Ford Performance Notes and Quotes NASCAR Cup Series Iowa Corn 350 Qualifying | Sunday, June 16, 2024
RYAN BLANEY CLINCHES PLAYOFF SPOT WITH INAUGURAL IOWA WIN
Ryan Blaney won his first race of the season tonight as he captured the inaugural Iowa Corn 350.
This is the second inaugural race Blaney has won, following his Charlotte Roval victory in 2018.
The win is Blaney’s 11th career triumph and clinches a spot in the playoffs.
Today’s win is Ford’s 731st all-time in NASCAR Cup Series competition.
It also marks Team Penske’s 95th series win with Ford.
RYAN BLANEY, No. 12 Advance Auto Parts Ford Mustang Dark Horse – VICTORY LANE INTERVIEW – DID THIS ONE MEAN A LITTLE MORE? “Yeah, definitely. What a cool way to win here. This place means a lot to me and means a lot to my mom. We had a lot of people here tonight cheering us on, so they willed us to that one. Overall, I really appreciate the whole 12 boys. I mean, our car was really fast all night and we got a little bit better through the night and two tires was a good call there. I didn’t know how well I was gonna hold on. I started to struggle a little bit at the end, but had enough to hang on. I’m super proud of the effort. I appreciate Advance Auto Parts, Ford, Ford Performance, Menards, Discount Tire, Wurth, Snap On, DEX Imaging, Wabash – everything they do. It makes up a little bit from a couple weeks ago.”
HOW IS THE GOING TO WORK. ARE ALL 80 COMING TO VICTORY LANE? “I hope so. I don’t know. We’ll see, but I’m looking forward to seeing them. It’s always good to have family and I’ve been super lucky to have family that supports me through my career and it’s great that they’re still supporting me just as much as they day on Day 1. I always appreciate this sold out crowd. It was a cool weekend and really cool to win the first Cup race here. I can’t wait for us to come back for many more years.”
THAT’S A RARE BURNOUT. “Yeah. Home track. I’ve got to. It means a lot. It’s cool to win in a Truck here, an Xfinity car here and now a Cup car. That was cool. I’m worn out. It was a long race and driving hard. I figured I deserved a burnout, so hopefully Dale Inman isn’t too mad at me.”
UNOFFICIAL FORD FINISHING RESULTS: 1st – Ryan Blaney 6th – Joey Logano 7th – Josh Berry 10th – Brad Keselowski 12th – Todd Gilliland 13th – Justin Haley 16th – Noah Gragson 18th – Chris Buescher 20th – Harrison Burton 23rd – Michael McDowell 27th – Ryan Preece 28th – Chase Briscoe 30th – Austin Cindric 33rd – Kaz Grala
JOSH BERRY, No. 4 Overstock.com Ford Mustang Dark Horse – “I thought we had a really good race and a really good car. To score stage points like we did we had some great restarts in there and just that last restart didn’t really go our way. We lost a little bit of track position and just could never get it back, but, all in all, just really proud of everybody on the 4 team. They did a great job. That was a lot of fun, for sure. We’re gonna keep digging to keep getting better.”
DID YOU GET ANY DAMAGE WHEN YOU RAN INTO STENHOUSE BEFORE THAT RESTART? “I don’t know. It’s hard to say what that did. Obviously, it probably hurt it a little bit, but I think losing that much track position on the restart was more than anything. All in all, it was still a good day and I’m proud of our guys. We’ll keep digging.”
JOEY LOGANO, No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Ford Mustang Dark Horse – “We put ourselves in position there to win the race with the two-tire call. I just didn’t re-fire good on two. I tried to race Blaney and couldn’t hold him off and then I just kind of got swallowed up by a couple cars pretty quick. We just didn’t have enough fire-off. I think if I could have got out front, I probably would have been OK, but I couldn’t get out there.”
BRAD KESELOWSKI, No. 6 King’s Hawaiian/Casey’s Ford Mustang Dark Horse – “Not bad. We just kind of ran in that eighth to 10th place spot for pretty much the whole race and sometimes a little worse. That’s kind of what we had and we just executed around it.”
HOW WAS THE TRACK AND TIRE WEAR FOR YOU? “Our car was really good on the long runs. I liked that long run, but the short runs we just didn’t have enough speed.”
NOAH GRAGSON, No. 10 Bass Pro Shops Winchester Ford Mustang Dark Horse – “It was a long, hot day. We struggled fine-tuning on the car. It was kind of loose in and tight center all race and never really got over any of the two. We rebounded saving fuel at the end and finished 16th.”
CHASE BRISCOE, No. 14 Mahindra USA 30 Years Ford Mustang Dark Horse – “We were really good at the beginning and the first pit stop we lost like 10 spots. It was just downhill from there. Everything that could go wrong went wrong. The pit stops again later in the race, we kept losing spots. The caution comes out at the worst time and traps us and then we were gonna get the wavearound and the 47 stays out and we’re one car behind him. Anything that could have gone wrong.”
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Getting into a car accident is the worst-case scenario for many. People hate the possibility of getting involved in a car accident or being a part of it, simply because the aftermath often involves medical assistance, months of recovery treatments depending on the severity of your injuries, medical bills, wages, and more. Then there is the insurance company and their claims, and even the possibility of you being charged for something if you happen to say something wrong to the police in a state of shock. Now, all this makes the accident less scary compared to all the things that followed the accident itself. All this might be prevented if you take all the necessary steps ahead of time and make sure to talk to someone with the proper legal expertise. In the text below, we’ll discuss why always seeking and having legal help and counseling after an accident is the right path to take. Read on!
Getting the Evidence
The preservation of evidence is crucial in the aftermath of a car crash. From any scratch marks and skid marks to damaged parts of the car and injuries you might have received, all this falls under the same category – crucial evidence you can use in court. Now, most people, due to a lack of proper knowledge and understanding of the law, often neglect all this and keep going their way, hoping for the best. A professional with the right expertise will tell you immediately to gather all the evidence you can while at the scene of the accident. If you seek legal help and call your lawyer, they’ll probably advise you to leave everything as it is, to take pictures, and not to talk to the police while in a state of shock.
Navigating the Complex Legal System
Now, in the aftermath of a car crash, the legal technicalities and all the details you’ll have to look out for can become complex and quite boring. From filling out the right paperwork to going to court hearings, discussing your compensation with the insurance company, and more, all this awaits you at some point. Another thing to look out for is the legal jargon that many don’t understand, which can become confusing at some point. Now, getting a lawyer solves all these issues, as they’ll help you navigate through all of this successfully and with ease. Of course, if you’re not sure where to look, we always advise going for someone local due to the specific laws that might only apply to the state you live in. You can look around and search for top car accident lawyers in Pittsburgh or any other place and find the right person for the job with the right set of expertise to help you get the rightful compensation you’re entitled to. It’s always easier to have someone at your side while going through this process.
Getting a Better Deal
One thing everyone has to understand is that most insurance companies are trying to minimize the payout and they’ll find ways to somehow claim the accident was your fault. They don’t need to cover all the costs and expenses. Yes, it seems strange as you’re the one paying the insurance company for monthly installation for this purpose alone but it’s a business like any other so no surprise there. Now, with the right lawyer at your side to help you navigate the situation and the legal technicalities, you might just be able to avoid exactly this and maximize your compensation. Your attorney will help you discuss terms and conditions and they’ll help you understand all the technicalities you might not understand. So, with the help of your lawyer, you’ll be able to get the best deal out of the whole thing!
Serve and Protect
The main purpose of your lawyer is to protect you from any form of false accusations, any form of false imprisonment, misconduct, or anything else that might put you in a position where you’re the accused instead of the accuser. Now, lawyers have years of experience and the right set of expertise to make things right and to make sure you don’t get blamed for something you haven’t done. You can always relax and be completely transparent about what you did with your lawyer, how it happened, and what to expect from this moment on. They’ll give you the best legal advice on how to act, what to do, how to avoid imprisonment, or how to get compensation. Your lawyer’s purpose is to protect your rights at all costs.
The Statute of Limitation
According to the law, there is a specific time frame when you can file a lawsuit. Within that time frame, you might be able to get the compensation you need but if the statute of limitation has passed, the chances of the lawsuit standing in court are slim. Seeking legal help immediately after helps you avoid exactly this and makes it possible to file the lawsuit at the right time and at the right moment. Your lawyer will help you navigate the legal complexity of the limitations and establish an exact timeframe for the accident. If you’re waiting too long, you might just miss this small opening to make a real change in life.
Less Stress
When it comes to the aftermath of the accident, the most important thing is to stress less and that’s almost impossible as the whole process seems quite complex and hard to navigate. But, with the help of a professional, you might just be able to do exactly that and simply relax and experience less stress than you usually would, as your lawyer will take care of the rest. With the help of a legal professional, you can relax while your lawyer takes care of the rest. This way, you can focus on your full recovery instead of worrying about all the legal technicalities.
Being involved in a car accident is stressful enough on its own, and it’s understandable why people experience the kind of shock they do and why they seem completely lost and confused. Of course, it’s only normal and natural but seeking the help of a professional helps you go through this period without putting too much strain on your mental well-being.
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The reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion Ryan Blaney made Iowa Speedway his “Field of Dreams” for the day after he muscled through to a dominant win in the inaugural Iowa Corn 350 on Sunday, June 16.
The 30-year-old Blaney from High Point, North Carolina, led four times for a career-high 201 of 350-scheduled laps in an event where he started on the front row alongside pole-sitter Kyle Larson and led for the first time on the second lap following an early lap skirmish with Larson.
With mixed strategies and tire wear ensuing throughout the event, Blaney, who spent the majority of the event running towards the front and won the first stage period, cycled back into the lead following a two-tire pit stop call during a late caution period with 92 laps remaining. Once he muscled away from the field during the event’s final restart period with 84 laps remaining, he proceeded to weave his way through lapped traffic and fend off a late charge from William Byron and his four fresh tires to triumph for the first time in the 2024 Cup Series season and place both himself and his No. 12 Team Penske Ford team into Playoff contention.
With on-track qualifying that determined the starting lineup occurring on Saturday, June 15, Kyle Larson notched his fourth Cup pole position of the 2024 season and the 20th of his career after posting a pole-winning lap at 136.458 mph in 23.084 seconds. Joining him on the front row was Ryan Blaney, who clocked in the second-fastest qualifying lap at 136.311 mph in 23.109 seconds.
Prior to the event, Christopher Bell and Austin Cindric dropped to the rear of the field in backup cars after both wrecked their primary cars during Friday’s practice session.
When the green flag waved and the event commenced, the field fanned out through the frontstretch as Kyle Larson and Ryan Blaney dueled for the lead through the first two turns and the backstretch. As they continued to duel for the lead through Turns 3 and 4, Larson managed to edge Blaney to lead the first lap. Blaney, however, would assume the lead from Larson during the following lap amid contact with Larson through Turns 3 and 4 and proceeded to lead during the next two laps while the field behind continued to fan out and jostle for early spots.
On the third lap, the event’s first caution period flew after rookie Carson Hocevar got into the rear of teammate/rookie Zane Smith, which got Smith loose and resulted in him getting into teammate Corey LaJoie as LaJoie and his No. 7 Gainbridge/Iowa Hawkeyes Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 entry spun into the outside wall through Turns 1 and 2. During the event’s first caution period, some drivers, including LaJoie, Erik Jones, Michael McDowell and Kaz Grala pitted while the rest, led by Blaney, remained on the track.
When the event restarted under green on the ninth lap, Larson managed to muscle ahead of Blaney and reassume the lead. With Larson ahead of the field with the lead by the Lap 10 mark, Chase Briscoe overtook Blaney for the runner-up spot as teammate Josh Berry and Tyler Reddick battled in the top five ahead of Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin, Joey Logano, William Byron and Daniel Suarez.
Through the first 20 scheduled laps, Larson extended his advantage, leading by more than a second over Blaney, while Briscoe, Reddick and Kyle Busch trailed in the top five. Behind, Josh Berry occupied sixth place ahead of Joey Logano, Daniel Suarez, William Byron and Justin Haley while Chase Elliott, Ross Chastain, Brad Keselowski, Bubba Wallace and Harrison Burton were racing in the top 15 ahead of AJ Allmendinger, Ryan Preece, Ty Gibbs, Chris Buescher and Alex Bowman. Meanwhile, Noah Gragson was mired in 21st ahead of Denny Hamlin, Austin Cindric, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Corey LaJoie while Todd Gilliland, Martin Truex Jr., Carson Hocevar, Zane Smith and Christopher Bell were in the top 30 on the track.
Ten laps later, Larson stretched his advantage, leading by more than three seconds over Blaney while third-place Briscoe trailed by nine seconds. As Reddick and Berry occupied the top-five spots on the track, Suarez, Byron, Busch, Haley and Logano trailed in the top 10 while Truex, Wallace and Hamlin drifted back to 25th, 27th and 33rd, respectively. In addition, Keselowski, who started in the top five, was mired in 14th behind Ty Gibbs while Cindric and Bell, were up to 23rd and 24th, respectively, after starting at the rear of the field in backup cars,
Another 10 laps later, Larson stabilized his advantage to three seconds over Blaney while Briscoe, Berry and Byron trailed in the top five by 10 seconds. By then, Hamlin, who was mired in 34th place, was lapped by the leaders while Chris Buescher, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Truex, Michael McDowell, Cindric, Allmendinger, Wallace and Austin Dillon were mired outside the top 20 on the track.
At the Lap 50 mark, Larson was mired in lapped traffic and had his advantage shrink to one-and-a-half seconds over runner-up Blaney while third-place Berry and fourth-place Byron trailed by nine seconds. With Briscoe trailing by 10 seconds in fifth place, LaJoie, who was involved in an early spin, was up to 19th place on four fresh tires while Austin Dillon, John Hunter Nemechek and Stenhouse, all of whom were running within the top 30, were lapped by Larson.
A lap later, the event’s second caution period flew when AJ Allmendinger, who was racing in the mid-pack region, ran his No. 16 Action Industries Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 entry straight into the outside wall in between Turns 1 and 2 after he blew a right-front tire. It marked his second wreck of the weekend at Iowa Speedway after he wrecked out of Saturday’s Xfinity Series event due to a blown right-front tire.
During the event’s second caution period, nearly all of the lead lap field led by Larson pitted for fresh tires and fuel while Daniel Suarez and Brad Keselowski remained on the track. Following the pit stops, Larson exited pit road first and was followed by Blaney, Byron, Berry, LaJoie, Elliott, Kyle Busch, Chastain, Wallace and Logano, respectively. Amid the pit stops, Justin Haley was penalized for equipment interference.
The start of the next restart period on Lap 58 featured Larson navigating his way past both Suarez and Keselowski for nearly a lap as he led the proceeding lap. With Larson continuing to lead by the Lap 60 mark, Blaney assumed the runner-up spot while Suarez was trying to fend off Berry, Byron, LaJoie, Keselowski, Logano, Busch and a bevy of competitors for third place. Blaney would then assume the lead from Larson on Lap 61 while Suarez retained third place ahead of Berry, Byron and LaJoie. Despite Ty Gibbs scraping the outside wall entering the backstretch, the event remained under green flag conditions.
When the first stage period concluded on Lap 70, Blaney, who was battling a potential cool suit issue amid the warm temperatures, fended off a late challenge from Larson to capture his second Cup stage victory of the 2024 season. Suarez settled in third place while Byron, Berry, Logano, LaJoie, Keselowski, Elliott and Busch were scored in the top 10.
Under the stage break, a majority of the field led by Suarez and including Keselowski and LaJoie, pitted while the rest led by Blaney remained on the track. Amid the pit stops, Daniel Hemric was penalized for speeding on pit road.
The second stage period started on Lap 77 as Blaney and Larson occupied the front row. At the start, the field fanned out as Larson rocketed ahead of Blaney to reassume the lead. With Larson leading, teammates Byron and Elliott battled for third place along with Logano while Busch was in sixth place ahead of Bowman, Chastain, Briscoe and McDowell. Meanwhile, Bell was up to 11th place while Berry was back in 12th.
Then on Lap 80, the caution returned after John Hunter Nemechek and Noah Gragson, both of whom were fighting outside the top 20 on the track, made contact entering Turn 4. Nemechek sent Gragson spinning sideways but Gragson managed to quickly straighten his No. 10 Bass Pro Shops Winchester Ford Mustang Dark Horse entry without hitting the wall and continue. During the caution period, Larson, who radioed tire concerns, surrendered the lead to pit for fresh tires for his No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 entry as Blaney returned atop the leaderboard.
With the event restarting under green on Lap 86, Blaney and Byron dueled for the lead through the first two turns until Blaney managed to clear Byron and muscle ahead through the backstretch. As Elliott got sideways entering the backstretch, Logano charged to the runner-up spot and began to intimidate teammate Blaney for the lead while Byron, Busch, Chastain and Bowman trailed in the top six. With a multitude of competitors jostling for spots within the mid-pack region, Blaney retained the lead by two-tenths of a second over teammate Logano just past the Lap 90 mark while Byron and Busch tried to close in.
At the Lap 100 mark, Blaney was leading by a tenth of a second over teammate Logano followed by Byron, Berry and Elliott as Busch, Chastain, McDowell, Bowman and Suarez occupied the top 10. Behind, Briscoe was in 11th ahead of a hard-charging Larson while Wallace, Reddick and Ty Gibbs were battling in the top 15 ahead of Bell, LaJoie, Keselowski, Cindric and Hocevar. Meanwhile, Gragson was trapped in 23rd place behind Preece and Austin Dillon while Truex, Stenhouse, Haley, Gilliland, Nemechek, Hamlin and Buescher were mired in the top 30.
Fifteen laps later, Blaney stretched his advantage to lead by a second over teammate Logano while Byron, Elliott and Berry trailed by within two seconds in the top five. By then, Larson, who was aggressively weaving and carving his way through the field, had returned to the top-10 mark as he was running in eighth place ahead of teammate Bowman and Suarez while Busch and Chastain occupied sixth and seventh, respectively. Meanwhile, Bell, Wallace, Briscoe, Gibbs and Keselowski trailed in the top 15 while McDowell, who was running in the top 10, was pinned two laps down in 35th place after he pitted his No. 34 Love’s Travel Stops Ford Mustang Dark Horse to replace a flat right-front tire.
Another 10 laps later, Blaney stabilized his advantage to more than a second over teammate Logano just before Byron overtook Logano for the runner-up spot, with Elliott and Chastain trailing by within three seconds in the top five on the track. Blaney led by one-and-a-half seconds over Byron just past the Lap 130 mark and by a second at the Lap 140 mark. By then, Busch, who was running in the top 10, had pitted his No. 8 zone/Kwik Trip Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 entry under green on Lap 135.
By Lap 150, Blaney continued to lead by more than a second over Elliott as Byron, Logano and Larson followed suit in the top five. By then, Hamlin was mired a lap down for a second time in 27th place while Bell was up to sixth place as he had Berry, Chastain, Bowman and Wallace following suit.
Ten laps later, LaJoie and Austin Dillon made contact while battling within the top-20 mark that sent Dillon up the track towards Turns 3 and 4 but he kept his No. 3 Get Bioethanol Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 entry running straight as he then ran into the rear of LaJoie to express his displeasure over the contact. Amid the contact, Blaney retained the lead by seven-tenths of a second over Elliott while Byron, Larson and Bell trailed in the top five by nearly five seconds.
Then as Byron pitted his No. 24 Liberty University Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 entry under green from third place on Lap 165, trouble struck for Chastain as he went up the track through Turns 1 and 2 with a flat right-front tire to his No. 1 Busch Light For the Farmers Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 entry. Chastain, though, managed to limp his car to his pit stall without drawing a caution as LaJoie, Briscoe, Truex and Berry also pitted during the proceeding laps. Not long after, Truex was penalized for speeding on pit road.
By Lap 172 and with more green flag pit stops ensuing amid tire wear concerns within the field, Blaney surrendered the lead to pit his No. 12 Advance Auto Parts Ford Mustang Dark Horse entry under green. Elliott, who led the proceeding lap, pitted his No. 9 NAPA Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 entry during the following lap along with teammate Bowman, Gibbs, Grala and Austin Dillon before Larson pitted as Erik Jones limped his No. 43 Family Dollar Toyota Camry XSE entry to pit road with a flat tire.
As the event surpassed its halfway mark on Lap 175, more names including Logano, Gragson, Nemechek and Reddick would pit while Bell, who last pitted on Lap 54, cycled into the lead. Bell would then pit his No. 20 Rheem Toyota Camry XSE entry on Lap 180 before Suarez and Haley pitted during the next scheduled lap. This moved Keselowski into the lead.
Then on Lap 181, the caution flew after Hemric made contact with the outside wall in Turn 2. During the caution period, select names led by Keselowski and including Wallace, Hocevar, Gilliland, Buescher, Hamlin, Suarez, Haley and Hemric pitted while the rest led by Stenhouse, who pinned many competitors a lap down by remaining on the track during the previous green flag run, remained on the track.
As the event restarted under green on Lap 188, Stenhouse and Byron battled for the lead for nearly a lap until they nearly wrecked entering Turn 4, which allowed Larson to zip by both and return to the lead. With Larson leading, Berry moved his No. 4 Overstock.com Ford Mustang Dark Horse entry up to second place followed by Wallace and Elliott while Stenhouse was trying to fend off fifth place from a multitude of competitors. Larson would proceed to lead just past the Lap 190 mark while he was being intimidated by Berry.
By Lap 200, Larson extended his advantage to one-and-a-half seconds over Berry, who had Elliott pressuring him for the runner-up spot, while Blaney and Wallace occupied the top five. Meanwhile, Hamlin, who was lapped twice, was up to sixth place followed by Buescher, Gilliland, Keselowski and Stenhouse while Byron was back in 12th place behind Haley. In addition, Busch was in 14th while battling Hocevar, Bell was in 17th behind Suarez and Bell, Logano was in 18th while trying to overtake Bell and Chastain, the first competitor a lap down, was mired in 19th. In addition, Reddick was in 24th and Briscoe was mired in 29th in front of Truex.
When the second stage period concluded on Lap 210, Larson captured his eighth Cup stage victory of the 2024 season. Berry fended off Elliott to retain second place ahead of Blaney and Wallace while Hamlin, Buescher, Gilliland, Keselowski and Haley were scored in the top 10. By then, 18 of 36 starters were scored a lap down while 19th-place Chastain was the recipient of the free pass for being the first competitor scored a lap down during the caution period.
During the stage break, nearly the entire field led by Larson pitted while Buescher and Gilliland remained on the track. Following the pit stops, Keselowski exited pit road first after he only opted for a two-tire pit stop while Larson, Berry, Elliott, Suarez, Wallace, Hamlin, Blaney, Byron and Haley followed suit.
With 132 laps remaining, the final stage commenced as teammates Buescher and Keselowski occupied the front row. At the start and with the field fanning out, Buescher maintained the lead ahead of Gilliland and Berry while Keselowski slipped to fourth. Then entering the frontstretch, the caution quickly returned after Larson, who was pinned in the middle of a three-wide battle with Keselowski and Suarez, got sideways after Suarez hit Larson, which resulted in Larson getting loose and coming across the path of Hamlin’s No. 11 Interstate Batteries Toyota Camry XSE.
Both wrecked against the outside wall, with Larson spinning across the frontstretch while the rest of the field scattered to avoid hitting Larson. The incident would cost Larson multiple laps as his pit crew went to work to repair the damage in his pit stall. With Larson then being assessed an additional two-lap penalty for having too many crew members over the pit wall, he would take his No. 5 Chevrolet to the garage for repairs but was granted permission to return to the track following his repairs due to meeting the minimum speed under the Damaged Vehicle Policy.
With the next restart period occurring with 123 laps remaining, Buescher and Berry dueled for the lead for a full lap as Berry, who was racing up the outside lane, led the proceeding lap before Buescher, who had Berry slide in front of him during the previous lap, slid in front of Berry in retaliation to reassume the lead during the next lap. Berry, however, kept intimidating Buescher for the lead while Busch, Gilliland, Keselowski and Byron trailed closely in the top six with 120 laps remaining. Berry would then muscle away from Buescher during the proceeding five laps while Byron carved his way up to third place as he was being trailed by Keselowski, Elliott, Blaney, Gilliland, Busch, Suarez and others.
Down to the final 100 laps of the event, Berry was leading by two seconds over a side-by-side battle between Blaney and Byron while Elliott and Buescher trailed in the top five ahead of Keselowski, Suarez, Logano, Haley and Busch. Meanwhile, Bowman occupied 11th place ahead of Chastain, Gilliland, Stenhouse and Bell while Wallace, Hocevar and McDowell occupied the remaining 18 competitors scored on the lead lap as Hamlin, who was in 19th, was lapped for a third time.
Nine laps later, the caution returned after Buescher, who was running in fifth, scrubbed his No. 17 Fastenal Ford Mustang Dark Horse against the outside wall through Turns 1 and 2 after he lost a tire. During the caution period, the lead lap field led by Berry returned to pit road for service. Following the pit stops, Blaney exited pit road first after he opted for a two-tire pit stop along with teammate Logano and Stenhouse while Berry, the first competitor who opted for four fresh tires, followed suit in fourth ahead of Elliott, Byron, Suarez, Busch, Haley and Bowman.
The start of the next restart period with 84 laps remaining featured Blaney battling and having enough momentum to clear teammate Logano to lead the next lap while Stenhouse, Byron and Berry followed suit in the top five. As the field behind jostled for late positions, Busch, who was racing in the top 10, scrubbed the backstretch’s outside wall and he would pit under green with 80 laps remaining, which dropped him out of the lead lap category. Shortly after, Busch’s chances of making the 2024 Cup Series Playoffs took another hit after he took his car to the garage and retired due to another mechanical issue to his No. 8 Chevrolet. Amid Busch’s issues, Blaney retained the lead while Stenhouse and Byron overtook Logano to move into second and third, respectively.
With 60 laps remaining, Blaney continued to lead by eight-tenths of a second over Byron while Elliott, Stenhouse and Logano trailed in the top five. Blaney would stabilize his advantage to seven-tenths of a second over Byron with 50 laps remaining while Elliott, Stenhouse and Logano continued to race in the top five.
With 35 laps remaining, Blaney retained the lead by nine-tenths of a second over Byron while third-place Elliott trailed by a second-and-a-half. As Stenhouse and Logano continued to race in the top five, Bell trailed in sixth place by seven seconds while Berry, Suarez, Chastain and Bowman were in the top 10, with Haley situated in 11th place ahead of Keselowski, McDowell, Gilliland and Truex.
Down to the final 20 laps of the event, Blaney, who nearly had his steady advantage extinguished while mired in lapped traffic, most notably Ty Gibbs, extended his advantage back to nine-tenths of a second over Byron while Elliott, Byron’s teammate, trailed by a second as he started to close in on Byron for the runner-up spot. Behind, Bell moved up to fourth place ahead of Stenhouse and Logano while McDowell, who was racing in the top 15, pitted under green a few laps earlier to address a flat tire for the second time within the event. Gibbs and John Hunter Nemechek would also pit under green as Blaney maintained the lead by a second over Byron’s No. 24 Liberty University Chevrolet with 15 laps remaining.
Under the final 10 laps of the event, Blaney, who was mired in more lapped traffic despite proceeding to lap Wallace and Gragson, maintained his lead by seven-tenths of a second over a hard-charging Byron as Elliott continued to trail by a second in third place. Blaney, who would close in and lap Truex, would then have his advantage shrink to six-tenths of a second as Byron continued to close in on Blaney with five laps remaining.
When the white flag waved and the final lap started, Blaney remained as the leader by seven-tenths of a second over Byron. With Byron unable to close the deficit even narrower, Blaney was able to cycle his No. 12 Advance Auto Parts Ford smoothly around the Iowa circuit for a final time before he returned to the frontstretch and claimed his first elusive checkered flag of the 2024 Cup Series season.
With the victory, Blaney, who nearly won at World Wide Technology Raceway until he ran out of fuel while leading on the final lap two races ago, notched his 11th Cup Series career win and his first since winning at Martinsville Speedway in late October 2023. By becoming the 10th competitor overall to record a victory through the first 17 events of the 2024 Cup season, Blaney has guaranteed himself a spot into the 2024 Playoffs as he will commence his pursuit to defend his series’ title.
As an added bonus, Blaney, who racked up the second victory of the season for Team Penske and the third ever for the Ford Mustang Dark Horse stock car, is the first competitor to achieve a victory across NASCAR’s top three national touring series. He claimed his first Craftsman Truck Series career win at Iowa in September 2012 and would win an Xfinity event at the 7/8-mile short track in August 2015.
Photo by Ron Olds for SpeedwayMedia.com.
“Man, what a cool way to win here,” Blaney, who had 80 family members rooting for him in the grandstands, said on USA Network. “This place, it means a lot to me. It means a lot to my mom. We had a lot of people here tonight cheering us on. They wheeled us to that [win]. Overall, [I] really appreciate the whole No. 12 boys. Our car was really fast all night. We got a little bit better through the night with two [fresh] tires. It was a good call there. I didn’t know how well [the car] was going to hold on. I started to struggle a little bit at the end, but had to definitely hang on. So proud of the effort. It makes up a little bit from a couple weeks ago. I’m looking forward to seeing [the family members]. It’s always good to have family. I’ve been super lucky to have family that supported me through my career. It’s great that they’re still supporting me just as much as they did day one. It’s a cool weekend. Really cool to win the first Cup race here. I can’t wait we come back with many more years.”
Byron, who recorded his first Xfinity Series victory at Iowa in June 2017, settled in second place for his sixth top-five result of the season while teammate Elliott, who notched his first ARCA Menards Series East victory at Iowa in 2012, ended up in third place for his seventh top-five result of 2024.
“[Me and Blaney] were pretty even,” Byron said. “He was on two tires, so I think I had just a little bit fresher tires and was able to work the bottom [lane] through lapped traffic okay. [I] Felt like I was making marginal gains through [Turns] 1 and 2, but my tires were getting hot down there and I would just start sliding the rears around a little bit on entry. Really good effort by our team. We definitely need to put together some consistent runs and this is a good start. We’d love to be winning tonight, but Ryan [Blaney] and those guys were good, so congrats to them.”
“[The event] was a lot of surprises that [I] wasn’t really sure what to expect with the tire,” Elliott said. “The racetrack changed a lot, I thought, throughout the day. The lanes changed a lot. We were able to move around. I thought it was actually a much better race than I was anticipating being with the repave. I thought all of that was really good. Ultimately, really proud of our NAPA team and just continuing to put together solid days. Just need a little bit more to set the pace and be up there leading laps like I feel like we can. It’s nice to be in the fight and have a shot there in the closing laps.”
Christopher Bell rallied from starting at the rear of the field in a backup car to finish fourth followed by Ricky Stenhouse Jr. as Joey Logano, rookie Josh Berry, Alex Bowman, Daniel Suarez and Brad Keselowski finished in the top 10.
There were 17 lead changes for nine different leaders. The race featured eight cautions for 49 laps. In addition, 14 of 36 starters finished on the lead lap.
Following the 17th event of the 2024 Cup Series season, Chase Elliott leads the regular-season standings by eight points over teammate Kyle Larson, 38 over Denny Hamlin, 54 over William Byron, 61 over Martin Truex Jr., 64 over Tyler Reddick and 90 over Ryan Blaney.
Results.
1. Ryan Blaney, 201 laps led, Stage 1 winner
2. William Byron
3. Chase Elliott, one lap led
4. Christopher Bell, seven laps led
5. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., four laps led
6. Joey Logano
7. Josh Berry, 32 laps led
8. Alex Bowman
9. Daniel Suarez, four laps led
10. Brad Keselowski, five laps led
11. Ross Chastain
12. Todd Gilliland
13. Justin Haley
14. Carson Hocevar
15. Martin Truex Jr., one lap down
16. Noah Gragson, one lap down
17. Bubba Wallace, one lap down
18. Chris Buescher, one lap down, 16 laps led
19. Austin Dillon, one lap down
20. Harrison Burton, one lap down
21. Corey LaJoie, one lap down
22. Tyler Reddick, one lap down
23. Michael McDowell, one lap down
24. Denny Hamlin, two laps down
25. Ty Gibbs, two laps down
26. John Hunter Nemechek, two laps down
27. Ryan Preece, two laps down
28. Chase Briscoe, two laps down
29. Daniel Hemric, two laps down
30. Austin Cindric, three laps down
31. Zane Smith, three laps down
32. Erik Jones, three laps down
33. Kaz Grala, five laps down
34. Kyle Larson, 36 laps down, 80 laps led, Stage 2 winner
35. Kyle Busch – OUT, Water Pump
36. AJ Allmendinger – OUT, Accident
Next on the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the series’ annual visit to New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, New Hampshire, for the USA Today 301. The event is scheduled to occur next Sunday, June 23, and at 2:30 p.m. ET on USA Network.
NEWTON, Iowa — This time, there was no unpleasant surprise waiting for Ryan Blaney near the finish line of a NASCAR Cup Series race.
Grabbing the lead on crew chief Jonathan Hassler’s two-tire call under the final caution of Sunday night’s Iowa Corn 350, Blaney led the final 88 laps of the inaugural Cup race at 0.875-mile Iowa Speedway.
In front of a large contingent of family and friends, the reigning series champion crossed the finish line 0.716 seconds ahead of runner-up William Byron, who was racing on four new tires after a pit stop under caution for Chris Buescher’s accident on Lap 260.
The victory was Blaney’s first of the season and the 11th of his career. Blaney now has won at Iowa Speedway in all three NASCAR national series, having triumphed in the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series in 2012 and the Xfinity Series in 2015.
All told, the race winner led four times for 201 of 350 laps on a track that was repaved in the bottom two lanes in the corners.
“What a cool way to win here. This place means a lot to me and means a lot to my mom (Lisa, from Chariton, Iowa),” said Blaney, who was leading June 2 at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway outside St. Louis before running out of fuel on the white-flag lap.
“We had a lot of people here tonight cheering us on, so they willed us to that one. Overall, I really appreciate the whole (No. 12 team). I mean, our car was really fast all night and we got a little bit better through the night, and two tires was a good call there.
“I didn’t know how well I was going to hold on. I started to struggle a little bit at the end but had enough to hang on. I’m super proud of the effort.”
Byron wasn’t surprised Blaney won the race on two fresh tires, given the quality of the Team Penske driver’s No. 12 Ford. “No, he had a really good car, so he was up front and contending a lot, and him and the 5 (pole winner Kyle Larson) were really good,” Byron said. “So, we were just a step off of that, you know?
“I feel like I just needed to turn the center just a hair better and still kind of maintain the long run. Proud of the effort. It was a really good night, and I feel like we can learn from this and build from it to be a little bit better.” In a race that featured eight cautions for 49 laps, Chase Elliott finished third, followed by Christopher Bell, who started from the rear of the field in a backup car after blowing a right front tire and crashing in Friday’s practice.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. came home fifth, with Joey Logano, Josh Berry, Alex Bowman, Daniel Suarez and Brad Keselowski completing the top 10.
The restart after the second stage break changed the entire dynamic of the race. Larson had just taken the green/checkered flag to claim his eighth stage victory of the season.
But on lap 220, one circuit after the final stage went green for the first time, contact from Suarez’s Chevrolet sent Larson’s Camaro spinning into the outside wall on the frontstretch, pinching Denny Hamlin’s Toyota into the barrier in the process.
Larson’s crew eventually repaired the wounded machine, but not until the 2021 champion had lost 31 laps in the garage. Larson finished 34th, 36 laps down and lost the series lead to Elliott, his Hendrick Motorsports teammate.
Larson, who led 80 laps on Sunday before the accident that waylaid him, trails Elliott by eight points with nine races left in the regular season.
Next up for the Cup Series is the June 23 USA Today 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway (2:30 p.m. ET on USA, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
NASCAR Cup Series Race – Iowa Corn 350 Powered by Ethanol Iowa Speedway Newton, Iowa Sunday, June 16, 2024 1. (2) Ryan Blaney, Ford, 350. 2. (4) William Byron, Chevrolet, 350. 3. (9) Chase Elliott, Chevrolet, 350. 4. (10) Christopher Bell, Toyota, 350. 5. (35) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Chevrolet, 350. 6. (11) Joey Logano, Ford, 350. 7. (3) Josh Berry #, Ford, 350. 8. (33) Alex Bowman, Chevrolet, 350. 9. (13) Daniel Suarez, Chevrolet, 350. 10. (5) Brad Keselowski, Ford, 350. 11. (17) Ross Chastain, Chevrolet, 350. 12. (14) Todd Gilliland, Ford, 350. 13. (19) Justin Haley, Ford, 350. 14. (20) Carson Hocevar #, Chevrolet, 350. 15. (31) Martin Truex Jr., Toyota, 349. 16. (23) Noah Gragson, Ford, 349. 17. (16) Bubba Wallace, Toyota, 349. 18. (15) Chris Buescher, Ford, 349. 19. (36) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 349. 20. (25) Harrison Burton, Ford, 349. 21. (24) Corey LaJoie, Chevrolet, 349. 22. (8) Tyler Reddick, Toyota, 349. 23. (22) Michael McDowell, Ford, 349. 24. (12) Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 348. 25. (27) Ty Gibbs, Toyota, 348. 26. (34) John Hunter Nemechek, Toyota, 348. 27. (29) Ryan Preece, Ford, 348. 28. (6) Chase Briscoe, Ford, 348. 29. (30) Daniel Hemric, Chevrolet, 348. 30. (21) Austin Cindric, Ford, 347. 31. (26) Zane Smith #, Chevrolet, 347. 32. (32) Erik Jones, Toyota, 347. 33. (28) Kaz Grala #, Ford, 345. 34. (1) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, 314. 35. (7) Kyle Busch, Chevrolet, Water Pump, 272. 36. (18) AJ Allmendinger(i), Chevrolet, Accident, 54. Average Speed of Race Winner: 102.874 mph. Time of Race: 2 Hrs, 58 Mins, 37 Secs. Margin of Victory: 0.716 Seconds. Caution Flags: 8 for 49 laps. Lead Changes: 17 among 9 drivers. Lap Leaders: K. Larson 1;R. Blaney 2-9;K. Larson 10-54;D. Suarez 55-58;K. Larson 59-60;R. Blaney 61-77;K. Larson 78-83;R. Blaney 84-171;C. Elliott 172;C. Bell 173-179;B. Keselowski 180-184;R. Stenhouse Jr. 185-188;K. Larson 189-214;C. Buescher 215-227;J. Berry # 228;C. Buescher 229-231;J. Berry # 232-262;R. Blaney 263-350. Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led): Ryan Blaney 4 times for 201 laps; Kyle Larson 5 times for 80 laps; Josh Berry # 2 times for 32 laps; Chris Buescher 2 times for 16 laps; Christopher Bell 1 time for 7 laps; Brad Keselowski 1 time for 5 laps; Daniel Suarez 1 time for 4 laps; Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 1 time for 4 laps; Chase Elliott 1 time for 1 lap. Stage #1 Top Ten: 12,5,99,24,4,22,7,6,9,8 Stage #2 Top Ten: 5,4,9,12,23,11,17,38,6,51
Both Corvette Z06 GT3.Rs finish full 24 hours in treacherous LMGT3 battle
LE MANS, France (June 16, 2024) – TF Sport and the Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R program achieved the goal of completing the 24 Hours of Le Mans on Sunday as the pair of first-year GT3 Corvettes completed the full race in a challenging and treacherous 24-hour battle.
Both Corvettes combined to complete 545 laps for 4,616 miles in the race. It wasn’t just the first Le Mans for the Corvette GT3 entry but also the first in the French classic for the TF Sport/Chevrolet partnership.
The No. 82 Corvette of Hiroshi Koizumi, Sebastien Baud and Corvette factory driver Daniel Juncadella led the TF Sport effort with an 11th-place finish after starting 18th and completed 278 laps in the LMGT3 class. The No. 81 sister car of Tom Van Rompuy, Rui Andrade and factory driver Daniel Juncadella placed 15th as Porsche took the class win.
This was the second 24-hour race for the Z06 GT3.R this year, the first coming at the Rolex 24 At Daytona to open the IMSA season. Le Mans also marked the fourth round of this year’s FIA World Endurance Championship.
Weather played a role in multiple parts of the race, which put a premium on limiting mistakes and staying on track. For a large majority, that’s what the TF Sport team did even in a couple of treacherous conditions. The most notable was a four-hour-plus safety car period due to heavy rain that started just shy of halfway.
Bronze-rated drivers Van Rompuy (No. 81 Corvette) and Koizumi (No. 82 Z06 GT3.R) were at the wheel for the bulk of the safety car period. The cars circulated the circuit at 80 kph until the rains let up enough for the field to safely return to racing.
The lengthy period did allow Van Rompuy and Koizumi to complete a bulk of their six-hour minimum drive time – a requirement for Bronze and Silver drivers. Both continued to put in solid laps before the race’s only significant issue struck with Eastwood at the wheel of the No. 81 Corvette – a power system problem that the team eventually rectified but not before losing more than 10 laps.
Other than that, the cars and teams ran like clockwork, even in challenging weather early and a late rain shower that was heavy enough for the team to change to wet-weather tires with two hours to go.
The only other significant issues for the No. 81 Corvette was a trip to the garage to change the nose of the car during the race’s first safety car period near the eight-hour mark. On the No. 82 side, a couple of minor off-track excursions and a clutch system issue were the only items of note in the first two-thirds of the race.
The next race for TF Sport in the FIA World Endurance Championship is the Six Hours of São Paulo (Brazil) on Sunday, July 14.
TF SPORT DRIVER POST-RACE QUOTES
CHARLIE EASTWOOD, NO. 81 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “I’m happy to get to the end of the race. It threw close to everything at us, especially with the weather and conditions. There were a lot of tricky stints. There wasn’t a single stint in full dry conditions, which I can’t believe in a 24-hour race. All in all, I’m super proud of everyone for all of the work that has been happening – both from the GM and Corvette Racing side but also TF Sport. The rate of development that we’ve had with this car in this space of six months has been insane. Hopefully the development continues and we come back here next year even stronger.”
En Française: “Je suis heureux d’arriver au bout de la course. Nous avons eu droit à presque tout, surtout avec la météo et les conditions. Il y a eu beaucoup de relais délicats. Il n’y a pas eu un seul relais sur le sec, ce qui est incroyable dans une course de 24 heures. Dans l’ensemble, je suis très fier de tout le monde pour le travail accompli – à la fois du côté de GM et de Corvette Racing, mais aussi de TF Sport. Le rythme de développement de cette voiture en l’espace de six mois a été incroyable. J’espère que le développement se poursuivra et que nous reviendrons ici l’année prochaine encore plus forts.”
RUI ANDRADE, NO. 81 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “We were just unlucky today, and this is how Le Mans is. It usually brings everything at you. I think we had a solid run – no mistakes by the drivers or teams. We weren’t the fastest car in the class, but we were definitely maximizing what we had. Unfortunately these things happen. The car ran faultlessly for most of the race. After the power hiccup, we continued to fight back. There are a lot of positives to take away from this race.”
En Française: “Nous n’avons pas eu de chance aujourd’hui, mais c’est comme ça au Mans. Il y a toujours tout ce qu’il faut. Je pense que nous avons fait une bonne course – aucune erreur de la part des pilotes ou des équipes. Nous n’étions pas la voiture la plus rapide de la catégorie, mais nous avons vraiment maximisé ce que nous avions. Malheureusement, ce sont des choses qui arrivent. La voiture a fonctionné sans problème pendant la plus grande partie de la course. Après le problème de moteur, nous avons continué à nous battre. Il y a beaucoup de points positifs à retenir de cette course.
TOM VAN ROMPUY, NO. 81 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “I’m happy that we brought the car home. Obviously we always hope for more, but that means only one thing: come back stronger next year. But here we did all we could which was in our hands. I’m happy to make it to the finish after all the things that were thrown at us with the conditions and the weather. Now it’s time for a good sleep!”
En française: “Je suis heureux d’avoir ramené la voiture à l’arrivée. Évidemment, nous espérons toujours plus, mais cela ne signifie qu’une chose : revenir plus fort l’année prochaine. Mais ici, nous avons fait tout ce que nous pouvions, ce qui était entre nos mains. Je suis heureux d’avoir atteint l’arrivée après tout ce qui nous est arrivé avec les conditions et la météo. Maintenant, il est temps de dormir un peu !”
DANIEL JUNCADELLA, NO. 82 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “We made it to the end, which is an amazing accomplishment. We lost the clutch six or seven hours in, so that was quite insane. I’m very happy with the result considering some of the difficulties today. We got behind by three laps but finished two laps back, so that is encouraging. All in all, it was a great first experience for me at Le Mans. I had a lot of driving in all conditions, and the Corvette handled very good. It actually got better throughout the race, and I’m quite happy with that. Thanks to TF Sport, the guys at GM Corvette Racing and Pratt Miller for all their work this week. It’s such a pleasure to be part of such a big program. I’m looking forward to many more.”
En Française: “Nous sommes allés jusqu’au bout, ce qui est un exploit. Nous avons perdu l’embrayage au bout de six ou sept heures, c’était un peu fou. Je suis très heureux du résultat compte tenu des difficultés rencontrées aujourd’hui. Nous avons été distancés de trois tours, mais nous avons terminé à deux tours, ce qui est encourageant. Dans l’ensemble, ce fut une excellente première expérience pour moi au Mans. J’ai eu l’occasion de conduire dans toutes les conditions et la Corvette s’est très bien comportée. Elle s’est même améliorée tout au long de la course, et j’en suis très heureux. Merci à TF Sport, aux gens de GM Corvette Racing et à Pratt Miller pour tout le travail accompli cette semaine. C’est un plaisir de faire partie d’un programme aussi important. Je suis impatient d’en connaître d’autres.”
SEBASTIEN BAUD, NO. 82 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “We have finished Le Mans in the “Rookie Car” with Dani and Hiroshi! So I am happy for this and it is good for my experience and to keep developing the Corvette. Of course I’m a competitor and I would have liked a better result in LMGT3. But P11 isn’t too bad. I hope we come back next year to improve because I think the car is good around here. We had some problems with top speed and mechanically with the clutch. It was difficult to manage and keep moving up. But the team kept fighting back, and myself, Dani and Hiroshi pushed a lot. I liked Le Mans, I like his place and I like all the fans here. It’s amazing, and the car is so nice around this track. I hope we keep continuing to improve, and my goal continues to be winning a race this year with Corvette.”
En Française: “Nous avons terminé Le Mans dans la “Rookie Car” avec Dani et Hiroshi ! Je suis donc heureux de ce résultat, qui me permet d’acquérir de l’expérience et de continuer à développer la Corvette. Bien sûr, je suis un compétiteur et j’aurais aimé un meilleur résultat en LMGT3. Mais P11 n’est pas si mal. J’espère que nous reviendrons l’année prochaine pour nous améliorer parce que je pense que la voiture est bonne ici. Nous avons eu quelques problèmes de vitesse de pointe et de mécanique avec l’embrayage. C’était difficile de gérer et de continuer à progresser. Mais l’équipe a continué à se battre, et moi-même, Dani et Hiroshi avons beaucoup poussé. J’ai aimé Le Mans, j’aime cet endroit et j’aime tous les fans ici. C’est incroyable, et la voiture est tellement agréable sur ce circuit. J’espère que nous continuerons à nous améliorer, et mon objectif reste de gagner une course cette année avec Corvette.”
HIROSHI KOIZUMI, NO. 82 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “First off all, it’s good to finish the race. At the beginning, it wasn’t planned that I would drive at night. I had no practice during the week. The plan was to have Dani and Seb drive those hours. But getting in the car at that time of night and in the rain was challenging. As a team sport, my job is to keep the car safe and give it to my teammates. And I feel that I did that. Motorsports and racing at this level, it’s not easy to get a good result especially at Le Mans. But I hope I can try this race again with Dani and Seb as my partners.”
En française: “Tout d’abord, c’est bien de terminer la course. Au départ, il n’était pas prévu que je roule de nuit. Je n’ai pas eu d’entraînement pendant la semaine. Le plan était de faire rouler Dani et Seb pendant ces heures. Mais monter dans la voiture à cette heure de la nuit et sous la pluie était un défi. En tant que sport d’équipe, mon travail consiste à assurer la sécurité de la voiture et à la donner à mes coéquipiers. Et je pense que c’est ce que j’ai fait. En sport automobile et à ce niveau, il n’est pas facile d’obtenir un bon résultat, surtout au Mans. Mais j’espère que je pourrai tenter à nouveau cette course avec Dani et Seb comme partenaires.”
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No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R starts, finishes seventh in the endurance classic
LE MANS, France (June 16, 2024) – In what had been a cruel FIA World Endurance Championship season to date, the No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R team discovered rays of sunshine and promise through the rain clouds at Circuit de la Sarthe.
WEC full-season teammates Earl Bamber and Alex Lynn, complemented by two-time IndyCar champion Alex Palou, fought eight other Hypercar manufacturers on a slick 8.47-mile asphalt battleground to place seventh in the 92nd 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Briggs Cunningham would be proud.
The entrepreneur entered the first Cadillacs – a pair of Series 61 coupes, including the low-slung “Le Monstre” – at Le Mans in 1950. Though the cars did not earn a podium finish, efforts by the drivers and entire team won over the French faithful.
Individuals involved in motorsports, whether intricately or peripherally, understand the magnitude, the romance and the history of certain global events. The 24 Hours of Le Mans, with a legacy of iconic sports cars and legendary drivers, sits atop the endurance race list.
It’s a reason why Cadillac, an iconic brand itself, decided to enter FIA WEC competition. Third- and fourth-place finishes in 2023 in Cadillac’s return to Circuit de la Sarthe after a 21-year absence offered promise for the ultimate prize this year. The objective was not realized in a race dampened by overnight and afternoon rain and multiple on-track incidents that dispatched the Safety Car for more than five hours.
But in an exhibition of performance, strategy and teamwork on the 8.47-mile (13.629 kilometers) circuit, Cadillac Racing continued to make a statement of strength in the field of 23 Hypercars. The No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R started seventh in the race that totaled 311 laps and led 61.
“We led the race for long periods of time. Ultimately, didn’t swing in our favor with the weather at the end. But that’s sort of Le Mans and racing,” Bamber said. “We can be proud as a program about what we’ve achieved, how much we’ve gone forward. Now we just need a result to show for it. Other than that, I think we’ve made big leaps and bounds forward.”
Cadillac Racing’s second WEC season began with a fourth-place finish at Qatar that was nullified because of an unintentional technical infringement. After a sub-par race result at Imola, the No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R was competing for a podium spot at Spa-Francorchamps in May when contact with two other cars that caused a lengthy red flag not only produced a DNF but a five-spot grid penalty that FIA stewards enforced at Le Mans.
The No. 50 Ferrari AF Corse won the race.
The No. 311 Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R, the reigning IMSA Grand Touring Prototype team champion, was running in and out of the top 10 until Pipo Derani lost control of the car in the Indianapolis Curve and made contact with the tire barrier with 5 hours, 24 minutes left. He was able to limp the car back to pit lane, where the Action Express Racing team immediately began assessing what would be needed to get back out and finish the race. Derani was uninjured in the incident.
The team systematically completed repairs and returned to the track with 3 hours, 14 minutes left. The No. 311 Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R, with Derani, Jack Aitken and 2022 F2 champion Felipe Drugovich making his Le Mans debut co-driving, finished 29th overall and 15th in class.
Five among the 23 Hypercars did not finish, including the No. 3 Cadillac V-Series.R, with IMSA teammates Sebastien Bourdais and Renger van der Zande complemented by six-time IndyCar champion Scott Dixon. They were running in the top 10 most of the race before the discovery of an oil tank puncture with 5 hours, 45 minutes left that caused the entry to retire.
GM said in a statement: With nearly six hours left in the race, a puncture of the oil tank was discovered on the No. 3 Cadillac V-Series.R sustained during the Safety Car period. As a result, the racecar had to retire. We will regroup to understand what caused the issue and be ready to race again.
The No. 3 Cadillac V-Series.R started on the front row for Cadillac Racing’s highest position for the green flag since its initial venture to Sarthe in 1950.
Cadillac Racing will be pointing to the 2025 event scheduled for June 14-15.
Bourdais, van der Zande, Derani and Aitken are back in action June 21-23 at Watkins Glen International for the Sahlen’s 6 Hours of The Glen, which is the third of five races in the Michelin IMSA Endurance Cup and sixth race in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season.
The next FIA WEC race for Bamber and Lynn is July 12-13 at Interlagos in Brazil.
What they’re saying
No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R
Earl Bamber: “We definitely came here much more prepared than last year. We ticked all the boxes that we wanted to improve on. We led the race for long periods of time. Ultimately, didn’t swing in our favor with the weather at the end. But that’s sort of Le Mans and racing. We can be proud as a program about what we’ve achieved, how much we’ve gone forward. Now we just need a result to show for it. Other than that, I think we’ve made big leaps and bounds forward.”
Alex Lynn: “We absolutely gave it our everything all week. It’s been a close fight, led a lot of laps and Ferrari and Toyota coming out just a little better than us similar to last year. We’ll regroup and go again. I’m proud of the efforts of everybody at Cadillac, Chip Ganassi Racing and those who support us.”
Alex Palou: “It was a lot of fun till the end just because of that hope of trying to get the win but failing at the end. It was a great experience the first time doing Le Mans with Cadillac. I learned a lot and looking forward to the next one. (night stint) It was actually the first time I drove in the rain at night. It was a first time for many things this year.”
No. 3 Cadillac V-Series.R
Sebastien Bourdais: “It’s a shame we’ve had DNFs in the two biggest races of the year, but it’s part of racing. We tried to fight as much as we could and did the best we could. Now we’re going to go back to the States and tackle the six hours (Watkins Glen) – another tough event. We have work to do because we weren’t very good there last year and we didn’t have the luxury to go testing with the tight schedule. We hopefully made some good progress on the hard tire and the set-up for Watkins and we’ll keep pushing. We’re second in the championship so we’ll try to maximize the results.”
Renger van der Zande: “I think we would have been up there at the end. We lost all the time with the rain tires in the first two hours. Then we stayed in there and kept the gap to the leaders the same for almost 15 hours and then we finally got the break with the Safety Car with the merge and that’s when the issue arose with the car. It’s a lot of hard work from everyone at Cadillac, GM, Chip Ganassi Racing, the drivers and everybody involved and an amazing experience to do Le Mans with this group, but it’s really a shame we had to end it this way.”
Scott Dixon: “It was definitely an eventful race. I think conditions alone created a lot of strange things. The sad part is we were back in it on the lead lap. We had the Safety Car pack-up and were going to restart seventh or eighth. All would had been on for a decent finish. That’s how racing goes. It was a lot of fun to be here again with Cadillac.”
No. 311 Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R
Pipo Derani: “Unfortunately, we don’t know if it was water running across the track from the cars that went by before me or debris, but I did lose the car suddenly and had no time to react. I had a big impact but fortunately everything is OK with me. It’s a shame because we were trying to fight our way back onto the lead lap. Racing at Le Mans sometimes can be cruel, you live and learn and try to be better next time.”
Jack Aitken: “It was another tough Le Mans similar to last year with really difficult weather conditions for everybody. Everyone made a few mistakes in terms of putting on the right tire at the right time. We were fighting to stay on the lead lap but it was slightly on the back foot for a lot of the race. Then, unfortunately, we had an accident this morning but amazingly got the car running and back out. It was a great job by the crew and we managed to finish with two Caddys. Encouraging but ultimately a frustrating experience for everyone. That’s Le Mans, it’s tough.”
Felipe Drugovich: “It’s been an amazing experience. We got here 10 days ago and it started with a festival. I really enjoyed every activity we got to do. The race was complicated since the beginning. We started already on the back foot with the track position, trying to move forward with the rain didn’t work out. It didn’t go our way, but from my side I’m really happy and thankful as well to Cadillac and all the GM people.”
Cadillac au Mans: Un résultat sur lequel on peut construire
LE MANS, France (le 16 juin 2024) – Dans ce qui a été une saison difficile en Championnat du Monde d’Endurance de la FIA, le team de la Cadillac V-Series.R n°2 a découvert des rayons de soleil et des promesses à travers les nuages de pluie sur le Circuit de la Sarthe.
Les coéquipiers de la saison du WEC, Earl Bamber et Alex Lynn, ainsi que le double champion d’IndyCar Alex Palou, se sont battus contre huit autres constructeurs en hypercars.
Les personnes impliquées dans le sport automobile, de près ou de loin, comprennent l’ampleur, le romantisme et l’histoire de certains événements mondiaux. Les 24 heures du Mans, avec leur lot de voitures de sport emblématiques et de pilotes légendaires, figurent en tête de liste des courses d’endurance.
C’est la raison pour laquelle Cadillac, elle-même une marque emblématique, a décidé de participer au WEC de la FIA. Les troisième et quatrième places obtenues en 2023 lors du retour de Cadillac sur le circuit de la Sarthe après 21 ans d’absence laissaient présager le prix ultime cette année. L’objectif n’a pas été atteint lors d’une course perturbée par la pluie de la nuit et de l’après-midi et par de multiples incidents sur la piste qui ont entraîné le recours à la voiture de sécurité pendant plus de cinq heures.
Mais dans une démonstration de performance, de stratégie et de travail d’équipe, le Cadillac Racing a continué d’affirmer sa force dans le peloton des 23 Hypercars. La deuxième saison de Cadillac Racing a commencé par une quatrième place au Qatar, annulée en raison d’une infraction technique involontaire. Après un résultat médiocre à Imola, la Cadillac V-Series.R n°2 était en lice pour une place sur le podium à Spa-Francorchamps en mai lorsqu’un contact avec deux autres voitures, qui a provoqué un long drapeau rouge, a entraîné non seulement un DNF mais aussi une pénalité de cinq places sur la grille que les commissaires de la FIA ont appliquée au Mans.
“Nous avons mené la course pendant de longues périodes. En fin de compte, la météo n’a pas joué en notre faveur à la fin. Mais c’est le propre du Mans et de la course”, a déclaré Bamber. “Nous pouvons être fiers, en tant que programme, de ce que nous avons accompli, de ce que nous avons fait pour progresser. Il ne nous reste plus qu’à obtenir un résultat. A part cela, je pense que nous avons fait de grands pas en avant”.
La Ferrari AF Corse n°50 a remporté la course.
La Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R n°311, championne en titre de l’IMSA Grand Touring Prototype, faisait des allers-retours dans le top 10 jusqu’à ce que Pipo Derani perde le contrôle de la voiture dans le virage d’Indianapolis et entre en contact avec la barrière de pneus à 5 heures et 24 minutes de la fin de la course. Il a pu ramener la voiture aux stands, où l’équipe d’Action Express Racing a immédiatement commencé à évaluer ce qu’il fallait faire pour repartir et terminer la course. Derani n’a pas été blessé dans l’incident.
L’équipe a systématiquement effectué les réparations et est revenue sur la piste à 3 heures et 14 minutes de la fin de la course. La Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R n° 311, copilotée par Derani, Jack Aitken et Felipe Drugovich, champion de F2 en 2022, qui faisait ses débuts au Mans, a terminé 29e au classement général et 15e dans sa catégorie.
Cadillac V-Series.R n°2
Earl Bamber: “Nous sommes arrivés ici beaucoup mieux préparés que l’année dernière. Nous avons coché toutes les cases que nous voulions améliorer. Nous avons mené la course pendant de longues périodes. En fin de compte, la météo n’a pas joué en notre faveur. Mais c’est un peu le Mans et la course. Nous pouvons être fiers, en tant que programme, de ce que nous avons accompli, des progrès que nous avons réalisés. Il ne nous reste plus qu’à obtenir un résultat. Pour le reste, je pense que nous avons fait de grands pas en avant.”
Alex Lynn: “Nous avons tout donné toute la semaine. La lutte a été serrée, nous avons mené beaucoup de tours et Ferrari et Toyota ont été un peu meilleurs que nous, comme l’an dernier. Nous allons nous regrouper et repartir. Je suis fier des efforts de tout le monde chez Cadillac, Chip Ganassi Racing et de ceux qui nous soutiennent.”
Alex Palou: “C’était très amusant jusqu’à la fin, simplement parce qu’il y avait l’espoir d’essayer d’obtenir la victoire mais en échouant à la fin. C’était une grande expérience, la première fois que je participais au Mans avec Cadillac. J’ai beaucoup appris et j’attends avec impatience la prochaine édition.
(relais de nuit) C’était la première fois que je conduisais sous la pluie, de nuit. C’était la première fois pour beaucoup de choses cette année.
Cadillac V-Series.R n°3
Sébastien Bourdais: “C’est dommage que nous ayons eu des DNF dans les deux plus grandes courses de l’année, mais cela fait partie de la course. Nous avons essayé de nous battre autant que possible et nous avons fait de notre mieux. Maintenant, nous allons retourner aux États-Unis et nous attaquer aux six heures (Watkins Glen), une autre épreuve difficile.Nous avons du travail à faire car nous n’étions pas très bons l’année dernière et nous n’avons pas eu le luxe de faire des essais avec un calendrier serré. Nous espérons avoir fait de bons progrès sur le pneu dur et les réglages pour Watkins Glen et nous allons continuer à pousser. Nous sommes deuxièmes au championnat, nous allons donc essayer de maximiser les résultats.
Renger van der Zande: “Je pense que nous aurions pu être là à la fin. Nous avons perdu du temps avec les pneus pluie dans les deux premières heures. Ensuite, nous sommes restés dans la course et nous avons maintenu l’écart avec les leaders pendant près de 15 heures, puis nous avons finalement obtenu une pause avec la voiture de sécurité lors de la fusion et c’est là que le problème est apparu avec la voiture. C’est un énorme travail de la part de Cadillac, GM, le Chip Ganassi Racing, des pilotes et de toutes les personnes impliquées. C’est une expérience incroyable de faire Le Mans avec ce groupe, mais c’est vraiment dommage que nous ayons dû finir de cette façon.
Scott Dixon: “C’était vraiment une course mouvementée. Je pense que les conditions à elles seules ont créé beaucoup de choses étranges. Ce qui est triste, c’est que nous étions de retour dans le tour de tête. La voiture de sécurité s’est arrêtée et nous devions repartir en septième ou huitième position. Tout aurait été possible pour une bonne fin de course. C’est ainsi que se déroulent les courses. C’était très amusant d’être à nouveau ici avec Cadillac.”
Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R n°311
Pipo Derani: “Malheureusement, nous ne savons pas si c’est de l’eau qui a coulé sur la piste depuis les voitures qui sont passées avant moi ou des débris, mais j’ai perdu la voiture soudainement et je n’ai pas eu le temps de réagir. J’ai eu un gros impact mais heureusement tout va bien pour moi.C’est dommage parce que nous essayions de nous battre pour revenir dans le tour de tête. La course au Mans peut parfois être cruelle, vous vivez et apprenez et vous essayez d’être meilleur la prochaine fois.”
Jack Aitken : “Le Mans a été une nouvelle fois difficile, comme l’année dernière, avec des conditions météorologiques très difficiles pour tout le monde. Tout le monde a commis quelques erreurs en ce qui concerne le montage du bon pneu au bon moment. Nous nous sommes battus pour rester dans le tour de tête, mais nous avons été légèrement en retrait pendant une bonne partie de la course. Malheureusement, nous avons eu un accident ce matin, mais nous avons réussi à faire rouler la voiture et à la faire repartir.L’équipe a fait du bon travail et nous avons réussi à terminer avec deux Cadillac.
C’est encourageant, mais c’est une expérience frustrante pour tout le monde. C’est ça Le Mans, c’est difficile.
Felipe Drugovich: ” Ça a été une expérience extraordinaire. Nous sommes arrivés il y a dix jours et tout a commencé par un festival. J’ai vraiment apprécié toutes les activités que nous avons pu faire. La course a été compliquée dès le début. Nous avons commencé en étant déjà en retrait avec notre position sur la piste, en essayant de progresser sous la pluie, mais cela n’a pas fonctionné. Cela ne s’est pas passé comme nous le souhaitions, mais de mon côté, je suis vraiment heureux et reconnaissant envers Cadillac et toute l’équipe de GM.”
Sam Mayer preserved his tires to the very end and fended off a late challenge from Riley Herbst during an overtime shootout to win the Hy-Vee PERKS 250 at Iowa Speedway on Saturday, June 15.
The 20-year-old Mayer from Franklin, Wisconsin, led three times for 47 of 253 over-scheduled laps in an event where he started fifth and ran up front for the majority of the event. Amid a series of on-track carnages that knocked a multitude of front runners out of contention due to tire explosions, Mayer, who nearly wrecked at the start of the second stage period on Lap 82 but led for the first time on Lap 169, made the event’s final pass for the lead on Herbst with seven laps remaining. Then amid an overtime shootout, Mayer managed to fend off Herbst for two laps to score his second NASCAR Xfinity Series victory of the 2024 season and cap off an eventful afternoon of competition in Iowa Speedway’s return to hosting Xfinity events.
With on-track qualifying that was scheduled to occur on Saturday canceled due to inclement weather, the starting lineup for the main event was determined through a performance metric system from the NASCAR Rule Book. As a result, Austin Hill was awarded the pole position.
Rookie Shane van Gisbergen, winner of last weekend’s Xfinity event at Sonoma Raceway, was scheduled to start alongside Hill on the front row but he dropped to the rear of the field in a backup car after he wrecked his primary car during Friday’s practice session. Patrick Emerling also dropped to the rear of the field due to unapproved adjustments made to his respective entry.
When the green flag waved and the race started, Austin Hill muscled ahead with a brief advantage through the frontstretch until Justin Allgaier, who was scheduled to start in fourth place but moved up to start alongside Hill on the front row in second place, used the outside lane to his advantage as he rocketed his No. 7 BRANDT/Precision Build Chevrolet Camaro into the lead through the first two turns. Sheldon Creed then tried to battle Hill for the runner-up spot through the backstretch, but he slipped up the track while making light contact with Hill’s No. 21 Bennett Transportation Chevrolet Camaro. The contact cause Creed to slip into a side-by-side battle with Sam Mayer for third place as Hill retained second while Allgaier proceeded to lead the first lap.
During the proceeding four laps, Creed retained third place while teammate Chandler Smith moved his No. 81 Mobil 1 Toyota Supra into fourth place over Mayer. Amid a flurry of battles ensuing within the middle of the pack, Brennan Poole got loose off the front nose of Sammy Smith and nearly slipped up the track and into the path of Jeremy Clements in Turn 3, but all kept their respective entries running straight. Amid the tight side-by-side battles as the competitors in the mid-pack region fanned out to multiple lanes, Allgaier retained the lead by nearly half a second over Hill as Chandler Smith, Creed and Mayer were running in the top five.
Through the first 10 scheduled laps, Allgaier was leading by three-tenths of a second over Hill followed by Chandler Smith, Creed and John Hunter Nemechek while Mayer, Cole Custer, rookie Jesse Love, Riley Herbst and Corey Heim trailed in the top 10. Behind, Parker Kligerman followed suit in 11th place ahead of AJ Allmendinger, Ryan Sieg, Sammy Smith and Parker Retzlaff while Anthony Alfredo, Brandon Jones, Matt DiBenedetto, Brett Moffitt and Ross Chastain were in the top 20 ahead of Jeb Burton, Kyle Sieg, Brennan Poole, Leland Honeyman and Jeremy Clements. Meanwhile, Shane van Gisbergen was up to 33rd place while teammates Josh Williams and Daniel Dye were mired in 28th and 29th, respectively.
Five laps later, Chandler Smith overtook Allgaier to assume the lead. Smith would stretch his advantage to a second over Allgaier by the Lap 20 mark as Nemechek and Creed were up to third and fourth, respectively. Meanwhile, Hill, who was battling loose conditions, dropped to fifth while Mayer, Custer, Love, Herbst and Allmendinger followed suit in the top 10.
At the Lap 30 mark, Chandler Smith stabilized his advantage to more than a second over teammate Nemechek while third-place Creed, another Joe Gibbs Racing teammate, trailed by four seconds. In the midst of the three Joe Gibbs Racing competitors running first through third on the track, Allgaier trailed in fourth place by six seconds while Hill retained fifth. Allgaier and Hill would then battle for fourth place as Mayer, Custer, Herbst, Love and Allmendinger were in the top 10. By then, van Gisbergen was lapped by the leaders.
Three laps later, the event’s first caution period flew after Allmendinger, who was running 10th, blew a right-front tire and veered dead straight into the Turn 4 outside wall at full speed before he parked his damaged No. 16 Cirkul Chevrolet Camaro on the frontstretch’s grass and retired from the event. During the event’s first caution period, nearly the entire field led by Chandler Smith pitted while the rest led by teammate Nemechek and including Jeremy Clements and Ryan Ellis remained on the track. Shortly after the pit stops, Brandon Jones nursed his No. 9 Menards Chevrolet Camaro back to pit road as smoke was seen billowing out of his car with the driver battling oil pressure issues that would send the Georgian to the garage.
When the event restarted under green on Lap 42, Nemechek gained a brief advantage from the outside lane through the frontstretch, but he then went wide in Turn 1, which allowed Jeremy Clements to move his No. 51 Whitetail Smokeless Chevrolet Camaro into the lead from the inside lane. Clements would retain the lead through Lap 48 before Chandler Smith reassumed the lead. Smith would be followed by teammates Creed and Nemechek along with Mayer by the Lap 50 mark while Clements dropped to fifth ahead of Hill.
By Lap 60, Chandler Smith extended his advantage to more than a second over teammate Creed as Mayer, Nemechek and Custer trailed in the top five. Behind, Allgaier was up to sixth place and Clements dropped to seventh place, with Sammy Smith, Herbst and Moffitt following suit in the top 10 ahead of Love, Hill, Heim, Chastain and Ryan Sieg.
Nearing the Lap 70 mark, Chandler Smith continued to extend his advantage as he was leading by nearly three seconds over teammate Creed while JR Motorsports’ Mayer, Allgaier and Sammy Smith were up in the top five. Meanwhile, Nemechek dropped to ninth as he trailed Custer, teammate Moffitt and Heim on the track as Love occupied 10th place.
Two laps later, the event’s second caution period flew after Jeb Burton, who was running 14th, blew a right-front tire and scrubbed the outside wall through Turns 1 and 2. Burton’s incident was enough for the first stage period scheduled to conclude on Lap 75 to officially conclude under caution as Chandler Smith claimed his fourth Xfinity stage victory of the 2024 season. Teammate Creed followed suit in second ahead of Mayer, Allgaier and Sammy Smith while Custer, Moffitt, Heim, Nemechek and Love were scored in the top 10.
Under the stage break, the entire lead lap field led by Chandler Smith pitted for service. Following the pit stops, Chandler Smith retained the lead after exiting first followed by teammate Creed, Custer, Sammy Smith, Mayer and Moffitt.
The second stage period started on Lap 82 as teammates Chandler Smith and Creed occupied the front row. At the start, both Joe Gibbs Racing teammates dueled for the lead until Smith muscled ahead from the outside lane while Creed got loose on the inside lane. Creed was then placed in a tight four-wide battle against Herbst, Mayer and Moffitt for fourth place through the backstretch while Custer and Sammy Smith grabbed second and third, respectively, through the backstretch.
Mayer then slid sideways after getting hit by Moffitt through Turns 3 and 4, but he kept his car running straight as the oncoming field behind scattered and fanned out to avoid hitting him. Amid the war of attrition in the middle of the pack, Chandler Smith proceeded to lead Custer by a tenth of a second by the Lap 85 mark while third-place Sammy Smith trailed by four-tenths of a second in third.
On Lap 87, the caution returned after van Gisbergen, who was mired in the top 25, got loose entering the backstretch and slipped up the track and into Blaine Perkins, which resulted in Perkins slapping the outside wall as van Gisbergen slid down the track and was hit hard by Kyle Weatherman, which took all three out of contention and spoiled van Gisbergen’s hopes of winning three consecutive Xfinity races.
As the event restarted under green on Lap 96, the two Smiths, Chandler and Sammy, battled for the lead, with the former edging ahead for nearly a lap from the outside lane until Sammy mounted the pressure on Chandler for the top spot after the latter slipped up the track. With the battle for the lead intensifying during the following lap, Chandler Smith would muscle ahead followed by Custer while Sammy Smith slipped to third. Behind, Chastain and Moffitt carved their way up to fourth and fifth, respectively, while Love trailed in sixth as Chandler Smith was leading by two-tenths of a second by the Lap 100 mark.
Fifteen laps later, Chandler Smith was leading by more than a second over Custer followed by Sammy Smith, Moffitt and Love while Chastain, Nemechek, Herbst, Allgaier and Mayer were in the top 10. Behind, Heim trailed in 11th place ahead of Creed, Kligerman, Ryan Sieg and Hill while Ryan Ellis, Leland Honeyman, Daniel Dye, Brennan Poole and Clements were scored in the top 20.
Then on Lap 123 and with a multitude of competitors battling for car control on the track’s paved surface, the caution flew after Patrick Emerling spun in Turn 1. During the caution period, some including Moffitt, Hill, Josh Williams, Ryan Sieg, Kligerman, Clements, Dawson Cram and Joey Gase pitted while the rest led by Chandler Smith remained on the track.
With the event restarting under green on Lap 132, Chandler Smith muscled ahead of Custer to retain the lead as Custer slipped through the first two turns. Custer’s misfortune cost him three spots as Sammy Smith, Chastain and Allgaier all moved up the leaderboard. Soon after, Allgaier and Custer made contact, but they continued to race in the top 10 as the field fanned out. Amid the battles in the middle of the pack, the battle for the lead between the two Smiths, Chandler and Sammy, began to intensify as the latter challenged the former for the top spot. Chastain and Mayer would close in to make the battle for the lead a four-car battle while Chandler Smith retained the top spot.
Just past the Lap 140 mark, Chandler Smith continued to lead by three-tenths of a second over Sammy Smith as Mayer, Chastain and Creed followed suit within a second in the top five. Behind, Heim was up to sixth place while Allgaier, Herbst, Love and Custer trailed in the top 10 ahead of Hill, DiBenedetto, Nemechek, Daniel Dye and Moffitt.
Then on the final lap of the second stage period, the caution flew due to 14th-place runner Love cutting a right-front tire and going dead straight into the outside wall in between Turns 3 and 4 as his event came a late end. The drama for Love would continue as his damaged No. 2 Whelen Chevrolet Camaro went up in flames while being towed back to the garage.
Love’s incident was enough for the second stage period scheduled to conclude on Lap 150 to officially conclude under caution as Chandler Smith captured his fifth Xfinity stage victory of the 2024 season and second of the day. Mayer muscled his way up to second place as he was followed by Chastain, Heim and Sammy Smith while Creed, Allgaier, Herbst, Custer and Hill were scored in the top 10.
During the stage break, nearly the entire lead lap field led by Chandler Smith returned to pit road for service while Josh Williams remained on the track, with the latter assuming the lead. Amid the pit stops, Ryan Sieg exited pit road second after he opted for a full tank of fuel to his entry.
With 90 laps remaining, the final stage commenced as Williams and Ryan Sieg occupied the front row. At the start, Chandler Smith tried to force his way in between both for the lead, but Sieg muscled ahead with the lead. In addition, Mayer overtook both to assume the runner-up while Chandler Smith slipped. This resulted with Smith dropping out of race-winning contention and out of the top 10 on the track while Sieg was leading ahead of Mayer and a bevy of battles ensuing behind them.
With 80 laps remaining, Mayer, who overtook Ryan Sieg for the lead two laps earlier, was leading by six-tenths of a second over Creed followed by Ryan Sieg, Custer and Moffitt while Nemechek, Heim, Hill, Williams and Sammy Smith were in the top 10. Meanwhile, Chandler Smith was still mired in 12th.
Ten laps later, Mayer stabilized his advantage to half a second over Creed as Custer, Nemechek and Moffitt trailed in the top five. Behind, Chandler Smith retained 12th place as he was racing in between Allgaier and Chastain while Heim, Hill, Ryan Sieg, Sammy Smith and Williams were mired in the top 10.
Another 10 laps later, Mayer slightly extended his advantage to nine-tenths of a second over Creed as Custer, Nemechek and Heim followed suit in the top five. Meanwhile, Ryan Sieg and Moffitt, both of whom pitted under green a few laps earlier, were mired back in 25th and 27th, respectively.
With 50 laps remaining, Mayer stabilized his advantage to a second over Creed as Nemechek moved up to third place ahead of Custer and Heim. By then, Williams and Matt DiBenedetto had pitted under green. Another lap later, the caution flew after Allgaier blew a right-front tire and went dead straight into the outside wall entering Turn 4 as his strong run came to a late end.
During the caution period, the lead lap field led by Mayer pitted for service. Following the pit stops, Nemechek emerged with the lead after he exited first while teammate Creed, Mayer, Custer, Hill and Chandler Smith followed suit in the top six.
As the event restarted with 40 laps remaining, Nemechek muscled ahead with the lead from the outside lane followed by teammate Creed while Hill put the bumper to Mayer and moved Mayer in the middle of a three-wide battle as Hill tried to march his way back to the front. Then as Kligerman went wide and nearly hit the outside wall in between Turns 3 and 4, the battle for the lead intensified between teammates Nemechek and Creed as they dueled in front of Custer through the frontstretch. Creed then briefly wiggled in Turn 1, which allowed Nemechek to muscle back ahead as Custer and Hill overtook Creed for second and third on the track.
Then with 33 laps remaining, Hill’s chances of contending for the victory evaporated after a blown left-front tire sent Hill straight into the outside wall in Turn 1. With Hill out of contention, Nemechek had retained the lead while Custer, Creed, Mayer and Chandler Smith were scored in the top five.
Down to the final 26 laps of the event, the event restarted under green. At the start, Nemechek continued to make the outside lane work to his advantage as he muscled away from the field followed by Custer while Mayer, who restarted as the first competitor on the inside lane, settled in third and in front of Creed. Mayer would then overtake Custer for the runner-up spot during the following lap. He would retain the spot over Herbst and Custer over the next four laps before the caution flew as Brennan Poole went up in smoke and dropped fluid around the circuit.
The start of the next restart period with 13 laps remaining featured Nemechek fending off Herbst for nearly a lap before Herbst drew his No. 98 Monster Energy Ford Mustang alongside Nemechek’s No. 20 Daisy Brands Toyota Supra in a late battle for the lead through the frontstretch. Herbst then managed to clear Nemechek and emerge with the lead and with both lanes to his control during the following lap while Creed battled Nemechek for the runner-up spot.
Shortly after, Nemechek and Creed made contact that resulted in Nemechek generating a tire rub and slipping out of the top five. Amid the contact, Mayer made his way into the runner-up spot. Heim, Custer and Chastain moved into the top five while Herbst retained the lead by three-tenths of a second with 10 laps remaining.
Then with seven laps remaining, Mayer drag-raced against Herbst through the backstretch before he assumed the lead in his No. 1 Roto-Rooter Chevrolet Camaro. As Mayer started to pull away from Herbst and Heim with the lead, the caution returned with five laps remaining after Nemechek, who was trying to nurse his car to the finish amid his tire rub and late run-in with teammate Creed, ended up against the outside wall towards Turn 4 with a flat tire. Nemechek’s incident was enough to send the event into overtime.
The start of the first overtime attempt featured Herbst and Mayer battling dead even for the lead approaching the first turn. As Creed got loose and nearly slid into Heim, Mayer managed to rocket ahead of Herbst through the first two turns and lead through the backstretch.
When the white flag waved and the final lap started, Mayer was leading by two-tenths of a second over Herbst as Heim tried to join the battle. With both Herbst and Heim unable to mount a final lap charge, Mayer was able to nurse his car around the Iowa circuit smoothly for a final time before he cycled back to the frontstretch and claimed the checkered flag by a tenth of a second.
With the victory, Mayer, who ended up with a flat left-rear tire after Herbst gave Mayer a post-race bump into the side to express his displeasure from an earlier on-track contact and proceeded to blow his right-rear tire from his post-race burnout, notched his sixth career win in his 99th Xfinity Series career start, his second of the 2024 season and his first since winning at Texas Motor Speedway in April.
In addition to becoming the fourth multi-race winner of this year’s Xfinity Series season, Mayer became the 15th competitor overall to win an Xfinity event at Iowa in the speedway’s return to hosting NASCAR Xfinity events since the 2019 season. The Wisconsin native also delivered the 10th victory of the season for the Chevrolet nameplate and the third of the season for JR Motorsports.
“We struggled yesterday and this Roto-Rooter team went to work,” Mayer said on USA Network. “Obviously, we did pretty good overnight making good decisions on this race car. Man, I’m out of breath because I was just huffing in a bunch of smoke, but I feel really good. I could do another 100 laps, for sure. With a race car like this, it’d be a lot of fun. We definitely got a little bit tight there at the end of the second stage, so I was a little concern [of the tire wear] there. [Crew chief] Mardy [Lindley] said the tires look all good. We took care of [the car] and we did our job and now, we get to celebrate.”
As Mayer celebrated on the frontstretch, Herbst was left disappointed on pit road and with a small axe to grind towards Mayer after the latter had made contact with the former earlier prior to their late-race battle for the victory. Nonetheless, Herbst was also left pleased with his performance and the resilience being exhibited by Stewart-Haas Racing amid the team’s closure at this season’s conclusion. Currently, Herbst’s racing plans for the 2025 season remains to be determined.
“It was just frustrating,” Herbst said. “It was an up-and-down day, for sure. I felt like we were okay yesterday and we got it better. We worked all night. [The No. 98 team] did a really good job. We worked our day back up through the field, got some track position and then, the guy who won [Mayer], I mean, he just absolutely brooms us into [Turns] 1 and 2, so that was frustrating. Then for him to door me down the straightaway before the green white checkered [restart], I don’t know.
“That was a bit frustrating, but all in all, it was fun to race with them on the green-white checkered. I’m just most proud in that the speed’s back in the No. 98 Monster Energy car. It was really fast today, so I appreciate everybody at Stewart-Haas Racing for sticking together. It’s been a hard last couple of months and it’s gonna be a hard couple months going forward as well with everything that’s going on. Everybody staying together is awesome. Hopefully, we can continue to bring the speed to New Hampshire next week.”
Corey Heim piloted the No. 26 Yahoo! Toyota Supra from Sam Hunt Racing to a career-best third place in his 11th career start in the Xfinity Series while Sammy Smith and Sheldon Creed finished in the top five.
Cole Custer came home in sixth place while Matt DiBenedetto, Chandler Smith, Ross Chastain and Daniel Dye completed the top 10 in the final running order.
There were 13 lead changes for eight different leaders. The race featured nine cautions for 71 laps. In addition, 17 of 38 starters finished on the lead lap.
Following the 15th event of the 2024 Xfinity Series season, Cole Custer leads the regular-season standings by a single point over Chandler Smith while Austin Hill trails by 41 points and Justin Allgaier trails by 44 points.
27. John Hunter Nemechek – OUT, Accident, 35 laps led
28. Brennan Poole – OUT, Oil Line
29. Austin Hill – OUT, Accident
30. Justin Allgaier – OUT, Accident, 14 laps led
31. Jesse Love – OUT, Accident
32. Parker Retzlaff – OUT, Electrical
33. Kyle Weatherman – OUT, Accident
34. Shane van Gisbergen – OUT, Accident
35. Blaine Perkins – OUT, Accident
36. Brandon Jones – OUT, Engine
37. AJ Allmendinger – OUT, Accident
38. Glen Reen – OUT, Carburetor
Next on the 2024 NASCAR Xfinity Series schedule is the series’ annual visit to New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, New Hampshire, for the SciAps 200. The event is scheduled to occur next Saturday, June 22, and air at 3:30 p.m. ET on USA Network.
NEWTON, IOWA - JUNE 15: Sam Mayer, driver of the #1 Roto-Rooter Chevrolet, celebrates in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Xfinity Series Hy-Vee Perks 250 at Iowa Speedway on June 15, 2024 in Newton, Iowa. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)
June 15, 2024 By Reid Spencer NASCAR Wire Service
NEWTON, Iowa — In a race of tire management and hurt feelings, Sam Mayer held off Riley Herbst in overtime to win Saturday’s Hy-Vee Perks 250 in the NASCAR Xfinity Series’ return to Iowa Speedway after a four-year hiatus.
Mayer’s No. 1 JR Motorsports Chevrolet crossed the finish line 0.146 seconds ahead of the No. 98 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford of Herbst, who felt Mayer had abused him earlier in the race.
The victory was Mayer’s second of the season and the sixth of his career, all coming within the last 29 races in the series. “We struggled (Friday in practice), and the team went to work,” said Mayer, who started fifth when qualifying was canceled because of rain earlier on Saturday. “Obviously, we did pretty good overnight, making different changes on this race car.
“I feel really good. I could do another 100 laps — with a race car like this, it would be a lot of fun.”
Mayer held the lead when John Hunter Nemechek slammed the outside wall in Turn 4 with his left front tire down, the result of close quarters racing with Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Sheldon Creed.
That accident on Lap 245 caused the ninth caution of the afternoon and sent the race three laps beyond its scheduled distance.
In the overtime, Mayer and Herbst took the green flag side-by-side and remained in that posture into Turn 1, but Mayer cleared the race runner-up off Turn 2 and held the top spot the rest of the way.
“I like racing Sam, but Stage 1 or 2 he just absolutely brooms me,” Herbst said. “We were racing clean for fourth, and he takes us back to 10th and then doors me down the back straightaway before the green-white-checker.
“It’s just frustrating the way he wants to do that, but all in all, it was fun. I’m happy to be back on ovals. The speed is back in the 98.”
Corey Heim finished a career-best third after starting 22nd because of the qualifying rainout. Sammy Smith was fourth, followed by Creed, who survived the dust-up with Nemechek after a restart on Lap 238.
Cole Custer, Matt DiBenedetto, Chandler Smith, Ross Chastain and Daniel Dye completed the top 10.
If any driver had cause for frustration, it was Chandler Smith, who led a race-high 131 laps and swept the first two stages. Smith restarted third to begin the final stage, but lack of short-run speed quickly dropped him to 12th, and he never recovered.
Austin Hill likewise had reason to bemoan his result. Overcoming early handling issues, Hill charged into the top five in the final stage, but a cut left front tire sent him hard into the Turn 1 wall on Lap 218, causing the seventh caution.
Hill finished 29th and dropped to third in the series standings, 41 points behind Custer, the current leader and defending series champion. Chandler Smith, second in the standings, trails Custer by one point.
NASCAR Xfinity Series Race – Hy-Vee Perks 250 Iowa Speedway Newton, Iowa Saturday, June 15, 2024 1. (5) Sam Mayer, Chevrolet, 253. 2. (12) Riley Herbst, Ford, 253. 3. (22) Corey Heim(i), Toyota, 253. 4. (17) Sammy Smith, Chevrolet, 253. 5. (3) Sheldon Creed, Toyota, 253. 6. (7) Cole Custer, Ford, 253. 7. (24) Matt Dibenedetto, Ford, 253. 8. (6) Chandler Smith, Toyota, 253. 9. (28) Ross Chastain(i), Chevrolet, 253. 10. (37) Daniel Dye(i), Chevrolet, 253. 11. (10) Parker Kligerman, Chevrolet, 253. 12. (15) Ryan Sieg, Ford, 253. 13. (25) Leland Honeyman #, Chevrolet, 253. 14. (20) Ryan Ellis, Chevrolet, 253. 15. (19) Anthony Alfredo, Chevrolet, 253. 16. (36) Joey Gase, Chevrolet, 253. 17. (31) David Starr, Chevrolet, 253. 18. (29) Brett Moffitt(i), Toyota, 252. 19. (21) Kyle Sieg, Ford, 252. 20. (27) Josh Williams, Chevrolet, 252. 21. (16) Jeremy Clements, Chevrolet, 252. 22. (34) Dawson Cram #, Chevrolet, 252. 23. (32) Patrick Emerling, Chevrolet, 252. 24. (30) Jeb Burton, Chevrolet, 250. 25. (33) Hailie Deegan #, Ford, 250. 26. (35) Garrett Smithley, Chevrolet, 250. 27. (8) John Hunter Nemechek(i), Toyota, Accident, 244. 28. (14) Brennan Poole, Chevrolet, Oil Line, 218. 29. (1) Austin Hill, Chevrolet, Accident, 217. 30. (4) Justin Allgaier, Chevrolet, Accident, 200. 31. (9) Jesse Love #, Chevrolet, Accident, 149. 32. (13) Parker Retzlaff, Chevrolet, Electrical, 103. 33. (23) Kyle Weatherman, Chevrolet, Accident, 87. 34. (2) Shane Van Gisbergen #, Chevrolet, Accident, 86. 35. (18) Blaine Perkins, Ford, Accident, 86. 36. (26) Brandon Jones, Chevrolet, Engine, 38. 37. (11) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet, Accident, 32. 38. (38) Glen Reen, Chevrolet, Carburetor, 20. Average Speed of Race Winner: 84.899 mph. Time of Race: 2 Hrs, 36 Mins, 27 Secs. Margin of Victory: 0.146 Seconds. Caution Flags: 9 for 71 laps. Lead Changes: 13 among 8 drivers. Lap Leaders: A. Hill 0;J. Allgaier 1-14;C. Smith 15-37;J. Nemechek(i) 38-41;J. Clements 42-48;C. Smith 49-156;J. Williams 157-160;R. Sieg 161-168;S. Mayer 169-206;J. Nemechek(i) 207-237;R. Herbst 238-243;S. Mayer 244-250;R. Herbst 251;S. Mayer 252-253. Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led): Chandler Smith 2 times for 131 laps; Sam Mayer 3 times for 47 laps; John Hunter Nemechek(i) 2 times for 35 laps; Justin Allgaier 1 time for 14 laps; Ryan Sieg 1 time for 8 laps; Jeremy Clements 1 time for 7 laps; Riley Herbst 2 times for 7 laps; Josh Williams 1 time for 4 laps. Stage #1 Top Ten: 81,18,1,7,8,00,19,26,20,2 Stage #2 Top Ten: 81,1,92,26,8,18,7,98,00,21
