GREAT FALLS, MT (August 27, 2024) – The American Sprint Car Series National Tour heads to another historic Montana dirt track this weekend to wrap up the two-week Montana swing.

Electric City Speedway in Great Falls will play host to the two-night Montana Roundup on Friday and Saturday, Aug. 30-31. The event will be the National Tour’s first visit to the track in nearly a decade with Aaron Reutzel taking the most recent Electric City checkered flag in 2015.

The weekend will begin on Friday with a standard $4,000-to-win, $400-to-start race, while Saturday will feature an increased $5,000-to-win, $400-to-start payout. The Sprint Cars will be joined on the card by WISSOTA Midwest Modifieds on Friday and IMCA Modifieds and WISSOTA Street Stocks on Saturday.

Tickets can be purchased online in advance here or at the track on race day. If you can’t make it to the track, watch every lap live on DIRTVision.

Here are the top storylines entering the weekend:

MOMENTUM SHIFT: Entering last weekend’s stop at Big Sky Speedway, point leader Seth Bergman had finished behind Sam Hafertepe Jr. in six-straight full-points events, resulting in his lead atop the standings dropping from 172 points to 83 during that span.

Bergman decided it was time to end that streak on Friday, as he parked his No. 23 machine in Victory Lane for the first time since Tri-State Speedway on June 15. While he fell two spots short of a double-up on Saturday, he came home one spot ahead of Hafertepe to extend his advantage to 103 points entering Electric City.

Bergman’s quest for his first Series title will bring him to another track he has found success at in the past. The Snohomish, WA native collected three top fives in four National Tour starts at the track between 2012 and 2015 to go along with a pair of top 10s with the ASCS Northwest Region in 2010.

QUICK TIME: This is the first year in which the National Tour has utilized Qualifying as part of its nightly format, and no one has taken advantage of that change more than Hafertepe.

After topping the charts Friday night at Big Sky, the five-time Series champion has accumulated 10 overall Quick Time Awards in 2024. No other driver has more than one.

Luckily for Hafertepe, the Series format is designed to reward single-lap speed by sending the quickest transferring car from Qualifying in each Heat Race to the Dash along with the Heat Race winner. Those frequent Dash visits have paid off late in the night, as Hafertepe has the best average Feature starting spot of any full-timer at 4.7.

If Bergman or anyone else wants to keep Hafertepe out of Victory Lane for another week, beating him in Qualifying and Heat Race competition could be the key to doing it. All eight of his full-points wins this season have come after making the Dash earlier in the night, while he hasn’t finished higher than fourth on nights he missed the Dash.

FEELING ELECTRIC: In the nine years since the last National Tour event at Electric City, the track has not been lacking in ASCS competition, as it has been a regular stop on the Frontier Region circuit since the tour’s inaugural season in 2013.

The most recent event came just over a month ago on July 13 when Rich Bailey took the victory. The Helena, MT driver made his National Tour debut last weekend at Big Sky with finishes of 18th on Friday and 12th on Saturday, and he’ll have his sights set on his first National Tour top 10 when he returns to the site of his inaugural Frontier Region triumph.

Other local stars to watch include Kelly Miller, who has finished top five in 23 of his last 25 starts at the track including five victories, as well as Phil Dietz, who is a two-time Frontier Region winner at Electric City and finished second at the last National Tour race there in 2015.

RIVETING ROOKIE RACE: The ASCS has long been known as the place where Sprint Car stars are born, and there’s no better evidence of that than this season’s rookie class.

The battle for the Rookie of the Year Award is likely to go down to the final weekend of the year at Tulsa Speedway and Creek County Speedway, with Andrew Deal currently leading the way over Hank Davis by eight points.

Davis has been playing catch-up all year after joining TwoC Racing prior to the third race of the season at Rush County Speedway. He has been a contender ever since though, racking up 10 top fives in 15 starts with the Todd Carlile-owned, Wayne Johnson-led team. Deal has been close to his first Series victory as well, picking up a pair of podiums at Super Bee Speedway and Arrowhead Speedway.

The pair of Quinter, KS natives on tour in Zach Blurton and Kyler Johnson are still in contention, sitting 68 and 79 points behind Deal respectively. Both drivers have been finding their stride as of late, with Blurton finishing on the podium twice in the last three races and Johnson scoring his first top five since Super Bee on Saturday at Big Sky.

WHEN AND WHERE:
Friday and Saturday, Aug. 30-31, at Electric City Speedway in Black Eagle, MT

AROUND THE TURN:
The American Sprint Car Series National Tour will kick off September with a Tuesday night clash at the Clay County Fair Speedway on Sept. 10 before traveling south to Oklahoma’s Arrowhead Speedway for a two-night duel on Friday and Saturday, Sept. 13-14.

CURRENT POINT STANDINGS (TOP 10):

1. Seth Bergman (2412 points)
2. Sam Hafertepe Jr. (-103)
3. Matt Covington (-229)
4. Andrew Deal (-433)
5. Hank Davis (-441)
6. Landon Britt (-469)
7. Zach Blurton (-501)
8. Jason Martin (-502)
9. Kyler Johnson (-512)
10. Terry Easum (-603)

FEATURE WINNERS (7):
Sam Hafertepe Jr. – Sunnyvale, TX – 9
Seth Bergman – Snohomish, WA – 5
Terry Easum – Broken Arrow, OK – 1
Jordon Mallett – Greenbrier, AR – 1
Kaleb Johnson – Sioux Falls, SD – 1
Tyler Courtney – Indianapolis, IN – 1
Jake Bubak – Arvada, CO – 1

QUICK TIME AWARDS (9):
Sam Hafertepe Jr. – Sunnyvale, TX – 10
Brady Baker – Alexander, AR – 1
Josh McCord – Broken Arrow, OK – 1
Alex Sewell – Sapulpa, OK – 1
Blake Hahn – Sapulpa, OK – 1
Matt Covington – Glenpool, OK – 1
Aaron Reutzel – Clute, TX – 1
Tyler Groenendyk – Oskaloosa, IA – 1
Jake Bubak – Arvada, CO – 1

HEAT RACE WINS (36):
Seth Bergman – Snohomish, WA – 6
Jason Martin – Liberal, KS – 6
Hank Davis – Sand Springs, OK – 5
Matt Covington – Glenpool, OK – 4
Sam Hafertepe Jr. – Sunnyvale, TX – 3
Whit Gastineau – Moore, OK – 3
Brady Baker – Alexander, AR – 2
Jordon Mallett – Greenbrier, AR – 2
Sean McClelland – Tulsa, OK – 2
Blake Hahn – Sapulpa, OK – 2
Zach Blurton – Quinter, KS – 2
Terry Easum – Broken Arrow, OK – 2
Lane Whittington – Denham Springs, LA – 1
Andrew Deal – Caney, KS – 1
Koty Adams – Haughton, LA – 1
Bradley Fezard – Bonnerdale, AR – 1
Brekton Crouch – Lubbock, TX – 1
Jeremy Campbell – Wichita, KS – 1
Cody Gardner – Benton, AR – 1
Austyn Gossel – Windsor, CO – 1
Kyle Clark – Sapulpa, OK – 1
Matt Juhl – Tea, SD – 1
Garet Williamson – Columbia, MO – 1
Emerson Axsom – Franklin, IN – 1
Hunter Schuerenberg – Sikeston, MO – 1
Tanner Holmes – Jacksonville, OR – 1
Landon Britt – Memphis, TN – 1
Roger Crockett – Broken Arrow, OK – 1
Tyler Groenendyk – Oskaloosa, IA – 1
Parker Price-Miller – Kokomo, IN – 1
Colton Hardy – Phoenix, AZ – 1
Tanner Thorson – Broken Arrow, OK – 1
Brian Brown – Hugginsville, MO – 1
Jake Bubak – Arvada, CO – 1
Phil Dietz – Laurel, MT – 1
Joe Perry – Billings, MT – 1

DASH APPEARANCES (33):
Seth Bergman – Snohomish, WA – 15
Sam Hafertepe Jr. – Sunnyvale, TX – 14
Matt Covington – Glenpool, OK – 11
Hank Davis – Sand Springs, OK – 8
Jason Martin – Liberal, KS – 7
Brady Baker – Alexander, AR – 4
Jordon Mallett – Greenbrier, AR – 4
Blake Hahn – Sapulpa, OK – 4
Whit Gastineau – Moore, OK – 4
Sean McClelland – Tulsa, OK – 3
Zach Blurton – Quinter, KS – 3
Terry Easum – Broken Arrow, OK – 3
Alex Sewell – Broken Arrow, OK – 2
Jake Bubak – Arvada, CO – 2
Andrew Deal – Caney, KS – 1
Lane Whittington – Denham Springs, LA – 1
Koty Adams – Haughton, LA – 1
Ryder Laplante – Calera, OK – 1
Bradley Fezard – Bonnerdale, AR – 1
Brekton Crouch – Lubbock, TX – 1
Jeremy Campbell – Wichita, KS – 1
Elijah Gile – Phoenix, AZ – 1
Cody Gardner – Benton, AR – 1
Austyn Gossel – Windsor, CO – 1
Kyle Clark – Sapulpa, OK – 1
Harli White – Lindsay, OK – 1
Austin McCarl – Altoona, IA – 1
Landon Britt – Memphis, TN – 1
Roger Crockett – Broken Arrow, OK – 1
Kyler Johnson – Quinter, KS – 1
DJ Brink – Rapid City, SD – 1
Phil Dietz – Laurel, MT – 1
Joe Perry – Billings, MT – 1

LAST CHANCE SHOWDOWN WINNERS (11):
Rees Moran – Tulsa, OK – 2
Landon Britt – Memphis, TN – 1
Sam Hafertepe Jr. – Sunnyvale, TX – 1
Sean McClelland – Tulsa, OK – 1
Blake Hahn – Sapulpa, OK – 1
Aaron Reutzel – Clute, TX – 1
Chase Porter – St. Joseph, MO – 1
Kerry Madsen – Knoxville, IA – 1
Chase Randall – Waco, TX – 1
Rich Bailey – Helena, MT – 1
Kyler Johnson – Quinter, KS – 1

PODIUM FINISHERS (23):
Seth Bergman – Snohomish, WA – 12
Sam Hafertepe Jr. – Sunnyvale, TX – 11
Matt Covington – Glenpool, OK – 6
Hank Davis – Sand Springs, OK – 4
Andrew Deal – Caney, KS – 2
Jordon Mallett – Greenbrier, AR – 2
Austin McCarl – Altoona, IA – 2
Jake Bubak – Arvada, CO – 2
Zach Blurton – Quinter, KS – 2
Brady Baker – Alexander, AR – 1
Terry Easum – Broken Arrow, OK – 1
Tanner Conn – Oklahoma City, OK – 1
Jason Martin – Liberal, KS – 1
Ryder Laplante – Calera, OK – 1
Kyle Clark – Sapulpa, OK – 1
Kaleb Johnson – Sioux Falls, SD – 1
Chase Randall – Waco, TX – 1
Kade Higday – Knoxville, IA – 1
Roger Crockett – Broken Arrow, OK – 1
Cory Eliason – Visalia, CA – 1
Brian Brown – Higginsville, MO – 1
Tyler Courtney – Indianapolis, IN – 1
Emerson Axsom – Franklin, IN – 1

TOP 10 FINISHERS (54):
Seth Bergman – Snohomish, WA – 16
Matt Covington – Glenpool, OK – 15
Sam Hafertepe Jr. – Sunnyvale, TX – 14
Jason Martin – Liberal, KS – 11
Landon Britt – Memphis, TN – 10
Hank Davis – Sand Springs, OK – 9
Andrew Deal – Caney, KS – 9
Kyler Johnson – Quinter, KS – 7
Jordon Mallett – Greenbrier, AR – 6
Blake Hahn – Sapulpa, OK – 6
Zach Blurton – Quinter, KS – 5
Rees Moran – Tulsa, OK – 4
Brandon Anderson – Glenpool, OK – 4
Kyle Clark – Sapulpa, OK – 3
Whit Gastineau – Moore, OK – 3
Austyn Gossel – Windsor, CO – 3
Jake Bubak – Arvada, CO – 3
Harli White – Lindsay, OK – 3
Alex Sewell – Broken Arrow, OK – 2
Brady Baker – Alexander, AR – 2
Sean McClelland – Tulsa, OK – 2
Tyler Courtney – Indianapolis, IN – 2
Emerson Axsom – Franklin, IN – 2
Austin McCarl – Altoona, IA – 2
Brian Brown – Higginsville, MO – 2
Cory Eliason – Visalia, CA – 2
Tasker Phillips – Pleasantville, IA – 2
Jamie Ball – Knoxville, IA – 2
Kaleb Johnson – Sioux Falls, SD – 2
Terry McCarl – Altoona, IA – 2
Jeremy Campbell – Wichita, KS – 2
Terry Easum – Broken Arrow, OK – 2
Kelly Miller – Stirling, AB – 2
Channin Tankersley – Arlington, TX – 1
Tanner Conn – Oklahoma City, OK – 1
Brekton Crouch – Lubbock, TX – 1
Jeremy Huish – Jetmore, KS – 1
Ryder Laplante – Calera, OK – 1
Bradley Fezard – Bonnerdale, AR – 1
Fred Mattox – Drumright, OK – 1
Dale Howard – Byhalia, MS – 1
Brad Bowden – Hernando, MS – 1
Michael Day – Farmersville, TX – 1
Chase Randall – Waco, TX – 1
Kade Higday – Knoxville, IA – 1
Justin Peck – Monrovia, IN – 1
Riley Goodno – Knoxville, IA – 1
Gunner Ramey – Sedalia, MO – 1
Miles Paulus – Marshall, MO – 1
Roger Crockett – Broken Arrow, OK – 1
Kasey Kahne – Enumclaw, WA – 1
Ryan Giles – Grimes, IA – 1
Kerry Madsen – Knoxville, IA – 1
Alex Hill – Six Nations, ON – 1
Cole Macedo – Lemoore, CA – 1
DJ Brink – Rapid City, SD – 1
Blayne Brink – Gillette, WY – 1
Phil Dietz – Laurel, MT – 1

2024 AMERICAN SPRINT CAR SERIES SCHEDULE & WINNERS:
Friday, Apr. 19 / Super Bee Speedway / Chatham, LA / Seth Bergman (1)
Friday, May 10 / Red Dirt Raceway / Meeker, OK / Terry Easum (1)
Friday, May 31 / Rush County Speedway / La Crosse, KS / Seth Bergman (2)
Saturday, Jun. 1 / Dodge City Raceway Park / Dodge City, KS / Sam Hafertepe Jr. (1)
Tuesday, Jun. 11 / Texarkana 67 Speedway / Texarkana, AR / Sam Hafertepe Jr. (2)
Thursday, Jun. 13 / Creek County Speedway / Sapulpa, OK / Sam Hafertepe Jr. (3)
Friday, Jun. 14 / Arrowhead Speedway / Colcord, OK / Seth Bergman (3)
Saturday, Jun. 15 / Tri-State Speedway / Pocola, OK / Seth Bergman (4)
Saturday, Jun. 22 / Batesville Motor Speedway / Locust Grove, AR / Jordon Mallett (1)
Friday, Jun. 28 / Tulsa Speedway / Tulsa, OK / Sam Hafertepe Jr. (4)
Friday, Jul. 19 / Lakeside Speedway / Kansas City, KS / Sam Hafertepe Jr. (5)
Saturday, Jul. 20 / 81 Speedway / Wichita, KS / Sam Hafertepe Jr. (6)
Thursday, Aug. 1 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA / Kaleb Johnson (1)
Friday, Aug. 2 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA / Sam Hafertepe Jr. (7)
Saturday, Aug. 3 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA / Tyler Courtney (1)
Friday, Aug. 16 / Dodge City Raceway Park / Dodge City, KS / Sam Hafertepe Jr. (8)
Saturday, Aug. 17 / Lincoln County Raceway / North Platte, NE / Sam Hafertepe Jr. (9)
Friday, Aug. 23 / Big Sky Speedway / Shepherd, MT / Seth Bergman (5)
Saturday, Aug. 24 / Big Sky Speedway / Shepherd, MT / Jake Bubak (1)
Tuesday, Sept. 10 / Clay County Fair Speedway / Spencer, IA
Friday, Sept. 13 / Arrowhead Speedway / Colcord, OK
Saturday, Sept. 14 / Arrowhead Speedway / Colcord, OK
Friday, Sept. 27 / Riverside International Speedway / West Memphis, AR
Saturday, Sept. 28 / Riverside International Speedway / West Memphis, AR
Friday, Oct. 11 / Benton Speedway / Benton, MO
Saturday, Oct. 12 / Paducah International Raceway / Paducah, KY
Friday, Oct. 25 / RPM Speedway / Crandall, TX
Saturday, Oct. 26 / RPM Speedway / Crandall, TX
Thursday, Nov. 14 / Tulsa Speedway / Tulsa, OK
Friday, Nov. 15 / Creek County Speedway / Sapulpa, OK
Saturday, Nov. 16 / Creek County Speedway / Sapulpa, OK

INDIANAPOLIS (August 28, 2024) — The most prestigious national event in drag racing, the 70th annual Toyota NHRA U.S. Nationals, will feature one of the biggest fields of Dodge Drag Paks, Chevrolet COP Camaros and Ford Cobra Jets competing in the Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown Series. Beginning with two rounds of qualifying on Friday, factory stock competitors from across the country will be racing to post the quickest elapsed times to position themselves for race day success on Monday, September 2. Through seven races this season five different drivers have stood in the winner’s circle including two first-time Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown Series winners, David Janac and Scott Libersher. As the most recent winner of the Lucas Oil Nationals at Brainerd International Raceway, Libersher won for the first time and will carry the $1,000 Flexjet bounty into Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park.   “The win in Brainerd was so special because we have been working so hard for so long,” said Libersher. “We have the bounty this race and there would be nothing more incredible than to hold onto that $1,000 because it would mean we won the biggest race of the season, the U.S. Nationals. I have won a few rounds at the U.S. Nationals, but it is a tough race to win. They are all tough, but Indy is especially tough.”  Scott Libersher heads to U.S. Nationals on heels of Lucas Oil Nationals Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown win, photo credit Auto ImageryFor Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown point leader Stephen Bell, a win this weekend at the Toyota U.S. Nationals would continue a magical season for the racer from Shreveport, La. Bell, who was the championship runner-up in 2023, has secured three wins and two runner-up finishes with the dazzling red COPO Camaro. He has also captured the Flexjet Bounty on one occasion. Bell has been runner-up twice at the U.S. Nationals narrowly missing the winner’s circle in 2017 and again last year.   “I think every racer has a love/hate relationship with the U.S. Nationals. We have had some success but also some heartbreak,” said Bell. “The competition between the Chevys, Dodges and Fords should be good and there are over a dozen drivers who have a serious shot of winning. The one thing about Indy is anything can happen. You will have to be on your game for four straight days with qualifying and eliminations. That is not easy. I love this race and I am excited to get there.”  Point leader Stephen Bell heads to U.S. Nationals with three Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown wins in 2024, photo credit Auto ImageryOhioan Mark Pawuk sits third in the Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown point standings and he is another two-time U.S. Nationals runner-up who would like to see the final win light of race day light up in his lane on Monday. Pawuk and his Dodge Drag Pak sponsored by Empaco finished second in 2018 and 2020 and he has his eyes on winning the biggest race of the season. In addition to Pawuk’s season-opening win at the Gatornationals, he has a runner-up finish at the Summit Racing Equipment Nationals in Norwalk, Ohio and he collected the Flexjet bounty at the Las Vegas Four-Wide Nationals.   “This is a race I have dreamt of winning,” said Pawuk, who was also runner-up as a Pro Stock competitor. “I had three races on my bucket list coming into this season. The Gatornationals which we won. The Summit Nationals in Norwalk, my home track, where we came close with a runner-up and the U.S. Nationals. Winning the U.S. Nationals is right up there with a world championship in my opinion.”   The U.S. Nationals will feature the 2024 Flexjet season debut of Lindsay Wheelock and her Dodge Drag Pak, Peter Gasko Jr., behind the wheel of his Chevrolet COPO Camaro and the Dodge Challenger of Alan Scruggs. This will be Scruggs’ second U.S. Nationals and the first time he has been back in action since the 2022 U.S. Nationals. Wheelock will be racing in her fifth U.S. Nationals and Gasko will be making his fifth start as well. The rest of the field is comprised of some of the best factory stock racers including Las Vegas Four-Wide Nationals winner Ricky Hord, Thunder Valley Nationals winner David Janac and Chicago Nationals runner-up Lee Hartman to name a few drivers who have a legitimate shot at winning the race.   The quickest Ford, Chevrolet and Dodge competitors will race through five rounds of competition looking to collect the iconic Wally trophy at the eighth Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown Series national event of 2024. Qualifying for the Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown Series will begin on Friday, August 30 with two sessions followed by a final session on Saturday evening. Two rounds of eliminations will be contested on Sunday with the final three rounds of eliminations culminating on Monday, September 2. The race will be broadcast on FS1 and FOX throughout the weekend.   2024 Flexjet Bounty Program Gatornationals (Gainesville, Fla.) $1,000 bounty collected by Mark Pawuk, defeated Stephen Bell (Norwalk winner)   Winternationals (Pomona, Calif.) $1,000 bounty collected by David Davies II, defeated Mark Pawuk (Gatornationals winner)   Las Vegas Four-Wide Nationals (Las Vegas, Nev.) $1,000 bounty collected by Mark Pawuk, defeated Stephen Bell (Winternationals winner)   Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 Nationals (Chicago, Ill.) $1,000 bounty collected by Lee Hartmand, defeated Ricky Hord (Las Vegas Four-Wide Nationals winner)   Super Grip NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals (Bristol, Tenn.) $1,000 bounty collected by David Janac, defeated Stephen Bell (Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 Nationals winner)   Summit Racing Equipment Nationals (Norwalk, Ohio) $1,000 bounty collected by Stephen Bell, defeated David Janac (Thunder Valley Nationals winner)   Lucas Oil Nationals (Brainerd, Minn.) $1,000 bounty collected by David Janac, defeated Stephen Bell (Summit Racing Equipment Nationals winner)   Toyota U.S. Nationals (Indianapolis, Ind.) Scott Libersher has $1,000 bounty   2024 Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown Results Gainesville – Mark Pawuk, winner; Stephen Bell, runner-up Pomona – Stephen Bell, winner; David Davies II, runner-up Las Vegas1 – Ricky Hord, winner; David Janac, runner-up Chicago – Stephen Bell, winner; Lee Hartman, runner-up Bristol – David Janac, winner; Stephen Bell, runner-up Norwalk – Stephen Bell, winner; Mark Pawuk, runner-up Brainerd – Scott Libersher, winner; David Janac, runner-up Indianapolis – TBD Reading – TBD St. Louis – TBD   2024 Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown Points Stephen Bell           588Mark Pawuk            492David Janac            475Ricky Hord              366Scott Libersher        334Lee Hartman           326Tony Scott Jr.         279David Davies III      273Doug Hamp            257Anthony Troyer       240  2024 FLEXJET NHRA FACTORY STOCK SHOWDOWN SCHEDULE Sept. 12-15             39th annual Pep Boys NHRA Nationals, Reading, Pa. Sept. 27-29             13th annual NHRA Midwest Nationals, St. Louis, Mo.

Three nights of South Dakota racing will culminate in a $100,000-to-win finale on SundayBRANDON, SD (August 27, 2024) – Another huge stop on the Summer of Money awaits the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars this weekend.The rescheduled BillionAuto.com Huset’s High Bank Nationals presented by Menards invites The Greatest Show on Dirt back to Huset’s Speedway for three nights (Aug. 30-Sept. 1) of action with major money up for grabs.It kicks off with Friday’s $25,000-to-win Huset’s Hustle presented by Folkens Brothers Trucking. Then a $15,000-to-win High Bank Nationals prelim on Saturday sets the stage for Sunday’s finale with $100,000 being deposited in the winner’s bank account.With so much money on the line, the weekend is expected to bring a healthy roster of the country’s best Sprint Car drivers to the pit area. Huset’s Speedway is the place to be over Labor Day weekend.BUY THREE-DAY HUSET’S TICKET PACKAGE HERE BUY FRIDAY HUSET’S TICKETS HERE BUY SATURDAY HUSET’S TICKETS HERE BUY SUNDAY HUSET’S TICKETS HEREWATCH LIVE ON DIRTVisionLet’s look at the weekend’s top storylines:MONEY MAN: When the large bags of cash are up for grabs, it’s been hard to stop David Gravel in 2024. His earnings this year with the Big Game Motorsports team have already eclipsed $600,000, roughly $160,000 more than the sport’s second highest earner this season.The biggest contributor toward Gravel’s lucrative year was a nearly $300,000 week at Eldora Speedway in July that included his first Kings Royal crown worth $175,000. He also made history during that stretch as the first Sprint Car driver to take home six-digit paychecks from three different racetracks with Knoxville Raceway and Huset’s Speedway being the other two.And speaking of that Huset’s payday, it came in the form of last year’s High Bank Nationals title. Gravel heads into the weekend looking to make the boss proud once again as his car owner Tod Quiring also owns Huset’s and has invested so much into making the 1/3 mile one of the country’s premier facilities. Overall, the Watertown, CT native has topped a trio of Huset’s races with the World of Outlaws. His résumé suggests a high chance of success this weekend as he continues the march toward a potential million-dollar season.HAUD’S HUNGRY: There’s one driver on the World of Outlaws tour that may be hungrier to break into Victory Lane than any other, and his name is Sheldon Haudenschild.After topping seven of the first 27 races this year, he’s gone winless over the last 21. The speed has been there, but Victory Lane has simply eluded the Wooster, OH driver. Since his last win, Haudenschild has podiumed nine times including the last four races. Five of those have been second place finishes.Haudenschild has stated he and the Stenhouse Jr.-Marshall Racing team’s goal of reaching double-digit wins for the first time, and Huset’s serves up a prime opportunity for them to not only end the slump, but also pad their wallets. Back in 2020 Haudenschild won when the Series returned to the South Dakota oval for the first time in four years. Then in 2022 he made an unbelievable charge from sixth to victory in the final five laps to top the inaugural High Bank Nationals for $100,000.$CHATZ: While Gravel’s bank account may be the one most growing in 2024, Donny Schatz has been the biggest earner in the history of the sport when it comes to six-figure paydays.The Fargo, ND legend has won 13 of the sport’s 54 races that paid at least $100,000. Schatz first cashed in at Eldora’s Historical Big One in 2002, broke the bank with 11 Knoxville Nationals, and added to his riches with the 2023 Kings Royal. Add it all up, and Schatz has totaled $1,775,000 in those 13 events alone.Huset’s presents Schatz an opportunity to replicate the feat Gravel accomplished earlier this year. A victory on Sunday would make the 10-time champion the second driver to collect six-figure paydays at three different dirt tracks. Schatz is already a four-time Feature winner at Huset’s, topping visits in 2001, 2007, 2015, and 2016. ROTH REDEMPTION: Last year left Michael “Buddy” Kofoid and Roth Motorsports wondering what could’ve been. Mechanical woes with less than 10 laps remaining knocked them from the lead and a potential High Bank Nationals title to a heartbreaking DNF.It’s all about redemption heading into the event this year as Kofoid now rolls in as a World of Outlaws rookie. After coming so close last year, his sights will be squarely on a redemptive victory.Huset’s is home to Kofoid’s first career World of Outlaws win back in 2022. The Penngrove, CA gasser also topped a pair of USAC National Midget races at Huset’s that same year. He’s been overall consistent in a Sprint Car at the 1/3 mile with podiums in half of his 10 starts.HIGH BANK HOPEFULS: The four listed above aren’t the only current Series competitors who’ve experienced Huset’s success and will be in search of some serious coin this weekend.Carson Macedo topped a Huset’s visit in 2022 during a High Bank Nationals prelim with Jason Johnson Racing. He’s missed the top 10 just once in his last nine visits to the South Dakota oval. Macedo is fresh off a North Dakota weekend sweep, and he’s won three of the last four races.Last year Logan Schuchart grabbed his first Huset’s win by topping the final High Bank Nationals prelim. He’s been in the top 10 in 11 of his last 14 tries at the facility with Shark Racing. Schuchart is no stranger to big paydays having topped the richest race in the sport’s history at last year’s Eldora Million.HUSET’S HEROES: Along with the full-time stars on the World of Outlaws tour, a hefty batch of competitors is expected to join and chase the big money. Among them are plenty with Huset’s success under their belt.Ryan Timms enters the weekend as the track’s most recent 410 Sprint Car winner. He took Guy Forbrook’s car to Victory Lane in Sunday’s Bull Haulers Brawl for $7,000. The Oklahoman will be teamed with Forbrook again this weekend but only for Friday and Saturday as a prior commitment requires his presence on Sunday.Garet Williamson and the Fischer Motorsports team have won in their two most recent visits to Huset’s (July 7 and July 28). The Columbia, MO native is fresh off recovering from a Heat Race flip to a top 10 at Red River Valley with the World of Outlaws. He’ll continue an eight-week stretch with the World of Outlaws this weekend at Huset’s.Tim Kaeding plans to be in Dave Lunstra’s ride for the weekend. The pairing already topped a local Huset’s show this year on May 27. “TK” has also been to World of Outlaws Victory Lane at Huset’s, winning with Roth Motorsports back in 2013.Kerry Madsen has been a frequent visitor to Huset’s all year with Vermeer Motorsports. The “Mad Man” has been close to a World of Outlaws win at the facility no matter what car he’s in as he’s run third with both Keneric Racing (2014) and Tony Stewart/Curb Agajanian Racing (2021) and grabbed a fourth in Dave Helm’s Selma Shell No. 11H in 2007.These four will be joined by many more for three nights of South Dakota Sprint Car racing.THIS WEEKEND AT A GLANCEWHEN AND WHERE Friday-Sunday, Aug. 30-Sept. 1 at Huset’s Speedway in Brandon, SDON THE INTERNETWorld of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series X – @WorldofOutlaws Instagram – @WoOSprint Facebook – Facebook.com/WorldofOutlawsSprintCarSeries YouTube – Youtube.com/WorldofOutlaws DIRTVision – DIRTVision.com – Platinum annual FAST PASS for $299 or monthly FAST PASS for $39/monthCURRENT CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS (48/70 Races):1. David Gravel – Big Game Motorsports No. 2 (6636 PTS) 2. Donny Schatz – Tony Stewart/Curb Agajanian Racing No. 15 (-110 PTS) 3. Carson Macedo – Jason Johnson Racing No. 41 (-114 PTS) 4. Giovanni Scelzi – KCP Racing No. 18 (-222 PTS) 5. Michael Kofoid – Roth Motorsports No. 83 (-282 PTS) 6. Sheldon Haudenschild – Stenhouse Jr.-Marshall Racing No. 17 (-332 PTS) 7. Logan Schuchart – Shark Racing No. 1S (-340 PTS) 8. Bill Balog – B Squared Motorsports No. 17B (-812 PTS) 9. Brock Zearfoss – Brock Zearfoss Racing No. 3Z (-1062 PTS) 10. Kraig Kinser – Premier Motorsports No. 70 (-1346 PTS)NOS ENERGY DRINK FEATURE WINNERS (16 Drivers): 13 Wins – David Gravel 7 Wins – Sheldon Haudenschild 6 Wins – Carson Macedo 4 Wins – Donny Schatz 3 Wins – Giovanni Scelzi, Kyle Larson 2 Wins – Tyler Courtney, Rico Abreu  1 Win – Brad Sweet, Brent Marks, Brady Bacon, Michael Kofoid, Corey Day, Logan Schuchart, James McFadden, T.J. StuttsFEATURE LAPS LED (22 Drivers):317 Laps – David Gravel 308 Laps – Carson Macedo 178 Laps – Giovanni Scelzi 166 Laps – Sheldon Haudenschild 132 Laps – Donny Schatz 97 Laps – Kyle Larson 75 Laps – Rico Abreu 53 Laps – Michael Kofoid 49 Laps – Logan Schuchart 44 Laps – James McFadden 34 Laps – Brady Bacon 25 Laps – Brad Sweet, T.J. Stutts 15 Laps – Ryan Timms, Tyler Courtney 13 Laps – Anthony Macri 12 Laps – Emerson Axsom 11 Laps – Bill Balog 9 Laps – Parker Price-Miller, Corey Day 3 Laps – Brent Marks 1 Lap – Kalib HenrySIMPSON PERFORMANCE PRODUCTS QUICKTIME AWARDS (16 Drivers):10 Quick Times – Carson Macedo 9 Quick Times – David Gravel 6 Quick Times – Sheldon Haudenschild 4 Quick Times – Giovanni Scelzi, Michael Kofoid 3 Quick Times – Brent Marks 2 Quick Times – Daryn Pittman, Donny Schatz, Landon Crawley 1 Quick Time – Brian Brown, Aaron Reutzel, Brady Bacon, Cory Eliason, Brock Zearfoss, Rico Abreu, Chase Dietz, Matt JuhlHEAT RACE WINNERS (49 Drivers): 26 Heat Wins – David Gravel 24 Heat Wins – Carson Macedo  23 Heat Wins – Sheldon Haudenschild 16 Heat Wins – Giovanni Scelzi 13 Heat Wins – Michael Kofoid 9 Heat Wins – Rico Abreu 8 Heat Wins – Logan Schuchart  7 Heat Wins – Brock Zearfoss, Donny Schatz5 Heat Wins – Tyler Courtney, Brent Marks, Bill Balog 3 Heat Wins –Daryn Pittman 2 Heat Wins – Brian Brown, Landon Crawley,Corey Day, Garet Williamson, Kyle Larson, Anthony Macri, Sam Hafertepe Jr., Austin McCarl, Aaron Reutzel 1 Heat Win – Justin Peck, Bill Rose, Ryan Timms, Danny Sams III, Emerson Axsom, Tim Shaffer, Nick Omdahl, Scott Bogucki, Brad Sweet, Spencer Bayston, Brady Bacon, Parker Price-Miller, Chase Dietz, T.J. Stutts, Kelby Watt, Jamie Ball, Chase Randall, Hunter Schuerenberg, Tasker Phillips, Ayrton Gennetten, Tanner Holmes, Kaleb Johnson, Kasey Kahne, Cole Macedo, Cale Thomas, Dusty Zomer, Andy PakeTOYOTA DASH APPEARANCES (60 Drivers):36 Dashes – David Gravel 35 Dashes – Carson Macedo 32 Dashes – Sheldon Haudenschild 31 Dashes – Giovanni Scelzi 24 Dashes – Michael Kofoid 20 Dashes – Donny Schatz 18 Dashes – Logan Schuchart 13 Dashes – Bill Balog 10 Dashes – Brock Zearfoss 9 Dashes – Rico Abreu 7 Dashes – Landon Crawley, Brent Marks 6 Dashes – Tyler Courtney, Emerson Axsom 5 Dashes – Corey Day, Aaron Reutzel, Garet Williamson 4 Dashes – Brian Brown, Brady Bacon, Anthony Macri 3 Dashes – Brad Sweet, Daryn Pittman, Justin Peck, James McFadden 2 Dashes – Cole Duncan, Cole Macedo, Kalib Henry, Danny Sams III, Kyle Larson, Parker Price-Miller, Chase Dietz, Ayrton Gennetten, Scott Bogucki 1 Dash – Zeb Wise, Sam Hafertepe Jr., Bill Rose, Ryan Timms, Logan McCandless, Skylar Gee, Kody Hartlaub, Tim Shaffer, T.J. Michael, Craig Mintz, Brandon Spithaler, Sye Lynch, Cale Thomas, Kaleb Johnson, Nick Omdahl, Austin McCarl, Christopher Thram, Kraig Kinser, Troy Wagaman Jr., T.J. Stutts, Freddie Rahmer, Jacob Allen, Lance Dewease, Kelby Watt, Will Armitage, Dusty Zomer, Andy PakeMICRO-LITE LAST CHANCE SHOWDOWN WINS (38 Drivers):3 LCS Wins – Bill Balog, Anthony Macri, Landon Crawley, Garet Williamson 2 LCS Wins – Logan McCandless, Brock Zearfoss 1 LCS Win – Austin McCarl, Corey Day, Kasey Kahne, Koty Adams, Jace Park, Kevin Newton, Brenham Crouch, Sheldon Haudenschild, Brandon Rahmer, David Gravel, Nate Dussel, Cole Macedo, Zeth Sabo, Brooke Tatnell, Donny Schatz, Brent Marks, Cory Eliason, Kerry Madsen, Creed Kemenah, Joel Myers Jr., Hunter Schuerenberg, Kody Hartlaub, Lucas Wolfe, Larry Wight, Kyle Larson, Jesse Attard, Dusty Zomer, Chris Windom, Ayrton Gennetten, Brad Sweet, Kelby Watt, Scott BoguckiKSE HARD CHARGER AWARDS (30 Drivers):8 Hard Chargers – Donny Schatz 6 Hard Chargers – Logan Schuchart 3 Hard Chargers – Carson Macedo 2 Hard Chargers – Aaron Reutzel, Michael Kofoid, Cale Thomas, Danny Dietrich, Garet Williamson 1 Hard Charger –Jace Park, Sam Hafertepe Jr., Brock Zearfoss, Chase Randall, Chris Windom, Noah Gass, Austin McCarl, Giovanni Scelzi, Sheldon Haudenschild, Landon Crawley, Sye Lynch, Bill Balog, Scotty Neitzel, Brent Marks, Larry Wight, Anthony Macri, James McFadden, Parker Price-Miller, Corey Day, Emerson Axsom, Tim Kaeding, Tim EstensonPODIUM FINISHES (24 Drivers):27 Podiums – David Gravel 22 Podiums – Carson Macedo 18 Podiums – Sheldon Haudenschild 16 Podiums – Donny Schatz 14 Podiums – Michael Kofoid 8 Podiums – Giovanni Scelzi 6 Podiums – Kyle Larson 5 Podiums – Rico Abreu 3 Podiums – Brad Sweet, Tyler Courtney, Brent Marks 2 Podiums –Bill Balog, Aaron Reutzel, Logan Schuchart, Justin Peck, James McFadden, Corey Day 1 Podium – Anthony Macri, Brady Bacon, Cole Macedo, Parker Price-Miller, Ryan Timms, Emerson Axsom, T.J. StuttsTOP 10 FINISHES (72 Drivers): 43 Top 10s – David Gravel 41 Top 10s – Donny Schatz, Giovanni Scelzi 38 Top 10s – Michael Kofoid, Carson Macedo 37 Top 10s – Logan Schuchart 34 Top 10s – Sheldon Haudenschild 22 Top 10s – Bill Balog 14 Top 10s – Brock Zearfoss 10 Top 10s – Tyler Courtney  9 Top 10s – Rico Abreu 8 Top 10s – Brent Marks, Brad Sweet, James McFadden, Anthony Macri 7 Top 10s – Aaron Reutzel 6 Top 10s – Kyle Larson, Corey Day, Garet Williamson  5 Top 10s – Brian Brown 4 Top 10s – Cole Macedo, Landon Crawley, Brady Bacon, Justin Peck, Emerson Axsom, Ryan Timms 3 Top 10s – Cole Duncan, Skylar Gee, Zeb Wise, Danny Dietrich, Jacob Allen 2 Top 10s – Chase Randall, Kraig Kinser, Cale Thomas, Parker Price-Miller, Cory Eliason, Chase Dietz, Troy Wagaman Jr., Daryn Pittman, Ayrton Gennetten, Scott Bogucki 1 Top 10 – Kasey Kahne, Sam Hafertepe Jr., Chris Windom, Joe B. Miller, Scotty Milan, Brandon Spithaler, Kalib Henry, Tim Shaffer, Zane DeVault, Sye Lynch, Travis Philo, Trey Jacobs, Scotty Thiel, Mark Dobmeier, Kaleb Johnson, Austin McCarl, Tim Kaeding, Christopher Thram, Landon Brooks, Greg Wilson, Spencer Bayston, Daison Pursley, Devon Borden, T.J. Stutts, Freddie Rahmer, Lance Dewease, Stewart Friesen, Jordan Poirier, Larry Wight, Kerry Madsen, Andy Pake2024 WORLD OF OUTLAWS SPRINT CAR SCHEDULE & WINNERS:No. / Day, Date / Track / Location / Winner (Total Wins)1. Wed, Feb 7 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / Brad Sweet (1) 2. Thurs, Feb 8 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / David Gravel (1) 3. Fri, Feb 9 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / Tyler Courtney (1) 4. Sat, Feb 10 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / Sheldon Haudenschild (1) 5. Mon, March 4 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / Donny Schatz (1) 6. Fri, March 15 / Cotton Bowl Speedway / Paige, TX / Brent Marks (1) 7. Sat, March 16 / Cotton Bowl Speedway / Paige, TX / Giovanni Scelzi (1) 8. Sat, March 23 / Kennedale Speedway Park / Kennedale, TX / Carson Macedo (1) 9. Sat, March 30 / 81 Speedway / Wichita, KS / Rico Abreu (1) 10. Fri, April 5 / US 36 Raceway / Osborn, MO / David Gravel (2) 11. Sat, April 6 / Arrowhead Speedway / Colcord, OK / Sheldon Haudenschild (2) 12. Fri, April 12 / Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 / Pevely, MO / David Gravel (3) 13. Sat, April 13 / Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 / Pevely, MO / Donny Schatz (2) 14. Fri, April 19 / Paducah International Raceway / Paducah, KY / Sheldon Haudenschild (3) 15. Sat, April 20 / Tri-State Speedway / Haubstadt, IN / Brady Bacon (1) 16. Wed, May 1 / Jacksonville Speedway / Jacksonville, IL / David Gravel (4) 17. Fri, May 3 / Eldora Speedway / Rossburg, OH / Sheldon Haudenschild (4) 18. Sat, May 4 / Eldora Speedway / Rossburg, OH / David Gravel (5) 19. Wed, May 8 / Lincoln Speedway / Abbottstown, PA / David Gravel (6) 20. Fri, May 17 / Attica Raceway Park / Attica, OH / Michael Kofoid (1) 21. Sat, May 18 / Sharon Speedway / Hartford, OH / David Gravel (7) 22. Fri, May 24 / Atomic Speedway / Chillicothe, OH / David Gravel (8) 23. Sat, May 25 / Atomic Speedway / Chillicothe, OH / Sheldon Haudenschild (5) 24. Mon, May 27 / Fremont Speedway / Fremont, OH / Carson Macedo (2) 25. Fri, May 31 / Beaver Dam Raceway / Beaver Dam, WI / Sheldon Haudenschild (6) 26. Fri, June 7 / River Cities Speedway / Grand Forks, ND / Giovanni Scelzi (2) 27. Sat, June 8 / Ogilvie Raceway / Ogilvie, MN / Sheldon Haudenschild (7) 28. Fri, June 14 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA / David Gravel (9) 29. Sat, June 15 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA / Corey Day (1) 30. Wed, June 19 / Huset’s Speedway / Brandon, SD / Tyler Courtney (2) 31. Sat, June 29 / Cedar Lake Speedway / New Richmond, WI / Logan Schuchart (1) 32. Wed, July 10 / Beaver Dam Raceway / Beaver Dam, WI / Giovanni Scelzi (3) 33. Fri, July 12 / Wilmot Raceway / Wilmot, WI / Carson Macedo (3) 34. Sat, July 13 / Wilmot Raceway / Wilmot, WI / Donny Schatz (3) 35. Tues, July 16 / Attica Raceway Park / Attica, OH / David Gravel (10) 36. Fri, July 19 / Eldora Speedway / Rossburg, OH / Rico Abreu (2) 37. Sat, July 20 / Eldora Speedway / Rossburg, OH / David Gravel (11) 38. Wed, July 24 / BAPS Motor Speedway / York Haven, PA / James McFadden (1) 39. Fri, July 26 / Williams Grove Speedway / Mechanicsburg, PA / T.J. Stutts (1) 40. Sat, July 27 / Williams Grove Speedway / Mechanicsburg, PA / David Gravel (12) 41. Sun, July 28 / Weedsport Speedway / Weedsport, NY / David Gravel (13) 42. Fri, August 2 / Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 / Pevely, MO / Kyle Larson (1) 43. Sat, August 3 / Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 / Pevely, MO / Kyle Larson (2) 44. Sat, August 10 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA / Kyle Larson (3) 45. Fri, August 16 / Jackson Motorplex / Jackson, MN / Carson Macedo (4) 46. Sat, August 17 / Jackson Motorplex / Jackson, MN / Donny Schatz (4) 47. Fri, August 23 / River Cities Speedway / Grand Forks, ND / Carson Macedo (5) 48. Sat, August 24 / Red River Valley Speedway / West Fargo, ND / Carson Macedo (6)For the remaining 2024 World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car schedule, CLICK HERE.

CONCORD, NC (Aug. 27, 2024) – There’s a new rising star on the national Midget circuit. His name: Karter Sarff.

Six career Feature wins with the Xtreme Outlaw Midget Series presented by Toyota ranks the 21-year-old racer from Mason City, IL, fourth on the Series’ all-time wins list, following his sweep of the Ironman 55 weekend at Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 in early August.

Each of those wins have come in the last 12 months, all built on the hard work he and his father put into their operation. No hired crew members, no major corporate sponsors — just father and son both at the track and in their home shop, as it’s been since Sarff began his racing career at five years old.

“It’s been pretty surreal, and it’s been a lot of fun, obviously,” Sarff said. “Our team I feel like has come a long way from when we first started. I’m just happy to see where it’s come.”

For two consecutive nights at I-55, Sarff was the fastest driver in the national Midget world. He led 39 of 60 contested Feature laps, won a Heat Race and garnered his third Whitz Racing Products Quick Time Award of the season. When the weekend was over, he had collected a grand total of $11,500, including a $7,500 check as victor of the richest race in Series history Saturday night and his fourth win of the season — second only to championship points leader Cannon McIntosh.

Looking back, Sarff said he’s proud of the feat and knows the weight of what he was able to accomplish that weekend, but that hasn’t changed his mindset going forward.

“I still feel like I’m just a little kid racing Quarter Midgets; I don’t feel any more special than I did back when I was a little kid,” Sarff said. “I’m just hoping to keep growing and stay humble just to show kids that are coming up that you don’t have to change when you start winning races. Just keep being you.”

In keeping his sharp skills and humble personality, Sarff has gained the respect of his competitors — most notably fellow Illinoisan and inaugural Xtreme Outlaw Series champion, Zach Daum.

“Karter Sarff – you’ll never have an issue racing with him, and he’s still a kid,” Daum said. “He’s only 21. I remember when Karter started racing Quarter Midgets.

“Karter’s just a good kid and his results are showing it right now. For not being a full-time guy, he’s won just as many races as anybody else has. He does it cleanly. He doesn’t tear nobody up, he doesn’t crash nobody, he races hard.”

“I’ve always been a big fan of Zach’s; I have his Midget diecast here at the house,” Sarff said. “He was always someone I watched when I was real young and wanted to run Midgets. It’s really cool to have the respect from him and be able to race with him every weekend.”

In his time watching the veterans of Midget racing like Daum, Sarff has picked up on their techniques and applied them to his own style, which he said keeps him going fast and out of trouble.

“Maybe it’s the way I was raised, but I always wanted to gain the respect of everyone I was racing,” Sarff said. “Especially racing adults being a young kid, I didn’t want to be one of those kids that just went out there and drove like an idiot and crashed everyone.

“That’s just the way I was raised; it’s the way I want to win races.”

His surge of success in the Midget, which began after his first two Xtreme Outlaw Series wins in 2023 afforded him several new opportunities in 2024 with Chase Briscoe Racing (CBR). The NASCAR Cup Series star and former dirt track racer tapped Sarff to drive a second CBR entry at the Chili Bowl Nationals in January, where he qualified for his first career A-Main in the marquee Midget event.

His crew chief during the event was Paul May — the former Winged Sprint Car racer from Terre Haute, IN, and Briscoe’s Sprint Car crew chief before he made his move to full-time NASCAR competition in the late 2010s. Together, May helped Sarff punch his ticket into the Chili Bowl main event via transfer spot in the final B-Main and finished 18th in his first A-Main start.

Since then, May has continued to provide Sarff with his Midget and Sprint Car expertise throughout the season, resulting in four Xtreme Outlaw Series wins and his first career Sprint Car victory with the Midwest Open Wheel Association (MOWA) in April.

“I work on all my own stuff here at my house, and Paul usually just texts me what he wants on it,” Sarff said. “We scale it and go through it over the phone. Paul never gets to come to our shop because he’s in Indiana and I’m in Illinois. So, we just have a package that we go through, scale the car, show up to the track and that’s what we got. It seems to be working good so far.”

That Sprint Car win also came driving for CBR — one month after Briscoe announced Sarff would be in the driver’s seat for the reopening of his Sprint Car team.

“Once I started the NASCAR journey, I always knew I wanted to stay a part of the sport as an owner give back to drivers I felt like deserved opportunities because I wouldn’t be where I am today without the same thing,” Briscoe said in a team press release in March. “I’m super excited this year to have Karter Sarff try wing Sprint Car racing, he did an amazing job in our midget at Chili Bowl and he has a bright future ahead. It will be a lot of fun for me to be able to race a few races this year with my dad again and then watch him and Karter go run as well.”

Sarff started on the pole and led all 25 laps around the 4/10-mile of Red Hill Raceway in his first race out with the CBR Sprint Car team, led by Briscoe’s father, Kevin.

“With Kevin, he’s just real knowledgeable with everything as well,” Sarff said. “Listening to what he says about things, how things work, I’ve been able to build a pretty good notebook in my head of how things work and how things should work.

“They’ve been a lot of help to get my knowledge to where I want it to be. Obviously, I still have a lot to learn, and I’m just happy to be around a good, smart group of guys.”

As the Midget season winds down, Sarff has reflected on what’s brought his career to this point. Thirteen months ago, he was a regional Midget racer still looking for his first major breakthrough. Now, he’s a budding open-wheel talent racing for a NASCAR star’s team and a threat to win any national Midget series event he competes in.

“I’m not sure what clicked for me, but I think the Sprint Cars helped a lot,” Sarff said. “Just slowing the Midget down, and I think my racecraft has improved a lot for whatever reason. I guess just watching, paying attention and learning from my mistakes.”

Sarff will be back in action with the Xtreme Outlaw Midget Series presented by Toyota — Sept. 13-15 for a three-race swing through his home state at Southern Illinois Raceway, Highland Speedway and Adams County (IL) Speedway. Advance sale tickets are available at the link below.

SOUTHERN ILLINOIS RACEWAY TICKETS ($5 off with advanced purchased)

If you can’t be at the track to watch in person, stream every lap live on DIRTVision.

Cruz Pedregon

NHRA U.S. Nationals – Indianapolis

Pre-Race Report

News of Note: Cruz is one of the few Funny Car drivers to win the U.S. Nationals three times, and he’s looking to make it four at this year’s “Big Go.”

Cruz Pedregon Racing will hold its annual Open House at the team’s headquarters at 462 Southpoint Cir. #A, in Brownsburg, IN before the U.S. Nationals. Some 2,000 fans are expected to attend the event from 5 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday, August 29. Autographs will begin at 7 p.m. (The event is open to media.)

Quotes for the upcoming U.S. Nationals – 

Cruz Pedregon, two-time Funny Car World Champion

“Our motto for The Big Go weekend is ‘Go big or go home.’ So, we’re planning to throw it down and see who’s standing at the end. We like our chances, we feel good, and the team is ready to go.”

“We tested after the Brainerd race with great results. We got the car to leave the starting line really hard and fast and made two great runs there. We’re bringing that knowledge and results to the U.S. Nationals, our biggest race of the year.”

“There are technically seven-and-a-half races this weekend if you count the Pep Boys call-out race we’re a part of on Sunday. It will include the eight top qualifying cars from throughout the year. We’re looking forward to getting in three good runs to prepare for race day on Monday.” 

“I’m one of the few drivers to win Indy three times. We would love to win it a fourth. The car, team, and work we’ve done are lining up for a good solid run towards The Countdown and a strong finish for the Snap-on^Ⓡ Dodge^Ⓡ Hellcat.”

“We are going to have our annual open house here at our headquarters from 5 – 8:30 p.m. Thursday before the race weekend, and we’re expecting upwards of 2,000 fans to attend. It’s been a tradition before Indy for fans to come out to see the shop and a car show, experience the live music and food trucks, and support some of the charitable work we do. We’re looking forward to opening the headquarters and welcoming NHRA fans.”

On the side of Cruz’s car:

●      With more than 16,000 professional automotive jobs in Indiana, there’s sure to be a host of Makers and Fixers who visit Cruz’s shop and attend the U.S. Nationals this weekend. Cruz’s primary sponsor Snap-on, recognizes these Makers and Fixers with their tribute Funny Car paint scheme and encourages everyone to follow Makers and Fixers on Instagram and submit their own inspiring stories to makersandfixers.com.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (August 27, 2024) – An unexpectedly tight Grand National Championship battle arrives at the Illinois State Fairgrounds in Springfield, Illinois for the Springfield Mile I & II presented by Drag Specialties on August 31-September 1, the penultimate weekend of the 2024 Progressive American Flat Track season, sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing. Reigning Mission AFT SuperTwins champion Jared Mees (No. 1 Rogers Racing/SDI Racing/Indian Motorcycle FTR750) entered the preceding Arrowhead Brass Sturgis TT eying a realistic pathway to clinching an unprecedented tenth Grand National Championship this weekend at the iconic event he co-promotes with his wife, Nichole. However, an incident that took place while Mees was attempting to charge his way up through the field resulted in a disqualification in Sturgis along with a significantly closer points chase. Mees now leads second-ranked Brandon Robinson (No. 44 Mission Roof Systems Indian FTR750) by just six points and third-placed Briar Bauman (No. 3 Rick Ware Racing/KTM/Parts Plus KTM 790 Duke) by just 12. Further complicating Mees’ march to history is the fact that both Robinson and Bauman have stood atop the podium at Springfield – Robinson in doubleheader fashion on August 31 and September 1 of 2013 and Bauman the last time the Mission AFT SuperTwins lined up at the venue less than a year ago. However, the champ is far from defenseless in his mission to retain the #1 plate. One of the sport’s all-time great milers, Mees has repeatedly proven himself up to the task when under pressure, as evidenced by his record-tying nine championships, and at Springfield specifically, where he boasts an incredible eight victories. Of course, Mees, Robinson, and Bauman won’t be on track alone. Several potential spoilers could play an outsized role in swaying the championship standings one way or the other at a track that lends itself to incredibly close and unpredictable racing. Ten of the most recent twelve Springfield Miles have been decided by under a second. And of those twelve, half have seen three riders finish within a second of victory, four with four riders in contention, two with seven or more, and one that featured ten riders crossing the stripe at the checkered flag separated by less than a second. During that span, Davis Fisher (No. 67 Rackley Racing/Bob Lanphere’s BMC Racing Indian FTR750) and Bronson Bauman (No. 37 Fastrack Racing Mission Foods KTM 790 Duke) have finished on the podium and within a second of victory at Springfield, while Brandon Price (No. 92 Memphis Shades/Sody Ent/OTBR Yamaha MT-07) and Jarod Vanderkooi (No. 20 JMC Motorsports/Fairway Ford Ohio Indian FTR750) have finished within a second of the win. Meanwhile, rookies Trevor Brunner (No. 21 Mission Foods/Zanotti Racing Indian FTR750), Declan Bender (No. 70 GOMR/BriggsAuto.com/Martin Trucking Indian FTR750), and Max Whale (No. 18 Latus Motors Racing/Liqui Moly Harley-Davidson XG750R) are primed to join that list as they return to Springfield armed with the experience of engaging in last year’s huge pack war for victory aboard 450s. Parts Unlimited AFT Singles presented by KICKER By scoring his sixth win of the ‘24 season, Kody Kopp (No. 1 Rick Ware Racing/Parts Plus KTM 450 SX-F) has put himself in strong position to clinch the Parts Unlimited AFT Singles presented by KICKER title early for the third year in succession. To do so, he need only end the weekend with 25 points in hand (perhaps 26 depending on how tiebreakers continue to shake out). At the moment, his advantage stands at 34 points over Chase Saathoff (No. 88 JPG Motorsports Honda CRF450R) and 40 over Tom Drane (No. 59 Estenson Racing Yamaha YZ450F). While the margin separating first from second and third in the championship chase is considerable, that doesn’t reflect the recent reality on track, where Kopp, Saathoff, and Drane have taken two wins apiece over the last six races. Expect that same sort of competitiveness to continue at Springfield with the likes of Trent Lowe (No. 48 American Honda/Mission Foods CRF450R), James Ott (No. 19 1st Impressions Race Team Husqvarna FC450), Tarren Santero (No. 75 Vinson Construction/P&M Motorcycles Honda CRF450R), Evan Renshaw (No. 265 American Honda/Mission Foods CRF450R), Tyler Raggio(No. 55 Raggio Racing/Sluggo Racing KTM 450 SX-F), and Jared Lowe (No. 63 BigR/Little Debbie Racing Honda CRF450R) liable to turn this into a ten-rider barnburner for the top step on the podium. There will also be plenty of off-track activities for fans to enjoy throughout the weekend, including the CAT Command Trailer, numerous vendors, expansive food and beverage options, and dedicated motorcycle parking. All tickets are $10 off if purchased prior to Wednesday. If you act fast, Infield Standing RoomOnly tickets remain just $20 (kids 12 and under $5), Reserved Grandstand tickets are $35, and Premium Reserved Grandstand are $45. Fans also have the opportunity to enjoy a VIP Experience by selecting a special ticket option that provides access to a premier reserved seat in front of the start/finish line and includes food, beverage, and a Pit Pass for $150. Pit Pass Upgrades are also available for purchase for non-VIP tickets, which provide all-day access to the pits where fans can scope out the world’s fastest dirt track motorcycles and get up close and personal with the stars of the sport. Fans who purchase Saturday and Sunday tickets will receive a $5 discount at checkout. To reserve your tickets today, visit: Mission Springfield Mile I & II: https://www.tixr.com/groups/meespromotions/events/springfield-i-and-ii-89223Mission Springfield Mile I: https://www.tixr.com/groups/meespromotions/events/springfield-mile-i-89224Mission Springfield Mile II:https://www.tixr.com/groups/meespromotions/events/springfield-mile-ii-89225 Gates will open for fans at 10:00 a.m. ET (7:00 a.m. PT) both days, with Opening Ceremonies set to begin at 2:30 p.m. ET (11:30 a.m. PT) on Saturday and Sunday. 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/aftor by downloading the FloSports app on iOS, Android, Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Fire and Chromecast. FOX Sports coverage of the Springfield Mile I & II presented by Drag Specialties, featuring in-depth features and thrilling onboard cameras, will premiere on FS1 on Sunday, September 8. The Springfield Mile I will air at 7:00 a.m. ET (4:00 a.m. PT) with the Springfield Mile II scheduled for 11:00 a.m. ET (8:00 a.m. PT). For more information on Progressive AFT visit https://www.americanflattrack.com.

GREENWOOD, LA (Aug. 27, 2024) – Before the World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Models conclude their 2024 season at the World of Outlaws World Finals, they’ll set the stage for the final war of stars with two high-paying debuts.

First, the Series will visit Boothill Speedway in Greenwood, IL, for the first time on Friday, Sept. 27, and then venture to Rocket Raceway Park in Petty, TX, on Saturday, Sept. 28. Both events will pay $15,000 to win and feature a $65,000 overall purse.

Along with the Series debuting at both tracks, it’ll also be the first time the two tracks host a national Late Model series. However, some of the full-time World of Outlaws drivers do have experience at Boothill and Rocket.

Reigning Series champion Bobby Pierce won at Boothill with the Comp Cams Super Dirt Series in March and Louisiana native Cade Dillard has four wins at the track, most recently in September 2023.

During the March Comp Cams event, 2024 World of Outlaws MD3 Rookie of the Year contender Tristan Chamberlain also competed in the race and finished 10th.

Dillard and Dustin Sorensen – current MD3 Rookie of the Year leader – are the only current full-time Series drivers with a win at Rocket Raceway Park. However, their wins came in a Modified.

The last major Late Model race at Rocket was the Comp Cams Super Dirt Series event last year, which Dillard finished second in.

If you can’t make it to the tracks, you can watch both races live on DIRTVision.

EVENT INFO
Date – Friday, Sept. 27
Location – Greenwood, LA

Times (CT) –
Pit Gate Opens: 4 p.m.
Grandstands Open: 5 p.m.

Tickets – Available at track.

EVENT INFO
Date – Saturday, Sept. 28
Location – Petty, TX

Times (CT) –
Pit Gate Opens: 5 p.m.
Grandstands Open: 6 p.m.

ORRVILLE, OH (Aug. 27, 2024) – Ohio will welcome the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series for the final time this year with a doubleheader weekend to conclude September.The Series will make its highly anticipated return to Wayne County Speedway, in Orrville, on Friday, Sept. 27, and then venture back to Dave Blaney’s Sharon Speedway, in Hartford, on Saturday, Sept. 28.Wayne County Speedway becomes a prime stop on the tour again for the first time since 2020. Sheldon Haudenschild, who grew up about 15 minutes from the track in Wooster, won that event – his first Series win at his home track.The World of Outlaws Buckeye Brawl event will see the World of Outlaws stars go up against Ohio’s best local talent, such as Brandon Spithaler, Trey Jacobs, Leyton Wagner – the current 410 Sprint Car points leader at the track – and more.Then, the World of Outlaws return to Sharon Speedway for the Federated Auto Parts Showdown – the Series’ second visit to the 3/8-mile dirt track this year. During the Series’ last visit in May, David Gravel held off 10-time Series champion Donny Schatz and Carson Macedo to score his first Series win at the track.The weekend will also start the road to the World of Outlaws World Finals (Nov. 6-9) as there will only be 10 races left until the championship determining weekend.If you can’t make it to the tracks, you can watch all the action from both races live on DIRTVision.EVENT INFO Date – Friday, Sept. 27 Location – Orrville, OH Track Record – 13.808 sec. by Spencer Bayston on April 21, 2018Times (ET) – Pit Gates Open: 2 p.m. Grandstands Open: 4 p.m. Hot Laps & Qualifying: 6:30 p.m.Tickets – Available HERE.Last Race Video Recap (Sept. 25, 2020) – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKUtGve0F8YPrevious World of Outlaws winners at Wayne County – 2020 –Sheldon Haudenschild on Sept. 25 1985 – Steve Kinser on Aug. 6 1984 – Bobby Davis, Jr. on June 9 1981 – Steve Kinser on June 14 1979 – Steve Kinser on July 29EVENT INFO Date – Saturday, Sept. 28 Location – Hartford, OH Track Record – 12.704 sec. by Danny Holtgraver on Aug. 20, 2013Times (ET) – Pit Gates Open: 2 p.m. Grandstands Open: 4 p.m. Hot Laps & Qualifying: 6:30 p.m.Tickets – Available HERE.Last Race Video Recap (May 18, 2024) – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJ2whoFW-T0Previous World of Outlaws winners at Sharon – 2024 – David Gravel on May 18 2023 – Donny Schatz on May 20, Brad Sweet on Sept. 23 2022 – Brad Sweet on Sept. 24 2021 – Dave Blaney on May 22 2007 –Steve Kinser on June 1 2006 – Jac Haudenschild on May 20 2005 – Jason Meyers on June 3 2004 – Danny Lasoski on June 4, Steve Kinser on July 28 2003 – Steve Kinser on July 30, Steve Kinser on July 30 2002 – Danny Lasoski on May 31, Joey Saldana on July 31

TF Sport looking for season’s best FIA WEC result in series’ lone American stop DETROIT (August 27, 2024) – TF Sport and the Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R program come full-circle this weekend as the FIA World Endurance Championship returns to Circuit of The Americas for the first time since 2020 at the six-hour Lone Star Le Mans.

Two of the TF Sport-run Corvettes are set for Sunday’s race around the 21-turn, 3.4-mile circuit in Austin. It’s the lone visit to the U.S. for the FIA WEC and the pair of first-year GT3.Rs that are part of the LMGT3 class.  However, it isn’t the first race for the Corvettes at COTA this season as the Corvette swept both rounds of GT World Challenge America.  Despite a difference in weather conditions – May vs. September and tires – Pirelli vs. Goodyear – there are significant lessons that can carry over to the WEC round.  From an engineering perspective, suspension and other points in chassis setup – with validations from Chevrolet’s Driver in the Loop simulator – should provide a solid baseline for when TF Sport arrives at COTA and hits the track for Friday’s first practice.

CORVETTE RACING MEDIA INFO Corvette Racing media information is updated and available ahead of the Lone Star Le Mans for the FIA World Endurance Championship. Materials include Corvette Racing event advance and quotes, Corvette Racing stats and figures, Corvette Z06 GT3.R racecar comparisons, Corvette Racing Fast Facts, factory driver biographies and Corvette Racing photography, among other items.

The squad has previous success at COTA with a GTE-Am class win in the last FIA WEC event at the track in 2020. Corvette factory driver Charlie Eastwood was part of the winning lineup and was part of the program’s first test with the Corvette Z06 GT3.R roughly a year ago. Eastwood will continue in the No. 81 Corvette alongside full-season teammates Tom Van Rompuy and Rui Andrade – each of which will compete at COTA for the first time. So will all three members of the No. 82 Z06 GT3.R lineup: while Hiroshi Koizumi, Sebastien Baud and factory driver Daniel Juncadella, who also tested the Corvette for the first at COTA last August. The Lone Star Le Mans is scheduled for 1 p.m. CT on Sunday, September 1. MotorTrend TV will air live television coverage with streaming coverage on the FIA WEC app and the MAX app in the U.S. Radio Le Mans also will stream audio coverage of Saturday’s final practice and qualifying, plus Sunday’s race.

TF SPORT PRE-EVENT DRIVER QUOTESCHARLIE EASTWOOD, NO. 81 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “In general it’s a fantastic track. It’s undergone some repaving so it will be interesting to see what happens with that. I have fond memories of COTA. The last time we were there in WEC we won the race, which was a great result. It also was the very first place I got to drive the Z06 GT3.R a year ago in the heat of the summer, which is what we’re going to have. I think it will suit the car very well. Degradation will be a key – in the middle of summer in Austin it’s not going to be cool at all – so managing that from the outset will be important. I’m looking forward to it. Brazil wasn’t a great result but we showed some strong pace, which at the minute is what we need to show. We’ve got a bit of confidence going in.”The three sectors are three different racetracks, for sure. The first is super-high speed. You really have to have a good aero platform to get through. It’s still seven corners but they’re almost all high-speed so you need a good car under you. The middle sector is super-tricky with really long apexes and really late apexes. Then going to the final sector you still need a really good car under you. There is a lot of speed so the deg will be high. It’s a really tricky track to get it fully hooked up. It’s a super-long lap with a lot of high-speed corners with a lot of corners… it’ll test both the car and the drivers. Hopefully we can put everything together for a good result.”

RUI ANDRADE, NO. 81 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “I’m very excited to race in COTA for the first time. The track is incredible and to race a Corvette in the USA is such an amazing opportunity. The season hasn’t been easy for us but we are taking steps forward, and in Brazil we saw some good steps in performance. I can’t wait to hit the track and give it our all to try and chase some trophies.”

DANIEL JUNCADELLA, NO. 82 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “COTA will be quite a special event for me. I’ve never raced at COTA but I did my first test there in a Corvette GT3 last August. So it’s cool to close out my first proper year of driving Corvettes at COTA. With it being the home WEC race for the Corvette should be a good event. The track is cool. Watching on TV, you always think it’s not super-exciting because there is so much asphalt runoffs there. But when I drove there last year, I was quite impressed by the combination of high-speed corners, the fast changes of direction and elevation. It’s quite interesting and I really enjoyed it, even though I only drove maybe 20 or 25 laps. So it should be cool. It will be difficult to manage the heat so that will play a big role in terms of strategy and how we manage the tires. These are a couple of good ingredients to make the race quite exciting for everybody. Hopefully we can navigate those and get our best result for the season.”

2024 FIA World Endurance Championship PointsLMGT3 Drivers Standings1. Aliaksandr Malykhin/Joel Sturm/Klaus Bachler – 1002. Morris Schuring/Richard Lietz/Yasser Shahin – 753. Augusto Farfus/Darren Leung/Sean Gelael – 744. Alex Riberas/Daniel Mancinelli/Ian James – 555. Alessio Rovera/Francois Heriau/Simon Mann – 4920. Charlie Eastwood/Rui Andrade/Tom Van Rompuy – 1122. Daniel Juncadella/Hiroshi Koizumi/Sebastien Baud – 10 LMGT3 Teams Standings1. No. 92 Manthey PureRxcing – 1002. No. 91 Manthey EMA – 753. No. 31 Team WRT – 744. No. 27 Heart of Racing Team – 555. No. 55 Vista AF Corse – 4915. No. 81 TF Sport – 1117. No. 82 TF Sport – 10 CORVETTE RACING AT COTA: By the Numbers• 3: Generations of Corvette Racing entries at COTA since 2013 – Corvette C6.R (2013), Corvette C7.R (2014-2019) and the mid-engine Corvette C8.R – which raced at COTA for the first time in WEC competition in 2020 – and Z06 GT3.R, both of which are eighth-gen Corvettes• 4: Class wins at COTA for Corvette Racing entries in two championships: IMSA and GT World Challenge America. Antonio Garcia and Jan Magnussen won twice in ALMS GT/WeatherTech Championship GTLM. Tommy Milner and Alec Udell won in GT World Challenge America earlier this year in the first wins for the Corvette Z06 GT3.R• 8: Wins this year for the Corvette Z06 GT3.R including two earlier this year at Circuit of The Americas• 14: Manufacturer Championships for Chevrolet and Corvette Racing since 2001• 27: Tracks at which Corvette Racing has won races – Baltimore, Charlotte Motor Speedway, COTA, Canadian Tire Motorsport Park/Mosport, Daytona, Detroit, Houston, Laguna Seca, Le Mans, Lime Rock, Long Beach, Miami, Mid-Ohio, Monza, Portimão, Portland, Road America, Road Atlanta, Sebring, Sonoma, St. Petersburg, Texas, Trois Rivieres, Utah, VIR, Washington DC and Watkins Glen• 51: Number of drivers in Corvette Racing entries since 1999. DXDT Racing’s Bryson Morris joined the list at Road America in GT World Challenge America• 71: Years since Corvette was introduced to the world on Jan. 17, 1953 in New York City. A total of 300 cars were produced that year• 135: Victories worldwide for Corvette Racing – 116 in IMSA, nine at Le Mans, three in the FIA WEC and seven in GT World Challenge America• 302: Event starts by Corvette Racing entries since 1999, starting with that year’s Rolex 24 At Daytona. No. 300 came in early August at Road America in IMSA• 3845.40: Number of racing miles completed by Corvette Racing in its eight previous events at Circuit of The Americas. That represents 24 trips across the Texas Panhandle.• 387,712.20: Total number of racing miles completed by Corvette Racing since its inception. To put that in perspective, Corvette Racing is more than halfway to the distance traveled by Apollo 13 – the longest manned spaceflight in history: 622,268 miles. That means Corvette Racing has raced to the moon and more than halfway back! Corvette Racing at Circuit of The Americas2013 – IMSANo. 3 Corvette C6.R: Antonio Garcia/Jan Magnussen – 1st in GTNo. 4 Corvette C6.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 11th in GT 2014 – IMSANo. 3 Corvette C7.R: Antonio Garcia/Jan Magnussen – 9th in GTLMNo. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 10th in GTLM 2014 – FIA WECNo. 65 Corvette C7.R: Tommy Milner/Jordan Taylor/Ricky Taylor – 7th in GTE Pro (FIA WEC entry) 2015 – IMSANo. 3 Corvette C7.R: Antonio Garcia/Jan Magnussen: 6th in GTLMNo. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner: 8th in GTLM 2016 – IMSANo. 3 Corvette C7.R: Antonio Garcia/Jan Magnussen: 3rd in GTLMNo. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner: 5th in GTLM 2017 – IMSANo. 3 Corvette C7.R: Antonio Garcia/Jan Magnussen: 1st in GTLMNo. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner: 7th in GTLM 2020 – FIA WECNo. 63 Corvette C8.R: Jan Magnussen/Mike Rockenfeller: 6th in GTE Pro 2024 – GT World ChallengeNo. 63 Corvette Z06 GT3.R: Tommy Milner/Alec Udell – 1st,1st in ProNo. 08 Corvette Z06 GT3.R: Bryan Sellers/Scott Smithson – 6th, 11th in Pro-Am

Team Chevy high-resolution racing photos are available for editorial use.

DAYTONA, FL – August 26, 2024 – Harrison Burton won the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway on Saturday, marking his first win in the NASCAR Cup Series and 100th win for Wood Brothers Racing.

“Congratulations to Leonard, Len, Eddie, Jon, Jeremy, Harrison, and everyone at Wood Brothers Racing on the race win at Daytona,” said Doug Yates, President and CEO of Roush Yates Engines. “Reaching 100 wins in the Cup Series is a monumental achievement for the Wood Brothers and a reflection of the passion, dedication, and talent this family has brought to our sport. It’s an honor to be a part of their journey and to see them reach such a significant milestone.”

“I cried for the whole cool down lap.  It’s just been the hardest three years of my life. There’s no denying. It’s just been rough and these guys have rallied behind me when it matters the most. Going to every single race with the same mentality of trying to win because we could get number 100. We kept saying that in our meetings that we had a chance to get No. 100 for the Wood Brothers and that’s something that you can’t take lightly. We as a group have that place in history now forever for the 100th win for the Wood Brothers and, to me, that just means the world,” commented Burton.

“This is beyond words,” remarked Eddie Wood, CEO and co-owner of Wood Brothers Racing. “This has been such a long time coming, the hundredth win. We’ve been with Motorcraft Quick Lane and Ford Performance for over twenty years and you just can’t put that into words. Edsel Ford, all his family, Jim Farley – there’s just so many people in our world to make this happen. It’s just unbelievable.” “Ford and Motorcraft Quick Lane have stuck behind us for over twenty years now,” said Len Wood, COO and co-owner of Wood Brothers Racing. “To get our 100th win is so special, and we couldn’t do it without those people. It’s great to get a win here at Daytona. This is the place you want to be, right here.”

“The Wood Brothers are family to us at Ford and to see them get their 100th win means so much to all of us who have followed them through the years,” said Mark Rushbrook, Global Director, Ford Performance Motorsports. “When you think of Ford and its NASCAR program, you think of the Wood Brothers. Their loyalty to us for the last 74 years is unmatched and we couldn’t be prouder.”

Seven Ford Performance drivers started Saturday night’s race from the top-10 with Front Row Motorsports teammates Michael McDowell and Todd Gilliland sweeping the front row, Team Penske’s Joey Logano in 3rd, Stewart-Haas Racing teammates Ryan Preece in 4th, Josh Berry in 5th, and Chase Briscoe in 6th, along with Team Penske’s Austin Cindric in 8th. The field remained 3-wide for the entire first stage with several drivers swapping the lead back and forth. Stewart-Haas Racing’s Josh Berry won Stage 1, earning his first stage win of the season. After pit stops during the stage break, Team Penske’s Joey Logano took the lead and didn’t look back, winning Stage 2. After several late-race cautions, the race went into overtime. Harrison Burton started on the outside of the front row alongside Kyle Busch. Burton was able to make the race-winning pass on the last lap, finishing 0.047 seconds ahead of second place Kyle Busch.

Four Ford Performance drivers finished in the top 10: Rick Ware Racing’s Cody Ware in P4, Roush Fenway Keselowski (RFK) Racing’s Brad Keselowski in P8, and teammate Chris Buescher in P10.

The NASCAR Xfinity Series also raced at Daytona on Friday. Stewart-Haas Racing’s Riley Herbst finished in P4 and RSS Racing’s Ryan Sieg finished in P5.  The NASCAR Cup and Xfinity Series both compete this weekend at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, SC.

39 CHAMPIONSHIPS – 467 WINS – 434 POLES

CHICAGO (August 26, 2024) — Funny Car driver Chris King grew up attending the Toyota NHRA U.S. Nationals as a fan and then a crew member on Lucas Oil Series sportsman teams. The magnitude of participating in the “Big Go” for the first time as a nitro Funny Car driver with a competitive team is starting to sink in with the full-time Chicago firefighter as he prepares for his third race of the season. King will once again be behind the wheel of the Competition Products/Howards Cams Funny Car that he owns and is tuned by veteran crew chief Bob Peck, at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park, August 30 – September 2.

Chris King is ready for historic US Nationals Labor Day Weekend

“I get goosebumps thinking about racing at the U.S. Nationals,” said King. “This is the biggest race of the season, it is the 70^th Toyota U.S. Nationals and I will be competing against the best of the best. I feel like I am in the best position heading into a race I have ever been in. When I got out of the race car in Norwalk, I couldn’t wait to get back into it for the U.S. Nationals.”

During the Summit Racing Equipment Nationals King qualified No. 15 and gave J.R. Todd and the DHL Toyota Funny Car team a solid race in the first round. The Competition Products/Howards Cams Funny Car has continued to improve throughout the 2024 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season in limited appearances. Between races King and Peck have been adding parts and working on a tune-up that will set them up for success at the U.S. Nationals and beyond.

“I am being realistic about our program, but we have a Funny Car that can run 4.10s and we will plan on doing that right out of the trailer in Indy,” said King, who started his Funny Car career in Denver in 2021. “We can chip away at that time over the next four sessions, and I feel like we can have a Funny Car that can make low four second or high three second runs. It is exciting to think about. Every driver wants to win the U.S. Nationals. I am not being cocky, but Indy is a place that if you can make the show, magic can happen on Monday.”

King has enjoyed long-time support from Competition Products and Howards Cams throughout his career and this year he added Fire Department Coffee to his marketing program, which only makes sense considering he is an active firefighter. The marketing relationships King has fostered combined with his growing status as a fan-favorite continue to motivate him to build a program that aspires to be on tour full-time.

“Every race we attend I try and make new fans and deliver for all our sponsors,” said King. “We will be doing two pre-event fanfests and I will be on the ropes signing autographs for anyone who wants to come by our pits. This event is so special, and I want to really make a good impression. This team works hard to look professional and compete on the track. We are going to throw down some good elapsed times and hopefully we will surprise some people. Drag racing is one sport where you really can work your butt off and see results because anything can happen when two 12,000-horsepower Funny Cars line up beside each other. I have been working on my lights and Bob has been working on the tune-up.”

In the 70-year history of the Toyota U.S. Nationals the list of winners includes dominant mega- teams and independent operations. This year King will be looking to make the field of 16 Funny Cars and see if he can capture some of the Indy magic that will write his name in to the history books.

Qualifying will begin on Friday night, August 30 and teams will have two more qualifying sessions each day on Saturday and Sunday. The quickest 16 Funny Cars will square off on Labor Day, Monday, September 2, looking to turn on four win lights and hoist the iconic Wally trophy at the end of the day. The race will be broadcast live throughout the weekend on FS1 and FOX. For additional event information visit www.nhra.com.

No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R seeking season-defining result in WEC ‘home’ race

DETROIT (Aug. 26, 2024) – Cadillac Racing returns to Circuit of The Americas this week, aiming to deliver a season-defining result in its FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) homecoming. The six-hour Lone Star Le Mans – the sixth round of the eight-race season — also marks the WEC’s return to the racecourse in Austin, Texas, after a three-year absence. The race was a fixture on the calendar from 2013-2017. Green flag is scheduled for 1 p.m. CDT Sunday.

Media resources* Preview in French* Cadillac event guide* Cadillac ’24 WEC stats* Driver candid photos* Pink Cadillac Day* That iconic engine sound GM COTA highlights* Cadillac DPi-V.R sweeps podium in 2017 IMSA race.* Chevrolet Corvette DP sweeps podium in 2016 IMSA race.* Chevrolet Corvette DP wins 2013 Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series race.* Johnny O’Connell wins 2016 Pirelli World Challenge race in Cadillac ATS-V.R GT3 and the 2013 race in a Cadillac CTS-V.

Sebring International Raceway hosted the last WEC race in the U.S. in March 2023, which was also the debut of the Cadillac Racing Hypercar program. The No. 2 V-Series.R turned heads with a fourth-place finish. GM Motorsports has had successful runs at the 3.426-mile road course, including the Cadillac DPi-V.R sweeping the podium in the 2-hour, 40-minute (73 laps) IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship race in 2017.This year, Earl Bamber and Alex Lynn will pilot the No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R, which is the only Hypercar entry to qualify in the top four in each of the past three races (second at Spa-Francorchamps and Le Mans, fourth at Brazil). Eighteen Hypercars are entered.“I love the fact that we have such passionate fans in America, and I think they’ll enjoy seeing the WEC there again,” said Bamber, a New Zealand native who lives in Atlanta. “I think there is going to be a lot of America at the event. It’s some of the best racing in the world right now, especially in Hypercar and I think for fans going to COTA, seeing this field will be a great spectacle.”

Different vantage point Ride along in the No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R during the Lone Star Le Mans at 1 p.m. CDT Sunday. WATCH

Bamber is a two-time winner at COTA, including co-driving to an LMP1 victory in 2017, and both drivers tested at COTA in July prior to completion of full-course resurfacing. Portions of the course that incorporates 113 feet of elevation change were repaved earlier this year. Cars will run counterclockwise on the 20-turn (11 left, 9 right) track that opened in 2012 and draws inspiration from some renown international circuits.

An uphill run into the hairpin Turn 1 is the venue’s signature corner. Turns 3 through 6 take cues from Silverstone’s high-speed Maggotts-Becketts-Chapel complex and Turns 12 through 15 are a nod to Hockenheim’s stadium section. “COTA is a very technical track, very difficult to get right,” Lynn said. “It really is amazing behind the wheel, and to watch from grandstands and viewing banks.” Race day is Pink Cadillac Day, which is celebrated annually on September 1 to honor the iconic 1950s car. Cadillac is embedded in pop culture, being featured in more than 400 movie scenes and referenced in more than 300 songs. A special pink Cadillac prototype racecar will complement the exciting lineup of Cadillac V-Series vehicles on display during the weekend.What they’re saying

Earl Bamber: “I love the fact that we have such passionate fans in America, and I think they’ll enjoy seeing the WEC there again. The fans make the American races. You go to Sebring you see them camping for a whole week. The same at Road Atlanta and Daytona. I think we’ll get a big turnout at COTA and Austin is a fantastic city to go to as well. I think there is going to be a lot of America at the event. Fans will see titanic battles. There is action all over the place all the time. I think it’s some of the best racing in the world right now, especially in the prototype class, and I think it will be a great spectacle for the fans. The teams are upping the level and it’s feeling more and more like a Formula One paddock when you walk through the paddock. (about the circuit) The track is super challenging and it’s going to be hot, so it will be a real endurance race for the cars and the drivers behind the wheel. After the test there, we’ll be well-prepared, and we’ll be able to lean on our American colleagues as well from what they know. I think it will be one of the highlights of the program. A lot of people talk about the climb leading into the first corner, but actually I like the last sector with a really fast, long right-hand corner and the other fast corner to finish the lap. Overall, I think it is going to be grueling, a challenge for the teams for strategy and I think it’s going to race really well so looking forward to it.”

Alex Lynn: “Being back in the U.S. is really cool and important for us as GM. We want to win one of these races and stand on the podium again and that’s our goal. Because it was so hot (during July 2023 test) the grip was so low that actually it was alright. I hope it is a bit higher grip this time with the resurface, but I think that’s the thing with COTA is that when it’s so hot the grip becomes super low, so that actually wasn’t that difficult. COTA is a very technical track, very difficult to get right. There is a lot of lap time to be found with drivers exploiting the curbs. We don’t drive there a lot, so it’s a tough track to nail. But it’s a challenge we all enjoy. Sector 1 is by far my favorite. You’ve got that huge hill to Turn 1, then the big downhill sweeping into what is really a recreation of Maggots and Becketts from Silverstone. It really is amazing behind the wheel, and to watch from grandstands and viewing banks. Austin in itself is such a cool place too. Racing in the U.S. is cool, but that city just adds to it. The people there are so welcoming and for that reason I don’t know anyone who doesn’t love going there.”(July test days) “The test in Austin went well. The circuit had not been repaved before we tested, though it has been repaved since with the new F1 tarmac. That won’t be too much of a surprise with how our car will react. I believe our car works well on European tarmac tracks like Qatar and Imola, which recently were repaved FIA-grade tracks.”

POUGHKEEPSIE, NY (June 26, 2024) – Defending Trans Am Series champion Chris Dyson capped a dominating weekend in #16 GYM WEED Ford Mustang with a flag-to-flag from pole position win in Sunday’s 100-mile sprint race at Watkins Glen International. It was Dyson’s third pole and second win this season and his third career Watkins Glen Trans Am victory. He took both ends of the 2021 doubleheader on his way to the first of his three straight Trans Am titles. “This was a great day for us,” Dyson said after climbing from his car at the Winners Circle, surrounded by his family and CD Racing teammates. “The guys gave me a phenomenal race car. The work we put in last week in testing really paid off.  And it’s really wonderful to be able to share this with my family.” Not that it was an easy race for Dyson. He grabbed the lead going into the first turn and held it through two yellow-flag restarts, but Dyson’s 0.767 margin over Paul Menard at the checker was his widest of the race. While racing under the green flag Dyson never held more than a 3/10ths-second lead over Menard at the start/finish line. Most laps the gap was less than 2/10ths. “Paul and I raced each other hard but clean all day,” Dyson said. “Paul is an experienced veteran and he has a very fast car. He pressed me the whole way. I never blocked him, but I knew I had to drive a perfect race, including on those restarts. He tested me almost every lap in Turn 1, but we both gave each other racing room. I knew if I made even the slightest mistake and gave Paul an opening, he’d go for it.” Dyson made no mistakes and Menard never got a shot at the lead. This weekend marked Dyson’s 25th career victory and put him 4th on the list of all-time Trans Am winners. Matos’ Defends TA2-Class Lead With Podium Finish Rafa Matos’ closest competitor for the TA2 championship, Thomas Merrill, won Saturday’s race at Watkins Glen. But a late race charge to third place in his Concord American Flagpole Ford Mustang meant that three-time 2024 race winner Matos maintained his substantial lead in the TA2 title race. “We didn’t quite have a winning car today,” Matos admitted after the race. “But it was good enough to get us onto the podium, so we didn’t lose much to Thomas, who drove a great race.” Matos’ dominant position in the season-championship standing is in part due to his consistent top finishes. In the six races the two-time TA2 class champion hasn’t won this season, he’s only finished off the podium once. Next Up: Canadian Tire Motorsports Park The Trans Am series will be racing this weekend at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park for the first time since before Chris Dyson began contesting the series full-time in 2018. But the legendary Ontario circuit, formerly known as Mosport Park, has figured large in Chris Dyson’s career and in the history of Dyson Racing, with multiple IMSA American Le Mans Series wins at the venue to their account. “Mosport is a place that just takes your breath away as a driver,” Dyson noted. “It is very fast and very demanding. But also very rewarding to lap quickly. The team and I have loved racing there over the years and reconnecting with our Canadian fans. It has been a while since we have competed there (2015’s Pirelli World Challenge) and I’m excited to be coming back. The TA and TA2 classes will race together for the first time this season at the Canadian circuit. “The speed differential between the TA and TA2 cars is significant,” Dyson said. “Managing lapped traffic will be an additional challenge for drivers in both classes. And at this track there is little margin for error.”

CHEVROLET IN NTT INDYCAR SERIES

BITNILE.COM GRAND PRIX OF PORTLAND

PORTLAND INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY

PORTLAND, OREGON

TEAM CHEVY POST RACE RECAP

WITH QUOTES AND TRANSCRIPTS

AUGUST 25, 2024

AT PORTLAND INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY

JOSEF NEWGARDEN FINISHED THIRD TO GIVE CHEVROLET TWO ON PODIUM FOR BITNILE.COM GRAND PRIX OF PORTLAND

• Will Power, No. 12 Verizon Business Team Penske Chevrolet, scored his third win of the 2024 NTT INDYCAR Series season with today’s win at Portland International Raceway (PIR)-his second on the 1.964-mile/12-turn road course
• Power led 101 of the 110 laps; it is his sixth podium of the season and the 104^th of his career
• This victory is the 44^th of Power’s career and the first time since 2018 the two-time Series’ champion and Indianapolis 500 winner has scored three-plus victories in a season
• Two of his 2024 victories have been since INDYCAR introduced hybrid technology to the Series schedule at the Mid-Ohio race (Iowa Race 2 and today)
• Power leaves Portland second in the point standings, 54 points down to leader Alex Palou
• Josef Newgarden, No. 2 TireRack.com Team Penske Chevrolet, finished third to give Chevrolet two spots on podium
• Pole winner Santino Ferrucci, No. 14 Phoenix Investors AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet, kept his string of top-10 finishes alive with an eighth place finish today
• Team Chevy drivers scored four of the top-eight finishers today with Scott McLaughlin, No. 3 Freightliner Team Penske Chevrolet, racing his way from the 20^th starting position that was the result of six-place grid penalty
• Today’s win is the third for Chevrolet at PIR, the ninth win of the 14 races run to-date in 2024-four including the Indianapolis 500 with the tried and true 2.2 liter V6 configuration and five since the INDYCAR hybrid technology integration, and 120 victories since the Bowtie Brand returned to INDYCAR competition in 2012
• With three races remaining in the season, Chevrolet leads the Series’ Manufacturers Championship standings 1,236 to 1,110 points 
• The Hy-Vee Milwaukee Mile Doubleheader weekend August 30,31-September 1 is next on the calendar for Team Chevy in the NTT INDYCAR Series

TEAM CHEVY TOP-8 RACE RESULTS:

Pos.  Driver

1^st     Will Power

3^rd     Josef Newgarden

7^th     Scott McLaughlin

8^th     Santino Ferrucci

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING (QUOTES)

ROBERT BUCKNER, CHEVROLET ENGINEERING PROGRAM MANAGER FOR THE NTT INDYCAR SERIES:

“Congratulations to Will Power and the No. 12 Chevrolet team on their dominate win at Portland International Raceway. With just three races to go in the season, Will made a strong statement today that he is going to fight for this championship. I am very proud of the effort that has been put forth by our Chevrolet engineering group working with our teams to stay in this fight. After facing some unknowns with the mid-season introduction of the hybrid technology scoring our ninth victory today is a perfect example of the effort put forth to finish strong. “

WILL POWER, NO. 12 VERIZON BUSINESS TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET, WINNER:

On today’s race…“Just working hard. I’m enjoying the craft. Feel very lucky to be in this series and with this team. Days like this are hard to do. So many good drivers, so many good teams. To execute like that feels very good.” 

Talk about that dominance and your crew doing such a fantastic job…

“They picked the strategy really well. I just did my job and got them fuel numbers. Kept my eye on (Alex) Palou behind me. I could see the gap opening on Palou’s but I knew we had a better car. It was just a matter of getting through that traffic. That last stint, we were on new tires. We were very strong.” 

Heading back to the Milwaukee Mile next week, you’ve won there and did very good in the test as well. This could be a strong finish for you in the remaining three events…

“It could be very strong. I’ve been very strong on all the ovals this year. Won at Iowa, could’ve won last week. It was close but looking forward to it.” 

JOSEF NEWGARDEN, NO. 2 TIRERACK.COM TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET, FINISHED 3^RD:

“Good day for us, Team Penske. Obviously, a great team win for Will (Power). We could use that after the last weekend we had. It’s really great. He’s our highest car, so we need to make sure we finish this thing off right. I think the No. 2 car was great today. Finishing third is a great result. You always want more. I want to win every race we’re in. It’s stinks to not win it, but it was a good result for our team. Having TireRack.com on this weekend was great. They’ve been a great partner of ours especially with acquisition from Discount Tire. So, it’s fun to have them on the INDYCAR program. Team Chevy doing a great job today with two on the podium.

“It was pretty good. I think second was probably our potential. I think Will (Power) had everybody covered today. Hard to say that we were going to challenge him. Maybe if we started first and we could make something happen there, but I think top-three, second place, that’s where we were at today, so it was a really good result for the No. 2 car. TireRack.com, it was their first race sponsoring the No. 2 car. You always want a victory when someone new is on board. It was a good day. I’m happy Will got the win. He has been fast all weekend, and obviously, he’s still gunning for this championship. Definitely a car we want to finish up front, so this is a great day for us. I always want more, and I don’t like finishing third, but a good day for Team Penske.” 

There’s a lot of question marks and a lot of unknowns on what would be the preferred tire for today. Did it change throughout the race as what you thought may be the preferred tire? 

“Not for us. I was kind of waffling on it after the first stint thinking okay, is it going to be the red? Is it going to be the primary? But I wasn’t sure at that point. But going into it, I felt like the red was a little stronger for us and that ended up being the case. So, I think that was probably the preferred tire for our car and we managed with what we could. Lap traffic was hard today. We just couldn’t make much happen in that middle stint and that’s probably what slowed our progress in getting to the No. 10. Good, clean day. It could’ve went about as we expected. Just a touch short.” 

Championship aside, we head to two ovals to finish out the year. As the oval king, are you looking forward to getting to go to a couple of ovals? 

“I’ll be honest, I was more excited about here. I really was. I wanted us to get a win here on the road course and we had a good showing. I think we had the potential, but I like everywhere. It’s not just ovals that get me excited. It’s places like this. The biggest thing is we’re coming to the final stretch, right? Three races to go for us and I think we need to have a solid finish. We’re still in the championship fight with our team. We’ve got two good things to cheer for coming to the end of the season, and to wrap things up on a good note.” 

SCOTT MCLAUGHLIN, NO. 3 FREIGHTLINER TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET, FINISHED 7^TH:

On today’s race-a charge from 20^th to 7th

“I’m buggered. I’m tired. It was a hard charge but our Freightliner Chevy was good and the Thirsty Three’s were rapid on the pit stops. Really proud of the crew. I said to my wife who’s watching at home, hello Karly. I said top-seven today would be like a podium. I’m proud of that one and can’t wait to get home and then head to the final three races where on ovals we’ve proven we’ve been pretty good this year. We’ll see how we go.” 

You were really confident earlier in the weekend, and when you have a car like that you know you can get to the front. How does that impact how aggressive you are throughout the race? 

“You just have to trust once you get clearer, you can hit the lap time. You can’t make mistakes either, so it’s a credit to my crew that they kept me level headed throughout the whole race. There were a couple of times you get heated as you do, but overall, just disappointed with yesterday. That one is on me. Can’t do that on a championship run, but hey, we’re still in it until we’re mathematically out of it. I don’t care, I’m still in it. So, press on.” 

SANTINO FERRUCCI, NO. 14 PHOENIX INVESTMENTS AJ FOYT RACING CHEVROLET, FINISHED 8TH:

“The weekend was incredible, to start on pole with Will (Power). Obviously, he got me on the inside of turn one. I braked a little early. First time for everything, but we’ll learn. The team did a phenomenal job, we just didn’t quite have the pace we that we thought we would today. Obviously, with the heat coming up, we were just all over the track and it was super greasy. It’s unfortunate but I mean, I had fun. It’s a long race to go green for as long as it was. We had great stops. Our pit crew did phenomenal. I can’t thank Sexton Properties, Phoenix investors, Chevrolet, everybody enough. To get the pole this weekend for us is a huge milestone. We get to sit in the front box for the dual at Milwaukee which will be a lot of fun. A big advantage for us. On to the ovals.” 

Back to turn one at the start, how did you approach that? Was there a conversation with Will Power about how you guys would handle the start into the first turn? 

“I kind of told Will (Power) where I was going to go and I try and if I got the jump, I could get in front of him, I would and I would kind of string him along, pull him down into turn one. He was going to the inside and just block, and give me into two, I just didn’t expect him to brake as early as I did. I definitely didn’t mean to either. It was really cool to talk with him, too, and get some advice on what to do. He’s such a good dude and I’m really happy for him and for the No. 12 team to win. It’s great for them and the championship. He was very helpful. A lot for me to learn there and I can’t wait to race him again a little bit more in the next few.” 

Silly Season seems like it’s been going on for two and a half years in INDYCAR. It never stops. How does a weekend like this bode for your future, and talks with AJ Foyt Racing or perhaps other teams? 

“Obviously, it’s huge. To qualifying on pole, it’s a drivers’ thing and we obviously got the car right, working with the engineers, it’s a team effort at the end of the day to do that. To put that lap in and everything, and to race as well as we have been all year, I think it’s our eighth top-ten. We’ve just been so consistent. I obviously want to stay here at AJ Foyt (Racing) and we’re going to work on that with Larry (Foyt) over the next couple of weeks to see it’s a possibility. To build what we have, to be coming back to the tracks again next year with the continuity of the same engineers and team, mechanics. It’s getting better all around. We’ll be starting more up front and hopefully, we can get some more poles and can translate those into wins.” 

RINUS VEEKAY, NO. 21 ASKROI ED CARPENTER RACING CHEVROLET, FINISHED 11^TH:

“I had a good start and pretty good pace. The No. 21 askROI.com Chevrolet felt really good, actually a lot better than in warm up yesterday so we made some really good changes. We maximized what we had with everything we had going on. I am pretty proud of the team and of myself. Almost got another Top 10, but still pretty happy. Great job by everybody and on to the next one!”

ALEXANDER ROSSI, NO. 7 ARROW MCLAREN CHEVROLET, FINISHED 12^TH:

“It was a long day, and that was a lot of effort to finish 12th. But at least we finished, as it had been a few races since we did that. The team did a great job in the race with what we had, maximizing strategy and stops, so it is positive to finally get some points on the board before heading to some tracks where we should be pretty strong at next week.”

PATO O’WARD, NO. 5 ARROW MCLAREN CHEVROLET, FINISHED 15^TH:

“Obviously, a very hard weekend for the whole team, including ourselves in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet. There are a lot of things to look over to see where the issue is. The reality is, this is unacceptable. We’ll see where we can can improve for the coming races to close out the year better than just fighting for 15th.”

STING RAY ROBB, NO. 41 PRAY.COM AJ FOYT RACING CHEVROLET, FINISHED 18^TH: 

“Long day here in Portland. We went forward quite a bit. A small mistake on the last stop cost us a few spots, but overall, I think it was a fairly maximized day for the pace that we had. For the conditions, I think that we had a fairly decent car. We made a call at the beginning of the race to trim compared to the cars around us. I’m not sure how I ended up. I think we gained a little, lost a little. Overall, pretty happy with the result. Got some good points out of it and we’re moving forward to two tracks that I think we’re going to do well at.” 

NOLAN SIEGEL, NO. 6 ARROW MCLAREN CHEVROLET, FINISHED 21ST:

“It was a very, very long race and it felt like we didn’t really have a whole lot to get by anyone. Then, I made a few mistakes where things just compounded for a pretty disappointing race for us. We will look into it and move on, but we are definitely not satisfied with the weekend. We need to do better, and luckily, we have two more coming up.”

CHRISTIAN RASMUSSEN, NO. 20 GUY CARE ED CARPENTER RACING CHEVROLET, FINISHED 26^TH”

“A day that could have been. The pace in the No. 20 GuyCare Chevrolet was pretty good and I think we could have had a Top 12 today. Unfortunately, sometimes people don’t look where they are going and I got hit. We had to come in and change the front wing and that put us a lap or two down. It was kind of over from there. Looking beyond that, it was a pretty good weekend. Super close qualifying, we were right there with everybody, then good pace in the race and making moves.”

POST RACE PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT

Will Power

Josef Newgarden

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: Joined now by the 2024 champion here at Portland, Will Power. His third win of the season, second here in Portland. Jumps back into second place in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES points championship. 44th career win. Sixth podium of the season. The 104th of his career.

I know it’s much more than this, but to simplify it, it kind of all began and ended in turn one, the opportunity to pass Santino there. How huge was that?

WILL POWER: Turn one, Santino and I talked about the start, he was not going to block or anything. He braked earlier than expected, because I braked earlier. I was going to let him lead. Yeah, he’s a good teammate. Very fair. I have to thank him for helping me out there.

But yes, from there it was a pretty I guess straightforward race of playing the game with in and out laps against Palou. I think we definitely had a better car on reds. We could pull a good gap. I think black tires at the beginning, that got a bit tough.

Yeah, man, a good day. Went green for a long time. Kind of mentally drained. I don’t have that many words. But yeah, it’s good stuff.

THE MODERATOR: We’ll begin with questions.

Q. Would you be willing to go on the Masked Singer?

WILL POWER: Masked Singer? No, definitely not good enough for that. I’ll do some karaoke.

Q. This win brings you 54 points within Alex. Him finishing second, you trimming 12 points off of your gap to him, how winnable does this still feel going into the final three oval races?

WILL POWER: I would say if he had finished ahead of us, it would almost be over. It just kept it alive. Ultimately, one DNF for him, one win for me, you’re right there. Certainly within 20 points. That makes it very possible it could happen.

Yeah, I said going into this race we simply have to win. We simply have to at least finish ahead of him, but ultimately win to keep this thing alive. That’s what we did.

It’s going to be the same every week. It’s going to be the same every race from here out. Just got no choice but to be ahead of him or it’s over.

Q. Would you envision over these final three races the team putting all of its eggs in your basket to try to get you a championship or will you still be racing your teammates for race wins at Milwaukee and Nashville?

WILL POWER: I think if we have the cars to win, and we want to win the championship, yes, that’s probably what we should do with three to go. We should probably, yeah, be looking at how can we get the 12 car in the best possible position. Really that’s our only chance. We got three really good drivers – four really if you include Santino – that are capable of running at the front.

Yeah, that can take up a lot of positions. I’m the head of that group, we win the race, that starts to make things look possible.

Yeah, we’ll talk about that when we get to Milwaukee, see if that’s a possibility.

Q. A doubleheader at Milwaukee that we haven’t raced on in nearly a decade, a track at Nashville that you may only raced on once in your career, how unknown is what we’re getting into over these final three races?

WILL POWER: Yeah, quite unknown. You don’t even know, like, can you pass at Milwaukee? Will qualifying be a big deal? How will this play out? I don’t even think we’ve run on the tire we’re going to run. Yeah, a very, very interesting three races that you really don’t know where everyone’s going to stack up.

All the ovals we went to this year, we’ve had history on, very good setups and data for. Milwaukee, we tested there a couple times now. But it’s really difficult to tell till you get in the race situation to know how good your car really is.

Q. About the 75th lap or so, it looked like Alex wanted to get racy with you. Were we seeing that correctly?

WILL POWER: Yeah, I had traffic. I was at the mercy of the pace of the car in front. I saw that gap just shrink really quickly. I think he pulled into the pits or I passed. However that played out. As soon as I got clear track, I knew I could put quite a bit of time into him. Especially at the end of the stint, it seemed like his car used the tire more than ours. On reds we were simply better. Our car was really good on red tires.

Yeah, kind of equal I’d say on blacks. He even looked like he dropped off on blacks. It was really a lot to do with traffic management. If it was a clear track for me, I always felt I could pull a gap on him.

Q. Last weekend was not what you wanted. Your blood pressure was considerably higher. How do you deal with those ups and downs?

WILL POWER: I get mad very quickly, but I get over it very quickly. I mean, I’ve grabbed Scott Dixon at Road America, then got into the car and said, Sorry, man. It’s all good. Like, got into the medical car a few seconds later.

I just am like that. When I’m mad, it looks worse. My bark is worse than my bite. I’m like not that (smiling). I forgive very quickly and easily and move on. I know everyone in this series is trying to do the same thing. We’re all lucky to be here.

Last week I saw a lot of points just… A great race really. I would have to say the most fun I’ve had in years on an oval finished in a bad way. I enjoyed the race, I had so much fun, then it finished like that. Kind of disappointed. Late restart. I think if we went earlier, it wouldn’t have happened.

Yeah, one day later I’m wake surfing with Josef, laughing. Talking to Malukas and joking. Yeah, it’s just how I am.

Q. You said at the beginning of the race that Portland had a special place in your heart because it was the first place you ever tested. How does this win and being able to continue that championship fight rate for you?

WILL POWER: Man, anytime I win in this series, I feel so lucky. Like it feels like it’s so impossible and hard to win. I was thinking through the race, No way I’m going to win this. He’s going to get me. But you do your absolute best.

When you get a win, it’s a very good feeling. It’s very, very satisfying. It takes so much, it really does. To get through all those rounds in qualifying, to qualify right at the front, that is so difficult in this series. Then to execute completely on a race day with so many good guys and teams around you, it really is a big deal just to get on a podium in INDYCAR.

Every win I get now, it’s so special. It really means a lot. It’s adding to my win list. It’s not like I’m racing for another decade, put it that way. Yeah, I work really hard at my craft, so it’s very satisfying. I know all the guys on the car really deserve it. Best pit crew in pit lane. They have been the quickest the last couple years. They are again this year. That’s a hard situation to come upon. To be in that situation, to be a good driver in a great team, having the opportunities to win. Bloody winning a race is a big deal.

Q. Anything specific about Portland itself?

WILL POWER: Yeah, I mean, it’s the first track I ever drove at in the U.S. First time I ever drove an INDYCAR. I still remember it driving down the back straight, I had the thought, Man, I could be paid to do this. That was with big horsepower days, too. Yeah, I still remember that thought, driving down that back straight. I remember that day, I do. I remember driving that car. It had understeer. Stalled it a couple times trying to leave the pits. It was good memories. A long time ago. Almost 20 years ago. I think it’s 20 years ago. Crazy, cool.

I do love it. Yeah, I mean, I have that memory for this place. I’m glad we came back here, we started racing here again. It was a cool place when I got to race here in Champ Car.

But I love all the tracks. When I walk in the paddock, it’s like it would be really tough for me to walk away from this sport. It really would. The feeling of being a part of something, trying to accomplish something with a group of people, yeah, I think you’d be pretty lost. If I stopped, I’d be very lost with what to do.

I love racing. I love the paddock. I love the people. Feel lucky to do it.

Q. When you were going down that back straightaway, did you have any thought you’d be doing this for this long?

WILL POWER: No. Yeah, no way that I thought I would have driven for the best team in the U.S., won on ovals, won the Indy 500. All those things. Won a championship. Yeah, not a chance.

I worked very hard always, was very determined. It’s something that unfolds very slowly. It’s not a big shock that it happened now. When you reflect on it when you came here all those years ago, it was a dream. What I’ve done, I’ve lived out my dream, absolutely. I’ve just lived it out.

You need to reflect sometimes and appreciate that when you get mad or disappointed about something that happens. You’re really lucky to be here.

I enjoy doing appearances now. I enjoy media, all that stuff. It’s all great stuff. I give the young guys a hard time if they complain about it. Man, you could be working in an office, you could be working construction, you’re lucky you’re in this very small group of people that get to do this for a living, so enjoy it.

Q. How similar or different does this title fight feel compared to 2022?

WILL POWER: Yeah, it’s very different. Like, it’s a must-win situation almost right now. Can take a little bit more risk. You probably have a little less pressure ’cause you’re not the one sort of defending this points lead.

Believe me, it’s nice to have the points lead. It’s much better to be in his position by a longshot. Yeah, different year. I kind of learnt from his championship last year, the style of ’22 wouldn’t have worked that year. You had to win. That’s what this year is.

This year was a year of a lot of mistakes from a lot of drivers. Last two races. Toronto, think about it, if I didn’t try that move on Scott. If Malukas and I didn’t have that issue, cause that yellow, suddenly you’re looking pretty good. Everyone has let some big points go. Palou at Iowa. It’s been one of those years where a ’22 sort of year would win it, yeah.

Q. If you’ve let yourself think about this at all, what would a third championship mean to you?

WILL POWER: Oh, yeah, tremendous, tremendous in many different ways. To win in this series, at this time, it’s so difficult. You get a third championship from a deficit of 54 points at this point, come back from a deficit like that, yeah, that would be amazing. It would be absolutely amazing. To finish on all ovals, as well, kind of going back to my early days, sort of unfinished business there.

Yeah, it’s a tough climb from here, but not impossible.

Q. Consistency is a thing that wins the championship, but also there’s the consistency from the guys that deliver that car to you. How hard is this run to the final group of races for them?

WILL POWER: Yeah, it is very much about the consistency of pit stops, car preparations, the guys that build the engines. All those things are going to play a part. Yeah, kind of a grueling season in that they have to pack up now, rebuild a car, rebuild three cars before we go to Milwaukee. It’s the same for every team, yeah.

I mean, it’s absolutely a team sport, I can tell you that. Just having been in this for so long, like I said, to get the ingredients of the fastest pit crew, the best team, the best engine, and being one of the best drivers, to get that combination is so difficult. You look through the whole field, all those guys are capable of winning.

So yeah, got to feel fortunate to be a part of a team like Penske where you’re given those ingredients.

Q. Do you feel maybe the Dixon factor, considering he’s won at Nashville before, can that have an effect on the championship if they let him loose to cover for Palou?

WILL POWER: Yes. Having tested there with Dixon, Dixon is very good at Nashville. I said that before. I could see him winning that race, see him being very competitive. He could play a part, absolutely, in a scenario where we must win, you’re probably going to be fighting Dixon.

Q. The key message still is what you’ve been saying, stay ahead of Alex at all times?

WILL POWER: Yeah, that’s our only shot. That is our only shot. We must be continually finishing ahead of him and see where it falls.

Q. This is your first three-win season since 2018. What’s made the difference to regain the winning form?

WILL POWER: It’s never just one thing, to be honest. I think Chevy made a gain last year. Just with that, you’ve got more chance to qualify in the top six. Qualify in the top six, you certainly have more chance of a win.

If I look at 2022, there were a lot of, like, races where I went from 16th to third, got a lot of podiums, a lot of second places. Had I qualified slightly better, those potentially could have been wins. It’s just putting yourself in that position, having the car.

Yeah, you are constantly working on that stuff. One year you’re a little conservative. Next year you see Palou win with a bit more aggression, so you become a bit more aggressive. I never stop digging and looking.

I actually came into this season with the mindset I must win multiple races. It’s been a long time since I have. Yeah, that’s basically a lot of factors go into it.

Q. Is there anything with your specific race craft that you’ve changed or maximized on now better than previously?

WILL POWER: No, not really. No, I race pretty similar. A couple mistakes this year that I really reflect on that is uncharacteristic of sort of the 2022 year.

No, I have the same mentality. I’m very calm in the car always. Rarely do I get flustered or say something on the radio. I’m less calm out of the car if something happens, but…

Yeah, you just change small things. Built this big toolbox of skills over the years, worked on the mental aspect a lot, which just comes with age, to be honest. No particular thing.

You have your goals coming into a season, but you are just walking that tightrope of aggression versus consistency. If you look at Dixon, 99% of the time he will not go for a move that’s sort of in a 50/50. He will weigh on the cautious side. That’s won him championships. Palou is further to the aggressive. But he walks that tightrope really well of aggression versus reward.

Yeah, I’m always playing on that one side or the other. ’22 I was too conservative. ’23 I had a bad year. This year maybe I’m a little bit over-aggressive at times. But that’s the game you play. You got to hit that sweet spot. It’s tough.

Q. You have this interesting ability to have a really bad race, get mad, cool down, but come back and funnel what was bad into something positive. What is it? Is it a thing?

WILL POWER: Ultimately I came here, like, I have to qualify really well because of the first corner. But ultimately I have to win to keep this thing alive. Yeah, that’s what I did.

Yeah, no, it may look like that, but that’s not really get mad and do anything. You just focus in. I try to do that every weekend.

Yeah, those couple of 18th places were just from bad restarts actually. I mean, yeah, both of them were in restarts on a short oval.

Q. Recently we had news confirming David Malukas heading to Foyt. Some believe he could be moving into your car at some point in time in the future. Won more races than any of your teammates this year. Share some thoughts about wanting to continue.

WILL POWER: I want to continue. I’m not retiring. I’m not. I’m just simply not retiring. Yeah, I know people probably like to spread that around, rumors or whatever, in the hope that they can take my seat. Yeah, I’m staying here for a while. I’ll get better every year, man. I get better every year. I feel like that.

Q. We haven’t had a lot of kids from Down Under doing big things on the Road to Indy for a while. Lochie Hughes heading to INDY NXT. Any thoughts about that?

WILL POWER: I really want to help him get to INDYCAR. I think he’s very good. He’s very focused, determined. Yeah, we spoke I think at Iowa. He didn’t have many races after that. He asked me how to approach a championship. The long or short of it is, man, all you can focus is on what you can control, nothing else. Forget about the rest. Focus in. It’s your ticket to ultimately INDYCAR, but definitely Indy Lights.

I want to help him get to the INDYCAR. I want to see another Australian get a good seat and succeed here in America. He’s good. He deserves it.

THE MODERATOR: Busy between Miles and Lochie.

WILL POWER: Yeah, tough one. I want to see them both succeed. I think Miles will be fine. I think ultimately he’s got Penske’s help. He’s pretty good. Lochie needs more help. It’s very tough from where he is.

You’ve seen Indy Lights champions move on. It’s been good, yeah.

THE MODERATOR: Joined now by the third-place finishing driver, Josef Newgarden. His best-ever finish here at Portland, fifth podium of the season, 57th of his career. Now tied with Sebastien Bourdais for 18th on the all-time INDYCAR SERIES list.

Josef, your general thoughts about this afternoon?

JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Yeah, it was a good day for us. I think in a lot of ways close to our potential. Looking at it from, like, a far distance, it looked like we were a second-place car today. I think third is really close to what we could have achieved.

I think we probably had something for Alex, but not for Will. I think Will was probably lights out the best today. A great result for our team. Obviously Will is still going for this championship. It’s a great result for him to be up front.

For us, you always want more. I want to win every race I’m in, so I don’t like finishing third. It’s a good weekend, good, solid weekend. Proud of the team. Proud of having Tire Rack on our car.

True story. Fun story. I’ve been a customer of tirerack.com since I was a kid. It was always my preferred site to go to when I was trying to figure out specifications for tires. It’s funny to come full circle now that I am 33 to and have them on the car. Pleased we can take this to the last few races of the year and finish strong.

THE MODERATOR: We’ll start with questions.

Q. Josef, much calmer post race today than last week. Was it that pedestrian on the track or still a pretty busy race today?

JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Yeah, it wasn’t super action packed today. Not quite like Gateway, right? Gateway was probably a little more intense in a good way. Today was a little bit more calm. It wasn’t enough to mix it up. We didn’t have a yellow get thrown in there to kind of mix things up.

I think the top guys were pretty strong in their own right so they stayed stationary once we settled in after that first stint.

You can’t have the greatest show every weekend. This is probably a little less than what we experienced last week at Gateway. Still a fun fight. I always enjoy trying to get these races right. The fuel saving, the way you choose when you’re pitting, all that sort of stuff, it all matters and still fun to get it right on a day like today.

Q. Was it hard to keep the right pace and hit your numbers?

JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Definitely. It’s always tough. The car is not easy to drive on the edge, do it consistently every lap without making mistakes or a wrong decision. It’s a tough day. It’s not like we were all just cruising around.

Yeah, maybe a little more settled and processional than we would have liked. A little more action probably would have been good for the fans. Still a tough day to get this right.

Q. Josef, you started on red tires today. What do you think about your tire strategy? Do you think it worked very well?

JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Yeah, it was a good day. Like I said, I think it’s about what our potential was. The only way we finish higher is if we start higher. Need to start on pole or second place, lead from the beginning if we want to be higher up.

It’s going to be tough to match Will today. He had a 10th or two on us. I think Alex was really tough to beat, too. If we had track position on them, maybe we make something happen. I think it was going to be hard overall.

From where we started, pleased with the progress we made. I don’t want to finish third, but I think we maximized what we could today.

Q. Josef, you were strong at the test. How much are you looking forward to returning to Milwaukee and Nashville? How do you expect the two tracks to race?

JOSEF NEWGARDEN: I’m excited, for sure. I like Milwaukee. I’ve been there a couple times in the past before we left for a little hiatus. I always thought it was fun. I hope we can produce a good race.

Nashville is completely unknown to me. I’ve never been on the track. Out there to watch some testing. Really don’t know what that one’s like.

I have high hopes we can find a good package for both places. I think Gateway was really pretty phenomenal as far as the combination. It’s not easy. It’s not an exact science. I think if we could bottle a good racing package where there’s usability on multiple lanes, we would take it everywhere.

Sometimes it’s a little bit of guesswork, trial and error. You have to kind of go places a time or two to figure it out in this new package. We’re trying to figure it out, with the extra weight, hybrid, aero, tire configuration.

I have high hopes we can have a good race package for Milwaukee and Nashville. Overall I love oval racing, too, so excited to finish the season strong.

August 25, 2024

Harrison Burton outdueled veteran Kyle Busch on the final lap of an Overtime finish of Saturday night’s Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway to score his first career Cup Series victory and the 100th for his Wood Brothers team.

The win earned Burton and the Wood Brothers a berth in the 10-race, championship-deciding Playoffs, which begin after next week’s Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway.

The historic win for the Wood Brothers, who got their first Cup victory at Charlotte Motor Speedway in 1960 with Speedy Thompson at the wheel of the iconic No. 21 Ford, was their first since Ryan Blaney won at Pocono Raceway in 2017. The Woods have now won races at the Cup level for seven straight decades and have won NASCAR races for eight straight.

Saturday’s win also was the first since a third generation of Woods joined the ownership of the team founded by the late Glenn Wood and operated with his brothers Leonard, Ray Lee, Delano and Clay. Then a second generation, Glenn’s sons Eddie and Len and daughter Kim Wood Hall steered the team before being joined by the next generation of Jon Wood, Keven Wood and Jordan Wood Hicks. And in the winner’s interview in the media center Saturday night, a fourth generation Wood, Bailey joined the group on the podium.

The milestone victory came at Daytona, where the Woods have won five Daytona 500s and 11 more in the track’s second race, long known as the Firecracker 400.

Burton, who became the 19th driver to win a Cup race for the Woods and the 89th to win in a Ford, said getting the 100th win had been a topic of many a conversation at team meetings this year.

“That’s something you can’t take lightly,” he told reporters at Daytona. “We as a group have that place in history now forever for the 100th win for the Wood Brothers.

“To me, that just means the world.”

And he said he hopes there’s more to add to the team history before he leaves the team at season’s end.

“We’re not going to roll over and die,” he said. “We’ve had a rough year, but this is the shot in the arm we’ve needed, and we’re going to go to Darlington set on kill.”

Eddie Wood said in the winner’s interview that there are many people responsible for the team reaching this milestone.

“I don’t really have the words,” he said. “I just want to thank everybody that supported us. Harrison, he’s done such a great job tonight. I mean, missing those wrecks. It just seemed like they’d run a little while, then have another crash. He was so close. Just a matter of I’m not even going to say an inch, that one wreck, the early one. Seemed like about a quarter of an inch.

“It just means so much to our team to finally get the other win…We’ve got a wall in front of our museum that’s got 21 winners, 21 different drivers that’s won races in our cars. We get to put him up next week.”

Wood said he’s especially grateful for the support of Ford Motor Company, which is the only manufacturer the Woods have ever been associated with. And that support has been there even in the lean years, he said.

“Timing is everything, they say, but there was a phone call from Edsel Ford back in 2008,” Wood said. “We were really struggling. He said, ‘I’m going to have a gentleman call you tomorrow that’s going to help you.’

“That man’s name was Jim Farley, who is now the CEO of Ford Motor Company. That’s how far back things go.

Our family raced Ford Motor Company products since the beginning,1950. I think that’s one of the things I’m really, really proud of.”

Burton, who started from 20th place Saturday night, ran in the top 10 for much of the event but had to dodge several multi-car crashes to be in position to battle for the win at the end.

On the final restart, he lined up on the outside, with part-time Cup driver Parker Retzlaff, who was making just his second career Cup start and driving for a part-time team, on his bumper. On the inside line were two veterans – Busch and Christopher Bell.

Busch took the lead initially, then, like Burton, Retzlaff rose to the occasion and pushed Burton’s DEX Imaging Mustang Dark Horse into the lead on the final lap. From there Burton recovered from a bump from Busch that pushed him below the yellow line and kept the veteran at bay for the final yards to the finish line.

Crew chief Jeremy Bullins, who now has 10 Cup victories including the 2017 win at Pocono with Blaney, said Burton made all the right moves to survive the wrecks then prevail in Overtime. “He earned this one,” Bullins said.

The victory was a popular one in the garage, especially for those in the Blue Oval camp.

Austin Cindric posted on X: “I think I’m wearing my @woodbrothers21 hat all week. Good things happen to good people. I am so proud of @HBurtonRacing.”  

Burton and the Wood Brothers team now head to Darlington Raceway for Sunday’s Cookout Southern 500.

 

AWA Corvette builds on Akin Award lead with seventh-place GTD finish ALTON, Va. (August 25, 2024) – Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports suffered an uncharacteristic tough day at Virginia International Raceway as mechanical gremlins impacted both of the team’s Corvette Z06 GT3.R entries during the Michelin GT Challenge at VIR. The No. 4 Corvette of Tommy Milner and Nicky Catsburg finished eighth in GTD PRO, a spot ahead of teammates Alexander Sims and Antonio Garcia in the No. 3 Z06 GT3.R.

The result for AWA’s No. 13 Corvette Z06 GT3.R was a bright spot as Orey Fidani and Matt Bell finished seventh in GTD. Adding to that was the No. 13 Corvette’s position as the highest-finishing car in IMSA’s Bob Akin Award standings for the second time this year. After a run of trouble-free races during the summer, separate issues plagued the No. 3 and No. 4 GTD PRO entries. Catsburg lost time when the Corvette wouldn’t restart after a pit stop with an hour to go. He and Milner did finish on the lead lap and were buoyed by the race’s only full-course caution with a little more than 30 minutes to go but couldn’t advance up the order. Garcia started second and ran third at the time of the No. 3 Corvette’s first pit stop at the 49-minute mark. Sims rejoined fifth and was getting up to speed before the car lost power on the backstretch. Following a couple of attempts to reset the power cycle, the team brought Sims back to the garage to replace the power steering pump. Sims also was at the wheel when the No. 3 suffered a suspension issue with 45 minutes to go. In GTD, Fidani drove the No. 13 Corvette for the first 47 minutes and gained a spot in class before handing off to Bell. The No. 13 went from 13th at the time of the stop to its final position in the final two hours, including a hectic fight through the field after the yellow with high track temperatures and high tire degradation. With the result, Fidani grew his lead in the Akin Award championship with the highest points-scoring Bronze driver at the end of the season earning an automatic entry to the following year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans. The Michelin GT Challenge at VIR is scheduled for 12:10 p.m. ET on Sunday, August 25. The race will air live on USA starting at noon ET with live streaming on Peacock inside the United States and IMSA.comoutside the U.S. IMSA Radio will air all on-track sessions beginning with Friday afternoon’s opening practice at IMSA.com with the race call also on XM 206 and SiriusXM Online 996.

CORVETTE RACING BY PRATT MILLER MOTORSPORTS POST-EVENT DRIVER QUOTESALEXANDER SIMS, NO. 3 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “Today is what it is. No one wants to have issues, but that was the reality today. As has been common this year, we showed decent pace and were holding our own in third with Antonio. I think the pit cycle was going to be pretty favorable for us on strategy. As far as I understand it, we would have effectively been first in that middle stint once all the pit cycles were finished. I felt pretty comfortable out in front of the Aston Martin, and we were holding our own. That’s when the car cut out on me, and the power steering failed. After a few laps, I understood why these are designed to have power steering. This isn’t a formula car in terms of the steering weight where you could get through it. But after four or five laps, I knew it wasn’t going to last. I just tried to give the guys enough time to at least preempt what we needed to do in the garage, but it was a big change and set us way back. That’s the way it goes, unfortunately. The suspension issue was pretty bizarre. There was no contact on my side, and Antonio looked like he had a completely clean race. We need to understand the two issues, and try to react and come back stronger.”

TOMMY MILNER, NO. 4 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “A bit of gut punch today for the whole team. Having quite a few races with no issues, and then today with both cars having both problems is going to make quite a few people on this team unhappy. We’ll go back to look at it, figure out what happened and improve the car for the future. But yeah, a tough day for us.”

AWA POST-EVENT DRIVER QUOTESMATT BELL, NO. 13 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “It was another great IMSA battle and a great IMSA race. We made all the right calls at the right times. Tire deg and tire management was a huge part of this race. We had to be smart and give up pace at certain times but also know when to push and know when to go for it. I got great information and great support from everyone on the pit stand – everyone from AWA and Corvette Racing really helped out. This was as much as any of the other races – if not more – a real team effort to come through the pack like that. It’s a big credit to everyone on this program. I just had to try and make it work.”

OREY FIDANI, NO. 13 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “It was quite a hot with the air conditioning off. It was a little tough for me at the start as I didn’t go on brand new tires. I went on older tires and struggled with understeer. It seemed to get a little better as the fuel burned off and I was able to get some pace. But it was tough. Matt did a great job to get us up the order at the end.”

SHEPHERD, MT (August 24, 2024) – One year ago, Jake Bubak pocketed $12,012 for winning Big Sky Speedway’s Harvey Ostermiller Memorial under the ASCS Frontier Region banner.

With the race joining the American Sprint Car Series National Tour calendar in 2024, Bubak had a field full of the best 360 Sprint Car drivers in the nation to fend off, but none of them could stop him from taking his second win in a row in the event.

“It was challenging, I’m glad I started on the front row,” Bubak said following his fifth National Tour win. “With this car the last two months, we’ve been really solid. We ran well at the 360 [Knoxville] Nationals. I knew we could compete with these guys.”

Bubak won his second Dash in as many nights to claim the pole for the 30-lap Feature. The bottom lane was dominant early, as Bubak made a beeline for the inside berm in the first set of corners along with the rest of the top five.

Jason Martin started second and was the first to try the top side on Lap 2. He briefly caught Bubak’s rear bumper before slipping up in Turn 3, allowing Bubak to drive away to a half-second advantage.

Half a lap later, Martin’s quest for his first podium finish since Dodge City Raceway Park on June 1 came to screeching halt when he got upside down in Turn 2. The incident gave the second spot to Zach Blurton, who kept pace with Bubak in the laps following the ensuing restart.

While Blurton was busy plotting a move on Bubak, Frontier Region point leader Phil Dietz was busy holding off two of the National Tour’s biggest stars in Seth Bergman and Sam Hafertepe Jr. for the third spot. He held on until Lap 12, when Bergman powered around Dietz’s outside exiting Turn 4 and Hafertepe followed him through three laps later.

With seven laps remaining, Bradley Fezard came to a stop while running 19th to bring out the caution. A perfect restart allowed Bubak to keep the lead, but trouble for Kory Wermling and Brandon Anderson two laps later ereased his advantage once more.

On what would be the final restart of the race, Bubak was off like a rocket through Turns 1 and 2 and drove away to a 1.5-second win at the checkered flag.

The Feature was marred by strong winds thoughout the race, something Bubak believes was critical to him securing the victory.

“The wind affected the track so much,” Bubak said. “The track was in good shape, I think without the wind it would have been really fun. Just the way it would blow you off the end of Turn 2, it was pretty difficult and just best to be in the lead at that point.”

Runner-up Blurton went through the first 16 races of the season without a top five, but has now picked up two podiums in eight days, completely flipping his outlook on the remainder of the season.

“Last night, we just struggled so so bad and I thought maybe the weekend before was just a fluke,” Blurton said. “I’m looking forward to next weekend and the rest of the year. I almost wish we could start the year back over with what we know now.”

While Bergman came up two spots short of sweeping the weekend in Billings, the third-place run extended his lead over Hafertepe to 103 points entering the second half of the Montana swing at Electric City Speedway next weekend.

“Sam’s a great race car driver, he’s got a great team, definitely doesn’t make it easy,” Bergman said. “We’re doing our job too to try and stay on top here, and to have weekends like this where you don’t finish off the podium is what we’ve got to do if we want to see this championship through.”

Hafertepe finished one spot behind Bergman in fourth to minimize the harm in the title chase, while Kyler Johnson drove from 17th to fifth to collect the Triple X Hard Charger Award and his first top five since the second race of the year at Red Dirt Raceway.

UP NEXT: The ASCS National Tour concludes its trip to Montana at Electric City Speedway in Great Falls with the Montana Roundup on Friday and Saturday, Aug. 30-31. Tickets are available for purchase in advance here, while those unable to make it to the track can catch every lap live on DIRTVision.

Feature (30 Laps): 1. 27B-Jake Bubak[1]; 2. 2J-Zach Blurton[4]; 3. 23-Seth Bergman[5]; 4. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr[9]; 5. 45X-Kyler Johnson[17]; 6. 2C-Hank Davis[8]; 7. 2JR-Kelly Miller[16]; 8. 95-Matt Covington[13]; 9. 72-Phil Dietz[3]; 10. 5H-Harli White[14]; 11. 28-Joe Perry[6]; 12. 01-Rich Bailey[12]; 13. 88-Terry Easum[7]; 14. 6G-Bryan Gossel[21]; 15. 15D-Andrew Deal[18]; 16. 10-Landon Britt[19]; 17. 37-Trever Kirkland[10]; 18. 44-Damon McCune[22]; 19. 55B-Brandon Anderson[15]; 20. 938-Bradley Fezard[11]; 21. 16G-Austyn Gossel[20]; 22. 9K-Kory Wermling[23]; 23. 36-Jason Martin[2]

Carson Macedo grabs third win in four races, closes on Schatz in the pointsWEST FARGO, ND (August 24, 2024) – Carson Macedo and Jason Johnson Racing are getting hot.On Friday Macedo pieced together an impressive drive from sixth to victory at River Cities Speedway. On Saturday when the stage shifted to West Fargo, ND’s Red River Valley Speedway, Macedo made things a little easier on himself. There would be no need to drive from the third row as he earned the pole of the 30-lap Feature. And the Lemoore, CA native put together a nearly perfect race to punctuate a perfect night. Macedo earned Simpson Quick Time, won the first NOS Energy Drink Heat Race, topped the Toyota Racing Dash, and sealed the deal by leading every lap of the Feature. The performance earned Macedo and JJR a weekend sweep in North Dakota and their third victory in the last four races.“I just felt extremely good,” Macedo said. “Philip Dietz knocked it out of the park again. He’s done an incredible job this weekend. Robby McQuinn and Adam Zimmerman putting the whole package together and working really hard. It just feels good to get a win here.“We’ve got a lot of momentum. It just feels good to be running up front, contending for wins, and then closing it out and getting the job done. The 41 is just fast right now. When your race car is fast and things are clicking, it seems like things just go your way. I remember Jason Meyers telling me at one point, ‘When the iron is burning, it burns hot. When it’s cold, it’s tough to get out of that wintertime.’”The weekend sweep marked Macedo’s first back-to-back wins since April of 2022. He’s up to 41 career World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car victories, equaling him with fellow full-timer Sheldon Haudenschild for 20th on the all-time win list. A night after claiming his second River Cities checkered flag, he grabbed his second Red River Valley trophy, making it the 11th track where he’s a multi-time winner. He also closed to within four points of Donny Schatz for second in the standings.Macedo rolled right out to an early advantage when the green flag flew for the finale. He established control early and made it clear it was going to be difficult to pass him. In only two laps, his lead grew to a second and a half. Even when he first encountered traffic, Macedo showed no signs of slowing. The Albaugh No. 41 sliced through slower cars and clicked off laps. The gap between himself and second-running Sheldon Haudenschild expanded to north of two seconds by the halfway point.But you can’t ever count out Haudenschild. He’s known for incredible feats behind the wheel and looked to achieve another by erasing Macedo’s huge advantage and stealing the victory.The lead dropped back under two seconds on Lap 21 as Macedo met some struggles navigating traffic. And then a close moment nearly cost him. Two lappers collided just ahead of Macedo exiting Turn 4 forcing him to slow down considerably. The contact allowed Haudenschild to pull right up to Macedo, but he couldn’t find a path around him.The yellow flag flew with four laps remaining as Donny Schatz slowed with a flat tire. The caution was just what Macedo needed as the clear track allowed him to drive away and complete the statement win.“The track turned out to be really wide and racy,” Macedo said. “I was surprised. It took a while to get worked in early in the night and then was fast through the Heat Races. It was just a great track and a lot of fun.”Haudenschild brought the Stenhouse Jr.-Marshall Racing/NOS Energy Drink No. 17 home second as he continues to build momentum. The Wooster, OH native has strung together four consecutive podiums. The recent stretch of consistency has lifted Haudenschild from seventh to sixth in points.“We ran him back down,” Haudenschild commented. “Lapped traffic was hectic. He did a great job getting through them. Then I kind of had to pick my way back through them. It’s frustrating as a driver having this good of a car and to not pick up a win this weekend. But hats off to (Kyle) Ripper, Steve (Kinzer Dussel), and Luke (Vaughn). They’ve been putting the work in, and we’re getting better each week I feel.”Michael “Buddy” Kofoid came home third to round up the podium with Roth Motorsports. The effort capped a strong weekend for the Series rookie as he landed in the top three on both nights. Kofoid is buildings some momentum with his home tracks in California on the horizon.“It was a great weekend for us,” Kofoid said. “I feel like we’re back to how I felt my best here and even in general. I always love coming here. I was a little apprehensive when I saw how wet it was, but it turned out really good.”Bill Balog and Giovanni Scelzi completed the top five.A 19th to ninth drive earned Garet Williamson the KSE Racing Hard Charger.Carson Macedo earned his 10th Simpson Quick Time of 2024 and the 43rd of his career in Sea Foam Qualifying.NOS Energy Drink Heats One and Three belonged to Carson Macedo and Sheldon Haudenschild. Milton Hershey Heat Two went to Andy Pake.Carson Macedo topped the Toyota Racing Dash.Garet Williamson won the Micro-Lite Last Chance Showdown. Scott Bogucki earned the Smith Titanium Brake Systems Break of the Race.UP NEXT: The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars head to South Dakota for the rescheduled Huset’s Hustle presented by Folkens Brothers Trucking finale on Friday, August 30 before the BillionAuto.com Huset’s High Bank Nationals presented by Menards on August 31-September 1 with a $100,000-to-win finale. For tickets, CLICK HERE.If you can’t make it to the track, catch every lap live on DIRTVision.FEATURE RESULTS:NOS Energy Drink Feature (30 Laps): 1. 41-Carson Macedo[1]; 2. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild[3]; 3. 83-Michael Kofoid[7]; 4. 17B-Bill Balog[5]; 5. 18-Giovanni Scelzi[8]; 6. 64-Andy Pake[2]; 7. 1S-Logan Schuchart[4]; 8. 2-David Gravel[12]; 9. 23-Garet Williamson[19]; 10. 3Z-Brock Zearfoss[14]; 11. 15-Donny Schatz[10]; 12. 7S-Landon Crawley[9]; 13. 24T-Christopher Thram[13]; 14. 70-Kraig Kinser[17]; 15. 17GP-Justin Henderson[16]; 16. 6-Max Guilford[21]; 17. 13-Mark Dobmeier[15]; 18. G5-Gage Pulkrabek[11]; 19. 8-Jack Croaker[24]; 20. 27-Weston Olson[20]; 21. 52-Adam Sobolik[23]; 22. 14T-Tim Estenson[18]; 23. 11M-Brendan Mullen[22]; 24. 10-Scott Bogucki[6]For complete results, CLICK HERE.

“The Reaper” goes undefeated at Atomic Speedway on Saturday night through 50 laps of racing

CHILLICOTHE, OH (August 24, 2024) – Ryan Gustin gave an ode to Scott Bloomquist by channeling his inner “Dirt Track Dominator” on Saturday night at Atomic Speedway.

Topping the scoring pylon in each appearance on the 3/8-mile racetrack, the Marshalltown, IA driver led all 50 laps through a wave of challenges from multiple World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Models competitors.

He began the night by grabbing the Dirt King Simulator Hottest Hot Lap, then picked up his 11th Simpson Quick Time Award.

In Heat 3, Gustin led every lap to lock himself a spot in the Feature Redraw. He made the most of his luck by drawing the #1 chip for his second Bilstein Pole Award of the 2024 season.

Firing on all cylinders at the commencement of the 50-lap Feature, Gustin ripped the high line to escape New Berlin, IL driver Brandon Sheppard, Robeline, LA driver Cade Dillard, and Oakwood, IL driver Bobby Pierce.

In the battle for the top five, Sheppard followed Gustin until contact with the lapped car of Dennis Erb Jr ripped the left rear quarter panel off his No.B5 Longhorn Chassis, then Dillard caught a piece of Erb to damage his right rear quarter panel. Sheppard and Dillard kept on rolling with the damage lingering on their cars.

Gustin got away on the restart as Sheppard held his own with the damage to his car. Dillard had to retire his No.97 machine with a smack of the Turn 4 wall that sent a dagger into his hopes of salvaging a rebound result at Atomic after a DNF on Friday night.

While leading, Gustin ripped the rear spoiler off his No.19R Infinity Chassis and began to dangle until the caution flew for debris from Sheppard’s left rear quarter panel falling off.

When the green flag flew once more with 14 laps to go, Pierce sent his No.32 Megan’s Mission machine deep into Turn 1, then slid up on Sheppard to force him off the track to claim second place in a move that caused implications the season-long points battle.

Sheppard dropped to seventh place, Chatham, IL driver Brian Shirley took third, and fellow championship contender Nick Hoffman inherited fourth place.

While Gustin had aero troubles with the loss of his spoiler, he maintained the gap on Pierce through the remaining circuits around the Chillicothe, OH racetrack for his fourth win of the season in the Fireball 50.

In Victory Lane, he celebrated with Scott Bloomquist’s infamous “hang loose” signal and a point to the sky to the man who meant a lot to Gustin as a mentor and friend. He also dedicated the win to his son, Bradyn, who turned 12 on Saturday.

“It means the absolute world to me,” Gustin said. “It’s been rough, I’m sure we made him proud up there tonight. We were handicapped pretty bad when you lose a spoiler like that. I thought we were done, but the only way to win was to drive like a madman like we did for the last (14) laps.

“Tim (Douglas) was telling me I had a pretty big lead before lap traffic, but its hard when you got guys that can catch up pretty fast to you. Cautions definitely helped us for sure to get us going again, but anytime you can win with no spoiler is a testament to how good these Infinity Chassis are and these Jay Dickens Engines run flawlessly. It’s also my son’s birthday today so I wanted to get one for him.”

Pierce finished second to finish the weekend by closing the distance to Sheppard in the Series championship hunt to 54 points with seven races left in the season. Pierce is in a tie with Hoffman for second place but has the tiebreaker over Hoffman for finishing higher than him in the Feature.

“I love the finish,” Pierce said. “It’s good to end the weekend with a first and second, but I didn’t like how I got there. When I passed Sheppard, he got off the track and I know he wouldn’t have fell off the track if he had more room there. I did kinda come up into his line. It’s such a tricky deal when the top has so much speed and you’re trying to make passes here.

“Besides that, we held on and didn’t fall off which was one of my main concerns. The track was so treacherous and both corners had it’s characteristics. Turns 1 and 2 was like running at Bristol with potholes. The last two corners were normal to how the track is, but had a dip with a slick spot in Turn 4. I gotta hand it to Gustin, he was fast and turning like he was going for qualifying laps each time. We gotta work on it, see what’s wrong, but we’ll take it.”

Shirley finished third for his fifth consecutive podium finish in August with the World of Outlaws CASE Late Models. While he was inside the thick of the drama at the front of the field, Shirley kept his nose clean to finish the night with a podium result.

“The track was really demanding,” Shirley said. “It was one of those deals where we were good, but not the greatest. I just had to bide my time, get by guys when I could on the restarts, and lucky enough for things to fall our way to end up third.

“Nights like tonight, when our car is 85-90%, it shows that we can be patient and take what you can get. That’s what it boiled down to, I was really trying to do all I could on restarts and take what’s in front of us.”

Hoffman finished fourth with an 18-place climb from a 22nd-place starting spot to receive Saturday night’s Fox Factory Hard Charger Award. Batavia, OH driver Adam Stricker finished the night with a fifth-place result to end his weekend with the Series.

RECAP NOTES:

Dirt King Simulator Hottest Hot Lap: Ryan Gustin

Simpson Quick Time Award: Ryan Gustin

Heat Race Winners: Bobby Pierce, Cade Dillard, Ryan Gustin, Brandon Sheppard

Last Chance Showdown Winner: Freddie Carpenter

Bilstein Pole Award: Ryan Gustin

Fox Factory Hard Charger: Nick Hoffman (+18)

Up Next: The World of Outlaws CASE Late Models head south towards Georgia and Alabama for Senoia Raceway on Saturday, Sept. 14, and the completion of the Alabama Gang 100 at the Talladega Short Track on Sunday, Sept. 15.

For more information about the upcoming events in the 2024 World of Outlaws CASE Late Models season,CLICK HERE.      

If you can’t make it to the track, watch every lap of the World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Models season on DIRTVision – through your computer or mobile device.

CASE Late Model Feature (50 Laps): 1. 19R-Ryan Gustin[1]; 2. 32-Bobby Pierce[4]; 3. 3S-Brian Shirley[10]; 4. 9-Nick Hoffman[22]; 5. 68-Adam Stricker[7]; 6. 19M-Spencer Hughes[5]; 7. B5-Brandon Sheppard[2]; 8. 20TC-Tristan Chamberlain[12]; 9. 40B-Kyle Bronson[15]; 10. 19-Dustin Sorensen[11]; 11. 16-Tyler Bruening[18]; 12. 71C-RJ Conley[16]; 13. 17-Zack Dohm[13]; 14. B1-Brent Larson[24]; 15. 22*-Max McLaughlin[20]; 16. 71R-Rod Conley[19]; 17. 90-Michael LeFevers[25]; 18. S21-Seth Daniels[8]; 19. 1-Tyler Erb[6]; 20. 11-Jared Hawkins[14]; 21. 97-Cade Dillard[3]; 22. C4-Freddie Carpenter[17]; 23. 28-Dennis Erb Jr[23]; 24. 97JR-Cody Overton[9]; 25. 57B-Caiden Black[21]

PORT ROYAL, PA (August 24, 2024) – Jonathan Davenport grabbed the lead on the second lap and maintained it throughout, securing victory at the Rumble by the River presented by UNOH.edu on Saturday night at Port Royal Speedway. Davenport’s win netted him $50,000 out of the $150,000 feature purse in the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series-sanctioned event. Ricky Thornton Jr. finished second, with Max Blair, Devin Moran, and Tim McCreadie rounding out the top five. Moran led the opening lap from his pole-stating spot, but Davenport made a move in turn two to take over the lead on the second circuit. The first caution of the race flew on lap four when Friday night’s winner, Garrett Alberson, slowed on the track as his night would end on the hook. On the restart, Davenport fought off Hudson O’Neal for several laps until Thornton and O’Neal made contact, battling for second coming off of turn four on lap 19. A few laps later, O’Neal slowed with a flat tire, drawing a caution. During lap 33 of the race, Davenport was leading with Thornton close behind when Boom Briggs spun out in front of them. Both Davenport and Thornton had to take evasive action as the caution came out for Briggs’ stalled car. Two laps later, the final caution was caused by Mike Marlar, who had moved up from 18th place but lost his brakes and hit the turn two wall. Marlar would ultimately retire from the remainder of the race. From then on, Davenport and Thornton chased each other around the top of the racetrack. Thornton managed to get within half a second of Davenport, but contact with the wall on each end of the track derailed Thornton’s chance at the win. In Lucas Oil Victory Lane for the 81st time in his career, the three-time series champion picked up his second $50,000 Arizona Sports Shirts Crown Jewel Cup win of 2024, following his Show-Me 100 victory in May. With the win, Davenport also moved back into second place in the championship standings. “It feels great to win this event. I tried to stay as low as possible for as long as possible. There at the end we got behind a lapped car and he was blowing just enough grit, and I didn’t have a really good clean line where I wanted in one and two. I pushed a little bit and got into the wall. I’ve got to thank my dad I’m thinking of him he’s probably not doing too well. In fact, I know he’s not doing too well, he is in the hospital. Hopefully he had enough strength to stay up and watch me he don’t get to come out on the road near as much as he used to. I am thankful for all he has done for me,” said the Blairsville, Georgia native. “We’ve just been tuning on this thing quite a bit. You know you’ve got to keep up with these young guys. It seems like everywhere we go now, if there’s just a little bit of grip around the top, that’s where we’ve got to be. I just want to thank all of these fans for coming out tonight. It was a great crowd tonight.” Thornton finished 4.234 seconds behind Davenport at the finish. “I definitely didn’t need those cautions. I felt like it took me five or six laps to get going again after those restarts. A few of us started to slow down a little bit after that, and I could slowly reel up to him [Davenport], and then we’d get to lapped cars, and I could get by the first or second one, and then a yellow would come out. He never really had to move around. I started playing with the middle down in three and four, and I knew I could maintain it a little bit. I was giving it all she had in the last ten laps. I hit the wall in turns one and two and then three and four, and I was like, alright, just finish it.” The highest-finishing Pennsylvania driver was Max Blair, who rounded out the Big River Steel Podium in third but could never get close enough to challenge Davenport and Thornton for the race lead. “It’s what I had the last part of the race. I was just way to tight getting in and it really affected me on the restarts because I couldn’t be very aggressive for a couple of laps or so. I about gave third away to Devin on the last lap too. I am pretty happy with third. I love this place I wish we could race here a lot more than we do.” The winner’s Lance and Darla Landers, Double L Motorsports, Longhorn Chassis is powered by a Cornett Racing Engine and sponsored by Nutrien Ag Solutions, Dyna Gro Seed, Bob Cat of Batesville, Mark Martin Automotive, ASC Warranty, Mega Plumbing of the Carolinas, VP Fuels, Bilstein Shocks, Midwest Sheet Metal, and Lucas Oil Products. Drake Troutman, Hudson O’Neal, Ross Robinson, Carson Ferguson, and Daulton Wilson completed the top ten. Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Race Summary The Rumble by the River Presented by UNOH.edu | Night 2Saturday, August 24, 2024Port Royal Speedway – Port Royal, PA Allstar Performance Time TrialsFast Time Group A: Devin Moran | 18.241 seconds (overall)Fast Time Group B: Jonathan Davenport | 18.279 seconds  Penske Shocks Heat Race #1 Finish (8 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 99-Devin Moran[1]; 2. 111-Max Blair[2]; 3. 2T-Kyle Lee[3]; 4. 25Z-Mason Zeigler[4]; 5. 06-Mike Lupfer[6]; 6. 77-Tyler Dietz[5]; 7. 4S-Danny Snyder[8]; 8. 17Z-Seth Zacharias[7]; 9. EZ1-Ron Fink[9] Summit Racing Products Heat Race #2 Finish (8 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 71-Hudson O’Neal[1]; 2. 58-Garrett Alberson[2]; 3. 93F-Carson Ferguson[3]; 4. 66C-Matt Cosner[4]; 5. D19-Dillan Stake[5]; 6. 66-Justin Kann[6]; 7. 5-Chad Julius[8]; 8. 80D-Greg Diehl[7] Earnhardt Technologies Heat Race #3 Finish (8 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 20RT-Ricky Thornton Jr[1]; 2. 1C-Alex Ferree[2]; 3. 7T-Drake Troutman[3]; 4. 93-Cory Lawler[6]; 5. 22-Gregg Satterlee[4]; 6. 0Y-Andrew Yoder[5]; 7. 25K-Kody Lyter[7]; 8. 15-Scott Flickinger[8] Simpson Race Products Heat Race #4 Finish (8 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 49-Jonathan Davenport[1]; 2. 20-Jimmy Owens[4]; 3. 7-Ross Robinson[3]; 4. 119-Bryan Bernheisel[2]; 5. 1Z-Logan Zarin[5]; 6. 2-Dan Stone[6]; 7. 11-Jason Schmidt[7]; 8. 21-Chad Myers[8]; 9. (DNS) 11C-Trevor Collins Lucas Oil Heat Race #5 Finish (8 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 18D-Daulton Wilson[1]; 2. 1-Tim McCreadie[3]; 3. 2J-Justin Weaver[4]; 4. 15K-Jamie Lathroum[2]; 5. 0-Rick Eckert[6]; 6. 9M-Hayes Mattern[5]; 7. 32J-Shaun Jones[7]; 8. 4-Gary Stuhler[8] Lucas Oil Heat Race #6 Finish (8 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 48-Colton Flinner[2]; 2. 6-Clay Harris[4]; 3. 157-Mike Marlar[6]; 4. 24-Dylan Yoder[5]; 5. 99B-Boom Briggs[1]; 6. 91-Coleby Frye[3]; 7. 17SS-Brenden Smith[7]; 8. 63-Nathan Long[8] Fast Shafts B-Main Race #1 Finish (10 Laps, Top 2 Transfer): 1. 66C-Matt Cosner[2]; 2. 25Z-Mason Zeigler[1]; 3. D19-Dillan Stake[5]; 4. 22-Gregg Satterlee[6]; 5. 93-Cory Lawler[3]; 6. 06-Mike Lupfer[4]; 7. 77-Tyler Dietz[7]; 8. 4S-Danny Snyder[10]; 9. 5-Chad Julius[11]; 10. 17Z-Seth Zacharias[13]; 11. 15-Scott Flickinger[15]; 12. EZ1-Ron Fink[16]; 13. 80D-Greg Diehl[14]; 14. 66-Justin Kann[8]; 15. 0Y-Andrew Yoder[9]; 16. 25K-Kody Lyter[12] UNOH B-Main Race #2 Finish (10 Laps, Top 2 Transfer): 1. 119-Bryan Bernheisel[1]; 2. 0-Rick Eckert[5]; 3. 2-Dan Stone[7]; 4. 99B-Boom Briggs[6]; 5. 9M-Hayes Mattern[8]; 6. 32J-Shaun Jones[11]; 7. 24-Dylan Yoder[3]; 8. 4-Gary Stuhler[14]; 9. 11-Jason Schmidt[10]; 10. 21-Chad Myers[13]; 11. 63-Nathan Long[15]; 12. 15K-Jamie Lathroum[2]; 13. 1Z-Logan Zarin[4]; 14. (DNS) 91-Coleby Frye; 15. (DNS) 17SS-Brenden Smith; 16. (DNS) 11C-Trevor Collins The Rumble by the River Presented by UNOH.edu | Night 2 Feature Finish (50 Laps): Pos – Start – Car # – Competitor – Hometown – Pay1 – 2 – 49 – Jonathan Davenport – Blairsville, GA – $52,3002 – 5 – 20RT – Ricky Thornton Jr – Martinsville, IN – $28,3003 – 7 – 111 – Max Blair – Centerville, PA – $10,7004 – 1 – 99 – Devin Moran – Dresden, OH – $10,2005 – 10 – 1 – Tim McCreadie – Watertown, NY – $9,3006 – 17 – 7T – Drake Troutman – Hyndman, PA – $6,9007 – 3 – 71 – Hudson O’Neal – Martinsville, IN – $7,0008 – 14 – 7 – Ross Robinson – Georgetown, DE – $4,7009 – 15 – 93F – Carson Ferguson – Lincolnton, NC – $4,30010 – 11 – 1C – Alex Ferree – Saxonburg, PA – $3,60011 – 4 – 18D – Daulton Wilson – Fayetteville, NC – $5,60012 – 16 – 2J – Justin Weaver – Clearspring, MD – $3,20013 – 12 – 6 – Clay Harris – Jupiter, FL – $3,50014 – 22 – 0 – Rick Eckert – York, PA – $2,50015 – 8 – 20 – Jimmy Owens – Newport, TN – $3,20016 – 20 – 119 – Bryan Bernheisel – Jonestown, PA – $2,30017 – 19 – 66C – Matt Cosner – Ridgeley, WV – $2,20018 – 23 – 99B – Boom Briggs – Bear Lake, PA – $2,60019 – 6 – 48 – Colton Flinner – Allison Park, PA – $2,00020 – 24 – 17SS – Brenden Smith – Dade City, FL – $2,50021 – 25 – 93 – Cory Lawler – Hanover, PA – $60022 – 18 – 157 – Mike Marlar – Winfield, TN – $4,20023 – 13 – 2T – Kyle Lee – Mercersburg, PA – $2,00024 – 21 – 25Z – Mason Zeigler – Chalk Hill, PA – $2,00025 – 9 – 58 – Garrett Alberson – Las Cruces, NM – $4,200 Race Statistics  Entrants: 50Victory Fuel Pole Sitter: Devin MoranLap Leaders: Devin Moran (Lap 1); Jonathan Davenport (Laps 2-50)Wieland Feature Winner: Jonathan DavenportArizona Sport Shirts Crown Jewel Cup Feature Winner: Jonathan DavenportBrandon Ford TV Challenge Feature Winner: Jonathan DavenportMargin of Victory: 4.234 seconds Dave Warren Powersports Cautions: Garrett Alberson (Lap 4); Debris (Lap 14); Debris (Lap 16); Hudson O’Neal (Lap 24); Boom Briggs (Lap 33); Mike Marlar (Lap 35)LOLMDS Series Provisionals: Boom Briggs; Brenden SmithFast Time Provisional: n/aLOLMDS Emergency Provisionals: Cory LawlerTrack Provisional: n/aBig River Steel Podium Top 3: Jonathan Davenport, Ricky Thornton, Jr., Max BlairPenske Shocks Top 5: Jonathan Davenport, Ricky Thornton, Jr., Max Blair, Devin Moran, Tim McCreadieTodd Steel Buildings Hard Charger of the Race: Drake Troutman (Advanced 11 Positions) PEM 4th Place Feature: Devin MoranWilwood Brakes Lucky 7th Place Feature: Hudson O’NealDeatherage Opticians Lucky 13th Place Feature: Clay HarrisMD3 Most Laps Led: Jonathan Davenport (49 Laps) Sunoco Race for Gas Highest Finisher: Ricky Thornton, Jr.Midwest Sheet Metal Spoiler Challenge Point Leader: Ricky Thornton, Jr.O’Reilly Auto Parts Rookie of the Race: Drake TroutmanColtman Farms Fastest Lap of the Race: Jonathan Davenport (Lap 6 | 19.194 seconds)Slicker Graphics Slickest Move of the Race: Jonathan DavenportMiller Welders Hard Luck Award: Garrett AlbersonOuterwears Crew Chief of the Race: Cory Fostvedt (Jonathan Davenport)ARP Engine Builder of the Race: Cornett Racing EnginesMiller Welders Chassis Builder of the Race: Longhorn ChassisDirt Draft Fastest in Hot Laps: Tim McCreadie (18.4265 seconds)Time of Race: 37 minutes 55 seconds Big River Steel Chase for the Championship Presented by ARP Point Standings:Pos – Car # – Competitor – Hometown – Points – Pay1 – 20RT – Ricky Thornton Jr – Martinsville, IN – 5635 – $368,6492 – 49 – Jonathan Davenport – Blairsville, GA – 5410 – $299,1503 – 99 – Devin Moran – Dresden, OH – 5395 – $306,5054 – 71 – Hudson O’Neal – Martinsville, IN – 4905 – $165,7035 – 1 – Tim McCreadie – Watertown, NY – 4890 – $198,4256 – 58 – Garrett Alberson – Las Cruces, NM – 4715 – $133,4257 – 18D – Daulton Wilson – Fayetteville, NC – 4605 – $150,5258 – 157 – Mike Marlar – Winfield, TN – 4565 – $131,6259 – 20 – Jimmy Owens – Newport, TN – 4345 – $91,02510 – 111 – Max Blair – Centerville, PA – 4300 – $101,30011 – 7T – Drake Troutman – Hyndman, PA – 3895 – $82,22512 – 7 – Ross Robinson – Georgetown, DE – 3785 – $76,05013 – 6 – Clay Harris – Jupiter, FL – 3780 – $53,87514 – 99B – Boom Briggs – Bear Lake, PA – 3355 – $46,02515 – 17SS – Brenden Smith – Dade City, FL – 3265 – $32,85016 – 93 – Cory Lawler – Hanover, PA – 3075 – $18,67517 – 93F – Carson Ferguson – Lincolnton, NC – 3055 – $50,775