Your body needs proper nutrition, exercise, sleep, and rest so you can maintain a healthy spirit and state of mind and be able to do everyday physical activities with ease. Similar to the body, your vehicle needs a bit of assistance and regular maintenance so it can perform well for a long time without trouble.
We understand how many might think of regular vehicle maintenance as an unnecessary expense and avoid it whenever that time of the year comes. Yet, what many fail to understand is how regular maintenance keeps you from spending too much money at once if the car’s engine fails and you have to replace it. Those expenses are huge and could be prevented if we take the necessary measures ahead of time. So, in the text below, we’ll discuss some proper and useful tips on how to make sure your car makes it to 500,000 miles with ease.
Follow the Manufacturer’s Maintenance Schedule
First on the list is to do any maintenance regularly. Regularly does not mean until you hear a rumbling in the back of the car while driving; it means keeping everything in check according to the maintenance schedule proposed by the manufacturer. While a car is being assembled in the factory, every part goes through rigid tests to test its durability and how long it can last until it breaks. From the tires to the brakes and the engine itself, the manufacturer always proposes maintenance; sometimes the interval between changes is defined by miles, and sometimes by time. For example, the timing belt should be changed after 100,000 miles. This applies to the filters, oil, tires, and everything else. If you’re buying a used car, make sure the previous owner has kept everything running like clockwork and taken note of every little repair they have done.
Keep the Tires Round
The tires of the car are beaten the most, they wear and tear, and they spend thousands of miles rolling and rolling. Interestingly enough, they’re one of the most robust parts of the vehicles, you’ll sometimes see rust catching before the tires wear off completely. Quite impressive if you ask us, but they do need a bit of help so they can keep rolling for many miles to come. Real champions make sure their tires are always kept in place. Everything it takes is to keep the tire pressure on point; it helps fuel efficiency, keeps the tires healthy and in shape, and doesn’t cost anything. Plus, it reduces the chances of a tire blowout and it only takes a few moments to check the pressure and put some air into those old tires.
One more thing, every 6000 to 8000 miles, preferably, you’ll want those tires to be properly aligned and rotated. Check with your local mechanic to see if everything is fine and if the tires are perfectly in line.
Regular Oil Changes
The oil in your car is the blood pumping through its veins; it’s the life source of the vehicle, keeping everything running smoothly. The engine and all its components couldn’t stand a chance against nature’s factors and thousands of miles if not for the oil in it. Engine oil lubricates the moving parts, reducing friction and wear. But, over time, all this friction and heat breaks down the oil; it loses its smoothness, becomes more and more like water, and keeps picking up microscopic metal parts and dust while going through a dozen components of the engine. So, after a few thousand miles, it’s time for a change. We strongly advise you to look for a mechanic for a professional engine oil change, as doing it on your own puts the vehicle at a certain risk. It’s simple and easy but it’s not only the oil that needs to change. It’s usually the filters as well, and depending on the car you’re driving, these parts might be a bit more complicated to replace and change. So, this part should be left to the professionals who have the necessary tools and experience. How often should you change it? The gold standard is every 3000 to 5000 miles, and factors such as the engine type and oil type you use play a vital role. The higher the viscosity of the oil the rarer the oil change needs to be! Anyway, everything you need to know is probably already said in that manufacturer’s manual.
Check and Replace Fluids Regularly
Oil is not the only fluid keeping the vehicle running; other fluids also make sure that certain parts of the car are working like clockwork. You have brake fluid, transmission fluid, power steering fluid, and more. Their properties depend on their purpose and there is a huge difference between every single one of them. Then again, you have wiper fluid and coolant (or antifreeze), which make sure the whole car doesn’t overheat or catch a cold when the temperatures drop.
Keep the Battery in Good Condition
Most of the car’s parts run on electricity, and the life support of the car is the battery, which provides the electricity needed. Now, the battery’s life span depends on its manufacture, how much it’s been used, and how much electricity it needs to provide. Usual warranties have you covered for at least 3 to 5 years, but when the time comes, we strongly advise getting a new battery, as recharging it might not be the ideal solution; it’s only temporary and can affect the car’s whole electrical installation.
Don’t Ignore the Lights on the Dashboard
Sometimes a small light on the dashboard might just be a little malfunction and doesn’t mean anything serious. But if you ignore it for long enough, this little issue can turn into a huge expense that could have been avoided otherwise. So, instead, make sure to go to your mechanic as soon as any light turns on. Not every warning sign is important; sometimes it indicates just a lightbulb that needs replacing, and other times it tells you the oils need replacement. Whatever it is, don’t wait too long!
As we said at the beginning, the car needs proper maintenance so it can run smoothly for a long period without any disturbance. If you keep everything in check, you can reduce the risk of major repairs ever happening.
On a night where the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series division achieved a milestone feat in series’ history, Nick Sanchez has 50,000 reasons to celebrate after storming to a late victory in the North Carolina Education Lottery 200 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Friday, May 24.
The 2022 ARCA Menards Series champion from Miami, Florida, led the final nine of 134 scheduled laps in an event where he started 16th and spent the first half of the event mired outside the top 10 and trying to manage his way to the front. Initially poised for a top-10 run when the event was placed in a late caution period with 15 laps remaining, Sanchez was one of multiple competitors who opted to pit for fresh tires. Then after restarting in the fourth lane with nine laps remaining, Sanchez quickly bolted his way to the front as he overtook Christian Eckes for the lead through the frontstretch. From there, he fended off a late charge from Corey Heim to score his second Truck Series career victory in the series’ 700th event in history and cash in the first of three $50,000 bonuses as part of this year’s Triple Truck Challenge.
With on-track qualifying that determined the starting lineup occurring on Friday, Tanner Gray notched his first Truck Series pole position of the 2024 season and the second of his career after posting a pole-winning lap at 178.241 mph in 30.296 seconds. Joining him on the front row was teammate Corey Heim, who clocked in the second-fastest qualifying lap at 177.795 mph in 30.372 seconds.
Prior to the event, the following names that included Lawless Alan, Jeffrey Earnhardt, Christian Eckes and Tyler Ankrum dropped to the rear of the field due to unapproved adjustments made to their respective entries.
When the green flag waved and the race started, Tanner Gray gained the early advantage from the inside lane as he muscled his No. 15 Dead on Tools Toyota Tundra TRD Pro ahead from teammate Corey Heim through Turns 1 and 2. As the field behind jostled for early spots, Gray proceeded to lead the first lap ahead of a side-by-side battle between Heim and Ty Majeski while Rajah Caruth, rookie Layne Riggs, Jack Wood and Chase Purdy followed suit.
Three laps later, Heim zipped his No. 11 Safelite Toyota Tundra TRD Pro past teammate Tanner Gray to assume the lead from the backstretch through Turns 3 and 4. Heim would proceed to lead by nearly three-tenths of a second over Gray as Majeski, Caruth and Riggs followed suit in the top five through the first five scheduled laps. Behind, Wood retained sixth ahead of Purdy as Connor Mosack, Kaden Honeycutt and Ben Rhodes trailed in the top 10.
Through the first 10 scheduled laps, Heim was leading by nine-tenths of a second over teammate Tanner Gray followed by Majeski, Caruth and Riggs while Honeycutt, Purdy, Mosack, Wood and Rhodes continued to race in the top 10. Behind, Dean Thompson occupied 11th place ahead of Taylor Gray, Bayley Currey, Stewart Friesen and Ty Dillon while Matt Crafton, Grant Enfinger, Matt Mills, Christian Eckes and Nick Sanchez followed suit in the top 20. Notably, Brett Moffitt was in 22nd, Tyler Ankrum was mired in 25th ahead of Connor Jones and Jeffrey Earnhardt was down in 34th.
Ten laps later, Heim extended his advantage to more than three seconds over teammate Tanner Gray as Majeski, Caruth and Honeycutt were in the top five. Behind, Riggs dropped to sixth while Purdy, Rhodes, Thompson and Mosack were in the top 10.
When the first stage period concluded on Lap 30, Heim, winner of last weekend’s Truck Series event at North Wilkesboro Speedway, captured his fifth stage victory of the 2024 season. Honeycutt, who overtook Tanner Gray for the runner-up spot three laps earlier, settled in second ahead of Gray, Caruth and Majeski while Riggs, Purdy, Thompson, Rhodes and Mosack were scored in the top 10.
Under the stage break, the field led by Heim pitted for a first round of service. Following the pit stops, Tanner Gray reassumed the lead after exiting first ahead of Heim while Honeycutt, Purdy, Majeski, Caruth, Riggs, Taylor Gray, Thompson and Mosack followed suit. During the pit stop sequence, Caruth was forced into the grass amid a side-by-side contact with Majeski, who was trying to avoid Riggs as Riggs was exiting his pit stall. In addition, Stewart Friesen returned to pit road for his first service of the night after missing his pit stall during the first sequence with the field. Soon after, Caruth also pitted again to address a tire rub from the damage with Majeski’s contact.
The second stage period started on Lap 37 as teammates Tanner Gray and Heim occupied the front row. At the start, Gray and Heim battled dead even in front of two stacked lanes while Honeycutt, who restarted in the second lane, made a move to the outside lane in an attempted three-wide battle towards the front. With the field behind also fanning out to nearly three lanes through the backstretch, Tanner Gray barely managed to muscle ahead of Heim to retain the lead while returning back to the frontstretch. Behind, a series of battles ensued as Purdy and Majeski battled for third place, Thompson battled Honeycutt for fifth place, Riggs and Mosack battled for fifth place and Taylor Gray battled Jack Wood for 10th place.
On Lap 40, Heim, who kept teammate Tanner Gray within close distance over the previous four laps, drew his Toyota alongside Gray’s through Turns 3 and 4 and back to the frontstretch. Heim would then muscle ahead of Gray from the inside lane and through Turns 1 and 2 as he reassumed the lead.
At the Lap 45 mark, Heim was leading by three-tenths of a second over teammate Tanner Gray followed by Purdy, Majeski and Thompson while Riggs, Honeycutt, Mosack, Taylor Gray and Wood were in the top 10. Behind, Nick Sanchez trailed in 11th ahead of Daniel Dye, Dillon, Rhodes and Grant Enfinger while Caruth, Matt Mills, Eckes, Moffitt and Crafton were in the top 20.
By Lap 50, Heim slightly extended his advantage as he was leading by eight-tenths of a second over teammate Gray followed by Purdy, Thompson and Majeski while Honeycutt, Riggs, Mosack, Gray and Sanchez trailed in the top 10.
When the second stage period concluded on Lap 60, Heim swept both stage periods of the night while also claiming his sixth Truck stage victory of the 2024 season. Teammate Tanner Gray settled in second ahead of Purdy, Honeycutt and Thompson while Majeski, Riggs, Mosack, Sanchez and Daniel Dye were scored in the top 10.
During the stage break, the field led by Heim returned to pit road for another round of pit service. Following the pit stops, Heim retained the lead after exiting first ahead of Tanner Gray, Majeski, Mosack and Purdy as Sanchez, Taylor Gray, Riggs, Thompson and Honeycutt followed suit in top 10. Amid the pit stops, however, Honeycutt was penalized for dragging his gas can out of his pit stall.
Towards the halfway mark of the event, the final stage commenced as teammates Heim and Tanner Gray occupied the front row once again. As Heim retained the lead, the caution quickly returned for a multi-truck wreck that erupted just past the backstretch when contact from Moffitt got Ankrum loose as he spun his No. 18 LiUNA! Chevrolet Silverado RST below the apron in Turn 3 before his truck went right back towards the outside wall and was T-boned on the right side by Thad Moffitt as Keith McGee and Jeffrey Earnhardt were also involved while trying to avoid the wreckage.
During the following restart with 58 laps remaining. Heim gained the advantage from the inside lane and muscled ahead to retain the lead while Connor Mosack challenged Tanner Gray for the runner-up spot. As Gray and Mosack continued to battle for second in front of Taylor Gray, Majeski and Purdy, Heim led the field back to the frontstretch.
Four laps later, however, the caution returned after Matt Crafton lost a tire and slapped his No. 88 Menards Ford F-150 hard against the outside wall in Turn 3. During the caution period, the following names that included Purdy, Mason Massey, Stefan Parsons, Friesen, Connor Jones, Boyd, Eckes and Currey remained on the track while the rest led by Heim pitted. During the pit stops, Heim’s dominant run hit a braking zone after a slow pit stop due to a broken jack while his No. 11 team was trying to change the right-side tires plummeted to 28th place.
As the event restarted with 47 laps remaining, Purdy muscled ahead with a slight advantage over Eckes before Eckes made his move beneath Purdy and assumed the lead in his No. 19 NAPA Chevrolet Silverado RST exiting the backstretch and through Turns 3 and 4. As Eckes led Purdy, Stefan Parsons was in third place as he was racing in front of Connor Jones, Stewart Friesen and Ben Rhodes while Grant Enfinger was in seventh. With more battles ensuing within the field, Eckes, who was dealing with voltage issues earlier in the race, retained the lead with 45 laps remaining.
With 40 laps remaining, Eckes was leading by nearly a second over Purdy as they were being followed by Parsons, Friesen, Rhodes, Honeycutt and Sanchez. Meanwhile, Heim, who restarted 27th following his pit stop miscue, had muscled his way all the way up to eighth place while Jones and Moffitt trailed in the top 10 ahead of Majeski, Caruth, Enfinger, Dillon and Mosack.
Ten laps later, Eckes retained the lead by nearly seven-tenths of a second over Purdy while Parsons, Honeycutt and Friesen were scored in the top five. Behind, Heim was in sixth place and trailing the lead by more than three seconds while Sanchez, Rhodes, Moffitt and Majeski were in the top 10. By then, Tanner Gray was mired in 12th behind Caruth, Thompson was back in 16th behind Dillon and Mosack was battling Matt Mills for 17th along with Taylor Gray and Dye.
Another three laps later, the battle for the lead ignited as Purdy made a move beneath Eckes for the lead in Turn 1. Despite assuming the top spot, however, Purdy went wide, which allowed Eckes to pull a crossover move entering the backstretch as both he and Purdy battled dead even for the lead through Turns 3 and 4. Then as Eckes slid in front of Purdy entering the frontstretch, Purdy pulled a crossover move on Eckes through the frontstretch as they dueled for the lead again. Purdy then slid up the track in Turn 1 for a second time, which allowed Eckes to muscle ahead and maintain a reasonable advantage over a hard-charging Purdy. Amid the battle between Eckes and Purdy, third-place Honeycutt started to close in in his No. 45 R.C.D. Shoe Company Chevrolet Silverado RST while Heim was in fifth place and trailing the lead by more than two seconds.
Down to the final 20 laps of the event, Eckes, who was beginning to be mired in lapped traffic, retained the lead by three-tenths of a second over a hard-charging Purdy while Honeycutt made it a three-truck battle for the lead as he trailed by half a second. Behind, Heim trailed by more than three seconds in fourth place while Parsons was in fifth.
Four laps later, Purdy scrubbed the outside wall through Turns 1 and 2, which stalled his late momentum and his challenge on Eckes for the lead. Despite scraping the wall, Purdy remained on the track, but he would lose the runner-up spot to Honeycutt as Eckes continued to lead. A lap later, however, Purdy’s strong run went sour after he scrubbed the outside wall for a second time through Turns 1 and 2, which was enough for the event to be placed in a late caution period as Purdy, who lost a tire in the process, nursed his damaged No. 77 Bama Buggies Chevrolet Silverado RST back to pit road. The caution also erased Eckes’ six-second advantage over Honeycutt as Heim was up to third place.
During the caution period, a majority of the field led by Honeycutt and Heim pitted while the rest led by Eckes remained on the track. Amid the pit stops, Honeycutt and Heim both lost a bevy of spots after both endured slow pit services. For Honeycut, a broken air gun resulted in his tire changer having issues changing the right-rear tire. For Heim, the issue stemmed from his rear tire changer struggling to get the lug nuts tightened on the left-rear tire as Heim started to spin his tires, which left his No. 11 team uncertain if the lug nuts on the truck were tightened as Heim lined up in 11th place.
Down to the final nine laps, the event restarted under green as Eckes and Parsons occupied the front row. At the start, the field fanned out through the frontstretch as Eckes rocketed away with the lead followed by Caruth and Sanchez while Parsons was struggling to launch. Then through the frontstretch to complete the following lap, Sanchez, who pitted during the latest caution period and passed Caruth for the runner-up spot, overtook Eckes for the lead as Heim, who was charging to the front for a second time since the restart, bolted past Eckes through Turns 3 and 4 to move into third place. Heim would then overtake Friesen for the runner-up spot during the following lap as he set his sights on Sanchez for the lead and potential victory.
With five laps remaining, Sanchez maintained the lead by nearly three-tenths of a second over a hard-charging Heim while Friesen trailed in third place by eight-tenths of a second. As the field behind jostled for late spots, pole-sitter Tanner Gray spun sideways towards the apron in Turns 1 and 2, but the event remained under green flag conditions as Heim was trying to gain a run on Sanchez for the lead.
When the white flag waved and the final lap started, Sanchez, who had managed to keep his No. 2 Gainbridge Chevrolet Silverado RST in front of Heim’s Toyota, remained as the leader by four-tenths of a second over Heim. Through Turns 1 and 2, Heim ran his truck close towards the outside wall through Turns 1 and 2 in an effort to gain a run, but Sanchez maintained his advantage through the backstretch. With Heim unable to mount a final lap rally for two final turns, Sanchez was able to cycle back to the frontstretch victorious as he claimed the checkered flag to win by half a second over Heim.
With the victory, Sanchez, who notched his first career win at Daytona International Speedway in February, became the 82nd competitor overall to achieve multiple victories in the Truck Series and the 13th to win a Truck event at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
With Sanchez winning the series’ 700th event in recorded history, the Miami native joins an exclusive club of competitors to win during a milestone event for the series. Ron Hornaday Jr., a four-time champion of the series, won the 100th recorded Truck Series event in history at Evergreen Speedway in Monroe, Washington, in 1999 before winning the 300th series event at Dover Motor Speedway eight years later. Ted Musgrave, the 2005 champion, won the series’ 200th race at Memphis Motorsports Park in 2003, Clint Bowyer won the series’ 400th event at Kansas Speedway in 2011 and Austin Dillon won the series’ 500th event at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in 2015. Recently, Kyle Busch won the series’ 600th event at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in 2020.
As an added bonus, Sanchez, who recorded the 284th Truck victory for the Chevrolet nameplate and the second overall for Rev Racing, claimed the first of three Triple Truck Challenge bonuses and a $50,000 check.
Photo by John Knittel for SpeedwayMedia.com.
“It’s awesome,” Sanchez said on FS1. “What can I say more about this team? We started off bad. We knew it. [We] Did not let it affect us. We went to work. We put ourselves in position when it mattered most. It’s great to get [win] number two. [I’ll] Probably put the [$50,000 bonus] in the savings. I totally forgot about that, so yeah, added bonus. Sweet.”
Sanchez’s Charlotte victory was the most meaningful for Chris Showalter, the truck chief for both Sanchez and Rev Racing as he has been working through all 700 recorded events in the Truck Series since the first event at Phoenix Raceway in February 1995.
“[This race] just probably popped to number one [favorite],” Showalter, who fought tears of joy, said. “It’s a long battle. This is about people and I love this group of people. I’ll do anything for this group of people.”
Heim, who led a race-high 72 laps and swept both stages, settled in second place for his seventh top-three result of the 2024 season as he fell short of winning at Charlotte Motor Speedway for a second consecutive season.
“Obviously, an eventful day for us,” Heim said. “[I] Just felt like it got away from us on separate occasions there. We had control of the race and as soon as you don’t, you’re just victim to the leader and they can control the air. Nick [Sanchez] did a great job at just blocking my air the best he could. I felt like we had the best truck by a long shot. When you’re behind the leader, you can’t do much, but I feel like we were able to get through traffic so well. Glad I could make it entertaining at least, but it doesn’t really matter for us. We finished second.”
Shortly after, however, Heim was disqualified from the runner-up result due to his truck having three lug nuts not safely secured following his recent pit service. As a result, Stewart Friesen, who missed his pit stall and was running in the middle of the pack earlier in the day, was promoted to second place as Grant Enfinger, Matt Mills and Ben Rhodes ended up in the top five.
Finishing in the top 10 were Jake Garcia, Kaden Honeycutt, Connor Mosack, Dean Thompson and Christian Eckes. Notably, Chase Purdy ended up 13th behind Taylor Gray, Rajah Caruth fell back to 16th behind Brett Moffitt, pole-sitter Tanner Gray ended up 17th, Ty Majeski slid to 23rd and Stefan Parsons ended up 25th.
There were eight lead changes for five different leaders. The race featured five cautions for 31 laps.
Following the 11th event of the 2024 Craftsman Truck Series season, Christian Eckes leads the regular-season standings by 30 points over Corey Heim, 50 over Nick Sanchez, 64 over Ty Majeski and 99 over Taylor Gray.
Results.
1. Nick Sanchez, nine laps led
2. Stewart Friesen
3. Grant Enfinger
4. Matt Mills
5. Ben Rhodes
6. Jake Garcia
7. Kaden Honeycutt
8. Connor Mosack
9. Dean Thompson
10. Christian Eckes, 37 laps led
11. Connor Jones
12. Taylor Gray
13. Chase Purdy, five laps led
14. Bret Holmes
15. Brett Moffitt
16. Rajah Caruth
17. Tanner Gray, 11 laps led
18. Mason Massey
19. Daniel Dye
20. Spencer Boyd
21. Jack Wood
22. Timmy Hill
23. Ty Majeski
24. Ty Dillon
25. Stefan Parsons
26. Bayley Currey
27. Mason Maggio
28. Layne Riggs, one lap down
29. Memphis Villarreal, three laps down
30. Lawless Alan – OUT, Brakes
31. Matt Crafton, 15 laps down
32. Tyler Ankrum – OUT, Accident
33. Thad Moffitt – OUT, Accident
34. Keigh McGee – OUT, Accident
35. Jeffrey Earnhardt – OUT, Accident
36. Corey Heim – Disqualified 72 laps led, Stage 1 & 2 winner
Next on the 2024 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series schedule is the series’ annual visit to Gateway’s World Wide Technology Raceway in Madison, Illinois, for the Toyota 200. The event is scheduled to occur next Saturday, June 1, and air at 1:30 p.m. ET on FOX.
Tanner Gray celebrates his first ARCA Menards Series victory in Friday's General Tire 150 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. (HHP/Chris Owens photo)
CONCORD, N.C. (May 24, 2024) — An early flat tire kept Tanner Gray from dominating Friday’s ARCA Menards Series General Tire 150 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, but it didn’t keep him from winning.
Gray began Friday by claiming the pole for the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series’ North Carolina Education Lottery 200 — the second of his career and his second at Charlotte — and kept the momentum going in ARCA competition.
The drive to victory, however, was not as straightforward as Gray expected. The driver of the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota blew a right-rear tire in the opening stages, fell a lap down and fought his way back to the front in the final laps. Gray held off a spirited late-race charge from Carson Kvapil in scoring his first ARCA victory less than an hour before going for his first Truck Series triumph.
Kvapil had a two-second lead with 20 laps to go in the 100-lap race, but a crash involving Con Nicolopoulos and Mitch Gibson with 15 to go bunched up the field. It also gave Gray a clear pathway to victory: Stay out under the caution period, take the lead, and fend off Kvapil’s No. 82 Pinnacle Racing Group Chevrolet.
Kvapil closed to within a car length of Gray with five laps to go, but Gray held his nerve and hung onto the lead. Kvapil faded in the final three laps and was forced to settle for second with pole winner Andres Perez third, Will Kimmel fourth and Lavar Scott fifth.
“To be able to come here and rebound the way we did is really cool,” Gray said. “We fought a little adversity in the beginning, cutting the right-rear (tire) down and going a lap down. To be able to execute a solid race and finish off those last few laps is really cool.
“Hopefully, we can do it again in the Truck race.”
Tanner Gray won the ARCA Menards Series General Tire 150 at Charlotte Motor Speedway Friday evening after rebounding from a flat tire and going a lap down.
He started strong, earning his second career pole and his second at Charlotte, in his No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota. However, on Lap 34 he had to make an unscheduled pit stop due to a flat right-rear tire and went a lap down.
With 20 laps to go, Carson Kvapil had a two-second lead while Gray had methodically made his way back to the lead lap. Gray caught a break after a crash involving Con Nicolopoulos and Mitch Gibson as most of the lead-lap cars pit with 15 laps remaining in the race.
When the race resumed, Gray, who had stayed on the track during the caution and was now in the lead, held off Kvapil and won by a margin of 0.939 seconds.
Andres Perez finished third followed by Will Kimmel in fourth and Lavar Scott in fifth.
“To be able to come here and rebound the way we did is really cool,” Gray said. “We fought a little adversity in the beginning, cutting the right-rear (tire) down and going a lap down. To be able to execute a solid race and finish off those last few laps is really cool.
*Note: Gray finished 18th in Friday night’s Truck Series North Carolina Education Lottery 200.
Race results:
Pos.
Car No.
Driver
Sponsor, OEM
Laps
Diff.
1
18
Tanner Gray
JGR Toyota
100
–
2
82
Carson Kvapil*
Chevrolet Performace Chevrolet
100
0.939
3
2
Andres Perez
Max Siegal Inc Chevrolet
100
2.355
4
69
Will Kimmel
Weddington Custom Homes-Accel Hydraulics
100
5.192
5
6
Lavar Scott*
Max Siegel Inc Chevrolet
100
5.343
6
55
Gus Dean
DRIVEN Trackside
100
7.275
7
20
Dean Thompson
Thompson Pipe Group Toyota
100
7.423
8
33
Lawless Alan*
Auto Parkit Ford
100
7.817
9
97
Jason Kitzmiller
A.L.L Construction Chevrolet
100
8.342
10
9
Sebastian Arias
Brady IFS Chevrolet
100
11.265
11
35
Greg Van Alst
CB Fabricating Ford
100
11.273
12
25
Toni Breidinger
Celsius Toyota
100
12.836
13
10
Cody Dennison*
Timcast.com Toyota
100
16.986
14
73
Andy Jankowiak
Acacia Energy Toyota
100
27.118
15
22
Amber Balcaen
ICON Toyota
99
1 Lap
16
12
Ryan Roulette*
Bellator Recruiting Academy/VFW Ford
98
2 Laps
17
27
Tim Richmond
Immigration Law Center Toyota
98
2 Laps
18
15
Kris Wright
FNB Corporation Toyota
97
3 Laps
19
88
A.J. Moyer
Rivers’s Edge Cottages & RV Park/Ampere EV Chevrolet
96
4 Laps
20
99
Michael Maples*
Don Ray Petroleum LLC/Maples Motorsports Chevrolet
Ty Gibbs will lead the field to the green flag in Saturday’s Xfinity Series BetMGM 300 at Charlotte Motor Speedway after winning the pole Friday with a lap of 177.194 mph in his No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
“I’m very thankful to run two races and I really have a good time out here,” Gibbs said. “Doing another race this weekend is fun. I always love racing so I always look forward to doing stuff like this.”
Kyle Busch (176.482 mph) will join Gibbs on the front row as Chandler Smith (176.246), Jesse Love (175.873) and Jeb Burton (175.496) rounded out the top five in the qualifying session.
Cole Custer will start sixth (175.433), followed by Sheldon Creed (175.433), Austin Hill (175.365 mph), Justin Allgaier (175.160) and Brandon Jones (176.103) to complete the top-10.
The BetMGM 300 will be broadcast on FOX Saturday afternoon with the green flag set for 1:19 p.m. ET with radio coverage provided by PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
Tanner Gray won Friday night’s North Carolina Education Lottery 200 pole at Charlotte Motor Speedway. He topped NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series qualifying with a 178.241 mph lap in the No. 15 Toyota for TRICON Garage to earn his first pole this season and his second consecutive Truck Series pole at Charlotte.
Gray’s teammate, Corey Heim, will start beside him on the front row. Ty Majeski qualified third followed by Rajah Caruth and Layne Riggs to complete the top five.
Chase Purdy, Connor Mosack, Jack Wood, Kaden Honeycutt and Bayley Currey rounded out the top 10 in qualifying.
Truck Series points leader, Christian Eckes, will start at the rear of the field after damage during practice.
Justin Carroll and Jennifer Jo Cobb did not qualify for the race.
The North Carolina Education Lottery 200 is scheduled for Friday at 8:30 p.m. on FS1 with radio coverage provided by MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
NASCAR CUP SERIES CHARLOTTE MOTOR SPEEDWAY TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT MAY 25, 2024
Chase Elliott, Driver of the No. 9 NAPA Patriotic Camaro ZL1 and the No. 17 HENDRICKCARS.COM Camaro SS, met with the media in advance of racing double duty in the NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR Xfinity Series at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Media Availability Quotes:
Talk about running double duty… not the same extent of Kyle Larson, but in the NASCAR Xfinity Series and NASCAR Cup Series. Hope helpful is it or are you just doing it for the fun of it?
“Yeah, basically it was as simple as – Chad (Knaus) came to us over the winter last year and said that they were going to likely be keeping the No. 17 Xfinity car going for another handful of races this year, and we’re probably going to start incorporating some more ovals into that, so that was appealing to me. They just kind of sent out – hey, these are the races we’re thinking.. what do you guys have interest in? And if any of our interested races clashed, then we would figure out how to sort them out. We were all pretty laid back about it. It wasn’t a huge thing. so just the way it worked out.
Charlotte (Motor Speedway) fit my schedule and it fit their schedule. I wanted to get some more laps here, and I felt like it would be a good weekend to do that. It was on the calendar, so it worked out really well. I’m excited about it.”
Greg Ives, putting him in a position where he can build that team, but also mentor people who come in different areas of the team and try to get them Cup ready for Hendrick Motorsports. How important is it to have somebody like Greg in that role?
“Yeah, I think it’s extremely important. You touched on it, but that’s the biggest piece of doing the No. 17 car in-house.. it is challenging to make sure that our team members have the proper amount of reps at the racetrack. During a practice environment, it goes by really quick; performing to the expectation and to the level of what a Cup crew chief expects of their guys. It’s just hard to get those guys reps if they’re new, or if we have someone come off the road or any personnel change. So it’s a really good opportunity for Hendrick Motorsports to kind of groom their own people in their own way; have people ready in case maybe a guy misses a weekend. Then you have somebody that can jump in that has a little bit of experience; know what to expect and just how to execute a proper practice and things like that. So that’s really been the biggest reason why I think it’s continued, and ultimately I think is a really good decision for the company to make sure – not just the drivers getting some extra reps here and there, but it’s also important for the crew members to, as well.”
NASCAR fined Ricky Stenhouse Jr. $75,000 for the fight, the most they’ve ever fined a driver…
“$75,000? Wow.. I heard he got fined, but I didn’t know it was $75,000.
Yeah, $75,000.. I was going to ask if you thought it was appropriate. I don’t know if you’ve thought about it much, but do you think that’s a lot?
“Yeah, that’s a lot.. that’s a lot of money. That seems wild to me.
Yeah, that seems like a lot for that situation. You’re going to fine him, but you’re going to promote with it.. like what are we doing? That’s a little strange to me. That’s just the first thought that comes to my mind, is that’s a lot of money to fine a guy. It’s not OK, but we’re going to blast it all over everything to get more clicks. I don’t really agree with that.”
You haven’t been able to do much Xfinity Series racing over the last couple of years. What do you enjoy about being able to take a step back into the series that kind of launched you and your career into the Cup level?
“Yeah, for sure. Those two years, 2014 and 2015.. particularly 2014, was a really big year for me. Just the way the timing all worked out and whatnot. It was really last minute that we even raced full-time that year. There was a really good shot that we were just going to run five or six (races), and I would have been thrilled with that. All the pieces of the puzzle fit together at the right time with NAPA and everything else. To your point, yes – two extremely important years for my career, particularly 2014. I kind of felt like that was my opportunity to either do something or not, especially when it became a full-time season versus five or six races that we had talked about doing.”
Denny Hamlin recently said that he’d rather win a lot of races and no championships, rather than a few races and championships. You’ve done both – you’ve won a lot of races and you’ve won a championship. Which of those two elements of the sport are you most proud of – the wins or the championship?
“That’s a good question. I think it depends on where you’re at in your life, honestly. Like when I get done racing and I look back, I’m going to be proud that we won a championship. I’m also proud of the wins, for sure. But I think having a lot of wins means that you’ve had a lot of good days spread out through a long period of time. So I just think that general satisfaction that you get from a race win or a day going your way – if those wins are in large quantities like that, I think ultimately that means that you’ve had a lot of good days leaving the racetrack and a lot of satisfaction in performance, in yourself and your team.
I can understand his argument on that, for sure, because races happen weekly. A championship only happens one time a year. I think the championship thing is something that probably sticks with you more after you get done and that type of gratification. But certainly, being in the moment and being in the heat of the battle, I think winning a lot can certainly make your overall satisfaction of how you’re doing with your job more enjoyable and happier.”
With Kyle Larson’s experience in Indy, how closely have you been following what he’s been doing and how the No. 5 team has been reacting to it, as well? How tuned-in will you be on Sunday as that race is going on?
“Yeah, I’ve tried to keep up, for sure. It’s been fun to watch, what I have been able to keep up with. It seems like they’ve been doing a great job at Indy. Obviously I work closely with Cliff (Daniels) – I hear a lot from him and whatnot, way more than the INDYCAR side, so I’m hearing most of it from him. He’s an extremely well-prepared guy. I know he’s going to do his part to make sure his side of the picture goes really well. So I wouldn’t be concerned about that at all, if I was Kyle (Larson) or anybody else.
But yeah, I think they seem to be handling it all extremely well. It seems like just the logistics, the plans and the backup plans and all that stuff with the aviation group and everything else; they’re all just top-notch people. At Hendrick Motorsports, Rick (Hendrick) does a really good job of choosing the people that work in different departments. Everyone is excited about it, and I think it’s really cool for everyone involved. Everyone is playing a role in making it happen. It’s such a team effort to make sure he can get back and forth and do all the right things. I think any time that you have an opportunity like that to tie-in more people that already work at the company, I think is super healthy because it gives people the opportunity to be a part of something that they might not normally be on a given weekend, which is fun.”
About Chevrolet
Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is now one of the world’s largest car brands. Chevrolet models include electric and fuel-efficient vehicles that feature engaging performance, design that makes the heart beat, passive and active safety features and easy-to-use technology, all at a value. More information on Chevrolet models can be found at www.chevrolet.com.
Indianapolis, IN - during the Indianapolis 500 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. (Photo by Joe Skibinski | IMS Photo)
Newgarden, Team Penske Win Pit Stop Challenge
INDIANAPOLIS (Friday, May 24, 2024) – Scott Dixon led the Miller Lite Carb Day final practice for the 108th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge on Friday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, as Honda-powered drivers turned the qualifying form chart upside-down with two days remaining before “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.”
Six-time NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion Dixon, who won this race in 2008, was fastest at 227.206 mph in the No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. It was the ninth time in the last 10 years Dixon ended up in the top four on the speed chart in the final practice.
Dixon will start a career-low 21st in the race Sunday (11 a.m. ET, NBC, Universo, Peacock, INDYCAR Radio Network) but is confident he can climb through the field to contend for a long-awaited second “500” victory.
“We rolled off pretty good,” Dixon said. “It was a good day. The car seems pretty fast, pulls up well, pretty consistent.
“I think you have to take the moment as it is. You don’t want to rush it too much (with early-race passes). We’ve got some positions to make up. Hopefully move up as quick as possible. I’d like to pass all 20 cars (in front of me) on the first lap, but that’s probably not going to happen.”
Chevrolet-powered drivers captured the top eight spots on the starting grid last Sunday during PPG Presents Armed Forces Qualifying, including the Team Penske trio of Scott McLaughlin, Will Power and Josef Newgarden sweeping the front row, respectively. But Honda-powered drivers rebounded during the two-hour practice Friday on the 2.5-mile oval, taking seven of the top 10 spots on the speed chart.
Four-time Indianapolis 500 winner Helio Castroneves raised expectations for a record-breaking fifth victory Sunday after ending up second at 226.939 in the No. 06 Cliffs Honda fielded by Meyer Shank Racing with Curb-Agajanian. Castroneves, at 49 the oldest driver in the field, is starting 20th Sunday in his only race of the season.
“These boys are doing a phenomenal job,” Castroneves said. “They don’t look a bit like one-offs (one start this season). It’s just like me: As you get older, you get better – just like fine wine. Great job.
“We’re going to have some work to do in the race, but the whole vibe is incredible.”
Pato O’Ward, who qualified eighth, was the top Chevy driver in final practice at 226.666 in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet. Colton Herta continued his strong performance in traffic during practice at this event by ending up fourth at 226.220 in the No. 26 Gainbridge Honda of Andretti Global with Curb-Agajanian.
Rookie Tom Blomqvist, who starts 25th, rounded out the top five at 225.450 in the No. 66 AutoNation/Arctic Wolf Honda fielded by Meyer Shank Racing, as the team put all three of its cars in the top eight in the session. Felix Rosenqvist, starting ninth, was eighth at 225.310 in the No. 60 AutoNation/SiriusXM Honda.
Pole sitter McLaughlin was 20th at 224.264 in the No. 3 Pennzoil Team Penske Chevrolet. Power, starting second, was 21st at 224.253 in the No. 12 Verizon Business Team Penske Chevrolet. Reigning race winner Newgarden, starting third, was 32nd in the 33-car field at 222.847 in the No. 2 Shell Powering Progress Team Penske Chevrolet.
All 33 cars were on track during a practice filled with passing and thick traffic, turning a combined 2,721 laps in the busiest session of the month despite lasting only two hours.
The session was slowed by just two cautions, one for debris and one for a tow-in for heralded rookie Kyle Larson, whose No. 17 Hendrickcars.com Arrow McLaren Chevrolet ran out of fuel. 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion Larson, the highest-starting rookie in fifth, is attempting to complete the “double” of racing in the “500” and the NASCAR Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Sunday.
“My car handling was good,” Larson said. “I didn’t suck up (aerodynamic tow) as good as I thought I did on Monday. The pit stop stuff, just kind of getting familiar with that. It’s obviously a little different than a NASCAR pit stop.
“I felt comfortable with all that. I feel like we checked off a lot of boxes before the race.”
The Public Drivers’ Meeting, at 10:30 a.m. ET Saturday, is the only official function remaining at IMS for the field of 33 drivers before the race.
Penske Extends Pit Stop Challenge Record
Team Penske won its record-extending 19th One Stop to Start Pit Stop Challenge, as driver Josef Newgarden earned his second win in the prestigious annual contest between the best Indianapolis 500 pit crews. It was the first win for Team Penske and Newgarden since 2022.
Newgarden and Team Penske earned the victory by beating Arrow McLaren and driver Pato O’Ward in the best-of-three final round, sweeping the first two rounds.
Reigning Indianapolis 500 winner Newgarden entered the pit box in the No. 2 Shell Powering Progress Team Penske Chevrolet and Team Penske’s crew changed four tires and simulated fueling in 11.333 seconds in the first round, edging O’Ward and the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet crew’s time of 12.121 for service.
In the second round, Team Penske and Newgarden completed its stop in 10.792, the quickest of the entire contest. Arrow McLaren and O’Ward trailed at 12.647.
Newgarden’s crew earned a $50,000 prize for the victory, while O’Ward’s Arrow McLaren crew earned $25,000 for its runner-up finish.
Members of the winning team: Chad Gordon, chief mechanic/outside front tire changer; Caitlyn Brown, inside front tire changer; Kyle Lapier, inside rear tire changer; Keenan Watson, outside rear tire changer; Derrick Ruppert, fueler; Tom Jones, air jack. Brown is believed to be the first female crew member to be a part of the winning team.
The last time a driver swept the Pit Stop Challenge and Indianapolis 500 in the same year was 2009, when Helio Castroneves of Team Penske achieved the feat.
CHEVROLET IN NTT INDYCAR SERIES INDIANAPOLIS 500 INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA TEAM CHEVY PRACTICE REPORT MAY 24, 2024
PATO O’WARD LEADS TEAM CHEVY IN THE FINAL INDIANAPOLIS 500 PRACTICE ON CARB DAY AT INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY
Pato O’Ward, driver of the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet, led team chevy with third on the leaderboard in the final practice session before the 108th Running of the Indianapolis 500.
Additionally, Chevrolet was represented by Agustín Canapino, driver of the No. 78 Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet, and Ryan Hunter-Reay, driver of the No. 23 Dreyer & Reinbold with Cusick Motorsports Chevrolet, finishing seventh and 10th respectively.
During the two-hour window, Friday’s final practice session saw the field turn a total of 2,721 laps, with Chevrolet completing 1,294 laps.
In an all-Chevy final, the Carb Day Pit Stop Challenge saw Josef Newgarden’s No. 2 Shell Chevrolet crew defeat Pato O’Ward’s No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet crew in the best of three pit stops.
Up next, the Chevrolet drivers and teams take the green flag for NTT INDYCAR SERIES crown jewel, the 108th Running of the Indianapolis 500. Sunday at 11 a.m. ET on NBC.
TEAM CHEVY TOP-10 PRACTICE RESULT: Pos. Driver 3rd Pato O’Ward (226.666 mph) 7th Agustín Canapino (225.320 mph) 10th Ryan Hunter-Reay (225.124 mph)
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING (QUOTES):
Santino Ferrucci, No. 14 AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet:
“Very interesting Carb Day session for us. Our version of Monday’s carry over to Friday wasn’t exactly as planned but we got it sorted and we have some ideas of what we’re going to do for the race on Sunday. Now, we just hope for the weather to be nice.”
Sting Ray Robb, No. 41 AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet:
“Had a lot of fun out there today. We spent most of the day in the pack and got some things figured out. Really excited for Sunday. I think we can go forward in the field. We’ll get the Chevy just slightly shifted over in the window a little bit, but really happy with the Goodheart Chevrolet. I think it’s feeling really racy.”
Kyle Larson, No. 17 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet:
“I thought my car handling was good. I didn’t suck up as good as I thought I did on Monday, but the pit stop stuff, getting familiar with that. It’s a little bit different, obviously, than a NASCAR pit stop, like charging pit lane. I got to leave finally hard a couple of times. I felt comfortable with all of that. I feel like we checked a lot of boxes off before the race. I thought that the car handled fine. I didn’t think I could suck up as good as I could on Monday, but I don’t know what everybody else thinks. I thought (Alex) Palou and (Scott) McLaughlin and (Josef) Newgarden looked pretty good, (Colton) Herta. I don’t know. I just felt middle of the road. I’m sure there are things I could do as far as generating runs and stuff to help things, but just got to kind of talk to my teammates and see how they felt.”
Ed Carpenter, No. 20 Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet:
“Getting excited for another chance to go out and win this race! It has been a bit of a different month with the way the weather and everything else has played out. All things considered, I feel really good. I have been happy and comfortable in the car. That’s the most important thing, whether you’re starting 1st or 17th – where I am starting from – is just being happy with what you’ve got and being comfortable. If I can stay comfortable all day and make steady progress, I am confident we will be a factor in the end.”
Rinus VeeKay, No. 21 Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet:
“I am so excited for the Indy 500! I always am. After the great team effort on qualifying weekend, I’m really excited to start towards the front of the pack but also have a great racecar. I have had so many different learning experiences, I am ready to get out there and race for the win. We don’t come here for anything less. Second means nothing at this place. We are going for the win and give it all we have.”
Christian Rasmussen, No. 33 Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet:
“I’m excited! It’s been a good month, I have learned a lot about driving around here and qualifying around here. That ultimately all comes down to the race, which is the last thing we have ahead of us. I’m just super excited to get it started. We have a good racecar, we weren’t able to qualify as well as we had the pace to. Hopefully, we’re a bit faster than the people around us and are able to move forward. It should be a good day!”
SCOTT McLAUGHLIN, NO. 3 TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET – End of Day Press Conference:
THE MODERATOR: Wrapping up Miller Lite Carb Day practice ahead of Sunday’s 108th running of the Indianapolis 500, Scott McLaughlin, 93 laps turned in that practice session, driver of the No. 3 Pennzoil Team Penske Chevrolet. The five-time NTT INDYCAR SERIES race winner starts from pole for the seventh time in his NTT INDYCAR Series career.
Q. Scottie Mac, race car, how would you describe it?
SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: Very similar to what we started with this week. We haven’t really played around too much mechanically with the car. It felt good out of the box, and just sort of building my confidence with it. We tried a few different downforce levels there just to get an idea.
Looks like cooler temps for Sunday as well as Monday if that gets pushed back. Hopefully not. But ultimately you’re just sort of going through the motions, attacking the pit speed line. I actually sped, which was a good thing to get that out of the way now. A few other things like just pit stop practice and whatnot. I was just ticking things off the list.
Yeah, felt really good, but didn’t put a big number up, but I think we’re okay.
Q. Scott McLaughlin, looking around you’re in the iconic suit now, sat next to a 500 winner, you’ve got the P1 position. Feels like the perfect storm for you this year. How are you feeling going into the 500?
SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: Super excited. When this guy won in ’08, it made me love the Indy 500 a lot, as a Kiwi and a very proud one at that.
I guess it has been a pretty whirlwind week. Being fastest here for qualifying, obviously it’s the first box you want to tick, but ultimately you want to win on Sunday, but it’s still been a really cool week, and I’ve really enjoyed. I’ve really tried to soak it in as much as I can, but at the end of the day the job is this weekend.
But just really proud to represent Pennzoil, and obviously it’s 40 years since Rick won in this race car. It would mean a lot to the team and myself to do that, obviously. It would be a life-changing experience. But ultimately we need to go through all the process, all the execution to get to that point as 32 other amazing race car drivers out there are going to be chasing us down and working us very hard. Yeah, no doubt about that.
Just keep my emotions in check, just enjoy the moment and see what happens.
Q. With all that in mind, what you’re wearing, yellow submarine, P1 position, and also just the news surrounding Penske all season, is there any added pressure that you’re feeling going into this race?
SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: Not really. I’m just very focused on the job at hand. I think we’ve proved that you can get a sore neck looking back. We’ll keep working forward. I’m really proud of the execution all month, but at the end of the day, the main time to execute is Sunday, and we’ll try and do that.
Q. For either of you or both of you, most tracks we go to, when conditions get cooler, you just know it’s going to increase grip, but this place kind of seems especially finicky. What kind of mystery are we looking at if we get the overcast and the cooler temperatures Sunday and Monday?
SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: Scottie has got more experience than me.
SCOTT DIXON: I think it’s the same trend. The pack will just get tighter.
SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: Yeah, I agree. I think it will — yeah, we’ll get more grip, but everyone will get more grip, so I think we’ll see the same gaps and stuff like that. It’s a matter of being able to follow close enough when they make mistakes and capitalize.
Q. Scott, with you guys having three Penske cars across the front row on Sunday, how if at all can you guys work together to try and control the race? Is that something you guys have talked about yet, how you guys will approach that, or is that something you guys won’t worry too much about?
SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: I think we’ve seen over the years, I think Scottie and Alex have done this before, really controlled that first sort of 100 odd laps and whatnot, so it is able to be done. But we haven’t had an active discussion about it yet, but at the end of the day I’m sure there will be a sit-down with all three of us before the race and sort of analyze a few things.
At the same time, I guess everyone knows that when you’re out in front, you’re chewing a lot of gas, so ultimately I think we’ll take turns maybe at doing that or making sure that we keep ourselves in good track position. Ultimately that’s what I’m thinking about.
But yeah, certainly when you get back to sort of six, seven, eight deep it’s quite definitely, so we need to make sure we’re up in the front.
Just let it come, let it happen. I haven’t been at the front; starting 14th is best I’ve had. I’m excited to see what it looks like.
Q. Scottie Mac, Simon Pagenaud of course is here and we interviewed him during practice on Peacock and he confirmed to Marty that he’s your secret mentor, and he was highly complimentary of everything you’ve done and about how you came to him and have absorbed everything. Can you give us more perspective on how it came about and how much of an impact did he have on the pole? Were you using things in terms of lines and things that he was telling you?
SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: The line I think came a little naturally to me, but yeah, he’s a very keen observer of many things, a note taker, and we’ve been exchanging notes all week. I asked him to do this like February, January or February, and we’ve been analyzing a lot of things since.
But at the same time, he’s always been a Team Penske member. He’s won the 500 for us, and at the end of the day, we all just want him to be okay. So this is for me an opportunity for me to work with him but also an opportunity for me to help maybe bring him back to the race and get his name back involved. Whether that’s not driving a race car, at least he’s involved, and he gets that feeling of being at the 500 again. I’m sure it’s so hard for him right now. It’s his first 500 he’s missed in a long time. He’s a 500 winner, and he’s at a point in his career where he could easily keep going for many, many years.
He’s just a nice guy. I’ve always got along with him from Penske, and he’s been a lot of help. Yeah, there’s definitely a lot of things I’ve used this week that have helped, but at the same time, we’ve had great car speed, which has made it a lot easier. But just leaning on him has been nice.
About Chevrolet
Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is now one of the world’s largest car brands. Chevrolet models include electric and fuel-efficient vehicles that feature engaging performance, design that makes the heart beat, passive and active safety features and easy-to-use technology, all at a value. More information on Chevrolet models can be found at www.chevrolet.com.
Ford Performance Notes and Quotes NASCAR Cup Series Coca-Cola 600 Advance | Friday, May 24, 2024
Joey Logano, driver of the No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Ford Mustang Dark Horse for Team Penske, is coming off a win in last weekend’s NASCAR All-Star Race. He stopped by the Charlotte Motor Speedway infield media center earlier today to talk about National Mobility Awareness Month and this weekend’s race.
JOEY LOGANO, No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Ford Mustang Dark Horse – CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT THE EXPERIENCE YOU HAD DRIVING WITH TORSTEN GROSS AND EXPERIENCING A CAR EQUIPPED FOR DRIVERS WHO CAN ONLY USE THEIR HANDS? “This is a really neat program that Pennzoil is partnering up with Torsten and his foundation and really just giving everyone the ability to drive their vehicle when their mobility isn’t quite the same as everybody here. They have a great way of trying to help everybody get in a vehicle and drive with just your hands and with no feet. It was a neat experience. The hand controls bolt right into a car. We had a stock Dark Horse Mustang right there and they bolted it all in there pretty quickly. The throttle, you turn it. The brakes, you push it in and then you strap your hand in on the other end of the steering wheel and off you go. It’s definitely a really neat experience, challenging to learn how to do it because you’re initial reaction is to hit the brakes with your feet, or the gas, but he tied my feet up to the door so I couldn’t even use my feet. We had a good laugh about that and then we tried driving it around the Roval here. It was cool. I wasn’t very smooth for a while. I eventually got a little bit more of a handle on it, but the point is it’s really neat that he races and that he can compete. Think about it. There aren’t other sports where a paraplegic can compete with somebody who has normally functioning legs and be able to compete together in the same league. He does that weekly, so how neat is that to be able to do that. He was very good at it, much better than me with as smooth as he was, but definitely a really neat experience. That’s something neat Pennzoil has done to really show how their pushing forward in a lot of different areas and just a fun experience, for sure. The long version of the video is really fun. I would say go to You Tube and find it on Pennzoil’s channel. It’s pretty neat.”
DO YOU THINK THIS COULD OPEN UP TO WHERE IT WOULD BE ALLOWED IN NASCAR DOWN THE ROAD? “Honestly, I don’t see a reason why it couldn’t. It’s all about comfort and reps. That’s what I realized as I was driving. I was like, ‘OK, I could see how this is something that can make sense.’ Getting the car set up for that would be the biggest thing. Our cars have pretty stiff steering. You’d need a little bit easier steering rack to be able to steer. You should see how you have to get your arm in there. There are a couple extra braces to be able to steer it, but I think if you get all of that right, I don’t see why you couldn’t. The upper body strength that you need is ridiculous to be able to steer with one hand for a long period of time. You aren’t ever putting your other hand back on the wheel. You can’t. To be able to drive for a long period of time, I think would be hard. I don’t think it’s impossible. I just think it would be really, really hard to do that. I think it definitely can happen, though, if the opportunity arose.”
WHY DID YOU GET YOUR CDL? “So, I grew up around trucks. My father had a trucking company growing up, so I always drove trucks. I still like driving trucks all the time, but I need to do it legally, so I went to school. This morning, we woke up and I drove up to Statesville and took my test up there at the DMV and I passed it, so that’s good. I’m officially a CDL license holder, so I’m sure now that anytime we get in a bind I’m gonna be ready to truck. I want to be the first one in a long time to drive their truck to the racetrack, so that would be kind of cool to do. It was a bit of a process the last few weeks of going to school and learning and driving around on the road. I had a lot of fun. It’s challenging to do it. It’s not the easiest thing in the world. I was nervous. I told the guy doing the test with me I said, ‘Listen, I drive in high-pressure situations every single weekend. You’re making me nervous.’ He’s over there and ‘every time I make a turn you’re writing something down.’ I said, ‘You’re wigging me out.’ We were laughing, but I was able to do it. I made the obstacle course and got it done.”
WOULD YOU RATHER WIN A LOT OF RACES AND NO CHAMPIONSHIP OR A FEW RACES AND MANY CHAMPIONSHIPS? “Championships. In any sport, that’s mainly what you’re measured by. You think of basketball or football, they don’t ask ‘what was your winning percentage or how many wins did you have?’ How many rings do you have? That’s what everybody asks. With that said, race wins are a lot harder than football wins. I don’t want that to come across the wrong way and I’ll explain why. A football game is a 50-50 chance. We’re 1 in 40. You think about that and race wins are gonna be worth more because it’s harder to do. The odds are not in your favor to go out there and win every single week. A good season is six wins, especially these days, so it’s really hard to accomplish a lot of wins. I think you can measure somebody for sure for their success on how many wins they have, for sure, but I think the championship thing has always been a really big deal, I think, in sports in general.”
DO YOU FEEL THE FINE FOR RICKY STENHOUSE JR. WAS APPROPRIATE? “I’m not gonna get in the middle of that one, to be honest with you. I’m glad I’m not in the middle of it. I think, really, what we all want is consistency and knowing what the rule is and what’s OK and what’s not OK. That’s really all you ask for. Whether it’s the car or restarts or altercations apparently, just let me know the rules is what I want to know. What is the price I’m about to pay if I make this decision and is it worth it? That’s really how it’s got to be is just looking for consistency in that to where it’s the same all the time, and I know it’s hard to do. That’s a lot to ask for because every situation could be a little bit different. It’s a judgment call. There’s no black and white. When you look at a post-race altercation at what point is sometimes it’s OK and sometimes it’s not? I don’t know. I’d like to have a little bit more clarity on it to be honest with you, but I don’t know the answers.”
NASCAR PUSHED LAST WEEK’S START ABOUT 15 MINUTES LATER TO ACCOMMODATE KYLE LARSON. IF THEY DO THAT THIS WEEK IS THAT OK? “I think as long as it’s within reason. There’s a lot of different things that go into this and, as a driver who has been in the sport for a long time, I see that there’s more to it than just me driving the race car. When you think about it, the start time for the race has been promoted for a certain time. Pushing it back a little bit, I’m sure, doesn’t really affect much. Pushing it back a lot does affect it a lot. Are we willing to give up ratings to get somebody here that chose not to be here to go race the Indy 500? That’s fine and really cool, don’t get me wrong. It’s really cool, but it was his choice to do that, so I don’t know at what point is out of reason to wait, but I don’t think we should race very, very long by any means because I don’t want it to hurt the rest of our sport for somebody that showed up late for the race. I don’t think I can call in and say, ‘Hey, I’m stuck in traffic because I left my house late. Can you wait for me?’ It’s not gonna happen. I also think this is a different scenario because of the cool factor and how it is good for motorsports all the way through. I just think at some point there’s got to be a point where we’ve got to start the race. I don’t know exactly where that’s at.”
WHAT DID YOU LEARN FROM THE EXPERIENCE WITH TORSTEN AND HOW HAS IT INFLUENCED YOUR PERSPECTIVE ON DRIVING AND MOBILITY? “Some of the things I learned the most about Torsten by being with him wasn’t even in the car. It was just how he talked out of the car and his attitude on life, his approach on life. After his accident, you really could have gone one or two ways. He could have been in a really bad spot for the rest of his life and instead he just looked at it as an opportunity and, as odd as this sounds, he seemed thankful for his accident because of what came because of that opportunity and what he’s made of it. That was the number one thing I took out of the day. Outside of the car. Outside of all the other stuff attitude is everything in life and to see a situation where I think I would be pretty down for a long, long time and I’m sure he was for a while, but he’s just one of those people that’s gonna make the best of any situation that’s dealt to him and there aren’t many worse from a mobility situation. He’s been able to grow something out of nothing. He didn’t race before. This is all new to him, so to see that, I think that’s the number one thing I took and learned from him.”
HOW EYE-OPENING WAS IT TO REALIZE THIS IS THE ONLY SPORT WHERE SOMEBODY IN A WHEELCHAIR CAN COMPETE AGAINST SOMEBODY WHO IS ABLE-BODIED ON THE SAME LEVEL? “Very eye-opening. To be honest with you, I never thought about it. We’ve done a lot of things at the Paralympics before with the sled hockey stuff years ago. There’s no way that they would be able to compete in the NHL, but with this scenario I do believe with enough practice and God given talent and determination if there is somebody that can get good enough driving just with their hands there’s no reason they can’t compete on Sunday with us.”
HOW DIFFICULT WAS IT DRIVING WITHOUT BEING ABLE TO USE YOUR FEET AND HOW LONG DID IT TAKE TO GET USED TO IT? “Honestly, it’s like anything else. The first bit is really easy. To drive down the road, I wouldn’t have a problem at all, just like everybody else can drive down the road here today. But when you try to push a car to its very extreme, that’s where it changes. When I started, of course I’m gonna try to push it. They didn’t want me to. I didn’t listen. I was gonna go. They put me on a racetrack in a Mustang what do you think is gonna happen? Let’s be real here, so I throttled her up and I just wasn’t smooth. Driving a car fast it’s very important – all of your inputs are very slow. You get the car loaded, you get onto the brakes easy, you do all those things and I was just choppy. The hard part is you use throttle, you twist the throttle The brake you push. You can do both at the same time. You don’t want to, but you can be on the gas and hitting the brakes and getting the car all in a bind. I did that a few times until you can kind of figure that out, so you’ve just got to use muscle memory to figure out how to do that. The other thing is just the steering you’ve got one hand on it, so the fine-tuning turning that we do just to find increments I couldn’t do that as quickly. When you see our hands in their they’re moving just a little bit at a time. We feel that we’re moving there. It was kind of like bigger motions when I was doing it, but I think some of that is just muscle memory getting better at it and I was getting tired to be honest with you. I ran a few laps there and my shoulders were tired, just a bunch of muscles I never use, so it was definitely a lot different.”
CAN YOU SEE YOURSELF WORKING WITH THIS PARTNERSHIP FOR A WHILE? “Quite possibly. You never know where life brings you sometimes. Really, all I do is I just go with the flow on a lot of things. You’d be surprised. It’s really cool as a race car driver. There are a lot of things that show up your way and I’ve learned this probably from Kyle Petty more than anybody else. He just doesn’t say no and you’d be surprised the amount of stories and things that you can do in life if you just say yes and go to the event, or when something comes your way and you just give it a shot. There are a lot of really cool things that happen. Nobody does it better than Kyle. That’s why I brought his name up. He’s the one I think of all the time. He’s like that movie Yes, Man. That’s who that guy is. I try to be like that as much as I can, not as much as him, but I try a little bit and so you never know what comes up next and where I end up. If you told me 10 years ago we’d be sitting where we are today, parts of it I would believe and not all of it.”
HOW MUCH OF A KICKSTART CAN THE WIN LAST WEEK BE FOR YOUR SEASON AND WHAT HASN’T GONE RIGHT UP UNTIL THIS POINT? “It was great to go up there and grab a win. I wish it was points, for sure, but a million bucks is still pretty dang good. I don’t think anyone in here would complain about that, so I’m not going to either. It happened to be one of those weekends where everything went perfect. The car was fast. Qualifying was good. We led all of the laps. Everything you can ask for. We haven’t had that this year. We’ve had something happen in almost every race, where things are going well and then, ‘uh’ that happened or we just didn’t go fast. Odds and ends, different things. It’s just been that kind of year for us. There’s a long ways to go. We’re halfway to the playoffs. We have time to make up and get out of the hole that we’re in, but we’re in a hole. There’s no doubt about that, so we’ll keep attacking and getting after it. The good thing is that win does help the momentum of the team. It helps the confidence. We got them all together a couple nights ago at my house and we had a lot of fun and celebrated a win. We came down to the concert last night and we had a little bit of fun down there as well, so there’s a lot of good things that come along with that and a lot of momentum and attitudes that are a lot happier, and I do think that helps performance all the way through. I feel like we kind of needed this good uptick, a lot of good things happening right now in everybody’s life, so that’s a good place to be.”
YOU FLEW IN AN F-16 DURING YOUR MISSION 600 VISIT. HOW DID THAT CHANGE THE WAY YOU VIEW THIS SUNDAY IN THE 600? “I would say I’ve been very fortunate to the point of saying yes to things, to go on some USO Tours in my life and visit other military bases and we do the Mission 600 thing every year and get to go visit a military base and speak to our military. At this point, for me, I understand it – at least as much as a civilian can – to realize that these guys are just real bad asses that are far superior than me, and 99 percent of the world out there. These people, I can’t put it into perspective. I wish everyone got to go and do some of these things because you would appreciate your country even more than you already do. It is absolutely incredible to see the commitment, the discipline that these men and women have to put it all on the line for strangers, and when they go to combat, even if they come back OK, they’ve gone through a lot and their families that are at home for that long period of time, I’m sure there are some military families in this room that understand some of this a lot more than me, but I don’t like leaving my family for two days at a time. I couldn’t imagine months or years at a time. That’s the craziest thing I ever heard. I couldn’t help but think about that when I’m there and speaking to them at the Shaw Air Force Base. That’s their home, so they’re at home at the moment, so I was able to meet some of their families too, and even when I was in the jet itself we were flying around and doing all of these incredible maneuvers and I was thinking, ‘Imagine if someone was trying to shoot me right now.’ That’s a whole different game, or whatever the mission may be and you have to make those really, really hard decisions – hard decisions – not whether we should pit and and put two tires on or stay out. That’s a very small decision in comparison to what these people are doing. That’s why I love this weekend so much. I really do appreciate it and my perspective changed years ago because of these things and I wish that everyone would get to experience that, but I think we do a good job here at Charlotte with the speedway and Coca-Cola together trying to not only honor our military because they deserve it, but help our country understand a little bit more of what they go through and helps reminds us that every Memorial Day Weekend, but we should be reminded every day and I think that’s hard to do sometimes because we’re in our little world. We’re in our little NASCAR world and we think about going in circles every day and we think that’s a big deal, but in the grand scheme of things it’s the smallest thing in the world when you think about what these guys are doing for sure. It’s a really cool weekend that we can do that. Thank you Charlotte Motor Speedway for doing that, and Coca-Cola. It’s a really neat thing to do for sure, and it scared the hell out of me, just so you know.”
WILL YOU BE PAYING ANY ATTENTION TO HOW KYLE LARSON DOES IN THE INDY 500 AS SOMEONE WHO IS REPRESENTING THE NASCAR SIDE OF MOTORSPORTS THERE AS WELL? “Absolutely, yeah. Honestly, I hope he finishes fourth. I really do. I can say that, right? That would be awesome. Obviously, I want a Penske car to win. Those are my guys. This is our team, but I want Kyle Larson to do good, and he already has, let’s be real. No matter what happens in the race, at this point he’s been pretty impressive with what he’s done there. I don’t know if there are many other drivers that can do what he’s doing. He’s just got a ton of natural talent that he can just jump in and do this type of stuff. I think it’s awesome he’s doing it. Don’t get me wrong with what I said earlier. What he’s doing is awesome, really, really cool. It’s great for motorsports in general. I think it’s just as good for NASCAR as it is for IndyCar to have him there, so I think for motorsports it’s great. It’s a huge storyline. People are talking about it. I hope it all works out. I hope the weather and all of it works the way it’s supposed to. If it doesn’t, it doesn’t. But, at this point, I’d say you’ve got to call it a success.”
