Official Release

Richard Childress Racing XFINITY Series driver and Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series driver for Germain Racing, Ty Dillon, was named the 'Most Interesting Sportsman in the World' for Spring 2017 by industry leader Fin & Field. Dillon, 25, is the youngest ever nominee of the award.

Four-time Indianapolis 500 winner Rick Mears and legendary chief mechanic Karl Kainhofer were inducted into the Team Penske Hall of Fame this afternoon, joining team owner and founder Roger Penske and the team’s first champion, Mark Donohue, as the first four members of the historical group. The announcement was made during the Verizon IndyCar Series Media Day at the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway in advance of this weekend’s 101st running of the Indianapolis 500.

DALE EARNHARDT, JR., NO. 88 NATIONWIDE PATRIOTIC CHEVROLET SS, met with members of the media at Charlotte Motor Speedway and discussed having PFC McClamrock’s name on his car windshield for this weekend, the 2018 Hall of Fame Class, what it would mean to win a point race at Charlotte in his final season and many other topics.

Kevin Harvick heated up a cool LiftMaster Pole Night evening on Thursday at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The two-time Coca-Cola 600 winner thrilled the crowd by setting a blistering, 193.424-mph lap to win the pole for the world’s toughest test of man and machine.

KEVIN HARVICK – No. 4 Mobil 1 Ford Fusion – “I never thought I’d be close to anyone on that list for years, but I think as you look at our cars have been fast, we’ve qualified well, we’ve had a lot of speed and we just hadn’t put together the weekend. But we’ve been running well and tonight is no different. The car unloaded fast and was very edgy to drive. It was definitely a hairy lap, but I think the main thing is the car went really well through turns three and four and that’s always our goal – to get the car to turn through the middle of three and four and be able to stay in the gas."

Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series team Richard Petty Motorsports will partner with two U.S. Air Force Academy engineering students to conduct research and develop innovative new strategies during the summer competition season.

CHRISTOPHER BELL, No. 18 SiriusXM Satellite Radio Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing - What are you looking forward to this weekend in your inaugural NXS start? “So first off I have to say that I’m really thankful to be in the position I am driving for Joe Gibbs Racing with Toyota behind me – Toyota Racing Development – and obviously SiriusXM on our Camry this weekend."

KEVIN HARVICK – No. 4 Mobil 1 Ford Fusion – “The cars in qualifying were a lot looser than they were in practice and just based on past experience here it was a handful through one and two. I just about lost it the first run, but the car was so good in three and four I didn’t want to overadjust on it and make it too tight down there because you get tighter as the lap runs, so the guys did a good job of making adjustments, but not making it so tight that I couldn’t carry the throttle like I needed to in three and four. So they just did a great job on our Mobil 1 Ford.”

With a speed of 192.260 mph around the 1.5-mile Charlotte Motor Speedway, Chase Elliott qualified his No. 24 NAPA Chevrolet SS to a third place starting position for Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race.

Actor Jeffrey Dean Morgan, who has played major roles in hit television series such as "The Walking Dead" and "Grey's Anatomy," will drive the 2017 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport Pace Car to lead the starting field of the 101st Indianapolis 500 presented by PennGrade Motor Oil to the green flag Sunday, May 28.