DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (August 6, 2024) – The 2024 Progressive American Flat Track season, sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing, continues tonight with the Black Hills Harley-Davidson Black Hills Half-Mile presented by The City of Sturgis in Rapid City, South Dakota. The Mission AFT SuperTwins and Parts Unlimited AFT Singles presented by KICKERchampionship contenders will be back in action with the day’s first practice scheduled to start at 3:30 p.m. ET (12:30 p.m. PT). For those who can’t catch the action from the track, FloRacing is the live streaming home of Progressive AFT. Catch every second of this weekend’s on-track action, starting with practice and qualifying and concluding with the victory podium, at https://flosports.link/aft. For more information on Progressive AFT visit https://www.americanflattrack.com.

August 6, 2024 — TORRANCE, Calif.

• Acura salutes its championship heritage in sports car competition at the 2024 Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion with the return of the 2008 Acura ARX-01b
• Two-time IMSA Champion and current Acura ARX-06 GTP driver Ricky Taylor will pilot the legendary race machine in the Scott Pruett Legends of Endurance Cup Class
• Acura has won three of the last five IMSA Prototype championships and three of the last four Rolex 24 at Daytona endurance races

Acura will celebrate its rich legacy of endurance sports car competition by racing its iconic Acura ARX-01b prototype during Monterey Car Week, one of the world’s top gatherings of automotive and motorsports enthusiasts. Still wearing its iconic livery from the 2008 season, the Acura ARX-01b will compete in the Scott Pruett Legends of Endurance Cup at the 2024 Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca on Aug. 14-17. Two-time IMSA Series Champion and current Acura ARX-06 prototype driver Ricky Taylor will be behind the wheel.

Acura ARX-01b Returns to Laguna Seca
The 2024 Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion marks the return of the Acura ARX-01b [Acura Racing eXperimental, generation 1] to WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, where it wowed race fans with one of the greatest finishes in the 67-year history of the famed racetrack.

In 2008, team owner and driver Gil de Ferran, a two-time season champion in the Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART) open-wheel racing series, and the 2003 Indy 500 winner, drove an Acura ARX-01b with future Indy 500 winner Simon Pagenaud in the American Le Mans Series LMP2 Class. This included the dramatic season finale at Laguna Seca. During the four-hour race, the final hour of action proved to be a classic, with Pagenaud finishing second, just .054 seconds behind another Acura ARX-01b driven by 2013 Indy 500 winner Tony Kanaan.

In 2009, the Fernandez Racing organization won eight races in the LMP2 class to win the class championship in an Acura ARX-01b. In addition, the Acura ARX-02a finished 1-2 in the LMP1 championship with a pair of entries fielded by Highcroft Racing and de Ferran Motorsports, winning eight of ten races – including on the track at Laguna Seca.

Acura began winning on the track within two years after it began sales in 1986. Race-prepped Acura Integras won two consecutive International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) Championships from 1988-90. Then the first in a successful line of endurance prototypes fielded by the brand over the last three decades, the famous Comptech Racing Acura-Spice GTP Lights race cars carried Acura to three consecutive Championships in the prestigious IMSA Camel GTP Lights series from 1991-93.

Acura racing success continues in 2024 with the championship-winning Acura NSX GT3 competing in the IMSA GTD class, and the electrified Acura ARX-06, competing in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar GTP Championship hybrid-powered GTP category and recently claimed victory at the iconic 12 Hours of Sebring. Acura has won three of the last five IMSA Prototype championships and three of the last four Rolex 24 at Daytona endurance races.

About Acura
Acura is a leading automotive brand committed to delivering expressive styling, innovative engineering and engaging dynamics, all built on the brand’s Precision Crafted Performance DNA. The Acura lineup consists of two sport sedans, the Integra and TLX, and three sport-utility vehicles, the RDX, MDX and all-electric ZDX. A fourth SUV, the ADX, will join the lineup as a new gateway model in 2025. High-performance Type S variants further demonstrate the virtues of Acura Precision Crafted Performance. All Acura vehicles sold in America are made in the U.S., using domestic and globally sourced parts.

More information about Acura is available here: https://acuranews.com/en-US. 

Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA to run two-car FIA WEC factory team starting in 2025

DETROIT (Aug. 6, 2024) – Cadillac Racing announced today that its FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) Hypercar program will expand to a two-car factory program to be named Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA beginning with the start of the 2025 season. “Cadillac is proud to be racing against the best in the world as part of the FIA World Endurance Championship, and that includes Hertz Team JOTA” said John Roth, vice president, Global Cadillac. “We are thrilled to welcome Hertz Team JOTA next year, bringing decades of racing and technical expertise together, to achieve continued success on the track and create new advocates for our brand around the globe.” Added Sam Hignett, director and founder, Hertz Team JOTA: “JOTA has always strived to become a manufacturer team, so now joining forces with Cadillac is the realization of this goal. Having competed against the Cadillac V-Series.R for the last two seasons, we have experienced how competitive it is and we are genuinely honored to be entrusted with fielding its cars from 2025 onward. We are in the privileged position to have enjoyed record-breaking success in the FIA World Endurance Championship, especially at Le Mans, and we are very much looking forward to continuing this success with Cadillac and Hertz.”

French version of news release | Logo in PNG, PDF, jpeg Drivers of the No. 12 and No. 38 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA V-Series.R racecars, which are powered by the purpose-built Cadillac 5.5L DOHC V8 engine, will be announced in the future. England-based Hertz Team JOTA, owned in part by affiliates of Knighthead Capital Management, LLC, sponsored by global car rental company Hertz and seven-time champion and entrepreneur Tom Brady, entered the Hypercar class as a privateer in 2023 and currently runs two cars in the WEC with another manufacturer. It registered a historic first overall victory for a private team in Hypercar on May 11 at the TotalEnergies 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps and was runner-up in the season-opening Qatar Airways Qatar 1812 KM. Hertz Team JOTA leads the FIA World Cup for Hypercar private teams. Highlighting Cadillac Racing’s inaugural WEC season was the third-place finish in the centenary 24 Hours of Le Mans. The No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R started the 2023 season with top-five finishes at Sebring, Portimão and Spa-Francorchamps. Cadillac Racing, which also runs a two-car Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) factory program in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, swept the 2023 GTP full-season and IMSA Michelin Endurance cup manufacturer, team and driver championships with Action Express Racing and the No. 31 Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R. Overall, Cadillac Racing has earned nine Manufacturer Championships, five IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup Manufacturer Championships and 69 total sports car victories, including 30 in IMSA prototype competition since 2017. Cadillac Racing will announce its 2025 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship plans at a later date. The Cadillac V-Series.R marks the third-generation Cadillac prototype racecar and the brand’s first hybrid electrified race car. Codeveloped by Cadillac Design, Cadillac Racing and chassis constructor Dallara — the race car incorporates key Cadillac V-Series production car design elements, such as vertical lighting and floating blades.

Fifth and sixth for Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller; season-best fifth in GTD for AWA ELKHART LAKE, Wis. (August 4, 2024) – The Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R recorded top-five finishes in both GTD PRO and GTD on Sunday at the end of a chaotic IMSA SportsCar Weekend event at Road America. The No. 3 Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports entry of Antonio Garcia and Alexander Sims finished fifth in the GTD PRO class, with the AWA duo of Matt Bell and Orey Fidani matching that result for their best GTD finish of the season in their No. 13 Corvette Z06 GT3.R. The GTD PRO pole-sitting No. 4 Corvette of Nicky Catsburg and Tommy Milner placed sixth in the hectic race.

The two-hour, 40-minute contest looked more like a short-track race with six full-course caution periods. Two yellows inside the final hour worked against the three Corvette Z06 GT3.Rs, all of which looked to be in good shape on fuel strategy going into the final 70 minutes. The first unlucky break against the Corvettes came on the opening lap as Sims went spinning from second place after contact from another GTD PRO car, a dive-bomb move that sent the No. 3 off-track and into the gravel. Recovery crews quickly pulled Sims back onto the track with minor damage to the suspension of the car. That left class pole-sitter and leader Nicky Catsburg as the lone Corvette at the front of the field, and the No. 4 he shared with Tommy Milner led the first 10 laps before stopping for tires and fuel during the first caution period of the race. A handful of GTD PRO cars stayed out to jumble the running order, which put a greater premium on track position. Both the No. 3 and No. 4 Corvettes attempted to manage their fuel usage across the final 75 minutes to regain the top positions, but two full-course yellows in quick succession alleviated all fuel concerns for the full GTD PRO field. In GTD, Bell and Fidani were the day’s top movers by gaining 16 positions overall and 10 in class for their first top-five finish of the season. Fidani drove the first 46 minutes before Bell took over to the end. He was involved in multiple battles with other class competitors – five and six cars at a time – but stayed clean to the end. The result meant that Fidani continues to lead the Bob Akin Award standings, with the season championship going to the top Bronze-rated, points-scoring driver. The next race in IMSA for the Corvette Z06 GT3.Rs is the Michelin GT Challenge at Virginia International Raceway on August 23-25.

CORVETTE RACING BY PRATT MILLER MOTORSPORTS POST-EVENT DRIVER QUOTESANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R – FIFTH IN GTD PRO: “The first lap led to our whole race. The opening contact damaged the car somewhat, and from that point on we had to gamble on a different strategy, save fuel and do something different. In a way, it got us some positions but when it came time to fight at the end, the car wasn’t where it needed to be. We definitely tried to squeeze as much as we could out of it. It’s a shame. It was a little mistake (by the 64) but it hurt the momentum of our race.”

ALEXANDER SIMS, NO. 3 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R – FIFTH IN GTD PRO: “Rocky (Mike Rockenfeller) came and apologized. I know that there was nothing malicious in it. It was just a mistake, and we all make mistakes. That’s the way it goes. I have to give great credit to the Corvette, which held up pretty well for a decent hit. We had a little movement in the rear toe, and we could finish the race with it. Well done to the recovery crew to get me out of the gravel so quickly. That kept us on the lead lap and in the race. We came away with fifth which isn’t what you want after starting on the front row, but under the circumstances it could have been race over at that point. It was a good recovery. That’s racing, and we’ll go on to the next one.”

TOMMY MILNER, NO. 4 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R – SIXTH IN GTD PRO: “On our side, we had great racecars. The Corvettes were very good. It’s hard to pass here. What happens with guys that don’t think they have a car to win, they start making gambles on strategy and in this series you can win on gambles. Driving in traffic here makes it hard to follow cars. Even if you have a fast car, you can’t always use it. We’re very well aware that track position is king, so we try to prioritize that. Things just didn’t fall our way today. There were multiple situations and opportunities for us to make the right calls, and in the situations I think we made the right calls. I’m not happy with the end result, but the effort and strategy and the whole crew… everyone did a great job and did everything right. Luck was just not on our side.”

NICKY CATSBURG, NO. 4 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R – SIXTH IN GTD PRO: “Honestly it was a disappointing day today. I felt that as a team we executed really well and the Corvette was in a super-nice window in terms of balance. The start went well and from my point of view we did everything right and ended up with nothing. It’s unfortunate because I feel like we deserved something more today. Some of these races become a bit of a lottery. So I’m disappointed but on the other hand pleased with the momentum we have. We are getting more and more on top of the car. We are reliable, we are performing well in terms of setup, qualifying and race pace. The guys in the pitlane are doing good work. It was a good weekend with all the Oshkosh guests, and we had a lot of fun. It would have been nice to come away with a win instead of basically nothing. It is what it is, and now we can look forward to VIR which is a new track for me. It seems to be another awesome place, and I can’t wait for the next event.”

AWA POST-EVENT DRIVER QUOTESMATT BELL, NO. 13 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R – FIFTH IN GTD: “That was absolute chaos and a proper IMSA race! There was some seriously dicey, proper GT racing going on and I loved every bit of it, to be honest. A few people got a bit too far over the line and that cost them, but I think we struck the right balance and managed to progress through the field. It was nice to put in a couple of decent overtakes and we went up the field as people made mistakes. I think we were the top mover on the grid with great work by the team. We were super-sharp in the pits and super-sharp with strategy again. We’re marching toward that first podium. So yes, a good day in the office.”

After Driving PEAK Chevy Camaro for First Time. ‘Fast Jack” Ready for Brainerd

NORWALK, Ohio (Aug. 3, 2024) – After an 11-year absence, two-time Top Fuel World Champion Brittany Force made the most of her Saturday return to the Cornwell Tools “Night Under Fire,” pushing her blue-and-black Cornwell dragster to the night’s quickest time and fastest speed (3.840 seconds at 320.20 miles per hour) en route to a momentum-building victory at Summit Motorsport Park. John Force Racing missed a double-up win in Funny Car when mechanical issues slowed Jack Beckman and the PEAK Antifreeze and Coolant Chevrolet Camaro SS to 8.766 seconds at only 85.51 mph in a final round loss to Dale Creasy Jr. “Bill Bader’s events are always a highlight of the season (and) competing in them is such a privilege,” Brittany said. “We ran the quickest ET in the first round (but) in the final, our car started to spin (the tires). Fortunately, it was good enough for the win which gives us momentum heading into Brainerd (Minn., site of the Aug. 16-18 Lucas Oil Nationals, next event in the NHRA’s Mission Foods Series). Meanwhile, despite the final round disappointment, Beckman was pleased with the overall direction of his first week filling in for John Force, who continues to recover from a TBI suffered in a June 23 crash in Richmond, Va. “I’m still wrapping my head around the fact that it’s actually me sitting in John Force’s car,” said the 33-time NHRA tour winner. “(JFR president) Robert Hight did a conference call on Friday and I got to speak to John for the first time since his accident. That was medicine for the soul. “(Then), John called me (Saturday) before I got in the car. He said, ‘just go out there and do what you know how to do. There’s no pressure,’” recounted the former NHRA national record holder. “And he was right. I actually came out here to get licensed and wound up having a ton of fun in the process.  “I got to know (the members of) John’s PEAK team. I’ve known a few of them, but I got to spend more time with the rest of them and, I guess, under the circumstances, you could not have asked for a better way to get indoctrinated to the car and the team,” he said. After a set-up run of 4.007 seconds at 308.28 mph on Friday, “Fast Jack” was the No. 1 qualifier Saturday with a first round time of 4.047 at 309.34 mph. Unfortunately, his final round troubles enabled Creasy Jr. to win in a pedestrian 6.395 seconds at 107.10 mph. “We had a couple of electric gremlins, which is always frustrating,” said the man who taught more than 7,000 students the mechanics of the sport as an instructor at Frank Hawley’s Drag Racing School, “but it could have been worse. If it would have happened in Brainerd, it could have (really) put us behind the eight ball.  “We got to step on the throttle a bunch of times,” he said. “I got the runs I needed to get my license (renewed) and we probably learned a couple things about the car. Remember, John and I don’t weigh the same (and) our driving styles are a little bit different. The crew and I are going to have to meld our styles together to where everything is predictable again for them (like) it was when John was driving.  “The biggest thing is now I know how to go home and visualize exactly what this car looks like, feels like, sounds like and responds like. I’ll be better when we get to Brainerd.  You have to remember, it’s a brand new car. (It) had never been down the racetrack before, so I think we checked off all the boxes.”

Cadillac Racing GTP entries finish fourth, ninth in final sprint event of season

ELKHART LAKE, Wis. (Aug. 4, 2024) – The No. 31 Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R regrouped after an inauspicious start Sunday to the IMSA SportsCar Weekend at Road America to challenge for the victory and eventually finish fourth in the choppy 2-hour, 40-minute race. The No. 01 Cadillac V-Series.R also found itself the object of contact and an off-course excursion that required an unscheduled stop to change the nose assembly and front-right tire. Renger van der Zande and Sebastien Bourdais, who started third, finished ninth after a service stop for tires with 2 minutes left.

After qualifying fifth, Pipo Derani found himself sitting backward in Turn 6 on the initial race lap when the No. 31 Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R was bumped and spun, which dropped the Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) entry to the rear of the 10-car field. Derani climbed to eighth and ceded the seat to Jack Aitken after 25 minutes of driving time. Aitken, competing at Road America for the first time, continued to weave through the 47-car field covering four classes to be running third under yellow with 37 minutes left. He moved to second on the restart with 16 minutes, 20 seconds left and looked to challenge the leading No. 6 Porsche 963. Also on the green flag, Bourdais moved to fourth in the running order. In the final 8 minutes, the No. 7 Porsche 963 overtook Aitken for second and the No. 10 Acura AXR-06 slipped past the No. 31 Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R in traffic on the white flag lap for the final podium spot.

Next up for GTP entries is the Tirerack.com Battle on the Bricks on the 2.439-mile, 14-turn Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course that incorporates sections of the oval track. The event was a 2-hour, 40-minute race in 2023 and expands to six hours Sept. 22. NBC will telecast the final three hours of the race, with Peacock providing flag-to-flag streaming coverage from 11:30 a.m.-6 p.m. ET. Cadillac Racing photos from Road America for editorial use

No. 01 Cadillac V-Series.R

Renger van der Zande: “I think today wasn’t our day. We were in a great position after the first stop. It was one of those days in IMSA where there’s a lot of yellows, and a big lottery. But, obviously, we had a crash, which hurt the car quite a bit and that put us at the back of the field. After that the recovery worked out pretty smoothly but there was a tire that didn’t hold on for the last five minutes to the end. I think P5 was going to be a good recovery from all the drama that we had on the way. But it’s not a good day, also hurts for the championship. The Porsche extended its lead with two of its cars. It’s one of those days that you want to forget quickly. And on top of it I think we had a really fast car. We didn’t have a car to fight with because we’re still struggling with top speed quite a lot, but at least we maximized the setup and performance out of our car, so I’m proud of the team.”  Sebastien Bourdais: “The GT Porsche making contact on the outlap with me, just gave me no chance. I was down on the inside, he knew I was going to go by him in the straight, and I understeered a tiny little bit, but he just turned in and turned me around. And after that I washed out pretty severely behind (Nick) Yelloly in the Carousel, and he was washing out behind the No. 10 really bad too and drove himself off the road. And I was going to run myself off the road a little bit, but I had backed off already and I was going to be fine. But then when I ended up in the cloud of dust I didn’t know where I was, and then I lost it. And then our fate was sealed at that point. The rear tires were squared, and the car was very difficult to drive. And then just went from bad to worse at that point. We delaminated a tire with three laps to go there. So, we just move on.”No. 31 Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R

Jack Aitken: “A tough Lap 1, but we did what we had to do to work our way back into it. The race came to us a little bit with the way the cautions played out. For most of the races played it simple and worked our way through the pack by picking people off and with good strategy and found ourselves in position to win the race at the end. It was an interesting race with fuel, different tire strategies. I tried to go for the lead and just had a bit of rubber and ended up wide in Canada Corner and that was the impetus to lose second place to the other Porsche. They were strong today, so take my hat off to them. Then I just couldn’t get back on terms with them through the traffic that quite intense. Then I made a small mistake and Ricky Taylor managed to get past as well. It was a bit frustrating that we came here to win and we put ourselves in that position, so that’s positive.” Pipo Derani: “This race was all about strategy, getting the yellows right. We came back to put ourselves in position to fight for the win and it was tight at the end. It was really close in fighting for the win so that’s a positive today. Let’s see how it goes the last two races and more points in the bag today. The championship keeps getting harder and harder, but it’s part of the game. You give all you have and sometimes you come out with the win and sometimes you come out with P4.”

“Yung Money” equals Craig Dollansky for the most victories in the demanding event and banks $25,000

PEVELY, MO (August 3, 2024) – There seems to be no stopping Kyle Larson at Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55.

To open Federated Auto Parts Ironman 55 weekend on Friday Larson pieced together a miraculous charge from 21st to victory in 30 laps. He punctuated that performance with a last lap, last corner pass to seal the deal. That marked the longest drive to a win with the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars in 11 years.

The stage set for “Yung Money” on Saturday was a 12th place starting position with 55 laps to get the job done. Looking at the math from the night before, the task seemed like a simple one. But of course, driving through a field with the country’s best Sprint Car drivers in it two nights in a row is far from easy. But Larson managed to pull it off anyway.

The 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion methodically picked his way to the front over the course of the longest race in laps on the 2024 World of Outlaws calendar. It started with a strong first rotation that saw him go from 12th to ninth. Six circuits later he cracked the top five. And then on Lap 44 he slipped under race-long leader Giovanni Scelzi to take the top spot and then sped away.

“I was just fortunate enough to get a good initial start and kind of be the first one to the top to get to fifth,” Larson said. “I was really struggling there before the open red, so that was nice to be able to get Paul (Silva) to turn some wrenches on this thing and get me freed up. That really allowed me to kind of get through the waves in (Turn) 1 and get through the middle and get pointed off of (Turn) 2 much better.

“That was a fun race. I hope all of you fans enjoyed that. Ironman 55 is probably my favorite Sprint Car race of the year. It’s tough, long. I really enjoy these long races. Cool to three-peat this.”

The three-peat Larson mentioned is due to the fact that he’s won all three Ironman 55 editions that he’s entered (2020, 2023, and 2024). The three wins ties Craig Dollansky’s record mark for the most that had stood alone since he topped three straight from 2011 to 2013. He’s now up to five wins in seven tries at I-55 with The Greatest Show on Dirt, putting him just one checkered flag away from tying Sammy Swindell and Brad Sweet for the most. It also moves the Pevely, MO bullring within one of Knoxville Raceway for the winningest track on Larson’s World of Outlaws résumé.

He passed a total of 31 Sprint Cars over the course of 85 Feature laps through the two nights and banked $37,000.

Giovanni Scelzi and Donny Schatz led the field to green for the 55-lapper. Scelzi used the pole position to pull ahead of Schatz and lead the opening lap. 

Scelzi managed to stretch out the advantage a bit through the early laps. Schatz settled into second with Carson Macedo in third. A little way behind them Larson began his journey through the field.

Even once traffic became a factor Schatz struggled to find the speed necessary to catch Scelzi. One lap he’d cut into the advantage, and the next Scelzi would pad it again.

Macedo used a restart with 34 laps remaining to muscle by Schatz for second shortly before a red flag ended the night for a pair of frontrunners. Contact with a lapped car sent fourth-running Corey Day into Michael Kofoid and sent Day upside down.

The stoppage turned into an open red to allow teams to refuel, and on the restart Schatz found his way back into second as Larson jumped into third. And then a restart with 22 laps remaining gave Larson the opportunity he needed to snatch second from Schatz, leaving only Scelzi between himself and a weekend sweep.

Larson patiently worked the low and middle grooves of the racetrack as Scelzi stayed committed to the top. Little by little Larson chipped away, and on Lap 44 he pulled the trigger on a slider that stuck for the top spot. From there Larson never looked back on his way to a record-tying third Ironman 55.

“I was actually really surprised about the restart after the fuel stop,” Larson recalled. “I almost got to second into (Turn) 3 by diamonding (Turns) 1 and 2. I didn’t expect that, so I knew my car was better right away. I knew I needed to take advantage of that. I lined up third, caution came right back out, and the bottom was better. My engine took off really good, and then I just kind of paced and hoped for no caution because I didn’t want to be on the outside for a restart. It just worked out really good for us.”

Donny Schatz brought the Tony Stewart/Curb Agajanian Racing No. 15 home second. The 10-time World of Outlaws champion continues to bang on the door of an Ironman 55 as the dumbbell trophy has eluded him to this point. Saturday marked five runner-up finishes in the grueling race.

“Every time I was on the outside I was getting passed by cars on the inside,” Schatz said of restarts. “Being on the inside of the second row was probably better on those restarts. We capitalized on it, just tried to move around the racetrack. I guess I’m just glad that’s over with a decent run. It was pretty demanding. It feels like 200-degrees in the car. I’m not used to that, but that’s the way it goes. It was a good race. Kyle did a good job.”

Rounding out the Ironman 55 podium was Carson Macedo in the Jason Johnson Racing machine. The Lemoore, CA native continues to be one of the most consistent drivers at I-55 with his fifth consecutive top five run and seventh podium in the last 10 tries at the bullring.

“I think Philip Dietz, Adam Zimmerman, and Robby McQuinn gave me a great race car,” Macedo said. “I feel like I was pretty versatile. I’d get to bouncing a little bit through the middle, but I could make a lot of speed up top. I just had one big mistake on my part. I think I got a little eager on the fuel and kind of maybe got it too loaded up. Then when I went to fire off on that restart there and kind of got stuck out there and let Donny and Kyle get by.”

Giovanni Scelzi and Logan Schuchart completed the top five. 

Larson’s run from 12th to the win also earned him back-to-back KSE Racing Hard Chargers.

Carson Macedo claimed his Series leading ninth Simpson Quick Time of 2024 and the 42nd of his career in Sea Foam Qualifying.

NOS Energy Drink Heats One, Three, and Four belonged to Sheldon Haudenschild, Carson Macedo, and Logan Schuchart. Milton Hershey School Heat Two went to Giovanni Scelzi.

Giovanni Scelzi topped the Toyota Racing Dash.

Jessie Attard won the Micro-Lite Last Chance Showdown.

The Smith Titanium Brake Systems Break of the Race went to Brock Zearfoss.

UP NEXT: The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars roll to Knoxville Raceway for the 63rd running of the NOS Energy Drink Knoxville Nationals presented by Casey’s on August 7-10. 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 (55 Laps): 1. 57-Kyle Larson[12]; 2. 15-Donny Schatz[2]; 3. 41-Carson Macedo[3]; 4. 18-Giovanni Scelzi[1]; 5. 1S-Logan Schuchart[8]; 6. 2-David Gravel[10]; 7. 83-Michael Kofoid[14]; 8. 17B-Bill Balog[13]; 9. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild[6]; 10. 3-Ayrton Gennetten[4]; 11. 53-Jessie Attard[21]; 12. 49J-Josh Schneiderman[19]; 13. 20G-Noah Gass[16]; 14. 34-Sterling Cling[18]; 15. 70-Kraig Kinser[11]; 16. 37B-Bryce Norris[23]; 17. 6-Kelby Watt[17]; 18. 3Z-Brock Zearfoss[9]; 19. 14-Corey Day[5]; 20. 37-Ayden Gatewood[15]; 21. 21R-Gunner Ramey[20]; 22. 7A-Will Armitage[7]; 23. 50K-Thomas Meseraull[24]; 24. 24T-Christopher Thram[22]

KNOXVILLE, IA (August 3, 2024) – 

Tyler Courtney’s Sprint Car resume has been growing at a rapid rate in recent years, and he added another major accolade Saturday night at Knoxville Raceway.

The Indianapolis, IN native wheeled his NOS Energy Drink No. 7BC to his first victory in the Xtream powered by Mediacom 360 Knoxville Nationals presented by Great Southern Bank.

“I’ve gotten to do a lot of cool things in my time in Sprint Car racing,” Courtney said. “But to win a Nationals event at Knoxville is up there. Obviously the Kings Royal is first, but this is probably second or third on the list.”

Courtney is a two-time winner at the “Sprint Car Capital of the World” in Non-Wing competition, but his latest victory is his first at the track with the wing on.

Saturday’s Feature lineup was set by points earned during preliminary action on Thursday and Friday, and Courtney’s performance on Friday night was enough to earn the outside of the front row for the 30-lap affair alongside 360 Nationals rookie Emerson Axsom.

The two ran side-by-side through Turns 1 and 2 on the opening lap, but Courtney’s momentum on the top lane was enough for him to power to the lead down the backstretch and pace the first circuit.

Axsom wasn’t interested in watching Courtney drive away though, as he dove to the bottom of Turn 1 on Lap 2 and completed the slide job to retake the top spot. But before he could build a gap, B-Main winner Chase Randall pounded the wall and flipped in Turn 3 to bring out the red flag.

When the race resumed, Axsom moved up the track on the restart to take the clean air away from Courtney and built a 1.3-second advantage by the end of the lap. However, once Axsom caught the tail of the field for the first time, Courtney began to quickly reel in the No. 27A machine.

On Lap 11, Courtney threaded the needle in Turn 1 between Axsom on the top and the slower car of Ryan Giles on the bottom. Axsom held onto the lead down the backstretch, but his contact with Carson McCarl seconds later in Turn 3 was all Courtney needed to grab the lead.

From there, Courtney put on a masterclass in navigating traffic, leading 20 laps in all to add $10,000 in lap money onto his $20,000 winner’s check.

“When we got to traffic, I felt like my car was pretty good at running behind guys,” Courtney said. “My car just kept getting better and better, and the track changed a little bit there at the end, so I had to move around and find that. The 360 field this year was really tough, so the cars I was getting to lap weren’t just slouches to go and try and pass. It was getting tough.”

The Clauson Marshall Racing team’s primary goal for the weekend was to build their Knoxville notebook ahead of next week’s NOS Energy Drink Knoxville Nationals presented by Casey’s, but once they realized their potential with the 360 between the frame rails, their focus switched to the here and now.

“We don’t really come into this week with any expectations,” Courtney said. “But once we sat on the front row, then you’re holding yourself up to ‘Let’s go win this thing. We’re already here, let’s get it done.”

While Axsom was disappointed to come up short after earning the top starting spot, it was still a commendable effort by the 19-year-old in his first full-time season in the winged ranks.

“It’s good to put these runs together in these big races because it’s a confidence booster,” Axsom said. “I know my guys can do it and I know I can do it, it’s just putting it all together. Takes a little bit of time. I’m sitting here a little bit disappointed, but I think if you would have told me at the start of the year that we would come here and run second at the 360 Nationals, I’d probably be really pumped.”

While Austin McCarl’s third-place effort established a new career best on Saturday of the 360 Nationals for the 15-year Knoxville veteran, he will have to wait another year for his long-awaited first victory in the event.

“I’m disappointed to be sitting here third,” McCarl said. “I feel like I drove about as good as I could. I feel like we’ve been really solid all year, just haven’t been clicking off wins for whatever reason. But I feel like I’m right there every night, if we keep doing that, I think we can keep fine tuning.”

Reigning event winner Brian Brown’s quest for a repeat ended in the fourth spot, and Friday night runner-up Cory Eliason completed the top five.

Carson McCarl finished fourth in the B-Main to join his father Terry and brother Austin in the Feature, and his drive from the tail of the field to 15th was enough to pick up the night’s Hard Charger Award.

UP NEXT: The ASCS National Tour will return in two weeks for the first of three consecutive weekends of racing beginning at Dodge City Raceway Park on Friday, August 16, and concluding at Lincoln County Raceway on Saturday, August 17. Tickets to both events will be available at the track on race day, while those unable to make it to the track can watch every lap live on DIRTVision.

Feature (30 Laps): 1. 7BC-Tyler Courtney[2]; 2. 27A-Emerson Axsom[1]; 3. 88-Austin McCarl[4]; 4. 21-Brian Brown[9]; 5. 8-Cory Eliason[3]; 6. 1TZ-Tasker Phillips[6]; 7. 4W-Jamie Ball[5]; 8. 21T-Cole Macedo[12]; 9. 6-Kaleb Johnson[8]; 10. 01-Terry McCarl[10]; 11. 95-Matt Covington[16]; 12. 55-Kerry Madsen[19]; 13. 27H-Justin Peck[15]; 14. 87-Aaron Reutzel[17]; 15. 27-Carson McCarl[24]; 16. 9-Kasey Kahne[22]; 17. 2M-Ryan Giles[23]; 18. 35-Skylar Prochaska[20]; 19. 24-Kade Higday[11]; 20. 26-Zeb Wise[18]; 21. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr[13]; 22. 17-Tyler Groenendyk[7]; 23. 2KS-Chase Randall[21]; 24. (DNS) 27B-Jake Bubak

The “Smooth Operator” led 55 laps en route to his third crown jewel win of the 2024 World of Outlaws season 

NEW RICHMOND, WI (August 3, 2024) – Bobby Pierce continues to ride his rail of dominance this summer with the World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Models. 

The Oakwood, IL driver held off a plethora of challenges from the top dirt Late Model drivers in the country for his second USA Nationals victory at Cedar Lake Speedway. 

Pierce started on the front row with Blairsville, GA driver Jonathan Davenport to the drop of the Gorsuch Performance Green Flag in the Feature. Davenport led Lap 1 until the caution flew on Lap 2 for current Series points leader Brandon Sheppard, who suffered mechanical issues under the hood. 

On the next restart, Davenport got out to the lead until Pierce reeled the No. 49 back in a quick manner. On Lap 3, using the bottom line through Turns 1 and 2, Pierce soared by Davenport to take the lead as the gasser of the No. 32 Megan’s Mission Late Model began to find his rhythm around the New Richmond, WI facility. 

Brandon, FL driver Kyle Bronson, who started in seventh at the drop of the green flag, worked his No. 40B up to third as he battled Davenport throughout the Feature for second place while Pierce inflated the gap from the two drivers up to two seconds before catching lapped traffic. 

On the final restart, Pierce jumped out to the lead, but MD3 Rookie of the Year points leader Dustin Sorensen made hay by challenging Bronson for the second spot on the podium at a hometown track. 

Friday night’s Feature winner Ryan Gustin rallied a late charge toward the three drivers with a run around the high side of the track to make it a four-car battle for the win.

“It as nerve-racking not to have eyes on the back of my head,” Pierce said. “Kyle (Bronson) said Gustin was coming good on the top there. It was an awesome race.” 

The Feature was declared official on Lap 56 as massive rainfall found its way to the track surface, cementing Pierce’s 10th World of Outlaws CASE Late Models victory of 2024 and his seventh triumph in eight races. 

“It doesn’t get easier the more races you win,” Pierce said. “That whole race, I started searching (for fresh dirt) on the track about 20 laps in. It’s not a good feeling when you’re looking that early in a long race, and I was hurting my tires bad. After I got out of the car, my right rear (tire) was completely smoked. I knew the rain was coming so I was using them up more than normal. It’s nerve-racking because I knew (Bronson) was there. I just did what I had to do to maintain my position, and it was damn close. We definitely had some luck on our side today. It wasn’t as exciting as the PDC win, but it was exciting in the car. It was tough out there.” 

Bronson finished second to Pierce, marking his second podium finish of the weekend at Cedar Lake and moving the Floridian up to fourth in the Series standings. 

“I felt like we were good,” Bronson said. “I had a really good car. I made a couple of wrong moves there early and I could’ve been there to get (Bobby) at the end. It’s the way it goes sometimes, and we’ll keep building and I’m looking forward to getting to the next races we have coming up.” 

Sorensen, of Rochester, MN, rounded out the top three finishers from Cedar Lake for his second podium of his World of Outlaws CASE Late Models season since the Hoosier Dirt Classic at Brownstown Speedway in June. The MD3 Rookie of the Year points leader extended his gap to 150 points leaving the USA Nationals weekend. 

“I was sitting there in third and saw a couple of lapped cars were running the top,” Sorensen said. “I gave it a shot and it was really good. I was fast through the first two corners, but Bronson was able to get to the bottom through the last two to get back by me. We might have had something for them had we gotten a couple of more laps. 

“We knew this was gonna be tough and a good challenge. We’ve gotten better through the year, and it’s been pretty steady with the gains made. There’s been some bumps and struggles, but this gets me excited for the rest of the year. I want to win one of these races.” 

Gustin, of Marshalltown, IA, finished fourth, and Davenport solidified the night’s top five finishers from the Saturday night finale. 

RECAP NOTES: 

Dirt King Simulator Hottest Hot Lap: Cade Dillard 

Last Chance Showdown Winners: Tyler Bruening, Tyler Erb 

Late Model Dash Winners: Jonathan Davenport, Ricky Thornton Jr. 

Last Chance Qualifier Winner: Sam Mars 

Fox Factory Hard Charger Award: Cade Dillard (+12) 

Up Next: The World of Outlaws CASE Late Models make their final trips to Illinois and Iowa with three tracks in four days, beginning with the Beat The Heat 50 at Highland Speedway (Aug. 14), Spoon River Speedway (Aug. 15), and two nights of the Hawkeye 100 at Maquoketa Speedway (Aug. 16-17). Use code PIERCE32 to get $5 off your ticket to Spoon River and Maquoketa when you buy them here. 

For more information on the 2024 World of Outlaws CASE Late Models schedule, CLICK HERE. 

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

CASE Late Model Feature (100 Laps): 1. 32-Bobby Pierce[2]; 2. 40B-Kyle Bronson[7]; 3. 19-Dustin Sorensen[11]; 4. 19R-Ryan Gustin[8]; 5. 49-Jonathan Davenport[1]; 6. 71-Hudson O’Neal[13]; 7. 97-Cade Dillard[19]; 8. 20RT-Ricky Thornton Jr[9]; 9. 1-Tim McCreadie[6]; 10. 3S-Brian Shirley[4]; 11. 28M-Sam Mars[23]; 12. 9-Nick Hoffman[5]; 13. 1T-Tyler Erb[18]; 14. 16-Tyler Bruening[17]; 15. 7-Ricky Weiss[27]; 16. 74X-Ethan Dotson[15]; 17. B1-Brent Larson[12]; 18. 22*-Max McLaughlin[20]; 19. 57-Mike Marlar[21]; 20. 25-Jason Feger[14]; 21. 28-Dennis Erb Jr[25]; 22. 10-Garrett Smith[10]; 23. 0-Scott Bloomquist[28]; 24. 20TC-Tristan Chamberlain[29]; 25. 97JR-Cody Overton[26]; 26. 55C-Chad Mahder[22]; 27. B5-Brandon Sheppard[3]; 28. 11-Gordy Gundaker[24]; 29. 18-Shannon Babb[16] 

August 3, 2024 — ELKHART LAKE, WI

• Filipe Albuquerque takes his Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti Acura ARX-06 to the pole in qualifying for Sunday’s IMSA SportsCar Weekend at Road America
• Jordan Taylor completes sweep for Acura and WTRAndretti, will start second
• Gradient Racing starting Acura NSX GT3 Evo22 from P13

Acura dominated IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship qualifying today at Road America, with Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti claiming its second consecutive pole of 2024, and first front row sweep. It’s the sixth pole for the hybrid Acura ARX-06 since the electrified prototype made its IMSA debut at the start of 2023.

Filipe Albuquerque took his #10 Acura to the pole in today’s 15-minute session with a time of 1:48.601; while teammate Jordan Taylor piloted his ARX-06 to the outside front row starting position with a time of 1:48.863 around the challenging four-mile Road America circuit.

Last month at Watkins Glen International, it was Louis Deletraz claiming the pole for Acura and WTRAndretti in the #40 ARX-06. Acura also recorded a total of four IMSA poles in 2023, the debut season for the hybrid GTP category.

In the production-based GTD class, the Gradient Racing Acura NSX GT3 Evo22 will be starting 13th with co-drivers Sheena Monk and Stevan McAleer. The duo finished ninth last month at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park and have a best result of fourth in April at the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach. 

IMSA SportsCar Weekend at Road America Acura Qualifying Results

• Pole Qualifier – #10 Filipe Albuquerque, Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti Acura ARX-06. Co-driver will be Ricky Taylor
• Qualified 2nd – #40 Jordan Taylor, Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti Acura ARX-06. Co-driver will be Louis Deletraz
• Qualified 13th in GTD – #66 Sheena Monk, Gradient Racing Acura NSX GT3 Evo22. Co-driver will be Stevan McAleer

Quotes
Filipe Albuquerque (#10 Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti Acura ARX-06) Pole qualifier: “A great day for Acura and Wayne Taylor Racing for a lock on the front row! The car felt great. We took some chances about what to do and it paid off. It felt a lot like when I got pole in 2022 with the Acura ARX-05 DPi. The balance was the same. The first laps it just felt like that and I thought ‘now I just can’t make a mistake’ and putting together a lap here is hard with so many corners! It’s not easy! When I did the lap, I felt really really happy because I could not have gone faster. In the end, I tried again and I was two tenths off. That was it. Most important I’m glad it’s an Acura 1-2. It’s good for the ego, especially in such a hard season. Tomorrow, we try and go for the win for Acura and let’s see how it goes.”

Jordan Taylor (#40 Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti Acura ARX-06) qualified 2nd: “It’s great to have a 1-2 for the team. We did a test here a couple weeks ago, and I think we have a pretty strong car here as a result. The race is always another story, though. This year, it’s been so hard to pass that track position has been pretty crucial, so we’re pretty happy with qualifying up front and now we just need to make sure we have a strong race car over the long runs for tomorrow.”

Fast Facts

• Acura Motorsports and HPD have recorded nine victories at Road America, and scored a double-podium result in 2023. The Meyer Shank Racing duo of Tom Blomqvist and Colin Braun finished second in their Acura ARX-06 hybrid; while Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti finished third in the hands of drivers Filipe Albuquerque and Ricky Taylor.
• Acura scored overall and DPi victories in both 2022 and 2020. Wayne Taylor Racing’s Filipe Albuquerque and Ricky Taylor took their Acura ARX-05 to victory in 2022, one of four wins for the WTR duo in 2022. Two years earlier, Taylor and co-driver Helio Castroneves piloted their Team Penske Acura ARX-05 prototype to the victory.
• Acura’s first win at Road America came in 1993, when Parker Johnstone and Dan Marvin claimed the Camel Lights class win in their Comptech Racing Acura Spice SE92P. Additional victories followed in American Le Mans Series competition in 2008, 2009, 2011 and 2013 in the LMP2 category; and overall/LMP1 in both 2009 and 2013.

Where to Watch the IMSA SportsCar Weekend at Road America
Streaming coverage from Road America will be available on NBC Peacock starting at 3 p.m. ET Sunday. Same-day coverage will begin on CNBC at 6 p.m. ET.

Fans can listen to audio commentary via IMSA.com, RadioLeMans.com and XM Radio; and follow the race live via in-car cameras, IMSA Radio and timing & scoring available worldwide on IMSA.com and the IMSA mobile device App.

Acura and HRC US social media content and video links can be found on:

• Instagram      www.instagram.com/hondaracing_us
• X                     www.twitter.com/hondaracing_us
• Linkedin         www.linkedin.com/showcase/honda-racing-corporation-usa/
• Facebook       www.facebook.com/HondaRacingUS
• TikTok            www.tiktok.com/hondaracing_us
• YouTube        www.youtube.com/HondaRacingUS

Pair of Z06 GT3.Rs sweep GTD PRO front row in try for second straight race win ELKHART LAKE, Wis. (August 3, 2024) – Nicky Catsburg led a 1-2 effort in GTD PRO qualifying Saturday for Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports at Road America with the team going for its second straight victory in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.

Catsburg qualified the No. 4 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R on pole position and bested teammate Alexander Sims as the pair of first-year cars swept the front row for the second race in a row. It’s the season’s second pole position for Catsburg, who will team with Tommy Milner in Sunday’s two-hour, 40-minute sprint race. Five GTD PRO cars, including both Corvettes, went under the previous class track record as Catsburg posted a best lap of 2:02.198 (119.255 mph). He was 0.194 seconds quicker than the No. 3 Corvette and Sims, who claimed pole position and the race win with teammate Antonio Garcia the last time out at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park three weeks ago. It’s the fourth pole position of the IMSA season for the Corvette Z06 GT3.R and its eighth globally in its debut season. Catsburg previously was on pole at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, where he and Milner finished third in class. A victory Sunday would be Corvette Racing’s ninth class victory at Road America and would come in the program’s 300th all-time start – 255 of them coming in IMSA. In GTD, the No. 13 AWA Corvette Z06 GT3.R of Orey Fidani and Matt Bell will start 15th in class after Saturday’s qualifying. Bell and Fidani – who leads the IMSA Aiken Award standings for Bronze-rated drivers in GTD – will look to rebound from a DNF in the last race at CTMP when Fidani was knocked off-track. The IMSA SportsCar Weekend race at Road America is scheduled for 2:10 p.m. CT on Sunday, August 4. The race will air on CNBC from 6-9 p.m. ET with live streaming on Peacock inside the United States and IMSA.com outside the U.S. IMSA Radio also will stream the call of the race at IMSA.com, XM 206 and SiriusXM Online 996.

CORVETTE RACING BY PRATT MILLER MOTORSPORTS POST-QUALIFYING DRIVER QUOTESNICKY CATSBURG, NO. 4 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R – GTD PRO POLE-WINNER: “That was all I had! I have Sims as a teammate and the guy is crazy quick! So I really have to push hard. I feellike we really nailed the setup. Tyler (Neff) my engineer did a great job and made some suggestions right before qualifying. The car was mega. I only had to drive it around here, and it was a good lap. We got everything together and I’m super, super glad.“Road America is super challenging. I haven’t raced here but I did test here. So I know the track. It’s awesome and very old-school… one of the best in America. I’m super-happy to learn from my teammates. They are bringing me up to speed, so I’m very happy to be on pole.“I hope it’s our turn for a win! It was an awesome lap. The Corvette was really dialed in perfectly. Our team did a great job with the setup. This was a very nice lap and I’m very pleased. It’s super-cool that we have a 1-2 again. We had a 1-2 finish in Canada a couple of weeks ago, so it’s great to build on that and hopefully we can do it again here. It’s been a new car for us and we are continuing to learn. It’s getting better and better. We found something in Canada that is working well for us, so we’ve brought it here and it’s gone very well.”

ALEXANDER SIMS, NO. 3 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R – QUALIFIED SECOND IN GTD PRO: “I’m very happy. The session was good fun and the car was working really, really well. I made a mistake on my first proper push lap and went wide coming out of the Carousel. The tires were dirty starting the next lap so that compromised me a little bit. The lap after that was my best, but Nicky’s lap was absolutely brilliant. That’s a special lap from him. Well done to the whole team. It’s great to be alongside our teammates on the front row. It’s a perfect way to start the race, and I think we have sensible race pace as well.”

Pair of Z06 GT3.Rs sweep GTD PRO front row in try for second straight race win ELKHART LAKE, Wis. (August 3, 2024) – Nicky Catsburg led a 1-2 effort in GTD PRO qualifying Saturday for Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports at Road America with the team going for its second straight victory in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.

Catsburg qualified the No. 4 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R on pole position and bested teammate Alexander Sims as the pair of first-year cars swept the front row for the second race in a row. It’s the season’s second pole position for Catsburg, who will team with Tommy Milner in Sunday’s two-hour, 40-minute sprint race. Five GTD PRO cars, including both Corvettes, went under the previous class track record as Catsburg posted a best lap of 2:02.198 (119.255 mph). He was 0.194 seconds quicker than the No. 3 Corvette and Sims, who claimed pole position and the race win with teammate Antonio Garcia the last time out at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park three weeks ago. It’s the fourth pole position of the IMSA season for the Corvette Z06 GT3.R and its eighth globally in its debut season. Catsburg previously was on pole at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, where he and Milner finished third in class. A victory Sunday would be Corvette Racing’s ninth class victory at Road America and would come in the program’s 300th all-time start – 255 of them coming in IMSA. In GTD, the No. 13 AWA Corvette Z06 GT3.R of Orey Fidani and Matt Bell will start 15th in class after Saturday’s qualifying. Bell and Fidani – who leads the IMSA Aiken Award standings for Bronze-rated drivers in GTD – will look to rebound from a DNF in the last race at CTMP when Fidani was knocked off-track. The IMSA SportsCar Weekend race at Road America is scheduled for 2:10 p.m. CT on Sunday, August 4. The race will air on CNBC from 6-9 p.m. ET with live streaming on Peacock inside the United States and IMSA.com outside the U.S. IMSA Radio also will stream the call of the race at IMSA.com, XM 206 and SiriusXM Online 996.

CORVETTE RACING BY PRATT MILLER MOTORSPORTS POST-QUALIFYING DRIVER QUOTESNICKY CATSBURG, NO. 4 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R – GTD PRO POLE-WINNER: “That was all I had! I have Sims as a teammate and the guy is crazy quick! So I really have to push hard. I feellike we really nailed the setup. Tyler (Neff) my engineer did a great job and made some suggestions right before qualifying. The car was mega. I only had to drive it around here, and it was a good lap. We got everything together and I’m super, super glad.“Road America is super challenging. I haven’t raced here but I did test here. So I know the track. It’s awesome and very old-school… one of the best in America. I’m super-happy to learn from my teammates. They are bringing me up to speed, so I’m very happy to be on pole.“I hope it’s our turn for a win! It was an awesome lap. The Corvette was really dialed in perfectly. Our team did a great job with the setup. This was a very nice lap and I’m very pleased. It’s super-cool that we have a 1-2 again. We had a 1-2 finish in Canada a couple of weeks ago, so it’s great to build on that and hopefully we can do it again here. It’s been a new car for us and we are continuing to learn. It’s getting better and better. We found something in Canada that is working well for us, so we’ve brought it here and it’s gone very well.”

ALEXANDER SIMS, NO. 3 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R – QUALIFIED SECOND IN GTD PRO: “I’m very happy. The session was good fun and the car was working really, really well. I made a mistake on my first proper push lap and went wide coming out of the Carousel. The tires were dirty starting the next lap so that compromised me a little bit. The lap after that was my best, but Nicky’s lap was absolutely brilliant. That’s a special lap from him. Well done to the whole team. It’s great to be alongside our teammates on the front row. It’s a perfect way to start the race, and I think we have sensible race pace as well.”

Cadillac Racing GTP entries qualify third, fifth for 2-hour, 40-minute race

ELKHART LAKE, Wis. (Aug. 3, 2024) – Cadillac Racing continued its run of strong Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) qualifying in the IMSA SportsCar Weekend at Road America. The No. 01 Cadillac V-Series.R, with Renger van der Zande behind the wheel in the 15-minute session for the second consecutive event, recorded a best lap of 1 minute, 48.920 seconds on the sweeping 4.048-mile, 14-turn circuit to qualify third.

The No. 01 Cadillac V-Series.R, with van der Zande sharing driving duties with Sebastien Bourdais in the 2-hour, 40-minute race Sunday, has not qualified lower than third in each of the six IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship races.  Van der Zande missed securing the team’s fifth front-row spot by .057 of a second. Pipo Derani drove the No. 31 Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R to fifth in the 10-car GTP field with a best of 1:49.408 of his eight laps. Derani earned the pole in the 2023 race at Road America. Cadillac Racing GTP qualifying statistics | Road America photos for editorial use The No. 10 Acura ARX-06 earned the pole with a lap of 1:48.601. Nine of the 10 cars took laps in the GTP session. The No. 01 Cadillac V-Series.R, which has claimed podium finishes in four of the past five races, sits second in the GTP team/driver standing, and qualified higher than the title-leading No. 7 Porsche 963.

“I think the car was fantastic, the lap was really good and the team nailed the setup,” said van der Zande, who recorded three consecutive podium finishes (2020-2022) with Cadillac Racing at Road America. “P3 is better than P2 on the grid because you’re on the inside and can follow the lead car into the tight Turn 1.” Peacock will stream the race live at 3 p.m. ET Sunday for U.S. viewers, while IMSA.tv and the IMSA YouTube Channel (youtube.com/IMSAOfficial) will stream the race live for the global audience. The race will be broadcast on IMSA.com, RadioLeMans.com and SiriusXM (XM 206, Web/App 996).

Renger van der Zande, No. 01 Cadillac V-Series.R (qualified third; 1:48.920 on lap 6 of 7): “I think the car was fantastic, the lap was really good and the team nailed the setup. Altogether, we should be happy where we are to start the race. P3 is better than P2 on the grid because you’re on the inside and can follow the lead car into the tight Turn 1. I think tomorrow is going to be a tough day in terms of raceability. You’ll have to be very clever and hang in there. So far, so good and proud to make a lap happen in qualifying.”

Pipo Derani, No.. 31 Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R (qualified fifth; 1:49.408 on lap 5 of 6): “I think we have improved the car over the weekend. We were struggling a bit to get the tires to work properly. Overall, I thought it was a clean qualifying and thought my lap was pretty good. I didn’t leave much out there, but unfortunately it was not enough to be in the top three at least. We’ll take the positives that we improved over the weekend and keep improving in the race.”

“The Reaper” bests Brandon Sheppard and Jonathan Davenport amongst a sea of traffic around the 3/8-mile track

NEW RICHMOND, WI (August 2, 2024) – Ryan Gustin continues to win in a spectacular fashion with the World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Models in 2024.

The Marshalltown, IA driver closed out a doubleheader Friday for the 37th Annual USA Nationals at Cedar Lake Speedway by triumphing in a duel between four-time Series champion Brandon Sheppard and Jonathan Davenport.

Davenport began the night with the early lead while multiple championship contenders suffered issues. Bobby Pierce and Cade Dillard collided off Turn 4, and then Nick Hoffman suffered a flat right rear tire under the same caution while running third.

When the restart ensued, Davenport hopped out to the lead while Sheppard and Chatham, IL driver Brian Shirley worked to close the gap on the driver of the No. 49 Nutrien Ag Solutions Late Model with traffic in sight of the three drivers.

Then, Gustin came into the picture after gathering a charge from his ninth-place starting spot in the Feature to climb his way up toward the three drivers with 10 laps to go.

While Sheppard got by Davenport for the lead, Gustin worked his way around Shirley to create a three-horse battle for the Friday night win.

Using the lapped traffic to his advantage, Gustin slid by Davenport with five laps to go, then got creative, making an opening in traffic to craft a clear lane for the driver of the No.19R Todd Cooney Racing machine to battle Sheppard for the win.

Using a mix of the low lane, then crossing high to cut Sheppard out of leading, Gustin took the lead with two laps to go while the drivers continued to try anything left on the track to solidify their chance of winning.

As the checkered flag flew on the second Feature race of the day, “The Reaper” earned his third World of Outlaws CASE Late Models win of the 2024 season through trials and tribulations that he’ll have to face again to win $50,000 on Saturday night.

“I didn’t want to enter wherever they were,” Gustin said. “When one went high and one went low, I’d go right through the middle and hoped the lapped cars held them up enough. I noticed we closed in quick once the lapped traffic hit, and just not try to stuff it in the fence.

“Tonight was a big Dash race for us, I don’t you’re gonna see that type of pace early (Saturday) night, but you gotta be there for the last 25 laps. The fans are in for a hell of a show, and I can’t wait to get going.”

While Sheppard wanted to finish the night with his fourth Series win of the 2024 season on Friday, the gasser of the No. B5 Dude Wipes Sheppard Riggs Racing Longhorn Factory Team Late Model extended the points gap between himself and Hoffman to 48 points entering Saturday night’s $50,000-to-win showdown at Cedar Lake.

“We got a good balance under our car,” Sheppard said. “We just gotta do the best we can to make the right judgement calls. Hopefully, we have a good setup for (Saturday) to keep it consistent. Definitely let one slip away there. We’re thinking about the points, but you wanna win these races at the end of the day. We get to learn from our mistakes tonight and go try again (on Saturday).”

Davenport finished the night with a third-place result – his first Series podium since 2022 at The Dirt Track at Charlotte. “Superman” had to adjust to new track conditions at the New Richmond, WI track as he goes for a prestigious fourth eagle trophy on Saturday night.

“A lot of the traffic was high or low, and the middle was rough for us,” Davenport said. “We were all trying to find the holes to get through. I thought I had good pace there, but they caught me faster than I realized. Those guys came through and showed me where I needed to be, and I couldn’t get back in front of them in time. We learned a lot about our car and about the racetrack. It’s definitely a different Cedar Lake than what I’m accustomed to, but we’ll take it in stride and be a little bit better (Saturday).”

Shirley brought home a fourth-place finish, and Martinsville, IN driver Ricky Thornton Jr. wrapped up the top five from Friday night’s Feature.

With the two Feature races complete, the top-16 locked into Saturday night’s $50,000 USA Nationals finale at Cedar Lake.

Those drivers include: Jonathan Davenport, Brandon Sheppard, Bobby Pierce, Tim McCreadie, Brian Shirley, Nick Hoffman, Ryan Gustin, Kyle Bronson, Garrett Smith, Ricky Thornton Jr, Dustin Sorensen, Brent Larson, Hudson O’Neal, Jason Feger, Ethan Dotson, and Cade Dillard.

RECAP NOTES:

Dirt King Simulator Hottest Hot Lap: Brian Shirley

Simpson Quick Time Award: Jonathan Davenport

Heat Race Winners: Jonathan Davenport, Brian Shirley, Bobby Pierce, Nick Hoffman, Garrett Smith, Brandon Sheppard

Last Chance Showdown Winners: Chase Junghans, Tyler Erb

Bilstein Pole Award: Jonathan Davenport

Fox Factory Hard Charger Award: Cody Overton (+15)

FANS Fund Dash Winner: Ricky Weiss

Up Next: The World of Outlaws CASE Late Models cap the crown jewel weekend at Cedar Lake Speedway with the USA Nationals finale on Saturday, August 3. The night will begin with Last Chance Showdowns and two split Dash races to set the lineup for the top-16 cars locked in. Then, it’s the 100-lap Feature worth a $50,000 payday to the crown jewel champion.

Off the track, there will be a cornhole tournament for race fans to participate in at the Cedar Lake Arena at 2:00 p.m. CT, and a driver autograph session at 4:30 p.m. before Saturday’s racing program commences.

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

CASE Late Model Feature (25 Laps): 1. 19R-Ryan Gustin[9]; 2. B5-Brandon Sheppard[2]; 3. 49-Jonathan Davenport[1]; 4. 3S-Brian Shirley[4]; 5. 20RT-Ricky Thornton Jr[13]; 6. 19-Dustin Sorensen[11]; 7. 71-Hudson O’Neal[14]; 8. 10-Garrett Smith[5]; 9. 74X-Ethan Dotson[12]; 10. 25-Jason Feger[10]; 11. 97JR-Cody Overton[26]; 12. 18C-Chase Junghans[19]; 13. 40B-Kyle Bronson[23]; 14. 18-Shannon Babb[17]; 15. 9-Nick Hoffman[3]; 16. 97-Cade Dillard[8]; 17. 32-Bobby Pierce[6]; 18. 16-Tyler Bruening[18]; 19. 1T-Tyler Erb[20]; 20. 57-Mike Marlar[22]; 21. 1-Tim McCreadie[7]; 22. 77-Jordan Yaggy[21]; 23. 28-Dennis Erb Jr[24]; 24. B1-Brent Larson[25]; 25. 31-Kye Blight[16]; 26. 22*-Max McLaughlin[15]

Larson beats McFadden to the line to finish off a memorable charge from the Last Chance Showdown to Victory Lane

PEVELY, MO (August 2, 2024) – Kyle Larson continues to do things behind the wheel of a Sprint Car that will be talked about for years and years.

The Elk Grove, CA native has already achieved so much in his career despite seldom being a full-time Sprint Car driver due to NASCAR commitments. A 2011 Gold Cup Race of Champions triumph at only 19 years old. A pair of NOS Energy Drink Knoxville Nationals. A Kings Royal. A 12-win World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car season in only 26 Feature starts in 2020.

Those are only a few of the many accomplishments Larson has chalked up, and he pulled something off on Friday night that’ll go down as one of the best drives he’s ever put together.

“Yung Money” lined up 21st for the 30-lap Feature at Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 after having to go to the Micro-Lite Last Chance Showdown and winning it. A victory in the main event was hardly on his mind when he rolled out for it. Maybe a strong charge for a solid finish, but a win? That didn’t seem likely.

And then one by one Larson started to pick off cars. By Lap 8 he’d cracked the top 10. But even 10 laps later when he entered the top five, Victory Lane still seemed out of reach. Then came a pivotal restart.

Larson roared into third in two circuits after restarting fifth with 11 laps to go. Then on Lap 26 Sheldon Haudenschild tripped up and allowed him by for second. With only four laps remaining, all that stood between the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion and completing an unforgettable drive to victory was James McFadden. 

And even as McFadden took the white flag he appeared to be too far ahead with nearly a full second advantage. But then hope arose down the back straightaway. A lapped car slipped in front of the Roth Motorsports No. 83SR exiting Turn 2 allowing Larson to close in. McFadden went to slide the car in Turn 3, and Larson stuck the Silva Motorsports No. 57 to the bottom. They both picked their front wheels up in a drag race down the front straightaway, and Larson edged him out by .053 seconds. 

The crowd went wild. He’d really pulled off the unthinkable. From the Last Chance Showdown to Victory Lane. Don’t put anything past Kyle Larson.

“I’m out of breath,” Larson said. “I’ve been screaming the whole time since I got the checkered flag. I can’t say enough about Paul, Trevor, Doug, everybody on this team for working so hard. We’ve been terrible, and really, really bad tonight, too. And they’ve just been working hard, trying to get the car better each time. I felt like we were pretty good there in the Feature. I felt like we could move around, get my wheels underneath me, and get grip through the center on restarts. I’m just super thankful. This is amazing. There was a kid that came up during the Midget A-main and said, ‘You think you’re going to win tonight?’ And I said, ‘No.’ I did not think we would win. So, this is pretty amazing.”

Larson is up to 33 career victories with The Greatest Show on Dirt. His fourth win in six tries at Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 equals it with Attica Raceway Park as the second winningest track on his Series résumé. He’s behind only Sammy Swindell and Brad Sweet (six wins apiece) and Steve Kinser and Craig Dollansky (five wins apiece) on the track’s World of Outlaws victory list. The drive from 21st marked the farthest back someone has won a World of Outlaws race from since Donny Schatz’s legendary drive to the Knoxville Nationals title in 2013.

Sheldon Haudenschild and James McFadden brought the field to green, and it was McFadden getting the early advantage on the outside. 

The Australian pieced together a nearly perfect race. McFadden knifed his way through traffic in search of his first I-55 victory. Right when it seemed Haudenschild might be able to close in, McFadden added another slower car to the buffer between the two. 

Even when Larson got to second with only a few laps remaining, McFadden’s lead didn’t seem in jeopardy. But one small slip from a lapped car on the final lap was enough to break his momentum down the back straightaway and hurt his entry angle into Turn 3. Larson had one shot, and he took full advantage to steal the checkered flag on the final lap by putting together a perfect set of corners in the Silva Motorsports No. 57. 

“I could see those two (McFadden and Haudenschild) running the top in (Turns) 3 and 4,” Larson explained. “And I knew my opportunity to get by them was if they made a mistake in (Turns) 3 and 4. Then we caught traffic, and all those lappers were on the bottom. I thought I probably wouldn’t get there. Then he got hung up real tight behind the lapper off (Turn) 2, kind of choked his momentum and forced him to the bottom. And I figured his angle was too bad to be able to stick it and he would probably be cautious or nervous of Sheldon or somebody coming up top in (Turns) 3 and 4. So, I figured he’d drive across, and I knew I just needed to square up my corner and just try and grab the moisture in the middle of the straightaway. I was able to do that and just edge him out.”

After leading all but the final few feet, McFadden was forced to settle for second in the Dennis and Teresa Roth-owned machine. He handled the heartbreak well and is confident an I-55 breakthrough is coming.

“I ran the top, and Noah (Gass) was sort of running the middle, and I thought it was all good because he left me a lane,” McFadden said. “He just lost a bunch of traction off the corner, and I don’t know if he got into the fence a little bit. It just stopped him and parked him there, and I ran into the back of him. I peeled left to get under him, but my angle was sort of bad to get in there, so I had to slide across. That’s racing, mate. That’s the way it goes. Our car was fast. You win them that way, you lose them that way. We’ll come back tomorrow. I think this place owes me one.”

Rounding out the top three was Sheldon Haudenschild in the Stenhouse Jr.-Marshall Racing/NOS Energy Drink No. 17. The result marked his 10th World of Outlaws podium at the Pevely, MO oval. The result was also his third top three in the last five races.

“I feel like I ran a really careful race,” Haudenschild commented. “I really didn’t push the limits at all. That curb was tricky. I didn’t want to run her too hard and wad her up. I think my car was really close. James did a great job that whole race, and obviously Kyle was really good. I probably should’ve just moved around a bit more at the end and tried to get back to the bottom.”

Carson Macedo and Donny Schatz completed the top five.

Larson’s incredible drive from 21st to first also earned him the KSE Racing Hard Charger.

Sheldon Haudenschild claimed his second consecutive Simpson Quick Time and the 34th of his career in Sea Foam Qualifying.

NOS Energy Drink Heats One, Three, and Four belonged to Michael Kofoid, Logan Schuchart, and Kelby Watt. Milton Hershey School Heat Two went Carson Macedo.

Sheldon Haudenschild won the Toyota Racing Dash.

Kyle Larson won the Micro-Lite Last Chance Showdown.

The Smith Titanium Brake Systems Break of the Race went to Brock Zearfoss.

UP NEXT: The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars are right back at Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 (Pevely, MO) for the $25,000-to-win Ironman 55 finale on Saturday, August 3. 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. 57-Kyle Larson[21]; 2. 83SR-James McFadden[2]; 3. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild[1]; 4. 41-Carson Macedo[4]; 5. 15-Donny Schatz[9]; 6. 1S-Logan Schuchart[8]; 7. 2-David Gravel[13]; 8. 83-Michael Kofoid[5]; 9. 18-Giovanni Scelzi[6]; 10. 49-Brad Sweet[11]; 11. 17B-Bill Balog[10]; 12. 6-Kelby Watt[7]; 13. 20G-Noah Gass[14]; 14. 7S-Landon Crawley[22]; 15. 70-Kraig Kinser[18]; 16. 24T-Christopher Thram[17]; 17. 53-Jessie Attard[24]; 18. 51B-Joe B Miller[19]; 19. 22M-Rees Moran[16]; 20. 3-Ayrton Gennetten[23]; 21. 24D-Danny Sams III[12]; 22. 3Z-Brock Zearfoss[3]; 23. 23B-Brian Bell[15]; 24. 14-Corey Day[20]

For complete results, CLICK HERE.

The Oakwood, IL driver ties Steve Francis for 10th on Series all-time wins list

NEW RICHMOND, WI (Aug. 2, 2024) – Bobby Pierce added another piece of history to his World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Model Series resume Friday afternoon at Cedar Lake Speedway. 

The Oakwood, IL driver took the lead from Tim McCreadie on Lap 2 and drove to his sixth consecutive Series victory to open the 37th annual USA Nationals.

He joins former champions Billy Moyer and Darrell Lanigan as the only drivers to win six World of Outlaws Features in a row.

“I like setting records,” Pierce said. “It’s cool. The best of the best have run this Series. We’ve had to do it through two crown jewels, so it hasn’t been an easy one. The car’s been great, and I can’t thank my crew enough.”

Tim McCreadie, the Bilstein Pole Award winner, led the field to the green in the 25-lap opener, driving away from Pierce’s No. 32 to lead Lap 1.

But as the Watertown, NY driver entered Turn 2 on Lap 2, he slid his car too high up the banking, allowing Pierce to pull even with him.

McCreadie’s bobble was all the “Smooth Operator” needed as he stormed past the No. 1 on the inside lane, taking the lead away as he drove his Longhorn chassis down Cedar Lake’s backstretch.

From there, Pierce survived four restarts, including one with four laps to go to score his 28th career World of Outlaws CASE Late Models Feature win, tying Steve Francis for 10th on the all-time wins list.

Thursday afternoon’s heat challenged Pierce as he aimed for the $6,000 prize.

“I’ve never been in Wisconsin when it’s this hot,” Pierce said. “And we just happened to have a day race. You had to fight the car, and I’m glad it was only 25 laps and not 30, 40, 50, or whatever. 

“It might’ve looked like I was pretty smooth out there, but it was hard to stay out of the bad spots and hit your marks. I was slipping bad there at the end. I knew my tires were gone, and it was getting pretty hard to handle.”

McCreadie settled for second, his best World of Outlaws finish driving for Rocket1 Racing. 

According to “T-Mac,” the difference between him and Pierce came down to what happened on Lap 2.

“I made a big bobble in Turn 1, bobbed out and shoved, and gave it away,” McCreadie said. “I was matching lap times with him. I just made one mistake, and that’s all it takes sometimes. 

“I just want to thank Mark Richards, Steve Baker, Danny (White), Joel (Rogers), Austin (Hargrove), and this Rocket1 team. This is a brand new XR car, version two, and it’s been good since the beginning of last week.”

Kyle Bronson finished third, earning his fourth World of Outlaws podium of 2024.

The Brandon, FL driver passed Nick Hoffman on Lap 18 to reach the final podium position.

“I feel like we were pretty good early,” Bronson said. We were a little too tight early in the race, but as the race went on, it came to us pretty good. It was bottoming out too much at the beginning, but it was pretty good.”

Hoffman finished fourth, cutting the Series points lead to 22 points behind Brandon Sheppard, who finished sixth.

Three-time USA Nationals winner Jonathan Davenport rounded out the top five.

RECAP NOTES:

Dirt King Simulator Hottest Hot Lap: Tyler Bruening

Simpson Quick Time Award: Jonathan Davenport

Heat Race Winners: Tim McCreadie, Tyler Bruening, Bobby Pierce, Brian Shirley, Max McLaughlin, Nick Hoffman

Last Chance Showdown Winners: Ethan Dotson, Tyler Erb

Bilstein Pole Award: Tim McCreadie

Fox Factory Hard Charger: Brandon Sheppard (+10)

Up Next: The World of Outlaws CASE Late Models continue the 37th USA Nationals at Cedar Lake Speedway with a second 25-lap Feature on Friday night, paying $6,000 to win. After that Feature is complete, the top 16 drivers in event points will be locked into Saturday’s 100-lap, $50,000-to-win finale.

For more information on the event and the remaining 2024 World of Outlaws CASE Late Models schedule, CLICK HERE.

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

The Oakwood, IL driver ties Steve Francis for 10th on Series all-time wins list

NEW RICHMOND, WI (Aug. 2, 2024) – Bobby Pierce added another piece of history to his World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Model Series resume Friday afternoon at Cedar Lake Speedway. 

The Oakwood, IL driver took the lead from Tim McCreadie on Lap 2 and drove to his sixth consecutive Series victory to open the 37th annual USA Nationals.

He joins former champions Billy Moyer and Darrell Lanigan as the only drivers to win six World of Outlaws Features in a row.

“I like setting records,” Pierce said. “It’s cool. The best of the best have run this Series. We’ve had to do it through two crown jewels, so it hasn’t been an easy one. The car’s been great, and I can’t thank my crew enough.”

Tim McCreadie, the Bilstein Pole Award winner, led the field to the green in the 25-lap opener, driving away from Pierce’s No. 32 to lead Lap 1.

But as the Watertown, NY driver entered Turn 2 on Lap 2, he slid his car too high up the banking, allowing Pierce to pull even with him.

McCreadie’s bobble was all the “Smooth Operator” needed as he stormed past the No. 1 on the inside lane, taking the lead away as he drove his Longhorn chassis down Cedar Lake’s backstretch.

From there, Pierce survived four restarts, including one with four laps to go to score his 28th career World of Outlaws CASE Late Models Feature win, tying Steve Francis for 10th on the all-time wins list.

Thursday afternoon’s heat challenged Pierce as he aimed for the $6,000 prize.

“I’ve never been in Wisconsin when it’s this hot,” Pierce said. “And we just happened to have a day race. You had to fight the car, and I’m glad it was only 25 laps and not 30, 40, 50, or whatever. 

“It might’ve looked like I was pretty smooth out there, but it was hard to stay out of the bad spots and hit your marks. I was slipping bad there at the end. I knew my tires were gone, and it was getting pretty hard to handle.”

McCreadie settled for second, his best World of Outlaws finish driving for Rocket1 Racing. 

According to “T-Mac,” the difference between him and Pierce came down to what happened on Lap 2.

“I made a big bobble in Turn 1, bobbed out and shoved, and gave it away,” McCreadie said. “I was matching lap times with him. I just made one mistake, and that’s all it takes sometimes. 

“I just want to thank Mark Richards, Steve Baker, Danny (White), Joel (Rogers), Austin (Hargrove), and this Rocket1 team. This is a brand new XR car, version two, and it’s been good since the beginning of last week.”

Kyle Bronson finished third, earning his fourth World of Outlaws podium of 2024.

The Brandon, FL driver passed Nick Hoffman on Lap 18 to reach the final podium position.

“I feel like we were pretty good early,” Bronson said. We were a little too tight early in the race, but as the race went on, it came to us pretty good. It was bottoming out too much at the beginning, but it was pretty good.”

Hoffman finished fourth, cutting the Series points lead to 22 points behind Brandon Sheppard, who finished sixth.

Three-time USA Nationals winner Jonathan Davenport rounded out the top five.

RECAP NOTES:

Dirt King Simulator Hottest Hot Lap: Tyler Bruening

Simpson Quick Time Award: Jonathan Davenport

Heat Race Winners: Tim McCreadie, Tyler Bruening, Bobby Pierce, Brian Shirley, Max McLaughlin, Nick Hoffman

Last Chance Showdown Winners: Ethan Dotson, Tyler Erb

Bilstein Pole Award: Tim McCreadie

Fox Factory Hard Charger: Brandon Sheppard (+10)

Up Next: The World of Outlaws CASE Late Models continue the 37th USA Nationals at Cedar Lake Speedway with a second 25-lap Feature on Friday night, paying $6,000 to win. After that Feature is complete, the top 16 drivers in event points will be locked into Saturday’s 100-lap, $50,000-to-win finale.

For more information on the event and the remaining 2024 World of Outlaws CASE Late Models schedule, CLICK HERE.

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

Reigning Series champion Bobby Pierce looks to join his father, Bob as a Prairie Dirt Classic winner at Fairbury Speedway 

FAIRBURY, IL (July 25, 2024) – The Pierce family and Fairbury Speedway’s Prairie Dirt Classic have gone hand-in-hand since Bob Pierce finished second in 1993. 

Thirty-one years and five PDC wins later, the Illinois native looks to work with his son, 2023 World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Models champion Bobby Pierce, to add his name to the list of winners at the Fairbury crown jewel event. 

The younger Pierce, of Oakwood, IL, has finished on the podium four times at PDC through 10 starts, including his second-place finish last year. 

It’s a crown jewel the “Smooth Operator” is eager to cross off his list. 

“This year compared to 2023, I wanted to win it really bad,” Bobby Pierce said. “I also wanted to maintain a good finish because we were leading the standings. The track was rough last year and my right rear shock broke, so I don’t even know how I was able to finish the race, let alone getting second. This year, I can be a little more risky no matter the case. I want to win it at all costs.” 

While Bobby is 134 points out from current Series points leader Brandon Sheppard, he’s keeping a mindset of winning every race on the schedule and seeing how the cards fall by the time the season concludes at the World of Outlaws World Finals in November. 

“I feel we can still hold on to get a really good finish points-wise,” Bobby Pierce said. “It’ll take some help to get towards Sheppard and Hoffman and if we want to think about the championship. We’re running out of time, but we’ll go into every race wanting to win, and that’s what I hope to keep doing.” 

Throughout Bob’s racing career, and through his children’s time with sports growing up, he’s taught one big motto to live by: “Don’t give up.” 

“Part of our program is to not give up,” Bob Pierce said. “That’s been my theory since I started racing. I told our kids when they played sports and Bobby in racing that ‘If you’re terrible, you’re terrible. But never give up and we’ll figure it out later.’ We got hot in Iowa, then had bad luck go our way at the end of June with no fault to anyone. Then, we won the Gopher 50 and got the mojo back going again. Sometimes, the luck is a part of racing, and I got to give credit to Vic Hill and all the Longhorn Chassis guys for helping us get back to where we need to be.” 

Having won the Prairie Dirt Classic, Bob understands why his son wants to win it so badly, but also understands why that can sometimes be a hindrance. 

“He’s won every other big race that I never seemed to figure out outside of the North-South 100,” Bob Pierce said. “To me, it doesn’t matter. But I know in his mind that he wants to win this race not because I have, but because he’s been so close so many times. It’s like the World 100 where you go in thinking you have to win this race, and everybody gets overaggressive and just need to calm down.  

“I know he’s gonna go over (to Fairbury) and think of it as another race. I think he wanted it too bad, and it isn’t wrong because he wanted it, but it just didn’t work out. Sometimes, when you want it too bad, the luck won’t go your way. The same mindset goes with (the USA Nationals at) Cedar Lake until we got the win last year by thinking of it as just another race. I promise you; it will be a big deal if he wins it this year.” 

With Bob coaching Bobby in his career through winning championships in Quarter Midgets, DIRTcar Summer Nationals, and reaching the pinnacle of his Late Model tenure with his first World of Outlaws title in 2023, Bob has seen first-hand the evolution of the driver that his son has become. 

“He’s 27 now, and usually drivers hit their stride at or around 30 years old,” Bob Pierce said. “But Bobby’s been able to hit it a little bit early because he started so young. I think the confidence in the Longhorn No.3 2 and the Longhorn crew all came together at the right time for his driving style. I got to watch it develop when he started in Quarter Midgets to Late Models, I just didn’t know how far he was going to advance. I think it all hit at the right time, and he’s developed, not as a different driver, but when things don’t go right, he knows his comfort zone and where he’s able to adjust when he needs to.” 

It’s a quick turnaround from Fairbury, as the World of Outlaws tackles Wilmot Raceway on Monday, July 29, and the USA Nationals at Cedar Lake Speedway from Thursday-Saturday, August 1-3. While Pierce looks toward achieving wins at the two tracks, the No. 32 will have a new look to raise support for Megan’s Mission – a foundation that helps spread awareness and supports children battling rare forms of cancer. 

“USA Nationals is another event that brings a great crowd energy and an aura to the event,” Bobby Pierce said. “They do some cool stuff through the weekend and what leads up to the big 100 lapper. It’s just a fun event to be there, and we’ll see if we can go back-to-back in big wins like Deer Creek. 

“We’ll have a special wrap going on for August,” Bobby Pierce said. “It’s called Megan’s Mission, and she was an 8th grader that was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer that she sadly passed away from. While she was battling the cancer, she started the organization and they’ve raised a lot of money for childhood cancer. So, we’ll have a special car with Megan’s Mission all over, and I’ll run it at Wilmot and through the month of August.” 

See the Pierce family chase a Prairie Dirt Classic triumph at Fairbury Speedway for the first time since 2001 with Bobby behind the wheel, and Bob on the wrenches, on Friday-Saturday, July 26-27. 

For information on the full 2024 World of Outlaws CASE Late Models schedule and ticket options, CLICK HERE. 

To learn more about Megan’s Mission and their story, CLICK HERE. 

Cruz Pedregon

DENSO NHRA Sonoma Nationals 

Pre-Race Report

Quotes for the upcoming Sonoma race – 

Cruz Pedregon, two-time Funny Car World Champion

“Our team feels really good about taking the Snap-on Dodge Hellcat to Sonoma and letting it rip. We had some good runs in Seattle, four in a row, back-to-back, which is really exciting for us. The team has worked hard this summer to get the car where it is now.”

“The momentum from Seattle is something we want to carry into Sonoma and through the rest of the year. We’re about halfway through the season, so it’s a good time for us to start hitting on all eight, both literally and figuratively.”

“I love going to Sonoma every year; it’s like a second home for me. Northern California is a special place, and as we’re from the West Coast, it feels great to be here. We’re especially excited to welcome our fans, the Snap-on franchisees, and their customers.”

“Plus, being a big Raiders fan, it’s great to be in Raiders country and have fans who share that enthusiasm cheering us on.”

Name on the side of Cruz’s car – Snap-on Nitro Franchisee Danny Denton

• Snap-on Nitro Franchisee Danny Denton will be featured on the side of Cruz’s Makers and Fixers Dodge for the DENSO NHRA Sonoma Nationals.
• Danny’s had his franchise for eight years after running a family tire business with his dad. The first year he had his franchise, Cruz did a ride-along with him to call on customers and he’s hosting 10 Snap-on fans in Cruz’s pit this weekend.
• Danny says he’s head-over-heels in love with his job and the connection he has with his customers is one that helps them solve problems they encounter in their critical work. He’s looking forward to Snap-on’s upcoming franchisee conference where he’ll see the latest and greatest products and get to see Cruz’s show car on display.
• As Cruz’s primary sponsor, Snap-on encourages professionals who make and fix the essentials, like vehicles and machinery, to follow Makers and Fixers on Instagram and submit their inspiring stories to makersandfixers.com.

CHEVROLET IN NHRA2024 DENSO NHRA SONOMA NATIONALS SONOMA RACEWAY SONOMA, CALIFORNIA TEAM CHEVY RACE ADVANCE | NOTES & STATS JULY 26-28, 2024

Notes:Team Chevy heads to the 2024 DENSO NHRA Sonoma Nationals with John Force Racing for the 12th round of the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series July 26-28.Austin Prock, driver of the Cornwell Tools Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car, enters Sonoma this weekend with a 256-point lead over Matt Hagan and Bob Tasca, III (tied for second).Prock, with his team’s season success so far, has built a points lead that equates to two race events over Hagan and Tasca, III.The most recent winner in Funny Car, Austin Prock rolls into Sonoma with four victories in 2024 and looking to add to his eight career (four in Top Fuel) wins overall.Brittany Force heads into Sonoma looking to turn around her 2024 season, but currently holds the Sonoma Raceway track record in Top Fuel with her 3.662 seconds E.T. run in July 2022 at 337.75 mph.Returning to action next at Brainerd International Raceway, the Chevrolet Pro Stock and Factory X teams do not compete this weekend in Sonoma. Additionally, the FlexJet Factory Stock Showdown COPO Camaros return to action at the U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis Labor Day weekend.

Quotes:AUSTIN PROCK, DRIVER OF THE CORNWELL TOOLS CHEVROLET CAMARO SS FUNNY CAR:“I wasn’t very impressed with my driving performance last weekend. Going back-to-back like this, I’m going to hopefully get back in a rhythm and hopefully be better. We have the Countdown coming up in just three more races, (so) I’d like to race this thing every day, if I could.” BRITTANY FORCE, DRIVER OF THE MONSTER ENERGY CHEVROLET TOP FUEL DRAGSTER:“Sonoma (Raceway) is one of my favorite tracks and I’m excited to get right back in my Monster Energy dragster after a tough weekend in Seattle. The Countdown is coming up quickly, and we have to put ourselves in the best possible starting position. We celebrated a significant win here in 2022. We qualified fifth, ran high 3.60s all day and then ran 3.70 in the final to win my first ever Sonoma Nationals. Our game plan is simple. One, qualify in the top five; two, get down the track every qualifying pass and, three, go rounds on race day.”

How to Watch:The NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series from Sonoma Raceway airs first with the Mission Foods #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge on FOX Saturday, July 27 at 6 p.m. ET. Sunday’s race day sees qualifying airing on FOX Sports 1 (FS1) at 2 p.m. ET, followed by Finals airing on FOX at 4 p.m. ET. Coverage streams live throughout the weekend on NHRA.tv, and is available via AppleTV, Android TV, and Roku devices.

TEAM CHEVY BY THE NUMBERS:1,460: Round wins for John Force (1st all-time).626: Round wins for Robert Hight; 13th all-time. Cruz Pedregon (Funny Car), sits 12th, with 631.167: Number of career No. 1 qualifiers for John Force (1st all-time).164: Number of Chevrolet Racing Funny Car wins since 1967.84: Number of career No. 1 qualifiers for Robert Hight (6th all-time). Tony Schumacher (Top Fuel) is fifth with 88.85: Number of Chevrolet Racing Funny Car wins with the Camaro SS body.47: Number of career No. 1 qualifiers for Brittany Force.28: Number of NHRA championships Chevrolet holds as a manufacturer since entering the first in 1966. This is the seventh consecutive award and ninth in 11 seasons. No other manufacturer has won it more than Chevrolet.26: Wins by John Force in a Chevrolet-bodied Funny Car.20: Chevrolet career Top Fuel wins in NHRA.16: Number of Chevrolet career wins by Brittany Force.7: Number of Funny Car driver championships.2: Number of Top Fuel driver championships.