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7 DECADES OF THE BIG GO: DON “THE SNAKE” PRUDHOMME CARVES OUT LEGACY WITH IMPRESSIVE INDY RUN

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Official Release
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Prudhomme enjoyed plenty of Indy success in the 70s, getting four victories and winning in both nitro categories, while Pro Stock debuted in 1970

INDIANAPOLIS (July 9, 2024) – The NHRA U.S. Nationals is an event rich in legendary history, celebrating 70 years of incredible memories at this year’s race, which takes place Aug. 28-Sept. 2 at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park.

It’s the world’s biggest drag race on the sport’s grandest stage and a win at the NHRA U.S. Nationals simply means more. A victory at The Big Go has helped make careers legendary, created unforgettable legacies and provided the backdrop for some of the sport’s most spectacular moments.

Simply put, it’s a race no fan should miss and it’s also an event rich in legendary history. Exploring seven decades of The Big Go takes us to the 1970s, which featured big names, explosive rivalries and the introduction of Pro Stock in a wild decade of racing.

Don “The Snake” Prudhomme put his name on the Indy map in the previous decade, but he really left his mark during an incredible run in the 1970s. He opened the decade with his third Top Fuel victory at The Big Go, winning a wild and explosive final round in 1970 after Jim Nicoll’s car exploded in the traps. His front-engine dragster was cut in two at his feet, while Prudhomme was visibly shaken during his emotional winner’s interview on ABC’s “Wide World of Sports.”

That powerful moment stuck with Prudhomme, who eventually moved to Funny Car in 1973. He went right back to his winning ways, getting back-to-back Indy victories to become the first driver in NHRA history to win The Big Go in both nitro categories. He advanced to the next two finals as well, losing to Raymond Beadle and the Blue Max in 1975 and then Gary Burgin in 1976, ending an incredible streak of 30 straight round wins.

A year later, Prudhomme won again, getting his fourth Indy win of the decade in 1977, a memorable stretch that helped carve out Prudhomme’s legendary status. It was also the height of the Snake and Mongoose rivalry with Prudhomme and Tom McEwen, and they faced off in one of the most memorable moments in Indy history in 1978. McEwen was mourning the loss of his teenage son, Jamie, who also was close friends with Prudhomme. Prudhomme had the performance advantage throughout the event but hazed the tires in the final round, as McEwen scored an emotional victory in what was his lone Indy victory.

While Prudhomme won in Top Fuel to open the decade, another soon-to-be-legendary Don won in Funny Car, as Don Schumacher started the 70s with his lone U.S. Nationals victory. Other noteworthy winners in the nitro ranks in the 1970s included Funny Car’s Ed McCulloch, who won in back-to-back seasons in 1971 and 1972 before going nearly 10 years between Indy wins, Top Fuel’s Don Garlits, who added a pair of Indy victories, and Top Fuel’s Gary Beck, who also won twice in the 70s at the legendary facility.

Pro Stock also got its start in 1970, becoming an official category that year and opening the door for more Indy legacies to be made. It was a legend-filled decade, as Herb McCandless won the first U.S. Nationals in Pro Stock, Ronnie Sox grabbed the victory in 1971 and Bob Glidden, who ruled The Big Go for nearly 20 years, made his first appearance in the winner’s circle in 1973.

He repeated that win the following year and then picked up two more victories in the decade, closing it out strong with wins in 1978 and 1979. As good as the 70s were to Glidden in Indy, the 1980s were about to get even better for the iconic driver who will be the focus of the next decade of Indy lore. Other drivers who left their mark at The Big Go in the 1980s included Lee Shepherd, Garlits, Joe Amato, Kenny Bernstein and Shirley Muldowney.

This year, the 70th annual NHRA U.S. Nationals promises to be one of the biggest in the illustrious history of The Big Go. It features everything from the final Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge of the year to the Pep Boys Funny Car All-Star Callout, as well as the special Sox & Martin Hemi Challenge presented by the McCandless Collection and racing in the Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, Congruity NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by LearnEV+, NHRA Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown™ and NHRA Holley EFI Factory X, plus special items like:

  • A special 70th anniversary NHRA U.S. Nationals pennant for the first 8,000 fans in attendance for eliminations on Monday, Sept. 2.
  • Free parking for all fans and children 12-under admitted free.
  • An unforgettable Top Eliminator Club experience, including NHRA driver appearances, food and drink, TEC gift bag, starting line seats and much more.
  • The biggest field in drag racing. Last year, more than 900 cars competed in Indy.

All the greats have forged their legacies through their Indy success, including iconic drivers like Garlits, Prudhomme, Bernstein, McCulloch, Muldowney, Amato, Glidden, Warren Johnson and many more. It’s a list that also includes current stars like Tony Schumacher, John Force, Antron Brown, Ron Capps, Greg Anderson, Erica Enders, Doug Kalitta and Matt Hagan.

Top Fuel’s Schumacher has an amazing 10 victories at The Big Go, the most of any driver in NHRA history, while Force’s five Funny Car wins are tied with McCulloch for the most in class history. Anderson’s 100th career win in 2022 gave the five-time champ seven overall wins in Pro Stock at the world’s biggest drag race, while Brown has five career wins across two classes at the U.S. Nationals.

Last year, Brown (Top Fuel), Capps (Funny Car), Matt Hartford (Pro Stock), and Matt Smith (Pro Stock Motorcycle) all won, with Brown, Capps and Smith winning at Indy for the second straight year. This year’s race will again be broadcast on FOX and FS1, including live eliminations on FOX on Monday, Sept. 2.

Doug Kalitta currently leads the Top Fuel ranks, while Austin Prock’s debut season in Funny Car has been a huge success as he leads the way. Dallas Glenn is the Pro Stock points leader, while Gaige Herrera remains undefeated in 2024 with six wins to his credit in Pro Stock Motorcycle. Other stars to watch include Top Fuel’s Justin Ashley, Shawn Langdon and racing legend Tony Stewart, who will make his Indy Top Fuel debut, Funny Car’s Bob Tasca III and J.R. Todd, Pro Stock’s Aaron Stanfield and Troy Coughlin Jr., and Pro Stock Motorcycle’s Angie Smith and Richard Gadson.

To purchase tickets to the 70th annual NHRA U.S. Nationals, fans can visit www.NHRA.com/tickets. All children 12 and under will be admitted free in the general admission area with a paid adult. For more information about NHRA, visit www.NHRA.com.

About Mission Foods

MISSION®, owned by GRUMA, S.A.B. de C.V., is the world’s leading brand for tortillas and wraps. MISSION® is also globally renowned for flatbreads, dips, salsas and Mexican food products. With presence in over 112 countries, MISSION® products are suited to the lifestyles and the local tastes of each country. With innovation and customer needs in mind, MISSION® focuses on the highest quality, authentic flavors, and providing healthy options that families and friends can enjoy together. For more information, please visit https://www.missionfoods.com/

About NHRA

NHRA is the primary sanctioning body for the sport of drag racing in the United States. NHRA presents 20 national events featuring the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series and NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, as well as the Congruity NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by LearnEV+, NHRA Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown™, NHRA Holley EFI Factory X and Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage NHRA Mountain Motor Pro Stock at select national events. NHRA provides competition opportunities for drivers of all levels in the NHRA Summit Racing Series and NHRA Street Legal™. NHRA also offers the NHRA Jr. Street® program for teens and the Summit Racing Jr. Drag Racing League® for youth ages 5 to 17. With 110 Member Tracks, NHRA allows racers to compete at a variety of locations nationally and internationally. NHRA’s Youth and Education Services® (YES) Program reaches over 30,000 students annually to ignite their interest in automotive and racing related careers. NHRA’s streaming service, NHRA.tv®, allows fans to view all NHRA national events as well as exclusive features of the sport. In addition, NHRA owns and operates three racing facilities: Gainesville Raceway in Florida; Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park; and In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip in Southern California. For more information, log on to www.NHRA.com, or visit the official NHRA pages on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.

CORVETTE RACING AT CTMP: On the Doorstep?

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Official Release
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Chevrolet Grand Prix offers up strong chance for Z06 GT3.R’s first IMSA win

DETROIT (July 9, 2024) – The Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports and AWA teams are both back on familiar ground this weekend and will give the Corvette Z06 GT3.R its racing debut north of the border this weekend: the Chevrolet Grand Prix and the only Canadian stop for the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.

Historic and challenging Canadian Tire Motorsport Park – the 2.459-mile, 10-turn road course circuit outside Toronto – has been a playground for Corvettes over the years. The program has recorded 12 class victories at the track formerly known as Mosport, including last year for returning Corvette star Antonio Garcia in a Corvette C8.R.

This year’s Chevrolet Grand Prix will feature three of the first-year Corvette Z06 GT3.Rs: No. 3 and No. 4 from factory-supported Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports in GTD PRO, and the No. 13 customer entry for AWA, which will contest its home race in a Corvette for the first time. The lineups are:

· Antonio Garcia and Alexander Sims in the No. 3 Corvette
· Tommy Milner and Nicky Catsburg in the No. 4 Z06 GT3.R
· Matt Bell and Ontario’s Orey Fidani in AWA’s No. 13 Corvette

The Pratt Miller-crewed squad enters Canadian Tire Motorsport Park as defending GTD PRO winner with Garcia victorious a year ago in the No. 3 Corvette C8.R with Jordan Taylor. This time around, Garcia and Sims – also a past winner at the track – will arrive in Canada coming off a third-place finish at Watkins Glen for their first podium finish of the year.

Milner and Catsburg hope to break through after nearly winning at The Glen. They were third in their Z06 GT3.R at Laguna Seca in May. Of note, this will be Catsburg’s first race at CTMP and Milner hasn’t raced there since 2018; he won there in 2013 in a Corvette C6.R.

For AWA, there are two goals: one is a podium finish at its home track, which is realistic given a very positive recent test session at CTMP for Bell and Fidani. The second is to grow Fidani’s lead in the Bob Akin Award standings, with the highest points-scoring Bronze driver at the end of the year earning an automatic entry to the following year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans.

The AWA Corvette has finished in the GTD top-10 in three of the last four races going back to Sebring in March. Bell and Fidani were seventh in class at Watkins Glen to solidify the Akin Award lead.

In addition to the extensive success and following at CTMP, Corvette Racing legend Ron Fellows is part-owner of the circuit and is largely responsible for operations at the facility. In his Corvette Racing driving career – spanning 1999-2008 – Fellows won 30 races (three times at CTMP) and three championships in the American Le Mans Series. He also was one of the founding members of the team and a key development driver starting in 1997.

The Chevrolet Grand Prix at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park is scheduled for 11:05 a.m. ET on Sunday, July 14. The race will air live on the USA Network plus stream live on Peacock inside the United States and IMSA.com outside the U.S. IMSA Radio will air all on-track sessions beginning with Friday afternoon’s opening practice at IMSA.com with the race call also on XM 206 and SiriusXM Online 996.

CORVETTE RACING BY PRATT MILLER MOTORSPORTS PRE-EVENT DRIVER QUOTES

ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “I’m hopeful for this weekend. We had the chance to test the Z06 GT3.R at CTMP just after Watkins Glen, and already the car is pretty amazing around there. I’m not surprised considering how well each of our past Corvettes have been at Mosport. Given the strengths of our car, we are confident but we still need to go there and execute the classic Corvette race with great strategy and good work by the crew and us as drivers. If we can do all those things, I think we can have a really good weekend and hopefully get the first IMSA win for the Z06 GT3.R.”

ALEXANDER SIMS, NO. 3 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “It’s always a pleasure to return to place where you’ve had success. It’s even better when it is a place like Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. The track is very fast, very daunting and very old-school. It’s really one of the things I like about IMSA – the circuits and places where we race are phenomenal. The racing I had in the past in GTLM with the Corvettes around CTMP and Mosport were really hard, tough fights, and so was GTP last year. I suspect GTD PRO could be a level or two greater with the competition we have seen so far this year. It should make for a pretty spectacular weekend and hopefully a successful one for us. I’m looking forward to it.”

TOMMY MILNER, NO. 4 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “We’ve been close, we feel like, for many of the races this year. For one reason or not, we haven’t quite finished the job so we’re trying to make that happen this weekend at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. It’s an awesome racetrack. I had to go back and look; I haven’t raced there since 2018 so it’s been quite awhile. I missed the 2019 race with a broken hand. It’s been a little bit for me to be at CTMP but I was just there recently for testing. It reminded me of how awesome the track is and how much fun it is to drive. Even in our GT cars, the rhythm there is like no other racetrack in the world. It’s super-fast and a lot of fun.”

NICKY CATSBURG, NO. 4 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “Before the start of the season, there were a few tracks that I circled in my head because I have never experienced them. Canadian Tire Motorsport Park – or Mosport – was one of those. I’m really excited to race there after hearing so much from my teammates and friends about the track, how fast it is and how challenging it is. Knowing that the circuit hasn’t changed much in so many years makes me appreciate it even more. It’s a proper, historic and old-school track that hopefully is as good for our Corvette as I hope it will.”

AWA PRE-EVENT DRIVER QUOTES

MATT BELL, NO. 13 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “Canadian Tire Motorsport Park is on my list of top five circuits in the world. It’s only a short lap and looks like a tiny little place on a map. You see the grand circuits of the world like Le Mans and Spa, but you get to Mosport and it’s mega. The topography of the track, the commitment required, the bumps… it’s a recipe for an absolute addiction to racing. I’ve always found that one of my strengths is learning circuits and getting straight back on it when I get to a place where I haven’t been in awhile. But this is one of those places that just takes that little bit more respect and that little bit more time to get back in sync with the place. It takes a huge commitment, and I love the place.

“This is a race every year that AWA targets. Standing on the podium would mean that much more with it being the home race for the team. There will be a lot of thought and lot of effort going into that one.”

OREY FIDANI, NO. 13 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “Canadian Tire Motorsport Park is my home track. I honestly couldn’t tell you how many laps I’ve done here. I feel like I could probably drive it with my eyes closed. It’s high-speed, very technical, and requires all your concentration from start to finish. It’s a challenging layout, and no matter how many times I drive it, it never gets old. It’s so special to race in front of the home crowd, it just means so much to have that extra support. We want to do well at each event, but stepping on the podium here would be a dream come true for us all.”

2024 WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Points

GTD PRO Drivers Standings

  1. Laurin Heinrich/Seb Priaulx – 1632
  2. Ben Barnicoat/Jack Hawksworth – 1583
  3. Ross Gunn – 1572
  4. Bryan Sellers/Madison Snow – 1423
  5. Marvin Kirchhofer/Oliver Jarvis – 1394
  6. Alexander Sims/Antonio Garcia – 1389
  7. Nicky Catsburg/Tommy Milner – 1326

GTD PRO Teams Standings

  1. No. 77 AO Racing – 1632
  2. No. 14 Vasser Sullivan – 1583
  3. No. 23 Heart of Racing Team – 1572
  4. No. 1 Paul Miller Racing – 1423
  5. No. 9 Pfaff Motorsports – 1394
  6. No. 3 Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports – 1389
  7. No. 4 Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports – 1326

GTD PRO Manufacturers Standings

  1. Porsche – 1657
  2. Lexus – 1607
  3. Aston Martin – 1586
  4. Chevrolet – 1474
  5. McLaren – 1458

GTD Drivers Standings

  1. Philip Ellis/Russell Ward – 1745
  2. Patrick Gallagher/Robby Foley – 1440
  3. Parker Thompson – 1353
  4. Albert Costa Balboa/Manny Franco – 1290
  5. Mikael Grenier/Mike Skeen – 1263
  6. Matthew Bell/Orey Fidani – 1083

GTD Teams Standings

  1. No. 57 Windward Racing – 1745
  2. No. 96 Turner Motorsport – 1440
  3. No. 34 Conquest Racing – 1290
  4. No. 32 Korthoff/Preston Motorsport – 1263
  5. No. 120 Wright Motorsports – 1198
  6. No. 13 AWA – 1083

GTD Manufacturers Standings

  1. Mercedes-AMG – 1837
  2. Lexus – 1493
  3. Porsche – 1470
  4. Lamborghini – 1454
  5. Aston Martin – 1383
  6. Chevrolet – 1296

CORVETTE RACING AT CTMP: By the Numbers

  • 4: Generations of Corvette Racing entries at CTMP since 2000 – Corvette C5-R (2004), Corvette C6.R (2005-13) and Corvette C7.R (2016-2019). The Corvette C8.R raced at the track for the first time in 2002
  • 7: Pole positions for Corvette Racing drivers at CTMP. Oliver Gavin leads with three with Antonio Garcia (2016) being the most recent
  • 8: Number of drivers who have won races at CTMP for Corvette Racing. Johnny O’Connell (six), Jan Magnussen (five), Oliver Gavin (four), Ron Fellows (three), and Antonio Garcia and Olivier Beretta (two) each have multiple wins there with the team
  • 12: Class victories at Corvette Racing at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park – all since 2001.
  • 14: Manufacturer Championships for Chevrolet and Corvette Racing since 2001
  • 27: Tracks at which Corvette Racing has won races – Baltimore, Charlotte Motor Speedway, COTA, Canadian Tire Motorsport Park/Mosport, Daytona, Detroit, Houston, Laguna Seca, Le Mans, Lime Rock, Long Beach, Miami, Mid-Ohio, Monza, Portimão, Portland, Road America, Road Atlanta, Sebring, Sonoma, St. Petersburg, Texas, Trois Rivieres, Utah, VIR, Washington DC and Watkins Glen
  • 48: Number of drivers in Corvette Racing entries since 1999 – DXDT Racing’s Alec Udell being the latest in GT World Challenge America at Circuit of The Americas
  • 71: Years since Corvette was introduced to the world on Jan. 17, 1953 in New York City. A total of 300 cars were produced that year
  • 129: Victories worldwide for Corvette Racing – 115 in North America, nine at Le Mans, three in the FIA WEC and two in GT World Challenge America
  • 296: Event starts by Corvette Racing since 1999
  • 11,626.15: Number of racing miles completed by Corvette Racing in its 20 previous trips to Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. That represents 4,728 laps
  • 384,461.62: Total number of racing miles completed by Corvette Racing entries since 1999. To put that in perspective, Corvette Racing is more than halfway to the distance traveled by Apollo 13 – the longest manned spaceflight in history: 622,268 miles

Corvette Racing at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (wins in bold)

2000

No. 3 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Andy Pilgrim – 2nd in GTS (Fellows pole, fastest race lap)

2001

No. 3 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O’Connell – 1st in GTS

No. 4 Corvette C5-R: Andy Pilgrim/Kelly Collins – 3rd in GTS

2002

No. 3 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O’Connell – 1st in GTS

No. 4 Corvette C5-R: Andy Pilgrim/Kelly Collins – 2nd in GTS (Pilgrim fastest race lap)

2003

No. 3 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O’Connell – 1st in GTS

No. 4 Corvette C5-R: Oliver Gavin/Kelly Collins – 7th in GTS (Gavin pole)

2004

No. 3 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O’Connell – 2nd in GTS

No. 4 Corvette C5-R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin – 1st in GTS (Gavin pole, fastest race lap)

2005

No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O’Connell – 2nd in GT1

No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin – 1st in GT1

2006

No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O’Connell – 4th in GT1

No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin – 2nd in GT1

2007

No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Johnny O’Connell – 1st in GT1

No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin – 2nd in GT1 (Gavin pole, fastest race lap)

No. 33 Corvette C6.R: Ron Fellows/Andy Pilgrim – 3rd in GT1

2008

No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Johnny O’Connell/Jan Magnussen – 1st in GT1 (O’Connell pole)

No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin – 2nd in GT1 (Beretta fastest race lap)

2009

No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Johnny O’Connell – 1st in GT2

No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin – 3rd in GT2

2010

No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Johnny O’Connell – 5th in GT2

No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Oliver Gavin/Jan Magnussen – 4th in GT2

2011

No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Tommy Milner – 6th in GT

No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Oliver Gavin/Jan Magnussen – 1st in GT

2012

No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 2nd in GT (Magnussen pole)

No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 10th in GT

2013

No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 4th in GT

No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 1st in GT

2014

No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 1st in GTLM

No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 7th in GTLM

2015

No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 3rd in GTLM (Garcia fastest race lap)

No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 5th in GTLM

2016

No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 3rd in GTLM (Garcia pole)

No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 2nd in GTLM

2017

No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 4th in GTLM

No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 8th in GTLM

2018

No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 2nd in GTLM

No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 3rd in GTLM

2019

No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 7th in GTLM

No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Marcel Fässler – 8th in GTLM

2022

No. 3 Corvette C8.R: Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor – 2nd in GTD PRO

2023

No. 3 Corvette C8.R: Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor – 1st in GTD PRO

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

Ford Performance NASCAR – Pocono Raceway Advance

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Official Release
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POCONO

Friday, July 12 – NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, 5:30 p.m. ET (FS1)
Saturday, July 13 – NASCAR XFINITY Series, 3 p.m. ET (USA)
Sunday, July 14 – NASCAR Cup Series, 2:30 p.m. ET (USA)

Pocono Raceway will host a NASCAR tripleheader this weekend, which will be led off by the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series event on Friday evening. The series has only three races remaining in the regular season and currently Ty Majeski and Ben Rhodes are in playoff positions. The NASCAR Xfinity Series will run Saturday with the Cup Series main event set for Sunday afternoon.

BUESCHER ON THE BUBBLE

With six races to go in the NASCAR Cup Series regular season, four Ford drivers find themselves in the playoffs while another, Chris Buescher, is squarely on the bubble. Race winners Brad Keselowski, Austin Cindric, Ryan Blaney and Joey Logano have secured their spots while Buescher holds the 16th and final position, 45 points above the cut line.

CINDRIC MAKING 100TH CUP START

Austin Cindric will be making his 100th career NASCAR Cup Series start this weekend at Pocono Raceway. The Team Penske driver, who got behind the wheel of the famed No. 2 Ford at the start of the 2022 season, has qualified for the playoffs in two of his three years. He won the 2022 Daytona 500 in his rookie season and then captured his first pole one week later in Fontana, CA. Overall, Cindric has eight top-5 and 17 top-10 finishes.

BLANEY GETS FIRST CUP VICTORY

Ryan Blaney earned his first NASCAR Cup Series victory in 2017 at Pocono Raceway, giving the Wood Brothers their 99th all-time series win. Blaney held off Kevin Harvick over the final seven laps to win the Pocono 400 after overcoming a loose wheel only 19 laps into the event. He found himself in position to win after the caution came out with 19 laps to go. Kyle Busch opted to stay out while all of the other contenders behind him pitted, including Blaney who got four fresh tires and restarted fourth. A major battle between Busch and Blaney resulted, but the newer tires proved to be too much as Blaney eventually got by with nine laps to go. He couldn’t breathe easily, however, as Harvick started to reel him in, but could never pull alongside to challenge.

BUESCHER JOINS FIRST-TIME WINNERS CLUB AT POCONO

Chris Buescher is another Ford driver who posted his first NASCAR Cup Series win at Pocono when he won the rain-shortened Pennsylvania 400 in 2016. Buescher led the final 12 laps and qualified for the playoffs as the scheduled 160-lap race was called after 138 circuits. It represented the second series win and first playoff qualification for Front Row Motorsports, which Buescher drove for in 2016 after the organization entered into an alliance with what was then Roush Fenway Racing.

ELLIOTT SWEEPS IN 1985

Ford reached victory lane at Pocono Raceway in the NASCAR Cup Series for the first time on June 9, 1985 when Bill Elliott beat Harry Gant to win the Van Scoy Diamond Mine 500. Elliott was able to pass Gant with 11 laps remaining, shortly after a restart, to claim Ford’s first win at the facility. Elliott, who also started on the pole, was helped by four cautions over the final 25 laps and won for the sixth time as he led 32 of the 200 circuits. It marked the front end of what would eventually be a season sweep for Elliott at Pocono as he won a few weeks later on July 21.

KULWICKI’S FINAL WIN

When Alan Kulwicki won the Champion Spark Plug 500 on June 14, 1992 it marked the final victory of his NASCAR Hall of Fame career. Kulwicki, who was voted into the Hall in 2019, passed Bill Elliott with 11 laps remaining to cap a day that saw 15 cars drop out before the checkered flag flew, including 11 engine failures. In a precursor to what happened a few months later at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Kulwicki and Elliott battled down the stretch as they exchanged the lead multiple times over the final 25 laps. Kulwicki passed Elliott for the top spot on lap 181, but traffic slowed him down to the point that five laps later the two swapped positions. Mark Martin made it a three-way battle, but Kulwicki ultimately prevailed as he got by both drivers on lap 190 and never looked back. Kulwicki, who won five series races overall, went on to win the championship later that year over fellow Ford drivers Elliott and Davey Allison.

CUSTER EXTENDS POINTS LEAD

Cole Custer may still be looking for his first NASCAR Xfinity Series victory of the season, but the defending champion’s consistency has resulted in him owning the top spot in the point standings with eight races to go in the regular season. Custer saw his streak of five straight top-10 finishes come to an end in Chicago last weekend, but he was still able to increase his points lead from 15 to 38.

BLANEY MULTI-CLASS WINNER

As previously mentioned, Ryan Blaney earned his first Cup Series victory in 2017 at Pocono. He is also the only Ford driver to win in multiple classes at Pocono, as he earned his second career Truck Series victory there in 2013. Blaney overtook the field during a chaotic restart going into Turn 1 with two laps remaining and held on to take the checkered flag.

FORD’S NASCAR CUP SERIES WINNERS AT POCONO

1985 – Bill Elliott (Sweep)

1988 – Bill Elliott (2)

1989 – Terry Labonte and Bill Elliott

1990 – Geoffrey Bodine (2)

1992 – Alan Kulwicki (1)

1994 – Rusty Wallace and Geoffrey Bodine

1995 – Dale Jarrett (2)

1996 – Rusty Wallace (2)

1997 – Dale Jarrett (2)

1998 – Jeremy Mayfield (1)

2000 – Jeremy Mayfield and Rusty Wallace

2001 – Ricky Rudd (1)

2002 – Dale Jarrett (1)

2005 – Carl Edwards and Kurt Busch

2008 – Carl Edwards (2)

2010 – Greg Biffle (2)

2016 – Chris Buescher (2)

2017 – Ryan Blaney (1)

2020 – Kevin Harvick (1)

FORD’S NASCAR Xfinity Series WINNERS AT POCONO

2017 – Brad Keselowski

2019 – Cole Custer

2020 – Chase Briscoe

2021 – Austin Cindric

FORD’S NASCAR CRAFTSMAN TRUCK SERIES WINNERS AT POCONO

2013 – Ryan Blaney

Meyer Shank Racing Heads Back to Oval Competition for Doubleheader at Iowa Speedway

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#66: David Malukas, Meyer Shank Racing Honda

Pataskala, Ohio (9 July 2024) – Just one week after the NTT INDYCAR SERIES broke new ground by running a new hybrid powerplant for the first time ever, the series throws another new wrinkle at its teams this weekend as it will run its first doubleheader of the 2024 season with two weekend races to be held at the .875-mile Iowa Speedway oval in Newton, Iowa.

Meyer Shank Racing (MSR) started the hybrid era in fine fashion last weekend at Mid-Ohio with David Malukas (No. 66 AutoNation / Arctic Wolf Honda) matching a career-best qualifying result when he started third on the grid. Both he and Felix Rosenqvist (No. 60 AutoNation / SiriusXM Honda) finished on the lead lap and in the top 14, as MSR continues to demonstrate speed and reliability on race weekend.

Rosenqvist has led the team’s efforts thus far in 2024, earning MSR’s first INDYCAR SERIES pole position and scoring a half-dozen top-10 qualifying results through the year’s first nine points-paying races and is currently ninth in the season point standings.

MSR has two top-10 finishes to its name at Iowa Speedway, including a pair of seventh-place results coming in the 2020 doubleheader. Its current driver lineup does bring cause for optimism, as both drivers have shown well in recent visits.

Rosenqvist has seven Iowa starts with a trio of top-10 finishes to his credit. He has led in two of those starts and his best finish of fourth came in the Sunday race in last year’s doubleheader. Malukas has four starts at Iowa with three of those being from the top 10 and has turned those into a pair of top-eight finishes.

MSR recently announced its latest collaboration with SiriusXM which will showcase Eric Church’s Outsiders Radio SiriusXM channel on the No. 60 MSR machine for the double-header race weekend. The country music star will see the livery up close and personal in the MSR garages on Saturday before the first of two races at Iowa Speedway. Following Saturday’s Hy-Vee Homefront 250 presented by Instacart, Eric Church will play a special performance to close out the first day of INDYCAR race action.

The Outsiders Radio channel launched back in 2022, showcasing music from Church’s career, including his vast catalog of nearly two decades that has earned him seven ACM awards, four CMA Awards and 10 GRAMMY nominations.

Teams will qualify for the Hy-Vee Homefront 250 at 3:45pm ET on Saturday with the first of the weekend’s two races set for an 8:00pm ET start. Sunday’s race starts less than 15 hours later, with the race broadcast set for Noon ET. Both races will be carried live on NBC and Peacock. The races, along with all other INDYCAR action can be heard live on SiriusXM Channel 218.

Meyer Shank Racing Driver Quotes:

Felix Rosenqvist: “It’s a double-header and a very tough track. They repaved it so it’s going to be very physical – I think that is going to be the name of the game as far as talking with some of the other drivers. Big physical challenge, but we’ll just have to make sure we are well-prepared and hydrated and maybe get a good massage after the first race. It’s normally a very good race at an exciting track, so I’m ready to get out there.”

David Malukas: “I’m really excited to go into Iowa. It’s going to be a doubleheader and of course ovals are something that I am more used to and more comfortable with. We got a test at Iowa and the car was really quick. The team has had some good results at Mid-Ohio and Laguna so I think the next jump would be to continue that and get some good results in Iowa.”

NASCAR Fan Fest, Hauler Parade Count Down to Brickyard Return to Oval

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Official Release
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INDIANAPOLIS (Tuesday, July 9, 2024) – As NASCAR prepares to commemorate 30 years at the Racing Capital of the World, fans have two opportunities to celebrate Brickyard Weekend early with free community events – Brickyard Fan Fest on Thursday, July 11 and Hauler Parade on Thursday, July 18.

“We’ve been counting down to Brickyard Weekend since the return to the oval was announced,” Indianapolis Motor Speedway President J. Douglas Boles said. “Fan Fest and Hauler Parade are opportunities to share the anticipation and excitement with fans before the green flag waves on the 30th anniversary of one of the crown jewels in the NASCAR calendar.”

Brickyard Fan Fest Event Details

Bottleworks District
850 Massachusetts Ave., Indianapolis, IN 46202
5-8 p.m. ET Thursday, July 11

Brickyard Fan Fest is a family-friendly, free event at Bottleworks District. Fans can expect attractions like race car displays, driver and special guest appearances and a variety of other activations and giveaways. The Garage Food Hall will be open, and fans are encouraged to grab dinner from their favorite vendor.

Fans are encouraged to arrive early to watch as Boles makes a special arrival, weather permitting. Joey Logano, driver of the Team Penske No. 22 Ford Mustang and two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion, will sign autographs and meet with fans from 6-7 p.m. Trivia with The Quizzler will follow the autograph session.

NASCAR Hauler Parade Event Details
Main Street, Speedway, IN
5-7 p.m. ET Thursday, July 18

The NASCAR Hauler Parade returns to kick off Brickyard Weekend on Thursday, July 18. Haulers will drive down Main Street in Speedway in an epic display of color and excitement. Following the parade, the haulers will be displayed on Main Street, where fans can get an up-close look at their favorite driver’s hauler while enjoying free entertainment, special guest appearances, race-themed activities, photo opportunities and more. The family-friendly event is free for fans of all ages. In addition, Main Street establishments will be open for business and ready to welcome fans.

The Brickyard Weekend race lineup includes the NASCAR Xfinity Series Pennzoil 250 presented by Advance Auto Parts on Saturday, July 20 and the NASCAR Cup Series Brickyard 400 presented by PPG on Sunday, July 21. Both series will practice Friday, July 19.

Tickets for Friday start at $25. Tickets for Saturday start at $40, with Sunday tickets for the Brickyard 400 presented by PPG starting at $45. Kids 15 and under are admitted free when accompanied by a General Admission adult ticketholder. Fans who purchase either a Saturday or Sunday ticket also receive a complimentary Friday ticket.

NASCAR celebrates 30 years at the Racing Capital of the World in 2024 with the return to the oval at IMS.

The inaugural Brickyard 400 took place Aug. 6, 1994, with racing legend and Hoosier icon Jeff Gordon capturing the first of his five Brickyard 400 victories. The inaugural event was the first race other than the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge to be held at IMS since 1916. From 1994 to 2020, the race was held on the 2.5-mile oval before shifting to the 14-turn, 2.439-mile road course over the last three years as part of a tripleheader weekend with the NTT INDYCAR SERIES.

Visit IMS.com for ticket information for Brickyard Weekend on July 19-21.

Niece Motorsports Tabs Conor Daly to Three-Race Deal in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series

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Salisbury, NC (July 9, 2024) – NTT INDYCAR SERIES veteran Conor Daly eyes a return to NASCAR as he rejoins Niece Motorsports for a limited schedule in the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series. He will drive the team’s No. 44 Chevrolet Silverado RST entry in three events this season.

Daly, a native Hoosier from Noblesville, IN, will attempt to make his first start at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park on Friday, July 19. Having made several starts at the historic Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Daly has only competed once on the short track on the other side of town – a race that he won in what it now called the Indy Pro 2000 Series, in 2010.

The 32-year-old has competed in some of the world’s most prestigious racing events, including the Indianapolis 500, Daytona 500, and 24 Hours of Daytona, but considers competing in stock cars as one of the most fun disciplines in his diverse career. His NCTS campaign will also see stops at Kansas Speedway on September 27 and Homestead-Miami Speedway on October 26.

“I couldn’t be more excited to get back into a truck with Niece Motorsports!” said Daly. “Al Niece and Cody Efaw have always been great to me and supportive of my Indy 500 efforts as well over the years as we’ve got to know each other. We’ve been working on putting a program together for a while and I’m happy we could finally work out the details to go racing together once again. I have a lot to learn but I want to compete and I know these guys will give me a great chance at that. I am extremely thankful to have some great partners in Power Plus to make this happen. Everyone from Power Plus have been super willing to help out when I need it most and I love representing for them.”

Power Plus will serve as Daly’s primary sponsor for his first Truck Series start this season. The company is a nationwide provider of specialty electrical and power related services including Generator Service, Maintenance & Installation, Temporary Power, Designed Video Surveillance and Generator Rental/Disaster Response services. Additional partnership announcements for Daly’s NASCAR efforts will be made at a later date.

“Power Plus is thrilled to be partnering once again with Conor Daly and this time in the NASCAR Truck Series,” said Steve Bray, Founder & CEO of Power Plus. “One of the things we love about Conor is his enthusiasm, tenacity and passion for winning…both on and off the track. Whether it was in the P1 Boat races, in the dirt racing side by sides, or at the Indy 500, Conor exemplifies what it means to be a fierce competitor. We appreciate Conor’s perseverance and humility and we are proud to be associated with his winning attitude and his man-of-the-people persona.”

This won’t be the first time that this driver/team pairing has worked together, as Daly has made a total of three prior starts with Niece Motorsports since making his series debut in 2020. It will, however, be the first time in his career that he will make multiple Truck Series starts in the same year.

“Conor has been great to work with every time he’s stepped into one of our trucks,” said Cody Efaw, Niece Motorsports General Manager. “It’s been fun to see his interest in NASCAR grow since he made that first start with our team in Las Vegas a few years ago. Now that we have him secured for multiple races this year, I think that will give him a chance to go out there and learn each week to get better for his upcoming starts.”

Despite having limited experience, Daly has been apt to increase his presence in various NASCAR series. Recently, he made his ARCA Menards Series debut at Mid-Ohio, where he finished eighth. He has made scattered starts across the NASCAR Cup Series, Xfinity Series, and Truck Series over the past handful of years. All three of his NCTS starts came in Niece Motorsports fielded trucks.

In this year’s running of the Indianapolis 500, Daly ran up front and nabbed his fourth top-10 finish of the race, leading 22 laps en route to a 10th-place showing for Dryer & Reinbold Racing. At the time of this news, that remains his lone INDYCAR start of the season.

Indianapolis, Kansas, and Homestead-Miami will be the first races where Niece Motorsports enters the No. 44 Silverado RST. The team primarily fields the No. 41, 42, and 45 entries on a full-time basis in the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series. Daly will be paired with veteran crew chief, Wally Rogers.

When he’s not behind the wheel, Daly co-hosts a weekly podcast for Dirty Mo Media labeled Speed Street, which dives into stories from the INDYCAR paddock. Speed Street is available for streaming on all major podcasting platforms. Be sure to follow Conor on social media for a behind-the-scenes look into his career on and off the racetrack.

The NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series heads to Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park on Friday, July 19 for the running of the TSport 200. Live coverage of the race will be broadcasted on FOX Sports 1, MRN Radio, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio at 8:30 PM ET. Visit niecemotorsports.com for the latest news and team updates.

About Power Plus: Power Plus is a nationwide provider of specialty electrical and power related services including Generator Service, Maintenance & Installation, Temporary Power, Designed Video Surveillance and Generator Rental/Disaster Response services. At Power Plus, we are “Always On”, operating 24 hours per day, 365 days per year, and are ready to deliver the “Power, When You Need It, Where You Need It”.
About Niece Motorsports: Niece Motorsports is owned by United States Marine Corps Veteran Al Niece. In 2024, Niece Motorsports enters its ninth season in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series. Niece also owns Niece Equipment, which has for over 40 years provided clients with reliable products at competitive prices. Niece Equipment’s reputation is built on service, integrity and dependability. The company provides water and fuel/lube trucks that are engineered with quality and durability in mind for the construction and mining industry. Follow the team on Facebook and Instagram @NieceMotorsports as well as X @NieceMotorsport.

No. 45 DEX Imaging Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2 Team Seeking More Sprint Race Success Heading to Canadian Tire Motorsport Park

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Official Release
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BOWMANVILLE, Ontario, Canada (July 9, 2024) – The Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti (WTRAndretti) No. 45 DEX Imaging Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2 team will head north to tackle Canadian Tire Motorsport Park for the Chevrolet Grand Prix as the team looks to continue their momentum in the sprint portion of the 2024 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.

Danny Formal and Kyle Marcelli will take on the first and only international race on the calendar with the event representing Marcelli’s home race. The duo of Formal and Marcelli have seen success across the sprint races with two top-six GTD finishes and a class pole position from the streets of Long Beach and WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.

“I’m excited to see Kyle and Danny will be waving the flag for WTRAndretti and DEX Imaging at this weekend’s sprint race,” said Wayne Taylor, Team Principal, WTRAndretti. “The team will have a lot of focus on them, especially with it only being GTD at this event. I have a lot of faith in this team and both drivers. I’m looking forward to seeing how they do, and we should at least get a podium.”

The No. 45 DEX Imaging Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2 team will have its first laps on track on Friday, July 12 at 1:45 p.m. ET for practice, with qualifying following on Saturday, July 13 at 4:00 p.m. ET for the 15-minute session. The Chevrolet Grand Prix from Canadian Tire Motorsport Park will begin on Sunday, July 14 at 11:05 a.m. ET, with coverage of the two-hour and 40-minute sprint event on USA Network and Peacock.
No. 45 DEX Imaging Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2
Kyle Marcelli: “CTMP is a circuit like none other. It’s the highest average speed race track that we visit on the schedule. To be fast requires confidence in your race car, and high commitment at corner entry. The race itself is fast paced and takes a tremendous amount of mental strength and focus, there is no rest. The Lamborghini has proven to be good in the high-speed corners and for that reason it should suit the circuit nicely. Our race ability has proven to be our biggest challenge, so a good qualifying and green flag race is what we need for a good finish result.”

Danny Formal: “I’m super excited to get back to the sprint format in Mosport, I haven’t been there since 2021 where I participated in the LMP3 challenge. It’s a very high risk, high reward race track. Very high speed with only one slow corner in the whole place – I think it would be second gear corner, the rest is third, fourth, fifth and six gear, so super excited to get back there. Super grateful to be part of this program of WTRAndretti and the No. 45 DEX Imaging Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2 team. Happy to go to my teammate’s home in Canada. This track is close to Toronto and that’s where Kyle is from, so excited to see all his family and all his fans. Hopefully we can give them a good show and we can put the car on the podium as a team deserves it. They’ve been working extra time, and they truly deserve it. Excited to get going on second half of the season. The only way is up.”

ABOUT WTRANDRETTI
Andretti Global and Wayne Taylor Racing announced a new, long-term partnership in 2023 that combines the resources of the two championship-caliber teams to compete in IMSA’s top classes. In 2024, Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti (WTRAndretti) has expanded to a two-car GTP program as well as competes in the GTD class. Coming off its 2023 championship winning effort, WTRAndretti continues its Driver Development Program competing in the Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America series with a full stable.

WTRAndretti’s global motorsports enterprise boasts two IMSA driver championships (2013 and 2017), and back-to-back IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup Championships (2020, 2021) which contributed to nine IMSA manufacturer championships for Acura, Pontiac, Corvette and Cadillac. In its brief 17-year history, WTRAndretti has accumulated multiple victories in sportscar racing’s most iconic events: Rolex 24 At Daytona, Twelve Hours of Sebring, Petit Le Mans, Mid-Ohio, Road America and the Six Hours of The Glen. With its back-to-back PRO Class Championship wins (2022, 2023), WTR also has ten North America Lamborghini Super Trofeo Championship titles and a Lamborghini World Finals title.

Andretti Global, a Championship-winning motorsports organization, competes in additional racing categories worldwide, including the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, Extreme E, Australian Supercars and the Mexico SuperCopa Championship. Additionally, the racing enterprise commits to driver development through competition in INDY NXT by Firestone and through support of Sebastian and Oliver Wheldon’s racing careers.

WTRAndretti’s long term partnerships include Lamborghini Squadra Corse, DEX Imaging, Harrison Contracting Company and Gainbridge.

Spire Motorsports inks Rodney Childers to multi-year agreement to lead No. 7 Chevrolet

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Official Release
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Ryan Sparks Shifts to Competition Director Duties Full Time Next Season

MOORESVILLE, N.C. (July 9, 2024) – Rodney Childers, a 40-time NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) race winning crew chief and one of the sport’s most respected tacticians, will lead Spire Motorsports No. 7 team and driver Corey LaJoie in 2025.

Ryan Sparks, who currently serves in a dual role as both Spire Motorsports competition director and crew chief for LaJoie, will transition from his duties atop the pit box for the No. 7 team to a singular role as the organization’s Competition Director at the conclusion of the 2024 season.

Childers, 48, led Kevin Harvick to the 2014 NCS championship and is the winningest active crew chief in NASCAR’s premier division. The Mooresville native called 37 wins from 2014 – 2023. Prior to the over three dozen victories with Harvick, Childers is credited with leading drivers David Reutimann and Brian Vickers to Victory Lane.

The agreement was finalized last night in private at the team’s Mooresville headquarters with Childers’ wife Katrina and twin sons Brody and Gavin in attendance.

“We are beyond excited to announce Rodney Childers as the crew chief for Corey LaJoie and Spire Motorsports’ No. 7 team beginning in 2025,” said Spire Motorsports co-owner Jeff Dickerson. “There are decisions that professional racing teams make daily that take courage, require deep thought, and have some element of rolling the dice. To be clear, this wasn’t one of them. Rodney is a hall-of-fame worthy, championship-winning crew chief with 40 wins. He is one of the best in the garage and when a guy like Rodney is available, it would be malpractice if we did anything but our absolute best to bring him into our growing organization. He will make us better the moment he walks into our shop, and we look forward to his contributions to our collective success.

“Ryan Sparks is an amazing leader and has been a huge part of our organization since the first moment he clocked in,” Dickerson continued. “As he transitions from managing two roles to focusing on Spire Motorsports as a whole, it’s important to point out that he was one of the first guys who talked to me about bringing Rodney in. Lots of guys say they’ll put the team first but there aren’t a lot of guys who follow through and that speaks to the type of competitor and human Ryan is. He has been balancing being a crew chief and the competition director the last couple seasons. This move will allow him to focus solely on the competition director role. As we continue to grow, his knowledge and leadership will become even more instrumental to our success.”

Childers led Harvick to eight NASCAR Playoff berths over 10 seasons including five appearances (three consecutive) in the NASCAR Championship 4 between 2014-2019.

Separate from the 40 wins, the 20-year-veteran has called 34 poles, 178 top-five and 298 top-10 finishes in 660 races on NASCAR’s senior circuit.

Meanwhile, he boasts triumphs at some of NASCAR’s most cherished venues and iconic races and includes wins at Bristol Motor Speedway (2), Charlotte Motor Speedway (2), Darlington Raceway (3) and Indianapolis Motor Speedway (2) as some of his most celebrated accomplishments.

“I think the biggest thing is seeing how Spire Motorsports has grown over the last couple of years,” said Childers. “They are investing in people, and that’s what makes a difference these days. We all buy the same chassis, bodies and parts. What makes a difference is the people. Spire continues to invest in the people within the team and they seek out good people to add depth to an already strong group. Corey (LaJoie) is a veteran of the sport and I think we have a tremendous opportunity in front of us.”

“Spire has been on my radar for the past year. I had quite a few guys from the No. 4 team go over there and they keep telling me how much they enjoy it, what the culture is like and how well everybody gets along. That started it from my side. The rest was the way Jeff (Dickerson) and Doug Duchardt (Spire Motorsports President) handled my situation. They told me how much I was wanted and how I could make a difference. For anybody in this world, all you want is to feel wanted and loved, and I felt that through them. I also see it as a place that can be good for my family, long term. My kids are three years from graduating high school. With the truck teams there, it’s somewhere they can grow, learn and possibly work one day.”

Sparks, a Winston-Salem, N.C., native, has been paired with LaJoie since 2020. Combined, Sparks and LaJoie have earned three top-five and six top-10 finishes, including a pair of top fours in 2023 and a fourth-place finish in this year’s Daytona 500. Last season, the 40-year-old veteran crew chief led LaJoie to his first career top-25 points showing in NASCAR’s premier division.

He previously served as race engineer in multiple capacities at Richard Childress Racing (RCR). Sparks played key roles in RCR’s 2011 NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series and 2013 NASCAR Xfinity Series championship-winning seasons. In addition to his championship pedigree, he celebrated a host of wins during his 13-year tenure at RCR, including victories in the 2017 Coca-Cola 600 and the 2018 Daytona 500.

“Our motto has been brick-by-brick for the last four years and this is another key component to building higher degrees of success,” said Sparks. “When you have the opportunity to bring in a championship-caliber crew chief like Rodney Childers, you have to capitalize. This is an incredible opportunity for the company and the bottom line is we’re all in this to put Spire Motorsports first. For me, this is an opportunity to be an asset across the board. There’s going to be a little bit of a transition but I’m excited to help all three teams and the company, as a whole. This move makes the whole group stronger.”

About Spire Motorsports …
Spire Motorsports is a NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series race team co-owned by long-time NASCAR industry executives Jeff Dickerson and Thaddeus “T.J.” Puchyr. In 2024, Spire Motorsports campaigns the Nos. 7, 71 and 77 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1s in the NASCAR Cup Series with drivers Corey LaJoie, Zane Smith and Carson Hocevar, respectively. The team also fields the Nos. 7, 71 and 77 Chevrolet Silverados full time in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series. An all-star driver lineup will rotate throughout the 2024 season in the No. 7 Chevy. Rajah Caruth drives the No. 71 entry and Chase Purdy rounds out the team’s fleet of Silverados in the No. 77.

Spire Motorsports earned its inaugural NASCAR Cup Series victory in its first full season of competition when Justin Haley took the checkered flag in the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway on July 7, 2019. Less than three years later, William Byron drove Spire Motorsports’ No. 7 Chevrolet Silverado to its inaugural NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series win on April 7, 2022, at Martinsville Speedway. The team’s most recent win came on April 12, 2024, when Kyle Busch took the checkered flag in the SpeedyCash.com 250 at Texas Motor Speedway.

Interstate Batteries Racing: Martin Truex Jr. Pocono Advance

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Official Release
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Martin Truex Jr.
Pocono Advance
No. 19 Interstate Batteries Toyota Camry XSE for Joe Gibbs Racing

Event Overview

● Event: The Great American Getaway 400 (Round 21 of 36)
● Time/Date: 2:30 p.m. EDT on Sunday, July 14
● Location: Pocono (Pa.) Raceway
● Layout: 2.5-mile triangle
● Laps/Miles: 160 laps/400 miles
● Stage Lengths: Stage 1: 30 laps / Stage 2: 65 laps / Final Stage: 65 laps
● TV/Radio: USA Network / MRN / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Notes of Interest

● Outrageously Dependable for 33 Years and Counting: Interstate Batteries has 11 primary sponsorships on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule in 2024, a similar number of schemes to last year’s expanded presence among all four Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) Toyota Camry XSEs. Christopher Bell and Ty Gibbs were slated to run the majority of the Interstate Batteries races with eight primaries in all between the two drivers. Denny Hamlin piloted the Interstate Batteries machine for two races this season and now Martin Truex Jr. is carrying the primary Interstate Batteries sponsorship for the one and only time this season at Pocono in the midst of his final season as a fulltime Cup Series driver.

● Where We Stand: The New Jersey native sits fifth in the driver standings with 601 points, 70 behind leader Kyle Larson. All four JGR entries are currently inside the top-10 in the standings with Denny Hamlin fourth, Bell eighth and Gibbs ninth as the series heads to the Pocono Mountains this weekend.

● Truex has two wins, seven top-five finishes and 15 top-10s and has led a total of 257 laps in 34 career NASCAR Cup Series starts at Pocono. Truex’s average Pocono finish is 14.1.

● Truex notched his second and most recent Pocono win in June 2018, when he led 31 laps along the way. The New Jersey native’s first win at Pocono came in June 2015, when he led a race-high 97 laps on his way to his maiden win at the “Tricky Triangle.”

● Helpful Tips: An avid fisherman, Truex uses the marine battery line from Interstate in all his boats. Fans are advised to do the following before they head out on the water:

Make sure the battery has a charge by testing it before going out on the water.
Clean off any corrosion around battery terminals and ensure a proper connection.
Check the battery box seal and terminal boots. If a replacement deep cycle or cranking battery is needed, choose what the pros use and get an Interstate.
● Looking for 35: Truex’s win at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon in July 2023 was his most recent Cup Series win, the 34th of his career, tying him with 2004 champion Kurt Busch for 25th on the all-time Cup Series win list.

● Ahead at this Stage: Truex has accumulated 63 stage wins since the beginning of the stage era in 2017. He is the only driver with 10 or more stage sweeps, with his latest sweep coming at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn last August. Truex scored his second stage win of the season at Dover (Del.) Motor Speedway in April, leading the field across the line at the end of Stage 1.

Martin Truex Jr., Driver of the No. 19 Interstate Batteries Toyota Camry XSE

Are you looking forward to Pocono after having a strong run there last year, even though it didn’t work out in the end?

“Really looking forward to going to Pocono this weekend in our Interstate Batteries car. It’s one of our home tracks, as they say. I’ve won there a couple of times. But really excited to get back with the fast racecars James (Small, crew chief) and all the 19 guys have been bringing to the track lately. We’re fired up and hope we can get another win at Pocono, but this time with Interstate Batteries on board with us.”

With Interstate Batteries being a founding partner of JGR dating back to its inception in 1992, what does it mean to have Interstate on your car at Pocono this weekend, knowing what the company has meant to JGR all these years?

“It means a lot to be able to drive the Interstate Batteries Toyota Camry. I’ve been watching Interstate cars go around the racetrack about my whole life. Since JGR started, I’ve been watching NASCAR, and Interstate has been an iconic paint scheme in the series, so it was an honor to drive for them the last couple of years, and we get to do it again this weekend at Pocono one more time. I’ve been working with them the last couple of years on appearances and other things – a lot of great people and hard-working people who have treated me well. We almost got them a win at Pocono last year, so it would be great to get those guys to victory lane at a place I’ve already won at a couple of times.”

What does it take to be successful at Pocono?

“Pocono really tests every aspect of your car – horsepower, downforce, you name it. You’ve got to make your car work in all three corners and each one is so different, it’s a challenge. The setup has to be spot on because all three corners are unique. It’s really hard to make your car work around there. Track position is key, so you have to qualify well and you have to have a fast car, but you have to have the right strategy, too, because if you get off strategy and lose track position, it’s going to be a tough day. The NextGen car has been even more track-position sensitive than before, so you have to try to stay near the front all day. You have to have a good racecar there and I’ve been fortunate to have a lot of them over the years there and we’ve had some success. I know the guys will bring a good car this weekend and would love to get Interstate Batteries to victory lane there.”

You went to Pocono as a kid with your dad when he ran the road course there. What are your early memories of going to Pocono?

“I remember going there as a kid and my dad ran the Race of Champions there. They ran that weird pit-road track. I was so young I really don’t remember a lot about it. I remember seeing the street stocks and they were squealing the tires and running into each other and crashing like crazy. I remember the street stocks there and those were my early memories of Pocono, and never raced there again until I was in the Cup Series. It was definitely a different time. I remember staying in hotels that had heart-shaped hot tubs as a kid and they’re probably still there, so that was pretty crazy.”

What are your memories from your first Pocono win back in 2015, when you were with Furniture Row?

“The 2015 win was huge because we had been in a drought for a couple of years. We had a new group of guys, which ended up being our championship group. At that point, we were still a young team and things were feeling like they were coming together. We had been in position to have a chance to win a few races that season up to that point, so it was really good to get our first win together. It was a big deal for all of us. I think it just kind of got the ball rolling for us and, in 2014, everybody knows how bad we struggled. It was a huge deal for all of us, and for Barney (Visser, team owner) – being his second win. It was the first time that we were competitive each and every week and we were up front a lot, leading laps and doing a lot of good things, so it was cool to check that off the list. And who would have thought how the next few years would have gone. It was an incredible run and the start of a really special group.”

No. 19 Interstate Batteries Team Roster

Primary Team Members

Driver: Martin Truex Jr.

Hometown: Mayetta, New Jersey

Crew Chief: James Small

Hometown: Melbourne, Australia

Car Chief: Chris Jones

Hometown: Smith Mountain Lake, Virginia

Race Engineer: Jaik Halpainy

Hometown: Blockville, New York

Engineer: Jeff Curtis

Hometown: Fairfax Station, Virginia

Spotter: Drew Herring

Hometown: Benson, North Carolina

Road Crew Members

Underneath Mechanic: Ryan Martin

Hometown: Mechanicsburg, Virgina

Mechanic: Todd Carmichael

Hometown: Redding, California

Interior/Tire Specialist: Tommy DiBlasi

Hometown: Annapolis, Maryland

Engine Tuner: Beau Morton

Hometown: Lake Havasu City, Arizona

Transporter Driver: Kyle Bazzell

Hometown: Fairbury, Illinois

Transporter Driver: Eddie DeGroot

Hometown: Baldwinsville, New York

Over-The-Wall Crew Members

Gas Man: Matt Tyrrell

Hometown: Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Jackman: Caleb Dirks

Hometown: Riverside, California

Tire Carrier: CJ Bailey

Hometown: Outer Banks, North Carolina

Front Tire Changer: Thomas Hatcher

Hometown: Middleburg, Florida

Rear Tire Changer: Lee Cunningham

Hometown: Leaf River, Illinois

FORMER POCONO WINNERS LEAD “TRICKY 5” STORYLINES FOR THE GREAT AMERICAN GETAWAY 400 PRESENTED BY VISIT PA NASCAR RACE WEEKEND

By
Official Release
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Denny Hamlin’s seven career wins at Pocono Raceway are his most at one track during the Joe Gibbs Racing driver’s 20-year career. Photo credit: Pocono Raceway.
  • Four-time Pocono Cup Series winner Kyle Busch looking to punch his ticket for the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs with a return to Victory Lane at “The Tricky Triangle.”
  • Pocono Raceway among Denny Hamlin’s best-performing tracks in his entire career.

LONG POND, Pa. (July 9, 2024) – The Great American Getaway 400 presented by VISITPA at Pocono Raceway on Sunday is the first of six remaining regular-season races that will finalize the 16-driver field for the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs.

Twelve different drivers already have earned a win through the first 20 races and The Great American Getaway 400 presented by VISITPA presents the next opportunity for someone to provisionally join the coveted Playoff field for the 10-race, post-season format that begins Sept. 8 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Nine of those come from three organizations – Hendrick Motorsports (Kyle Larson, William Byron, Chase Elliott, Alex Bowman), Team Penske (Ryan Blaney, Joey Logano, Austin Cindric) and Joe Gibbs Racing (Denny Hamlin, Christopher Bell). The other three are Tyler Reddick of 23XI Racing, Daniel Suarez of Trackhouse Racing and Brad Keselowski of RFK Racing.

Of the 12, Hamlin, Larson, Byron and Bell are guaranteed Playoff berths with multiple wins on the season.

There are several prominent names in search of a victory – most notably former Cup Series champions and Pocono winners Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr. – heading into this weekend’s event that will feature all three of NASCAR’s national series.

The CRAFTSMAN Truck Series opens the racing with the CRC Brakleen 175 on Friday (5:30 p.m. ET, TV: FS1, Radio: MRN, SiriusXM) and will be followed by Saturday’s Xfinity Series Explore the Pocono Mountains 225 (3 p.m., TV: USA Network, Radio: MRN, SiriusXM). The weekend is highlighted by The Great American Getaway 400 presented by VISITPA Cup Series race on Sunday, beginning at 2:30 p.m. (TV: USA Network, Radio: MRN, SiriusXM).

Here’s a look at the “Tricky 5” storylines for The Great American Getaway 400 presented by VISITPA:

  1. Two-time Cup Series champion Kyle Busch of Richard Childress Racing is still looking to extend his streak of 19 consecutive seasons of at least one win and, more importantly, secure a Playoff berth.

Busch sits 19th in the playoff picture – 98 points behind Chris Buescher who is currently in the 16th and final position – and Pocono Raceway arrives at a time to possibly turn around his season with a much-needed victory. He owns just two top-five finishes through 20 races and Sunday’s ninth-place finish in the Chicago street race was his first top-10 performance since Kansas Speedway on May 5.

Busch’s four career wins at “The Tricky Triangle” have all come in his last 11 starts, with the most recent coming in 2021, but all came while competing for Joe Gibbs Racing. Last season with RCR, he qualified 25th and finished 21st, and the lone start could be an anomaly given his overall success at Pocono.

Busch’s victory total ranks tied for fourth all time (second among active drivers), his four poles are tied for second and he has recorded top-10 finishes in half of his 36 career starts, including 11 among the top five.

Busch has qualified for the Cup Series Playoffs 16 times, which includes a run of five consecutive Championship 4 Round appearances from 2015-2019.

  1. Martin Truex Jr. of Joe Gibbs Racing also may lean on Pocono Raceway to provide his first win of the season or, at the very least, provide more valuable points in his effort to make the Playoffs.

Truex Jr. is in a much better position than Busch, currently ranking 13th in the post-season outlook and the top-ranked driver among those who have yet to record a win. He is a two-time Pocono winner (2015-1, 2018-1) and has finished among the top 10 in five of his last seven visits, including third last season. He also has qualified well recently, starting among the top eight in his last three Pocono races including second last year.

The 2017 Cup Series champion, in his final season, is a 10-time Playoff qualifier and tied for the most Championship 4 Round appearances with five. He also has finished runner-up in the championship standings in three of the last six seasons (2018, ’19 and ’21).

  1. Denny Hamlin of Joe Gibbs Racing has not found “The Triangle” very tricky over the course of his career and could be a spoiler for any Playoff hopefuls.

Hamlin collected his seventh career win at Pocono Raceway last season to break a tie with NASCAR Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon for the track record. Three of those have come in his last seven starts and it would have been four if not for the disqualification in the 2022 race.

In a 20-year career highlighted by 54 victories and 42 poles, Pocono Raceway ranks among his best-performing tracks. The seven wins are the most he has recorded at a single Cup Series track, with Martinsville Speedway and Richmond Raceway ranking second at five each. He also has collected four pole positions at Pocono, which is tied for first with Martinsville, Dover Motor Speedway and Bristol Motor Speedway in his career.

In 34 career starts at Pocono, he has an average starting position of 7.6 and finishing position of 11.5.

  1. Team Penske enjoyed a June boon for its Playoff fortunes. The organization began the month with no drivers qualified for the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs and left with all three firmly entrenched with pivotal victories.

Team Penske won three of June’s five races, beginning June 2 with Austin Cindric at World Wide Technology Raceway.

Ryan Blaney, who ran out of fuel entering the final lap at WWT Raceway to give his teammate the victory, rebounded with a June 16 win at Iowa Speedway.

Joey Logano, who did win the non-points NASCAR All-Star Race in May, closed out the month in fashion by winning the five-overtime thriller at Nashville Superspeedway on June 30.

Two of the three Team Penske drivers have won previously at Pocono Raceway, with Logano winning in 2012 and Blaney in 2017. Logano’s win came with Joe Gibbs Racing while Blaney’s first career Cup win came with the Wood Brothers.

  1. Stewart-Haas Racing announced May 28 that the organization would cease operations at the conclusion of this season. The decision suddenly left the team’s four Cup Series drivers – Chase Briscoe, Josh Berry, Ryan Preece and Noah Gragson – without rides for 2025 and utilizing the remainder of the season as an opportunity to audition for potential landing spots.

On June 25, Briscoe was the first to announce a move for next season as he will be heading to Joe Gibbs Racing to replace the retiring Truex Jr. Last week, Berry’s plans for next season were solidified when the Wood Brothers announced he would be replacing Harrison Burton.

Gragson, 23rd in points, recorded his sixth top-10 finish of the season two races ago at Nashville Superspeedway. He followed with a 14th-place effort in Sunday’s street circuit race in Chicago. Preece, 26th in points, also responded at Nashville by finishing fourth for his first top-five effort on the season.

For tickets or additional information about The Great American Getaway 400 presented by VISITPA, please visitwww.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.

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