GAINESVILLE, FL (March 5, 2025) — 2022 NHRA Rookie of the Year Camrie Caruso will be at the Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals, but the multi-time Pro Stock winner will not be dropping the hammer in competition. The rising star in the NHRA bounced back from an early season crash at the 2024 Arizona Nationals that sidelined her with a broken leg for most of the 2024 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season, despite having plans to compete full-time. Unforeseen circumstances have Caruso looking at options to add more wins and a Pro Stock championship in 2025. “We had a solid plan for 2025 with F6 Motorsports and then some things changed that were beyond my control,” said Caruso, who has raced at every level of the NHRA. “My goal is to talk with some people at the Gatornationals and take some time over the next few weeks to get a long-term plan together. I have serious marketing relationships that want to be a part of the NHRA.” Caruso took the win at the 2023 Pro Stock Allstar Callout in Chicago, photo courtesy of NHRA/National DragsterCaruso has represented a wide range of non-traditional sponsors throughout her career including Florida-based companies like True Brand and Big Jeff Audio. Heading into the 2025 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season Caruso will be on-site throughout the weekend signing autographs for fans. On race day she will be a special guest on the NHRA stage talking about the elimination rounds in Pro Stock.

LONG BEACH, CA (March 5, 2025) — You can call Buddy Hull many things, a Funny Car driver, a business owner, a husband and father, among other things. But one thing you can’t call him anymore is a rookie. The driver for Jim Dunn Racing is setting out for his second season behind a nitro Funny Car at the AMALIE Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals at Gainesville Raceway, March 6-9. With one full-time season of racing underneath his belt, he’s ready to attack the 2025 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season with a vengeance driving the True Brand/Tillamook Funny Car. 

“I’ll always look at my 2024 season fondly,” said Hull. “It was the year that the legendary Big Jim Dunn took a chance on me, and I made the leap from driving a Top Fuel dragster to a nitro Funny Car. That in and of itself was a dream come true. And then to hit other highlights, like winning my first round of racing at the historic U.S. Nationals, launching my show ‘Talkin’ Funny Cars with Buddy Hull’ on the NHRA FAST Channel, and bringing my newborn son, Maverick, out to the track for the first time. It was a great first Funny Car season, so I want to keep that momentum going and make my second season even better, on and off the track.”


Hull has many goals for the 2025 season, and while he knows the 20-race season is a marathon and not a sprint, he acknowledges how important it is to have a good showing at the first race of the year.

“My biggest goal for the season is I want to finish in the Top 10,” said Hull. “The Funny Car class is more competitive than ever before, so I know this won’t be an easy task. But I truly believe that we have the right team in Jim Dunn Racing to make this happen.”

One of those partners is True Brand, the primary sponsor of the Jim Dunn Racing Funny Car for the Gatornationals. True Brand came on as a Jim Dunn Racing sponsor in 2024, and the sponsorship was so successful that this year they have decided to expand their program. 

True Brand performance additives and treatments can be used in all types of engines, fuel systems, gear/transmissions, and hydraulic systems. Since 1976, True Brand products have been used in the automotive, phosphate, citrus, railroad, steel, coal, and entertainment industries. True Brand has grown to more than 100 employees and more than 50 distributors around the world. Over the years, they have been fortunate enough to partner with and be the supplier of choice for companies such as Disney, Busch Gardens, Firestone, Goodyear, Jiffy Lube, Tires Plus, Tire Kingdom, Southeast Toyota U.S.A., Toyota of Japan, and Mazda of Japan.

“We could not do what we do without incredible sponsors like True Brand,” said Hull. “It’s an honor to represent their brand and provide them with the best possible at-track experience. When they expressed that they were interested in doing even more with Jim Dunn Racing in 2025, that was such a vote of confidence in our program, and what they believe we can do this season.”

In addition to True Brand, Hull will also represent season-long sponsors Lescure Mechanical Services, Mooneyes, Blaze Exhaust Probes, KGC Construction, Vertex Roofers and General Contractors, Crow Safety, Koppl Pipeline Services, USD and Wiley X. 

Always one to be busy on and off the track, Hull will also be participating the Burnyzz FanFest on Wednesday from 6-9 p.m. Fans can also plan to catch Hull on the NHRA Stage with Hannah Rickards for New Fan Orientation on Saturday at 11:15 a.m. And on Thursday morning, Hull will be joining in a charity fishing experience benefiting the Darrell Gwynn Foundation with retired drag racer and paraplegic Darrell Gwynn. The drivers will take off from Kate Barnes Park, in the Gainesville area and spend the morning talking racing and what the Gatornationals means to their respective careers

“I am a blessed man to be able to do what I do,” said Hull. “So anytime I can spend time with fans, give back to charity or serve as an ambassador for the sport, I am going to do that. Going over 320 mph is cool and all, but it’s all the other aspects of this sport, the stuff that involves the people, that makes it all worthwhile. Me and Jim Dunn Racing have a lot of people in our corner supporting us, and this weekend in Florida is just the start of making them proud in 2025.”  

Hull and the Jim Dunn Racing team will be on track for the first time this season with two qualifying runs on Friday, March 7 and then two more qualifying runs on March 8 at Gainesville Raceway. The top 16 quickest Funny Cars will battle it out for the Wally and a special Gatornationals trophy starting on Sunday, March 9 at 11 a.m. ET with the first round of eliminations live on FS1. For tickets or more information on the NHRA Gatornationals visit nhra.com. 

OCALA, FL (March 5, 2025) —- Top Fuel team owner and driver Josh Hart has always kept a positive attitude even when times were tough. The fifth-year pro will be campaigning the R+L Carriers Top Fuel dragster at this weekend’s historic NHRA Gatornationals and for the businessman from Ocala, Florida, the pursuit of his first Top Fuel world championship is another goal in a long list of successes. Nearly two decades ago, with only $300 he started a mobile car detailing business with his wife Brittanie, and they built that business into multiple successful business ventures. He won his first professional Top Fuel NHRA national event at the 2021 NHRA Gatornationals and he won the first big money Top Fuel specialty race he ever competed in, the 2023 Pep Boys All-Star Top Fuel Callout. He is once again focusing his “Anything’s Possible” mantra on the 2025 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series and the run for the world championship.

“I am very focused and excited to get this season started,” said Hart, a multi-time national event winner. “We made some changes over the offseason that have already started to pay off. We added Jason McCulloch to the team to work with crew chief Ron Douglas and we have some new crew guys. I think we will be ready to go for the Gatornationals and I would love to start the season with another win. We came close a few weeks ago in Bradenton.”


Hart along with a host of top NHRA teams participated in the 2nd annual SCAG Power Equipment PRO Superstar Shootout at Bradenton Motorsports Park the first weekend of February. The specialty race pitted the top full-time Top Fuel and Funny Cars in an eight-car qualified field shootout following two days of qualifying. Hart raced to the final round losing a close race to Shawn Reed. His R+L Carriers Top Fuel dragster was flawless on race day and that performance has Hart and the entire team very motivated for more success at Gainesville Raceway.

“The PRO Superstar Shootout was a lot of fun,” said Hart. “We went some rounds and that was a close race in the final with Shawn. I think it showed that this R+L Carriers team will be a threat every race and we are going to work to get even better. Our performance numbers were very quick in the warmer conditions and now we are working on getting quicker and faster when it cools off. We are planning to try and get some runs in testing before the Gatornationals but either way we will be ready when qualifying starts on Friday.”

Hart has had success at Gainesville Raceway winning his first Top Fuel national event in 2021 and then winning the big money specialty race, the Pep Boys Allstar Top Fuel Callout in 2023. Last year as the No. 12 qualifier he upset Tony Schumacher in the first round and bowed out in the quarterfinals to 2024 NHRA world champion Antron Brown.

Before the on-track action starts the Harts and their team members at Burnyzz Speed Shop in Ocala will host the 3rd annual Burnyzz Speed Shop Fanfest and Car Show on Wednesday night. The free event has become the must-attend fan event leading up to the Gatornationals with over three dozen NHRA professional drivers as well as a host of former Gatornationals winners including Big Daddy Don Garlits, Frank Hawley and driver turned crew chief David Grubnic in attendance signing autographs for fans. A complete list of drivers scheduled to attend can be found here. There will also be hundreds of classic cars on display along with a live band, food trucks and all sorts of activities for kids. 

“The Fanfest has become a fun event for everyone at Burnyzz Speed Shop to host,” said Brittanie Hart, co-owner of Burnyzz Speed Shop. “We do multiple car shows throughout the year to raise money for local charities. This is our first year that we’ve had a sponsor for the event. Citizens First Bank reached out, and they just thought that it was such a great event, so they wanted to be a part of it. We have a different charity this year.”

“We try to choose a different one each year that we put on this event. So, all funds we raise will be donated to EARS, a local endangered animal sanctuary. We’ll have a live band, about eight food trucks, balloon animals, face painting, and tons of cool cars. There will be handmade trophies for the car show. It should be a lot of fun.”

Hart will turn his attention to the race on Friday with two qualifying runs. On Saturday the R+L Carriers Top Fuel team will get two more qualifying sessions to grab as high a spot in the 16-car qualified field. Final eliminations will begin on Sunday at 11 a.m. ET with the race being televised nationally on FS1. For more information about the race or to purchase tickets visit www.nhra.

The Series returns to both southern tracks after a one-year absence from each

EASTABOGA, AL (March 5, 2025) – The Greatest Show on Dirt sets its sights on the “Dirty South” this weekend.

The country’s best Sprint Car teams have left the “Sunshine State” with Alabama and Mississippi in their sights. First up, the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars make a stop at Eastaboga AL’s Talladega Short Track on Friday, March 7. The bullring is a tad shorter but just as intense as it’s 2.66-mile neighbor down the street, the Talladega Superspeedway. Then, it’s over to Magnolia Motor Speedway in Columbus, MS on Saturday, March 8.

It’ll be the 13th visit in Series history to Talladega while “The Mag” welcomes the World of Outlaws for just the third time. For both states on the agenda, it’s the only time each will host the Series in 2025.

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Let’s look at the southern weekend’s top storylines:

HITTING THE ROAD: The first six races of the season kept the World of Outlaws firmly fixed in Florida, but now the real grind is set to begin.

The southern trip ahead marks the first of 17 consecutive weekends of action. The tour will visit five states before the month of March concludes.

During the upcoming stretch of non-stop Sprint Car racing the month of May features 13 races at 10 tracks, including a trip to Canada. Half miles, bullrings and everything in between await the nation’s top Sprint Car talent.

FEELS LIKE THE FIRST TIME: Fourteen years ago, Jason Meyers was at the height of his career – the reigning World of Outlaws champion on his way to another title and amid a five-race winning streak. But a 19-year-old Connecticut kid brought the streak to a halt.

David Gravel bested Meyers in a duel at Talladega to bag his first Series victory. It became the first of many as the Watertown, CT native now owns 105 (tied seventh most all-time) and returns to the Alabama oval carrying the title of defending champion.

His two most recent victories came earlier this week when Gravel swept Volusia’s Bike Week Jamboree. He and the Big Game Motorsports team have five podiums and no finish worse than fourth through six races in 2025. Gravel goes for his second Talladega triumph on Friday, as well as his first ever three-race win streak with the World of Outlaws.

NEW RIDE, SAME RESULT?: Two seasons ago Michael “Buddy” Kofoid was still making a name for himself on the national Sprint Car scene. He’d come from a promising start in California before, focusing heavily on Midgets in 2020-2022, leading to consecutive USAC championships in 2021 and 2022.

Kofoid’s attention turned back to a primary Sprint Car focus in 2023. The Penngrove, CA native already had one World of Outlaws win under his belt (2022 at Huset’s Speedway) and steered to another at Talladega in March of 2023.

That win came with CMS Racing, and this weekend the 23-year-old heads back to ‘Dega amid his sophomore World of Outlaws season aboard the Roth Motorsports No. 83. He’s now fully established himself as one of the sport’s top stars after one of the best rookie campaigns ever in 2024.

THE MAN AT THE MAG: It’s tough to top Sheldon’s Haudenschild’s record at Magnolia.

The Wooster, OH native topped the Series debut back in 2021. He followed that up by leading nine laps in 2023 before ultimately bringing the Stenhouse Jr.-Marshall Racing ride home with a podium. Haudenschild’s average finish in two starts is second.

He’ll be in search of similar speed this weekend as it’s been an up and down ninth season on tour so far. The last four races have led to finishes of ninth, 20th, fourth and 15th. Haudenschild currently sits seventh in points.

SEASONED SCHATZ: There’s one driver among the full-time 2025 World of Outlaws roster that has competed in every Series race at both Talladega and Magnolia, and to no surprise his name is Donny Schatz.

The 10-time Series champion will have the experience advantage when the tour rolls into ‘Dega on Friday. He’s been in all 12 Features the facility has hosted. Schatz is still after his first win there, but he’s peaked at second twice (2002 & 2011), and he’s been in the top five in half of his appearances. His team, Tony Stewart/Curb Agajanian Racing, has won three times at Talladega with Danny Lasoski behind the wheel. Over at Magnolia, consistency has also been the story for the Fargo, ND driver. His two outings have led to a pair of fourth-place finishes.

Schatz’s 2025 has unfolded similar to last year so far. He’s already passed 42 cars through six Features, averaging advancing seven positions per main event. The charges have led him to four top 10s and sitting fourth in points.

LEADING THE ROOKIES: The 2025 Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year battle welcomed plenty of attention as the season began. Six rookies signed on, and the tour has since added another with Conner Morrell throwing his name into the mix before Bike Week. So far, it’s Chris Windom leading the way.

After recently welcoming his first child, Waylon, to the world, the USAC Triple Crown champion delivered a pair of impressive drives earlier this week. Windom narrowly missed the Toyota Dash on Sunday before finishing eighth in the Feature. The following night, he wheeled the Sides Motorsports No. 7S from 22nd to 10th. Those results coupled with his DIRTcar Nationals efforts have him 10th in overall points and atop the rookie standings. The Canton, IL native will debut at both Talladega and Magnolia this weekend.

Behind Windom, it’s a 22-point gap back to his closest challenger Garet Williamson. Then, 16 points behind him is Hunter Schuerenberg. The two have previous laps at Talladega and Magnolia in World of Outlaws competition.

THIS WEEKEND AT A GLANCE

WHEN AND WHERE 
Friday, March 7 at Talladega Short Track in Eastaboga, AL
Saturday, March 8 at Magnolia Motor Speedway in Columbus, MS

ON THE INTERNET
World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series
X – @WorldofOutlaws
Instagram – @WoOSprint
Facebook – Facebook.com/WorldofOutlawsSprintCarSeries
YouTube – Youtube.com/WorldofOutlaws
DIRTVision – DIRTVision.com – Platinum annual FAST PASS for $299 or monthly FAST PASS for $39/month

CURRENT CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS (6/89 Races):
1. David Gravel – Big Game Motorsports No. 2 (820 PTS)
2. Logan Schuchart – Shark Racing No. 1S (-44 PTS)
3. Carson Macedo – Jason Johnson Racing No. 41 (-46 PTS)
4. Donny Schatz – Tony Stewart/Curb Agajanian Racing No. 15 (-82 PTS)
5. Michael Kofoid – Roth Motorsports No. 83 (-82 PTS)
6. Jacob Allen – Shark Racing No. 1A (-98 PTS)
7. Sheldon Haudenschild – Stenhouse Jr.-Marshall Racing No. 17 (-114 PTS)
8. Bill Balog – B2 Motorsports No. 17B (-122 PTS)
9. Giovanni Scelzi – KCP Racing No. 18 (-128 PTS)
10. Chris Windom – Sides Motorsports No. 7S (-146 PTS)

NOS ENERGY DRINK FEATURE WINNERS (3 Drivers): 
2 Wins – Kyle Larson, David Gravel
1 Win – Carson Macedo, Christopher Bell

FEATURE LAPS LED (6 Drivers):
51 Laps – Kyle Larson
40 Laps – David Gravel
25 Laps – Carson Macedo
17 Laps – Emerson Axsom
14 Laps – Giovanni Scelzi
8 Laps – Christopher Bell

SIMPSON PERFORMANCE PRODUCTS QUICKTIME AWARDS (5 Drivers):
2 Quick Times – David Gravel
1 Quick Time – Emerson Axsom, Kyle Larson, Danny Sams III, Logan Schuchart

HEAT RACE WINNERS (11 Drivers): 
4 Heat Wins – Carson Macedo
3 Heat Wins – Christopher Bell, Kyle Larson, David Gravel
2 Heat Wins – Logan Schuchart, Brian Brown, Bill Balog, Jacob Allen
1 Heat Win – Emerson Axsom, Sheldon Haudenschild, Hunter Schuerenberg

TOYOTA DASH APPEARANCES (22 Drivers):
5 Dashes – David Gravel, Carson Macedo, Logan Schuchart
4 Dashes – Brian Brown
3 Dashes – Christopher Bell, Kyle Larson, Emerson Axsom, Bill Balog
2 Dashes – Michael Kofoid, Danny Sams III, Jacob Allen
1 Dash – Justin Peck, Brad Sweet, Ryan Timms, Tyler Courtney, Parker Price-Miller, Sheldon Haudenschild, Aaron Reutzel, Garet Williamson, Gio Scelzi, Hunter Schuerenberg, Cole Macedo

MICRO-LITE LAST CHANCE SHOWDOWN WINS (6 Drivers):
1 LCS Win – Donny Schatz, Ryan Timms, Giovanni Scelzi, Garet Williamson, Chris Martin, Anthony Macri

KSE HARD CHARGER AWARDS (5 Drivers):
2 Hard Chargers – Ryan Timms
1 Hard Charger – Donny Schatz, Logan Schuchart, Cole Macedo, Chris Windom

PODIUM FINISHES (8 Drivers):
5 Podiums – David Gravel
4 Podiums – Kyle Larson
3 Podiums – Logan Schuchart
2 Podiums – Christopher Bell
1 Podium – Carson Macedo, Aaron Reutzel, Jacob Allen, Giovanni Scelzi

TOP 10 FINISHES (24 Drivers): 
6 Top 10s – David Gravel
5 Top 10s – Carson Macedo, Logan Schuchart
4 Top 10s – Kyle Larson, Donny Schatz
3 Top 10s – Ryan Timms, Brad Sweet, Tyler Courtney, Justin Peck, Michael Kofoid
2 Top 10s – Christopher Bell, Bill Balog, Aaron Reutzel, Chris Windom, Giovanni Scelzi, Jacob Allen, Sheldon Haudenschild
1 Top 10 – Danny Sams III, Brian Brown, Parker Price-Miller, Anthony Macri, Cole Macedo, Hunter Schuerenberg, Spencer Bayston

2025 WORLD OF OUTLAWS SPRINT CAR WINNERS:
No. / Day, Date / Track / Location / Winner (Total Wins)
1. Wed, Feb 7 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / Carson Macedo (1)
2. Thurs, Feb 8 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / Christopher Bell (1)
3. Fri, Feb 9 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / Kyle Larson (1)
4. Sat, Feb 10 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / Kyle Larson (2)
5. Sun, March 2 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / David Gravel (1)
6. Mon, March 3 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / David Gravel (2)

For the complete 2025 schedule, CLICK HERE.

CONCORD, NC (March 5, 2025) – At the end of the 2024 season, all Drake Troutman was looking for was a chance.

The former DIRTcar UMP Modified standout had what he needed to get up and down the road with his own No. 7 Late Model team, but he was still in search of an opportunity to become a legitimate contender on the national stage. Then came the call from G.R. Smith.

“Last year, I ran my own deal strictly off sponsorship and I couldn’t continue to do that anymore,” Troutman said. “That was one of those deals where we just tried to get through last year to turn some heads and hopefully get a ride. I’m really fortunate that G.R. reached out to me and gave me this awesome opportunity.

“I don’t really have an option but to make it a long-term relationship. Now that we’re in this deal together, I feel like I’m a really loyal person and I like to have things long-term. I don’t like to be hopping around. Me and G.R. have been clicking really good together, he’s been awesome to work with and he’s given me everything I need to go out and compete on a national level.”

Once the deal was done, Smith and Troutman set their sights on a MD3 Rookie of the Year Award run with the World of Outlaws Late Models, which kicked off with a pair of events in the “Sunshine State” at Volusia Speedway Park.

Troutman is a winner at the “World’s Fastest Half Mile” in Modified action but had a personal best of 18th in six Outlaw appearances at Volusia prior to 2025. However, finishes of sixth and 15th at DIRTcar Sunshine Nationals made it seem like Troutman was on the right track, giving him reason for optimism going into Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals.

The six-night stretch didn’t start off how the No. 22* team were hoping, though. Troutman missed the Feature on Monday’s opening night of DIRTcar Late Model competition and failed to crack the top 10 in the next four nights.

Entering Saturday’s finale, Troutman’s only goal was to bring the car home in one piece and move on to the next stop on tour. But as the night progressed, he realized he was capable of much more than that.

“We sucked so bad all week, every year I go down there, I don’t know what I need to do to be better,” Troutman said. “I was pretty frustrated. We just kind of threw the kitchen sink at it the last night and it all worked out.”

A solid Qualifying run put Troutman on the pole of his Heat Race. After leading all eight laps of that contest to make the Redraw, Troutman pulled the top spot for the 50-lap main event.

The Hyndman, PA native quickly pulled out to a five-second advantage over the field, and it looked like Troutman had one hand on his first World of Outlaws trophy. The only problem? The driver trailing him was Jonathan Davenport, who’d finished second in three of his last four World of Outlaws starts and already won at Volusia earlier in the week.

“Superman” made quick work of the gap between he and Troutman and passed him with 11 to go to add another Gator to his trophy case. While the win may have slipped through Troutman’s fingers, his runner-up against one of the toughest fields the World of Outlaws face all season proved to the rest of the world what he knew from the start – the Team22 Motorsports squad could be a contender against the best.

“The track was more to my liking that night, I’m not really good whenever it’s wide open, stand on it and pray to God it turns,” Troutman said. “As soon as you get done Qualifying, that’s going to tell you how your night goes for the most part. Especially on a track like that, it can be pretty hard to pass sometimes, and the air plays a huge factor in that place. I knew after Qualifying we could win the Heat Race, and if you start up front, you’ve got a pretty good shot. At that point, it’s up to you and making sure everything on the car stays together.”

After ending the week on a high note, the team’s focus shifted toward preparing for the spring slate of racing, which begins next weekend at Smoky Mountain Speedway with the Tennessee Tipoff. But in the break between events, Troutman has been getting up to speed at several tracks he’ll return to later in the year with the Outlaws, including Swainsboro Raceway, which hosts The Most Powerful Late Models on the Planet on March 21-22.

In his Swainsboro debut with the Spring Nationals Series, Troutman instantly became the class of the field by claiming the Feature pole. He settled into second behind Team22 teammate Chris Madden early on but fell back to sixth after clipping an infield tractor tire and damaging the left-front corner of the car.

Nevertheless, the night gave him a solid baseline to build on later this month, as well as an idea of what not to do come race time.

“It was one of the better racetracks we’ve raced on all year,” Troutman said. “I’m excited to go back there, I thought it raced really well. The track guys did a good job of prepping the track there before the Feature to give us a good, racey racetrack. I think we’ve got a pretty good car there, I’ve just got to do better behind the wheel. I mean, I knocked the left-front out on Lap 15 or so, that stuff’s on me that I need to eliminate.”

One night later, Troutman laid down another top-15 showing in his first trip to Senoia Raceway, which will welcome the World of Outlaws for the Billy Clanton Classic on Sept. 13. This weekend, Troutman plans to head to Boothill Speedway in Louisiana to get some laps with the COMP Cams Super Dirt Series ahead of the $50,000-to-win Bayou Classic with the World of Outlaws, Oct. 10-11.

From there, Troutman will head back north to Tennessee for his second trip to the newly-reconfigured Smoky Mountain. While there’s room for improvement from his finishes of 20th and 26th in last year’s Mountain Moonshine Classic, Troutman is confident in his chances of success this time around.

“That was a pretty fun racetrack too,” Troutman said. “It’s all about going to these places and building notebooks. That’s going to be a newer challenge for us this year, we haven’t really raced at a whole lot of the Outlaw tracks. But in the long run it makes us better, and we’re excited.”

Troutman and the rest of the World of Outlaws Late Models will head to Maryville, TN for the Tennessee Tipoff at Smoky Mountain Speedway on Friday and Saturday, March 14-15.

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Photography: John Force Racing / Gary Nastase / Auto Imagery

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (March 5, 2025) – On the track on which she won her very first NHRA national event, Brittany Force hopes to take the first steps toward securing a record-tying third World Championship this week when she drives her Monster Energy Chevrolet in pursuit of the Top Fuel championship in the 56th annual NHRA Gatornationals at Gainesville Raceway.

Coming off a victory in last October’s NHRA Nevada Nationals at Las Vegas and energized by a strong performance in last month’s pre-season PRO Superstar Shootout at Bradenton, Fla., the newly married 38-year-old can’t wait to start racing once again for a championship she won in 2017 and again in 2022.

“I’m excited to get this season started at the Gatornationals,” she said. “After testing in Bradenton with David Grubnic, John Collins and the rest of this Monster Energy team, I feel we have a very strong group. 

“We have four new guys on the team and other guys in new positions. Changing up crew and jobs is a challenge, but I feel we got into a solid routine pretty quickly during testing,” said the 17-time tour winner. “We need to start our season strong (by) qualifying top five and going rounds on race day.”

The significance of a third title is that it would tie Force with Hall of Famer Shirley Muldowney for the most championships by a woman in either of the NHRA’s two signature classes – Top Fuel and Funny Car. In fact, she and Muldowney are the only women to have prevailed in either of those categories. 

The second youngest of John Force’s drag racing daughters and the only one who chose not to follow her father into a Funny Car class in which he has won a record 157 events and 16 championships, Brittany was rewarded with a Rookie-of-the-Year nod in 2013 although it would be three more years before she would win the first of her 17 “Wally” winner’s trophies at the 2016 Gatornationals.

After claiming the 2017 championship in a car prepared by Alan Johnson and Brian Husen, the graduate of Cal State-Fullerton earned her second with Grubnic, himself a former Gatornationals Top Fuel winner as a driver (2006). It has been Grubnic’s tuning expertise, in recent collaboration with Collins, that has made her car the acknowledged Monster of the Mission Series.

In addition to setting the current NHRA national records for both time and speed (3.623 seconds, 338.94 miles per hour), she raised the Gainesville Raceway speed record to its current 337.75 mph en route to her 2016 victory and is the record holder for time, speed, or both, at 11 other series’ venues.   

At Bradenton, she qualified third and upended 2023 NHRA World Champ Doug Kalitta in the opening round before a narrow starting line disadvantage made her slightly quicker 3.752 a semifinal loser to eventual race winner Shawn Reed’s 3.768.

“We had one of the top-running cars and we should have turned on the win light in the semifinals,” she said. “I was a little slow off the light, but that’s something I can fix. I’m pumped with this new group (four new crew members joined the team this year) and excited to see what we can accomplish.”

Surprisingly, despite all her success, including the fact that she is one of only a handful of drivers to have started as many as 50 NHRA tour events from the No. 1 qualifying position, one thing she has not yet checked off her to-do list is a bonus race victory. Runner-up in 2022 and 2024 in what now is the Right Trailers All-Star Callout, she gets another shot this week in a race held in conjunction with the Gatornationals.

Photography: John Force Racing / Gary Nastase / Auto Imagery

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (March 5, 2025) – With his eye on a racing milestone and his mind on new experiences, Jack Beckman returns to full-time competition on the Mission Foods tour this week when he drives John Force’s PEAK Antifreeze and Coolant Chevrolet SS in a bid for the Funny Car title at the 56th annual NHRA Gatornationals at Gainesville Raceway.

“For the first time in five years, I will be racing the entire season,” said the 58-year-old Californian. “(And) things have changed noticeably in those five years, meaning several upcoming ‘firsts’ for me. 

“We now begin the season at the Gatornationals, something I have never done,” he said, referencing the 60-odd years during which the series began in California with the Winternationals. “Then, there’s the fact that the tour has streamlined down to 20 events from the 24 that I had become accustomed to (and) testing is now allowed just two days prior to racing. 

“Plus, I’ve never participated in the Mission Foods #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge program and Gainesville is my first opportunity to do so. That’s a lot to take in,” he said.

Nevertheless, the widely respected driving instructor and cancer survivor admits that as much as he is looking forward to all of those first-time experiences, he is even more focused on a couple other numbers.

“I am most looking forward to a second win at the historic ‘Gators (he won the race in 2018 while driving for Schumacher Racing) and to the start of what I hope will be my second Funny Car championship (after initially hoisting the trophy in 2012). 

“But I also have my eyes on a much bigger number and that’s 300,” he said. “JFR has won 299 Funny Car races and either Austin Prock’s Cornwell Tools team or my PEAK Antifreeze and Coolant team will put a Chevy SS in the history books with that next win. So, Chris Cunningham, Tim Fabrisi, Daniel Hood, myself and the rest of the PEAK squad have plenty of incentive to make the ‘Gators great.”

Summoned out of retirement last season to fill-in for an injured Force, “Fast Jack” earned a full-time ride on the strength of two wins in just eight starts and a second place points finish behind Prock.

It’s an opportunity he thought had passed him by after a lack of sponsorship sent him to the sidelines at the end of a 2020 season in which he finished third in the driver standing. Without a ride, the U.S. Air Force veteran returned to his “day job” as an elevator repairman.

“I went back to work at Schindler Elevator on November 9, 2020, after 22 years away, and expected to stay there,” he said. Then came the call from JFR President Robert Hight that put him back in a race car for the last three months of the 2024 season.

Driving the Chevy in which Force had won twice before suffering injuries in a 300 mile per hour crash in Richmond, Va., Beckman raised the trophy at World Wide Technology Raceway in Madison, Ill., just across the river from St. Louis, and then applied an exclamation point with a victory in an all-JFR final round in the season-ending In-N-Out Burger Finals on his home track.

Photography: John Force Racing / Gary Nastase / Auto Imagery

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (March 5, 2025) – In an event in which his grandfather was the Funny Car runner-up to Don “the Snake” Prudhomme in 1975, Austin Prock and his Cornwell Tools crew mates begin defense of their Mission Foods Championship this week in the 56th annual NHRA Gatornationals at Gainesville Raceway.  

Coming off a stellar performance in last month’s pre-season exhibition at Bradenton, Fla., during which he strong-armed the Cornwell Tools “Prock Rocket” Chevy to the quickest elapsed time in history at 3.791 seconds, the 29-year-old this year is focused on becoming just the second Funny Car driver in the last 23 years to win back-to-back titles. 

That quest begins this week in an event in which John Force Racing drivers have won 16 times and in which Prock was runner-up one year ago after qualifying No. 1 and lowering the track record to its current 3.820 seconds.

“I’m looking forward to starting the NHRA season with Cornwell Tools, HendrickCars.com and Chevrolet,” said the man who last year broke boss and mentor John Force’s 28-year-old single season record when he qualified No. 1 in 15 of 20 events on the way to winning the Mission Foods 2Fast/2Tasty Challenge championship, the regular season championship and the six-race Countdown.

“Bradenton was great to get the blood and mind set flowing back into that competitive edge,” he said. “We had a great outing there and are hoping to continue that in Gainesville (where) we had an outstanding start last year, making it to the finals. Hopefully we can be one spot better this year.”

Although John Force Racing president Robert Hight remains the official NHRA Funny Car record holder at 3.793 seconds, a mark he established eight years ago in a similar JFR Chevrolet, Prock’s performance in last month’s PRO Superstar Shootout was a reminder that records are made to be broken.

In a car prepared by his crew chief, dad (Jimmy) with input from his brother Thomas and Nate Hildahl, the former quarter midget and sprint car standout last year became the fourth different JFR driver (after Force, Hight and Tony Pedregon) to win as many as eight races in a season.

That bounty included three wins during the Countdown and a jaw-dropping, record-setting 341.68 mph speed at In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip in the season-ending In-N-Out Burger Finals.

In becoming the first driver to break the 340-mph barrier in the sport’s primary series, Prock eclipsed the official NHRA Top Fuel speed record of 338.94 mph set by JFR teammate Brittany Force in her Monster Energy dragster.

The 2019 NHRA Rookie-of-the-Year at the wheel of a JFR Top Fuel dragster in which he won four times in three full seasons, Prock is the only team driver to have won races in both the Top Fuel and Funny Car classes.  

Tom Prock, the champ’s grandfather, was runner-up in three of the eight races that comprised the NHRA tour in 1975, losing to Prudhomme at Gainesville and Montreal, Canada, and to the late “Jungle Jim” Liberman at Englishtown, N.J.

WEC Hypercar contenders to be joined by two IMSA GTP cars in June race

DETROIT (March 3, 2025) — Cadillac will return to the 24 Hours of Le Mans in June to challenge for the overall victory with four factory Cadillac V-Series.R racecars supported by experienced and championship-winning teams and drivers. Event organizer Automobile Club de l’Quest extended the four invitations to Cadillac Racing, which had three Hypercar entries the past two years. The June 14-15 race marks 75 years since the first Cadillac entry at Circuit de la Sarthe and 25 years since Cadillac returned to the iconic race with four cars. “We’re thrilled for Cadillac Racing to return to the 24 Hours of Le Mans with four cars competing for the overall win in the Hypercar class,” said John Roth, vice president, global Cadillac. “After scoring our first podium finish at this iconic endurance race in 2023 and securing a top 10 finish last year, we look to build on that success and showcase the Cadillac V-Series.R’s technology, performance and innovation of our race teams once again.”

• The Nos. 12 and 38 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA V-Series.R received automatic invitations based on full-season participation in the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC). JOTA Sport is in its first season of WEC Hypercar competition as a works team. Earl Bamber, Sebastien Bourdais, Jenson Button, Alex Lynn, Norman Nato and Will Stevens will be the drivers. • The No. 101 Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing V-Series.R, a full-season IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship entrant in the Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) class, will compete at Le Mans for the first time. Ricky Taylor is listed as the primary driver. • The No. 311 Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R is a full-season IMSA GTP entry campaigned by Action Express Racing that will return to Le Mans for the third consecutive year. Jack Aitken is listed as the primary driver. In its first season of WEC Hypercar competition in 2023, Cadillac Racing posted a podium finish along with fourth place at Le Mans. In 2024, Cadillac Hypercars qualified second and third and registered a best finish of seventh for the American contingent. The Nos. 12 and 38 Hertz Team JOTA entries placed eighth and ninth, respectively, with another manufacturer.Before entering Hypercar competition as a privateer in 2023, JOTA Sport earned podiums at Le Mans 10 times in LMP2, including second and third overall in 2017. The Cadillac V-Series.R features a purpose-built Cadillac 5.5L DOHC V-8 engine developed by GM’s Performance and Racing Propulsion team based in Pontiac, Michigan. The racecar, co-developed by Cadillac Design, Cadillac Racing and chassis constructor Dallara, was informed by the Project GTP Hypercar that was unveiled in June 2022. It incorporates distinctive Cadillac design elements, such as vertical lighting and floating blades.

Cadillac’s early history at Le Mans The first Cadillacs that raced at Le Mans were entered by privateers Briggs Cunningham and Miles and Sam Collier in 1950. Both Series 61 coupes were powered by the Cadillac 5.4-liter OHV V-8 engine. Miles and Sam Collier co-drove the No. 3 “Petit Pataud” to a 10th-place overall finish. Briggs Cunningham shared the wheel of the No. 2 “Le Monstre” with Phil Walters and finished 11th overall despite an early off-course incident. That same year, Sydney Allard and Tom Cole Jr. finished third overall in the Cadillac-powered Allard J2. Cadillac returned to the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2000, 2001 and 2002 with its 4.0-liter turbocharged V8-powered Northstar LMP. In 2000, Franck Lagorce, Butch Leitzinger and Andy Wallace drove the Team Cadillac No. 1 Cadillac Northstar LMP to a 21st-place overall finish, while Wayne Taylor, Max Angelelli and Eric van de Poele finished 22nd in the No. 2 sister car.

The defending champion survives several restarts for 104^th career victory

BARBERVILLE, FL (March 2, 2025) – Last year David Gravel and Big Game Motorsports engineered an unforgettable season, and they’re out to top it in 2025.

There’s no taking the foot off the gas for the defending World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car champions. They made it to the sport’s mountaintop, and they’re determined to protect their territory.

It began with last month’s Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals. Gravel couldn’t find Victory Lane during the four straight nights of racing to begin the season, but he bagged a trio of podiums. The only step of the podium left to climb in 2025 was the top one, and the Watertown, CT native did exactly that on Sunday at Volusia Speedway Park.

There was no stopping Gravel at “The World’s Fastest Half Mile.” To start, he flexed his muscle early by taking the top spot on three consecutive attempts to begin the race. Then he smoothly worked through traffic to maintain the lead. And to seal the deal Gravel survived multiple late restarts and drove away to victory.

“The car was really, really good tonight,” Gravel said. “I thought, in the Feature, I was super maneuverable. At first, I thought I was top dominant, but really I could run the bottom, and I felt like I was just as fast down there.

“Tonight was just our night. We qualified well, got a good Dash draw, and with how the track was, it was good to start up front.”

Fuel issues became a concern late as the field ripped around a fast surface, but Gravel was mindful to the potential of coming up short and made sure to save whenever he could to help secure the trip to Victory Lane.

“Once we got going green, I just kind of pulled back to three-quarters, half-throttle to conserve,” Gravel explained. “Once that red (flag) came out, I shut it down as fast as I could and then leaned it down as much as I could under yellow (flag). I did my part. We run a big tank and fill it up. We did everything we could do, and it worked out.”

Gravel’s first win of the season was the 104^th of his career, bringing him within one of Joey Saldana for seventh on the all-time World of Outlaws win list. Six of those triumphs have now come at Volusia, equaling the Florida track with Eldora Speedway and Knoxville Raceway for the third winningest track on Gravel’s résumé. He’s also only one away from equaling Brad Sweet for the second most Series victories at Volusia. Gravel has now won at least one World of Outlaws race in 10 consecutive years, and he’s confident Sunday’s score could be the first of many in 2025.

“It’s good to get the first one off our backs here,” Gravel said. “If we stay up front like this, we’ll be a lot of trouble all year.”

The runner-up spot belonged to Aaron Reutzel as he and Ridge & Sons Racing made their first appearance of 2025. The Clute, TX native showed consistent speed all night as he got his year started off strong. Reutzel’s result marked his 21^stcareer podium.

“It’s really satisfying,” Reutzel said. “Like I said earlier, we’ve put a lot of hours in at the shop not just race car-wise. We’ve been getting that truck and trailer ready and getting our team organized, just getting prepared to go up and down the road.”

Rounding out the podium was Jacob Allen and the Shark Racing No. 1A team. It marked the Hanover, PA native’s first top three with The Greatest Show on Dirt since June of 2023. Allen’s efforts were aided by the fact that he had “Lethal” Lee Stauffer helping out with the car and making his job a little easier.

“Great team effort,” Allen said. “Lee has given me a bunch of confidence. Normally, I’m kind of thrashing around trying to figure out how I want to set up my car. Obviously, winning Outlaw races is a big deal. Starting on the pole has some pressure, but Lee took that pressure off me today. Felt really good to come home with a podium.”

Sheldon Haudenschild and Cole Macedo completed the top five.

Macedo’s drive to fifth started from 19^th, giving him the KSE Racing Hard Charger.

David Gravel earned his 123^rd career Simpson Quick Time in Honest Abe Roofing Qualifying.

NOS Energy Drink Heats One, Two, and Four belonged to David Gravel, Sheldon Haudenschild, and Jacob Allen. WIX Filters Heat Three went to Carson Macedo.

Jacob Allen topped the Toyota Racing Dash after getting the SPA Technique #1 Redraw.

Chris Martin won the Micro-Lite Last Chance Showdown.

The Smith Titanium Brake Systems Break of the Race went to Logan Schuchart.

UP NEXT: The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars complete the Bike Week Jamboree on Monday, March 3. For tickets, CLICK HERE.

If you can’t make it to the track, catch every lap live on DIRTVision.

FEATURE RESULTS:

NOS Energy Drink Feature (25 Laps): 1. 2-David Gravel[2]; 2. 87-Aaron Reutzel[3]; 3. 1A-Jacob Allen[1]; 4. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild[8]; 5. 2C-Cole Macedo[19]; 6. 14-Spencer Bayston[13]; 7. 41-Carson Macedo[5]; 8. 7S-Chris Windom[9]; 9. 83-Michael Kofoid[22]; 10. 18-Giovanni Scelzi[12]; 11. 13-Daison Pursley[14]; 12. 15-Donny Schatz[15]; 13. 23-Garet Williamson[7]; 14. 3Z-Brock Zearfoss[16]; 15. 6-Zach Hampton[25]; 16. 44-Chris Martin[21]; 17. 1S-Logan Schuchart[6]; 18. 64-Andy Pake[24]; 19. 28M-Conner Morrell[23]; 20. 27-Emerson Axsom[4]; 21. 39M-Anthony Macri[10]; 22. 88-Austin McCarl[17]; 23. 17B-Bill Balog[11]; 24. 55-Hunter Schuerenberg[20]; 25. 24D-Danny Sams III[18]

After an up-and-down day in the EchoPark Automotive Texas Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, Josh Berry and the No. 21 Freightliner team ended the day with a 26th-place finish.Berry started the race from 35th place and ended the first 20-lap Stage in 30th place. He was 34th after the second Stage, a 25-lap run, but saw his fortunes improve significantly in the third and final 50-lap segment of the race.Berry moved into the top 20 for the first time during a caution period at Lap 51. He was scored as high as 16th before dropping outside the top 20 at Lap 54 of 95. After dropping outside the top 25 he worked his way forward and was in 14th place with 25 laps remaining.Berry made his final pit stop with 22 laps remaining and rejoined the race in 32nd place. He again moved forward and was running 15th on a restart with 15 laps to go. Berry’s fortunes took another turn when he was forced to slow for an incident involving Ty Gibbs that dropped him to 31st place. But Berry put the No. 21 Freightliner Mustang Dark Horse back to work and gained four spot in the final five laps to finish 26th.Berry and the No. 21 team now turn their attention to next week’s Shriners Children’s 500 at Phoenix Raceway.

NASCAR CUP SERIES CIRCUIT OF THE AMERICA STEAM CHEVY POST-RACE REPORT MARCH 2, 2025

Byron Leads Chevrolet with Runner-Up Finish at Circuit of The Americas

TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL TOP-10 RESULTS: POS.     DRIVER2nd – William Byron4th – Chase Elliott5th – Kyle Busch6th – Shane van Gisbergen9th – Alex Bowman

MEDIA RESOURCES: Photo Gallery | Race AdvancesChevrolet Newsroom

·       In an all-out battle all the way to the checkered flag, Hendrick Motorsports’ William Byron led Chevrolet to the checkered-flag at Circuit of The Americas – scoring a runner-up result in his No. 24 Chevrolet.  ·       Byron led a strong contingency of Chevrolet drivers to the finish of the NASCAR Cup Series’ third points-paying race of the season, with drivers from three different Chevrolet organizations earning top-10 results. Among those finishers includes Byron’s Hendrick Motorsports teammate, Chase Elliott, who sustained damage in a turn one, lap one, incident. Continuing to fight all race long, a late-race pit strategy gave Elliott a fresh set of tires to drive his way to a fourth-place finish. ·       Trackhouse Racing’s Connor Zilisch’s NASCAR Cup Series debut ended early after sustaining damage during an incident in the final stage. The 18-year-old Mooresville, North Carolina, native had an early setback after enduring damage on the opening lap, but later rallied to a strong performance in Stage Two – driving his No. 87 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet from outside the top-30 to the 14th position.  ·       Showing speed across the Chevrolet camp right out of the gate at Circuit of The Americas, drivers from five different Chevrolet organizations collectively took 10 of the top-11 positions on the final speed chart following Saturday’s two rounds of practice for NASCAR’s top division. Reciprocating the speed in qualifying, Chevrolet drivers took seven of the top-10 starting positions for today’s 95-lap event – led by Hendrick Motorsports’ Chase Elliott (third) and Spire Motorsports’ Carson Hocevar (fourth).

Chevrolet’s all-time NASCAR Cup Series statistics at Circuit of The Americas: Wins: 3Poles: 3 Top-Fives: 17Top-10s: 27Chevrolet’s season statistics with three NASCAR Cup Series races complete:  Wins: 1Poles: 0Top-Fives: 7Top-10s: 13

UP NEXT: The 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season continues at Phoenix Raceway with the Shriners Children’s 500 on Sunday, March 9, at 3:30 P.M. ET. Live coverage can be found on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

Post-Race Driver Quotes:Kyle Busch, No. 8 Richard Childress Racing ChevroletFinished: 5th How much more could you have pushed your car? “No, that was it on pushing the car. We had a really good No. 8 Rebel Bourbon Chevy to be able to push that hard. I just wish that maybe we had equal tires to the No. 20 (Christopher Bell). I don’t know if that was all the difference. I know he was really fast and he had a good racecar. I feel like that might have been able to help hold me on a little bit better to him, but even that last yellow flag that we had, I felt like the gap that I had to the field, I was far enough out front that I could run the clean lines, the lines that I wanted, to preserve the tires and take care of them as much as I could to see if he could get there. But once we had that yellow, then it was just defensive mode. You’re in complete and utter just beat the heck out of the tires at that point, and I just didn’t have it over the No. 20. Hate it that the contact that we made between two and three ruined our racecar too. It bent the right-rear toe link and knocked everything out of it. I just didn’t have anything there at the end to compete with those guys. That doesn’t go for what our Chevy was today. Randall (Burnett, crew chief) and the guys did a great job adjusting it through practice, qualifying and into the race, and giving me a piece to go out there and do that well, and to get this Rebel Chevrolet up front like we did. Appreciate Zone, Cheddar’s, Lucas Oil, Chevrolet and everyone at RCR and ECR for a really good piece this weekend. If we can keep getting top-fives and running in the top-five, the wins will be right there.”   Chase Elliott, No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports ChevroletFinished: 4thYou really had to work for it. How much more did you car give you there at the end? “Yeah, it was just a crazy day, really. I got run over, I felt like, there in the first corner. I’m curious to see it. I still haven’t seen it to know whether or not I did something wrong. I’m happy to own it, if I did. I just felt like it was the first corner of the first lap, and it’s just a bummer to get behind and then we had damage. Alan (Gustafson, crew chief) and the guys did a great job fixing it and getting it that close. We got behind on a restart there and just had to play major catchup there. Alan made a great call there at the end to put tires on it. We were rolling up through there really good at the end. Obviously when you have a good car like that, I would have liked to have been in the fight with those guys, but it was a great recovery from where we were at during the end of the second stage.”   William Byron, No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports ChevroletFinished: 2ndHow close was that and what else did you need to do at the end there? “Yeah, it was really close.  I feel like the battle between he (Bell) and (Kyle) Busch — I was just sitting there waiting for one of them to bobble or slide their tires. Bell got by him and I felt like once he got by him and clear, his car was super loose and it kind of gave me a couple of shots at him. I just couldn’t ever get beside him. We have always raced really well together, so I didn’t want to move him blatantly. We were just sliding there a ton at the end. We came a long way this weekend and I am really proud of that. We were pretty far off to start, but got ourselves pretty raceable and in a position to win.  Just sucks to be so close. You are on the bumper of the guy coming to the line and that sucks.  A lot of races ahead and hopefully we can just keep bringing this speed. It’s a good start to our road course program. Still a little work to do, but thanks to Raptor, Chevrolet, Axalta, Liberty University, and all of our partners. Been a good start to the year so far.”  Michael McDowell, No. 71 Spire Motorsports ChevroletFinished: 11th “Definitely an up and down day for us in our No. 71 Gainbridge Chevrolet. We had decent speed. We got some track position early on and we were trying to work a strategy, but unfortunately had a pit road violation there that put us to the back. Track position is so important. We tried rallying back. We fought hard all day and we had a pretty good car. It’s something to build on. We were hoping to get back into the top-10, but just ran out of laps there. Really proud of the effort. Scored some points again and got some Stage points. Not ideal because we are going for wins, but we are getting closer. We are just going to keep grinding.”  Connor Zilisch, No. 87 Trackhouse Racing ChevroletSidelined by damage sustained in an accident in the final stage. Finished: 37th Not the start of the race that you wanted or the end, but in the middle stages, you had a lot of speed. What are your takeaways from today? “Yeah, we had a really fast No. 87 Red Bull Chevrolet. I’ve had so much fun preparing for this event. That second stage, driving from outside the top-30 to 14th, was a lot of fun. I was passing a lot of guys that I used to watch on TV growing up. Hopefully I’ll get the chance to come back and do this again. I had an absolute blast driving through the field, and I wish it didn’t end early.” Zilisch on the accident that ended his Cup Series debut early in the final stage: “All I saw was a cloud of smoke, and by the time I saw him (Daniel Suarez), it was way too late to do anything. I saw him spinning off to the left and I thought he was going to keep going in that direction or stay there. I guess he flipped back right and he started coming towards me. Really unfortunate way to end my Cup Series debut. We were one of the top-five fastest cars in the second stage there. I went from outside the top-30 to 14th, and I felt really good about our Chevy. We made a lot of gains from practice and qualifying. It’s just an unfortunate way to end it.”  Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Trackhouse Racing ChevroletSidelined by damage sustained in an accident in the final stage. Finished: 36th “I just hit the curb, hit the ground and then it spun me out. When you have low air pressure, that’s very easy to do because the car is lower to the ground. I wish I could say it was a big mistake, but it wasn’t. It was just maybe a tire width too far to the left, and I hit the curb and I spun out.” Was this an encouraging run for your team today? “It was a good day for the No. 99 Freeway Insurance Chevrolet team. We were a top-five, top-10 car, for sure. I thought we were going to be a little bit better than that, but we have to continue to work and learn from today.”

Stockton, CA … After a long winter, the wait is coming to an end for 410 sprint car fans in California as the Northern Auto Racing Club opens its highly anticipated 2025 season this Saturday night with the annual Salute to Leroy Van Conett at the Stockton Dirt Track.

The first of 29 races scheduled for NARC’s 66th season of competition, the Salute to Leroy Van Conett honors one of the all-time greats. A Galt, CA native, Van Conett was an eight-time NARC champion, winning his first title in 1969 and scoring his last in 1984. Among his many career sprint car victories were a Gold Cup win and 65 NARC triumphs, and it all resulted in Van Conett entering the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame in 1999. Van Conett’s NARC championship total has been surpassed only by fellow Hall of Famer Brent Kaeding.

Aromas, California’s Justin Sanders, the defending NARC series champion, won last year’s Salute to Leroy Van Conett after making a late pass around former series champion Sean Becker. Sanders also won the NARC season finale at Stockton in spectacular style last November, beating Cole Macedo late to win the annual Tribute to Gary Patterson and win the NARC championship in walk off fashion. Sanders, driving the Mittry Motorsports No. 2x, will look start his title defense with a win at the track where he saw much success last year.

Several other top racers will be on hand. Among them will be the rising star from Oregon, Tanner Holmes, who will be splitting time this season between his family’s car and the potent Tarlton Motorsports No. 21, which he will be piloting on Saturday. Holmes won his first NARC 410 race last year and looks to quickly add to his total this season. With Macedo behind the wheel, the Tarlton Motorsports team nearly won the NARC title last year against Sanders.

A number of other aspiring drivers have been knocking on the door of their first NARC win, and opening night at Stockton Dirt Track is that first opportunity this season for drivers like Gauge Garcia of Lemoore, and Oakley’s Dylan Bloomfield, a pair of drivers who led NARC main events last season but fell short. Ashton Torgerson of Glendale, AZ is one of the drivers who will compete for NARC Rookie of the Year honors. A former Tulsa Shootout winner in micro-sprint competition and having raced midgets and 360 sprint cars, Torgerson recently moved up to the 410 ranks and will be one of the young guns to watch.  Other NARC rookie of the year candidates include Landon Brooks of Rio Oso, who will be driving for the veteran Bates-Hamilton Racing Team.

Other top drivers expected to compete include 2024 NARC rookie of the year Caeden Steele of Fresno; Billy Aton of Benicia; Dominic Gorden from Clovis; Lincoln’s Tanner Carrick; Campbell’s Bud Kaeding; San Jose’s Tim Kaeding, Shane Golobic of Fremont; Templeton’s Kaleb Montgomery; Angelique Bell of Roseville; Jarrett Soares of Gilroy; Jennifer Osborne of Geyersville; Oregon driver Tyler Thompson; Roseville’s Sean Becker; Hanford’s DJ Netto and many others.

Fan Info

The NARC portion of the race program includes qualifying, three eight-lap heat races, a 6-lap dash, and a 30-lap feature event. Also on the card with the NARC 410 sprint cars on Saturday night will be the Hunt Magneto Wingless Sprints, NorCal Dwarf Cars and the Legends of Kearney Bowl.

The Stockton Dirt Track is located at the San Joaquin County Fairgrounds at 1658 S Airport Way. The main gate for fans opens at 4pm. Tickets are $30 for adults 18 to 64, and $25 for juniors 5 to 17, seniors 65 and older, along with military. Children age 4 and younger are in for free.   Parking is $10.00 cash.

Racing is scheduled to start at 6pm.  Tickets can be purchased online at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/salute-to-leroy-van-conett-wing-sprint-cars-wingless-sprint-cars-more-tickets-1245084474179?aff=website

Fans who cannot make it in person can watch live on www.floracing.com. FloRacing will livestream all NARC shows this season.

CHEVROLET IN NTT INDYCAR SERIES FIRESTONE GRAND PRIX OF ST. PETERSBURG STREETS OF ST. PETERSBURG ST. PETERSBURG, FLORIDA TEAM CHEVY RACE REPORT MARCH 2, 2025 JOSEF NEWGARDEN AND TEAM PENSKE GIVE CHEVROLET THEIR 337TH INDYCAR PODIUM FINISH SINCE 2012 IN THE V6 ERA Chevrolet Starts Season Solid with Two Finishing in the Top-Five and Four in the Top-10 Josef Newgarden, driver of the No. 2 Team Penske Chevrolet, raced to a third-place finish on the Streets of St. Petersburg, Chevrolet’s 23rd podium finish at the track in the 2.2-liter twin turbo V6 era since 2012.Newgarden’s podium finish was his 59th career podium finish, and Chevrolet’s 337th overall since 2012 in the V6 era.Chevrolet finished with four in the top-10 at the conclusion of the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg including Newgarden, his Team Penske teammate Scott McLaughlin (fourth), Arrow McLaren’s Christian Lundgaard (seventh) and Ed Carpenter Racing’s Alexander Rossi (10th).Leading the field to the green flag Sunday, McLaughlin, driver of the No. 3 Team Penske Chevrolet captured Team Chevy’s 10th NTT P1 Pole Award on the Streets of St. Pete in the 2.2-liter twin turbo V6 era since 2012 Saturday, his second on the 1.8-mile, 14-turn course. Additionally, McLaughlin’s pole is Chevrolet’s 136th earned pole award in the V6 era since 2012.Team Chevy drivers and teams kicked off Sunday’s race day with a warm up practice session, with six Chevrolet drivers finishing in the top-10 including Nolan Siegel from Arrow McLaren (fifth), Conor Daly from Juncos Hollinger Racing (sixth), Christian Lundgaard from Arrow McLaren (seventh), Sting Ray Robb from Juncos Hollinger Racing (eighth), Pato O’Ward from Arrow McLaren (ninth), and David Malukas from AJ Foyt Racing (10th).Team Chevy next heads to the Thermal Club for The Thermal Club INDYCAR Grand Prix in Thermal, Calif. Competing on the Twin Palms layout, a 3.067-mile, 19-turn racing surface, the main event airs live on FOX at 3 p.m. ET on Sunday, March 23. Additional coverage throughout the weekend can be found via INDYCAR Radio and SiriusXM Channel 218. Race Results (Top-10):3rd     Josef Newgarden4th     Scott McLaughlin7th     Christian Lundgaard10th   Alexander Rossi Morning Warm Up Results (Top-10):5th     Nolan Siegel6th     Conor Daly7th     Christian Lundgaard8th     Sting Ray Robb9th     Pato O’Ward10th   David Malukas

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING:David Malukas, No. 4 AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet:“Overall, a lot of positives to take out of that race. Very good race for us. We had a little issue with the pit stop on the end there that took us out of the top-10. Overall, our race was incredible. We just kept going forward. The green tires, which was a big question mark for all the drivers on it having a lot of pace. I think, for us we managed to do a full stint and even did an extra few laps. The car is really good. The team is doing a good job. So to start off the first race like that, to capitalize on my mistakes from (qualifying), we finished off with a P13. It’s a very good, decent result to start the season off and better results for the rest.” Santino Ferrucci, No. 14 AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet:“Solid first weekend back. Wished the result was a little bit better for us. I think we were just struggling with the balance all weekend, and getting a bunch of things sorted. Qualifying kind of hurt us with the electrical problem, but that’s also nobody’s fault. That was just freak. Just keep on learning from this event, and a lot of notes to be taken and move forward to Thermal.” Pato O’Ward, No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet:“Things were tough starting out with a puncture on a pretty messy start in front of us. From what we had today, I would say we maximized things after starting further back than where we would have liked. We got some solid points and it’s important to make sure our bad days aren’t too bad. Great job by the team with the pit stops and the strategy, and I’m looking forward to Thermal in a couple weeks.” Nolan Siegel, No. 6 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet:“That was a very disappointing end to a strong weekend. We had pace in every session and on both tires. For how hard this team has worked, coming away from today with that result is disappointing. We’ll continue working hard, though. We’ve shown what we have. The whole No. 6 NTT DATA Arrow McLaren Chevrolet team executed well all weekend. If we continue to execute like that all year, we’re going to have some good results when the luck is on our side.” Christian Lundgaard, No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet:“It was a really, really good first weekend overall. From where we were in Practice 1 to Practice 2 to Qualifying, we just kept chugging speed out of the car and got faster and faster into the race. Going in, it was a big question mark on strategy, what was going to work and what wasn’t. I hate to see the cars that are always on the better side of the strategy are the winning cars again. Obviously, I would have liked to have been in that situation. The Firestone Alternate tire runners got the lucky yellow in the beginning of the race, and it simplified their race from there. We got to lead a good amount of the race, which was awesome for a debut with Arrow McLaren, so I’m very happy for that. The rest was pretty much just damage control. We were looking at a good result but also potential for a very bad result. We chose a bit of a safer route, and we got home in eighth. At the end of the day, we get points for that and leading the race, which is pretty cool.” Christian Rasmussen, No. 20 Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet:“First race of the year done in St. Pete. Not a bad race for us with a P15 finish from starting P24. Our pace in the No. 21 Splenda car was good. It was a clean and boring race for us but that means it was a safe one. We will keep that going forward and into the next race at Thermal.” Alexander Rossi, No. 21 Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet:“It was always going to be hard starting from 20th. We came in P2 on the strategy that we chose, which was starting on the primary tire. We steadily improved the car all weekend and from a strategy standpoint, we executed really well. That’s about all we could get out of it, but the weekend overall was positive. We’ll take the momentum and try to keep learning.” Conor Daly, No. 76 Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet:“I think we had a tremendous start which was a lot of fun. Gained a lot of positions. Got off of the greens (alternate tire) right when we wanted to. Honestly, I think we had great pace during the race. Just our used set of primaries kind of hurt us in the middle of the race. We definitely know to make sure to keep only new primaries from now on the rest of the season. Just something we didn’t know. Thought we could’ve got away with it. Bit of a shame to kind of not capitalize on a top-12 that I think we had. We were running ahead of a lot of those guys to finish up near there in the top-10. Decent start, we learned a lot, and I think we can carry a lot of this to the next few races.” Sting Ray Robb, No. 77 Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet:“Today was okay. I think we had a good car. We are still learning the tires. I think there is room to go on that. It really hurt us at the beginning of the race. Our ending stint was really nice. I know we were there in front of the leaders trying to hold (Alex) Palou off, and it is very hard to hold off that guy. I felt like we decent pace in the car. I think we could have gone a little more forward with different tire pressure. Overall, I’m happy with it. I think we had decent fuel save, and decent power. So, I am hoping that the No. 77 Goodheart Chevrolet goes faster at the next one, and I think it will.” Robert Shwartzman, No. 83 PREMA Racing Chevrolet:“This is the first race and we didn’t have particularly high expectations today, but I think we maximized most of it, what we could. Today, we did what we could but again, we had an issue with the radio. That compromised the whole strategy. I was basically left more or less on my own figuring things out, which was a bit difficult because it’s our first time here. I didn’t know a lot of things that were going on. I think we could have done a bit better in terms of position, but I tried my best out there and that is the most important thing. We will all now work really hard in the three weeks we have before the next race, taking the learnings from this weekend.” Callum Ilott, No. 90 PREMA Racing Chevrolet:“It was a solid first race from us today. There were no big mistakes on anyone’s side, aside from a little one I had at Turn 10 which I recovered from pretty quickly. We were P19 and P20 for the team, on the lead lap, which I think is a good start. We have some areas where we can work on, but overall the pace was pretty good. We chose to start on the primaries, and with the crash at the start we were put at a bit of a disadvantage by having to do a longer stint on the alternates than the other strategy. I think in a different circumstance with this strategy we could have been a bit higher up but we can’t complain at all. We had good pace when we were fighting with the others. I’m really happy in general. We will debrief and work on lots of things to take to Thermal.” Josef Newgarden, No. 2 Team Penske Chevrolet:“It was a good race by the 2 team. A couple of hiccups but this team fought really hard. It starts with a really great car, and we have had a great car all weekend. I think we could have qualified higher than 10th and I said that yesterday. I felt like our car today was certainly capable of winning, but we just didn’t quite get there for a couple of reasons. The pit cycle was where we obviously needed to go longer and then we had a shift there at the end that we kind of didn’t realize and we had to give up second place there. It was a great fight for our team, and this is a good start for us. We are on the podium, got some points and we would like to keep these points on the board and then have a good, solid year. It’s a long season and you have to go all the way. I am happy to be back with this team and happy to see the energy here to start the year in INDYCAR. You know, everything is very positive right now so thank you to Team Chevy and sorry we couldn’t get the win. Obviously, PPG has been here with us and backing us and I always love driving this PPG car because normally its more lucky, but we had a lot of people here supporting and we just got to get ready to go to the next one.” Scott McLaughlin, No. 3 Team Penske Chevrolet:“We were ultimately a pit stop behind, but we knew that was the risk of running the blacks. I think if it was no yellow first lap, we’re gone. It is what it is. Great day for us. Good points. Great start to the year. A pole and a fourth, I can’t be unhappy with that.” On the greater variation of the green and black tires adding to strategy…“Look, they’ve done what they’ve needed to do to get degradation. I think kudos to Firestone for giving it a crack. Overall, okay.” On not having a caution would’ve made a difference…“I think if the caution was in a different spot, for sure. The yellow on the first lap really hurt us, but we knew going in, that was the risk of running the black tire. We wanted a solid race, and I thought the risky strategy was starting on the green. Ultimately it was the other way around but we had great pace today and I’m really proud of everyone.” Will Power, No. 12 Team Penske Chevrolet:“Just really close racing there in the middle of the pack and we got checked up super quick. Got into the back of the 6 car which was my fault and obviously not intentional. Normally that corner opens up a bit there, so I need to go back and look at that. Not much I could do after that contact with the 45 car behind me. Just hate to start the season this way. We’ve been strong starters the last few years with the No. 12 Verizon Chevrolet. Looking forward to Thermal and the points race there.” Josef Newgarden, driver of the No. 2 Team Penske Chevrolet, met with members of the media during the podium press conference after the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. Transcript:THE MODERATOR: Good afternoon, everyone. Welcome to the VISIT St. Pete/Clearwater Media Center, wrapping up the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg presented by RP Funding. But we’re joined now by Josef Newgarden driving the No. 2 PPG Team Penske Chevrolet with his fourth podium here at St. Pete, 59th career podium, one behind the great Johnny Rutherford for his 17th all time. Josef led two laps today. How would you describe the start to 2025? I’m sure if they would have told you ahead of time you’d get a podium finish, you might take that, although you’d love a win? JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Yeah, it was a good day. A podium is always solid. I think I said that on Friday when I was in here that ultimately we need a good day just to get points on the board. That’s kind of going to be most important for this weekend, so we accomplished that. Can’t be too dissatisfied. I think we had some miscues in the race today for sure. Just a couple fueling-wise. But the team still did a stellar job. It starts with the foundation of a fast car, and we certainly had that all weekend, and it definitely felt like it was intact in the race.Very solid overall, just wish we could have capitalized on the positioning. We were in a good position today to challenge for the win and misstepped a little bit, but really proud of the team and the way they started. Built awesome cars. We can go on with that and feel confident at least to challenge for wins in the future. Putting good points on the board is always the key, so we can leave here with a solid result. Q. How are you going to beat Palou for the title?JOSEF NEWGARDEN: I’m sorry, that is an incredible question. It’s round 1. I know this is your first race here, but it’s round 1, dude. Let’s see how it goes. Q. The physical difficulties out there, how was the track, alternate rubber, et cetera?JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Very similar to last year, I would say. I don’t know how everyone else feels, but to me it felt similar track conditions, good temperature, great track build. Kind of typical St. Pete. It just grips up like crazy here in the race. Certainly throughout the weekend and in the race it kind of takes another level throughout each stint.Pretty straightforward. Felt like typical St. Pete. You’ve just got to get the cycling correct and get yourself in position. Obviously didn’t have as much chaos with a lot of restarts. Sometimes that can jumble things up. Really just had a pretty straightforward day. Just needed to get the cycles right. Q. Josef, what were you going through the last lap or two when you started to fall away from Alex?JOSEF NEWGARDEN: I mean, we just had fuel miscues today two times. The second one we were just — we had a shift that was unexpected with a lap to go, and we just had to hit the emergency button, which was unfortunate. We kind of started that last lap like half emergency mode, and then they said, you just have to pull the chute here. Like just finish. Yeah, it happens. It’s unfortunate. To have miscues like that and to still finish third I think is a great day in a lot of ways. Really pleased to come out of here with points. Obviously there’s a lot more that could have been.

CHEVROLET IN NTT INDYCAR SERIES FIRESTONE GRAND PRIX OF ST. PETERSBURG STREETS OF ST. PETERSBURG ST. PETERSBURG, FLORIDA TEAM CHEVY QUALIFYING REPORT MARCH 1, 2025 SCOTT MCLAUGHLIN CAPTURES CHEVROLET’S 10TH POLE FOR AT ST. PETERSBURG SINCE 2012 Scott McLaughlin, driver of the No. 3 Team Penske Chevrolet, captured Team Chevy’s 10th NTT P1 Pole Award on the Streets of St. Petersburg in the 2.2-liter twin turbo V6 era since 2012.McLaughlin captured his first pole in 2022 on the 1.8-mile, 14-turn temporary street circuit, with today’s fastest position being his second-career NTT INDYCAR SERIES pole on the course.McLaughlin, along with Christian Lundgaard, driver of the No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet, represented Team Chevy in the Firestone Fast Six.Sunday sees race day for the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, starting with a warmup session at 9 a.m. ET on FS2, followed by the 100-lap, 180-mile main event live at 12 p.m. ET on FOX. Additional coverage throughout the weekend can be found via INDYCAR Radio and SiriusXM Channel 218. Firestone Fast Six Qualifying Results:1st      Scott McLaughlin5th     Christian Lundgaard Second Practice Top-10 Results:4th     Nolan Siegel5th     Conor Daly6th     Christian Lundgaard7th     Sting Ray Robb8th     Pato O’Ward10th   David Malukas

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING  David Malukas, No. 4 AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet:“Looking at qualifying from a positive standpoint, we did a really good job making the car where it needed to be for qualifying. I think that’s something very hard to do. Looking at it from a team perspective and chemistry, we’ve done a very good job connecting and figuring out what I need from the team and what we need from the car. The car was very strong. Now the things to take away, I did a really bad job from my side. I think that was one of the worst laps I’ve done. I think I just asked too much out of myself to not do any laps on the alternates and kind of just guessed going into qualifying there. It’s the first race of the season so a lot to take from it, and it’s not over yet. We have a race tomorrow so we’ll work on it then.”  Santino Ferrucci, No. 14 AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet:“Honestly, I’m really proud of our engineering team to give me a car that was capable today. It was just unfortunate circumstances, but I got into the wall a little bit coming on the frontstretch and going down the front straight the car got stuck in sixth gear starting what would have been my fast lap. The lap before was really good but it was in my head that was my banker lap so it just shows we have pace and we’ll just see what we can do tomorrow.”  Pato O’Ward, No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet:“I just couldn’t get the Firestone Alternates switched on. We had two opportunities, and I don’t have an explanation really. It was just a really tough lap to get together, and it is obviously not ideal for tomorrow. We’ll have our work cut out for us, but I think we can make our way forward and score some solid points tomorrow.” Nolan Siegel, No. 6 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet:“It was a positive day. We transferred, and that was our goal. I really wanted to be in the Firestone Fast 6 and make that happen. The conditions changed a little bit, and I didn’t quite execute on that last lap in Q2. But I think for the first time with this new group on the No. 6 NTT DATA crew, everything went really well and we’re happy with the result. This puts us in a good spot for tomorrow. We’re making progress as a team and we’ll continue to build from this. It’s a super strong start for 2025.” Christian Lundgaard, No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet:“I’m really proud of the crew, and proud to put the No. 7 VELO Arrow McLaren Chevrolet up front. Starting this season like this is really what I was trying to manifest in the offseason. I was telling everybody that I didn’t really want to show up and work my way through. I wanted to start strong, and I feel like we did that. We probably surprised a few people today, but at the end of the day, the points are scored tomorrow. That’s where we need to be strong and I feel like we have a really good car. The first one is always tough as the track and the grip improves a lot throughout the race.” Christian Rasmussen, No. 20 Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet:“It was not a great run for us today. We were pretty hopeful after yesterday, we had great pace on the black Firehawks. We are struggling to figure out the green tires a bit and definitely have some work to do for tomorrow!” Alexander Rossi, No. 21 Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet:“I am pretty disappointed. The No. 20 Java House Chevrolet was in a pretty good spot, we did everything right from a set-up standpoint. Unfortunately, I made a small mistake on our first set of tires in Turn 10 which cost us a bit of time. There is a little bit of an unknown as to what happened on the second set, but we will look into it. The car is good, but we have a lot of work to do tomorrow.” Conor Daly, No. 76 Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet:“Overall, I think it was a decent day for us but qualifying is… You have to nail everything and I think we just missed a little bit on the ideal pressures for the one-lap magic. That was obviously where all of the time was. We just happened to miss is by a little bit but a lot of other people did as well. You see the field a bit jumbled, but when cars like Pato (O’Ward) and (Alexander) Rossi are kind of near the 20’s where we are, you know that everyone has had a bit of a challenge today. So, I’m actually quite confident about tomorrow. I think we’ve had a great car on the long run. I think our car has treated us very well. Not too worried about it, but it’s a little bit harder on us from the beginning.” On finishing Practice 2 fifth and how he’s feeling about qualifying…“It’s an interesting weekend so far. You kind of see the field jumbled up a little bit. It’s actually really nice to have these rules to where we can run that extra set of greens. I think that, especially for someone like me who didn’t really get to run this last year on the road and street courses. It’s tough, man. One lap, one lap. Yesterday, it was a couple of laps, but I think we realized there was more there if you try to get the peak out of it in just one lap but that means you have to be perfect. You can’t make any mistakes. You have to get everything out of it. It’s a tough one, man.” Sting Ray Robb, No. 77 Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet:Qualifying day was a bit frustrating. I thought we had some more room to go there based off our Practice 2 times, but conditions changed a little but and the race is going to be very exciting. The difference between the primaries and alternates, I think, that’s the headline of the weekend. We’ll see how that goes. Whether it’ll be a two-stop or a three-stop, that’s still to come. I’m hoping that we get it figured out for the race tomorrow. I think that we have a decent package to run in the race long stints in. We’ll see how it goes but everything else seems pretty good.” On finishing Practice 2 in seventh with the softer tire:“It’s pretty incredible. The jump from the blacks to the greens is unbelievable. I think it’s the biggest gap we’ve had in INDYCAR from primary to alternate sets. After three laps, it feels like a stick of butter that’s smeared on a piece of bread. It just disintegrates the tire. It’ll be interesting to see what it’s like in qualifying. I think that everyone’s going to be very tight like they are now, but it’s really, really hard to get the maximum amount of just that one lap tire. So we’ll see what it’s like, and hopefully we’ll keep moving forward. I know not everyone ran the green in that session, but I’m feeling good. I think we got it compromised one way or the other. Kind of got to pick a tire to be good on, so hopefully we picked the right one.” Robert Shwartzman, No. 83 PREMA Racing Chevrolet:“Overall I don’t think it was a bad qualifying because of all the issues we had in free practice. We barely got any laps in, so we maximized everything we could. I also had my first experience of how the qualifying works here. Also, these tires are something new, something different to what I am used to, so it is really something to have to learn because the whole group level is extremely different to whatever I’ve experienced before. So, definitely something to work on. But for now, we have to build from where we are. Tomorrow is going to be an interesting race, the first race of the season, and let’s see how we’re going to perform from there.” Callum Ilott, No. 90 PREMA Racing Chevrolet:“It was not a solid qualifying. We need to look into it quite a bit. We just couldn’t get the tires to work and couldn’t put anything together. I think if we were able to add something, we would be a little bit closer. I think it was just a messy session and everything you want to not happen happened. We can make some changes for tomorrow and at least we can only go forwards.” Josef Newgarden, No. 2 Team Penske Chevrolet:“We’ve had a fast car since we’ve got this. Team Chevy has done an incredible job. Hopefully, one of our teammates here will take the ball and get a Chevy on pole. We are going to focus on tomorrow now. You know, 10th isn’t bad; it’s not great. Even though we don’t have a good starting spot, I know our car is good. I just want to have a clean race. Of course, I want to be up front, and I want to win the thing. That’s my ultimate dream for tomorrow, but we need to get points on the board. We need to have a good, clean day. I think we can do that.” Scott McLaughlin, No. 3 Team Penske Chevrolet:“Yesterday – with our wreck at the end of the session – was not how we wanted to start the weekend, but there is so much trust amongst everyone on this DEX Imaging Chevy. No one ever dropped their head, and the vibes have been positive the entire time. Track position in a two-stop race is very important so this was a huge pole position, not to mention my 70th for Team Penske. Very proud of that and very proud of our effort today.”  On winning from pole in 2022 and the importance of qualifying…“I just wanted to get pole at the first race of the year. Good vibes. Great vibes. Immaculate vibes. I’m very excited. Great spot to start. We’ll do what we can in the race and see how we go. Really proud of everyone at Team Chevy, everyone at Team Penske in the offseason. It’s hard to keep doing this, keep being fast, and there’s a ton of respect and competitiveness down pit lane so to continue this is amazing.” Take us through that Firestone Fast Six…“The car was awesome. Immaculate vibes here for the Thirsty Three’s. Really proud of it. The DEX Imagine Chevy was fast. I put it in the fence there yesterday and I was pretty (mad) at myself. I was glad to come back and deliver when I needed to today, and really proud of the group.” Talk about the tire degradation…“You can definitely feel the tire deg for sure. We’re going to have to work hard to look after them, but I think we had a great strategy.” Will Power, No. 12 Team Penske Chevrolet:“It was pretty good. I just carried too much speed into the first corner of that lap and understood why I had to lift. It was enough to get me through. Just frustrating because I know we have a good car.” On damaging tires when pushing that hard…“If you push, you don’t destroy the front. You just don’t have time for another lap. I just pushed wide. I got on the throttle, but I had to back out. That’s more of what happened.” Scott McLaughlin, driver of the No. 3 Team Penske Chevrolet, met with members of the media after qualifying. Transcript:MODERATOR: Welcome in Scott McLaughlin, his 11th NTT INDYCAR SERIES P1 award, second here in St. Pete. It is the 12th for Team Penske here on the streets of St. Petersburg. For the organization, it is their 699th pole position. SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: My 70th. Pretty cool. I know my stats, don’t worry (smiling). THE MODERATOR: Not bad. Congratulations. No better way to start 2025. SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: Great start. Thanks, Dave. Just super pumped with that. Basically from the Q1 group one that we did, really felt like the car had it in it. In Q2, we sort of scraped in, just sort of missed the balance. Once we centered the balance up again for Q3, knew in the first run it was going to be pretty good, I could sort of lay it down as much as I could. Full commitment lap, as everyone else was. Certainly felt like I had a lot more confidence in the car. Credit to the team because ultimately I gave them a bit of work last night. They were here till 8:30. To come back and put it on pole… I don’t want to keep doing that, but ultimately if I do that and do pole the next day, that makes up for it a lot.We’ll keep working, hopefully convert it tomorrow. THE MODERATOR: Quite a story the last 24 hours. I think I saw Kyle Moyer with pizzas being delivered late last night. SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: Kyle is sick. He likes that. He likes fixing car. He’s a handyman.THE MODERATOR: We’ll open it up for questions. Q. Scott, the car this morning, any extra work or changes on it after the fix?SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: Yeah, it was an improvement on yesterday, for sure. But we still had to keep working at it. I thought the best the car has been this weekend was in qualifying. That was the main thing. I was really happy with it. Only in Q2 was where I wasn’t happy and we turned it around. Q. I think Colton, you heard Scott say it was probably a three-stop race with these tires. Do you believe that? Are you surprised there’s as much falloff as there is?COLTON HERTA: Yeah, I think it was more extreme than I thought it was going to be. Usually when we have deg races, we deg on the red tires or soft compound, it’s more so like you can maybe get a second lap in in qualifying. It was interesting to feel that. I think tomorrow is going to be interesting because of that. For sure no doubt in my mind a three-stopper. There’s no way anybody takes these tires to 30 laps or whatever it is to do the two-stopper. How long can you make them last? What is that going to look like? Is it going to be five laps? 15 laps? It’s all going to be dependent, at least for us, on what guys do behind us. We’ll kind of pit from there. SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: Yeah, I agree (smiling). Honestly, there’s not much to add. I think it’s going to be a bit of a see what you can do. Obviously you don’t want to lose too much time mucking around on a set of tires if you’re getting hammered on the under-cart or vice versa. Interesting warm-up to see where we’re all at. Q. …you finished third in the championship last year. The importance of this race is getting off the season to a fast start. How important is it to leave here with a fast start?SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: Yeah, look, payday is tomorrow. I can’t speak on behalf of Colton. I’m sure he’s the same way. We just want to get a good race under our belt tomorrow. Ideally a win. But you try to get away from here with a podium or a top five and you just sort of run away with it. It’s a nice feeling to take those points and get going. For my circumstance, I need a stronger start compared to my last few years to make sure I’m not chasing my tail halfway through the year. Q. Scott, first pole as a dad. What would it mean to be able to celebrate in pit lane with a new member?SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: I said to Karly, if I do get pole, run from the bus to pit lane because I want to get a photo with her for that moment. Hopefully we can do it from Victory Lane tomorrow. Ultimately it was super special. She was awake, too, so ideal timing.THE MODERATOR: Pretty good luck charm there. Q. (Off microphone.)SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: It’s just nice. I’ve told her to stay away as much as she can. Q. Scott, I’m sure this probably isn’t as big of an accomplishment as your first pole as a dad. Given the circumstances of the last 24 hours, what does it mean to you to be able to pull out a pole?SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: Yeah, for sure. The hit that I had yesterday wasn’t as bad as it looked. The theatrics were pretty crazy. Ultimately you hate giving the team extra work, go over the garage hours and whatnot. Anything you can do to repay them. They always just say go out and get pole, do whatever. The team composure just… They love working on it.Long hours suck, but it’s kind of a passion. It’s just nice to repay them in some ways. The only way I can do it apart from maybe a Coors Light after the race or something like that. That’s probably it, so… Q. Scott, you signed a new deal with Team Penske. How long was this in the works? When did it get over the line? How does it feel to get it over the line?SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: Yeah, just over the off-season, man. Was a simple sort of conversation we all had. It was done pretty quickly, I guess. So yeah, pumped to do that. Good security for me and my family moving forward. Yeah, it’s something that takes another focus off what I’ve done. Focus and get going. Yeah, I was pumped to get it done. Q. Your fifth season in INDYCAR. You beat your Penske teammates last couple of years, won on every type of track. Have you given time to reflect on the rise you’ve been on?SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: Yeah, it’s crazy. I’m proud of the opportunity to come here. Never thought I’d probably be here. I was talking today to a friend. Seven years in the main series in Australia. Now I’m in my fifth season in INDYCAR. I’m not far away from being longer in the professional INDYCAR, as a professional driver in the INDYCAR SERIES, than the Super Car Series. It’s kind of crazy how my life has changed. But love it. Love every second here. Enjoy America. I love it. I love it here. Don’t really see any plans on leaving. I’m really enjoying it. Q. For you personally, psychologically after what appears to be a massive off-season, to come back this strong straightaway, that’s a great way to kick-start the season?SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: I’m just glad I’m a dad now. I haven’t lost 2/10ths like everyone says (laughter). I had a 2/10th game plan on Colton. Having Lucy in the off-season, probably the best thing that ever happened to me in my life. There’s more to life than racing in some ways. I said to many people throughout the week that I feel like when I go home, I’ve got a home. I’m worried about my wife and my daughter, my family. Then when I go to the workshop, I’m refreshed, I’m excited. It’s not that I don’t think about them. I’m so focused on work because I know when I get home, I’m going to be too busy changing diapers, whatever. I’m really happy with the work/life balance I’ve got going here. It’s a credit to my wife and my family. Yeah, just really enjoying it so far. Q. During the off-season, Lucy, the Rolex. When you get back, do you feel this is the time to get the season going again? This is game time again now?SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: Yeah, for sure. What a place to start. St. Pete is a track that always provides so many great memories and vibes and people here are so passionate. There’s so many people that are probably not race fans but just enjoy the theatrics, the racing itself, just enjoy it. It’s such a different demographic you see here. It’s really cool.Yeah, it’s a great way to kick off the season for us in INDYCAR. THE MODERATOR: Maybe the good vibes will continue tomorrow. Thank you, Scott. SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: Immaculate

• Release
• Photos

March 1, 2025 — ST. PETERSBURG, FL

• Colton Herta rolls off P2 in his #26 Andretti Global Honda
• Meyer Shank Racing duo of Felix Rosenqvist and Marcus Armstrong lock out second row
• Scott Dixon qualifies sixth as he searches for first St. Pete win

Colton Herta once again led the Honda contingent of NTT INDYCAR SERIES drivers in qualifying today at the season-opening Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. Herta will start second for the first race of 2025 aboard his #26 Andretti Global Honda.

The pair of Meyer Shank Racing Hondas will line up just behind Herta, with Felix Rosenqvist (#60) and Marcus Armstrong (#66) locking out the second row. Also making the Firestone Fast Six round of qualifying for Honda was Scott Dixon, who will line up sixth as he searches for his first St. Pete win. The Streets of St. Petersburg is one of only four tracks on the schedule that the six-time IndyCar champ has not found himself in victory lane.

Marcus Ericsson, reigning champion Alex Palou, and Kyle Kirkwood narrowly missed the Fast Six. They will line up seventh, eighth and ninth respectively. While newcomer to the Honda fold, Rinus VeeKay, will line up 12th in his first race for Dale Coyne Racing.

Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg Honda Race Results

•  2nd Colton Herta                   
•  3rd Felix Rosenqvist  
•  4th Marcus Armstrong
•  6th Scott Dixon                      
•  7th Marcus Ericsson
•  8th Alex Palou           
•  9th Kyle Kirkwood
• 12th Rinus VeeKay     
• 14th Devlin DeFrancesco       
• 15th Kyffin Simpson    
• 16th Louis Foster-R    
• 21st Graham Rahal    
• 25th Jacob Abel-R      

Andretti Global Honda
Meyer Shank Racing Honda
Meyer Shank Racing Honda
Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
Andretti Global Honda
Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
Andretti Global Honda
Dale Coyne Racing Honda
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda
Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda
Dale Coyne Racing Honda

R – Rookie

Quotes
Colton Herta (#26 Andretti Global Honda) qualified second: “It’s exciting! I can’t wait to see how the race will be, but for qualifying it’s really exciting. Especially to have these green [softer Firestone] tires and really hang it out there. It’s a hard thing to do, it’s a hard thing to get every corner right for one lap. Inside the cockpit, it’s really a guestimate of ‘I think I can brake here, I think I can roll this much speed.’ It did get easier through the rounds, and we had a really solid car. I’m really happy with how this Gainbridge Honda is performing and how we turned it around from yesterday. This one is really all up to the guys, they really lit the fire underneath me and here we are.”

Felix Rosenqvist (#60 Meyer Shank Racing Honda) qualified third: “ This is a good start to the season here in St. Pete. We got a second row lockout for Meyer Shank Racing, which is super exciting. In all honesty, the start to our weekend was quite tough, and I felt like we were a slight step behind and just kept trying to claw back in every session and every outing. Then when it matters, we were almost on for pole position. It’s always hard when you just miss out on it, I’ve been in that boat many times, but I’ve also had the pleasure of having many poles. P3 and the second row is really good in the end, this is where we want to be, and I think we have a good Honda race car, so I’m super excited and looking forward to tomorrow.”

Honda at St. Pete

• Honda-powered drivers have won 11 of the 20 NTT INDYCAR SERIES races at St. Petersburg since the event was revived for the 2005 season. The late Dan Wheldon led a Honda and Andretti Green Racing sweep of the top four positions in the inaugural 2005 event.
• While Marcus Ericsson was the last winner for Honda on the streets of St. Pete, winning the race in 2023.
• Other Honda winners on the streets of St. Petersburg include Colton Herta in 2021; Sebastian Bourdais in 2017-18; Dario Franchitti in 2011; Will Power in 2010; Ryan Briscoe in 2009; Graham Rahal in 2008; and Helio Castroneves in 2006 and ’07.

The Bradenton, FL native becomes the seventh rookie on tour in 2025

CONCORD, NC (March 1, 2025) – Conner Morrell is ready to join The Greatest Show on Dirt.

The 20-year-old has been hired by Bill Rose Racing for his debut campaign with the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars. The Bradenton, FL driver becomes the seventh rookie in the class of 2025 and brings the total number of full-time competitors to 15.

The addition of Morrell means Bill Rose will field two cars on the World of Outlaws tour this year. He already put Mooresville, IN’s Zach Hampton behind the wheel of the No. 6. Morrell will still compete with his familiar No. 28 under Rose’s banner.

“The deal came together a little late,” Morrell said. “Obviously, we were talking through the off-season. I just couldn’t really come up with anything immediately. I knew I had something, but I didn’t know how quickly I could get it. Once I knew I had it, we decided to put this deal together. I’m super excited. I’ve always wanted to be an Outlaw.”

Morrell has sharpened his talents in recent years leading him to the sport’s biggest stage. Last season he competed primarily in Ohio and western Pennsylvania. Highlights included victories at Michigan’s Butler Speedway and Pennsylvania’s Lernerville Speedway. He also took on the full All Star Circuit of Champions tour in 2023.

While he’s been improving every year, he still knows 2025 is going to serve up plenty of challenges competing with the best every week. He’s ready to embrace the journey ahead and learn.

“There’s going to be a ton of new tracks,” Morrell said. “I ran the All Stars, so I think that will help me a little bit this year being on the road. I still know I’m going to get my teeth kicked in. These guys are the best of the best, and there’s no doubt about it. But I’m excited to run with them.”

The 2025 campaign already got underway a few weeks ago at the Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals. At the time, Morrell didn’t expect to be full-time for the year. Then suddenly things came together, and he’s ready to take the step to Sprint Car racing’s top level.

“It was kind of thrown in my lap,” Morrell said. “I was in my room watching a movie, had just got back from the gym, and I was told that we’re going on the Outlaw tour. I’m super excited.”

Morrell continues his rookie campaign this Sunday-Monday, March 2-3 at Volusia Speedway Park’s Bike Week Jamboree.

BUY TICKETS HERE

For the complete 2025 schedule, CLICK HERE.

If you can’t make it to the track, catch every lap live on DIRTVision.

Morrell would like to thank Tub O’ Towels, Amalie Oil, Auto Loads, Allstar Performance, Ti22 Performance, and USA Steel Fence.

Juncadella, Edgar, Keating drive No. 33 Corvette Z06 GT3.R to first FIA WEC victory

LUSAIL, Qatar (March 1, 2025) – TF Sport delivered the first FIA World Endurance Championship victory for the Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R as Daniel Juncadella, Jonny Edgar and Ben Keating won the Qatar 1812Km on Friday to open the season. The trio drove the No. 33 Corvette Z06 GT3.R to a remarkable victory as they came from 13th in class at the start to win by less than a half-second. It’s the second win in as many 2025 races for the Corvette GT3 racecar as it also won the GTD class of the Rolex 24 At Daytona in the hands of customer team AWA.

The victory was the first in the FIA WEC and in a Corvette for both Juncadella and Edgar, and it was the eighth in the championship for Keating – including four in a Corvette. TF Sport won its eighth race in FIA WEC competition and for the first time since the 2022 Six Hours of Fuji. The three drivers and the No. 33 TF Sport team worked their magic in the race’s opening half. Keating drove from 13th at the start to sixth in a little more than three hours in his first WEC race since winning the 2023 GTE Am title in a Corvette. Keating completed his required driving time and handed off to Edgar for his first laps in FIA WEC competition. The progression up the order continued through a double-stint as the race went into darkness and the Corvette up into third place. Juncadella drove a double-stint of his own and moved the Corvette into the class lead for the first time just past the halfway point. Another stellar run by Edgar kept the No. 33 Z06 GT3.R in the thick of it heading into a climatic final hour. Juncadella got back in the Corvette with a little under 90 minutes to go and made his last pit stop for fuel and left-side tires to counter a full-service stop with four fresh tires for the second-place No. 59 McLaren. The two cars ran nose-to-tail for the final 30 minutes as Juncadella withstood the immense pressure holding off his pursuer and navigating the faster traffic. Things didn’t work out as well for the No. 81 entry. Tom Van Rompuy began the race ninth in class and steadily moved toward the front and inside the top-five in his opening stint. Disaster struck with a mechanical issue shortly after Van Rompuy’s first pit stop in the form of a broken alternator pulley shaft that forced the retirement of the No. 81 less than an hour into the race. TF Sport and the rest of the FIA WEC field moves on to its next race at the Imola Circuit in Italy on Sunday, April 20.

JESSICA DANE, CORVETTE RACING PROGRAM MANAGER: “Congratulations to TF Sport on its thrilling first victory with the Corvette Z06 GT3.R in the FIA World Endurance Championship. Winning at Qatar with the No. 33 Corvette continues the strong start to 2025 for our Corvette GT3 program following on our results at Daytona. Thanks go to Dani, Jonny, Ben, the TF Sport team and our Corvette Racing engineering group for delivering this landmark victory in the FIA WEC.”

TOM FERRIER, TF SPORT OWNER: “There’s no denying that it was a big move for us to join GM and Corvette. We knew it was going to be a challenge the first year, and it was to start with. We gathered momentum as the year went on. Bahrain ended fantastically with a second and third, which was really exciting. We went to Daytona this year and everyone saw the reliability and how much it had improved on the Corvette and that gave us a bit of confidence. We had a great Prologue, struggled a bit earlier this week but knew we had a good car for the race. We executed perfectly today. I’m sad for the 81 but absolutely over the moon for GM, Corvette Racing and ourselves. It’s a huge result for us.”

TF SPORT POST-RACE DRIVER QUOTESDANI JUNCADELLA, NO. 33 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “For the whole stint, for sure that was a lot of pressure in the last 30 minutes. At beginning I didn’t think I could hold (the No. 59) off. I just focused on hitting my marks. I could see where he was stronger in places. There were a couple of places where he could have gone for it and I think he was unsure. So it was good to keep him behind. At some point I was thinking we were going to finish second but I was focused on myself, my driving and not making mistakes. I don’t recall ever being in this situation where an unexpected win comes up and the last 40 minutes I have to defend for it. And here we are!”

JONNY EDGAR, NO. 33 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “Going to bed last night, I didn’t expect that we would end up here. To be honest I was hoping for top-eight or top-six… just a clean race and some points. In the Prologue we were happy with the car but in Free Practice and qualifying we seemed to struggle. A few small changes we made really helped the car today. We still weren’t the fastest but we were good enough, the strategy was amazing, the pit stop and everything… nobody made mistakes. It was just a very good race all around, and I’m very happy to win my first WEC race.”(On early run): “Those first two stints went quite well. A couple of small changes we made for the race seemed to have helped. Ben felt much more confident, and I was happier with the car than where it was in practice so that was nice. I lost a little track position with a drive-through but then managed to overtake a couple of cars on track. Until I got out of the car, I didn’t know where we were. It was a nice surprise to see we were third.”

BEN KEATING, NO. 33 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “I couldn’t have imagined this. Even if you look at the way the race unfolded, we didn’t have the speed to win it. We had to let others take themselves out of contention, and we’ll take it any way we can get it! We ran a clean race and a hard race. We did everything we could to stay up front. The last 30 minutes of Dani staying in front of the McLaren was just epic. To start 13th and end up in first place after 10 hours of hard racing is not easy. And it’s great to have Keating Chevrolet in Victory Lane!”

TOM VAN ROMPUY, NO. 81 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “We started the race quite well. I was able to drive from ninth to fourth. We had a strong car and were climbing up the order. When I came into the box and started my second stint, shortly after that we had a technical issue and had to retire the car. The team did a really, really good job. I hope to come back stronger at the next race at Imola.”

CHEVROLET IN NTT INDYCAR SERIES FIRESTONE GRAND PRIX OF ST. PETERSBURG STREETS OF ST. PETERSBURG ST. PETERSBURG, FLORIDA TEAM CHEVY PRACTICE REPORT FEBRUARY 28, 2025 SCOTT MCLAUGHLIN LED TEAM CHEVY IN THIRD AT THE CONCLUSION OF FIRESTONE GRAND PRIX OF ST. PETERSBURG FIRST PRACTICE Scott McLaughlin, driver of the No. 3 Team Penske Chevrolet, led Team Chevy by finishing third during the first practice (combined), setting a fast lap during the sunny session in St. Pete with a fastest lap of 01:01.0002 seconds. Unfortunately, McLaughlin faced a late session incident, ending his practice early.Chevrolet finished the combined practice session with two in the top-five, with Newgarden in second followed by Arrow McLaren’s Pato O’Ward, driver of the No. 5 Chevrolet, in fifth. The Bowtie brand finished with four in the top-10 at the conclusion of Friday’s first practice session.Josef Newgarden, driver of the No. 2 Team Penske Chevrolet, led Team Chevy in the first 45-minute session of practice, with his fastest lap of 01:01.2494 seconds. Chevrolet additionally finished with eight in the top-10 during the first 45 minute session before the field broke into two groups.Saturday on the Streets of St. Pete sees Team Chevy open with a second practice at 10 a.m. ET on FS2 followed by Qualifications and the Firestone Fast Six at 2:30 p.m. ET on FS1. Additional coverage throughout the weekend can be found via INDYCAR Radio and SiriusXM Channel 218. First Practice Top-10 Results (Combined):3rd     Scott McLaughlin5th     Pato O’Ward9th     Josef Newgarden10th   Will Power First Practice Top-10 Results (45-minute session):2nd    Josef Newgarden3rd     Will Power4th     Scott McLaughlin6th     Christian Rasmussen8th     Pato O’Ward9th     Alexander Rossi10th   Nolan Siegel

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING  David Malukas, No. 4 AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet:“Overall, seemed like a pretty good session other than the chaos that is INDYCAR. We had very few laps today that we could do. We had a few issues with the brakes here or there, but we managed to fix it all up. So, at the end, I think we got around 10 laps in total between alternates and primaries, maybe one or two here or there. We also had that unfortunate yellow flag, so track time was rough. I think from a first session being back, I we kind of went through our checklist of things I wanted to go through. So now, we get to hone in, look at lap times, try to find the time from my side heading into Practice 2. I think from the car, Chevy, the Foyt guys, really good job. We’re heading into tomorrow.” Santino Ferrucci, No. 14 AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet:“Solid first day back in St. Petersburg. Everything went really well with the team. Got a couple of overnight changes we’re excited about. Our Chevrolets feel awesome. Lot of power. Very happy with the offseason changes. I feel we’re going to have some good gains race day.” Conor Daly, No. 76 Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet:“I think that was a good first session for us. No problems, really. Just worked through our plan. Some decent speed in the car, too, so appreciate everyone at this team and everyone at Chevrolet for getting us going fast. We’ll keep working on getting towards the P1 spot.” Sting Ray Robb, No. 78 Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet:“Day one at St. Pete, I felt okay. We had a little bit messy of a session as a team, but all in all I think we have decent pace. I think if we clean it up, run smooth, the car has great speed, we’ve got great horsepower behind us. A little fine tuning here and there and we’ll be fine.” Pato O’Ward, No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet:“First session of 2025, and I would say that we’ve got some work to do. But I’m confident in the men and women that we can make those changes and see how we stack up in Practice 2 and then get ready for Qualifying.” Nolan Siegel, No. 6 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet:“Overall, I think it was a positive start and our pace on new Firestone Alternate tires was pretty strong. We know what we need to work on. We have a lot of understeer that we’ll need to sort out but it’s comfortable. It’s my first time racing in St. Pete in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, and this is one of my favorite tracks and I’m very excited for the weekend. Off to a strong and positive start and I think we’ll get better from here and be in good shape for Qualifying.” Christian Lundgaard, No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet:“For our first go, I think we’re okay. We’re obviously building up to it. We don’t really know what the track condition is compared to last year since St. Pete was a bit under water last fall. I think we’ve identified a few things that we were concerned about leaving Sebring. Some of them translated, some of them didn’t. We still have some work to do, but overall it was a good first run. I’m looking forward to hearing what the others have to say in terms of where we are from an overall balance and overall performance perspective. It’s good to get running.” Josef Newgarden, driver of the No. 2 Team Penske Chevrolet, met with members of the media after the first practice session. Transcript:THE MODERATOR: Good afternoon. Wrapping up today’s practice, we are joined now by Josef Newgarden. What did you learn in that practice session? JOSEF NEWGARDEN: It was different. Just compared to last year, we didn’t have the hybrid here is probably the biggest year-over-year change. Then the tires have taken an alteration, if you will. It’s a known thing. We’ve been working on this in the off-season. Firestone has been pretty transparent and open that we’re looking for a different mix between the primary and the alternate. They definitely have different properties to what they had last year. A lot to dive in. There wasn’t a lot of laps. I ran preslim laps on the primaries and then I did that one run on the alternate. Felt really good on the primaries, so-so on the alternates. I didn’t really do a good lap at all. Kind of understand why. We’re going to pick apart everything tonight and try to be in a big spot for tomorrow. Good to be back. What a great atmosphere today. I think St. Pete has typically felt like this even on a Friday, but today looked really, really great. Nice to be back at the track. THE MODERATOR: Looked good on FOX. JOSEF NEWGARDEN: I can’t wait to see it. THE MODERATOR: Questions, please. Q. Josef, you were second fastest in the 45-minute session. Is there any incentive to come out here and win after what happened last year? I want to show I can win by that type of length without any drama?JOSEF NEWGARDEN: I mean, I think there’s definitely motivation for us to do well. Like, that seems obvious. I won’t shy away from saying that. Definitely we want to come out here and do a great job this weekend. It would be very gratifying to win the race. I don’t think that needs to be our focus. I don’t see how this year is different. Every year I show up at St. Pete it’s about putting up a solid result on the board. I really mean that. I’m not just trying to be poetic. You have to get a result on the board to start the year and you got to start thinking championship right away. If we can come out of this weekend with a good result, a clean car, I think that it’s going to be a win. Do we ultimately want to have a dominant day, be out front, make a statement? Absolutely. I hope that happens. I’m not going to try to force that. I think we need to get what we can this weekend, what we’re capable of, move on to the next and have a really solid year. That’s more where our focus is right now. Q. Pato has had a pretty good run here even though he got the victory only because of what happened to you last year. The year before he was leading and had the plenum issue. Seems to have a good rhythm for this track. Do you see him as really I don’t want to say the guy you’re chasing, but how big a threat is he in the race?JOSEF NEWGARDEN: I mean, I’m going to give you the typical answer because it’s so true. Pato is definitely going to be in the conversation. I don’t see how he won’t be. He has been for many years. You look at guys like Kyle or it’s Colton or Alex or my teammates, there’s too many individuals that probably can and will be in the conversation that you have to consider a threat for the weekend. It’s hard to just single somebody out like Pato. Is Pato excellent here and is he going to be in the conversation here, yes. Q. Josef, Team Penske, what has made you so good at this racetrack?JOSEF NEWGARDEN: I think it’s a good observation that we have fast cars here. Similar to Andretti holistically speaking on a street course, I think our cars have suited this track over the years. Certainly since I started in 2012, I think Team Penske has always had a good base package here. It’s gone up and down a little bit, but been very consistent over that time. How many poles has Will had around here? Nine. Some absurd figure. It speaks to the quality of the car. Even to start today on primaries, I felt like our car was naturally fast. I’m appreciative of that, the effort we put in. We’ve even doubled down on it. Even though we know we have a good base car here, we’ve tried to make it even better. I don’t think I can give you one reason why. These things move all over the place. Kyle was just talking about this with their team, they know they have a strength on street courses. Maybe that strength doesn’t carry everywhere. We’re trying to flatten our performance window where it’s not peaks and valleys, it’s just quite consistent everywhere and we have that speed naturally. This has always been a stronghold and we want to have that everywhere we go. Q. Josef, it’s all about driving and working and trying to win. Are you excited to see some of the things on the broadcast? How interested are you in seeing how the sport is being portrayed to a bigger audience?JOSEF NEWGARDEN: I love it. What’s not to love about it? I’ve preached this this entire off-season. The great thing for everybody in this building right now, everyone touching this sport, we’re not hoping and dreaming that this thing becomes something elevated and great again. It was a great, great sport at one point. It was world renowned. It deserves to be that. I think FOX will be a tremendous catalyst to bring it back to what it once was. I’m excited. I’m excited for all of us. I think we all deserve it. We’ve all been working hard. We all continue to need to work hard. Let’s see what this season can bring. I don’t have a crystal ball, but I think it can be a very big year.

Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA V-Series.R scores points in first race of new alliance

LUSAIL, Qatar (Feb. 28, 2025) – Cadillac Racing recovered from incidents in a turbulent FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) season-opening Qatar 1812 Km to record its first points in its new alliance with JOTA Sport. The No. 12 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA V-Series.R, with Alex Lynn, Norman Nato and Will Stevens sharing driving duties, finished eighth in the 10-hour race on the Lusail International Circuit. The sister No. 38 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA V-Series.R driven by Earl Bamber, Sebastien Bourdais and Jenson Button placed 16th in the 18-car Hypercar field.

Extra time on pit lane and in the garage for repairs following contact with each other leading up to a restart in the third hour while running 1-2 and a throttle issue vexed the Cadillac Racing challenge for its maiden WEC victory. Still, in the ebb and flow of endurance racing, the No. 12 Cadillac V-Series.R regained lead-lap position through solid work by the experienced crew and contended for a top five. Both cars, powered by the purpose-built Cadillac 5.5-liter V8 DOHC engine, displayed consistent pace on the 5.38-kilometer, 16-turn circuit on the northern outskirts of Doha and promise for subsequent races on the eight-race calendar. Cadillac Racing began its third season of WEC Hypercar competition with an expanded lineup, while JOTA Sport kicked off its first season as a WEC Hypercar works team following two decades of success as a privateer.Photo gallery for editorial use | Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA statistics The No. 12 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA V-Series.R, which qualified fourth in the Hyperpole session a day earlier, topped the lap time sheet twice in practice and testing. The No. 38 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA V-Series.R qualified fifth and recorded the second-quickest lap time in the two-day Prologue that totaled 14 hours of track time over four sessions. The No. 50 Ferrari AF Corse won the race. The 6 Hours of Imola on April 20 is next on the schedule.

What they’re saying No. 12 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA V-Series.R

Alex Lynn: “There are many positives, but to be totally honest you can’t override the bitter feeling of the day. I have a huge amount of faith in JOTA having felt the car for the last 10 hours and knowing what we have capable of doing. Like all great sportsmen we need to pick ourselves up and carry on.” Norman Nato: “On a personal side, it was my first race with Cadillac and, whilst obviously we were hoping for more, we have still finished in the points and that’s something. Of course it’s not what we wanted, having had such incredible pace over the past two weeks, it’s natural to want a much better result. But we finished the race and we take the experience and learnings from the race. Even on a bad day, scoring points is a positive.” Will Stevens: “If you take a look at the week overall, we can be happy with the way we got up to speed in the car so quickly and the performance we showcased ahead of the race. On days like this, when you don’t get the results you want, it’s really important to pick up the pieces and get the best result you possibly can. Even on bad days, as a team we have to take the positives, we’ve shown good pace, we’ve demonstrated a good understanding of the car so even if it was a difficult and disappointing day, the experience will help us in the long run.”No. 38 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA V-Series.RSebastien Bourdais: “Earl showed a lot of pace early on and I think our car was a lot better in the warmer conditions, as the temperatures cooled off we seemed to lose track with the lead pack – independently of the incident we had. We live and learn. We’ve run a full race, both cars finished and, although it wasn’t the result we wanted, we learned a huge amount about the set-up and race performance. We’ll take a good look at all the data and try and learn more about the car so that we can take into Imola.” Earl Bamber: “We led the race, so that’s always a positive and we showed good pace here again at Qatar. Just a shame on our part with what happened and had another technical issue later on. Good the sister car managed to recover and score some points. Soon we have to have a nice streak. The car is quick. The people back in Detroit and Charlotte are doing some great work on the car as well, constantly pushing the boundaries and developing. If we keep in that direction we’ll be good.” Jenson Button: “What an up and down race. I think the most important thing you take out of this race is the pace that we had in the Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA V-Series.R. Obviously, we made some mistakes and it looked like it was going well initially and then Earl had his incident, dropped way back and fought his way back with a staggering drive to come up to the front again. Then we had the incident behind the Safety Car and then got on with the racing after that. Unfortunately, we had penalties when we pitted when we weren’t supposed to and then (an issue) cost us another seven laps to fix the throttle. Messy day but the pace was amazing. Everyone who got in the car was super quick and I think we take a lot of positives away from the weekend.”