·       Don Schumacher Racing (DSR) driver Tommy Johnson Jr. earns top spot in Funny Car qualifying aboard MD Anderson Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat for Sunday’s E3 Spark Plugs NHRA Nationals

·       Funny Car points leader Jack Beckman qualifies third aboard his HEMI®-powered machine for the first NHRA event after four-month hiatus

·       Matt Hagan posts sixth quickest time to earn spot in top half of qualifying ladder aboard his Mopar Dodge/SRT Funny Car

·       DSR driver Leah Pruett Mopar Dodge/SRT Top Fuel Dragster qualifies 10th on Sunday’s eliminations ladder next to DSR teammate Tony Schumacher who makes his return to competition since November 2018

July 11, 2020, Brownsburg, Ind. – Don Schumacher Racing (DSR) driver Tommy Johnson Jr. wasted no time getting his MD Anderson Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat back up to speed at Lucas Oil Raceway by qualifying in the top spot for Sunday’s elimination rounds of the E3 Spark Plugs NHRA Nationals after a four-month pause in the 2020 National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Picking up from where he left off as Funny Car title winner at the Arizona Nationals in February, Johnson set the quickest elapsed time on his first qualifying run with a 3.983 second run at 317.72 mph to kick off the two-day race event; the first of a pair of back-to-back race weekends at the Indianapolis drag strip to restart the 2020 NHRA season and the first major-league auto racing event in the state of Indiana to allow fans back in the stands. 

“It’s just a great start after such a long layoff and all the uncertainty,” said Johnson Jr. of his first No. 1 qualifier position of the season and the 19th of his career. “It’s going to be a tough day tomorrow because the conditions are going to be so much different. Today was really irrelevant for tomorrow, but it’s good to know that we have a good baseline and can go from there.”

Johnson Jr. will have Ron Capps as a first round opponent in the next lane after his DSR teammate qualified 16th for the first time since 2009 (Chicago) based on his first run of 4.555 sec. at 184.70 mph and a problem on the start line that never saw him take a second pass.   

Funny Car points leader, Jack Beckman drove his Infinite Hero Foundation Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat to the third spot on the eliminations ladder with his second run of the day by posting a 4.050 second / 298.47 mph effort.

“Now that we’ve lost the first two qualifying runs (due to shortened race event), and the fact that 18 cars showed up, we knew qualifying was going to be a nail biter; we just didn’t think it would be for us.” said Beckman after first run issues sent the team back to the pits looking to work out the gremlins and improve the car for a final shot at improving their ladder position. “I always think we have a car good enough to win the race. Qualifying third kind of underscores that for me.”

Matt Hagan also saw improvements made to his Mopar Dodge//SRT Charger Hellcat Funny Car between qualifying runs to help him post the sixth quickest run of the day. 

“All in all, it was a great qualifying day,” said Hagan who will face off against Daniel Wilkerson in the first round and is looking forward to racing in front of fans again. “Really glad to be a part of NHRA and I want to thank the sanctioning body for bringing the fans back out. We’re one of the first motorsports series to do that.”

“Our Mopar Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat is running well and it’ll be fun to get back into competition mode tomorrow,” added Hagan who is looking to move up from his fifth place position in the points battle. “Our car is running strong, we had two good laps today. It was hot today which it makes it a little trickier to be able to navigate the car, but the conditions will be different tomorrow. I’m excited. It’s going to be an early morning tomorrow. We warm up at 6:45 a.m., so I’m going to eat a good steak dinner tonight, get some rest, and get ready to do this tomorrow.”

In Top Fuel competition, Leah Pruett and her DSR Mopar Dodge//SRT Dragster will be joined by two additional DSR entries for the doubleheader race events in Indianapolis. Veteran racer Tony Schumacher, the winningest Top Fuel driver in NHRA history, returns to competition for the first time since November 2018, while Cory McClenathan, who retired in 2019, had five of his 34 career wins while racing for DSR from 2008-2010.

Pruett qualified 10th with a quick time of 3.934 seconds at 306.33 mph to find herself paired up for a first round match-up against her seventh-seeded teammate, Schumacher.

“We have Tony Schumacher with a long list of success here at Indy but this is not the U.S. Nationals,” said Pruett who sits second in the Top Fuel championship point standings. “This is the Indy Nationals and this Mopar team is definitely ready to fight this fight and looking forward to competition tomorrow. We have a long night ahead of us as we triple check everything and be on my practice game and race face for tomorrow even under the mask.”

McClenathan qualified 12^th and will meet T.J. Zizzo as his first round opponent.

Elimination rounds at the E3 Spark Plugs NHRA Nationals begin at 9 a.m. on Sunday, July 12, while television coverage includes live action on the FOX national broadcast network beginning at 12 p.m. (ET). 

INDIANAPOLIS (July 11) — Team JEGS Pro Stock drivers Jeg Coughlin Jr. and his nephew Troy Coughlin Jr. successfully qualified for the E3 Spark Plugs NHRA Nationals Saturday with some strong passes down Lucas Oil Raceway in Indianapolis. With only a pair of chances to make the cut due to an abbreviated two-day schedule at this event, five-time class champion Jeg Jr. raced his JEGS.com Elite Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro to the lofty No. 2 starting slot, while first-timer Troy Jr. scratched his way into the 13th slot in Marty Robinson’s JEGS.comElite Motorsports Ford Mustang. Jeg Jr.“We had a really good feeling coming into today that we’d perform well but you never know until you drop the clutch,” Jeg Jr. said. “Rickie Jones (crew chief) and the yellow and black JEGS crew did a great job matching the car to the conditions in both sessions. We were second quickest this morning and third best this afternoon, less than a hundredth of a second off the leader both times, so we’re pleased. “It sure felt great to get back in the car after this unprecedented time away. We won the NHRA’s season opener and the (unsanctioned) Doorslammer Nationals before the COVID virus arrived in March so we had a fantastic start to the season. You just don’t know what could change in a long break like we had but so far it appears we’re picking up right where we left off.” By qualifying second with a 6.635 at 206.89 mph, Jeg Jr. will enjoy lane choice against new teammate Bruno Massel, who usually works as a drag racing reporter on FOX TV. Massel qualified his AutoGeek.com Elite Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro 15th on the grid with a 6.692 at 206.64 mph. On the opposite side of the ladder, No. 13 qualifier Troy Jr. will yield lane choice to class heavyweight Greg Anderson, who was the quickest overall in the second session. Anderson’s best time came in the morning when he went 6.638 at 206.70 mph, while Troy Jr.’s top mark came in the afternoon when he cranked out a 6.678 at 206.16 mph. Troy Jr.“It’s very exciting to be starting my Pro Stock career against one of the best drivers in history,” Troy Jr. said in a nod to four-time class champ Anderson. “I’m going to do all I can as a driver to beat him and I think we have a car that can do the job if I do mine. This is a great group here at Elite and they have all the pieces it takes to win.” Troy Jr. was outside the qualified field after the first session but coolly posted the eighth-best pass of Round 2 to secure his starting spot.  “These Pro Stock cars are so challenging to drive,” Troy Jr. said. “There are so many small things that happen during a single pass and each one of them can make a big difference in how your run turns out. Just making a decent pass quite a feat. It’s all about consistency, precisely hitting each shift point, and staying in the groove. “I was a little concerned after Q1 but I’ve been in that position before in other categories so you just kind of learn to deal with your nerves. I already have a lot of faith in the crew and I knew what we did during testing on Thursday and Friday so I told myself I just needed to execute. Now we’ll step things up and do our best to challenge Greg.”

Anthony Alfredo and the Alsco Chevrolet Team Overcome Late Pit Road Penalties for Sixth-Place Finish in Alsco 300

6th    10th  8th

“Our Alsco Chevrolet Camaro had tremendous speed, especially on the long run. We ran in the top three pretty much the entire first half of the race and picked up some valuable stage points as well. Unfortunately, it was just a little too tight. We tried to adjust on it and we fell behind a bit at the beginning of the final stage. We just lacked a little bit of short run speed, but we rallied back on the long run. We nailed our green flag pit stop and were in great position to grab a top-five before the caution came out. When I came down for the final stop the tire changer from the car in front of me ran out and I turned the wheel to miss him, which caused me to slide through our pit box sideways. On top of my mistake we had another penalty, which forced us to start at the rear of the field. That was frustrating. It definitely ruined our entire strategy. I drove my butt off on that last restart and thankfully we were still able to salvage another sixth-place finish. My team brought an extremely fast car and I think we deserved to finish better both yesterday and tonight; however, that’s just part of it. We’ll keep working hard and be ready for another opportunity next week at Texas.”

UNION, KY (July 10, 2020) – Earl Pearson, Jr. picked up his first Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series win since last February as he won in a photo finish over Florence Speedway track regular Josh Rice on Friday Night. The win kicks off the weekend of racing at the Northern Kentucky ½ mile oval in the General Tire Summer Sizzler Nationals presented by E3 Spark Plugs. Pearson’s 39th career Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series victory came by a scant .002 seconds, which was the closest finish in series history. Pearson took the lead on the white flag as he held off Rice and Zack Dohm who nearly made it a three-wide finish. Kyle Bronson finished in fourth followed by the Optima Batteries Hard Charger of the Race, Trevor Landrum. Jonathan Davenport grabbed the lead at the start of the 50-lap feature and held the point until series point leader Jimmy Owens passed him for the top spot on lap 18. Owens was holding off Davenport, Rice, and Bronson until lap 27. Davenport and Rice made contact on the front stretch battling for second and Davenport got into the front stretch wall forcing the first caution flag of the race. The ensuing restart saw Owens go hard into the turn one wall, ending his night. Rice took over the point and stretched his lead over the field by over two and half seconds. Rice was primed for his first career Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series victory, but in the last five laps both Pearson and Dohm cut into Rice’s lead. Pearson made the winning pass with two laps to go. Rice gave it everything he had and dive-bombed Pearson at the finish line but came up short. In Lucas Oil Victory Lane for the first time since early 2019, Pearson became the 13th different winner of the 2020 series campaign. “He [Rice] was up there on the cushion and when you are out there in the lead you don’t know where to go. We found a line through the middle of the racetrack. He [Rice] did a heck of a job and drove the wheels off that car tonight. He’s a good kid, I love racing with him. He drives everybody clean and I respect the heck out of him,” said the 4-time Series champion. “The track was pretty well racy. I don’t know what happened to Davenport and Jimmy up there, but when it is your turn, it’s your turn. It’s been a long-time since we won here at Florence, 10 years to be exact.  We will take the win tonight and hopefully we can keep on going tomorrow.” The 21-year-old Rice recorded his best career finish with his second-place run. I tried backing off the cushion in the last five or so laps. I know it was close finish. We had a hot rod tonight; we will be ready for tomorrow night. If we hadn’t got the front knocked off, I don’t think they would have had anything for us.” Dohm had his best Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series finish of the season with his new Longhorn Chassis.  “I thought the cushion would be bigger during the race. We were set-up to run the bottom and that’s where we stayed the whole race. If that cushion would have been there we would have been in trouble. Congrats to Earl on the win, I hoped the fans enjoyed that race.” The winner’s Ronnie and Terri Stuckey/Black Diamond Chassis is powered by a Clements Racing Engine and sponsored by Lucas Oil Products, Tegeler Wrecker and Crane, Etchberger Trucking, Ohlins Shocks, P&W Sales, and Papich Construction. Completing the top ten were Tim McCreadie, Mike Marlar, Tyler Bruening, Tanner English, and Kyle Strickler.

NASCAR CUP SERIESKENTUCKY SPEEDWAYQUAKER STATE 400PRESENTED BY WALMARTTEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPTJULY 10, 2020 
WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 AXALTA CAMARO ZL1 1LE, met with media via teleconference and discussed how the season has been thus far, points-racing, the upcoming Kentucky, All-Star, and Texas events, and more. Full Transcript: AT KENTUCKY THIS WEEKEND, WHAT ARE YOUR BIGGEST THOUGHTS AND CONCERNS? WHAT ARE YOUR BIGGEST QUESTION MARKS?“Really, for us, I just think watching the Xfinity race last night and seeing how dirty the track was. I think, honestly, just kind of watching again tonight, actually, and seeing if the groove widens-out to how we want it to. I think it seemed like the PJ1 was pretty dominant in that upper lane, really just the lane off the bottom, so hopefully the bottom is there for us. I know that we carry more throttle than the Xfinity cars, so I feel like we’re a little less susceptible to the JP1 adding that much grip for us. So, maybe the bottom will have some more grip for us, and we can run side-by-side.”
WHEN YOU’VE HAD TWO XFINITY RACES AND A TRUCK RACE AT A TRACK, WHAT KIND OF A SPECTATOR ARE YOU TO WATCH THOSE RACES? DO YOU PAY ATTENTION TO ALL OF THEM? HOW MUCH CAN YOU PICK-UP FROM THEM?“For me, honestly, I pay attention to them quite a bit. I think there’s a little bit you can take away from both cars. The Xfinity car has less downforce, significantly, than our car. So, typically sometimes they run against the wall at a certain track, we might not be as susceptible to running against the wall to make lap time as they are, but I definitely watch their cars because of the quality of competition to see where they run, what lane works on a restart, and things of that nature. And then, I watch the Trucks because our aero package is probably more similar in some ways to their cars. So, I’m watching what lanes go in the restarts and what lanes get dragged back with side-draft and things of that nature. So, there’s a little bit to learn. It’s definitely cool having them before us on the weekend, especially with no practice. If we’re the first thing on track for that weekend, it’s a little bit concerning just to kind of know what you’re going to do and how you’re going to respond.”
YOU’RE MID-WAY THROUGH YOUR THIRD SEASON AND YOU’VE HAD YOUR SHARE OF SUCCESS ON THE CUP CIRCUIT, BUT A WIN HAS BEEN ILLUSIVE THUS FAR. IS FRUSTRATION BOILING UP AT THIS POINT?“A little bit. It’s definitely easy to get frustrated with the fact that we haven’t won. I think that at this point, just with our progression we had last year, at this point we would have thought we’d have a few more late-race chances at it. I think we’ve had some cars on some days that were capable of winning. But, to be honest with you, we’ve had six or seven issues this year that have really been no fault of one thing or one individual, but we’ve just as a team, we’ve just not executed in those situations. We’ve had flat tires and different issues. Those were some of our best races and some of our best chances to win and unfortunately, those kind of got washed away for us. But honestly, we just try to continue bringing the same speed and we know if we can bring that same speed that we’ve had on those weekends when things did go wrong, we’ll give ourselves a shot to win. So, yeah, we expect to win. We hope to win soon. We’ve just got to continue to bring the speed to do it and hopefully execute those moments.”
IN WHAT AREA DO YOU THINK YOU GUYS HAVE IMPROVED UPON THE MOST COMPARED TO LAST YEAR? THIS IS YOUR SECOND YEAR WORKING WITH CHAD KNAUS (CREW CHIEF).“I think honestly, last year towards the end of the year, a lot of the things that we needed to do to run well and compete for wins were there. In some of the performances in the Playoffs I thought we had a very encouraging Playoffs; there were quite a few races there where we were running in the top five or competing very close to the leader, or the top three. I think, going into this year, was kind of more of the same. Unfortunately, when you have adversity, some of those weaknesses and some of those areas to improve are exposed. So, I think we’ve learned through the adversity that we’ve had this year. Our pit crew has improved. I think that was an area that we needed to improve at the beginning of the year, and we made some changes and things to improve that. So, I think we’re there now. We just have to keep ourselves in a good points position and then, get toward the Playoffs and hopefully turn that speed and potential into there so we can maybe go farther than the Round of 12 like we did last year.”
JIMMIE JOHNSON WAS CLEARED TO RACE. WHAT ARE YOUR OVERALL THOUGHTS ON HOW QUICKLY HE WAS CLEARED AND IF THAT’S A BIT OF A CONCERN? AND, DOES IT REALLY EVEN MATTER THAT HE IS CLEARED AND BACK BECAUSE THE DRIVERS ARE SO DISTANT AT THE TRACK ANYWAY AND NOT IN CLOSE QUARTERS?“To be honest with you, no, it doesn’t concern me because of all the protocols that NASCAR has in place. And really, none of us as drivers, are even close to each other. I think what Jimmie’s message was, was just keeping your circle tight and close and following the health and safety protocols that are in place (like) wearing your mask, social distancing, and the things that everyone has told us to do. If you follow those, I think you’re going to be in good shape. So no, for me, I just try to get the right amount of rest and the right amounts of nutritional things that are going to help me be better. And, I’m just trying to stay healthy this way. So, I’m just trying to go out there and do the best I can on the health-side and keep myself in a position where I don’t affect my race team going into this Playoff stretch.”
YOUR TEAM RELEASED YOUR PAINT SCHEME FOR THE ALL-STAR RACE. WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THE NUMBER BEING MOVED? AND, YOU PROBABLY WON’T HAVE THE UNDERGLOW, BUT ARE YOU INTERESTED TO SEE HOW THAT LOOKS IN THE ALL-STAR RACE?“Yeah, first on the underglow, I think we’re going into the fast and furious and I think maybe we can have some pre-race excitement with that. It should be pretty cool. I think definitely the kids and people my age are going to enjoy that, to be honest with you. It’s going to be something different. So, I’m kind of excited for the underglow idea. As far as the paint schemes go, and as far as our scheme with Axalta, it’s the sea glass that we ran in the Duel and the Daytona 500. We won the Duel, so that was cool. Hopefully it will bring some good luck for us there. It’s different, having the number in that position. I can’t say that I’m really fond of it yet. It’s just such an adjustment for me. I’ve always been used to looking at the number on a race car, especially the No. 24, and seeing it in a certain spot and seeing the paint scheme in a certain way. There’s going to be a lot of adjustment for that. I’m not really sure where that’s going to go after the All-Star race, but it’s worth a shot, I guess. Axalta always brings great paint schemes, given the objective of it, so I’m looking forward to it.”
NASCAR IS NOT TESTING THE DRIVERS. OTHER SPORTS ARE TESTING THEIR ATHLETES. FORMULA 1 IS TESTING ITS DRIVERS. WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE NASCAR DO REGULAR, STANDARDIZED TESTING FOR HEALTH CHECKS?“Well, I think it’s really up to them. It’s really kind of their sandbox, I guess you could say. I really don’t know. It’s our job as drivers to follow their protocols. Yeah, I see other sports doing the testing and I think I’m not honestly educated enough on the testing to know what the right approach is. So, I can’t really speak on that. But I think NASCAR is doing a good job with us. The drivers are doing a good job following, very closely, which is kind of nice because we’re out there to race, not to chat and stuff on the race weekends. So, while we’re there at the race track, we’re kind of in our own bubble, which I think has worked out pretty well.”
WITH 10 RACES TO GO IN THE REGULAR SEASON, HOW MUCH ATTENTION ARE YOU PAYING TO POINTS?“I brought this up to somebody recently. I think that as a driver, you pay attention to points when you’re not running well and when you don’t feel like you have the car capable and don’t feel like things are going your way, maybe, for whatever reason, if it’s not a great track for you as a driver, you might look at points more so in those weekends. But if you’re running well, and your car is fast and your team is doing what they need to do and you’re doing what you need to do, you’re not really worried about the points. So, after Indianapolis, the speed that we had to win Stage 1 I wasn’t worried. I was just kind of trying to do damage control after the race to see hey, did we lose a lot of points because we crashed. But, fortunately we didn’t, really. I think we’re 14th in the standings. So, if we go to Kentucky and do our jobs and have speed there, I think it will further us from that gap to 16th. You know, it is a little unique this year because you’ve got Daytona as the final race before the Playoffs and anything can happen there. But you probably don’t want to be close to that bubble, but we’re not worried about points. We’re just trying to perform. And we know if we perform how we need to, it’s going to take care of itself.”
WITH THE ALL-STAR RACING MOVING TO BRISTOL THIS YEAR, WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE THAT RACE MOVE AROUND TO OTHER VENUES? IF SO, WHICH TRACK WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE NEXT?“Yeah, I think it’s a great idea. You know, logistically, I don’t really know the rights and the way that things play out as to who has the rights to the All-Star Race, parse, but I think logistically it’s a good idea. Not every track is worthy of an All-Star Race, though. I think there are probably five or six that are definitely worthy in terms of capacity and excitement level of the race track that it generates. Bristol definitely comes to mind. I could think of a road course possibly being very cool for an All-Star Race, just for the way that you can race and the braking zones and passing that might open-up because of it. So yeah, a place like the Roval would be cool, maybe the road course at Daytona might be cool. I just don’t really know. Bristol seems like the perfect place, to be honest.”
IT IS ONE RACE AT A TIME, BUT YOU’VE HAD SOME GREAT SUCCESS AT, WITH A COUPLE OF TOP-10’S AND IF YOU COUNT THE IRACING, A THIRD ONE. HOW MUCH DO YOU ENJOY TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY AND THE EXPERIENCE AT FORT WORTH?“Texas has been a good track for us. Last year, I think we finished sixth in the first race. We were running really well. I think we were running third and I think we got trapped a lap down in the Fall race. But it’s a good track for us. It’s probably not our best track, but it’s up there. I think it’s just a precision race track. It’s kind of one-groove. It’s widened to two grooves with the PJ1 going down recently. So, I think it’s a strategy race. It’s a restart race. It’s kind of where you’ve got to be on your toes and be able to be efficient with passes and lapped cars and stuff like that because it is kind of narrow. Yeah, I think it’s one that I look forward to. I think we’ll have speed there.”
ON THE FEW OCCASIONS WHERE YOU’VE STARTED TO SEE SOME FANS AT-TRACK, UNLESS SOMETHING CHANGES, THEY’RE GOING TO BE ALLOWED TO HAVE 50% CAPACITY AT TEXAS. HOW NICE WILL IT BE, OR HAS IT BEEN, ON THE OCCASIONS WHEN YOU’VE BEEN ABLE TO SEE FANS RETURN TO THE SPORT THEY LOVE?“Honestly, the two places we’ve had them were Talladega and Homestead. Homestead was not really noticeable, but Talladega, I think there were 5,000 fans there, and it was different (with) the cheers after the race and before the race. Everything of that nature was really cool. So yeah, I think it brought a different atmosphere to Talladega and hopefully that’s similar in Texas. I don’t know how that’s going to be, but hopefully it juices us up a little bit and gives us something to be excited for. It’s been weird before and after when you get out of the car and there’s nothing really going on and it’s dead silent.”
LUCK HAS REALLY NOT BEEN ON YOUR SIDE THIS SEASON. AS A YOUNG DRIVER IN SEARCH FOR YOUR FIRST POINTS-WIN AT THE PREMIER LEVEL, IS THERE ANYTHING YOU CAN DO TO SHIFT OUT OF THAT BAD-LUCK STATE, WHETHER IT BE PREPARATION OR ROUTINE?“To be honest, I don’t really think about it that much. When adversity would hit me at the beginning of my career, it really affected me toward the next week and I would really kind of race differently because of it; maybe more conservative or more aggressive, trying to make up for it. Whereas now I feel I just don’t look at it and I don’t really pay attention to the bad fortune that happens. It definitely frustrated me a lot the day of the race, and really maybe even carries over until the next morning, but that’s really it. Once we get past the next morning, it really doesn’t affect me anymore. And that’s been a difference for me. I think that’s just maturity, probably, and the race team and myself. So, yeah, it’s something that you just block out of your mind once it happens, but definitely the most frustrated I am is definitely that night after the race since I’m definitely not a happy camper. So, it just takes time to get over that, but once you do, it’s on to the next week.”

NASCAR CUP SERIESKENTUCKY SPEEDWAYQUAKER STATE 400PRESENTED BY WALMARTTEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPTJULY 10, 2020 
JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 ALLY CAMARO ZL1 1LE, met with media via teleconference to discuss being cleared to return to the track after previously testing positive for COVID-19, his emotional and mental outlook on the journey, his outlook going into this weekend’s race at Kentucky Speedway, and more. Transcript:  JIMMIE JOHNSON’S GOING TO BE BACK IN THE NO. 48 ALLY CAMARO ZL1 1LE CAR ON SUNDAY AT KENTUCKY SPEEDWAY. AS EVERYONE KNOWS THIS WEEK, HE HAD TWO CONSECUTIVE NEGATIVE TESTS FOR COVID-19 AND WAS CLEARED BY HIS DOCTOR AND NASCAR TO RETURN. JIMMMIE, IT’S GREAT TO HAVE YOU BACK. JUST TO GET STARTED, CAN YOU GIVE EVERYONE JUST A QUICK SNAPSHOT OF WHAT THE LAST WEEK HAS BEEN LIKE AND HOW YOU’RE FEELING GOING INTO THE RACE THIS WEEKEND?“Obviously, an interesting week or so. To have the positive test and then the two negative tests, just the emotional journey you go through in worrying about your safety, your family’s safety, watching a race with someone else in your race car and the emotions that go with that. To come to grips with all those with the reality of all that has been challenging, but I’ve really subscribed to growing through these tough moments and I feel like I’m a smarter, stronger person today from experiencing all this. I’m extremely happy to be reinstated and I’m ready to be back with my race team and in that race car.”
DO YOU KNOW IF YOU HAD A FALSE POSITIVE OR DO THEY THINK YOU WERE AT THE END OF THE RUN OF THE VIRUS? HAVE YOU HAD ANY SORT OF FATIGUE OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT?“I’ve had no symptoms through this journey. There are a lot of scenarios that can play out – probably three or four scenarios that could play out – and to go through them and try to form an opinion would just be speculating. And at this point, I just don’t think that’s very intelligent or smart to do. I followed the protocol that NASCAR has in place. It’s the same protocol, from what I’ve seen watching ESPN, it seems like all the other major sports have as well. I’ve been watching the numerous cases of positive tests take place. I’ve also seen many examples of a double negative in more than a 24-hour period of time take place and those athletes have been reinstated. It’s a science-based reinstatement process. I don’t know a lot, but I do know that I’ve had two negative tests and I’ve followed protocol. I’ve also had a release from my physician to put me back in the car. I feel great, I’m excited and I’m ready to go.”
ON MONDAY, YOU TWEETED THE STYLIZED LOGO OF THE NO. 43 TEAM, ALONG WITH THE #ISTANDWITHBUBBA. WHAT MADE YOU WANT TO DO THAT?“With the current events, just letting it known that I stood with Bubba (Wallace) in the beginning of this journey and I continue to stand with Bubba.”
WAS IT IN RESPONSE TO ANYTHING IN PARTICULAR?“Yeah – the tweet that the President put out.”
YOU MISSED A RACE AND YOU’RE SITTING THERE WATCHING THE RACE. HOW DID THAT FEEL? AND THEN YOUR CAR OBVIOUSLY GOT CAUGHT UP IN THAT ACCIDENT. MAYBE YOU LEARNED THE WORLD CONTINUES TO TURN, MAYBE IT KILLED YOU INSIDE – I DON’T KNOW. “It was just such a weird set of events. I would say that Saturday night trying to go to sleep was probably the most difficult time for me, knowing that I wasn’t going to be in the car. Sunday morning was still pretty tough, but I felt like Saturday night was probably the peak of the emotions that go with missing a race and the consecutive start streak coming to an end. Not being in the car, my final year – all the things that you would naturally think of, Saturday night was the peak. Sunday morning wasn’t great, but I joined the team call that we do an hour or hour and a half before the race and I was able to just hear the voices of my crew guys, pump them up and just be involved in that team moment. It’s crazy how it just relaxed me because I was convinced that I wasn’t going to watch the race. I was like I can’t do it. But having that moment to talk to Cliff (Daniels, crew chief), all the guys, Justin (Allgaier) was clearly on the call and to hear the words he had to say to the team – it let a lot of that go and I actually watched the race. Sadly, it didn’t last long for the 48 team with the issue on pit road. Thankful that the crew member that was struck, that his injuries aren’t any worse. It was crazy to run through that peak and to be able to sit down and actually watch the race.”
YOU MENTIONED THAT YOU WERE ASYMPTOMATIC, YOU HAVEN’T HAD A SYMTPOM. THERE ARE FOLKS OUT THERE, OUTSIDE OF THE CASUAL OBSERVERS, THAT SEE OTHER ATHLETES TEST POSITIVE AND THEY ARE QUARANTINED FOR 10 DAYS OR 14 DAYS. YOURS WAS UNDER A WEEK THAT YOU TESTED POSITIVE AND WAS REINSTATED. DO YOU THINK THIS IS TOO QUICK FOR YOU TO COME BACK? AND AS A FOLLOW UP, HOW IS CHANDRA (WIFE) DOING? “Chandra is great. She’s been asymptomatic as well. In the very beginning, she had some allergies. But it’s allergy season here in Colorado, so everybody has allergies. So, I’m not sure if that’s truly a symptom and I believe that she’s really asymptomatic as well. First and foremost, we’re very thankful that we’re not dealing with the illness like many others are and having the complications that come with this virus. To follow up to your question, sports – many if not all the major sports leagues out there – have the exact same reinstatement program. I’ve seen a player in the PGA be reinstated in a short period of time with two negative tests in more than a 24-hour period of time. And there were others that I watched on Sports Center the last couple of nights falling asleep. I’ve followed the protocol. It brings a lot of questions as to where I was in the journey of being positive and all of that. There’s a lot of speculation there. I don’t know those answers and believe me, I’m the most frustrated person out there, especially living in a world of facts that we do. To not have the facts drives me bananas, but I have followed protocol and I’ve been reinstated. That’s about all I can speak to at this point.”
HOW HAS THIS BEEN FOR YOUR CHILDREN? I KNOW YOUR FIRST COMMENT YOU TALKED ABOUT HOW TOUGH THIS WAS FOR YOU, YOUR WIFE AND YOUR KIDS. HOW HAS THAT EMOTIONAL ROLLARCOASTER BEEN FOR YOU GUYS THIS WEEK WITH YOUR CHILDREN?“The first kind of six or eight hours were very emotional, them trying to process it and figure it out. But I think as we got into the second day, because we found out in the afternoon and made it through dinner that night – the next morning when they realized mom and dad were OK, and thankfully again we’ve been asymptomatic, the emotions and the fear really started to subside. The kids are in a good place with it all, I think as good as they can be for their ages. But it is tough – they quickly forget how diligent they need to be. I guess ultimately, I know this is a point in time that their little minds will never forget what their parents went through.”
YOU TALKED ABOUT SOME OF THE POLICIES THE OTHER SPORTS LEAGUES HAVE. THEY ARE TESTING THEIR ATHLETES ON A REGULAR BASIS. NASCAR IS NOT TESTING ITS DRIVERS. IS THAT SOMETHING THAT YOU’D LIKE TO SEE HAPPEN?“I really feel like that’s a question for NASCAR to answer. I have to be so careful in this world to not speculate at this point in time and the situation I’m in. I do know I’ve had my two negative tests and I’m happy to be reinstated.”
HAVE YOU HAD ANY CONVERSATIONS WITH GANASSI ABOUT THE INDYCAR TEST AND HOW DOES THAT WORK MOVING FORWARD WITH THEM?“Yeah, there’s been a couple of conversations and I think Ganassi and IndyCar are eager to have that experience to get me in a car and get me tested. But everybody is giving everything a little time to breath right now and maybe identify the next possible date that works for IndyCar and works for Ganassi. And I’m clearly hopeful to get a test with McLaren as I was trying to work on back in April that went away because of the lockdown. So, I think that’s all to come. It’s hard to say anything’s really taking place just yet, but I know I’m eager and I know everybody involved is eager for that to take place.”
HOW FRUSTRATING HAS THIS FINAL RETIREMENT SEASON BEEN FOR YOU WITH THE PANDEMIC AND THEN YOU ACTUALLY MISSING A RACE LAST WEEK? ALSO, WHAT ARE YOUR EMOTIONS GOING INTO THIS WEEKEND COMPARED TO LAST SATURDAY NIGHT KNOWING YOU WEREN’T GOING TO RACE NOW THAT YOU’RE RACING?“Yeah, it’s been an interesting year and at times wonder why it’s happened in my final full-time season in Cup. When you turn on the news and look around and see how many people are really ill from this, the seriousness and the severity of the pandemic, it quickly fades out of my mind. This is a big problem – it’s a pandemic. So, I’ve really kept my emotions in check. I’m just trying to figure out how to keep my family safe and how I can ultimately learn from everything that’s going on. We’ve dealt with a lot in the last four months as a nation and a world, so trying to learn and grow. Trying to teach and educate my children. Try to lead by example. I’ve been able to learn that my challenges are watched closely by my kids and how I deal with that adversity is ultimately teaching them. And with having a tough couple of years professionally and then now it’s ramped up to this level. Again, I just try to find the right spin on it. It’s easy to get into a dark headspace on all this. My wife and I are trying so hard to not let that happen and try to teach our children the best that we can.”
AND HOW EXCITED ARE YOU FOR SUNDAY’S RACE?“Yeah, I’m super excited and in my head of optimism, I’m like what a comeback story. The COVID comeback if you will (laughs). It could really be a special moment. I’ve always been highly motivated, but it would be really cool to have great success on Sunday.”
I WAS JUST WONDERING IF YOU COULD DESCRIBE YOUR SENSE OF RELIEF IF THAT WAS THE EMOTION WAS WHEN YOU GOT THAT FIRST NEGATIVE TEST AND THEN TO GET ANOTHER ONE AFTER THAT, KNOWING THAT YOU’RE STILL GOING TO COME BACK INSIDE THE PLAYOFF CONTENTION AND ONLY MISS ONE RACE.“Yeah, I would say my first response though was just anger. I mean I started cussing and used every cuss word that I knew of and then I think I invented a few new ones. It was just so weird, the anger, because I’ve been asymptomatic. So, the anger hits, the speculation in my mind. And then it’s like wait a second, there’s nothing good to come of this. No one knows, I don’t know, so it’s just time to move on. And then I got very excited, started looking at the facts that I’ve only missed one race, I still have a good gap above the cutline and then the optimism about I hope I get that second negative and then I did. So, I feel like I’m more on the optimistic side of things and really out of the dark headspace that I was in, and just moving in the right direction and looking forward in all this.”
ANGER BECAUSE YOU FELT LIKE YOU GOT SORT OF SCREWED BY THIS WHOLE SITUATION? THAT YOU WENT THROUGH THIS AND YOU NEVER HAD SYMPTOMS? OR WHAT WAS THE ANGER COMING FROM?“Yes to all and then more. Again, being in a fact-based world and then being so early in a pandemic where we don’t have many answers as a country and for the globe, there’s just anger everywhere. Anger related to the pandemic, from being positive, for me missing a race, for me not being with my team, the fear in my children’s eyes – I just had anger everywhere.”
DID YOU HAVE ANY SPECIAL WORDS FOR JUSTIN ALLGAIER BEFORE HE TOOK OVER THE NO. 48 ON SUNDAY? HOW DO YOU THINK HE HANDLED ALL THE PRESSURE TO TAKING OVER SUCH A CAR?“I’ve known Justin (Allgaier) a long time, have been able to race against him and watch him do so many great things behind the wheel. Thankfully, with the relationship with JRM, my team had time with him and have been around him. So, I felt like he was in a fortunate situation to move past a lot of that relational stuff on the front side and really just get in the car and go. So, my advice for him was just to drive the wheels off of it. It’s just a race car – don’t let the pressure of it being my car, the 48 and all that other stuff that I think would be very easy for somebody stepping in to let bother them. I just tried to keep it simple for him and just remind him it’s a race car, stand on the gas and go. I truly believe he was in that headspace. He wanted to be smart, understand that package and was methodical about working his way up through traffic. And then the unfortunate situation that happened on pit road took him out. I sent him a text maybe a day or two ago that I really felt bad that he didn’t have a chance to shine as I hoped he could have in the 48 car.”
HAVE YOU HAD TO CHANGE YOUR APPROACH AT ALL GOING INTO THIS WEEKEND, GIVEN WHAT YOU’VE BEEN THROUGH, OR IS IT JUST A REGULAR WEEKEND? SECONDLY, LOOKING TO NEXT YEAR, IF YOU DO GO THE INDYCAR ROUTE, IS THERE ANY TRACK THAT YOU PARTICULARLY WANT TO RACE ON?“I feel like where I sit above the cutline, I can still apply the mentality of worrying about stage points, points and also wanting to win. If we were below the cutline, I think it would probably change and the focus would be much more on trying to win a race. Luckily, we’ve had a good start to the season. There are a few races that I wish I could have back to even have myself higher in the points right now and more of a cushion on the cutline, but that’s just not the case. I think my focus stays the same.”“And then tracks for IndyCar, there are a lot of cool circuits that I haven’t had a chance to drive and that’s part of my desire in doing something different and looking towards 2021 and beyond. But IndyCar specific, growing up in San Diego and going to the Long Beach Grand Prix, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve hung on the fence to watch the IndyCar’s go by. And I also went there to have meetings with the Chevrolet folks and a lot of stuff took place in motorhomes there that really guided and cemented my career in NASCAR. Long Beach is really high on my hit list from that standpoint. The Monterey track, I’m trying to think of the exact and current name of it – just as a kid watching all those and seeing passes at the corkscrew, that’s probably in equal footing with Long Beach.”
YOU’VE HAD PLENTY OF TIME TO THINK ABOUT THIS AND CONSIDERING ALL THE EMOTIONS YOU’VE TALK ABOUT, I’M WONDERING, WHAT WOULD BE YOUR BROAD SCOPE TAKEAWAY FROM THIS EXPERIENCE THAT DEVELOPS ALL THAT EMOTION? ALSO, THERE’S GOING TO BE A LOT OF ATHLETES THAT END UP IN YOUR POSITION AS WE MOVE THROUGH THIS PANDEMIC. WHAT’S YOUR MESSAGE TO THEM?“Just watching how fast the virus is spreading, things staying open and us pushing forward as a country and as a world, I just fear we’re all going to have this at some point. I just don’t see how we avoid that. So, I’m worried about that. I know that I’ve been very fortunate to be asymptomatic and have been able to have the range of emotions from anger to concern. And some people only have concerns, so I feel like I’ve been fortunate to be in my position, be asymptomatic and I know many aren’t in that position. As athletes deal with this and even individuals, this thing shows no mercy and it moves so quickly as we all know, that once it’s in your bubble or your community, I don’t know how you slow it down. So, take care of yourself, take care of your loved ones, be smart. My hands are so dry and cracking from washing my hands consistently. We know the ways to help it not spread and I think we just need to get more serious about that and really protect ourselves and our loved ones.”
YOU MENTIONED THAT YOU’VE BEEN WATCHING THESE OTHER SPORTS RETURN AND I’M CURIOUS, AFTER THIS POINT AND GETTING THROUGH SO MANY RACES, WHAT DO YOU THINK NASCAR IS DOING WELL IN TERMS OF TESING AND WHAT DO YOU HOPE TO SEE DIFFERENT? “I don’t know enough to really give advice or have perspective. I just know the course that I’ve been on. I know that I’ve been asymptomatic. I know that I’ve tested negative twice. My physician has reinstated me. So, in my situation, I’ve dealt with a lot of emotions that I’ve spoken about already and I’m happy to be reinstated. I feel great. I’ve been at altitude this entire time. Yesterday or the day before, I rode up to 10,500 feet on a bicycle and felt perfectly fine. I don’t know how to add clarity or advice in what changes need to take place. I unfortunately feel that there’s a lot to still be learned in the professional and medical field on this and I, like everyone else, are eagerly awaiting on that instruction and that knowledge, a vaccine, better testing, better screening. There’s just more questions than answers for a lot of us. I certainly don’t have the answers for everybody.”
YOU’RE HEADING TO KENTUCKY FOR THE LAST TIME IN YOUR CAREER, A PLACE YOU HAVEN’T WON YET. WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS GOING INTO THE WEEKEND?“Kentucky has been probably one of my top two or three most difficult tracks to compete at. I have mixed feelings for the place because when I first started at Hendrick Motorsports, I feel like I lived at the race track doing testing for the team and just getting my laps as a rookie coming into the sport. So, I have positive vibes from that, but my racing experiences there from the Busch Series days and even in the Cup car has just been demanding and tough. I hope to conquer the track from that personal standpoint. And then clearly what I’ve been through, what my friends and family have been through, what my fan base has been through in the last week – it would be nice to leave there with a trophy.”

ERIE, MICHIGAN (July 10, 2020) – Just as the legendary Phoenix rose from the ashes, Sprints On Dirt is poised to do the same. Denny Donaldson with Bob and Karen Garrett have partnered to acquire Sprints On Dirt. They are already partners in Butler Motor Speedway. The long-time supporters of Sprints On Dirt are determined to help sprint car racing thrive in Michigan, not only with their weekly sprint program, but with the opportunity for racers and fans to enjoy SOD’s “beyond limits” traveling series in their area.

Denny Donaldson followed in the footsteps of his very successful father Ralph into racing, winning six Butler championships in three different divisions. Both Ralph and Denny are members of the Michigan Motor Sports Hall of Fame.

Bob Garrett is also a 2nd generation driver, picking up seven track championships. As if that isn’t enough, Garrett also has over thirty-five championships as a car owner. His teams are still winning today.

Butler and SOD have worked towards common rules for the benefit of sprint car racing in Michigan. The new acquisition will make the cooperative efforts even more beneficial for Michigan racers. The partners have a strong drive to keep sprint car racing in Michigan alive and well.

Communication has begun with promoters and potential marketing partners in preparation for the 2021 season. SOD’s prominence in Michigan sprint car racing took a nose dive in 2019, but is emerging from its near-death experience like the Phoenix and will be stronger, smarter and more powerful.

While the Covid-19 pandemic has been devastating for racing in general, there is a silver lining for Sprints On Dirt. Speedways and organizations have struggled to finalize schedules, but since SOD’s plans were to sit out 2020 anyway, it has given SOD more time to finalize its plans. Sprints On Dirt will return to its values that made it so successful before.

TEAM CHEVY ADVANCEQUAKER STATE 400PRESENTED BY WALMARTKENTUCKY SPEEDWAYSPARTA, KENTUCKYJULY 12, 2020
KENTUCKY FOR RACE #17Originally slated for a Saturday night race under the lights on the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) schedule, the Quaker State 400 Presented by Walmart is now set to run at Kentucky Speedway on Sunday afternoon, July 12, at 2:30 p.m. ET. The 267-lap, 400-mile race at the 1.5-mile tri-oval will mark the 17th race on the revised NCS schedule. 
BOWTIE BULLETS·       In the nine NASCAR Cup Series races that have been held Kentucky Speedway, Chevrolet has scored one win, 2 poles, 15 top-fives, 34 top-10’s, and has led 412 laps. 
·       Victories by current Chevrolet drivers include the event’s most recent winner Kurt Busch, No.1 Monster Energy Camaro ZL1 1LE with one (’19) and Matt Kenseth, No. 42 Clover Camaro ZL1 1LE, with one (’13). 
·       Kurt Busch’s 2019 victory holds the record for the closest margin of victory in the NASCAR Cup Series at Kentucky since the start of the electronic scoring system in 1993, holding off younger brother, Kyle Busch, by 0.076-seconds. 
·       Of the six NASCAR Cup Series drivers to have won Busch poles at Kentucky Speedway, Jimmie Johnson, No. 48 Ally Camaro ZL1 1LE, captured the pole in 2012 and career Chevrolet driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. claimed the pole in 2013.  ·       Of the 1.5-mile tracks on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule, Chevrolet team Hendrick Motorsports leads the way in laps lead with 421 total thus far this season, the most of any team.  DEFENDING WINNERWith the NASCAR Cup Series single visit to Kentucky Speedway for the 2020 season, Kurt Busch, No. 1 Monster Energy Camaro ZL1 1LE, is looking to become a back-to-back winner. As the most recent NCS winner at the track, the July 2019 victory gave Chevrolet its first win in history in at the 1.5-mile tri-oval. With the trip to victory lane, a Chevrolet driver or team has secured a win at every racetrack on the NCS schedule.  STAGES SCORECARDWith 16 races in the books and just 10 races left of the regular season, Chase Elliott leads the field in stage wins with 5, which includes 166 stage points, 16 top-5’s and 27 top-10’s in stages. Hendrick Motorsports teammate, Alex Bowman, currently sits second on the list with four stage wins, including 13 top-five and 21 top-10 stage finishes for 142 points. William Byron (2), Jimmie Johnson (1), Kurt Busch (1), Tyler Reddick (1), and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (1) have also contributed to stage wins, giving Team Chevy 15 stage wins thus far this season.  With Chase Elliott’s victory at Charlotte Motor Speedway and Alex Bowman’s win at Auto Club Speedway earlier this season, two Team Chevy Camaro ZL1 1LE drivers have secured their spots in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs. The Hendrick Motorsports teammates, Elliott and Bowman, are currently ranked second and eighth, respectively, in the point standings. STARTING LINEUPIn compliance with the COVID-19 protocols, the event will be a one-day show without fans in attendance. With no practice and no qualifying, owner points and a random draw will again set the starting lineup. By virtue of the random draw, here are Team Chevy’s top-20 starters:  5th      Alex Bowman, No. 88 Cincinnati Camaro ZL1 1LE7th      Kurt Busch, No. 1 Monster Energy Camaro ZL1 1LE8th      Chase Elliott, No. 9 Kelley Blue Book Camaro ZL1 1LE14th    Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 Kroger Camaro ZL1 1LE17th    Matt Kenseth, No. 42 Clover Camaro ZL1 1LE18th    Bubba Wallace, No. 43 Victory Junction Camaro ZL1 1LE19th    Austin Dillon, No. 3 RigUp Camaro ZL1 1LE20th    Jimmie Johnson, No. 48 Ally Camaro ZL1 1LE
TUNE INFS1 will telecast the 267-lap, 400-mile Quaker State 400 Presented by Walmart at 2:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, July 12th. Live coverage can also be found on PRN and Sirius XM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.  QUOTABLE QUOTES:CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 KELLEY BLUE BOOK CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 2nd IN STANDINGSELLIOTT ON KENTUCKY“We are really looking forward to Kentucky and really just looking forward to getting back to the track. The best way to fix a tough finish is to go try again. Hopefully it goes well, I think we’ve been running well we just haven’t had some of the finishes we had hoped for. I think our performance has been there and we just have to clean up a few areas and I think we can put ourselves in a good spot. We are moving on from Indy and ready to go race the Kelley Blue Book Chevy at Kentucky.”
ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 88 CINCINNATI CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 8th IN STANDINGSBOWMAN ON GETTING BACK TO A 1.5-MILE TRACK: “I am ready to get back to a mile and a half track this weekend, especially after the last few weeks. These are the tracks where we are typically pretty good. We haven’t had the finishes to show recently at mile and a half venues, but we have brought extremely strong Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE’s each week. The last time Cincinnati was on the car, we put it in victory lane. I know we will bring a fast car this weekend and can hopefully go two in a row with Cincinnati.”
GREG IVES, CREW CHIEF FOR THE NO. 88 CINCINNATI CAMARO ZL1 1LEIVES ON RUNNING AT KENTUCKY: “We are going back to a mile and a half track and somewhere where we have really good speed. Kentucky hasn’t been favorable to me and my history at the track. The last few times we have run here, we have strategized well and run well but we haven’t ended up with the finish we deserve there. If we can just finish where we run, that is a lot better than wrecking or losing a tire there and not finishing where we need to be. We have a good package for a mile and a half tracks, so hopefully we can take that and the stuff we have learned from other tracks here lately and get a solid finish at the end of the day.”
WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 AXALTA CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 14th IN STANDINGSBYRON ON KENTUCKY’S SURFACE:“Kentucky’s surface has just continued to age. I think it has gotten really grey there, really fast. I know that the type of asphalt that they used is different than what they used until the later part of 2010 when repaving tracks. The asphalt has a lot of grip like Michigan does but Michigan hasn’t seemed to age as fast as Kentucky has. It’s also a slick track but in a weird way. It’s not coarse like Atlanta, it’s smooth but slick at the same time. It’s a tough track to get a hold of and that’s a challenge we face every time we go there. It makes for interesting racing” BYRON ON HAVING COMPETITION CAUTIONS INSTEAD OF PRACTICE:“I think the competition cautions in these races have helped some guys for sure. For us on the No. 24 team though, we haven’t necessarily needed them at most tracks. We’ve shown up extremely prepared from a team aspect and a driver aspect. I can only really think of one race that I wanted that competition caution, and that was Atlanta. Otherwise, I’ve been happy with how our speed has been at the beginning of the race. Kentucky may be a different story since the surface is so hard to pinpoint ahead of time, but I’m confident in the car my team will have prepared.” TYLER REDDICK, NO. 8 CATERPILLAR CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 18th IN STANDINGS“When we have the traction compound thrown into the mix, it’s totally open-ended on what the race is going to be like at Kentucky Speedway. It depends a lot on the other series’ races that happen earlier in the weekend and how that tire wear lays down on the traction compound. Honestly though, the biggest thing we’ve been fighting each weekend is weather and how that is going to affect the track surface and our race strategy. So, if we can avoid having any weather this weekend, we should be able to watch the earlier races and see how they go. I do know that when the track surface does come in during the race, it is on and the competition goes up a notch. If you’re trying to make up time, if you’re trying to make passes or protect your position, you’re going to have to get take advantage of that traction compound. It’s going to be a huge factor this weekend.”
MATT KENSETH, NO. 42 CLOVER CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 28th IN STANDINGS“Kentucky is a very unique race track. It used to be really rough with several different racing groves. Since they paved it, it’s certainly changed a little bit, but it’s still an interesting race track. It has a very unique Turn 3. I would say that’s the trickiest part of the track. It’s a very flat transition and really easy to overdrive that corner. That will cause you to mess up Turn 4 and not have momentum down the front stretch. So, you really have to get your car to handle good and get down into the race track in Turn 3. I think the guys that run the best there are able to get that corner down better than everybody else and setup a strong exit out of Turn 4.” 

TEAM CHEVY ADVANCE NTT INDYCAR SERIESREV GROUP GRAND PRIX DOUBLE HEADER PRESENTED BY AMRROAD AMERICA ELKHART LAKE, WISCONSIN JULY 11 – 12, 2020 RACE #3 & 4 OF 2020 NTT INDYCAR SERES:In a season with one intriguing turn after another in the NTT INDYCAR Series, up next for Chevy powered INDYCAR teams is the inaugural doubleheader at Road America.  Since 2013 there has been at least one doubleheader weekend on the Series’ schedule with the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix on Belle Isle the one remaining annual event,  However this season, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, racing was halted just prior to the season-opening event on the Streets of St. Petersburg, Florida. With the changes that had to be made to the schedule, Detroit had to be postponed for this season. But, the Series was able to schedule a doubleheader this Saturday-Sunday at the 4.014-mile/14-turn permanent road course in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. With two races in the books, Team Chevy drivers hold four of the top-eight in the point standings. Team Penske’s Simon Pagenaud in the No. 22 Menards Chevrolet is second in the standings after scoring two podium finishes in the two races. Defending INDYCAR champion Josef Newgarden sits third. He grabbed the pole at Texas in his No. 1 Team Penske Chevrolet and scored a podium finish, and added a top-10 at the GMR Grand Prix on the Road Course at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Conor Daly, No, 20 U.S. Air Force Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet is seventh in the standings, and Pato O’Ward is eighth piloting the No. 5 Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet.  Both races are 55 laps/220.77 miles. Saturday’s race No. One will start at 5:15 p.m. ET (4:15 p.m. CT and local time). Sunday’s Race No. Two will start at 12:40 p.m. ET (11:40 a.m. CT and local time). Fans have multiple options for listening and watching all of the on-track activities. NBC/NBCSN telecasts: Race 1 Qualifying: 2:15 p.m. ET Saturday, NBCSN (live); Race 1: 5 p.m. ET Saturday, NBCSN (live). Race 2: Noon ET Sunday, NBC (live). NBC Sports Gold livestreaming: All NTT INDYCAR SERIES practice sessions and qualifying will stream live on INDYCAR Pass on NBC Sports Gold, NBC Sports’ direct-to-consumer livestreaming product. All NTT INDYCAR SERIES races are broadcast live on the INDYCAR Radio Network, Sirius 211, XM 205, IndyCar.com and on the INDYCAR MOBILE APP powered by NTT DATA. Live coverage of NTT INDYCAR SERIES qualifying is available on Sirius 211, XM 205, IndyCar.com, and the INDYCAR MOBILE APP. The NTT INDYCAR SERIES races will be paced by a beautiful Camaro ZL1.  BOWTIE BULLETS·       Since returning to INDYCAR manufacturer competition in 2012, Chevrolet has amassed 82 wins and 94 poles in 137 races along with six Manufacturer Championships and six driver championships ·       Chevrolet at Road America 2016 to current:o  2 wins (Will Power, 2016, Josef Newgarden, 2018)o  2 poles (Will Power, 2016, Josef Newgarden 2018) ·       Power is the second all-time INDYCAR pole winner with 58 (behind only Mario Andretti with 67). ·       Chevrolet Early Years at Road Americao  Chevrolet drivers won seven consecutive races from 1987-1993 QUOTABLE QUOTES: ROB BUCKNER, CHEVROLET RACING ENGINEERING PROGRAM MANAGER FOR THE NTT INDYCAR SERIES: “While the Chevy powered INDYCAR teams and drivers are accustomed to running at least one doubleheader weekend during the NTT INDYCAR Series season, this weekend will be the first for Road America. In previous seasons, the doubleheaders have been on a street circuit with the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix on Belle Isle the annual stop every year since 2013. This weekend our teams will be tested on the longest circuit on the schedule at the 4.04-miles, 14-turn natural road course. The Chevrolet Racing engineers, technical partners and team engineers have been working diligently to ensure the Chevy drivers have the durability, power and fuel efficiency needed to get to Victory Lane on both Saturday and Sunday. Reliability is the key to success and we have put in the work to give the Chevy drivers the necessary tools. This will mark the first time the fans will be at-track and that is the equivalent of the 12th man on the field. Our teams and drivers feed off of that excitement and enthusiasm so we are looking forward to a very successful weekend in Wisconsin.
FROM THE COCKPIT: JOSEF NEWGARDEN, NO. 1 PPG TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET: “I’m really looking forward to Road America. It’s definitely one of my favorite tracks so it’s always a joy to go there. It’s beautiful to begin with and it’s a fun place to race. It also tends to really fit my driving style so my PPG Chevy team and I are excited to get back on track there. I also can’t say enough about how I am excited for us to have some fans back at-track this weekend. We missed you guys and are glad we will see some of you in Wisconsin with us. We’re going to put our all into both races this weekend for this double-header and are thankful our friends at NBC will be airing one race on NBCSN and the other on NBC.” CHARLIE KIMBALL, NO. 4 TRESIBA AJ FOYT RACING CHEVROLET:  “ I am so excited to get back to Road America especially for a double header! It is one of the most iconic racetracks in North America and runs through some beautiful landscape. The over 4 mile length lends itself to great racing and high speeds! After finding a strong direction with the #4 Tresiba Chevrolet at the Indy GP, I am looking forward to getting on track Saturday and continuing to move up the grid.” PATO O’WARD, NO. 5 ARROW MCLAREN SP CHEVROLET:“Road America can’t come soon enough. Coming off a solid race at the GMR Grand Prix in Indianapolis, everyone at Arrow McLaren SP and I are looking forward to building on the momentum we have created so far this season. Road America is an iconic track on the calendar and I can’t think of a better place to welcome fans back to NTT INDYCAR SERIES race in a safe, responsible manner.” OLIVER ASKEW, NO. 7 ARROW MCLAREN SP CHEVROLET:“We know the Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolets are fast and can contend for pole positions, now we need to work on finishing strong on race day. A doubleheader at Road America is the perfect opportunity to get a great result for the whole team. I’m looking forward to welcoming fans and partners back to the track, it will awesome to have people cheering us on again.” WILL POWER, NO. 12 VERIZON TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET:“I am so pumped for a double-header weekend at Road America. Last weekend just about everything that could have gone wrong for our Verizon Chevy team did, and we are just ready to head into the weekend super motivated to improve upon last weekend. I love road courses and this track is by far one of the most beautiful on the circuit. I’m glad we’ll have some fans there since that track always has such a lively crowd. They really make the event even more fun. NBC and NBC Sports Network are going to be airing the two races so I know we’re all thankful to give fans a great show two days in a row.” DALTON KELLETT, NO 14 K-LINE USA AJ FOYT RACING CHEVROLET:“Coming off my NTT IndyCar Series debut at the GMR Grand Prix, I can’t wait to be back on track in the #14 K-Line Insulators USA Chevrolet at Road America. The double-header will be a great opportunity to keep learning and build on the foundation work from last weekend. My first event was all about learning the car and maximizing track time. I’m going into this weekend with that same focus, the more quality track time and experience I get under my belt, the better we can position ourselves for a strong result. In the short turn around, we’ve reviewed the data and have a pretty good idea where we need to focus our attention to keep improving. We will be heading into Road America with clear goals in mind.” CONOR DALY, NO. 20 U.S. AIR FORCE ED CARPENTER RACING CHEVROLET:  “I am very excited to get back to Road America in an NTT INDYCAR SERIES car after a few years away! I enjoyed being there last year in a sports car, it went quite well. We are hoping to continue to use what we learned from the GMR Grand Prix, have a strong qualifying run and follow it up with a strong couple of races. The doubleheader will be really interesting. I can’t wait to get back in it, it’s nice to have a continuous flow of work now. We’re going to keep improving, keep getting better and go trophy hunting.” RINUS VEEKAY, NO. 21 SONAX ED CARPENTER RACING CHEVROLET:“Road America is a very successful track for me. I had my first-ever win in American racing there in 2017, which was also my first win in race cars. I swept the weekend, which was nice! It’s been a good track for me. It’s my all-time favorite track so it’s cool to be able to race an NTT INDYCAR SERIES car there this season! Being a doubleheader, it’s good for me! It’s also a pleasure to drive in the blue Direct Supply car this weekend. I’m really excited and looking forward to it. I think we can pull another great weekend out of our hats!” SIMON PAGENAUD, NO. 22 MENARDS TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET:“I think the Menards Chevy team really showed their strength as a group at the Indianapolis road course this past weekend. On Saturday we came through the field and ended with a podium finish. It was a really strong championship level weekend! Road America is a double-header with lots of point on the table. This is one of the most beautiful tracks we get to race on in the series but it also is quite complex. We are going to give it 100% For our partners at Menards. Wisconsin is their backyard and it’s always great to represent them so close to their home. This weekend will mark the first time we see fans back at the racetrack and that is amazing. Thanks to NBC Sports and NBC for their support also in this unprecedented times as well.” MAX CHILTON, NO. 59 GALLAGHER CARLIN CHEVROLET:  “I think myself and the whole Carlin team are feeling extremely energized after last weekend on the road course at IMS. We didn’t have the best finish after some bad luck, but we showed so much promise and pace all weekend and it’s a really good feeling going into Road America knowing we have a fast car in the No. 59 Gallagher Carlin Chevrolet. Road America is such a great track and it really suits my driving style, so I’m very excited to get back to Gallagher’s ‘home track’. It’ll be interesting racing back-to-back on Saturday and Sunday and I’m sure it’ll be quite the workout for both drivers and crews, but we’re ready to put on two days-worth of on-track action for the fans at the track and those watching at home.” 

6th    11th  9th

“It was a really great night in our Alsco Chevrolet Camaro. The No. 21 guys did a phenomenal job on pit road. Thank you to everyone at Richard Childress Racing back at the shop and here at the track for building me a really fast piece. Tonight’s race went by fast. We got behind on a couple restarts and went the wrong way on adjustments, but we fixed it and were able to get back through the field to earn a sixth place finish. It was a great call by Andy Street to take tires and make a few adjustments towards the end. We had a really fast race car, so we were able to get back up there after a few late restarts. I think we could have finished even better if we had a few more laps. We just needed clean air. Clean air is king, especially here with a one groove racetrack. It was extremely difficult to pass because everyone runs the same line. Overall, I feel like I learned a lot and think we will be in contention to win tomorrow night.” -Anthony Alfredo

Richard Childress Racing at Kentucky Speedway …  Relatively new to the NASCAR Cup Series schedule, Kentucky Speedway is one of very few active race tracks where Richard Childress Racing has yet to find victory lane in 26 starts. The Welcome, North Carolina-based organization has a pair of third place finishes both coming from driver Ryan Newman in 2014 and 2016. RCR’s NASCAR Xfinity Series program has a bit more history at the 1.5 mile racetrack with 69 starts. Among those starts include four wins with drivers Kevin Harvick (2001), Austin Dillon (June 2012 & September 2012), and Brendan Gaughan (2014). COVID-19 Relief … Own a piece of history by participating in an auction and sale of Richard Childress’ personal collection of memorabilia. All proceeds will assist COVID-19 relief efforts. Thousands of rare, hard-to-find and exclusive items from Richard Childress’ 50+ years in NASCAR are up for bid or sale. Visit https://www.ebay.com/str/RichardChildresscollection. Catch the Action … The NASCAR Xfinity Series Kentucky 200 at Kentucky Speedway will be televised live Thursday, July 9, beginning at 8 p.m. ET on Fox Sports One and will be broadcast live on the Performance Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.  The NASCAR Xfinity Series Alsco 300 at Kentucky Speedway will be televised live Friday, July 10, beginning at 8 p.m. ET on Fox Sports One and will be broadcast live on the Performance Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.  The NASCAR Cup Series Kentucky 400 at Kentucky Speedway will be televised live Sunday, July 12, beginning at 2:30 p.m. ET on Fox Sports One and will be broadcast live on the Performance Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

This Week’s RigUp Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE at Kentucky Speedway… Dillon has seven previous NASCAR Cup Series starts at Kentucky Speedway, earning his best finish of 16th in 2016 and 2014 and best starting position of ninth in 2019. Dillon in the Bluegrass State … Kentucky Speedway is the site of Dillon’s career-first win in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. The 2013 Xfinity Series Champion earned back-to-back Xfinity Series wins at the 1.5-mile track in 2012, sweeping both races and earning the pole award for both the June and September events. Welcome, RigUp … RigUp was founded in 2014 and is based in Austin, TX. The company’s solutions create new efficiencies across recruiting, logistics, and payments, giving companies fast, flexible access to a highly skilled workforce while reducing costs. RigUp actively serves companies across the oil and gas, wind, solar, construction, and defense industries. For more information, visit www.rigup.com.  Vote for Austin… Visit NASCAR.com/fanvote to vote Austin Dillon into this year’s All-Star Race. You can vote daily and votes shared via Facebook and/or Twitter count double. AUSTIN DILLON QUOTE:What are your thoughts going into Kentucky?“Kentucky is one of those places I’ve always been pretty decent at, going back to the NASCAR Truck Series and the NASCAR Xfinity Series days. We were able to win there, and any time that you head into a track that you’ve been successful at in the past you go in with some confidence. We have momentum on our side following a couple of very decent runs recently, and our team has traditionally shined during the grind of the summer months. Our goals are to maximize Stage points and try to win to lock ourselves into the Playoffs. I’m looking forward to it.”

Tyler Reddick and the No. 8 Caterpillar Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE at Kentucky Speedway … This weekend marks Tyler Reddick’s NASCAR Cup Series debut at Kentucky Speedway. Reddick has four NASCAR Xfinity Series starts at the 1.5-mile track, including one win from 2017 and two additional top-10 finishes. The Sunoco Rookie of the Year candidate has two NASCAR Truck Series starts at Kentucky, never starting or finishing outside of the top 10.  Boyd CAT … New Name. Same Owner. Same Great Team. Whayne Supply and Walker Machinery are now Boyd CAT. As one of the oldest and largest Caterpillar dealers, Boyd CAT is a family-owned business with deep roots that stretch over more than 100 years in the construction, agriculture and mining industries. Serving Kentucky, Southern Indiana, West Virginia, and Southeastern Ohio, Louisville, KY-based Boyd CAT is your dealer for all Caterpillar equipment, parts and service; Thomas Built Buses; Western Star Trucks; Claas Combines; Massey Ferguson; Fendt Tractors; Genie; Sullair; Allmand and other lines of construction, industrial, mining, paving, agricultural and transportation equipment. For more information visit weareboyd.com  Watch the Race with Cheddar’s… Don’t miss out! Cheddar’s is offering 15% off all To Go orders with the offer code RACEDAY placed on 7/12 and every Cup Series race day for the remainder of the 2020 season! Whether you’re watching the race on a Sunday afternoon or on a weekday under the lights, watch with all your Cheddar’s favorites for 15% off. Terms & conditions apply, visit cheddars.com/offer/race-dayfor full offer details. TYLER REDDICK QUOTE:  How does the traction compound come into play on race strategy at Kentucky Speedway?“When we have the traction compound thrown into the mix, it’s totally open-ended on what the race is going to be like at Kentucky Speedway. It depends a lot on the other series’ races that happen earlier in the weekend and how that tire wear lays down on the traction compound. Honestly though, the biggest thing we’ve been fighting each weekend is weather and how that is going to affect the track surface and our race strategy. So if we can avoid having any weather this weekend, we should be able to watch the earlier races and see how they go. I do know that when the track surface does come in during the race, it is on and the competition goes up a notch. If you’re trying to make up time, if you’re trying to make passes or protect your position, you’re going to have to get take advantage of that traction compound. It’s going to be a huge factor this weekend.”

This Week’s No. 21 Alsco Chevrolet Camaro at Kentucky Speedway …Anthony Alfredo will make his Kentucky Speedway debut this weekend in the No. 21 Alsco Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing. Thursday evening will kick off the second doubleheader of the season for the NASCAR Xfinity Series. In three career Xfinity Series starts on 1.5-mile racetracks, Alfredo averages an eighth-place finish. He recorded a best finish of fourth at the first Homestead-Miami race in June. About Alsco … Alsco is a fourth-generation family owned and operated business, founded in 1889, that was recognized by the prestigious Hohenstein Institute for having invented the linen and uniform rental industry. Celebrating over 130 years of business, Alsco provides linen and workwear rental services to customers that include restaurants, healthcare, automotive industry and industrial facilities. With over 180 locations and more than 20,000 employees, Alsco provides world-class service to over 355,000 customers in 14 countries. Learn more at alsco.com.  Fast Start for Fast Pasta …  In his first seven NASCAR Xfinity Series starts in the No. 21 Chevrolet Camaro for Richard Childress Racing, Alfredo has secured four top-10 finishes and has an average finish of 10th. He also won an eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series Saturday Night Thunder Race at Dover International Speedway during NASCAR’s hiatus from on-track competition. ANTHONY ALFREDO QUOTE:Kentucky Speedway will be the second doubleheader for you and the NASCAR Xfinity Series this season. Is there anything specific you learned from the Homestead-Miami Speedway doubleheader that you can apply to this weekend? “Although Kentucky is our second doubleheader this year, I don’t believe I can translate much between the two tracks physically. I did learn a lot about how to manage my hydration habits and nutrition throughout the weekend to perform at my peak in both events. I also learned that with no practice, racing back to back days allows me to learn a lot more as a whole, along with being able to apply the experience gained from the first race into the second race. I’m very excited and am focused on bringing two first-place trophies back to RCR for our team, partners and fans.”

CHEVROLET AT INDIANAPOLIS What: E Spark Plugs NHRA NationalsWhen: July 11-12, 2020Where: Lucas Oil Raceway in IndianapolisTV: NHRAonFOX Schedule (all times ET)Qualifying / Saturday – 4:30-6 PM ET / FS1Qualifying / Saturday – 8-9 PM ET / FS2=1Finals / Sunday – 12-2:30 PM ET / FOX
Chevrolet Ready to Shine in Pro Stock at Indy
Detroit (July 9,2020) For the first time in four months, Chevrolet in the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) will return to competition at Lucas Oil Raceway, Indianapolis, Indiana.
As a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, racing was halted just as teams were ready to go for the annual Gatornationals at Gainesville. Now the NHRA has defined safety protocols to bring fans back to the track to enjoy the sites and sounds that is NHRA.  Five-time Pro Stock champion Jeg Coughlin Jr., who has been low qualifier in both races thus far this season (Pomona and Phoenix) and visited the winner’s stage at Auto Club Raceway, will make his 450th career start. Coughlin, driving the JEGS.com/Elite Motorsports Camaro SS, is second to teammate and reigning champion Erica Enders in the standings. 
Enders, three-time and defending NHRA Pro Stock champion, heads into the first of back-to-back races at Lucas Oil Raceway leading the point. The Pro Stock winner at Arizona Nationals, Enders is continuing her march to winning another Championship. 
Sitting third in the standings is Summit KB Racings Jason Line. Line, three-time NHRA Pro Stock champion, Line will pick up his quest for one more title before stepping out of the cockpit at the end of the season.
Perennial fan favorite Greg Anderson, four-time Pro Stock champion, heads to Indy determined to climb back to the top of the standings. Anderson sits at 94 victories, just three wins behind his mentor Warren Johnson, the all-time event winner. 
For the first time since 2007, the series will not include the Countdown to the Championship playoffs. The championship will be decided based on a season-long points tally.
Races for the remainder of the season, except the U.S. Nationals on Labor Day Weekend, will be two-day events, with two rounds of qualifying on Saturday to set the field for Sunday eliminations.CHEVROLET FROM THE COCKPITPRO STOCK:
BO BUTNER, JIM BUTNER AUTO, JIM BUTNER AUTO SALES CHEVROLET CAMARO SS: “We’re going out there this weekend to win the race, and our plan is to run for the championship. Once we get going, it’s going to be a whirlwind of a season, and I know KB Racing has been nonstop getting all of our cars ready for it. I look for us to be stronger than ever.”
GREG ANDERSON, KB RACING, SUMMIT RACING EQUIPMENT CHEVROLET CAMARO SS: “”This time off has almost been like a second off-season. All of the KB Racing cars ran well in Orlando [at the World Doorslammer Nationals in February, where Anderson was runner-up at the non NHRA-sanctioned event], and we definitely turned the ship around after a rough start to the season. We’ve done a lot of work since then, the dyno has been running almost nonstop, and we really feel like we can compete again. We’ll be ready by the time we fire up at Indy. I think things are going to look a whole lot better for the entire KB Racing team.”
JASON LINE, KB RACING, SUMMIT RACING EQUIPMENT CHEVROLET CAMARO SS: “This is probably the longest I’ve been out of a racecar since 1990, and we’re ready to go. It’s still going to be my last year in the car, and my goal now is the same as it was in the beginning – to do the best I can for Summit Racing Equipment and our team owner, Ken Black. What we do now, both on and off the track, is what will make KB Racing successful in the future.”
ERICA ENDERS, ELITE MOTORSPORTS,  MELLING PERFORMANCE/ELITE MOTORSPORTS CHEVROLET CAMARO SS:“This is the longest anybody has been out of a cockpit including off season time, so this is chartered territory but we are all in the same boat. In a way it feels like a fresh start to a season, having said that, Jeg and I won the first two events of the year, along with the Doorslammer nationals, so our plan is to continue that trend. Just because we haven’t been on track, doesn’t mean we haven’t been hard at work. Lot has been going on with engine development program, and we were finally able to do some on track testing in Tulsa last week. It went really well and we Cale to Indy a few days early to get a handle on the racetrack, and we should be locked in loaded. It’s always exciting to get back into one of these high horsepower Chevy Camaros… given the length of time since i last dropped the clutch in competition.” 
JEG COUGHLIN JR., ELITE MOTORSPORTS, JEGS.COM/ELITE PERFORMANCE CHEVROLET CAMARO SS: “I’m excited to get back to racing, and I’m sure everyone else is as well. Although we haven’t been competing professionally, the Elite team hasn’t rested and with as much prep time as we’ve had since the last pro race, shame on us if we’re not completely ready for this restart. I’m actually very confident in what we’ll be able to do. We had a great run going before the COVID pandemic, dating back into last season, with a strong run of wins and final-round appearances, and although it’s been nearly 140 days, we should still be right at the top of the charts.”

\

with Restart of 2020 NHRA Season in Indianapolis

·        Mopar Dodge//SRT get back on track this weekend after a four-month hiatus with the restart of the 2020 National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Mello Yello Drag Racing Series at Lucas Oil Raceway in Indianapolis

·        Mopar Dodge//SRT entries return with four Don Schumacher Racing (DSR) Dodge Charger SRT Hellcats in Funny Car and one Mopar Dodge//SRT Top Fuel Dragster at the E3 Spark Plugs NHRA Nationals on July 11-12

·        Shortened season will still see Mopar and Dodge//SRT as event title sponsors at four of the remaining 16 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series races

·        All four DSR Dodge Charger Hellcats sit top-5 in Funny Car Championship points standings

·        DSR Mopar Dodge//SRT Top Fuel Dragster restarts season top-3 in points standings with Leah Pruett

July 9, 2020, Auburn Hills, Mich. – A much-anticipated return to National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Mello Yello Drag Racing Series racing takes place this weekend at Lucas Oil Raceway in Indianapolis for Mopar, Dodge//SRT and the Don Schumacher Racing (DSR) team following a hiatus of more than four months.

Following the suspension of the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic on March 12, just prior to the third event of the year at the NHRA Gatornationals in Gainesville, Florida, the remaining 16-event shortened schedule kicks off with a pair of weekend events in Indianapolis. Race weekends will be shortened to two-day events with qualifying held Saturday only and final eliminations on Sunday.

The E3 Spark Plugs NHRA Nationals on July 11-12 and Lucas Oil NHRA Summernationals on July 18-19 will be the first major-league auto racing events in the state of Indiana to allow fans this year. Beginning Aug. 7-9, the series begins a 13-consecutive week stretch of non-stop drag racing to battle for pro-category championships. During that stretch, Mopar and Dodge//SRT remain event title sponsors at four national events on the new schedule: 

• August 7-9 – Dodge Mile-High NHRA Nationals in Denver
• Sept. 11-13 – Mopar Express Lane NHRA Nationals in Reading, Pennsylvania
• Oct. 23-25 – Mopar Express Lane NHRA SpringNationals Presented By Pennzoil near Houston
• Oct. 30-Nov. 1 – Dodge NHRA Nationals in Las Vegas

FUNNY CAR NOTES & QUOTES
Mopar Dodge//SRT restart their 18th season with DSR with all four Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Funny Cars in the top 5 in points. Mopar Dodge//SRT enters this weekend’s competition with five consecutive drives to the winner’s circle at race events dating back to Dallas in October 2019.

Matt Hagan, Mopar Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Funny Car  
Two-time Funny Car world champion and driver of the Mopar Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat, Matt Hagan made his professional debut in Indianapolis at the 2008 U.S. Nationals. He is looking to move up from a fifth place spot in the Funny Car championship standings after a pair of No. 1 qualifier honors and two round wins to start the 2020 season.

“I’m really excited about getting back to racing in Indy. We’re such a fan-engaged sport – we’re so used to being able to take pictures with the fans, fist bumps, all that, and it’ll be a different vibe. We did some virtual autograph sessions with Mopar during our downtime and that was cool and I think our fans really enjoyed that. At the end of the day, we’re entertainers and we’re going to make sure we entertain our fans and make sure we give them a great show on the race track. I’m just excited to be able to be back and be able to rep our partners in Mopar, Pennzoil and Sandvik on the track. Every weekend you’re so used to driving 330 mph. I never thought there was anything other than racing but it’s been good being able to spend some time at home growing my businesses. I was able to get a really good handle on these companies I’m growing and now I’m able to fully focus on racing again. We had a really great car when we left off. We were No. 1 qualifier at the first two events and I’m excited to get back in my Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat. Bring it on, let’s go do this.”

Jack Beckman, Infinite Hero Foundation Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat
Jack Beckman is the current Funny Car points leader after a win and runner-up finish in the first two events of the season aboard his Infinite Hero Foundation Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat. Beckman is seeking a third consecutive final round appearance in 2020 this weekend and is bolstered by his 2019 performance at Indianapolis when he earned the Funny Car No. 1 qualifier and a runner-up finish in the NHRA U.S. Nationals.

“Everybody is talking about getting back to business as usual and in racing we’re going to be getting back to business but there’s nothing usual about it. This is completely unprecedented. We’re going to lose Friday qualifying at every race from here on out and that could drastically change your approach as a crew chief and as a driver just in qualifying. And then none of us have been in a race car for probably the longest period in our drag racing careers, so we’re going to get to make shakedown runs the day before a race weekend. I don’t think that’s been allowed for nearly 50 years in drag racing. So, the scenario is what it is and we’re all going to do our best to make things get back to whatever ‘normal’ is as quick as possible but I’ve got to tell you, I’ve had driving withdrawals and now I feel like it’s so sudden. After waiting for so many months I’m looking at the calendar and it’s like when you’re a kid getting ready to go back to school. I just can’t wait to get my bag packed and get on that airplane.”

Tommy Johnson Jr., MD Anderson Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Funny Car
Winner of the last event before the season was suspended at the NHRA Arizona Nationals in February, Tommy Johnson Jr. is second in the Funny Car points standings.

“I’m certainly excited about going back racing but it’s been a long period of downtime and there are some jitters that go along with that. Being out of the car for so long, it’s going to take a few runs to get back into the swing of it. We were doing so well and had some good momentum going before the break and you hope that continues. You park the car and don’t touch it for so long and it’s been sitting there ready to go for a while. We had an opportunity to improve on it, we put on a new front half. We have a great team and a great car. It’ll take a little bit of getting used to those first days back but that’s the same for everyone. It’s going to be great to get back to some sort of normalcy, even though there will be some restrictions. I’d love nothing more than to pull off a win at both of these Indy races and take the lead in the points.”

Ron Capps, NAPA Auto Parts Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Funny Car
Driver of the HEMI®-powered Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat, Ron Capps sits fourth in points and is looking to earn a win at the only racetrack on the circuit at which he has never earned a Wally trophy.

“2020 has been full of surprises, to say the least. It’s going to be nice to get a little bit of normalcy back in our racing lives. Once NHRA announced that we had these two races in Indianapolis, it didn’t seem like it was going to get here fast enough and now we’re finally here. The fact that we’re going to be on FOX network on Sunday is a great thing for motorsports fans.

“It’s going to be a treacherous, hot, humid weekend, which we know can be very difficult, especially with 11,000-horsepower nitro engines. I brag about the NAPA Know How with our team and we’ve shown that we can run in those conditions as good as anybody. This is going to test a lot of people. We’ll get a couple of shakedown runs on Friday and then it’s just two rounds of qualifying on Saturday, so you’re not going to have a whole lot of data to go off of. That’s why the way that Rahn Tobler and I and our whole NAPA team work together is so important and these conditions will test every bit of every crew member. I’m looking forward to the challenge. Can’t wait to get back into the NAPA car and step on the gas for the first time and just relive what made me fall in love with driving a nitro Funny Car. Hopefully, the NAPA team will be on FOX on Sunday afternoon standing with a Wally from Indianapolis.”
 
TOP FUEL NOTES & QUOTES

Leah Pruett, Mopar Dodge//SRT Top Fuel Dragster  
DSR’s Mopar Dodge//SRT Top Fuel Dragster returns to competition with Leah Pruett at the helm and sitting third in points. 

 “I feel like we’ve all been living the real-life motorsports version of double-dutch, waiting for the right time and circumstances, and it’s finally our turn to return. Excited would normally be the term used for the feeling I get when race week nears, but I honestly feel the more precise description is ‘ready.’  We already had a strong performing race car when the hiatus began and this Mopar crew has taken this time to ensure that performance stays maximized. I’ve properly filled my time with various athletic activities and attending/watching other racing, but have confirmed that nothing comes close to the sensory impact of nitro racing. Composure within competition has been a focus of mine during this time and there is nothing more in this world that I am looking forward to more than strapping back into our Mopar Top Fueler and chasing that Wally.”

CHEVY RACING IN NTT INDYCAR SERIESREV GROUP GRAND PRIX DOUBLEHEADERROAD AMERICAPLYMOUTH, WISCONSINTEAM CHEVY DRIVER PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPTJULY 9, 2020
RINUS VEEKAY, DRIVER OF THE NO. 21 DIRECT SUPPLY ED CARPENTER RACING CHEVROLET, met with members of the media via video cconference. Full transcript:
THE MODERATOR: Welcome, everybody, to today’s pre-event REV Group Grand Prix video conference. We’re joined by a drivers who will compete this weekend in the REV Group Grand Prix doubleheader. We are joined by Rinus VeeKay of Ed Carpenter Racing, Rinus, fifth place, your first top five in the NTT INDYCAR Series. Talk about your performance at Indy, the momentum heading into the REV Group Grand Prix at Road America.RINUS VEEKAY: Yeah, I just feel very happy to finally have my first top five in INDYCAR. It was a tough start in Texas. I worked hard in the past month to make sure that I would be prepared as best as possible for Indy. That, yeah, worked. Indy was a nice weekend. Everything was according to plan.Yeah, I was very happy with that. Have to thank the team for that. Yeah, it was just a great weekend. Make me smile when I think about it. I think we can go into the REV Group Grand Prix with the same mentality, hopefully go for more top fives or even a podium.THE MODERATOR: We’ll open it up for questions.Q. We’re going to do something different this week: have fans. First race with spectators there. How cool is that going to be for you?RINUS VEEKAY: I’m excited also. To finally have fans, especially at Road America, it really makes the race weekend. Normally when you drive through there, you can smell the barbecues. It would be less fun if we had no fans there. Of course, it’s different still. At least there’s people that will be able to see us drive in real life.I’m happy with that and I think the fans will be happy with it, too.Q. How do you look at the demands of having four races over a seven-day period at two different tracksRINUS VEEKAY: Yeah, it’s going to be tough having back-to-back doubleheaders. Of course, it’s going to be really hot. I experienced in Indy that it was one of the toughest conditions I’ve ever driven in, being in the car with it being so hot.I think it will be important to recover well between races. It will be, yeah, tough. In Road America, you got a lot of rest on the straightaways. That’s a plus. In Iowa, you’re just working the whole time.I’m curious to see how it works. I’m planning to finish in Iowa. Let’s see how elbow feels in the full race. I’m excited, yeah, I feel happy to have four races in two weeks.Q. We’ve already talked a lot about the heat. The turnaround on this one is especially tough. Could you have raced again 16 hours after you finished at Indy? Is that going to be really hard to think about attacking another 55 laps that soon after Saturday?RINUS VEEKAY: Yeah, I think it will be tough recovering from a full day of practice, qualifying and race. I think it will be interesting to see, too, with only having one practice, then having qualifying, then a full race where you can learn and set up a car, then having another qualifying which will be I think a lot different. Yeah, it will be exciting for me to see.Yeah, Road America is my favorite track. I cannot wait to go there and drive one of the quickest cars in the world on that track.Q. Are you getting any indication that anything can be done to get you a little more air to try to make improvement on your ability to keep cool?RINUS VEEKAY: I think it will be a little bit better with the longer straights this weekend. But also an issue last weekend was the water bottle being extremely hot. We have been able to give the water bottle a different location so it gets a little bit more airflow and stays colder. I think that will help, yeah, just cool water to cool us down. We’ll see how that goes.Q. Rinus, you mentioned the tough start at Texas. After the race Ed Carpenter said they still loved you but wished you would have taken his advice on going high. Can you explain what those discussions were like? How difficult was it for you to come back losing two cars in the opener?RINUS VEEKAY: It was definitely tough. It was, like, the biggest setback I’ve had in my career. But, yeah, it’s like being young: you do something wrong and your parents, they make sure you don’t do it ever again.Yeah, we had a month to work on it, make sure my preparation was as good as it could get. Of course, before Texas I’ve had the most trouble getting into the country. That wasn’t ideal. I think that kind of affected my focus throughout the weekend.Then in Indy, I just spent the whole month looking at onboard data, everything I could. Yeah, I was so prepared that I stepped into the car and it felt like I had already done a few days of driving.Q. Did you have any moments at Indy where you approached it differently based on what you had done at Texas? Is it hard to strike the balance of being conservative and being fast enough to show your speed?RINUS VEEKAY: Yeah, so in the first practice we could do quite a few laps. I just started off with braking points that were safe for me, that I didn’t lock tires and destroy my tires for the rest of practice. I started easy, moments where I thought, If I go further, it will snap or I will lose the car. I just built it up very slowly.At the end of the weekend, I got a top five in my second INDYCAR race. Very happy with it.Q. What is the biggest priority with the cockpit situation? Is it getting the water in the right place, getting cool? Would you like to see an extra hose in there for a bit more air? What are the things you’re looking at to be the priorities being sorted?RINUS VEEKAY: Well, I think it’s both. Of course, you need to hydrate as good as possible. It’s going to be hot in the car anyway. I think it’s never going to be perfect. Yeah, it’s tough to say.I would like to have another hose. Also there’s a lot of debris, rubber, little stones coming into the helmet duct, getting into the helmet.It’s kind of give or take. I think Indy was kind of the worst situations we will get this year. We’ll see. But at least I got my first experience, know what to expect for the future.Q. What was it like racing without fans? How much of a different dynamic is it going to be? Y’all talked about how the heat affected y’all in Indianapolis. I’ve heard some drivers talk about how much weight they lost. How do you recover from that, go about recovering and preparing for a doubleheader this weekend?RINUS VEEKAY: I thought Indy was really hot. You’re constantly working there. You got like one real straight where you’re just going straight. I think to recover, it will never be 100%, so you always will be a little tired from the day before, a little sore.At least for the rookies that had their first INDYCAR road course, the first time is always the worst. I think now with the doubleheader it will be important to just have good nutrition and good sleep. I think it will be mostly about that instead of taking it easy in the first race or something.Q. Rinus, obviously you’ve had experience at the Indy road course, but also you have a lot of experience from Road America. What did you learn at Indy that you can bring forward for the two races this weekend?RINUS VEEKAY: Well, I really kind of got my first taste of real fuel saving in a long stint. I’ve never driven more than 15 laps in an INDYCAR back-to-back.Yeah, this was a whole different experience. I was kind of tense in the car, so I kind of held my shoulders up, which was hurting at the end of the race. I kind of know not to do that in Road America.But also it’s just all the little things, pit stops, having a direct race in pit lane, all the things where you can save a little bit of time, it will just be crucial at the end of a race.Yeah, I think overall just have more experience. I’ve had 80 more laps in an INDYCAR which is quite something that you would take forward. Doing long stints on the red, I kind of know how they behave now.For the future, I really learn all the time.

BATAVIA, Ohio (July 8, 2020) – With last minute schedule changes – due to COVID-19, Florence Speedway graciously took on two, $12,000-to-win events this weekend. Limited grandstand tickets are available for both events, to allow for social distancing. Tickets went on sale Monday for both events (pit tickets to be purchased on-site). 
On both Friday and Saturday, the pit gate will open at 4:00 pm, with the main and back gates opening at 6:00 pm. Hot laps will begin at 7:00 pm, with racing action at 8:00 pm. Due to COVID-19 restrictions in this area, there are special instructions on Will Call ticket pickup, marking of seats, areas that ticket holders will be allowed, etc.  All details can be found  at their website: www.florencespeedway.com.   Friday, July 10th, Florence Speedway will host the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series, along with a $1,000 to win Modified A-Main event. On Saturday, July 11th, the G&G Express Sport Mods will be racing for $600-to-win – to accompany the Lucas Oil Late Models. 

Both nights will include a complete program of: Time Trials, Heat Races, B-Mains, and a 50-lap, $12,000-to-win main event.  Jimmy Owens leads the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series championship standings and goes into the weekend with five feature wins out of the last six series events. Jonathan Davenport is second, followed closely by Tyler Erb, Tim McCreadie and Devin Moran – to round out the top five in championship standings. Track and Event Information:Phone Number: 859-485-7591Location: 12234 US Hwy 42, Walton, KY 41094GPS Coordinates: Latitude: 38.87367 – Longitude: -84.69807Directions: I-75 to exit 180, then 9.2 miles SW on US 42Website: www.florencespeedway.com

Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Tire Rule:Left Rear/Fronts – Hoosier Rib (28.5) 1350Right Rear – Hoosier (29.0) 1350 NRM, (29.0) 1350 NRMW, (92) LM40
* Must use the same set of 4 tires for Time Trials, Heat Races, and B-Main.* For the A-Main, competitors may use a new right rear tire.
* Flat tire must be replaced with a used tire of the same compound and construction to retain starting position.

NHRA^® Team Report

NHRA Nationals – Indianapolis

Pre-Race Report

It’s been close to two “off seasons” since NHRA racing temporarily halted, but Cruz Pedregon and team are ready to get back on the track in Indy near their home base of Brownsburg. The team hasn’t been idle, according to Cruz who is one of the few nitro racers to knock the rust off by taking his California Charger down the Lucas Oil Raceway track for six runs last month. 

“It felt good to be in a nitro car and on a track again but getting the Snap-on Dodge^® out there this weekend will feel even better,” Cruz says. “I’ve been in the shop every day, working with Nick (Casertano), Eric (Lane) and the team to plan our strategy with the new qualifying format.

“With two fewer qualifying runs, you’ll see us following a more conservative and consistent plan since we won’t have as much data to assess before race day. Even though things will be different for drivers, teams and fans, we’re pumped and ready for NHRA Drag Racing to be back.”

The team also stayed busy during the break building a new, raceable show car for primary sponsor Snap-on. It has actual parts with plans to start it up when gatherings and meetings reconvene, and the show car can hit the road. With the addition of a management system, the car can be ready to go down the track.

Cruz’s Dodge^® will again pay tribute to the Snap-on 100^th with its paint scheme and logo. Fans are encouraged throughout the season to post pictures of the car with the hashtag #Snapon100. 

Scott Dixon, Honda go two-for-two to open 2020 NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship
Graham Rahal plays speed, pit strategy to perfection to finish second
Honda pads Manufacturers’ title chase lead as series begins run of five races in 15 days

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (July 4, 2020) – As he had at the 2020 NTT INDYCAR Series season opener in Texas in June, Scott Dixon dominated the second half of today’s GMR Grand Prix to lead a 1-2 finish for Honda on the road course of the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Dixon credited a minor setup change made during his second pit stop for improving the handling of his Chip Ganassi Racing Honda, and the five-time series champion the pulled away during the second half of the 80-lap contest to a nearly 20-second margin of victory over fellow Honda driver Graham Rahal.

For his part, Rahal was able to make a two-stop strategy work to his advantage, with the Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing driver running especially strong during the middle third of the race, where he led 18 laps and was in contention for the victory. But when the sole caution flag of the race came out on Lap 36, the advantage of Rahal’s two-stop strategy was negated. In the closing laps, Rahal fought off a strong challenge from defending race winner Simon Pagenaud to secure the second step on the podium.

Behind the lead pair, Colton Herta led the way for Andretti Autosport with a solid fourth-place finish, while Dixon’s teammate Marcus Ericsson brought his Honda home in sixth. Santino Ferruci, in night, and Takuma Sato rounded out the top 10 for Honda.

With two wins in two races this season, Honda also continues to lead the IndyCar Manufacturers’ Championship, with an unofficial total of 182 points to 142 points for Chevrolet.

Next
Today’s GMR Grand Prix is the first of three consecutive weekends – and five races – in the resumed 2020 NTT INDYCAR SERIES. The series now heads north to scenic Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, for the July 11-12 doubleheader REV Group Grand Prix. A second doubleheader race weekend follows July 17-18 on the oval at Iowa Speedway.

Honda Racing social media content and videos from the GMR Grand Prix at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway will be available on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/HondaRacingHPD) and Twitter (https://twitter.com/HondaRacing_HPD).  Produced by the CoForce Digital Media, YouTube video packages can be found at: https://www.youtube.com/HondaRacingHPDTV.  

Quotes
Scott Dixon (Chip Ganassi Racing Honda) Started seventh, finished first; second consecutive INDYCAR win to open the 2020 season and 48th career victory: “You don’t know how it’s ever going to go. Graham Rahal was super fast, especially on the [Firestone primary] ‘black’ tires. We got a little bit of luck [with the caution] that put us in the right direction. The Honda power was fantastic, and we made a change on the car [during the second pit stop] and then the PNC car was so much easier to drive that we could just ‘check out’.”

Graham Rahal (Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda) Started fourth, finished second: “I thought the [two-stop] strategy was working perfect. Coming out of the pits after the first stop and still being right with [Will] Power and [Jack] Harvey and all the good guys, all I kept thinking was when the pits cycled through for the last time, we’d have about a 25- or 30-second lead, but obviously the yellow [caution flag] came out and nullified our strategy. But ‘Dixie’ had tremendous pace during the late part of the race. But the Fifth Third Bank car was great today. I thought our guys did a tremendous job. For our team, after [disappointment in] Texas, this feels extremely good for us.”

Ted Klaus (President, Honda Performance Development) on today’s Honda win in the GMR Grand Prix: “It’s fantastic for Honda to break through and win on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course. Every victory at this famous speedway is special. Scott Dixon and Chip Ganassi Racing got it done once again, and we had three HPD teams in the top four with Graham Rahal for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing and Colton Herta with Andretti Autosport. Congrats to everyone at HPD and our partner teams who helped make this great day happen. Everyone earned it today!”

NTT INDYCAR SERIES GMR Grand Prix
Circuit: Indianapolis Motor Speedway (2.439-mile road course) Indianapolis, IN
2019 Winner: Simon Pagenaud (Team Penske) 103.254 mph average
Weather: Mostly sunny, hot, 89 degrees F

Mario Farnbacher, Matt McMurry combine for third-place result in GTD
Acura Team Penske runs fourth overall with Dane Cameron, Juan Pablo Montoya
IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship resumes at Daytona International Speedway

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (July 4, 2020) – Interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic after the season-opening Rolex 24 in January, the 2020 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship resumed Saturday night at Daytona International Speedway, with Meyer Shank Racing leading the way for Acura Motorsports with a third-place finish in the GTD class for drivers Mario Farnbacher and Matt McMurry.

Acura Team Penske
In the premier Daytona Prototype International category, the Acura Team Penske duo of Dane Cameron and Juan Pablo Montoya finished fourth after a late-race battle with the JDC-Miller Motorsports entry of Sebastien Bourdais and Joao Barbosa for the final step on the podium.

With a thunderstorm near Daytona International Speedway delaying the green flag by some 30 minutes, Acura Team Penske elected to start both of their ARX-05 prototypes on wet weather “rain” tires. With the rain stopping after the opening laps, both the pole qualifying Acura of Helio Castroneves and teammate Montoya pitted early for dry weather “slick” tires after a half-dozen laps.

Resuming in the middle of the DPi field, Castroneves and co-driver Ricky Taylor were forced to pit with mechanical issues just as the two-hour, 40-minute contest neared its midpoint, leading theor #6 Acura ARX-05 to retire from the race. Montoya and Cameron had an uneventful run in the caution-free race in their #7 Acura, but were unable to regain the ground lost early in the race, leading to a fourth-place result.

Acura NSX GT3 Evo Teams
In the always-competitive GTD category, the battle for class honors came down to the pair of MSR Acura NSX GT3 Evo’s, pitted against the two-car AIM Vasser-Sullivan team, with just over two-tenths of a second separating the fastest race laps for all four cars.

With a strong opening lap, Misha Goikhberg took the #57 NSX GT3 he shared with Alvaro Parente from sixth in the starting field to second, behind only the pole starting AIM Vasser-Sullivan entry of Aaron Telitz. Meanwhile, after a cautious start in the wet conditions, Matt McMurry worked the #86 Acura up to fifth by the first round of pit stops.

During the middle third of the race, co-drivers Parente in the #57 and Mario Farnbacher in the #86 enjoyed a “fierce but fair” inter-team battle for third place, with Farnbacher eventually establishing himself in the position. Parente then held station in fourth and, although both closed the gap to the GTD leaders in the final 30 minutes, they were unable to challenge for the class victory.

Acura’s three-car GTD lineup was completed at Daytona by Gradient Racing, making its 2020 IMSA GTD debut with drivers Marc Miller and Till Bechtolscheimer. IMSA rookie Bechtolsheimer started and finished the race in the #22 Acura NSX GT3 Evo, with the veteran Miller taking the controls during the middle stint. Despite a brake issue, the pair ended their encouraging debut with a solid 10th-place finish in GTD.

Next
The resumed 2020 WeatherTech SportsCar Championship next moves a couple hours to the southwest for another two-hour, 40-minute contest, the July 18 Grand Prix of Sebring, on the famed road course in central Florida.

Acura Motorsports social media content and video links from the WeatherTech 240 will be available on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/HondaRacingHPD) and Twitter (https://twitter.com/HondaRacing_HPD).  Produced by the CoForce Digital Media, the YouTube videos can be found at: https://www.youtube.com/HondaRacingHPDTV.  

Quotes
Matt McMurry (#57 Meyer Shank Racing Acura NSX GT3) finished third in GTD: “The start was a bit messy with the mixed conditions, but it sorted itself out. The car was great, especially in the [damp but drying] conditions and cooler weather. I was able to make up a bunch of positions over the course of my stint, and handed the car off to Mario. Then he put down some great laps during his last two stints.” 

Mario Farnbacher (#75 Meyer Shank Racing Acura NSX GT3) finished third in GTD: “Matt [McMurry] did a really great job during the his stint. The conditions were tricky, and he had never driven the Acura in the rain before, but he did a great job. We started on slicks, which was a high risk [on a wet track], but it worked out for us in the end. Unfortunately, we didn’t have any yellow [caution] flags today, which would have helped us to catch up to the two cars ahead of us. It was great championship points for us, and hopefully we can have a few more podiums later this year.”

Juan Pablo Montoya (#6 Acura Team Penske ARX-05) finished fourth: “Our car worked really well. We started on the ‘wet’ tires, because I felt like it was the safer option. There were a lot of puddles – at the ‘bus stop’ [chicane] and other places around the track where the walls are really close. The Multimatic [team] cars were really strong tonight, but I feel like we were a match for everyone else.”
 

IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship WeatherTech 240 at Daytona
Circuit: Daytona International Speedway, Daytona Beach, FL
Weather: Cloudy, pre-race and early-race rain showers, humid, 73 degrees F

Top 5 Prototype, Acura Results:
Ps. Drivers Team Chassis Laps / Notes

1. Harry Tincknell / Jonathan Bomarito Mazda Team Joest Mazda RT24 P 95 laps
2. Oliver Jarvis / Tristan Nunez Mazda Team Joest Mazda RT24 P +10.168 seconds
3. Joao Barbosa / Sebastien Bourdais JDC Motorsports Cadillac DPi VR 95 laps
4. Juan Pablo Montoya / Dane Cameron Acura Team Penske Acura ARX-05 95 laps
5. Pipo Derani / Gabby Chaves JDC Motorsports Cadillac DPi VR 95 laps
6. Helio Castroneves / Ricky Taylor Acura Team Penske Acura ARX-05 43 laps–mechanical

Top 5 GTD, Acura Results:
Ps. Drivers Team Chassis Laps / Notes

1. Jack Hawksworth / Aaron Telitz AIM Vasser-Sullivan Lexus RCF GT3 87 laps
2. Townsend Bell / Frankie Montecalvo AIM Vasser-Sullivan Lexus RCF GT3 86 laps
3. Mario Farnbacher / Matt McMurry Meyer Shank Racing Acura NSX GT3 Evo 86 laps
4. Alvaro Parente / Misha Goikhberg Meyer Shank Racing Acura NSX GT3 Evo 86 laps
5. Toni Vilander / Cooper MacNeil Scuderia Corsa Ferrari 488 GT3 86 laps
6. Marc Miller / Till Bechtolscheimer Gradient Racing Acura NSX GT3 Evo

CORONA, Calif. (July 6, 2020) – In response to the rise in consumption of digitally streamed entertainment and the high demand for motorsports racing and automotive content, MAVTV, the only cable television network in the U.S. dedicated solely to motorsports, is pleased to announce the launch of “MAVTV Select” on VIZIO SmartCast TVs. MAVTV Select is a completely free streaming network that specializes in broadcasting select motorsports content, including Pro Motocross, Late Model Dirt, Pro Pulling, ARCA Menards Series and more racing entertainment. MAVTV Select is available on VIZIO SmartCast TVs, effective immediately.

“New technology is changing the way we watch television. The development of TV apps and digital streaming services have provided viewers with unlimited options to consume video entertainment,” stated Ed Niemi, Senior Vice President, Content Distribution & Strategic Partnerships, MAVTV Motorsports Network. “By tapping into our vast media library, we’ve created MAVTV Select, now available on VIZIO SmartCast TVs, to meet the rise in demand for digitally streaming content and expand our availability to motorsports fans throughout the U.S. and around the world.” MAVTV Select will broadcast content from the enormous Lucas Oil Studios library. Daily programming for MAVTV Select is said to remain independent from the existing linear channel. Therefore, LIVE race event programming will stay exclusively on the MAVTV Motorsports Network. MAVTV Select is a free 24/7 channel dedicated to all motorsports and designed to complement the existing MAVTV Motorsports Network. From archived race events, to figure 8 racing, to car build shows, MAVTV Select will broadcast nothing but the best motorsports content.

 

July 6, 2020

Matt DiBenedetto and the No. 21 Red Kap/Menards Ford Mustang ran among the top 10 – and often among the top five – in Sunday’s Big Machine Hand Sanitizer 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway before a last-lap crash dropped him to 19^th at the finish.

But the 11 Stage points he earned allowed him to move up two spots in the points standings to 12^th place, which means he’ll get to draw for one of the top-12 starting positions for next Sunday’s Quaker State 400 at Kentucky Speedway.
 
Sunday’s race started late due to lightning in the area, but when the green flag dropped, DiBenedetto quickly moved up from his 15^th starting position.

He had moved into ninth place when the yellow flag flew for a competition caution period at Lap 12.

The Red Kap/Menards crew opted for a two-tire change, so DiBenedetto moved up to sixth place for the restart and ran in the top 10 until the end of the first 50-lap Stage, where he finished seventh and earned four Stage points.

He stayed on the track during the ensuing caution period and restarted in third place. A lap after the green flag flew he moved into second place, ran there for several laps and then was running third when he pitted for tires and fuel during a caution period at Lap 77.

Back under way he ran in the top five for the remainder of the second Stage and finished that segment in fourth place, earning seven more Stage points.

After another pit stop, DiBenedetto restarted the race’s final segment in 12^th place but quickly worked his way back into the top 10. He took four more fresh tires on a stop at Lap 134 and rejoined the race in ninth place. 

He was running seventh when race leader Denny Hamlin blew a tire and crashed while leading with six laps to go.

That set up an overtime run to the finish. DiBenedetto and Austin Dillon were battling for sixth place on the last lap when contact sent them both spinning, dropping Dillon to 18^th and DiBenedetto to 19^th.

“We had a good run all day,” DiBenedetto said. “The car was solid all day, and the race was dependent all on track position with this high-downforce racing.”

He said he hated that he couldn’t close out an otherwise exceptional day with a top-10 finish.

“On the last lap I got under the 3 car [Austin Dillon] getting into Turn Three,” DiBenedetto said. “He just didn’t quite give me enough room getting in the corner, and we got together, unfortunately.

 “The Stage points saved us.”