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Stewart-Haas Racing: The Great American Getaway 400 from Pocono

By
Official Release
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STEWART-HAAS RACING
The Great American Getaway 400
Date: July 14, 2024
Event: The Great American Getaway 400 presented by VisitPA.com (Round 21 of 36)
Series: NASCAR Cup Series
Location: Pocono (Pa.) Raceway (2.5-mile triangle)
Format: 160 laps, broken into three stages (30 laps/65 laps/65 laps)

Race Winner: Ryan Blaney of Team Penske (Ford)
Stage 1 Winner: Martin Truex Jr., of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)
Stage 2 Winner: Denny Hamlin of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)

SHR Finish:

● Chase Briscoe (Started 28th, Finished 15th / Running, completed 160 of 160 laps)
● Josh Berry (Started 5th, Finished 20th / Running, completed 160 of 160 laps)
● Ryan Preece (Started 36th, Finished 30th / Accident, completed 121 of 160 laps)
● Noah Gragson (Started 25th, Finished 37th / Accident, completed 13 of 160 laps)

SHR Points:

● Chase Briscoe (16th with 455 points, 248 out of first)
● Josh Berry (21st with 386 points, 317 out of first)
● Noah Gragson (24th with 354 points, 349 out of first)
● Ryan Preece (27th with 318 points, 385 out of first)

SHR Notes:

● Briscoe earned his 10th top-15 of the season and his second top-15 in five career NASCAR Cup Series starts at Pocono.
● Briscoe’s 15th-place result equaled his previous best finish at Pocono, originally earned in 2022.
● Berry earned his 11th top-20 of the season and it came in his first career NASCAR Cup Series start at Pocono.
● Berry led once for eight laps.

Race Notes:

● Ryan Blaney won The Great American Getaway 400 to score his 12th career NASCAR Cup Series victory, his second of the season and his second at Pocono. His margin of victory over second-place Denny Hamlin was 1.312 seconds.
● This was Ford’s 733rd all-time NASCAR Cup Series victory and its fourth of the season.
● This was Ford’s 25th NASCAR Cup Series victory at Pocono. The manufacturer won its first race at Pocono on June 9, 1985 with NASCAR Hall of Famer Bill Elliott, who went on to sweep both races that season.
● There were eight caution periods for a total of 34 laps.
● Only 23 of the 37 drivers in the race finished on the lead lap.
● Chase Elliott leaves Pocono as the new championship leader with a three-point advantage over second-place Kyle Larson.

Sound Bites:

“It was kind of a decent day. We weren’t great, really all weekend, from a speed standpoint – like I didn’t think we were going to be good enough to win. But I thought we made our car quite a bit better, truthfully, throughout the weekend, which is really encouraging. I thought we got the balance pretty good. We just didn’t really have the raw speed like some of the other guys. I thought we kind of maximized our day, for the most part. We were maybe a couple of positions better. Overall, it was not a bad day. Not a great day, not a bad day.” – Chase Briscoe, driver of the No. 14 HighPoint.com Ford Mustang Dark Horse

“It was just up and down. We had a couple of mistakes that kind of put us back, lost some track position, just got off sequence. It seemed like the car was strong at times, but overall it just needed to be a little bit better and a little more consistent to get a good finish. But we survived and had a decent day.” – Josh Berry, driver of the No. 4 Overstock.com Ford Mustang Dark Horse

“All I know is we had a really good car, started off to be a good day, then we got put back in the pack, and that’s what you end up getting.” – Ryan Preece, driver of the No. 41 HaasTooling.com Ford Mustang Dark Horse

“I just got loose in turn one. We were battling and just got loose. Nobody got into me. I was all alone. I was just trying to make it until we got to the caution and could tighten it up a little bit, but it just took off on me. It’s definitely a bummer being out super early in the race, but thanks to Overstock.com and this whole 10 team. It hasn’t really been the weekend we hoped for through practice and qualifying, and now into the race being out so early. Thanks to all the fans for their support. We will go on to Indy. Indy will be fun next week.” – Noah Gragson, driver of the No. 10 Overstock.com Ford Mustang Dark Horse

Next Up:

The next event on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the Brickyard 400 on Sunday, July 21 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The race begins at 2:30 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by NBC and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

McLaughlin and Power fulfill dreams with first oval victories during IndyCar’s Doubleheader Features at Iowa

By
Andrew Kim
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Photo by Ron Olds for SpeedwayMedia.com.

For a second consecutive season, Team Penske swept the annual NTT IndyCar Series’ doubleheader weekend races at Iowa Speedway between July 13-14.

On this occasion, however, it was not this year’s two-time Indianapolis 500 champion Josef Newgarden who swept both races compared to the 2023 season. It was his teammates Scott McLaughlin and Will Power who each fulfilled equated dreams of their own by winning at Iowa for the first time in their IndyCar careers.

The action commenced on Saturday evening, where McLaughlin, who started alongside pole-sitter Colton Herta for the first of two Iowa weekend events, received quick service from his No. 3 team to beat Herta off of pit road first amid a caution period on Lap 84. From there, McLaughlin, who fended off Herta during the following restart period on Lap 92, never relinquished the lead as he proceeded to survive through four caution periods and fend off Pato O’Ward in a 12-lap shootout to win for the first time on an oval circuit.

Overall, McLaughlin, who led the final 164 of 250-scheduled laps in his No. 3 XPEL/Team Penske Dallara-Chevrolet, notched his sixth career victory in the IndyCar circuit, his second of the 2024 season and first since winning at Barber Motorsports Park in April. The Iowa victory reignited McLaughlin’s quest to contend for this year’s IndyCar championship as he also continues to rally from the disqualification during the season-opening Grand Prix of St. Petersburg due to him and teammate Newgarden manipulating the ECU software that enabled them to use the push to pass on restarts.

Photo by Ron Olds for SpeedwayMedia.com.

“What got [the win] done tonight was the pit stops [by] the team,” McLaughlin, who also won the pole position for the 2024 Indianapolis 500, said on the frontstretch following Saturday’s race. “[The pit crew] got me out in front of [Colton] Herta there and then we showed our pace. That’s a big deal today. Man, I’ve been working for that for a couple of years. It takes a lot of hard work. I never was going to call myself an IndyCar driver until I won on an oval [circuit]. So, I’m going to call myself an IndyCar driver now. Hopefully, the floodgates open. We bloody need them to because we’re fairly behind in the championship, but we’ll see how we go.”

The following day, McLaughlin, who won the pole position for the second Iowa event, stormed out of the gate when the green flag waved and proceeded to lead the first 94 laps. Then after McLaughlin pitted from the lead on Lap 95, where a cycle of green flag pit stops had commenced, the race changed as the caution flew on Lap 101 due to Agustin Canapino coming to a stop in the backstretch. By then, Alex Palou, the reigning IndyCar champion, had just entered pit road and serviced his No. 10 DHL Dallara-Honda, where he was then able to blend back onto the track as the race leader. McLaughlin, meanwhile, was shuffled back to third place as teammate Will Power, who had also not yet pitted, moved his No. 12 Verizon/Team Penske Dallara-Chevrolet into second place.

Once the race restarted under green on Lap 113, Power, who spent a majority of the event’s remainder trailing Palou while managing to lead eight laps in the process and conserving fuel in the process, capitalized on his final green flag pit stop that lasted only 5.8 seconds with 45 laps remaining to blend back onto the track in front of Palou, who pitted a lap earlier but emerged with a pit time of 6.3 seconds.

From there, Power, who officially returned to the lead on Lap 209 after rookie Linus Lundqvist pitted, fended off a late charge from Palou towards the event’s conclusion on Lap 250 as he beat Palou to the checkered flag by three-tenths of a second for his first elusive victory at Iowa in the IndyCar circuit.

Power took the checkered flag just before a harrowing four-car wreck erupted on the backstretch that resulted with Sting Ray Robb going airborne, flipping twice and sliding on his roof after he hit Alexander Rossi, who had run out of fuel, as Ed Carpenter and Kyle Kirkwood were also involved.

With the victory, Power, a two-time IndyCar champion and the 2018 Indianapolis 500 champion, notched his 43rd career win in the IndyCar circuit, which moved him solely into fourth place on the all-time IndyCar wins list and left him nine victories shy of tying Mario Andretti for the third-most victories. It was also Power’s first victory since winning at Road America four races ago in June and his first on an oval circuit since he won at Pocono Raceway in August 2019.

Photo by Travis Hinkle | IMS Photo.

“Massive fuel [saving was the key],” Power said on the frontstretch following Sunday’s race. “Honestly, just sitting in the pack. I had a really good car, a really fast car, so I sat back and used that pace to save fuel and get a massive [fuel] number. I knew once all those [leaders] pulled in [to pit], I could go hard and then, we caught a yellow. That was sort of the thing we were hoping for, to get one of those yellows to put us to the front. Then we were able to get better fuel mileage behind Palou and go a lap longer than him and then jump in. I’ve been trying to win this race for years [and] years. So, [I’m] over the moon. The guys did a great job. I felt really bad from yesterday when I accidentally buttoned off from the pit speed limit and ruined our day. We were right in the game…We’re still pushing and getting it done.”

In a span of two races at Iowa, Power went from trailing the points lead by 48 points to decreasing his deficit to 43 and 35 as he retains second place in the championship standings behind points leader Alex Palou. Teammate McLaughlin, who finished in third place during the second Iowa event on Sunday, gained 40 points in two days as he now trails the points lead by 65 points while he is situated in fifth place in the standings.

Meanwhile, Palou, who is still pursuing his first oval victory in the IndyCar circuit, rallied from wrecking out in the first Iowa event to rack up his fifth podium result of the 2024 season and retain the points lead with six events remaining on this year’s schedule.

“It was a good weekend,” Palou, driver of the No. 10 DHL/Chip Ganassi Racing Dallara-Honda, said. “Yesterday was a terrible day for us. Just made too many mistakes, but [I] rebounded today. Almost got the win. Solid P2. Looking forward to Toronto next week. It was, overall, a really good weekend.”

Pato O’Ward, who finished second and sixth, respectively, during the Iowa doubleheader features, is ranked in third place in the driver’s standings with a 52-point deficit despite achieving a resurgent victory a week ago at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. Meanwhile, Scott Dixon, who finished in fourth place during both Iowa events, is scored in fourth place in the standings as he trails teammate Palou by 57 points.

Next on the 2024 NTT INDYCAR Series schedule is the series’ annual trip north of the border to the Streets of Toronto, Canada, for the Ontario Honda Dealers Indy Toronto. The event is scheduled to occur next Sunday, July 21, and air at 1 p.m. ET on Peacock.

Kaulig Racing Race Recap | The Great American Getaway 400 Presented by VisitPA.com

By
Official Release
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AJ ALLMENDINGER

  • No. 16 Cirkul Camaro ZL1AJ Allmendinger qualified 26th for The Great American Getaway 400 at Pocono Raceway.
  • On the initial start, Allmendinger got loose running the top of three-wide and fell back to 30th. When the caution came out on lap 15, the No. 16 was running in 25th place. The team stayed out to restart in 13th on lap 18. Allmendinger fell back to 21st, reporting he had no grip. The No. 16 finished the first stage in 23rd.
  • During the stage break, Allmendinger came to pit road for four tires, fuel and a wedge adjustment. The No. 16 restarted in 30th on lap 36. By lap 49, Allmendinger was running in 26th and reported his car was better, but he was a tick tight. Allmendinger came to pit road during the caution on lap 54. Crew chief, Travis Mack, called for four tires, fuel and an air pressure adjustment to help Allmendinger with front turn. The No. 16 restarted in 24th and went on to finish the stage in 14th.
  • At the end of stage two, Allmendinger reported the No. 16 Cirkul Chevy was tight. The team came to pit road during the stage break for tires, fuel and an air pressure adjustment to help with handling. Allmendinger restarted in 25th on lap 101. Allmendinger drove up to 21st by lap 116 when the caution came out. The No. 16 restarted in 28th after coming to pit road for tires and fuel. On the restart, Allmendinger was involved in a wreck, which brought out the next caution. The No. 16 Cirkul Chevy received minimal damage after spinning and came to pit road for scuffs and fuel. Allmendinger restarted at the tail end of the longest line after pitting too soon and was scored in 24th when the next caution came on the first lap green. Allmendinger restarted in 24th on lap 132 and took over 21st on the first lap green, before the caution came back out for fluid on the backstretch. Allmendinger restarted in 20th on lap 138 and went on to finish in 21st.

“Hard fought day. I thought we were decent throughout the middle of the race there, but we never could get on the right side of the strategy to get track position. Getting caught up in that wreck towards the end damaged the racecar little bit and caused us to lose some speed. We did what we could to salvage our day.” – AJ Allmendinger  

DANIEL HEMRIC
No. 31 Poppy Bank Camaro ZL1

  • Daniel Hemric qualified 27th for The Great American Getaway 400 at Pocono Raceway.
  • Hemric dropped back to 28th, before the first caution of the day came out on lap 15. He pitted alongside half the field for air-pressure adjustments in the No. 31 Poppy Bank Chevrolet. After restarting 31st on lap 17, some of the field elected to short pit the stage, while Hemric elected to stay out. He made it to 22nd, where he was scored at the end of the opening stage.
  • During the first stage break, Hemric pitted for tires, fuel and a right-side wedge adjustment in the No. 31 Poppy Bank Chevy. He started the second stage in 33rd. On lap 51, Hemric made contact with the wall, before a timely caution came out on lap 53. He pitted for tires, an adjustment, and damage assessment. The team concluded that the No. 31 sustained a bent toe link, and Hemric nursed the car to the end of the stage, finishing in 34th place.
  • Starting the final stage one lap down, Hemric missed the free-pass position by one spot when the caution came out on lap 116. He pitted for tires, fuel and an adjustment. A wreck on the restart put Hemric in the free-pass spot, allowing him back on the lead lap. He pitted for fuel. The field went green with 34 laps to go when another wreck on the restart brought the caution back out. Crew chief Trent Owens made to call for Hemric to pit for fresh tires, ensuring the team would have scuff tires at the end if needed. The field went back to green with 29 laps to go, as Hemric restarted 26th. The next caution came out just one lap later. Hemric restarted 23rd with 23 to go. With nine to go, Hemric reported an issue and pitted for tires. Once he blended back into the field, he radioed that something was broken on the No. 31 Chevy. Hemric drove it to the garage and was scored 25th.

“We battled a tight-handling No. 31 Poppy Bank Chevrolet. I brushed the wall, which bent the toe link. Unfortunately, the part eventually failed and ended our day a few laps early. I’m proud of the fight in our team to keep going until the very end.” – Daniel Hemric
 
About Kaulig Racing

Kaulig Racing™ is a full-time, multi-car NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) and NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) team, owned by award winning entrepreneur, Matt Kaulig. Established in 2016, Kaulig Racing™ has earned 23 NXS wins, made the NXS Playoffs consecutively each season since the playoff system started, and won two regular-season championships. In 2021, the team competed in select NCS events, before expanding to a two-car, full-time NCS team in 2022 and adding a third, part-time entry during the 2023 season. Since its first NCS start in 2021, the team has earned two wins. Kaulig Racing is currently fielding two full-time entries in the NCS and continues to field three full-time NXS entries, with a part-time fourth entry at select events. To learn more about the team, visit kauligracing.com.

Toyota Racing NCS Post-Race Recap – Pocono 07.14.24

By
Official Release
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DENNY HAMLIN FINISHES RUNNER-UP IN STRONG SHOWING AT POCONO
Reddick, Truex Jr. and Wallace also earn top-10 finishes for Team Toyota

LONG POND, Pa. (July 14, 2024) – At one of his most successful tracks, where he holds the track record with seven career wins, Denny Hamlin drove his No. 11 Toyota Camry XSE to a second-place finish Sunday afternoon at Pocono Raceway in the Great American Getaway 400. Hamlin started the day in fourth position and was upfront throughout the 160-lap race around the “Tricky Triangle,” finishing second in Stage 1, winning Stage 2 and leading a total of 31 laps. Though there was a bevy of late-race cautions that jumbled up the field, Hamlin was unable to catch the leader by the checkered flag, finishing just 1.3 seconds back. Sunday’s result is Hamlin’s eighth top-five of the season.

Joining Hamlin inside the top-10 were Camry XSE teammates Tyler Reddick (6th), Martin Truex Jr. (8th) and Bubba Wallace (10th). Truex led 14 laps on the day and won Stage 1, with Hamlin and Reddick right behind him. Ty Gibbs started the day from pole position and led 21 laps in the early going but had his day end early with mechanical issues.

The NASCAR Cup Series heads to Indianapolis Motor Speedway next Sunday, July 21, for the return of the Brickyard 400. Coverage begins at 2:30 p.m. ET on NBC.

Toyota Post-Race Recap
NASCAR Cup Series (NCS)
Pocono Raceway
Race 21 of 36 – 160 Laps, 400 Miles

TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS
1st, Ryan Blaney*
2nd, DENNY HAMLIN
3rd, Alex Bowman*
4th, William Byron*
5th, Joey Logano
6th, TYLER REDDICK
8th, MARTIN TRUEX JR.
10th, BUBBA WALLACE
12th, CHRISTOPHER BELL
14th, ERIK JONES
27th, TY GIBBS
28th, JOHN HUNTER NEMECHEK
*non-Toyota driver 

TOYOTA QUOTES

DENNY HAMLIN, No. 11 Mavis Tire Toyota Camry XSE, Joe Gibbs Racing

Finishing Position: 2nd

Great day and fast car, but did it feel like you just ran out of laps there at the end?

“Yeah, always. You never lose one, just run out of laps or you run out of time, right? No, hats off to this whole Mavis Tires and Brakes team. Dave (Sorbaro), the CEO and 100 associates were here today, so we were proud to host them. Would’ve loved to give them a victory, but second is close and at least, it’s good to get back on track. We’ve had some slides over the last month-and-a-half.”

How much strategy goes into this race and what made the difference there?

“It was when the 12 (Ryan Blaney) jumped the stage and we stayed out there to win the stage. That was the moment he was able to jump us and from that point on, not enough laps to reel him back in.”

TYLER REDDICK, No. 45 MoneyLion Toyota Camry XSE, 23XI Racing

Finishing Position: 6th

Walk us through your race today.

“Yeah, most of the day was (pause.) Stage 1 and Stage 3 were decent for us. Stage 2 was a bit of a struggle. Unfortunately, we just didn’t have any good restarts in the middle portion there and gave up on some points. But all in all, it was a solid day and we closed the gap to the points lead. And obviously, Denny (Hamlin) closed in on us a little bit. Overall, solid day and great points day.”

BUBBA WALLACE, No. 23 Leidos Toyota Camry XSE, 23XI Racing

Finishing Position: 10th

How was your day today?

“It’s about points, so we didn’t capitalize on points, but the 1 (Ross Chastain) had a bad day, the 54 (Ty Gibbs) had a bad day. It was a nice rebound. Usually, it’s the opposite. We start really good and end up fading and giving up a lot track position. Here, we were able to call a good strategy and hang on. We just didn’t have the car. The 6 (Brad Keselowski) drove it down into (turn) one and I was going to race the heck out of him and I realized I was going to crash and he was going to keep going. It’s pretty eye-opening of how far we’re off. Going to have a good debrief tomorrow. All in all, I was trying to have fun the first stages, that’s what I said I was going to do. Was trying my butt off and here we are.”

About Toyota

Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in the U.S. for more than 65 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands, plus our nearly 1,500 dealerships. 

Toyota directly employs more than 49,000 people in the U.S. who have contributed to the design, engineering, and assembly of more than 34 million cars and trucks at our nine manufacturing plants. By 2025, Toyota’s 10th plant in North Carolina will begin to manufacture automotive batteries for electrified vehicles. With more electrified vehicles on the road than any other automaker, Toyota currently offers 28 electrified options.

Through its Driving Possibilities initiative, the Toyota USA Foundation has committed to creating innovative educational programs within, and in partnership with, historically underserved and diverse communities near the company’s U.S. operating sites.

For more information about Toyota, visit www.ToyotaNewsroom.com.

CORVETTE RACING IN BRAZIL: Progress Continues for TF Sport

By
Official Release
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Pair of Corvette Z06 GT3.Rs contend for season-best finishes at São Paulo

SÃO PAULO, Brazil (July 14, 2024) – TF Sport’s pair of Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.Rs showed their potential as the team’s FIA World Endurance Championship campaign continued to show improvements heading into the season’s stretch run… and a home race for the Corvette in the United States.

The No. 81 TF Sport trio of Tom Van Rompuy, Rui Andrade and Corvette factory driver Charlie Eastwood placed eighth in the 17-car LMGT3 field at the end of the Six Hours of São Paulo. It was their best result since the season’s second race at Imola. But the Brazil round also showed that podium finishes are likely on the horizon in the team’s first year with the Corvette platform.

Van Rompuy began eighth in LMGT3 but moved up two places in the opening 10 minutes. He was on his way into the top-five before he was hit by one of the GT3-class Porsches moments later and spun off the track. The No. 81 Corvette rejoined in 14th.

That put the No. 82 Z06 GT3.R of Hiroshi Koizumi as the lead Corvette, having moved to ninth from his 13th-place starting spot. Both he and Van Rompuy drove double-stints to start the race with both Corvettes in the top-10 by the time TF Sport made their first driver changes two hours in.

Andrade took over the No. 81 Corvette and was involved in a multi-car battle for fifth place with four cars racing within four seconds of each other. Meanwhile, Sebastien Baud took over the No. 82 Z06 GT3.R, which had to serve a drive-through penalty before the driver swap. Baud showed good pace and made the driver change factory driver Daniel Juncadella to go the rest of the way. Unfortunately on his way out onto the track, a mechanical problem sidelined the Corvette after 133 laps.

That left the No. 81 to battle the balance of the GT3 field. Andrade ran in the top five before handing over to Eastwood to drive nearly two-and-a-half hours to the end. Eastwood continued to contend for a top-five finish before an unfortunate penalty during a full-course caution period near the five-hour mark. He continued to show the potential of the Z06 GT3.R with the sixth-fastest lap of the 49 LMGT3 drivers in the race.

TF Sport’s next race in the FIA WEC is the Lone Star Le Mans from Circuit of The Americas in Austin from August 30-September 1.

TF SPORT POST-EVENT DRIVER QUOTES

CHARLIE EASTWOOD, NO. 81 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R – FINISHED EIGHTH IN LMGT3: “It was a tough race for us. The positive is the pace was really strong. A couple of things didn’t go our way with Tom getting caught up in a racing incident, which really put us on the back foot trying not to go a lap down. A late drive-through really took us out of it. Ultimately we were eight seconds from P4, but that meant P8. It was a super-strong performance with the car. It was really positive but unfortunately a couple things didn’t go our way.”

RUI ANDRADE, NO. 81 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R – FINISHED EIGHTH IN LMGT3: “There are some positives to take from today. We had some contact for Tom early. It was tough to manage my pace in my double-stint. Charlie looked incredibly quick at the end, so the car was definitely strong. If you take out the penalty and the contact, we could have been fighting for the podium. That’s the first time this year that we can say that, so that’s a big positive. The Corvette felt good all weekend and had no issues. We’ve taken some good steps forward. The pit stops were fine and we had no problems there. It’s tough to take when it doesn’t go your way but we have some positives to look at.”

TOM VAN ROMPUY, NO. 81 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R – FINISHED EIGHTH IN LMGT3: “It’s true that today we had a strong car. It was in good shape today. But we had the bad luck of one of the Porsches kicking us off the track and had a spin. So we had come all fighting from the back. We got it back to eighth after my double-stint. Then we had a couple of other things like a drive-through for a penalty under full-course yellow. The potential is there, and we showed it today with the Corvette. Everything just needs to fall together and we’ll get a good result. Hopefully in the next three races we can put it all together.”

DANIEL JUNCADELLA, NO. 82 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “Unfortunately coming out of the pits, I had a technical issue and the car wasn’t able to keep running. We’ll have to analyze to see what happened. It’s a shame because the car was running really well. Seb was really fast in that stint. It wasn’t meant to be this time.”

SEBASTIEN BAUD, NO. 82 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “We started well. It was a good qualifying result of the season for Hiroshi. For myself, I think it was a very good run. The car was good and fast. I liked it a lot. I tried to manage the tires to help with the degradation. The Corvette was good on this track. Unfortunately we had a mechanical problem that stopped us. I’m sorry for Dani because he didn’t get to drive today. We’ll try and come back stronger for COTA and the home race for Corvette. I hope we finish in the top-five. I really want a podium. The car is strong and the team is strong. We just need a chance to get up there, stay focused and keep pushing.”

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.

Ford Performance Notes and Quotes – Ryan Blaney Wins at Pocono (NCS Post Race Quotes)

By
Official Release
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Ford Performance Notes and Quotes
NASCAR Cup Series Post Race Quotes
Great American Getaway 400 | Pocono Raceway
Sunday, July 14, 2024

RYAN BLANEY TAMES THE TRICKY TRIANGLE

  • Ryan Blaney won his second race of the season and the 12th of his career today at Pocono Raceway.
  • The Cup victory is Blaney’s second at Pocono with the first coming with the Wood Brothers in 2017.
  • Ford has now won 6 of the last 10 races, including Joey Logano’s win in the All-Star Race.
  • Today’s win is Ford’s 733rd all-time in NASCAR Cup Series competition
  • It also marks Team Penske’s 97th series win with Ford.

UNOFFICIAL FORD FINISHING RESULTS
1st – Ryan Blaney
5th – Joey Logano
7th – Brad Keselowski
11th – Chris Buescher
15th – Chase Briscoe
18th – Austin Cindric
20th – Josh Berry
22nd – Justin Haley
24th – Michael McDowell
26th – Cody Ware
30th – Ryan Preece
31st – Harrison Burton
34th – Todd Gilliland
37th – Noah Gragson

RYAN BLANEY, No. 12 Wabash Ford Mustang Dark Horse (Finished 1st) – VICTORY LANE INTERVIEW

“I think things are just kind of falling into place for us. I feel like we have gotten to a great place on speed in the last two months, especially. I feel like we honestly had a couple races slip away from us which I thought we had a good shot at winning. It was nice to stick to the plan today and our plan was to have track position at the end. I knew our car was fast enough. I am super proud of the whole 12 team. The Wabash Ford Mustang was amazing. I appreciate Menards, Body Armour, the Wurth Group, Advance Auto Parts, DEX Imaging and everyone that makes this possible. It is so cool to win here again. I won here seven years ago for my first Cup win. The crowd, you guys were amazing. Thank you for being here all weekend.”

WOULD NINE-YEAR-OLD RYAN BLANEY BELIEVE THAT YOU WOULD HAVE TWO CUP WINS HERE? “

No, at the time I wasn’t thinking about that. I was trying to figure out how I was going to have fun that weekend and how to win that night. It was super special seven years ago to win here with the Wood Brothers and it is a special win here today. You love tracks that have special meaning to you, like your first win, and this place means so much to me. My fiancee and a ton of her family are here. I can’t wait to see them. I am so proud of the effort. I am looking forward to hopefully continuing this momentum to next week at the bosses track up in Indy.”

YOU TURNED IT ON AT THE RIGHT TIME TO WIN THE CHAMPIONSHIP LAST YEAR. AS WE SIT HERE MID-JULY, IS THIS THE BEST THE 12 TEAM HAS BEEN? “I think we are in a better spot at this time this year than where we were last year at this point. I feel like our speed is better. Our execution is great. We are doing everything as a 12 group the best that we can. We have had some other unforeseen circumstances that have hindered some finishes and possible wins. I am so proud of this Team Penske group. All the men and women at the race shop, they work their butts off to try to get better and deal with the drivers when they say we need to get a lot better. I appreciate them and Roush Yates Engines and all the work they do and continue to do. Go U.S.A.”

JOEY LOGANO, No. 22 Shell Pennzoil Ford Mustang Dark Horse (Finished 5th)

“Overall, a top five, you have to be somewhat happy with that. We had speed there toward the end of the race and I think we could have run in the top two. I don’t know if we could have been better than Ryan or not, but it just took us too long to get the balance right. Once we got the track position and the balance close, I about wrecked it on the restart. Those spots there kind of ultimately cost us a chance to win it, but overall I am proud of the speed that we brought to a track like this. It makes me look forward to Indy a little bit more where we have some long straightaways again and it seemed like our car was decent on the straightaways this time.”

RYAN PREECE, No 41 HaasTooling.com Ford Mustang Dark Horse

“I don’t know what happened. I haven’t seen a replay. All I know is we had a really good car for what started off as a completely bad day. It started to become a good day and then we got put in the back and that was that, so that is what you end up getting.”

TODD GILLILAND, No. 38 C.H. Reed Ford Mustang Dark Horse (Retired due to mechanical failure on lap 115)

WAS THE CAR GIVING YOU ANY INDICATION THERE WAS A PROBLEM?

“We fought with a little bit of brake shake through practice and a little at the beginning of the race. About five laps before that, my brake pedal started getting a little bit long. Then it just blew in the middle of the straightaway. I have never had that before. We have been really lucky. We have had some really well built Ford Mustangs coming out of Front Row Motorsports and haven’t had many mechanical issues the last three years. I thank those guys for giving us great cars. We will keep battling. Definitely not our best day to begin with and we have a lot of work to do but we will try to learn from it.”

NOAH GRAGSON, No. 10 Overstock.com Ford Mustang Dark Horse (Retired early due to accident on lap 14)

“I just got loose in turn one. We were battling and just got loose. Nobody got into me. I was all alone. I was just trying to make it until we got to the caution and could tighten it up a little bit but it just took off on me. It is definitely a bummer being out super early in the race but thanks to Overstock.com, and this whole 10 team. It hasn’t really been the weekend we hoped for through practice and qualifying and now into the race being out so early. Thanks to all the fans for their support. We will go on to Indy. Indy will be fun next week.”

“I was all by myself, we started off the race super loose and then it just kept getting worse and worse. I was trying to limp it to the end of the stage but it just took off on me in turn one. It is definitely a bummer. Oh well.”

CHEVROLET NCS AT POCONO: Post-Race Report

By
Official Release
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NASCAR CUP SERIES
POCONO RACEWAY
THE GREAT AMERICAN GETAWAY 400
TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE REPORT
JULY 14, 2024

 Bowman Collects Podium Finish to Lead Chevrolet at Pocono Raceway

  • For the second consecutive weekend, Hendrick Motorsports’ Alex Bowman led Chevrolet to the checkered flag in NASCAR’s top division – driving his No. 48 Ally Best Friends Camaro ZL1 to a third-place finish in ‘The Great American Getaway 400’.
  • The podium result came after a solid top-10 qualifying effort in his No. 48 Ally Best Friends Camaro ZL1. The 31-year-old Tucson, Arizona, native ran steady in the top-10 through much of the race – collecting crucial points in both stages of the 400-mile event.
  • Bowman, who solidified a playoff berth with his win in the Chicago Street Race last weekend, has now earned six top-fives and 12 top-10s in 21 points-paying NASCAR Cup Series races this season.
  • A trio of Hendrick Motorsports teammates drove Chevrolet to top-10 finishes at Pocono Raceway, with Bowman leading William Byron (No. 24 Raptor High Heat Camaro ZL1) in the fourth position, and Chase Elliott (No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Camaro ZL1) in the ninth position.
  • The 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season continues at Indianapolis Motor Speedway with the 30th running of the Brickyard 400 on Sunday, July 21, at 2:30 p.m. ET. Live coverage can be found on NBC and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

 
TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL TOP-10:
POS. DRIVER
3rd Alex Bowman
4th William Byron
9th Chase Elliott

WITH 21 POINTS-PAYING NASCAR CUP SERIES RACES COMPLETE:

Wins: 9
Poles: 7
Top-Five Finishes: 38
Top-10 Finishes: 79
Stage Wins: 12

 TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE QUOTES:

Ross Chastain, No. 1 Busch Light Peach Camaro ZL1
Sidelined by damage sustained in an accident in Stage Two.
Finished: 36th

What started that at the exit of turn three? Did you feel something, or did it just get away from you?

“I just spun out.”

Was it loose or tight during the race, or was that a surprise that it spun out?

“I just flat spun out. We were all sliding around, but I just spun out.”

Talk about your frustration right now, obviously not what you wanted..

“It felt like it happened in slow motion. Yeah, obviously frustrated with myself, but can’t take it back now.”

Are you feeling momentum sliding away after the last couple of weeks, or are you worried now about the bubble at all?

“I’m just worried about why I spun out. I’m a racecar driver in the NASCAR Cup Series, I shouldn’t be doing that. You don’t see us do that too often, so when I do it myself, I’m as surprised as everybody else.”

Can you go back and look at data? How much will data tell you?

“Yeah, but I was in the seat. I felt it slip and I didn’t catch it.”

Was there anything about the balance of the race car that indicated that was possible?

“Oh yeah.. they’re Cup cars, they can always spin out. But we’re supposed to be good enough to catch it.”

Kyle Busch, No. 8 Zone/GetGo Camaro ZL1
Sidelined from damage sustained in an accident in the Final Stage.
Finished: 32nd

Busch on the accident that ended his day early:

“I just want to give thanks to all of our partners. Everybody at RCR, ECR, zone, Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen, Lucas Oil, Chevrolet.. everybody that supports us. We’re having the opportunity to go out there and have some fun; try to continue to work on our program and build everything up. It’s just unfortunate circumstances. Thank you to Rowdy Nation, all the fans and everybody for their continued support. We’ll go back to work and get ready for Indianapolis.”

Any idea of what happened out there?

“That’s just racing these days.. it’s what happens.”

William Byron, No. 24 Raptor High Heat Camaro ZL1
Finished: 4th

You ran up front all day. Didn’t get a chance to lead this race, but talk about how the race played out for you today.

“We were just kind of okay. Definitely had a decent No. 24 Raptor High Heat Chevy. Really good execution and everyone did a good job of just keeping their heads in it. Not every situation went our way with the strategy, but we were able to have decent restarts, especially at the end there, and just kind of maintained it to the end. Definitely a lot of things to dissect, but really proud of the team and just good to get a top-five, for sure.”

Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 Sugarlands Sippin’ Cream Camaro ZL1
Sidelined by damage sustained in an accident in the final stage.
Finished: 33rd

Stenhouse Jr. on the accident that ended his day early at Pocono Raceway:

“I have no clue what happened. I was in the top lane. My team said the No. 8 (Kyle Busch) somehow ended up in the grass and came across the track. I don’t know how that happened. I feel like from where we started the day, our strategy was good. The speed in our No. 47 Sugarlands Sippin’ Cream Chevy was decent. We were inside the top-20, really, the whole second-half of the race. I thought we were in good position. We were on four tires there, while there were a lot of guys on two. I was hoping that was going to pay off later on in that run, but we didn’t really get a chance to see how that would work out.”

How frustrating is this? It’s a tough track anyways..

“Yeah, it’s so hard to pass. We’re all so close on speed, so track position is really all that matters. You have five cars that I feel like can drive through the field. Everybody else, if you put us sixth or seventh, we’ll kind of stay sixth or seventh. I think that’s the aggressiveness on the restarts; trying to get that track position, knowing this was towards the end of race. If you have good track position, then you can keep it and get a good finish. It’s just part of it.”

Did you have a visual of the No. 8 (Kyle Busch)?

“I saw him (Kyle Busch) at the last second. I went as high as I could, without getting too far up into the grey. I tried to throttle up to get by him, and he still just clipped me kind of in the left-rear there.”

Alex Bowman, No. 48 Ally Camaro ZL1
Finished: 3rd

Bowman on this third-place finish at Pocono Raceway:

“We struggled with our car a lot in dirty air. Once we got clean air there in the end, I think most of our adjustments kind of hurt us a little bit; just got too free. Proud of my No. 48 Ally Best Friends Chevy team. It was a good run; we just needed a little bit more to get to the No. 12 (Ryan Blaney). Once I abused the right-rear tire for so long, it made Denny’s (Hamlin) job pretty easy to get around me. But yeah, it was a solid third-place day.”

Two excellent weeks in a row for the No. 48 team. Are you feeling it?

“Yeah, for sure. I think it was important to come here and have another good day after our win last week. We’re going to a special race track next weekend, so hopefully we can get the job done there.”

Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Worldwide Express Camaro ZL1
Finished: 16th

“It was an up-and-down day for the No. 99 Worldwide Express Chevy team. We didn’t have as much speed as we thought we would have. We were OK in clean air, but in traffic, for some reason we struggled a lot.. I feel like more than the competition. Overall, there were a few things we could do better, but we finished 16th. We’ll take that for the car we had and the speed we showed today. Yesterday, I thought we were going to be a little bit better, but we’ll go back; analyze everything and get better for next time.”

 
 

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.

Cicero Collects Mazda MX-5 Cup Win Number Two in Canada

By
Official Release
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BOWMANVILLE, Ont. CANADA (July 14, 2024) – With five minutes left in the Round 10 Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup presented by Michelin race at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, it didn’t look like a win was in the cards for Nate Cicero (No. 83 McCumbee McAleer Racing). Then, a series of events transpired that quickly launched Cicero from fifth to first. Joining him on the podium was rookie Julian DaCosta (No. 78 JTR Motorsports Engineering) and the driver with more Mazda MX-5 Cup starts than anyone else: Alex Bachoura (No. 33 Spark Performance).

In a déjà vu moment that echoed Saturday’s race finish, the driver who crossed the finish line first, was not declared the winner. Jeremy Fletcher (No. 22 McCumbee McAleer Racing) had been issued a 10-second penalty earlier in the race for contact with another car. With the time penalty assessed at the checkered flag, the win went to his teammate Cicero.

Another similarity to Saturday’s race was the number of cars in the lead pack. A train of 11 cars circulated the track nose-to-tail and Cicero was right in the middle of it.

“I was struggling a little bit coming onto the straight,” Cicero said. “With the pack stacking up, it was kind of hard to time your acceleration point if you’re in the middle of a pack. I was just trying to stay in my spot and keep working with Jeremy [Fletcher].”

At the front of the pack, polesitter Jared Thomas (No. 96 JTR Motorsports Engineering) was working with teammate Aaron Jeansonne (No. 24 JTR Motorsports Engineering) to keep the lead and hold off Saturday’s race winner, Westin Workman (No. 13 BSI Racing).

When contact damaged Jeansonne’s wheel and necessitated a pit stop, Workman began to take looks at Thomas for the win. It was about this time that Workman and Gresham Wagner (No. 5 McCumbee McAleer Racing) made contact, sending Wagner into the Turn Nine tires. This brought out the first of two full-course caution periods during the 45-minute race.

Workman resumed his fight with Thomas when the green flag came back out, but this time he was being pressured by Thomas’ teammate, Nathan Nicholson (No. 56 JTR Motorsports Engineering).

The trio came together in the same spot as Wagner’s crash. Unbelievably, nobody spun or hit the wall, but the three leaders all took evasive action to stay pointed straight. That was all Fletcher needed to go from fifth to first.

“I just saw a little bit of contact and they [Thomas, Nicholson and Workman] all went wide and Jeremy and I were able to go through,” Cicero said.

A lap later, the safety car was deployed again for Heather Hadley (No. 54 BSI Racing), who lost a wheel exiting Turn Eight, sending her sideways into the tire wall. Hadley walked away unscathed, but less than three minutes remained on the race clock, so the race ended under yellow.

Cicero was ecstatic as he crossed the finish line, but not for himself; he was unaware of Fletcher’s 10-second penalty.

“I was so happy for him [Fletcher] to get his first win and was celebrating with him across the line,” Cicero said. “No one told me that he had gotten a penalty. I feel for him. He’s going to get a win this year, probably multiple. He’s been super-fast even in the backup car, so I know he’ll get it soon.”

He continued to heap praise on his MMR teammates for helping him get the win and was greeted at the podium by Wagner, who was unharmed in his lap eight incident.

“(After Saturday’s race) I learned a lot about where to pass,” Cicero said. “Especially from watching my teammates’ videos and seeing what they’re doing different than me. We have four amazing drivers on the team. We’re all in the top 10 usually, so there’s a lot to learn for all of us and we can all help each other.”

The drivers sharing the podium with Cicero were equally surprised.

DaCosta, the runner-up, started the race dead last due to an engine change after Race 1. It is the rookie’s first podium finish.

“Yesterday was a bit more than heartbreaking,” DaCosta said. “Today definitely lifted everybody’s hearts and spirits and I want to thank everybody coming into this weekend. I’m really excited to be partnering with the Austin Hatcher Foundation and I think we have a lot ahead of us now and we’re gonna continue this positive energy for sure.”

Earlier this year Bachoura took over the record for the most MX-5 Cup race starts. After more than 100 races, he finished on the podium for only the second time Sunday. Bachoura was elated with the third-place finish. He knew incidents and penalties played a part but was rightly proud of his driving.

“It was unexpected,” Bachoura said. “I was in fourth and I knew the race finished, but when I heard there was a penalty and I was third, I was ecstatic. I love being lucky, but I did stick with the front pack the whole time. Sparky and Spark Performance gave me an amazing car. I felt like I had the fastest car in the turns. It was a really good car, good driving and a little bit of luck.”

Jeansonne went on to finish fourth, salvaging valuable championship points.

Woody Heimann (No. 82 JTR Motorsports Engineering) earned a career-best fifth place.

He was followed by Mazda Women in Motorsport Scholarship winner Sally Mott (No. 15 Spark Performance) who earned a career-best sixth.

Mazda MX-5 Cup teams have a break before Rounds 11 and 12 at VIRginia International Raceway, August 23 – 25.

All MX-5 Cup races are available to re-watch anytime on the RACER and IMSA YouTube channels.

About: The Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup presented by Michelin is the signature spec series for Mazda Motorsports. The series has been operated by Andersen Promotions since 2017 and is currently sanctioned by IMSA. Mazda-powered grassroots champions can earn Mazda scholarships for this pro-level series. The Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup awards more than $1 million in prizes and scholarships.

Find out more at http://www.mx-5cup.com.

Cadillac at Brazil: Battling back for solid result

By
Official Release
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No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R holds distinction of only Hypercar to qualify in top 4 past 3 races

SAO PAULO, Brazil (July 14, 2024) – In what could have been a disappointing end to a promising start Sunday in the Rolex 6 Hours of Sao Paulo, the Cadillac Racing team battled back from a mid-race delay to challenge for a points-paying position.

Earl Bamber and Alex Lynn, driving the No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R, didn’t put a wheel wrong and finished 13th in the fifth round of the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) after an unscheduled pit stop in the hotly contested race among 19 Hypercar competitors diminished a run for the podium.

The No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R qualified fourth to mark the third consecutive race it secured a top-four starting spot and earn the distinction of being the only Hypercar entry to qualify on the top two rows in each of the past three Hyperpole sessions.

Bamber held the starting position for the most part through his initial two stints on the tight and twisting 2.677-mile (4.409 km), 15-turn Autódromo José Carlos Pace circuit that significantly stresses right-side Michelin tires.

With 3 hours, 55 minutes left and running fourth in the 19-car order, Bamber gave way to Lynn for the middle section of the race. With four fresh tires, fuel and energy replenished, Lynn was in position to challenge the leaders. But two laps into the stint, he reported a vibration, and the Chip Ganassi Racing-run crew called him in for examination.

Though the issue was quickly resolved, Lynn dropped to the bottom of the running order and battled his way to 14th before handing off the wheel to Bamber to close out the final 1 hour, 31 minutes of the WEC’s return to Interlagos after a 10-year absence. Following the final service stop for right-side tires and fuel/energy with 39 minutes remaining, Bamber pushed without fuel concerns to the checkered flag.

The No. 8 Toyota GR010, which qualified second, won the race.

Lynn’s best lap in Hyperpole was only .256 of a second off the pole-winning time and .134 of a second from a third consecutive front-row start. The No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R qualified second at Spa-Francorchamps and at Circuit de la Sarthe for the 24 Hours of Le Mans in the previous outings.

For editorial use: Cadillac Racing photos from the Sao Paulo race weekend

The next WEC race is Sept. 1 at Circuit of The Americas in Austin, Texas, where Bamber is a two-time winner in WEC competition. Bamber and Lynn will participate in a two-day test next week at the circuit in preparation for the Lone Star Le Mans.

Alex Lynn: “We unfortunately had a problem on the pit stop where we had to come back in and reseat the right-front wheel and that took us out of contention for a good result today. That’s the margins in WEC. Any small error will cost you dearly, and unfortunately that was us today. I think we had a solid race, a solid car and good performance. It’s just a shame not to reward everyone for the efforts. (qualifying in top four in each of the past three races) It’s a credit to the team and credit for all the hard work we do. Certainly, on one lap we manage to pull out a good result. Now we just want to put it in the race.”

Earl Bamber: “We managed to fight back, have good car speed but seem to have misfortune every race. We need to work out some details, execute better so we can score some points.”

CORVETTE RACING AT CTMP: A Corvette 1-2 in Canada!

By
Official Release
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Sims, Garcia lead way to first IMSA win for Z06 GT3.R in Chevrolet Grand Prix

BOWMANVILLE, Ontario, Canada (July 14, 2024) – Alexander Sims and Antonio Garcia led a 1-2 class finish for the Corvette Z06 GT3.R on Sunday as Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports swept to the top of GTD PRO in the Chevrolet Grand Prix at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park.

Sims and Garcia in the No. 3 Corvette delivered the first victory for the Z06 GT3.R in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. The pairing began from pole position and led 109 of 113 laps en route to a 0.408-second victory over Tommy Milner and Nicky Catsburg in the No. 4 Corvette following a late-race restart.

“Congratulations to Antonio Garcia, Alexander Sims and the No. 3 team on winning the Chevrolet Grand Prix today at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park for the first victory in IMSA with the Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R,” said Scott Bell, Vice President, Global Chevrolet. “This is one of the world’s toughest categories of racing with a strong and deep field of GT manufacturers and teams. The high levels of performance, reliability and execution from the Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports drivers, crew and engineers were evident throughout the race. We congratulate them and the entire team for the hard-earned, 1-2 GTD PRO finish today.”

The Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports team has been knocking on the door of the elusive first win in the WeatherTech Championship since the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring in March with leads in the last five races. Milner and Catsburg gave the Z06 GT3.R its first podium finish at Laguna Seca with Garcia and Sims finishing third in the last round at Watkins Glen.

Closing the deal this weekend at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park was fitting as the Corvette Racing program won for the 13th time at the circuit. Garcia went back-to-back in class after scoring a victory last year with Jordan Taylor in the Corvette C8.R.

Sims and Milner each drove the first half of the race with Milner making the first move for a driver change to Catsburg in hopes of leap-frogging the sister Corvette. Sims pitted two laps later from the lead with Garcia re-emerging ahead of the No. 4 Corvette for the run to the end.

Garcia’s lead remained between five and seven seconds until a full-course yellow with 16 minutes to go. That bunched up the GTD PRO field with a number of GTD-class cars ahead of them at the restart. Both Garcia and Catsburg worked their way through the slower cars to keep their positions to the checkered flag.

AWA’s home race in the No. 13 Corvette ended early when it was pushed off-track and into the tires at Turn Three. Orey Fidani had climbed to second in GTD from 11th at the start before contact from behind sent the Corvette into the barriers. The Z06 GT3.R’s safety systems and chassis structure did their jobs as Fidani climbed out of his car under his own power. He was evaluated and released from the infield care center shortly thereafter.

Meanwhile the AWA team displayed the never-give-up spirit of the Corvette Racing program and attempted to get the car back into the race, but the damage was too great.

The next race for the Corvette Z06 GT3.R in IMSA is August 2-4 at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wis.

CORVETTE RACING BY PRATT MILLER MOTORSPORTS POST-RACE DRIVER QUOTES

ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R – GTD PRO RACE WINNER: “This is huge for the entire Corvette program. I’m glad that we could finally get the first win in IMSA for the Z06 GT3.R and to get my first win with Alex. We just need to carry on like this and build on the things we have been doing. More wins will come.

“This ranks pretty high in my career. I got the first win for C7.R and C8.R, so this is brilliant! I’m happy with that! I’m so happy for the team. We’ve been so close. The pace has been there all year but we just didn’t quite make it or had issues or we weren’t in the right position. We’ve been knocking on the door for a long time. We finally got it to happen so I’m very happy for everyone at Corvette Racing and the Pratt Miller team.”

(On the late-race restart) “I thought about it right before the yellow. I was sure there was quite a big potential to have a yellow at the end. It seems like it always happens. I think I was being gentle with the tires that I had so I was able to push at the end. It was tough to be in the middle of the GTDs. They were fighting and we were fighting. But I was able to stay ahead of him. It was fantastic to bring a 1-2 for Corvette Racing.”

ALEXANDER SIMS, NO. 3 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R – GTD PRO RACE WINNER: “It was nice. To be able to lead the race from the get-go is always the place you want to be. The pace of the Corvette has been good for most of the season, to be honest. We’ve definitely gotten stronger as the season has gone on. Everything worked really well from the start. Tommy got past the Lexus, so I knew I had him behind me. It’s always nice when you have your teammate right behind you. The car was working well all week. I felt like I was in a good rhythm. I love driving around this place. Antonio was a very good, safe set of hands to bring it home.”

“Superb. We’ve had some pace this year at times. The car has been so good today. We were able to execute a really nice race and to be able to generally manage things from the front which is what you generally want to do. The Corvette has worked super-well this weekend. Pratt Miller has done a great job. We nailed the strategy, coming up aces when we needed to. It’s been a wonderful weekend.”

(On the late restart against the No. 4 Corvette): “You never know what Nicky is going to do! He’s a bit of a wild card! He’s a fantastic driver as well. He’s the best of the best basically. I’m sure he knew what he was doing, and I’ve got full confidence in Antonio as well. They are the perfect guys to bring it home one-two for the team. We all know how important it is to get this result. It’s amazing to get two wins here, but I want more.”

TOMMY MILNER, NO. 4 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R – RUNNER-UP IN GTD PRO: “I’m absolutely happy with this. There’s nothing better – a 1-2 for the team. Both cars executed really well today. We had fast cars, for sure, but we did everything right. We had decent qualifying too and that helped. The start of the race was pretty good for me in getting by the Lexus and then was into a lead-follow with Alex there for awhile. It got a little hectic with some of the rocket ships in our class passing us from five or six car-lengths back so I had to fight that off a little bit. It’s a great day for Corvette Racing and a great day for Pratt Miller Motorsports. We thought this racetrack would suit us pretty well which it certainly did. I’m glad that we as a whole team executed from top to bottom and got the result we deserved today.”

NICKY CATSBURG, NO. 4 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R – RUNNER-UP IN GTD PRO: “This is a great result for the team. I’m extremely happy because we’ve been waiting for this result for quite awhile. I’m glad we finally had everything going our way with the yellows and so on. I’m really, really happy because I feel we deserved this.”

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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