GIBBS, WALLACE ADVANCE TO ALL-STAR RACE Gibbs leads every lap in All-Star Open
NORTH WILKESBORO, N.C. (May 19, 2024) – Toyota’s Ty Gibbs and Bubba Wallace advanced to the All-Star Race by finishing 1-2 in the 100-lap All-Star Open at North Wilkesboro on Sunday evening.
Gibbs, who led every lap, will advance to his second All-Star Race, while last season’s All-Star Race runner-up Wallace looks to be one spot better. Gibbs and Wallace join four other Toyota drivers in the All-Star Race – Christopher Bell, Denny Hamlin, Tyler Reddick and Martin Truex Jr.
Toyota Post-Race Recap NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) North Wilkesboro Speedway All-Star Open – 62.5 miles, 100 laps
TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS 1st, TY GIBBS 2nd, BUBBA WALLACE 3rd, Josh Berry* 4th, Justin Haley* 5th, Noah Gragson* 14th, JOHN HUNTER NEMECHEK 18th, ERIK JONES *non-Toyota driver
TOYOTA QUOTES
TY GIBBS, No. 54 Monster Energy Toyota Camry XSE, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 1st
You won in dominate fashion. How good was it?
“Yeah, we were pretty good. I feel like it is pretty solid. It’s good to make it – and good to see Bubba (Wallace) make it too. Hopefully, we can go and win it. I think (Michael) Waltrip did it once. Let’s go win a million bucks – maybe we can go buy some sprint cars or something.”
Did you learn what you needed to learn?
“I think we are solid enough, and good enough to go do it. I feel like we learned a lot about what we are going to do. Thank you to Monster Energy, Mitch Covington – everybody at Interstate Batteries, Norm Miller. I’ve got some good friends here. Let’s go win this thing.”
BUBBA WALLACE, No. 23 Alltroo Toyota Camry XSE, 23XI Racing
Finishing Position: 2nd
What was it like knowing you had to race hard there to get in? “When we saw the rules change, Jamie (Little), it was like what do I have to do to make it? So, it just made us work extra hard. I appreciate everyone on this Alltroo Toyota Camry, everyone at Airspeed. You have to earn everything, so I can’t say we deserved to be in the All-Star. You have to go fight for it every once in a while. We are just lacking a little bit. It is definitely different – a different feel than what we had in practice. We have a little bit of time to make minimal changes and make it better. All-in-all, we are in the show. I appreciate the 48 (Alex Bowman) and the 4 (Josh Berry) for running clean there. That was fun – that was short track stuff, right there. We were able to sneak away there and hang on to second. That is the most stressful spot to be in. You never want to look in the mirror – and we know how good Josh (Berry) is on short tracks, so it was like hey, I kind of did some short track stuff too, so I think I have a little bit of it figured out, but we were able to hang on and have a good day so far.”
What did you learn and what did you tell your teammate Tyler Reddick?
“The balance migration was different. It caught me and him, when I told him, by surprise. We need to have a quick debrief with the team and see if we can get the right rear under us a little bit more, but none-the-less, I thought the tires – I don’t know how the back of the pack looked – but I know I was fighting it. Hopefully there was passing, and hopefully it will be a good show for tonight, but we have to go make some changes if we want to win a million dollars.”
Can you be one spot better tonight?
“We came from the back last year, so let’s do it again.”
About Toyota
Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in the U.S. for more than 65 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands, plus our nearly 1,500 dealerships.
Toyota directly employs more than 49,000 people in the U.S. who have contributed to the design, engineering, and assembly of more than 34 million cars and trucks at our nine manufacturing plants. By 2025, Toyota’s 10th plant in North Carolina will begin to manufacture automotive batteries for electrified vehicles. With more electrified vehicles on the road than any other automaker, Toyota currently offers 28 electrified options.
Through its Driving Possibilities initiative, the Toyota USA Foundation has committed to creating innovative educational programs within, and in partnership with, historically underserved and diverse communities near the company’s U.S. operating sites.
Milner, Udell take second straight win to cap Pro-class debut with Corvette Z06 GT3.R
AUSTIN, Texas (May 19, 2024) – DXDT Racing went two-for-two on the weekend with the No. 63 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R as Tommy Milner and Alec Udell won their second race in as many days in GT World Challenge America on Sunday at Circuit of The Americas.
Corvette factory driver Milner drove the opening half of the race, and Udell marched through the field of Pro and Pro Am entries to win by 4.633 seconds. It went along with a Pro-class debut victory Saturday – the first for the Corvette Z06 GT3.R.
In addition to the first two victories for the Corvette Z06 GT3.R, it’s the first double-win weekend for DXDT in GT World Challenge competition.
Milner began the race sixth following Saturday’s all-Pro driver qualifying session. The goal was to keep pace with the Pro Am cars ahead that eventually switched to their Bronze-rated driver for the second half of the 90-minute sprint.
Rather than lose time riding behind two Porsches in front of him, DXDT Racing elected to call in Milner for the No. 63’s required pit stop. The switch-over to Udell was perfect, and he emerged less than three seconds behind the Pro-class leader with 40 minutes to go.
Less than 15 minutes later, Udell made the move to first in Pro, and two laps later he took the overall lead of the race and cruised the rest of the way.
The No. 08 DXDT Racing Corvette of Bryan Sellers and Scott Smithson finished 11th in the Pro Am class after Sellers suffered a flat tire on the race’s opening lap. Once back on track, Sellers matched the lap times of the leaders and handed over to Smithson with 40 minutes left but the Corvette still one lap down.
DXDT Racing’s next event with the Corvette Z06 GT3.R in GT World Challenge America is July 19-21 at Virginia International Raceway.
TOMMY MILNER, NO. 63 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “The biggest thing about being part of this program is helping this team with these new Corvettes for a little bit. They’ve done a great job so far with it and helping put the final touch on things just a little bit. Championships are one thing, but for me and Alec it’s just about helping this team to continue to grow, learn these cars and hopefully win some more races along the way.”
ALEC UDELL, NO. 63 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “This weekend was a statement to the platform and all the engineers who have put in a lot of hard work getting this car to where it’s at. From the team side and the joint venture between Corvette Racing, Pratt Miller and DXDT Racing, it’s been awesome. For me to be able to jump in as well, plug myself in and be a seamless part of the program, it’s great for the customer racing teams that are looking at the Corvette as an option. It’s a very proven platform at this point, so to be a part of that process is really cool. To have the people to learn from like Bryan and Tommy with DXDT and all our people, it’s been more than I could ask for. I’m looking forward to where we can go from here.”
CHRISTIE BAGNE, CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R PROGRAM MANAGER: “Congratulations to David Askew, Erin Gahagan and everyone at DXDT Racing on a fantastic debut weekend with two victories in the Pro class with the No. 63 Corvette Z06 GT3.R. We are very proud of DXDT Racing’s achievements during its first weekend with two Corvette Z06 GT3.Rs. Saturday’s race victory – the first for our new Corvette – was special, but the team’s approach and performance throughout the weekend is what stands out most. It is a pleasure for us to support and watch the team’s successes.”
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.
NASCAR Hall of Famers Richard Childress, left, and Chad Knaus will serve as the Honorary Pace Car Driver and Grand Marshal, respectively, in Sunday's NASCAR All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway.
A pair of NASCAR Hall of Fame inductees met with media on Sunday, prior to their pre-race dignitary roles as part of the NASCAR All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway. Six-time NASCAR Cup Series champion team owner Richard Childress will serve as Honorary Pace Car Driver on Sunday, while seven-time Cup Series title-winning crew chief Chad Knaus, will handle Grand Marshal duties.
Childress has two cars from his Richard Childress Racing team competing on Sunday at North Wilkesboro, with Kyle Busch locked into the All-Star Race and Austin Dillon kicking off race day in the All-Star Open. As an owner, Childress has five Cup Series victories at North Wilkesboro (in 1986, 1987, 1989, 1991 and 1995) with Dale Earnhardt. Childress’ driving career featured a sixth-place finish in North Wilkesboro’s fall points-paying race in 1977.
“North Wilkesboro was one of my favorite tracks as a driver, and it’s one of my favorites as an owner,” the 2017 NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee said on Sunday. “I just love it. I think my first race here was 1971. I remember coming up here, this was a place where everybody brought their families and you’d have lunch in the infield. I’ll never forget I spun out in qualifying in Turn 2, it was wet, I hit the wall and (then-Track President) Enoch Staley ran up to me and said, ‘Boy, you tore my fence down!’
“Those were some fun days. Back then, I enjoyed having fun more than I enjoyed racing, but I raced to have fun. So, it worked out really good.”
Knaus, a 2024 inductee into the NASCAR Hall of Fame and the vice president of competition for Hendrick Motorsports, won seven championships and a record four All-Star Races with fellow Hall of Famer Jimmie Johnson. Knaus will give the command to start engines prior to Sunday night’s event.
“It’s an honor to be here as the grand marshal,” Knaus said. “One interesting note: When we last raced (a points-paying Cup Series race) here in 1996, Jeff Gordon won and I was a right-rear tire changer on the pit crew, so I made the elevator ride up to Victory Lane.”
Knaus touched on the different Goodyear tire options afforded to drivers in teams in Sunday’s All-Star Race: a softer, Option tire — with red writing — and the standard, “Prime” tire with yellow lettering.
“Managing the differential between the (prime, normal tire) and the (softer, option) is going to be important. It’s a coarse track, which is going to be good. The heat’s going to open it up and I think it’s going to provide some good racing.”
Indianapolis, Ind. (19 May 2024) – Meyer Shank Racing (MSR) will start in the top 10 for the Indianapolis 500 for the first time since 2021, as Felix Rosenqvist (No. 60 AutoNation / SiriusXM Honda) used a four-lap average speed of 232.305 mph Sunday to claim the ninth position on the 33-car grid for next Sunday’s Indy 500 (11:00am ET, NBC, SiriusXM Ch. 218)
Rosenqvist earned his fifth top-10 qualifying result in as many races this year, and his effort today puts the Swedish driver in the top 10 at Indy for the third consecutive season. The result is the first time that an MSR car has started in the top 10 in five consecutive NTT INDYCAR SERIES races since 2020.
Sunday’s result set the grid for MSR’s three-car entry as Rosenqvist joined teammates Helio Castroneves (No. 06 Meyer Shank Racing w/ Curb Agajanian Cleveland-Cliffs Honda) and Tom Blomqvist (No. 66 AutoNation / Arctic Wolf Honda) who took the 20th and 25th positions respectively, marking the first time MSR has ever started three cars in an NTT INDYCAR SERIES race.
Rosenqvist had another consistent run on his midday qualifying run, starting with a lap of the 2.5-mile oval at 232.571mph, and kept the MSR machine above 232mph on three of the four laps.
The MSR drivers will have two final practice sessions available next week to prepare for the 108th Running of the Indianapolis 500. Teams will have two hours of practice Monday from 1 – 3 p.m. ET, followed by the final Carb Day practice which takes place from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Friday afternoon. Fans can follow both practices live on Peacock. NBC and Peacock will air the Indianapolis 500 live Sunday with pre-race coverage beginning at 11 a.m. SiriusXM will also host live INDYCAR Radio coverage on XM Ch. 218.
Felix Rosenqvist – Starting 9th, Four-Lap Avg. Speed 232.305mph: “”P9, so we did not make the Fast Six, but I don’t think we would have made it, even with how good that run was. We definitely think we had more, that the track came back to us a bit, so we could have trimmed a bit more. But we’re super stoked to start in the top 10, hopefully we can get a top 10 finish. We’re in the game, the car has been good in race trim in practice. The AutoNation / SiriusXM team is ready and we are looking forward to race day.”
For the second time of the 2024 season, Corey Heim made it known to the NASCAR community that it is Heim Time after notching a dominant NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series victory in the rain-delayed Wright Brand 250 at North Wilkesboro Speedway on Sunday, May 19.
The 21-year-old Heim from Marietta, Georgia, led twice for a race-high 66 of 250-scheduled laps in an event. He started 12th but quickly marched his way to the front as he spent the first stage period running inside the top five. Heim was scored in third place when the event was postponed from Saturday night to Sunday morning due to an ongoing increase of precipitation that flooded the circuit.
He spent the second stage period and a majority of the final stage period running towards the front until he muscled away from Jake Garcia to assume the lead during a late restart period with 65 laps remaining. After retaining the lead through another late-race restart period with 32 laps remaining, Heim pulled away from Grant Enfinger, rookie Layne Riggs and teammate/newcomer Brenden “Butterbean” Queen by as much as three seconds to score his third Craftsman Truck Series victory of the 2024 season and his first at North Wilkesboro.
The starting lineup for the event was determined through a metric system after the event’s on-track qualifying session scheduled to occur on Saturday morning was canceled due to precipitation. Through the metric, Christian Eckes, the current series’ regular-season leader in the standings, was awarded the pole position and he shared the front row with Nick Sanchez.
When the green flag waved and the race started on Saturday, May 18, Eckes muscled his No. 19 Instacoat Premium Products Chevrolet Silverado RST ahead with the lead from the inside lane through the first two turns. As the field fanned out to multiple lanes through the backstretch, Eckes proceeded to lead the first lap while Ross Chastain overtook Sanchez to move into the runner-up spot. Tanner Gray would follow suit in his bid for third place along with Ty Dillon. As more battles within the field ensued, Eckes stretched his lead to more than a second by the fifth lap mark while Sammy Smith was penalized for a start violation, where he pulled his Spire Motorsports entry out of line.
Through the first 10 scheduled laps, Eckes continued to extend his early advantage as he was leading by more than two seconds over Chastain followed by Tanner Gray, Dillon and Grant Enfinger while Corey Heim, Sanchez, Ben Rhodes, Ty Majeski and Taylor Gray were scored in the top 10 ahead of Jake Garcia, Daniel Dye, Chase Purdy, Lawless Alan and Bayley Currey. Behind, Tyler Ankrum, rookie Layne Riggs, Matt Mills, Brenden Queen and Rajah Caruth followed suit in the top 20 ahead of Stewart Friesen, Jack Wood, Mason Massey, Bret Holmes and Dean Thompson while Matt Crafton was mired in 27th.
Ten laps later, Eckes stabilized his advantage to more than two seconds over Chastain while Tanner Gray, Dillon and Heim trailed by within three seconds in the top five on the track. Behind, Enfinger was trying to fend off Sanchez and Rhodes in sixth place while Majeski and Taylor Gray trailed in the top 10.
Another 10 laps later, Eckes continued to lead by more than two seconds over Chastain while teammates Tanner Gray and Heim battled for third place, though both started to close in on Chastain for the runner-up spot, as Dillon trailed by three seconds in fifth place. Eckes’ would have his advantage slightly decrease to one-and-a-half seconds over Chastain by the Lap 40 mark while Heim closed in while running in third place.
Just past the Lap 50 mark, Eckes retained the lead by seven-tenths of a second over Chastain while third-place Heim kept pace with the leaders as he trailed by a second. Behind, Tanner Gray trailed in fourth place by two seconds while Majeski was up to fifth ahead of Rhodes, Dillon, Sanchez, Taylor Gray and Jake Garcia. Meanwhile, Enfinger had fallen to 16th as he trailed Daniel Dye, Ankrum, Purdy, Riggs and Brenden Queen on the track.
A few laps past the Lap 55 mark, the event’s first caution period flew due to precipitation being reported in the venue. During the caution period and with a flurry of pit strategies ensuing, a majority of the field led by Eckes pitted while the rest led by Majeski remained on the track. Amid the pit stops, Riggs was penalized for an uncontrolled tire violation while Friesen and Bayley Currey were both penalized for speeding on pit road.
With three laps remaining in the first stage period, the event restarted under green. At the start, Majeski muscled his No. 98 Road Ranger Ford F-150 ahead of teammate Rhodes and managed to transition from the outside to the inside lane through the first two turns as he retained the lead through the backstretch. As Majeski slowly started to pull away, Rajah Caruth battled Rhodes for the runner-up spot while Heim was trying to overtake both teammate Taylor Gray and Dillon for positions on the track.
When the first stage period concluded on Lap 70, Majeski claimed his third Truck stage victory of the 2024 season. Teammate Rhodes, racing with a damaged right-front fender after making contact with Bret Holmes earlier, settled in second while Caruth, Taylor Gray, Heim, Dillon, Eckes, Tanner Gray, Jack Wood and Ankrum were scored in the top 10.
Under the stage break, some including Rhodes, Taylor Gray, Dillon and Wood pitted while the rest led by Majeski remained on the track. Amid the pit stops, Spencer Boyd lost a jack on the track after dragging it out of his pit stall and onto the track.
Then on Lap 81, the field, led by Majeski was directed to pit road and the event was placed in a red flag period due to a lightning hold with lightning being reported near the circuit. With more lightning holds occurring along with a rapid increase of precipitation over the next several hours, NASCAR elected to postpone the remainder of the event to Sunday at 11:30 a.m. ET on FS1. At the time of the red flag period, Majeski was scored the leader ahead of Caruth, Heim, Eckes and Tanner Gray while Ankrum, Chastain, Connor Jones, Sanchez and Jake Garcia were scored in the top 10.
When the event restarted under green on Lap 86 on Sunday morning, Caruth muscled away from Majeski and the field from the outside lane to inherit the lead through the first two turns. As Caruth led the race, Ankrum challenged Majeski for the runner-up spot as Heim and Connor Jones joined the battle. Caruth would retain the lead past the Lap 90 mark while Majeski was trying to narrow the gap.
Two laps later, however, the caution returned after Caruth, who was being pressured by Majeski for the lead through the first two turns, slid sideways and barely clipped Majeski before he spun his No. 71 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Silverado RST from the middle to the bottom apron of Turn 2 without getting hit by incoming traffic. During the caution period, some including Ankrum, Garcia, Friesen, Caruth and Rhodes pitted while the rest led by Majeski and Heim remained on the track. Amid the pit stops, Friesen was penalized for speeding on pit road.
As the event restarted under green on Lap 98, Majeski muscled away from Heim to retain the lead. Majeski, who would then fend off an early challenge from Heim for the lead, would proceed to lead at the Lap 100 mark while Heim, Eckes, Jones and Sanchez trailed in the top five. Majeski would stabilize his advantage to nearly half a second over Heim just past the Lap 110 mark as Eckes, Jones and Sanchez continued to trail in the top five.
Following another caution period on Lap 116 due to Lawless Alan spinning in Turn 2, multiple competitors led by Majeski pitted while some led by Ankrum, who pitted during the initial caution period, remained on the track. During the next restart on Lap 123, Ankrum fended off Garcia and Jack Wood to retain the lead while Sanchez was penalized for changing lanes too soon. As the field behind jostled for spots, Ankrum would lead the halfway mark of the event on Lap 125 while Garcia, Friesen, Wood and Riggs trailed in the top five.
Then on Lap 137, the caution flew after Bret Holmes spun and wrecked in Turn 2. Holmes’ incident was enough for the second stage period scheduled to conclude on Lap 140 to conclude under caution as Ankrum captured his second Truck stage victory of the 2024 season. Garcia followed suit in second along with Friesen, Wood, and Riggs while Rhodes, Eckes, Heim, Daniel Dye and Grant Enfinger were scored in the top 10.
During the stage break, some including Matt Crafton, Dillon, Mason Massey, Matt Mills and Timmy Hill pitted while the rest led by Ankrum remained on the track.
With 104 laps remaining, the final stage commenced as Ankrum and Garcia occupied the front row. At the start, Garcia muscled his No. 13 Quanta Services Ford F-150 way past Ankrum’s No. 18 LiUNA! Chevrolet Silverado RST and moved into the lead through the first two turns and the backstretch. Riggs then overtook Ankrum for the runner-up spot as Garcia retained the lead during the following lap.
Down to the final 100 laps of the event, Garcia was leading by two-tenths of a second over Riggs followed by Ankrum, Rhodes and Heim while Friesen, Enfinger, Wood, Eckes and Dye trailed in the top 10. In addition, Dean Thompson occupied 11th place ahead of Sammy Smith, Caruth, Stefan Parsons and Tanner Gray while Taylor Gray, Brenden Queen, Dillon, Jones and Chastain followed suit in the top 20.
Ten laps later, Garcia continued to lead by seven-tenths of a second over Riggs while Ankrum, Heim and Rhodes trailed in the top five. Garcia would proceed to lead by three-tenths of a second over Riggs with 80 laps remaining as Ankrum, Heim and Rhodes continued to trail in the top five. Another six laps later, the caution flew after Jones wrecked his No. 66 Farm Paint/ThorSport Racing entry in Turn 4. During the caution period, some including Wood, Caruth, Dillon, Parsons, Tanner Gray and Jones pitted while the rest led by Garcia remained on the track.
With the event restarting under green with 66 laps remaining, Heim challenged Garcia for the lead and overtook him for the top spot during the following lap. With clean air to his advantage, Heim stretched his lead to more than a second over Garcia with 60 laps remaining while Riggs, Eckes and Brenden Queen trailed in the top five within three seconds.
With 50 laps remaining, Heim extended his advantage to more than two seconds over Garcia as Riggs, Eckes and Queen trailed in the top five. Ankrum, Enfinger, Sammy Smith, Rhodes and Dye would trail in the top 10 as Heim stretched his lead to another second to three over Garcia with 40 laps remaining.
A few laps later, the caution returned after Dean Thompson, who was running 12th, spun and barely avoided hitting the outside wall in Turn 2 as he was also dodged by Chastain.
Down to the final 32 laps of the event, the event restarted under green as Heim muscled his No. 11 Safelite Toyota Tundra TRD Pro away from Garcia and the field through the first two turns and the backstretch. Riggs would move into the runner-up spot over Garcia as both Enfinger and Eckes trailed in the top five ahead of Queen and Sammy Smith while Heim led by a second with 25 laps remaining.
With less than 15 laps remaining, Heim stretched his advantage to more than two seconds over Riggs as Enfinger, Queen and Sammy Smith were scored in the top five ahead of Eckes, Sanchez, Ankrum, Dye and Garcia. Heim’s advantage grew to nearly three seconds over Riggs with 10 laps remaining while third-place Enfinger trailed by three seconds.
Down to the final five laps, Heim continued to lead by more than three seconds over a three-truck battle for the runner-up spot involving Riggs, Enfinger and Queen while fifth-place Sammy Smith, who rallied from his opening lap penalty on Saturday, trailed by less than four seconds. Amid lapped traffic, Enfinger would overtake Riggs’ No. 38 Infinity Communications Group Ford F-150 for the runner-up spot while Queen tried to follow suit over Riggs.
When the white flag waved and the final lap started, Heim remained as the leader by more than three seconds over Enfinger’s No. 9 Champion Power Equipment Chevrolet Silverado RST. Despite having a flurry of lapped traffic in front of him, Heim utilized his large advantage to cruise around the North Wilkesboro circuit smoothly for a final time as he cycled back to the frontstretch to claim his third checkered flag of the 2024 Truck Series season.
With the victory, Heim, who became the first three-time winner of this season, notched his seventh career win in the Craftsman Truck Series and his second in the previous three races after winning at Kansas Speedway earlier in May. Heim also joined an exclusive club of Truck Series competitors to win at North Wilkesboro Speedway, a list that includes Kyle Larson, Mark Martin and Mike Bliss as he delivered the third victory of the season for both TRICON Garage and Toyota.
NORTH WILKESBORO, NORTH CAROLINA – MAY 19: Corey Heim, driver of the #11 Safelite Toyota, celebrates in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Wright Brand 250 at North Wilkesboro Speedway on May 19, 2024 in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images).
“That was crazy,” Heim said on FS1. “A crazy weekend with the weather and what not, but I knew since practice we had the speed. [I] Can’t say enough about these TRICON Garage guys. What a truck, what a weekend. I knew we had potential from practice and we put it all together and executed great today.”
Both Enfinger and Riggs rallied from slow starts to this season by notching their first top-five runs in second and third, respectively.
“Overall, [today provided] the best execution of the season,” Enfinger said. “This is the third time, second in a row, we brought a really good, fast Champion Power Equipment Chevrolet. We haven’t been performing to our ability or our standards earlier on in the year. I feel like last week at Darlington was the turning point in our season and I’m standing by that. Very, very proud of this truck, proud of our pit crew all year long. Finally, we have a little bit of results to show for it.”
“We really needed this,” Riggs said. “We finally finished where we deserve to finish today. It was a great day for us and hopefully, we can just keep building this momentum.”
Meanwhile, Brenden “Butterbean” Queen, a CARS Tour late model stock car standout from Chesapeake, Virginia, who notched four victories and settled in the runner-up spot in the 2023 standings, capitalized from being the fastest during Friday’s practice session by finishing in fourth place in his Truck Series debut while piloting the No. 1 Best Repair Company Toyota Tundra TRD Pro for TRICON Garage. The solid top-five result also occurred after Queen rallied from an early pit road speeding penalty as he received a standing ovation from the North Wilkesboro crowd.
“Man, [this opportunity]’s what I’ve worked for my whole life and never knew if I’d get this opportunity,” Queen said. “I’m just blessed, man, and I just hope I can turn this into some more opportunities. I love racing my late model, but this is my dream to get to the next level. Those guys at the shop [TRICON Garage], they put the hours in and that’s why this truck’s fast. I’m the lucky guy that gets to hold the wheel…I’d love to be full-time [NASCAR racing] next year.”
Sammy Smith settled in fifth place while Eckes, Sanchez, Ankrum, Daniel Dye and Friesen finished in the top 10. Notably, Ty Majeski ended up 11th ahead of Jack Wood, Taylor Gray, Rajah Caruth and Ross Chastain. In addition, Jake Garcia drifted back to 21st ahead of Ben Rhodes while Matt Crafton settled in 20th.
There were seven lead changes for six different leaders. The race featured seven cautions for 58 laps. In addition, 26 of 36 starters finished on the lead lap.
Following the 10th event of the 2024 Craftsman Truck Series season, Christian Eckes leads the regular-season standings by four points over Corey Heim, 64 over Ty Majeski, 66 over Nick Sanchez and 98 over Taylor Gray.
Results:
1. Corey Heim, 66 laps led
2. Grant Enfinger
3. Layne Riggs
4. Brenden Queen
5. Sammy Smith
6. Christian Eckes, 62 laps led
7. Nick Sanchez
8. Tyler Ankrum, 26 laps led, Stage 2 winner
9. Daniel Dye
10. Stewart Friesen
11. Ty Majeski, 50 laps led, Stage 1 winner
12. Jack Wood
13. Taylor Gray
14. Rajah Caruth, six laps led
15. Ross Chastain
16. Tanner Gray
17. Stefan Parsons
18. Matt Mills
19. Bayley Currey
20. Matt Crafton
21. Jake Garcia, 40 laps led
22. Ben Rhodes
23. Mason Massey
24. Chase Purdy
25. Ty Dillon
26. Timmy Hill
27. Dean Thompson, one lap down
28. Dawson Sutton, two laps down
29. Bret Holmes, three laps down
30. Lawless Alan, four laps down
31. Thad Moffitt, five laps down
32. Spencer Boyd, five laps down
33. Josh Reaume, five laps down
34. Clayton Green, five laps down
35. Connor Jones – OUT, Accident
36. Trey Hutchens – OUT, Transmission
Next on the 2024 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series schedule is the North Carolina Education Lottery 200 at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina. The event is scheduled to occur next Friday, May 24, and air at 8:30 p.m. ET on FS1.
May 19, 2024: NASCAR races at the North Wilkesboro in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina. (HHP/Harold Hinson)
NORTH WILKESBORO, N.C. (May 19, 2024) – A day’s wait was well worth it for Corey Heim on Sunday at North Wilkesboro Speedway. Heim led a race-high 66 laps in winning Sunday’s second act of the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series’ Wright Brand 250, which was postponed after 81 laps on Saturday due to rain.
Heim held off all comers in a frantic fight to the finish. Grant Enfinger, Layne Riggs and Brenden “Butterbean” Queen – in his Truck Series debut – engaged in a spirited battle for second. Enfinger prevailed in the three-way tussle over the final laps, but Heim had already built up a sizable gap out front.
Heim beat Enfinger to the line by 2.474 seconds in securing his series-leading third win of the season. Riggs, Queen and Sammy Smith rounded out the top five.
The victory was Heim’s eighth of his Truck Series career, but he wasn’t the only driver who showed speed throughout the race. Pole winner Christian Eckes won Stage 1 and fought with Queen over a spot in the top five in the closing stages. Eckes ended up sixth ahead of Nick Sanchez, Tyler Ankrum, Daniel Dye and Stewart Friesen.
Stage 2 winner Ty Majeski finished 11th.
COREY HEIM, NO. 11 TRICON Garage TOYOTA (RACE WINNER): “(The track) was totally different (than last year, since the repave), but they kept the characteristics of the track. The seams and the bumps were still there, which was cool to see. I can’t say enough about the repave. It was pretty good. You could move around, find different grooves and go where the grip was. That’s what we like about short-track racing. We thought at first it was going to be a track position-based race, but we were able to move around, find the right grooves and get back to the front. We made our bed with a four-tire stop strategy, we knew guys would take two tires, but our Toyota Tundra was good enough to pull away and win the race.”
GRANT ENFINGER, NO. 9 CR7 MOTORSPORTS CHEVROLET (RUNNER-UP): “If we had a caution there at the end, we could’ve at least made it interesting. I definitely think (Heim) had the advantage, but kudos to everyone at North Wilkesboro Speedway. This is, by far, the best new pavement I’ve ever (driven) on. There were multiple grooves and if you had a fast truck, you could pass guys. I’m proud of the strides we’ve made as a team. We haven’t been able to show it, we’ve been making gains in the shop and our performance hadn’t been there. The last two weeks, it has.”
LAYNE RIGGS, NO. 38 FRONT ROW MOTORSPORTS FORD (THIRD PLACE): “We really needed this finish. It was so tough to make a good guess on what adjustments to make, because you have to pit so early on in the race that you’ve got to predict how the track’s going to change. I felt really good at the end of the run and fast, but just tight at the end of the run. This team, we should deserve a finish up here every weekend. It was a good race today, we had a lot of zMAX CARS Tour guys up there – Corey (Heim), Butterbean (Queen), all those guys. It shows how your short-track background works out. The track moved around a lot more than I expected. It started on the bottom and would move up higher and higher the more you’d run, but it’d build tight. Everybody was free at the start of a run and whoever could manage that, was better at the end of the run. But (Heim) was lights-out faster. So, a good win for them and they deserve it, but I wish we could been a little bit better to get up there and race with them.”
TICKETS:
Tickets for Sunday’s NASCAR All-Star Race, as well as 2025 All-Star Race weekend events, can be purchased online by visiting www.northwilkesborospeedway.com.
MORE INFO:
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HEIM SCORES THIRD TRUCK SERIES WIN OF SEASON Leads Race-High 66 Laps in TRICON Garage Tundra TRD Pro at North Wilkesboro
NORTH WILKESBORO, N.C. (May 19, 2024) – Corey Heim scored the victory in Sunday’s rain-delayed NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series race at North Wilkesboro Speedway to notch his third win of the season. Heim led twice for a race-high 66 laps (of 250) in the TRICON Garage No. 11 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro.
Late Model racer Brenden Queen finished fourth at North Wilkesboro in his first-career Truck Series start behind the wheel of the TRICON Garage No. 1 Tundra TRD Pro, while Stewart Friesen also earned a top-10 result for Toyota with a 10th-place finish.
Toyota Racing Post-Race Recap NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series North Wilkesboro Speedway Race 10 of 23 – 250 Laps, 156.25 Miles
TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS
1st, COREY HEIM 2nd, Grant Enfinger* 3rd, Layne Riggs * 4th, BRENDEN QUEEN 5th, Sammy Smith* 10th, STEWART FRIESEN 13th, TAYLOR GRAY 16th, TANNER GRAY 26th, TIMMY HILL 27th, DEAN THOMPSON *non-Toyota driver
Was there any point where this win was in doubt for you other than when your truck was under water yesterday?
“That was crazy. Definitely a crazy weekend with the weather and whatnot, but I knew since practice that we had the speed. I can’t say enough about these TRICON Garage guys. What a truck, what a weekeend. I knew we had potential from practice and we put it all together and executed great today. So, a huge thank you to them, Safelite and Toyota Racing for everything.”
How proud are you of this team and the performance level of your Tundra today?
“Honestly, I was dissapointed because I thought it was going to be more single groove and sure enough the repave actually was great. We could move around and yeah, it was a lot of fun. Obviously, this truck was phenomonal. Huge thank you to TRICON Garage and Toyota Racing for everything. Our Safelite Tundra TRD Pro was so good today. Hats off to everyone with the repave. I think it raced a lot better than last year. Glad to come here and get a win.”
Were you surprised by the racing today and was it fun today?
“Yeah, really I thought it was going to be go to the bottom and hang on kind of a deal. But we actually moved around a lot and you had to find the grip so that’s what short track racing is all about and I’m glad to be a part of it.”
Is this a statement win for your team as you push toward the Playoffs?
“Yeah, I think so. It should be three in a row for us. We led every lap last week before we got wrecked. Just can’t say enough about TRICON Garage. These trucks week in and week out were so good and just can’t do it without that speed.”
BRENDEN QUEEN, No. 1 Best Repair Company Toyota Tundra TRD Pro, TRICON Garage
Finishing Position: 4th
What are your emotions and thoughts on what you accomplished here today?
“Oh man, I just can’t believe it. We got that speeding penalty and I thought I was conservative on the lights and it just got us – rookie mistake. I told them – well, you know what, congrats to the teammate (Corey Heim). That’s awesome, he gets to go and ride the lift and I know what that feels like. I told the team I was going to get them back in contention and we did.”
Can you describe the racing at the end of the race?
“Just dirty air made it hard on the right front. But in clean air, I felt like we had one of the fastest trucks, man. Seth (Smith, crew chief) and all these boys right here, they’re the reason I finished here, it ain’t me. It’s this TRICON Toyota Tundra, everybody at TRD, Best Repair Company, everybody.”
What was this experience like today?
“Man, this is what I worked for my whole life and never knew if I’d get this opoprtunity. First off, huge thanks to TRICON Garage, everybody at Toyota, TRD, TPC (Toyota Performance Center) for giving me this chance. TRICON Garage brought a fast, fast Best Company Toyota Tundra and I was just lucky to drive it. Got to thank the man above for keeping us all safe. I just never knew if I would get this opportunity. “Butterbean” Nation has stuck with me as you can see. I’m just blessed, man, and I just hope that I can turn this into some more opportunities. I love racing my Late Model, but this is my dream to get to the next level. I hated to put my team in that box with that penalty and I told them, ‘We’re going to get back to the front one way or another.’ And, they deserve it. Those guys at the shop, they put the hours in and that’s why this truck is fast. I’m just the lucky guy that gets to hold the wheel.”
About Toyota
Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in the U.S. for more than 65 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands, plus our nearly 1,500 dealerships.
Toyota directly employs more than 49,000 people in the U.S. who have contributed to the design, engineering, and assembly of more than 34 million cars and trucks at our nine manufacturing plants. By 2025, Toyota’s 10th plant in North Carolina will begin to manufacture automotive batteries for electrified vehicles. With more electrified vehicles on the road than any other automaker, Toyota currently offers 28 electrified options.
Through its Driving Possibilities initiative, the Toyota USA Foundation has committed to creating innovative educational programs within, and in partnership with, historically underserved and diverse communities near the company’s U.S. operating sites.
NIECE MOTORSPORTS NCTS RACE RECAP: NORTH WILKESBORO SPEEDWAY Race: Wright Brand 250 (250 laps / 156.25 miles) | Race 10 of 23 Track: North Wilkesboro Speedway Location: North Wilkesboro, North Carolina Date & Time: Saturday, May 18th | 1:30 PM ET Resumed: Sunday, May 19th | 11:30 AM ET
Key Takeaway: Bayley Currey started off his weekend on a high note at North Wilkesboro as the driver of the No. 41 Chevrolet finished fourth in practice. With qualifying rained out, Currey was relegated to a 19th-place starting position. Fighting a tight handling condition, the No. 41 slipped to 24th at the conclusion of stage one before the rain washed all activity out in postponement for Sunday. Fighting for track position, Currey worked his way up to 20th in stage two, and made up one more position at the end to finish 19th.
Bayley Currey’s Post-Race Thoughts: “We got our No. 41 Chevy better throughout the day. When we started off yesterday, we were super tight. Our team made a lot of adjustments and got it driving better – maybe we went even too far there at the end. It was just a long day for us. Really hard to pass, there were a bunch of different strategies, and it was track position over tires. We took tires at the end thinking it would come to us, but we were just too free to fire off. It is what it is; I think we learned some things for when we come back next year, and we’ll keep digging.”
About AutoVentive: AutoVentive is an industry-leading Software as a Service (SaaS) applications developer providing customized solutions to the automotive logistics industry. The company is part of Liberty Hill Equity Partners, LLC, a Cincinnati-based private equity firm.
About Precision Vehicle Logistics: Precision Vehicle Logistics is a customer-focused group of professionals committed to service excellence in finished vehicle logistics. Precision offers a unique combination of talented experience, industry-leading software and systems, and a network of partners and resources to deliver customized solutions to the world’s leading automakers.
No. 42 J.F. Electric / Utilitra Chevrolet Silverado RST Driver: Matt Mills | Crew Chief: Jon Leonard Matt Mills Racing @MattMillsRacing @MattMillsRacing Start: 15th Stage 1: 21st Stage 2: 27th Finish: 18th Driver Points: 25th Owner Points: 28th
Key Takeaway: Matt Mills made his first-career start at North Wilkesboro, starting in 15th due to the cancelation of time trials. Mills and the No. 42 team fought similar, tight handling conditions like their teammates on the No. 41 crew, dropping to 21st at the conclusion of stage one. When the race resumed on Sunday, Mills dropped to 27th at the end of stage two, but the crew made huge swings on the setup. The adjustments worked out well, and Mills ended the race in the 18th position.
Matt Mills’ Post-Race Thoughts: “Our day started off about the same as it did yesterday with it being greasy and we couldn’t get going with us fighting for grip until the rubber came in. Kind of the same today; It took a while for the rubber to come in I thought, but once it did, the truck started gradually coming to us. We mostly had a tight truck all day long. What really made the difference there was when Jon (Leonard) told us to come down for four tires at that last caution. We knew we weren’t going to have great track position, but we took that risk and took the tires, and it worked out. Those helped us drive back up through the field to 18th. It’s another day to build on; we have a slightly tore up truck, but nothing too bad. I learned a lot today, and it was fun.”
About J.F. Electric: J.F. Electric is an electrical contractor that provides engineering expertise, backed by construction and installation know-how in a diverse range of service offerings, from utilities and commercial projects, to industrial and telecommunications customers. When having a long family history in an industry, a company not only builds on its knowledge and experience, it takes pride in cultivating a solid understanding of client needs, all the while nurturing strong relationships with its employees. Evolving through five generations of the Fowler family, J.F. Electric has matured into a well-managed and thoughtfully diversified electrical contractor which is poised to continue its growth and expansion into the future.
About Utilitra: Utilitra is a woman-owned firm specializing in utility and technology solutions with a diverse team of specialized professionals. Utilitra is committed to solving their client’s unique challenges, whether one expert or a team of experts is needed. By adapting to the needs of their respective industries, Utilitra has built a range of services for their utility and technology partners.
No. 45 N.C. Governor’s Highway Safety Program Chevrolet Silverado RST Driver: Ross Chastain | Crew Chief: Phil Gould Ross Chastain @RossChastain @RossChastain Start: 3rd Stage 1: 11th Stage 2: 19th Finish: 15th Driver Points: N/A Owner Points: 9th
Key Takeaway: Ross Chastain and the No. 45 team experienced a rear gear pinion failure in the practice session on Friday afternoon, but the crew was able to make repairs and prep for the race. As the rain canceled qualifying, Chastain was slated to start the highest of the Niece Motorsports drivers in third. Chastain fought for the lead in stage one, but later dropped to 11th with varying strategies. The loss of track position hurt the No. 45 team, and they dropped to 19th at the end of stage two. A late pit stop helped the team gain some positions to finish in 15th place.
Ross Chastain’s Post-Race Thoughts: “We struggled with balance all weekend, it felt like we were chattering the front tires the whole way. There were times where we were loose enough to be competitive, but still it seemed like we missed something fundamentally that kept us from competing. It’s a new track with a fresh repave on it, so we’ll learn and be better next time.”
About the North Carolina Governor’s Highway Safety Program: Dedicated to reducing the numbers of traffic crashes and fatalities in North Carolina, the Governor’s Highway Safety Program promotes efforts to reduce traffic crashes in North Carolina and promotes highway safety awareness through a variety of grants and safe-driving initiatives.
These grants as well as initiatives – like Click It or Ticket, Booze It & Lose It, BikeSafe NC, Watch For Me NC and Speed a Little. Lose a Lot. – help address issues such as impaired driving, seat belt use, speeding, distracted driving, motorcycle safety, bicycle safety, pedestrian safety and other aspects of highway safety.
GHSP also helps fund North Carolina’s Vision Zero initiative, which is working to meet the goal of zero deaths on the state’s roadways through community involvement and data-driven safety interventions.
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.
Ford Performance Notes and Quotes NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Wright Brand 250 | Sunday, May 19, 2024
Ford Finishing Results: 3rd – Layne Riggs 11th – Ty Majeski 20th – Matt Crafton 21st – Jake Garcia 22nd – Ben Rhodes 30th – Lawless Alan 33rd – Josh Reaume 35th – Conner Jones
LAYNE RIGGS, No. 38 Infinity Communications Group Ford F-150 – “We did a great job considering no qualifying and we had to start at the back. My crew chief did a great job getting some track position and he did his math to realize that we didn’t need to pit for tires. We had a really good truck today. I fought really tight at the end and we pitted so early on in the race that we didn’t really have a chance to adjust it later on and the track changed, so it definitely got a lot tighter than we thought it was gonna be. It was a great job by everybody from Front Row Motorsports and thanks to Infinity Communications for being on board, Ford Performance and this Ford F-150. It was great day for us. We really needed this confidence-booster.”
THIS TIES YOUR BEST FINISH FROM IRP LAST YEAR. “We really needed this run today. We’ve really been in a drought and we just needed a good, solid finish for once. We had a third or fourth place truck and we finished third and that’s what we needed to do. The pit crew did a good job all day. My crew chief did a good job taking no tires. We really, really deserved this finish, so it’s a great confidence-booster for us.”
YOU HELD YOUR OWN UP FRONT. “We did. The truck was really tight, but track position was just worth so much. The top groove was so strong. It was hard to make a pass on the bottom, so my short track experience definitely paid off and made the most of it.”
JAKE GARCIA, No. 13 Quanta Services Ford F-150 – “It was a really good day for us. The last two weeks have been really good weeks, but we just haven’t had a finish. We were running third with seven to go last week and got crashed. This week, we led laps and ran up front all day, but then we had a tire going down there at the end. That really hurts. If the race was 50 laps shorter, maybe the tire doesn’t go down and we would have had a shot to win it. That’s all I can ask for. I really enjoy working with Rich. I feel if we keep improving like we are and keep bringing quick trucks to the race track, we can get us a win here pretty soon.”
HOW DID IT FEEL TO LEAD YOUR FIRST LAPS IN THE TRUCK SERIES? “It was really good to lead my first laps. I’m glad my first laps led weren’t because of some crazy fuel strategy or green flag pit stops. It felt good. It shows what we’ve got in the 13 group here, and I think if we keep bringing good trucks like this, we can definitely get a win this year.”
ELKHART LAKE, Wis. (May 18, 2024) – Nicolas Stati (No. 15 Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F422) cruised to victory in Formula 4 United States Championship’s (F4 U.S.) Race 1 at Road America on Saturday afternoon. The race marked the debut of the new Ligier JS F422 chassis with its Ligier Storm powerhouse, and served as the season opener for the 2024 F4 U.S. season.
Notes of Interest:
Nicolas Stati earned his first-career F4 U.S. win in his series debut with Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport.
After competing in F4 U.S. at COTA last fall using the first generation Ligier JS F4 chassis, and racing the original chassis again at NOLA Motorsports Park during the Ligier JS F4 season opener last month, Daniel Quimby scored his first-career podium with his runner-up finish in today’s race.
Connor Roberts joined F4 U.S. this season with his family-owned Roberts Racing team. Working for the team part time as a mechanic on his car, and also enrolled in college, today’s third-place finish marks the first-career podium for Roberts in F4 U.S.
Three teams were represented on today’s podium with Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport winning, Atlantic Racing Team coming in second, and Roberts Racing finishing third.
After being unveiled at Road America in 2023, today marked the first race for the Ligier JS F422 chassis and its Ligier Storm engine.
In a race that stayed green from flag to flag, Stati cruised to victory after bringing the field to the green flag in a rolling start. In yesterday’s qualifying session, the top-four drivers were only separated by 0.637-seconds, and today’s battle started out just as tight, with drivers racing two- and three-wide toward the first turn. While working the first lap, Alex Crosbie (No. 41 Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F422) spun off the exit of Turn 6, dropping him from the third position. Pablo Benites Jr. (No. 44 Scuderia Buell Ligier JS F422) had rolled off fifth, but was able to capitalize on the opportunity to move up to third by the completion of the first lap. Stati pulled away, as Benites Jr. looked to apply pressure to second-place runner Daniel Quimby (No. 24 Cruise America / MIR Raceline / FIJI Airways / GalvanizeIns Ligier JS F422). With the two racing side by side, Connor Roberts (No. 46 ApexSpeed.com / Entrophy Cellars Ligier JS F422) was able to close in, making a three-way battle for second. With Benites Jr. dropping two tires off the racing surface on the exit of Turn 12, Quimby drove away, and Roberts pulled on the gearbox of Benites Jr.’s No. 44. Roberts pulled next to Benites Jr. as they raced down the frontstretch, completed the pass as they entered Turn 1 and never looked back. With the clock ticking down, Stati, Quimby and Roberts all marched forward, eventually taking the checkered flag in that order.
“It was a great race,” said Nicolas Stati from the podium. “I’d like to thank the Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport AGI Sport team for the awesome car. I controlled the race from the beginning—the car was great, and I was able to maintain the lead with a stable gap. I really like this Ligier JS F422 car. It’s more stable to drive and easier to maintain quick lap times than some of the other cars I’ve driven in championships around the world. The engine sounds really cool. It’s just a lovely car to drive.”
F4 U.S. will take on the 14 turns of Road America for Race 2 tomorrow morning at 10:25 a.m. CT. A live feed from the Road America Jumbotron will be available at YouTube.com/SpeedTourTV. Live timing and scoring can be accessed on the Race Monitor app, and additional news and updates from the Road America SpeedTour will be posted on the series’ Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
