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ARCA Menards Series at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course: Zinsser SmartCoat 150 Post-race Notes

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  • William Sawalich (No. 18 Starkey Sound Gear Toyota) scored his sixth career ARCA Menards Series victory and his first series win on a road course in Friday’s Zinsser SmartCoat 150. Sawalich crossed the finish line second but was scored as the winner after Connor Mosack (No. 28 Chevrolet Performance Chevrolet) was penalized for a restart violation on the final restart with two laps to go. Sawalich also scored an ARCA Menards Series West road course victory in 2024, winning at Portland International Raceway three weeks ago.
  • Brent Crews (No. 55 Mobil 1 Toyota) finished second, his first top-five finish since he finished second at DuQuoin last September. He finished third in his only other ARCA Menards Series start on a road course last August at Watkins Glen.
  • Gio Ruggiero (No. 20 First Auto Group Toyota) finished third; in four career ARCA Menards Series starts Ruggiero has two second-place finishes and two third-place finishes, resulting in a 2.5 average finish.
  • Thomas Annunziata (No. 44 Bayshore Mortgage/Franklin Rd. Apparel Ford) finished fourth, his second top-five finish in three 2024 series starts. Annunziata led briefly after the final restart but was moved out of the lead by contact from Mosack entering turn four with two laps to go. Annunziata finished second in the season opener at Daytona International Speedway.
  • Marco Andretti (No. 17 Group 1001 Chevrolet) finished fifth, his best career ARCA Menards Series finish.
  • Andres Perez (No. 2 Max Siegel, Inc. Chevrolet) finished sixth, his seventh top-ten finish in eight 2024 starts. He extended his lead in the ARCA Menards Series championship standings to 37 over Greg Van Alst (No. 35 CB Fabricating/Top Choice Fence Ford), who finished tenth. Perez leads the full-time series drivers with a 6.88 average finish.
  • Toni Breidinger (No. 25 Reudebusch Toyota) scored her fifth top-ten finish of the season. Breidinger unofficially leaps four positions in the ARCA Menards Series championship standings to fourth, just seven points behind Lavar Scott (No. 6 Max Siegel, Inc. Chevrolet) who is currently third. Scott finished 14th in his first ever road course start.
  • IndyCar star Conor Daly (No. 30 Polkadot Ford) made his ARCA Menards Series debut and finished eighth. Daly was spun after contact with another car that resulted in a broken track bar mount, which hampered his efforts in the second half of the race.
  • Brad Perez (No. 10 Sebetka Bail Bonds Toyota) finished ninth, his first career ARCA Menards Series top-ten finish.
  • Despite only starting half of the eight races run to this point in the season, William Sawalich has led more laps, 185, than any other driver. Connor Zilisch, who has only made two starts, which have both resulted in victories, is second with 144 laps led.
  • Rev Racing teammates Andres Perez and Lavar Scott lead the laps completed category, with Perez completing every lap but one, while Scott has completed 805 of a possible 817 laps.
  • The next race for the ARCA Menards Series is the Berlin ARCA 200 at Berlin Raceway in Marne, Michigan. The race is scheduled for an 8 pm ET green flag and will be streamed live on FloRacing; the race will be shown on a delayed basis on FS1 starting at 10 pm ET.

About ARCA
The Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA), founded in 1953 by John and Mildred Marcum in Toledo, Ohio, and acquired by NASCAR in April 2018, is the leading grassroots stock car sanctioning body in the United States. Bridging the gap between NASCAR’s top three national touring series and weekly and regional tour racing all across the country, the organization sanctions over 100 races per year in the ARCA Menards Series, ARCA Menards Series East, ARCA Menards Series West, ASA STARS National Tour, ASA CRA Super Series, ASA Midwest Tour, ASA Southern Super Series plus weekly racing at Toledo and Flat Rock Speedways. For more information about ARCA visit www.arcaracing.com, or follow ARCA on Facebook (@ARCARacing) and Twitter (@ARCA_Racing).

About Menards
A family-owned and run company started in 1958, Menards is recognized as the retail home center leader of the Midwest with 236 stores in 15 states. Menards is truly a one-stop shop for all of your home improvement needs featuring a full-service lumberyard and everything you need to plan a renovation or build a home, garage, cabin, shed, deck, fence or post frame building. You’ll find a large selection of lumber, roofing, siding, construction blocks, trusses, doors and windows, plus cabinets, appliances, countertops, flooring, lighting, paint, plumbing supplies and more. To complete the job, Menards has quality hand tools, power tools, fasteners, electrical tools plus storage options and supplies for everyone from the weekend warrior to the pro!

Menards has what you need to complete your outdoor projects and keep your yard in tip-top shape including mowers, trimmers, blowers, pressure washers and more, plus a beautiful garden center stocked with plants, shrubs, trees, landscaping tools, grass seed, fertilizer options, outdoor décor and patio furniture. Menards also has everyday essentials like health & beauty products, housewares, pet and wildlife supplies, automotive items and even groceries. And at Christmas, an Enchanted Forest display area with impressive trees, lighting, decorations, ornaments, inflatables and more.

Menards is known for friendly Customer Service and as the place to “Save Big Money” with low prices every day, and sales too! For more information, please visit Menards.com to learn about our store locations, offerings and services.

Bass Pro Shops/Winchester Racing: Noah Gragson Nashville Advance

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Official Release
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NOAH GRAGSON
Nashville Advance
No. 10 Bass Pro Shops/Winchester Ford Mustang Dark Horse

Event Overview

● Event: Ally 400 (Round 19 of 36)
● Time/Date: 3:30 p.m. EDT on Sunday, June 30
● Location: Nashville (Tenn.) Superspeedway
● Layout: 1.333-mile, concrete oval
● Laps/Miles: 300 laps/399.9 miles
● Stage Lengths: Stages 1: 90 laps / Stage 2: 95 laps / Final Stage: 115 laps
● TV/Radio: NBC / PRN / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Notes of Interest

● Prior to the inaugural Ally 400 at Nashville (Tenn.) Superspeedway in 2021, 10 years had passed since NASCAR last competed at the 1.333-mile, concrete oval. It was a NASCAR Xfinity Series race on July 23, 2011 and it was won by Carl Edwards. The NASCAR Cup Series had never competed at the track until 2021, which means the majority of drivers in this year’s Ally 400 all have the same relative experience on the track. For Noah Gragson, driver of the No. 10 Bass Pro Shops/Winchester Ford Mustang Dark Horse for Stewart-Haas Racing, he has a total of three Nashville starts – one in Cup and two in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.

● Gragson’s lone NASCAR Cup Series start at Nashville came in last year’s Ally 400. He started 30th and finished 26th for LEGACY MOTOR CLUB, completing all but one of the race’s 300 laps.

● Gragson’s two NASCAR Xfinity Series starts at Nashville came in 2021 and 2022, respectively. Eighth was his best result, and it came in his first drive of any kind around Nashville. Gragson finished 13th in his return to the track in 2022.

● To gain additional experience at Nashville, Gragson will pull double duty during this year’s Ally 400 race weekend. He will compete in the NASCAR Xfinity Series race on Saturday before piloting his signature No. 10 Bass Pro Shops/Winchester Ford Mustang on Sunday. Gragson will drive the No. 30 Ford Mustang for Rette-Jones Racing in the Tennessee Lottery 250. It will be his second Xfinity Series start of the year as Gragson wheeled a Rette-Jones Racing-prepared Mustang to a 10th-place finish May 25 at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway.

Noah Gragson, Driver of the No. 10 Bass Pro Shops/Winchester Ford Mustang Dark Horse

Nashville is concrete, but does it race like its fellow concrete tracks – Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway and Dover (Del.) Motor Speedway?

“The shape and the size of it and the banking in the corners are all a little different. The banking’s different, mainly because of the way the rubber gets laid down. It’s kind of half concrete, half mile-and-a-half-type track, so it’s definitely a weird-configured track.”

Would you call Nashville an intermediate-style track, where it shares similarities with other 1.5-mile, D-shaped ovals, or is it kind of its own animal since it’s a little smaller (1.333 miles)?

“I’d say it’s probably similar to Gateway, and even Texas a little bit. It doesn’t have as much banking and you’re not carrying as much speed as a mile-and-a-half. It’s flatter than most mile-and-a-halves, kind of like (turns) one and two at Texas. It’s shaped like a mile-and-a-half, but the way the rubber gets laid down and the way the groove moves around, I still haven’t really figured that place out. It’s really tough.”

Your experience at Nashville consists of two NASCAR Xfinity Series starts and one NASCAR Cup Series start. What’s the learning curve been like for you at Nashville?

“It’s been a lot more fun in the Cup Series car, I know that. It’s pretty wide and you can kind of go wherever. We weren’t very good there in Xfinity, so I’m running double duty this weekend, Xfinity and Cup, just so I can try and get more laps and figure that place out.”

We’ve talked about how differently the Xfinity car drives from the Cup car, but in regard to Nashville, is it really just about getting more seat time?

“It’s probably like swinging a bat, which is usually the same, but the pitches are a little bit different. You’re on the same track, so you can see how the track evolves and how the rubber gets laid down, but the cars drive quite a bit differently. There are some differences, but seat time is the most important thing.”

How has your intermediate track performance been this year?

“Our cars just seem like they drive a little better at intermediate tracks and are a little more competitive. We show up pretty good. At the short tracks, we kind of struggle for whatever reason that may be. It seems like we’ve been more competitive on the mile-and-a-halves.”

When you unload strong and you’re not playing from behind in that finite window of practice, how helpful is it to know you’re where you need to be so you can just fine-tune?

“It just makes your weekend a little bit smoother. When you’re not close, you’re scratching your head and probably overthinking.”

Nashville is the home of country music. What artists do you listen to and follow?

“I like Jon Pardi quite a bit. He’s pretty good. I’ve seen Cole Swindell at a few concerts. I’m buddies with him. He puts on a good show and it’s always good to go see him.”

No. 10 Bass Pro Shops/Winchester Team Roster

Primary Team Members

Driver: Noah Gragson

Hometown: Las Vegas

Crew Chief: Drew Blickensderfer

Hometown: Decatur, Illinois

Car Chief: Jerry Cook

Hometown: Toledo, Ohio

Engineer: James Kimbrough

Hometown: Pensacola, Florida

Spotter: Andy Houston

Hometown: Hickory, North Carolina

Over-The-Wall Members

Front Tire Changer: Ryan Mulder

Hometown: Sioux Center, Iowa

Rear Tire Changer: Trevor White

Hometown: Arlington, Texas

Tire Carrier: Tyler Bullard

Hometown: King, North Carolina

Jack Man: Sean Cotten

Hometown: Mooresville, North Carolina

Fuel Man: James “Ace” Keener

Hometown: Fortuna, California

Road Crew Members

Mechanic: Chris Trickett

Hometown: Grafton, West Virginia

Mechanic: Beau Whitley

Hometown: Carmel, Indiana

Tire Specialist: Jacob Cooksey

Hometown: Westbrookville, New York

Engine Tuner: Matt Moeller

Hometown: Monroe, New York

Transporter Co-Driver: Steve Casper

Hometown: Salisbury, North Carolina

Transporter Co-Driver: Matt Murphy

Hometown: Augusta, Georgia

CORVETTE RACING AT THE GLEN: Podium Finish For Garcia, Sims

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Official Release
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Near miss for Catsburg, Milner in fight for GTD PRO victory; AWA grows Akin Award lead

WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. (June 23, 2024) – Antonio Garcia and Alexander Sims scored the season’s second podium finish for the Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship with a third-place result at the Six Hours of The Glen on Sunday.

The No. 3 Corvette from Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports ran up front in GTD PRO, fell down the order following an early-race brake change and then challenged for the win late in a topsy-turvy enduro at Watkins Glen International that was severely impacted by rain. It was the first podium finish for the Garcia/Sims duo, following a similar finish for the No. 4 Corvette at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.

While luck went the way of Sims and Garcia at the end, it was the opposite for Tommy Milner and Nicky Catsburg in the No. 4 Z06 GT3.R, which had to pit for a fuel splash from the lead on the final lap. The duo ended up seventh in the final GTD PRO standings.

In GTD, AWA’s No 13 Corvette Z06 GT3.R of Matt Bell, Orey Fidani and Lars Kern finished seventh in class following a similarly chaotic race and a number of drive time-related penalties to GTD competitors. The trio fought from deep in the field and briefly ran in the top-five before the Corvette was caught out on-track in a heavy downpour on slick tires and went off-track. The trio’s result did, however, unofficially grow Fidani’s lead in the Bob Akin Award standings, which goes to the highest points-scoring Bronze driver in GTD.

Three separate periods of rain had increasing impacts on the race. The first significant shower hit just shy of halfway and resulted in a crash for two GTD cars that brought out the third full-course yellow of the day. All three Corvettes had elected to stay on dry tires and jumped up the order as the pit closed – the No. 4 to second and No. 3 to third in GTD PRO, and the No. 13 to ninth in GTD.

More rain meant more chaos nearly 30 minutes later as the No. 4 Corvette pitted during a brief but heavy shower on the frontstraight for rain tires. Another full-course yellow neutralized the field again, and Milner was left on grooved tires with the track drying quickly. Once the race went green, he had to stop for slick tires and fell down to 10th.

The biggest downpour arrived with a little less than two hours to go. Garcia, the No. 77 Porsche and No. 14 Lexus were the only GTD PRO cars to make it into the pitlane for rain tires before the pits closed for the sixth time. After 25 minutes behind the safety car with standing water on the track, officials red-flagged the race.

It resumed with 35 minutes left and the field behind the safety car. With the three leading cars in class having to pit for slick tires, Milner assumed the lead and drove a stunning final stint to keep the No. 4 Corvette out front before having to make the last-lap stop.

All three Corvette Z06 GT3.Rs will be back in action for the Chevrolet Grand Prix at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park on Sunday, July 14.

CORVETTE RACING BY PRATT MILLER MOTORSPORTS POST-EVENT DRIVER QUOTES

ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R – THIRD IN GTD PRO: “I’m happy with this. Considering we were on the front row the last two races and didn’t convert, it feels like today we got one back. It was an amazing job by Corvette Racing and Pratt Miller guys to change the brakes. They had the skills to almost keep us on the lead lap. Yes we lost some track position but after that, the car was good and every single strategy call was the right one. I had one of the scariest half-stints in my life when a whole set of our tear-offs on the windscreen came off and then came back on. So I had a triangle in front of me and I couldn’t see to my left. Somehow I made up several positions on the restart, but it was very scary to just keep the car on track. I just couldn’t see anything. Fortunately we got it fixed after the yellow, and it was made better when we were on the same strategy as the Porsche and Lexus to go on wet tires. It was the right call and it would have been nice to run four or five laps in the rain but we couldn’t take advantage of that. It’s also a shame for the No. 4 guys. With all the flag sequences, I think they deserved it. But it’s nice that we were able to get the first podium for Alex and me, and for the Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports team. Now we need to keep the momentum. We know we are fast; we just need to convert and hopefully a win is around the corner.”

ALEXANDER SIMS, NO. 3 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R – THIRD IN GTD PRO: “To be honest with the weather forecast coming into this weekend, it kind of exactly panned out how we expected with a mayhem-filled race. We started up front and had a nice comfortable stint before we had to change the front brakes. The guys did an amazing job to change everything, and we almost got out without falling off the lead lap, which was pretty impressive. So our race went south for a little while but as with IMSA you’re able to get back in the race and we did. The guys made some great calls and the car was fast. It’s great to get a podium; it felt like we came back into contention where we should have been. It’s cool to get our first podium with the No. 3 Corvette. Antonio did a brilliant job in the end to almost get second. It was really tight out there, and I enjoyed it.”

TOMMY MILNER, NO. 4 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R – SEVENTH IN GTD PRO: “Nicky was right in that it was a bit of a lottery race for a lot of people with tire calls and things like that. We did well with the tire choice except for when we snuck in just before a yellow to put wets on. I agreed with Tyler (Neff, No. 4 race engineer) that it seemed like the right call at the time because Turn One was undriveable. At the end, we had to take them back off because the track was drying too quickly. But we also got stuck from getting into the pitlane before the red flag, I was happy that it came. But at the end of the day, the result is what matters. And seventh place is not where we want to be. We did some things really well today and some things not so well. We’ll analyze those things that didn’t and be better for the next time when we go to Canada and try again.”

NICKY CATSBURG, NO. 4 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R – SEVENTH IN GTD PRO: “First off, Tommy did an amazing job late in the race in holding off the Aston Martin. I knew he had it and we were hoping the fuel would work out, but then that got snatched away. It’s tough. This style of racing makes some of these races a lottery. At the start I didn’t think we would be in a position to go for a win because our car was great everywhere except on a straight line. So that was a frustration. The car felt good toward the end of the stint, so we could get around some people. It was good on a long run and we saw that at the end with Tommy’s drive. It’s a tough way to end though. Hopefully we can be on the right end of it the next time out.”

OREY FIDANI, NO. 13 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R – SEVENTH IN GTD: “I’m pleased with our result. It was a tricky race as we were lacking a little bit of speed this weekend, but I’m happy with how my stint went. The team has been working so hard all year long, and today they really delivered for us with strategy calls in what were very challenging weather conditions. They kept us in the fight, and Lars and Matt drove a great race as always.”

LARS KERN, NO. 13 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R – SEVENTH IN GTD: “I’m happy with the result we were able to achieve today. When looking at our outright pace, we were just a bit off the mark throughout the whole weekend, and we are actively working on figuring out the reason behind it. We executed well in the race, the team made no mistakes and were perfect as always. We as drivers kept it clean and were able to make up ground, I think we maximized our performance today.”

Hour two incident ends the day early for Sean Creech Motorsport

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Official Release
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IMSA Watkins Glen 2024

WATKINS GLEN, NY (June 23, 2024) – Sean Creech Motorsport (SCM) had high hopes for the Sahlen’s Six Hours of the Glen weekend, as development continues on the reintroduced Ligier JS P217.

Drivers Lance Willsey, João Barbosa and Jonny Edgar combined to put the No. 33 Focal One Ligier JS P217 through its paces heading into Sunday’s race. But despite the progressing learning curve, the day ended early for the Florida-based team, as Barbosa caught too much of the curbing in Turn 1 and found the wall.

Extreme temperatures were the storyline of the weekend, with ambient temps hovering at 95F and track temps over 120F Friday and Saturday. Through two 90-minute practice sessions – Friday afternoon and Saturday morning – the SCM team, in concert with Ligier, continued to make progress with the Ligier and Michelin tire combination, taking lessons learned through six test days at Watkins Glen through May and June. As the team’s Bronze-rated driver, Willsey took the helm for qualifying, pacing solid lap times and putting the No. 33 into P13 on Saturday morning’s starting grid.

Sunday morning began cool and cloudy, with inclement weather in the forecast. The race’s first incident came early, as two LMP2 cars made contact on lap two, with Willsey sliding safely by. Settling into a rhythm, Willsey laid down consistent laps – though slowed for a second caution for a GT car into the Turn 7 wall, which required repair. When the green flag flew once again, Willsey continued his strong pace, handing to Barbosa just over 90 minutes in.

“The team gave me a great car – it was easy to drive, it was fun to drive,” said Willsey. “I had a pretty good vantage point on the field approaching Turn 1 at the green – three or four wide – so I got a few spots there. Coming into the Boot, and before tires were up to temp, the two P2s came together. It was pretty dicey as they rolled across the track, so it was a case of ‘going where they are because they’re moving away.’ Things settled in after that, I just chipped away at it. We double stinted on the qualifying tires so getting to the end, it took a bit of tip toeing. But overall I was happy with it – we were able to get by a few P2 cars and make our way through the GT cars after our stop for fuel. We could have been competitive.”

Barbosa was amid his typically steady stint when he slid slightly wide heading into Turn 1. The curbing upset the rear of the car, sending it into a spin – and into the wall, in a very uncharacteristic incident.

“Lance did a great job, he had good pace,” said Barbosa. “Things just didn’t go my way. I went a bit wide into Turn 1, got high on the curb and it just spun me around to the inside. I’m really frustrated, and I’m sorry for the crew, who are going to have a lot of extra work to do. Honestly, I can’t remember the last time I crashed out of a race.”

“Disappointed for the team, we were really heading in the right direction,” said Edgar. “We all agree on the direction the car has gone and the car is definitely easier to drive. I think we could have really shown something in the race – so we’ll look forward to doing that at the next race.”

Team principal Sean Creech was somewhat philosophical as his crew went to work tearing the car apart, in anticipation of a test at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park later this week.

“Obviously not ideal, but these things happen – especially here,” said Creech. “Watkins Glen is such a fast track, and the curbs can really catch a driver out. The chassis is fine, so we’ll take care of the rest and be ready to go at CTMP.”

SCM thanks partner Focal One for its continued support.

Next up for SCM will be the Chevrolet Grand Prix in at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park in Bowmanville, Ontario Canada, July 12-14. The race will be broadcast live in the U.S. on USA Network and Peacock. International viewers can watch via IMSA.tv, with IMSA Radio also available at IMSA.com.

About SCM

Team leader Sean Creech has competed in a multitude of sports car series from 1990 until the present day, including Group C, IMSA GTP, WSC, Grand-Am, SRO World Challenge, and IMSA. SCM will contest the full WeatherTech SportsCar Championship in 2024 with João Barbosa and Lance Willsey. http://seancreechmotorsport.com/

About Focal One

One in eight men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during their lifetime in the United States. The Focal One® HIFU Prostate treatment offers patients a non-invasive outpatient procedure to target prostate tissue while avoiding the common side effects such as loss of urinary continence and sexual function. The Focal One treatment uses high-performance, high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) to precisely target and ablate the prostate, allowing patients to quickly return to normal activities. http://www.focalone.com/

SCM Social Media

Instagram: @seancreechms
Twitter: @SeanCreechMS
Threads: @seancreechms
Facebook: Sean Creech Motorsport

MULTI-TIME CHAMP RICKIE SMITH PICKS UP CONGRUITY NHRA PRO MOD WIN IN RICHMOND

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DINWIDDIE, Va. (June 23, 2024) – Legendary multi-time NHRA Pro Mod champ Rickie Smith picked up yet another victory in the Congruity NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by LearnEV+ on Saturday at Virginia Motorsports Parks, defeating Kris Thorne in the final round as part of this weekend’s PlayNHRA Virginia Nationals.

It was the six of 10 races during the 2024 season and the final race in the regular season in the category. This weekend’s event was also powered by DPFXFIT by GESi.

Smith went 5.702-seconds at 253.37 in his nitrous-powered Ford Mustang, taking down Thorne’s 5.714 at 252.43 with the quickest run of the weekend. It is Smith’s first victory since Brainerd in 2022 and gives the multi-time champ his 18th career NHRA Pro Mod win.

“I never thought I’d win another race at 70 years old,” Smith said. “I’m just so proud of the people who are behind me. I wouldn’t have even made it the last three years without them. It’s awesome. I don’t even know what to say. I’m usually crying and overly excited, but I don’t even know if it’s hit me. Out of all the races I’ve won, I don’t know how I pulled this one off. We weren’t even qualified until the last run.”

To reach the final round, Smith defeated Lyle Barnett, J.R. Gray and Jason Scruggs, taking down Thorne with an impressive run.

Thorne moved into the points lead by advancing to his third final round this season and the 11th in his career, taking down Khalid AlBalooshi, Justin Bond and Kevin Rivenbark.

The Congruity NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by LearnEV+ opens its four-race Road to the Championship playoffs at the prestigious 70th annual NHRA U.S. Nationals on Aug. 31-Sept. 2 at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park.

DINWIDDIE, Va. — Final finish order (1-16) at the Fourth annual PlayNHRA Virginia Nationals at Virginia Motorsports Park. The race is the sixth of 10 events in the Congruity NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by LearnEV+.

PRO MODIFIED:

  1. Rickie Smith; 2. Kris Thorne; 3. Kevin Rivenbark; 4. Jason Scruggs; 5. Ken Quartuccio; 6. Justin Bond; 7. Jordan Lazic; 8. JR Gray; 9. Mike Castellana; 10. Lyle Barnett; 11. Khalid alBalooshi; 12. Dmitry Samorukov; 13. Mason Wright; 14. Mike Stavrinos; 15. Sidnei Frigo; 16. Mike Thielen.

DINWIDDIE, Va. — Sunday’s final results from the Fourth annual PlayNHRA Virginia Nationals at Virginia Motorsports Park. The race is the sixth of 10 events in the Congruity NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by LearnEV+.

Pro Modified — Rickie Smith, Ford Mustang, 5.702, 253.37 def. Kris Thorne, Chevy Camaro, 5.714, 252.43.

DINWIDDIE, Va. — Final round-by-round results from the Fourth annual PlayNHRA Virginia Nationals at Virginia Motorsports Park, the sixth of 10 events in the Congruity NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by LearnEV+.

PRO MODIFIED:

ROUND ONE — Jordan Lazic, Chevy Camaro, 5.810, 249.35 def. Dmitry Samorukov, Camaro, 5.892, 244.03; Rickie Smith, Ford Mustang, 5.809, 252.57 def. Lyle Barnett, Camaro, 5.870, 247.07; Kris Thorne, Camaro, 5.871, 248.80 def. Khalid alBalooshi, Camaro, 5.870, 247.16; Jason Scruggs, Camaro, 5.788, 250.18 def. Mike Stavrinos, Camaro, 5.987, 241.32; JR Gray, Camaro, 5.885, 248.29 def. Sidnei Frigo, Camaro, 13.213, 96.65; Justin Bond, Camaro, 5.829, 247.29 def. Mason Wright, Camaro, 5.922, 245.09; Kevin Rivenbark, Mustang, 10.992, 88.65 def. Mike Thielen, Camaro, Broke; Ken Quartuccio, Camaro, 5.855, 246.12 def. Mike Castellana, Camaro, 5.857, 247.02;

QUARTERFINALS — Rivenbark, 5.771, 245.76 def. Lazic, 5.871, 233.60; Scruggs, 5.748, 249.49 def. Quartuccio, 5.768, 248.43; Smith, 5.746, 253.71 def. Gray, 6.297, 238.93; Thorne, 5.739, 251.77 def. Bond, 5.769, 248.75;

SEMIFINALS — Smith, 5.745, 252.85 def. Scruggs, 8.149, 115.60; Thorne, 5.721, 252.00 def. Rivenbark, 5.756, 246.17;

FINAL — Smith, 5.702, 253.37 def. Thorne, 5.714, 252.43.

DINWIDDIE, Va. — Point standings (top 10) following the Fourth annual PlayNHRA Virginia Nationals at Virginia Motorsports Park, the sixth of 10 events in the Congruity NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by LearnEV+.

Pro Modified

  1. Kris Thorne, 497; 2. Jose Gonzalez, 412; 3. Ken Quartuccio, 405; 4. Kevin Rivenbark, 369; 5. (tie) JR Gray, 334; Mason Wright, 334; 7. Justin Bond, 318; 8. Mike Thielen, 299; 9. Billy Banaka, 275; 10. Jordan Lazic, 264.

Palou Extends Mastery of Monterey, Takes Points Lead

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MONTEREY, Calif. (Sunday, June 23, 2024) – Amid varying fuel and tire strategies and numerous restarts, one truth emerged again Sunday in the Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey: Alex Palou is almost untouchable lately at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.

Palou earned his second victory in the last three years at the Northern California circuit, taking the NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship lead with his second victory of the season in the No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. Two-time and reigning series champion Palou, who started from the pole, beat Colton Herta’s No. 26 Gainbridge Honda of Andretti Global with Curb-Agajanian to the finish by 1.9780 seconds.

“It was a chaotic race, man,” Palou said. “We didn’t do a very good job on the starts and those restarts at the beginning. The strategy was a bit risky for the position we were in, but we knew we had the pace, and we just had to execute.”

Palou’s victory continued an impressive string of results at this track. Besides the victory today and in 2022, Palou finished second here in 2021 and third in 2023.

Alexander Rossi finished a season-best third in the No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet. Romain Grosjean placed fourth in the No. 77 Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet, the best NTT INDYCAR SERIES finish ever for that team. Kyle Kirkwood rounded out the top five in the No. 27 AutoNation Honda of Andretti Global.

Palou jumped to a 23-point lead in the series standings over Will Power, who finished seventh in the No. 12 Verizon Business Team Penske Chevrolet. Power led Palou by five points entering this race, the eighth of 17 on the 2024 schedule.

Two distinct tire strategies emerged early in the 95-lap race, as there was no clear consensus up and down pit lane about whether primary or alternate Firestone Firehawk tires were the fastest and preferred rubber over the length of a fuel stint.

Fuel and tire strategies first diverged in stark fashion on Lap 36. The first of five caution periods was triggered when rookie Luca Ghiotto went off track into the tire barrier in Turn 4 in the No. 51 GAV Air Technology Honda of Dale Coyne Racing.

Rossi was leading during that incident and pulled a train of leading cars down pit lane under yellow on Lap 37, that pack of early-pitting cars including Herta, early leader Kirkwood, Scott Dixon and Power. But 13 drivers, including Palou, decided to stay out.

Palou discussed that call over the radio with strategist Barry Wanser during the caution period, wondering if it was the right move.

“At that time, I doubted (the strategy) a little bit,” Palou said. “I didn’t know if my radio was working or not. But everything was fine. I’m sorry I didn’t have that trust, that belief in his call during those 10 or 20 seconds, but overall an amazing job for the Ganassi team.”

Palou stayed out front from that point until he made his second pit stop on Lap 56, handing the lead to Herta and taking Firestone’s alternate, red-sidewall tires for the first time, deeper into the race than any other driver.

Herta made his final stop on Lap 67, along with Rossi. Once again, Wanser instructed Palou to stay on track on the fast Firestone alternate tires, trying to build upon his lead of nearly three seconds.

Palou made his last stop on Lap 70, along with Grosjean, and took on used Firestone primary tires. Josef Newgarden cycled to the lead at that point in the No. 2 Hitachi Team Penske Chevrolet.

But Palou took the lead for good when Newgarden made his final stop on Lap 75.

Still, the last 20 laps were not a stroll through the picturesque, 11-turn, 2.238-mile circuit, as Palou had to endure restarts after three caution periods during that span.

“Too intense there at the end with those restarts, but an amazing win for the No. 10 DHL car,” Palou said.

Palou pulled away cleanly on each restart, building a lead as large as four seconds over Herta when Jack Harvey pulled his No. 18 Dale Coyne Racing Honda off track near the start-finish line with a mechanical problem, triggering the penultimate caution.

On the ensuing restart on Lap 85, Palou built a gap of 1.6 seconds by Lap 87 when Agustin Canapino’s contact with Kyffin Simpson’s No. 4 Journie Rewards Chip Ganassi Racing Honda cut Simpson’s rear tire exiting Turn 5, forcing him into a spin. The trailing No. 15 Mobil 1 Honda driven by Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing’s Graham Rahal had nowhere to go in thick traffic and made contact with Simpson. Both cars ended up in the gravel, with Rahal making contact with the wall. Both drivers were unhurt, and Canapino was penalized for avoidable contact.

Herta had one final shot at Palou on the restart on Lap 91, but once again Palou pulled away, building a gap of 1.1 seconds after one lap.

“It’s a good result,” California native Herta said. “We chose the strategy that we did, and we did a really good job with what we chose. It hurts not to win here, but we have to be happy with second place here.”

The next NTT INDYCAR SERIES race is The Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio Presented by the 2025 Civic Hybrid on Sunday, July 7 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. That event marks the dawn of a new era for the series, as the hybrid power unit will make its race debut after months of extensive, successful testing.

Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey Race Results

MONTEREY, Calif. (Sunday, June 23, 2024) – Results Sunday of the Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey NTT INDYCAR SERIES event on the 2.238-mile WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, with order of finish, starting position in parentheses, driver, engine, laps completed and reason out (if any):

  1. (1) Alex Palou, Honda, 95, Running
  2. (4) Colton Herta, Honda, 95, Running
  3. (5) Alexander Rossi, Chevrolet, 95, Running
  4. (8) Romain Grosjean, Chevrolet, 95, Running
  5. (2) Kyle Kirkwood, Honda, 95, Running
  6. (10) Scott Dixon, Honda, 95, Running
  7. (15) Will Power, Chevrolet, 95, Running
  8. (9) Pato O’Ward, Chevrolet, 95, Running
  9. (17) Santino Ferrucci, Chevrolet, 95, Running
  10. (18) Marcus Ericsson, Honda, 95, Running
  11. (3) Felix Rosenqvist, Honda, 95, Running
  12. (23) Nolan Siegel, Chevrolet, 95, Running
  13. (21) Christian Rasmussen, Chevrolet, 95, Running
  14. (24) Pietro Fittipaldi, Honda, 95, Running
  15. (6) Christian Lundgaard, Honda, 95, Running
  16. (12) David Malukas, Honda, 95, Running
  17. (16) Linus Lundqvist, Honda, 95, Running
  18. (13) Agustin Canapino, Chevrolet, 95, Running
  19. (14) Josef Newgarden, Chevrolet, 95, Running
  20. (25) Sting Ray Robb, Chevrolet, 94, Running
  21. (7) Scott McLaughlin, Chevrolet, 93, Running
  22. (11) Marcus Armstrong, Honda, 93, Running
  23. (22) Kyffin Simpson, Honda, 86, Contact
  24. (19) Graham Rahal, Honda, 86, Contact
  25. (26) Jack Harvey, Honda, 82, Mechanical
  26. (20) Rinus VeeKay, Chevrolet, 71, Mechanical
  27. (27) Luca Ghiotto, Honda, 34, Contact

Race Statistics
Winner’s average speed: 102.740 mph
Time of Race: 02:04:09.8545
Margin of victory: 1.9780 seconds
Cautions: 14
Lead changes: 7 among 5 drivers

Lap Leaders:
Kirkwood, Kyle 1 – 24
Palou, Alex 25 – 26
Rossi, Alexander 27 – 36
Palou, Alex 37 – 55
Herta, Colton 56 – 63
Palou, Alex 64 – 69
Newgarden, Josef 70 – 74
Palou, Alex 75 – 95

NTT INDYCAR SERIES Point Standings:
Palou 285, Power 262, Dixon 253, Herta 217, Kirkwood 210, O’Ward 208, Rossi 198, McLaughlin 188, Newgarden 181, Rosenqvist 176, Lundgaard 156, Ferrucci 154, Ericsson 150, Grosjean 144, Armstrong 129, Rahal 127, VeeKay 114, Lundqvist 113, Fittipaldi 97, Simpson 88, Canapino 86, Rasmussen 82, Robb 78, Pourchaire 75, Harvey 70, Blomqvist 46, Ilott 39, Siegel 35, Ghiotto 27, Castroneves 26, Daly 21, Larson 21, Sato 19, Malukas 14, Carpenter 14, Vautier 12, Braun 10, Hunter-Reay 6, Andretti 5, Legge 5, Siegel 5

PROCK, KALITTA AND STANFIELD WIN AT PLAYNHRA VIRGINIA NATIONALS; HERRERA SETS NHRA RECORD WITH 10TH STRAIGHT WIN

By
Official Release
-

DINWIDDIE, Va. (June 23, 2024) – Funny Car points leader Austin Prock won his second straight race on Sunday for John Force Racing, defeating Bob Tasca III in the final round with the quickest run of the weekend at the PlayNHRA Virginia Nationals.

Doug Kalitta (Top Fuel), Aaron Stanfield (Pro Stock) and Gaige Herrera (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also won the ninth of 20 races during the 2024 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season.

Prock went 3.921-seconds at 327.90 mph in his 11,000-horsepower Cornwell Tools Chevrolet Camaro SS to power past Tasca and pick up his third win of 2024 in his debut season in Funny Car. Prock dedicated the win to his boss, legendary Funny Car driver John Force, who was involved in a crash in the first round of eliminations on Sunday.

Force suffered an engine explosion at the finish line and then crossed the centerline, striking both guard walls before coming to a stop. The 16-time world champion was alert and was examined onsite before being transported to a local medical facility for further evaluation.   

“This win is definitely dedicated to John Force,” Prock said. “This is one for the books and there were a lot of emotions today and we had to battle a bunch of adversity. This trophy is definitely going back to him. I wanted to get it done for him and this is really special. I’m super proud of this team to get it done with everything that went on and keeping my head together.

“We wanted to get it done for him, but I almost felt like I was feeling the pressure early on in the day. I drove terrible in the second and third round. This team’s busting their tail out in this heat, and I don’t want to be the weak link and I wanted to get it done for John.”

Prock reached the final round with wins against Cruz Pedregon, Ron Capps and defending world champ Matt Hagan, while Tasca advanced to the championship round for the second time this season with victories against Dave Richards, Tim Wilkerson and Blake Alexander.

Pro Stock Motorcycle’s Gaige Herrera added yet another record in his amazing two-year run on Sunday, going 6.755 at 199.26 on his RevZilla/Mission Foods/Vance & Hines Suzuki to defeat teammate Richard Gadson in the final round. With the victory, the defending world champion set the record for the most consecutive wins in NHRA history, winning his 10th straight race on his Suzuki and eclipsing the previous mark set by Bob Glidden.

He also now has 39 straight round wins, setting that record on Sunday as well. Herrera, who stayed undefeated in 2024 and hasn’t lost since early September of last year, defeated Chris Bostick and John Hall to reach the finals, picking up his fifth victory of the year and 16th since the beginning of last year, continuing an absolutely historic and dominant run.

“It’s kind of hard to process all of it,” Herrera said. “The amount of accomplishments that have been achieved in such a short time, I tried to sit back and just think about it, and it’s very hard, because there are so many of them. I have to thank Andrew [Hines, crew chief] and basically picking me out of a haystack to ride for them. I’ve got to give it all up to Andrew and all the guys at the shop. None of this is possible without them. 

“It’s very surreal. Getting the 10 consecutive wins, I think that’s the biggest thing that really hasn’t set in. Last year, we were feeling like we were doing very good and making everyone else have to step up, so this year, if we go out there and do like we did last year, I think this year is really going to hit us in the face and make us realize what we’re doing right now.”

Gadson reached his first career final round after defeating Eiji Kawakami, Jianna Evaristo and Hector Arana Jr.

Doug Kalitta continued to roll in the Top Fuel ranks, defeating teammate Shawn Langdon in the final round with a weekend-best run of 3.752 at 333.41 in his 11,000-horsepower Mac Tools dragster. Kalitta, the defending world champion, added to his points lead en route to his third win this year – also advancing to his third straight final round – and 55th victory in his career.

It’s the veteran’s first win at Virginia Motorsports Park since 2007 and his day included round wins against Cam Ferre, Josh Hart and Tony Stewart. That set up a marquee matchup with his Kalitta Motorsports teammate in the finals, guaranteeing a fifth team win in 2024 through the first nine events. Kalitta pulled away from Langdon under the lights, making the first Top Fuel run in the 3.70s this weekend.

“It’s been good (this year),” Kalitta said. “We’ve worked to get to this point for a long time and to see it come together, it seems like just getting down the track is just half the battle most of the days you’re out here, and that’s been key with my tune-up and the performance of that thing. Alan (Johnson, crew chief) just seems to have a lot of tricks up his sleeve when it comes to moving through those different conditions. What we’ve had today was a big swing from normal.

“These crew chiefs out here, it’s incredible. I’m really fortunate to have Alan tuning my car. He’s proven time and time again that he can figure out different conditions. We’re just real, it seemed like the first year he was on my car, we changed a lot of stuff around. Right now, with what we picked up on at the middle of last year and carried into this year, everybody is doing their job. The consistency of putting that thing together is really good right now with the guys. It’s just a big team effort.”

Langdon, who moved to second in points, defeated Lex Joon, Steve Torrence and Antron Brown to reach the finals for the fourth time this year.

In Pro Stock, Aaron Stanfield gave Elite Motorsports its third straight victory in the category, as he drove past points leader Dallas Glenn in the final round with a run of 6.614 at 207.15 in his Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage/Janac Brothers car. It is Stanfield’s first victory of the season and the ninth in his career, as he also won for the first time at Virginia Motorsports Park.

He reached the finals after defeating Val Smeland, Troy Coughlin Jr. and Greg Anderson, posting an outstanding .007 reaching time against Glenn to get the win and get some revenge after Glenn won their final-round matchup in Chicago.

“It was definitely a long hot race day for sure,” Stanfield said. “Dallas has got me a couple times here the past couple of races and it was good to get them back right there. I was blessed with the opportunity to represent JHG this year, and it’s good to finally be able to pull off that wind representing their brand.

“It’s just a special day. I have my little girl [Oakley] with me here today, and for her to see me win, now she can understand why dad’s gone so much, so, it’s just a special, special day for me.”

Glenn, who remained in the points lead, knocked off Mason McGaha, Deric Kramer and Bo Butner to reach the finals.

The NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series returns to action June 27-30 with the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals at Summit Motorsports Park in Norwalk, Ohio.

***

DINWIDDIE, Va. — Final finish order (1-16) at the Fourth annual PlayNHRA Virginia Nationals at Virginia Motorsports Park. The race is the ninth of 20 events in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series.

TOP FUEL:

1. Doug Kalitta; 2. Shawn Langdon; 3. Antron Brown; 4. Tony Stewart; 5. Brittany Force; 6. Steve Torrence; 7. Tony Schumacher; 8. Josh Hart; 9. Dan Mercier; 10. Clay Millican; 11. Billy Torrence; 12. Lex Joon; 13. Shawn Reed; 14. Justin Ashley; 15. Jasmine Salinas; 16. Cameron Ferre. 

FUNNY CAR:

1. Austin Prock; 2. Bob Tasca III; 3. Blake Alexander; 4. Matt Hagan; 5. Ron Capps; 6. Daniel Wilkerson; 7. Mike Smith; 8. John Force; 9. Dave Richards; 10. Cruz Pedregon; 11. J.R. Todd; 12. Buddy Hull; 13. Terry Haddock; 14. Paul Lee; 15. Chad Green; 16. Alexis DeJoria. 

PRO STOCK:

1. Aaron Stanfield; 2. Dallas Glenn; 3. Greg Anderson; 4. Bo Butner; 5. Erica Enders; 6. Troy Coughlin Jr.; 7. Eric Latino; 8. Deric Kramer; 9. Mason McGaha; 10. Chris McGaha; 11. Jeg Coughlin; 12. Matt Hartford; 13. Kenny Delco; 14. Val Smeland; 15. Jerry Tucker; 16. Brandon Miller. 

PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE:

1. Gaige Herrera; 2. Richard Gadson; 3. John Hall; 4. Hector Arana Jr; 5. Angie Smith; 6. Chase Van Sant; 7. Jianna Evaristo; 8. Matt Smith; 9. Chris Bostick; 10. Kelly Clontz; 11. Steve Johnson; 12. Ron Tornow; 13. Marc Ingwersen; 14. Eiji Kawakami. 

DINWIDDIE, Va. — Sunday’s final results from the Fourth annual PlayNHRA Virginia Nationals at Virginia Motorsports Park. The race is the ninth of 20 in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series: 

Top Fuel — Doug Kalitta, 3.752 seconds, 333.41 mph def. Shawn Langdon, 6.148 seconds, 101.99 mph. 

Funny Car — Austin Prock, Chevy Camaro, 3.921, 327.90 def. Bob Tasca III, Ford Mustang, 7.145, 90.55. 

Pro Stock — Aaron Stanfield, Chevy Camaro, 6.614, 207.15 def. Dallas Glenn, Camaro, 6.617, 205.88. 

Pro Stock Motorcycle — Gaige Herrera, Suzuki, 6.755, 199.26 def. Richard Gadson, Suzuki, 6.786, 198.32. 

Competition Eliminator — Joe Carnasciale, Chevy Cavalier, 8.944, 151.48 def. Michele Costa, Ken Keir, 8.177, 158.59.

Super Stock — Jeff Adkinson, Chevy Camaro, 9.345, 140.72 def. PJ Fouts, Chevelle, 11.975, 108.79. 

Stock Eliminator — Cody Phillips, Chevy Corvette, 10.372, 126.15 def. Cliff Hynson, Chevy Camaro, 9.418, 141.19. 

Super Comp — Anthony Bertozzi, Dragster, 8.907, 178.61 def. Amanda Boicesco, Dragster, 8.884, 172.41. 

Super Gas — Keith Mayers, Porshe, 9.888, 154.37 def. Don Knoblick, Chevy Corvette, Foul – Red Light. 

Top Sportsman — Sandy Wilkins, Chevy Camaro, 6.563, 199.02 def. Jeff Brooks, Henry J, 6.379, 215.17. 

Mountain Motor Pro Stock — Johnny Pluchino, Ford Mustang, 6.335, 222.00 def. Elijah Morton, Mustang, 6.312, 221.92. 

Top Fuel Motorcycle — Larry McBride, Suzuki, 5.003, 235.89 def. Mitch Brown, Suzuki, 5.180, 207.37. 

Junior Dragster Shootout — Chloe Greyes, Bos, 7.981, 80.39 def. Valarie Wright, Halfscale, 8.008, 80.71. 

DINWIDDIE, Va. — Final round-by-round results from the Fourth annual PlayNHRA Virginia Nationals at Virginia Motorsports Park, the ninth of 20 events in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series:

TOP FUEL: 

ROUND ONE — Josh Hart, 3.982, 317.12 def. Dan Mercier, 3.981, 308.85; Antron Brown, 3.913, 318.32 def. Billy Torrence, 4.121, 274.44; Shawn Langdon, 3.911, 313.88 def. Lex Joon, 4.154, 275.73; Doug Kalitta, 3.940, 318.84 def. Cameron Ferre, Broke – No Show; Tony Stewart, 3.874, 319.07 def. Clay Millican, 4.109, 254.18; Tony Schumacher, 4.095, 246.66 def. Shawn Reed, 4.490, 221.34; Brittany Force, 3.920, 321.27 def. Jasmine Salinas, 4.653, 178.47; Steve Torrence, 4.010, 298.34 def. Justin Ashley, 4.499, 187.65; 

QUARTERFINALS — Kalitta, 3.964, 311.56 def. Hart, 4.490, 191.57; Brown, 3.923, 316.38 def. Schumacher, 4.284, 212.93; Langdon, 3.976, 307.65 def. S. Torrence, 3.971, 319.67; Stewart, 3.907, 314.53 def. Force, 3.931, 319.82; 

SEMIFINALS — Langdon, 3.815, 326.40 def. Brown, 3.826, 323.35; Kalitta, 3.828, 326.79 def. Stewart, 4.631, 180.65; 

FINAL — Kalitta, 3.752, 333.41 def. Langdon, 6.148, 101.99. 

FUNNY CAR: 

ROUND ONE — Mike Smith, Ford Mustang, 25.970, 53.27 def. Chad Green, Mustang, Broke; Bob Tasca III, Mustang, 4.063, 306.53 def. Dave Richards, Toyota Camry, 4.183, 302.28; Austin Prock, Chevy Camaro, 4.046, 308.21 def. Cruz Pedregon, Dodge Charger, 4.232, 292.65; Blake Alexander, Mustang, 4.109, 302.82 def. Buddy Hull, Charger, 4.625, 187.68; John Force, Camaro, 4.100, 302.62 def. Terry Haddock, Mustang, 4.803, 186.98; Ron Capps, Toyota GR Supra, 4.094, 317.94 def. Alexis DeJoria, GR Supra, Broke; Matt Hagan, Charger, 4.335, 275.34 def. J.R. Todd, GR Supra, 4.395, 264.60; Daniel Wilkerson, Mustang, 4.799, 174.55 def. Paul Lee, Charger, 6.193, 108.60; 

QUARTERFINALS — Tasca III, 4.126, 316.30 def. Wilkerson, 4.458, 219.08; Prock, 4.036, 321.73 def. Capps, 4.127, 282.84; Alexander, 4.096, 305.36 def. Force, Broke – No Show; Hagan, 4.266, 252.10 def. Smith, 7.627, 87.16; 

SEMIFINALS — Tasca III, 3.980, 330.07 def. Alexander, 3.997, 317.72; Prock, 3.962, 316.97 def. Hagan, 4.031, 312.42; 

FINAL — Prock, 3.921, 327.90 def. Tasca III, 7.145, 90.55. 

PRO STOCK: 

ROUND ONE — Greg Anderson, Chevy Camaro, 6.635, 207.21 def. Jeg Coughlin, Camaro, 6.692, 205.91; Bo Butner, Camaro, 6.723, 205.07 def. Jerry Tucker, Camaro, 6.720, 206.35; Dallas Glenn, Camaro, 6.654, 206.20 def. Mason McGaha, Camaro, 6.666, 206.67; Aaron Stanfield, Camaro, 6.677, 207.30 def. Val Smeland, Camaro, 6.718, 206.83; Troy Coughlin Jr., Camaro, 6.673, 206.26 def. Matt Hartford, Camaro, 6.707, 205.79; Deric Kramer, Camaro, 6.666, 207.62 def. Chris McGaha, Camaro, 6.686, 206.57; Eric Latino, Camaro, 6.624, 206.39 def. Brandon Miller, Dodge Dart, 6.785, 203.22; Erica Enders, Camaro, 6.629, 207.94 def. Kenny Delco, Camaro, 6.716, 205.26; 

QUARTERFINALS — Stanfield, 6.685, 206.92 def. Coughlin Jr., 6.708, 206.57; Glenn, 6.696, 204.76 def. Kramer, 17.282, 47.43; Anderson, 6.623, 207.05 def. Enders, 6.653, 208.07; Butner, 6.710, 205.54 def. Latino, 6.716, 202.18; 

SEMIFINALS — Glenn, 6.631, 206.20 def. Butner, 6.658, 205.88; Stanfield, 6.627, 207.94 def. Anderson, 6.627, 206.04; 

FINAL — Stanfield, 6.614, 207.15 def. Glenn, 6.617, 205.88. 

PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE: 

ROUND ONE — Jianna Evaristo, Buell, 6.905, 195.73 def. Steve Johnson, Suzuki, 6.934, 192.85; Hector Arana Jr, 6.920, 193.74 def. Marc Ingwersen, 6.989, 193.13; John Hall, 6.884, 197.36 def. Kelly Clontz, Suzuki, 6.889, 196.19; Chase Van Sant, Suzuki, 6.826, 197.68 def. Ron Tornow, 6.966, 195.90; Angie Smith, Buell, 6.809, 199.91 def. Matt Smith, Buell, 6.783, 199.94; Richard Gadson, Suzuki, 6.871, 197.59 def. Eiji Kawakami, 7.146, 185.46; Gaige Herrera, Suzuki, 6.803, 198.50 def. Chris Bostick, Suzuki, 6.870, 194.41; 

QUARTERFINALS — Gadson, 6.906, 196.87 def. Evaristo, 6.871, 198.64; Hall, 6.851, 151.19 def. Van Sant, Foul – Red Light; Arana Jr, 6.892, 196.44 def. A. Smith, Foul – Red Light; Herrera, 6.782, 196.50 was unopposed; 

SEMIFINALS — Gadson, 6.813, 198.09 def. Arana Jr, Foul – Red Light; Herrera, 6.760, 199.70 def. Hall, 6.816, 198.58; 

FINAL — Herrera, 6.755, 199.26 def. Gadson, 6.786, 198.32. 

DINWIDDIE, Va. — Point standings (top 10) following the Fourth annual PlayNHRA Virginia Nationals at Virginia Motorsports Park, the ninth of 20 events in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series – 

Top Fuel

1. Doug Kalitta, 751; 2. Shawn Langdon, 684; 3. Justin Ashley, 643; 4. Steve Torrence, 575; 5. Antron Brown, 542; 6. Tony Schumacher, 522; 7. Billy Torrence, 477; 8. Clay Millican, 461; 9. Tony Stewart, 458; 10. Brittany Force, 425.

Funny Car

1. Austin Prock, 824; 2. John Force, 693; 3. Matt Hagan, 658; 4. J.R. Todd, 627; 5. Bob Tasca III, 615; 6. Daniel Wilkerson, 474; 7. Ron Capps, 469; 8. Alexis DeJoria, 427; 9. Chad Green, 393; 10. Blake Alexander, 371.

Pro Stock

1. Dallas Glenn, 791; 2. Greg Anderson, 751; 3. Erica Enders, 726; 4. Jeg Coughlin, 599; 5. Aaron Stanfield, 598; 6. Troy Coughlin Jr., 492; 7. Jerry Tucker, 465; 8. Cristian Cuadra, 386; 9. Deric Kramer, 335; 10. David Cuadra, 307.

Pro Stock Motorcycle

1. Gaige Herrera, 618; 2. Richard Gadson, 365; 3. Matt Smith, 362; 4. John Hall, 332; 5. Chase Van Sant, 294; 6. Angie Smith, 291; 7. Hector Arana Jr, 268; 8. Jianna Evaristo, 242; 9. LE Tonglet, 233; 10. Steve Johnson, 186.

Daniel Quimby Closes the Mid-Ohio SpeedTour with F4 U.S. Win

By
Official Release
-
#24 Daniel Quimby, Atlantic Racing Team, Cruise America, MIR Raceline, FIJI Airways, GalvanizeIns , winner, Victory Lane

LEXINGTON, Ohio (June 23, 2024) – Daniel Quimby closed out the weekend at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course with his second Formula 4 United States Championship (F4 U.S.) win of the season. After starting second, Quimby (No. 24 Cruise America / MIR Raceline / FIJI Airways / GalvanizeIns Ligier JS F422) overtook the leader on Lap 1 to be able to cruise to victory.

Notes of Interest:

  • Daniel Quimby earned his second-career F4 U.S. win in Sunday afternoon’s race at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.
  • Nicolas Stati is the only driver who has finished on the podium in all five rounds of F4 U.S. competition this season.
  • Benites Jr. earned his second-career podium with a third-place result in Sunday’s race at the Mid-Ohio SpeedTour.
  • With a win and a second-place finish, Daniel Quimby was awarded the Omologato Perfectly Timed Move of the Race for his weekend performance, earning him a bespoke Omologato timepiece.
  • Three teams were represented on this afternoon’s podium, with Atlantic Racing Team taking the win, Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport in second and Scuderia Buell finishing third.

After recording the fastest lap in yesterday’s race, Stati led the field to the green flag on the wet Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. Jumping out to an early lead, he faced immediate pressure from second-place starter Daniel Quimby (No. 24 Cruise America / MIR Raceline / FIJI Airways / GalvanizeIns Ligier JS F422), who pulled next to Stati as they exited the Keyhole. Racing wheel to wheel down the backstretch, Quimby pulled ahead as they entered Turn 4 and never looked back. Hitting his marks, Quimby slowly but steadily pulled away from his competition.

Behind him, the field initially strung out. Stati was comfortably in second, with Alex Crosbie (No. 41 Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F422) third, and Pablo Benites Jr. (No. 44 Scuderia Buell Ligier JS F422) in fourth. After sustaining damage to his JS F422 chassis in yesterday’s race, Connor Roberts (No. 46 ApexSpeed.com / Entropy Cellars Ligier JS F422) and the Team Roberts Racing organization worked through the night repairing his car, finishing the setup just before the race began. Despite that, he was running fifth at the race’s halfway point.

With under seven minutes left, Benites Jr. had reached Crosbie’s rear wing. Racing nose to gearbox for several minutes, Benites Jr. waited to find the right place to make the pass—ducking to the inside of Crosbie in the Carousel, he completed the pass to move into third.

On the final lap of the race, the top-three frontrunners were all within a second of each other, but it was Quimby who led the field across the finish line, with Stati in second and Benites Jr. in third.

“That was a really good race,” said Quimby on top of the podium. “I knew Nicolas [Stati] had new tires, so we tried to get as big of a gap as we could at the start, but at the end, we struggled a little bit. I’d like to thank my partners at Cruise America, Motorhome Republic, Crank House, Atlantic, MIR Raceline and FIJI Airways. I’d like to thank everyone at the team, my family and everyone watching at home.”

F4 U.S. takes on New Jersey Motorsports Park, July 25-28, for the New Jersey Lottery SpeedTour. Live timing and scoring can be accessed on the Race Monitor app, and additional news and updates about F4 U.S. are available on the series’ Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

F4 U.S. Race 2 at Mid-Ohio Cancelled Due to Weather

LEXINGTON, Ohio (June 23, 2024) – Once scheduled for Saturday morning, Race 2 for Formula 4 United States Championship (F4 U.S.) was cancelled due to weather. Rain passed through the area, with showers beginning at approximately 7 a.m. and lasting through 9:30 a.m. Heavy downpours at time led to puddling on the racing surface, as well as rivers flowing across the track. With unsafe track conditions, Race Director Scott Goodyear made the decision to cancel the round.

NHRA AT RICHMOND: Team Chevy Race Report | Notes & Quotes

By
Official Release
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CHEVROLET IN NHRA
2024 PlayNHRA VIRGINIA NATIONALS
VIRGINIA MOTORSPORTS PARK
NORTH DINWIDDIE, VIRGINIA
TEAM CHEVY RACE REPORT | NOTES & QUOTES
JUNE 23, 2024

AUSTIN PROCK AND JOHN FORCE RACING RACE TO THE PlayNHRA FUNNY CAR WIN IN HIS CORNWELL TOOLS CHEVROLET CAMARO AT VIRGINIA MOTORSPORTS PARK

Prock’s Win at Richmond is his Third of the Season and in a Funny Car, Capturing his Ninth Career in NHRA

Notes:

  • Austin Prock, driver of the Cornwell Tools Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car, raced to his second victory in a row after capturing the Wally trophy last week in Bristol, and John Force Racing’s third in a row with team owner and teammate John Force winning previously at Epping.
  • Prock’s win at Virginia Motorsports Park is Chevrolet’s 164th Funny Car victory in the series and 84th in the Camaro body.
  • Getting comfortable quick this season in his switch from Top Fuel to Funny Car while filling in for teammate Robert Hight, Prock captured his third Funny Car victory and this season. Today’s victory is also his ninth total in NHRA (six in Top Fuel, previously).
  • Prock leaves the PlayNHRA Virginia Nationals the points leader over Force in second, with 131 points separating the two in the World Championship standings.
  • Brittany Force, driver of the HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Top Fuel Dragster, faced a Round 2 elimination after falling to Tony Stewart with her run of 3.931 seconds E.T. at 319.82 mph to Stewart’s 3.907 seconds E.T. at 314.53 mph.
  • John Force, driver of the PEAK Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car, was transported to a local hospital after facing a Round 1 on-track accident in his PEAK Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car while competing against Terry Haddock. Further updates will be released from John Force Racing.
  • B. Force and Prock both captured the NHRA Mission Foods #2Fast2Tasty Challenge, earning bonus points and a cash prize towards the World Championship standings.
  • Aaron Stanfield claimed the Play NHRA Virginia Nationals Wally trophy in his Elite Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro SS Pro Stock, defeating Dallas Glenn with is run of 6.614 seconds E.T. at 207.15 mph to Glenn’s 6.617 seconds E.T. at 205.88 mph.

Quotes:

AUSTIN PROCK, DRIVER OF THE CORNWELL TOOLS CHEVROLET CAMARO SS FUNNY CAR:

WHERE WILL THIS WALLY GO?

“It’s going straight to the hospital to John Force unless he has gotten out by now. I hope he is out, but I’ll have to find out. This is definitely dedicated to John Force. My Grandpa told me before we left to go get a Wally, and definitely did that. The No. 374 is back in the Winner’s Circle and that’s really special. I finally got my stuff together on the starting line, chopped the tree down, and they gave me a really fast Prock Rocket there. I am blessed, and I thank the Lord for keeping John Force safe today.”

ON HIS #2FAST2TASTY CHALLENGE WIN:

“When (Thomas Prock) came over here, they really changed the set-up of this race car and really tried to work on their hot condition set-ups. It’s really paying off. This thing will run when the track’s 80 degrees or 180 degrees, it seems like. So, we just pooched her on down there (on the final qualifying attempt, which also was the final round of the Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge) to make sure it would go, because we’re going to be racing in this nasty stuff tomorrow. So, great job to the Cornwell Tools team, and proud of everyone on it.”

JIMMY PROCK, CREW CHIEF FOR AUSTIN PROCK AND THE CORNWELL TOOLS CHEVROLET CAMARO SS FUNNY CAR TEAM:

“I’m just relieved. I really wanted to win this for John (Force). I really hate to see what happened to him. think he is going to be alright. I don’t know a whole lot. We just tried to keep our focus and do the job. We did. I really wanted to get this win for him and we did.”

Up Next:

The NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series next heads to Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports Park in Norwalk, Ohio for the 2024 Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals June 27-30, 2024. Qualifying from the weekend airs Sunday at 2 p.m. ET, with Round 1 of Eliminations broadcasting at 4 p.m. The remainder of elimination sessions air on FOX at 5 p.m. ET. Qualifying and Round 1 air with NHRA on FOX on FOX Sports 1 (FS1). Coverage streams live throughout the weekend on NHRA.tv, and is available via AppleTV, Android TV, and Roku devices.

About Chevrolet

Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is now one of the world’s largest car brands. Chevrolet models include electric and fuel-efficient vehicles that feature engaging performance, design that makes the heart beat, passive and active safety features and easy-to-use technology, all at a value. More information on Chevrolet models can be found at www.chevrolet.com.

CHEVROLET INDYCAR AT LAGUNA SECA: Team Chevy Race Report

By
Official Release
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CHEVROLET IN NTT INDYCAR SERIES
FIRESTONE GRAND PRIX OF MONTEREY
WEATHERTECH RACEWAY LAGUNA SECA
MONTEREY, CALIFORNIA
TEAM CHEVY RACE REPORT
JUNE 23, 2024

ALEXANDER ROSSI AND ARROW MCLAREN PUT CHEVROLET ON THE PODIUM AT WEATHERTECH RACEWAY LAGUNA SECA IN THIRD
Chevrolet Finished the Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey with Five in the Top-10

  • Alexander Rossi, driver of the No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet, finished third, giving Chevrolet a podium finish in the Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.
  • Rossi’s third-place podium finish was Chevrolet’s fifth since the NTT INDYCAR SERIES’ return to Laguna Seca in 2019.
  • Rossi, along with Team Penske’s Josef Newgarden, combined to lead 15 laps in today’s Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey. Chevrolet has led 65 laps total in the five races held at Laguna Seca in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES since the 2019 return.
  • Ed Carpenter Racing’s Rinus VeeKay, driver of the No. 21 Chevrolet, topped the mid-day warm-up session with his fastest lap of 1:08.4096 seconds. Chevrolet finished the 30-minute session with four in the top-10.
  • Up next, Team Chevy and the rest of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES head to Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course for the Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio Sunday, July 7. Broadcast for the 80-lap, 180.64-mile event at the 2.258-mile, 13-turn natural terrain road course takes the green flag live on NBC at 1:30 p.m. ET.

TEAM CHEVY TOP-10 RACE RESULT:
Pos. Driver
3rd Alexander Rossi
4th Romain Grosjean
7th Will Power
8th Pato O’Ward
9th Santino Ferrucci

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING (QUOTES):

Santino Ferrucci, No. 14 AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet:

“Another top-10. Honestly, we’re kind of on a streak right now. If it wasn’t, obviously, for the hiccup at Road America. Pretty bummed in myself. I feel like I let the guys down with the blocking penalty. I think we missed out on a chance to get a little closer to the top-five. The good thing is, we’re on a roll right now. We’ve got solid momentum. We’ll work on getting qualifying up, and it’ll be there.”

Sting Ray Robb, No. 41 AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet:

“Well, what was a terrible day, but considering all things, I think that we came out decent. This morning really set us back. My mistake there in warm-up, putting it in the wall, that was impressive for the team to put the car back together that quick. I definitely owe them a dinner and a few drinks. Super proud of them, super thankful for them. They work so hard, and I’m happy that we were able to get back out there for the race. The race didn’t really go as we wanted but considering the scramble ahead of the race to get the car back together, I think that it was pretty good. The Goodheart Chevy felt pretty good.”

Pato O’Ward, No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet:

“It was another P8 for us, a hard-fought P8. We just couldn’t really make the strategy work there. It was just a really tough race, to be honest. There are nine races to go, so there are plenty of points left on the table.”

Nolan Siegel, No. 6 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet:

“All done with my first race at Arrow McLaren. P23 to P12, securing the biggest mover of the race, so overall, I think it was a successful day. It wasn’t without its challenges, but everyone pushed through and kept at it all race long. We were able to make up a ton of spots at the end there. I’m really happy with the No. 6 NTT DATA Arrow McLaren Chevrolet. The car was truly the best it’s been all weekend, and it was really fast all day. A lot of this was because of the pit stops that the crew did and the strategy that was called. I’m grateful for my crew and can’t wait to work with them more in the future.”

Alexander Rossi, No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet:

THE 26 AND 10 WERE GOOD TODAY, BUT YOU GUYS WERE BEST IN SHOW. I THINK THIS WAS A GOOD DAY FOR YOU GUYS. YOU EXECUTED THE BEST YOU COULD AND CAME AWAY WITH THE GOOD RESULT. IS THAT HOW IT FEELS TO YOU?

“I think that is a fair assessment. I feel like before the yellow, we were quite good up front. But then you get into a fuel save race and it’s a little bit difficult. Nonetheless, it was an amazing job by the team and obviously our best result of the year. So, we will take the positives from that. You know it’s a great job by Pato (O’Ward) and Nolan (Siegel) as well, so we will just keep hammering. It’s a good bounce back from the difficulties in Road America and we look forward to taking that to Mid-Ohio.”

HOW DO YOU BUILD ON THIS MOVING FORWARD?

“I think it is just understanding why we were good. It is always easy to Monday morning quarterback when you are bad, but believe it or not, it’s a little bit harder to understand when you are good. So, we will just keep working at it and overall the McLaren group is doing a good job, Team Chevy is doing a good job, so we will keep hammering.”

Gavin Ward, Team Principal at Arrow McLaren:

“It’s hard to be upset with a podium, but we’re kind of upset with this podium. Alexander and the No. 7 crew deserved to win until that caution mixed things up. It’s a tough call at that point; it splits the field in half. You could go either way and never know where the cautions fall from there. They did the best they could from there to bring home a podium. It was a difficult day, a day of perseverance for the No. 5 crew and Pato. They brought home a top 10 and kept their composure. There was a lot of learning for the No. 6 car with Nolan. He was the biggest mover and top-finishing rookie. He had a great recovery, and I’m happy with how everyone kept their cool with that mid-race spin. The pace was there and that gave us options. A lot of other people made bigger mistakes today, so I’m pretty happy overall.”

Christian Rasmussen, No. 20 Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet:

“Pretty good start of the race, I thought. We were moving forward on the red tires. I think what held us back a little bit in this race was the stint on black tires. That didn’t really go our way. But overall, from a messy race, from everyone’s perspective, our own included, a pretty solid result with a 13th place finish. Happy about that. I think there was probably more in it just eliminating some mistakes we had in the race. And then especially the drive-through (penalty) held us back a little bit. Overall, pretty happy with the result with how messy of a race that was.”

Rinus VeeKay, No. 21 Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet:

“Just a really unfortunate day. I was feeling good after the warm up session and confident in the changes we had made to improve the car. Unfortunately, the bad luck continued and we had a failure within the gearbox. We will try again in Mid-Ohio!”

Romain Grosjean, No. 77 Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet:

“A great result for all of us. I think yesterday in qualifying. I think we had a lot more than we could show and I think today, we also had a bit more we wanted. One set of tires was a bit strange in the middle stint that cost us quite a bit of time. On the last stint, sadly there were too many safety cars. I knew the deg was on our side, and we didn’t have much problem with that. I knew I could catch at least (Alexander) Rossi, maybe (Colton) Herta. We spent most of the stint under yellow, but it is what it is. Very happy for the whole team, for Chevy, and for myself. It was a tough one. I’ll tell you, the car was hard to drive, but I think for everyone it’s hard to drive. Saw a lot of guys going off, and it was a tough race. Happy where we are. We’ll keep going.”

“What a good race. I think we knew we had a fast race car, but it was a tough race and we saw a few people going off (track) a few times. I went off myself a few times. It was very physical, very hard, but I think we did an amazing job with Chevy and the whole team all weekend. I am very proud of everyone. It was very close to the podium, but a little bit too many safety cars at the end because I was on blacks, and I knew I didn’t have much tack. I was coming for (Alexander) Rossi. We are good friends, so it is all good anyway. A fantastic job by everyone and we keep working and we keep getting better. I think that is good for all of us and I think we scored the first points for Chevy today, so we are happy with that.”

Will Power, No. 12 Team Penske Chevrolet:

“Laguna Seca (is) done. Finished P7. Went all the way from the back. Had a bad first lap, was last. Went back up to sixth, went back to 10th, had a couple of people with late restarts. Still a good recovery day. When you can make the most of those bad days, it’s good stuff for the points. It’ll be a tight battle to the end but we’ll keep digging in the Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet.”

ALEXANDER ROSSI, NO. 7 ARROW MCLAREN CHEVROLET – Podium Press Conference:

THE MODERATOR: Good evening, everyone. Wrapping up this year’s Firestone Grand Prix at Monterey, Laguna Seca.

Alexander Rossi, who led 10 laps today, driver of the No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet. Best-ever finish at Laguna Seca, kind of his home track-ish.

THE MODERATOR: As well, Alexander Rossi coming home third. Your thoughts on kind of a crazy race strategy-wise today?

ALEXANDER ROSSI: Yeah, I mean, I think it was a good day for the organization. I think our pace out front, pushing, was certainly better than what we could do once it kind of switched to a fuel race.

Nonetheless, it was a great job by the team all around to manage a difficult race with the strategy flipping back and forth. Kind of wild there with all the restarts at the end.

Yeah, ultimately we’ll take a lot of positives from this weekend and build on it going into Mid-Ohio where we’re starting a whole new wild, crazy, unknown era of hybrids.

THE MODERATOR: The countdown is on. We’ll open it up for questions.

Q. Alex, how good does it feel to be back on a podium?

ALEXANDER ROSSI: Oh, good.

Q. Just pretty good?

ALEXANDER ROSSI: Very good, yes (smiling). Much good.

Q. Did it feel much good to lead laps and be in contention?

ALEXANDER ROSSI: Yes.

I think we were able to just start strong this weekend. Obviously qualifying was strong for us. We know how important qualifying is to get a good result in this championship. We knew we had a good shot at it today.

I was glad we were able to manage the race and have good pace kind of in all phases. It was a welcome change of pace. Hopefully it gives us a good foundation, good framework to go forward for what few road courses we have left in the year.

Q. Alex Palou has won twice at this track, four podiums in four career starts. What is it about Laguna Seca that fits his style?

ALEXANDER ROSSI: I mean, he’s won at a lot of tracks. I don’t think it’s necessarily this one.

I think it’s a track where you kind of, even with the repave, it’s all about managing kind of a four-wheel slide, if you will, in a lot of different places of the track. I think he’s quite good at that, while still being able to protect tires. That’s I would imagine the reason why he’s able to make such a difference here.

Q. The strategy call to come in under caution around lap 36, how was the call made? What did the race look like from your standpoint at the time? How did that make the difference in the race?

ALEXANDER ROSSI: I mean, it’s hard for me to really comment on it right now because I need to look at the race trace and everything.

But certainly I think we were quicker when we weren’t saving fuel, at least on the 7 car side. That doesn’t mean that it wasn’t the right strategy for us. I honestly have no idea what Alex’s pace was in clean air. Until I know that, I can’t really answer it.

Yeah, I mean, he was strong all day. We knew he was the car to beat, was going to be hard to beat.

Q. Today may be the last time some type of electric power is not used in the power train. What’s it like turning the page on something that has been utilized in racing for so long, the internal combustion engine?

ALEXANDER ROSSI: I mean, I have two emotions. I mean, I’m sad because it’s the end of an era. We grew up falling in love with this sport with kind of the framework of what it is now. At the same time if you look at where the world is going, where manufacturers are going, you got to evolve. It’s an exciting time for the series to take that step towards the future. It’s something that’s important to all of us and the partners involved.

It’s happy and sad. It’s cool to be able to introduce new technology into the cars, but also it’s sad that this phase of motorsports is coming to an end.

About Chevrolet

Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is now one of the world’s largest car brands. Chevrolet models include electric and fuel-efficient vehicles that feature engaging performance, design that makes the heart beat, passive and active safety features and easy-to-use technology, all at a value. More information on Chevrolet models can be found at www.chevrolet.com.

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