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Newgarden executes final lap pass on O’Ward for second consecutive Indianapolis 500 victory

Photo by Chris Owens (Penske Entertainment).

A year after becoming the 75th competitor overall to win the Indianapolis 500, Josef Newgarden doubled down as a two-time champion of the Greatest Spectacle in Racing after winning the rain-delayed 108th running of the Indy 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday, May 26, following a final lap overtake on Pato O’Ward.

The two-time NTT IndyCar Series champion from Hendersonville, Tennessee, led six times for 26 of 200-scheduled laps in an event where he started alongside his two Team Penske teammates, Scott McLaughlin and Will Power, on the front row. Leading for the first time at the halfway mark on Lap 100, Newgarden withstood a series of pit strategies amongst his rivaled competitors and on-track chaos to remain in race-winning contention in the closing stages.

Then after swapping track positions with Scott Dixon and Arrow McLaren’s duo of Pato O’Ward and Alexander Rossi in the closing laps, Newgarden, who reassumed the lead from Rossi with seven laps remaining, was left to duel against a hard-charging O’Ward for the victory. Despite regaining the lead from O’Ward with five laps remaining, Newgarden then lost the lead to O’Ward at the start of the final lap, but managed to gain a draft to overtake him and reclaim the lead exiting the backstretch. The pass was enough for Newgarden to muscle away and claim the checkered flag to become the first competitor in 22 years to repeat as an Indianapolis 500 champion.

Following a two-day qualifying session that occurred between May 18-19 and that determined the starting lineup for the main event, Scott McLaughlin achieved his first Indianapolis 500 pole position after posting the fastest four-lap average-qualifying speed at 234.220 mph in two minutes, 33.7017 seconds. McLaughlin shared the front row with his two Team Penske teammates and former Indy 500 champions Will Power (233.917 mph in two minutes, 33.9007 seconds) and Josef Newgarden (233.808 mph in two minutes, 33.9726 seconds), which marked the first time three Team Penske entries swept the front row for the 500 since 1988.

The only competitor who did not qualify for the event was rookie Nolan Siegel, who wrecked his No. 18 Dale Coyne Racing Dallara-Honda entry while attempting to race his way into the field during last Sunday’s qualifying session.

During the pace laps and warmup session, early trouble struck for Callum Ilott, who pitted due to a mechanical issue to his No. 6 Arrow McLaren Dallara-Chevrolet, though he was able to return to the track and remain on the lead lap for the event’s start.

When the green flag waved and the event commenced amid a four-hour delay due to heavy precipitation, pole-sitter Scott McLaughlin launched ahead from teammates Will Power and Josef Newgarden along with the rest of the field to lead through the first two turns.

Shortly after, however, the event’s first caution period flew after Tom Blomqvist hit the rumble strips in Turn 1, spun and came across the path of Marcus Ericsson as Ericsson, who started on the final row in this year’s Indy 500, nearly got airborne as he wrecked his No. 28 Delaware Life/Andretti Global Dallara-Honda both into Blomqvist’s No. 66 Arctic Wolf/Meyer Shank Racing Dallara-Honda and across the outside wall. Amid the wreckage, Pietro Fittipaldi, who was trying to avoid the wreckage involving Ericsson and Blomqvist, made contact with Ilott as he spun his No. 30 5-Hour Energy/Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Dallara-Honda in between the first two turns before he backed his car against the outside wall. The carnage was enough to take Ericsson, Fittipaldi and Blomqvist out of contention while Ilott continued.

During the caution period, Marcus Armstrong’s second career start in the Indianapolis 500 came to an early end due to the New Zealander losing power and having smoke spewing out of his No. 11 Ridgeline Performance Lubricants/Chip Ganassi Racing Dallara-Honda during the caution laps, which forced him to pit and retire.

As the event restarted under green on the ninth lap, McLaughin fended off teammates Power and Newgarden for a second time through the frontstretch to retain the lead as the field behind fanned out to multiple lanes. In the midst of the field fanning out, Kyle Larson, the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion who was piloting the No. 17 HendrickCars.com/Arrow McLaren Dallara-Chevrolet as part of his ‘Double Duty’ effort that included competing in the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway later in the day, lost a bevy of spots while running in the top 10 and was getting overtaken by oncoming competitors after missing a gear to launch at the start as he also made slight contact with Ryan Hunter-Reay. The field continued to scatter, fan out and jostle for early spots through the backstretch while McLaughlin retained the lead ahead of his two Team Penske teammates at the Lap 10 mark.

Through the first 15 scheduled laps, McLaughlin was leading by less than a tenth of a second over teammate Power and nearly half a second over teammate Newgarden while Santino Ferrucci and Alexander Rossi were in the top five. Behind, Rinus VeeKay occupied sixth place ahead of Pato O’Ward, Felix Rosenqvist, Colton Herta and Kyle Kirkwood while Alex Palou, Takuma Sato, Helio Castroneves, Kyle Larson and Ryan Hunter-Reay were in the top 15. Behind, Scott Dixon, Christian Rasmussen, Ed Carpenter, Sting Ray Robb and rookie Kyffin Simpson trailed in the top 20.

Six laps later, the caution returned after Katherine Legge, who started on the final row, had smoke billowing out of her No. 51 e.l.f/Dale Coyne Racing Dallara-Honda as her fourth bid to win the Indy 500 came to an end. During the caution period, nearly the entire field led by McLaughin pitted for service while the following names that included Sting Ray Robb, Conor Daly, Christian Lundgaard and Graham Rahal remained on the track as part of an early strategic plan. Following the pit stops, McLaughlin retained the lead after exiting pit road first ahead of teammates Power and Newgarden while Ferrucci, Rossi, Rosenqvist, O’Ward, Herta, Palou and Sato followed suit in the top 10.

During the next restart period on Lap 26, Daly overtook Robb from the outside lane through the frontstretch to assume the lead. Robb would retain second through the first two turns and through the backstretch while McLaughlin settled in fourth place as he was running in between Lundgaard and Rahal while Ferrucci was trying to crack the top five amid more jostling of spots within the field. The event’s third caution flew a lap later after Linus Lundqvist, who was running in the middle of the field, got loose and hit the outside wall in Turn 1, which knocked him and his No. 8 American Legion/Chip Ganassi Racing Dallara-Honda team out of contention.

With the event restarting under green on Lap 32, McLaughlin muscled his No. 3 Pennzoil/Team Penske Dallara-Chevrolet past Daly’s No. 24 Polkadot/Dreyer & Reinbold Racing/Cusick Motorsports Dallara-Chevrolet through the frontstretch to reassume the lead. Behind, Ferrucci made his way into the runner-up spot followed by Daly, Robb and Lundgaard as the field fanned out to multiple lanes just past the backstretch before navigating through Turns 3 and 4 to complete the following lap. Daly would then overtake Ferrucci to claim the runner-up spot by Lap 34 before overtaking McLaughlin through the frontstretch to reassume the lead two laps later.

Just past the Lap 40 mark, Daly was leading by two-tenths of a second over McLaughlin while third-place Ferrucci trailed by seven-tenths of a second. Robb and Rossi trailed in the top five within a second as Newgarden, Herta, Lundgaard, Palou and O’Ward were scored in the top 10 ahead of Rosenqvist, Larson, Dixon and Rahal while Power dropped to 15th.

Towards Lap 38, Robb, who was running in the top five, pitted his No. 41 Goodheart/A.J. Foyt Enterprises Dallara-Honda under green. Daly would surrender the lead to pit under green during the following lap as McLaughlin cycled back into the lead as he was being pursued by Ferrucci, Ross, Herta and Newgarden.

At the one-quarter mark on Lap 50, McLaughlin continued to lead by four-tenths of a second over Ferrucci while Rossi, Herta and Newgarden continued to trail in the top five. Behind, Palou occupied sixth place ahead of Rosenqvist, O’Ward, Larson and Rasmussen while Dixon, VeeKay, Power, Sato and Augustin Canapino were in the top 15. Meanwhile, teammates Lundgaard and Rahal were mired back in 25th and 26th, respectively, after both pitted a few laps earlier.

Five laps later, the event’s fourth caution flew after Felix Rosenqvist, who was running in the top 10, pulled his No. 60 SiriusXM/Meyer Shank Racing Dallara-Honda off the track in the backstretch and retired due to an engine failure, which marks the third Honda engine failure in the event. During the caution period, nearly the entire field led by McLaughlin returned to pit road for service while Daly and Robb remained on the track. Following the pit stops amid a tight squeeze amongst the leaders, Rossi exited in first place by a hair over McLaughlin as Herta, Newgarden, Palou, Ferrucci, Rasmussen, Larson, VeeKay and Power followed suit in the top 10.

The start of the next restart period on Lap 64 featured the field fanning out through the frontstretch and prior to reaching the start/finish line as McLaughlin made a bold three-wide move beneath Daly and Robb to move into the lead entering the first turn. Robb would then return to the top of the leaderboard two laps later after he overtook McLaughlin through the frontstretch. Robb would retain the lead by the Lap 70 mark and by four-tenths of a second over McLaughlin while Daly, Herta and Newgarden trailed in the top five.

Then on Lap 85, the caution flew after Herta, who was running second and was deemed a potential favorite of the event, got loose and spun backwards into the outside wall in Turn 1, where he damaged the front wing of his No. 26 Gainbridge/Andretti Global Dallara-Honda. Despite sustaining minimal damage to his entry, Herta would have his car towed to the garage, where he would return to the track following extensive repairs and being multiple laps down.

During the exchange of pit stops as nearly the entire field led by McLaughlin pitted during the caution period, Kyle Kirkwood ran into the rear of Ilott, which cause Ilott to overshoot his pit stall and into Ed Carpenter’s pit stall, which caused Carpenter to jam on the brakes and stall his car while waiting for Ilott to be pushed back into his respective stall.

With the race restarting under green on Lap 91, Rinus VeeKay, who was among a handful of competitors who did not pit and inherited the lead, was quickly overtaken by Lundgaard for the lead entering the first turn. Behind, Newgarden muscled his way up to fourth place as he settled behind Robb while Ferrucci and Daly battled for fifth place in front of McLaughlin, Palou, Rossi and Larson.

Seven laps later, VeeKay pitted his No. 21 askROI/Ed Carpenter Racing Dallara-Chevrolet under green. Lundgaard would also pit his No. 45 Hyvee/Letterman Lanigan Racing Dallara-Honda another three laps later as Newgarden proceeded to lead the halfway mark on Lap 100. By then, Ferrucci moved up to second as McLaughlin, Robb and Daly cycled up into the top five ahead of Palou, Larson, Rossi, Castroneves and Rasmussen.

Six laps later, the event’s sixth caution flew after Ryan Hunter-Reay, who gained a draft to overtake Scott Dixon through the backstretch for 17th place, got blocked and forced into the backstretch’s grass amid contact with Dixon, which resulted with Hunter-Reay doing a full 360 spin through the grass and the racing surface, but managing to straighten his car through the grass without coming back across oncoming traffic as Hunter-Reay limped his damaged No. 23 VensureHR/Four Sixes Racing Beef/101 Studios/Dreyer & Reinbold Racing Dallara-Chevrolet back to his pit stall, where he would retire.

The following restart period with 87 laps remaining did not last long as Marco Andretti, who was battling for a top-20 spot, slipped sideways and backed his No. 98 Mapei/Andretti Global Dallara-Honda into the outside wall in Turn 1 as his 19th bid to win his first Indianapolis 500 came to a late end.

The ensuing restart period with 82 laps remaining generated a different outcome as McLaughlin muscled ahead with the lead of a tight battle involving teammate Newgarden, Ferrucci, Rossi, Palou, Larson, Castroneves, Canapino and Rasmussen entering the first turn. With Newgarden retaining second, McLaughlin also retained the lead by four-tenths of a second with 80 laps remaining.

At the three-quarters mark with 75 laps remaining, McLaughlin retained the lead by three-tenths of a second over Rossi followed by Newgarden, Ferrucci and Palou while Larson, Rasmussen, Castroneves, Canapino and Rahal were in the top 10. Behind, Dixon was in 11th ahead of Simpson, VeeKay, O’Ward and Daly while Power, Sato, Robb, Ilott and Kirkwood were mired in the top 20.

Two laps later, Newgarden cycled his No. 2 Shell Powering Progress/Team Penske Dallara-Chevrolet past teammate McLaughlin to reassume the lead through the frontstretch. Newgarden, however, would then pit under green with 70 laps remaining before McLaughlin pitted during the following lap. During McLaughlin’s pit service, the following names that included Larson, Canapino, Simpson and Ilott also pitted. Amid the pit stops, however, Larson, who had methodically driven his way into the top five prior to pitting, was assessed a drive-through penalty for speeding while entering pit road. Larson, who smoked his front tires when he was penalized for speeding, would serve the penalty with nearly 65 laps remaining as more names pitted under green.

Back on the track, O’Ward, who has yet to pit, was leading ahead of Dixon. O’Ward would then pit from the lead with 63 laps remaining, which moved Dixon into the lead ahead of VeeKay, Daly, Sato, Robb, Kirkwood, Lundgaard and Carpenter as McLaughlin led a large group of competitors who recently pitted, among which included Rossi, Palou, Newgarden and Ferrucci. During the next two laps, Rossi navigated past McLaughlin and Palou to move into 10th place while scored the first competitor who recently pitted.

With less than 60 laps remaining, Dixon pitted under green as Daly cycled into the lead. Daly would then pit with nearly 55 laps remaining, which enabled Robb to assume the lead ahead of Lundgaard and O’Ward while Dixon and Daly trailed by more than 35 seconds in the top five.

Then with 54 laps remaining, the caution flew after Power, who was racing within the top 20 and battling Rasmussen, slipped sideways and spun backwards into the outside wall in Turn 1, which he slapped and destroyed the right side of his No. 12 Verizon Dallara-Chevrolet.

Down to the final 45 laps of the event, Dixon briefly led the field back to green flag racing conditions before he was placed in the middle of an Arrow McLaren sandwich through the frontstretch as Rossi overtook both teammate O’Ward and Dixon into the lead. Behind, Newgarden, who restarted eighth, rocketed his way up to fourth place as he was ahead of Palou, VeeKay, McLaughlin and Daly as Rossi retained the lead. During the following lap, teammate O’Ward overtook Rossi to assume the lead with Dixon retaining third. With McLaughlin mired in seventh, Rossi and O’Ward traded spots for a second time through the frontstretch as the former reassumed the lead. O’Ward and Rossi swapped positions for a third time through the frontstretch with 42 laps remaining as Rossi returned to the lead.

With 35 laps remaining, Rossi, who kept swapping the lead with his Arrow McLaren teammate O’Ward through the frontstretch, reassumed the lead while third-place Dixon trailed by within seven-tenths of a second. Behind, Newgarden and Palou trailed in the top five ahead of McLaughlin while VeeKay, Daly, Ferrucci and Kirkwood were scored in the top 10.

Three laps later, however, Rossi surrendered his back-and-forth trade for the lead with teammate O’Ward to pit his No. 7 Arrow McLaren Dallara-Chevrolet under green. Another two laps later, Dixon made his move beneath O’Ward to move his No. 9 PNC Bank/Chip Ganassi Racing Dallara-Honda into the lead as Sato and Robb peeled off the track to pit under green. Newgarden, McLaughlin and Daly would pit during the next lap before Dixon, Canapino, O’Ward, Castroneves and Lundgaard pitted with 38 laps remaining. Amid the pit stops, Dixon emerged ahead of Newgarden, Rossi and O’Ward while Kirkwood, who was among nine front-runners who has yet to pit, was leading.

With 25 laps remaining, Dixon overtook Newgarden through the frontstretch to reclaim the top spot as the competitor who recently pitted despite being scored in seventh place. By then, Kirkwood was still leading ahead of Ilott, Rahal, Carpenter, Larson and Simpson, all of whom have yet to pit under green. Dixon and Newgarden would spend the next five laps gaining drafts and swapping spots over one another through the frontstretch as they moved up the leaderboard into fourth and fifth. Meanwhile, Larson, who cycled into the lead a lap earlier after Ed Carpenter pitted, was leading by seven-tenths of a second over Simpson with 20 laps remaining as Newgarden, Rossi and Dixon moved up into the top five.

Four laps later, Larson surrendered the lead to pit under green. Once Simpson pitted during the next lap, Newgarden cycled into the lead as he held a three-tenths of a second advantage over a hard-charging Rossi, with Dixon and O’Ward also trailing by within seven-tenths of a second. Rossi would then overtake Newgarden from the outside lane through the frontstretch to lead with 13 laps remaining. Behind, O’Ward overtook Dixon for third place while Rossi was trying to muscle away with the lead.

Down to the final 12 laps of the event, Newgarden rocketed past Rossi from the inside lane through the frontstretch to reassume the lead while O’Ward was trying to close in on teammate Rossi for the runner-up spot. With Dixon trailing in fourth place by more than a second and Rossi trying to close back towards Newgarden’s rear bumper, Newgarden continued to lead by two-tenths of a second with 10 laps remaining.

With nine laps remaining, Rossi gained another draft on Newgarden to reassume the lead through the frontstretch. As Rossi led by three-tenths of a second during the next lap, O’Ward was trying to fend off Dixon for third place while Kirkwood, Palou and McLaughlin trailed from fifth to seventh, respectively.

Then with seven laps remaining, Newgarden reclaimed the lead while O’Ward seized an opportunity to rocket past teammate Rossi through the frontstretch as he assumed the runner-up spot. O’Ward then made his move beneath Newgarden to assume the lead through the frontstretch with five laps remaining before Newgarden reassumed the top spot during the proceeding lap. Newgarden would proceed to retain the lead by a narrow margin over O’Ward during the next two laps.

When the white flag waved and the final lap started, O’Ward made his move to the outside lane and overtook Newgarden to assume the lead, where he retained it through the first two turns. Then while trying to muscle away as he swerved his car to the left and right to not give Newgarden any drafting momentum, the latter was able to gain enough momentum to make a bold move to the outside lane entering Turn 3 and zip by O’Ward. With the lead back within his grasp and O’Ward losing ground, Newgarden was able to muscle away with the lead for two final turns and cycle back to the frontstretch to claim his second consecutive checkered flag at the Greatest Spectacle of Racing in Indianapolis, Indiana.

With the victory, Newgarden became the 21st competitor overall to win the Indianapolis 500 multiple times and the first to win the event in back-to-back seasons since Helio Castroneves made the last accomplishment between 2001 and 2002. The 2024 Indy 500 victory marks Newgarden’s 30th of his NTT IndyCar Series career and the first of the season, which made him the fourth winner through the season’s first five events on the schedule.

The victory served as a redemptive moment for Newgarden and his No. 2 Team Penske team as they were disqualified from winning the season-opening Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg due to violating rules involving their use of the push-to-pass system. The disqualification also affected their teammate Will Power, who initially finished third in the event. Earlier this month, Team Penske suspended several key members from their organization, including managing director Ron Ruzewski and team president Tim Cindric.

“[The critics] can say whatever they want after this point. I don’t care anymore,” Newgarden said on the frontstretch on NBC. “I’m just so proud of the team. They crushed it. They came here with the fastest cars. We worked our tails off, Team Chevy brought it. [Race engineer] Luke [Mason], Tim [Cindric], they’re not here today, but they’re a huge part of this. I’m just so proud of everybody for Team Penske. That’s the way I wanted to win the [race] right there.”

“I knew we could win this race again and [it was] just a matter of getting it right,” Newgarden added in Victory Lane. “There’s no better way to win a race than that. I got to give it up to Pato [O’Ward] as well. He’s an incredibly clean driver. It takes two people to make that work, so it’s not just a good pass. It’s also someone that you’re working with that’s incredible clean. He could’ve easily won this race too, but it just fell our way. I just went for it. I said, ‘Alright, the car’s good enough. You guys have done your job Let me drive to the front.’ [The team] backed me the entire way. You can’t win this race without a great car. It’s the best car in the field, so hats off to the team. It’s always a team win. Today epitomizes the team victory. It’s a team win on the pole, it’s a team win today. I’m thankful for Roger Penske. He’s stood by me. He’s the man, he’s a legend. There’s no one that I’ve ever met that cares more about the fan and the experience than that man. I promise you, he cares so much about this place and I’m thankful for him.”

In addition, Newgarden, who achieved his second Indy 500 victory following a last-lap pass for a second consecutive season after overtaking Marcus Ericsson for the win a year ago, had the honors of bestowing the record-setting 20th Indianapolis 500 victory to team owner Roger Penske, who is also the owner of Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

“It’s a dream come true,” Penske said. “You think about all these fans that were here today. [They] Waited five hours to see that race. Unbelievable finish. I never saw one car get ahead by a couple of seconds. For me, it’s a job we love to do. We love to win. I think this puts away a lot of the things we talked about who we are and where we are. We’re winners.”

As Newgarden fought back tears of joy and relief in Victory Lane, O’Ward, who led 12 laps and was striving to become the first Mexican competitor to win the Indy 50, fought back tears of disappointment on pit road after settling in the runner-up spot in the 500 for a second time in three seasons.

“It’s hard to put it into words,” O’Ward said. “I’m proud of the work that we did today. We recovered. We went back, we went forward, we went back. Some people were driving like maniacs. We had so many near race-enders and [we were] just so close again. So close. I put that car through things I never thought it was going to be able to do. Somehow I came out the other side of the corner. It’s just so painful when you put so much into it and [we were] two corners short. [This track] owes me nothing. I much rather have finished the race rather than compared to last year, but it’s always a heartbreak whenever you’re just so close, especially when it’s not the first time. You just don’t know how many opportunities like that you have.”

Scott Dixon, the 2008 Indianapolis 500 winner, came home in third place followed by Alexander Rossi, both of whom led 12 laps apiece, while Alex Palou, the 2024 Sonsio Grand Prix winner and two-time series champion, finished fifth.

“[The finish] was like a win, obviously,” Dixon said. “We had some ups and downs  through the race. We definitely just didn’t have the speed today, unfortunately. It was just one of those days where I feel like everybody gave each other pretty good room. We had some incidents here and there, but it was wild to watch. Obviously at the end there, when you’re going for third place, you see the first two mixing it up. You hope they’re going to crash into each other, unfortunately, but that’s just the way it goes.”

“The fuel number I had to hit, I couldn’t lead.” Rossi added. “Just an amazing effort for the whole Arrow McLaren organization and Team Chevy. It was an amazing month. It’s really hard when you come away from this event not thinking you should’ve changed anything and still, the result isn’t there. I look back and there’s nothing to this month that I would’ve done any differently. The car was great. When you can’t win with that, it’s a tough pill to swallow.”

“I didn’t have a perfect day, but almost,” Palou added. “Strategy wasn’t the best in our case, but [it] still was good. We tried. We gave everything we had. [We] Didn’t have the ultimate speed today and had fun passing some cars. Pretty happy to finish P5. Not the best result, obviously here, but it was a good race.”

Pole-sitter Scott McLaughlin, Kyle Kirkwood, Santino Ferrucci, Rinus VeeKay and Conor Daly completed the top 10 in the final running order.

Notably, Kyle Larson finished 18th in both his first career start in the NTT IndyCar Series and Indianapolis 500. In addition, Takuma Sato finished 14th ahead of Graham Rahal, Sting Ray Robb, who led 23 laps as part of his strategic moves, finished 16th ahead of Ed Carpenter and Helio Castroneves ended up 20th,

There were 52 lead changes for 18 different leaders. The event featured eight cautions for 47 laps. In addition, 21 of 33 starters finished on the lead lap.

Following the fifth event of the 2024 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season, Alex Palou leads the championship standings by 20 points over Scott Dixon, 26 over Will Power, 49 over both Pato O’Ward and Colton Herta, 52 over Scott McLaughlin and 61 over Josef Newgarden.

Results.

1. Josef Newgarden, 26 laps led

2. Pato O’Ward, 12 laps led

3. Scott Dixon, 12 laps led

4. Alexander Rossi, 12 laps led

5. Alex Palou, one lap led

6. Scott McLaughlin, 64 laps led

7. Kyle Kirkwood, two laps led

8. Santino Ferrucci, eight laps led

9. Rinus VeeKay, eight laps led

10. Conor Daly, 22 laps led

11. Callum Ilott, one lap led

12. Christian Rasmussen, one lap led

13. Christian Lundgaard, four laps led

14. Takuma Sato

15. Graham Rahal, one lap led

16. Sting Ray Robb, 23 laps led

17. Ed Carpenter, three laps led

18. Kyle Larson, four laps led

19. Romain Grosjean

20. Helio Castroneves

21. Kyffin Simpson, three laps led

22. Agustin Canapino, one lap down

23. Colton Herta – OUT, Contact

24. Will Power – OUT, Contact

25. Marco Andretti – OUT, Contact

26. Ryan Hunter-Reay – OUT, Contact

27. Felix Rosenqvist – OUT, Mechanical

28. Linus Lundqvist – OUT, Contact

29. Katherine Legge – OUT, Mechanical

30. Marcus Armstrong – OUT, Mechanical

31. Tom Blomqvist – OUT, Contact

32. Marcus Ericsson – OUT, Contact

33. Pietro Fittipaldi – OUT, Contact

Next on the 2024 NTT INDYCAR Series schedule is the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix at the Streets of Detroit, Michigan. The event is scheduled to occur next Sunday, June 2, and air at noon ET on USA Network.

Larson finishes 18th in first Indy 500 attempt; misses 2024 Coca-Cola 600

Photo by John Cote (Penske Entertainment).

Kyle Larson capped off an eventful day and month of motorsports competition leading up to Memorial Day weekend on a bittersweet note that resulted with his plans of performing ‘Double Duty’ between the Indianapolis 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 being partially spoiled due to on-track precipitation and resulting with him campaigning in the former over the latter.

The 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion from Elk Grove, California, commenced his planned ‘Double Duty’ task by opting to remain at Indianapolis Motor Speedway to compete in this year’s 108th running of the Indy 500 with Arrow McLaren on Sunday, May 26, despite the event being delayed by four hours due to a heavy stream of precipitation.

Qualifying in fifth place during last Sunday’s qualifying session with a four-lap average-qualifying speed of 232.846 mph in two mintutes, 34.6083 seconds, Larson, who started the main event on the second row, dropped one spot on the track amid a multi-car wreck on the opening lap that knocked Pietro Fittipaldi, Tom Blomqvist and the 2022 Indy 500 champion Marcus Ericsson out of contention.

Then during the next restart period on the ninth lap, Larson endured a brief scary moment when he fell off the pace after missing a gear and getting his car to launch at the start. Larson’s gearing issues resulted with the Californian dropping to 14th place as he made wheel-to-wheel contact with Ryan Hunter-Reay through the frontstretch. Amid the contact, Larson was able to keep his No. 17 HendrickCars.com/Arrow McLaren Dallara-Chevrolet pointing straight as he remained within 14th place in the early stages.

After gaining two spots on pit road following his first INDYCAR pit service amid another caution period for Katherine Legge having a mechanical issue, Larson would remain in the top 15, starting through the event’s next restart period on Lap 26.

Over the course of the event, Larson, who would carve his way back into the top 10 on the track, was scored in ninth place by the Lap 50 mark before he moved up to seventh place at the halfway mark on Lap 100. Through a steady pace on the track and stellar pit stops from his team, Larson would run as high as fourth place on the track.

Then during a late cycle of green flag pit stops with 69 laps remaining, Larson’s strong run was foiled after he smoked his front tires while trying to reduce his speed to enter pit road while running in the top five. Amid his pit service, Larson would be assessed a drive-through penalty for speeding on pit road. After serving his pass-through penalty, Larson was mired back in 22nd place on the track.

During the final round of green flag pit stops that commenced with nearly 30 laps remaining, Larson, who was on a different pit strategy compared to the leaders, would lead his first lap in the Indy 500 with 20 laps remaining. He would lead the next four laps before he surrendered the lead to pit for the final time under green with 16 laps remaining. Returning to the track, Larson would cross the finish line in 18th place, which made him the lowest-finishing Arrow McLaren competitor of the day while his teammates Pato O’Ward, Alexander Rossi and Callum Ilott finished second, fourth and 11th, respectively.

“I would definitely love to be back next year,” Larson said on NBC. “I feel like I learned a lot throughout the race. [I] Felt like I did a really good job on the restarts and was able to learn a lot. Obviously, I smoked the left front [tire] or something into the green flag stop and killed our opportunity, so proud to finish, but pretty upset at myself. If I just could’ve executed a better race, you never know what could happen. Bummed at myself, but huge thank you to Arrow McLaren, Hendrick Motorsports, Hendrick Automotive Group, Rick Hendrick, Chevrolet, everybody that’s a part of this. We’ll go hop on a jet and see if I can get into the [Coca-Cola] 600 somehow.”

By the time Larson arrived at the track from his helicopter, however, the event, which had started without Larson present, was under a caution period due to precipitation and eventually red-flagged on Lap 249 of 400. By then, Justin Allgaier, an Xfinity Series veteran for JR Motorsports who was selected to serve as Larson’s standby competitor, had piloted the No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 up to 13th place after Allgaier was forced to start at the rear of the field due to a driver change.

Eventually, the event was made official by NASCAR due to the precipitation around the Charlotte Motor Speedway circuit, with Christopher Bell claiming the rain-shortened victory and Allgaier being credited for 13th place by both starting and finishing the event while Larson, who had planned to contest in 1,100 miles between the Indy 500 and the Coke 600, was unable to pilot his No. 5 entry for a lap.

As a result, this season marks the first time where a competitor attempting the double during Memorial Day weekend ends up competing in one event over the other since Robby Gordon ended up only competing in the Indy 500, which was delayed by three hours and caused him to miss the Coke 600.

By missing this year’s Coca-Cola 600, Larson, who snaps a 121-race starting streak, and Hendrick Motorsports have yet to submit a waiver request to NASCAR that would keep Larson eligible to make the 2024 Cup Series Playoffs. In addition, Larson, who came into the Coke 600 with a 30-point lead in the 2024 Cup Series regular-season standings, drops to third place in the standings, but trails points leader Denny Hamlin by six points and runner-up Martin Truex Jr. by one.

With his 2024 Indianapolis 500 start complete, Larson shifts his focus back to his full-time Cup Series role for the upcoming series’ event at Gateway’s World Wide Technology Raceway for the Enjoy Illinois 300. The event is scheduled to occur next Sunday, June 2, and air at 3:30 p.m. ET on FS1.

All-Charlotte Front Row: Gibbs Tops Byron In Coca-Cola 600 Qualifying

Ty Gibbs, right, poses with the Coca-Cola 600 pole winner's trophy alongside Lug Nut, the official mascot of Charlotte Motor Speedway, after Gibbs won the pole for Sunday's Coca-Cola 600. (HHP/Andrew Coppley photo)

CONCORD, N.C. (May 25, 2024) — Ty Gibbs led a one-two of Charlotte natives in Coca-Cola 600 qualifying on Saturday at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Gibbs scorched Charlotte’s asphalt in the final round of time trials, using a 29.355-second lap averaging 183.955 miles per hour to score his first career NASCAR Cup Series pole by 0.06 seconds over William Byron.

Gibbs also won the pole for Saturday’s BetMGM 300 NASCAR Xfinity Series event, which saw the Joe Gibbs Racing driver finish ninth in the first 300 miles of his 900-mile racing weekend.

The remaining 600 miles will see Gibbs leading fellow Charlottean Byron to the green flag for Sunday’s 65th running of one of motorsports’ crown-jewel events. Christopher Bell will roll off third on Sunday with Martin Truex Jr. fourth and Chase Elliott, Saturday’s BetMGM 300 winner, fifth.

Alex Bowman was sixth-quickest in qualifying, followed by Ross Chastain, Tyler Reddick and Michael McDowell.

Kyle Larson — the first driver since 2014 to attempt to win the Indianapolis 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 on the same day — qualified 10th. Defending Coca-Cola 600 winner Ryan Blaney was 16th.

NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee Jimmie Johnson qualified 29th for his attempt at a record-tying fifth Coca-Cola 600 victory.

TY GIBBS, NO. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing TOYOTA (POLE WINNER): “I feel like it was a really easy, clean lap. My car was handling really well, so I just had to be very disciplined. Being able to start up front is really nice and having that first pit stall is great, also. It’s cool to get the pole here for the first time for the Coca-Cola 600 but for me, the biggest thing is winning the race. This is great, but it doesn’t win us the race. It’d be really cool (to win on Sunday). One of my first two (NASCAR Xfinity Series) wins came here in 2021 at my home track.”

Toyota Racing – NCS Charlotte Quotes – Ty Gibbs – 05.25.24

Toyota Racing – Ty Gibbs
NASCAR Cup Series Quotes

CHARLOTTE (May 25, 2024) – Joe Gibbs Racing driver Ty Gibbs was made available to the media after winning the pole for the NASCAR Cup Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Saturday.

It is the first Cup Series pole for Gibbs, who also won the pole for the NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway this weekend.

TY GIBBS, No. 54 Monster Energy/Interstate Batteries Toyota Camry XSE, Joe Gibbs Racing

Can you talk about your run?

“I felt like it was a really easy, clean lap. My car was handling really well. I just had to be really disciplined in (turns) three and four in getting to the bottom and making sure my exit was good.”

How significant is starting up front in tomorrow’s race?

“It really helps. Being able to start up front in clean is really nice, and to have the first pit stall as well is great, also.”

How cool is it win your first pole in such a big race for NASCAR?

“It is really cool to be able to get the pole here for the first time at the Coca-Cola 600. For me, the biggest thing is winning a race. The pole is great, and it helps us out a lot, but it doesn’t win us a race at all.”

What is your earliest memory coming to the Coca-Cola 600?

“I think my earliest memory is probably watching pole night – I don’t know if that was on a Thursday or a Friday, but I remember coming to that when I was younger with my family. I’ve been to so many of them.”

How much a leadership stance have you started to take within Joe Gibbs Racing?

“I grew up around a lot of those guys that work on that team, that is mainly why I spend time around them. I really appreciate them, and have a great relationship with them. Along with some of the drivers, I just like being around racing. I enjoy it a lot, that’s why I come hang out with them when I could.”

What did you tell Tanner Gray on the grid?

“Go win.”

What would it mean to win here tomorrow night?

“It would be really cool. The first two races I had here a couple of years ago, I won. It’s really cool winning at your home track. I’m glad that I’ve experienced that. It is definitely a really cool place and a special place for me.”

About Toyota

Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in North America for more than 65 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands, plus our more than 1,800 dealerships.

Toyota directly employs more than 63,000 people in North America who have contributed to the design, engineering, and assembly of nearly 45 million cars and trucks at our 13 manufacturing plants. By 2025, Toyota’s 14th 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 26 electrified options.

For more information about Toyota, visit www.ToyotaNewsroom.com.

Ford Performance Notes and Quotes – NCS Charlotte 1 Qualifying

Ford Performance Notes and Quotes
NASCAR Cup Series
Coca-Cola 600 Qualifying | Saturday, May 25, 2024

Ford Performance Results:
9th – Michael McDowell
13th – Josh Berry
16th – Ryan Blaney
17th – Austin Cindric
18th – Chase Briscoe
19th – Noah Gragson
22nd – Justin Haley
28th – Joey Logano
30th – Brad Keselowski
31st – Ryan Preece
32nd – Harrison Burton
33rd – Kaz Grala
35th – Todd Gilliland
37th – BJ McLeod
39th – Chris Buescher

MICHAEL MCDOWELL, No. 34 Walmart/RTIC Ford Mustang Dark Horse – “It’s great. I’m really proud of everybody. We made a great effort there because we missed it unloading in practice. We were really loose, but made good changes. I felt like we got caught up a little bit, and then you had to go out there and lay down a big lap. I thought my commitment level was high enough on that last run, but obviously not. I had a really good one and two, I felt like, and then three and four I had to wait just a little bit on it and it got away from me a little bit. A top 10 starting spot though for 600 miles, it still matters. There’s a lot of racing for sure, but track position matters and I’m glad that we were able to get a Ford Mustang in the top 10 and we’ll make the most of the track position and pit selection as well.”

JOSH BERRY, No. 4 Overstock Ford Mustang Dark Horse – “I hate that we must missed advancing. I didn’t love how I felt in practice, but we did run a pretty good lap. We had a little traffic, too, so I was optimistic about qualifying and I thought we made some really good adjustments. We had a really good one and two. The car felt really good on that end. I just got a little bit loose in three and four and just barely slipped on exit and that was probably the difference on making the final round. Nonetheless, we’re getting better week in and week out and it’s becoming more obvious now.”

AUSTIN CINDRIC, No. 2 Menards/Duracell Ford Mustang Dark Horse – “We made a lot of progress from practice. We really struggled off the truck and probably under drove my qualifying lap, so I’m a little frustrated with that. It’s always high commitment at these mile-and-a-half tracks. I thought I had a little bit better and maybe enough to squeak into the final round, but we’ve got some work to do for 600 miles tomorrow and I think it’s probably in our favor that the race ends at night.”

Chris Buescher, driver of the No. 17 Fastenal Ford Mustang Dark Horse for Roush Fenway Keselowski, had a tire go down during practice and hit the wall. He spoke about the incident afterwards.

CHRIS BUESCHER, No. 17 Fastenal Ford Mustang Dark Horse – DID A TIRE GO FLAT? “Yeah, it was flat. We lost the left-rear. I haven’t had time to catch up with the team yet, so I’m not sure where we’re at yet. We’ll begin to diagnose it a little bit afterwards. Right now, we’ve got to build a race car and get it back on track and make sure it’s just as fast as that one. I know our team is capable of doing that. We’ve obviously showed it over the past couple years now, but really the last couple of weeks, so we’re gonna make that hard charger run tomorrow, I guess. I hate to be in that situation, but that’s where we’re at. I’m not having run at this exact moment, but I’m very proud of the speed we had right before that happened.”

SCOTT SAID HE WANTS TO GO TO A BACK UP AND IS JUST WAITING FOR NASCAR TO GIVE THE APPROVAL. “Yeah, I don’t see any way it doesn’t go to a backup. Honestly, from where I was inside the car it was a hard of a hit as you want to take and to think about staying in the same car, I don’t think that’s doable, really. I’m sure we’ll get the approval. They’ll see it. Unfortunately, it’s not good either way, rebuilding this car or going to a backup. Neither is a good place, so we’ve got our work cut out for us. Our team will hustle and they’ll get this done. They’re the best out there, so I’ve got confidence in them. I know we’ll be able to get right back going on track tomorrow and be able to put good laps like that down again.”

ARE YOU CONCERNED ABOUT TIRE WEAR FOR TOMORROW? DID YOU CUT IT? DO YOU KNOW? “I was rushed to the care center as soon as I got out of the car, so I don’t have a good answer yet. It was unexpected, I’ll say that. That’s all I know.”

YOU DIDN’T FEEL ANYTHING BEFORE? “No, just right on entry I maybe had about a car length to get your thoughts together, but that’s not enough at 190.”

High Roller: Elliott Prevails In BetMGM 300 Thriller

Chase Elliott celebrates after winning Saturday's BetMGM 300 NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. (HHP/Harold Hinson photo)

CONCORD, N.C. (May 25, 2024) — Chase Elliott overcame an unfamiliar car, a difficult starting position and a treacherous track on Saturday, using fresher tires than his competition to rally to victory in the BetMGM 300 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

The 2014 NASCAR Xfinity Series champion qualified 30th and ran in the top 10 for much of the afternoon, but a trio of caution periods in the last 30 laps bunched up the field and gave Elliott a golden opportunity. Greg Ives, Elliott’s crew chief on the No. 17 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, opted to forfeit an earlier advantage in favor of saving a set of new tires for the race’s final 30-40 laps. Fittingly, for a race sponsored by “the King of Sportsbooks,” Ives’ gamble paid big dividends. Elliott was able to use the fresher rubber to turn quicker laps than his opposition, and be in front when it mattered most.

Once the race restarted for the eighth and final time on Lap 183, Elliott leaned on the newer rubber to soar past Sam Mayer — who led a race-high 44 laps — then he kept Brandon Jones at bay to notch his sixth career Xfinity Series win and his first since 2016.

Jones finished second with JR Motorsports teammates Sammy Smith third and Mayer fourth. A.J. Allmendinger completed the top five with Kyle Busch sixth, Ryan Sieg seventh and Josh Williams eighth. Pole winner Ty Gibbs and Noah Gragson completed the top 10.

Justin Allgaier won Stages 1 and 2, but fell from the lead after a pit-road speeding penalty, and was ultimately involved in a crash with Gibbs on Lap 177 that eliminated Allgaier’s bid for victory, knocked him out of the event and left the race’s defending winner 33rd at the finish.

CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 17 HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS CHEVROLET (RACE WINNER): “(Crew chief) Greg (Ives) made a really good call to get us in that spot. Sometimes, stuff like that goes your way. We ran a smart race and managed to take advantage of the set (of new tires) that we had left. … From a feel perspective, I was kind of winging it because I hadn’t been in an (Xfinity Series) car in a while. It was fun to have some different lanes and some options, and you could hit the wall and your day wasn’t over. It was just a whole different vibe than what we get on Sunday.”

BRANDON JONES, NO. 9 JR MOTORSPORTS CHEVROLET (RUNNER-UP): “Chasing down new tires with old (tires) feels pretty dang good. I knew I was racing (Elliott) with newer tires. What an up-and-down day. Man, I can’t wait to go back and watch this one over again. Talk about adversity, we had a good top-five car at the start of the race, but then the brakes went to the floor at one point. I nearly lost the brakes. I didn’t think you used a lot of brake here, so I’m very thankful we got the brakes fixed on this thing and definitely saved our day. These guys worked through the problems. It was a lot of stress, having no brakes, figuring out how to dissect it and turn things around. This team has been pretty good from Daytona to here, we just haven’t been getting these kinds of finishes yet.”

SAMMY SMITH, NO. 8 JR Motorsports CHEVROLET (THIRD PLACE): “It was tough today, I felt, with the resin (on the track surface) and the track moving around, and how hot and slick it was. It provides really good racing. I really enjoyed today. It was tough. (Elliott and I) were pretty equal on tires. We both had stickers and Brandon (Jones) had the scuffs. Brandon looked pretty good, but I definitely would’ve liked to have had another shot at it.”

RCR NXS Race Recap: Charlotte Motor Speedway

Jesse Love and the No. 2 Whelen Chevrolet Team Showcase Speed at Charlotte Motor Speedway

Finish: 28th
Start: 4th
Points: 5th

“Our Whelen Chevrolet was fast today at Charlotte Motor Speedway. We showed good speed in practice yesterday, and after qualifying fourth, I felt like we were in a position to go after a stage win. To start the race, we fired off with a loose balance, but Danny (Stockman, crew chief) adjusted to tighten up the car. The car then got too tight to run the top, but good on the bottom. We were setting ourselves up for the last pit stop when our power steering pump stopped working with 52 laps to go. From there, I just had to maintain, keep the car clean, and get the best possible finish for our No. 2 team. While it’s not the result we wanted, we will rebound from this and show up strong at Portland International Raceway next weekend.” -Jesse Love

Austin Hill and the No. 21 Bennett Transportation & Logistics Chevrolet Team Continue to Lead Points After Strong Showing at Charlotte Motor Speedway

Finish: 25th
Start: 8th
Points: 1st

“We had a good day going in our Bennett Transportation & Logistics Chevrolet. Our car went through major changes during the race. It fired off really loose everywhere especially on throttle. As the run continued in Stage 1, the balance was still free, but it got better, especially when I started to run on the top. After the first round of adjustments though, the handling went the opposite direction and was very tight when I moved off the bottom. I was sliding all the way to the wall when the car landed. The tightness continued through the rest of the race, but we were making gains on it. Everyone took scuff tires on the last pit stop and with the older tires, I was in a slide trying to stay off the No. 00. His right rear might have skimmed the wall, but then he doored me which ended up cutting down my right front. When I drove down into Turn 1 deep, I didn’t know my tire was down yet and at that point, my car wouldn’t turn, and we made contact. I hate it for everyone on this No. 21 team because we were going to finish inside the top-five or at least the top-10.” -Austin Hill

Kyle Busch Leads Laps Enroute to Sixth-Place Finish in the Rebel Bourbon/BetMGM Chevrolet at Charlotte Motor Speedway

Finish: 6th
Start: 2nd
Points: N/A

“We had a fast Rebel Bourbon/BetMGM Chevrolet this weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway, and it’s a lot of fun to race these cars on Saturday afternoons. It’s just a shame we couldn’t get to Victory Lane for the BetMGM 300, especially after leading so many laps. Early on in the race we had decent grip compared to everybody else, but as we put tires on it each time we just seemed to get further and further away. We will have to take our Chevy back to the shop and work on it to try to and improve. I have a few ideas that could help some of the things I was fighting today in these RCR cars compared to some of the things I felt years ago racing the JGR cars. I appreciate Richard Childress and everyone at RCR for this opportunity. We led some laps and ran well but needed a little bit more.” -Kyle Busch

Stewart-Haas Racing: BetMGM 300 from Charlotte

STEWART-HAAS RACING
BetMGM 300
Date: May 25, 2024
Event: BetMGM 300 (Round 12 of 33)
Series: NASCAR Xfinity Series
Location: Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway (1.5-mile oval)
Format: 200 laps, broken into three stages (45 laps/45 laps/110 laps)
Race Winner: Chase Elliott of Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet)
Stage 1 Winner: Justin Allgaier of JR Motorsports (Chevrolet)
Stage 2 Winner: Justin Allgaier of JR Motorsports (Chevrolet)

SHR Race Finish:

● Cole Custer (Started 6th / Finished 32nd, Accident, completed, 184 of 200 laps)
● Riley Herbst (Started 19th / Finished 38th, Accident, completed 29 of 200 laps)

SHR Points:

● Cole Custer (3rd with 433 points, 21 out of first)
● Riley Herbst (7th with 338 points, 116 out of first)

SHR Notes:

● Custer finished 10th in Stage 1 to earn one bonus point.

Race Notes:

● Chase Elliott won the BetMGM 300 to score his sixth career NASCAR Xfinity Series victory, his first of the season and his first at Charlotte. His margin over second-place Brandon Jones was .500 of a second.
● There were three caution periods for a total of 18 laps.
● Only 18 of the 38 drivers in the race finished on the lead lap.
● Austin Hill remains the championship leader after Charlotte with a four-point advantage over second-place Chandler Smith.

Sound Bites:

“He put me in the fence off four and then we hit on the frontstretch because I was going to go pinch him down, and he decided to try and go up and side draft me and then we hit again. And then I don’t know if he blew a tire into one or what happened into one, but then he tried to kill me on the backstretch and just held it full throttle until he wrecked our car and killed the rear clip. I slapped my head against the back of the headrest. I don’t know. I know it was hard racing, but at the end of the day I don’t like getting intentionally wrecked and killing the front and rear clip on our race car. It’s just ridiculous. If he wants to drive like a pissed off teenager, it’s just ridiculous. I’ve said enough.” –Cole Custer, driver of the No. 00 Fanttik Ford Mustang Dark Horse

“I haven’t seen a replay. I passed him twice cleanly, slid him. Racing in Charlotte, it’s hot, and I passed him. I mean, it’s really hot. The cars are really sliding around today. My spotter said, ‘clear’ and I moved up to the fence. He had a run off the top, which is fine, and he could have tried to slide me back and get some momentum, but instead he just got my left-rear and hooked me. It’s unfortunate because of how far up we had moved from the start.” –Riley Herbst, driver of the No. 98 Monster Energy Ford Mustang Dark Horse

Next Up:

The next event on the NASCAR Xfinity Series schedule is the Portland 147 on Saturday, June 1 at Portland (Ore.) International Raceway. The race begins at 4:30 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by FS1 and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Kaulig Racing Race Recap | BetMGM 300

AJ ALLMENDINGER
No. 16 LeafFilter Gutter Protection Chevrolet Camaro

  • AJ Allmendinger qualified 11th for the BetMGM 300 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
  • In the opening stage, Allmendinger remained quiet on the radio until the first caution came out on lap 30. The No. 16 was running in 10th place and reported he needed more rear grip. Crew chief, Alex Yontz, called Allmendinger to pit road for four tires, fuel and air pressure and track bar adjustments. Allmendinger restarted in 10th on lap 37 and was able to drive up to fifth on the first lap green. Allmendinger went on to finish the first stage in fifth place and reported under the stage break that his No. 16 LeafFilter Gutter Protection Chevy was wrecking loose.
  • Allmendinger restarted the second stage in fifth place. On lap 54, the No. 16 hit the right side on the wall after the car snapped loose while running in 12th place. The team came to pit road under green for an unscheduled pit stop on lap 69 for a flat right rear tire. Allmendinger went a lap down but was the free pass when the caution came out on lap 71. The team came to pit road to repair damage from hitting the wall and put on four scuff tires. Allmendinger restarted in 33rd place on lap 80 and went on to finish the second stage in 24th place.
  • Under the stage caution, Allmendinger reported the handling of his car was better running the top, but he was still loose. He brought the No. 16 to pit road for four tires, fuel and adjustments to help with the handling. Allmendinger restarted in 20th on lap 98 and was in 19th place when the caution came out on lap 107. The team stayed out and Allmendinger restarted 16 on lap 114. On the first lap green, Allmendinger drove up to 11th place. By lap 141, Allmendinger reported he was super tight running in 17th. The No. 16 came to pit road for a scheduled green flag pit stop on lap 142 for tires, fuel and adjustments. When the caution came out on lap 170, Allmendinger was running 14th. The team came to pit road to free up the car after Allmendinger reported the car was tight. The No. 16 restarted in 11th on lap 182 and was running fifth when the caution came out on lap 185. The field restarted on lap 189 and Allmendinger went on to finished in fifth place in the BetMGM 300 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

“That was a struggle. Everyone on our LeafFilter Gutter Protection Chevy fought hard trying to make adjustments today. We’re searching trying to find something, but we haven’t hit on it. A lot of credit goes to my spotter, Coleman Pressley, for trying to keep me in it. I couldn’t run the fence, the car would move around a lot, and we didn’t have speed running the bottom. Late race restarts, anything can happen. Just tried to be aggressive and get everything we could at the end.” – AJ Allmendinger

JOSH WILLIAMS
No. 11 Alloy Employer Services Chevrolet Camaro

  • Josh Williams qualified 36th for the BetMGM 300 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
  • Williams went one lap down running 37th on lap 29, and after the caution came out one lap later, he waved around to get back on the lead lap. He took the restart with nine laps left in stage one, finishing the opening stage in 31st.
  • Williams brought the No. 11 Alloy Employer Services Chevy down pit road during the stage break for tires, fuel and a plethora of adjustments. He restarted 33rd on lap 52 and slowly began picking up positions, jumping into 25th when the yellow flag waved on lap 74. Half the field pitted for fresh tires, so crew chief, Kevin Walter, made the call to stay out. Restarting 12th, Williams dropped back to 21st, where he’d finish stage two.
  • After a full-service stop, the No. 11 Chevy Camaro restarted in 19th on lap 98. The caution came out 11 laps later after Williams lost five positions. Leapfrogging his way up to 20th under caution due to others coming into the pits, Williams fell to 24th after the lap-113 restart. With 56 to go, he pitted for tires and fuel and cycled to 17th, one lap down. A wreck brought out the caution with 31 laps to go, and Williams took the wave around to get back on the lead lap. One lap after the restart, the yellow waved again, and Williams brought the No. 11 down pit road for the team’s last set of tires. Williams fired off for the restart in 17th with 18 laps to go and moved into 9th within two laps before another caution came out. He restarted eighth from the inside line with 12 laps to go, and after initially falling to 10th, he fought back to regain eighth, where he’d take the checkered flag for his best result of the season.

“I feel like we’ve found some speed lately and we got better as the day went on. We’re trending in the right direction and have some work to do, but it was a good start today.” – Josh Williams  

SHANE van GISBERGEN
No. 97 Focused Health Chevrolet Camaro

  • Shane van Gisbergen qualified 29th for the BetMGM 300 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
  • The first caution flag of the afternoon waved on lap 31 with Van Gisbergen scored in 26. Following a four tire stop, Van Gisbergen restarted in 26th with nine laps remaining in the stage. Following the restart, Van Gisbergen worked his way forward and ended stage one in 21st.
  • The Focused Health team started stage two from the 17th position on lap 53. The third caution flag of the day waved on lap 74 with Van Gisbergen scored in 27th. Staying out, the Focused Health team restarted 14th on lap 80. Battling a tight Chevrolet for the remaining portion of the stage, Van Gisbergen ended stage two in 23rd on lap 90.
  • Following a four tire stop at the end of stage two, Van Gisbergen restarted the final stage in 17th. Splitting the final stage in half, Van Gisbergen hit pit road on lap 142 from the 15th position for a green-flag stop. Following the stop, the Focused Health team cycled to 19th on lap 150. The caution flag would wave once again on lap 170 with Van Gisbergen scored in 13th. With one final set of sticker tires on pit road, SVG hit pit road for four tires, fuel and adjustments. Following the stop, Van Gisbergen restarted in 12th on lap 176. Van Gisbergen suffered a flat right rear after he was forced into the wall by another competitor on lap 117 while running 13th. After hitting pit road for repairs, Van Gisbergen restarted at the tail end of the lead lap on lap 183. SVG crossed the finish in 15th on lap 200.

“Fun day today. I thought the 19 was going to save it but he lost it and we got into the fence. I got more and more comfortable as the day went on and I’m proud of the Focused Health team and the gains we made today.” – Shane van Gisbergen  

About Kaulig Racing

Kaulig Racing™ is a full-time, multi-car NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) and NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) team, owned by award winning entrepreneur, Matt Kaulig. Established in 2016, Kaulig Racing™ has earned 23 NXS wins, made the NXS Playoffs consecutively each season since the playoff system started, and won two regular-season championships. In 2021, the team competed in select NCS events, before expanding to a two-car, full-time NCS team in 2022 and adding a third, part-time entry during the 2023 season. Since its first NCS start in 2021, the team has earned two wins. Kaulig Racing is currently fielding two full-time entries in the NCS and continues to field three full-time NXS entries, with a part-time fourth entry at select events. To learn more about the team, visit kauligracing.com.