326.08) defeated No. 4 Ron Capps (0.067/3.958/318.84)

Round 4: (0.069/3.943/324.20) lost to No. 6 Jack Beckman (0.070/3.908/328.46)

“All-and-all another really good day here at Dallas for this Pennzoil/Mopar team. (Jack) Beckman just had a little better day. They have a great race car, but we have a great race car too. We’ve been keeping pace and we’re going to keep doing our thing for the next two races and see how this thing plays out. I’m super excited we get to do it again in a few days at Houston next weekend. We have a lot of momentum. The team is working great. The guys are doing a great job. We just have a little more work to do.”

Tommy Johnson Jr., MD Anderson Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Funny Car
(No. 2 Qualifier – 3.871 seconds at 315.34 mph)

Round 1: (0.070-second reaction time, 3.948 seconds at 321.88 mph) defeated No.15 Jim Campbell (0.122/4.134/312.21)

Round 2: (0.055/4.348/218.09) lost to No. 7 Bob Tasca (0.096/3.972/324.83)

“That was surprising and disappointing. We had such a great running car all weekend. I didn’t expect the tires to come loose. We needed to win that round to keep pace, but that didn’t happen. We aren’t out of this thing yet. There’s two races left and points-and-a-half at the last one. We need to do our job and go rounds and try to win the next two. Still, very happy with this team and happy to be able to race with such a great group here at DSR.”

Ron Capps, NAPA Auto Parts Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Funny Car
(No. 4  Qualifier – 3.885 seconds at 326.79 mph)
Round 1: (0.103-second reaction time, 3.907 seconds at 327.98 mph) defeated No. 13 Terry Haddock (0.272/4.188/293.92)

Round 2: (0.109/3.903/327.35) defeated No. 5 Alexis DeJoria (0.147/11.211/76.74)

Round 3: (0.067/3.958/318.84) lost to No.1 Matt Hagan (0.062/3.907/326.08)

“It’s tough to gain points when these cars in front of us keep going rounds. We felt so good from qualifying to run 3.90 the first two rounds with back-to-back three point nine zero runs, we felt we had typical Rahn Tobler. Almost like a bracket racing car and we really only tried to improve a little bit against Dickie (Venables) and (Matt) Hagan and if we got beat, we got beat. For some reason the car slowed down a little bit and ran 3.95. It’s a major bummer. Those guys are running so good that you have to improve a little bit to outrun them. It’s nice to go again at Houston next week, but we’re kind of running out of rounds to make a run for the championship. We’ll head to South Texas and try to make some ground up.”

Leah Pruett, Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye Top Fuel Dragster  
(No. 5 Qualifier – 3.732 seconds at 318.77 mph)

Round 1: (0.079-second reaction time, 3.780 seconds at 317.27 mph) defeated No. 10 Scott Palmer (0.094/3.778/317.57)

Round 2: (0.084 /3.863/293.86) loss to No. 4 Shawn Langdon (0.056/3.825/311.77)

“The resurrection of the Dodge SRT Hellcat Redeye wasn’t quite at fierce as we hoped it would be on this Sunday. We had a very competitive, stout first round against an always tough competitor in (Scott) Palmer. In the second round we had some fuel mixture mix-ups with the cylinders. That should have been an attainable round win and those win lights are just so important right now. We’re not out of this fight by any means and we’re thankful that Dodge is able put on the race at Las Vegas in two weeks. We know exactly where we’re at going into Houston and we hope it’s our time to shine in the big Lone Star State and getting that Wally at Houston.”

Mark Pawuk, Empaco Equipment Mopar Drag Pak– Factory Stock Shootout
(No. 6 Qualifier – 7.934 seconds at 174.21 mph)

Round 1: (0.018-second reaction time, 7.989 seconds at 171.82 mph) defeated No. 11 John Cerbone (0.141/7.997/175.07)

Round 2: (0.080/7.998/171.97) defeated No. 3 Jesse Alexandra (0.202/7.963/172.28)

Round 3: (0.091/7.992/171.58) lost to No. 2 Aaron Stanfield (0.051/7.976/171.82)

“It was another good weekend for this Empaco Equipment Dodge Drag Park. We had a shot to go to the final round at Dallas, but unfortunately the driver didn’t do his job in the semis. Overall, it’s a good weekend. We qualified sixth. We’re solid in second in the points and we look forward to doing it again at Houston next weekend.”

Leah Pruett, Mopar Dodge Challenger Mopar Drag Pak – Factory Stock Shootout 
(No. 13  Qualifier – 8.001 seconds at 172.56 mph)
Round 1: (0.059-second reaction time, 8.047 seconds at 170.32  mph) lost to Arthur Kohn (0.009/8.015/171.23)

“We raced a tough car in (Arthur) Kohn today and at both ends of the track we didn’t have what it needed. It was a very close race and we’re pushing this Drag Pak to the max, but just getting beat right now. We can be down or know what it takes in the long term and we’re finding little wins that will add up, but Mark (Pawuk) is doing well for Mopar and Dodge and I can’t wait for the new Drag Pak Dodge in 2021 next spring.”

October 18, 2020

Matt DiBenedetto and the No. 21 Menards/Wrangler RIGGS team rallied from some early struggles in Sunday’s Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway to score Stage points in the second Stage and post a 12^th-place finish at the end.

DiBenedetto earned the 18^th starting spot for Sunday’s race and was on the move early on, moving to 13^th place after just eight laps.

He fell back for the remainder of the first Stage and finished that 80-lap segment outside the top 20. A leaking left rear tire was found to be the culprit, but not before adjustments had been made to compensate for the ill-handling condition.

Once the Menards/Wrangler RIGGS team had the chance to readjust the No. 21 Mustang, DiBenedetto again began to work his way forward.

As the leaders began to make green-flag pit stops around Lap 125, crew chief Greg Erwin made the call to run long on that segment.

DiBenedetto took the lead on Lap 133 and was out front when the caution flag flew for a spin by Matt Kenseth.

That allowed DiBenedetto, who led a total of 12 laps, to make that stop under the caution. That led to a seventh-place finish in the second Stage, which was worth four bonus points.

In the third and final segment of the race, DiBenedetto ran either in the top 10 or just outside that group, eventually finishing 12^th in a race won by his fellow Ford driver Joey Logano, who now will race for the championship on Nov. 8 at Phoenix Raceway, where he won earlier this season.

“We just didn’t have the speed we needed,” DiBenedetto said. “We were a little off all day, but we recovered and made a fairly solid day out of it.”
 
He said the leaking tire early in the race was one of the team’s main challenges.
 
“It threw us for a loop and kind of put us behind for a while,” he said. “It was a little bit of a setback.” 
 
Eddie Wood said that all-in-all it was a good day at the race.
 
“I’m happy for Joey and Team Penske to have earned a spot in the championship round,” he said. “And although we didn’t finish in the top five or top 10 like you always want to do, it was a good day for us.
 
“Greg and the crew did a great job, and Matt hung tough all day even though they never got the car where he felt comfortable.
 
“And Greg’s call to run long near the end of Stage Two worked out even better than he thought it might.”
 
DiBenedetto and the Wood Brothers team remain in 15^th place in the points standings heading into next Sunday’s Autotrader 500 at Texas Motor Speedway.
 

CHEVROLET RACING IN NATIONAL HOT ROD ASSOCIATION AAA TEXAS NHRA FALL NATIONALS TEXAS MOTORPLEX IN ENNIS, TEXAS SUNDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2020Chevy Doubles Up in Dallas in Pro Stock competition
• Erica Enders wins delayed St. Louis NHRA Midwest Nationals event on Saturday • Matt Hartford scores first win of 2020 with victory over last year’s winner Anderson

Ennis, Texas (October 18, 2020) – Matt Hartford marched from the No. 4 qualifier to the Winner’s Circle hoisting the coveted Wally for winning the AAA Texas NHRA Fall Nationals at Texas Motorplex. The driver of the Total Seal Camaro SS went through Chris McGaha, Bo Butner, three-time Pro Stock champion Erica Enders, and finally four-time champion Greg Anderson to capture his fourth career NHRA Pro Stock victory. Hartford sealed the deal with a holeshot run of .018 reaction time to start a 6.625 seconds/206.39 mph against Anderson in the Summit Racing Camaro SS. 
Derek Kramer powered his American Ethanol Camaro SS to his second consecutive No. 1 qualifier. He fell to Enders in second round. After qualifying concluded for the Fall Nationals, Enders won the postponed finals of the Mopar Express Lane NHRA Midwest Nationals at St.Louis to take the points lead, only to have Jason Line in his Summit Racing Camaro SS take it back following Sunday’s finals at Texas. Line went down to Jeg Coughlin in round two.
Enders extended her points lead to 31 points over Line as the series heads to Houston with just two events left in the season. 

PRO STOCK:
MATT HARTFORD, TOTAL SEAL/CIP1/NITRO FISH CAMARO SS (race winner) “I have raced Erica enough and she is so good, and she is always leaving on me. So many of these races that I have lost have been on a holeshot. So I said, ‘I am just going to take my chances, take my time and relax and get ready to go’.  This is for everybody back at the shop and for my whole team. We are going to the finals and we aren’t scared of that guy in there (points to Greg Anderson).”
WHAT DID YOU MISS ABOUT THESE MOMENTS?“All I missed is that K.I. and Chris Singleton, my partner in crime and owner of CIP1 is not here. This is going back to Canada (holding Wally trophy).  You said you wanted two of them and I only got you one. Everybody at Total Seal, they support me so much and all the investment group behind me, they allow me to come out and do this. Its good people that allow people like me to come out and race.  And Greg Anderson, he and I have battled it out for a long time, and normally he beats me.  They are giving me incredible horsepower, we didn’t utilize it great today, but the win lights came on.” 
JASON LINE, SUMMIT RACING EQUIPMENT CHEVROLET CAMARO SS, (Fell in the second round): “It was a shorter day than we anticipated for the silver Summit Racing Chevy Camaro, but the good news is that my teammates were helpful in making sure we still have a reasonable shot at the championship. They did a good job, and KB Racing got a win today. That’s great for our team owners, Ken and Judy Black, and it’s always a good thing to have a Summit Racing Chevy in the final. Tomorrow is a new day, and we’ll see what Houston holds for us. We’ve got two more races before the Finish Line Tour comes to an end for me, and I’d like to get another one of these trophies.” 

GREG ANDERSON, KB RACING, SUMMIT RACING EQUIPMENT CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (fell in the finals): “Today all day, Texas was good to us. My Summit Racing Chevy was fantastic, it was the best car I had all year by a mile. But I can’t seem to get the two things together, the car and the driver, to win a race right now. You have to have both of those things just right. My guys did a great job, and they saved my bacon all day long. They tried again in the final and I dropped the ball. I have to figure out what I’m doing wrong. I’m not a guy who cuts a .060 light. I’m doing something wrong, I just don’t know what yet. That’s what I’m going to be working on before we get to Houston next week, because if I can get that figured out, we’re going to win.”
ERICA ENDERS, ELITE MOTORSPORTS, MELLING PERFORMANCE/ELITE MOTORSPORTS CHEVROLET CAMARO SS(fell in semis) “We are good all the time and our back is against the wall, but I am not worried about anybody. For this Melling Performance Chevrolet, a lot of people help us out. Mark Melling, Gallagher, and I am really proud to be affiliated with all those people.  Today wasn’t our day, but yesterday was. We got two more and they are two good tracks for us.”

JEG COUGHLIN JR., ELITE MOTORSPORTS, JEGS.COM/ELITE PERFORMANCE  CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (fell in semis): “We chipped away a little bit but left some there as well. It was great to get Jason out of the way in Round 2 and, although I would never, ever wish Erica to lose, I was sitting in the waterbox watching in Round 3 when she lost to Matt Hartford, so there was a big chance to go another round or two, but Greg (Anderson, Coughlin’s semifinal opponent) and his crew had other plans. We’ve not helped our cause the last few races but we got back on track today to some extent and we have two and a half more races to go at two of my favorite tracks on tour so we’ll keep fighting. I say two and a half because the Vegas finale is awarding points and a half each round so there is extra on the table should anyone falter.”
BO BUTNER, KB RACING, JIM BUTNER AUTO GROUPCHEVROLET CAMARO SS:(fell in second round) “I’m planning to go to Houston and win. We had two KB Racing cars in the final this week, and that’s good because I drive a KB Racing Chevy. You never know what can happen these next two races. It’s so tight right now that you really can’t pick who’s going to win.” 

NASCAR CUP SERIES KANSAS SPEEDWAY HOLLYWOOD CASINO 400 TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE NOTES AND QUOTES OCTOBER 18, 2020
 TOP TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL RACE RESULTS:POS.   DRIVER3rd     ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 88 CHEVYGOODS.COM/TRUCK HERO CAMARO ZL1 1LE6th      CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CAMARO ZL1 1LE 8th      WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 HENDRICKCARS.COM CAMARO ZL1 1LE11th    AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 AMERICAN ETHANOL CAMARO ZL1 1LE16th    RICKY STENHOUSE JR., NO. 47 NOS ENERY DRINK CAMARO ZL1 1LE TOP FIVE UNOFFICIAL RACE RESULTS: POS.  DRIVER1st      Joey Logano (Ford)2nd     Kevin Harvick (Ford)3rd     Alex Bowman (Chevrolet)4th      Brad Keselowski (Ford)5th      Kyle Busch (Toyota) UNOFFICIAL CURRENT PLAYOFF RANK (Following Race 7 of 10)POS.   DRIVER (* = Chevy Contender)        1.        Joey Logano: Round of Eight win2.        Kevin Harvick: + 41 points3.        Denny Hamlin: + 20 points4.        Brad Keselowski: + 8 points5.        * Chase Elliott: – 8 points6.        * Alex Bowman: – 27 points7.        Martin Truex Jr.: – 31 points8.        * Kurt Busch: – 73 points
The NASCAR Cup Series seasons continues at Texas Motor Speedway with the Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 500 on Sunday, October 25,^, at 3:30 p.m. ET, race two of three of the Round of 8 for the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs. Live coverage can be found on NBCSN, the NBC Sports Gold app, PRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.
TEAM CHEVY NOTES AND QUOTES (INCLUDING ALEX BOWMAN AND CHASE ELLIOTT PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPTS):ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 88 CHEVYGOODS.COM/TRUCK HERO CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 3rd“It seemed like we needed a really long run there at the end. We were pretty free all day and snugged it up and snugged it up. We got our Truck Hero Camaro running a little better but didn’t really have much right rear grip. There at the end, just running wide open and it finally came back to us. I kind of burnt the tires off of it to try to get there in the first place. It is a bummer. I messed up coming to two (laps) to go and cost us any chance that we had. It is still a really good day for us. Thanks to everybody at Hendrick Motorsports. We are building great Camaros, just came up a little short today.”
CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 6thWHAT A CRAZY DAY FOR CHASE ELLIOTT. IT WINDS UP BEING A SIXTH-PLACE FINISH, BUT I WANT TO TALK ABOUT ALL THE RADIO ISSUES ALL DAY LONG. YOU MUST MENTALLY BE FRIED AFTER THAT RACE. HOW BAD DID IT GET AND HOW MUCH OF A DISTRACTION WAS THAT, CHASE?“Yeah, it wasn’t a massive deal. The good news was they could hear me, I just couldn’t hear them once we went green. Once we kind of had the situation understood, that they could hear me and I just couldn’t hear them, that helped, obviously. And then from there, I just kind of knew what to expect. I was just trying to pay attention to lap count and when everybody else was going to start pitting or not. But I don’t think it ultimately hindered our performance at all.”
“We had a pretty fast NAPA Camaro. I felt like we fired off well. Lost a little track position there in that middle stage and it was just tough to get a big chunk of it back in a hurry. Had a bad restart there, fell back too far, and it just took me a long time to kind of claw back up through there. We’ve got two more weeks and we’ll try to go get them in Texas.”
MINUS EIGHT GOING INTO TEXAS – I KNOW THAT’S A RACETRACK WHERE YOU GUYS HAVE STRUGGLE IN THE PAST. BUT MARTINSVILLE AT THE END OF THIS ROUND, CHASE, HOW DO YOU ASSESS THE NEXT TWO TRACKS?“I’m looking forward to both of them. Like I’ve been saying all week, I feel like you can’t have bad tracks and expect to win a championship. You need to have a shot to win every week and I believe in that a lot. We’ll go to Texas, give it our best shot to go win, and same at Martinsville. Hopefully, we’re still alive come Phoenix.”
WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 HENDRICKCARS.COM CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 8th“It was a good day for us by the end there. We had a couple things happen early on that we had to recover from. We took two tires early and fell back really far in the field and that was tough. We rebounded from that though and got our car tightened up which we needed. We were just too loose for the majority of the day. By the end our car was really fast and we could have ran around fifth to seventh-place and ended up finishing eighth. That’s a good day for us. We’re putting together solid runs and we just need to keep that going as the year ends.”
BUBBA WALLACE, NO. 43 CASH APP CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 18th“A pretty uneventful day for us. That was the best car we’ve had at a 1.5-mile track in a really long time. We did our homework. The guys did a really good job getting our No. 43 Richard Petty Motorsports Cash App Camaro ZL1 1LE kind of where we needed it all day. We started out really good and maintained that. We got a little behind on that last pit stop – a little on the tight side. But the pit crew was beyond flawless today, so super proud of them. Great effort for us for Kansas Speedway – come out of there with a good run and learned a lot heading into Texas Motor Speedway. We’ll see what we’ve got.”
TY DILLON, NO. 13 GEICO CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 24th“Our GEICO Camaro ZL1 1LE was a lot better there at the end of the race. We just didn’t have the speed overall that we needed with this package. You have to have so much downforce in the car to make up any ground on the track. Our Germain Racing team never gives up and even though the timing of a couple cautions didn’t go our way, we battled back to finish 24th. We have three races left together and our focus now shifts to Texas next week.” TYLER REDDICK, NO. 8 CATERPILLAR CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 25th“We had good speed in our No. 8 Caterpillar Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE at Kansas Speedway today. It was hard at times to get a feel on the handling of our car since it felt like it would take about seven to eight laps for the front tires to come in today, but we did a better job adjusting throughout the race this time than during our first trip to Kansas earlier this year. It felt like for most the day I was snug on entry to the corners but then would become loose on center and exit, so a lot of our focus was on figuring out what changes would help me the most overall. We just have a couple other things to continue to work on as a team to put ourselves in better contention at these races. I thought maybe I had a right front tire coming down a couple laps before I got into the wall towards the end of Stage 3, but it was tough to tell if that is what was happening in that moment, so that’s a feeling I’ll definitely put in my notebook and learn from. We still have three more opportunities left this year to finish out my rookie season strong, and I’m really looking forward to getting to Texas Motor Speedway next week to try to finish one spot better than we did in July.” KURT BUSCH, NO. 1 MONSTER ENERGY CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Sidelined by engine failure on lap 197; Finished 38thTOUGH WAY TO END IT FOR KURT BUSCH HERE AT KANSAS. THEY HAD THE SPEEDING PENALTY EARLIER. CAME BACK FROM THAT AND WAS RUNNING ALMOST TOP-FIVE THERE. KURT, ANY INDICATION BEFORE THAT? IT SEEMED LIKE IT HAPPENED ALL OF A SUDDEN THAT THE ENGINE STARTED TO GO.“Yeah, usually there’s no warning. Everything is so buttoned up these days in the engine department. I haven’t seen an engine problem in years. No fault of anybody at Hendrick engines. We’re running hard here. We were running top-five and there’s a ton of RPM down the front-straightaway with the tail wind. We were right in the mix. We were doing the deal. I just couldn’t quite clear some guys to get into that top-three or four and then our car would come back to us on the long run after about lap 30.” “It’s a shame for everybody at Chip Ganassi Racing. Having an engine failure in the Playoffs – it’s just like a huge parachute that slows you up. We’ll pack that parachute up, throw it away and we’ll go to Texas to win. We knew we were going to have to win either here or Texas. Martinsville we have a shot at it, too. The odds are stacked against us, but hey, we’re in the top-eight for a reason. I have a great crew chief, Matt McCall, and we’ll bounce back. Thanks to Monster, GEARWRENCH, Chevrolet. It’s just one of those things where you have an engine failure and there’s nothing we can do about it.”  ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 88 CHEVYGOODS.COM/TRUCK HERO CAMARO ZL1 1LE, PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT: THE MODERATOR: We are joined by Alex Bowman, our third‑place finisher. We’ll get right to questions for Alex.            Q. Are you happy with a top three run, your best run since Darlington, or are you frustrated because you lost points on the cutoff?ALEX BOWMAN: I’m just here to get top fives because you told me I wasn’t getting enough top fives, Bob.           No, I mean, I think it’s obviously a really good day for us. We didn’t have the car that we hoped to have. We struggled with it quite a bit today. Still got good stage points. Didn’t really have the speed we wanted to have.           But our last couple changes really got the car dialed in. We needed a little bit longer run there at the end. I think we were the fastest car, just kind of ran out of laps.           Happy and sad, a little bit bummed we lost points. A little bummed Joey won. That makes my life harder over the next couple weeks. I feel like we had a really good day. I’m really proud of my race team.           A lot of people said we were going to go out early in the Playoffs. We’re still here fighting. We’re still bringing really fast cars to the racetrack each and every week.            Q. I’m trying to understand what drivers view about races like today. You had Harvick who had a faster car, couldn’t get by Logano because he didn’t win the race off of pit road. That’s been the package for the last couple years. Have you accepted it and that’s how racing is or do you feel like guys still come away with races like that and they’re privately saying screw this package? How do drivers view it?ALEX BOWMAN: I’m just happy I have a job and get to drive racecars for a living.           I think it is somewhat frustrating that it comes down to blocking for an entire run. I think we’re all on the same package, right? We’re all race car drivers. Most of us would go race lawn mowers if NASCAR said they were switching to lawn mowers next week.           I think for us, we’re all just trying to do the best job we can with the package we have to race. That’s part of this package. On a cold day like today, it really brings out that element of it. Yeah, I mean, I wish it was easier to pass when you’re a faster car. Maybe not easier, but maybe less easy to block.           That’s just part of the package. We’re all trying to maximize it the way we need to.            Q. Was there any concern when Kurt Busch’s engine went away, since he also has a Hendrick powerplant? Have they been able to use any of the ECR components yet in the cars y’all are using for the Playoffs?ALEX BOWMAN: Yeah, so I didn’t even know the 1 car had an engine issue. That’s a bummer for sure. Our engine shop does a great job. Yeah, that’s a bummer.           I don’t know exactly what parts and pieces we’ve used or haven’t used yet. I know everybody is doing a really good job of working together. Chevrolet is doing an awesome job kind of helping us all work together.           Proud of everybody at the engine shop. I think this week was a step in the right direction. I think we were definitely it seemed a little better on restarts. We’re headed in the right direction. Everybody is definitely working really hard.            Q. Does this team have a little bit of a chip on its shoulder? You say with a smile almost every time you come on, Nobody expects us to be here, nobody thought we would still be here. Is that what fuels this team, kind of at times maybe a lack of respect?ALEX BOWMAN: Yeah, I use that as a lot of motivation personally. I love it. Honestly, like, if people want to motivate me, just talk crap about me on the Internet. It works pretty well (smiling).           Yeah, I mean, I do think my team is a little bit undervalued. They’re one of the best race teams in the garage. They make up for me not being very good at some of these places, give me some pretty great racecars to drive.           Yeah, I mean, I think we definitely have a little bit of a chip on our shoulder. I think those last couple laps go a little bit differently and we could very well be going to Phoenix to race for a championship. I feel like we’re right there, right where we need to be. Everybody is doing a really good job.            Q. How proud are you of the fact that you did make it, are still here with a fighting chance? You didn’t hurt yourself today.ALEX BOWMAN: Yeah, for sure. It’s crazy to think about coming in, like, 17 points back and running third, getting stage points, now being 27 points back. That’s a little wild.           Yeah, I’m really proud of our race team. The summer was really rough. We were able to switch it on a couple weeks before the Playoffs. Ever since then we’ve been firing on all cylinders, bringing great racecars to the racetrack, executing really well. Bristol and Talladega we had some issues. Other than that, really, really good each week.           Really proud of my race team.            Q. You were running up near the top 10 all day, not battling for the lead. What put you over the edge to close in at the end?ALEX BOWMAN: We were really loose all day honestly. Didn’t have a lot of right rear grip. Entry to both ends was really sketchy for the most part. Just had to calm the car down. Couldn’t get it into the corner very hard.           We just tightened up and tightened up all day. We finally got it to where I could run about wide open up top, which helped me build a lot of moment and run them down there at the end.           Yeah, just really all day fought rear grip. Finally got the rear grip we needed in the race car at the end. Could have used a little bit more, but we got it much better over the course of the race.
THE MODERATOR: Thank you, Alex, for taking the time to join us. We’ll see you at Texas.
ALEX BOWMAN: Thanks. You guys have a good one.
CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CAMARO ZL1 1LE, PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT: WAS YOUR CAR WORSE AT THE END OF THE RACE COMPARED TO THE OPENING STAGE OR WAS IT JUST THE MATTER OF TRACK POSITION?“I actually thought we got our car back pretty decent there at the end. Obviously, Kevin (Harvick) was very fast and just couldn’t find a way around the No. 22 (Joey Logano). But I thought we were better than we were in the middle stage of the race – I just had a couple bad restarts there just after halfway, fell too far back and it took a long time to get back up where we needed to be.” 
WERE YOU CONCERNED AT ALL THAT NASCAR MIGHT MAKE YOU COME IN TO FIX THE RADIOS TO MAKE SURE YOU COULD HEAR YOUR SPOTTER OR DID YOU HAVE ANY SENSE THAT YOU FELT LIKE YOU COULD HEAR ENOUGH OF THEM THAT IT WASN’T AN UNSAFE SITUATION?“I didn’t think it was unsafe. Honestly, I never even thought about that. Short track dirt racers around the country race with no spotters every weekend. We have both, so I don’t know why we can’t handle it if your radios go bad.”
IN DIFFICULT CIRCUMSTANCES LIKE THIS, DOES IT MAKE YOU APPRECIATE MORE HAVING CLEAR RADIO COMMUNICATION WITHOUT HAVING TO RELY ON SIGNALS AND ALL THAT?“Yeah, in certain situations, knowing what we’re doing as far as coming to pit road and things of that nature. But, luckily, I could hear them under caution, I just couldn’t hear them once we went green. We made those green flag pit stops there early in the race and, luckily, that was it. So, it could have been worse.”
YOU MENTIONED THE RESTARTS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE RACE. OBVIOUSLY, THESE RESTARTS WERE WILD THROUGHOUT. LOOKING BACK, WHAT KIND OF WENT WRONG OR DIDN’T GO YOUR WAY? I KNOW A LOT OF TIMES, IT’S AS MUCH WHAT SOMEBODY ELSE DOES AS OPPOSED TO WHAT YOU’RE DOING.“Yeah, I mean it is. Sometimes, you try to get greedy and end up just hurting yourself. I feel like that’s kind of what I did there on a couple of occasions. It’s so hard, sometimes, to have a good run and realize that not doing something with it is going to net you better in a couple of laps. That’s just something I need to do a better job of.”
ALSO, OBVIOUSLY THE STRUGGLES OF LAST YEAR IN THIS ROUND, TO GET A STRONG FINISH, WHAT DOES THIS MEAN, EVEN THOUGH YOU FALL BACK OUT OF A TRANSFER SPOT WITH JOEY (LOGANO) WINNING?“I think for us, we just have to treat every week like it’s our last chance – like it’s the last race of the year. That’s the best way, I think, we can approach them and I think if you were to ever make the Final Four one day, you’re going to be better prepared for it because you have to go to that last race and likely win. So, I think the more we put ourselves in that position and recognize that now, the better off we’ll be and the better we’ll be prepared.”
DID YOUR TEAM EVER FIGURE OUT WHAT WAS CAUSING THE COMMUNICATION ISSUES. AND, IF SO, WHAT WAS CAUSING IT?“I’m not sure. They could hear me, I couldn’t hear them, so that kind of tells me it was something with an earplug or something along those lines because the rest of it seemed like it was working fine. But, I don’t know for sure.”

NASCAR CUP SERIES KANSAS SPEEDWAY HOLLYWOOD CASINO 400 TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE NOTES AND QUOTES OCTOBER 18, 2020
 TOP TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL RACE RESULTS:POS.   DRIVER3rd     ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 88 CHEVYGOODS.COM/TRUCK HERO CAMARO ZL1 1LE6th      CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CAMARO ZL1 1LE 8th      WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 HENDRICKCARS.COM CAMARO ZL1 1LE11th    AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 AMERICAN ETHANOL CAMARO ZL1 1LE16th    RICKY STENHOUSE JR., NO. 47 NOS ENERY DRINK CAMARO ZL1 1LE TOP FIVE UNOFFICIAL RACE RESULTS: POS.  DRIVER1st      Joey Logano (Ford)2nd     Kevin Harvick (Ford)3rd     Alex Bowman (Chevrolet)4th      Brad Keselowski (Ford)5th      Kyle Busch (Toyota) UNOFFICIAL CURRENT PLAYOFF RANK (Following Race 7 of 10)POS.   DRIVER (* = Chevy Contender)        1.        Joey Logano: Round of Eight win2.        Kevin Harvick: + 41 points3.        Denny Hamlin: + 20 points4.        Brad Keselowski: + 8 points5.        * Chase Elliott: – 8 points6.        * Alex Bowman: – 27 points7.        Martin Truex Jr.: – 31 points8.        * Kurt Busch: – 73 points
The NASCAR Cup Series seasons continues at Texas Motor Speedway with the Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 500 on Sunday, October 25,^, at 3:30 p.m. ET, race two of three of the Round of 8 for the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs. Live coverage can be found on NBCSN, the NBC Sports Gold app, PRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.
TEAM CHEVY NOTES AND QUOTES (INCLUDING ALEX BOWMAN AND CHASE ELLIOTT PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPTS):ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 88 CHEVYGOODS.COM/TRUCK HERO CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 3rd“It seemed like we needed a really long run there at the end. We were pretty free all day and snugged it up and snugged it up. We got our Truck Hero Camaro running a little better but didn’t really have much right rear grip. There at the end, just running wide open and it finally came back to us. I kind of burnt the tires off of it to try to get there in the first place. It is a bummer. I messed up coming to two (laps) to go and cost us any chance that we had. It is still a really good day for us. Thanks to everybody at Hendrick Motorsports. We are building great Camaros, just came up a little short today.”
CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 6thWHAT A CRAZY DAY FOR CHASE ELLIOTT. IT WINDS UP BEING A SIXTH-PLACE FINISH, BUT I WANT TO TALK ABOUT ALL THE RADIO ISSUES ALL DAY LONG. YOU MUST MENTALLY BE FRIED AFTER THAT RACE. HOW BAD DID IT GET AND HOW MUCH OF A DISTRACTION WAS THAT, CHASE?“Yeah, it wasn’t a massive deal. The good news was they could hear me, I just couldn’t hear them once we went green. Once we kind of had the situation understood, that they could hear me and I just couldn’t hear them, that helped, obviously. And then from there, I just kind of knew what to expect. I was just trying to pay attention to lap count and when everybody else was going to start pitting or not. But I don’t think it ultimately hindered our performance at all.”
“We had a pretty fast NAPA Camaro. I felt like we fired off well. Lost a little track position there in that middle stage and it was just tough to get a big chunk of it back in a hurry. Had a bad restart there, fell back too far, and it just took me a long time to kind of claw back up through there. We’ve got two more weeks and we’ll try to go get them in Texas.”
MINUS EIGHT GOING INTO TEXAS – I KNOW THAT’S A RACETRACK WHERE YOU GUYS HAVE STRUGGLE IN THE PAST. BUT MARTINSVILLE AT THE END OF THIS ROUND, CHASE, HOW DO YOU ASSESS THE NEXT TWO TRACKS?“I’m looking forward to both of them. Like I’ve been saying all week, I feel like you can’t have bad tracks and expect to win a championship. You need to have a shot to win every week and I believe in that a lot. We’ll go to Texas, give it our best shot to go win, and same at Martinsville. Hopefully, we’re still alive come Phoenix.”
WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 HENDRICKCARS.COM CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 8th“It was a good day for us by the end there. We had a couple things happen early on that we had to recover from. We took two tires early and fell back really far in the field and that was tough. We rebounded from that though and got our car tightened up which we needed. We were just too loose for the majority of the day. By the end our car was really fast and we could have ran around fifth to seventh-place and ended up finishing eighth. That’s a good day for us. We’re putting together solid runs and we just need to keep that going as the year ends.”
BUBBA WALLACE, NO. 43 CASH APP CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 18th“A pretty uneventful day for us. That was the best car we’ve had at a 1.5-mile track in a really long time. We did our homework. The guys did a really good job getting our No. 43 Richard Petty Motorsports Cash App Camaro ZL1 1LE kind of where we needed it all day. We started out really good and maintained that. We got a little behind on that last pit stop – a little on the tight side. But the pit crew was beyond flawless today, so super proud of them. Great effort for us for Kansas Speedway – come out of there with a good run and learned a lot heading into Texas Motor Speedway. We’ll see what we’ve got.”
TY DILLON, NO. 13 GEICO CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 24th“Our GEICO Camaro ZL1 1LE was a lot better there at the end of the race. We just didn’t have the speed overall that we needed with this package. You have to have so much downforce in the car to make up any ground on the track. Our Germain Racing team never gives up and even though the timing of a couple cautions didn’t go our way, we battled back to finish 24th. We have three races left together and our focus now shifts to Texas next week.” TYLER REDDICK, NO. 8 CATERPILLAR CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 25th“We had good speed in our No. 8 Caterpillar Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE at Kansas Speedway today. It was hard at times to get a feel on the handling of our car since it felt like it would take about seven to eight laps for the front tires to come in today, but we did a better job adjusting throughout the race this time than during our first trip to Kansas earlier this year. It felt like for most the day I was snug on entry to the corners but then would become loose on center and exit, so a lot of our focus was on figuring out what changes would help me the most overall. We just have a couple other things to continue to work on as a team to put ourselves in better contention at these races. I thought maybe I had a right front tire coming down a couple laps before I got into the wall towards the end of Stage 3, but it was tough to tell if that is what was happening in that moment, so that’s a feeling I’ll definitely put in my notebook and learn from. We still have three more opportunities left this year to finish out my rookie season strong, and I’m really looking forward to getting to Texas Motor Speedway next week to try to finish one spot better than we did in July.” KURT BUSCH, NO. 1 MONSTER ENERGY CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Sidelined by engine failure on lap 197; Finished 38thTOUGH WAY TO END IT FOR KURT BUSCH HERE AT KANSAS. THEY HAD THE SPEEDING PENALTY EARLIER. CAME BACK FROM THAT AND WAS RUNNING ALMOST TOP-FIVE THERE. KURT, ANY INDICATION BEFORE THAT? IT SEEMED LIKE IT HAPPENED ALL OF A SUDDEN THAT THE ENGINE STARTED TO GO.“Yeah, usually there’s no warning. Everything is so buttoned up these days in the engine department. I haven’t seen an engine problem in years. No fault of anybody at Hendrick engines. We’re running hard here. We were running top-five and there’s a ton of RPM down the front-straightaway with the tail wind. We were right in the mix. We were doing the deal. I just couldn’t quite clear some guys to get into that top-three or four and then our car would come back to us on the long run after about lap 30.” “It’s a shame for everybody at Chip Ganassi Racing. Having an engine failure in the Playoffs – it’s just like a huge parachute that slows you up. We’ll pack that parachute up, throw it away and we’ll go to Texas to win. We knew we were going to have to win either here or Texas. Martinsville we have a shot at it, too. The odds are stacked against us, but hey, we’re in the top-eight for a reason. I have a great crew chief, Matt McCall, and we’ll bounce back. Thanks to Monster, GEARWRENCH, Chevrolet. It’s just one of those things where you have an engine failure and there’s nothing we can do about it.”  ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 88 CHEVYGOODS.COM/TRUCK HERO CAMARO ZL1 1LE, PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT: THE MODERATOR: We are joined by Alex Bowman, our third‑place finisher. We’ll get right to questions for Alex.            Q. Are you happy with a top three run, your best run since Darlington, or are you frustrated because you lost points on the cutoff?ALEX BOWMAN: I’m just here to get top fives because you told me I wasn’t getting enough top fives, Bob.           No, I mean, I think it’s obviously a really good day for us. We didn’t have the car that we hoped to have. We struggled with it quite a bit today. Still got good stage points. Didn’t really have the speed we wanted to have.           But our last couple changes really got the car dialed in. We needed a little bit longer run there at the end. I think we were the fastest car, just kind of ran out of laps.           Happy and sad, a little bit bummed we lost points. A little bummed Joey won. That makes my life harder over the next couple weeks. I feel like we had a really good day. I’m really proud of my race team.           A lot of people said we were going to go out early in the Playoffs. We’re still here fighting. We’re still bringing really fast cars to the racetrack each and every week.            Q. I’m trying to understand what drivers view about races like today. You had Harvick who had a faster car, couldn’t get by Logano because he didn’t win the race off of pit road. That’s been the package for the last couple years. Have you accepted it and that’s how racing is or do you feel like guys still come away with races like that and they’re privately saying screw this package? How do drivers view it?ALEX BOWMAN: I’m just happy I have a job and get to drive racecars for a living.           I think it is somewhat frustrating that it comes down to blocking for an entire run. I think we’re all on the same package, right? We’re all race car drivers. Most of us would go race lawn mowers if NASCAR said they were switching to lawn mowers next week.           I think for us, we’re all just trying to do the best job we can with the package we have to race. That’s part of this package. On a cold day like today, it really brings out that element of it. Yeah, I mean, I wish it was easier to pass when you’re a faster car. Maybe not easier, but maybe less easy to block.           That’s just part of the package. We’re all trying to maximize it the way we need to.            Q. Was there any concern when Kurt Busch’s engine went away, since he also has a Hendrick powerplant? Have they been able to use any of the ECR components yet in the cars y’all are using for the Playoffs?ALEX BOWMAN: Yeah, so I didn’t even know the 1 car had an engine issue. That’s a bummer for sure. Our engine shop does a great job. Yeah, that’s a bummer.           I don’t know exactly what parts and pieces we’ve used or haven’t used yet. I know everybody is doing a really good job of working together. Chevrolet is doing an awesome job kind of helping us all work together.           Proud of everybody at the engine shop. I think this week was a step in the right direction. I think we were definitely it seemed a little better on restarts. We’re headed in the right direction. Everybody is definitely working really hard.            Q. Does this team have a little bit of a chip on its shoulder? You say with a smile almost every time you come on, Nobody expects us to be here, nobody thought we would still be here. Is that what fuels this team, kind of at times maybe a lack of respect?ALEX BOWMAN: Yeah, I use that as a lot of motivation personally. I love it. Honestly, like, if people want to motivate me, just talk crap about me on the Internet. It works pretty well (smiling).           Yeah, I mean, I do think my team is a little bit undervalued. They’re one of the best race teams in the garage. They make up for me not being very good at some of these places, give me some pretty great racecars to drive.           Yeah, I mean, I think we definitely have a little bit of a chip on our shoulder. I think those last couple laps go a little bit differently and we could very well be going to Phoenix to race for a championship. I feel like we’re right there, right where we need to be. Everybody is doing a really good job.            Q. How proud are you of the fact that you did make it, are still here with a fighting chance? You didn’t hurt yourself today.ALEX BOWMAN: Yeah, for sure. It’s crazy to think about coming in, like, 17 points back and running third, getting stage points, now being 27 points back. That’s a little wild.           Yeah, I’m really proud of our race team. The summer was really rough. We were able to switch it on a couple weeks before the Playoffs. Ever since then we’ve been firing on all cylinders, bringing great racecars to the racetrack, executing really well. Bristol and Talladega we had some issues. Other than that, really, really good each week.           Really proud of my race team.            Q. You were running up near the top 10 all day, not battling for the lead. What put you over the edge to close in at the end?ALEX BOWMAN: We were really loose all day honestly. Didn’t have a lot of right rear grip. Entry to both ends was really sketchy for the most part. Just had to calm the car down. Couldn’t get it into the corner very hard.           We just tightened up and tightened up all day. We finally got it to where I could run about wide open up top, which helped me build a lot of moment and run them down there at the end.           Yeah, just really all day fought rear grip. Finally got the rear grip we needed in the race car at the end. Could have used a little bit more, but we got it much better over the course of the race.
THE MODERATOR: Thank you, Alex, for taking the time to join us. We’ll see you at Texas.
ALEX BOWMAN: Thanks. You guys have a good one.
CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CAMARO ZL1 1LE, PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT: WAS YOUR CAR WORSE AT THE END OF THE RACE COMPARED TO THE OPENING STAGE OR WAS IT JUST THE MATTER OF TRACK POSITION?“I actually thought we got our car back pretty decent there at the end. Obviously, Kevin (Harvick) was very fast and just couldn’t find a way around the No. 22 (Joey Logano). But I thought we were better than we were in the middle stage of the race – I just had a couple bad restarts there just after halfway, fell too far back and it took a long time to get back up where we needed to be.” 
WERE YOU CONCERNED AT ALL THAT NASCAR MIGHT MAKE YOU COME IN TO FIX THE RADIOS TO MAKE SURE YOU COULD HEAR YOUR SPOTTER OR DID YOU HAVE ANY SENSE THAT YOU FELT LIKE YOU COULD HEAR ENOUGH OF THEM THAT IT WASN’T AN UNSAFE SITUATION?“I didn’t think it was unsafe. Honestly, I never even thought about that. Short track dirt racers around the country race with no spotters every weekend. We have both, so I don’t know why we can’t handle it if your radios go bad.”
IN DIFFICULT CIRCUMSTANCES LIKE THIS, DOES IT MAKE YOU APPRECIATE MORE HAVING CLEAR RADIO COMMUNICATION WITHOUT HAVING TO RELY ON SIGNALS AND ALL THAT?“Yeah, in certain situations, knowing what we’re doing as far as coming to pit road and things of that nature. But, luckily, I could hear them under caution, I just couldn’t hear them once we went green. We made those green flag pit stops there early in the race and, luckily, that was it. So, it could have been worse.”
YOU MENTIONED THE RESTARTS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE RACE. OBVIOUSLY, THESE RESTARTS WERE WILD THROUGHOUT. LOOKING BACK, WHAT KIND OF WENT WRONG OR DIDN’T GO YOUR WAY? I KNOW A LOT OF TIMES, IT’S AS MUCH WHAT SOMEBODY ELSE DOES AS OPPOSED TO WHAT YOU’RE DOING.“Yeah, I mean it is. Sometimes, you try to get greedy and end up just hurting yourself. I feel like that’s kind of what I did there on a couple of occasions. It’s so hard, sometimes, to have a good run and realize that not doing something with it is going to net you better in a couple of laps. That’s just something I need to do a better job of.”
ALSO, OBVIOUSLY THE STRUGGLES OF LAST YEAR IN THIS ROUND, TO GET A STRONG FINISH, WHAT DOES THIS MEAN, EVEN THOUGH YOU FALL BACK OUT OF A TRANSFER SPOT WITH JOEY (LOGANO) WINNING?“I think for us, we just have to treat every week like it’s our last chance – like it’s the last race of the year. That’s the best way, I think, we can approach them and I think if you were to ever make the Final Four one day, you’re going to be better prepared for it because you have to go to that last race and likely win. So, I think the more we put ourselves in that position and recognize that now, the better off we’ll be and the better we’ll be prepared.”
DID YOUR TEAM EVER FIGURE OUT WHAT WAS CAUSING THE COMMUNICATION ISSUES. AND, IF SO, WHAT WAS CAUSING IT?“I’m not sure. They could hear me, I couldn’t hear them, so that kind of tells me it was something with an earplug or something along those lines because the rest of it seemed like it was working fine. But, I don’t know for sure.”

Austin Dillon and the No. 3 American Ethanol Chevrolet Team Earn 11th-Place Finish at Kansas Speedway

11th   17th  10th

“I’m so proud of my No. 3 American Ethanol Chevrolet team. My crew chief, Justin Alexander, and all of the guys did a great job working on our Chevy throughout the race, and we definitely learned a lot. The track was really fast today with the cold temperatures in Kansas, and restarts were wild. For most of the race we were too loose, but once we got tightened up we were able to contend and just nearly missed a top-10 finish. The bumps in Turns 1 and 2 weren’t working with us today, so we will do our homework to address that during the off-season. Overall, it was a good run for us. On to Texas Motor Speedway, where we will try to get another win before the season winds down. Thank you to everyone at Growth Energy for their support, and congratulations to them on reaching 17 billion miles on American-grown E15.” -Austin Dillon

Tyler Reddick and No. 8 Caterpillar Team Show Speed Despite Late-Race Damage at Kansas Speedway

25th   15th   19th

“We had good speed in our No. 8 Caterpillar Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE at Kansas Speedway today. It was hard at times to get a feel on the handling of our car since it felt like it would take about seven to eight laps for the front tires to come in today, but we did a better job adjusting throughout the race this time than during our first trip to Kansas earlier this year. It felt like for most the day I was snug on entry to the corners but then would become loose on center and exit, so a lot of our focus was on figuring out what changes would help me the most overall. We just have a couple other things to continue to work on as a team to put ourselves in better contention at these races. I thought maybe I had a right front tire going down a couple laps before I got into the wall towards the end of Stage 3, but it was tough to tell if that is what was happening in that moment. That’s a feeling I’ll definitely put in my notebook and learn from. We still have three more opportunities left this year to finish out my rookie season strong, and I’m really looking forward to getting to Texas Motor Speedway next week to try to finish one spot better than we did in July.” -Tyler Reddick

ENNIS, Texas (Oct. 18) — Five-time Pro Stock world champion Jeg Coughlin Jr. managed to keep his title hopes alive Sunday at the 35th annual AAA NHRA FallNationals at Texas Motorplex by beating Jason Line in the quarterfinals and advancing to the final four in his JEGS.com Elite Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro. Line entered the weekend as the class points leader but dropped to second Saturday when Coughlin’s Elite Motorsports teammate Erica Enders beat Line to win the postponed St. Louis race, which had been put on hold two weeks ago. With both Enders and Coughlin advancing to Sunday’s semifinal, the pair were able to gain a little ground on Line, who remained second, three rounds ahead of Coughlin and a round and half behind Enders.

Jeg Coughlin Jr. (left) in the pits with Elite Motorsports clutch specialist Robert Freeman.

“We chipped away a little bit but left some there as well,” Coughlin said. “It was great to get Jason out of the way in Round 2 and, although I would never, ever wish Erica to lose, I was sitting in the waterbox watching in Round 3 when she lost to Matt Hartford, so there was a big chance to go another round or two, but Greg (Anderson, Coughlin’s semifinal opponent) and his crew had other plans. “We’ve not helped our cause the last few races but we got back on track today to some extent and we have two and a half more races to go at two of my favorite tracks on tour so we’ll keep fighting. I say two and a half because the Vegas finale is awarding points and a half each round so there is extra on the table should anyone falter.” Coughlin has four victories at Houston Raceway Park, the site of next weekend’s penultimate race, having won there in 1997, 1998, 2000 and 2010. He has five more wins at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, with trophy finishes in 2000, 2001, 2002, 2008 and 2009. Sunday, Coughlin beat Aaron Stanfield with a 6.600 at 206.32 mph to Stanfield’s 6.607 at 207.43 mph, and Line with a 6.629 at 206.48 mph to Line’s 6.631 at 200.80 mph. Against Anderson, Coughlin’s 6.627 at 206.07 mph wasn’t enough for Anderson’s 6.612 at 207.40 mph. “It’s been a fun year, without question,” said Coughlin, who will retire from full-time competition after the Las Vegas finale. “We won a few races earlier this year and had the points lead for quite a while but being off just a touch in two races really cost us. But that’s behind us so we’ll focus on a great finish and see what happens.”

Troy Coughlin Jr. is enjoying his rookie year in Pro Stock after winning back-to-back Top Alcohol Dragster regional championships.

Troy Coughlin Jr., Jeg Jr.’s nephew and teammate, was beaten by Enders in the opening round of Sunday’s eliminations. Driving a JEGS.com Elite Motorsports Ford Mustang, Troy Jr. left the starting line -.002 seconds early to giftwrap the win for Enders, who powered to a 6.593 at 208.52 mph.

Portsmouth, OH (October 17, 2020) – Brandon Sheppard captured the 40th Annual General Tire Dirt Track World Championship – Presented by Optima Batteries on Saturday Night at Portsmouth Raceway Park. Sheppard earned $100,000 for his fourth career win in the crown jewel event sanctioned by the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series. With the win, Sheppard became the third driver in the 40-year history of the event to score back-to-back wins, joining Josh Richards and Scott Bloomquist. Ricky Thornton Jr. finished in second for his best career finish in the event with Tim McCreadie claiming third at the finish. McCreadie had led the first 23 laps of the 100-lap affair until yielding the top spot to Sheppard, who started 11th. Chris Madden; in his first DTWC start in 14 years; finished in fourth and 22nd-place starter Tyler Erb rounded out the top five drivers at the finish. McCreadie, who had already clinched second place in the championship point standings, sprinted to the lead at the start of the richest first-place prize money offered in dirt late model racing this year.  McCreadie held off challenges from last year’s DTWC runner-up Mike Marlar for several laps until Marlar lost the second spot to Sheppard on lap 21.   Sheppard made his move to the lead three laps later taking over the top spot on lap 24. Zack Dohm was on the move taking the second spot on lap 35 and started to challenge Sheppard for the lead. Dohm pulled even with Sheppard a couple of times until lap 75 when Thornton moved into second place. Thornton held the second position until the finish. In Lucas Oil Victory Lane for the fifth time in 2020 the 27-year-old Sheppard withstood some tense caution flags laps to get the win. “I will tell you what, I love this place. As hard as its been all weekend I knew it was going to be around the bottom at the end of the race. I knew when I rolled out there for the race, drive as hard as I could to get to the front as soon as I could. So that was kind of the game plan. We went a little different on tires than we normally do here. We had an early game, but once we got the lead we didn’t know what we were going to do.” “Our car was good just like it has been all year long. I think that’s 31 wins this year so that’s really awesome. During those cautions I had too much time to think about my right rear tire for sure. When I was in lap traffic I tried to pass them one time and I didn’t feel good and so I tucked back in behind them. Zack showed me his nose on the outside and when he showed the line a little bit different in one and two, that got me going a little bit better.” Thornton was coming off his first career LOLMDS win at Pittsburgh came home in second. “I honestly don’t think the cautions mattered. He [Sheppard] had a really good car. I was going to try and go to the top if I got close enough. On the restarts he would really take off and it took me about 5 or 6 laps to get going. We ran a little hard on tires and I knew on the restarts we wouldn’t be as good as those other guys.” McCreadie wound up third in the final rundown. “I gave it my best shot. I was too good too early, and I didn’t know where to be on the track. When Sheppard got by me I was just kind of got lost for a few laps and it cost us. On the restarts I just couldn’t get a clear track to make a move.” The winner’s Mark Richards Racing Rocket Chassis is powered by a Durham Racing Engines and is sponsored by Valvoline, Seubert Calf Ranches, Gunters Honey, Ace Metal Works, Integra Racing Shocks, Sunoco Race Fuels, Sallack Well Services Keyser, and Rocket 1 Pre-Owned Motors. Completing the top ten were Zack Dohm, Billy Moyer Jr., Boom Briggs, Kyle Bronson, and Jason Feger.

Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series 
Race Summary 
40th Annual General Tire Dirt Track World Championship – Presented by Optima Batteries
Saturday, October 17th, 2020
Portsmouth Raceway Park – Portsmouth, OH
Lucas Oil Time Trials
Fast Time Group A: Tim McCreadie / 15.911 seconds (overall)
Fast Time Group B: Shane Clanton / 16.002 seconds

Penske Race Shocks Heat Race #1 Finish (15 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 22F-Chris Ferguson[1]; 2. 44M-Chris Madden[3]; 3. 29V-Darrell Lanigan[2]; 4. 1T-Tyler Erb[6]; 5. 25Z-Mason Zeigler[5]; 6. 58-Ross Bailes[4]; 7. D8-Dustin Linville[8]; 8. 16-Tyler Bruening[7]; 9. 144-Anthony Kinkade[9]; 10. 10C-Craig Christian[10]; 11. (DNS) 1A-Audie Swartz

FK Rod Ends Heat Race #2 Finish (15 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 0-Scott Bloomquist[2]; 2. 1S-Brandon Sheppard[3]; 3. 3S-Brian Shirley[5]; 4. 1-Earl Pearson Jr[4]; 5. 44-Colten Burdette[1]; 6. 9-Devin Moran[7]; 7. 49-Jonathan Davenport[6]; 8. 81-Jason Riggs[9]; 9. 0P-Steve Prince[10]; 10. 17T-Tim Vance[8]

Simpson Race Products Heat Race #3 Finish (15 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 76-Brandon Overton[2]; 2. C9-Steve Casebolt[5]; 3. 21-Billy Moyer Jr[1]; 4. 0PD-Freddie Carpenter[8]; 5. 83-Scott James[6]; 6. 32A-Tyler Carpenter[7]; 7. 33K-Kevin Wagner[9]; 8. 25-Shane Clanton[3]; 9. 16C-Michael Conley Jr[11]; 10. 69-Jon Hodgkiss[10]; 11. 71-Hudson O’Neal[4]

Ohlins Shocks Heat Race #4 Finish (15 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 76-Brandon Overton[2]; 2. C9-Steve Casebolt[5]; 3. 21-Billy Moyer Jr[1]; 4. 0PD-Freddie Carpenter[8]; 5. 83-Scott James[6]; 6. 32A-Tyler Carpenter[7]; 7. 33K-Kevin Wagner[9]; 8. 25-Shane Clanton[3]; 9. 16C-Michael Conley Jr[11]; 10. 69-Jon Hodgkiss[10]; 11. 71-Hudson O’Neal[4]

MyRacePass Heat Race #5 Finish (15 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 20RT-Ricky Thornton Jr[3]; 2. 14-Josh Richards[2]; 3. 21H-Robby Hensley[6]; 4. 25F-Jason Feger[7]; 5. 72C-Jason Covert[5]; 6. 40B-Kyle Bronson[4]; 7. 31T-Tyler Millwood[1]; 8. 79-Doug Drown[9]; 9. 24D-Michael Brown[8]; 10. 17ST-Shannon Thornsberry[10]

Lucas Oil Heat Race #6 Finish (15 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 157-Mike Marlar[1]; 2. 99B-Boom Briggs[2]; 3. 777-Jared Landers[3]; 4. 6-Kyle Larson[5]; 5. 88-Trent Ivey[4]; 6. 22-Gregg Satterlee[7]; 7. 25B-Mike Benedum[9]; 8. 95-Jerry Bowersock[6]; 9. 20B-Todd Brennan[8]; 10. 316-Fast Eddy[10]

Tiger Rear Ends B-Main #1 Finish (15 Laps, Top 2 Transfer): 1. 20-Jimmy Owens[3]; 2. 1T-Tyler Erb[2]; 3. 25Z-Mason Zeigler[4]; 4. 4G-Kody Evans[7]; 5. 81E-Tanner English[5]; 6. D8-Dustin Linville[8]; 7. 71C-RJ Conley[9]; 8. 2S-Stormy Scott[15]; 9. 81F-Brandon Fouts[11]; 10. 16-Tyler Bruening[10]; 11. 144-Anthony Kinkade[12]; 12. 4B-Jackie Boggs[13]; 13. 10C-Craig Christian[14]; 14. 1A-Audie Swartz[16]; 15. (DNS) 58-Ross Bailes; 16. (DNS) 8-Kyle Strickler

FAST Shafts B-Main #2 Finish (15 Laps, Top 2 Transfer): 1. 1-Earl Pearson Jr[1]; 2. 9-Devin Moran[5]; 3. 71-Hudson O’Neal[15]; 4. 49-Jonathan Davenport[7]; 5. 44-Colten Burdette[3]; 6. 81-Jason Riggs[9]; 7. 33K-Kevin Wagner[8]; 8. 83-Scott James[4]; 9. 0P-Steve Prince[11]; 10. 17T-Tim Vance[13]; 11. 69-Jon Hodgkiss[14]; 12. 16C-Michael Conley Jr[12]; 13. 0PD-Freddie Carpenter[2]; 14. 25-Shane Clanton[10]; 15. 32A-Tyler Carpenter[6]

Sunoco Race Fuels B-Main #3 Finish (15 Laps, Top 2 Transfer): 1. 40B-Kyle Bronson[5]; 2. 25F-Jason Feger[1]; 3. 79-Doug Drown[9]; 4. 72C-Jason Covert[3]; 5. 24D-Michael Brown[11]; 6. 22-Gregg Satterlee[6]; 7. 25B-Mike Benedum[8]; 8. 88-Trent Ivey[4]; 9. 20B-Todd Brennan[12]; 10. 95-Jerry Bowersock[10]; 11. 31T-Tyler Millwood[7]; 12. 316-Fast Eddy[14]; 13. 6-Kyle Larson[2]; 14. (DNS) 17ST-Shannon Thornsberry
Jim Dunn Memorial Non-Qualifiers Race Finish (25 Laps): 1. 25Z-Mason Zeigler[1]; 2. 44-Colten Burdette[5]; 3. 71C-RJ Conley[10]; 4. D8-Dustin Linville[7]; 5. 83-Scott James[13]; 6. 24D-Michael Brown[6]; 7. 79-Doug Drown[2]; 8. 81-Jason Riggs[8]; 9. 33K-Kevin Wagner[11]; 10. 25B-Mike Benedum[12]; 11. 144-Anthony Kinkade[19]; 12. 0PD-Freddie Carpenter[25]; 13. 81F-Brandon Fouts[15]; 14. 32A-Tyler Carpenter[24]; 15. 69-Jon Hodgkiss[22]; 16. 0P-Steve Prince[16]; 17. 95-Jerry Bowersock[20]; 18. 4G-Kody Evans[3]; 19. 20B-Todd Brennan[17]; 20. 17T-Tim Vance[18]; 21. 16C-Michael Conley Jr[23]; 22. (DNS) 4B-Jackie Boggs; 23. (DNS) 72C-Jason Covert; 24. (DNS) 88-Trent Ivey; 25. (DNS) 31T-Tyler Millwood; 26. (DNS) 22-G

Garcia, Taylor, Catsburg continue strong season in GTLM championship push

BRASELTON, Ga. (Oct. 18, 2020) – Corvette Racing’s Antonio Garcia, Jordan Taylor and Nicky Catsburg posted a runner-up class finish Saturday in the 10-hour Petit Le Mans at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta. The trio narrowly missed sending their No. 3 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R to its sixth victory of the season in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship’s GT Le Mans (GTLM) class. After a wild and crazy afternoon, the No. 3 Corvette team finished just 1.779 seconds from its third straight class victory. The result, though, was good enough to increase the Drivers’ Championship lead for Garcia, Taylor and the No. 3 Corvette C8.R team to 28 points with two races to go. Chevrolet grew its lead in the Manufacturers standings to 16 points. Oliver Gavin, Tommy Milner and Marcel Fässler placed fourth in class with the No. 4 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R. Both of the mid-engine Corvettes led multiple times on a topsy-turvy day. Gaps between cars in GTLM rose and fell on a whim in traffic, which wasn’t unexpected around the challenging and undulating 2.54-mile, 12-turn road course. Garcia began from the GTLM pole, dropped to fourth at the start but regained the lead by the time his 94-minute opening run finished, thanks to skillful driving and great pit work by the No. 3 Corvette crew. The team twice gained three spots on pit stops in the race. Taylor drove a double-stint and again pitted from the lead to hand over to Catsburg near the three-and-a-half-hour mark for his only double stint of the race.  Taylor took back over just past the halfway point and remained in contention into darkness before Garcia’s final triple stint to close. A full-course caution period with 11 minutes left gave Garcia – who earlier took advantage of trouble for Jesse Krohn’s race-leading BMW with 37 minutes remaining to move into second place – his chance to pounce on Fred Makowiecki’s leading Porsche. Unfortunately a final caution period following the restart with five minutes left meant the race ended under full-course yellow. Milner drove a triple-stint to start in the No. 4 Corvette and led twice in his opening run after starting the race fifth in class. Fässler was in next and kept the car in contention before Gavin got in nearly three hours in. From that point, the No. 4 Corvette struggled to match the ultimate pace of the race leaders, although both Milner and Fässler drove strong stints in the race’s second half to keep the No. 4 Corvette in contention for a podium finish to the end. Corvette Racing’s next event is Oct. 31-Nov. 1 at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.

ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – SECOND IN GTLM: “The late yellows may have been the difference. We didn’t have the pace against the 24. I tried very hard in my first stint when I got back in the car at night. We managed to gap both of the Porsches, and they went on a different strategy than us. I got held up by the 25 BMW, and that hurt. I don’t know if he didn’t know I was there. I had to pit a little sooner than expected, and from that point we were on the back foot. My middle stint wasn’t as good compared to the 911, and even if I picked up the pace at the end of the stint then it wasn’t enough. I couldn’t defend against him when I came out of the pits on cold tires (with 45 minutes left). Without a yellow, it would have been a question as to who would make the tires last the longest. We were both pushing hard. There was a chance for us but it was another second at Petit Le Mans. Looking back at the season, if this is a bad result then I will take it! We are in good shape for the championship. From that standpoint, we can be very happy of the consistency and being able to fight at every single race. We’ll go and try to win the last two and close it out.”

JORDAN TAYLOR, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – SECOND IN GTLM: “That was a tough race, but was a good day overall for Corvette Racing. When you look at the whole day, it was pretty flawless for the No. 3 side – no issues on the track, no issues in the pits, perfect strategy and perfect in the pits. To come away with P2 is great. It’s good for the points. But you always want to win these big ones when you have the opportunity. I think if we had gone green at the end then Antonio would have had something for the 911. It was unfortunate to see it go yellow at the end, but overall it was a good day.”

NICKY CATSBURG, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – SECOND IN GTLM: “It was a nice race but very busy. It’s cool to be on the podium at this event with this car, this team and these teammates. Somehow it feels like we could have gotten a win, but I’m still happy with P2. It’s been a good event for us. The team and drivers did a faultless job. Maybe we didn’t have the pace at the end, but this was still a cool event for us. I had a moment with one of the Porsches that went too far in my opinion. He was racing like it was the last lap of the race and was pretty unacceptable. I think he got a drive-through penalty for it. But other than that I was quite happy with the double-stint I did and am looking forward to being back in the Corvette at Sebring.”

OLIVER GAVIN, NO. 4 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – FIFTH IN GTLM: “This was the most difficult Petit Le Mans that I’ve ever done. I’ve had hurt ribs after an incident biking  earlier this week. I felt good around Wednesday but it became apparent Thursday that it was going to be a struggle in the car. I received a number of different treatments trying to get as comfortable as possible with the goal of doing a stint or two in the race. It just was too much pain and discomfort in my stint and we elected to get Marcel back in during the caution. He and Tommy did an amazing job under the circumstances, especially in a race as unpredictable as Petit Le Mans. Thanks to them and the team for all the effort and encouragement. We’ll try to get back on the right track at Laguna Seca later this month.”

TOMMY MILNER, NO. 4 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – FIFTH IN GTLM: “We just weren’t good enough today. It was tough and frustrating. At times the car was good. It looks like we were off a little bit there at the end pace-wise compared to everyone else. We were hoping for a yellow late and got it, and thought we could have done something with it. I maybe had an opportunity or two with the 24 in the first few corners but it would have probably been more crashing and mayhem; it wasn’t worth running somebody off the road just for a spot. That’s not how I like to race. We’ll learn what we can, go to Laguna Seca and try again.”

MARCEL FÄSSLER, NO. 4 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – FIFTH IN GTLM: “My first run in the race was quite good, but I think I pushed a little too hard on the tires because they dropped off toward the end. That meant I struggled with some pace. The middle stint was good, and I was happy with the balance of the Corvette. The night portion was quite tough because somehow I couldn’t get the front tires to work. It was an issue and I lost a lot in traffic. We were hoping for an earlier caution to help us out. It was not easy out there with the traffic. But the Corvette C8.R showed it has great pace. The pit stops were perfect all day, and the team had a great day in the championship. I’m looking forward to Sebring and hoping we can have a better run and be back on the podium in the No. 4 Corvette.”

·        Don Schumacher Racing (DSR) pilot Matt Hagan and Pennzoil Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat earned No.1 qualifier position for 35^th annual AAA Texas NHRA FallNationals.

·        Hagan is defending winner and hopes to extend DSR’s record win streak of 11 Funny Car event titles which he launched last year at Texas Motorplex

·        Hagan leads DSR teammates in battle for Funny Car world championship 

·        DSR’s Tommy Johnson Jr. qualifies No.2 with his MD Anderson Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Funny Car following his Mopar Express lane NHRA Midwest Nationals win.

·        Leah Pruett qualifies her Mopar dragster fifth and heads into eliminations third in the Top Fuel championship points 

·        Pruett pulls double duty for the fifth time this season as she qualifies her Mopar Dodge Challenger Drak Pak 13th for Factory Stock Showdown (FSS)

·        Mopar Drag Pak teammate Mark Pawuk qualifies No.6 for FSS eliminations

October 17, 2020, Ennis, Texas – Three events remain in the 2020 National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Drag Racing Series season and a fierce battle for the Funny Car world championship intensifies amongst the Don Schumacher Racing (DSR) quartet of Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat machines as Matt Hagan laid down two stout qualifying passes aboard his Pennzoil Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat to earn the No.1 qualifier position honor and maintain the Funny Car points lead heading into Sunday’s 35th annual AAA Texas NHRA FallNationals near Dallas, Texas.

Hagan’s fourth No.1 qualifier position of the 2020 NHRA season, the 40th of his career, also puts him in prime position to defend his 2019 Texas Motorplex Wally trophy and extend his team’s record win streak of 11 consecutive Funny Car victories which was launched with his win here last year.

Hagan’s efforts in qualifying earned him five bonus points as he posted the second quickest run in the first session, a 3.890-second elapsed time pass at 323.97 mph, and the best run of the second session, a 3.860 sec./328.54 mph lap, to stay atop the standings and ahead of teammates Jack Beckman, Tommy Johnson Jr. and Ron Capps, who are 2-3-4 respectively. In fact, all four DSR Dodge Charger Funny Cars earned at least one bonus point for posting a top-3 qualifying run and are seeded in the top-half of the eliminations ladder, thus avoiding any first round pairings against a teammate.

Hagan will begin his race day against No. 16 seed Todd Simpson after finishing runner-up in the previous national event to his teammate Johnson Jr.

Winner of the Mopar Express Lane NHRA Midwest Nationals near St. Louis two weeks ago, Johnson Jr. kept the positive momentum going through the first qualifying session where he posted the quickest lap aboard his MD Anderson Dodge Charger and earned the No. 2 spot on the eliminations ladder. He’ll see Jim Campbell as his first round opponent.

Fourth in points and also on Sunday’s eliminations ladder, Capps will line-up his Dodge Charger next to Terry Haddock for the opening round, while sixth-seed, Jack Beckman, will match-up against No. 11 seed Cruz Pedregon.

Two weeks removed from a harrowing incident aboard her DSR dragster in eliminations, Leah Pruett showed everyone that her unwavering focus remains on battling for an event win this season and to continue to vie for the Top Fuel championship. Pruett qualified her Mopar dragster fifth and will see Scott Palmer in the next lane for the first round of Top Fuel action.

For a fifth event this season, Pruett will pull double duty as she also competes in Factory Stock Showdown (FSS) aboard her Mopar Dodge Challenger alongside teammate Mark Pawuk.

Pawuk qualified No. 6 aboard his Empaco Equipment Mopar Drag Pak and will face John Cerbone in the first round of eliminations, while Pruett is seeded 13^th and will see No. 4 Arthur Kohn as her first round pairing.

Elimination rounds for the AAA Texas NHRA FallNationals will begin at 10 a.m. local time on Sunday, Oct. 18, with the television broadcast on FS1 to air from 2-5 p.m. ET featuring live coverage of the final round of eliminations at Texas Motorplex.

ADDITIONAL NOTES and QUOTES: 

Jack Beckman, Infinite Hero Foundation Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Funny Car
(No.6  Qualifier – 3.917 seconds at 328.70 mph)
Qualifying 1: 3.917 sec./ 328.70 mph

Qualifying 2: 3.978 sec./ 316.23 mph

“So we unloaded with a nice run and that always takes the pressure off. Even though there’s only 16 cars you always want to qualify well and you want bonus points and we did that on the first run. We tried some different parts on the second run and we’re not quite sure what happened. All of our backup parts should be good and predicable. Something probably didn’t do what it was supposed to do in the bellhousing department. We’ll go back and look at all the data and figure it out and have a hot race car for tomorrow. I’m looking for four win lights for the Infinite Hero Dodge.”

Matt Hagan, Pennzoil Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Funny Car  
(No. 1 Qualifier – 3.860 seconds at 328.54 mph)
Qualifying 1: 3.890 sec./ 323.97 mph

Qualifying 2: 3.860 sec./ 328.54 mph

“We made two great runs with this Pennzoil Dodge. It was a bit of a cluster up there for the second run. We were trying to make a clutch call and Dickie (Venables) was trying to put a timing map in, and I was like take a deep breath, it’s going to be alright. And it was. I have a great race car under me and I’m trying to drive the wheels off of it and it’s amazing to see all these fans here at the Texas Motorplex and it sort of feels normal and I love it. We’ll try to make four good laps tomorrow and stay in the championship hunt for Dodge and Mopar and all those who support us.”

Tommy Johnson Jr., MD Anderson Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Funny Car
(No. 2 Qualifier – 3.914 seconds at 315.78 mph)

Qualifying 1: 3.871 sec./ 315.34 mph 

Qualifying 2: 3.914 sec./ 315.78 mph

“We were going for it on the second lap and it laid over a little bit on the top end there. No biggie, still two good laps. I knew they were taking as swing as we had nothing to lose. We have a good, solid race car for MD Anderson. We’re strong contenders for tomorrow. We’re in top half of the field again and we’ve put ourselves in a strong position and we’re doing everything we can to make it a good race day and championship chase.”

Ron Capps, NAPA Auto Parts Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Funny Car
(No. 4  Qualifier – 3.885 seconds at 326.79 mph)
Qualifying 1: 8.473 sec./ 74.92 mph 

Qualifying 2: 3.885 sec./ 326.79 mph

We certainly didn’t start off the way we wanted to and this current format with only two qualifying runs on Saturday, you hate to lose one. It actually shook the tires on the first run, but (Rahn) Tobler and our NAPA team tried a few things that we were hoping would increase the performance. It didn’t work on that run, but a lot of times we seem to learn more from things that don’t work than do. He put it back to normal and it went right down the track at a great 3.88 that put us No. 4 in qualifying. That’s a great job to bounce back and that gives us a lot of confidence going into race day tomorrow. We’re looking to make a move and work our way back up in the points.”

Leah Pruett, Mopar Top Fuel Dragster  
(No. 5 Qualifier – 3.732 seconds at 318.77 mph)

Qualifying 1: 4.104 sec./ 203.92 mph 

Qualifying 2: 3.732 sec./ 318.77 mph

“It was a very progressive qualifying day for the SRT Hellcat Redeye team. Especially after St. Louis and having to front half a car and put it together for battle this weekend here at Dallas. The first hit we had some fuel system issues and made a couple of tuning adjustments and sent it right down Broadway. For me, that was very rewarding for me after the last race. If you didn’t have any apprehension, you wouldn’t be humane. We feel human today and we feel like we got our momentum back and we’re looking forward to hitting four jackpots tomorrow with this Mopar dragster.”

Mark Pawuk, Empaco Equipment Mopar Drag Pak– Factory Stock Shootout
(No. 6 Qualifier – 7.934 seconds at 174.21 mph)

Qualifying 1: 7.934 sec./ 174.21 mph

Qualifying 2: 7.934 sec./ 174.21 mph

“It was another decent qualifying outing for the Empaco Equipment Dodge Drag Pak with DSR. We qualified sixth. We did ok on Friday, but made a better run today. We made some changes to the car and we were in the top four today. Hopefully the driver does his job and we can continue to go some rounds and rack up some Factory Stock Showdown points and continue the momentum that we started at Indy at the U.S. Nationals and we want to keep it going for three more weeks.”

Leah Pruett, Mopar Dodge Challenger Mopar Drag Pak – Factory Stock Shootout 
(No. 13  Qualifier – 8.001 seconds at 172.56 mph)
Qualifying 1: 8.002 sec./ 172.56 mph

Qualifying 2: 8.001 sec./ 170.82 mph

“We made a lot of major changes between Q1 and Q2, from Friday to Saturday, and we had nearly the same result. Where we qualified was in the No. 13 spot. We know what our handicap is and we’re not able to adjust for that this season. We will try to put as much power to the ground as we can and Mark’s (Pawuk) car is carrying the Mopar flagship and it’s important to keep him fighting for the Factory Stock championship. I love this class. It’s a lot of fun and I love running for Mopar and to compete and win.”

Late-race battle for first ends in contact, ends Acura winning streak
Acura Team Penske ARX-05 prototypes finish second and third
Meyer Shank Racing Acura NSX GT3 Evo again knocked out of GTD contention

BRASELTON, Ga. (Oct. 17, 2020) – Acura’s winning streak in the 2020 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship ended at three Saturday at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta, as contact resulted in second- and third-place finishes for the Acura Team Penske prototypes. In GTD, the Meyer Shank Racing Acura NSX GT3 Evo had to go behind the wall for repairs following contact from another competitor.

Acura Team Penske
Hopes of continuing the three-race victory streak, that started at Road America in August for the #7 Acura ARX-05 of Ricky Taylor, Helio Castroneves and endurance driver Alexander Rossi, came to an end in the closing minutes of today’s 10-hour event, as Taylor made contact with Action Express driver Pipo Derani while battling for the lead, and both cars spun.

Wayne Taylor Racing driver Renger van der Zande, running third when Taylor and Derani collided, then moved into the lead, and his victory was assured when another crash involving a GTLM-class competitor resulted in the race ending under the caution flag.

Starting from the pole following a lap-record qualifying run by Dane Cameron, the #6 Acura ARX-05 led from the green, with teammate Ricky Taylor slotting his #7 ARX-05 into second. Cameron and co-drivers Juan Pablo Montoya and Alexander Rossi continued to lead the field at the one, two, three hour marks; and led again as the race neared its halfway point at five hours.

Just minutes before the five-hour mark, the #8 Tower Motorsports by Starworks LMP2 class prototype lost control while avoiding a collision involving the Mazda prototype of Tristan Nunez and the GTD Ferrari of Alessandro Balzan, and made contact with Cameron’s Acura. Although the Acura Team Penske crew quickly replaced the damaged nose on the #6 ARX-05, it was unable to match its previous pace, but still recovered for a third-place finish behind their teammates.

Meyer Shank Racing Acura NSX GT3 Evo
For the third race in succession, contact with a competitor ended the GTD class victory hopes for the #86 Meyer Shank Racing Acura NSX GT3 piloted by Mario Farnbacher, Matt McMurry and Shinya Michimi.

After a lap record qualifying run to the class pole by Michimi on Friday, the MSR Acura swapped the GTD lead with the #48 Paul Miller Racing Lamborghini throughout the first four hours. Still running in the lead pack with less than three hours remaining, contact with the #23 Heart of Racing Aston Martin sent both cars to the pits with suspension damage. After a long stop for repairs, the #86 returned to finish an unrepresentative 10th.

The #57 Heinricher Racing with MSR Acura of Alvaro Parente, Misha Goikhberg and Trent Hindman ran as high as third with just over two hours remaining, but handling issues in the final hour saw Hindman fall away from the lead pack to finish sixth.

Next
The 2020 WeatherTech SportsCar Championship next heads west to central California for the Halloween weekend Monterey Sports Car Championship race, October 30-November 1 at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.

Acura Motorsports social media content and video links from the Petit Le Mans at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta are available on Instagram (www.instagram.com/hondaracing_hpd), on Facebook (www.facebook.com/HondaRacingHPD) and on Twitter (www.twitter.com/HondaRacing_HPD).   

Quotes
Ted Klaus (President, Honda Performance Development) on today’s Motul Petit Le Mans: “
“The results were disappointing for us, but it certainly was another wild and crazy Petit Le Mans. The racing was exciting, and the #7 Acura was challenging for the victory right until the contact with the #31 car, which unfortunately then gave the Wayne Taylor team the opportunity they needed to extend their lead in the championship. In GTD, for the third race in succession, the #86 NSX GT3 Evo was damaged by contact from another GTD competitor, once again ending their chance for a class win. But there are two races remaining, so it’s on to WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca for the penultimate race of 2020. I’m proud of everyone’s efforts at Acura Team Penske, Meyer Shank Racing and HPD, but we have work to do to earn the championships we desire.”

Ricky Taylor (#7 Acura Team Penske ARX-05) finished second: “I have to thank everyone at Acura and Team Penske for the speed they brought this weekend to Petit Le Mans. We showed all weekend that we were going to be tough to beat, and it played out that way in the race. I hate the way that it ended, and in no way did I mean to take out the #31 car. It’s Petit Le Mans. Everyone wants to win this race and I saw an opportunity to do that for my team. To come home second is a solid points day, but we were the car to beat at the end and I’m bummed that we didn’t end on top of the podium.” 

Trent Hindman (#57 Heinricher Racing with MSR Acura NSX GT3 Evo) finished sixth in GTD: “I have to thank the team for having me back for another race. I wish I could have helped [co-drivers] Alvaro [Parente] and Misha [Goikhberg] get a better result, but we just didn’t have to pace to be able to compete up front. The guys in pit lane had some great stops, and we had seamless driver changes which really helped us. The last stint was pretty tough, and I had a hard time getting the car to brake and slow down enough into the corners. We started sixth and finished sixth, so we didn’t lose any positions but you always want to do better. I’m really looking forward to being back with the team for the Sebring 12-hour next month.” 

Late Race Crash Ends Promising Top-Three Run for Anthony Alfredo and The No. 21 Andy’s Frozen Custard Chevrolet Team at Kansas Speedway

29th   25th  9th

“We had a really strong Andy’s Frozen Custard Chevrolet tonight, and ran in the top-five for most of the race. Unfortunately, an on-track incident in Stage 3 ended our race early. We were four-wide on a restart and no one backed down. That was the craziest thing I’ve ever experienced, and it definitely shows you how fast things can happen in racing. I ended upside down, on my roof and I just have to thank the NASCAR safety crew for being there immediately. They were there before I even realized the wreck was over or where I was. I’m glad to be okay, and thankful for everyone at RCR that builds these safe race cars that we have today, and all of the safety equipment that goes into keeping all of us drivers safe in the race cars. I wish we could have flipped the car back over and kept digging because I was having a blast running up front tonight at Kansas Speedway. It’s been an awesome year so far and we still have one more shot to go win a race at Texas Motor Speedway next weekend.”-Anthony Alfredo

Todd Lamb and Brian Henderson start on pole, fight back to third after penalty
Ryan Eversley and Taylor Hagler rack up another top five

BRASELTON, GA (October 16, 2020) –The Atlanta Speedwerks crew made their triumphant return to the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge TCR class, scoring pole position and a podium finish with the #84 Honda Civic Type R TCR of Todd Lamb and Brian Henderson.

Having not raced since the Rolex 24 at Daytona in January, the Atlanta Speedwerks team competed in their first race in nearly nine months at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta for the FOX Factory 120. Fielding both the #84 and #94 Honda Civic Type R TCRs, the two-car team rolled off first for Lamb in the #84 and 10th with the #94 of Cliff Brown and Brian Ortiz.

Both cars, however, had to take penalties early in the race as they changed tires between qualifying and green flag, sending them to the rear of the field and a battle forward during the two-hour race, which featured a total of four caution periods.

The extended yellows, comprising more than half of the event, allowed both cars to extend their fuel windows and make only one stop compared to the competitors’ two. While the strategy gamble did not pay off for the eighth-place-finishing #94, it allowed the #84 to make up lost spots from their drive-through penalty and, when combined with a late-race pass, finish third in TCR.

The LA Honda World Racing team also entered two cars for the FOX Factory 120 event, with the two Civic Type R TCRs suffering different fates during the two-hour race.

Returning to IMSA competition for the first time since the September race at Road Atlanta, Mat Pombo and Mike LaMarra qualified ninth in the red-flagged qualifying session. LaMarra started in the #73 Honda Civic Type R TCR, and was running in the top ten as he handed over to co-driver Mat Pombo. Pombo continued to circulate until a tire issue sent him into the tire wall at turn one with 46 minutes on the clock.

Conversely, the #77 of Ryan Eversley and Taylor Hagler bounced back from their Mid-Ohio race two woes to score a top five finish. After scoring their first podium of the year in race one at Mid-Ohio, and leading for much of race two, Hagler and Eversley knew they had the pace to notch up another top five finish.

Starting from eighth, the #77 moved through the field and even led laps in the final hour before being forced to pit again. The duo fell to eighth in the final half hour after the pit stops, but worked their way up to a fifth-place finish at the flag.

HPD has three ready-to-race Civic models for touring car competition. The line starts with the affordable and reliable Civic Si TCA race car, then leads to the Civic Type R TC racer that puts legendary Type R performance on track, and culminates with the no-compromise, championship-winning Civic Type R TCR race car. Our unparalleled trackside support at every level from HPD engineers is a unique benefit that no other manufacturer can offer. Find out more about these cars and our touring programs at: https://hpd.honda.com/Motorsports/Touring

Honda Racing social media content and videos from Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta are available on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/hondaracing_hpd), Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/HondaRacingHPD) and Twitter (https://twitter.com/HondaRacing_HPD).  

Next
The MICHELIN Pilot Challenge next travels to WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca October 30 – November 1 for Monterey Sports Car Championship Weekend. The race can be streamed live on TrackPass on NBC Sports Gold.

Quotes
Todd Lamb (#84 Atlanta SpeedWerks Honda Civic Type R TCR), finished third: “We had an early drive through penalty for a tire management issue, but we made up for that and had really good strategy that got me back to the front of the field. From there, it was just managing to get through the GS traffic and try to gap the field as much as possible so we could do a pit stop without going a lap down. And that’s exactly what we did! This was Brian’s first time finishing a race, and we tried something a little different–but we ended up on the podium so it must have worked out!”

Brian Henderson (#84 Atlanta SpeedWerks Honda Civic Type R TCR), finished third: “It was definitely a weird race with so much yellow, but, man, it feels great to finally be on the podium. We ran all of last year, and didn’t get to run as much this year, which we’re really disappointed about. But, we’re so happy that our first race back we were able to put it on the podium. It feels so amazing!”

First pole at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta for GTLM Championship co-leader

BRASELTON, Ga. (Oct. 16, 2020) – Corvette Racing’s Antonio Garcia captured pole position for Petit Le Mans on Friday – his first at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta – with the fastest time in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship’s GT Le Mans (GTLM) class during qualifying for Saturday’s 10-hour endurance race. Garcia, in the No. 3 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R, posted a record-setting lap of 1:15.163 (121.655 mph) to secure the top starting spot in another close fight among the GTLM. Garcia, GTLM Drivers Championship co-leader with teammate Jordan Taylor, was 0.271 seconds clear of Connor De Phillippi in second. Friday’s pole time was nearly a half-second faster than the previous mark set in September’s six-hour race. Garcia gave Corvette Racing its first pole position at Road Atlanta since 2008, and the team is going for its first victory there since 2010. He and Taylor will drive in Saturday’s enduro with Nicky Catsburg. Tommy Milner finished fifth in the No. 4 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R with a best lap of 1:15.856 (120.543 mph). He and Oliver Gavin were second in class at September’s TireRack.com Grand Prix at Road Atlanta. On Saturday, they’ll share driving chores with Marcel Fässler. Garcia set the quickest time in GTLM practice Thursday in the No. 3 Corvette, boosting the team’s hopes entering Friday. Milner was the early pace-setter before two quick laps from Garcia, who was briefly demoted to second before putting together his final attempt, which was more than good enough. Garcia and Taylor enter on a three-race win streak in GTLM, including last weekend at the Charlotte Roval. They lead Milner and Gavin by 24 points heading into Saturday, with the No. 4 Corvette duo looking for their second victory of the season. The efforts from both pairings have given Chevrolet the lead in GTLM Manufacturers’ points, as well. The C8.R, Chevrolet’s first mid-engine, production-based racing Corvette, has won six times in its first season of competition. A year ago at Petit Le Mans, Milner drove the C8.R during its first public demonstration laps. Based on the strong foundation of the 2020 Corvette Stingray, the C8.R and its production counterpart were developed simultaneously. There is a deeper level of technology transfer between the race car and production Corvette than ever before, which helps contribute to many of its advancements. As a result, the C8.R shares the highest percentage of parts between the production and race car than any previous generation. Initial design and development on the Corvette C8.R – with Corvette Racing engineers working alongside Corvette production personnel – began more than five years ago with track testing starting within the last 18 months. Heavy emphasis on wind tunnel and simulation aided in the testing program. Petit Le Mans is scheduled for 12:40 p.m. ET on Saturday with live television coverage on NBCSN from 12:30-6:30 p.m., and 9:30-11 p.m. ET. TrackPass on NBC Sports Gold will offer live streaming of the full race. In addition, IMSA Radio will broadcast the race on IMSA.com, which also will host live timing and scoring. The race also will air on XM channel 202 and SiriusXM Online 972.

ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – GTLM POLE-WINNER: “I think it was my best qualifying lap. I had never gotten pole here; I have been second many times by thousandths or hundredths of a second! The Corvette C8.R was perfect. It was difficult knowing how the car would be compared to yesterday. We didn’t have the usual pole prep or qualifying simulation before the actual session. So we had to do it in the second practice yesterday, which was almost 24 hours ago. We knew the car would be OK but didn’t know where we would stack up against the rest of the field. I would say the first two laps were really good, not good enough for pole because a couple of guys got me there. I didn’t know if I could go faster but obviously I really wanted it. That was a really, really good lap. Sometimes I have a couple of mistakes, but I think today I put together a whole lap.” MORE ON QUALIFYING: “I definitely did a perfect lap. I’d say my first two fast laps were feeling really good. I didn’t leave anything on the table. Maybe a little bit, but they were almost perfect laps. During my cool-down lap, somebody told me I lost pole by a few hundredths, so I knew I had to go again. Obviously the cool-down didn’t hurt, or maybe it helped a little bit. So I went for it again. I really wanted that pole because I’ve lost many poles here by a thousandths or hundredths of a second. Let’s see if this is the beginning of getting my first win here because I’ve been waiting a long time. It was the perfect lap, even if it wasn’t that efficient because we didn’t have practice prior to qualifying. That made it a little bit more stressful knowing the last time I had a chance to drive the car was last night and during the second practice 24 hours ago. It was a really good job by the Corvette C8.R crew, and I’m happy to be on pole.” MOMENTUM IN GOING FOR THIRD STRAIGHT WIN AND REBOUNDING FROM SEPTEMBER RACE: “We were strong, for sure. Even during the race here, we were up there for most of the race. We had a few issues that put us a back a little bit on track position. But knowing how close the GTLM field is and how difficult it is to pass for track position, that’s what hurt us a little bit over the six-hour race. Not being able to get back over the last 45 minutes, and also I caught a puncture over the last hour. That race didn’t go our way, but thewhole GTLM field was very close. Tommy was all the way up there in second pressuring the BMW. We still have a very strong car. Tomorrow is going to be cooler than the Six Hours, we just need to wait and see how the track develops, see what the temperature does with the tire performance and car performance, and how we get to the night. It’s going to be wild out there like always with traffic and people being aggressive. Everyone is fighting for their class win, and I’m sure it’s going to be very tense at the end and cold. So let’s see what tomorrow brings.”

TOMMY MILNER, NO. 4 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – QUALIFIED FIFTH IN GTLM: “That wasn’t quite as successful as the qualifying we had for the Six Hours. Antonio obviously had an awesome lap – a second quicker than where we were in September. The track definitely felt like it was quicker. Straight away, you could feel the grip level was pretty high. I’m a little disappointed to be seven-tenths off of him and four-tenths from the front of the field. In some ways it was a little bit of difficult conditions today. We didn’t practice today, and we made some setup changes; we’re still trying to learn a little bit more about the C8.R. It felt really good in qualifying, but everyone else also had a good car and a lot of grip available from the racetrack. We’re still learning and still trying to figure out some of the setup stuff we did over the weekend to see if we can help some of our issues. We’ll look at data; we may have made a good change but need to have a closer look at the two cars to see if there is any benefit to what we did. As everyone says, qualifying doesn’t really matter in these things; you have 10 hours here to get a good car and be good on a long run. Tires will be a big part of the puzzle come tomorrow. First and foremost, I’m excited to race at this track again. Driving the Corvette C8.R here in amazing, and it’s even more fun in qualifying with low fuel and new tires. It was the fastest I’ve ever driven around this track. That was a lot of fun, but it would have been even more fun if we were a little closer to the front of the field.”

Dane Cameron claims pole in qualifying for Saturday’s Motul Petit Le Mans
Shinya Michimi pilots Meyer Shank Racing Acura NSX GT3 Evos to the GTD pole
Fourth consecutive WeatherTech SportsCar Championship pole for Acura Team Penske

BRASELTON, Ga. (Oct. 16, 2020) – Dane Cameron claimed the second consecutive WeatherTech SportsCar Championship pole for Acura Team Penske Friday at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta to lead an all-Acura ARX-05 front row; while Shinya Michimi claimed his first IMSA pole with his Meyer Shank Racing Acura NSX GT3 Evo in the production-based GTD class.

Acura Team Penske
Cameron took his #6 ARX-05 to the pole in a hard fought 15-minute session to set the field for Saturday’s 10-hour Petit Le Mans endurance contest, setting a new lap record to edge his teammate Ricky Taylor in the #7 Acura by 0.094 seconds.

The pole is the second of the season for Cameron, and the fourth consecutive WeatherTech SportsCar Championship pole for Acura Team Penske this season, a streak that started at Road America in August.

Taylor completed the front-row sweep for Acura, in the car he will share with Helio Castroneves and Alexander Rossi tomorrow, while Cameron’s co-drivers at Road Atlanta will be Juan Pablo Montoya and Simon Pagenaud as Acura Team Penske seeks a fourth consecutive victory tomorrow.

Meyer Shank Racing Acura NSX GT3
Shinya Michimi, third driver for Meyer Shank Racing in the long-distance rounds of the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, claims his first career pole in the #86 Acura he shares with full-season drivers Mario Farnbacher and Matt McMurry. Michimi battled for fastest lap honors throughout the 15-minute qualifying, eventually besting the Ferrari 488 GT3 of Jeff Westphal by 17 hundredths of a second to take the GTD pole.

In the #57 Heinricher Racing with MSR Acura, Misha Goikberg qualified sixth in the NSX GT3 Evo he shares with fellow full-season driver Alvaro Parente and endurance-race driver Trent Hindman.

Where to Watch
Live network television coverage from Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta begins at 12:30 p.m. Saturday, October 17, for six hours on the NBC Sports Network. Coverage will resume on NBCSN from 9:30 p.m. EDT to the finish. Live flag-to-flag race coverage also will be available on the NBC Sports App and NBCSN Gold with NBCSN Trackpass authentication.

Quote
Dane Cameron (#6 Acura Team Penske ARX-05) pole qualifier, new lap record; Cameron’s second consecutive pole this season and 14th career IMSA pole; the fourth consecutive pole of 2020 for Acura Team Penske: “When we were here in September [for the six-hour race], I thought we missed the [qualifying] setup a little bit, so we made a few changes to get the car a bit more on the limit. I took a lot of risks on that [pole qualifying] lap, so we’re really, really happy with the result.”

Shinya Michimi (#86 Meyer Shank Racing Acura NSX GT3 Evo) pole qualifier, first IMSA pole, 12th pole for Meyer Shank Racing, new GTD lap record for Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta: “I haven’t had too many IMSA starts, but I’ve been with the right team this year – Meyer Shank Racing did an awesome job to give me a fast car today. Our Acura NSX GT3 has been amazing and everyone at HPD has been amazing. It feels great to get pole and we’re building on our success from last month’s win here. But today was just 5% of the work, we have the whole 10-hours tomorrow. We’re definitely going to go and try to get the win.” 

CHEVROLET AT DALLAS What: AAA Texas NHRA FallnationalsWhen: Saturday, Oct. 17^th – Sunday, Oct. 18^thWhere: Texas Motorplex in Ennis, TexasTV: FS1 will telecast Saturday qualifying from 7:30-8:30 pm ET and eliminations starting at 2:00 pm ET                                                                                      
Pro Stock title tight between three Chevrolet Camaro driversThree multiple-time champions separated by 34 points, with complicated finish left
DETROIT (Oct. 16, 2020) – Because of deteriorating track conditions late in the final day at St. Louis two weeks ago, the NHRA was forced to postpone the Pro Stock eliminations after one round of the Mopar Express Lane NHRA Midwest Nationals.
The finals of that event will be settled this weekend and that means the battle in Dallas is even more important with just 34 points separating the top three drivers in the Pro Stock division.  Chevrolet Camaro driver Jason Line leads defending Pro Stock Champion Erica Enders by a mere two points. Jeg Couglin Jr., a two-time winner this year, trails Line by 34 points with four events left.
All three drivers are multi-time champions with a unique eye on the 2020 title.  Enders will seek to become the first female in NHRA history with four championships. Enders, tied with Shirley Muldowney and Angelle Sampey, has won titles in 2019, 2014 and ’15.
Enders in 2019 also recorded the 150th victory by a female in the professional categories and posted the 200th victory for the Camaro brand in Pro Stock competition at the fall Las Vegas event last year.
Line and Coughlin Jr. both look to go out on top as both revealed earlier this year that they will retire from full time competition in Pro Stock at the end of the 2020 season.
“The points are tight and it is going to be a dog fight to the end, just like I stated earlier in the year,” said Enders. “As we are trying to secure our fourth world championship, the two guys I have to beat (Line and Jeg Coughlin Jr.) are retiring at the end of the year, so I know they are going to give it their all as well.”
FS1 will telecast eliminations live at 2:00 p.m. ET Oct. 18th.  CHEVROLET FROM THE COCKPIT

PRO STOCK:

JASON LINE, KB RACING, SUMMIT RACING EQUIPMENT CHEVROLET CAMARO SS  “It’s a good feeling anytime you’re leading the points, but the truth is that it isn’t by much, and we’ll have to be better than anyone else if we want to keep that lead. But if we do what we’re supposed to do and my Summit Racing Chevrolet cooperates, the points will take care of themselves.”
GREG ANDERSON, KB RACING, SUMMIT RACING EQUIPMENT CHEVROLET CAMARO SS: “I’m looking forward to getting to Dallas this weekend to defend the title. That was a really special win, a really fun win, and that’s exactly what I need right now – another one just like that. This racetrack has been great for us in the past. We’ll have two opportunities to get a trophy at Texas Motorpolex, and the KB Racing team would like nothing more than to bring both of them back to the shop for team owner Ken Black and Summit Racing. It was disappointing to have to stop the show and leave St. Louis in the middle of eliminations, but that’s in the past. We’ve reset our frame of mind, our Summit Racing Chevys ready, and we expect great things from this weekend.”
JEG COUGHLIN JR., ELITE MOTORSPORTS, JEGS.COM/ELITE PERFORMANCE  CHEVROLET CAMARO SS: “The result that’s come out of the St. Louis situation is unfortunate. Erica (Enders), Jason (Line) and our group were neck-in-neck in the points and now it appears we may not end up being a part of it all, depending on what happens here. We are scheduled to have three more races — in Dallas, Houston and Las Vegas — so there’s still a chance for others to stumble and for us to pull off some wins down the stretch. I certainly don’t see us completely out of the game at this point. It’s been quite a run since last year’s Dallas race, where we were runner-up. We’ve been to plenty of finals and had a good share of success. The last few races have been challenging, for sure, but the worm can turn at any time. We’re optimistic it’ll come back to us this weekend.  St. Louis was a bad deal but at this point we can only control what we do. I know I’ll do all I can to get these 1,500 horses down the track as best I can every run”
ERICA ENDERS, ELITE MOTORSPORTS, MELLING PERFORMANCE/ELITE MOTORSPORTS CHEVROLET CAMARO SS: “The points are tight and it is going to be a dog fight to the end, just like I stated earlier in the year. As we are trying to secure our fourth world championship, the two guys I have to beat (Line and Jeg Coughlin Jr.) are retiring at the end of the year, so I know they are going to give it their all as well. We will fight to the end and execute the best we can. I put my money on my team. They are the baddest dudes in Pro Stock and I’m lucky to have them. I’m looking forward to these races down the stretch.”
BO BUTNER, KB RACING, JIM BUTNER AUTO GROUPCHEVROLET CAMARO SS: “Dallas was my very first national event win, in Super Stock in 1999 over my good friend, Jimmy DeFrank. I’m looking forward to this one and then the next, too, because we go to Houston – and that’s where I got my first Pro Stock win. Texas has a lot of firsts for us, so I look for it to be good again. We only have a few races left, and we sure want another one or two of those Pro Stock trophies. Our Strutmasters.com/Jim Butner Auto Group Chevy Camaro is so good. It’s coming around, and I’m not giving up.”

Antonio Garcia, No. 3 Corvette C8.R to start first in GTLM for Petit Le Mans

BRASELTON, Ga. (Oct. 16, 2020) – Corvette Racing’s Antonio Garcia captured pole position at Petit Le Mans on Friday with the fastest time in GT Le Mans (GTLM) during qualifying for the 10-hour race at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta – his first at the circuit. Garcia, in the No. 3 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R, set a lap of 1:15.163 to secure the top starting spot in another close fight among the GTLM runners in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. Garcia, GTLM Drivers Championship co-leader with teammate Jordan Taylor, was 0.271 seconds clear of Connor De Phillippi in second. Garcia and Taylor will drive in Saturday’s enduro with Nicky Catsburg. Tommy Milner finished fifth in the No. 4 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R with a best lap of 1:15.856. He and Oliver Gavin were second in class at September’s six-hour TireRack.com Grand Prix at Road Atlanta.

ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – GTLM POLE-WINNER: “I think it was my best qualifying lap. I had never gotten pole here; I have been second many times by thousandths or hundredths of a second! The Corvette C8.R was perfect. It was difficult knowing how the car would be compared to yesterday. We didn’t have the usual pole prep or qualifying simulation before the actual session. So we had to do it in the second practice yesterday, which was almost 24 hours ago. We knew the car would be OK but didn’t know where we would stack up against the rest of the field. I would say the first two laps were really good, not good enough for pole because a couple of guys got me there. I didn’t know if I could go faster but obviously I really wanted it. That was a really, really good lap. Sometimes I have a couple of mistakes, but I think today I put together a whole lap.”

TEAM CHEVY ADVANCE HOLLYWOOD CASINO 400 KANSAS SPEEDWAY OCTOBER 18, 2020
KANSAS: RACE #33With just four races left in the 2020 season, NASCAR’s three national series head to the Midwest for a Playoff tripleheader at Kansas Speedway. For the second time this season, the NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) will pay a visit to the 1.5-mile Kansas tri-oval for the 400.5-mile, 267-lap Hollywood Casino 400, kicking off the first of three races of the Round of Eight in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoff battle. The inaugural NASCAR Cup Series event at Kansas Speedway took place on September 30, 2001, which was won by Career Chevrolet driver Jeff Gordon. Going into the action-packed weekend, Sunday’s event will mark the 30th NCS race at the Kansas venue. 
Over the course of three days, Kansas Speedway will be the host of four events, kicking off with a visit by the ARCA Menards Series Championship race under the lights on Friday, October 16th. The Playoffs’ Round of Eight gets underway for all three of NASCAR’s national series, starting with the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series with the Clean Harbors 200 on Saturday, October 17th, at 4:00 p.m. ET, followed by the NASCAR Xfinity Series with the Kansas Lottery 300 at 7:00 p.m. ET. The weekend will be topped off with the NASCAR Cup Series’ Hollywood Casino 400 on Sunday, October 18th, at 2:30 p.m. ET. 
In compliance with the Covid-19 restrictions, a limited number of fans will be in attendance for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series event. With an allowance of up to 10,000 fans, the race has been sold out at social-distancing capacity. 
WEEKEND SWEEPIt was a winning weekend at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course, where Team Chevy made its way to victory lane in all three ROVAL events.  In the NASCAR Xfinity Series’ final race in the Round of 12, Kaulig Racing’s AJ Allmendinger endured challenging weather conditions to edge out fellow Team Chevy driver, Noah Gragson, for the win at the line by a mere .446-seconds. Chevrolet drivers took all top-five positions with Daniel Hemric (3rd), Alex Labbe (4th) and Ross Chastain (5th). Going into the Series’ Playoffs Round of Eight, five Team Chevy drivers are left to vie for the title of the NASCAR Xfinity Series Champion.  In the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship debut at the ROVAL, Corvette Racing’s Antonio Garcia and Jordan Taylor claimed the victory from the pole in their No. 3 Chevrolet Corvette C8.R. The duo has now won five of eight races this year and four of the last five in the first year of the mid-engine Corvette C8.R.  The weekend was capped off by Chase Elliott’s continued dominance on road course circuits, when he became a back-to-back Bank of America ROVAL 400 winner. The trip to victory lane marked his fourth road course race win in a row, making him only the second driver in NASCAR history to accomplish that feat. Concluding the NASCAR Cup Series Round of 12, Team Chevy’s Chase Elliott, Alex Bowman and Kurt Busch punched their ticket to the Playoffs’ Round of Eight.
KICKING OFF THE ROUND OF EIGHT: Since the start of the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs in 2004, Kansas Speedway has been positioned in five different spots on the Playoff schedule, with the 2020 season being the first that the 1.5-mile tri-oval will host the seventh race in the Playoffs and the first race of the Round of Eight. Kansas Speedway will become the fourth different track to host the seventh race of the Playoffs, alongside Atlanta Motor Speedway (2004-2008), Talladega Superspeedway (2009-2010) and Martinsville Speedway (2011-2019).  Three Team Chevy drivers have secured their spots into the eight-driver field that are left to compete for the chance to be crowned the NASCAR Cup Series Champion. Entering into the first of three races for the Round of Eight, here are where the Team Chevy drivers currently sit in the Playoff standings, including key statistics at Kansas Speedway:  Chase Elliott, No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Camaro ZL1 1LE – 4th in Standings (4,027 points)Victories: 3 (Charlotte Motor Speedway, Daytona Road Course, Charlotte Road Course)Top-Fives: 13; Top-10’s: 19; Laps Led: 810; Average Finish: 12.3Stage Wins: 8At Kansas: Wins: 1; Top-Five’s: 4; Top-10’s: 5; Average Finish: 11.556 Alex Bowman, No. 88 ChevyGoods.com/Truck Hero Camaro ZL1 1LE – 7th in Standings (4,009 points)Victories: 1 (Auto Club Speedway)Top-Fives: 4; Top-10’s: 12; Laps Led: 396; Average Finish: 15.6Stage Wins: 4 At Kansas: Top-Five’s: 1; Top-10’s: 4; Average Finish: 19.6 Kurt Busch, No. 1 Monster Energy Camaro ZL1 1LE – 8th in Standings (4,006 points)Victories: 1 (Las Vegas Motor Speedway)Top-Fives: 6; Top-10’s: 1; Laps Led: 140; Average Finish: 13.2Stage Wins: 1 At Kansas: Top-Five’s: 4; Top-10’s: 12; Average Finish: 14.120 BOWTIE BULLETS:·       Victories by active Team Chevy drivers at Kansas Speedway include:Jimmie Johnson, No. 48 Ally Camaro ZL1 1LE has three wins (2008, 2011, 2015)Matt Kenseth, No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing Camaro ZL1 1LE has two wins (2012, 2013)Chase Elliott, No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Camaro ZL1 1LE has one win (2018). ·       Of the 29 NASCAR Cup Series events held at Kansas Speedway, Chevrolet has recorded 12 victories and 11 poles at the 1.5-mile Kansas tri-oval, topping all other manufacturers. Other statistics of note include 59 top-fives, 125 top-10’s and 2,564 laps led in NCS history at the track.  ·       Career Chevrolet drivers, Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson, lead the NASCAR Cup Series in wins at Kansas Speedway, each scoring three victories. In addition, Jeff Gordon is the only driver in the series to-date to win in his first appearance at Kansas (2001).  ·       Only three drivers have started all 29 NASCAR Cup Series races at Kansas Speedway, one of which being Chip Ganassi Racing and Chevrolet Driver, Kurt Busch.  ·       Of active drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series, Jimmie Johnson leads the way in top-five finishes with nine and top-10 finishes with 19. He also holds the record of the most laps led by a race winner in a single NASCAR Cup Series race at Kansas with 197 of 272 laps during his October 2011 win, a laps-led percentage of 72.4%.  ·       Chevrolet team, Hendrick Motorsports, leads the series in wins at Kansas Speedway with seven victories: Jeff Gordon (2001, 2002, 2014), Jimmie Johnson (2008, 2011, 2015), and Chase Elliott (2018). 
STARTING LINE-UP:For the remainder of the 2020 NCS season, the starting lineups will be determined by a competition-based formula, combining the following metrics from the previous race event: 15% of a fastest lap time position, 25% of the driver’s final race finish position, 25% of the owner’s final race position and 35% of the Owner points position. Coming off of his recent victory at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course, Chase Elliott will lead the field to the green in his No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Camaro ZL1 1LE.  Here are Team Chevy’s top-20 starters for Sunday’s Hollywood Casino 400:   1st      Chase Elliott, No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Camaro ZL1 1LE3rd      Kurt Busch, No. 1 Monster Energy Camaro ZL1 1LE6th      Alex Bowman, No. 88 ChevyGoods.com/Truck Hero Camaro ZL1 1LE10th    William Byron, No. 24 Hendrickcars.com Camaro ZL1 1LE14th    Jimmie Johnson, No. 48 Ally Camaro ZL1 1LE15th    Tyler Reddick, No. 8 Caterpillar Camaro ZL1 1LE17th    Austin Dillon, No. 3 American Ethanol Camaro ZL1 1LE19th    Ryan Preece, No. 37 Kroger Camaro ZL1 1LE TUNE-IN:NBC will telecast the Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway on Sunday, October 18th, at 2:30 p.m. ET. Live coverage of the 400.5-mile, 267-lap event for race one of three for the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs Round of 8 can also be found on the NBC Sports Gold app, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90. 
QUOTABLE QUOTES:CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 4th IN STANDINGSIS THE NO. 9 TEAM DOING ANYTHING DIFFERENTLY THIS SEASON TO ADVANCE TO THE CHAMPIONSHIP 4? “I don’t know if we are necessarily taking a different approach. I think we’re just trying to build on what we’ve been working on over the past few years. I feel like every year we’ve been close; we just haven’t been able to get over that hump and really assert ourselves among that top group. I feel like we’ve been right there. I feel like we’re very capable of it. Just those little inconsistencies and some bad racetracks have been our biggest problems. So, we’re trying to be a little more consistent everywhere. I think it’s a goal. And eliminate bad tracks. You can’t have bad tracks at this level, and the guys who win often and win all the time and run good don’t have any bad tracks. So, it’s certainly possible and that’s just where we have to get to. The reality is that’s the only way to contend with them and I think we’re capable of doing it.” ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 88 CHEVYGOODS.COM/TRUCK HERO CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 7th IN STANDINGS“Making the Round of 8 was one of our team’s goals for the 2020 season. We are focused and ready to get through the Round of 8 and go for a championship in Phoenix next month. Going to Kansas this weekend is something I am looking forward to. We have had some strong results there in the past and Hendrick Motorsports’ intermediate program is one of our best. This No. 88 team is capable of putting together a race winning Chevrolet and we believe we will have a strong car this weekend.” GREG IVES, CREW CHIEF, NO. 88 CHEVYGOODS.COM/TRUCK HERO CAMARO ZL1 1LE“I feel like we are going to have a great car in Kansas. It is one of those tracks that we have had marked on our board, like hey this is another place we can win at. We have the car capable to do that and we have the team capable of doing that. There are a lot of factors to consider but we are going to go out there with a fast Chevrolet and try to get that win. We have to take advantage of our strengths and we feel that Kansas is one of our strongest tracks when looking at the next three tracks. We have to be aggressive to the point of succeeding, but not over aggressive.” KURT BUSCH, NO. 1 MONSTER ENERGY CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 8th IN STANDINGS“This was our goal at the beginning of the year, right underneath winning the championship, was to be in this position. Here we are, we’re in the elite eight. I like to reference it as the ‘who’s who’. We are a little bit behind in points and it’s tough to gain points on a group of drivers like this towards the end of the year. Everybody is on their game, every position counts. I’m looking forward to the challenge. I feel like we’ve prepared the cars well over the last month since we won (Las) Vegas. As soon as we won Vegas, our mindset went straight to Kansas and Texas, of course we’ll still have a good car for Martinsville though. This round is important and I believe that we need to win at one of these mile-and-a-half tracks; you never know what can happen at Martinsville, others could have trouble. I believe there are two wins ahead of us for the rest of this year at a mile-and-a-half track or Phoenix, and that’s how you win a Championship!”
AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 AMERICAN ETHANOL CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 10th IN STANDINGSHOW IS KANSAS UNIQUE COMPARED TO SOME OF THE OTHER 1.5-MILE TRACKS?“Kansas Speedway has done a really good job with their banking. There’s a line right up by the fence that has a little extra grip. There’s an angle up there that I don’t think many tracks have figured out yet, but Kansas got it right. You can run from top to bottom there. The bottom groove is the preferred groove at the beginning, but it becomes too tight to try and run around there in turns one and two sometimes depending on what the balance of your race car is. I’ve enjoyed that track a lot ever since they repaved it. I wish every track could do as good as a job as Kansas has with repaves.” HOW WILL YOU APPROACH THIS RACE NOW THAT YOU ARE NO LONGER COMPETING IN THE NASCAR PLAYOFFS? “I don’t think the mentality changes, too much. The goal remains the same, and that is to go out and win. My RCR team has been really strong on mile-and-a-half tracks this season, and I know that we have everything we need to try and get another win before the end of the season. We can take some chances and try some things now that maybe we wouldn’t have if we were still in the NASCAR Playoffs, but overall, the goal is still the same.” OCTOBER IS NATIONAL “NAME YOUR CAR” MONTH. DO YOU EVER NAME ANY OF YOUR CARES OR HAVE NAMES FOR THEM? “When I was in the NASCAR East Series, we had a car called Midnight Rider because we worked all night on it. It ran a lot of races and was a solid car for us.” WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 HENDRICKCARS.COM CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 12th IN STANDINGSBYRON ON THE CHALLENGES OF RACING AT KANSAS: “Kansas is one of the most dynamic tracks we go to in terms of how crucial lane choice and lane selection are. It’s a tough track to figure out. You want to be turning well but if you’re too loose it’s really hard to make good lap times because the track is so smooth. It’s tough to manage and figure out how much freer you need to be to make time but also how much rear grip you need so you can stay in the throttle. I think the Vegas races this year give us a good idea of how this weekend will go though. I think those two tracks really correlate well to each other. Vegas gives us a good idea of what we need to work on since we had a decent run there and hopefully, we can apply some of those things.” JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 ALLY CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 18th IN STANDINGS“I’ve always loved racing at Kansas. The track shape and design, and also the progressive banking in the corners. They just hit it – and they gave drivers the opportunity to search for other lanes and to try to find a way by the car in front of you. It’s led to some very strong finishes for us. It really takes 10 to15 years for a track’s surface to really come in and if you look at the age of Kansas Speedway they are in that window. Its quality racing and some of the best out there.” TYLER REDDICK, NO. 8 CATERPILLAR CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 19th IN STANDINGSWE RETURN TO KANSAS SPEEDWAY THIS WEEKEND AFTER RACING THERE AT THE END OF JULY. ARE THERE ANY TAKEAWAYS FROM THAT RACE THAT YOU CAN USE THIS WEEKEND? “Honestly, that race was a tough one for us where we were going through a patch of learning how to adjust on these Cup cars to get me what I need. None of the adjustments we made that weekend seemed to help, so we’ve been working hard on our game plan for this weekend when we return to Kansas Speedway with our No. 8 Caterpillar Chevrolet. I think we’ve made a lot of good headway over the past couple of months on making adjustments that help me. With this Sunday’s race being a day race and not bleeding into the night, I think the track will still change but not go through as big of a swing as it did during the July race. We’ll have a little more consistency during the day, which will help us. We just have to manage everything the best that we can and not lose any track position we get, since it’s so hard to get that back in these races.” 

Batavia, OH (October 15, 2020) – The Optima Batteries Dirt Track Bank GO-50 – Presented by K&N Filters from I-80 Speedway in Greenwood, NE is on MAVTV Motorsports Network, tonight at 9 PM EDT, with a re-airing at 12 AM EDT. 

Multiple lead changes and late race charges made for an exciting race at the 4/10th mile, semi-banked track, known for side-by-side racing action. The leader said, “I could hear him, he got a run off of four and left me plenty room on the high side, and I appreciated that. It’s good to race with guys like that.”  A Lucas Dirt series regular had a rough night, up until the A-Main. After taking an emergency provisional and starting 26th, this driver made his way into the top 10. 

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