Mopar Racing

Mopar Racing–Long Live the King: Johnson Seizes Fifth Victory in Seven Years at Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals

Long Live the King: Johnson Seizes Fifth Victory in Seven Years at Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals

Allen Johnson drives his Mopar Express Lane Dodge Avenger to a seventh consecutive final-round appearance at Bandimere Speedway
Johnson earns his second consecutive win and fifth of his career at Thunder Mountain, and 20th overall
Hometown favorite and Lakewood, Colo. native V. Gaines takes the runner-up spot for the second straight year at his home track
Team Mopar Pro Stock teammates Johnson and Jeg Coughlin Jr. clinch spots in the NHRA Countdown to the Championship playoffs
Mopar-powered NHRA Funny Car drivers exit early at Thunder Mountain
Morrison, Colo. (Sunday, July 21, 2013) –  Allen Johnson further cemented his reputation as the “King of Thunder Mountain,” defeating Lakewood, Colo. native V. Gaines in an all-Mopar final round at the Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals on the 25th anniversary of the Mopar brand’s title sponsorship of the event. In a repeat of the 2012 Mopar Mile-High final round, Johnson, the defending Pro Stock Series champion, claimed his second consecutive win at Bandimere Speedway, fifth in seven years, his fourth win of the season and 20th of his career. Johnson is also now tied for second all-time in Pro Stock wins at Denver with Warren Johnson.

No. 1 qualifier at Bandimere Speedway for the fourth consecutive year, Johnson’s day started out easy — with a bye run — but it didn’t stay that way for long. After a 6.981-second elapsed time (ET) at 197.10 mph in his single run, Johnson faced current points leader Mike Edwards without lane choice in a quarterfinals matchup of the top two drivers in the point standings. Johnson handled the pressure skillfully, leaving the starting line first with a .010 reaction time to Edwards’ .031 and never trailing, clocking in with a victorious 6.982/196.90 in his Mopar Express Lane/J&J Racing Dodge to Edwards’ 6.989/196.67.

In the semifinals, the Greeneville, Tenn. native faced off with young gun Rickie Jones. Johnson, an 18-year veteran, was first off the line with a .020 reaction time and quickest on the track with a 6.993/196.96 at the timing lights to advance to his seventh-consecutive final round appearance at the Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals, as well as his seventh final of the year and 43rd of his career. In the money round at Mopar’s main event, Johnson used a 6.989/196.87 run to defeat fellow Mopar-powered Dodge Avenger driver Gaines, who posted a 7.015/196.67 effort.

“You know, the Mopar Express Lane Dodge Avenger crew is the reason for this,” said Johnson, who also clinched a berth this weekend in the NHRA Countdown to the Championships playoffs, scheduled for the last six events of the season. “All the guys at the engine shop, all the guys at the chassis shop, all the things that they put into this event. They’re determined to win every year, and I have to give all the glory to them.

“We’re really thrilled to come out here with a win for Mopar on their 25th anniversary. For them and the Bandimere family, having that marriage for 25 years, we really wanted to win it for that marriage. We pulled it off, and we’re very happy.”

“Congratulations to Allen (Johnson) and the Mopar Express Lane Team for an incredible fifth career win at Bandimere Speedway,” said Pietro Gorlier, President and CEO of Mopar, Chrysler Group’s service, parts and customer-care brand. “What a great way to celebrate Mopar’s 25th anniversary as title sponsor of this wonderful event. Four wins and seven final elimination appearances this season to date show how much work and determination Allen and his team have put in to battle in a tough Pro Stock class in defense of the Championship.”

Johnson will now try to sweep the last two events of the NHRA’s famed Western Swing, an accomplishment he came one win short of achieving last season.

“It would be an elite honor, to be in that group of (drivers),” said Johnson. “We go to every race trying to win every round and the race, and that’s what we’ll do heading to Sonoma (the next event).”

Last year’s Pro Stock runner-up Gaines was the crowd favorite. Starting out of the No. 2 spot, Gaines had a solo run to open the day after Steve Kalkowski had problems in the pits and was unable to make the call. In the second round, Gaines knocked out Jason Line with a 7.001/196.26 mark, and in the semis stunned Shane Gray with a .002 reaction time coupled with a 7.011/196.53 to score the holeshot win.

Jeg Coughlin Jr., who competes with Mopar HEMI-powered engines supplied by Allen Johnson’s J&J Racing team, qualified No. 9 and went against Edwards in the opening round. His 7.012/196.47 in his Mopar/JEGS.com Dodge Avenger couldn’t defeat Edwards, but the four-time Pro Stock champ did secure his berth in the NHRA Countdown to the Championship playoffs.

Vincent Nobile, part of the J&J Racing squad, drove his Mountain View Dodge Avenger past former Pro Stock champ Greg Anderson and met Shane Gray in the quarterfinals. Always fast off the line, Nobile left first with a .014 reaction time to Gray’s .043, but was unable to hold the lead with a pass of 7.020/196.44 to Gray’s 6.981/196.96. Mopar-powered Colorado native and No. 5 qualifier Derik Kramer exited in the first round, as did Matt Hartford, who was able to walk away after crossing the center line and then hitting the left wall hard in a wild run in his Dodge.

Mopar-powered NHRA Funny Car teams experienced a more difficult outing during Sunday eliminations. Defending event winner Jack Beckman qualified No. 2 in his Mopar HEMI-powered Dodge Charger R/T Funny Car and bested Terry Haddock in the opening stanza with a 4.245/295.46 run. “Fast Jack’s” bid for back-to-back Mopar Mile-High wins ended in the quarterfinals, where his 4.276/295.40 effort wasn’t enough to defeat Robert Hight, who also defeated Don Schumacher Racing (DSR) Dodge driver Johnny Gray in the opening round.

Two of Beckman’s DSR compatriots, Matt Hagan and Ron Capps, were forced to wage a round-one Mopar vs. Mopar duel. Capps was able to capture the win with a 3.922/299.60 pass to the slower 4.258/296.31 recorded by Hagan in his Magneti Marelli Offered by Mopar Dodge Charger R/T. Capps was unable to reach the semis, losing to Cruz Pedregon in quarterfinals. Jeff Arend fell to Tim Wilkerson in the opening round.

Chevrolet Racing

Chevy Racing–Corvette Racing–Canada Post Race

CORVETTE RACING IN CANADA: Pressure-Packed Win for Gavin, Milner
Second win of 2013 for No. 4 Compuware Corvette; Garcia/Magnussen place fourth
 
BOWMANVILLE, Ontario (July 21, 2013) – Oliver Gavin and Tommy Milner scored their second victory in the American Le Mans Series on Sunday with a hard-earned effort in the Mobil 1 SportsCar Grand Prix at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. Milner took the checkered flag in the No. 4 Compuware Corvette C6.R for the fifth round of the ALMS as the duo became the first in the GT class to win multiple races in 2013.
 
The victory played out in thrilling style before a live audience on ESPN2. Milner drove a pressure-packed final stint to win by 0.267 seconds. It moved Gavin and Milner into second place in the GT championship lead as they seek to win back-to-back titles. Corvette Racing retained its lead in the team standings, as did Chevrolet in the manufacturers’ race.
 
Antonio Garcia and Jan Magnussen placed fourth in class after a stellar effort. The No. 3 Corvette started from the rear of the grid after a massive crash by Magnussen in Saturday’s qualifying. They stand third in the unofficial driver standings.
 
“What a fantastic weekend for everyone at Corvette Racing,” said Mark Kent, Director of Racing – Chevrolet. “Congratulations to Oliver, Tommy and everyone on the No. 4 crew for a flawless performance. Likewise, I cannot minimize the effort by the No. 3 team to rebound from Saturday’s massive crash in qualifying. Once again, Corvette Racing never gave up.”
 
Gavin won for the 40th time in the series – third-most in its history. He made the most of an overnight adjustment to the No. 4 car and picked up two spots on the opening lap to move into third place. He settled in for the duration of his stint and pitted from the lead as cars in front of him pitted earlier. The No. 4 crew gave Gavin a precious two-second advantage during the first stop, which saw Milner move to the front shortly after the driver change.
 
The young American drove a strong double-stint to the end and got added help from the pit crew on a final stop that gave him another second over his nearest competition.
 
Garcia made up four positions in class in the opening 24 laps despite losing time attempting to overtake a slower GT car for the better part of 15 laps. Once around, he ran as high as third during his stint before handing off to Magnussen. The No. 3 crew short-filled on fuel during its first stop in an attempt to gain position while hoping for a caution period at the same time.
 
The No. 3 car did come away with the MICHELIN® GREEN X® Challenge trophy for the GT class. The award goes to the car that exhibits clean, fast and efficient performance levels in the ALMS.

Summit Racing

Summit Racing–Anderson Predicts Even Trickier Racing on Sunday in Denver

Anderson Predicts Even Trickier Racing on Sunday in Denver 
 
Denver, Colo., July 20, 2013 – Qualifying has concluded at scenic Bandimere Speedway, and Summit Racing Pro Stock driver Greg Anderson is geared up to run for a third Mile-High NHRA Nationals title at one of the most challenging, and therefore exciting racetracks on NHRA’s Mello Yello Drag Racing Series tour. After a qualifying performance that exceeded expectations, Anderson, starting from the No. 6 position, will take on young Vincent Nobile in the first round of eliminations.

The Summit Racing team came out in the first session of qualifying with a set-up that they correctly presumed would reproduce what they had seen in testing the week before the event. A 7.009 at 196.36 mph for the white Summit Racing Chevrolet Camaro in the opening act was a good foundation to build on, and with a slightly more aggressive approach, Anderson reeled off a 6.983, 196.19 in Friday’s second session. Although a pair of back-to-back 7.02-second runs on Saturday didn’t result in an improvement in his qualifying position, Anderson and his KB Racing team were able to gather more data for Sunday’s elimination rounds.

“We did something smart and sent Jason out here to test last week,” said Anderson. “We tried a whole bunch of things, and then we took what we thought were the best things, threw out what we thought were the worst, put everything together, and it gave us a good point to start from. It takes a tremendous amount of change to come here, but we used all the data that he gathered last week and I think we’re running a little bit better than we were a couple of races ago. We still have work to do, but our Summit Racing Camaros are getting better.”

On Friday evening after a marked improvement in the second session, Anderson and the majority of the factory hot rod class competitors believed that the racing surface was on track to only get better and better, but Mother Nature had her say and blazed hot sun on the track nearly all day long – and raceday is slated to bring more of the same.

“Based on past history, we thought the track was going to continue to get better as the weekend wore on, and I think everybody thought that because this morning everybody came out and smoked the tires,” said Anderson. “Everybody thought the same thing, but the sun on the racetrack made the track go right away. We were all way over center in the first run so we had to de-tune again tonight. The sun certainly plays a big part in it, sunshine hurt the track today a lot, and we’re going to have a lot of sunshine again tomorrow.

“It’s going to be tricky. It’s going to come down to which crew chief is making the right decisions on the starting line and low gear. You’re not going to be able to be that aggressive tomorrow, but you can’t get too lazy either or you’ll run slow. It’s going to be a really tricky race and it will probably be a hot son of a gun. It’s going to be a tuner’s race.”
 

John Force Racing

John Force Racing–BRITTANY FORCE GETS BEST START No. 3 GOING INTO DENVER ELIMS

BRITTANY FORCE GETS BEST START No. 3 GOING INTO DENVER ELIMS

 

DENVER, CO – At the end of the day on Saturday Brittany Force solidified her qualifying position at the Mopar Mile High NHRA Nationals by re-taking her No. 3 qualifying position with a 3.918 second pass at 309.63 mph. The rookie driver had slipped to No. 4 after Steve Torrence jumped to the top spot with a blistering 3.880 second run. Force moved around Khalid alBalooshi and the Al-Anabi dragster, the most recent winner, to reclaim the No. 3 spot in Top Fuel and a first round match-up with journeyman Scott Palmer.

 

“The first qualifying pass we smoked the tires at about half-track, so I lifted and just coasted on down the track,” Force said. “The final session we made it all the way down the track and improved from our run yesterday. We ended up running a 3.91, so we earned another bonus point. That ended up bumping us up from the No. 4 position to the No. 3 position. The team is so pumped right now. They’re so excited about it. This is exactly where we needed to be. We have (Richard) Hogan who came on board to help out my crew chiefs Dean Antonelli and Eric Lane, we got a new hot rod that is 100 pounds lighter and it’s definitely showing that it’s going to run.”

 

Brittany Force’s qualifying effort was the second best qualifying finish by a woman every at the Mopar Mile High NHRA Nationals. Ironically, the best qualifying performance was Melanie Troxel’s No. 1 qualifier in 2007 driving a Top Fuel dragster tuned by Richard Hogan. The veteran tuner joined the Castrol EDGE Top Fuel team last race in Norwalk and has been working side by side with Dean Antonelli and Eric Lane.

 

With the added bonus points following her strong qualifying runs, the Castrol EDGE driver improved from 13th in the Mello Yello points standings to the 12th position. This gave Force and her team an extra boost of confidence going into Sunday as she will face fellow competitor Scott Palmer for the first time in her racing career.

 

“That’s exactly what we needed,” the 27-year-old Yorba Linda, California resident said. “Gaining those extra points and just moving up whether it’s a little bit at a time, but tomorrow we’re going to try and make our way up even further. I’ve never raced Scott Palmer, so I’m excited to be racing him in round one. Hopefully I’ll get a chance to talk to him before we make our run. I definitely want to go some rounds tomorrow and get a win, but for everyone running tomorrow, just safe runs would make me happy.”

 

Robert Hight continued to show that John Force’s decision to match the president of JFR with the lead tuner Mike Neff will prove to be a tough pair to defeat. The tandem made the quickest run of the first session on Saturday where conditions should mirror tomorrow’s race day temperatures. Hight’s Auto Club Ford Mustang covered the 1000 ft. race track in 4.228 seconds at 295.40 mph. The second quickest time was Ron Capps’ 4.288 second run.

 

“The first run today we were low ET so that was pretty awesome and the track was really hot so that’s what we are going to be facing tomorrow so I’m definitely excited about that. We gained three more points and then tonight we really got after it trying to step up our qualifying because we kind of messed up last night,” said Hight.

 

In the second session as conditions improved dramatically Hight and his Neff tuned Funny Car took a shot at outrunning Cruz Pedregon’s No. 1 time of 4,073 seconds. He was unsuccessful in his bid to move to the top of the field but is confident going into his first round match-up with veteran Johnny Gray. The last time the pair matched up was the final round in Topeka.

 

“It shook in the last run, but last night hurt us dropping a cylinder. Tonight when it had eight cylinders it had too much power. We’re learning, but I’m definitely going in to Sunday back in the Top Ten in the standings and I tell you what, Mike Neff gives you a lot of confidence. Just the way he talks, we’re going to be fine,” said the two-time Mopar Mile High NHRA Nationals winner. “We can run like this all day long, especially when it ran that 4.22 this morning. He’s got so much confidence and that gives you confidence as a driver. It’s like we’re not going up there with our fingers crossed. We’re going up there with a plan and that plan is to win. I also want to congratulate Jimmy Prock and John Force for really stepping it up and being low ET that last session.”

 

Right after Hight made his final run in qualifying team leader John Force rolled the Castrol GTX Ford Mustang to the starting line. Crew Chief Jimmy Prock was also ready with an aggressive tune up and he powered the Ford Mustang Funny Car to the quickest run of the session, a solid 4.127 second run at 308.99 mph. Force picked up three qualifying bonus points and for the first time all season all four John Force Racing entries earned qualifying bonus points at the same event.

 

“So far, so good. We made a lot of changes with Brittany’s dragster and I think it ended up third. It went right down the race track and made a good run for Castrol EDGE, so we’re excited. We all made the show. Courtney and Robert and I are all in,” said Force. “Jimmy Prock is doing what he does and that’s tuning a race car. I’m having fun over here with Jimmy. We ran quickest of the last session with that 4.12. Tomorrow is a new day. It’s all about the dream, and if you believe in your dreams you can achieve. We’re all going to go get a good night’s rest and try our best to get a win tomorrow.”

 

Force will race fellow Ford driver Bob Tasca III in the first round. Tasca and Hight are locked in a tough battle for the No. 10 spot in the Funny Car standings. Hight moved around Tasca this weekend to move back into the Top Ten going into eliminations tomorrow.

 

As Courtney Force prepares for the first race day of the infamous “Western Swing,” her Traxxas Ford Mustang team prepares for a tough round against a higher-qualified Alexis DeJoria. Force qualified No. 13 and will give up lane choice going into Sunday’s eliminations.

 “We struggled a little bit in qualifying. I definitely think it’s tough out here and I’m being challenged as a driver, but all of the teams are. It’s a tough track and nothing like what we run all season. We had a great weekend here last year when we went to the final, so I have no doubt we can get our car just as far if not further tomorrow,” said Force, a finalist last year in Denver.

 

Today, the 25-year-old who just became the first female driver in the NHRA to pose for ESPN The Magazine’s “The Body Issue,” made a solid pass in the heat of the day to kick-off qualifying. She posted a 4.316 second run to move her Traxxas Ford into the No. 13 spot.

 

“We were on a great run. We managed to get our car down there in the heat during the third session, which is important because we’ll be running the race in the heat of the day on Sunday. I think our team is in pretty good shape for tomorrow,” said Force.

 

Between rounds, Force signed autographs at the Traxxas display in the midway. Force makes an appearance at the Traxxas display each Saturday throughout the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series tour. She greeted fans at her pit area before finally making her second pass to end the day.

 

“I struggled a little on that last qualifying pass. My team was going after a good run and I could feel that it was a good one. I let the car take me a little to the right, because that lane pulls you to the right. I let it get out a little bit and when I pulled it back it just spun the tires really bad where there were little bumps in the track. It’s a little unfortunate that we kind of missed out on that run. I was hoping to get another g
ood run in so it could move me to the top half of the field, but that’s just the way it goes. It’s the name of the game,” said Force.

 

Tomorrow, Force will face fellow female competitor Alexis DeJoria in the opening round. This will be the fifth time the women have met on race day. Force is currently 3-1 to DeJoria in previous events.

 

“We have a first round matchup against Alexis tomorrow. It’s an all-girl first round so I’m excited and we’ll see what happens,” said Force.

Mopar Racing

Mopar Racing–Team Mopar Driver Johnson Powers to Fourth Consecutive Pole at Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals

Team Mopar Driver Johnson Powers to Fourth Consecutive Pole at Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals

Mopar Express Lane Dodge Avenger Pro Stock driver Allen Johnson will start No. 1 for the fifth time in his career at Bandimere Speedway
The top spot at Bandimere is the 30th career pole for Johnson
Johnson, the four-time and defending event winner, will have a bye run in the first round tomorrow as he shoots for the victory and his seventh consecutive final-round appearance at the Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals
2012 Denver runner-up and Lakewood, Colo. native V. Gaines will start second in his Mopar-fueled Dodge Avenger and face Steve Kalkowski in the opening stanza
Johnson’s J&J Racing stablemates Jeg Coughlin Jr. and Vincent Nobile are part of a six-car Dodge Avenger group that will fight for the Mopar Mile-High win
Jack Beckman was quickest of a five-strong Mopar HEMI-powered Funny Car contingent and will race out of the No. 2 spot on Sunday  
Morrison, Colo. (Saturday, July 20, 2013) –  For the fourth consecutive year and fifth time in his career, Mopar Express Lane Dodge Avenger driver Allen Johnson will lead the Pro Stock field into the elimination rounds at the Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals. Johnson secured the No. 1 spot on Saturday at Bandimere Speedway, marking the 30th pole in his 18-year career. The Team Mopar veteran will have the chance to advance to his seventh straight final-round appearance at Bandimere Speedway on Sunday, as well as claim his second-straight victory and fifth overall at Thunder Mountain. In Funny Car, 2012 event winner Jack Beckman was best of the Mopar-powered Dodge Charger R/T bunch and will start second.

Johnson captured the top spot in his Mopar Express Lane race machine in the second session on Friday with a 6.949–second elapsed time at 198.23 mph, and in the two final attempts on Saturday no driver was able to knock the king of Thunder Mountain off his throne. The Greeneville, Tenn. native posted a 7.107/197.59 pass in his first Saturday qualifying attempt, and a session-quickest 6.982 run in his final qualifying effort. Johnson is now tied with Warren Johnson (no relation) for second all-time in Pro Stock No. 1 Qualifier spots at Bandimere Speedway.

“We were able to secure No. 1 qualifier last year during Mopar’s 75th anniversary, and win the race, and this year we’re No. 1 for their 25th anniversary as the title sponsor of the event, so we want to go out there tomorrow and secure that win again,” said Johnson. “Doing anything great here in front of Mopar is just awesome. Getting the pole is just the start — we have to have a long day tomorrow. We got a good car, got a good crew — we’re just on top of the ‘Mountain.’

“We felt a little better about Jeggy’s (teammate Jeg Coughlin Jr.) car that last pass; we got it to run good and do well. I think we’ve got a really good race day set up with that last fast run, with Jeg’s car and mine, and Vincent didn’t run too bad. We’ve got four or five fast Mopars in this crowd. Hopefully every one of them can do well and we can have two Mopars in the final.”

Crowd favorite, Lakewood, Colo. native and Mopar-powered Pro Stocker V. Gaines (6.970) will start second tomorrow and match up with Steve Kalkowski in the opening round. Deric Kramer (6.982), another Colorado son, will line up his Mopar-powered Dodge Avenger No. 5 versus Steve Kent to start off Sunday.

Johnson’s J&J Racing team will field three strong entries in the quest to bring Mopar home a victory on the brand’s 25th anniversary as title sponsor of the Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals. Four-time NHRA Pro Stock champion and Mopar/JEGS.com Dodge Avenger driver Jeg Coughlin Jr. (6.996) posted his best run of the weekend in the final qualifying session and will battle out of the No. 9 spot against current points leader Mike Edwards in a monster opening-round fight. The third member of the J&J Racing trio, Vincent Nobile (7.005), posted his Dodge Avenger 11th and will draw Greg Anderson in tomorrow’s first stanza. Matt Hartford (7.058) ended the day 13th in his Dodge and will go head-to-head with Rickie Jones in the first round.

Mopar-powered Don Schumacher Racing (DSR) Funny Car driver Jack Beckman is in strong position to defend his 2012 win and capture a third career overall triumph at Bandimere. Beckman (4.097) will begin Sunday eliminations from the No. 2 spot and face Terry Haddock in round one. Beckman’s DSR Mopar-powered Dodge teammates Ron Capps (4.152), the No. 8 qualifier, and Magneti Marelli Offered by Mopar DSR Dodge pilot Matt Hagan (4.158) , No. 9 and the current points leader, will see who has the quickest Mopar in a first-round showdown. Johnny Gray (4.168), a four-time winner thus far in 2013, will race from the No. 10 position in his Dodge against Robert Hight, and Jeff Arend (4.360), the No. 14 starter, will draw Tim Wilkerson.

Chevrolet Racing

Chevy Racing–Corvette Racing-Canada

CORVETTE RACING IN CANADA: Second, Sixth in ALMS GT Qualifying
Hard crash for Magnussen but No. 3 Compuware Corvette will be ready to race
 
BOWMANVILLE, ONTARIO (July 20, 2013) – Corvette Racing is a nine-time winner at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park in American Le Mans Series competition. But the track formerly known as Mosport proved Saturday it can be unforgiving to even the best in racing.
 
Jan Magnussen set the second-fastest lap in GT qualifying for the Mobil 1 SportsCar Grand Prix in the No. 3 Compuware Corvette C6.R before a significant crash with less than five minutes left in the session. Upon its return to the team’s paddock, the Corvette crew went straight to work to dismantle and repair the No. 3 entry, which has Magnussen and Antonio Garcia second in the ALMS GT championship. Sunday’s race airs live on ESPN2 starting at 1 p.m. ET.
 
The Dane’s best time was a 1:15.601 (117.094 mph) that he set on his fifth lap. With pole position in his sights, Magnussen was on a flyer before a small bump in the middle of the third corner caused the Corvette to unsettle and veer slightly wide at the exit. The left-rear tire went off the surface just enough to send Magnussen into a spin and hard into the outside tire barrier.
 
The car will start Sunday’s race from the rear of the grid and is expected to make the morning warmup at 9:10 a.m.
 
Tommy Milner qualified the No. 4 Compuware Corvette sixth in class at 1:16.083 (116.352 mph). Despite the position, Milner was only 0.621 seconds off pole position. The car struggled to find balance in the second practice session and qualifying but Milner believed the fix would be an easy adjustment for Sunday’s race. He and teammate Oliver Gavin – defending ALMS GT champions – will go for their second ALMS victory of the season.
 
“Tommy and Jan both had solid qualifying efforts,” said Doug Fehan, Corvette Racing Program Manager. “Jan’s crash was unfortunate. He was on a good lap, but we were reminded how quickly this track can come up and bite anyone. The entire Corvette Racing team is an experienced and resilient group and will work as long as it takes to get the car repaired and ready for Sunday. It’s that ‘never give up’ spirit that we all exude.”

Uncategorized

Follow A Dream Heads to Home Track

Marstons Mills, MA -July 17, 2013-Jay Blake’s Permatex/Follow A Dream team heads to its home track, New England Dragway, for this weekend’s Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event fresh off a win in its last series start, four weeks ago at Lebanon Valley Dragway in upstate New York. Follow A Dream set the Top Alcohol Funny Car track record at the Epping, N.H., facility in 2010 and reached the final round at this event in 2011.

“This is a big race for us every year, and especially this year because some folks from Porter & Chester are coming,” Blake said. “A couple of instructors from the school and five students who’ve done exemplary work and had 100-percent attendance all year will be our guests for the weekend.”

“I can’t wait to see the improvements the track made for its inaugural national event last month,” said driver Todd Veney. “New England Dragway is exactly 1,000 miles from home for me, but for everybody else on the team it’s a ‘home game,’ and we’re all looking forward to it.”

Qualifying sessions are scheduled for 1:00 and 6:00 Friday afternoon, and eliminations are under the lights Saturday night at 5:00, 7:00, and 9:00.

John Force Racing

John Force Racing–Denver

BRITTANY FORCE No. 3 FRIDAY IN DENVER

 

DENVER, CO – Rookie of the Year candidate Brittany Force finished her first day on the mountain at Bandimere Speedway with a solid 3.926 second run which was good enough to hold down the No. 3 qualifying spot heading into Saturday. The Castrol EDGE Top Fuel dragster’s previous best qualifying effort was No. 8 in Bristol. The crew chief trio of Dean Antonelli, Eric Lane and Richard Hogan gave the young driver a great tune-up in a brand new Hadman dragster today.

 

In the first session Force only took the dragster to half-track but the early numbers were quick enough to put her in the top half of the field. She stepped up her performance in the second session has the Automobile Club Road to the Future contender excited about the prospect of success at Bandimere Speedway.

 

“We came out here with a new car,” Force said. “We are building a brand new car, but it wasn’t going to be ready in time for the Western Swing, so Steve Torrence was kind enough to give us one of his. I flew out to Indianapolis last week and got fitted for it. We only ran it to half-track on the first qualifying pass which was the plan, just to make sure everything ran good and that I felt comfortable in the car. We ran a 4.307 just going to half-track, so I was pretty stoked about that. I knew we were going to make a good second qualifying pass.”

 

In between rounds, Force met with Denver fans at the John Force Racing Midway display where she signed autographs and took photos. The Cal State-Fullerton graduate always enjoys meeting new fans and hearing about their race day experience.

 

“I love being here in Denver,” Force said. “The weather is beautiful and I just love being out here as part of the Western Swing. The fans have been amazing and I’ve really enjoyed just meeting them out at the ropes and seeing their excitement in the grandstands.”

 

In her second qualifying pass, Force took it all the way down the track for a run of 3.926, shooting her straight to the second position. At the end of the night, Force ended up third, making this her best qualifying effort so far this season.

 

“The second run, we went down there and took it all the way to the lights and ran a 3.92,” Force said. “My Castrol EDGE team was so excited about that and we ended up third at the end of the night, which is exactly where we need to be. I’m excited going into Saturday. We’ll make two more passes and I’m just really excited to have this new car and to be out here at Bandimere Speedway. I think it’ll do some good things and I really think we’re going to kick some butt this weekend.”

 

In the Funny Car ranks the crew chief swap between John Force and Robert Hight got off to a strong start with Hight’s Automobile Club of Southern California Mustang posting the quickest ET of the first session. The Mike Neff tune-up tripped the scoreboard at 4.158 seconds and earned Hight three valuable qualifying bonus points. In the second session Hight stepped up with a 4.144 second run which had him sitting No. 7 going into Saturday.

 

“First off, I think I’m back in the top ten in points. I was only three points out and we got three points after the first run. I think we still out qualified the guy who was in the tenth spot, so going into Saturday we’re back in the Top Ten, so that’s pretty exciting,” said Hight, a two-time Mile-High Nationals winner.

 

“It went down the track both runs, dropped a cylinder early and then picked it back up, which is really odd. For me to get into a new car like this and with a new team to go down the track both runs is pretty impressive. I’m kind of lost because I’ve been over here so many years with (crew chief) Jimmy Prock and my guys that have stuck together for so long I kind of feel a little lost. The truth is, I didn’t abandon them; I didn’t leave them. We’re still all on the same team. It’s one big team and we’re still all going to work together and maybe John (Force) shuffling and moving people is going to get the best out of everybody.”

 

“(Crew chief) Mike Neff has always been good. I’ve known him since he started here and he’s an easy going guy. He motivates you, just like Jimmy did. We’re not going to have any problems whatsoever, I promise. It’s exciting,” concluded Hight.

 

 

John Force and the Jimmy Prock tuned Castrol GTX Mustang finished Friday as the No. 6 qualified Funny Car. In the second session Force covered the track in 4.140 seconds at 307.09 mph. It was Force’s executive decision to trade drivers and teams for the rest of the season.

 

“Our crew chiefs, they’re our family. And I loved working with Mike Neff, the change just needed to be made. I knew Jimmy Prock when he was a little kid. I watched him with his dad (Tom Prock) with The Detroit Tiger and Tom and Jerry’s Funny Car and I just love being over here with him. I think this is going to be a good change. I’m having fun. I had fun with Neff, but sometimes you gotta stir it up. This team over here opened their arms to me. I’m pretty old, but they still like me,” said Force, the 15-time NHRA Funny Car champion.

 

“Courtney ran great. She was on a run in that Traxxas Ford, but it got in trouble out there at about 500 feet. I was amazed because I thought she had it. Robert was low ET with Neff first round so that was awesome to see. And we stepped back up in the top half of the field. That dragster has been great so far. It was bumped down to third, but that’s the best qualifying spot Brittany has had all year,” added Force.

 

Courtney Force came out strong on the first day of the Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals today, but missed the Top 12 by .021 of a second. She will have two more qualifying attempts on Saturday to make the show.

 

Force posted a 4.192 ET at 307.93 mph in the opening round. She set the track speed record with this pass and was third-quickest of the session, adding one qualifying bonus point to the 25-year-old’s total in the NHRA Mello Yello series point standings.

 

“After a roller coaster of a week, it feels great to be out at the race track. On our first pass today we went to the No. 3 spot, set a track speed record and picked up one point. Those bonus points help so much because they all add up at the end of the season and they can make a huge difference. It felt to come out and make a great run like that right away,” said Force.

 

Force had some bad luck in the second session, when her car spun the tires at about 500 feet.

 

“On the second pass we tried to push it a lot harder, obviously because the track had cooled down and we wanted to get after it to go for that top spot. It spun the tires down track and moved around so I had to get out of it. We slid down quite a few spot with everyone else moving up and around us, but I’m confident in our team and car and we’re going to get back after it tomorrow,” said Force.

 

Mopar Racing

Mopar Racing–Mopar Express Lane Driver Johnson Rockets to Top Spot in Friday Qualifying at Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals

Mopar Express Lane Driver Johnson Rockets to Top Spot in Friday Qualifying at Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals

 

Defending event winner and reigning Pro Stock champion Allen Johnson will seek to secure his fourth consecutive pole at Bandimere Speedway and fifth overall at the venue
Four-time Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals winner Johnson looks to add to his streak of six straight final-round appearances on Thunder Mountain in his Mopar Express Lane Dodge Avenger
Hometown favorite and Lakewood, Colo. native V. Gaines holds the Pro Stock provisional No. 2 spot in his Mopar-powered Dodge Avenger
With the provisional second spot, defending event winner and reigning Funny Car champion Jack Beckman leads the Mopar-powered Dodge Charger R/T contingent in Funny Car qualifying
Morrison, Colo. (Friday, July 19, 2013) – The reigning king of Thunder Mountain took a giant step — in the form of the provisional No. 1 spot — towards continuing his rule at the Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals.

Mopar Express Lane Dodge Avenger driver Allen Johnson recorded a 6.949–elapsed time at 198.23 mph in the second qualifying session today at Bandimere Speedway to claim the top spot on the charts. If Johnson, the reigning Pro Stock series champion, can hold his position tomorrow, the Greeneville, Tenn. native will earn his fourth straight pole at sponsor Mopar’s headline event, and fifth overall at the Rocky Mountain venue.

Also on the line for Johnson this weekend, which marks the 25th anniversary of Mopar’s role as title sponsor of the event: his streak of six straight final-round appearances in Denver and a possible fifth career win at Bandimere Speedway.

“We’re right on with our program, now we just have to tune the other two up (the cars of teammates Jeg Coughlin Jr. and Vincent Nobile),” said Johnson, who was second after the first qualifying session with a 6.980/197.39. “After that first run I wasn’t sure we were going to have the Mopar execs smiling tonight, but we ended up giving them something to cheer about. That’s what we’re out here for, that’s what they pay us to do. And it’s always fulfilling for the J&J Racing team when we do it.

“We tuned up the Mopar Express Lane Dodge Avenger. You know, it’s Mopar’s 25th anniversary (as title sponsor) and all the bosses are upstairs, except Pietro (Gorlier, President and CEO of Mopar), who’s in Italy, and he’s wishing us on from afar. We need to make them smile on Friday night, and hopefully we made them do it. We’re very happy with the way things are going, and hopefully we can keep the Mopar out front tomorrow.”

A pair of hometown-favorite Mopar-powered Dodge Avenger drivers trailed closely behind Johnson in Friday Pro Stock qualifying. Lakewood, Colo., native V. Gaines (6.970) was just behind Johnson with the provisional No. 2 spot, while Deric Kramer (6.982), from Sterling, Colo., was fifth. Johnson’s J&J Racing teammates were also in the mix, with Mopar/JEGS.com Dodge Avenger driver Coughlin (6.997) listed ninth and Mountain View Dodge Avenger racer Nobile (7.005) penciled in at 11th. Matt Hartford posted his Dodge Avenger 12th.

Defending Funny Car event champ Jack Beckman posted his Mopar-powered Dodge Charger R/T second in Friday qualifying with a 4.097-second pass at a track-record 309.91 mph. Fellow Mopar-fueled Don Schumacher Racing (DSR) teammate Ron Capps (4.152) was ranked eighth, with Magneti Marelli Offered by Mopar DSR Dodge pilot Matt Hagan (4.158) listed ninth. Johnny Gray (4.168) clocked in at No. 10 in his DSR Dodge, and Jeff Arend was 14th in his Dodge Charger R/T.

Summit Racing

Summit Racing–Anderson Encouraged After First Day on the Mountain in Denver

Anderson Encouraged After First Day on the Mountain in Denver 
 
Denver, Colo., July 19, 2013 – The mile-high conditions at Bandimere Speedway in Denver regularly pose quite a challenge for the naturally aspirated Pro Stock cars, and based on a test session that the Summit Racing Pro Stock team participated in at the scenic facility last week, drivers Greg Anderson and Jason Line had realistic expectations entering the Mile-High NHRA Nationals. After the first two runs of the weekend, however, the veteran drivers were pleasantly surprised and looking forward to the second day of the event.

Anderson started the day with a 7.009 at 196.36 and Line, just a tick ahead, clocked a 7.008 at 196.53 mph. The Summit Racing drivers came back in the second session to improved conditions and even better performance for their Summit Racing Chevrolet Camaros in the thin air: Anderson’s improved 6.983, 196.19 settled him into the No. 6 position, and Line protected the No. 7 spot with a 6.986, 196.70.

“The first run out was as good as we expected, and it was just about what we were able to do last week when we tested here,” said Anderson. “We started with what we thought would work best, and it ran exactly like it did last week. The racetrack is a little bit different than it was, though, so we made some adjustments for it tonight in the later session, got a little bit more aggressive with the racecars, and it picked up some.

“We’ll try and do the same tomorrow – the racetrack was very good tonight, but it should get even better on Saturday. We know from past history here at Bandimere Speedway that the track does improve with each session and each day, and it’s the best on Sundays. We have to pay attention to that and tune our cars up for that. We made a step forward tonight, and quite honestly, we ran better than we thought we would based on how we tested last week. I think that happened because we went home, did our homework, and tried to add up what really made a difference.

“I think we have a better package this week than what we had testing, and we’re going to see if we can improve on that tomorrow. If the KB Racing team can continue to make progress throughout the weekend, we’ll have a shot on Sunday.”

Summit Racing

Summit Racing–Anderson Ready to Rise to the Challenge in Denver

Anderson Ready to Rise to the Challenge in Denver 
 
Mooresville, N.C., July 16, 2013 – Greg Anderson and the Summit Racing Pro Stock team have done everything within their power to get a jump start on this weekend’s Mopar Mile-High Nationals in Denver, Colo., an event that presents some of the most challenging conditions on the Mello Yello Drag Racing Series tour with a high-altitude setting that significantly impacts the naturally aspirated engines.

Anderson’s crew made the trek to Denver’s Bandimere Speedway directly after the most recent event in Norwalk, Ohio, and set up shop. Nearly two-dozen test runs later, the team had a fresh batch of information that will come into play this weekend in the thin, horsepower-robbing air of Denver.

“There are a lot of things that we crossed off the list and were able to determine the Summit Racing Chevrolet Camaro didn’t like, so we’ll add up what worked and what didn’t work, and we’ll come up with what we think is the best package,” said Anderson. “Normally, if you don’t test there, you’re in test mode every run trying to find something that works. Hopefully we’re a little bit ahead of the game this time around.”

Anderson and company have made a strong statement in Denver before and, as an experienced, multi-championship winning team, they intend to do so again; the Mooresville, N.C.-based driver has acquired two national event wins and four No. 1 qualifying performances at Bandimere Speedway over the course of his career and will be looking for more.

Although the quarter-mile journeys down the racetrack in Denver are dramatically slower than elsewhere on the tour, winning rounds requires more than masterful tuning – the driver must also be on his game as he moves through the shift points in a manner unique to the mountain.
 
“It’s just so different, and quite honestly from the driver’s seat of the Summit Racing Chevy Camaro, you don’t realize it’s any slower,” said Anderson. “You have to change the car so drastically so that it will act like it has power that you go through the first four gears quicker than at sea level. It’s hard to believe, but driving the car up there is actually tougher on the driver. It’s a challenge all around, but it’s certainly one that the KB Racing team is willing and excited to rise to.”

Summit Racing

Summit Racing–Line Prepared to Tackle Denver’s Mile-High Conditions

Line Prepared to Tackle Denver’s Mile-High Conditions
 
Mooresville, N.C., July 17, 2013 – Jason Line didn’t hurry home, but instead spent the better part of three days behind the wheel of his Summit Racing Chevrolet Camaro just after the most recent NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series event in preparation for this weekend’s Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals at Bandimere Speedway.

With nearly two-dozen passes down the quarter-mile logged last week, Line and the KB Racing team are ready to launch into the strenuous three-race Western Swing at the facility just outside of Denver that sits high above sea level, presenting a challenge for tuners and drivers alike as they battle thin air that robs their naturally aspirated engines of horsepower and atmospheric conditions seen nowhere else on the tour.

“It’s definitely a different place to race, and I’d be lying if we said we felt like we really had a handle on it. There aren’t many people that can go there with that feeling,” admitted Line. “But the Summit Racing team definitely has a head start after testing there, and I can tell you that Bandimere is a fun place to go no matter how you look at it. The Bandimere family, [Facility Manager] Larry Crispe, and the whole group up there take such good care of that racetrack. It’s a unique stop on our tour, and one that we look forward to every year despite the challenges.”

Line, currently fourth in the Mello Yello Drag Racing Series Pro Stock points, is going after his second win of the 2013 season and first national event victory at Bandimere Speedway this weekend.

The scenic racetrack carved into the side of the mountain is one of just six on the tour that has not seen Line celebrating in the winner’s circle as a Pro Stock driver, but the Minnesota-born and bred second-generation drag racer has known success there; he scored a victory in Denver as a sportsman competing at a points meet in 1993. Even so, Line makes no assumptions.

“We certainly don’t want to say that we’ll go to Denver and dominate; it’s just not that easy up there,” said Line. “But the KB Racing team has been working very hard to prepare for this weekend and try to find what it will take to do well. Anything can happen, and that’s why we go race. No matter what it looks like on paper, good or bad, you go, do your best, and hope for the outcome that you’ve been working towards.”

World of Outlaws

World of Outlaws–Brad Sweet Earns Crown in 30th Kings Royal at Eldora Speedway

ROSSBURG, Ohio. – July 13, 2013 – It was only a matter of time until Brad Sweet tasted victory lane at Eldora Speedway in World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series competition. However, no one would have guessed it would have been in one of the most prestigious races anywhere in dirt track racing, the Kings Royal.

Sweet, of Grass Valley, Calif., started outside of Brandon Wimmer for the 30th running of the historic event and jumped out to an early lead in the 40-lap, $50,000-to-win race in his Kasey Kahne Racing Ollie’s Bargain Outlets ride. A three-car battle that included Wimmer and Donny Schatz prevented Sweet from running away.

On the final restart on lap 25, after a wreck involving Chad Kemenah and Paul McMahan battling for the fifth position, Sweet struggled at first to retake the lead as Schatz put the pressure on in his attempt to become a three-time Kings Royal winner. By the 27th lap, though, Sweet had fully cleared Schatz and with 13 more clean laps through lapped traffic found himself crowned King.

“It’s unbelievable to win the Kings Royal,” said Sweet, who has narrowly missed out on winning a World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series event at Eldora several times, including Friday night when he finished second. “It’s still sinking in, but we’ve been fast here so I knew we could do it. I can’t thank my guys enough, Kasey Kahne Racing, Kasey Kahne himself for giving me this opportunity, Ollie’s Bargain Outlet, my guys Dave, Eric, Rob and Willie. It was déjà vu on coming up to try to get around Sammy Swindell again to lap him. I know Donny’s going to be good and the first time we restarted I chose the top and he had me beat going into one and if he would’ve gone to the top it would’ve made it a much closer race.”

The night wasn’t all smooth sailing for Sweet. The Ollie’s Bargain Outlet machine blew a motor in qualifying and saw Sweet start sixth in the fifth heat race. In a show of incredible speed, Sweet was able to work his way to the lead to earn the outside pole for the Kings Royal feature event.

For the waning laps of the event it appeared that it would either be Schatz and Sweet in the top two positions, but in the final three laps Tim Kaeding made huge strides. After losing pace with both of the leaders for several laps on lap 38 Kaeding made huge gains to catch Schatz. The position would not be decided until the final lap. Kaeding issued a hard slider to Schatz going into turn one, but slid up the track losing time. It looked like all was lost for the San Jose, Calif., native when he threw his Roth Enterprises-backed machine into turn three and appeared to will the car to stick pulling even with Schatz.

From there it was an even drag race to the checkered flag that Kaeding won by a mere quarter of a second.

“We had a great race car all night, and we just wanted to see how things fell in place,” Kaeding said. “Brad was fast in open traffic, but kind slowed up in traffic and gave Donny and I a chance to get a run at him. We’ve had a rough couple of nights, but to come back and finish second at the Kings Royal is awesome.”

Schatz had to settle for third in the Tony Stewart Racing STP/Armor All J&J.

“Brad was awfully quick up top and I didn’t use up enough track trying to get past him,” said Schatz, of Fargo, N.D. “We weren’t really prepared to have a fuel stop (on lap 25 during the Kemenah and McMahan red flag) so we weren’t ready with shock changes and that stuff. I lost a spot to Tim I was just hoping Brad would make a mistake with a lapped car and I would be in a different groove but that didn’t happen. You know, second, third, it doesn’t matter the only thing we came for was a win and we didn’t get it so we may as well finished 20th.”

Tony Stewart finished better Saturday than he did Friday, but that wasn’t the whole story. Stewart made the feature through his heat race, but did not find the finish he wanted. Stewart faced an early exit on lap 16 after alleging contact with TSR teammate and former Kings Royal champion, Steve Kinser. The contact led to Stewart flipping coming off of the turn 4. Stewart would finish 23rd on the night and voiced his displeasure over the PA system at his driver much to the fans’ surprise.

Wimmer held on to a fourth-place finish while crowd favorite and Wooster, Ohio native, Jac Haudenschild wowed everybody by moving through the field to capture fifth.

Chevrolet Racing

Chevy Racing–Camping World RV Sales 301

Camping World RV Sales 301
New Hampshire Motor Speedway
 
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
New Hampshire Motor Speedway       
July 14, 2013  
 
Race Highlights:  
Richard Childress Racing teammates finished third (Jeff Burton), seventh (Kevin Harvick) and 17th (Paul Menard) in the Camping World RV Sales 301.
Following the event at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Harvick remains fourth in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver championship point standings, trailing leader Jimmie Johnson by 74 markers, while Burton sits 17th, 25 points outside of the top 10, and Menard ranks 20th, 36 points back from 10th.
The No. 29 Chevrolet SS team ranks fourth in the Sprint Cup Series owner championship point standings, with the No. 31 team 18th in the standings and the No. 27 team 21st.
Burton scored his best qualifying effort (ninth) and highest finish (third) of the 2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season.
Burton had the third-best Driver Rating (112.4), fourth-best Average Running Position (7.705) and spent 98.7 percent (298 laps) of the 302-lap race in the top 15.
With a lap time of 125.153 mph, Harvick was listed as the 10th-Fastest Driver Late in a Run.
Harvick completed 52 Green-Flag Passes, 17 of which came while running in the top 15 (Quality Passes).
Menard made 75 Green-Flag Passes over the course of the 302-lap event ranking him fifth overall.
Brian Vickers earned his first victory of the 2013 Sprint Cup Series season and was followed to the finish line by Kyle Busch, Burton, Brad Keselowski and Aric Almirola.
The next Sprint Cup Series race is the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday, July 28. The 20th race of the 2013 season is scheduled to be televised live on ESPN beginning at Noon Eastern Time and broadcast live on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Radio Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Satellite Radio, channel 90.
 
 
Menard Finishes 17th at New Hampshire Motor Speedway
 
Starting from the 14th position, Paul Menard and the No. 27 Libman/Menards team faced handling issues throughout the scheduled 301-lap event, earning a 17th-place finish when the checkered flag flew at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. After slipping back several positions in the early laps of the race, Menard made his way back inside the top 15 at lap 25. Shortly after, he communicated to crew chief “Slugger” Labbe that the No. 27 machine was loose on entry and tight through the center of the corners. The pit crew made a variety of adjustments during the ensuing pit stops in hopes of remedying the issue. The series of chassis and air pressure adjustments provided some relief to the Eau Claire, Wis., native, and he maintained a position within the top 15 until lap 206 when the team began to play the fuel strategy game, pitting on three separate occasions under caution-flag periods for fuel. Restarting in 22nd on lap 219, Menard was able to gain two positions quickly and maintained a top-20 running position for the reminder of the race, ultimately working his way up to 17th when the checkered flag flew. Menard now sits in 20th in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver championship point standings heading into the off-weekend.
 
Start – 14          Finish – 17          Laps Led – 0          Points – 20th
 
PAUL MENARD QUOTE:
“It was a tough day for the No. 27 Libman/Menards crew. We struggled with handling issues for the majority of the day and never seemed to hit on the right setup. I have to give my team credit though, they never gave up and made a variety of adjustments all day to try and get the car to handle better. We’ll use this off-weekend to regroup and head to Indy (Indianapolis Motor Speedway) looking for better results.”
 
 
 
     
Harvick and the No. 29 Budweiser Team Finish Seventh  
at New Hampshire Motor Speedway
 
Kevin Harvick and the No. 29 Budweiser team collected their ninth-consecutive top-10 finish after earning a seventh-place result at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Sunday afternoon. The California native started the scheduled 301-lap event from the 18th position and ran in or near the top 20 during the early laps. Harvick was scored in the 17th position when the yellow flag waved on lap 203. Crew chief Gil Martin called him to pit road to receive two fresh right-side tires and fuel, positioning the Richard Childress Racing driver eighth for the ensuing restart. Harvick maintained a position near the top 10 during the final laps, ultimately crossing the finish line in the seventh spot. Following his 11th top-10 finish of the season, Harvick remains fourth in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver championship point standings.
 
Start – 18         Finish – 7         Laps Led – 0         Points – 4th
                       
KEVIN HARVICK QUOTE:
“We struggled terribly today, but we were able to make something out of it. The Budweiser team kept at it all day, and I’m proud of the guys for all their hard work this weekend. We’ve got a lot of work to do when we come back to New Hampshire Motor Speedway in the fall, but we know what we need to fix and we’ll work with our teammates to get things figured out.”
 
   
 
 
Burton Caps Off Top-Five Effort with Third-Place Finish at New Hampshire
 
Jeff Burton and the No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet team ran in the top 15 for 298 laps of the scheduled 301-lap event at New Hampshire Motor Speedway and capped off the solid effort with a third-place finish. After starting the event from the ninth position, his best qualifying effort of the 2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season, the South Boston, Va., native maintained a top-15 running position early. Burton reported to crew chief Luke Lambert that the No. 31 Chevrolet felt good, but needed minor adjustments to gain more grip. Lambert and the No. 31 pit crew worked hard throughout the afternoon, making air pressure and chassis adjustments on multiple two and four-tire pit stops while Burton maintained a top-10 running position. After running as high as second place and narrowly avoiding a multi-car accident on lap 226, the Richard Childress Racing driver never brought the black and yellow machine to pit road again as the team played pit strategy in an attempt to take advantage of good track position. After restarting 11th on lap 262, the 21-time Sprint Cup Series race winner methodically climbed his way back into the top 10 and was scored in the fourth position when the caution flag was displayed for the final time on lap 298, setting up a green-white-checkered finish. On the final restart, Burton raced hard for the lead over the final two circuits and crossed the finish line in the third position for his second top-five finish and best result of the 2013 season. With the strong finish, Burton gained four positions in the Sprint Cup Series driver championship point standings, moving up to 17th.
 
Start – 9          Finish – 3          Laps Led – 0           Points – 17th
 
JEFF BURTON QUOTE:
“Well, obviously we are happy with our finish.  We would have liked to have been a couple spots better, but we had a good car most of the day and it was very aggressive, hard racing. The cautions didn’t really fall the way we needed them to.  The way it worked out for us, we had to put tires on at a time when everybody in front us only got fuel and that loss of track position hurt us some. That’s just the way it fell out, had it gone green for 40 or 50 laps then w
e were in the catbird’s seat.  It just worked out that way. It wasn’t a bad call, just a set of circumstances.”

Chevrolet Racing

Chevy Racing–Helio Castroneves Continues as IZOD IndyCar Series Points Leader with Runner-up Finish in Race Two at Toronto

Helio Castroneves Continues as IZOD IndyCar Series Points Leader with Runner-up Finish in Race Two at Toronto
Sebastien Bourdais Gets Second Podium Finish of Weekend from Successful Standing Start
 
TORONTO (July 14, 2013) – Helio Castroneves continued the steady consistency that has kept him on top of the standings for the majority of the season by scoring a runner-up finish in Race Two of the 2 in T.O. doubleheader weekend on the Streets of Toronto. With the strong second-place run, the driver of the No. 3 Hitachi Team Penske Chevrolet leads the points by 29 markers with 13 of the 19-race season in the record books.
 
Castroneves qualified third on the grid of the 24-car field, and executed a flawless standing start to enter turn one in second place. With excellent pit stops, he maintained track position during the race that saw just three caution flags for a total of 10 laps.
 
Sebastien Bourdais, No. 7 McAfee Dragon Racing Chevrolet, captured his second consecutive podium finish with a third-place run in today’s 85-lap/149.74-mile race.  From the seventh position on the grid, Bourdais also made an excellent start and came out of turn one in fifth place.
 
“Congratulations to Helio Castroneves and Sebastien Bourdais for strong podium finishes today in Toronto during Race 2 of the double header weekend” said Chris Berube, Chevrolet Racing Program Manager, IZOD IndyCar Series. “The standing start was very popular with the fans and added another facet to the already diverse racing in the IZOD IndyCar Series.  Team Chevy is looking forward to the next race at Mid-Ohio.”
 
E.J. Viso, No. 5 Team Venezuela PDVSA CITGO Andretti Autosport Chevrolet, finished fifth, and his teammate, Marco Andretti, No. 25 Dr. Pepper Chevrolet was scored ninth at the finish to give Team Chevy four of the top-10 finishers.
 
Local favorite James Hinchcliffe, No. 27 GoDaddy Andretti Autosport Chevrolet, suffered an issue with his throttle on the warm-up laps, and dove down pit road to the attention of his crew prior to the start of the race.  He entered competition four laps down to the leaders, and was scored 21st at the finish.
 
Carlos Munoz, who replaced the injured Ryan Briscoe in the No. 4 National Guard Panther Racing Chevrolet, had a very solid race and finished 17th, just one lap down to the winner.
 
With six races remaining in the season, Chevrolet continues to lead the IZOD IndyCar Series Manufacturers’ Championship standings.
 
The race was won by Scott Dixon.
 
Next event for the Chevrolet IndyCar V6 teams and drivers in the IZOD IndyCar Series will be at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course on August 4, 2013 with live television coverage on NBC Sports Network. Live radio coverage will be on XM Radio Channel 94 and Sirius Satellite Radio Channel 212. In addition, IndyCar live timing and scoring with the radio broadcast can be found at

Chevrolet Racing

Chevy Racing–New Hampshire Post Race

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
CAMPING WORLD RV SALES 301
NEW HAMPSHIRE MOTOR SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY RACE NOTES & QUOTES
JULY 14, 2013
 
RYAN NEWMAN, NO. 39 WIX FILTERS CHEVROLET SS – INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT ON LAP 225
ON THE ACCIDENT: 
“We just got whacked by a bunch of guys the No. 18 hit me first, the No. 2 hit me next and then I guess it was Kurt (Busch) that went underneath three-wide and by passed the No. 20 come and clipped us and knocked us into the fence and took himself out.  That was the best I could tell.  I don’t know.  I guess the No. 20 had a little influence on it.  We kind of were in a bad spot having a little bit older tires.  We didn’t have the greatest car, but have to thank Wix’s for jumping on board and sponsoring us.  That is not the press we wanted to give them, but just a lot of disrespect from a bunch of guys on restarts.  What comes around goes around.”
 
HAD IT BEEN LIKE THAT MUCH OF THE DAY? 
“No, I mean and that was crunch time.  You are in the last window there and everybody was pretty much done on fuel and tires at that point.  I didn’t expect to get hit, but I remember who hit me.” 

 
KURT BUSCH, NO. 78 FURNITURE ROW RACING/SEALY CHEVROLET SS – INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT ON LAP 225
ON THE ACCIDENT: 
“I just got hit from behind.  There was three-wide action, everybody’s going hard and I think they are about ready to get the gear in it so we are going to jump back in the car.  (Matt) Kenseth was in the middle and he was in the middle on the back straightaway.  The car gets light when there is no air on the rear spoiler back there.  I’m going to get back in the car.”
 
DANICA PATRICK, NO. 27 GODADDY CHEVROLET SS – INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT ON LAP 237

ON THE ACCIDENT: 
“It’s good to see it to get the visual on it.  What it felt like was either I misjudged the braking or everyone jammed up a little bit.  I got sideways trying to slow down so that I didn’t drive up into the back of anyone.  I just got sideways and there is nothing you can do.  The worst part is that you know obviously I didn’t want to take anybody with me.  I feel bad what can I say.  We were having a reasonable race and just didn’t mean to do it.”

KEVIN HARVICK, NO. 29 BUDWEISER CHEVROLET SS – FINISHED 7TH:
“We struggled terribly today. We were able to make something out of it, but we’ve got a lot of work to do before we come back.”
 
JEFF BURTON, NO. 31 CATERPILLAR CHEVROLET SS – FINISHED THIRD
ON HIS RACE:
“It was a lot of work.  We had a really good car.  We thought the CAT Chevrolet was as good as anybody.  The No. 78 was better than everybody, but once he had his problems then I think that opened the door for us.  Just the cautions didn’t fall quite the way we needed them to, none-the-less we had a good day.  I’m proud of everybody.  A lot of people have given up on this team and myself, but Caterpillar and Cheerios and Chevrolet and all the people that help us so much they haven’t.  We haven’t given up on ourselves either.  We are going to keep working.  We don’t feel like we are out of this thing.  We feel like we know we have an uphill battle, but we feel like we still have a shot at it.”
 
WHAT DOES A TOP-FIVE LIKE THIS MEAN FOR YOU PERSONALLY?
“Honestly the last two months we have been running solidly in the top 10 really consistently.  We just hadn’t gotten the finishes.  At Kentucky we ran in the top five a lot and had a problem late.  Sonoma we were running eighth and had a problem late and those things just really hurt us.  Early in the year if there was a wreck on the race track I got to it as quick as I could.  I mean it seemed like every wreck that was out there I was in it.  Hopefully that is behind us and now we can focus forward and keep getting better.”
 
DID YOU FEEL LIKE YOU HAD THE FASTEST CAR ON THE TRACK THERE FOR AWHILE?
“We did the No. 78 had the best car.  Once he had his problems I thought we were in pretty good shape.  The way the cautions feel kind of hurt us a little bit with our strategy.  We had a good car.  I just used it up trying to get up to them.  Then we didn’t have the best car because I had abused it so badly.  I had to go, couldn’t wait.  On the last restart I thought we were in pretty good shape and if I could have cleared the inside line I think I would have been in really good shape, but Brain (Vickers) just couldn’t get going he had trouble on the restarts spinning his tires.  So anyway it was a good day for us.”
 
JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE’S CHEVROLET SS – FINISHED SIXTH
ON HIS RACE:
“We had a great race car.  Once you get to the top 10 that’s a different game trying to pass cars and work your way to the front there.  Really the lane that you were in on a restart had a huge impact on how many cars you could pass.  A few times I was on the outside and made my way to third and then a few times on the inside and I slipped back.  All in all a great day for the Lowe’s team and just very proud of the effort these guys put in week in and week out. We are all going to enjoy this off week and then come back and get ready to go to Indy.”
 
HOW HARD WAS IT TO PASS TODAY?  HOW DID YOU GET AROUND 37 CARS?
“It was tough it wasn’t easy by any means.  You had to make quick work of people on the restarts and then we all kind of fell in line.
 
“You would have to wait for the guy in front of you to bobble and make a mistake.  These guys are all pretty good out there.  There were not many opportunities to get.  We just fought through the day and got our Lowe’s Chevrolet to sixth.”
 
YOU REALLY PASSED A LOT OF CARS TODAY
“The cautions didn’t work out and we pitted on the second or third caution and cautions didn’t fall right after that for us to take advantage of it, which was fine. We just had to do it the old fashioned way and drive up through there and pass a lot of cars and we were able to get pretty far up there.”
 
ON THE RESTARTS
“You didn’t have any other opportunity. Once we got single file, you couldn’t complete a pass or really get position on someone. So, restarts were your one and only opportunity to make something happen and everybody was doing what they could.”
 
YOU HAD A REALLY FAST CAR. DID YOU HAVE CONFIDENCE THAT YOU WOULD HAVE A GOOD RESULT TODAY?
“Again, we had a mistake that we made and that hurt us in qualifying. We knew we had a fast race car. We proved that again on Saturday. And we were very confident coming into today.”
 
HOW IMPORTANT WAS CLEAN AIR TODAY?
“Well, I never had any. So, I’m not sure (laughs)”
 
CHAD KNAUS, CREW CHIEF, NO. 48 LOWE’S CHEVROLET SS – FINISHED SIXTH:
“We made the best of a bad situation and that’s all you can do. We wanted to make today a non-issue and I think that’s exactly what we did. We didn’t need to win today, but the most important thing is we didn’t need to lose. And I think we came out of here with a solid run.”
 
JEFF GORDON, NO. 24 DRIVE TO END HUNGER CHEVROLET SS – FINISHED 10TH
ON THE DAY
“I am pretty impressed with the team and thank them for hanging in there with me. It was a frustrating day. We just weren’t really good with the car all weekend. We had to fight through. We had track position and we were maintaining that. And the strategies just started getting all over the place and we lost that track position. It was just a real struggle. I just appreciate the team working hard and hanging in there with me and to come back and get a Top 10 is pretty impressive.”
 
HOW IMPORTANT WAS THE CLEAN AIR?
“At the end, you either had to have much fresher tires or you had to have cl
ean air. And I can thank Paul Menard for the fresh tires. That actually kind of really changed things for us and we were able to pass a bunch of cars that didn’t come in and get tires on that that last run.”
 
WERE YOU MAD AT MENARD?
“I wasn’t happy. But, none of that is worth it for 20th or 18th or whatever we were racing for. I don’t even know what it was. But it is what it is.”
 
THERE ARE 7 RACES TO GO BEFORE THE CHASE
“We fought hard for tenth today and that was important to do. I don’t know what it did for us in the points, but I think the reason why, as a team, we were frustrated today is because we tested here and we came here with pretty high hopes as an opportunity to win. And it just never felt like we were in position or had a car that could win today. So, that’s something we’ve got to do a better job of when we get to Indy.”
 
WILL YOU USE THE OFF-TIME TO CONCENTRATE ON WHAT YOU NEED TO DO?
“We’ll use the off-time to relax. But, you know, this team never stops working and I’ll do whatever it takes with them to prepare for what we need to go and do in these next seven races.”

CAN YOU RELAX?
“I am able to set aside what happens at the race track when I leave the race track. We all go through tough times and frustration and this team has been through it before. It’s not fun. We don’t like it. But, we know what we are as a group and a team and we’ve got to stick together and we are. And we just will continue to do the best that we can. Everybody, no matter whether you’re leading the points or running where we are in the points or 30th in the points, everybody has to take moments to step away and relax a little bit and regroup. And so, this off-weekend will be good for everybody.”
 
TONY STEWART, NO. 14 MOBIL 1 CHEVROLET SS – FINISHED 26TH
HOW NERVOUS WERE YOU AT THE END ON FUEL?
“Pretty nervous, I mean it’s hard to calculate how much we are saving on the cautions so thought we were about three quarters of a lap to the good there before that last caution.  Obviously didn’t get saved as much as I thought we would.”
 
WAS BRIAN VICKERS SIGNIFICANTLY BETTER THERE AT THE END?
“Yeah, I know if he got by Kyle (Busch) that we were going to be in trouble. He had been able to stalk Kyle for a really long time. It was hard to stay that close to somebody for very long. I knew when he got by that we were in trouble.”
 
 

Chevrolet Racing

Chevy Racing-IndyCar–Toronto

IZOD INDYCAR SERIES
HONDA INDY TORONTO – 2 IN T.O.
STREETS OF TORONTO
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT – CARLOS MUNOZ 
JULY 14, 2013
ANDRETTI AUTOSPORT DRIVER AND FIRESTONE INDY LIGHTS POINT LEADER CARLOS MUNOZ TALKED WITH THE MEDIA THIS AFTERNOON ABOUT REPLACING RYAN BRISCOE AS THE DRIVER OF THE NO. 4 NATIONAL GUARD PANTHER RACING CHEVROLET TODAY IN RACE #2. BRISCOE SUFFERED A BROKEN RIGHT WRIST IN AN ACCIDENT SATURDAY DURING RACE #1.
WERE YOU SURPRISED TO GET CALL FROM PANTHER?: “Yeah, I was really surprised because it was really late, and I don’t any experience in an Indy car on a road course. None in my life. I don’t even have my seat here from Indy car, from the Indy 500. I was surprised. I talked to Michael (Andretti), I talked to my engineers, I talked to some other guys, and they said you have to take this chance. This is an opportunity to get more experience, more laps.”
HAVE YOU TESTED ON A ROAD COURSE IN AN INDY CAR?: “Never. First time was today ever. The horsepower, we don’t feel it as much at the (Indianapolis Motor) Speedway. But with the walls and everything, it’s much more difficult.”
WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU DID A STANDING START?: “Back in the year I raced Formula 3. It was quite nice to start with the hand brake. It wasn’t tough to start. I’m not going tohave a good start. I’m going to start last. The race is 85 laps. I’m going to try to make no mistakes and gain confidence lap by lap.”
ABOUT USING RYAN BRISCOE’S SETUP:   “I knew Ryan did a great job in qualifying for today, so I knew it was more from my part than the car. We started, more or less, with the same car as Ryan.”
WERE YOU PLANNING TO STAY HERE, AND WHY DID PANTHER CALL YOU?: “No, my flight was this morning at 6 a.m. So I changed my flight for yesterday, later in the night at 7 p.m., they called me and said do you want to drive Ryan’s car? That’s when we started calling and everything.”
DO YOU KNOW WHY THEY CALLED YOU?: “Not really. Go and ask JB (John Barnes) about it. I don’t know.”
DID YOU TALK WITH RYAN ABOUT THE CAR THIS MORNING?: “Yeah, we talked a little bit. More or less, I had a question about what to expect from the car, what reference points he had.”
WERE YOU ABLE TO FOLLOW OTHER DRIVERS IN PRACTICE?: “Not really in the beginning. I was three seconds slower, and everyone was overtaking me. I ended up only one second and something behind, so it wasn’t a bad for a first experience for me.”
WHERE DID YOU CUT TIME FROM YOUR LAP DURING PRACTICE?: “Everywhere. Each lap I was going quicker. I have too much to learn, especially on braking, since this was my first time on carbon brakes, and it’s totally different from what I’m used to in Indy Lights.”
WHAT IS YOUR GOAL TODAY: “I said (to Panther) I would go race, but don’t expect me to do a great job as I did in Indy. My goal is to not make any mistakes. Yesterday there were a lot of crashes. I saw the race. So it’s get me out of trouble and be quicker and quicker on each lap and not make any mistakes on pit stops and to finish the race.”
HOW DOES YOUR INDY LIGHTS EXPERIENCE TRANSLATE HERE?: “Line-wise, it’s totally similar to the Indy Lights. So that helped me a lot, the Indy Lights helped me. The reference points are really similar to IndyCar.”
HOW WILL THIS RIDE TODAY HELP YOU TOWARD YOUR GOAL OF REACHING INDYCAR?: “My goal next year is to be full time IndyCar driver. This year after the Indy 500, we were working maybe to Sonoma with the Andretti Autosport team. I was not sure because we wanted to be focused on Indy Lights title because it was more important to do one full season in IndyCar than one race in Sonoma, so I think still the goal is to win the Indy Lights championship.”

Richard Childress Racing

Richard Childress Racing–New Hampshire

CNBC Prime the Profit 200
New Hampshire Motor Speedway 
NASCAR Nationwide Series 
New Hampshire Motor Speedway
July 13, 2013
 
Race Highlights:
Richard Childress Racing teammates finished third (Austin Dillon), fourth (Brian Scott) and 32nd (Paul Menard).
Dillon is third in the Nationwide Series driver championship point standings, trailing leader Regan Smith by 12 markers, while Scott is eighth in the standings, 60 points behind Smith.
The No. 3 Chevrolet team ranks fifth in the Nationwide Series owner championship point standings, with the No. 2 team 10th in the standings and the No. 33 team 13th.
According to NASCAR’s Post Race Loop Data Statistics, Dillon was third-Fastest on Restarts (122.814 mph), earned a Driver Rating of 107.3, ranking him fourth and was one of four drivers who spent 100 percent of the race running in the top 15.
Scott ranked third in Quality Passes with 28, fourth in Green Flag Passes with 36 and fifth in the Closers category, advancing five positions in the final 10 percent of the race.
Menard led the field in Quality Passes with 31 and ranked third in Green Flag Passes with 40.
Kyle Busch earned his seventh victory of the 2013 Nationwide Series season and was followed to the finish line by Brian Vickers, Dillon, Scott and Michael Annett.
The next Nationwide Series race is the STP 300 at Chicagoland Speedway on Sunday, July 21. The 18th race of the 2013 season is scheduled to be televised live on ESPN beginning at 3 p.m. Eastern Time and broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and Sirius XM NASCAR Satellite Radio.
   
Brian Scott Qualifies for NASCAR Nationwide Series Dash 4 Cash with Top-Five Finish at New Hampshire Motor Speedway
 
Driving the No. 2 Shore Lodge Chevrolet Camaro, Brian Scott Earned his first top-five finish of the 2013 NASCAR Nationwide Series season by taking the checkered flag in the fourth position Saturday afternoon at New Hampshire Motor Speedway after starting in the fifth spot. By finishing fourth, Scott earned a spot to vie for a $100,000 bonus in Nationwide Insurance’s Dash4Cash at Chicagoland Speedway next Sunday afternoon. The Boise, Idaho-native took the green flag from the fifth spot and quickly charged forward in the opening segment of the 200-lap event. Scott moved up to the third position by lap five and stayed there until the afternoon’s first caution period on lap 35. Crew chief Phil Gould took the opportunity to bring the Shore Lodge Camaro driver down pit road for routine service and a chassis adjustment. Scott restarted in the fifth spot on lap 40. Over the next run, Scott reported that the changes made him too free as he fought to stay inside the top-10 during the longest green-flag run of the afternoon. As green-flag stops began to cycle through, Scott visited pit road on lap-112 for four tires, a full tank of fuel and additional chassis adjustments. As the laps ticked away, Scott was solidly inside the top 10. The caution flag was displayed with two laps remaining, setting the field for a green-white-checkered (GWC) finish. After failing to successfully complete the first two attempts at a GWC finish, the field lined up for the final restart with Scott in eighth spot. As the competition beat and banged through turn one, the Richard Childress Racing driver slipped by and charged inside the top five. Scott took the checkered flag in the fourth position, earning his career best finish at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
 
Start – 5          Finish – 4          Laps Led – 0          Points – 8
 
 
Brian Scott Quote:
“We had a great Shore Lodge Camaro all weekend from practice to qualifying and in the race. On the final restart I knew I needed to be aggressive, and it showed by going from eighth to fourth in the first turn. The crew worked hard all weekend and we got a top-five out of it, earned a spot in the Dash4Cash. Now we head to Chicagoland Speedway, which is one of my best tracks.”
 
 

Third-Place Finish at New Hampshire Motor Speedway Earns Austin Dillon $100,000 Nationwide Insurance Dash 4 Cash Bonus
 
Austin Dillon drove Richard Childress Racing’s No. 3 AdvoCare Chevrolet to a third-place finish in the CNBC Prime the Profit 200 NASCAR Nationwide Series race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Saturday afternoon and jumped from fifth to third in the NASCAR Nationwide Series Driver Point Standings, just 12 points shy of the lead. By besting the performances of fellow Nationwide Insurance Dash 4 Cash competitors Elliott Sadler, Sam Hornish, Jr. and Kyle Larson, Dillon earned a $100,000 bonus and qualified for the next Dash 4 Cash race at Chicagoland Speedway. The Welcome, N.C.-driver started the 200-lap race from the 11th position and fought for track position in the early stages of the event as he battled a loose handling condition on late exit to the corners of the one-mile oval. Dillon was scored in the eighth position when he pitted for four tires and fuel on lap 118. The caution flag was displayed just three laps later, prompting many teams to visit pit road. However, the Danny Stockman-led No. 3 AdvoCare team determined that they had enough fuel to make it to the end of the event and stayed out on the track, moving to fourth for the lap-127 restart. Dillon advanced to second on the restart before falling back to third. He survived three attempts at a green-white-checkered finish and a race that was extended 13 laps past its advertised distance, causing serious fuel mileage concerns for many teams, to earn a third-place finish and a $100,000 Nationwide Insurance Dash4Cash Bonus.
 
 
Start – 11          Finish – 3          Laps Led – 0          Points – 3               
         
AUSTIN DILLON QUOTE:
“After our first pit stop we didn’t get the track position we wanted, but our No. 3 AdvoCare Chevrolet was good enough that I could gain quite a few positions. We had a four-tire, green-flag pit stop mid-way through the race and our car just came to life. We made the right adjustment in the middle of the race. We really had some fast times during the race but it’s so hard to pass. We had good runs and couldn’t do much with them. I’m really excited to win the Nationwide Insurance Dash 4 Cash. With all of those restarts and being so close on fuel, it was a very emotional, dramatic race at the end. The fuel mileage in these cars is a testament to NASCAR and their switch to American Ethanol, a cleaner renewable fuel that’s also high-performing. I want to thank the good Lord above for keeping fuel in the car for us!”
 
 
 

Menard Finishes 32nd after Late-Race Incident at New Hampshire Motor Speedway
 
Making his second NASCAR Nationwide Series start of the season, Paul Menard was on his way to a solid finish in the No. 33 Rheem/Menards Chevrolet when he was caught up in a multi-car incident in the closing laps of Saturday’s race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, relegating him to a 32nd – place finish. Starting 16th, Menard methodically moved through the field and was scored in 10th at lap 41. Maintaining a position in or around the top 10 for the majority of the scheduled 200-lap affair, Menard relayed to crew chief Ernie Cope that his No. 33 machine was tight though the center of the corners and loose off when he accelerated. Pitting on lap 110, Cope called for four fresh tires, fuel, wedge and air pressure adjustments in an attempt to remedy the handling condition. The chassis adjustments seemed to help and Menard had worked his way up to sixth at lap 120. The caution flag was displayed just three laps later and the Wisconsin native brought the No. 33 Camar
o down pit road to top off with fuel, giving him enough to make it to the end of the race without needing to pit again. Restarting in 12th, Menard gained several spots before a lack of good drive off eventually caused him to slip back to 14th on lap 141. As the laps wore on, the car again began to handle to Menard’s liking and he was back inside the top 10 for the second of three attempts at a green-white-checkered finish on lap 206. Shortly after the green flag flew, the 32-year-old driver was involved in a multi-car accident, causing the No. 33 machine to make contact with the outside wall. Heavy damage to the Rheem/Menards Chevrolet prevented Menard from finishing the race, relegating him to a 32nd-place finish.
 
Start – 16          Finish – 32          Laps Led – 0          Owner Points – 13
 
PAUL MENARD QUOTE:
“Ernie (Cope, Crew Chief) and the guys worked hard to get the car to handle to my liking and we were on our way to a solid finish. It’s just unfortunate we got caught up in a wreck so late in the race and our results didn’t show what the No. 33 Rheem/Menards Chevrolet was capable of doing.”
 

American Ethanol 200 presented by Enogen
Iowa Speedway  
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
Iowa Speedway
July 13, 2013
 
Race Highlights:
Richard Childress Racing teammates finished 16th (Ty Dillon) and 31st (Brendan Gaughan).
Dillon is fourth in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driver championship point standings, 48 markers behind the leader; while Gaughan ranks ninth in the standings, 77 points out of the top spot.
The No. 3 Chevrolet team is fifth in the Camping World Truck Series owner championship point standings, with the No. 62 team 12th in the standings.
According to NASCAR’s Loop Data Statistics, Dillon earned the third-highest Driver Rating (118.8), while Gaughan ranked 12th with a rating of 81.1.
Combined, Dillon and Gaughan posted the Fastest Laps Run 41 times during the event, ranking them first and ninth, respectively.
Dillon scored the highest Average Running Position of 2.270, was the Fastest Driver Early in a Run and led the most laps (65).
Timothy Peters claimed the victory at Iowa Speedway and was followed to the line by Erik Jones, James Buescher, Ron Hornaday Jr., and Chase Elliott.
The next scheduled Camping World Truck Series race is the Inaugural Mudsummer Classic at Eldora Speedway on Wednesday, July 24. The 10th race of the 2013 season is scheduled to be televised live on SPEED beginning at 8 p.m. Eastern Time and broadcast live on Motor Racing Network.
 
   
Ty Dillon Salvages 16th-Place Finish in Corn Country
 
After leading laps and racing within the top-10 for the majority of the event, Ty Dillon and the No. 3 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet team suffered damage in the last three laps of the race at Iowa Speedway extinguishing the chances of a top-five finish. Dillon scored the third-fastest time in qualifying and immediately showed the speed of the Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet from the beginning of the 200-lap affair. The first caution of the night waved on lap 54 and Dillon was called to pit road by crew chief Marcus Richmond for four tires, fuel and a chassis adjustment to alleviate handling issues due to changing track conditions. A fast stop by the No. 3 team earned Dillon the top spot on the ensuing restart. Dillon paced the field for the next 58 circuits around the Newton, Iowa facility. After taking a little extra time on pit road under yellow flag conditions on lap 112 to pack the black and orange machine full of fuel, Dillon restarted second but quickly jumped back to the lead on lap 173. Dillon had put a three-truck length lead on the field when another caution slowed the drivers on lap 191. Dillon was shuffled back to third on the restart and began his trek back to the front when contact was made with another competitor with three laps remaining. The contact forced Dillon into the outside wall, resulting in damage to the right-side of the truck. The Richard Childress Racing driver nursed his battered machine back to the checkered flag in the 16th position.
 
Start – 3                 Finish – 16                   Laps Led – 65               Points – 4th
 
TY DILLON QUOTE:
“Despite the finish this week, this Bass Pro Shops team has a lot to be proud of. We had a really fast truck and could have contended for the win there at the end. The No. 51 just got into us and sent us up the track. Once I hit the marbles, I didn’t have anywhere to go besides into the wall. We’ve had great trucks the last few weeks and this is only the beginning. I can’t wait to get to Eldora Speedway and see what we can put together there.”
 
 

Brendan Gaughan Finishes 31st at Iowa Speedway
 
Brendan Gaughan and the No. 62 South Point Hotel & Casino Chevrolet team suffered damage from an incident in the early stages of the 200-lap event at Iowa Speedway on Saturday night, relegating them to a 31st-place finish. Starting from the fourth spot, Gaughan maintained a position within the top 10 during the early laps. While rounding the 0.875-mile track on lap 60, he made contact with another competitor sending the black and gold machine into the outside wall. Crew chief Shane Wilson directed the Las Vegas native to pit road to assess the damage. The No. 62 pit crew went to work repairing the right-side of the Chevrolet. Gaughan returned to the racing surface four laps later, but quickly reported the steering was impacted during the incident. Gaughan took his South Point Hotel & Casino truck to the garage area for further repairs. The Richard Childress Racing driver returned to racing action on lap 105, 41 laps down to the leaders. With limited time to make up lost track position, Gaughan and the No. 62 South Point Hotel & Casino team settled for a 31st-place result.
 
Start – 4         Finish – 31         Laps Led – 0         Points – 9th
 
BRENDAN GAUGHAN QUOTE:
“We had a really solid truck tonight at Iowa Speedway. I hate it for this South Point Hotel & Casino team. We were in the wrong place at the wrong time. The guys worked really hard to get us back out on track as fast as they could. We just couldn’t make up the ground we lost. We’re going to keep moving forward and work hard. The good finishes will come back to us.”

World of Outlaws

World of Outlaws–Brad Sweet Earns Crown in 30th Kings Royal at Eldora Speedway

Brad Sweet Earns Crown in 30th Kings Royal at Eldora Speedway
Californian dominates for second World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car win
ROSSBURG, Ohio. – July 13, 2013 – It was only a matter of time until Brad Sweet tasted victory lane at Eldora Speedway in World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series competition. However, no one would have guessed it would have been in one of the most prestigious races anywhere in dirt track racing, the Kings Royal.

Sweet, of Grass Valley, Calif., started outside of Brandon Wimmer for the 30th running of the historic event and jumped out to an early lead in the 40-lap, $50,000-to-win race in his Kasey Kahne Racing Ollie’s Bargain Outlets ride. A three-car battle that included Wimmer and Donny Schatz prevented Sweet from running away.

On the final restart on lap 25, after a wreck involving Chad Kemenah and Paul McMahan battling for the fifth position, Sweet struggled at first to retake the lead as Schatz put the pressure on in his attempt to become a three-time Kings Royal winner. By the 27th lap, though, Sweet had fully cleared Schatz and with 13 more clean laps through lapped traffic found himself crowned King.

“It’s unbelievable to win the Kings Royal,” said Sweet, who has narrowly missed out on winning a World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series event at Eldora several times, including Friday night when he finished second. “It’s still sinking in, but we’ve been fast here so I knew we could do it. I can’t thank my guys enough, Kasey Kahne Racing, Kasey Kahne himself for giving me this opportunity, Ollie’s Bargain Outlet, my guys Dave, Eric, Rob and Willie. It was déjà vu on coming up to try to get around Sammy Swindell again to lap him. I know Donny’s going to be good and the first time we restarted I chose the top and he had me beat going into one and if he would’ve gone to the top it would’ve made it a much closer race.”

The night wasn’t all smooth sailing for Sweet. The Ollie’s Bargain Outlet machine blew a motor in qualifying and saw Sweet start sixth in the fifth heat race. In a show of incredible speed, Sweet was able to work his way to the lead to earn the outside pole for the Kings Royal feature event.

For the waning laps of the event it appeared that it would either be Schatz and Sweet in the top two positions, but in the final three laps Tim Kaeding made huge strides. After losing pace with both of the leaders for several laps on lap 38 Kaeding made huge gains to catch Schatz. The position would not be decided until the final lap. Kaeding issued a hard slider to Schatz going into turn one, but slid up the track losing time. It looked like all was lost for the San Jose, Calif., native when he threw his Roth Enterprises-backed machine into turn three and appeared to will the car to stick pulling even with Schatz.

From there it was an even drag race to the checkered flag that Kaeding won by a mere quarter of a second.

“We had a great race car all night, and we just wanted to see how things fell in place,” Kaeding said. “Brad was fast in open traffic, but kind slowed up in traffic and gave Donny and I a chance to get a run at him. We’ve had a rough couple of nights, but to come back and finish second at the Kings Royal is awesome.”

Schatz had to settle for third in the Tony Stewart Racing STP/Armor All J&J.

“Brad was awfully quick up top and I didn’t use up enough track trying to get past him,” said Schatz, of Fargo, N.D. “We weren’t really prepared to have a fuel stop (on lap 25 during the Kemenah and McMahan red flag) so we weren’t ready with shock changes and that stuff. I lost a spot to Tim I was just hoping Brad would make a mistake with a lapped car and I would be in a different groove but that didn’t happen. You know, second, third, it doesn’t matter the only thing we came for was a win and we didn’t get it so we may as well finished 20th.”

Tony Stewart finished better Saturday than he did Friday, but that wasn’t the whole story. Stewart made the feature through his heat race, but did not find the finish he wanted. Stewart faced an early exit on lap 16 after alleging contact with TSR teammate and former Kings Royal champion, Steve Kinser. The contact led to Stewart flipping coming off of the turn 4. Stewart would finish 23rd on the night and voiced his displeasure over the PA system at his driver much to the fans’ surprise.

Wimmer held on to a fourth-place finish while crowd favorite and Wooster, Ohio native, Jac Haudenschild wowed everybody by moving through the field to capture fifth.

The World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series is back in action Tuesday night at Lernerville Speedway for the Don Martin Memorial Silver Cup Twins as the Month of Money rolls on.

Chevrolet Racing

Chevy Racing–IndyCar–Streets of Toronto

IZOD INDYCAR SERIES
HONDA INDY TORONTO – 2 IN T.O.
STREETS OF TORONTO
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER POST QUALIFYING NOTES AND QUOTES – RACE TWO  
JULY 13, 2013
 
TORONTO (July 13, 2013) – Qualifying is complete for the second race of the weekend on the Streets of Toronto, and seven Chevrolet IndyCar V6 drivers will start in the top-10 of the 85-lap/149.74-mile on the 11-turn, 1.75-mile temporary street course.
 
IZOD IndyCar Series points leader Helio Castroneves qualified the No. 3 Hitachi Team Penske Chevrolet in third in the combined results of the two 12-minute timed sessions.  Defending Series champion, Ryan Hunter-Reay, No. 1 DHL Andretti Autosport Chevrolet, was the fourth quickest driver.
 
Will Power, No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet, and Indianapolis 500 winner Tony Kanaan, No. 11 Hydroxycut KV Racing Technology – SH Racing Chevrolet, were fifth and sixth fastest respectively in the final run-down.
 
Sebastien Bourdais recorded his second top-10 qualifying effort of the weekend, putting the No. 7 McAfee Dragon Racing Chevrolet seventh fastest on the leaderboard. Ryan Briscoe was the eighth fastest driver behind the wheel of the No. 4 National Guard Panther Racing Chevrolet.
 
Simona De Silvestro, No. 78 Nuclear Entergy Areva KV Racing Technology Chevrolet, turned in the 10th quickest lap.
 
“Team Chevy performed well today in qualifying for Race Two of the weekend here in Toronto.” said Chris Berube, Chevrolet Racing Program Manager IZOD IndyCar Series.  “While we did not secure the pole, Chevrolet-powered drivers will occupy the 3rd through 8th positions on the grid and have the muster to compete for the win.  Once again, 5 different Chevrolet teams are represented in the grid’s top 10 showing the depth of talent in the Team Chevy camp.  Our drivers, teams and technical partners plan to bring that depth of talent to bear on the races this weekend on the Streets of Toronto.”
 
Race number two is slated to begin at 3:00 p.m. ET on Sunday with live television coverage on NBC Sports Network.
 
Live radio coverage will be on XM Radio Channel 94 and Sirius Satellite Radio Channel 212. In addition, IndyCar live timing and scoring with the radio broadcast can be found at

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