Kalitta Racing

Kalitta Earns Milestone Round Win

Post-Race Report
Event 07: NHRA Southern Nationals
Atlanta Dragway
Commerce, Ga.
May 5-7

Kalitta earns milestone round win
Race Recap: Doug Kalitta came back to the site of one of his most exciting wins, last season’s near tie with his teammate J.R. Todd, which was the closest finish in NHRA history. The Mac Tools team were looking for a repeat.

Kalitta and the Mac Tools team were solid again in qualifying earning another top five start with their 3.764 second effort in the afternoon qualifying session on Saturday. That gave him the fifth starting spot and a first round pairing with Chris Karamesines. Continue reading Kalitta Earns Milestone Round Win →

Chevrolet Racing

CORVETTE RACING AT COTA: Third Straight GTLM Victory and Championship Lead Garcia, Magnussen win second race of 2017 in No. 3 Chevrolet Corvette C7.R

CORVETTE RACING AT COTA: Third Straight GTLM Victory and Championship Lead
Garcia, Magnussen win second race of 2017 in No. 3 Chevrolet Corvette C7.R

Chevrolet assumes GTLM Manufacturer’s Championship lead
Second win for Corvette Racing at Circuit of The Americas
Milner, Gavin caught up in opening-lap chaos

AUSTIN, Texas (May 6, 2017) – Corvette Racing’s Antonio Garcia and Jan Magnussen won their second race of the season in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship on Saturday with a GT Le Mans (GTLM) victory in the Advance Auto Parts SportsCar Showdown. Continue reading CORVETTE RACING AT COTA: Third Straight GTLM Victory and Championship Lead Garcia, Magnussen win second race of 2017 in No. 3 Chevrolet Corvette C7.R →

Chevrolet Racing

CHEVY FAST FACTS GEICO 500 TALLADEGA SUPERSPEEDWAY

CHEVY FAST FACTS
GEICO 500
TALLADEGA SUPERSPEEDWAY
May 7, 2017

A total of 18 Team Chevy drivers will start the GEICO 500 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series (MENCS) race at Talladega Superspeedway. The 188-lap/500-mile contest around the 2.66-mile venue is scheduled to begin at 2:00 p.m., ET. Live coverage can be found on FOX, MRN, Sirius NASCAR Radio Channel 90 and NASCAR.com.

CHEVROLET DRIVERS STARTING IN THE TOP-10:
Dale Earnhardt Jr., No. 88 Nationwide Chevy SS, will start 2nd
Chase Elliott, No. 24 Hooters Chevrolet SS, rolls off 8th
Paul Menard, No. Valvoline/Menards Chevy SS starts 9th Continue reading CHEVY FAST FACTS GEICO 500 TALLADEGA SUPERSPEEDWAY →

Chevrolet Racing

Mopar Driver Schumacher Puts Top Fuel Dragster No. 1 in Abbreviated Atlanta Qualifying

Mopar Driver Schumacher Puts Top Fuel Dragster No. 1 in Abbreviated Atlanta Qualifying

­­­­­­­­Tony Schumacher qualifies U.S. Army Top Fuel Dragster in top spot for NHRA Southern Nationals at Atlanta Dragway; it is the 82nd No. 1 qualifying effort of his career
Mopar HEMI®-powered Top Fuel cars have claimed four No. 1 qualifying positions in 2017
Mopar-powered Don Schumacher Racing Funny Cars will begin the day 2nd, 3rd and 4th
Five Dodge Charger R/T Funny Cars qualify for 16-car field
Event featured only two qualifying sessions on Saturday due to Friday rain Continue reading Mopar Driver Schumacher Puts Top Fuel Dragster No. 1 in Abbreviated Atlanta Qualifying →

John Force Racing

Brittany Force, Monster Energy team look to claw their way from the No. 16 spot in Atlanta

Brittany Force, Monster Energy team look to claw
their way from the No. 16 spot in Atlanta

Photo Credit: Gary Nastase and Auto Imagery
COMMERCE, Ga. (May 6) – Brittany Force and her Monster Energy Top Fuel dragster team are more determined than ever to claw their way back to the top, despite a series of misfortune that continued to the NHRA Southern Nationals this weekend at Atlanta Dragway.

After falling in the first round at Charlotte last weekend, Force’s team returned to the John Force Racing shop in Brownsburg, Ind., to work on her dragster. A new front half was constructed and built into the car in an effort to help Force find some consistency. Continue reading Brittany Force, Monster Energy team look to claw their way from the No. 16 spot in Atlanta →

John Force Racing

Can Advance Auto Parts Chevrolet Camaro SS driver Courtney Force turn green into yellow?

Can Advance Auto Parts Chevrolet Camaro SS driver Courtney Force turn green into yellow?

COMMERCE, Ga. (May 6) – The colors red and green go well together. But Courtney Force wants red and yellow as her fashion statement for the NHRA Southern Nationals on Sunday at Atlanta Dragway.

No. 1 qualifiers in the Mello Yello Drag Racing Series receive green hats as a prize – and race winners get yellow hats. Force drives a bright red Advance Auto Parts Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car and has now donned a green hat for four consecutive races. Continue reading Can Advance Auto Parts Chevrolet Camaro SS driver Courtney Force turn green into yellow? →

Jegs Racing

Longest qualifying streak in Pro Mod class comes to an end with Troy Coughlin’s DNQ

Longest qualifying streak in Pro Mod class
comes to an end with Troy Coughlin’s DNQ
COMMERCE, Ga. (May 6) — For the first time in a long time, Troy Coughlin Jr. did not qualify for elimination action in the J&A Service Pro Mod Drag Racing Series. The DNQ snaps a streak of 36 consecutive national events dating back to the fall of 2013 in which Coughlin had successfully made the cut.

“They say we put together the biggest span of any of the Pro Mod cars to qualify for every single race so that’s a very big accomplishment and I’m very proud of it,” Coughlin said. “We just got behind the eight-ball a little bit on the first pass and really didn’t recovery quite as quickly as we should have.”
Continue reading Longest qualifying streak in Pro Mod class comes to an end with Troy Coughlin’s DNQ →

John Force Racing

Auto Club Chevrolet driver Robert Hight earns No. 9 qualifying position for Southern Nationals

Auto Club Chevrolet driver Robert Hight earns No. 9 qualifying position for Southern Nationals

Photo credit: Gary Nastase and Auto Imagery
COMMERCE, Ga. (May 6) – Robert Hight will start from the No. 9 qualifying position in Funny Car for Sunday’s 37th-annual NHRA Southern Nationals at Atlanta Dragway, the seventh race on the 2017 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series schedule.

Hight – driving the Auto Club of Southern California Chevrolet Camaro SS – turned in a time of 4.024 seconds at 274.89 mph, in the second of two rounds Saturday afternoon. That effort came despite losing a cylinder a second-and-a-half into the run. Two sessions Friday were canceled because of inclement weather, forcing teams to alter strategy. Continue reading Auto Club Chevrolet driver Robert Hight earns No. 9 qualifying position for Southern Nationals →

John Force Racing

PEAK driver John Force chases eighth Atlanta victory from the No. 5 spot for Southern Nationals

PEAK driver John Force chases eighth Atlanta victory
from the No. 5 spot for Southern Nationals

Photo credit: Gary Nastase / Auto Imagery
COMMERCE, Ga. (May 6) – PEAK Coolant and Motor Oil Funny Car driver John Force will attempt to win his eighth NHRA Southern Nationals on Sunday, and he starts from the No. 5 qualifying position in the Funny Car event in the seventh stop on the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series schedule. Continue reading PEAK driver John Force chases eighth Atlanta victory from the No. 5 spot for Southern Nationals →

Wood Brothers

Blaney To Start 16th At Talladega

Blaney To Start 16th At Talladega

May 6, 2017

Ryan Blaney and the No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford Fusion will start Sunday’s GEICO 500 at Talladega Superspeedway from the 16th position after Blaney turned a lap at 189.256 miles per hour in Saturday’s qualifying session.

Blaney’s said he was a little short on speed on Talladega’s long straightaways, but he’s not concerned about being able to race at the front of the pack on Sunday.

“I feel pretty fine about it,” he said. “The car has always raced pretty good. We’ll be just fine tomorrow.”

Blaney and his fellow Cup drivers will start Sunday’s race with a limited amount of practice due to persistent showers on Friday that cut short the practice session.

Blaney was seventh fastest on Friday with a best lap at 195.748 mph in the draft but ran just 10 laps. He said the lack of practice shouldn’t be a factor in Sunday’s race, but he also said that anything can happen at almost any time and place in the draft at Talladega.

“You never know what’s going to happen,” he said.

Sunday’s race is set to start just after 1 p.m. (2 p.m Eastern) with TV coverage on FOX.

Erica Enders

Two-time Pro Stock champion Erica Enders wants Atlanta trophy for her collection

Two-time Pro Stock champion Erica Enders wants Atlanta trophy for her collection
COMMERCE, Ga. (May 6) — Two-time world champion Erica Enders’ 21 national event trophies places her second on the all-time list of female professional drag racers, but the Houston, Texas, native has yet to score one at Atlanta Dragway, something she’d love to change Sunday at the 37th annual Lucas Oil NHRA Southern Nationals.

“Atlanta is one on the to-do list for sure,” Enders said. “We’ll get there. Our performances across the board have been trending up all year and if we’d been able to make four runs here instead of two we’d have shown a little better. No matter what, we’re in the top half of the field and we’re ready to battle. Continue reading Two-time Pro Stock champion Erica Enders wants Atlanta trophy for her collection →

Jegs Racing

Jeg Coughlin Jr. takes aim at first victory of the year from No. 4 starting spot

Jeg Coughlin Jr. takes aim at first
victory of the year from No. 4 starting spot
COMMERCE, Ga. (May 6) — Six-time world champion Jeg Coughlin Jr. will try for his fourth Atlanta crown from the favored side of the elimination ladder after qualifying his JEGS.com/Elite Performance Chevrolet Camaro in the No. 4 position at the 37th annual Lucas Oil NHRA Southern Nationals.

Coughlin posted a best run of 6.590 seconds at 210.41 mph in Saturday’s opening session. Due to rain, qualifying action was shortened to just two rounds, both taking place Saturday. Coughlin’s second run was a 6.604 at 209.79 mph. Continue reading Jeg Coughlin Jr. takes aim at first victory of the year from No. 4 starting spot →

Allen Johnson Racing

Allen Johnson Rockets Marathon Petroleum Dodge Dart to Season High No. 9 at NHRA Southern Nationals

Allen Johnson Rockets Marathon Petroleum Dodge Dart to Season High No. 9 at NHRA Southern Nationals

COMMERCE, Ga. (May 6, 2017) – Allen Johnson and the Marathon Petroleum/J&J Racing Dodge Dart team have smiles from ear to ear after qualifying a season high No. 9 at the 37th annual NHRA Southern Nationals.

After qualifying got cancelled before any runs were made at Atlanta Dragway on Friday for the Pro Stock class, Johnson knew capitalizing on Saturday’s qualifying would be crucial. Continue reading Allen Johnson Rockets Marathon Petroleum Dodge Dart to Season High No. 9 at NHRA Southern Nationals →

Chevrolet Racing

Chevy Racing–NASCAR–Talladega–Earnardt Jr. Stars on Front Row

MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES
GEICO 500
TALLADEGA SUPERSPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER PRESS CONF TRANSCRIPT
MAY 6, 2017

EARNHARDT JR. TO START ON FRONT ROW IN TALLADEGA
Team Chevy Takes Three of Top 12 in Qualifying

TALLADEGA, Ala – (May 6, 2017) – Dale Earnhardt Jr. earned a front row starting position for the GEICO 500 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series at Talladega Superspeedway with a second-place qualifying effort in the No. 88 Nationwide Chevrolet SS. Earnhardt Jr. navigated the 2.66-mile track with a final round lap of 190.780 mph. Continue reading Chevy Racing–NASCAR–Talladega–Earnardt Jr. Stars on Front Row →

Chevrolet Racing

CORVETTE RACING AT COTA: GT Le Mans Race Winner Quotes

AUSTIN, Texas (May 6, 2017) – Corvette Racing’s Antonio Garcia and Jan Magnussen won their second race of the season in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship on Saturday with a GT Le Mans (GTLM) victory in the Advance Auto Parts SportsCar Showdown.

The victory at Circuit of The Americas gives the pairing the lead in the GTLM Driver’s Championship, as well as moves Chevrolet into first place in the class’ Manufacturer’s standings. Full report to follow… Continue reading CORVETTE RACING AT COTA: GT Le Mans Race Winner Quotes →

Chevrolet Racing

Chevy Racing–NASCAR–Talladega–Qualifying

MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES
GEICO 500
TALLADEGA SUPERSPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER QUALIFYING NOTES & QUOTES
MAY 6, 2017

DALE EARNHARDT, JR., NO. 88 NATIONWIDE CHEVROLET SS – Qualified 2nd
NOT QUITE ENOUGH, BUT PRETTY GOOD SPEED FOR YOU IN THIS QUALIFYING SESSION:
“Yeah, I’m pretty happy. Great lap by (Ricky) Stenhouse and the Roush guys they did a really good job today. Thrilled with our car, good speed and it would have been nice to get a pole. Probably could have sat down and talked to Rick (Hendrick) about running the Clash or something, but let’s see if we can’t try to get another one later on this year.” Continue reading Chevy Racing–NASCAR–Talladega–Qualifying →

Richard Childress Racing

Richard Childress Racing–Sparks Energy 300

Ben Kennedy Earns Fourth-Place Finish in Rheem Chevrolet at Talladega Superspeedway in Richard Childress Racing Debut

“I learned a lot out there today in the Rheem Chevrolet. I knocked the rust off of it the first couple of laps and then started to get after it. On the last lap, Joey Logano and I had a run, but we just kind of lost our momentum on the high side. It’s amazing how these cars run and the lines they run. I got a lot out of today and I’m really happy with the finish. It was a lot of fun.”

– Ben Kennedy Continue reading Richard Childress Racing–Sparks Energy 300 →

Chevrolet Racing

Chevy Racing–NASCAR–Talladega–Dale Earnhardt Jr.

MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES
GEICO 500
TALLADEGA SUPERSPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT
MAY 5, 2017

ON RAISING MONEY FOR THE NATIONWIDE CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL BY SELLING SPACES TO FANS S THEY CAN HAVE THEIR NAMES ON THE NO. 88 CHEVY SS FOR THE RACE AT KENTUCKY SPEEDWAY:
“Yeah, Nationwide put together a real cool program for the car we are going to race in Kentucky where they sold the hood off to the race fans to put their name on it and sold it out in 24 hours, so they found room for more names and sold that out in another 24 hours and raised $81,000 really quick. We need to take a page out of the book from what they did and utilize some of that marketing and awareness in our own foundation because that was really fast and raised a lot of money in just such a short period of time. All that goes direction to the Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Ohio, so very happy to be able to support that. That is something that we are definitely connected to and have been for some time. Really cool. Anytime you get an opportunity to do that, it seemed effortless to do, and it makes a big impact for the hospital. The fans will get to have their name on the car for the race and on the diecast. Obviously, Tyler (Overstreet, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. Road Manager) was telling me for the diecast they will put like 300 names on one series of diecasts and another 300 names on another series so the fans can actually see their name when they get the diecast on there. So, that will be fun for them I believe.” Continue reading Chevy Racing–NASCAR–Talladega–Dale Earnhardt Jr. →

Chevrolet Racing

CORVETTE RACING AT COTA: Two Corvettes in Thick of Close GTLM Qualifying Battle Magnussen within 0.2 seconds from class pole position at Circuit of The Americas

CORVETTE RACING AT COTA: Two Corvettes in Thick of Close GTLM Qualifying Battle
Magnussen within 0.2 seconds from class pole position at Circuit of The Americas

AUSTIN, Texas (May 5, 2017) – Jan Magnussen paced Corvette Racing’s qualifying efforts Friday at Circuit of The Americas with the sixth-best time in the GT Le Mans (GTLM) class of the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship at Circuit of The Americas.

Ahead of Saturday’s Advance Auto Parts Sportscar Showdown, Magnussen set a best lap of 2:03.030 in the No. 3 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C7.R that he shares with Antonio Garcia. Magnussen’s starting position may not look promising but the gap to the head of the GTLM field is – just 0.197 seconds. Continue reading CORVETTE RACING AT COTA: Two Corvettes in Thick of Close GTLM Qualifying Battle Magnussen within 0.2 seconds from class pole position at Circuit of The Americas →

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