Menard Sets His Sights On Win No. 100 For The Wood Brothers

September 12, 2019

As Paul Menard begins to wind down his full-time Cup Series career, he and the Menards/Monster team have one main goal in mind – to deliver the Wood Brothers their 100th Cup victory.

That campaign kicks off this weekend as Menard and the No. 21 Menards/Monster Mustang take on Las Vegas Motor Speedway, which statistically is Menard’s best track.

In 14 career starts on the 1.5-mile Vegas oval, with a best finish of third in 2014 and four other top-10 finishes including two in his past three races there, both of which were aboard the Wood’s No. 21 Ford. Continue reading Menard Sets His Sights On Win No. 100 For The Wood Brothers →

TEAM CHEVY ADVANCE
SOUTH POINT 400
LAS VEGAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA
SEPTEMBER 15, 2019

BOWTIE BULLETS:
CHEVROLET’S STARTING FIVE IN PLAYOFFS
Five Chevrolet drivers qualified for the 10-race Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs that will determine the champion.
Seed Driver
7 Chase Elliott, No. 9 NAPA Filters Camaro ZL1 (2 wins, 11 top 10s, 3 poles)
8 Kurt Busch, No. 1 Gearwrench Camaro ZL1 (1 win, 14 top 10s)
9 Kyle Larson, No. 42 Clover Camaro ZL1 (12 top 10s, 1 pole)
10 Alex Bowman, No. 88 Nationwide Camaro ZL1 (1 win, 7 top 10s)
13 William Byron, No. 24 Liberty University Camaro ZL1 (4 poles, 9 top 10s) Continue reading Chevy Racing–NASCAR–Las Vegas Bowtie Bullets →

JOHN FORCE FOCUSED ON MORE THAN JUST WINNING ANOTHER READING RACE
READING, Pa. (Sept. 11, 2019) — John Force, driver of the PEAK Coolant and Motor Oil / Blue Diesel Fuel Additives Chevrolet Camaro SS, rolls into Maple Grove Raceway for this week’s 35th Mopar Express Lane NHRA Nationals presented by Pennzoil not as a curiosity, but as a bona fide contender for the 2019 Mello Yello Funny Car Championship.
Continue reading JOHN FORCE FOCUSED ON MORE THAN JUST WINNING ANOTHER READING RACE →

Giovanni Scelzi Impresses at Driven2SaveLives BC39 and Tuscarora 50 Events

Inside Line Promotions – PORT ROYAL, Pa. (Sept. 11, 2019) – Giovanni Scelzi earned impressive results during a pair of marquee racing events last week.

Scelzi won both a heat race and a qualifier before recording a 14 th-place result out of more than 80 drivers during the Driven2SaveLives BC39, which was only his sixth career start in a midget and first in a year. He then picked up a top five out of more than 50 sprint car drivers during the famed Tuscarora 50 weekend.

“It was a great week overall,” he said. “We did well in both cars. A big thanks to Toyota Racing Development and Jack Irving as well as Tucker-Boat Motorsports for the opportunity to race the BC39. I thought it went really well. Not running a midget for a year and then to win a heat and a qualifier and make the A Main was pretty good given how many great drivers were there.” Continue reading Giovanni Scelzi Impresses at Driven2SaveLives BC39 and Tuscarora 50 Events →

CHEVROLET AT READING

What: Mopar Express Lane NHRA Nationals
When: Friday, Sept. 13-Sunday, Sept. 15
Where: Maple Grove Raceway in Mohnton, Pennsylvania
TV: FS1 will telecast eliminations and finals live at 2 p.m. ET September 15

Chevrolet drivers seek quick start in the Countdown
Team Chevy holds No. 1 seeds in Funny Car, Pro Stock entering first round

DETROIT (September 11, 2019) – The game plan for every Chevrolet driver competing for a National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) title remains the same entering the first round of the Countdown to the Championship as it did the first race of the season. Continue reading Chevy Racing–NHRA–Reading Advance →

ROBERT HIGHT AND AUTOMOBILE CLUB OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA BEGIN PLAYOFF HUNT FOR THIRD CHAMPIONSHIP
READING, Pa. (Sept. 11, 2019) — With the regular season championship under their belt, Robert Hight and the Automobile Club of Southern California Chevrolet Camaro SS team are making their way to the first of six races in NHRA’s Countdown to the Championship, the Mopar Express Lane NHRA Nationals presented by Pennzoil, with eyes set on winning a third Funny Car championship title. Continue reading ROBERT HIGHT AND AUTOMOBILE CLUB OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA BEGIN PLAYOFF HUNT FOR THIRD CHAMPIONSHIP →

BRITTANY FORCE AND ADVANCE AUTO PARTS EAGER TO KICK OFF COUNTDOWN TO THE CHAMPIONSHIP AT MAPLE GROVE RACEWAY
READING, Pa. (Sept. 11, 2019) — After another impressive weekend at the Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals, Brittany Force and the Advance Auto Parts team are confident they’ll continue their high performance as they enter the 19th event on the NHRA Mello Yello schedule and first of six races in the Countdown to the Championship, the Mopar Express Lane NHRA Nationals Presented by Pennzoil. Continue reading BRITTANY FORCE AND ADVANCE AUTO PARTS EAGER TO KICK OFF COUNTDOWN TO THE CHAMPIONSHIP AT MAPLE GROVE RACEWAY →

AUSTIN PROCK AND MONTANA BRAND / ROCKY MOUNTAIN TWIST DRIVEN FOR SUCCESS AT NHRA NATIONALS AT MAPLE GROVE RACEWAY
READING, Pa. (Sept. 11, 2019) — Austin Prock and the Montana Brand / Rocky Mountain Twist Top Fuel team are heading to the first event of Mello Yello Countdown to the Championship, NHRA’s six-race playoffs, the Mopar Express Lane NHRA Nationals presented by Pennzoil, ready to keep up the momentum as they compete for the Top Fuel championship title. Continue reading AUSTIN PROCK AND MONTANA BRAND / ROCKY MOUNTAIN TWIST DRIVEN FOR SUCCESS AT NHRA NATIONALS AT MAPLE GROVE RACEWAY →

‘Time to put on a show,’ says five-time
Pro Stock champ Jeg Coughlin Jr.
Troy Coughlin Jr. anxious to defend Reading TAD title
READING, Pa. (Sept. 10) — Team JEGS drag racers Jeg Coughlin Jr. and Troy Coughlin Jr. showing no signs of stress on the cusp of the Mopar Express Lane NHRA Nationals despite the fact both men are in the midst of challenging championship battles in Pro Stock and Top Alcohol Dragster, respectively. Continue reading ‘Time to put on a show,’ says five-time Pro Stock champ Jeg Coughlin Jr. →

Richard Childress Racing’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series History at Las Vegas Motor Speedway … In 66 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series starts at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Richard Childress Racing Chevrolets have earned 10 top-five and 21 top-10 finishes.

RCR in the MENCS … In 2,973 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series starts dating back to 1969, RCR has amassed 51 pole awards,108 wins, 489 top-five finishes and 1,074 top-10 finishes, with an average starting position of 17.7 and an average finishing position of 16.2. RCR has earned 15 total championships (six Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series championships with Earnhardt in 1986, ’87, ’90, ’91, ’93 and ’94, six NASCAR Xfinity Series titles, two NASCAR Camping World Truck Series titles and one ARCA Menards Series title) and was the first organization to win titles in NASCAR’s three national series. Continue reading RCR Event Preview – Las Vegas Motor Speedway →

CORVETTE RACING AT LAGUNA SECA: Twenty-First Trip to Monterey
Program has competed in Monterey every year since 1999

• Magnussen, Gavin enter with four class victories each in Monterey
• No. 3 Corvette still alive in GT Le Mans title chase
• Continued quest for IMSA victory No. 100
• Live race broadcast at 3 p.m. ET Sunday on NBC
DETROIT (Sept. 10, 2019) – Corvette Racing heads westward again this week with sights set on WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca and an eighth class victory in 21 appearances on the Monterey Peninsula.

The Monterey Sports Car Championship – airing live at 3 p.m. ET Sunday on NBC – is the 10th of 11 events for Corvette Racing in this year’s IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. The goals are simple: score a 100th victory in IMSA competition and remain in contention for a fourth straight GT Le Mans (GTLM) championship. Continue reading CORVETTE RACING AT LAGUNA SECA: Twenty-First Trip to Monterey →

PAUL MENARD TO RETIRE FROM FULL-TIME CUP SERIES RACING AFTER 2019 SEASON
Matt DiBenedetto to Join Wood Brothers Racing and Drive the No. 21 Ford in 2020

STUART, VA (September 10, 2019) – Wood Brothers Racing, the oldest active NASCAR team and one of the winningest teams in series history, announced today that driver Paul Menard will transition from full-time Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series (MENCS) racing after the 2019 season. Matt DiBenedetto will join the team next season and will race the iconic No. 21 Ford Mustang beginning in 2020.

Over the last two seasons, Menard has driven the No. 21 Menards/Motorcraft/Quick Lane Tire & Auto Centers Ford for Wood Brothers Racing, which formed a technical alliance with Team Penske in 2015. After 16 seasons and more than 460 Cup Series races, the veteran driver has made the decision to move on from full-time Cup Series racing after 2019 and spend more time with his family. Continue reading PAUL MENARD TO RETIRE FROM FULL-TIME CUP SERIES RACING AFTER 2019 SEASON →

Monterey Sports Car Championship
WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, Monterey, California
3 p.m. EDT Sunday, September 15, 2019
NBC
Additional live coverage on NBCSports.com, Radio Le Mans and IMSA.TV.com

ACURA, HPD AT LAGUNA SECA
• Acura Motorsports and HPD have a long, successful history at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, recording 14 victories – more than at any other racing circuit – in Camel Lights, LMP1, LMP2, Prototype and GTD competition from 1993-2018. Continue reading Monterey Sports Car Championship →

Dodge//SRT Mopar Drivers and Teams Begin Championship Playoffs at Mopar Express Lane NHRA Nationals
Mopar returns as Title Sponsor in first of six events to determine 2019 NHRA Champions

· Dodge//SRT Mopar drivers Matt Hagan, Tommy Johnson, Jr. Jack Beckman, and Ron Capps begin NHRA Funny Car championship chase at Maple Grove Raceway in Reading, Pa.
· Leah Pritchett set to battle for NHRA Top Fuel championship in HEMI®-powered Mopar Dodge Top Fuel Dragster
· Fourth annual Mopar Mega Block Party at FirstEnergy Stadium set for 4-10 p.m. ET on Thursday, Sept. 12; featuring home run derby with NHRA stars, NHRA driver autograph session, Mopar car show, Raminator monster truck rides and more
· Mopar Career Automotive Program (CAP) “Assemble Your Future” initiative hosts local, next-generation service technician students for at-track activities as a reward for their participation in the program Continue reading Dodge//SRT Mopar Drivers and Teams Begin Championship Playoffs at Mopar Express Lane NHRA Nationals →

NARC NEWSLINE – SEPTEMBER 10, 2019, By Jim Allen … Although the marketing slogan reads the Fastest Four Days in Motorsports, it’s actually four complete high-intensity racing programs jammed into a short 80-hour span. Now .., deduct about 24 hours for sleep (hopefully); 28 hours at the race track; and depending on your location, about 14-16 hours of travel, and you’re lucky to squeeze in a few meals and beers. Then there were those of us who actually went to work between races, or those who wrenched on race cars between events. Now that’s dedication! No matter how you slice it, after this sprint car blitz, it’s was a good kind of tired! Here’s some of the highlights & low-lights: Continue reading NARC Newsline – September 10, 2019 →

NHRA® Team Report
Dodge® NHRA® Nationals – Reading
Pre-Race Report

Cruz Pedregon and team have been busy in the shop and will be trying out several new parts on the Snap-on Dodge® this weekend in Reading. “Our focus as a team for the rest of the season is to win races and make sure the car is running its best. I’m really proud of Glen (Huszar) and Nick (Casertano) and the solid young team we’ve built,” Cruz says. “I posted a message to all our fans on social media after the Countdown was determined to thank them for their support, let them know we’re focusing our energy on the final six races and a strong finish.”

Crew Chief Huszar says, “Nick and I have been working with Cruz and the team on the engine/clutch combination. It’s performing well, but still needs some work. We’re trying out some additional new parts, and we believe it’ll all work well together for the rest of the season and be a positive for the 2020 season ahead.”

Cruz will have a special guest in his pit Saturday when he welcomes one of his favorite athletes — boxing legend Larry Holmes. Holmes is a former WBC, Ring Magazine and Lineal Heavyweight Champion of the World and the founder of the Heart of a Legend foundation. The foundation’s mission is to help the underprivileged by supporting and assisting local cities and communities. Holmes and his family will be in Cruz’s pit for qualifying and will have two signed boxing gloves to auction off to benefit the Heart of a Legend foundation. Holmes drag raced in years past, but this will be his first time to attend an NHRA event. He says he’s excited to see the “hot rods” at Maple Grove Raceway.

Dominic Scelzi Passes 21 Cars During Main Events at Silver Dollar Speedway

Inside Line Promotions – CHICO, Calif. (Sept. 9, 2019) – Dominic Scelzi made progress throughout each of four straight nights of sprint car competition at Silver Dollar Speedway last week.

Scelzi guided his family owned team to a top five on Wednesday and he was in contention to duplicate the performance the ensuing night before a flat tire resulted in a DNF. The team then maneuvered from 17th to 12 th on Friday and from 20th to 13th on Saturday during World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series events.

“That’s a positive to move forward like we did, but if you want to win World of Outlaws races and compete to win you have to qualify near the front,” he said. “When you don’t do that you take yourself out of contention. I know we can race and I feel confident in our program. We just needed to qualify better to be in the best position.” Continue reading Dominic Scelzi Passes 21 Cars During Main Events at Silver Dollar Speedway →

BACK-TO-BACK FORD WINS AT INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY- HARVICK KISSES THE BRICKS

INDIANAPOLIS, IN – September 9, 2019 – Kevin Harvick was the big winner at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, winning the Brickyard 400. This was Harvick’s third win of the season and Stewart-Haas Racing’s 54th overall Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series win. In addition, this marked Ford’s second win in a row at the Brickyard (Brad Keselowski 2018).

“Congratulations Kevin, Tony, Gene, and the No. 4 crew” said Doug Yates, President and CEO of Roush Yates Engines. “Our Ford Performance teams were fast in qualifying as Kevin, Paul, Clint, and Joey qualified 1 through 4. To see the cars and drivers perform at the highest level in the sport is a testament to the team’s effort and determination to win. It’s special to be able to kiss the bricks two years in the row and congratulations to our Ford drivers advancing to this year’s playoffs.”

One of the world’s iconic racetracks and crown-jewel events in the sport proved to be the perfect match for Harvick, as he came out strong during Sunday morning’s qualifying, to secure the pole with a 48.448 second run at 185.766 mph. Continue reading BACK-TO-BACK FORD WINS AT INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY- HARVICK KISSES THE BRICKS →

Menard Finishes 10th After Starting From Outside Pole At Indy

September 8, 2019

Paul Menard and the No. 21 Menards/Dutch Boy team had one of their strongest runs of the season in the Big Machine Vodka 400 at the Brickyard.

Menard was the fastest in Happy Hour practice on Saturday then backed that up by winning the outside pole during Sunday morning’s qualifying session.

Throughout the 400-mile run at the iconic Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Menard kept his No. 21 Mustang in the mix, dodging crashes on several occasions and running in the lead group for the first half of the 400-mile race.

His chances of a good finish seemed to in jeopardy when he was collected in a Lap 105 multi-car crash that saw the left front of the Menards Mustang damaged despite Menards’ best efforts to avoid the cars spinning all around him. Continue reading Menard Finishes 10th After Starting From Outside Pole At Indy →

Austin Dillon and the SYMBICORT® (budesonide/formoterol fumarate dihydrate) Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 Team Earn Hard-Fought 12th-Place Finish at Indianapolis Motor Speedway

“Starting off, our SYMBICORT® (budesonide/formoterol fumarate dihydrate) Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 was tight in Turn 2 but handled really well everywhere else on the track. Trouble came early though when the caution flag was displayed during Stage 1. We all came down pit road to pit and a big group of cars got jumbled on pit road and started making contact with each other. The cars in front of me started colliding and I made contact with the No. 9 car, then the No. 17 car drove through all of us because someone hit him from behind, too. The craziest part of this entire race is pit road. You’re dodging slower cars and if something happens you have no where to go. You can’t dodge left. You can’t go anywhere. We were able to make repairs to our Chevy, but the damage definitely created handling issues for the rest of the day. We raced our way as high as seventh but the handling was so tight that we lost a few positions at the end to finish 12th. I’m proud of this team. We had a plan and we stuck to it. It feels great to put together a solid race for our partner AstraZeneca and everyone associated with the No. 3 team.”

-Austin Dillon

Late-Race Wreck Collects Daniel Hemric and The No. 8
Liberty National Chevrolet Team in First Brickyard 400 Start

“This was an important day, making my first Brickyard 400 start in the No. 8 Liberty National Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, and we had a really solid race going until we were involved in an on-track incident with about 50 laps remaining. I felt like we had a good restart and I got to the bottom, which is where you need to be. The next thing I knew I saw the No. 48 car sideways. I saw the left side of his car, his nose through the grass. I thought I had it missed but someone got turned down and caught me in the right side and turned me into the outside wall. I’m not sure what started it or what happened – it was just chaos. That’s been the story for this No. 8 team all year. Everybody on this team works too hard to have this many unfortunate things happen to us. We’ll put this one behind us and move on to Las Vegas next week.”
-Daniel Hemric