F4

SUPERKARTS! USA S1 SERIES CHAMPION TO RECEIVE F4 UNITED STATES SCHOLARSHIP

SUPERKARTS! USA S1 SERIES CHAMPION TO RECEIVE F4 UNITED STATES SCHOLARSHIP

INDIANAPOLIS (November 10, 2016) – As part of an emphasis on assisting in the development of the next generation of racers, Formula 4 United States Championship Powered by Honda partners SCCA Pro Racing, Onroak Automotive North America Co. (formerly Crawford Composites) and Honda Performance Development will present the SuperKarts! USA S1 class champion an award package valued at nearly $18,000 during the SKUSA Supernats in Las Vegas from Nov. 16-20.
Continue reading SUPERKARTS! USA S1 SERIES CHAMPION TO RECEIVE F4 UNITED STATES SCHOLARSHIP →

Richard Childress Racing

Richard Childress Racing–Phoenix

Promising Run Spoiled by Part Failure at Phoenix International Raceway for Austin Dillon and the No. 3 American Ethanol Team

“This is a difficult one to stomach. We had another fast American Ethanol Chevrolet today but, unfortunately, we had a part failure that shut the engine off. Everything seemed fine but when we restarted the race following a caution flag, the car just locked up and shut off. We ended up in the garage making several changes and were able to fix the problem and return to the race. It’s a bummer to run in the top-five and then finish 23 laps down. We only have one race left this season. I’m looking forward to Homestead-Miami Speedway and having the chance to finish the year off strong.” Continue reading Richard Childress Racing–Phoenix →

Chevrolet Racing

Chevy Racing–NHRA–Pomona Post Race Quotes

CHEVROLET RACING IN NATIONAL HOT ROD ASSOCIATION
AUTO CLUB NHRA FINALS
AUTO CLUB RACEWAY AT POMONA, CALIFORNIA
POST-RACE DRIVER QUOTES
NOV. 13, 2016

An interview with Pro Stock champion JASON LINE, KB RACING, SUMMIT RACING EQUIPMENT CHEVROLET CAMARO SS:

Q: HOW HUGE IS THIS?

JASON LINE: “I can’t put it into words. I’m a boring guy; I don’t like pressure. To have it come down to the end like this is hard on my heart. It was a great year and I want to thank all our competitors. They did a great job and made us work hard right to the end. And I want to thank all the Summit folks, (team owner) Ken Black. It’s been an incredible, dream season and I can’t believe I didn’t mess it up.” Continue reading Chevy Racing–NHRA–Pomona Post Race Quotes →

Chevrolet Racing

Chevy Racing–NASCAR–Phoenix

CHASE FOR THE NASCAR SPRINT CUP
ROUND 9 OF 10
CAN-AM 500
PHOENIX INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY
TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE NOTES AND QUOTES
NOVEMBER 13, 2016

KEVIN HARVICK, NO. 4 JIMMY JOHN’S CHEVROLET SS – Finished 4th
WHAT WAS LACKING TODAY? WHAT MORE DID YOU NEED TO GET IT DONE HERE TODAY?
“We just started way too far off on Friday. We never got a handle on the racecar. They made it a ton better in the race and we were in contention there at the end and just came up short. Just really proud of everybody for the effort that they put in. It was a very challenging Chase for us for all the mechanical failures and situations that we had going on. We kept rebounding and winning races and today we were a lap down and came back to have a chance at the end. That says a lot about the character of our race team and we just came up short this year.”

YOU NEVER GAVE UP AND THAT WAS KIND OF THE MARK OF THE TEAM ALL DAY.
“That’s a huge credit to the race team and the guys there in the end. We had a chance and could take a swing for it. We just didn’t quite have it all weekend. We made the car a ton better as we got into the race. So I’m proud of everyone for that.” Continue reading Chevy Racing–NASCAR–Phoenix →

Jegs Racing

Down season ends quietly for five-time champion Jeg Coughlin Jr.

Down season ends quietly for
five-time champion Jeg Coughlin Jr.
POMONA, Calif. (Nov. 13) — The 2016 season came to a quiet end for five-time Pro Stock champion Jeg Coughlin Jr. as the 76-time national event winner bowed to Elite Motorsports teammate Vincent Nobile in Sunday’s first round of the 52nd annual Auto Club NHRA Finals at Auto Club Raceway in Pomona.

Coughlin put up a fight, matching Nobile’s sharp .025-second reaction time and racing him door-handle-to-door-handle most of the way down the strip, but in the end it was Nobile’s 6.600 at 209.95 mph that put him slightly ahead of Coughlin’s 6.626 at 209.14. mph. Continue reading Down season ends quietly for five-time champion Jeg Coughlin Jr. →

Chevrolet Racing

CHEVROLET GRABS SIX OF THE TOP TEN FINISHING SPOTS AT PHOENIX

CHEVROLET GRABS SIX OF THE TOP TEN FINISHING SPOTS AT PHOENIX

· Jimmie Johnson heads to Homestead as part of the Championship Four with chance to capture record-tying seventh NASCAR Sprint Cup Series title
· Chevrolet has chance at driver’s title in each of NASCAR’s top three national series at Homestead
· Chase contenders Kevin Harvick and Kurt Busch come up just short in their bid for championship spots in final race

PHOENIX (November 13, 2016) – NASCAR’s penultimate race at Phoenix International Raceway (PIR) to determine its 2016 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship four drivers delivered the drama, intensity, and sparks that were expected. The Can-Am 500, as well as the final two positions for the Championship Four at Homestead-Miami Speedway, was determined in overtime following a number of aggressive restarts and cautions in the waning laps. Continue reading CHEVROLET GRABS SIX OF THE TOP TEN FINISHING SPOTS AT PHOENIX →

Erica Enders

Erica Enders closes out her championship tenure with a broad smile on her face

Erica Enders closes out her championship tenure with a broad smile on her face
POMONA, Calif. (Nov. 13) — After winning two championships in a row and pushing her career win total to 21 national events, Erica Enders came into 2016 hoping to add to her legacy in a brand-new Elite Motorsports/Mopar Dodge Dart. But things don’t always go as planned, and Enders instead went an entire year without reaching the final round. Continue reading Erica Enders closes out her championship tenure with a broad smile on her face →

Chevrolet Racing

Chevy Racing–NHRA–Pomona Finals

CHEVROLET RACING IN NATIONAL HOT ROD ASSOCIATION
AUTO CLUB NHRA FINALS
AUTO CLUB RACEWAY AT POMONA, CALIFORNIA
NOV. 13, 2016

Chevrolet Wins Pro Stock Title, Dominates Class with 23 Victories

• Jason Line claims third Pro Stock championship and third in row for Chevrolet
• Greg Anderson’s Pro Stock race win pushes career total to 86, second all time
• John Force advances to Funny Car final for third time in the Countdown
• Dan Fletcher wins Super Stock in Chevrolet COPO Camaro for 99th career victory

POMONA, Calif. (Nov. 13, 2016) – Jason Line versus Greg Anderson in the final round of the final event of the 2016 National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Pro Stock season was anticlimactic but nonetheless appropriate and exciting. Continue reading Chevy Racing–NHRA–Pomona Finals →

John Force Racing

JOHN FORCE RUNNER-UP AT AUTO CLUB FINALS

JOHN FORCE RUNNER-UP AT AUTO CLUB FINALS

POMONA, CA — Today John Force raced through a greatest hits line-up of foes and long-time challengers on the way to his 247th final round and 100th runner-up finish of his legendary career. The 16-time NHRA Mello Yello Funny Car champion was racing for his ninth Auto Club Finals title but unfortunately the driver of the PEAK Antifreeze Chevrolet Camaro came up .005 seconds short of defeating Tommy Johnson Jr. for the second time in the Countdown. The winningest driver in NHRA history outran some of his toughest competitors today, starting with Cruz Pedregon, Ron Capps and Jack Beckman to set up another epic final round. Continue reading JOHN FORCE RUNNER-UP AT AUTO CLUB FINALS →

Mopar Racing

Mopar Caps Championship Season with Win for Tommy Johnson Jr. at NHRA Finals

Mopar Caps Championship Season with Win for Tommy Johnson Jr. at NHRA Finals
· Mopar Dodge Charger R/T Funny Car driver Tommy Johnson Jr. scores final win of 2016 Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season
· Mopar locks down top three positions in Funny Car points, all four Funny Cars finish top five
· DSR driver Johnson’s win is 15th of his career, third of season in sixth final round
· Johnson’s victory is 14th of season for Mopar in Funny Car category
· Mopar reaches 18 final rounds in 24 events in 2016, including nine all-Mopar Funny Car finals to conclude an extraordinary year
· DSR Top Fuel newcomer Leah Pritchett earns first top 10 finish behind the wheel of HEMI®-powered dragster Continue reading Mopar Caps Championship Season with Win for Tommy Johnson Jr. at NHRA Finals →

Wood Brothers

Late-Race Surge Lifts Blaney, No. 21 SKF Ford Fusion To Eighth at Phoenix

Late-Race Surge Lifts Blaney, No. 21 SKF Ford Fusion To Eighth at Phoenix

November 14, 2016

Ryan Blaney and the crew of his No. 21 SKF/Kaman Industrial Technologies Ford Fusion spent most of Sunday’s Can-Am 500 at Phoenix International Raceway working to make his car handle better.

The hard work paid off in the end as Blaney surged forward in the closing laps to finish eighth, his ninth top-10 finish of the 2016 season. Continue reading Late-Race Surge Lifts Blaney, No. 21 SKF Ford Fusion To Eighth at Phoenix →

Chevrolet Racing, NHRA

Chevy Racing–NHRA–Pomona

CHEVROLET RACING IN NATIONAL HOT ROD ASSOCIATION
AUTO CLUB NHRA FINALS
AUTO CLUB RACEWAY AT POMONA, CALIFORNIA
QUALIFYING RESULTS AND DRIVER QUOTES
SATURDAY, NOV. 12, 2016

Chevrolet Races to No. 1 Pro Stock Qualifier Spot, Stock Eliminator Title

· Jason Line earns eighth top spot of season, closes in on championship
· KB Racing teammate Greg Anderson is the lone challenger to Line
· Courtney Force leads John Force Racing Funny Car qualifiers at No. 2
· Jeff Strickland in Chevrolet COPO Camaro clinches Stock Eliminator World Championship

POMONA, Calif (November 12, 2016) – Jason Line, driving the Summit Racing Equipment Chevrolet Camaro SS, took a big step toward clinching his third Pro Stock world title by claiming the No. 1 qualifier spot for the Auto Club NHRA Finals. Line, who entered the 24th and final event of the season with a 19-point advantage over KB Racing teammate Greg Anderson, increased the lead to 23 points with bonus points through four rounds of qualifications. Continue reading Chevy Racing–NHRA–Pomona →

Allen Johnson Racing

Allen Johnson No. 10 After Qualifying at Auto Club NHRA Nationals

ALLEN JOHNSON
MARATHON PETROLEUM/J&J RACING DODGE DART
QUALIFYING REPORT: 52ND ANNUAL AUTO CLUB NHRA FINALS
AUTO CLUB RACEWAY AT POMONA
NOVEMBER 11-13

Allen Johnson No. 10 After Qualifying at Auto Club NHRA Nationals

POMONA, Calif. (November 12, 2016) – Marathon Petroleum/J&J Racing Dodge Dart Pro Stock driver Allen Johnson qualified No. 10 after four rounds of qualifying at the 52nd annual Auto Club NHRA Finals.

On Friday, Johnson opened up qualifying in his Marathon Petroleum/J&J Racing Dodge Dart with a 6.612-second pass at 209.83 mph. He came back in the second session on Friday afternoon and jumped up the ladder when he crossed the finish line with an improved 6.601, 209.14. Continue reading Allen Johnson No. 10 After Qualifying at Auto Club NHRA Nationals →

John Force Racing

FORCE FUNNY CARS DOMINANT ON SATURDAY AT AUTO CLUB FINALS

FORCE FUNNY CARS DOMINANT ON SATURDAY AT AUTO CLUB FINALS

POMONA, CA – Conditions cooperated with John Force Racing on the final day of qualifying at the 52nd annual Auto Club NHRA Finals and the trio JFR Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Cars made the most of their opportunities. Leading the way was Courtney Force and the Traxxas Chevy Camaro SS who qualified No. 2 followed by John Force at No. 4 and then Robert Hight in the No. 6 position. The trio could all reach the semifinals in the final race of the 2016 Mello Yello Drag Racing season.

In the heat of the afternoon Courtney Force and the Traxxas Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car jumped to the No. 2 spot with an impressive 3.869 second run at 324.83 mph. It was the quickest run of the session and set up the fifth year pro to get aggressive in the final qualifying run. Continue reading FORCE FUNNY CARS DOMINANT ON SATURDAY AT AUTO CLUB FINALS →

Mopar Racing

Mopar Funny Car Driver Ron Capps Wins First NHRA Funny Car Championship

Mopar Funny Car Driver Ron Capps Wins First NHRA Funny Car Championship
· Mopar Dodge Charger R/T driver Ron Capps scores long-awaited first NHRA Funny Car championship at NHRA Finals in Pomona
· Capps’ championship is sixth overall in six seasons in NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series for Mopar
· Mopar claims fourth Funny Car championship in six seasons
· Don Schumacher Racing (DSR) driver Capps claims five trophies in 10 final rounds en route to championship title
· DSR Mopar Dodge Charger pilot Jack Beckman earns Funny Car pole at final race of 2016 season
· Beckman’s track record-setting run in final session is second-quickest pass in history of NHRA Funny Car
· Beckman’s pole is his sixth of the season, 16th of year for Mopar Continue reading Mopar Funny Car Driver Ron Capps Wins First NHRA Funny Car Championship →

Richard Childress Racing

Austin Dillon and the Rheem Chevrolet Team Earn Second-Place Finish at Phoenix International Raceway

Austin Dillon and the Rheem Chevrolet Team Earn Second-Place Finish at Phoenix International Raceway

“We had a really fast Rheem Chevrolet. We decided to take four tires trying to get off strategy. We just didn’t fire off good enough to run down the No. 18 car but a late caution would have put us in an interesting position. We were a little too tight to really gain speed but I could make up some ground in turns three and four. The guys did a great job giving us a fast car tonight and the pit crew was on it.” Continue reading Austin Dillon and the Rheem Chevrolet Team Earn Second-Place Finish at Phoenix International Raceway →

Jegs Racing

Clash with a teammate faces Jeg Coughlin Jr. in Round 1 of Pomona final

Clash with a teammate faces Jeg
Coughlin Jr. in Round 1 of Pomona final
POMONA, Calif. (Nov. 12) — Five-time Pro Stock world champion Jeg Coughlin Jr. will fight for the title of the 52nd annual Auto Club NHRA Finals from the lucky 13th position on the elimination ladder after posting a best pass of 6.610 at 208.78 mph during qualifying for the season-ending race. Continue reading Clash with a teammate faces Jeg Coughlin Jr. in Round 1 of Pomona final →

Erica Enders

Erica Enders enjoying twilight hours of her back-to-back championship run

Erica Enders enjoying twilight hours of
her back-to-back championship run
POMONA, Calif. (Nov. 12) — Back-to-back and reigning world champion Erica Enders has one more day to race her Elite Motorsports/Mopar Dodge Dart with the No. 1 sticker on the door and she plans on making the most of the occasion as the 2016 season draws to a close.

“We’re having fun,” Enders said. “I think all of us are relieved to a large extent and I know the feeling in the pit is that it’s nice to wrap up the final qualifying session of what has been an extremely long and challenging year. Continue reading Erica Enders enjoying twilight hours of her back-to-back championship run →

Red Horse Racing

Red Horse Racing–Phoenix

RACE REPORT
Lucas Oil 150
Phoenix International Raceway
November 11, 2016

Red Horse Racing at Phoenix International Raceway

For the penultimate race of the 2016 season and the final event in the Championship Chase Round of Six, NASCAR Camping World Truck Series teams went west to Phoenix, Arizona for the Lucas Oil 150 at Phoenix International Raceway. On Friday, teams participated in two practice sessions, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. Matt Tifft, in the No. 11 BrainGear/Surface Sunscreen Toyota Tundra, posted the 11th and 16th fastest times, while Timothy Peters, in the No. 17 Red Horse Racing Toyota Tundra, was ninth and 17th on the board. Friday evening, the lineup for the 150-lap event was set with three rounds of knockout, group qualifying. Tifft transferred to the second round and earned the 17th starting spot while fighting a free condition, and Peters advanced to the final round to earn the eighth spot on the grid. The green flag fell, and during a rash of early cautions, Peters worked his way into the top five, battling for every position and point in the Championship Chase. The handling of the No. 11 Tundra improved as conditions changed and Tifft drove his way to an eighth-place finish. Peters would finish the night in fifth, earning a spot in the Championship Four to compete for the series title at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Timothy Peters No. 17
No. 17 Red Horse Racing
Toyota Tundra

Timothy Peters Finishes Fifth, Earns Spot in Championship Four

Timothy Peters and the No. 17 Red Horse Racing team earned a fifth-place finish in the Lucas Oil 150 at Phoenix International Raceway and a berth in the Championship Four in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Chase. In two practice sessions early in the day on Friday, Peters fought a tight Toyota Tundra and posted the ninth and 17th fastest times. In three rounds of knockout, group qualifying, Peters transferred to the final round and secured the eighth spot in the starting lineup. The 150-lap event began with a series of caution flags, where Peters encountered a tight Toyota Tundra, and crew chief Shane Huffman counseled him to save fuel. Huffman called him to pit road under caution on lap 65 for four Goodyear tires, Sunoco fuel and a wedge adjustment. Following the stop, the balance on the red-and-white Tundra shifted to free and Peters climbed as high as third as he battled to earn a spot in the Championship Four, even as his Tundra tightened up. On the final restart with four laps to go, Peters held on to a top-five finish and earned the final seed in the Championship Four to battle for the NCWTS Championship at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Start – 8
Finish – 5
Driver Points Position – 4
Owner Points Position – 9
Laps Led – 0

Timothy Peters Quote:
“We unloaded today and we were off a little bit. Shane (Huffman, crew chief) and all the guys worked really hard to get our balance. This is a pretty cool moment to sit up here, myself and Christopher (Bell) and then Matt (Crafton) and Johnny (Sauter) running for a championship – to be involved with the first Chase is pretty cool. This one goes to the men and women of Red Horse Racing – Shane Huffman and all the crew guys, the road guys – they work their butts off and the Lord has really blessed us for sure. We’ve been lucky a lot of times and maybe finished some races that we probably shouldn’t have. Homestead is a pretty decent track for us so I’m looking forward to going down there and seeing what we’ve got.”

Matt Tifft
No. 11 BrainGear/Surface Sunscreen
Toyota Tundra

Top-10 for Matt Tifft in Phoenix

Matt Tifft and the No. 11 BrainGear/Surface Sunscreen team wrapped up the Round of Six with an eighth-place finish at the Phoenix International Raceway on Friday night. The result is Tifft’s third top-10 finish of the season. Tifft rode the seesaw between a tight and loose balance in two practices, where he was 11th and 16th-fastest, respectively. Tifft struggled with a free condition in qualifying after the sun went down, but came alive once it was time to race. After a rash of four caution flags flew in the first 26 circuits, Tifft quickly ascended from his 17th-place starting spot into the top 10 by lap 56. Once crew chief Scott Zipadelli brought the 20-year-old to pit road under a lap 64 caution, no chassis adjustments were necessary, as most of Tifft’s handling issues from practice had subsided. As cautions blanketed the race’s second half, with the longest green flag run ending after 31 laps, Tifft maneuvered his way into eighth by lap 140 thanks to the neutral handing condition of his Tundra. The final caution flew on lap 141, which set up a four-lap dash to the checkers, during which Tifft maintained the eighth position to collect his third top-10 finish in nine starts this season.

Start – 17
Finish – 8
Owner Points Position – 7
Laps Led – 0

Matt Tifft Quote:
“We needed a night like this, smooth and solid in the top-10 and these No. 11 guys put a great BrainGear/Surface Sunscreen Tundra underneath me. I’m proud to be a part of the whole effort this Red Horse Racing team has put in all season. We were a little on the free side tonight, but were pretty close to neutral and that helped us to get rolling on a couple of those longer runs. In this series, fourth (position) on back is so tight and competitive, you could interchange a lot of those trucks based on pure speed, so it was nice to take advantage of restarts and gain some positions when we had the opportunity. Overall, we had a great night. Zippy (Scott Zipadelli) and the guys fought hard all night, and I can’t wait to get to Homestead and finish the year out with another strong effort.”

Wood Brothers

Blaney Qualifies Eighth At Phoenix In No. 21 SKF/KAMAN Ford Fusion

Blaney Qualifies Eighth At Phoenix In No. 21 SKF/KAMAN Ford Fusion

November 11, 2016

Ryan Blaney breezed through all three rounds of knock-out qualifying at Phoenix International Raceway on Friday to put his No. 21 SKF/KAMAN Ford Fusion in the eighth starting spot for Sunday’s Can-Am 500.

It was Blaney’s 11th top-12 qualifying effort this season. Continue reading Blaney Qualifies Eighth At Phoenix In No. 21 SKF/KAMAN Ford Fusion →

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