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Drive your vehicle on the famous Monster Mile with Laps For Charity event Saturday, July 20, at Dover Motor Speedway

By
Official Release
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  • Multiple options available to drive on the World’s Fastest One-Mile Oval.
  • Reserve your spot now in advance at https://www.speedwaycharities.org/events/dover/laps-for-charity/.
  • Proceeds assist local children in need through Speedway Children’s Charities, Dover Motor Speedway chapter.
  • Pace-car passenger, Monster Monument photo options available.

DOVER, Del. (May 13, 2024) – Speedway Children’s Charities, Dover Motor Speedway chapter is offering a rare opportunity for Monster Mile fans to drive their personal vehicle on the World’s Fastest One-Mile Oval.

Dover Motor Speedway’s latest Laps For Charity event is set for Saturday, July 20, where fans can drive multiple circuits around the World’s Fastest One-Mile Oval that has tested America’s best drivers every year since 1969.

Multiple options are available for Laps For Charity participants:

  • REGULAR SESSION: For $75 per vehicle, participants will take five laps around the track behind a Dover track vehicle.
  • VIP SESSION: For $125 per vehicle, participants can take eight laps around the track individually behind a Dover track vehicle.
  • PACE CAR PASSENGER ($50 per person): Sit shotgun in Dover’s Ford Mustang Mach-1 pace car as it turns five laps around the Monster Mile.
  • PHOTO AT THE MONSTER MONUMENT ($25 per vehicle): Take a photograph to remember with your vehicle in front of the famous 46-foot tall Monster Monument at Victory Plaza. Photos will be available to download on the SCC-Dover website following the event.
  • TRACK TREASURES TRAILER (Prices vary by item): Mementos, NASCAR collectibles, one-of-a-kind autographed items, clothing and advertising banners will be available for purchase near the Monster Monument.

Participants are encouraged to pre-register their vehicles at https://www.speedwaycharities.org/events/dover/laps-for-charity/. Walk-up registrants are permitted but first-priority access to the track will be given to early registrants. Directions, track access points, session times and more details will be shared with participants prior to the event.

Car clubs can also sign up for exclusive track access during the event. Email gcamp@dovermotorspeedway.com for more details.

SCC-Dover’s focus is raising funds for Delaware and mid-Atlantic-based nonprofit organizations assisting children in need.

Dover Motor Speedway’s owner, Speedway Motorsports, established the first Speedway Children’s Charities (SCC) chapter in 1982. Since then, SCC chapters across the United States have raised more than $69 million in grants for organizations that assist children.

For more information on the Speedway Children’s Charities, Dover Motor Speedway chapter, or to donate, email gcamp@dovermotorspeedway.com.

Visit DoverMotorSpeedway.com to register for the Speedway’s email list to receive updates and announcements.

FOLLOW US:
Keep track of all of Dover Motor Speedway’s events by following on Facebook, X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, Instagram and TikTok (@MonsterMile). Keep up with all the latest information on DoverMotorSpeedway.com and our mobile app.

About Speedway Children’s Charities:

SCC is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization and provides funding for hundreds of non-profit organizations throughout the nation that meet the direct needs of children. Our vision is that every child has the same opportunities no matter what obstacle they are facing. In 2023, Speedway Children’s Charities distributed more than $4.2 million in grants to charitable organizations across the country, bringing the total funds distributed since 1982 to more than $69 million, and ensuring that many children in need are given the tools to build a better, brighter and healthy future. For more information, visit www.speedwaycharities.org.

HighPoint.com Racing: Chase Briscoe All-Star Advance

By
Official Release
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CHASE BRISCOE
North Wilkesboro / All-Star Race Advance
No. 14 HighPoint.com Ford Mustang Dark Horse

Event Overview

● Event: NASCAR All-Star Open | NASCAR All-Star Race (non-points races)
● Time/Date: 5:30 p.m. EDT on Sunday, May 19
● Location: North Wilkesboro (N.C.) Speedway
● Layout: .625-mile oval
● Laps/Miles: 100 laps/62.5 miles | 200 laps/125 miles
● TV/Radio: FS1 / MRN / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Notes of Interest

● The NASCAR Cup Series recently competed at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway, which bills itself as the Official Throwback Weekend of NASCAR. But the throwback of all throwbacks comes this weekend at North Wilkesboro (N.C.) Speedway. The .625-mile oval located in the hills of Wilkes County, North Carolina, had sat dormant for 25 years, save for a one-year respite in 2010 when local investors cleaned it up enough to host a handful of grassroots Late Model racing series. The track closed again in the spring of 2011, reverting back to its Scooby-Doo haunted mansion vibe. Once a staple of the NASCAR Cup Series when Winston cigarettes was its title sponsor, North Wilkesboro was cast aside, despite being a NASCAR original and hosting 93 points-paying Cup Series races since 1949, the last of which came on Sept. 29, 1996, when Jeff Gordon beat Dale Earnhardt by 1.73 seconds to win the Tyson Holly Farms 400. But thanks to an $18 million cash infusion from the state as part of the American Rescue Plan, as well as another seven-figure spend by track operator Speedway Motorsports, North Wilkesboro was revived. It had a soft opening in August 2022 with Modified and Late Model racing before its grand reopening last May with five days of racing, from the CARS Late Model Stock Tour to the NASCAR Truck Series and, finally, the Cup Series via the non-points NASCAR All-Star Race. The track Enoch Staley built in 1946 – first as a five-eighths mile dirt oval where whiskey runners displayed their skill behind the wheel, along with their mechanical acumen for building cars that were faster than those of the revenuers, and two years ahead of NASCAR’s first season and three years before the first Strictly Stock (now Cup Series) race was held – was back, and the resto-mod of racetracks is ready for another chapter of the NASCAR All-Star Race.

● DYK? The frontstretch of North Wilkesboro Speedway runs downhill and the backstretch runs uphill. This forces drivers to change their approach to each corner of the racetrack, as they’re carrying more speed entering turn one than they are going into turn three.

● This year marks the 40th running of the NASCAR All-Star Race. Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway hosted the first All-Star Race and 34 in total. The All-Star Race debuted on May 25, 1985, at Charlotte’s 1.5-mile oval and it was won by Darrell Waltrip. Atlanta Motor Speedway hosted the second All-Star Race in 1986 before returning to Charlotte for a 33-race run. The 2020 All-Star Race was held at the .533-mile Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway – the first time the All-Star Race wasn’t held at a 1.5-mile oval. The All-Star Race returned to a 1.5-mile oval in June 2021, when Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth began hosting the event for a two-year stretch. When North Wilkesboro hosted the All-Star Race for the first time last year, it became just the second track other than a 1.5-mile oval to host the specialty event.

● For all the talk about the All-Star Race, Chase Briscoe and his Stewart-Haas Racing teammates are focused on the NASCAR All-Star Open. The 100-lap race is for drivers not qualified for the All-Star Race, and Briscoe and his Stewart-Haas brethren fall into this group. Only drivers who have won a points race in either 2023 or 2024, drivers who have previously won the All-Star Race and still compete fulltime, and drivers who have won a NASCAR Cup Series championship and compete fulltime are eligible for the All-Star Race. Briscoe is one of 20 drivers looking to race their way into the All-Star Race via the Open, but only the top-two finishers in the Open will advance to the All-Star Race. However, a third Open driver will get into the All-Star Race via a fan vote, which will remain live until 5:30 p.m. EDT on Sunday, when the green flag waves for the Open.

● Briscoe has been a part of two All-Star Races, and he didn’t need to run the All-Star Open to make the main event. After winning the NASCAR Cup Series rookie-of-the-year title in 2021, Briscoe won in just the fourth start of his sophomore season. On March 13, 2022 at Phoenix Raceway, Briscoe took the checkered flag in his 40th career Cup Series start. The victory secured Briscoe’s place in the NASCAR Playoffs and earned him the honor of being the 200th Cup Series winner in NASCAR history. It also gave Briscoe automatic entry into the All-Star Race in 2022 and 2023. In those two races, Briscoe finished 18th and fourth, respectively.

● A touch of the champagne-sipping realm of Formula One comes to the moonshine-imbibing world of North Wilkesboro when drivers competing in both the All-Star Open and the All-Star Race get a choice of tire compounds. In Formula One, teams get an allotment of soft, medium and hard tires from supplier Pirelli that they must use throughout the race weekend. At the All-Star event weekend, tire supplier Goodyear is bringing a “prime” tire, which is a slick racing tire, an “option” tire that is also a slick but with a softer, faster-wearing compound, and a rain tire should weather conditions warrant its use. The lettering on the prime tires will be yellow, the lettering on the option tires will be red, and the lettering on the rain tires will be white. In theory, the prime tire will last longer but provide less grip, therefore compromising speed. The option tire will provide maximum grip at the beginning of a run, allowing drivers to make significantly more speed, but their high-degradation rate means that speed will be short-lived. The rain tire will only be used in wet or damp conditions. Here are some additional details pertaining to tire usage at North Wilkesboro:

●  Teams will be allotted nine sets of tires for the weekend.

​●  Teams will be allotted three sets of prime tires and two sets of option tires for practice, qualifying, the heat races and the All-Star Open.

​●  Teams will have two sets of prime and option tires for the All-Star Race.

​●  All four tires on the car must be the same type at all times.

​●  Only the prime tire will be used during qualifying.

​●  Teams will have the option to start on any type of tire for practice, the heat races and the All-Star Open.

​●  All teams will start on the option tire for the All-Star Race.

● Back with Briscoe this weekend at North Wilkesboro is HighPoint.com, a leading provider of technology infrastructure solutions. HighPoint has been a partner of Briscoe and Stewart-Haas Racing since 2020 when the company supported Briscoe’s NASCAR Xfinity Series campaign, a collaboration that netted a season-best nine victories and earned Briscoe a promotion to the NASCAR Cup Series. HighPoint has climbed the NASCAR ladder with Briscoe and has helped Stewart-Haas maximize its IT investments. Said Briscoe about the partnership: “Even though we race stock cars, there’s nothing stock about what we do. The science of our cars is impressive, but the technology that goes into building our Ford Mustangs and then making them perform is even more advanced. Our IT needs are pretty complex, and we demand a lot from our technology every day, whether it’s at the shop or at the track. HighPoint provides efficiency and security. They’re more than just a sponsor – HighPoint is a partner that helps us perform.” As an IT Solutions Integrator focused on all things that connect, HighPoint helps its customers with the selection and supply of network infrastructure, mobility, collaboration, data center, security solutions and the risk-mitigated implementation and management of their technology. The company, founded in 1996, is a minority-owned business headquartered in Sparta, New Jersey. HighPoint serves markets in its nearby Tri-State Region (New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Delaware) and the southeastern United States via its presence in Charlotte, North Carolina, as well as globally with offices in Amsterdam and London. To learn more about HighPoint’s solutions, please visit HighPoint.com.

The story of how HighPoint.com came together with Briscoe and Stewart-Haas is one that could’ve been scripted in Hollywood. In November of 2019, while walking to dinner after attending the SEMA show in Las Vegas, Kevin Briscoe was stopped by a stranger who noticed his No. 98 Stewart-Haas hat. The man was Mike Mendiburu, founder and CEO of HighPoint.com, and he said he was a big fan of Chase Briscoe, then a young NASCAR Xfinity Series driver from Mitchell, Indiana. Kevin informed Mendiburu that Chase was his son and the two carried on a conversation like they were old friends. The two walked away with Kevin accepting Mendiburu’s business card, just in case the Briscoes ever needed anything. Months passed and Chase Briscoe was told that he may not have a ride in the No. 98 for the 2020 season if funding couldn’t be found. So, Stewart-Haas was given Mendiburu’s information and an agreement was reached for HighPoint.com to sponsor Briscoe. That chance encounter in Las Vegas led to a nine-win season in 2020. In October of that year, midway through the playoffs, Briscoe arrived at Tony Stewart’s house in Indiana for what he thought was a discussion with his team owner about whether HighPoint.com would be returning as his sponsor for the next season. The group sat down for dinner and Briscoe, joined by his parents, was informed a decision had already been made – he would be leaving the No. 98 Xfinity Series program to become the next driver of the team’s No. 14 Cup Series entry, the car Stewart himself wheeled during his driving tenure at Stewart-Haas. “I wouldn’t have a career if it wasn’t for Mike and everyone at HighPoint.com,” Briscoe said. “Going into 2020, I was going to be done. They literally came in fourth quarter with 30 seconds left and kept things going. Without them, I think my career would’ve been over.”

Chase Briscoe, Driver of the No. 14 HighPoint.com Ford Mustang

When North Wilkesboro ran its last points-paying NASCAR Cup Series race in 1996, you weren’t even 2 years old. So when NASCAR returned to North Wilkesboro last year for the All-Star Race, did you have an understanding of its history, or was it just another track where you had to go out and compete?

“I knew it was a track that they used to run at, but even last year, I was talking about the how the significance of it really wasn’t there for me. I don’t remember watching races there, and I don’t remember when NASCAR used to race there. I didn’t even know where it was. I didn’t even know it was in North Carolina, to be honest. I definitely would say it didn’t have as much significance for me, growing up a dirt guy, as it would a John Hunter Nemechek or somebody who grew up pavement racing. It probably meant a little bit more to them. Regardless, it was still cool to go there and see a track come back to life. As a motorsports fan, you never want to see tracks die, and it’s cool to see a track get revived like that.”

You competed in the past two All-Star Races, but this year you have to race your way into the main event. Did you have an appreciation for being a part of the main event, and does that make you want to get back into the All-Star Race that much more?

“For sure. The last two years, I’ve been able to just be locked into the All-Star Race and I didn’t have to do anything to get into it as far as the weekend itself. This time, it’ll kind of be like going back dirt racing where you have heat races, and if you don’t make the transfer, you’re done. You’re loading up and going to the house. It definitely makes you appreciate it a little bit more, being locked into it. I would obviously love to go there locked into it. It just makes it that much more important to go there and run good because that’s a race that you want to be a part of. The All-Star event itself, it’s nice to be able to have your name attached to that event, and obviously to be racing for a million bucks is super cool, too. So that’s definitely one you put a lot of emphasis on throughout the year, and obviously you know that when you do get a win that you’re locked into the All-Star Race, and that’s one of the perks of it.”

North Wilkesboro has been completely repaved. How much of a game-changer is that compared to what you experienced last year?

“It’ll be like going to a new track. Last year, it was extremely slick and it was really, really worn out, so I feel like everything I learned last year will probably be thrown out the window. It’s still the same racetrack, but it’s going to drive totally different. Lap times, I would expect, are going to be much, much faster now, and just the way the race plays out is going to be totally different. There’s not a whole lot you can take from it. Even from a car setup standpoint, I feel like there’s probably not a whole lot you can take from it. It’ll be interesting because it’ll be a clean slate for all. Hopefully, we can be one of the teams that can go there and hit it right.”

How do you prepare for a repaved North Wilkesboro, and how much does the simulator help you when it comes to adapting to new pavement at a venue you’re already familiar with?

“I’ve never really had to do it before, so I don’t know how it’ll go. The simulator, I’m sure they have data from when I think (Joey) Logano was the Ford car who went there and tested, so they have some type of data, and that’s where, from an OEM standpoint, the manufacturer’s done a good job of translating the data and also sharing the data amongst all the teams. But, yeah, it’ll be a little bit of an interesting spot. In the past when I’ve gone to a repave, it was kind of the first race for everybody. Texas was the last one I can think of that stands out. When I went to run at Texas for the first time, that was my first-ever time at Texas, so even with the repave, I didn’t know any differently. This track I’ve actually gone to before the repave and now after the repave, it’ll definitely be interesting just to see how it all works out.”

You’re in the Open this year. Knowing a top-two finish gets you into the All-Star Race, how hard do you expect the racing to be to earn one of those transfer spots?

“It’ll be cut-throat, for sure. There are no points on the line, so it’ll be extremely aggressive. Only the top-two move on. Everybody knows that going into it, so if you’re in second, or even if you’re in the lead, you’ve got to be on it and just be ready for anything. It’s one of those tracks where you would think with the repave it would be a little bit of a challenge to pass on, and it’s where qualifying is going to be extremely important. Fortunately for us this year we’ve been really good in qualifying, so hopefully that’ll translate into the All-Star weekend and we can start up front in the Open and race our way in.”

What was the vibe for last year’s All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro?

“I would say that race definitely had a totally different vibe just from the atmosphere and just how excited everybody was. It honestly reminded me a lot of the Chili Bowl, just like how on Saturday night where fans of the Chili Bowl wait all year for that one race, that one night. North Wilkesboro had been waiting on that since 1996 and it was just a very similar vibe. Everybody was fired up to be there. It’s a hard ticket to get and they were all super rowdy, and it just reminded me a lot of the Chili Bowl on Saturday night. That atmosphere and that intensity is hard to come by, and the All-Star Race certainly brought that.”

HighPoint is back on your car at North Wilkesboro, and it’s a good reminder that if it weren’t for HighPoint and its founder and CEO, Mike Mendiburu, your racing career may have ended in the Xfinity Series. How crucial was that support, and what’s your advice to someone who’s been grinding away and just needs a break to get to the next level?

“Without Mike and HighPoint, I’m definitely not in the Cup Series and my career probably would’ve been over in 2020. That was the year when I leaped up into the Cup Series. It’s always special for me to have the HighPoint colors on my car, just because of what that family’s done for me and what that company’s done for me. It’s just special every single time. My advice for someone grinding away trying to make it all work would be to just keep your eye on what you want to achieve because you never know when that opportunity’s going to come. There have been multiple times when I thought my career was over, and then another door opens. You just have to trust the process. It’s not always going to be open doors because there are going to be a lot of closed doors, but it just takes those few open doors that you get and being able to capitalize on them. Fortunately, I’ve been very blessed to be able to do that.”

No. 14 HighPoint.com Team Roster

Primary Team Members

Driver: Chase Briscoe

Hometown: Mitchell, Indiana

Crew Chief: Richard Boswell

Hometown: Friendship, Maryland

Car Chief: J.D. Frey

Hometown: Ferndale, California

Engineer: Mike Cook

Hometown: Annapolis, Maryland

Spotter: Joey Campbell

Hometown: Berlin, Connecticut

Over-The-Wall Members

Front Tire Changer: Shayne Pipala

Hometown: Frankfort Square, Illinois

Rear Tire Changer: Dakota Ratcliff

Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee

Tire Carrier: Jon Bernal

Hometown: Holland, Michigan

Jack Man: Dylan Moser

Hometown: Monroe, North Carolina

Fuel Man: Corey Coppola

Hometown: Bluefield, West Virginia

Road Crew Members

Underneath Mechanic: Stephen Gonzalez

Hometown: Mooresville, North Carolina

Interior Mechanic: Trevor Adams

Hometown: Plymouth, Wisconsin

Tire Specialist: Keith Eads

Hometown: Arlington, Virginia

Shock Specialist: Brian Holshouser

Hometown: Charlotte, North Carolina

Engine Tuner: Jon Phillips

Hometown: Jefferson City, Missouri

Transporter Co-Driver: Todd Cable

Hometown: Shelby, North Carolina

Transporter Co-Driver: Dale Lackey

Hometown: Taylorsville, North Carolina

POCONO RACEWAY VOTED BEST NASCAR TRACK IN USA TODAY’S 10BEST READERS’ CHOICE TRAVEL AWARDS

By
Official Release
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Photo credit: Pocono Raceway.
  • Month-long fan voting selected “The Tricky Triangle” as the “Best NASCAR Track” over the runner-up, the inaugural 2023 Chicago street race.
  • NASCAR racing returns to Pocono Raceway with a July 12-14 tripleheader weekend.

LONG POND, Pa. (May 13, 2024) – Pocono Raceway has earned the esteemed title of “Best NASCAR Track” in the recently released 10Best Readers’ Choice travel awards by USA TODAY.

The “Tricky Triangle” was nominated by an expert panel at USA TODAY in the “Best NASCAR Track” category and the fans voted over a four-week period throughout April to determine the winner.

Pocono Raceway earned the top spot and was followed by the Chicago street race, Sonoma Raceway, Michigan Speedway and Bristol Motor Speedway, respectively, to round out the top five tracks.

“We are blown away by the response from our loyal fans and the NASCAR community to earn this honor,” Pocono Raceway President Ben May said. “Our vision for Pocono Raceway is to become the most beloved motorsports facility while embracing our uniqueness, character and delivering an unmatched level of guest service. We are humbled, thrilled and grateful that Pocono Raceway delivered for our guests, and we can’t thank our fans, partners and staff enough for believing in and supporting ‘The Tricky Triangle.’ I’m extremely proud of our entire staff for their dedication and effort to enhance the fan experience. This award is shared by many and will be celebrated by all.”

Pocono Raceway, which has hosted NASCAR events since 1974, enjoyed a highly successful race weekend last season that earned the track the “2023 Event of the Year” by the Pennsylvania Restaurant and Lodging Association. “The Tricky Triangle” sold out its main frontstretch grandstand and all premium seating and suites at the NASCAR Cup Series race for its largest race-day crowd since 2010. The raceway also sold out all of its infield camping inventory.

“Pocono Raceway is the epitome of family fun, high octane entertainment and a dedication to sharing in the Pocono Mountains experience with countless fans throughout generations,” said Pocono Mountains Visitors Bureau Present/CEO Chris Barrett. “We look forward to yet another exemplary weekend of NASCAR Cup racing at the Tricky Triangle this year and for many, many years to come!”

Pocono Raceway is preparing for NASCAR’s return this season with a July 12-14 weekend featuring all three national series. The weekend opens with the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series CRC Brakleen 175 on Friday, July 12, at 5:30 p.m. ET and followed by the Explore the Pocono Mountains 225 on Saturday, July 13, at 3 p.m. The race weekend culminates Sunday, July 14, with the Cup Series Pocono 400 at 2:30 p.m.

For more ticket information and news, please visit www.poconoraceway.com.

About Pocono Raceway

Pocono Raceway, also known as ‘The Tricky Triangle,’ is family-owned and situated in the beautiful Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania. In business for over 50 years, the Raceway hosts multiple, national motorsports events including the NASCAR Cup Series, NASCAR Xfinity Series and NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series events each year. The facility’s calendar also consists of over 200 events including Elements Music & Arts Festival and a wide range of non-motorsports entertainment, car clubs and racing schools. Pocono Raceway is recognized as the world’s first, privately-owned solar-powered sports facility. Their 25-acre, three-megawatt solar farm provides the energy needs of the Raceway, as well as, adds electricity to the local power grid. Each member of our raceway staff is committed to creating exciting experiences and lifelong memories. For more information, please visit www.poconoraceway.com.

NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Darlington

By
Jeffrey Boswell
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Photo by John Knittel for Speedwaymedia.com

Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.

1. Denny Hamlin: Hamlin finished fourth at Darlington, posting his fifth top 10 of the year.

“It was throwback weekend at Darlington,” Hamlin said. “It’s pretty much ‘throwback weekend’ for me at every track I visit, because when I toss a Denny Hamlin souvenir to the fans, they ‘throw it back.'”

2. Kyle Larson: Larson won Stage 1 at Darlington but found trouble later on lap 254 when he blew a left rear tire and slammed into the wall. He eventually finished 34th.

“I won on a photo finish last week at Kansas,” Larson said. “If you wanted a photo of my finish at Darlington, you could have taken it well before the race ended.”

3. Brad Keselowski: Keselowski started second and took charge late to win the Goodyear 400 at Darlington, ending his 110-race winless streak.

“Ford’s winless streak is also over,” Keselowski said. “I’m really happy to take credit for ending that winless streak. I’m not so happy about taking credit for starting their next winless streak.”

4. Chase Elliott: Elliott was strong late at Darlington and finished 12th in the Goodyear 400.

“At Darlington,” Elliott said, “it’s important to stay away from trouble. And I was successful in doing that. On Sunday, that meant staying away from William Byron. I think we’ve all learned that if William’s not winning a race, he’s keeping you from winning it.”

5. Ty Gibbs: Gibbs took second at Darlington, scoring his fourth top-5 result of the season.

“My No. 54 Toyota had the ‘He Gets Us’ logo on it,” Gibbs said. “Would Jesus really be into the sport of NASCAR? If he was, I doubt anyone at these races would pass his inspection.”

6. William Byron: Byron finished sixth at Darlington, recording his eighth top-10 finish of the year.

“I may have made some enemies at Darlington,” Byron said, “but I still consider myself an ‘A-list’ driver. Others consider me an ‘S-list’ driver.”

7. Alex Bowman: Bowman finished eighth at Darlington.

“How about that Chris Buescher-Tyler Reddick confrontation after the race?” Bowman said. “It looked like their conversation was pretty spicy. Some would even call it ‘ginger spicy.'”

8. Martin Truex Jr.: Truex finished 25th in the Goodyear 400.

“I hit the wall on Lap 129 when me, Ryan Blaney, and William Byron went three wide,” Truex said. “As they say, Byron ‘ran out of talent’ and sent me and Blaney into the wall. Byron’s paint scheme put flames on both sides of his car. I put blame on just one side of his car.”

9. Ryan Blaney: Blaney was the first car knocked out of the Goodyear 400 when he was a casualty on a lap 129 restart. Blaney finished last in 36th.

“This is all William Byron’s fault,” Blaney said. “If you’re gonna run with the big dogs, please try not to wreck all of them when you do it.”

10. Ross Chastain: Chastain finished 11th at Darlington.

“They call Darlington ‘The Track Too Tough To Tame,'” Blaney said. “They call me ‘The Driver Too Stubborn To Tame.'”

Ogier and TOYOTA GAZOO Racing triumph again

By
Official Release
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Toyota City, Japan, May 13, 2024 – (JCN Newswire) – TOYOTA GAZOO Racing World Rally Team’s Sébastien Ogier has secured a second successive win with his record-breaking sixth victory at the Rally de Portugal.

Vincent Landais, Sebastien Ogier
Just like in the previous round on the asphalt roads of Croatia, Ogier and co-driver Vincent Landais triumphed after a thrilling and close battle on Portugal’s gravel stages. Just one second from the lead at the end of Friday, Ogier took over at the front on Saturday morning as others hit trouble, and used all his experience to get through the longest day of the rally with an advantage of 11.9 seconds.

He increased his margin with a storming stage win in a foggy first test on Sunday morning, allowing him to apply more caution in the following tests and ultimately take victory by 7.9s.

Ogier now has more WRC victories in Portugal than any other driver, having matched Finnish legend Markku Alén’s tally of five wins back in 2017. TGR-WRT meanwhile has now won the last five editions of the event with four different drivers, bringing Toyota level with Lancia and Citroën on eight victories each across the history of the rally.

Elfyn Evans and Scott Martin finished sixth overall, securing some important points after a difficult start to the rally on Friday. They faced a further challenge on Sunday after damage to the cooling package in the penultimate stage, but made repairs on the road section to ensure they reached the finish. They remain second in the championship, 24 points from the leaders.

Kalle Rovanperä led after Friday but went off the road on Saturday’s second stage. He and Jonne Halttunen restarted on Sunday and took third in the Power Stage, helping to bank some extra points for the team.

Takamoto Katsuta was also among those fighting for the lead early on before he too stopped on Saturday morning after picking up damage. He and Aaron Johnston rejoined the action on Sunday and were fifth in the Super Sunday and Power Stage classifications.

The manufacturers’ standings remain close after five rounds, with TGR-WRT now four points from the lead.

TGR is celebrating a double victory in Portugal after the first WRC2 win for the new GR Yaris Rally2 car on its gravel debut at this level. Jan Solans and co-driver Rodrigo Sanjuan (Teo Martín Motorsport) climbed the order in the highly-competitive category on Saturday and clinched first place by just 3.2s at the finish.

Quotes:

Akio Toyoda (TGR-WRT Chairman)
“Seb, Vincent, congratulations on your two consecutive wins in Portugal!No matter how tough the gravel surface was, Seb was always calm. No matter how close and electrifying the competition was, Seb was always smiling to the fans. When something happened, he calmly informed the engineers about the situation and got back to the stages. Then he comes back to the finish line faster than anyone else. I am grateful to have such a “true professional” driver in our team. Seb, thank you again.

This weekend, there was both a disappointing thing and a good thing. The disappointing thing was that the other three cars were not able to drive through without problems. Last year as well, we won the event, but the other two cars experienced troubles. So this year, our goal was for all four cars to have a trouble-free rally, but it became a frustrating result for us again. On the other hand, the good thing which made me happy was that the team was calmer than before, whatever kind of problem they were facing. Many things happened during the weekend, but I heard everyone tried to stay calm and find a solution. It is nice to see the team grow. The team gets stronger as each member gets stronger, and as the team gets stronger, the GR YARIS Rally1 will become ever better and stronger. We still have a lot of tough events ahead of us this season, but I hope to continue to grow with everybody in the team.P.S. to ScottLet’s be careful not to forget things! But the backup you did was great!P.S. to ElfynI can relate to you as my co-driver often forgets things! Maybe we drivers should try to support co-drivers as well!”

Jari-Matti Latvala (Team Principal)
“Winning a rally is always a special feeling and we can be very happy to have taken another victory here in Portugal with Seb, continuing our winning run on this great event. It’s fantastic to see Seb’s great approach to these events and how he handles the situation under pressure: it shows why he is an eight-time world champion, and now a record six-time winner on this event. Of course, it’s slightly mixed feelings overall because we could not score as many points as we would have liked for championship. But that situation is what it is and we just need to fight back there in the next events.”

Kalle Rovanperä (Driver car 69)
“A big thank you to the team for fixing the car after the disappointment of yesterday, and sorry to them for losing such important points. It was nice to be back out today but it was not easy, cleaning the road was even tougher than we expected. On the Power Stage we really tried our best, I thought it was a good drive and a clean run, but the road was cleaning so much that the guys behind came a bit faster. Still we got a few points so we did what we could to help the team. It was not the weekend we wanted but we will come back stronger.”

Elfyn Evans (Driver car 33)
“This morning things were going a bit better than yesterday, but in the third stage we had a rock impact on the underside of the car that damaged the radiator. After that we had to get the car through in EV mode, and we managed to make a repair to get to the finish but unfortunately we didn’t get any extra points from the day. We definitely found a better feeling in the car but there are still a couple of areas to work on. At least we have some answers from the weekend. We’ll try to turn things around and have a stronger rally in Sardinia.”

Sébastien Ogier (Driver car 17)
“To take another win feels great. It’s nice to achieve some more cool numbers and I have to enjoy and cherish these moments. I had nothing against being tied on five wins for a few years with Markku Alén because for me he’s a legend and I have huge respect for him, but I’ve been asked many times when I was going to take the record and now finally it happened. It was another intense fight for everyone to follow and for us in the car there was no moment to relax. I think the way we managed everything was close to perfect: we could always stay in contention for the win without taking maximum risk when it didn’t feel 100 per cent.”

Takamoto Katsuta (Driver car 18)
“Of course it’s quite disappointing still that we retired yesterday because we could have had a much better result. But I had a very good feeling with the car here, it felt really good until that moment yesterday. Today was not so easy because we were without hybrid for some stages and the road position wasn’t good for us, but it was nice to at least get some points. I tried to keep pushing every stage as much as I can and learned a lot. There are some positives to take and now I focus on Sardinia, try to prepare well and keep pushing.”

PROVISIONAL FINAL CLASSIFICATION, RALLY DE PORTUGAL
1 Sébastien Ogier/Vincent Landais (Toyota GR YARIS Rally1 HYBRID) 3h41m32.3s
2 Ott Tänak/Martin Järveoja (Hyundai i20 N Rally1 HYBRID) +7.9s
3 Thierry Neuville/Martijn Wydaeghe (Hyundai i20 N Rally1 HYBRID) +1m09.8s
4 Adrien Fourmaux/Alexandre Coria (Ford Puma Rally1 HYBRID) +1m47.8s
5 Dani Sordo/Cándido Carrera (Hyundai i20 N Rally1 HYBRID) +2m48.9s
6 Elfyn Evans/Scott Martin (Toyota GR YARIS Rally1 HYBRID) +6m36.0s
7 Nikolay Gryazin/Konstantin Aleksandrov (Citroën C3 Rally2) +11m48.4s
8 Jan Solans/Rodrigo Sanjuan (Toyota GR Yaris Rally2) +11m52.9s
9 Josh McErlean/James Fulton (Škoda Fabia RS Rally2) +11m56.1s
10 Lauri Joona/Janni Hussi (Škoda Fabia RS Rally2) +13m40.3s
29 Takamoto Katsuta/Aaron Johnston (Toyota GR YARIS Rally1 HYBRID) +1h10m33.8s
31 Kalle Rovanperä/Jonne Halttunen (Toyota GR YARIS Rally1 HYBRID) +1h20m54.4s

(Results as of 16:30 on Sunday, for the latest results please visit www.wrc.com)

2024 FIA World Rally Championship for drivers after round 5:
1 Thierry Neuville 110 points
2 Elfyn Evans 86
3 Ott Tänak 79
4 Adrien Fourmaux 71
5 Sébastien Ogier 70
6 Takamoto Katsuta 49
7 Kalle Rovanperä 36
8 Esapekka Lappi 23
9 Andreas Mikkelsen 14
10 Oliver Solberg 12

2024 FIA World Rally Championship for manufacturers after round 5:
1 Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team 219 points
2 TOYOTA GAZOO Racing World Rally Team 215
3 M-Sport Ford World Rally Team 96

What’s next?
Rally Italia Sardegna (May 31-Jun 2) features fast but narrow gravel stages, where exposed rocks as well as trees at the side of the road can catch out the unwary. High temperatures combined with the abrasive surface places high stresses on the cars and tyres.

Spa points haul for TOYOTA GAZOO Racing

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Official Release
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Toyota City, Japan, May 13, 2024 – (JCN Newswire) – TOYOTA GAZOO Racing overcame a challenging and eventful 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps to earn a solid result in the third round of the 2024 FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) in Belgium.

In the last race before the Le Mans 24 Hours, the team battled against contact with other cars, penalties, and a performance deficit to secure points in their World Championship defence thanks to a strong effort from drivers, engineers and mechanics.

World Champions Sébastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley and Ryo Hirakawa, in the #8 GR010 HYBRID, finished sixth. Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi and Nyck de Vries followed up their win at Imola with seventh place in their #7 GR010 HYBRID.

Although the result brought an end its seven-race winning streak at Spa, the team remains firmly in World Championship contention, second in the standings, just 23 points behind leaders Porsche going into the double-points Le Mans 24 Hours.

A record 88,100 weekend crowd gathered at Spa on a warm, sunny day for the start as 19 Hypercars battled for position around the first lap, which set the tone for an incident-packed race.

Sébastien lined up a promising sixth but was hit by another car at the first corner and dropped to ninth. He fell further back due to a five-second stop-go penalty for exceeding the permitted energy usage on the formation lap. Mike made progress from 14th to 12th and tried to break into the top 10.

Both cars took fuel only at the first pit stops, helping Mike move up to eighth, and he fought to defend that position under pressure from rivals on fresh tyres, before slipping to 10th. Just after 90 minutes, both cars seized the opportunity of a safety car to pit for new tyres, losing less time than under green flag conditions.

After a long safety car period, Nyck resumed in ninth, and Ryo took over in 11th. The gap to the leading pack was reduced but that time gain was lost for the #7 when it dropped to 15th following a drive-through penalty for a virtual safety car infringement.

Nyck and Ryo drove hard to make up positions going into the second half of the race and joined of a four-car fight for seventh late in the fourth hour. As the battle wore on, Nyck overtook Ryo for fifth, just seconds before an accident elsewhere on track caused a two-hour red flag to repair safety barriers.

Racing resumed with one hour 44 minutes remaining and Kamui briefly ran third after the next round of fuel stops, before losing out to the #50 Ferrari. Going into the last hour, Kamui put pressure on the podium positions from fourth, while Brendon had the top six in his sights.

During the last half hour, Kamui was unable to hang on to fourth as the #51 Ferrari and #99 Porsche made the most of a performance advantage to get past. Kamui was then handed a five-second penalty for contact with a lapped LMGT3 car. That meant, when he crossed the line less than two seconds ahead of Brendon, the #8 GR010 HYBRID was classified sixth, and the #7 seventh.

The team’s focus now switches immediately to the highlight of the WEC season, the Le Mans 24 Hours. The 2024-specification GR010 HYBRIDs will hit the Circuit de la Sarthe for the first time on Sunday 9 June at the official test day, before the race itself on 15-16 June.

Kamui Kobayashi (Team Principal and driver, car #7):
“It has been a difficult day. In terms of performance, sixth and seventh is the best we could do. This is the race before Le Mans and it’s one of our home races, so it’s a pity we couldn’t really compete at the front and get a strong result. It’s been a tough event for us but we have to accept it and improve, so that we come back stronger in Le Mans.”

Mike Conway (Driver, car #7):
“It was a bit of a messy race on our car with the penalties. It would have been nice to score more points but in the end, we knew Ferrari and Porsche would be quicker than us. We were struggling with the tyres and couldn’t match that pace. As the track evolved, our pace improved but we were still not quite there. We’ve got to keep pushing for Le Mans.”

Nyck de Vries (Driver, car #7):
“Overall we were not competitive enough this week. I think this result is pretty much the maximum we could achieve as a team from this race, which was a difficult one. Considering everything, we couldn’t do much more today. Of course, we are not satisfied with that situation but that’s how it is, and we did what we could. Hopefully we will be more competitive next time around.”

Sébastien Buemi (Driver, car #8):
“It was an eventful race once again. I didn’t have such a good start, and I got pushed around badly. We got a penalty before the race even started which was very annoying and we need to get to the bottom if it. After that we worked hard to fight back. The result is not ideal, but we have to live with it. At least we finished with both cars and scored points, but we were hoping for a bit more.”

Brendon Hartley (Driver, car #8):
“There was a lot happening in the race and we definitely lacked pace compared to some of our competitors. Unfortunately, the penalty put us on the back foot, but we came back from there and maximised our result. I think sixth is a fair reflection of where our pace was today.”

Ryo Hirakawa (Driver, car #8):
“It was a very long race and it was a tough one for us. Cleary we are not the fastest car at the moment and we have lots to work on before Le Mans because Porsche and Ferrari were clearly quicker. We need to keep improving. As a crew we did everything we could but it’s not nice to finish off the podium. Hopefully at Le Mans we will come back to the top of the podium; we will keep working hard for that.”

6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps – Race

1st #12 Hertz Team JOTA (Stevens/Ilott) 141 laps
2nd #6 Porsche Penske (Estre/Lotterer/Vanthoor) +12.363secs
3rd #50 Ferrari AF Corse (Fuoco/Molina/Nielsen) +1min 14.020secs
4th #51 Ferrari AF Corse (Pier Guidi/Calado/Giovinazzi) +1min 17.710secs
5th #99 Proton Competition (Tinknell/Jani/Andlauer) +1min 26.326secs
6th #8 TOYOTA GAZOO Racing +1min 34.955secs
7th #7 TOYOTA GAZOO Racing +1min 38.331secs

AO Racing Celebrates Rexy and GT3 Rawr Triumph at Laguna Seca

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Official Release
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SALINAS, Calif., (May 13, 2024) – Saturday afternoon at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, AO Racing earned a monumental achievement: their first win in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. Rexy, the No. 77 Porsche 911 GT3 Rawr, driven by Sebastian Priaulx and Laurin Heinrich drove to victory in the GTD PRO class, unofficially becoming the championship points leaders.

“I’m thrilled for AO Racing and Rexy’s first win today at WeatherTech Raceway,” said Motorsports Director Gunnar Jeannette. “Both Laurin and Seb did a fantastic job and our Porsche GT3R ran flawlessly. All our team has been working so hard and it’s great to see the effort paying off.”

The fan-favorite T-Rex Porsche showed strong speeds all weekend, topping the charts in the opening practice session. Priaulx started the MOTUL Course De Monterey from fifth place, taking care of the tires and keeping the Porsche in the position to stay out of trouble and be in contention in the end. Once he completed his drive time, he pitted, passing the driving duties over to Heinrich. The race played into the team’s hands when a full course caution came out shortly after the pit stop. When the majority of the field pitted under caution, Rexy moved up to third place, behind the McLaren of Oliver Jarvis and Corvette of Tommy Milner.

With less than 90 minutes remaining, the AO Racing Porsche swept past the Corvette, and then the McLaren to take the lead. Heinrich stayed in the lead for the remainder of the race and built up a nine-second gap by the time Rexy stomped across the finish line. The big race win not only was the team’s first professional victory, but also the first IMSA WeatherTech victory for drivers Priaulx and Heinrich.

The team will ride their GTD PRO points lead into the Detroit Grand Prix, May 30 to June 1st, the fourth of ten rounds in the 2024 championship.

DRIVER QUOTES

Sebastian Priaulx

What a race. I thought we had a great car. Laurin made sure we finished off nice. I kept the car clean for him to do the job and he did really well. I can’t thank AO Racing enough and Porsche Motorsport as well. It was a great day today.

Laurin Heinrich

It was great to not only get my first win in IMSA, but Rexy and AO’s first win. The GTD PRO class has such hot competition with many factory-supported teams. To get a win at Laguna Seca in just our third race is a great start to the season. We’re just getting started. It’s an amazing feeling and I’m grateful for all the work the team put in.

Wright Motorsports Scores Podium Finish at Laguna Seca

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Official Release
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SALINAS, Calif., (May 12, 2024) – Wright Motorsports returned to the podium in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship this weekend at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. At the checkered flag, the veteran team climbed up from fourth to third in the GTD class standings. Adam Adelson and Elliott Skeer drove an impressive race, making up nine positions in the short two-hour, 40-minute race.

“The team’s performance in the MOTUL Course de Monterey was a great example of what Wright Motorsports is,” said Team Owner John Wright. “We had good pace in the car and were able to show it come race time. The group in the pits performed excellently as always, and Adam got the race started off on a strong foot. Elliott finished what Adam started, and now we have momentum going again headed into Watkins Glen.”

Adelson had a clean start from 12th position on the grid, and by lap three, he made the pass on the No. 34 of Manny Franco. He set his sights on the No. 43 of Jarrett Andretti and stayed close, knowing to keep the car clean on the flowing iconic circuit. He expertly climbed his way through the field, avoiding any signs of contact. Forty minutes into the race, Adelson had reached eighth place, then pitting on lap 35 for a full-service stop.

The No. 120 Porsche 911 GT3 R received a full tank of fuel, fresh tires, and a new driver as Skeer took over. The crew sent the Porsche at the opportune time, as a full-course caution came out just as Skeer joined the race in ninth. A majority of the field pitted under caution, and as the full course yellow flew over the track it ran the race clock. Skeer pitted again for a splash of fuel, losing no position but gaining a fuel advantage that would come into play in the closing stages. He restarted the race and continued his teammate’s climb, passing Joey Hand and Roman De Angelis to take sixth place with 80 minutes remaining. He received fresh sticker Michelin tires in his final pit stop and climbed to third in the final hour.

In the end, the green and yellow Wright Motorsports Porsche finished third, capturing valuable championship points.

The Sahlen’s Six Hours of the Glen (June 23) will be the next race for Wright’s IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship effort. Adelson and Skeer will once again be joined by endurance addition Jan Heylen. For event information, visit imsa.com.

DRIVER QUOTES

Adam Adelson

What an amazing way to take our first IMSA WeatherTech checkered flag in a sprint race. I’m super happy with the way I drove today. We had to take swings at the car throughout the whole weekend. We didn’t have the advantage of being able to test here, so it was a new track surface with no data, but the Wright guys did everything that they could which is always what it needs to be. Elliott drove great. It’s amazing to have such a result like this with my Mom here too. She’s our good luck charm. I think there’s only one race she has attended where we haven’t podiumed or won and that’s because we were taken out by a competitor. I couldn’t be happier. Huge thanks to Wright Motorsports and Porsche. I love racing in this series.

Elliott Skeer

This is obviously a great way to start our IMSA WeatherTech ‘sprint’ journey. It’s our first taste of it and to be on the podium is a special feeling. It takes being the entire team: Adam with a great first stint, the crew giving us the car we need to be up there, and with an amazing strategy to stay up there the whole time. Ultimately going into the weekend, we weren’t quite sure what we were going have and we were looking at it as a learning weekend. To end up on the podium is incredible. I know my Mom and Grandma are watching together, so it’s fun to bring one home for them. Adam has his Mom here so it’s a special way to spend Mother’s day on the podium .

Wright Motorsports
Wright Motorsports is the premier Porsche race engineering facility in Ohio and a multi-series and international racing team known for superb car preparation, expert race strategy, and driver development. Located in Batavia, Ohio, it is owned and directed by John Wright, a certified Porsche factory-trained technician. As a crew chief John Wright has played a key role in winning eight driver and seven team championships in World Challenge, IMSA (ALMS) and the Grand-Am Rolex Series. Wright Motorsports won the team championship in Porsche GT3 Cup USA in 2012, 2013, and 2015, and went on to win the Pirelli World Challenge Overall, Sprint, Team, and Manufacturer’s titles in 2017. In 2020, the team captured the GT World Challenge America Am championship. In 2021, Wright Motorsports had a wildly successful season, capturing nine championships across their five racing efforts.

Team Penske NASCAR Cup Series Race Report – Darlington 1

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Official Release
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Goodyear 400 – Darlington Raceway
Darlington, SC – May 12, 2024
Darlington Raceway Oval Decal

AUSTIN CINDRIC No. 2 FREIGHTLINER FORD MUSTANG

START: 25TH STAGE ONE: 18TH STAGE TWO: 17TH FINISH: 20TH POINTS: 20TH

RACE RUNDOWN: Austin Cindric, driver of the No. 2 Freightliner Ford Mustang, finished 20th in Sunday afternoon’s Goodyear 400 at the historic Darlington Raceway. The 25-year-old Team Penske driver started 25th and made gains throughout the opening Stage, advancing up to the 18th position after the first pit cycle. Later in the run, the Freightliner Ford Mustang developed a significant vibration, but Cindric was able to manage it to finish 18th at the end of Stage 1. After visiting pit road for service under the break, the No. 2 fired off 17th for the restart. When the yellow flag slowed the field on Lap 120, Cindric informed the team that the car was “very tight” and returned to pit road for four fresh tires, fuel and an air pressure adjustment. The excessive vibration returned with just over 25 laps remaining in the second segment, but after another pit stop, he managed to finish 17th when Stage 2 concluded. With quick work by the Freightliner pit crew, Cindric lined up 15th for the launch of the final Stage at The Lady in Black. Over the course of the segment, Cindric slipped to 25th in the running order, but regained position in the closing stint, ultimately finishing 20th when the checkered flag flew.

CINDRIC’S THOUGHTS: “It was kind of up and down for us. I felt like we made some pretty good gains at the beginning of the race, jumping up quite a few spots on the pit cycle and just under green passing some cars. We kind of got lost in the middle of the race. We really struggled to get through one and two, which was hurting me in traffic, but I felt like we made the car better at the end. We grabbed a couple more spots from where we restarted, so I was back on another upswing, but not quite enough to recover from the way I qualified.”

RYAN BLANEY No. 12 MENARDS/MAYTAG FORD MUSTANG

START: 17TH STAGE ONE: 8TH STAGE TWO: 36TH FINISH: 36TH POINTS: 8TH

RACE RUNDOWN: Ryan Blaney was involved in a multi-car incident in Stage 2 that ultimately ended the day for the No. 12 Menards/Maytag Ford Mustang, resulting in a 36th-place finish at Darlington. Blaney and the 12 team had a strong start to Sunday’s Goodyear 400 as crew chief Jonathan Hassler opted to kept him on track until he was the last car to pit during the first green flag cycle, allowing Blaney to charge through the field from 30th on fresh tires to come away with an eighth-place finish in Stage 1. The 12 team picked up two spots on pit road following a four tire stop at the stage break as Blaney lined up sixth for the Stage 2 restart. A single car incident brought out the yellow on lap 121 and Blaney chose to restart from the outside of row three but was forced three-wide in turn one, resulting in the Nos. 24 and 19 making contact and sending the Menards/Maytag Ford into the outside wall off turn two and sustaining heavy contact to the rear bumper. The 12 team worked to make repairs to the right rear toe link on pit road under caution but the damaged vehicle policy clock expired, ending Blaney’s day.
BLANEY’S THOUGHTS: “Me and [Martin Truex Jr.] got put three-wide and it’s just a tight corner. The replay I saw, [William Byron] took up probably more racetrack than he should have after kind of rewatching it back. I thought it was just, kind of got tight, but you can’t run three-wide through there. Nobody wanted to lift and I got tagged and then kind of collected a few guys. [Byron] took up more track than I would have liked, honestly. He kind of sandwiched [Truex Jr.] into me, but it’s a really, really crappy end to our day. I thought we got pretty good. We came from not starting great and drove up there in the top 10 the first stage and finally got good pit stops and restarted sixth. I was ready to look forward to the second half of the race and never got a shot, and then the guy that causes it gets away scot-free. That’s what normally happens. It’s an unfortunate end to our day. I thought we could have learned some stuff today that could have helped us for the future and hopefully we can still take from what we learned today and apply it later on.”

JOEY LOGANO No. 22 SHELL-PENNZOIL FORD MUSTANG

START: 14TH STAGE ONE: 11TH STAGE TWO: 4TH FINISH: 21ST POINTS: 17TH

RACE RUNDOWN: Joey Logano and the No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil Ford Mustang came away with a 21st-place finish Sunday afternoon at Darlington. After starting 14th, Logano made his way towards the top-10 on the opening run before settling into 12th in the running order following the first round of green flag pit stops. He battled through a loose-handling condition over the course of the ensuing run before crossing the line 11th in Stage 1. After restarting from the inside of row four to begin the second segment, Logano settled into eighth on the leaderboard but reported a tight-handling condition on corner entry to start the run. However, following a pair of cautions, Logano worked his way up into the top-five and eventually scored a fourth-place finish in Stage 2. Logano settled into fifth to begin the final segment as the 22 team planned to split the stage in half with its pit strategy. Despite a free-handling Shell-Pennzoil Ford when firing off, Logano continued to run strong in the top-five before being called to pit road under green with 56 laps to go. The four-tire stop cycled Logano to seventh when the final caution of the afternoon came out with 41 laps remaining, setting up one final round of pit stops. Logano was penalized for speeding on pit road before entering his stall, relegating him to the tail end of the field for the eventual final restart and culminating in a 21st-place finish.
LOGANO’S THOUGHTS: “We had a really solid day going with our Shell-Pennzoil Ford Mustang, just a really unfortunate ending. Everything really started to click for us in Stage 2 and we found a lot of pace on the long run. Tough way to see our run end but we’ll take the positives and continue forward.”

Up next on the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series schedule is a trip to the historic North Wilkesboro Speedway for the NASCAR All-Star Race on Sunday, May 19. The exhibition event is set for 8:00 p.m. ET with coverage on FS1, MRN Radio and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Keselowski Returns to Victory Lane in Darlington Classic

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Official Release
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Both RFK Cars 1-2 in Final Laps Before Dramatic Ending

DARLINGTON, S.C. (May 12, 2024) – Brad Keselowski returned to victory lane in dramatic fashion Sunday at Darlington Raceway, earning his first win in the No. 6 car, and first as owner/driver of RFK Racing.

On the other end of the wide range of emotions was teammate Chris Buescher, who led up until nine laps remaining, before the No. 45 car doored him, spoiling the victory for the No. 17 team. He went on to finish 30th in the Fifth Third Bank Ford.

“It’s just so great to be here in Darlington, I love this track, I love coming here,” Keselowski said following the win. “It’s a special place to me whether you win or not, but to run up front all day and have a great car, qualify up front, it was just an awesome day for Castrol.

“I’m glad for Ford. Ford has been working really hard to get us up here and here we are. We got them a win, so they don’t have to hear about that anymore. Hopefully, there are more great things to come. It was a total team effort from the top to the bottom to get us to where we could have a fast car. We executed on pit road, led laps and were there when it counted at the end,” Keselowski added.

“Just getting wiped out,” Buescher said of the finish “For me, we know it was going to be good, hard racing here, but we hit so hard we wheel-hopped into the fence. I don’t get it. We’ve been able to race respectfully for our careers. I try and do that week in and week out and it’s not getting us anywhere right now.

“To just get wiped out like that with this Fifth Third Bank Mustang, that’s a big shame. On the flip side, I’m stoked for Brad and the 6 bunch and RFK to get a win here. That’s huge, but, right now, selfishly I’m mad for my team and our group. We had a great day there and we didn’t get any finish to show for it.”

6 Recap
Keselowski had one of the stronger cars all weekend, qualifying second in the Castrol throwback scheme, his best starting effort of the season. From there he never left the top-10, as close pit stops on pit road and restarts defined the afternoon.

The No. 6 finished third in stage one and second in stage two, and took the lead for multiple laps for the first time into stage two, when he took over the point from the No. 45 at lap 226, prior to pit sequence. He hit pit road at lap 240 from the lead, and was the leader when the final caution was displayed at lap 254.

He restarted front row for the final green flag with 33 laps remaining, but fell to third as teammate Buescher took the lead up until lap 284. When he and the No. 45 fell off due to the incident, Keselowski took advantage and led the final nine laps en route to his first win at RFK.

  • Keselowski won the first race for the new Ford Mustang Dark Horse.
  • First win as owner/driver with RFK Racing and snapped a 110-race winless streak.
  • 36th win of Keselowski’s Cup Series career, 27th with Ford.
  • First win for the No. 6 car since David Ragan won at Daytona in 2011 (July 2).
  • 142nd Cup win for Jack Roush and fifth under the RFK banner.

17 Recap
Buescher, too, had one of the strongest cars all day and throughout the weekend, qualifying just behind in third. He also earned stage points in both opening segments with P7 results.

He fired off ninth for the final stage, then hit pit road from the same position at lap 230. When the final caution flew at lap 254, Buescher was scored fourth, and restarted third after the race’s final pit stop.

He took the lead on lap 264 and maintained it for 21 laps, and set sail for the finish until just under 10 laps remaining. The No. 45 washed up the track, putting both he and the No. 17 into the wall, ultimately ruining both finishes. Buescher went on to finish 30th.

Up Next
North Wilkesboro Speedway hosts the 2024 All-Star Race next weekend as the star-studded event is set for Sunday night at 8 p.m. ET on FS1, with radio coverage on MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90).

About RFK Racing
RFK Racing, in its 37th season in 2024, features an ownership lineup pairing one of the sport’s most iconic names, Jack Roush, along with NASCAR Champion, Brad Keselowski, and Fenway Sports Group owner John Henry. Roush initially founded the team in 1988 and it has since become one of the most successful racing operations in the world, propelling him to be the first NASCAR owner to amass three hundred wins and capturing eight championships, including back-to-back NASCAR Cup titles in 2003 and 2004. Keselowski, a former owner in the NASCAR Truck Series, is the 2012 NASCAR Cup Series Champion. In 2007, Roush partnered with Henry, who also owns Major League Baseball’s Boston Red Sox, English Premier League’s Liverpool F.C., and the NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins, to form Roush Fenway Racing. Off the track, RFK is a leader and proven winner in NASCAR marketing solutions, having produced multiple award-winning social media, digital content and experiential marketing campaigns. Visit rfkracing.com, and follow the team on all social platforms @rfkracing.

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