NASCAR CUP SERIES CHICAGO STREET RACE TEAM CHEVY MEDIA AVAILABILITY QUOTES JULY 5, 2024

Daniel Suarez, Driver of the No. 99 Trackhouse Racing Camaro ZL1, met with the media in advance of racing double duty in the NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR Xfinity Series at the Chicago Street Course.   Media Availability Quotes Highlights:  When you go into this event, do you expect there to be a little bit more aggression than other road courses? Do you just know that going in, or would you completely disagree that it’s no different than any of the road course races? “Yeah, well first of all, I’m super excited to be here. The race is amazing. The event is unbelievable. I want to give a lot of credit to NASCAR, to you guys, all the other media and the city for putting this amazing race together. I think when it comes to the drivers, I think in the first part of the weekend, we’re going to be a little cautious, just because racing in the streets, it can be a little intimidating. A little slight mistake and you pay the price big. But as a race team, we’re going to get more and more comfortable, and we’re going to get more and more aggressive. I just think that’s great. I think that last year, we all learned a lot – the drivers, race teams.. even NASCAR. The second year, I feel like we come with a lot more knowledge and we’re more prepared. So I’m really excited and looking forward to seeing who’s going to be contending upfront. I feel like last year, if I remember correctly, there were maybe five to seven of us that were upfront with an opportunity to win the race. But I can assure you that there will be way more than seven cars fighting for the win this time, just because everyone keeps getting better and that’s going to make the race even more exciting for everyone.” Having Shane van Gisbergen to lean on as a teammate, how has he been able to help you and Ross (Chastain) prepare for this year’s event? “Yeah, honestly, I felt that last year, he helped our entire program a lot because, like I said, nobody had experience in street course racing last year. In my entire career – I’ve been racing over 20 years and in my entire career before last year, I had two races in the streets; one was in go-karts and one was in a Trans Am, and that was it. Ross (Chastain) had never raced a street course before. Most of us had never seen a street course before. Shane (van Gisbergen), he had been doing street races.. like 100 races. He’s experience in street course racing.. he’s tremendous. I mean last year, he had more experience than the entire field combined. So last year, he was able to really help a lot. This year, I still believe that he’s helping the entire program. With having said that, the entire team already has knowledge. Everyone has experience. Everyone knows what to expect; what to do, what not to do.. things like that. I believe that Shane is going to be extremely strong this weekend again. But I think, like I said, there will be a lot more contenders in the mix.”  How did you experience your first Fourth of July as a United States citizen? “It was a little different. Most Fourth of July’s, I’d go with friends and we do a barbecue, go to the lake and things like that. My first Fourth of July as a United States citizen, I was unpacking because we just moved (laughs). So it wasn’t very exciting.. it was actually a little boring. But you know, it’s how it is. It’s been a little bit busy at home lately.”  You obviously didn’t get the finish you would have wanted here last year. You’ve had a bit of a struggle these last few weeks. But your teammate won here last year and Ross (Chastain) was close to winning last week. How does this week, as an organization, give you confidence heading into this weekend? “Yeah, we’ll see. Definitely running well helps and we have to build on that. With that being said, I’m a very realistic person. I like to live on planet Earth. I don’t like to be on a different planet (laughs) with not being realistic. The reality is that last week, I would say that in Nashville, we had a good run. We had maybe a 10th to 15th place car before all the chaos we had there at the very end. We were running 12th or 13th, and Ross was in a good position. I think Ross was maybe a little bit better than us. I still believe that there were cars out there that were much better than us, but strategy got him in that position.  For me, when I start thinking about being realistic.. you tell me, ‘Hey Daniel, the No. 1 almost won last week’. Yeah, the No. 1 team did an amazing job executing a good race; making some good calls and good strategy, and things almost worked out for them. But they didn’t have the speed to flat-out win the race. So we still have work to do. Our road course program – the last race at Sonoma, I think the No. 1 team was pretty good and we were OK. We were not very good.. we finished 13th, which is not very good. So you know, we are thinking a little bit outside the box coming here to Chicago. Some of the things have worked for us in the past, and some of them are things that we’ve learned the last few months. We’ll see where we stack up. We all have confidence that the cars are close enough that from the start of practice, we’re going to be contending. We just have to be in the ballpark because if you’re not in the ballpark at the start of practice, that’s it. You cannot make a slow car a fast car in 20 minutes.. it’s impossible. So pretty much, right now as we talk here, there are race cars down there.. nobody knows yet, but there are some cars that are going to be very fast, some cars are going to be OK and some cars are going to be slow. So hopefully we have some of the cars that are going to be very fast and we can make it a little bit faster in those 20 minutes and go execute in the race.” You’re one of the handful of drivers that will be doing double-duty. Is this Xfinity Series race one that you particularly wanted to do? How can that help what you do on Sunday? Is there a tremendous value in running the race on Saturday? “Yeah, that’s a very good question. If we were in Sonoma, Watkins Glen or any other race track and I had the opportunity to run the Xfinity race, I may do it.. I may not. I don’t know, like I would really have to think about it because the cars are so different nowadays that it can be helpful or it can be hurtful. The transmission is different. The engine is different. The suspension is different. Everything is different. The only thing that’s the same is that it has four tires (laughs), but everything else is different. But here on a street course, like I was talking earlier – I, personally, don’t have a lot of experience on street courses. I’ve had three street courses, so far, in my career. So the more laps that I can get, the more reps that I can get at this track, I’m going to take it. I have a great opportunity with Mario and his group, and hopefully we can make the most out of it. They’ve been working very hard to make this race car as good as possible, and I’m really looking forward to getting some extra reps. With that being said, I have in my mind very clearly, that the cars are completely different; the transmission is going to be different and everything is going to be different.. the brakes are going to be different. But the goal of this for me is to give Mario and his group a good result, and also for me, to get some extra reps on a race track that I know is different than 99 percent of the schedule that we have in NASCAR.” When you talk about SVG elevating the entire Trackhouse program, obviously he’s got a completely different style with the right-foot braking technique. So how do you take that data when you can’t really mimic what he’s doing? “That’s a good question. That’s a very, very good question. You know, it’s just a different style. Do I think there’s an advantage to do what he’s doing? I would think so. But whatever he does and the way he’s doing it and the time – because he takes his time, getting from the gas pedal to the brake. That time that the car is settling is working.. it’s working. And I believe in some corners, it works for him, and some corners, not so much. We went to Indianapolis last year – he was good, he was fast and he finished in the top-10. But he wasn’t as dominate as he was here. So I definitely feel like there’s something there to learn. I believe, and this is just my personal opinion, is that the clutch-heel that he does is a huge advantage in the Xfinity Series and not so much in the Cup Series. Again, this is just my opinion, and the reason for that is because in the Xfinity Series, you have the wheel hop and you can control that with the clutch. In the Cup Series, we don’t have wheel hop.. it doesn’t exist. So it’s a little bit different, but definitely, his style works. I was talking to Shane about this a few weeks ago, and when I moved to the United States 12 years ago, I used to do that. I used to do exactly what he does now because in the NASCAR Mexico stuff, you used to use the clutch to shift. So I used to do exactly the same thing. It took me a year or two to swap my mentality and my style to what everyone does here. He told me he’s too old to change (laughs). But yeah, it works for him and I think he’s going to continue to be very strong. I’m very looking forward to racing against him. It’s impossible to really, really know if it’s better or worse.. I mean I believe if he was braking with the left, he would be just as good. He’s just good.” Did you ever think about maybe switching back?“I mean, I feel like I could do it. I could do it if I gave it a shot.. I just don’t believe that in the Cup Series, like a lot of people think that is the reason why he won here last year. I don’t think so. I think that he won here for many reasons, and that’s just his style. But I believe I can replicate what he does with the right-foot brake, with a left-foot brake. It’s everything about timing. The clutch part, I cannot replicate that because my left-foot is either on the brake or the clutch.. you cannot do both. But I don’t think that the clutch does a lot in these cars. It does a lot in the Xfinity stuff. That’s why I think in the Xfinity car he’s going to dominate a lot on road courses because the wheel hop doesn’t exist for him in the Xfinity car because he’s using the clutch and nobody else is doing that.” What was your first impression when you got here last year?“For me, the coolest part was to walk to the track and seeing fans left and right. That was super cool, you know? I was actually just doing an interview downstairs and I felt like it’s super personal for many people here; to come race here in the streets of Chicago. Next week, people are going to be driving on these roads that we’re going to be racing over 100 mph on and they’re going to be running 45 mph and they’re going to say, ‘man, these guys were running yesterday here, 160-170 mph’. So that part is crazy to think about. And also, we’re racing in their city; racing on their turf. So I think that’s very special. I don’t know.. I personally think that we should have more street courses because it’s an amazing way to connect with the city at a whole different level. It’s way more personal. We’ve been bringing fans to the racetrack for over 75 years, and I feel like this thought process of bringing the racetrack to the fans, I think it’s a very good way to do it.”  You said earlier that you feel pretty decent about where your team is at and you’re slowly gaining momentum. Where do you think you guys stack up right now compared to the rest of the post-season field? Do you feel like you have what you need to make a deep run in the post-season? “I feel like we have work to do, to be honest. I believe that if the playoffs were to start tomorrow, I think we would really change the mindset and the way we’ve been doing things; trying different things and the way we’ve been calling some races. (Inaudible…) But when we have good speed, we’re good. We can execute a good race and we can run in the top-10, top-five, all race long. We did it in Iowa. In Nashville last weekend, I feel like we didn’t start the weekend that well, but the car was much better on Sunday and we were able to drive through the field and we were running in the top-15. We just have to be a little bit more consistent. Like New Hampshire, for example, it was probably the worst car I’ve ever had at New Hampshire. The car was bouncing like crazy. I talked to my guys about this – we’re going to miss it at some races. We’re not going to have a great car every single weekend. But the weekends that we miss, we cannot miss by a lot. Our misses should be running top-20.. not running 30th. If we run 30th in the playoffs, that’s it. We can say ‘goodbye’ to the playoffs. So it’s just very important to be smart about our decisions; how we’re going to make sure that we’re competitive. If we’re going to miss it, miss it by a little bit. Don’t try to hit homeruns because you’re not going to win a championship by trying to hit homeruns.. you have to go through base one, base two, base three. And then when you get that cycle going, then you can start hitting homeruns. In some ways, sometimes we’ve been trying to hit the jackpot a little bit too much as a group. So we just have to be a little bit better with that, and I think then, we’re going to be great and make a good run into the playoffs.”

CONCORD, NC (July 5, 2024) – The Xtreme Outlaw Midget Series presented by Toyota took in several drivers new to Midget racing and the Series in 2024, and their progress has shown throughout the first half of the season.

Seven rookies have made committed to following the entire Series schedule – including Ashton Torgerson, Brayton Lynch, Jayden Clay, Elijah Gile, Kale Drake, Trevor Cline and Tyler Edwards – who have combined for four wins, 11 top-fives and 29 top-10 finishes in the first 14 races.

Four of them currently sit inside the top-10 in the points standings and are poised for more success as the season returns from the summer break in two weeks – Friday-Saturday, July 19-20, at Spoon River Speedway. Tickets are on sale now at the link below.

SPOON RIVER TICKETS

Catch each of the rookies back in action with the Xtreme Outlaw Series at the track or streaming live on DIRTVision.

No. 67K – Ashton Torgerson (Glendale, AZ)

If there were a top rookie honor awarded through the first half of the Xtreme Outlaw Series season, Ashton Torgerson would be its recipient in 2024 with three wins, five top-five finishes and 10 top-10s collected through the first 14 races.

The 18-year-old former Micro Sprint champion wasted little time getting competitive in his Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports (KKM) entry, bagging his first top-10 in the second event of the season at the Southern Illinois Center. From there, he recorded finishes of 11th (US 36 Raceway), seventh (Sweet Springs Motorsports Complex) and a runner-up on the first night at Farmer City Raceway in April before capturing his first career national Midget Feature win Saturday at Farmer City.

Torgerson also won the next Series event at Humboldt Speedway in Kansas before capping-off the first half of the season with another win at Coles County Speedway in May, putting him fourth in the Series points standings with 15 races left.

“Overall, so far, it’s been amazing already, and we’re only halfway through,” Torgerson said of his season after the win at Coles County. “I think we’re gonna keep clicking-off some wins and hopefully we can get more.”

No. 1K – Brayton Lynch (Springfield, IL)

Eleven Feature starts into his rookie season with the Xtreme Outlaw Series, Brayton Lynch has been working to get back into the swing of racing a full national Midget series schedule and competing against today’s top talent.

Lynch, along with multi-time Chili Bowl Nationals-winning crew chief Rusty Kunz, drove the Rexroad Racing entry to a ninth-place finish at Atomic Speedway in May – a new personal best with the Series. However, Lynch said he’s not been satisfied thus far.

“It’s been, honestly, a little underwhelming just because I think we’re a little faster most nights than our results show,” Lynch said. “At the beginning, I was kinda struggling to get comfortable, but now I’m comfortable. I think now, it’s kind of a confidence thing.”

With half of the season complete and an 11th-place spot in the Series points standings, Lynch has some clarity in his method to improve in the final 15 races on the schedule.

“I know how fast the car is and I know what my abilities are, I’ve just gotta get myself mentally back to where I know I can be better than what we’ve been,” he said.

No. 66 – Jayden Clay (Newcastle, OK)

Still navigating the challenges of a first full season driving a Midget, Jayden Clay has been gaining both speed and confidence in his time with Mounce/Stout Motorsports. Though he said he’s not yet seen the results he’s worked for, he knows his car is fast enough to get him the results he wants.

“Definitely not how I would have liked to start the season, but I think where we’re at right now with how many races in, I think I’m getting faster,” Clay said. “I definitely think my car is fast enough to finish top-10, I just haven’t been able to put it up front.”

He logged his best career Midget finish of 13th twice in May at Atomic Speedway, demonstrating an ability to control his car at high speeds that he’s been improving upon since graduating from the Micro Sprint ranks in 2023.

“I definitely think from the beginning of the year, my progress has gone up tremendously from where I started to where I am now,” Clay said. “I still have a lot to learn, as in the drivers I race with and car control and everything like that.”

No. 98K – Elijah Gile (Phoenix, AZ)

The youngest driver in history to join the full-time Xtreme Outlaw Series roster has gone through a big change in his first full season behind the wheel of a Midget. Fourteen-year-old Elijah Gile began the year piloting his family’s Gene Gile Racing No. 13 entry for the first six races of the season before switching to Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports in April.

Gile said while it’s been an adjustment in getting used to all the coaching and tutelage from Keith Kunz and his team of crew members, the knowledge he’s gained from their teachings over the last eight races has been helpful in developing his skills so early on in his career.

“They help break down what mistakes I made and what I can do different,” Gile said. “I’ll go out there and try to correct it, and if not, they’re always there just waiting to tell me what I did wrong and what they’ll change with the car to make it better.

“It’s pretty cool. They’re very respectful, I respect them a lot and I’m very excited for the rest of the year.”

He garnered his best finish of the season at Atomic Speedway in May, finishing 10th on the big, 3/8-mile oval – a place where his new Toyota Racing Development (TRD) engines shined the brightest in keeping speeds high.

“With Keith’s stuff, they have TRD [engines], so you have to drive them a lot harder and be [smoother] with the throttle, and you can’t dump out of it as much,” Gile said.

No. 97 – Kale Drake (Collinsville, OK)

From out of the Micro Sprint ranks and into the Midget world, Kale Drake has already made his mark on national Midget series racing and with its most decorated team at Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports.

RELATED: How Kale Drake Evolved from Micro Sprint Champion to Xtreme Midget Winner with Keith Kunz Motorsports

The 18-year-old Oklahoman joined the team as a crew member in February and got his first shot in the seat with the Xtreme Outlaw Series at US 36 Raceway in April. A seventh-place run there was a sign of his early abilities but did not outshine the Feature-winning performance he gave the following night at Sweet Springs Motorsports Complex, taking the lead out of Turn 4 on the final lap to net his first career Midget victory.

“I didn’t think it was gonna come that quickly,” Drake said. “It definitely wasn’t an easy one. I’ve always been super confident at Sweet Springs; I’ve rolled really well around that joint since the beginning.”

Since then, Drake has had up-and-down results but still managed to push his way into the top-10 of the points standings despite missing the first two races of the season. He currently sits ninth in points with four top-fives and seven top-10s in 12 starts.

“Going into this last half of the season, I feel like I have a lot more confidence knowing that we’ve been on both sides of the stick, in a way,” Drake said. “We’ve struggled, and we’ve been really good. Putting it all together and meeting in the middle to have consistent, solid nights is really the name of the game.”

No. 55 – Trevor Cline (Mooresville, NC)

Through the first eight races, 16-year-old Trevor Cline did not have a single top-10 finish and had notched a best finish of only 14th. But come a trip back to his home track of Millbridge Speedway in May, the light switch flipped on and has powered his string of recent success.

Cline, the two-time and reigning Micro Sprint champion of the 1/6-mile North Carolina oval, bagged his first two top-10 runs of the season in the two-day midweek event, placing 10th on Tuesday and ninth on Friday, showing the speed and consistency that was missing from his program in the opening rounds of the season.

“I’ve definitely learned a lot as a driver,” Cline said. “Going into Millbridge, we had a bunch of confidence because I have about as many laps as you can in a Midget or a Micro there.”

From there, Cline bagged two more top-10s at Atomic Speedway later that week before scoring his best career finish and his first-ever Midget podium with his third-place effort at Doe Run Raceway to cap the month of May.

“I think it’s gone better than we anticipated it to,” Cline said of the first half of his season. “Obviously, we started out the year struggling pretty bad; almost killed a racecar at Du Quoin. Struggled since then, finally started to get our program back up, and then ran third at Doe Run.”

No. 14S – Tyler Edwards (Salina, OK)

The second of two new Mounce/Stout Motorsports entries on the Xtreme Outlaw Series roster this year, 30-year-old Tyler Edwards currently sits 10th in the standings with a best finish of fourth, which came at Atomic in May.

Atomic is only one of the many new tracks the former Sprint Car and Micro Sprint racer has had to adapt to, but he’s navigated the challenges well, also notching four top-10s in the first 14 races.

“Having to learn some of these tracks, that’s kinda been the biggest learning curve for myself,” Edwards said. “But I definitely feel like we’ve made improvements since the beginning. Just as a team too, we’ve kinda learned each other, what we like and what we don’t like about each other and what we need in the racecar every night.”

In enduring some mechanical struggles as well, Edwards is still in high spirits and said he’s prepared to take on the rest of the season in pursuit of his first career national Midget series victory.

“Overall, it ain’t bad for dealing with some of the thing we’ve had to deal with – motor woes and me having to learn all these new tracks,” Edwards said. “I feel like we’re getting really close to being right where we want to be and being able to compete up front every night.”

Hall of Fame Driver Still Faces Long Road to Recovery

RICHMOND, Va. (July 5, 2024) – Less than two weeks after drag racing champion John Force suffered a traumatic brain injury (TBI), among other injuries that included a fractured sternum and a right wrist injury, following an engine explosion that sent his Funny Car into a concrete guard wall at over 300 miles per hour, doctors acknowledged his positive response to treatment. He was moved out of neuro-intensive care and into acute neuro care at the hospital where he was transported by air ambulance on June 23. The latest upgrade was welcomed by Force family members who have maintained a presence at the hospital since the 16-time NHRA Champion’s arrival, but medical professionals emphasized once again that the journey ahead will be a long and difficult one. Although Force is still dealing with cognitive and behavioral symptoms from his TBI, the fact that the Hall of Fame driver can converse with medical staff, family members, and John Force Racing president Robert Hight, who flew in this week, is an encouraging sign. However, there have also been periods of confusion, which doctors say require time and patience to treat. Also noteworthy was the fact that the 75-year-old grandfather of five has regained his equilibrium to the point that he has been able to start walking with the assistance of medical staff members.  According to family, the next step for the man whose career has spanned six decades likely will be a move to a long-term facility specializing in TBI and associated symptoms. A time frame for that move has not yet been determined.

NASCAR CUP SERIES CHICAGO STREET RACE TEAM CHEVY MEDIA AVAILABILITY QUOTES JULY 5, 2024

Shane van Gisbergen, the inaugural winner of the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series Chicago Street Race, met with the media in advance of racing double duty in the NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR Xfinity Series at the Chicago Street Course.  Media Availability Quotes:  As you were flying into Chicago, do you kind of get a really good vibe? Do you like looking down and seeing it considering what happened last year? Secondly, more importantly, now that you’ve had more experience in NASCAR and have been a part of this, does it make what you were able to accomplish last year in the Cup Series even a bit more amazing or a really feel good moment for you when you think about what you did?  “Yeah, it’s cool. I’m not much of a city person.. there’s not enough grass here for me (laughs). I guess we’re racing in a park, which is cool. But yeah, I prefer the countryside and getting away from people. But yeah, it’s cool. It’s special to come back here. As you asked, being here for a year, yeah it does have more meaning now knowing how tough this series is and how good everyone here is. We just had a dream run and we’re ready to try and do the same again. The preparation has been pretty good. Looking out there now, the track looks amazing. The weather looks like it’s going to be pretty good, which I’m excited for. Hopefully it’s a good race weekend for everyone.” You didn’t get to experience double-file restarts here last year. Now that you’ve gotten to experience them some in Cup, what have your impressions of it been, and how do you think it’ll impact this race? “Yeah, I think here, it’s a little different with where it’s placed. You kind of get going just before the last corner, so it’s a huge advantage to be the first guy because you’ll be clear by the exit. But yeah, if you’re third row back, it’s going to be carnage.. not carnage, but difficult to stay clean through there. Yeah, I think that worked out pretty well last year. But this year, it’s going to be tough. I watched the Xfinity Series race – they go through it very cleanly, but the outside guy lost positions every time. So it’s going to be a fight to be on the right-hand side and try to not give too much up to get there, I think. But yeah, looking forward to that. I think it’ll be different than on the ovals. On the ovals, it’s crazy the way everyone races here; takes 50-50’s. They pretty much take all 50-50’s and get involved in a crash or they don’t. So I’m a bit more reserved, at the moment, for that, I think.” Last year, this is obviously what got the ball rolling. You win this race and suddenly you’re racing full-time in NASCAR months later. When you look ahead to Sunday, are you looking at it as potentially – hey, if I can repeat, win and have all the spotlight and attention on me, that can really kind of solidify my future even more in NASCAR, in terms of the Cup path that you want to pursue? “No, I don’t think like that, but it would probably certainly help; getting a good result both days and showing I can keep running upfront on road courses. But I’m not trying to put pressure on myself, you know saying ‘I have to win to get into Cup next year’, you know? But certainly a good result will help that, yeah.” Last year, Kyle Larson was marveling on the move you made on Justin Haley to win. Can you take us through that move again, and are you anticipating that you won’t be able to make that move in year two because people will have figured out that it’s coming? “Yeah, I think I did the same thing at COTA on someone. But to me, it’s normal (laughs). I see stuff that Kyle Larson does on ovals and I go – what the hell.. how did he do that? So it’s relative, right? It’s what I’ve always been used to with this kind of racing and making moves like that. On the ovals, people are doing stuff to me and I’m like – how did he come up with that or know that I was going to do the opposite? So yeah, it’s kind of just that I need to get better at the oval stuff and they’re going to keep getting better at the road course stuff, as well, I guess.” Anytime you can get laps at a course, you’re going to be improved the next time come back. So for Sunday, how much do you anticipate the Cup field sort of closing the gap to you? Also for you, doing double-duty on Saturday, your experiences in the Cup car, which generally handles way better on these types of tracks than the Xfinity car does? Can that in any way be a disadvantage for whatever your Saturday might look like?“The car difference is huge, but laps and reps overcomes that by so far, especially what we’re going to be doing tomorrow morning, the track is going to be completely different from how the Xfinity race finishes. So getting to experience that is going to be a huge head start for Sunday, which is why so many Cup guys are probably in that Saturday race. Just get reps; get comfortable with the walls on both sides of the car. This racing is so different from anything we do all year, so yeah I think for sure that doing both classes is going to be more of an advantage than a disadvantage.  I think for sure that there will be more of them. There were a lot of guys that were fast; five or six fast guys last year. Especially in qualifying, there were some big laps. This year, there’s just going to be more guys with data; more guys will have better setups with learning what they did last year. I think there’s a big chance that there will be 10 or 15 guys. That’s the best thing I find about NASCAR.. it’s not the same people every week. This series is so competitive and so tight, but hopefully it’s us that’s in there, as well.” It’s been a year and obviously there’s a lot of things that have changed in your life. Is there anything you miss? What are the biggest notices you have now versus being here last year? Like I said, do you miss being home because you completely upended everything? “I miss New Zealand a lot, for sure. But I love it here. I really enjoy racing. I love racing every week. I love having a routine and knowing what I’m doing pretty much every day until November.. that’s exciting. I have three weeks off in August and I have no idea what I’m going to do. It’s a weird feeling. I love this style of racing; the atmosphere, the people and the schedule. Yeah, I’m loving every moment. I definitely think I made the right choice. I feel like it’s a really cool place for me; being welcome by everyone, whether it’s team people, drivers and the fans. It’s been really cool to see how welcoming everyone is and I’m really enjoying it.” There’s a lot of talk about the field catching up to you with more experience, but you also have more experience here in NASCAR. So whatever advantages they gain, are you also gaining an advantage too because you have all this experience now? “Yeah, for sure. Like I have learned a lot with the Cup car. I had a really good time at the wheel force test at Sonoma, which it was essentially like my first test day in NASCAR. You don’t really get to test much here.. you’re learning as you’re racing. So it was good to have two days; experiment with the car, the tire and push things. I went off-track a couple of times, just learning. Got to try different brake pads, suspensions, stuff like that. So yeah, got to learn what I liked and what I needed from the car. For sure, I’ll be better this year, too.. knowing what to expect and what I want from the car. Last year’s car wasn’t perfect by any means. But yeah, I think we’ll all be taking a leap forward, that’s for sure.” Last year when you came in, maybe everyone wasn’t super familiar with you and didn’t know what you could do. So having said that, this year, is there a slightly different vibe? People know that this is the guy that’s setting the standard, so do you expect it to race differently? “I’m not sure about that, but I certainly enjoyed last year. I’m a pretty quite guy, so flying under the radar pre-weekend was awesome for me. I just focused on my job and do well at it. Yeah, the media stuff is pretty overwhelming sometimes, but I’m getting used to it. But yeah, I know for sure that there’s probably a target on us. People are going to be looking at us a lot more and try to study what we’re doing. But yeah, just have to keep our heads down and expectations in check. Our prep has been good with all the Kaulig Racing guys, and then obviously some Trackhouse Racing input, as well. So yeah, I feel ready to go and prepared. Just have to go out there and do it.” You said you enjoyed flying under the radar. Like when you look back on it, the announcers could barely announce your name. You had the drivers, even after the race, be like – I didn’t really know this guy before. Was there anything in the back of your head like there was a little bit of disrespect here.. like I’m a three-time Supercars Champion.. nothing like that? “No, not at all. I think the funniest one was – Brad Keselowski had a tweet afterwards. We must have done the track walk next to each other and he goes – ‘did the track walk and had no idea who this guy is, but now I do’ or whatever. I found that pretty funny. But yeah, it’s hard, especially in this series – when you’re racing every weekend, it’s hard to have the blinkers off and watch other racing. You’re so engrained in what you’re doing and focused on yourself. I wasn’t angry or disappointed in them at all. It was cool to just come in, but that changed pretty quick after practice and qualifying, I guess.”  Last year, you were in the PROJECT91 car for Trackhouse Racing. This year, you’re in a Kaulig Racing entry for Sunday. You said you were going to have some input from Trackhouse, but can you just address that? Will there be much of a difference, or are you anticipating anything begin different with the car? “I guess that’s the beauty of both. We had the teams that were first and second last year having input this year, which is awesome. Travis Mack, who is the crew chief on the car this weekend, he was at Trackhouse last year. So it works really well, already having that relationship setup. It’s been good on all the ovals we’ve done, so far. Yeah, Travis has been at the shop most days this week to help prepare the car; make sure it’s right. It went into the Kaulig truck to get here and those guys will run it all weekend. It’s a real combined effort. It was a little messy, maybe, at COTA.. it could have been better. But every week, the relationship has gotten better and better, the more races we do. Yeah, really confident with how it all works now.”  What’s your knowledge of this track at this point? “Yeah, street courses are different every year, no matter where you go. Like the barrier locations are always different, depending if they put them inside the curb or on top of it. The track always changes. I haven’t walked around yet.. I’ll do that tomorrow morning. Basically, I’ll just be trying to look at all of the barrier locations on apex and exits, just to see the differences with how the barriers are lined up and stuff. I hear there are some resealing, as well. I haven’t been there yet, but basically the corner directions are the same, but there’s always small differences. And then with only two classes on track and a year’s worth of traffic in between each race, it’ll be really interesting. The track didn’t really ramp up until the end last year when it dried up, so it was like a reset. Whereas if it’s dry all weekend, the track will be completely different. But it should be a good race track. There should be a lot of passing, if it’s completely dry. There’s great passing zones here for a street race. Hopefully it’s exciting” What is that like now, instead of getting the knowledge, you’re giving it to your competitors? “Yeah, obviously I’ve gotten a lot more questions this week. But yeah, I don’t mind telling small things, but you’re not going to tell every secret, I guess. But I’m completely open to Daniel (Suarez), Ross (Chastain) and Zane (Smith) and whatever they ask. The track walk tomorrow, we’ll do that together maybe and try and talk things through. Those guys were fast in a lot of areas. Daniel was really quick last year in a lot of spots.  But yeah, for sure, I don’t mind. I don’t mind helping those guys because I certainly ask a lot of questions the other way. But yeah, I’ll keep a little bit in the pocket because you want to win, as well.” How much was there the openness among Supercars? Is that universal or something that is kind of different?“No, it’s pretty similar there. The Supercars guys, they’re all good guys. You still keep separate, but everyone is pretty fun. You talk about it a little bit, but between manufacturers, it’s not as open as it is here, I guess.”  How do you deal with changing expectations from week-to-week.. going from ovals, where you’re still learning and not having much expected of you at this point of your career, versus going to a road or street course, where you’re automatically expected to contend for the win? “Yeah, good question. I kind I had just been letting the road course stuff happen this year and not focusing on it as much because like I just know I’ll be good there. I do the usual preparation, but I don’t do more. Whereas with the ovals, I try to study as much as I can with SMT, previous races, onboards.. I’m trying to soak in as much as I can. I’m really focusing on getting better on the ovals, and I feel like I have. At Iowa, I made some errors and had a bad weekend. But I feel like it’s been a pretty steady progress. And then Nashville was the most comfortable I’ve felt on the ovals. I feel like I’ve said that the last few ovals that I’ve run, so certainly moving forward; getting better, more competitive. I’m racing around some pretty good guys, I feel like. But yeah, the road stuff just comes.. it’s almost like a holiday on a road race weekend for me. I can relax and have some fun.” After watching film and going through those emotions from the race, what were some drivers that you feel like are going to be your biggest challengers this weekend? “Yeah, again, there are so many guys in this series that if they hit it, they can be on. There’s 10 or 15 really good road racers now, and then the rest of the field aren’t slugs either. It’s pretty impressive how competitive everything is. And especially how much road racing there is now, everyone has gotten good at it. Yeah, I really enjoy racing – I think it was Christopher Bell, Tyler Reddick and Kyle Larson last year.. all of us at the start and just seeing how comfortable they were; their proximity to the barriers and how much they were pushing in the wet. I remember being pretty conservative in the wet and let them through a little bit at the start. It was pretty cool to watch those guys. They’re relatively inexperienced at this stuff and they were pushing pretty hard. It was cool to watch. Yeah, I think it will be those guys, for sure, up front. I think it was Denny (Hamlin) who was on the pole, as well. He was going really well. He hit the wall, unfortunately early, but he was fast, too.” With everyone having your SMT data, can they copy what you do.. is it that simple? Or do you feel like all your years of experience.. they can look at it, but it’s going to take them awhile for them to be able to do what you do..“Yeah, the SMT stuff is amazing on the ovals, but I hate it on the road courses for that reason (laughs). They can see what you’re doing. But yeah, I guess my brake technique is completely different, so it would be very hard for someone to switch over. Like for me on the ovals, I’ve never left-foot braked before. But you can’t really right-foot brake on an oval, so I’ve had to learn that technique. But if I tried to left-foot brake on a road circuit, I’d be miles off the pace. It’s such a different technique and way that you control the car into the corner. I do it with the clutch, they do it with the throttle. Yeah, it would be very hard for someone to just try and emulate what I’m doing, I think. You can still see gears, proximities, steering angles, stuff like that, and get most of the basic stuff down, I think.” You came and ran this race last year. You mentioned that heading into it, you weren’t really well known over here. You go out, whip the field and win the race. Did you ever envision last year that it would ever translate to what you’re doing now.. full-time racing in the NASCAR Xfinity Series and the opportunity in the NASCAR Cup Series in coming years? “Not at all. It was just a one-off race at that point. As I said, I went to Nashville the week before, a year ago now, and just opened my eyes to how cool the racing was; how open it was for everyone. I took my dad there last week.. he’s come over for the weekend. We were just standing right on the pit wall as the guys were doing their pit stops. I was dropping him at the corporate suite.. he didn’t like the heat, so he wanted to get to the air conditioner. But we stood on the backstretch on the way out and we just walked right up to the fence on the side of the track. I don’t know if we should have done that, but we were standing right by the inside wall right when the cars were going past. The experience here is awesome. We both had a little moment, without saying anything, how cool it is here. Yeah, we’re all really, really enjoying it. It’s been a huge 180 for me, my life and my career. But yeah, I’m having the time of my life.”

CONCORD, NC (July 5, 2024) – 

For most Sprint Car drivers, their path to stardom starts in go-karts before advancing through the likes of Micro Sprints, Midgets and anything else with four wheels and an engine they can get their hands on.

But for Landon Britt, his trajectory toward the American Sprint Car Series National Tour took a bit of a detour in his teens.

“Got out of racing for a little bit, about three years, and got into rugby really heavy,” Britt said. “I grew up in more of a country area, and rugby was kind of a big thing out there. I had multiple friends that played, and they kept talking to me, ‘Try to come, try to come,’ and eventually I went, and from there on I just played.

“The summer before my junior year [of high school], I started playing, and then played my junior and senior years, and then played about a year after high school where I played on a men’s team.”

Perhaps there’s an alternate timeline in which Britt is preparing to head to Paris to represent the United States on the Olympic rugby pitch. However, the urge to get back behind the wheel of a race car was too much to resist.

“Me and my dad had always talked about getting back into racing,” said Britt, who raced go-karts as a child before his rugby hiatus. “I told him I wanted to get out of the go-kart world, I wanted to move up.”

While many drivers have had their heart set on Sprint Cars as the ultimate goal since day one, Britt was always one who explored his options.

“We had talked about doing autocross, and getting into something like that,” Britt said. “We just really didn’t want to race against the clock the entire time.”

From there, Britt went looking for a form of racing where you could slide cars through the corners at extreme speeds, inches away from other competitors doing the same thing. His calling soon became clear.

“I had mentioned something about doing Formula Drift, and then he had mentioned Sprint Cars, and we just kind of sat down and talked about it,” Britt said. “Honestly, Sprint Cars have just been the answer the whole time. When we both talked about it, everything just led back to Sprint Cars. I’m not really sure what drew the attention to it, it’s just what we chose, and we fell in love with it after we chose it.”

Once Britt settled on Sprint Cars as his chariot of choice, he became a regular at dirt tracks around his Memphis home before slowly expanding his schedule. After a few seasons of regional competition, 2022 marked Britt’s first full season on the ASCS National Tour, which he said was always the destination for his team.

“In the 360 world, there’s not a more elite series,” Britt said. “The level of competition, everything that ASCS brings has been on a broader and more elite level.”

After a rookie season that included three top fives and a seventh-place points finish, Britt became a National Tour winner for the first time in 2023, taking the checkers at Arrowhead Speedway in September. For the inexperienced and undermanned LB Motorsports team, the win proved that they could go toe-to-toe with the best in the business.

“Being a smaller, father-son, two-man team, first-generation driver trying to run against these guys that have been doing it 10, 15, 20 years, it’s very tough,” Britt said. “They already have the knowledge, and we don’t.”

When he isn’t chasing the National Tour across the country, Britt can be found back home working at his father’s HVAC business, something that has been part of his life for nearly as long as racing.

“I started doing it when I was 12 years old. Summers, weekend deals, and then at 18 years old was when I went full time,” Britt said. “Our weekly schedule is wake up, get to the [HVAC] shop at eight (in the morning), work however late it may take to get what work needs to be done, and I’m at the [race] shop after the fact.

“It’s not ‘walk in every morning and go straight to car stuff’ like some of these guys have time to do. Versus us, the business has to come first, because it’s what’s pushing this car around.”

Ten races into his third season on the National Tour, Britt sits eighth in the standings, just seven points out of the familiar seventh spot he has finished in his previous two years. He said the No. 10 team remains focused on continually making strides until they become frequent visitors to Victory Lane.

“This year we’ve grabbed some other ideas and some things that we’re trying,” Britt said. “At some points, it’s a little bit more of a struggle, but every place we go to we figure out a little bit more and more of what really needs to be done in these certain situations.”

Britt will be joined by the rest of the National Tour stars when the season resumes in Kansas at Lakeside Speedway on Friday, July 19, and 81 Speedway on Saturday, July 20. Tickets to both events will be available at the gate on race day, and if you can’t make it, catch every lap live on DIRTVision.

---

July 5, 2024

For years, NASCAR insiders and the sport’s fans were conditioned to look on the Fourth of July weekend as a time to return to Daytona International Speedway for the traditional start to the second half of the season.

But starting last year, NASCAR’s elite Cup Series celebrates Independence Day weekend with a race on the streets of Chicago.

The inaugural event on the 12-turn, 2.2-mile course was plagued by torrential rains, but the race still was a crowd pleaser.

Now the circuit returns, and Harrison Burton and the No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane team are hoping for sunny skies and a strong run on the most unique course on the circuit.

“I’ll admit I was a skeptic when the Chicago street race was announced last year,” crew chief Jeremy Bullins said. “But considering the rain and everything else that went on I was so impressed with the crowd of fans that stuck it out that I really can’t wait to go back.

 “I hope we can have some better weather and put on a good race for the fans.”

He said the Motorcraft/Quick Lane team has had more speed and opportunities to finish well in recent weeks, and he hopes to build on that this weekend.

“We’ve had some decent momentum swinging our way lately, and I’m looking forward to seeing what we can do with our Motorcraft Mustang this week,” he said.

Practice for the Grant Park 165 is set for Saturday at 11:30 a.m. (12:30 p.m. Eastern Time) to be followed by qualifying at 12:30 p.m. (1:30 Eastern). USA Network will carry the TV broadcast.

Sunday’s 75-lap, 165-mile race is set to get the green flag just after 3:30 p.m. (4:30 p.m. Eastern) with TV coverage on NBC.

 Stage breaks are planned for Laps 20 and 45.

PEVELY, MO (July 4, 2024) – Drivers and fans will be treated to the biggest Ironman 55 yet at Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 in August with the largest purse in event history.Between two days of racing, Aug. 2-3, more than $180,000 will be on the line for the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series and Xtreme Outlaw Midget Series presented by Toyota. That’s highlighted by Saturday’s Features paying $25,000-to-win for the World of Outlaws and $7,500-to-win for the Midgets.Friday’s Feature will pay out $12,000-to-win/$1,200-to-start for the World of Outlaws Sprint Cars and $4,000-to-win/$300-to-start for the Xtreme Outlaw Midgets.Both nights will also count toward the Xtreme Outlaw-POWRi Challenge Series title – awarding $2,500 to the Series champion at the end of the year – as POWRi will co-sanction the event with Xtreme.Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 is home to some of the most iconic moments in Sprint Car racing, such as Sheldon Haudenschild’s dominating performance in 2019 where he won by over 10 seconds, Kyle Larson’s sub-10 second qualifying lap and Larson’s intense duel with Logan Schuchart last year.The Xtreme Outlaw Midgets have produced a “new flavor of the week” vibe with every race at I-55, producing five different winners in their five trips there.EVENT INFO Date – Friday-Saturday, Aug. 2-3 Location – Pevely, MO Track Record – 9.995 sec. set by Kyle Larson on May 22, 2020 (Sprint Cars) 12.625 sec. set by Michael Pickens on Aug. 5, 2022 (Midgets)Times (CT) – 2 p.m. Pit Gate Opens Grandstand Gate Opens: 5 p.m. Friday / 4 p.m. Saturday 6:30 p.m. Hot Laps & Qualifying -Racing to followTickets – Available HERE. How to Watch – Can’t make it? Watch every lap live on DIRTVision.Last Race Video Recap (World of Outlaws, Aug. 5, 2023) – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BA7ZWv2i-JMLast Race Video Recap (Xtreme, Aug. 5, 2023) – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9y458bOOLEYPrevious World of Outlaws winners at I-55 – 2023 – Brad Sweet on April 14, Spencer Bayston on Aug. 4, Kyle Larson on Aug. 5 2022 – Carson Macedo on April 16 & August 5, Brad Sweet on August 6 2021 – Brad Sweet on April 2, Brad Sweet on April 3, Sheldon Haudenschild on Aug. 6, Sheldon Haudenschild on Aug. 7 2020 – Brad Sweet on May 22, Kyle Larson on May 23, Sheldon Haudenschild on Aug. 7, Kyle Larson on Aug. 8 2019 – Brad Sweet on Aug 2, Sheldon Haudenschild on Aug. 3 2018 – Daryn Pittman on April 21, Rico Abreu on Aug. 3, Logan Schuchart on Aug. 4 2017 – Daryn Pittman on Aug. 4 2016 – David Gravel on Aug. 5, Rico Abreu on Aug. 6 2015 – Christopher Bell on May 2, Donny Schatz on Aug. 7, Shane Stewart on Aug. 8 2014 – Sammy Swindell on April 26, Paul McMahan on Aug. 1, Kerry Madsen on Aug. 2 2013 – Craig Dollansky on Aug. 3 2012 – Craig Dollansky on Oct. 13, Jason Sides on Oct. 13 2011 – Craig Dollansky on Aug. 5 2010 – Joey Saldana on April 17, Tim Shaffer on Aug. 6, Jason Meyers on Aug. 7 2009 – Craig Dollansky on Aug. 7, Joey Saldana on Aug. 8 2008 – Jason Meyers on April 5 2007 – Joey Saldana on July 7 2006 – Donny Schatz on April 1, Brooke Tatnell on July 8 2005 – Kraig Kinser on April 2, Chad Kemenah on July 8 2004 – Craig Dollansky on April 17, Danny Lasoski on Aug. 7 2003 – Steve Kinser on April 12, Tyler Walker on July 12 2002 – Jac Haudenschild on March 30, Daryn Pittman on July 13 2001 – Randy Hannagan on March 24, Stevie Smith on July 14 2000 – Jac Haudenschild on July 22 1999 – Jac Haudenschild on July 24 1998 – Stevie Smith on July 25, Andy Hillenburg on Oct. 10 1997 – Mark Kinser on May 18, Sammy Swindell on Oct. 11 1996 – Mark Kinser on June 12 1992 – Steve Kinser on June 10 1991 – Sammy Swindell on May 4 1990 – Sammy Swindell on April 14 1989 – Doug Wolfgang on April 15, Doug Wolfgang on Aug. 11 1988 – Steve Kinser on April 23 1987 – Brad Doty on April 22, Steve Kinser on Sept. 25Previous Xtreme winners at I-55 – 2023 – Cannon McIntosh on April 14, Karter Sarff on Aug. 4, Jade Avedisian on Aug. 5 2022 – Chance Crum on Aug. 5, Michael Pickens on Aug. 6

TEAM CHEVY ADVANCEChicago Street RaceChicago, IllinoisJuly 6-7, 2024

One year ago, the NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) and NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) made history by competing in the sport’s first-ever street race. NASCAR will make its return to the “Windy City” this weekend to take on the Chicago Street Course for a doubleheader event featuring two of NASCAR’s top divisions – kicking off Saturday with the NXS’ The Loop 110, with NASCAR’s premier series capping off the weekend in Sunday’s Grant Park 165.  Built among some of the city’s most renowned landmarks, the 2.2-mile, 12-turn circuit features portions of the famed streets of Lake Shore Drive and Michigan Avenue, with the start-finish line situated at the Buckingham Fountain. Chevrolet will return to the course as the defending winners of the inaugural NCS event, while looking to capture its first street race victory in the NXS.

ONE YEAR AGO… Shane van Gisbergen added to an already history-making weekend on the streets of Chicago by becoming the first driver in 60 years to win in his NASCAR Cup Series debut. Van Gisbergen, who was also piloting a Camaro ZL1 in the Supercars Championship series last season, made the trip to the United States to make his first-career NASCAR start in the inaugural Chicago Street Race. The 35-year-old New Zealander immediately caught the eye of the NASCAR world when his first-ever laps behind the wheel of a Next Gen Camaro ZL1 saw the Team Chevy driver top the leaderboard in the series’ practice session, going on to post a third-place qualifying effort for his series debut.  Enduring a race that saw a crossover from wet to dry conditions, van Gisbergen showcased his mastery in making left- and right-hand turns throughout the race. With the race ultimately shortened due to impending darkness, crew chief Darian Grubb gave van Gisbergen a fresh set of Goodyear tires that allowed the driver to quickly climb through the field to the top position during the final stage. Despite never experiencing an overtime restart, the challenge proved to be no problem for van Gisbergen as he quickly pulled away to take the checkered flag and a historic victory.

Big Day for the Bowtie BrandVan Gisbergen’s historic victory was celebrated by a dominant performance by the Bowtie brand, with Team Chevy drivers sweeping the top-five finishing positions in the series’ first-ever street race. Van Gisbergen, who was behind the wheel of Trackhouse Racing’s PROJECT91 Camaro ZL1, led drivers from four different Chevrolet organizations to the finish including: runner-up finisher Justin Haley in the No. 31 Kaulig Racing Camaro ZL1; Hendrick Motorsports’ Chase Elliott and Kyle Larson in the third and fourth positions, respectively; and Richard Childress Racing’s Kyle Busch rounding out the manufacturer’s top-five sweep. This marked the second time in the series’ Next Gen era that Chevrolet swept the top-five finishing positions of an event – also accomplishing the feat at Road America in July 2022.

MOMENTUM ON LEFTS AND RIGHTSSunday’s Grant Park 165 will mark the NASCAR Cup Series’ third event that will feature left- and right-hand turns. Chevrolet has been unstoppable on road course circuits this season, with wins by Hendrick Motorsports’ William Byron (Circuit of The Americas) and Kyle Larson (Sonoma Raceway) keeping the manufacturer undefeated on road courses this season.  While there are unique challenges that come with street racing, Chevrolet has a boost of confidence from its success in making left- and right-hand turns in recent years. With Larson’s win in the series’ most recent road course race at Sonoma Raceway, the Bowtie brand now owns 19 victories in the past 24 NCS road course events – nine of which have come in the series’ Next Gen era. Among the entries for Sunday’s event, there are eight Team Chevy drivers that have recorded a road course/street course win in NASCAR’s premier series.

Topping the list is Hendrick Motorsports’ Chase Elliott, who ranks third on the series’ all-time road course wins list with seven triumphs. Joining Elliott on the list includes Kyle Larson (five NCS road course wins), Kyle Busch (four), AJ Allmendinger (three), William Byron (two), Ross Chastain (one), Daniel Suarez (one) and Shane van Gisbergen (one).

SMITH COLLECTS CAREER-BEST FINISH; ADDS TO MANUFACTURER POINTS LEADAt Nashville Superspeedway, Team Chevy’s Zane Smith came just 0.068 seconds from becoming a first-time winner in NASCAR’s top division. Settling for a runner-up result, Smith’s career-best finish in the series didn’t come without a fight. The NASCAR Cup Series rookie was sitting outside of the top-20 for the first overtime finish, but pit strategy by the team’s rookie crew chief, Stephen Doran, put the No. 71 Spire Motorsports Camaro ZL1 team in prime position to outlast the long list of drivers that fell short on fuel during the record-setting five overtime attempts.  Smith’s finish helped keep Chevrolet atop the NCS’ manufacturer points standings, with the Bowtie brand heading to Chicago with a four-point lead over second-place Toyota. In 19 points-paying races, five Chevrolet organizations have contributed points towards the manufacturer points standings as the Bowtie brand looks to defend its championship title. Smith also became the ninth different driver to lead Team Chevy to the finish in a NCS race this season.

SVG’S CHICAGO RETURNWhile Shane van Gisbergen has already proven his ability to navigate the Chicago Street Course, the 35-year-old New Zealander is on the horizon of his first career NASCAR Xfinity Series start at the 2.2-mile, 12-turn circuit. Returning to the venue that put his name on the map in the NASCAR world, van Gisbergen heads to the “Windy City” as the series’ most recent road course winner. Just one month ago, van Gisbergen became a first-time NXS winner at Portland International Raceway, with the Team Chevy driver becoming the series’ second rookie to secure a playoff berth this season. Van Gisbergen followed up that performance with yet another trip to victory lane just one week later at Sonoma Raceway – giving the team back-to-back road course triumphs. In addition, van Gisbergen will strap into the No. 16 Camaro ZL1 for Kaulig Racing to defend his title in Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series event.  Among the nine drivers that will pull double-duty this weekend, five come from the Chevrolet camp. Joining van Gisbergen on that list includes Hendrick Motorsports’ Kyle Larson, who will return to the driver’s seat of the No. 17 HendrickCars.com Camaro SS. This weekend will mark Larson’s second NXS start of 2024, with his lone start in the series this season resulting in a trip to victory lane (Circuit of The Americas – March 2024). Trackhouse Racing’s Daniel Suarez, who became a first-time NCS winner at Sonoma Raceway in 2022, is also tapped to pilot the No. 36 Camaro SS for DGM Racing. Team Chevy’s full-time NXS drivers, AJ Allmendinger and Austin Hill, will also compete in Sunday’s NCS race, with Allmendinger driving the No. 13 Kaulig Racing Camaro ZL1 and Hill driving the No. 33 Richard Childress Racing Camaro ZL1 – a third entry for both Chevrolet organizations.

ECKES PROVING TO BE A TITLE FAVORITEDespite a three-week break in competition for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (NCTS), no momentum was lost for Christian Eckes and the No. 19 McAnally-Hilgemann Racing Silverado RST team. At Nashville Superspeedway, the 23-year-old New York native became the series’ second three-time winner this season in dominating fashion. With a third-place qualifying effort, Eckes quickly drove his No. 19 Silverado RST to the lead on the first lap, with the Team Chevy driver going on to lead every lap of the 150-lap event en route to the victory. The triumph also extended Eckes’ lead in the series’ points standings, with the Team Chevy driver now sitting at a 40-point advantage over second-place Corey Heim with three races remaining in the regular-season.

BOWTIE BULLETS:·       The pace car lineup for the second annual Chicago Street Race will feature all three NASCAR OEM partners, with the Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 helping lead the NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR Xfinity Series to the green-flag in their respective events.  ·       With 50 races complete across NASCAR’s three national series this season, Chevrolet has a winning percentage of 54% with 27 victories (NASCAR Cup Series – eight wins; NASCAR Xfinity Series – 10 wins; NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series – nine wins). ·       Shane van Gisbergen captured the win in the NASCAR Cup Series’ inaugural Chicago Street Race last season, with the 35-year-old New Zealander becoming the first driver in 60 years to win in his first career NCS start (last previously accomplished by Johnny Rutherford at Daytona International Speedway in 1963).  ·       Chevrolet drivers swept the top-five finishing positions in the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series Chicago Street Race – recorded by drivers from four different Chevrolet organizations. The feat marked the second time the manufacturer swept the top-five finishing results in the series’ Next Gen era – also accomplishing the feat at Road America in July 2022.  ·       Chevrolet has earned 19 victories in the past 24 NASCAR Cup Series road course events – dating from Chase Elliott’s victory at Watkins Glen International in August 2019, to Kyle Larson’s victory at Sonoma Raceway in June 2024. ·       In 13 NASCAR Cup Series road course races in the Next Gen era, Chevrolet leads the series with nine victories – recorded by six drivers from four different Chevrolet organizations. ·       In 91 points-paying races in the Next Gen era, Chevrolet leads all manufacturers with 45 victories – a winning percentage of 49.5%.  ·       With his victory at Sonoma Raceway, Kyle Larson is the second driver to hit a double-digit win record in the NASCAR Cup Series’ Next Gen era with 10 triumphs. Larson’s Hendrick Motorsports teammate, William Byron, leads the series’ all-time win record in the Next Gen era with 11 victories.  ·       With its 42 NASCAR Cup Series Manufacturer Championships, 33 NASCAR Cup Series Driver Championships, and 859 all-time NASCAR Cup Series wins, Chevrolet continues to hold the title as the winningest brand in NASCAR Cup Series history.

FOR THE FANS·       Fans can visit the Team Chevy Racing Display in the Fan Plaza at the Chicago Street Course. ·       Fans can check out an assortment of Chevrolet vehicles including: Trax ACTIV, Silverado 1500 ZR2, Colorado Trailboss, Tahoe Z71, Traverse Z71, Blazer EV RS, Equinox EV RS, Corvette Stingray and Corvette Z06.  Team Chevy Driver Appearances at the Display: Sunday, July 7·       Chase Elliott: 12 p.m. – 12:15 p.m. ·       Kyle Busch: 12:15 p.m. – 12:30 p.m. ·       Shane van Gisbergen: 12:30 p.m. – 12:45 p.m. ·       William Byron: 12:45 p.m. – 1 p.m. ·       Carson Hocevar: 1 p.m. – 1:15 p.m. ·       Kyle Larson: 1:15 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. Chevrolet Display Hours of Operation: ·       Saturday, July 6: 8:45 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.  ·       Sunday, July 7: 9 a.m. – 6:30 p.m.

Manufacturer Points Standings Chevrolet: 685 Toyota: 681 (-4)Ford: 663 (-22)

Manufacturer Points Standings Chevrolet: 637Toyota: 606 (-31)Ford: 535 (-102)

Manufacturer Points Standings Chevrolet: 498Toyota: 459 (-39)Ford: 414 (-84)

TUNE-IN:NASCAR Cup SeriesGrant Park 165Sunday, July 7, at 4:30 p.m. ET(NBC, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90) NASCAR Xfinity Series The Loop 110 Saturday, July 6, at 3:30 p.m. ET(NBC, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90)

QUOTABLE QUOTES:Ross Chastain, No. 1 Busch Light Peach Camaro ZL1Is there anything you, Daniel or the organization can take from SVG’s Chicago win that will transfer over?“Well, he’s a machine when it comes to preparation. I would say he’s kind of leading the charge for us in the simulator and getting it how he thinks it will be. But, the streets up there will have changed and we’re all honest with each other that the simulator is a tool. At least I’ll have that to go off of though. Last year, I’ll be honest, that I didn’t put enough stock in his simulator prep but this year I definitely have.” Do you think SVG will has as much of an advantage in on a dry street course and now that you all have one race there under your belt?“He is an animal when it comes to road courses and we’ve seen that with his two Xfinity wins already this season. He’s that good.” What are you most looking forward to at Chicago?“Getting another crack at it, as SVG would say. Definitely not the result I wanted last year. Didn’t feel comfortable, didn’t make a lot of speed, couldn’t pass and really struggled. It was a concrete canyon feeling and the walls were really close to the left and right of the racing line. Looking forward to getting another shot and seeing if I can do better.” Having notes and data now, how does that change going into Chicago this time?“It’s definitely more than last year (laughs). I just have no idea what it would be like but the street could’ve totally changed with regular traffic out there and what’s getting dropped on it, gouges, new paint here and there. I know NASCAR will try to and make it the most similar but still, it’s another level of unknown.” Corey LaJoie, No. 7 Celsius Camaro ZL1What’s your perspective heading into this weekend?“We ran 14th at the Chicago Street Course last year and our goal is to better that this weekend. Our road course program has been solid so we’re looking to have a great run in the Celsius Camaro. There’s no margin for error on the race track so we have to be perfect all weekend. I’m looking forward to going back to Chicago this weekend and putting on a great show.” Kyle Busch, No. 8 Zone Camaro ZL1What was your experience like last year at the Chicago Street Race? “The Chicago Street Race last year was pretty exciting. I know we had the weather there and it kind of held up the start of things. I didn’t think we were going to race. I thought it was flooded, but it stopped raining, they got it kind of dried up, the standing water removed, and we were out there as it was still drying, running our wet tires. It was a challenging racetrack already with how narrow it was and how slick it was on city streets. Throw in the rain and wet aspect into it and it totally changes it for us. We struggled a little bit there early in the race, but we were able to turn it around. Our strategy worked really well, some breaks fell our way, and we were able to score a top-five.” Last year you went nose first into the tire barrier but were able to bounce back and score a fifth-place finish. Were you surprised the car didn’t have more damage?“I was thankful that the car didn’t have more damage than what it did. I was able to continue racing and was able to score a top five finish, which was really good for us. I felt like we had a top five car, so we achieved the finish that we should have so that was pretty good.” Would you be okay with adding another street race to the schedule? If so, what would be a good location? “I would say that another street circuit would be a pretty good idea. If we’re going to do it, we should go to an area that we’re not currently racing in. I wouldn’t change racing at Las Vegas Motor Speedway to run on the streets of Las Vegas. Let’s go somewhere different.” AJ Allmendinger, No. 13 Benesch Camaro ZL1“I really liked the racetrack last year in Chicago. I thought it was really ‘racey’ for a street course. We definitely didn’t have the result we wanted to, but I’m pumped up to get back there and run both races. I believe with the things we have learned on the road courses, especially with the Cup car, we’ll be better there and have a great weekend.” Alex Bowman, No. 48 Ally Camaro ZL1Bowman on racing the Chicago Street Race: “I’m excited to get there (Chicago Street Course). It is a really fun place to race. It’s honestly difficult, you know, just making laps there (Chicago Street Course) by yourself it’s so technical that it actually makes it really fun. I’m excited to get there from that stand point of things. I think our road course stuff has been really, really good. Last year, we had a good day going until we encountered a mechanical issue. Excited to go back to Chicago and looking for a little redemption.” Blake Harris, Crew Chief, No. 48 Ally Camaro ZL1Harris on calling the shots for the No. 48 team during NASCAR’s second consecutive Chicago Street Race:“This weekend we are shooting to have a full solid race. I feel like road courses in general have been a strength of ours this year- so my eyes are set on a top-five finish and hopefully contending for a win. There is potentially a little bit of rain Sunday, so we’ll see how everything plays out. We ended the race a little bit early last year due to a mechanical failure, so I’m a little bit disappointed that we didn’t get more dry track time there. Of what we did run and even in the wet (tires) I thought we were super competitive though. I’m excited to get back there.” Zane Smith, No. 71 Focused Health Camaro ZL1Career best second-place finish last weekend in Nashville. How does that feel and how will you carry this momentum with you?“It feels so good to put a solid weekend together. It was an awesome result and obviously it stinks to be 0.068 seconds away from my first Cup victory. You never know when you might get a shot at that again. But so proud of my team for pulling the second-place finish off and the strategy we chose. We know what our cars are capable of now. Going to build off this momentum and continue to learn and get better. I’m looking forward to getting to Chicago this weekend. I’ve heard how cool of an event it was last year and I’m excited to make my first start on a street course.” Carson Hocevar, No. 77 Zeigler Auto Group Camaro ZL1Even though it’s your debut at the Chicago Street Race, you’ve been putting in extra prep time since last year. Has that extra effort made you feel more ready heading into race week?“I did a lot of prep work in the SIM. It’s kind of weird to say, I’ve gotten a ton of laps on the Chicago Street Course but I’ve never raced there, so I’m really looking forward to just getting on the actual race track. The SIM was interesting last year without all the buildings, it was just completely bare so I’m excited to go and see the actual Chicago skyline everyone keeps talking about. The extra time makes me feel good about this week. I feel pretty good. I think we are going to have a fast car and I know we can continue to build and get better at road courses.”  Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Jockey x Folds of Honor Camaro ZL1What are your thoughts on Sunday’s race in Chicago?“I am very optimistic. We were good there last year. It was frustrating because we had a really good car and I thought we were going to be there at the end, but we ended up having too many issues. We had a good car all weekend and I think everyone knew we were there. I know we are good enough to win this race on Sunday.” What is the key to winning?“You have to survive. Stay out of trouble. You do that by qualifying well, making good pit stops, good strategy and having a little bit of luck.” How important is Chicago to NASCAR?“I think Chicago is very important. We need as many new markets as possible. We came up here two weeks ago for a Daniel’s Amigos and I was pleased with how enthusiastic everyone was about the upcoming race. The Amigo’s program is about bringing new fans to the sport and going new places is one of the best ways to do that.” What are your thoughts on running a Jockey paint scheme honoring a fallen Georgia police officer?“Jockey and Folds of Honor have come up with a great paint scheme to honor Chase Lee Maddox who lost his life in the line of duty. I’m honored to meet his family this weekend and thank them for his service in the military and as a police officer.”

Chevrolet NASCAR Cup Series Statistics Manufacturers Championships:Total (1949-2023): 42First title for Chevrolet: 1958Highest number of consecutive titles: 13 (2003-15) Years Won: 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1998, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2021, 2022, 2023 Drivers Championships:Total (1949-2021): 33First Chevrolet champion: Buck Baker (1957)Highest number of consecutive titles: 7 (2005-11)Most Recent: Kyle Larson (2021) Years Won: 1957, 1960, 1961, 1973, 1976, 1977, 1979, 1980, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2020, 2021 Event Victories:Record for total race wins in single season: 26 (2007)                2024 STATISTICS:                                                                                                    Wins: 8Poles: 6Laps Led: 1,607Top-five finishes: 35Top-10 finishes: 72Stage wins: 11·       Chase Elliott: 1 ·       Kyle Larson: 8·       Ross Chastain: 1·       William Byron: 1 CHEVROLET IN NASCAR CUMULATIVE STATISTICS:Total Chevrolet race wins: 859 (1949 to date)Poles won to date: 749Laps led to date: 250,782Top-five finishes to date: 4,333Top-10 finishes to date: 8,932                                                                                                         Total NASCAR Cup Wins by Corporation, 1949 to Date:                    General Motors: 1,193           Chevrolet: 859           Pontiac: 154           Oldsmobile: 115           Buick: 65            Ford: 832                                                                      Ford: 732           Mercury: 96           Lincoln: 4            Fiat Chrysler Automobiles: 467           Dodge: 217           Plymouth: 191           Chrysler: 59            Toyota: 187

CHEVROLET IN NTT INDYCAR SERIES HONDA INDY 200 AT MID-HIO MID-OHIO SPORTS CAR COURSE LEXINGTON, OHIO TEAM CHEVY RACE ADVANCE JULY 5-7, 2024 TEAM CHEVY READY TO TAKE ON NEW OPPORTUNITY AT MID-OHIO WITH THE DEBUT OF THE INDYCAR HYBRID POWER UNIT DETROIT (July 3, 2024) – The ninth round of the 2024 NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship sees the dawn of a new era with the introduction of hybrid technology to competition. Team Chevy looks to Mid-Ohio with the new technology that creates a new tool for drivers to utilize as they compete toward capturing the seventh win at the 13-turn, 2.258-mile natural terrain road course. On road and street courses, Chevrolet NTT INDYCAR SERIES drivers will benefit from the improved drive through and off corners with the new hybrid technology, setting up and executing overtake in the corners with regeneration to the Chevrolet 2.2-liter V6 engine. The 14th event at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course near Lexington, Ohio since the introduction of the 2.2-liter twin-turbo V6 engine in 2012, Chevrolet has captured the win six times in the past and looks to this weekend to secure the first with the integration of hybrid technology. “The introduction of hybrid technology provides an opportunity to integrate electrification technologies into the NTT INDYCAR SERIES,” said Eric Warren, Executive Director, GM Motorsports Competition. “During the development of any new technology, extensive analysis and testing are done to identify as many issues as possible. We support INDYCAR’s decisions throughout this process to study testing data carefully and make sure that when the hybrid technology is integrated, the operation and performance are exactly what is expected. This approach has given INDYCAR and the engine manufacturers the opportunity to ensure the high-level of competition continues un-interrupted.” The most recent winner for Team Chevy at Mid-Ohio, Scott McLaughlin, driver of the No. 3 Team Penske Chevrolet, said “Mid-Ohio has got a lot of new things coming with the repave, with the track for the first thing, so track grip and track pace will be really high. Added to that, it’s the first time with the hybrid, so learning that, understanding what INDYCAR has given us power-wise to work with the manufacturers. I feel like I understand it really well, worked with Team Chevy a lot on this to understand it in our simulators and whatnot, but once you get out in real life, certainly it’s a little bit different. Excited to see a change in INDYCAR, a change for the future, and what a place to start at a very historic place to start at Mid-Ohio.” Holding 10 earned NTT P1 Pole Awards, as well as 15 podium finishes and 602 laps led on the natural terrain road course, Chevrolet looks to add to the four wins, including the 108th Running of the Indianapolis 500, three earned pole awards, 11 podium finishes, and 331 laps led this season. The 80-lap, 180.64-mile Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio kicks off with first practice on Friday, July 5 at 3:20 p.m. ET. Saturday sees the second practice at 10:50 a.m., with qualifying and the Firestone Fast Six following at 3 p.m. ET. Race day starts with warm-up at 10:25 a.m. ET, and the race takes the green flag at 1:30 p.m. ET on NBC. All practice and qualifying sessions broadcast with Peacock, INDYCAR Radio, and SiriusXM Channel 218.

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING (Quotes):Santino Ferrucci, No. 14 AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet:“I do like Mid-Ohio. I love it in the rain, because it’s super technical. But it’s an all right track. Very fun, very technical. I’m excited to go back to see what the repave is like. So that’ll be something new for us. As for the hybrid, it’s just another tool to have in the car for drivability and it’s helpful for me because I can adapt really well to stuff like this. I’m quite excited to have it as a tool.” Sting Ray Robb, No. 41 AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet:“Mid-Ohio is the first place I won at in the Road to Indy. Some of my best results have come there. I think it is because I have enjoyed the layout so much. The elevation changes, variety of corners, and unique lines make it a fun place to drive. I think Mid-O is one of the great American tracks that we need more of on the calendar. [The hybrid engine] should make passing and defending more interesting, if we are allowed to use its full capability. In a sense, it can be used like a mini-P2P (push-to-pass). The only difference is that it is pretty much a renewal resource in comparison to the overtake button. I think it will be of critical use in the race in order to stay ahead of the cars around.” Pato O’Ward, No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet:“I’m looking forward to the repave at Mid-Ohio. It was already a very physical race without the repave, so I think it’s going to be one of the most physical races that we’re going to have. I’m expecting that pace to come up and the setups of the car to change a little bit, so it’ll be key to get all of the little things right. It’ll be a good challenge for the drivers and the teams, but I always enjoy driving around this track.” Nolan Siegel, No. 6 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet:“I’m looking forward to my second race with Arrow McLaren and going into a race weekend after getting into the shop and getting to know everyone a bit more. We’ve got a test under our belt now, and I think going into the first hybrid weekend is going to be very exciting. I think it’s going to even the playing field a little bit, so hopefully I can take advantage of that.” Alexander Rossi, No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet:There has been a lot of noise going into the weekend, which is all a part of racing this time of year, but I’m focusing on the second half of the season and the debut of the long-awaited hybrid. We came off our best result of the year at a high-grip road course and with the recent repave at Mid-Ohio, we’re expecting to roll off the truck strong once again.” Gavin Ward, Team Principal at Arrow McLaren:“It’s the start of a new era this weekend in Mid-Ohio as we’ll be racing with the new hybrid powertrain for the first time. The new hybrid technology, combined with the track repave at Mid-Ohio, should make for some interesting new challenges this weekend. The team went straight from a strong race in Laguna to tests in Iowa and St. Louis. Our push to improve and grow as a team is relentless, and every time we hit the track gives us an opportunity to learn and get better while doing what we love.” Christian Rasmussen, No. 20 Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet:“I look forward to what the Mid-Ohio race will bring this year! There will be a lot of changes this weekend with the hybrid getting introduced. It will be interesting to see how that will impact the racing. Other than that, I am excited to see what we can do! We keep getting better each weekend and I think Mid-Ohio could be a great weekend for us.” Rinus VeeKay, No. 21 Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet:“I am very excited for racing in the middle of Ohio! It Is cool track and of course it’s the 4th of July weekend so there will be many fans! I have finished 4th there before, so let’s do something like that again and we will all be happy! We are about halfway into the season, so this should be a great turning point to getting strong results and ending the bad luck streak. We have had good road course car all year and it will not be any different in Mid-Ohio!” Romain Grosjean, No. 77 Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet:“Exciting time with the new hybrid system coming. We will try to adapt our car to it as fast as we can and keep our recent improvement to chase some good results. Mid-Ohio is always a nice weekend and a fun track to drive.” Agustin Canapino, No. 78 Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet:“We arrive at Mid-Ohio with good expectations due to the team’s good performance and because we were testing there, where there is new asphalt and the track changed completely. We begin to navigate the second half of the year and we will seek to continue our growth.”

Chevrolet in Mid-Ohio (since 2012, V6 era, pre-hybrid) Wins at Mid-Ohio: 62014: Scott Dixon2016: Simon Pagenaud2017: Josef Newgarden2020 (Race 1): Will Power2021: Josef Newgarden2022: Scott McLaughlin Earned Pole Awards at Mid-Ohio: 102012: Will Power2013: Ryan Hunter-Reay2014: Sebastian Bourdais2015: Scott Dixon2016: Simon Pagenaud2017: Will Power2019: Will Power2020 (Race 1): Will Power2021: Josef Newgarden2022: Pato O’Ward Number of Team Chevy Podiums at Mid-Ohio (V6 era since 2012, pre-hybrid): 15 Number of laps led by Team Chevy at Mid-Ohio (V6 era since 2012, pre-hybird): 602

2024 CHEVROLET BY THE NUMBERS:0: NTT INDYCAR SERIES race as V6 engine supplier with hybrid technology integration. 207: NTT INDYCAR Series races as V6 engine supplier since 2012 return to INDYCAR.  115: Wins in the NTT INDYCAR Series since 2012.  130: Earned poles since 2012. Chevrolet holds 135 pole awards in total, with five recorded based on points for weather. 8: Manufacturer Championships since 2012.  7: Driver/entrant champions since 2012.  13: Indianapolis 500 victories by Chevrolet at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. 6: Indianapolis 500 wins by Chevrolet since 2012 in the V6 2.2-liter twin turbo direct injected era. 33: Number of times Chevrolet has swept the podium in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES since 2012 in the V6 2.2-liter twin turbo direct injected era. In total, a manufacturer has swept the podium 50 times since 2012 in the V6 era. 27: Wins by Will Power since 2012 – all with Chevrolet power – most of any driver with the same manufacturer.   9: Wins from the pole by Will Power with Chevrolet power since 2012, most by any driver.  46: Pole starts by Will Power since 2012 in a Chevrolet-powered car, most of any driver.*Will Power’s career total of 70 poles makes him the all-time pole winner in INDYCAR.

Longest-tenured team tabs new driver in multi-year agreement for No. 21 FordCONCORD, NC (July 3, 2024) – Josh Berry, a five-time winner in the NASCAR Xfinity Series and a current Sunoco Rookie of the Year candidate in the NASCAR Cup Series, will pilot the famed No. 21 Ford Mustang for Wood Brothers Racing in 2025.Berry will become the latest driver on an extensive list of legendary names that have competed for the Wood Brothers when he takes the helm beginning with the DAYTONA 500 on February 16, 2025.The Hendersonville, Tennessee, native, who received his first go-kart at just eight years old, began to make a name for himself competing locally in a Legend Car as a teenager before ultimately taking his racing skills online. Berry’s talent caught the attention of Dale Earnhardt Jr., which ultimately led to a successful tenure driving Late Model Stock Cars for JR Motorsports.There, he collected a myriad of wins and numerous championships, including the 2017 CARS Tour Late Model Stock Car championship, the 2019 Valley Star Credit Union 300 at Martinsville Speedway – the most prestigious Late Model Stock Car race in the United States – and the 2020 NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series national title.“When you think of the history and legacy of NASCAR, it’s hard to not think of the Wood Brothers and the incredible impact they’ve made on the sport. It’s an honor and a privilege to be a small part of carrying on that legacy,” said Berry. “To be able to add my name to the list of drivers who have piloted the iconic No. 21 is something I don’t take lightly.”Wood Brothers Racing is the oldest active NASCAR team and one of the winningest teams in series history. The team currently has 99 victories in NASCAR’s premier series, with the likes of David Pearson, Cale Yarborough, Neil Bonnett, Dan Gurney, AJ Foyt and Buddy Baker all visiting victory lane with the team. The organization also currently enjoys a technical relationship with Team Penske, which will continue, along with major support from Ford Performance.“Over the years, we’ve had the privilege of working with a multitude of successful drivers, and now having the opportunity to add Josh Berry to that list is a significant milestone for our team,” said Jon Wood, president, Wood Brothers Racing. “Josh brings a wealth of talent and determination, evident thorough his success in every level of competition, from grassroots NASCAR to present day. He fits the values of our team, and we believe that with Josh behind the wheel, we will achieve great things together on the track.”Further details regarding the 2025 Cup Series season and sponsorship for the No. 21 Ford Mustang will be announced at a later date. The team will continue to receive support from Ford Motorcraft/Quick Lane.

by Colby Trotter

HARRISBURG, AR (July 2, 2024) – Tanner English was banging on the door for his first DIRTcar Summer Nationals win of the season and finally kicked it down Tuesday night at Old No.1 Speedway. 

Coming into the event, English had recorded seven-straight top-five finishes on the Hell Tour in 2024. In the tour’s first-ever visit to Arkansas, English’s eighth-straight top-five resulted in a trip to Summer Nationals Victory Lane for the first time since 2022. 

“At first it was rewarding because we were struggling pretty bad so about after the first three top-fives I was like ‘Alright, I’m ready to win one,’” English said. “We were trying to find the balance with our car and finally found it and I just felt like every night leading up to now we made the wrong decision. Finally, it all came together.” 

It wasn’t just English’s first win of the 2024 Hell Tour; it was his first win with Coltman Farms Racing – the Georgia-based team he joined earlier this year. 

“Definitely relief mainly just to get my first win with Coltman Farms,” English said. “I want to make them proud. They give me everything I need to make this deal happen and it’s kind of been on me to make it happen.” 

To earn his first win with his new team, English started on the outside pole and took the lead on Lap 1 from polesitter Chandler Petty using the banking of the 1/4-mile oval. Once English got by Petty he started to set the pace around the track.  

Then from fourth on the grid, Ashton Winger made his way up to runner-up spot on the second lap and began to chase down English with each lap. On Lap 11, Winger got close enough to attempt his first slider on English, but English powered around the top lane and denied it to hold onto the lead. 

Winger tried again on Laps 23 and 24, diving down low in Turn 1 and sliding up in Turn 2, but again English was strong on the top and denied the pass both times. Winger tried once more on Lap 28, sliding up in front of English coming out of Turn 2, but English this time crossed Winger over to maintain the lead. 

“I kind of predicted what [Winger] was going to do,” English said. “I knew he was going to slide me, so I cut underneath him. The first one I got to the outside of him and squeezed him to the wall. 

[Winger] is going to race you hard but it’s usually clean. You just got to predict what he’s going to do basically.” 

A caution on Lap 34 cooled off the battle between English and Winger and on the restart, Winger stumbled and fell back in the field while English led the field back around to the checkered flag unchallenged to claim the $10,000 grand prize. 

UP NEXT 

The DIRTcar Summer Nationals Late Models will continue Week 4 at Benton Speedway on Wednesday, July 3, accompanied by the DIRTcar Summit Racing Equipment Modified Nationals.  

If you can’t make it to the track, you can watch all the action live on DIRTVision.  

ABBREVIATED RESULTS (view results here) 

Feature (40 Laps): 1. 96-Tanner English[2]; 2. 27M-Rodney Melvin[4]; 3. 74X-Ethan Dotson[10]; 4. 12-Ashton Winger[3]; 5. 8-Dillon McCowan[8]; 6. 29-Christian Hanger[5]; 7. 18C-Matt Cooper[16]; 8. 7JR-Shane Stephens[9]; 9. 31AUS-Joe Chalmers[11]; 10. 15-Clayton Stuckey[13]; 11. 75-Daniel Adam[7]; 12. 28B-Carson Brown[23]; 13. 33C-Steven Crocker[21]; 14. 86-Kyle Beard[20]; 15. 30-Mark Voigt[19]; 16. 5M-Jon Mitchell[24]; 17. 2-Charlie Cole[15]; 18. 51-Logan Seavey[6]; 19. 38-Thomas Hunziker[22]; 20. 12C-Scott Crigler[12]; 21. 14M-Morgan Bagley[17]; 22. 47-Chandler Petty[1]; 23. 91-Chris Jones[18]; 24. 58-Tyler Clem[14] 

McKinney Outduels Neville at Old No.1 for Fourth Summit Modified Win of 2024 

The Hell Tour’s first visit to Arkansas served up one of the most exciting DIRTcar Summit Racing Equipment Modified Nationals races of the season Tuesday night at Old No.1 Speedway. 

With two laps-to-go, Mike McKinney took the lead from race-long leader Trevor Neville in lapped traffic and led the last two laps for his fourth Hell Tour win of the season. After the race, McKinney said there was so much going on in front of him, he was unsure of how it all went down. 

“I don’t really remember all what happened,” McKinney said. “The lap cars were crazy. One about spun out in front of us. I can’t wait to go back and watch the video for sure. I didn’t think we’d win that race. In disbelief, for sure.” 

From fifth on the starting grid, McKinney stayed patient in the opening laps, swapping between fifth and fourth place in the first 11 laps before the last caution came on Lap 12. On the restart, McKinney started on the outside and found the banking of the track to his liking and used it to shoot up to second by Lap 13. 

“Was able to restart on the outside and went as high as I could,” McKinney said. “Gained a lot of good speed there and was able to get there before anyone else.” 

Going into Lap 22, Neville stayed down low going into Turn 1 and McKinney stayed up high, and going down the backstretch the two were side-by-side. Once the two reached Turn 3, McKinney kept his line up high while Neville opted for the middle groove. Coming out of Turn 4, McKinney sealed the pass on Neville but right in front of McKinney were two lap cars. 

McKinney caught the two cars at the start/finish line, contacting the rears of both cars but somehow all three kept their cars steady. McKinney swung it high in Turns 1 and 2 to get by the slower cars while staying ahead of Neville. 

“You’re just judging your speed versus theirs,” McKinney said of getting by the lap cars. “We race really good in traffic like that and it’s just a matter of decision making and we were able to make all the right ones.” 

But the battle between Neville and McKinney was not done yet. On the final lap, Neville edged ahead of McKinney down low in Turns 1 and 2 but McKinney shot by him down the backstretch and stayed in front through Turns 3 and 4, crossing the stripe .379 seconds ahead of Neville when the checkered flag flew. 

“It kind of came down to the last lap there,” McKinney said. “I finally got in front of him and was able to pick off one more lap car and finish it out.” 

With the victory, McKinney becomes the first driver to win four Summit Modified races this season as he stays in pursuit of his first championship with the series. 

UP NEXT 

The DIRTcar Summit Racing Equipment Modified Nationals will continue Week 4 at Benton Speedway on Wednesday, July 3, accompanied by the DIRTcar Summer Nationals Late Models. Tickets will be available at the gate.  

If you can’t make it to the track, you can watch all the action live on DIRTVision.  

ABBREVIATED RESULTS

Feature (25 Laps): 1. 96M-Mike McKinney[3]; 2. 777-Trevor Neville[1]; 3. 24-Zeke McKenzie[5]; 4. 12L-Lucas Lee[4]; 5. 99-Hunt Gossum[2]; 6. 94-Austin Rettig[21]; 7. 5-Steven Brooks[7]; 8. 36-Kenny Wallace[11]; 9. 1A-Steve Meyer Jr[13]; 10. 23Z-Austin Wayne Self[6]; 11. 54-Zachary Hawk[12]; 12. 14-Dalton Lane[14]; 13. 9D9-Cole Hilton[9]; 14. 88-Shane Mendoza[19]; 15. 99P-Brandon Poppenheimer[18]; 16. 25-Greg Belyea[16]; 17. 29-Colby Richardson[17]; 18. 5K-Dennis Kimbrough[22]; 19. 07-Jack Walker[24]; 20. 34-Tommy Smith[23]; 21. 12-Kaleb Jones[20]; 22. 18-Clay Caldwell[15]; 23. 9-Ken Schrader[10]; 24. 177-Johnny Gustavus[25]; 25. 13-Charlie Mefford[8] 

The World of Outlaws celebrates Independence Day Weekend with three nights of racing in Spring Valley, MN 

SPRING VALLEY, MN (July 2, 2024) – Deer Creek Speedway and the World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Models are set to bring drivers and fans a massive Independence Day Weekend with the NAPA Auto Parts Gopher 50. 

The three-day event, July 4-6, will see racing every night with the addition of fireworks on Thursday and a concert by country music artist Dylan Scott on Friday night, all leading to Saturday’s $50,000-to-win finale. 

Thursday and Friday’s Features will pay $7,000-to-win and set the stage for Saturday, awarding points for Qualifying, Heat Races, Last Chance Showdowns and the Features. The top-16 points earners from the two nights will be locked into Saturday’s Feature. The rest will have to race their way in on Saturday. 

For more information about each event CLICK HERE. 

If you can’t make it to the track, you can watch all the action live on DIRTVision. 

Here are the top storylines to look out for: 

Sheppard Running Away – Brandon Sheppard has turned up the heat behind the wheel of his No. B5 Sheppard Riggs Racing Longhorn Factory Team Late Model, picking up his first two Series Feature wins of 2024 at Thunderhill Raceway Park and Ponderosa Speedway. 

The New Berlin, IL driver’s continuous work toward consistent finishes inside the top five paid off during the seven Feature races in June, only finishing outside the podium two times. 

He leads the World of Outlaws CASE Late Models points hunt by 30 markers over Mooresville, NC driver Nick Hoffman entering the Gopher 50, which he has won twice – 2018 and 2019. 

Bobby’s Big Return – Deer Creek Speedway was under the reign of Bobby Pierce in 2023 when he won his first Gopher 50 in a photo finish with Hudson O’Neal and then picked up a victory with the World of Outlaws CASE Late Models there in the fall. 

Pierce swept the Iowa races at Independence Motor Speedway and Hamilton County Speedway in June. However, mechanical issues at Norman County Raceway and River Cities Speedway dropped him to fifth in the Series standings – 182 points back from the lead. 

The “Smooth Operator” rolls into Deer Creek Speedway with regained spur after a bounce-back victory at Proctor Speedway on Monday night. 

Mad Max Showing Fury – Max McLaughlin enters his Gopher 50 debut as the most improved driver on the World of Outlaws tour, so far, with five straight finishes in the top 10, including his first points-paying podium finish. 

The Mooresville, NC driver also won his first DIRTcar Summer Nationals Feature at Adams County Speedway last month. 

His performance moved him up to second in the World of Outlaws MD3 Rookie of the Year battle – 46 points behind Rochester, MN driver Dustin Sorensen. 

Squirrel’s Return – Chatham, IL native Brian Shirley found the top spot with the World of Outlaws Late Models Sunday night at River Cities Speedway, leading all 40 laps for his first win of the 2024 season. 

It had been a tough road for Shirley with the Series until the Heartland Grand Tour saw the Bob Cullen Racing No. 3S finish outside of the top-10 once in the seven races contested through June. 

Shirley’s last visit to the Gopher 50 resulted in an eighth-place finish and he picked up a 12th-place finish at the 3/8-mile track with the Series in 2023. 

WHEN AND WHERE  

Deer Creek Speedway in Spring Valley, MN 

ABOUT THE TRACK   

Deer Creek Speedway is a 0.375-mile dirt oval 

TRACK RECORDS 

Deer Creek Speedway – 13.900 sec. by Tim Fuller on 7/3/2014 

ON THE INTERNET  
World of Outlaws CASE Late Models Series  
X – Twitter.com/WoOLateModels – @WoOLateModels  
Instagram – Instagram.com/WoOLateModels – @woolatemodels  
Facebook – Facebook.com/WorldofOutlawsLateModelSeries  
YouTube – YouTube.com/WorldofOutlaws  
DIRTVision – DIRTVision.com – Platinum annual FAST PASS for $299 or monthly FAST PASS for $39/month  

AROUND THE TURN  

The World of Outlaws CASE Late Models make their second trip to Ohio and Pennsylvania for racing at Bedford Speedway (July 11), and Sharon Speedway (July 12-13). 

FEATURE WINNERS (8 Drivers)
Rank- Driver- Hometown-Wins  

1. Nick Hoffman – Mooresville, NC – 5 
2. Bobby Pierce – Oakwood, IL – 4
3. Chris Madden – Gray Court, SC – 2
4. Brandon Sheppard – New Berlin, IL – 2
5. Devin Moran – Dresden, OH – 2
6. Brian Shirley – Chatham, IL – 1
7. Ryan Gustin –  Marshalltown, IA – 1
8. Hudson O’Neal – Martinsville, IN – 1
    

HEAT RACE WINNERS (23 Drivers)
Rank- Driver- Hometown-Wins  

1. Cade Dillard – Robeline, LA – 10
2. Nick Hoffman – Mooresville, NC – 9
3. Bobby Pierce – Oakwood, IL – 9
4. Chris Madden – Gray Court, SC – 5
5. Brandon Sheppard – New Berlin, IL – 5
6. 6. Devin Moran – Dresden, OH – 4 
7. Mike Marlar – Winfield, TN – 3 
8. Kyle Bronson – Brandon, FL – 3
9. Ricky Thornton Jr – Martinsville, IN – 2
10. Dale McDowell – Chickamauga, GA – 2
11. Tyler Bruening – Decorah, IA – 2
12. Drake Troutman – Hyndman, PA – 2
13. Ryan Gustin – Marshalltown, IA – 2
14. Mason Zeigler – Chalk Hill, PA – 1
15. Tyler Emory – King George, VA – 1
16. Shannon Babb – Moweaqua – IL -1 
17. Dennis Erb Jr – Carpentersville, IL – 1 
18. Cody Overton – Evans, GA – 1
19. Tyler Erb – New Waverly, TX – 1
20. Ethan Dotson – Bakersfield, CA – 1 
21. Hudson O’Neal – Martinsville, IN – 1 
22. Garrett Smith – Eatonton, GA – 1
23. Max McLaughlin – Mooresville, NC -1 

LAST CHANCE SHOWDOWN WINNERS (19 Drivers)
Rank- Driver- Hometown-Wins  

1. Max Blair – Centerville, PA – 3
2. Dustin Sorensen – Rochester, MN – 3
3. Dennis Erb Jr – Carpentersville, IL – 2
4. Jimmy Owens – Newport, TN – 2
5. Kyle Bronson – Brandon, FL – 1
6. Tyler Peterson – Hickson, ND – 1 
7. Dave Hess Jr – Waterford, PA – 1
8. Daniel Hilsabeck – Earlham, IA – 1
9. Jake Timm – Winona, MN – 1
10. Gregg Satterlee – Indiana, PA – 1
11. Logan Zarin – Hookstown, PA – 1
12. Jordan Yaggy – Rochester, MN – 1
13. Ryan Gustin – Marshalltown, IA – 1
14. Cody Overton – Thomson, GA – 1 
15. Frank Heckenast Jr – Frankfort, IL – 1 
16. Hudson O’Neal – Martinsville, IN – 1 
17. Chase Junghans – Manhattan, KS – 1 
18. Boom Briggs – Bear Lake, PA – 1 
19. Tripp Gerrald – Versailles, KY – 1 

PODIUM FINISHES (17 Drivers)
Rank – Driver – Hometown – Podiums  

1. Bobby Pierce – Oakwood, IL – 10 
2. Nick Hoffman – Mooresville, NC – 9
3. Brandon Sheppard – New Berlin, IL – 7
4. Chris Madden – Gray Court, SC – 4
5. Devin Moran – Dresden, OH – 5 
6. Kyle Bronson – Brandon, FL – 3
7. Cade Dillard – Robeline, LA – 3
8. Brian Shirley, Chatham, IL – 2
9. Ryan Gustin –  Marshalltown, IA – 1
10. Brent Larson – Lake Elmo, MN – 1
11. Zack Dohm – Cross Lanes, WV – 1
12. Dustin Sorensen – Rochester, MN – 1
13. Max McLaughlin – Mooresville, NC – 1
14. Tyler Erb – New Waverly, TX – 1
15. Mason Zeigler – Chalk Hill, PA – 1
16. Ricky Thornton Jr – Martinsville, IN – 1 
17. Hudson O’Neal – Martinsville, IN – 1 

FOX FACTORY HARD CHARGER (14 Drivers)  
Rank – Driver – Hometown – H.C.  

1. Chris Madden – Gray Court, SC – 3
2. Brent Larson – Lake Elmo, MN – 3
3. Max Blair – Centerville, PA – 2
4. Brandon Sheppard – New Berlin, IL – 2
5. Kyle Bronson – Brandon, FL – 2
6. Tristan Chamberlain – Richmond, IN – 1
7. Jake Timm – Winona, MN -1 
8. Ricky Thornton Jr – Martinsville, IN – 1
9. Max McLaughlin – Mooresville, NC – 1
10. Ryan Gustin – Marshalltown, IA – 1
11. Dennis Erb Jr – Carpentersville, IL – 1
12. Cade Dillard – Robeline, LA – 1
13. Cody Overton – Evans, GA – 1
14. Chris Ferguson – Mt. Holly, NC – 1

SIMPSON RACING PRODUCTS QUICK TIMES (10 Drivers)
Rank – Driver – Hometown – QTs   

1. Bobby Pierce – Oakwood, IL – 6
2. Kyle Bronson – Brandon, FL – 2
3. Cade Dillard – Robeline, LA – 2
4. Cody Overton, Evans, GA – 2
5. Jason Jameson – Lawrenceburg, IN – 1 
6. Ryan Gustin –  Marshalltown, IA – 1
7. Nick Hoffman – Mooresville, NC – 1 
8. Tim McCreadie – Watertown, NY – 1
9. Drake Troutman – Hyndman, PA – 1 
10. Devin Moran – Dresden, OH – 1 

BILSTEIN REDRAW POLE AWARD (12 Drivers)  

Rank – Driver – Hometown – Poles  

1. Cade Dillard – Robeline, LA – 4
2. Cody Overton – Evans, GA – 2
3. Brian Shirley – Chatham, IL – 2
4. Kyle Bronson – Brandon, FL – 2
5. Nick Hoffman – Mooresville, NC – 1 
6. Ryan Gustin –  Marshalltown, IA – 1
7. Dustin Sorensen – Rochester, MN – 1 
8. Chris Madden – Gray Court, SC – 1 
9. Ethan Dotson – Bakersfield, CA – 1 
10. Devin Moran – Dresden, OH – 1 
11. Mike Marlar – Winfield, TN – 1
12. Bobby Pierce – Oakwood, IL – 1 
     

CASE FEATURE LAP LEADERS (16 Drivers) 
Rank – Driver – Hometown – Laps Led  

1. Bobby Pierce – Oakwood, IL – 170
2. Nick Hoffman – Mooresville, NC – 159  
3. Chris Madden – Gray Court, SC – 71
4. Kyle Bronson – Brandon, FL – 68
5. Devin Moran – Dresden, OH – 61
6. Brian Shirley – Chatham, IL – 45
7. Cade Dillard – Robeline, LA – 40
8. Brandon Sheppard – New Berlin, IL – 32
9. Dustin Sorensen – Rochester, MN – 31
10. Ryan Gustin –  Marshalltown, IA – 30
11. Hudson O’Neal – Martinsville, IN – 29
12. Mason Zeigler – Chalk Hill, PA – 26
13. Ricky Thornton Jr – Martinsville, IN – 16 
14. Cody Overton – Evans, GA – 10
15. Ethan Dotson – Bakersfield, CA – 6
16. Tyler Bruening – Decorah, IA – 1

2024 World of Outlaws Late Model Schedule & Winners 

1. Friday, Jan. 19/Volusia Speedway Park/Barberville, FL/Devin Moran
2. Saturday, Jan. 20/Volusia Speedway Park/Barberville, FL/Hudson O’Neal
3. Thursday, Feb. 15 /Volusia Speedway Park/Barberville, FL/Nick Hoffman
4. Friday, Jan. 19/Volusia Speedway Park/Barberville, FL/Devin Moran (2)
5. Friday, Apr. 12/Farmer City Raceway/Farmer City, IL/Nick Hoffman (2)
6. Saturday, Apr. 13/Farmer City Raceway/Farmer City, IL/Bobby Pierce
7. Friday, May 3/Mississippi Thunder Speedway/Nick Hoffman (3)
8. Friday, May 4/Mississippi Thunder Speedway/Ryan Gustin
9. Thursday, May 16/Raceway 7/Chris Madden
10. Saturday, May 18/Marion Center Raceway/Chris Madden (2)
11. Sunday, May 19/Path Valley Speedway/Bobby Pierce (2)
12. Thursday, June 20/Thunderhill Raceway Park/Brandon Sheppard
13. Friday, June 21/Ponderosa Speedway/Brandon Sheppard (2)
14. Saturday, June 22/Brownstown Speedway/Nick Hoffman (4)
15. Monday, June 24/Independence Motor Speedway/Bobby Pierce (3)
16. Tuesday, June 25/Hamilton County Speedway/Bobby Pierce (4)
17. Saturday, June 29/Norman County Raceway/Nick Hoffman (5)
18. Sunday, June 30/River Cities Speedway/Brian Shirley

Fireworks Expected as Progressive AFT Heads to DuQuoin for Independence Day Weekend

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (July 2, 2024) – Ten rounds into the 2024 Progressive American Flat Track season, sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing, the series at last prepares to do battle on a Mile racetrack – the Memphis Shades DuQuoin Mile at the DuQuoin State Fairgrounds in DuQuoin, Illinois, this Saturday, July 6. The world’s elite motorcycle dirt trackers dicing it up on a Mile is widely recognized as one of the greatest spectacles in all of motorsport. A unique test of pace, courage, and strategy, Mile nationals are commonly decided by mere inches despite being waged at triple-digits speeds. The DuQuoin Mile is considered special even inside its category. Known as the “Magic Mile,” DuQuoin has played host to a some of the most legendary and thrilling races in Grand National Championship history. And this Independence Day weekend’s atmosphere is destined to be that much more electric, as Saturday’s Progressive AFT event will conclude a full week of competition that will also crown this year’s amateur national champions during the 2024 Mission Foods AMA Flat Track Grand Championship, sanctioned by the American Motorcyclist Association from June 30-July 6. Progressive American Flat Track has its resident Mile magician in Jared Mees (No. 1 Rogers Racing/SDI Racing/Indian Motorcycle FTR750). The nine-time and reigning Mission AFT SuperTwins king has won an astonishing 17 of the most recent 24 premier-class Miles dating back over the previous five seasons. That includes last year’s DuQuoin Mile, which saw Mees avenge his 2015 defeat to Bryan Smith in the closest race the series has ever seen, decided by an official 0.000 seconds. Last year’s contest was nearly as close, with Mees taking top honors over Brandon Robinson (No. 44 Mission Roof Systems Indian FTR750) (0.033 seconds), Dallas Daniels (No. 32 Estenson Racing Yamaha MT-07 DT) (0.097 seconds), and Briar Bauman (No. 3 Rick Ware Racing/KTM/Parts Plus KTM 790 Duke) (0.160 seconds). There’s a lesson in there for Estenson Racing Yamaha star Daniels, who comes in with a 21-point advantage, a perfect podium record on the season, and fresh off a dominant victory at the Lima Half-Mile. He fully understands that if he doesn’t play his cards just right this weekend, he could potentially see that hard-earned points lead eaten into and his podium streak snapped, even if he manages to finish just a fraction of a second behind the winner. The Indian-mounted Mees and Robinson will both be looking to make that possibility a reality, while Bauman will be motivated to showcase the prodigious top-end speed of his KTM after using it to such good effect in the 2023 season finale at Springfield, the last time the field lined up for a Mile. If a genuine pack war is to take hold, it’ll likely include some or all of the following premier-class standouts: Brandon Price (No. 92 Memphis Shades/Sody Ent/OTBR Yamaha MT-07), Jarod Vanderkooi (No. 20 JMC Motorsports/Fairway Ford Ohio Indian FTR750), Davis Fisher (No. 67 Rackley Racing/Bob Lanphere’s BMC Racing Indian FTR750), Dan Bromley (No. 62 Memphis Shades/Vinson/Al Lamb’s Dallas Honda Transalp), and Bronson Bauman (No. 37 Fastrack Racing Mission Foods KTM 790 Duke). It’ll also provide a high-profile stage for rookies Trevor Brunner (No. 21 Mission Foods/Zanotti Racing KTM 790 Duke) and Declan Bender (No. 70 GOMR/BriggsAuto.com/Martin Trucking Indian FTR750) to continue to prove their skills at the pinnacle of the sport. Parts Unlimited AFT Singles presented by KICKER As stunning as last year’s Mission AFT SuperTwins Main Event may have been, the Parts Unlimited AFT Singles presented by KICKER raceat the DuQuoin Mile was even tighter. Six riders took the checkered flag within 0.262 seconds of the win, and even a tenth of a second behind first was too much for a rider hoping to finish on the box. The winner on that day was Tom Drane (No. 59 Estenson Racing Yamaha YZ450F), who comes in riding high after also claiming top honors just days ago in Ohio. With big skills and light weight, Drane has immediately proven to be a monster on the Miles, a reputation he’ll only hope to enhance this weekend. That combination will present quite the challenge for two-time defending class champion, Kody Kopp (No. 1 Rick Ware Racing/Parts Plus KTM 450 SX-F). Kopp will no doubt be eager to start up another win streak after seeing his three-race run snapped this past weekend. While the bulk of Kopp’s victories have come on Half-Miles and Short Tracks, he made it his mission to win a Mile and accomplished that feat in last year’s Springfield Mile I. He’ll also be motivated by the fact that he left DuQuoin last year with just a fifth-place result despite crossing the line a mere 0.106 seconds after Drane. Another rider seeking revenge is Chase Saathoff (No. 88 JPG Motorsports Honda CRF450R), who finished second to Drane by 0.011 seconds here a year ago. Saathoff is on something of a roll, having reeled in four consecutive podiums, along with six top threes in his last seven races. As good as his form has been, his goal remains to transform more of those seconds and thirds into firsts. The same can be said for fourth-ranked Trent Lowe (No. 48 American Honda/Mission Foods CRF450R), who finished third at DuQuoin in ‘23 and earned a win in last year’s Red Mile. James Ott (No. 19 1st Impressions Race Team Husqvarna FC450) continues to head up the next group, which consists of fellow California natives Travis Petton IV (No. 82 ECG Racing/A.M Ortega KTM 450 SX-F), Tarren Santero (No. 75 Vinson Construction/P&M Motorcycles Honda CRF450R), and Tyler Raggio (No. 55 Raggio Racing/Sluggo Racing KTM 450 SX-F), along will up-and-coming Pennsylvanians Logan Eisenhard (No. 66 Hannum’s Harley-Davidson KTM 450 SX-F) and Evan Renshaw (No. 265 American Honda/Mission Foods CRF450R). However, if he continues at his more recent pace, Ott will find himself instead considered a member of the top group, having scooped up three top fives in his last four races. There will be plenty to keep spectators entertained off track as well, including numerous vendors, plenty of food and beverage options, and extensive motorcycle parking. General Admission Grandstand tickets can be purchased for $30 (kids 12 and under free with a paid adult GA ticket), while Reserved Grandstand tickets are $40 (all ages). The Pit Pass Upgradecan be added to either option for $40 ($20 for kids). New for 2024 is the Opening Ceremonies Trackside Fan Experience ($150 all ages). This ticket option provides reserved seating with Pit Pass access, a guided tour of, and photo opportunities at, the infield podium and start/finish line, infield viewing of Opening Ceremonies and the heat races, and a track talk and photo opportunity with 2016 Grand National Champion Bryan Smith. Visit https://www.tixr.com/groups/trackenterprises/events/duquoin-mile-2024-80042 to reserve your seats today. Gates will open for fans at 4:00 p.m. ET (1:00 p.m. PT) with Opening Ceremonies scheduled to begin at 8:00 p.m. ET (5:00 p.m. PT). You can catch the livestream of all the weekend’s racing activities on FloRacing. Motorsports fans can subscribe to FloRacing to enjoy over 1,000 live motorsports events in 2024. FloSports is available by visiting https://flosports.link/aft or by downloading the FloSports app on iOS, Android, Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Fire and Chromecast. FOX Sports coverage of the Memphis Shades DuQuoin Mile, featuring in-depth features and thrilling onboard cameras, will premiere on FS1 on Sunday, July 14, at 12:00 p.m. ET (9:00 a.m. PT). For more information on Progressive AFT visit https://www.americanflattrack.com.

♦ NMRA & NMCA Same Weekend♦ Pro Mods, Renegades & More♦ Heads-Up & Index Racing♦ Thrill Festival (Sat)♦ FMX Motocross Stunt Shows♦ Jurassic Attack Car Crushes♦ Tom Bailey’s Drag & Drive♦ True Street & HEMI Racing♦ Factory Appearing Stock Tire♦ Giant Car Show♦ Huge Midway & More♦ Kids 12 & under FREE & FREE parking♦ Every Ticket is a Pit Pass Visit NMRAdigital.com or NMCAdigital.com for a complete schedule of events, including specific daily features. Buy your tickets online or at the gate. Event FeaturesDirectionsDaily ScheduleCar Show Flyer

OCALA, FL (July 2, 2024) — In a bold move designed to put his R+L Carriers team on a path to the NHRA Top Fuel championship, Josh Hart announced today that he has hired veteran crew chief John Stewart to assist Ron Douglas in the preparation and tuning of the R+L Carriers dragster in which he has won two times on Mission Foods drag racing tour. The team also announced they have scheduled a comprehensive test session prior to the NHRA Northwest Nationals at Pacific Raceways.
 
“John is a welcome addition to our team and this move is something that both Ron and I talked about, and feel is needed to get our R+L Carriers team on track for the Top Fuel world championship,” said Hart. “We are going to test prior to heading to Seattle so we can make the most of the final four regular season races prior to the start of the Countdown. Competing at this level with so many intricacies involved in the modern-day Top Fuel dragster, every team has two top-tier crew chiefs or tuners with years of experience in the pits (so) this is just what we need to be as competitive as possible.”

 Veteran Crew Chief John Stewart has officially joined Josh Hart Racing, photo credit Auto Imagery

Stewart has over five decades of experience tuning nitro Funny Cars and Top Fuel dragsters working for some of the biggest names in the sport including Darrell Gwynn, Don Prudhomme, Joe Amato, Shawn Langdon and Dick LaHaie.  One of Stewart’s principal strengths is his understanding of the dynamics of the intricate clutch system so critical in transforming power into performance.
 
The R+L Carriers Top Fuel team will be testing and then heading to Pacific Raceways for the NHRA Northwest Nationals, July 19-21.
 

BATAVIA, Ohio (July 2, 2024) – The Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series will kick off a busy July with a lucrative doubleheader in the Buckeye State – Friday, July 5 at Portsmouth Raceway Park and Saturday, July 6 at Muskingum County Speedway. The action this weekend will get started on Friday, July 5 with a stop at Portsmouth Raceway Park in Portsmouth, Ohio for the return of the Independence 50. The Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series will compete in a full program of Dirt Draft Hot Laps, Allstar Performance Time Trials, Heat Races, B-Mains, and a 50-lap, $20,000 to win main event.  The Limited Late Models and Sport Modifieds are also on the racing card for Friday, July 5 at Portsmouth Raceway Park. The pit gate will open at 2:00 PM. The general admission gates will open at 4:00 PM, with on-track action beginning at 7:00 PM. Portsmouth Raceway Park is located at 25648 State Route 73 in Portsmouth, Ohio. For more information about Portsmouth Raceway Park, please call (740) 858-4972 or visit the track’s webpage at www.portsraceway.com. The following night, July 6, the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series returns to Muskingum County Speedway. Another full program of Dirt Draft Hot Laps, Allstar Performance Time Trials, Heat Races, B-Mains, and a 60-lap, $20,000 to win main event is in store during the annual Freedom 60.  The pit gate opens at 2:00 PM with the general admission gates opening at 3:00 PM and on-track action beginning at 6:30 PM. In addition to the thrilling action of the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series, the 604 Late Models, Modifieds, and 4-Cylinders will also be in competition on Saturday.  Muskingum County Speedway will also have the largest display of fireworks the area has to offer following the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series main event. Muskingum County Speedway is located at 7985 Frazeysburg Road in Dresden, Ohio, just north of Zanesville. Tickets to the Freedom 60 can be purchased in advance by visiting https://www.myracepass.com/tracks/2184/tickets. To learn more about Muskingum County Speedway, visit www.muskingumcountyspeedway.com. Ricky Thornton Jr. continues to lead the Big River Steel Chase for the Championship presented by ARP. Jonathan Davenport is second, followed by Devin Moran, Tim McCreadie, and Mike Marlar rounding out the top five in the current championship standings. Clay Harris leads the O’Reilly Auto Parts Rookie of the Year chase by just 20 points over Drake Troutman. For the latest news, results, championship standings and more about the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series, please visit www.lucasdirt.com. Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Purses:Portsmouth Raceway Park – July 5: 1. $20,000, 2. $10,000, 3. $6,500, 4. $5,000, 5. $4,000, 6. $3,500, 7. $3,000, 8. $2,500, 9. $2,400, 10. $2,300, 11. $2,200, 12. $2,000, 13. $1,900, 14. $1,800, 15. $1,700, 16. $1,500, 17. $1,18. $1,200, 19. $1,200, 20. $1,200, 21. $1,200, 22. $1,200, 23. $1,200, 24. $1,200 = $80,000 Muskingum County Speedway – July 6: 1. $20,000, 2. $10,000, 3. $6,500, 4. $5,000, 5. $4,000, 6. $3,500, 7. $3,000, 8. $2,500, 9. $2,400, 10. $2,300, 11. $2,200, 12. $2,000, 13. $1,900, 14. $1,800, 15. $1,700, 16. $1,500, 17. $1,300, 18. $1,200, 19. $1,200, 20. $1,200, 21. $1,200, 22. $1,200, 23. $1,200, 24. $1,200 = $80,000 Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Tire Rule:Left Rear/Fronts – Hoosier (90) NLMT2, (90) NLMT3Right Rear – Hoosier (92) NLMT2, (92) NLMT3, (92) NLMT4

(7/1/24 – Ben Deatherage) Petaluma, California … The high-powered NARC 410 Sprint Car Series is ready to kick up the adobe clay in the North Bay on Saturday, July 6th, for the first-ever $5200 to win David Lindt at Petaluma Speedway.This marks the 16th event of the 65th Anniversary NARC campaign, and lone appearance by the NARC series to the 3/8-mile oval.  The ultra-competitive series has produced 10 different winners this season.”Dave Lindt was simply a Petaluma Speedway legend,” commented Ron Lingron, longtime announcer at Petaluma and close friend of Lindt. “Locally, there was probably no other driver more popular than him, and this race is something that we needed to do for Junior, and we get to finally do it on Saturday. The other thing about him is he was so well like that whatever it is that made people gravitate towards you he had that dripping out of every pore, and you always wanted to be around the guy and he always had time for the fans.”David Lindt Jr. was a longtime competitor at Petaluma Speedway and the winningest driver in the track’s history in Sprint Car racing, with 46 feature wins. Lindt won five 360 titles (1998, 1999, 2000, 2003, and 2004) at Petaluma and tragically passed away in September 2017.Companion divisions on the night include the Redwood Dwarf Cars, 600 Micro Sprints, and Mini Stocks.Who To WatchThe NARC championship title battle is a dogfight between Lemoore’s Cole Macedo and Justin Sanders of Aromas.  Macedo leads Sanders by a single point in the standings (1918-1917.)An interesting statistic about Macedo is that he has never started an A-Feature at Petaluma with NARC despite some 360 experience over the years. The Tarlton Motorsports #21 driver is looking to return to his winning ways. He has three wins on the season and has posted two straight third-place finishes.Unlike Macedo, Sanders has hit paydirt twice at Petaluma with NARC. The driver of the Mittry Motorsports #2X, achieved two victories, both in 2021. Sanders is coming off his fourth win of the season, the most anyone has achieved this season with the series and is looking to continue his high wave of successes.Racing for the Bates-Hamilton Racing #42X, Roseville’s Justyn Cox has three career starts at Petaluma with NARC and has yet to finish outside the Top 10. Already a winner this year, Cox, posted a career-best sixth at the track last July when NARC was last in town. Notably, the team he drives for has had a lot of success at the track over the years, including winning championships with Herman Klein behind the wheel in 2014 and 2015.Clovis’ Dominic Gorden continues to shine in his rookie campaign as he backed up a successful Jim Raper Super Dirt Cup weekend, including a preliminary win on the Friday portion of the program, with a second-place effort in Chico last Saturday. Other Rookie of the Year candidates in the house will be Gauge Garica from Lemoore in the Keller Motorsports #2K and Easton driver Caeden Steele.Penngrove pilot Chase Johnson and 2017 NARC champion Bud Kaeding of Campbell are the two active drivers with the most wins at Petaluma, each with three. All three of Johnson’s career NARC wins have been at Petaluma, including last July during the Salute to Baylands. The three times Kaeding was first to the checkers were in 2008, 2015, and most recently in 2017. Jonathan Allard is the all-time series winner with five victories.Other standout talent, such as Billy Aton of Benicia, Windsor’s John Clark, and Dylan Bloomfield from Oakley, will represent the Bay Area well.Other NARC 410 Sprint Car regulars expected to attend include Chico’s Nick Parker, Tanner Carrick of Lincoln, Jarrett Soares of Gilroy and Sparks, NV driver Bill Smith.Fan & Competitor InfoPetaluma Speedway is located at the Sonoma-Marin Fairgrounds on 100 Fairgrounds Road in Petaluma, California. Tickets are priced at $25.00 for Adults and $22.00 for Juniors/Military/Seniors (65+), $10.00 for Kids (6-11), and Children 5 And Under are FREE. Online tickets can be purchased at www.myracepass.com. For more information, log on to https://www.petaluma-speedway.com/.The Pit Gates open at Noon, and the front gates open at 4:00 p.m. Hot Laps will begin at 5:00 p.m., and Racing will start at 6:00 p.m.The NARC 410 Sprint Series is the leading 410 Sprint Car tour west of the Rocky Mountains. Since 1960, they have enthralled countless thousands of fans at tracks up and down the Pacific Coast. For more information, visit their website at www.narc410.com or social media pages.The David Lindt Memorial event at Petaluma Speedway can be viewed live on Floracing.com.The NARC 410 Sprint Car Racing Series is also sponsored by Hoosier Racing Tires and Floracing.com. Associate and product award sponsors include Automotive Racing Products (ARP), Beacon Wealth Strategies, Brown & Miller Racing Solutions, Bullet Impressions, Diversified Machine Inc., Jim Allen Promotions, Kaeding Performance Center, Kimo’s Tropical Car Wash, KSE Racing Enterprises, Lifeline LLC, Maxim Racing Products, Mettec Titanium, Pyrotect, Saldana Racing Products, Schoenfeld Headers, Scelzi Enterprises, SCI Racing Products, Starr Property Management, System 1 Ignition, Ultra Lite Brakes, Williams Roofing, Wilwood Disc Brakes, and Winters Performance Products.NARC 410 SPRINT CARS SERIES
CHAMPIONSHIP POINT STANDINGS
(AFTER 15 EVENTS IN 23-RACE SERIES – 7/1/24)

1. Cole Macedo, Lemoore – 1918
2. Justin Sanders, Aromas – 1917
3. Justyn Cox, Clarksburg – 1864
4. Caeden Steele, Fresno (R) – 1852
5. Bud Kaeding, Campbell – 1841
6. Dylan Bloomfield, Oakley – 1834
7. Gauge Garcia, Lemoore (R) – 1813
8. Tanner Carrick, Lincoln – 1808
9. Dominic Gorden, Clovis (R) – 1794
10. Nick Parker, Chico – 1777
11. Chase Johnson, Penngrove – 1571
12. Billy Aton, Benicia – 1455
13. Dominic Scelzi, Fresno – 1327
14. Shane Golobic, Fremont – 1230
15. Tanner Holmes, Jacksonville, OR – 1200
16. John Clark, Windsor – 1188
17. Robbie Price, British Columbia – 1046
18. DJ Netto, Hanford – 950
19. Tyler Thompson, Harrisburg, OR – 950
20. Ryan Bernal, Roseville – 949

WILMOT, WI (July 1, 2024) – Wilmot Raceway adds its name to the list of tracks hosting World of Outlaws Sprint Car and Late Model events this year with the World of Outlaws Late Model Showdown on Monday, July 29.

The event will be the popular Wisconsin dirt track’s first time hosting the World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Models and set the stage for a massive week in the Badger State. Following the race at Wilmot, the World of Outlaws will compete at Cedar Lake Speedway for the USA Nationals, Aug. 1-3.

While it’ll be the Series’ first time visiting Wilmot, the track has hosted several Late Model events. 2022 World of Outlaws champion Dennis Erb Jr. won the Dairyland Duel with the American Ethanol Late Model Tour in 2018. Fellow Series competitor Brian Shirley was also in that race and finished seventh.

The Series has run two races in Wisconsin, so far, this year – both at Mississippi Thunder Speedway. Nick Hoffman won the first race – his first win in Wisconsin with the Series – and Ryan Gustin won the second.

Monday night’s event will pay $10,000 to the winner and add their name to the history book as the first World of Outlaws winner at Wilmot.

EVENT INFO
Date – Monday, July 29
Location – Wilmot, WI

Times (CT) –
2 p.m. Pit Gates Open
5 p.m. Grandstands Open
6:30 p.m. Hot Lap & Qualifying
-Racing to follow

Tickets – Available HERE.
How to Watch – Can’t make it to the track? Watch every lap live on DIRTVision.

TULSA, OK (July 1, 2024) – 

The Dirt Down in T-Town finale at Tulsa Speedway for the American Sprint Car Series National Tour has been rescheduled for Thursday, Nov. 14, with the addition of another full show that day.

The night’s program will include the Dirt Down in T-Town’s remaining Dash and $6,000-to-win Feature that were postponed due to weather, as well as a separate $4,000-to-win/$400-to-start event.

This sets up a massive three-day, four race, championship weekend for the National Tour as its final two races of the season will take place 30 minutes down the road at Creek County Speedway, Friday-Saturday, Nov. 15-16. The Fuzzy’s Fall Fling will include a $4,000-to-win Feature on Friday before the season wraps up with a $10,000-to-win event on Saturday. In total, approximately $100,000 in purse money will be paid out across the three nights of racing.

The Series banquet will be held on Sunday, Nov. 17 at Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Tulsa, where the first National Tour champion under the World Racing Group banner will be celebrated and presented with a $40,000 winner’s check. The top 10 finishers in the standings will also each receive their share of the points fund totaling more than $150,000.

“After talking with [Tulsa Speedway promoter] Keith Haney, we were able to make lemonade out of lemons on this and put it on the same weekend with Creek County,” said Lonnie Wheatley, ASCS National Tour series director. “It makes for a big weekend for us to finish our year out with.”

Ticket information and other event details for the weekend will be released in the coming months.

The ASCS National Tour will return to action in three weeks at Lakeside Speedway on Friday, July 19, and 81 Speedway on Saturday, July 20.

Can’t make it to the track? Catch every lap live on DIRTVision all season long.

---

LEBANON, TN – July 1, 2024 – Joey Logano won Sunday’s Ally 400 at Nashville Superspeedway, marking his first points win of the season, 33rd of his career, and his first win at Nashville. The win also marked the first NASCAR Cup Series win for Ford at Nashville and 732nd series win overall for the manufacturer.

“Congratulations to Roger, Tim, Paul, Joey and everyone at Team Penske on the race win at Nashville,” said Doug Yates, President and CEO of Roush Yates Engines. “Paul and Joey were able to maximize fuel throughout the end of the race and five overtime restarts to be in the position to win at the end.”

“A lot of teamwork there. You have to give a lot of credit to our fueler, Nick Hensley, our engine department with Roush Yates building obviously some engines that could also manage fuel really well, and some guts,” commented Logano.

Four Ford Performance drivers started Sunday’s race from the top-10: Stewart-Haas Racing’s Josh Berry in P2, RFK Racing’s Brad Keselowski in P5 and Chris Buescher in P9, along with Team Penske’s Austin Cindric in P10. At lap 136, the race was red-flagged for lightning and rain in the area. Following a one hour and 21-minute weather delay, NASCAR brought out the yellow flag and allowed cars to change tires and refuel before the race restarted. The race went green a few minutes later with 159 laps remaining and 45 laps until the end of Stage 2. A caution on lap 218 of the scheduled 300 lap race allowed teams to pit for tires and fuel, which impacted late race strategy. With 20 laps remaining in the race, Denny Hamlin and Ross Chastain batted for the lead until a caution came out with 2 laps to go, extending the race into overtime. Several more cautions pushed the race into its fourth overtime restart, allowing Team Penske’s Joey Logano and Stewart-Haas Racing’s Chase Briscoe to restart on the front row. Another crash brought out the caution just before Logano took the white flag, triggering the fifth and final restart. Logano started on the inside of the front row with Chase Briscoe on his outside. Logano perfected the final restart as Chase Briscoe’s car ran out of fuel with 1 lap remaining. Logano finished the race 0.068 seconds ahead of second place Zane Smith.

Five Ford Performance drivers finished in the top 10: Stewart-Haas Racing’s Ryan Preece in P4, RFK Racing’s Chris Buescher in P5, Team Penske’s Ryan Blaney in P6, and Stewart-Haas Racing’s Noah Gragson in P10.

The NASCAR Xfinity Series also raced at Nashville Superspeedway on Saturday. Rette Jones Racing’s Noah Gragson finished in P5 along with Stewart-Haas Racing’s Riley Herbst in P6 and Cole Custer in P9. The NASCAR Cup and Xfinity Series both compete this weekend at the Chicago street course in downtown Chicago, Illinois.

39 CHAMPIONSHIPS – 463 WINS – 432 POLES