Connor Mosack, Boris Said Jr., Jake Drew Hope To Pick Up Where Team Left Off After Last September’s Pole-To-Checkered-Flag Domination by Connor Zilisch
HIGH POINT, N.C. (May 9, 2024) – The Silver Hare Racing trio of drivers Connor Mosack, Boris Said Jr., and Jake Drew return to the scene of a thoroughly dominating victory by the team last fall when the Cube 3 Architecture TA2 Series takes to the 1.6-mile, eight-turn World Wide Technology Raceway (WWTR) circuit in Madison, Illinois, for Saturday’s fourth round of the 2024 season.
That dominating performance Sept. 23 came at the hands of 17-year-old Connor Zilisch, who qualified on the pole and led all 61 TA2 race laps to score his and the team’s fourth of five wins of 2023. The young Team Chevrolet development driver who graduated to a mixed bag of NASCAR Xfinity Series, Craftsman Truck Series, ARCA Menards Series, IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, and zMAX Cars Tour events in 2024 went on to repeat the pole-to-checkered-flag performance at the very next round Oct. 8 at the team’s home track, Virginia International Raceway in Alton, and again at this year’s season-opening round Feb. 24 at Sebring (Fla.) International Raceway.
So it should come as no surprise that confidence abounds in the Silver Hare camp as the series returns to the banks of the mighty Mississippi River just a stone’s throw from downtown St. Louis for just the second time since 1985. Mosack, Said and Drew are champing at the bit to try and pick up where Zilsch left off last September during Saturday’s 63-lap, 75-minute main event.
Mosack, the 25-year-old driver of the No. 77 Silver Hare Racing/PRG Chevrolet Camaro who’s in the midst of his own mixed bag of Xfinity, Truck, ARCA and Cars Tour events for the second year in a row, hits town fresh off his second career ARCA victory last Saturday on the 1.5-mile Kansas Speedway oval in Kansas City, the very track where he scored his breakthrough first ARCA win last September. The native of Charlotte, North Carolina, is hoping to carry that momentum into his bid for a third career TA2 Series victory in his first race at WWTR.
Said, the 20-year-old son of veteran NASCAR and sportscar racer Boris Said, returns to WWTR for the second year in a row, but this time behind the wheel of his No. 75 HendrickCars.com/Silver Hare Racing Chevrolet Camaro. Last September, the younger Said drove a Peterson Racing entry to an 18th-place finish from the 15th starting position at WWTR en route to top-10 finishes in both the TA2 Rookie and Young Guns standings. The native of Escondido, California, has shown steady improvement in his first three races driving Silver Hare equipment, but saw his bid thwarted during an opening-lap pileup in the most recent round April 15 at NOLA Motorsports Park in Avondale, Louisiana. He limped his damaged racecar to a 12th-place finish and is ready for a fresh start this weekend.
Meanwhile Drew, the 24-year-old from Fullerton, California, will be making just his third career TA2 start this weekend but has built a solid foundation with his first two appearances behind the wheel of the No. 7 Silver Hare Racing Chevrolet Camaro Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta and NOLA. After narrowly missing a podium finish in his TA2 debut March 24 at Road Atlanta, Drew qualified third and methodically raced his way to a second-place finish four weekends ago at NOLA. The veteran of a half-dozen NASCAR Truck Series events in 2023 and a 23-race slate of ARCA outings from 2021 to 2023 that featured three road-course victories in 2022 is laser focused on going one better at WWTR.
A pair of Friday-morning test sessions kick off this weekend’s on-track action at 8 and 10:25 a.m. CDT, followed by official practice 1:50 p.m. TA2 qualifying is set for 8:30 a.m. Saturday. Race time Saturday is 12:35 p.m. with series partner MAVTV providing live television coverage, augmented by live streaming video on the Trans Am and SpeedTour channels on YouTube. MAVTV will air a 60-minute race show at 8 p.m. EDT on Thursday, May 16.
Silver Hare Racing leverages its Trans Am effort to promote its arrive-and-drive program, where aspiring racers and even tenured professionals hone their road-racing skills on some of the most revered tracks in North America. NASCAR Cup Series drivers Daniel Suárez, Christopher Bell, William Byron and Harrison Burton have all wheeled Silver Hare Racing-prepared cars to burnish their road-racing abilities in top-flight equipment.
The team offers six, professionally built and maintained TA2 chassis from Howe Racing for both competition and private testing. Silver Hare Racing has a dedicated, fulltime crew and operates out of a state-of-the-art facility in High Point, North Carolina. At the track, two 53-foot Featherlite transporters serve as the team’s base, each outfitted with a lounge and smart TVs for data and video review, as well as for hospitality.
To further Silver Hare Racing’s driver development capabilities, the team’s race shop in High Point is now equipped with a SHOCKWAVE Simulator, a tool specifically developed for drivers to accelerate racetrack familiarity, improve car control and confidence, and build stamina. SHOCKWAVE has been involved in racing since 1965 and is currently actively participating in NASCAR, ARCA, Trans Am, Late Models, and Sprint cars. Its Trans Am package replicates a Howe Racing TA2 chassis, complete with cockpit controls and sounds.
“With NASCAR having so many more road-course races, it’s our goal for Silver Hare Racing to be the preferred team for drivers to get that road-course experience,” said Laura Hull, Silver Hare Racing co-owner and team manager. “We want to be that important step in the ladder for the young, up-and-coming drivers. We want people to know we have an arrive-and-drive program, where for people who want to run this track or another, we provide the opportunity to do that and be successful.”
Connor Mosack, driver, No. 77 Silver Hare Racing/PRG Chevrolet Camaro:
As was the case at NOLA, you’ll be seeing WWTR for the first time this weekend. Your thoughts about racing there?
“It’ll be my first time going there, but it is on the simulator, so I feel like I’ve gotten to run laps on it and have a good feel for what it’s going to be like. I’ve talked to Connor Zilisch some, he had some good tips for that place. Obviously, he and the team were pretty dominant there last year. I feel like we’ve got a good handle on it going into it.”
What stands out about the track for you, speaking from your experience on the simulator?
“It seems like a pretty straightforward place. It has one, long, sweeping right-hand corner, which is about the only one you might be able to approach differently, whereas the other corners are all kind of straightforward as far as there’s only one way to get through them. Then you get to the big-banked corner onto the NASCAR track, which I think will actually be a pretty fun corner and is somewhere I think we can make good speed at. I’m looking forward to going there. I think we’ll have good speed, so we’ll see what we can do.”
You’re coming off a resounding victory in the ARCA Menards Series Race at Kansas Speedway last weekend. Do you feel that gives you momentum this weekend at World Wide Technology Raceway?
“That springs confidence, any time you come off a win, especially one that you feel like you made the difference in as a driver. That definitely helps with performance and confidence in what you need in the car, and confidence as far as making moves during the race. All that stuff helps, for sure.”
Thoughts as you look ahead to the rest of the season with the first three races behind you?
“Obviously the first three races haven’t gone the way we wanted them to. But we’ve seen that our cars have speed, we’ve had flashes of speed so far this year. We’re still getting to know each other, but I think that every race we’re going to improve on that, and once we hit on what we need, I think we’ll have that speed and success. This is the weekend where we can turn things around and work our way into championship contention over these last nine races.”
Boris Said Jr., driver, No. 75 HendrickCars.com/Silver Hare Racing Chevrolet Camaro:
This weekend marks your second year in a row racing on the WWTR circuit. How was your experience there last year?
“Last year was a bit of a learning curve for us. It’s a very tricky track, but I’m definitely not going in blind this year, which I’m thankful for. It’s a pretty interesting track. It was the only time I’d ever driven on a NASCAR oval, or anything resembling an oval, which was a cool experience.”
How would you describe a lap around the 1.6-mile circuit?
“There’s not much to it, there are only eight corners and two that matter more than the others. It’s a unique track and a challenge, nothing like a Watkins Glen or a Road America, but definitely challenging. The two most important corners are getting onto the oval section (turn six), and the strip coming to the oval section (turn seven), the banked corner. Last year, the Silver Hare car was really, really good there and I think from what I know about the Silver Hare cars versus the car that I drove there last year, I think we’ll be really, really good again this year.”
How would you rate your progress now that you’re three races into the season?
“I feel like we’re definitely trending positively and I’m excited for Gateway. We’ll just keep taking it race by race like we have been and see where we end up by the end of the season.”
Jake Drew, driver, No. 7 Silver Hare Racing Chevrolet Camaro:
How have you been preparing for your first visit to WWTR, and what are your expectations for the weekend?
“I’ve been doing a little bit of iRacing, and have been watching a lot of the film back, like last year’s race broadcast, and I have some onboard stuff from last year that I’ve been able to study. It definitely gives us a lot of confidence seeing how dominant the team was there last year – it takes it to another level. Already, just working with this team and knowing what it’s capable of, as well as the momentum that I’ve been gaining in the car and the familiarity with the series, I’m looking forward to a pretty strong weekend.”
How would you describe the circuit and what it takes to get around it quickly?
“It looks like fun. It seems pretty straightforward, and I think the biggest name of the game is going to be tire wear and keeping four tires on it. Turn one seems like it could get a little bit tricky, it’s pretty narrow, it kind of comes at an angle, and the way the pit wall extends there, it gets pretty tight there, especially when you’re racing guys. Overall, you’ve got to know your limits and your boundaries of when and how hard you can push. The 180 coming back onto the oval (turns six and seven), you’ve got to focus on getting a good exit there. I don’t think we can make it through NASCAR three and four flat out, so just trying to minimize the speed loss there and not get tight or loose or spend too much time out of the throttle, for sure. These cars aren’t built to go through a corner that long, really, so it will be important to take care of the right-front (tire) through there. I think we got a good rehearsal at NOLA as far as learning how hard you can push for a qualifying lap, and then learning how much to back off and pace yourself throughout a race, so looking forward to using that experience to benefit even more this time, hopefully, and finish one spot better.”
You’ve had a strong opening two races with Silver Hare and the TA2 Series. To what do you attribute your success?
“It’s a lot of homework, for sure, being as prepared as possible when you show up and trying to eliminate as many things that you have to learn. Just using all my experience and my road-course background growing up, bouncing ideas off guys like previous drivers and everybody on the team. Everybody seems really knowledgeable and it all goes a long way.”
About Hendrick Automotive Group:
Representing 131 franchises and 25 manufacturer nameplates from the Carolinas to California, Hendrick Automotive Group is the largest privately held automotive retail organization in the United States. Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, the company employs more than 10,000 people in its 94 dealership locations, 21 collision centers and four accessories distributor installers in 13 states. For more information, please visit HendrickCars.com.
About HendrickCars.com:
HendrickCars.com is the online home for everything Hendrick Automotive Group. Visitors can shop thousands of new or pre-owned vehicles, locate centers for service and collision repair, receive a value to sell or trade their car, chat online with customer service, discover career opportunities, learn more about vehicle protection programs, and explore how the company gives back to the community.
About Silver Hare Racing:
Silver Hare Racing is a fulltime competitor in the TA2 division of the Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli. The multicar team has won the TA2 masters class championship three times (2018, 2019 and 2020) with driver and team co-owner Maurice Hull. Under the leadership of Hull’s wife, co-owner and team manager Laura Hull, Silver Hare Racing provides a variety of services that includes private testing and arrive-and-drive programs. The team offers six, professionally built and maintained TA2 chassis from Howe Racing and operates from a state-of-the-art facility in High Point, North Carolina. For more information, please visit SilverHareRacing.com.
Chart-Topping Roc Nation Artist, Indianapolis Native Comes Home for Emotional Performance
INDIANAPOLIS (Thursday, May 9, 2024) – Maeta, a Roc Nation artist who recently peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard R&B chart and an Indianapolis native, will perform the national anthem before the start of the Sonsio Grand Prix on Saturday, May 11 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
“The singing of the national anthem before the start of a race is always an emotional and moving moment,” IMS President J. Douglas Boles said. “Having an Indianapolis native, whose career is just taking off, ensures this performance will be memorable for all involved. Maeta’s rendition is sure to set the stage for an epic race on the 14-turn, 2.439-mile road course.”
Maeta has been described as a tour de force, and her EP “When I Hear Your Name” showcases collaborations with some of the greatest artists in the industry and illustrates her appeal as your favorite artist’s favorite artist. KAYTRANADA, Kehlani, Demi Lovato, Ty Dolla $ign and Lucky Daye are just a few of the artists featured on the EP.
Represented by powerhouse management agencies MBK Entertainment, Inc and JDH & Company, led by industry icons Jeff Robinson, Jeanine McLean and Jason Hobdy, Maeta has had an exciting year. She closed out 2023 touring across North America, the United Kingdom and Europe and released “When I Hear Your Name (Live).” She also stunned audiences with a captivating performance of “Through The Night” at the Soul Train Awards.
Most recently, Chris Brown announced that Maeta will join him on all tour dates of his 11:11 Tour, kicking off June 5 in Detroit. The tour also features special guests Arya Starr and Muni Long.
NBC’s live coverage of the Sonsio Grand Prix starts at 3 p.m. (ET) Saturday, May 11.
Visit IMS.com to purchase tickets for the Sonsio Grand Prix on Saturday, May 11 and for more information on the complete Month of May schedule at IMS.
The Buckle Up South Carolina 200 will mark just the second time Spire Motorsports will field a NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series (NCTS) entry at Darlington Raceway. Corey LaJoie drove the team’s No. 7 Chevy Silverado to a 16th-place finish in the 2023 edition of the Buckle Up South Carolina 200. Spire Motorsports fields the Nos. 7, 71 and 77 Chevrolet Silverados full time in the NCTS. An all-star driver lineup will rotate throughout the 2024 season in the No. 7 Chevy. Rajah Caruth drives the No. 71 entry and Chase Purdy rounds out the team’s fleet of Chevrolets in the No. 77.
The Buckle Up South Carolina 200 will be televised live on FS1 Friday, May 10, beginning at 7:30 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time. The ninth of 23 NCTS races on the 2024 schedule will be broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90. NASCAR RaceDay’s pre-race coverage on FS1 will take the green flag at 6:30 p.m. EDT.
Kyle Busch – Driver, No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet Silverado
Kyle Busch will make his fifth and final NCTS start of 2024 for Spire Motorsports in Friday’s Buckle Up South Carolina 200. Across his four starts for Spire this season, he has compiled two wins, 263 laps led and three top-five finishes. The Las Vegas native opened his Spire tenure with a win in February at Atlanta Motor Speedway and was also victorious at Texas Motor Speedway in his most recent start.
Despite having 174 career starts in the Truck Series, this will be Busch’s first time trying to tame ‘The Lady in Black’ in NASCAR’s Truck Series. He has visited Victory Lane at 20 different venues in NCTS action across his illustrious career.
Busch has one win in the NASCAR Cup Series at Darlington (2008) and two wins (2011 & 2013) in NASCAR Xfinity Series action.
BAMF Enterprises will serve as the primary sponsor on Busch’s No. 7 Silverado for Friday night’s 147-lap event. BAMF is a commercial real estate company that focuses on buying existing warehouse facilities and modernizing them to meet Ecommerce demands in the marketplace. The bedtop will feature The Samantha and Kyle Busch Foundation, which is dedicated to advocating for infertility education and awareness and removing financial barriers by granting monetary awards to couples who require fertility treatments to have their own bundle of joy.
In addition to being the winningest driver in Truck Series history with 66 wins, Busch also leads the series all-time with an average finish of 6.4 and ranks second in laps led (8,050).
‘Rowdy’ has won 37.9% (66/174) of the Truck Series races he has entered and finished first or second in 57.4% (100/174). Over his last 33 NCTS starts, he has posted an average finish of 2.8, while registering 17 wins and 29 top-three finishes during that span.
With his win at Atlanta earlier this year, he extended his series-best streak of winning at least one race to 12 consecutive Truck Series seasons (2013-2024).
After eight races, the No. 7 team ranks third in the 2024 NCTS owner point standings. The team has complied an average starting position of 5.1 and an average finish of 10.1 while leading 268 laps this season.
In his first season at Spire Motorsports, crew chief Brian Pattie has led the No. 7 team to two victories across the first eight events this season, both with Busch (Atlanta Motor Speedway and Texas Motor Speedway). The duo also won twice across five races last year at Kyle Busch Motorsports.
In last year’s NCTS race at Darlington, Pattie guided William Byron to a fourth-place finish.
Kyle Busch Quotes Are you excited to be racing a truck for the first time at Darlington? “I’m looking forward to Friday night’s Truck Series race at Darlington. The Truck Series has only raced at Darlington I think maybe 10 times or so and just started going regularly the last five years, but it never worked out for me on my truck schedule. I remember when Darlington came back on the schedule when we first started KBM it was on a Cup off weekend and we had a vacation planned already, so Kasey Kahne got in our truck at KBM and went out and won the race. For whatever reason, the last several years whether it was a Triple Truck Challenge race, or we had other drivers of the 51 that wanted that race, like last year with William Byron, I always kind of got what was leftover on the schedule and Darlington never was one of those. We’ve got a new sponsor onboard with BAMF Enterprises. The truck looks great. We’re also thankful to them for allowing us to raise awareness for The Samantha and Kyle Busch Bundle of Joy Fund by putting the logo on the bedtop. Hopefully, we can go out and get them to Victory Lane their first time being a sponsor in NASCAR and end my 2024 Truck Series schedule on a high note.”
Rajah Caruth – Driver, No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet Silverado
Rajah Caruth will pilot Spire Motorsports’ No. 71 HENDRICKCARS.COM Chevrolet Silverado in Friday night’s Buckle Up South Carolina 200 at Darlington Raceway.
Caruth started fourth and finished 10th in last week’s race at Kansas Speedway.
HENDRICKCARS.COM is the online home for everything Hendrick Automotive Group. Visitors can shop thousands of new or pre-owned vehicles, locate centers for service and collision repair, receive a value to sell or trade their car, chat online with customer service, discover career opportunities, learn more about vehicle protections programs, and explore how the company gives back to the community.
Caruth has one prior NCTS start and one additional NASCAR Xfinity Series start at the 1.33-mile egg-shaped oval and looks to better his venue-best sixth-place finish in Friday night’s 200-miler.
The Winston-Salem (N.C.) State University senior is currently sixth in the NCTS championship point standings after eight races. He has logged one pole, one win, five top-10’s and eight top-15 finishes. He’s recorded a 10th place average start, a 8.4 average finish and completed 100 percent of the laps contested this season.
With his first career NCTS win and pole position earlier this season at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Caruth became the third African American driver, alongside NASCAR Hall of Famer, Wendell Scott and current NASCAR Cup Series regular Bubba Wallace, to win a NASCAR National Touring Series race.
The 21-year-old started racing professionally online for the first time in the eNASCAR Ignite Series. He finished 20th in points. Caruth still races with iRacing for recreation.
Rajah Caruth Quotes Darlington is one of a kind. How do you prepare yourself for the challenge of the track known as “Too Tough to Tame?” “I am very excited to go to Darlington. This racetrack is a lot of fun to drive and fortunately I’ve had speed there in the past. It’s a super technical and hard racetrack to drive but we’re all up to the challenge. I’ve raced late models down the street in Florence, so this area is always near and dear to my heart. Hopefully, we can get back on our game this week and continue to get back to where we left off in March.”
Chase Purdy – Driver, No.77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet Silverado
Chase Purdy will pilot Spire Motorsports’ No.77 Bama Buggies Chevrolet Silverado in Friday night’s Buckle Up South Carolina 200.
Purdy heads to Darlington Raceway 17th in the NCTS driver point standings. He started on the pole and finished 28th last weekend at Kansas Speedway.
In four NCTS starts at Darlington Raceway, Purdy has an average start of 18th and an average finish of 29.5. The Meridian, Miss., native has completed 424 of the 601 laps he’s contested (70.5 percent) at the “Track Too Tough To Tame.”
The Buckle Up South Carolina 200 will mark Purdy’s 84th NCTS start and his ninth behind the wheel of the No.77 Bama Buggies Chevrolet.
Purdy’s Gasman, Brandon Chapman, was a part of Wake Forest University football program from 2018-2021. In 2021, he played for Clemson University where he recorded one reception for 11 yards. After his college tenure, he had a professional tryout with the NFL’s Chicago Bears and Indianapolis Colts in 2022. This is his second full-time season in NASCAR.
Purdy’s Crew Chief Jason Trinchere has six starts in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at Darlington Raceway with Kaulig Racing. In Trinchere’s six starts, he has called two top 10s, including a pole in 2021 with AJ Allmendinger.
Chase Purdy Quotes What are your thoughts going into Darlington? “Excited to get to Darlington! Always a unique place to race at and has a very prestigious history. We had good speed there last year before we had issues and I hope we can come back even stronger this year and shake off last week’s mishaps.” From the Top of the Box
Brian Pattie – Crew Chief, No. 7 Chevrolet Silverado
In his first season at Spire Motorsports, Brian Pattie has led the No. 7 team to two victories, both with Kyle Busch. The duo also won twice across five races last year at KBM.
Pattie also collected a victory with Ron Fellows at Watkins Glen International in 1999 to give him five career NCTS wins.
Pattie was atop the pit box for six wins across 14 seasons in the NASCAR Cup Series and has 11 career victories as a crew chief in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.
Chad Walter – Crew Chief, No. 71 Chevrolet Silverado
Chad Walter has over two decades of experience and began his career with Hendrick Motorsports in 1996.
Walter guided Caruth to his first NCTS win March 1, 2024 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Some of his most notable accomplishments include a pair of Daytona 500 victories (2001 & 2003) with Michael Waltrip, along with Cup Series wins with Steve Park and Terry Labonte.
Jason Trinchere – Crew Chief, No. 77 Chevrolet Silverado
Jason Trinchere earned his Bachelor of Science from Penn State University and began his professional career in 2005 as the race engineer for the iconic No. 75 Spears Manufacturing NCTS team, owned by series’ pioneers Wayne and Connie Spears.
Notable accomplishments include Daytona 500 and Brickyard 400 wins with both Ganassi Racing and Penske Racing. He was a key member of the 2018 NASCAR Cup Series Championship team with driver Joey Logano.
About Spire Motorsports … Spire Motorsports is a NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series race team co-owned by long-time NASCAR industry executives Jeff Dickerson and Thaddeus “T.J.” Puchyr. In 2024, Spire Motorsports will campaign the Nos. 7, 71 and 77 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1s in the NASCAR Cup Series with drivers Corey LaJoie, Zane Smith and Carson Hocevar, respectively. The team will also field the Nos. 7, 71 and 77 Chevrolet Silverados full time in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series. An all-star driver lineup will rotate throughout the 2024 season in the No. 7 Chevy. Rajah Caruth will drive the No. 71 entry and Chase Purdy rounds out the team’s fleet of Chevrolets in the No. 77.
Spire Motorsports earned its inaugural NASCAR Cup Series victory in its first full season of competition when Justin Haley took the checkered flag in the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway on July 7, 2019. Less than three years later, William Byron drove Spire Motorsports’ No. 7 Chevrolet Silverado to its inaugural NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series win on April 7, 2022, at Martinsville Speedway. The team’s most recent win came on April 12, 2024, when Kyle Busch took the took the checkered flag in the SpeedyCash.com 250 at Texas Motor Speedway.
As Counterparts Pay for NASCAR All-Star Race Votes, Haley Keeps it Real
MOORESVILLE, N.C. (May 9, 2024) – Fake electors. Paid actors. That’s how SOME are trying to get voted into the NASCAR All-Star Race.
Justin Haley, however, rises above this deception. Straight from America’s Heartland in Winamac, Indiana, Justin Haley stands out. He is a winner across all three of NASCAR’s top national touring series – Cup, Xfinity and Craftsman Truck – and a bastion of all that is right who EARNS his All-Star votes.
The driver of the No. 51 Ford Mustang Dark Horse for Rick Ware Racing is the wall-rippin’, inflation-fightin’, puppy-savin’, sun is shinin’, Crocs with Jibbitz wearin’ hero fans need today, tomorrow and, most definitely, on May 19 at North Wilkesboro (N.C.) Speedway for the 40th running of the All-Star Race.
You want real. You deserve real. So, DEMAND Justin Haley by casting your vote for him early and often at www.nascar.com/fanvote. Remember, you don’t just vote “YES” for Justin Haley, you vote #HaleYES!
With each vote that is cast for Justin Haley, eagles fly higher, the Statue of Liberty grows taller, and the array of power tools available here in America become even more powerful.
Rick Ware has been a motorsports mainstay for more than 40 years. It began at age 6 when the third-generation racer began his driving career and has since spanned four wheels and two wheels on both asphalt and dirt. Competing in the SCCA Trans Am Series and other road-racing divisions led Ware to NASCAR in the early 1980s, where he finished third in his NASCAR debut – the 1983 Warner W. Hodgdon 300 NASCAR Grand American race at Riverside (Calif.) International Raceway. More than a decade later, injuries would force Ware out of the driver seat and into fulltime team ownership. In 1995, Rick Ware Racing was formed, and with wife Lisa by his side, Ware has since built his eponymous organization into an entity that fields two fulltime entries in the NASCAR Cup Series while simultaneously campaigning successful teams in the Top Fuel class of the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series, the NTT INDYCAR Series, Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup, Progressive American Flat Track and FIM World Supercross Championship (WSX).
The thrill of competition and the rush of victory are unparalleled in sports. However, for many enthusiasts, the excitement extends beyond the field or court and into sports backing. With the rise of online platforms, sports aficionados can now immerse themselves in the action like never before. But how exactly does one embark on this journey of sports betting?
Embracing the Evolution of Sports
Gone are the days of traditional betting at brick-and-mortar establishments. The digital age has ushered in a new era of convenience and accessibility, allowing enthusiasts to place bets from the comfort of their homes or on the go. Players can access various sports markets spanning football, basketball, tennis, cricket, and beyond. The evolution of sports betting has transformed it from a niche pastime to a global phenomenon, attracting millions of participants worldwide.
The First Step, Navigating the Registration Process
Registering on a platform is the first step towards unlocking a world of thrilling possibilities. Some platforms simplify this process, ensuring a seamless experience for users. To begin, prospective bettors navigate to the registration page, where they are prompted to provide essential information such as their name, email address, and preferred currency. This initial step lays the foundation for a personalized betting journey tailored to each user’s individual preferences.
Verifying Your Identity and Your Age
Ensure the site prioritizes security and responsible gambling practices like any reputable betting platform. Users are required to verify their identity and age to ensure compliance with legal regulations. This typically involves submitting documentation such as a government-issued ID or passport. By adhering to stringent verification procedures, the site maintains a safe and transparent environment for users to engage in sports betting responsibly.
Exploring The Markets and Your Options
Once registration is complete and identity verification is finalized, users can access an extensive selection of betting markets and options. Whether you’re passionate about football, basketball, or niche sports like table tennis or esports, find a platform that offers something for everyone. From traditional match-winner bets to more intricate propositions and live betting opportunities, the platform caters to diverse preferences and betting styles.
Harnessing Data and Analysis
Successful sports betting is not merely a game of chance; it requires a strategic approach informed by data and analysis. Most platforms will equip players with the tools to make informed decisions, providing access to comprehensive statistics, live scores, and expert insights. By leveraging this information, bettors can enhance their understanding of the sports they love and make more calculated predictions.
Responsible Gambling Practices
While sports betting undoubtedly adds an extra layer of excitement to the fan experience, it’s essential to approach it with caution and responsibility. Use a platform that promotes responsible gambling practices, empowering users to set deposit limits, self-exclude if necessary, and seek support if gambling becomes problematic.
Closing
By embracing the evolution of sports betting and harnessing the power of technology, enthusiasts can immerse themselves in the excitement of their favorite sports like never before. From navigating the registration process to exploring an extensive array of betting markets and options, find a user-friendly platform for novice bettors and seasoned experts.
Darlington Raceway Sunday, May 12, 2024 1.366-Mile Oval 3:00 PM ET Location: Darlington, South Carolina TV: Fox Event: NASCAR Cup Series race (13 of 36) Radio: SiriusXM, PRN
5 KYLE LARSON Age: 31 (July 31, 1992) Hometown: Elk Grove, California Resides: Mooresville, North Carolina Crew Chief: Cliff Daniels Standings: 1st
Kyle Larson, driver of the No. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM Throwback Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, will be available to members of the media in the Darlington Raceway media center on Saturday, May 11, at 9:45 a.m. local time.
NOT IN KANSAS ANYMORE: Last Sunday at Kansas Speedway, Kyle Larson beat Chris Buescher to the checkered flag by 0.001 seconds – the closest finish in NASCAR Cup Series history. The Elk Grove, California, native led 64 laps en route to his second victory of the season. Larson continues to lead the point standings, now 29 markers ahead.
OUT FRONT: Larson has led at least one lap in nine of 12 races this season for a total of 634 – 28 more laps out front than the nearest competitor. This is the most he has led in a season through 12 events and is 123 more at this point compared to his 2021 season when he set the record for laps led (2,581) during a 36-race Cup Series schedule.
STAGE LEFT: The driver of the No. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM Chevrolet has six stage victories through 12 races this season, tied for the most all-time through a dozen races. Larson has collected 16 playoff points – 10 via race victories and six through stage wins. He has earned 145 stage points, 30 more than second place in that statistical category.
FIVE FOR 5: Larson leads the series in top-five finishes this year with six – one ahead of Hendrick Motorsports teammate Chase Elliott and two ahead of teammates William Byron and Alex Bowman, who are part of a seven-way tie for third. Larson has also run the most laps in the top five (2,061), has the second-best average running position (8.50) and the third-best average finish (10.83) in 2024.
RECENTLY: While he is the most recent winner on the circuit, Larson also won the last event held at Darlington Raceway. The 2021 Cup Series champion led 55 laps last September to capture his first Southern 500 victory, marking the 500th NASCAR national series triumph for the Hendrick Motorsports engine department. The win was also Larson’s first at NASCAR’s highest level at the 1.366-mile egg-shaped oval. The 2014 rookie of the year also scored a victory at Darlington in the NASCAR Xfinity Series in 2023.
SOUTH CAROLINA STATS: In 12 Cup starts at Darlington, Larson has six top-three finishes. His 770 laps led at the track “Too Tough to Tame” are his third-most at any track on the schedule. Additionally, Larson’s average finish (9.42) is the third-best all-time among drivers with more than two starts at the historic track.
STANDBY UPDATE: Last month at Dover Motor Speedway, it was announced Kevin Harvick will be the standby driver for Larson in the No. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM Chevrolet ZL1 at North Wilkesboro Speedway because of commitments with the Indianapolis 500. Harvick is now scheduled to participate in practice and qualify the No. 5 entry on Friday, May 17.
THROWING IT BACK TO TERRY: During Darlington’s throwback weekend, the No. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM Throwback Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 will pay tribute to Terry Labonte’s classic livery that he drove to the 1996 Cup Series championship, which marked the second of 14 premier series titles for team owner Rick Hendrick. Larson is the team’s most recent champion in 2021. Check out all angles of the throwback paint scheme here.
YOUR CAR NEEDS: From the convenience of home, HENDRICKCARS.COM customers can select the category, make, model and vehicle packages that are important to them from the nearly 30,000 new, high-quality pre-owned and certified cars, trucks and SUVs available at HENDRICKCARS.COM. The website also makes it easy for customers to find one of Hendrick Automotive Group’s 93 dealership locations nationwide.
WE’RE HIRING: Hendrick Automotive Group is hiring more than 300 technicians at its dealerships throughout the country. Positions are open for all skill levels and offer tuition and training reimbursement. Interested people can apply at HENDRICKCARS.COM.
KEEP IT ROLLING: Chase Elliott continues his impressive 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season, highlighted by five top-five finishes in the last six races – including a win at Texas Motor Speedway last month. Elliott’s average finish in those six races is 5.33, the best among the Cup Series field. In the premier series’ most recent race (at Kansas Speedway), the 2020 Cup Series champion started ninth and brought home a third-place result in a wild overtime finish.
STOUT NUMBERS: Through 12 races, the Dawsonville, Georgia, native sits third in the points standings, just 55 markers behind the leader, Hendrick Motorsports teammate Kyle Larson. Elliott has secured one win (Texas) and his five top-five finishes are second-best in the series behind Larson. He ranks fourth in laps run in the top five (959) and top 10 (2,009). Additionally, Elliott holds the second-best average finish (9.67) – one of only two drivers in the single digits – has the fourth-best average running position (10.90) among series regulars and the sixth-most stage points (80) earned.
DARLINGTON DATA: Sunday marks Elliott’s 15th start at Darlington Raceway in the Cup Series. In his previous 14 races at the 1.366-mile oval, he has collected four top-five finishes, seven top-10s and led 151 laps. Last season, he finished in the top 10 in the spring and fall races, posting his track-best Cup finish of third last May. Outside of the premier series, the six-time National Motorsports Press Association Most Popular Driver Award winner has made three Darlington starts in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, earning a win at the track during his 2014 rookie season.
SIMILAR TRACK STATS: In 58 Cup starts on tracks measuring 1 to 1.37 miles in length (Darlington, Dover Motor Speedway, Nashville Superspeedway, New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Phoenix Raceway and WWT Raceway), Elliott has four wins. His first came at Dover in 2018, followed by his championship-winning performance at Phoenix in 2020. His two most recent victories on a track in this length range came in 2022, with wins at Dover and Nashville. Accompanying his quartet of triumphs are 23 top-five finishes, 30 top-10s and 1,246 laps led.
AG IN SC: On Sunday, Alan Gustafson will call his 25th Darlington race in his 20th season as a Cup Series crew chief. In his previous 24 starts at the track with five different drivers (Kyle Busch, Casey Mears, Elliott and NASCAR Hall of Famers Jeff Gordon and Mark Martin), Gustafson has accumulated one win (2009 with Martin), six top-five finishes, 11 top-10s and 222 laps led.
NEXT GEN NUMBERS: Since the introduction of the Next Gen car in 2022, Elliott has earned six wins, placing him in a three-way tie for the fourth-most victories. In that span, he holds the best average finish (12.26).
FAST FIVE: Last month at Texas, the No. 9 pit crew laid down the fastest four-tire pit stop (9.076 seconds) of the 2024 season, according to data from Racing Insights. The over-the-wall squad, which has remained the same since 2018, posted the best average four-tire pit stop time at Kansas (9.743 seconds) and currently holds the fastest average four-tire pit stop time (10.651 seconds) this season. The 2021 Mechanix Wear Most Valuable Pit Crew award-winning group is comprised of Chad Avrit (rear-tire changer), Jared Erspamer (tire carrier), John Gianninoto (fueler), Nick O’Dell (front-tire changer) and T.J. Semke (jackman).
FITTING THROWBACK: This weekend, Elliott will run a special throwback scheme at Darlington in celebration of Hendrick Motorsports’ 40th anniversary and the 10th anniversary of Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s 2014 DAYTONA 500 victory. Elliott’s No. 9 UniFirst Throwback Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 will don a special livery inspired by Earnhardt Jr.’s No. 88 National Guard Chevrolet with the same red, white and blue scheme with gold accents. Check out all the angles of the throwback look here.
SUPPORT THE CAUSE: In conjunction with NASCAR’s Official Throwback Weekend, the Chase Elliott Foundation will auction off the Earnhardt Jr.-inspired skeleton gloves Elliott will wear in Sunday’s race at Darlington. All proceeds raised will be donated to the National Guard Relief Foundation. No. 9 team partner UniFirst is joining the cause and will match the donations raised dollar-for-dollar up to $25,000. Elliott’s gloves will be available via charity auction on The NASCAR Foundation eBay Auction Page, starting on Thursday, May 9, at 9 p.m. ET.
24 WILLIAM BYRON Age: 26 (Nov. 29, 1997) Hometown: Charlotte, North Carolina Resides: Charlotte, North Carolina Crew Chief: Rudy Fugle Standings: 7th
No. 24 Axalta Throwback Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
William Byron, driver of the No. 24 Axalta Throwback Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, will be available to members of the media in the Darlington Raceway media center on Saturday, May 11, at 9:30 a.m. local time.
24 IN ‘24: William Byron’s 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season has been impressive. The Charlotte, North Carolina, native is tied for the series lead in wins (three), is in a seven-way tie for third in top-five finishes (four) with Hendrick Motorsports teammate Alex Bowman and a four-way tie (also with Bowman) for the most top-10s (seven). He’s spent the sixth-most laps (1,554) in the top 10. Byron is also fourth in average finishing position among series regulars (13.00) and sits seventh in the Cup Series points standings after 12 races.
NEXT GEN DUO: Since the Next Gen Cup Series car was introduced in 2022, Byron and crew chief Rudy Fugle have a series-leading 11 wins. The duo is ahead of teammates Kyle Larson (nine wins) and crew chief Cliff Daniels (eight wins). Byron also has the second-best average finish (13.23) in the Next Gen car behind teammate Chase Elliott. Fugle and Byron rank fourth for the most wins by an active driver and crew chief pairing with 12 victories.
SIMILAR IN SIZE: This Sunday’s race at Darlington Raceway will mark Byron’s 46th start on tracks 1 to 1.37 miles in length (Darlington, Dover Motor Speedway, Nashville Superspeedway, New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Phoenix Raceway and WWT Raceway). In his previous 45 starts, the 26-year-old driver has collected two pole awards, two wins (Darlington and Phoenix in 2023), 10 top-five finishes, 19 top-10s and 571 laps led.
DARLINGTON DEETS: With 11 previous Cup Series starts at Darlington, Byron is looking to continue his success at the 1.366-mile track. In last season’s spring race, the Charlotte, North Carolina, native won after starting fourth and leading seven laps for the No. 24 Chevrolet’s 100th Cup Series victory. In the last seven races at the South Carolina track, Byron has four top-five finishes and five top-10s. Over the four Next Gen races at Darlington, he has the best average running position (6.18), best average finish (6.50) and leads the field in laps run in the top five (898) and top 10 (1,083).
DOUBLE DUTY: Byron is pulling double duty at Darlington this weekend. In addition to Sunday’s Cup Series race, he’ll drive the No. 17 HENDRICKCARS.COM Chevrolet Camaro for Hendrick Motorsports in the NASCAR Xfinity Series on Saturday afternoon. This is the second of four Xfinity starts for Byron this season and the third of 10 races for the No. 17 HENDRICKCARS.COM Chevy.
MCSWAIN MANIA: For Byron’s Xfinity Series races in 2024, the lead engineer on his No. 24 Cup Series team, Brandon McSwain, will climb on top of the pit box as the crew chief. In their first start at Phoenix, the No. 17 Chevy was in the top 10 before being collected in an on-track incident. The duo previously worked together in the Xfinity Series when McSwain was a race engineer at Hendrick Motorsports affiliate JR Motorsports, amassing four wins in Byron’s 2017 championship campaign. They have one Xfinity Series start at Darlington together, where Byron started sixth and finished fifth.
THE FUGLE FILES: When the Cup Series returns to Darlington, it will mark the seventh trip to the South Carolina track for crew chief Fugle at the top level of NASCAR. In his past six Cup Series starts, Fugle and the No. 24 team have collected one win, three top-five finishes, four top-10s and 81 laps led. Before his Cup Series career, Fugle had only three previous starts at Darlington – two in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series and one in the Xfinity Series.
THROWIN’ IT BACK: Axalta unveiled Byron’s No. 24 Chevrolet throwback look last week. Paying tribute to team vice chairman Jeff Gordon, the No. 24 Axalta Chevy will don the iconic “Firestorm” paint scheme that Gordon ran during the 2009 season. For a closer look at the scheme, click here.
PIT ROAD PROWESS: After 12 races in the 2024 season, the No. 24 pit crew continues their success from last year. The five-person crew ranks third for the fastest average four-tire pit stop (10.971 seconds). The No. 24 pit crew consists of Spencer Bishop (jackman), Jeff Cordero (front-tire changer), Orane Ossowski (rear-tire changer), Ryan Patton (tire carrier) and Landon Walker (fueler).
SOUTH CAROLINA STATE OF MIND: While the fueler on the No. 24 team hails from North Wilkesboro, North Carolina, Walker also has significant ties to the southernmost Carolina state, having played football at Clemson University. The former college offensive tackle earned a scholarship to Clemson in 2007 after being named an All-American offensive lineman in his hometown at East Wilkes High School. While playing at Clemson, Walker recorded 3,131 snaps with 49 starts at tackle through four seasons at the University. In 2011, Walker was named team captain, the same season Clemson went on to win the Atlantic Coast Conference championship. The college football standout was recruited by Hendrick Motorsports in 2012 and earned a position as the starting fueler for the former No. 5 (now No. 24) team in 2015.
SUNFLOWER STATE STATS: Alex Bowman scored a seventh-place finish upon taking the checkered flag last Sunday at Kansas Speedway. His result in “The Sunflower State” marks his seventh top-10 in the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season and his fourth in a row at the 1.5-mile track. The 31-year-old driver has now finished within the top 10 (nine) in over half of his 17 starts at the Kansas City, Kansas, venue.
TALKING TOP 10S: Bowman’s seven top-10 finishes place him in a four-way tie for the series lead along with Hendrick Motorsports teammate William Byron. The Tucson, Arizona, native’s three straight top-10s are tied for the longest active streak of all drivers in the sport’s top series. If Bowman scores a top-10 result this weekend at Darlington Raceway, he will match his longest top-10 streak at four races, which he has accomplished on five previous occasions. With six top-10 finishes through the last eight races, Bowman and Hendrick Motorsports teammate Chase Elliott have the most top-10s during this span.
HIGHLY RANKED: After 12 races this season, Bowman ranks ninth in the Cup Series points standings, 131 points behind the leader, teammate Kyle Larson. He has claimed four top-five finishes this season, placing him in a seven-way tie for third that includes teammate Byron. The driver of the No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 holds the fifth-best average finish (13.08) this season, just behind teammates Byron (13.00), Larson (10.83) and Elliott (9.67).
DARLINGTON DOWNLOAD: Bowman will return to “The Lady in Black” for his 13th Cup Series start at the South Carolina venue this weekend. Sunday’s race will mark his sixth start at the track with Ally as the No. 48 team’s primary partner. At Darlington, Bowman has secured three top-10 finishes, with a best finish of second in May of 2020. In addition, he has completed 97.6% of his laps attempted and led 42 laps at the 1.366-mile track.
LEGENDARY SCHEME: For NASCAR’s Official Throwback Weekend, Bowman will sport the No. 48 Ally Throwback Chevrolet Camaro ZL1. The legendary blue and yellow scheme pays tribute to the No. 48 Chevy’s early seasons with the NASCAR Hall of Famer duo of Jimmie Johnson and crew chief Chad Knaus. The scheme celebrates this iconic car number’s past and the success that followed as part of Hendrick Motorsports’ 40th anniversary in the sport’s premier series.
PIT CREW POWER: Entering the 13th race of the season, the Ally Racing pit crew has the seventh-fastest average four-tire stop (11.088 seconds). The No. 48 over-the-wall crew is composed of Andrew Bridgeforth (rear-tire changer), Jacob Conley (fueler), Brandon Grier (tire carrier), Allen Holman (jackman) and Donnie Tasser (front-tire changer).
DARLINGTON DOGS: Bowman and Ally are going on their fourth consecutive year supporting Best Friends Animal Society and their vast network of partners. This weekend’s beneficiary of the pair’s $4,800 donation is Darlington County Humane Society, just a five-minute drive from the track. The shelter is a non-profit organization with the mission of promoting the humane care of dogs and cats in Darlington County and it has cared for over 3,000 animals. Visit the shelter this race weekend and view their dogs and cats available for adoption here.
Hendrick Motorsports
2024
All-Time
Darlington
Races
12
1,357
66
Wins
6*
307*
16*
Poles
4*
250*
8
Top 5
19*
1,251*
56*
Top 10
26*
2,138*
92*
Laps Led
956
80,713*
3,734*
Stage Wins
7
105
3
*Most **Most (tie)
FABULOUS 40: In 2024, Hendrick Motorsports is celebrating its 40th anniversary. Among the categories that the organization holds the NASCAR Cup Series record for are all-time wins (307), poles (250), laps led (80,713) and championships (14). With its results at Kansas Speedway, the team reached over 1,250 top-five finishes to mark the first time that an organization has reached that milestone.
HENDRICK HOMECOMING: On May 24 and 25, Hendrick Motorsports will hold “Hendrick Homecoming.” The free fan event, taking place over the same weekend as the Coca-Cola 600 and Indianapolis 500, will celebrate the organization’s 40th anniversary and feature autograph sessions with past and present drivers, games, displays, giveaways and more. For more information on the schedule of appearances (as they are announced) and how fans can register to enter the raffle for autograph sessions, click here.
WINNING TRIO: In 2024, William Byron (three wins), Kyle Larson (two wins) and Chase Elliott (one win) have tallied six wins through the first 12 races of the season for Hendrick Motorsports. The Concord, North Carolina, based squad has won at least six races in a year in 19 of the last 24 seasons. The six-victory start to this year is the team’s second-best mark at this point in a season, with 2007’s nine wins through 12 races as the best start to a campaign in organizational history.
BY A WHISKER: Larson’s win at Kansas resulted in the closest finish in Cup Series history (0.001 seconds). In fact, Hendrick Motorsports has won two of the three closest finishes in the sport’s top series with the other taking place in Jimmie Johnson’s win by 0.002 seconds on April 17, 2011, at Talladega Superspeedway.
DON’T WAIT, VOTE NOW: Darlington Raceway’s annual “Best in Show” Throwback Paint Scheme Fan Vote has officially launched! Fans can vote for their favorite scheme here. Voting concludes at 10 a.m. ET on the morning of the race, May 12, 2024. The official rules can be found here.
ON TOP AT DARLINGTON: The company’s 16 Cup Series wins at Darlington are the most all-time by a team. Team vice chairman Jeff Gordon’s seven wins account for nearly half of the total. Johnson posted three wins at the 1.366-mile track, including the organization’s 200th Cup Series win in 2012. Byron, Larson, Terry Labonte, Mark Martin, Tim Richmond and Ricky Rudd each tallied one trip to victory lane for the team at the track “Too Tough to Tame.” On 12 occasions, Hendrick Motorsports has won the Southern 500. With Byron’s spring victory and Larson’s playoff win in 2023, the team swept the premier series events at the South Carolina track for the first time since 2004. Larson’s win also marked the 500th national series win for the Hendrick Motorsports engine department.
SPRING REWIND: In last year’s spring race at Darlington, Byron won to notch the 100th victory for the iconic No. 24, while Elliott finished third. Larson was battling for the lead with less than 15 laps to go in regulation before contact with another competitor took him out of contention. Bowman missed this race due to injury.
PIT POWER: Based on Racing Insights data, all four Hendrick Motorsports pit crews rank in the top seven among Cup Series teams for the fastest average four-tire pit stop. The No. 9 pit crew tops the board (10.651 seconds), followed by the No. 24 pit crew in third (10.971 seconds), the No. 5 pit crew in fourth (10.996 seconds) and the No. 48 pit crew is seventh (11.088 seconds).
XFINITY RIDES AGAIN: The organization’s third of its 10 NASCAR Xfinity Series races in 2024 will occur on Saturday at Darlington. Byron will be behind the wheel of the No. 17 HENDRICKCARS.COM Chevrolet Camaro in his second of four starts for the team. No. 24 lead engineer Brandon McSwain will be back atop the pit box (as he will be for all of Byron’s Xfinity starts). In addition to Byron, Larson (two starts, already made one at Circuit of The Americas), Elliott (two starts), Alex Bowman (one race) and Boris Said (one race) are also scheduled to drive the car. 2014 Xfinity Series champion crew chief Greg Ives will call the shots for the non-Byron races.
EDGE OF SEVENTEEN: The last time that the No. 17 was on track at COTA, Larson scored the organization’s first Xfinity Series win in 15 years. Since returning to the series in a part-time capacity in 2022, Hendrick Motorsports has made 12 starts. In those races, the team has four pole positions, one win, three runner-up results, seven top-five finishes and eight top-10s. The No. 17 carries special significance to the Hendrick Motorsports family as it is the same number Ricky Hendrick drove and won with in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series. In its history, Hendrick Motorsports has earned one Xfinity Series championship (2003) and 27 race wins in the series.
QUOTABLE /
Kyle Larson, driver of the No. 5 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on the throwback scheme and what he loves about racing at Darlington Raceway: “We’ve been trying to run this paint scheme ever since I joined Hendrick Motorsports and I am glad we are finally getting to run it. It’s such an iconic paint scheme and it’s cool that Terry (Labonte) will be in Darlington and see it on the track once again. I love racing at Darlington because we are right up against the wall. I was finally able to get to victory lane in a (NASCAR) Cup (Series) car last year. It was such a cool night to celebrate a Southern 500 victory with the team. Hopefully, we can battle for the win again on Sunday.”
Cliff Daniels, crew chief of the No. 5 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on his childhood memories of the original version (driven by Terry Labonte) of the team’s throwback scheme: “I had so many Matchbox cars of that car. I loved it. I played with it with my Dale Earnhardt and my Jeff Gordon cars. I was in love with those things. Back then, I would always be glued to the television every Sunday. I was a huge fan and I just really liked watching it. I kept all my Matchbox cars from when I was a kid and my son, who is two, now has all of my Matchbox cars. So that car surfaces about once a week. He’ll dig it out of the pile out of all of my old cars and that one will come about. He will yell, ‘hey dad, 5 car’ and he’ll play with it for a little while.”
Chase Elliott, driver of the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on racing at Darlington: “We have had some really good runs there, have had a couple opportunities to win and it just hasn’t gone our way for whatever reason. So, we just need to get up in the mix. I feel like it had become a place that we really struggled at the last year and a half or so. I did think that we were way better last fall. I thought we made some really nice gains from where we had been there in the past couple years.”
Elliott on what makes Darlington such a tough track: “It’s a tough place. This race, being a hundred miles shorter than the (Southern) 500, is a little different, but still a tough racetrack and a place that’s just – these cars are so fragile with the way the suspension components are, even now that they’ve changed them a lot. You just can’t afford to hit the wall very hard. You end up bending something and it can ruin your day. That risk versus reward and the fine line of when to push and how hard to push is important there.”
Alan Gustafson, crew chief of the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on what he likes about competing at Darlington: “I enjoy going to Darlington (Raceway). The two ends of the race track are different, which is cool and makes it fun. I really like the racing surface. In our last race there in the fall, we were pretty decent. We weren’t exactly where we wanted to be but we were making strides. That makes me excited to head back this weekend to see the progress we’ve made since then.”
William Byron, driver of the No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on racing at Darlington: “There’s nothing like getting ready for Darlington (Raceway). Throwback weekend is really fun. We have a really cool-looking Axalta Chevy with the black base and the bright flames like Jeff (Gordon)’s 2009 scheme. It’s always exciting to go to that track and compete. That place is so nostalgic and the fans really show up. There’s just something about that track that has clicked for me and I hope we have a strong showing there again.”
Rudy Fugle, crew chief of the No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on the challenges of Darlington: “There’s some race tracks you walk in and you have a good feeling about being there and Darlington (Raceway) is one of them. It’s always a tough week but an exciting one when you’re getting ready to go to Darlington. The track will change quite a bit throughout the race and you’ll run up close to the wall for most of the event. You’ll probably get a little damage on your car here or there with lots of pit stops. Even in the playoff race there last year, there were some pit calls made that have never been made at Darlington. We’ll have to study those, which probably adds another day of race strategy studying that we don’t have to do for most other tracks. It’s just a really tough track and race.”
Alex Bowman, driver of the No. 48 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on the challenges of Darlington and his throwback scheme for Sunday: “Darlington (Raceway) is such a tough place to put an entire day together. The race is long and you kind of have to run that place in a high-risk space for the entire day. It’s hard to do that for that long without mentally making a mistake or kind of overstepping the boundaries and hurting your race car. It’s a tough place for sure, but a challenge that I look forward to tackling this weekend with the Ally Racing team. We’re running a special throwback on our team’s Chevy this weekend, too. It will be cool to run the scheme from Jimmie (Johnson)’s rookie year in 2002. Jimmie has always been a great Ally and is a large piece of the history and success behind the No. 48.”
Blake Harris, crew chief of the No. 48 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on preparing for Darlington: “With running the Ally throwback scheme this weekend, it would be great to get the No. 48 back in victory lane. Darlington (Raceway) is a tough track and honestly, I feel like our team has some unfinished business there from last fall. We crashed there in the late stages while we were right there around the top five. So, I’m looking forward to getting back to competing at ‘The Lady in Black’ with Alex (Bowman).”
NASCAR heads to Darlington Raceway for a full weekend of racing as all three national series compete. The racing will culminate on Mother’s Day with the Cup Series Goodyear 400. Hendrick Motorsports’ William Byron is the defending race winner.
The Craftsman Truck Series will get the action started Friday night with the Buckle Up South Carolina 200. Christian Eckes is the most recent winner at the 1.366-mile track. Saturday afternoon the Xfinity Series takes center stage for the Crown Royal Purple Bag Project 200.
Friday, May 10 3:05 p.m.: Truck Series Practice (Timed, All Entries, 20 Minutes) FS1 3:35 p.m.: Truck Qualifying (Impound, All Entries, Single Vehicle, 1 Lap) FS1 5:05 p.m.: Xfinity Series Practice (Timed, All Entries, 20 Minutes) FS1 5:35 p.m.: Xfinity Qualifying (Impound, All Entries, Single Vehicle, 1 Lap) FS1 7 p.m.: Truck Series Driver Intros – FS1 7:30 p.m.: Truck Series Stages 45/90/147 Laps = 200.8 Miles FS1/MRN/SiriusXM Purse: $770,233
Saturday, May 11 10:35 a.m.: Cup Series Practice (Timed, Groups A & B, 20 Minutes each) FS1/MRN/SiriusXM 11:20 a.m.: Cup Qualifying (Impound, Groups A & B, Single Vehicle, 1 Lap, 2 Rounds) FS1/MRN/SiriusXM 1:10 p.m.: Xfinity Series Driver Intros – FS1 1:30 p.m.: Xfinity Series Crown Royal Purple Bag Project 200 Stages 45/90/147 Laps = 200.8 Miles FS1/MRN/SiriusXM Purse: $1,371,756
Sunday, May 12 2:25 p.m.: Cup Series Driver Intros – FS1 3 p.m.: Cup Series Goodyear 400 Stages 90/185/293 Laps = 400.2 Miles FS1/MRN/SiriusXM Purse: $8,090,969
TOKYO, May 9, 2024 – (JCN Newswire) – Honda R&D (India) Private Limited (HRID), a subsidiary of Honda Motor Co., Ltd. and functioning as Honda’s research and development arm for motorcycles & power products in India, today opened its new Solution R&D Center in Bengaluru, Karnataka.
Honda sets global target of achieving carbon neutrality in all of its products and corporate activities by 2050, and is working to make a wide range of its products carbon neutral in terms of their power sources. In the motorcycle business, Honda is aiming to achieve carbon neutrality for all of its motorcycle products during the 2040s.
Shifting to India where economic development continues, in 2021, the Indian government announced at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (also known as 26th Conference of the Parties, COP26) that the country will work toward achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2070.
Under such environmental change, Honda believes that in order to continue to be chosen by customers, the company needs not only to respond to electrification trends, but also to create new value outside of the established framework, and provide more attractive products and services.
The Solution R&D Center will incorporate advanced mobility technologies into electrified vehicle development more quickly, as well as work on software and connected services through ‘co-creating’ open innovation by adopting technologies and ideas of research and development companies. In addition, by taking advantages of ‘ecosystem*1’ from its geographical location, the Solution R&D Center will be partnering with companies with new ideas to develop new services and businesses that go beyond the scope of existing businesses and products from a long-term perspective.
Furthermore, Honda will actively work to solve social issues, such as the effective use of energy through Honda’s Triple Action to ZERO2 initiative (carbon neutrality, clean energy, and resource circulation), and the prevention of traffic accidents to realize a society with zero traffic collision fatalities3.
Honda will continue to provide products with new added value that is uniquely Honda, through various technological advancements and innovations, bringing ‘the joy of freedom of mobility’ to its customers.
(1) A common profit environment for products and services established by multiple companies. (2) Honda’s three pillars to achieve zero environmental impact throughout the life cycle of products and corporate activities by 2050. (3) Honda aims to achieve zero fatalities in traffic accidents involving Honda motorcycles and automobiles globally by 2050.
JOSH BERRY Darlington Advance No. 4 Harrison’s Ford Mustang Dark Horse
Event Overview
● Event: Goodyear 400 (Round 13 of 36) ● Time/Date: 3 p.m. EDT on Sunday, May 12 ● Location: Darlington (S.C.) Raceway ● Layout: 1.366-mile oval ● Laps/Miles: 293 laps/400.2 miles ● Stage Lengths: Stage 1: 90 laps / Stage 2: 95 laps / Final Stage: 108 laps ● TV/Radio: FS1 / MRN / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Notes of Interest
● Josh Berry and the No. 4 Harrison’s Throwback Ford Mustang Dark Horse for Stewart-Haas Racing head to Darlington (S.C.) Raceway for Sunday’s culmination of this year’s annual NASCAR Throwback Weekend, the NASCAR Cup Series Goodyear 400. It will be Berry’s second career start on the 1.366-mile, egg-shaped oval affectionately known as the “Track Too Tough To Tame,” his first coming a year ago this weekend in his 10th career Cup Series start. Driving the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports entry for an injured Alex Bowman, Berry started the 295-lap race 23rd and finished 30th.
● Last weekend, the 33-year-old driver from Hendersonville, Tennessee, made his second career outing on the 1.5-mile Kansas Speedway oval in Kansas City, driving his No. 4 Stewart-Haas Mustang to a 15th-place finish from his 17th starting position after overcoming balance issues in the opening stage of the rain-delayed Advent 400.
● Berry has six NASCAR Xfinity Series starts at Darlington, which include a runner-up finish in just his second start there in May 2021 among his two Xfinity Series top-fives there. He led eight laps and crossed the finish line .422 of a second behind race-winner Justin Algaier in that May 2021 race. Berry has four Xfinity Series top-10s in all at Darlington, an average starting position there of 15.3, an average finish of 11.2, and he’s completed 876 laps of a possible 884, or 99.1 percent.
● Crew chief Rodney Childers knows how to tame Darlington, having visited victory lane three times in his 22 Cup Series starts there, all with former No. 4 driver Kevin Harvick. Childers’ drivers also have earned three pole awards, 11 top-five finishes (50 percent of all starts), 13 top-10s, an average starting position of 13.2 and an average finish of 12.4. Childers’ drivers have failed to finish just one of those 22 Cup Series starts at Darlington, completing 7,390 of a possible 7,632 laps.
● After Sunday’s action at Kansas, Berry arrives at Darlington 23rd in the Cup Series standings and second in the Sunoco Rookie of the Year standings, four markers behind rookie leader Carson Hocevar.
● Harrison’s returns to the No. 4 Ford Mustang Dark Horse Sunday, but with a twist on its normal forest green color scheme. It represents a perfect storm of grassroots-themed components while throwing it back to Childers’ 1998 Late Model team. The throwback scheme includes the names of Greensville Pickens Speedway and Piedmont Interstate Fairgrounds Speedway, two South Carolina short tracks that share the home state of the Southeast’s largest retailer of Ariat and Carhart products. The No. 4 scheme also honors several South Carolina Hall of Fame drivers, including Lee Petty, Fireball Roberts and Ned Jarrett. The Spartanburg, South Carolina-based clothing and footwear company has ridden to victory lane on two occasions with Berry in the NASCAR Xfinity Series – the first at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway in May 2022, and at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in October 2022.
Josh Berry, Driver of the No. 4 Harrison’s Ford Mustang Dark Horse
Darlington Raceway is nicknamed the “Track Too Tough To Tame.” What makes its layout so challenging from your perspective?
“Darlington is a place that requires a tremendous amount of patience. The line you run right next to the wall takes a high level of commitment and execution all day. If you are off even by a few inches, you get the ‘Darlington Stripe,’ so it’s just a place that you need to be focused and tuned in all race, which is challenging.”
What does it mean to you to have Harrison’s throwback to Rodney Childers’ Late Model days, as well as paying tribute to South Carolina’s racing history and Hall of Fame drivers?
“I am really proud to be able to run that car. I think the No. 4 team as a whole has been doing a really good job together and really learning a lot, so to be able to give back is a neat opportunity. I know (Rodney) will be really excited to see it back on track, and maybe a little bit emotional. I just hope we can go out there and have a strong run and do his car justice because he was bad-ass in it.”
You are heading into a stretch of historically good tracks for you. How does that help you when you head there in the Cup Series in a new car?
“We can just keep chipping away at our progress. We aren’t looking for the home runs, we are just working on those singles, right? Getting better in small increments each week and really making sure we are doing all we can to absorb as much information as possible. I feel good about the job we are doing and improving, and if we can keep going at the rate we are, I think the sky is the limit for this group.”
Rodney Childers, Crew Chief of the No. 4 Harrison’s Ford Mustang Dark Horse
What does it mean to you to see your Late Model scheme back on the racetrack this weekend at Darlington?
“I was surprised to see my car when we unveiled it in South Carolina at the Governor’s mansion, with Darlington throwing back to grassroots racing and the folks who built our sport. It was funny because I thought it was Josh’s Late Model car when we got there – the one he won the national championship in – but we only got the cover back a few feet and I knew immediately what it was. Everyone did a good job at keeping it a secret. It is special to me because it represents a lot of special moments in my life and my career and that car, specifically, was probably the best racecar I ever drove – it didn’t matter where we went, we could win. It was just really special so to see it again and throwing it back to that is really cool to me.”
You and Josh Berry have a background in short-track racing and spent some time in the offseason Late Model racing together. How do your similar backgrounds help strengthen your relationship in his rookie season?
“I think the biggest thing with that is just the respect we have for each other. Going into the season, the driver has to know what kind of crew chief he wants to have to support him through thick and thin. The same goes for the crew chief. It’s a relationship where you really respect each other and know that everyone is giving it 100 percent every race. Whether it’s how he studies or treats everyone on the team, it’s something that, right from the get-go, I don’t ever question if he’s out there giving it 100 percent or not. He knows that the team is giving it all they’ve got and if it’s not going well, we are going to keep pressing until we get it better. That’s something, too, that not every team can do. If you look at all of our races from the start of the year, we have gotten better from the start to the finish. That’s the fun part, to know that we can do that week-in and week-out.”
Darlington is a tough racetrack and a place that takes a very specific setup in the car to be successful. What have you learned across all of your starts that has helped lead to your success there?
“Darlington is kind of like a short track when you think about how the tires fall off and how you need to take care of your tires, how you need to be good on the long run, things like that. The same things you do when you go to Hickory (Speedway) racing on a Saturday night are similar to what you need to do in the Cup race on Sunday. That’s where the discipline comes in and I was really impressed with Josh when he ran the Xfinity car there for the first time and finished second. Since then, it has been harder, and he has done a good job. I know he got in the No. 48 car last year and wished he could of run better, but hopefully we can give him the car he needs to go run better this time around.”
Danny Harrison, Founder and President of Harrison’s
What does it mean to Harrison’s to be a part of the Goodyear 400 and Throwback Weekend, especially with it being in Harrison’s home state?
“I was on board with the tribute to Rodney just because of past experiences. Even though I didn’t know Rodney before, I saw a lot of what he was doing in go-karts and Late Models. We also thought that the Spartanburg Fairgrounds and the Greenville-Pickens Speedway were basically the backbone of where all this started. Spartanburg, especially, being home to more teams than all of the rest of the places put together back in the day, I just agreed that (honoring those racers and tracks) was a good thing to do. There will be a lot of old heads like me it will register with.”
Harrison’s has been a big supporter of Josh Berry between the Xfinity Series, his Late Model races, and now with Stewart-Haas Racing in the Cup Series. What has the journey been like with Josh?
“I just always felt like Josh was good enough to keep moving up, and I was kind of frustrated about nothing happening even after he won his first Xfinity race. I felt like he was getting the short end of the stick, and that’s why I stepped up and helped him finalize his Xfinity deal. That went pretty good for him, and when this opportunity came along, I was really happy about it. I wanted to do what little bit I could do to help, and I’m just glad he’s finally got the chance to prove himself.”
SALINAS, Calif., (May 8, 2024) – Two weeks have passed since Wright Motorsports suffered a heartbreaking incident at the Grand Prix of Long Beach, when the No. 120 Porsche 911 GT3 R was taken out of the competition just eight laps into the race. This weekend, they return to the competition in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, eager to rebound with round four of the GTD class season, the MOTUL Course de Monterey, at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca and continue their strong start to the season, May 10 – 12.
“Long Beach was a tough pill to swallow,” said Team Owner John Wright. “We had strong pace and the guys worked so hard, as they always do, to come out swinging. Unfortunately, there was nothing we could do to avoid the incident. Since that moment, we’ve been focused on Laguna Seca. The car is fixed, the drivers are ready, and the crew is prepared. Laguna is an amazing track, and we know the Porsche will do well here.”
The team last won at the circuit in 2022, showing their prowess on the famed circuit. The track has a rich history dating back to 1957, making it one of the oldest racing circuits in the United States. Its technical and challenging layout mixed with exciting elevation changes demands precision from the drivers, and always delivers exciting racing for the fans.
Continuing with various developments around the course, WeatherTech Raceway was recently repaved last June. The investment into the facility upkeep brings a new excitement to the IMSA race event, and competitors will be eager to see what the new track surface can deliver.
Friday afternoon will host the weekend’s sole practice session, while practice two, qualifying, and the free, series-wide autograph session will be held on Saturday. The MOTUL Course de Monterey will run for two hours and 40-minutes on Sunday, May 12, beginning at 12:40 PM ET. It will steam live domestically from start to finish on Peacock, while international fans can stream live on imsa.com/tvlive. Fans who desire every minute of on-track action can listen to live commentary from IMSA Radio on imsaradio.com. Full event schedules are available on imsa.com.
Adam Adelson
I’m ecstatic to be racing again at Laguna Seca, and for the first time in GT3 machinery! I’ve had a love/hate relationship with this place, with most of my issues coming from the old degrading asphalt it used to have, so I’m especially excited considering the re-pave!
Also, Laguna Seca is the track where I participated in my first-ever race, so coming back here in the WeatherTech Sportscar Championship just under four years later makes it even more special for me. The hunger for success in this series is something that the whole team shares and I can’t wait to see what we can achieve.
Elliott Skeer
Back to the ‘Best Coast’ for another home-ish race! This should be a fun weekend with a lot of learning as we have not experienced the new surface yet. Ultimately, it’s another rep for Adam and myself in the IMSA sprint format and we are going into it with open minds, while of course trying to fly the Porsche flag as high as possible.
EVENT SCHEDULE | ALL TIMES PACIFIC
Friday, May 10 1:15 PM – 2:45 PM Practice 1
Saturday, May 11 9:15 AM – 10:45 AM Practice 2 12:00 PM – 12:30 PM Autograph Session 4:35 PM – 4:50 PM Qualifying
Sunday, May 12 12:10 PM – 2:50 PM Motul Course de Monterey
Wright Motorsports Wright Motorsports is the premier Porsche race engineering facility in Ohio and a multi-series and international racing team known for superb car preparation, expert race strategy, and driver development. Located in Batavia, Ohio, it is owned and directed by John Wright, a certified Porsche factory-trained technician. As a crew chief John Wright has played a key role in winning eight driver and seven team championships in World Challenge, IMSA (ALMS) and the Grand-Am Rolex Series. Wright Motorsports won the team championship in Porsche GT3 Cup USA in 2012, 2013, and 2015, and went on to win the Pirelli World Challenge Overall, Sprint, Team, and Manufacturer’s titles in 2017. In 2020, the team captured the GT World Challenge America Am championship. In 2021, Wright Motorsports had a wildly successful season, capturing nine championships across their five racing efforts.
