Christian Lundgaard grabbed his second pole with Chevrolet power, leading an all Arrow McLaren front row, including Pato O’Ward

July 6, 2026 ARP Trish

What They’re Saying – Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio race David Malukas, No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet qualified 4th:“Overall, really good. When you look back from last year to today. This track was actually our worst. We did a lot of work in the off-season to get it turned around. These guys did a fantastic job. We were in the Firestone Fast Six, when last year we didn’t get to Q2. A big difference. Big kudos to these guys. In Practice 1, we weren’t anywhere near where we needed to be and they flipped this car and we are in the Fast Six. A really good day. A few mistakes from my side in that Q3 from my side to learn from. We’re still learning every single day and making ourselves a better team every single day. Looking really strong for tomorrow.” Christian Lundgaard, No. 7 VELO Arrow McLaren Chevrolet qualified on pole:“I honestly didn’t get off to the best of starts in Turn 11 and Turn 1 was a little messy. Had a big overseer out of 12 and13 as well. We knew it was a one lap tire, when it was a one lap shootout, really, for all of us. So, I’m happy at this point. We’ve got to go finish it off tomorrow, but at least we’re in the hunt for three road courses in a row.” Pato O’Ward, No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet qualified 2nd:“I’ve got to thank the guys and gals at Arrow McLaren and Team Chevy. That’s a great Fast Six for them as well. Congrats to Christian on the pole. Good to be running out and on the front row heading into turn one. It’s a pretty good view. I’ve been happy with my car all weekend, and we’ve got a good one to make it happen tomorrow.”
Christian Rasmussen, No. 21 Splenda Chevrolet qualified 5th:“That was pretty good! America’s birthday brought some good things for us here. Starting 5th at Mid-Ohio, my best start in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES to date and also my first Fast 6. I can’t believe it’s taken us this long but now that monkey is off our back! We’re going into tomorrow confident and we’ll see what we can do. We’re excited, the No. 21 Splenda Chevrolet is a good racecar.” Rinus VeeKay, No. 76 Juncos Hollinger Chevrolet qualified 6th:“Really good qualifying here at Mid-Ohio. That was Sting Ray’s best road course qualifying of the season so far and also ours. Really good job by the team. Testing here really helped. I think we found a good set-up for a place like this. We did the right thing from practice two. We got lost there, and we went back, and did the right things for qualifying. Really good job there by the Juncos Hollinger Racing team. Ready for tomorrow.”Josef Newgarden, No. 2 PPG Team Penske Chevrolet qualified 9th:“The car is on rails. I think David is showing it from the speed standpoint in the Firestone Fast Six. I think the car has just been lovely to drive right from the start. Having a great test here last week with Felipe (Nasr); he did a phenomenal job. We’ve learned a lot. Team Chevy has done tremendous for us leading into this. I feel really positive going into the race. We’d like to have a great result with this special PPG livery and have something to celebrate” Caio Collet, No. 4 Combitrans Amazonia Chevrolet qualified 11th:“From where we were this morning, a good improvement. Very, very close, just a tenth (of a second) away from the Firestone Fast Six. I think we could have done a little bit better there, with maybe executing a little bit better in the last run in the Fast 12. Overall, very happy with how we progressed from this morning, and I think we have very good pace for tomorrow.”Nolan Siegel, No. 6 NTT DATA Arrow McLaren Chevrolet qualified 15th, and will start 14th: “Disappointing day. I was focused on translating our potential into a deeper run into Qualifying, but it wasn’t in the cards. We’ll be ready to move forward tomorrow. Of course, congrats to the team, Team Chevy, Christian and Pato for going 1-2.” Scott McLaughlin, No. 3 Good Ranchers Team Penske Chevrolet qualified 17th, but will start 16th:“We were just too loose there which was really unfortunate for the Good Rancher Chevy It was just really hard to maximize the car when you sort of don’t really have the confidence on the (corner) entry with the rear of the car. We had a really good car in our first and second practices, so frustrated to miss out there, but that is what it is. We’ll just see what we got in morning warmup. We just got out there and have a play, and We definitely are better than we were here right now. Just a frustrating miss out there. So close in INDYCAR, you can’t miss it. So that’s what it is.” Alexander Rossi, No. 20 ECR Java House Chevrolet qualified 18th, but will start 17th:“We made a lot of progress. We only ran one set of the alternates there because we use a set in practice two and that time that we was good enough to get through in round one. So, we were trying not to relegate ourselves to twelfth because we would have had to use another set for round two. It was an aggressive decision to sit on the time and hope it was good enough, and it was by six-hundreths. That’s the way it goes. “It’s (the package) infinitely better than it has been through the sessions leading up to this, so we’ve made progress. Both cars have worked well together to evolve as the weekend goes on. I’m much more confident after that session, despite the result.” Sting Ray Robb, No. 77 Juncos Hollinger – Goodheart Chevrolet qualified 14th, and will start 21st after a penalty for an unapproved engine change:“I’m really proud of the team. This is the best car we’ve had rolling off the truck ever. Disappointed not being inside the Firestone Fast Six today. I think we had a car and the ability to do that. Congrats to Rinus for being in the Fast Six. The engine penalty doesn’t help us going into tomorrow. Props to the team. It’s really exciting to make big steps like this and it’s really fun to drive.” Santino Ferrucci, No. 14 Homes For Our Troops Chevrolet qualified 22nd:Santino: “Honestly, this weekend we have not been competitive at all. We’ve been working very diligently to close the gap and to be honest and we did kind of just that. We’ve just been struggling to find a change in the car that will give us some reaction. But what it came down to in qualifying is we were on the wrong side of one tenth of a second which is about the rate you blink your eyes. Honestly It’s just a bit of a bummer so because instead of starting in the fast 12, we start 22nd—that’s just how close it is. We’re gonna have to drive through the field tomorrow and see what we can do.”

Pato O’Ward during qualifying at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course

NTT INDYCAR SERIES News ConferenceSaturday, July 4, 2026Christian Lundgaard
Pato O’WardPress Conference
THE MODERATOR: Good afternoon. Wrapping up qualifying for tomorrow’s the Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio presented by the 2027 CR-V Hybrid.
Christian Lundgaard in the No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet, best start here at Mid-Ohio, second straight front-row start at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, first pole since Portland last year, fourth career NTT P1 award. Pato O’Ward will start second, third front-row start here at Mid-Ohio and third of the season.
Congratulations, Christian. Your thoughts on pole position and having the best view of tomorrow’s race at the start?
CHRISTIAN LUNDGAARD: Yeah, we’ve been fast all weekend, so I feel like it was just the goal at the end of the day. Obviously we qualified second here last year, and to do it any better, it was one position.
To have it as a team, too, at the end of the day, if it’s one way or the other, I don’t think it really matters. We’re leading the show tomorrow, and we can dictate the pace. So I think that will be at least our strongest benefit tomorrow.
Q.  Pato, just your thoughts on a great day for the team?PATO O’WARD: Yeah, I think it’s a great result for the team. Like Christian said, I think we’ve got the best view going into Turn 1. I think it’s — well, Turn 4 because we’re starting on the backstretch.
But yeah, it’s a good look to have an all-papaya front row and the cars have been strong all weekend and they have been in the past, obviously.
It’s not a stranger for us to look forward to a Sunday here and feel like we can really have a very strong ending result.
Q.  Christian, as a competitor, after what you’ve been through the last 24 hours, just how cool is this to be able to pull this off, just from a competitive aspect?CHRISTIAN LUNDGAARD: Well, at the end of the day for me it’s just noise. Once you’re in the car, I don’t really think anything matters. The talk is for next year, not this year.I still have a job to do and a job to finish.
Q.  Pato, as his teammate, you’ve probably developed a pretty close relationship with him. How cool is this from your standpoint to see what he was able to do even though it kept you from winning the pole?PATO O’WARD: No, I think we’ve had a very strong pairing, to be honest, in the last two years. This is not the first time that we’re sharing a front row, and I think what we strive to do every single weekend is just this, right? Like this is what we want to be doing. This is where we want to be positioning our race team and our engine manufacturer, which it was good to see this qualifying session was quite strong for Team Chevy, so thanks to them for bringing a good package for us this weekend for all of us to try and get it done.Yeah, this is what you want when you have a teammate. You want to be able to push each other. You want to be able to keep striving for the ultimate ceiling, right, which a lot of the times you don’t know where it is.
So far, I think we’ve done our jobs, and we’re trying to really maximize the package that we’ve got.
Q.  Christian, you mentioned you’ve been fast in every session. Do you almost feel like going into tomorrow you might have more confidence than you’ve had at any of the other races so far this year?CHRISTIAN LUNDGAARD: I mean, you know, I was very vocal in the beginning of the season that we just had to qualify better, right, and the results would be even better than they had been at the time. We proved it at Indy Road Course, qualifying further up. Road America is still sort of a mystery to me how we ended up where we did. Obviously the car was fast, but we needed some lucky yellows to just put us back in play.
Here we can dictate the pace. We know the car is fast in race trim. I don’t necessarily think it gets me more confidence in that regard. We just have to focus on in warmup tomorrow to be able to produce the best race car, as well.
Q.  A couple months ago Tony Kanaan was talking about your contract and said when he drove, he always told owners or whoever his boss was that he wanted them to let him know if he was being fired. Has he or Zak Brown or anybody extended that same grace and transparency to you in the past few weeks?CHRISTIAN LUNDGAARD: I mean, there’s a lot of talks back and forth. At the end of the day, I still have a job to do now. What next year brings, at the end of the day, I still don’t know. My guess is as good as yours is from that regard.
But as long as I keep doing the best that I can and keep winning races, I feel like those results speak for themselves.
Q.  Pato, you talked a lot about trying to get your first podium of the year. If there comes a situation where maybe you risk — do you want your team to roll the dice if you have to to win versus maybe play it safe or a top 3?PATO O’WARD: I mean, I don’t think we’re in a position to be rolling the dice, to be honest. We have a good position.
There’s a lot of things that can happen. I’ve started in the front row other times this year, and we’ve had some happy pedalers behind that pumped us or take us out. You cannot control that. I cannot control that. I also cannot control if we have a hiccup in the pits. I cannot control that. All I can do is maximize what I’ve got inside of the race car, and I truly believe that’s what I’ve been doing this year. I don’t think I’ve driven as well as I have this year. Sadly, the results I don’t think are well correlated with that, but I think there’s a lot of little things that have been costing us a lot of just much better results in certain areas.My hope for tomorrow is just to have a clean race. I don’t need the fastest pit stops. I don’t need the best strategy. I don’t need extremely lucky yellows. All I need is a nice smooth race, and I’m more than skilled enough to get the job done.
Q.  For either of you, it seemed like yesterday it was so hot, you could really get a good gauge on the softs. Did you get a good gauge today, and did they react the way you expected them to?CHRISTIAN LUNDGAARD: Well, I think considering all qualifying laps was done on lap 2, I feel like that is a pretty good indication.
Q.  Christian, starting on pole, how much does that mean to you to get that spot, especially with all the noise?CHRISTIAN LUNDGAARD: Yeah, I mean, it doesn’t really make a difference, right? For me, I’m going to continue to do the best that I can. It’s not like I’ve had more motivation this weekend than I’ve had any other weekends. I continue to show up and do the best that I can.
Some weekends are better than others, and that’s life. That’s racing. Obviously to get a pole is great. It shows that we figured something out from our qualifying package, which we’re going to try to bring on to the rest of the season.
Q.  To continue your run of dominance on road courses, I feel like Alex Palou has been able to circumvent that into many championships here in INDYCAR and you’re pretty good on the street courses, as well. How does it feel to prove that, as well, or continue to prove that?CHRISTIAN LUNDGAARD: You know, right now I’m taking it a day at a time. Of course I’m focused on the race tomorrow. I feel like there’s races coming up as a team where we’ll be strong, and that’s really where we have to maximize on the 10. We have a better chance of winning tomorrow than obviously he does, and I feel like I can speak for Pato, as well. We’re fourth and fifth in the championship; this is a good opportunity for us to score more points and catch up.
But again, we can’t really keep thinking that way. We need to be doing the best that we can and win races, and then the rest will take care of itself.
Q.  How much does it mean to you guys as a team to get one up on Alex Palou this weekend?CHRISTIAN LUNDGAARD: I mean, I don’t really know. This is what we’re here to do. It hurts losing, and at the end of the day, he’s done a tremendous job for such a long time. Still is. Just wasn’t his day, I guess.
PATO O’WARD: He’s still leading the championship. Today means nothing. I’m not focused on Alex. I’m trying to maximize my weekends. I think when you do that, that’s what’s going to take you to have a chance to win the championship, whether it’s going to be against Palou, whether it’s going to be against Newgarden, whether it’s going to be against Malukas. You don’t know.
But I think it’s important to really focus on what your packages are because a lot of the times you might get pretty close in points. No one has in the last few years. But you can be pretty close in points at the end of the year.
The good races for each of you can look very different. I think it’s just all about knowing what’s under you.
Q.  Christian, with the delay and the rain, did you feel any difference grip-wise on the track? And earlier today your driving colleagues from INDY NXT said it’s very difficult to overtake in a traffic situation. What’s your opinion about that?CHRISTIAN LUNDGAARD: I mean, on the rain delay, I love driving in the rain, so even if it was going to be wet, I wouldn’t really have cared too much. I feel like all of us would have enjoyed it.
I wouldn’t really say there was a big difference, in all honesty. I feel like the lap times were relatively similar. I think we’re all expecting a bigger speed gap compared to P2, but again, the temperature is warmer, so that slows us down.
Going into tomorrow, we have strategy as well. It’s between a three- and a two-stop, so there’s plenty of opportunity I feel like.
Yeah, it’s going to be difficult to overtake if everybody is doing the same thing, but I feel like we’ll find our way.
Q.  Pato, you mentioned at the end of Detroit that you felt like the Chevy was a little bit behind the Honda and you mentioned a couple of minutes ago that you feel like that gap is kind of closed. Obviously five of the Fast Six were Chevrolet powered. Where has that gap been made up between the two engines for you?PATO O’WARD: Everybody at Chevrolet and GM have really put on a board really what we needed, right. They’re very aware of where we’ve been lacking or where we’ve had to improve. I mean, every single — after every single weekend they’re always trying to give us more tools, more of everything just to be able to get us to that position, whether it’s a feeling, whether it’s all around just better drivability. They’re hitting every single angle, and I feel like they’ve really tried to cater, not just to all of us in the Chevy camp, but also to what the teams are specifically asking for. It’s not always what we ask for is what Penske is asking for and stuff.
I think they’ve been great to work with all this time, and obviously we put all this time and effort telling them what we need from them.
They’re doing as they should and like we are. We’re pushing each other, and we’re telling each other what we need to just have better chances at the end of the year because it’s definitely been a tough one.
Q.  Christian, you mentioned on Friday that it’s just been business as usual for you in the cockpit. But you’ve had so much success this year, particularly on the road courses. Was there a change in the off-season? Did you do anything differently to prepare? Is there any kind of a mindset change, or is it just, as you said on Friday, business as usual?CHRISTIAN LUNDGAARD: I kept playing golf. (Laughter).
No, in all honesty, I feel like we were gaining so much momentum throughout last year. At the end of the day, we had two great races in Portland and Laguna last year, two road courses, and again, they’re still yet to come. What can we do there at the end of this year.
But I feel like our road course package has been really good on Sunday, and we’ve definitely struggled in qualifying. I don’t think that’s a secret. I think that’s why today feels better as a team to be one-two because I feel like we definitely have struggled in qualifying.

Scott McLaughlin (Team Penske) is interviewed after winning the 2022 race at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course

Chevrolet at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car CourseChevrolet wins at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course: 122024 – Pato O’Ward – Arrow McLaren 2022 – Scott McLaughlin – Team Penske 2021 – Josef Newgarden – Team Penske 2020 Race #1 – Will Power – Team Penske 2017 – Josef Newgarden – Team Penske 2016 – Simon Pagenaud – Team Penske 2014 – Scott Dixon – Chip Ganassi Racing 1993 – Emerson Fittipaldi – Team Penske 1992 – Emerson Fittipaldi – Team Penske 1991 – Michael Andretti – Newman Haas Racing 1990 – Michael Andretti – Newman Haas Racing 1988 – Emerson Fittipaldi – Patrick RacingChevrolet poles at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course: 132022 – Pato O’Ward – Arrow McLaren 2021 – Josef Newgarden – Team Penske 2020 Race #1 – Will Power – Team Penske 2019 – Will Power – Team Penske 2017 – Will Power – Team Penske 2016 – Simon Pagenaud – Team Penske 2015 – Scott Dixon – Chip Ganassi Racing 2014 – Sebastien Bourdais – KV Racing Technology 2013 – Ryan Hunter-Reay – Andretti Global 2012 – Will Power – Team Penske 1991 – Michael Andretti – Newman Haas Racing 1990 – Michael Andretti – Newman Haas Racing 1988 – Danny Sullivan – Team Penske Chevrolet podiums at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course: 34Chevrolet podiums at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course by driver: Will Power (7), Emerson Fittipaldi (4), Michael Andretti (3), Josef Newgarden (3), Al Unser Jr. (3), Mario Andretti (2), Scott McLaughlin (2), Simon Pagenaud (2), Sebastien Bourdais (1), Christian Lundgaard (1), Rick Mears (1), Pato O’Ward (1), Bob Rahal (1), Danny Sullivan (1) and Paul Tracy (1). Chevrolet podiums at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course by team: Team Penske (19), Newman Haas Racing (6), Galles Racing (4), Arrow McLaren (2), Chip Ganassi Racing (1), KV Racing Technology (1) and Patrick Racing (1) Chevrolet laps led at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course: 1034Chevrolet laps led at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course by driver: Will Power (178), Emerson Fittipaldi (168), Michael Andretti (152), Scott Dixon (67), Pato O’Ward (52), Scott McLaughlin (49), Mario Andretti (44), Sebastien Bourdais (38), Ryan Hunter-Reay (30), Juan Montoya (30), Simon Pagenaud (23), Paul Tracy (23), Al Unser Jr. (11), Helio Castroneves (6), James Hinchcliffe (2), and Danny Sullivan (2) Chevrolet laps led at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course by team: Team Penske (573), Newman Haas Racing (196), Chip Ganassi Racing (67), Patrick Racing (63), Arrow McLaren (52), KV Racing Technology (38), Andretti Global (32), Galles Racing (11), and ECR (2) Manufacturer History at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car CourseWins (with competition)13 – Honda (2025, 2023, 2020 Race #2, 2019, 2018, 2015, 2013, 2012, 2001, 2000, 1999 1997, 1996)12 – Chevrolet (2024, 2022, 2021, 2020 Race #1, 2017, 2016, 2014, 1993, 1992, 1991, 1990, 1989)6 – Cosworth (1987, 1986, 1986, 1984, 1983, 1980)2 – Ford (2002, 1998)1 – Ilmor (1994)1 – Mercedes (1995)1 – Porsche (1989)Poles (with competition)13 – Chevrolet (2022, 2021, 2020 Race #1, 2019, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 1991, 1990, 1988)10 – Honda (2025, 2024, 2023, 2020 Race #2, 2018, 2001, 2000, 1999, 1998, 1996)6 – Cosworth (1987, 1986, 1985, 1984, 1983, 1980)5 – Ford (2002, 1997, 1995, 1993, 1992)1 – Ilmor (1994)1 – Porsche (1989)

Christian Lundgaard grabbed his second pole with Chevrolet power, leading an all Arrow McLaren front row, including Pato O’Ward

Media Resources: Images | Media Advances | Chevrolet Newsroom

Pato O’Ward during qualifying at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course

Scott McLaughlin (Team Penske) is interviewed after winning the 2022 race at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course

Uncategorized

Power qualifies third in the Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio

July 6, 2026 ARP Trish

July 4, 2026 — MANSFIELD, OH

Will Power leads Honda drivers with P3 start in the Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio
Andretti Global qualifies all three drivers in the top-10
Alex Palou eighth, snapping streak of five-consecutive pole positions

Will Power led Honda-powered NTT INDYCAR SERIES drivers, qualifying his #26 Andretti Global Machine third for the Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio presented by the 2027 CR-V Hybrid.

This is Power’s second-best starting position since moving to the Andretti Global team for the 2026 season, following his front row start at the Detroit Grand Prix last month.

Power’s Andretti Global teammates of Marcus Ericsson and Kyle Kirkwood also qualified in the top 10, lining up seventh and tenth respectively in an incredibly tight qualifying session. Fourth through 10th in the Top-12 round of qualifying were separated by less than one tenth of a second.

Championship leader Alex Palou’s streak of consecutive pole positions came to an end today, he will start eighth after claiming pole position at the previous five races.

Ohio-born Graham Rahal also made it through to the Top-12 round of qualifying, the 2015 Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course winner will roll off P12.

Marcus Armstrong qualified 24th in his Acura-branded Honda Indy car with Meyer Shank Racing. Armstrong’s Acura Honda is the third appearance of Acura branding this season—following strong runs for Felix Rosenqvist at the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach, where he started from pole and finished second, and Armstrong himself at the Indy 500 where he finished fifth after leading at the white flag. Acura has activated around the IndyCar series in 2026 to celebrate 40 years of the Acura brand and help introduce the automaker to a new, and growing, audience in IndyCar.

Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio presented by the 2027 CR-V Hybrid Honda Qualifying Results

3rd Will Power
7th Marcus Ericsson
8th Alex Palou
10th Kyle Kirkwood
12th Graham Rahal
13th Felix Rosenqvist
16th Mick Schumacher– R
19th Louis Foster
20th Kyffin Simpson
21st Scott Dixon
23rd Romain Grosjean
24th Marcus Armstrong
25th Dennis Hauger– R

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

R – Rookie

Quotes

Power qualifies third in the Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio

July 4, 2026 — MANSFIELD, OH

Will Power leads Honda drivers with P3 start in the Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio
Andretti Global qualifies all three drivers in the top-10
Alex Palou eighth, snapping streak of five-consecutive pole positions

Will Power led Honda-powered NTT INDYCAR SERIES drivers, qualifying his #26 Andretti Global Machine third for the Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio presented by the 2027 CR-V Hybrid.

This is Power’s second-best starting position since moving to the Andretti Global team for the 2026 season, following his front row start at the Detroit Grand Prix last month.

Championship leader Alex Palou’s streak of consecutive pole positions came to an end today, he will start eighth after claiming pole position at the previous five races.

Ohio-born Graham Rahal also made it through to the Top-12 round of qualifying, the 2015 Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course winner will roll off P12.

Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio presented by the 2027 CR-V Hybrid Honda Qualifying Results

3rd Will Power
7th Marcus Ericsson
8th Alex Palou
10th Kyle Kirkwood
12th Graham Rahal
13th Felix Rosenqvist
16th Mick Schumacher– R
19th Louis Foster
20th Kyffin Simpson
21st Scott Dixon
23rd Romain Grosjean
24th Marcus Armstrong
25th Dennis Hauger– R

R – Rookie

Quotes

Will Power (#26 Andretti Global Honda) qualified third: “That was really good for us. I’m glad we got qualifying completed in the dry because I felt like we had a good car and we were in a position where we could capitalize in those conditions. We left nothing on the table there. I think it was just so, so close in the Fast Six. It could’ve gone any way, there was just a little bit of everything in those final runs. I’m really happy with our Honda, we’ve been having really good races with it lately. I’m looking forward to tomorrow.”

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Chevy Racing–Nascar–Chicagoland–Austin Dillon

July 6, 2026 ARP Trish

NASCAR CUP SERIES CHICAGOLAND SPEEDWAY TEAM CHEVY DRIVER QUOTES JULY 4, 2026

Austin Dillon, driver of the No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet, met with the media in advance of the NASCAR Cup Series qualifying session at Chicagoland Speedway.

MEDIA RESOURCES: Photo Gallery | Race Advances Chevrolet Newsroom

NASCAR CUP SERIESCHICAGOLAND SPEEDWAYTEAM CHEVY DRIVER QUOTESJULY 4, 2026

Austin Dillon, driver of the No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet, met with the media in advance of the NASCAR Cup Series qualifying session at Chicagoland Speedway.

MEDIA RESOURCES: Photo Gallery | Race Advances Chevrolet Newsroom

Media Availability Quotes:

The other day, you had the chance to travel to Washington D.C. You went to the Great American State Fair, and you got to sit with Richard Childress and Steve O’Donnell. Can you talk to us a little bit about that?“Yeah, it was a special backdrop for sure, being in front of the Capitol and hanging out with Jim Campbell, Steve O’Donnell, our Secretary of Labor and Secretary of Agriculture, just talking about the impact that NASCAR has had over 250 years; the impact that cars, the automobile industry and motorsports continues to have; and the employees that we were able to create with the innovation of our sport. It was very special and it was an awesome experience.”
  How did it feel showing former NFL players that you’re kind of ready for a combine with that bench press performance?“When I showed up in there — Paul Swan is always full of juice and him and Taylor (Lewan) were wrestling around in there and I was like, gosh, man, I do not want him to hit me like that or break me in half. They finally calmed down and Taylor was like, hey, before we go on the bus, the tradition is everybody throws up 145 for a couple… are you in? And I’m like, oh, it was probably a year after COVID the last time I benched (laughs). I was trying to make excuses and they were like, look, Noah (Gragson) kind of started it and he did four. And I’m like, shoot, if I can’t do four, I just need to go home. And they were like, William (Byron) didn’t do it. Jesse (Love) did like two. And I’m like, dude, I can do this. Paul’s like, hey, you got 15, no problem. So I went one more than what Paul said and I was pretty proud of that. My lower back started to lock up at 15, so I called it quits after that.”
Practice yesterday, with the different patches, the seams, just everything kind of going on with this aged surface; do you have a good idea of what lane will be best when you’re heading out there for qualifying or kind of have to just go all out?“Yeah, I think it seemed like in turns one and two, a lane or two up was the fastest way through there. It was cool to see the rubber start to lay down and the track gradually move up. I think we’ll be out by the fence pretty fast in the race tomorrow in turn one and two. Turn three and four, it seems like it takes a little bit longer for that to come in or the speed to just slow down. I do think that’s where the race will be. We’ll be up by the fence by the end of it. The bumps are definitely two of the biggest factors that you’re trying to build your car around; the entry to one and then dead center of three and four. I thought we did a decent job making our car better there. But overall, we just need raw speed from our camp. Hopefully as the track rubbers up, we can see some fall-off. That’s good for us.”
Should we come back to Chicagoland or just abandon this place and move on?“I hate to abandon any racetrack. Every one of them has character and this one definitely has a lot of character. I would say from a character standpoint, this is the closest thing we have to Homestead or maybe Darlington. But mile-and-a-half wise, this thing has a lot of character, so I love it and I think it’s going to put on a great show for TV. I think the only other factor is showing up. You know, we’ve got to make sure that everybody shows up and enjoys it. But if we put on a good show, I think ticket sales will always go up, and I hope to see that come Sunday.”
Obviously, you had a pretty special experience in Washington D.C. earlier this week. What’s probably your favorite July 4th memory? What was Independence Day like in the Dillon household growing up?“It usually revolved around Daytona, fireworks and good eats. Just tuning into Daytona, usually, on July 4th. That’s what I remember it as growing up.”
Where have you seen Austin Hill make the biggest growth since he got into the sport, especially now since he’s kind of expanding his repertoire with Cup racing?“I think he has won at every level when it comes to the Truck and O’Reilly series. He’s been able to take bad days and turn them into good days. I’ve liked watching him in the O’Reilly Series over the last couple of years of where he consistently just puts himself in position to have a shot. He’s consistent. I think that ability to take one step at a time makes him a consistent factor.  While we were first meeting about Austin, it was like, you know, you’re always going to have a shot at road courses and speedways with him in the car. That’s a big percentage of our races. I feel like he’s a high-percentage road racer and speedway racer. And then, there are certain mile-and-a-halves and short tracks that he’s just going to get better. That’s going to take the time from the Next Gen side, just understanding the differences between an O’Reilly’s car and a Cup car when you get to these ovals. That learning curve takes a minute. But I think on speedways and road racing, he’s going to be competitive each and every time.”
I talked to your brother, Ty (Dillon), yesterday, and he said somewhere down the road, he sees the two of you running the company. He said you guys are kind of yin to the other’s yang. Talk about the balance between the two of you and what makes you guys work so well together.“Yeah, for sure. I think we’ve always had different personalities, but probably one is my mom and one is my dad. I don’t know. Each one of them would claim different parts of us, I feel like.  I’m so proud of what Ty’s been able to do, taking a different path and learning a lot, so I think his angle and view of things is different than mine. Hopefully that meshes well together when the opportunity comes to take RCR to the next level and into the future.”
We’re here the first week of July, the new Chevy body — Can you just kind of assess where you’re at from RCR’s standpoint? Just how has that gone for you and what areas are you working on as you continue to develop this racecar?“Yeah, I think we’re behind, obviously. I think that’s the honest thing to say. I was really excited at the beginning of the year from a drag standpoint. I think at the speedways, we showed promise, so hopefully Atlanta is a good direction for us. But we’re all working hard at Chevrolet to try and get to where we need to be. If you just look at the performance side, we’re not where we need to be. We need to get that new body dialed in as fast as possible and make a concerted effort to catch up.”
You look at Austin Hill and the qualifying has been there. The results are starting to get better and better. You look around the landscape a little bit. It seems to make sense that he would stay in the car into next year on the Cup side. Is that fair to say?“I think he’s doing a great job. You know, I’m not going to ‘Christopher Bell’ what the future is of that (laughs). I’ll wait and let RCR make that call.”
I got your reaction back at the All-Star race when you found out that Richard (Childress) was going to go back racing. But now, we’re about 13 days away from him being back on the track. Has he done any preparation for the New England 900? What have you gotten to experience?“All I told him is he better get with somebody at the shop and get the cool shirt up to that Crown Vic or whatever he’s driving up there because it’s probably going to be toasty and he’s got to run more miles than he’s used to. I think he’s walking an extra mile a day probably. But I never put anything past my grandfather. He literally can work anybody in the ground, even at his age. All I know is you’ll probably see him use the bumper up there. If he’s fast enough to get to somebody, he’s going to use it and move them. I think my brother’s in the race, too, and (Danny) Stockman, so they’ll have lead blockers and all kinds of stuff. I think it’s his race to lose. Cleetus (McFarland) better put a big power unit in that thing, or he’ll have an ECR engine sent up there if it’s not.”
So just to confirm, you are not going to be in the race?“Cleetus gave me the opportunity, but we’ve got to get our cars running better, and my focus needs to be locked in on that. I just want to make sure everybody in this room knows where my focus is at RCR and trying to make our cars better. They’ve got a great contingency of people that are going to be there with him, and my brother’s going to be doing it, as well, so I think he’ll be taken care of up there.”
Regardless of what the sanctioning body decides to do with the schedule next year, what are going to be some of the keys to continuing to grow and expand this sport in the Chicagoland market?“This market in particular? I mean, why don’t we go dirt racing? There are some awesome dirt tracks in Illinois. That would be awesome. But I don’t know. I’m good with any kind of new ideas. I love going to places for the first time. It creates opportunity for all the drivers. Trying to figure out something the fastest is cool. You see what we were able to do in San Diego at Coronado and just the fanfare there. I mean, they sold out of merch, I believe. One of the best overall merch sales ever was in San Diego, compared to Daytona this year, so that shows you that any type of new idea, any time you put something new in fans’ faces, it’s a good thing.”
To add on to the topic of racing in the Chicago metro, would racing on the Chicago Street Course be something you’d be open to doing again? There’s been murmurs about it, potentially racing at both Chicagoland and the Street Course. How would you feel?“I mean, I loved the street course. It was great. (Carson) Hocevar knocked a fence down in front of me and took me out last year. I had to stop, and I got wiped out. But, I mean, other than that, I’ve had a blast going to downtown Chicago. I think it’s epic. You get great places to eat down there. That really makes me happy. The view is good. The fireworks show was great last year. I think from a July 4th perspective, we’ve got to do a good job of making sure it’s a great show for our fans and the fans that show up.”
What are the goals for the No. 3 team for the second-half of the season, and do you think that the Chevrolet body will have an effect at places like Richmond, where you’ve been so dominant the last two years?“Yeah, I think we’ve got to see a steady incline of performance. We’re in a pretty deep hole right now from where we are to the next person in points, and it’s the same from behind us. But this stretch of races is a great stretch for us with Chicagoland, North Wilkesboro, Indianapolis and Iowa. We can get around Atlanta. All those places are places that we should perform, and if we’re not performing, we’ve got to really reflect on where we’re at. We’re focused on getting a win right now. That’s the biggest thing is trying to figure out a way to get to victory lane. But also, just steady progress. Yesterday, our cars were not where they needed to be on raw speed, but the 10-lap average was a little closer. That just tells me we’ve got to go to work.”
I talked to a couple of IndyCar drivers a few weeks ago when I went to one of their events, and they are just ecstatic about what happened at Phoenix this year and having kind of a combined series race. What do you guys think about teaming up for a combo race in the next couple of years?“I think it’s great. I mean, it makes sense. I think IndyCar and NASCAR, when you look at like America 250 and July 4th, I think you could pair them up because it’s kind of our two forms of racing that really lead the pack in motorsports here. I think it’s a great showcase for what we do in America for motorsports.”
Yesterday, Tyler Reddick got out of the car and said afterwards that the track didn’t act like an old surface. He was kind of thrown for a loop of, I guess, with what he experienced in practice. From your perspective, what did you expect going in versus what happened, and does that change maybe any expectations for tomorrow and how it will race with everybody out there?“I was thinking that there was going to be more fall-off, I think, from that perspective. I thought we only rubbered up like half the track, so as more and more rubber lays down, it will be interesting to see what happens. This tire, I think when you get deeper into runs, it starts to really fade. But like he said, I really didn’t see the forward drive loss that I thought we were going to have. But our car did build quite a bit of air to the right rear, so we’ll see.”

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Frank Heckenast Jr. Ends Six-Year Summer Nationals Dry Spell at Red Hill

July 6, 2026 ARP Trish

SUMNER, IL (July 3, 2026) — It’s been nearly six years since Frank Heckenast Jr. tasted victory with the DIRTcar Summer Nationals. Friday night at Red Hill Raceway, the drought finally came to an end.

Heckenast, of Frankfort, IL, took the lead on Lap 12 of the main event and never looked back, winning by over five seconds at the big, 4/10-mile oval for career win No. 6 during the 40th anniversary season of the Hell Tour.

“Six years, sixth win — that’s a long time,” Heckenast said. “I’ve had a lot of seconds and a lot of thirds; these are just hard to win. People think if they just show up, they’re gonna win one because they’re out on the road or something. It’s not that easy.”

Heckenast took the green flag from the pole with two-time series champion Jason Feger starting to his outside. Feger got the jump on the initial start of the race but a caution for two cars tangling brought a complete restart with no laps completed.

Feger got another good launch on the second try at the start and looked to be in control until things got dicey in lap traffic on Lap 11. Series points leader, Tanner English, had worked his way into second and was challenging for the lead before a caution slowed that charge.

While Feger maintained the lead on the Lap 11 restart, Heckenast made the move on English for second down the backstretch. As the top three crossed the start/finish line to complete Lap 12, Feger slowed dramatically, revealing a flat right-rear tire as the caution was thrown once again.

With Feger in the pits for repairs, Heckenast inherited the lead for the restart with 26 laps left. What came next was domination from the No. 99JR, leading the rest of the distance unchallenged for his first Summer Nationals win since August 2020.

“I got into a little argument with my dad because I thought we needed two or three tenths in the heat there because Babb and Feger showed three more tenths than we did,” Heckenast said. “But the car felt good, steered good. Not sure what tires everyone put on; we didn’t even look. It was one of those nights where we had the phones down and the heads down and went with the feel of our ass and it worked out.”

English finished second, Sam Seawright finished third, Kyle Hardy was fourth, and Clay Stuckey finished sixth. Feger rebounded from the flat tire to finish sixth.

UP NEXT

The DIRTcar Summer Nationals celebrates July 4 at Highland Speedway in Highland, IL on Saturday.

How can you watch the DIRTcar Summer Nationals? Every race is live on DIRTVision.

Feature (40 Laps): 1. 99JR-Frank Heckenast Jr[1]; 2. 96-Tanner English[4]; 3. 16S-Sam Seawright[9]; 4. 99-Kyle Hardy[8]; 5. 15-Clay Stuckey[5]; 6. 25-Jason Feger[2]; 7. 51B-Brandon Carpenter[10]; 8. 74-Mitch McGrath[13]; 9. 31M-Tyler Millwood[6]; 10. 17SR-Brody Smith[18]; 11. 82B-Jason Milam[16]; 12. (DNF) 49-Luke Morey[15]; 13. (DNF) K67-Braiden Keller[12]; 14. (DNF) 17W-Lee Williams[11]; 15. (DNF) 81-Logan Mounce[20]; 16. (DNF) 51-Dean Carpenter[7]; 17. (DNF) 17-Jarrett Jones[14]; 18. (DNF) 80-Tucker Chastain[19]; 19. (DNF) 18-Shannon Babb[3]; 20. (DNF) 67-Gregory Carrico[23]; 21. (DNF) LIL91-Carter Schlenk[22]; 22. (DNF) 91-Rusty Schlenk[17]; 23. (DNF) 30-Mark Voigt[21]

Cole Falloway Scores First Summit Modified Win of 2026 at Red Hill

Kentucky native Cole Falloway stormed into Illinois’ Red Hill Raceway Friday night and emerged a Feature winner with the DIRTcar Summit Racing Equipment Modified Nationals for the first time in 2026.

Falloway, of Owensboro, KY, made the pass for the lead slightly before the halfway point of the main event and never looked back, banking his fourth career Summit Modified Feature win.

Ray Bollinger led the field into Turn 1 before a two-car tangle in Turns 1 and 2 restacked the field for a complete restart.

Bollinger again took control of the race on the second attempt at the start until a Lap 9 red flag for a Christopher Cole tip over brought the race to a stop.

On the restart, Bollinger pulled away once more before slowing briefly in Turn 2, allowing Falloway drive by for the lead down the back stretch on Lap 11.

Falloway extended the advantage out to over five seconds over the remainder of the distance and crossed under the checkered flag for his second DIRTcar UMP Modified win at Red Hill in 2026.

“That red was good because my stuff was running a little hot before that, so it gave it a chance to come back down,” Falloway said. “I was kind of just biding my time behind [Bollinger], seeing where I could make a little bit more speed than he was. I don’t know what happened, he went off the pace, and I got into him a little bit. And then he got back going.”

Bollinger finished second, Zeke McKenzie was third, Levi Kissinger was fourth, and Matthew Baker rounded out the top five.

UP NEXT

The DIRTcar Summit Racing Equipment Modified Nationals return to action on July 4 at Highland Speedway in Highland, IL.

How can you watch the Summit Modifieds? Every race is live on DIRTVision.

Feature (25 Laps): 1. 66-Cole Falloway[3]; 2. 77-Ray Bollinger[1]; 3. 24-Zeke McKenzie[4]; 4. 95K-Levi Kissinger[2]; 5. B5-Matthew Baker[6]; 6. 27G-Jason Garver[5]; 7. 37-Everett Bradham[7]; 8. 744-Justin Jones[11]; 9. 91K-Cody Kibby[8]; 10. (DNF) 2X-Wes Harms[15]; 11. (DNF) 7815-Brandon Justus[10]; 12. (DNF) 81C-Christopher Cole[9]; 13. (DNF) 43A-Larry Anderson[14]; 14. (DNF) 81K-Kyle Cole[13]; 15. (DNF) 22-Jordan Borgmann[16]; 16. (DNS) 118-Dustin Atchison

ARTICLE: https://dirtcarsummernationals.com/recaps/frank-heckenast-jr-ends-six-year-summer-nationals-dry-spell-at-red-hill/

Frank Heckenast Jr. Ends Six-Year Summer Nationals Dry Spell at Red Hill